milliways_bar | (no subject)

A grin appears by the fireplace, hovering about three feet above the floor. Some might not even notice it.

Todd continued reading quietly.

"PUT off that mask of burning gold
With emerald eyes."
"O no, my dear, you make so bold
To find if hearts be wild and wise,
And yet not cold."

"I would but find what's there to find,
Love or deceit."
"It was the mask engaged your mind,
And after set your heart to beat,
Not what's behind."

"But lest you are my enemy,
I must enquire."
"O no, my dear, let all that be;
What matter, so there is but fire
In you, in me?"

The Mask by W.B. Yeats

A large decomposing cat fades into existence around the grin, just in time to jump up onto the back of the man's chair and begin to read over his shoulder.

A young man, in fact, Todd's innocent, sensitive nature makes him seem younger than his age of 17. Despite some loss of innocence due to recent events.

He remained focused on reading, turning the pages slowly, wanting to take in each verse slowly and fully

As Tood turns the page, a paw with excess skin pooling around it reaches out from behind his head and flips it back. The Cat wasn't done with the previous page.

Todd stared at the paw, and glanced back in horror.

"Auugh!" He cried, jumping up, and knocking the book off his lap. He stared at the strange creature there.

"Well, hello to you too."

The cat grins at him. not that this is a change at all. His voice is a deep rumble with a British accent.

"Can we go back to reading now?"

"Who-who, wh-what are you?" Todd blurted out, still staring.

He sits up to his full height of three feet, the bones that make up his neck brackling as he does so.

"I'm a cheshire cat. What are you?"

Todd remembered Lewis Carroll's work, and asked bluntly, "You're real?"

The mun facepalmed at her pup.

The Cat sees an opportunity to mess with someone and pounces on it.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

Todd shrugged, "Well, I'm real, and so this place, so I suppose so?"

And Todd is just digging himself deeper here.

The Cat raises his eyebrows.

"Are you sure? That this place is real, I mean? You could be in an asylum, after all, dreaming all this."

And the mun snerks at this.

Todd shook his head, "No, it's not a d-dream, because Charlie pinched me and it hurt, and-and, you can't read in dreams." He held up the book again. Even though with Neil alive, and Keating back, it did seem like a dream at times. No, don't think that.

The cat waves its paw dismissively.

"Piffle. You can be pinched, as well as read, in dreams, if the dreams are convincing enough."

Todd stared, and wondered at this. "No, it can't be a dream. I'm sure of it."

Even if that would make more sense. That he's back at Welton, and dreaming all this to cope with his loss.

The Cat does not seem at all convince.

"Okay. If you say so."

Not it doesn't, and it seems too easy.

Todd wrapped his arms around himself, fighting the tears threatening to fall. He sat down hard in the armchair again, staring at the fireplace.

"It's not a dream. I-I don't want, want it to be just a dream. Everything's more alive here. Neil's alive here. It has to, has to be real."

"Oh, come now. Being crazy isn't all that bad. I mean, at least you get to be here at all. Even if it is just in your head. And..."

The Cat is about to go on philosophically, but his paws have started to disappear.

"Oh, blast. Look at the time. I really must be going."

With that, he abruptly disappears.

That darn cat is such a bastard. XD

Todd's crying, and rocking in his chair a little, still murmering, "It's real. S'not a dream... Not a dream." The Yeats book remained on the floor where it fell.

*Penny wanders over and speaks in a poem that Tod will not recognize.
The changing light
at San Francisco
is none of your East Coast light
none of your
pearly light of Paris
The light of San Francisco
is a sea light
an island light
And the light of fog
blanketing the hills
drifting in at night
through the Golden Gate
to lie on the city at dawn
And then the halcyon late mornings
after the fog burns off
and the sun paints white houses
with the sea light of Greece
with sharp clean shadows
making the town look like
it had just been painted

But the wind comes up at four o'clock
sweeping the hills

And then the veil of light of early evening

And then another scrim
when the new night fog
floats in
And in that vale of light
the city drifts
anchorless upon the ocean

[ooc:The Changing Light by Lawrence Ferlinghetti]

Todd smiled a little, "That's pretty. Who wrote that?"

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, he's a living poet...

*She laughs*

Todd nodded, "I don't recognize the name, but he sounds great."

Well, he's popular in my time.

He nodded, "Guess a different time then?" See? He's starting to get a handle on the different time and worlds thing with Milliways.

*Penny nods*

Yep.

He nodded, "It's wintertime in 1960 back in my time. And the school I go to is in Vermont."

You aren't as far from me as I thought.

*she laughs*

I'm from autumn of 1974, and I live in San Diego.

Todd blinked in surprise at this, "Really? Yes, that's not far at all." Only 14 years difference. What would he be like then? A businessman like his parents wished him to be? Or a poet and a writer like he was beginning to yearn for himself?

*she nods*

Usually people are from way far in my furture. I had gotten used to it.

Todd nodded, "Been meeting some people like that. I thought only my friends were from around the same time as me."

Nope there are a few from the 60's and 70's. The head barman is from a few years before me and some of the Hogwarts wizarding students I have met are from closer to our times.

Todd seemed reassured by that, "Oh, that's good. Noticed there's some really strange people here."

There are at that. But you get used to it.

Todd replied quietly, "I suppose. That's what I've heard, but it seems unbelievable at times. Unreal even."

There are normal folks here too. We just need to stick together, honey.

*she smiles at him*

Todd nodded, "You're right. Thank you very much, then."

You are very welcome.

Todd nodded, and went back to his reading.

(fade here? seems good, and figure to have his meeting of the Chesire Cat to occur after this thread)

[ooc: sounds good. Big mean Cheshire cat]

(yes it is. That darn cat! XD My pup breaks so easily.)</small