Arrival; And through timeless words in priceless pictures...

[momentbymoment]

Visiting places she's never been, walking into realities that aren't truly real, these are things Eva is used to. Maybe too used to, if the veteran agents are to be believed, but usually she enters them of her own volition. On purpose, and with the memory that she has done so.

She's altered so many people's memories over the years, with their consent and for their own happiness. Never before has she felt her own mind so tampered with.

At first, she was certain she was dreaming. Why not? A castle with a room full of candy, and seemingly endless corridors? That's the stuff of sleep and dreams. Not usually of her's, but these things aren't always predictable.

But when the dream doesn't end, no matter how she wanders or what she does, she starts to get suspicious. Everything around her is so solid, and time seems to flow fairly normally. So if she isn't dreaming... then what? Someone's memory is the most likely culprit, but she has no memory herself of a client. Did something go wrong? ... Again? After that incident with Johnny she thought she more than had her share of drama for at least a few months.

She's just starting to wonder if she should panic when she passes the lab. Like a moth to flame she's drawn in. It's more well-equipped than she expected and... feels oddly familiar. The set up of the hood, the type of tools and equipment, even the smell of it. Her eyes narrow suspiciously as the feeling of de ja vu only grows.

Then, behind her, a meow. The first indication of a living thing. She'd rather it be human, but as she turns to look at the creature, a tidal wave of emotions hits her hard. Of all the cats in the world...

She crouches down and holds out her hand for it, smiling in a tired sort of way as it moves to bump its face against her. "Now you were not what I was expecting." It meows again.

"Not a bad job, considering..." Not that she'd admit that aloud if Neil was in earshot. She can tell it's a data projection, of course. If it was a real cat she could write it off as a coincidence. Unfortunately, it isn't, and that means Neil is here, too, for better or worse.

That doesn't answer any of her questions. "Do you know where Neil is?" She asks the cat as she picks it up. It's the only company she has, and it's coming with her. She continues her investigation of the lab and the castle itself with a datacat purring in her arms.

Comments

[momentbymoment]

Eva bristles like a lioness. She's really had just about enough of this lady's crap.

She opens her mouth to say probably something she will regret, when Neil speaks first. She makes the mistake of looking at him, taking in the look on his face. How long has he been here? She softens immediately, worry overtaking both her rage at Tauriel and her usual response to Neil.

She brushes past Tauriel to sit on the edge of his bed. "Yeah, I'm here..." She winces a little at the sound of his cough, tempted to reach out to him, but she doesn't. She just sighs.

"This has to do with those pain pill you tried to hide from me, doesn't it?"

[lightofthestars]

This--this is a person. This is no spirit, but...but living flesh.

Oh, by the Belain, she has been foolish.

She lets the woman--Eva, her name is Eva--pass, then fetches a fresh cup of tea for Neil. It is cold, but she hopes it will help his cough.

Her face red, she holds out the tea for Neil and says to Eva, "Forgive me. I thought you were another spirit."

[dr_awesome]

This, this is exactly why he hadn't told her about his illness. He hates how she looks at him with such pity. She gives up all her usual biting banter, witty insults, all the things that made her so interesting, to sit and fuss over him. He doesn't deserve this. It makes him feel even sicker.

"I, um, considering this place, I'm not surprised you thought she was a ghost first. I never thought you'd show up here..."

He takes the tea and sips it, trying to ignore Eva's other question. If he doesn't answer, then maybe she'll go back to squabbling with him.

[momentbymoment]

Eva sighs, heaving out all of her previous rage at Tauriel, hoping to start fresh again. She isn't happy about it, but there's more important things to worry about right now, and she clearly has good intentions.

"There are spirits here, too?" Thats just what she needs. She rubs at her face with a hand, turning to Neil. "What even is here?" If he's up to talking, maybe she can get something like a straight answer from him, instead of the impossible half-explanations she's been getting.

He's clearly avoiding this subject, unhappy with her prying. Well, bucko, she's unhappy with your bed-ridden bullshit so, deal. "Seriously, Mr. Avoidance, what's wrong with you?"

[lightofthestars]

As Neil and Eva speak, Tauriel tidies around Neil's bed with too-quick movements. Maybe she should go, and leave them to their meeting....

[dr_awesome]

Ugh, that's Eva for you. Asking too many questions, and then getting frustrated when one of them doesn't get answered. Neil waves one hand, both to try to wave off her question and to calm Tauriel down.

"Tauriel, just chill for a minute. It's fine. You can help me explain where we are." He gives a pointed glance to Eva. "Because that's a little more important right now. So uh, welcome to the castle. A nexus of timelines and alternate dimensions all conglomerating into this little limbo area that just happens to take the form of an island in the sky. And no, this isn't the latest premise of my favorite comic book."

[momentbymoment]

Where they are is not half as important as why, to all appearances, her partner is dying. He looks like a cancer patient, for god's sake. Who cares where they are? She cares about keeping him alive!

But Tauriel's fussing is making her more anxious, so she appreciates Neil calming her down.

Neil gives his explanation in his very Neil-like way, but fuck her if it isn't concise and well-worded. It definitely sounds fake, though. Her quiet staring lasts a long moment before. "You're serious." It's a statement, but it's a question.