milliways_bar | (no subject)

"It probably is real."

Eilinel is nearby, radiating the normal healingwoman's comforting glances and soft, reassuring voice.

"Many dreams come to be, even if they truly are, at the start, just dreams. What, if I may ask, was it?"

Todd glanced back up, and rubbed his eyes a bit.

"It is?"

He looked down at himself, "Just something this weird Chesire cat said. That none of this was real, and I'm just dreaming."

And it did make sense in a rational way...

"This? I promise you, this is real. Everything that illuminates life and afterlife is here, and it is very, very real."

She smiles at him, calmly.

"If there is love and pain and joy and suffering, all capable in one place, and even in one conversation? It's real."

Todd gazed back at her curiously, still sniffling a bit from his now-runny nose.

"Are you a poet? Or a teacher?"

"I am a daughter and a wife, and a sister, and a healer. And I could, perhaps, be called a sort of poet. My husband and I sometimes speak in iambic pentameter, if that serves you?"

She's still smiling, and offers him a kerchief thoughtfully.

"Would you like some tea? Or soup?"

Todd took the hankerchief gratefully, wiping his eyes first, before using it to blow his nose.

"Thank you, ma'am. Uh, some tea would be nice, please."

"Indeed." Eilinel hands him a cup of chamomile, nodding. "And my name is Eilinel, you may call me that, or perhaps Ellie."

Todd took the cup gratefully, and sipped a little of the herbal tea slowly. Strange flavor, but it seemed to help a little.

"I'm Todd, Todd Anderson. Nice to meet you, Ellie."

"It's quite good to meet you as well."

A pause. "If you have come to believe I am real."

Todd gave her a small smile, and sipped some more of the tea. He swallowed before responding with, "I think so. Just Milliways seems like a wonderful dream at times, and it's unbelievable. There's nothing like this where I come from."

"Todd?" Charlie was carrying a mug a of coffee, and peering with concerned curiosity at his friend. "Todd, what's happened?" He bent to retrieve the book and kneeled beside the other boy's chair.

Todd's head went up at Charlie's voice, and rubbed his eyes, sniffling some.

"Charlie, we're def-definitely not dreaming, right? All of this is real-real? Even though it seems unbelievable because of Neil and Mr. Keating here?"

"I hope it's real, because if this is a dream, it's the longest dream I've ever had," Charlie replied, taking a seat on the floor with his coffee. He opened the book and flipped through the pages idly. "I don't really know what to think of it all, Todd, so I've just not been thinking about it at all, to tell the truth." He shrugged one shoulder noncommittally. "Just trying to see where it takes me. Carpe diem and all that."

Todd nodded, "It's just I met this creature. He called himself the Chesire Cat, like from Wonderland, but he looked skeletal and half dead, and tat-tattoed."

"Saying how none of this was real, and, and I'm crazy, and dr-dreaming it all. But it can't be. Because if, if it's a dream..." Then Keating and Charlie were gone, and Neil was *dead.* And he didn't want to face that possibility ever again.

"If this is a dream, Todd, it's my dream, not yours. So if I were you, I wouldn't worry about it," Charlie answered with a smirk. It made sense to him. "Besides, have you taken a look around this place? There's a guy over there that's out of one of Meeks' dimestore paperbacks." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of a rather curious-looking alien. "And the first day we were here, I was talking to a fox. A fox, Todd. That's not normal."

He gave a small smile at that idea.

Todd then nodded, "Oh, yes, I met this man who said he was an android named Data yesterday. And then there was that weird cat today, so uh, yes, right. Not normal."

"I'm beginning to think that not normal is normal, for this place," Charlie added pointedly. "So, if you were talking to the Cheshire Cat, while it's bizarre and makes me wonder if you've been doing drugs, it's not entirely unexpected." There was that smirk again, faintly teasing. The idea of Todd doing drugs was laughable.

"I guess so."

Todd then stared at Charlie, "I don't even drink really." And laughable, yes. Only one of many things that Todd could never be paired with in a sentence.

He then added, smiling slightly, "Maybe you were, and that's why it's your dream?"

"I wish," Charlie laughed. He extracted a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and shook one out. The bar really could give him just about anything he needed, it turned out. "I wish I could say the entire thing was one big trip, but I doubt it." The cigarette was placed to his lips, and Charlie bent his head to light it. He took a drag and exhaled as he spoke. "But seriously, Todd. Stop listening to disappearing cats. If your heart tells you it's real, I suggest you listen to it and be thankful that we're all here now." Well, almost all, but Charlie was doing his best to not dwell on that.

Todd nodded, "It does. My heart says it's real. Thanks, Charlie, uh, Nuwanda, I mean." He replied with a small smile.

He then added, "Not everyone. Not yet." But maybe they're coming soon.

"Not yet," Charlie echoed, a smile curling over his lips. He flicked the ash from the end of his cigarette into the fire, reflecting on the flames. "Not yet."

He took another drag, exhaled and then turned back to Todd. "They'll be here eventually. You know how Knox is. Takes him forever to make a decision, even if it's just walking through a door." His lips quirked. He only half-believed it, but that was better than nothing. Neil and Keating were there, after all. It wasn't crazy to expect the rest.

Todd agreed with that idea, knowing how Knox is unsure what to do a lot of times. A lot like himself.

"He's not the only one."

But if Neil, and Mr. Keating could find the door here, and so could he and Charlie, why not the rest?

"Yes, they'll be here soon. I'm sure of it." Just like how his heart told this was real, and this was home, he was sure they'd find the place too.

Neil came down the stairs with a cantering step, leaping past the last two to land on the main floor of the bar with a light thump. Grinning impishly he stood up and started to make his way towards his usual booth.

However, it went without saying that when he spotted Todd's tawney head he changed course and began to head that direction.

"Todd!" Neil positively yawped the word but in one more step his bouncy manner sobered as he saw his friend was upset.

"Todd?"

Todd's head jerked up immediately, "Neil?"

He pleaded, "Please tell me this is real, and you're here, and-and it's not a dream? None of this is just a dr-dream? I'm not cr-crazy, right?"

Neil frowned worriedly. He knew how sensitive Todd could be and the transfer to the Bar had been shocking for Neil himself. Todd with his gentle nature and the added stress of having thought Neil was dead.

I should have kept closer to him, damn it!

Neil hunkered down beside Todd's chair and reached to take both his hands.

"Hey...don't make me go find a desk set...for the third time...to throw somewhere." The pale youth smiled warmly as he reached up to push that wayward lock of blonde hair off his friend's forehead.

"It's not a dream, Todd. I swear, it's real... I'm real. When I went through the window and ended up here, I was totally shocked. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, I was half dressed, barefoot and completely confused. But I talked to some people, I listened to what they had to say, I checked the door."

Neil's words trailed off as he realized that everything he said, probably Todd had already experienced and yet Todd was still wrecked like this. Neil caught his lower lip between his teeth and then brightened.

"Hey! I know. You said you had a room and all that but why don't you come share mine? I mean, I already know I can deal with you as a roommate." Neil grinned that bright smile that made you either want to laugh or smack him. "We can split the rent and when you wake up at night or are worried about this being a dream you can look over and...there I'll be!"

Todd nodded, "I know it's stupid to listen to something claiming to be from a book. This weird creature calling itself the Chesire Cat was saying that it's not real, and I'm crazy, and dreaming all of this."

He added, "It just made sense though. Because everything is incredible, and I really want to believe it's real so badly."

Because I can't face the alternative.

But his face then lit up as he listened to Neil, "Really? Just like we did at school? I-I'd like that. Thank you!" He went to throw his arms around his friend, but then stopped himself.

Neil rolled his eyes comically. "Toooodddd...remember your Carrol...the Chesire Cat was nuts and he liked to speak in riddles, the danger was the Cat believed his words and it was his reality but that doesn't mean it has to be the reality."

With that he caught his friend's abortive move to hug him and he grinned. Todd always was like that, over thinking moments, scared of being rejected.

Damn his parents.

So it was Neil who closed the distance, long arms catching his friend just up under shoulders as he dragged Todd out of the chair, hugging him close and spinning him around the immediate area.

"You're welcome!" It was Neil's voice that rang out across the room as they twirled about.

Todd seemed to look sheepish at that. He sort of knew it, but it had made some sense to his mind. The rational parts that had been drilled in by his parents and Welton.

He was then a little surprised at Neil, but hugged his friend tightly after that, not wanting to let go. The room spun, and Neil's laughing voice ringing in his ears, and it seemed right.

This is the only reality I want. This is home.

Neil finally stopped twirling them around when he was slightly breathless and he had to lean on Todd a little as the room spun but he was still laughing softly. Giving his friend a gentle squeeze, Neil let him go, hands resting on Todd's shoulders.

"Come on, I know there's not much but let's go upstairs and get your stuff then see if we can talk the Bar into giving us a room at least a little bigger than the closet we called home at Welton."

Todd peered back at his friend, his eyes bright, a little dizzy too. But that was all right, and he was relieved at the contact and the sight of Neil.

"Sure. I heard this place has lots of rooms."

(ooc: fade here, or a tag to Todd's journal, or just handwave the stop to get Todd's things before seeing about them getting a larger room?)

"It does...at least... I think it does... it seems to go on forever at times. Comeon, let's see if we can get one with two windows so we don't have to wrestle for who gets the window."

(ooc-Do you have a particular desire? I'd think the tag to Todd's journal or the handwave might be good?)

"Right, uh, it's just up this way." Todd agreed, gathering his books.

And they head upstairs (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mumbling_truth/674.html)