Winter was hard
Who: Jilly and some surprise visitors
What: Remembering. Which is a lot more important than it sounds.
Where: A pretty, open spot in the park.
When: Afternoon to evening.
The trek to the park wasn't nearly as perilous as the one she had taken to the Tombs in Newford, what seemed like a life time ago. It wasn't the right time of year, though she rarely payed attention to time in Rivelata. Days passed almost unnumbered, emergencies and spells used to count the months. It wasn't that her memories of Newford had dimmed, but sometimes it seemed like the events of Rivelata overshadowed them. Now though... This was important.
The spot was pretty in the springtime, filled with flowers and perfect shadows and sunlight. It was her favorite place to go to sketch. Or sometimes just stretch out for awhile and enjoy the fact that she was alive and well. That despite aything else, she had managed to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life. Now it was already covered in a thick snow. Jilly snuggled her scarf around her a bit closer and settled down on a bench after brushing the snow away. From the pocket of her coat she pulled out one of the "violets" that had been in the box dropped out of nowhere onto her head earlier in the week. She held it in her hand, closed her eyes and let the memories just wash over her.
Memories from Newford. Sophie, Meran, Angel, women who had been her friends, her sisters, saved her life in more than one way. Lou. Geordie, one of her "strays" he said and someone she hadn't allowed herself to show the amount of love she felt. Zinc and Annie, the poor kids she had lost, the ones she had failed. Babe and Olaf and tea in Professor Dapple's house, the strange and wonderful and sometimes terrifying events that had shaped her when her eyes had been opened to what the world was like and what it could be like.
Memories from Rivelata. Her arrival. Living with Yusuke, finding work. Her first commission. Talking with Kurama. The early days with Dick and being so close. Joking around and going out. The flood and the subsequent accident, losing her leg and the months of physical therapy following that would lead to her automail. Meeting Tim. Meeting Bart. And all the insane curses and emergencies in between. Falling in love without really meaning to and trying not to think about it. Because if she thought about it too hard, she was sure she would think of a way to ruin it. Lose it. Something. Or maybe it would be taken from her like it had so many other people here...
She would deal with that as it came. If it came at all.
Jilly missed Dick, but he was here and he was... well... for the most part all right. She missed Geordie and the others just as much, but she knew they would be all right as well. And... Maybe one day she would see them again.
But if not. Well. Here was't so bad. She'd have faith in the promises made to her, by Dick and Tim, and whatever else came, she'd deal with it when it got there. Newford had given her that. The memories that would make her strong enough to handle whatever Rivelata had to throw at her.
Pushing herself off the bench, Jilly carefully hung the glass spun violet on the branches of one of the smaller trees. Memories from Newford mixed with memories of Rivelata. It felt right and good. She shoved her hands back in the pockets of her coat and headed back towards the house. She had her own promise of dragging two boys out into the snow for a little fun.
What: Remembering. Which is a lot more important than it sounds.
Where: A pretty, open spot in the park.
When: Afternoon to evening.
The trek to the park wasn't nearly as perilous as the one she had taken to the Tombs in Newford, what seemed like a life time ago. It wasn't the right time of year, though she rarely payed attention to time in Rivelata. Days passed almost unnumbered, emergencies and spells used to count the months. It wasn't that her memories of Newford had dimmed, but sometimes it seemed like the events of Rivelata overshadowed them. Now though... This was important.
The spot was pretty in the springtime, filled with flowers and perfect shadows and sunlight. It was her favorite place to go to sketch. Or sometimes just stretch out for awhile and enjoy the fact that she was alive and well. That despite aything else, she had managed to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life. Now it was already covered in a thick snow. Jilly snuggled her scarf around her a bit closer and settled down on a bench after brushing the snow away. From the pocket of her coat she pulled out one of the "violets" that had been in the box dropped out of nowhere onto her head earlier in the week. She held it in her hand, closed her eyes and let the memories just wash over her.
Memories from Newford. Sophie, Meran, Angel, women who had been her friends, her sisters, saved her life in more than one way. Lou. Geordie, one of her "strays" he said and someone she hadn't allowed herself to show the amount of love she felt. Zinc and Annie, the poor kids she had lost, the ones she had failed. Babe and Olaf and tea in Professor Dapple's house, the strange and wonderful and sometimes terrifying events that had shaped her when her eyes had been opened to what the world was like and what it could be like.
Memories from Rivelata. Her arrival. Living with Yusuke, finding work. Her first commission. Talking with Kurama. The early days with Dick and being so close. Joking around and going out. The flood and the subsequent accident, losing her leg and the months of physical therapy following that would lead to her automail. Meeting Tim. Meeting Bart. And all the insane curses and emergencies in between. Falling in love without really meaning to and trying not to think about it. Because if she thought about it too hard, she was sure she would think of a way to ruin it. Lose it. Something. Or maybe it would be taken from her like it had so many other people here...
She would deal with that as it came. If it came at all.
Jilly missed Dick, but he was here and he was... well... for the most part all right. She missed Geordie and the others just as much, but she knew they would be all right as well. And... Maybe one day she would see them again.
But if not. Well. Here was't so bad. She'd have faith in the promises made to her, by Dick and Tim, and whatever else came, she'd deal with it when it got there. Newford had given her that. The memories that would make her strong enough to handle whatever Rivelata had to throw at her.
Pushing herself off the bench, Jilly carefully hung the glass spun violet on the branches of one of the smaller trees. Memories from Newford mixed with memories of Rivelata. It felt right and good. She shoved her hands back in the pockets of her coat and headed back towards the house. She had her own promise of dragging two boys out into the snow for a little fun.