The Boat

[sparednothing]

[And there, sitting on the docks, is a cruise ship. It seems a man from InGen is waiting by the hull to greet them, a wide smile on his face]

Please accept InGen's humblest apologies for this little...mix up. We are offering you a week stay in a luxury hotel in the beautiful city of San Diego. We should arrive here this evening.

[He bustles them along inside, where all those folks who didn't get to spend a hellish four days on a dinosaur infested island are waiting for them]

[[No sections make your own. Day four ooc post | Plot hub]]

Comments

[whichwayyoulean]

[He nods] And that right there is a helpful skill to have, especially here where everything can change in a second.

Here we are, food court. [Smell dem delicious smells]

[hellofist]

Good. Anything here's... better than raw cow.

[She lets go of his hand to make a beeline for the closest food-shaped thing. Are the supposed to pay? She has no idea, but she has a tray and she's piling it with food, not really paying much attention to what she's grabbing so much as making sure she's getting a lot. Round two can be about more discerning tastes but right now it'll be an accomplishment if she even makes it to a table to eat her meal.]

[whichwayyoulean]

[He'll watch her with slightly raised eyebrows. Wow, she was not kidding around. Still, Christmas with Allen has prepared him for such things. He'll even be nice and get them a table]

[hellofist]

[She follows after him, sitting down and getting ready to shovel food into her face before she realizes... this really feels familiar. She stops, looks around a little.]

I've... been on ship like this. A cruise one.

[whichwayyoulean]

[He leans back on his seat, looking around]

You have? Back home?

[hellofist]

Yeah...

[She's twisting to look the other direction now, frowning as she tries to concentrate.]

Bruce didn't... want me to go. He said, should focus... on training. I didn't want to, either. To go, I mean. But... I did.

[Why? And with who? Bruce wasn't there, he never would have approved of the bikini she'd ended up in, he'd gotten mad about her meeting Superboy and developing a bit of a crush, of the way she'd let a known criminal flirt with her. But if it wasn't him, if Alfred wasn't there either, how did she get on a cruise ship at all?]

Someone was with me, but... can't remember who.

[whichwayyoulean]

So someone wanted you to come and relax a little? It wasn't Steph or Alvin?

[He frowns, considering, before something dawns across his expression. He's lived in the castle long enough, spoken to enough people, to notice the signs]

Do you know what your loss is? [He taps the unless on their table] You know, the price the castle made you pay to keep you here?

[hellofist]

No, Alvin... didn't like me, then. Stephanie wasn't there.

[But he has an idea, so Cass turns her attention back to Once now, glancing down at the unless before looking back to him. She hasn't even tried to read those, not when she can read in his body language how relieved he's been that she doesn't know what they say.]

No, haven't... figured it out.

[whichwayyoulean]

...Well, that's not good.

[Sometime, he'll read them to her. Explain why the castle did it. But for now, he'll focus on her]

Did you ever think it might have taken a memory of yours? Maybe of a person? I've seen it happen to other people. [Ted has such a loss, not that either of them know, after all, Audrey hasn't even been born in the Once-ler's time yet]

[hellofist]

I... didn't really think of it. At all.

[She's not hungry at all anymore. If anything, she just feels sick to her stomach. She forgot someone? Someone who cared enough to force a vacation on her? That just seems so wrong.]

Is there way- to find out? Who it is?

[whichwayyoulean]

[He frowns quietly, watching her for a moment, before getting up to move to sit next to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder]

You could ask people you know, from back home. Steph and Alvin, see if there's someone they remember that you don't.

[hellofist]

[She's grateful for the comfort, lifts her hand up to cover his and squeeze it gently. She could ask them, they would know. They'd have to have noticed something was off in her memories of home, that-]

He knew. Alvin- he... he figured it out.

[She hadn't put two and two together at the time, but Tim had asked her questions about Commissioner Gordon's daughter over the journals and then stopped the conversation. No wonder he never got back to her.]

He hid it.

[whichwayyoulean]

[Alvin, you idiot. The Once-ler' brow furrows for a moment, he doesn't agree with hiding it from her, and he makes a mental not to talk to him about it when things get back to normal. But for now, his main concern is giving Cass some comfort, any comfort]

I guess he thought he was protecting you. Doesn't make it right, but that would be my guess.

[hellofist]

It's not right.

[It comes out harshly and she doesn't look apologetic about it. She's furious, it's not Tim's place to do this, he isn't Bruce, he's not in charge of her life and he has no right. She pushes her chair back, starts to get up.]

Have to go. Have to- find him.

[And hit him as hard as she can.]

[whichwayyoulean]

No. It's not.

[He watches her stand. He can't defend the guy's decision here, not even a little. And he certainly won't try to stop her. She has the right to get her answers, eve if they're something she won't want to know]

You know where I am if you need me. Any time, day or night. I mean it. Even if you just want to rant.

[hellofist]

[That stops her, softens the angry look that had taken over once she'd stood.]

I know. [She leans down to hug him, arms around his neck.] Thank you.

[whichwayyoulean]

[He returns it, squeezing her gently]

And if you'll take a little bit of advice? Be careful with your words. As wrong as he's been, there are some things you can never take back.

[hellofist]

[That... might not be the right thing to say. When she lets go and stands straight again, she shakes her head.]

Don't need words.

[whichwayyoulean]

[He desperately wants her to not live a life consumed in regret. It sucks big time]

I know. [He lets out a soft sigh] And I'm sorry. That they didn't tell you.

[hellofist]

[She nods and rests her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.]

I'll see you... back at castle. Stay safe.

[And she heads off now, on a warpath to find Tim and demand answers. Stupid Robin and his stupid fake name and his stupid thinks he knows everything...]

[whichwayyoulean]

[He watches her go, worry dashed across his face]

Yeah. You too, Cass.