the_last_resort | (no subject)

Who: Grainne, & anyone who might want to go with her
What: A trip to late 20th century London and Ireland
When: The Voyage Home event
Where: London & a few days in Ireland.
Notes & Warnings: Grainne's going to have a bit of a psl with this but that'll be going down elsewhere and probably not in front of any visitors, but anyone wanting to see London before the turn of the century can ask to hop along!

It had been a while since she'd seen Britain. Actually it had been over a thousand years, closer to two thousand, since she'd seen Britain. And mostly only from those parts of Ireland where they could see the other island on a clear day ( it seemed the tectonic plates were moving apart so that might no longer be true). Compared to Fuyuki, it was very different. The hustle and bustle at least seemed the same, but underlying the modern conveniences, there was something... familiar about it.

The language had changed and nobody spoke Brytonic anymore, which seemed the most thing out of place for a Servant with Grail knowledge, oddly enough. She knew they spoke English like Waver, but seeing it in the ages old city that had once been a Roman outpost was a particularly weird vibe.

Grainne had no trouble making her way around the busy city today, since Waver had been from here she had been given knowledge of London and the surrounding area just in case she needed it. The strange and amazing things the descendants of the cousin tribes had made over the ages were just as miraculous as Stonehenge was to the modern world.

Finally settling down for a rest on a handy bench by a lake in a park she wandered into, Grainne sighed and turned to her companion. "How are you holding up?"

--------

Ireland was.... very different. More different to her eyes than it had any right of being. She figured that because she had known it so well in her first life. Here and there, she could see a hint of familiarity, something that hadn't changed in two thousand years, but the next blink everything would be completely different. Alien.

But through everything, and deeper than it had ever been, she still felt the pulse of the land underneath the ground, and for the first time understood for real that the gods and fae had indeed left the world to Men.

Her trip here was shorter, half by design and half by desire. She had no wish to dawdle where so many tragedies had occurred, and even less to go to the places she had been once happy to see it changed so.

One place she did go visit was the Hill of Tara, one of the few places she thought she could stomach. And on the whole, it was one of the least painful places to go to.

She had made her peace with leaving a long time ago, and nothing had changed that. It only brought a mild sense of loss and nostalgia as she stood overlooking what had been once a grand stronghold, but it was probably amazing that any part of it still remained.

Perhaps that's all she really wanted out of this trip; the lines of the hills and country at least hadn't changed much. She could even pick out landmarks...

This time she did not do much exploring, just going here and there and looking, or feeling.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Grainne just gave him another affectionate ruffle to ease his discomfort and let him know she wasn't blaming him for anything. They were natural things to assume.

"It's the same thing. They call it a war between Servants, but it's more like a tournament to the death between seven pairs; Master and Servant against Master and Servant. It's really quite barbaric and everyone is made to suffer who takes part. But, it is over a long time now and not worth thinking about," her tone shifts, going from gentle to weary and tired. "Would you like to see more of the park?"

Wander looked at Grainne's face with his full attention as she spoke. She looked uncomfortable thinking about this, and while he didn't have experience fighting battles, he understood this wasn't a topic worth exploring.

When she stopped speaking, he rested his chin on his hands and gazed out at the lake. This was Grainne's home, yet at the same time, it wasn't. It was only natural that she'd consider living elsewhere, if not traveling from place to place.

"Oh, sure thing!" His hands went back on the bench, and he was ready to push himself off. "Anywhere with a nice view would be great!"

Grainne stood up and hummed, turning around to look at him with a critical eye.

"Wander, what if I carried you like a stuffed toy? You're not too heavy, if you don't mind being held like that. You could see everything instead of being stuffed in that hat." She gave him a small smile.

"Sounds like a plan!" He jumped off the bench and landed with a small bounce. "Jus' keep a tight grip on me so I don't fall."

He tugged on his hat, attempting to have it sit more tightly on his head. "Where are we headed to?"

She picked him up and tucked him under her arm like a child would a favorite doll, and turned toward the lake. "I do not know. Shall we let our feet decide? Perhaps Buckingham. I hear the soldiers standing guard there are renowned for never smiling on duty or reacting to anything." Oops, there goes a spark of mischief.

He let his arms and legs dangle down, enjoying how they flopped around with each of Grainne's movements. Never mind having to keep still, noodley arms were fun!

He grinned at her idea. "You plannin' on tryin' to get them to smile? Ehh?" His ideas were more of the "do something cute until they smile" sort of flavor, but perhaps Grainne had something else in mind.

"Well, they would have no experience with seeing a fuzzy orange alien, would they?" She laughed, and started walking. "And the best part is nobody would believe them. But perhaps that is a touch cruel."

"They should wouldn't!" He could help but laugh at the thought of their potential surprise.

Thought ruining the lives of some guards just doing their job did not sounds like a good idea.

"I don't have to move around on my own, I guess." He did his best shrug as one could while hanging off someone's arm. "An' I always wanted to pretend I was a floppy doll."

That wasn't true, but he did feel like that at the moment.

"Oh, you don't have to make me feel better, Wander." She snickered, bouncing a little so his arms would flop more. "There are no doubt other ways we can disguise you. Perhaps a baby carriage." The thought of Wander swapping his hat for a bonnet made her laugh, really.

"We'll let the soldiers be, then."

Well, he already was being carried around, and getting to ride in a carriage would be a nice upgrade. He giggled at the thought of himself attempting to make baby noises with his adult voice.

"That would be great! Though...folks'll be confused about an orange baby that doesn't look human at all." It was a universal truth that everyone wanted to look at babies. People would want a closer look at a baby carriage than a stuffed animal out in the open.

"Maybe...you're right."

"Ah, I didn't think of that. Nosy women and babies are a bad combination. It seems like you will be a doll, hmm? Maybe we could try a baby carriage when there is nobody around." Grainne wondered when she had gained the ability to laugh and joke again. It had been far too long, really.