001: I am the passenger [holo | location: The Sanctuary]

[tin_hearts]

The O.Z was saved. The Witch, vanquished, and the royal family reunited. They'd watched the two suns reemerge from behind the moons after the dreaded eclipse, together, two groups linked together by one, extraordinary young woman. The 'heroes'. The 'saviors' of the O.Z. The prodigal daughter and her rag-tag team of mismatched metaphorical relatives

Comments

[ voice ]

[justaddmarbles]

[ Glitch had...stared at the hologram for a good while, listened to the man's conversation with DG, and eventually came to terms with and accepted what had happened. Finally, finally there was someone else from home, and "home" became a little more real. ]

Cain! You're-- oh, I'm so glad to see you. Hang on, we'll be there soon.

[holo]

[tin_hearts]

"Glitch?"

That weird look in his eyes, could it be relief? Whatever it is he's projecting, Cain doesn't have a clue what he's supposed to feel. It sounds to him like he's the only one left out of the loop. As if there's an in joke he's yet to find out about. "What in the O.Z is going on?!"

[ voice ]

[justaddmarbles]

[ The answer was a sort of nervous, uncertain chuckle. ]

That's...that's kind of the problem. We're not in the O.Z. anymore. But it's okay, you're gonna be fine, I I know it.

[voice]

[tin_hearts]

It's familiar and not at the same time, that sound. Comforting and not. His jaw works silently from side to side as he tries very desperately to wrap his mind around the concept.

"But if we're not in the Zone..."

[voice]

[justaddmarbles]

It's a city called Taxon, i-it's not the Otherside but there's a lot of folks from there here. And other places. [ The bit about the kidnapping will come, it really will. ] What's the last thing you remember, Cain?

[ And yes, he knows the irony of being the one to ask that. ]

oh I suck at maintaining proper format [holo]

[tin_hearts]

Cain drags in a deep breath through his nose, then reaches up to pinch its bridge. "A lot of strangers keep sending me messages. Any way to turn this thing off and meet up? DG is coming to get me, apparently."

He's tired. Hasn't realized how deeply until just now, and being monitored, or put on display, or both, is rubbing him every wrong way there is. "And I thought that was my line, zipper head."

[voice] don't even worry!

[justaddmarbles]

...gods, no one's called me that in a long time. [ And he's not entirely sure how to feel about it. ] The little gizmo's got an off switch, and I suggest putting it in a pocket too, just in case. I'll ask DG to pick me up and and and we'll meet you outside Sanctuary, okay?

[holo]

[tin_hearts]

"Don't tell me you like 'sweetheart' better."

He huffs a breath of air, corners of his lips tugging into a wan smile as his eyes blink slowly at the ceiling.

"One second, we're up in the tower, watching the end of the eclipse. I tell Raw I'm heading down to find Jeb, and the next thing I know, I'm here, and all these people keep talking and acting like there's nothing wrong with this picture, nothing at all."

Congratulations and celebrations, Glitch, you just got him into the multisyllabic stage.

[voice / visual]

[justaddmarbles]

Actually, given the choice? I think I do.

[ There is a pause as Glitch absorbs the significance of Cain using that many words. It's so disconcerting as from his perspective he hasn't seen the tin man for a full annual, barring that brief time he and DG went back to save the O.Z. Cain is at once agonizingly familiar and totally foreign, but as he's filed under "friends and family" in Glitch's half-a-brain it's the former that wins out. So he switches to visual-]

-and Cain is treated to a slightly different Glitch than he's used to. The matted hair has been tamed into buoyant but soft curls, the dark circles have vanished from around his eyes, and the rags have been traded for dapper, respectable clothing. The zipper, the mole, the beak of a nose, and the crooked grin remain, however.

"There's a lot wrong with it, I'll give you that," Glitch admitted. "But we'll sort it out together, right?"

[holo]

[tin_hearts]

For the space of a heartbeat, Cain just watches the screen; seeing is believing, and he's seeing something he never thought he would, seeing someone echoed in the depths of Glitch's doe eyes.

Ambrose.

He looks like Ambrose. Even more importantly, he looks happy. Healthy. He looks as though maybe this place has been good for him.

Cain swallows, and nods. "You look-- Better."

[ visual ]

[justaddmarbles]

Any Ambroseness is purely superficial, although Glitch may be noticibly more lucid than when Cain saw him last. Still, the assesment gets a snort.

"Thanks, you look...well, like you've been on an adventure." Which is to say lousy. "Don't worry, we'll have you sipping coffee and bundled by a fire in the palace in no time."

[holo]

[tin_hearts]

When he saw Glitch last, he was watching the sun spreading out over the Zone like it was a batch of freshly picked red apples.

When he saw Glitch last, he had just been shot in the shoulder. That hasn't changed.

It's funny how a thing like pain doesn't register when you're pumped full of adrenaline - and whatever kind of substance good, old fashioned confusion releases into your system.

"The palace."

[ visual ]

[justaddmarbles]

"The Northern Island," Glitch clarified with one of his puppet-like nods. "When folks come here something from their home appears too. When DG showed up, so did the Northern Island, and we've been living there." (Together, he wanted to add with a touch of significance, but wisely decided that Cain was dealing with enough shock.)

Any moment now he'd also remember the whole Cain-got-shot thing, and then there would be wrangling him to a doctor to finish whatever healing job Raw may have started.

[holo]

[tin_hearts]

Rather than try to understand, or at least begin to process all of this, Cain shakes his head.

"She told me to head outside. I think I'm going to do that now."

Maybe things will make more sense when two of his best friends are right there in front of him. He certainly hopes so.

[ visual ]

[justaddmarbles]

"I'll be there too," Glitch said firmly. "You hang in there, tin man, we'll be there before you know it."

And with that he turned off his tablet.

ooc - I'll be jumping into the other thread now ♥

Re: [ visual ]

[tin_hearts]

ooc: Awesomecakes! :D

AND YOU! LOOKIT ALL THE NEW ICONS! It's all your fault! <3~