paradisa | [2]

[settling in isn't the right word for what M has been doing. more like coping. everything is still as bizarre for her as it was when she arrived.... maybe even more so. realizing that everyone she'd spoken to thus far was at least telling what they felt to be the honest truth didn't exactly make her feel better. on the contrary, it made her feel worse. either there was something she was missing, a clue to some drug or process they had all undergone, or she really was in another dimension with something irretrievably lost, and no way home. she didn't want to think on which was worse.

she had spent much of her first few days resting, writing in the journal rather than speaking, as her body knitted itself back together and her fatigue waned. Carson had already checked in on her, regularly, and slowly the clinic was becoming familiar to her. finally, she felt fine enough to try looking around on her own, even if she wasn't sure if she was technically cleared to do so.

so, this fine evening, residents will find her anywhere on the second or first floors, making a tentative exploration of her own. she'll end up in the kitchen though, in robe and slippers, staring in perplexion into a dark blue mug]

I don't understand. It's not as though this was meant to be difficult.

[she glances over to see her journal merrily transcribing away].... And I know I left this damn thing back at the clinic. What in God's name...

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[It's at this point that Martel walks into the kitchen to get a cup of tea. M might have seen this woman in the clinic at some point, though never up close, but she's incredibly hard to mistake with her green hair down her back and her own tendency for wearing green.

She sees the kettle is already been taken out with water in it and turns to M, headtilting.] Are you using the rest of this water?

[damn. caught. M isn't about to back down, though, and she simply shrugs a bit]

You can use it as you like, but I think the tea is off. [she pulls the tea ball out of her mug and watches the water drip out, clear as from the tap]

Thank you! Though, don't worry, I have my own tea. You can use some, if you like. [She gets up into the cupboard and takes out a cup, along with a packet of her own tea leaves, setting it on the counter. She isn't here to tell you to go back to the clinic, though, she does recognize you from there.] ...Oh, weren't you in the clinic for a few days?

Kind of you. [she picks up the packet and inspects it thoroughly, first - she's still in the habit. a lifetime of espionage will do that to you]

And what if I was, does it matter?

Well, I was just saying I saw you there. [Martel turns to her with a little smile.] Unless you're an escapee?

I was there, yes. There's not much reason for it, now. I've rested.

Well, if you're well enough to make it here and make tea, then I'm not going to stop you or drag you back. Just possibly consider going back there tonight?

[totally busted. she knows better than to buck the advice of someone who works there, though. strange-colored hair aside] I'm not yet certain of my room, so - yes.

... What sort of tea is this, you've got here? [priorities]

[A smile because that's good enough for her.] All right.

Ah, black tea. I'm not sure of a label. [But don't worry, it's not tampered with.] There's so many types of tea around...

There certainly are, but as long as it's black, it'll do for me. Never was a fan of herbal.

I drink herbal tea sometimes. I'm actually fascinated by the fact that I can have it. It's not something I was able to get a lot at home.

No? .... There's sort of a craze about it where I'm from, people can't get enough of it all of a sudden. .... Not a lot of call for it, or...?

Ah, it can be hard to get. Especially when you're a wanted women and can't go into towns without trouble. Plus, the water takes forever to boil over just a fire, plus you have to go fetch water from a stream. Stoves and plumbing are so convenient!

What on Earth were you wanted for? [M's definitely curious - and has no problems asking, either. tact is for people from countries not named Britain. Martel doesn't look the fugitive type ... but then again, she knows full well you don't have to look a part to play it]

Well, there was a large war going on, and me and my friends were trying to stop it. And of course, no one wanted us to stop it. [She then looks sheepish all of a sudden.] ...I also may have told the king of one of the countries off.

I take it he deserved it. [congratulations, she likes you a bit more now. you've got cheek and balls, both qualities that go a long way toward earning her trust]

Of course he deserved it! [Martel pours the water into her cup, almost angrily.] He continued to stubbornly insist on fighting that senseless and destructive war. Nobody at that point could even remember how it started or why they were even fighting in the first place. I'm not even quite sure how I started, since it was far before my time.

Of course, I was arrested and immediately sentenced to death.

Sounds like just the sort of man I would've been working against, where I'm from. [she says it dryly, but there's a thin sheen of anger there, as well, on Martel's behalf. the Cold War may have kept MI6's cogs rolling, but at least it was not a war that sacrificed hordes of soldiers in battle]

[That distracts Martel enough.] ...Where are you from, anyway? Earth? A lot of people in the castle are from Earth.

I am, yes. A country called Great Britain. Have you heard of it?

No, not that particular country. I've heard of Italy, Japan, France and America, though.

[from the look M gives her, it's plain that she's thinking "you poor, uneducated soul". but she simply smiles] They've saved the best for near the end, then.

It's an island. We share it with the Scots - like your colleague, Dr. Carson - but I suppose nothing's perfect.

[She nods, remembering that for later.] Earth has so many countries... It's strange, I'm only used to two.

Is Great Britain a nice place? I keep asking people what their worlds and countries are like, and they always tell me they never notice or never thought to look around.

I think it is, yes. Well, parts of it. Just like any country, I should think. London's a large city, but there's some lovely countryside, too.

It sounds very beautiful. Well, anyone's home is beautiful, I suppose. I think Aselia is beautiful... [No matter what happens.]

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