strangetrip | [GP/EP] You're not clear of story out here

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[GP/EP] You're not clear of story out here

Even before she knew for certain that it was the first of a month, Snow’s body had started bracing for it. She was wary and tense, preparing to cope with yet more people in the space of the hotel. It seemed that no sooner had she adjusted to whoever had showed up the last time, there was someone new again.

She didn’t want anything to do with the lot of it. That was what those busy women on the welcome committee were for. She didn’t think the committee was a stupid thing, not at all. Focusing on settling new people in kept the lot of them busy and away from her, and that was where she wanted them. They terrified her.

Snow White had only come into the main building to forage for food. The original plan was of course to turn right back around and escape before the expected rush (small or large) of new people to flood in.

But that was of course not what happened. When a universe was a pocket, it had less to focus on and fewer people to fuck with, and so Snow was entirely certain it was fucking with her when she was the one in the lobby when a new face came through the door.

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"Bonjour, au revoir, je t'aime," Alcuin said with a little smile. "This is my native language. Though we call it D'Angeline."

"Quite," Henry said, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at Alcuin. He chewed his lower lip a bit in thought. "I wonder," he said, "there is a letter I'd like to compose to a young woman. A note of apology. The complication is that with all the languages I have to hand, we don't seem to have any that overlap and to my knowledge she only speaks French. Maybe we could do a knowledge exchange of sorts? I know it's complicated without texts..." He took a deep breath. "I mean of course, I'm willing to help you with whatever you'd like to know for nothing but...if you'd be willing to at least help me translate the note..."

Alcuin's face lit up like sunlight.

"Oh, I would love to," he said. He didn't even realize until that moment how much he had wanted to be useful. "Truly. I'm so happy to help."

Henry's face practically lit up. "Excellent! Wonderful, thank you. It's-" He blushed a little as he ducked his head. "I'm very glad to hear that."

Alcuin felt very pleased indeed to be helping someone. "I'm happy to be able to help someone," he said. "People here have helped me, and I feel as if I have not been able to offer them anything in return." Even if he had tried.

"Many people here seem to be very kind and generous. I've been doing my best to be helpful as well." His mood was very obviously greatly improved. "Oh! Do you like tea, Alcuin?"

"I do," Alcuin said brightly.

He reached into the small canvas bag he was carrying and pulled out a tin that at one point had contained mints, but now had a homemade tea in it. "Lavender, chamomile and rose hip," he said, offering it to him. "We have quite a bit of useful flora growing on the grounds so I've been taking clippings here and there."

There were things with more magical purposes as well, but Alcuin didn't need to know about all that. Henry had enough stocked up from seemingly innocuous plants to manage quite well for himself.

Alcuin beamed at him. "You stay here, I'll get hot water and cups," he offered.

"And a strainer, there should be a couple in the kitchen somewhere."

Alcuin smiled at him, and then got to his feet and took off to the kitchen. He really did enjoy the thought of being useful.

A few minutes later he returned with a tea kettle of hot water, two mugs, and the strainer on a tray, which he sat down on the coffee table.

Alcuin was truly lovely, both physically and otherwise. If he didn't actually know what angels looked like, he could've easily believed him to be something celestial. More fae, probably, and without the need of a glamour and- He was thinking far too much. The young man was a treasure.

"Thank you," he said, opening the tin for them both so they could enjoy things properly.

Alcuin let him go about making the tea. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened with this woman?" he asked. "Unless you would rather me simply translate without commentary."

Henry finished and sighed heavily as he considered how best to phrase things. "Some time ago, there was a...let's call it a compulsion going around. I'm still not entirely sure of the source of it, though everything about it screams minor angelic influence and-" He had to stop himself. Even before he arrived here, Henry Winchester did not much care for the cherubim. All that hugging. And the weird moaning while hugging. And that it went on for entirely too long.

"Something would come over you and basically force you, and I do mean force I have a great deal of experience resisting all kinds of magics, to...well at least exchange non-chaste kisses with someone regardless of whether you wanted to or not. For the most part, when such things struck, I was with people who were not affected, but understood. And then there was Constance, who seemed to be just as consumed as well and- I'm not entirely sure what to say, but I am certain she deserves an apology. I may have already accepted the tragic reality that I'll never see my wife and son again, but...but whatever this place is, there's still hope for her I'm sure and I don't- I don't want-" He rubbed his face.

"I'm not a monster and I know there was absolutely nothing I could've done to stop any of it, but I still very much feel like one."

Alcuin looked increasingly upset as Henry told this story - not at Henry himself, but at the idea that such a thing could happen. When he'd finished speaking, Alcuin reached over and put a hand on his arm. "I am so sorry that this happened to you," he said quietly. "This would be the very highest form of heresy in Terre d'Ange."

Something also niggled at him, in the back of his mind... something Vax had said, that he hadn't understood. That people were being compelled to do things they didn't want...

Alcuin winced. "And I think this also explains something that happened to me here."

Henry covered Alcuin's hand with his own and squeezed it gently, seeing absolutely no harm in being close. If he were honest with himself, he truly did miss even just the most casual of touches.

"Does it?" he asked, frowning a little in concern. If whatever creature that was was at it again, Henry was going to have to increase his efforts to figure out how to get the buildings themselves to accept a proper warding.

"Ah, not that I think it happened to me," Alcuin assured him quickly. Thank Elua. "But that someone else... well, to be blunt, I propositioned someone. They were surprised, and I think assumed at first that I was under some sort of influence. I wasn't."

"Ah," he said, understanding more clearly now. "Yes, well, it did rather seem to be effecting a great many of us."

"I am sorry it happened to you," Alcuin said. "But I am certain that your friend will understand. She must be aware by now what was going on?"

"I'm sure she was," he said, especially since Constance had initiated. "Though I wouldn't exactly call her a friend. We're practically strangers. It was the first time we'd spoken at all."

"Well, regardless, I am happy to help," Alcuin said. "In fact - " He held up the notebook he'd been writing in earlier. "We could do it now, if you like."

"That would be lovely, thank you. Are you sure it isn't an imposition?"

"No, not at all!" Alcuin assured him, and settled comfortably into the seat with the notebook and pen. "I really am happy to be able to do something useful. Besides, this is a particularly worthy cause."

Henry smiled a little sheepishly at him. "I'm glad, thank you." He got the feeling he'd be thanking Alcuin rather a lot. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, so, how shall we do this?"

"Just tell me what you'd like to say," Alcuin said gently. "I'll translate into French and write it." He had very good penmanship as well.

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[GP/EP] You're not clear of story out here

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