(Untitled)

[ffyddlon]

Gwen’s not having a good day. In fact, as far as days have gone, this is probably the worst she’s had in a long while. She’s in the middle of a three day row with her husband over babies (What, exactly is she supposed to do? Drop them off at the nursery with the least sign of trouble Torchwood-way? Hardly.) and she’s in the middle of a bigger

Comments

[curiously_cora]

Coraline had never been asked quite so many questions before. Normally people didn't actually get a chance to ask questions because Coraline was usually asking them the questions. It was quite weird to be on the answering side.

"Tabula Rasa, it's a tropical island on Earth. No, it's not Cardiff. There's not enough room for the Millenium centre, too many trees. Three years and I was walking home from school in Wales and I ended up here." Coraline said in one long breath. "You ask an awful lot of questions. Is it my turn? Are you from Wales? Are you from home? Why have you got a gun? What year was it where you were?"

[ffyddlon]

It's been a long time since Gwen's had a one on one chat with a little girl but she tucks her gun back into the holster for the time being. She keeps the torch, though she flicks it off; it's plenty light inside this building.

"Yes, I'm from Cardiff," Gwen says quickly, imagining that's the best place to start. "It's 2008, last I checked. What year is it here?"

[curiously_cora]

"2011 here. It was 2002 at home, so I guess it's 2005 there now." Coraline said wondering what 2005 was actually like. It was weird having a great big gap in her life without actually losing anytime what so ever but that was what the island did. It left huge big gaps in your life. "I lived near Cardiff, I liked the Bay. I always wanted to run and jump in the water with all my clothes on but my mum would have gotten very cross."

[ffyddlon]

"As well she should," Gwen says, laughing with a humor she doesn't feel. The one thing about Cardiff and the rift is that things aren't always what they seem and while she wants to believe this is just a little girl she knows she should be more cautious.

"Is your Mum here, then? Can I speak to her?"

[curiously_cora]

Coraline's smile faltered, her lips pressing together tightly before she shook her head.

"No, she's not. She's- she didn't come here. Just me," Coraline said simply. "Why would you want to speak to her anyway? She wouldn't know anything, she didn't even know when she'd been kidnapped. She doesn't pay attention to anything."

[ffyddlon]

"I just thought maybe she'd be here," Gwen says softly, trying to decide what direction to take. "Can you tell me about this place then? I've not been outside yet. Is it like Wales at all?"

[curiously_cora]

"No, she's not. She's at home and I'm at the Homestead. That's a place for unw- kids with no one else." Coraline said simply. Coraline shook her head at the question. "No, Wales has rain. Proper rain, the cold and wet and dreary kind. It hardly rains here and when it does it's sort of hot rain, sticky rain. Not like proper rain at all."

Coraline thought about the question and made a face as she tried to explain the island the best she can. "This place is fun and exciting and scary and dangerous and normal and not normal all at the same time. Strange things happen here sometimes, strange bad things. And sometimes strange good things. There's every day stuff though like a school and a council and a clinic and bars. I work at the vet office and at the Winchester that's sort of a pub."

[ffyddlon]

It's a lot to take in all at once and Gwen feels like she's reeling. She crosses over to the couch and sinks down on it, taking a moment to close her eyes and take a few steady breaths before looking at the girl again. She's talking a mile a minute and it's hard to keep up.

"I think you'll have to slow down a bit. Who's in charge here?"

[curiously_cora]

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Coraline asked as the woman sank down onto the couch. "Well, that would be the Council. There's people on it who are elected and then people who are nominated from their sort of vocations to be on the council. Some of my friends are on the council, hang on I have a list."

Coraline grabbed her bag off the table and routed through it for her notebook. "Okay, there's Lucy Carrigan, Shari Cooper, Jack Harkness well Captain Jack Harkness, Peter Parker, Sookie Stackhouse, Keith Mars, William Bush, Jean Grey, Ianto Jones, Neil McCormick and Edmund. Pevensie. He's one of my best friends."

[ffyddlon]

As she runs through the names, two stand out to Gwen immediately. This Council has both Jack and Ianto and Gwen thinks that's probably wise; both are intelligent men and Jack's a good leader. Even when she's angry with him, she has to concede that.

"I would love a cup of tea," Gwen agrees. "How long have Jack and Ianto been on this council?"

[curiously_cora]

"Okay, I'll get you one. And they've been on the council for a while? I can't remember, I've known them both for a long time." Coraline said. When things weren't going well, when something terrible had happened or when you'd had a bit of a shock, you could always count on the British for making a cup of tea. "About three years? Maybe longer. I'm Coraline by the way. Coraline Jones, well it's Carter now. I guess."

Coraline smiled before she turned and ran to get the woman a cup of tea.

[ffyddlon]

"Were you adopted?" Gwen asks, struggling to follow the girl with how rapid she speaks. She guesses it's just because she's young and Gwen remembers being that way once, carefree, happy. "By someone here on the island, I mean."

[curiously_cora]

"Yes, my dad Adam. He adopted me. Adam and Sarah Carter, they were my parents." Coraline said. Coraline pressed her lips together, pushing everything sad down as she said that. She was still a Carter. She would always be a Carter. And Carters were brave, Carters stuck together. "They're gone now. I live with the other kids now, at the homestead. That's a place for unwa- for people like me."

[ffyddlon]

Sort of like an orphanage, then, but Gwen doesn't say it. Instead, she sort of touches the girl's shoulder in a way she hopes is comforting. "Do you like the other children, at least?"

[curiously_cora]

"Yeah, I like Max. He's like a little brother, he's learning how to punch and beat trees properly. Flick's cool, Felicity, she's from the past. And Jake's really, really cool. He's my best friend but he never wears a shirt and he has a girlfriend Belle. She's okay," Coraline said thinking about all the people who lived there.