fandomhighdorms | The roof [Sunday evening]

Entry tags:

@roof,
rapunzel

The roof [Sunday evening]

On the one hand, it'd been a really nice weekend of events, and Rapunzel was really, really, really glad that no one had come to see her. Because if anyone had -- if Mother had, since she was the only candidate, really -- she would undoubtedly already be back in her tower, safe and sound away from all the new things she'd grown to love.

But it still didn't mean that seeing all her classmates with their parents, and their friends from home, and their brothers and sisters and so on hadn't made her...well. Kind of homesick.

So Sunday night, when it seemed like most people were saying their last goodbyes, Rapunzel headed up to the roof with Pascal and her sketchpad to watch the sunset and think. She'd started to try to draw, but mostly kept finding herself doodling a dark woman with curly hair -- Mother had her problems, and there were things that she didn't miss, of course, but....

She just felt kind of alone, that was all. So she'd just sit out here for tonight until her loneliness wore off and she was ready around to be around other people again. She didn't want to end up sad when someone was telling her a story that should make her smile -- that wasn't fair to them, after all.

[here, have an emo roofpost! totally open.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Barry had said his goodbyes to his friends and new friends and Lou and Grace and was completely done with this weekend. For all of the highs he had there were also some lows. And quite frankly working in the warehouse did not have any appeal at the moment so he thought he'd hit the roof and enjoy the view.

"Hey Rapunzel," he said when he saw who was there. "What are you working on?"

"Just some doodles," she said, glancing up with a tiny smile. "Hi, Barry. Your friends leave?"

She had seen him with some people she didn't recognize and had made assumptions, of course.

"Yeah."

Barry didn't feel like elaborating a lot on that at the moment. It was good seeing Jeremy and Roxie as well as meeting Anna but the run-in with Sara had zapped his enthusiasm for the weekend.

"How about you? Anyone you know come and visit?"

Rapunzel shook her head, and turned her attention back to her sketchpad, where she was carefully drawing her mother's angular features. "My mother doesn't know I'm here," she admitted softly. "I kinda ran away from home. So...no one to visit, really. But I'm glad your friends came."

Barry frowned. Shit. The only thing worse than having too many people visit was no one at all.

"I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. "You should have fucking told me. I would have been your family. Shit, any of your friends would have been your family. You're not some girl who has to be stuck in a tower anymore. My friends would have fucking loved you. Roxie probably would have given you a neck fart within five minutes of meeting you."

Rapunzel was all set to give him some sort of heartfelt little speech back, but that image kind of did her in.

Which was fine. She really needed to laugh.

"That sounds like it would tickle," she finally offered, her expression softening a little. "But...thanks, Barry. I didn't want to bother anyone with it, you know? I mean, whatever, plenty of people probably didn't get visitors."

"Probably," Barry said with a head tilt. "But if you're feeling blue you know you can come to anyone here on the island and you don't have to feel alone."

He pointed at the view of the island in front of them. "This whole fucking island is like that place in the Christmas special where all the misfit toys hang out. That kind of makes us all fucking family. Anyway it's settled. Next year I'll come back and be Bartholomew of Corona. I'll grow my fucking hair out, run around barefoot, interrogate your boyfriend and harass all your teachers."

"You'll have to invent a boyfriend to interrogate," Rapunzel said dubiously, but she was giggling all the same. "And Corona boys don't run around barefoot, I don't think. I think that's just a me thing."

She hadn't missed the sentiment of what he'd said. It was just that if she addressed it directly she was going to end up sobbing on his shoulder for half the night, and she didn't want to start crying just now.

Barry's shoulder is open if Rapunzel needs it. He's learned that's what friends do.

"Eh. You'll find someone eventually," Barry said with a shrug. "And he'll probably have me and Ed giving him dirty looks and telling him to treat you right or he'll be walking the gangplank. Or I'll zap him and remove all his body hair. Plus if I don't run around barefoot how will people know were related?"

"You could wear a lot of pink," Rapunzel suggested helpfully. "And you better be nice to this fictional boy I'm dating or I'll be mad at you."

She was teasing but it was true!

"I'm okay with pink," he said trying to give her a nudge. "And fine. I'll be nice to your fictional boyfriend. Unless he turns out to be a dick."

"He wouldn't be," Rapunzel assured him with a giggle, nudging him back. "I have great taste. And this goes both ways! I get to harass Elsa if she's...a dick, too."

Because that seemed likely, right?

That got a big laugh out of Barry.

"Yeah, like that'll happen," he said when he was done laughing. "You'd probably harass me before harassing her."

"I believe in equal-opportunity harassment," Rapunzel assured him. "I mean, to be fair, if anyone's acting out in that relationship it's probably you, but still! She better know that if she's mean to you I'm coming after her!"

Oh no! Elsa better be scared, for reals!

"Okay, I'd actually like to fucking see that," Barry smirked. "Let me see how'd you harass someone. Would you use your hair? Strong language? A politely written letter?"

"I would start with a letter," Rapunzel decided, of those three options. "I'm not sure my hair can quite stand up to what she can do, anyway. And then the letter can serve as evidence!"

In what trial, Rapunzel? In the nonexistent trial of Elsa hypothetically being mean to her boyfriend?

Whatever, this was getting her mind off Mother, so she was just going to keep going with it.

"Evidence. So does that mean you're going to be a lawyer?" Barry teased. "Arbiter and mediator for the downtrodden? I like that sound of that. Rapunzel. Attorney at law. Esquire."

Barry would totally watch that show.

"I'd be a -- what do you call them?" Rapunzel asked, having not seen enough television to know the actual term. "One of those lawyers for people who can't pay for lawyers. I'd be good at that, right?"

Only in the sense that she'd wear down the prosecution with big, sad eyes and foot-stamping.

And expressionist drawings of the crime scene!

"Public defendants," Barry offered. "And you would be totally awesome at that."

He'd pay money to watch Rapunzel raise an objection on the basis that the prosecutor was being mean and unfair.

Anders waved at Barry. "You're about the best person I could see right now. Do you know a way to get a person back if they step through a portal to another world?"

If anyone did, it would be Barry.

"Sure if I can find out where they went," Barry replied. "I opened my own portal to get here. Should be able to get to any fucking dimension from here. Why did we lose someone?"

"Thank the Maker," Anders sighed, closing his eyes in relief. "It's for my friend Karl. He was going to stay on the island, but a portal opened and he felt pulled to it. If you could find a way to make one to my world for him to come back through -- it would mean more than I can say."

Barry reached for his pack and pulled out his tablet. "Can you give me a location where the portal was? With all the parents coming in for the weekend it might take me a bit of time to work it out. I can try and scan you also to see if you picked up any residual energy from the portal as well,"

Anders tugged his hair back away from his face as he thought of the answers. "It was in the back right corner of the Magic Box, next to the shelf of antique books. And scan me if it'll help. I was almost to it when it closed, so there might be plenty of residue."

He was starting to sound less upset. He'd seen Barry do miraculous things. Maybe this would just be the latest.

"Okay," Barry said as he took a few sensor readings and frowned. "All the travel going on here means you've picked up some residual readings from different places. When I'm done here I'll head to the magic box and see what I can find."

"Thank you," Anders told him. "And if there's anything more I can do to help, let me know."

After Karl left, Anders had gone to the beach and shot lightning at things until he felt the tiniest bit better. He couldn't bring Karl back -- not that night, anyhow -- but they'd proven the journey from Ferelden to Fandom was possible. They just needed to find something that would let him make it again.

When he got to the roof, he gave his roommate a weak attempt at a smile. "So, there won't be anyone sleeping on our floor tonight."

"That's too bad," Rapunzel decided, smiling a little in return. "I liked him. Added something to ambiance of the room, having someone on the floor."

That was her attempt at a joke. They were a little weak, tonight.

It was okay. Anders wasn't in much of a joking mood himself, but the attempt was appreciated.

"I thought so," he said. "Maybe we could get a large dog to add much of the same effect ... if we could train one not to eat Pascal."

"I bet we could," Rapunzel said, thoughtfully. "He talks to other animals. If the dog wanted to eat him, he could convince him otherwise, I bet."

Pascal whirred in solemn agreement from beside her sketchpad, nodding.

"Who was that guy, anyway? I mean, obviously you knew him from home and all."

"Do you think he could talk to a cat?" Anders asked. He didn't actually want a dog, but a cat was a different matter.

He leaned against a handy railing. "Karl's about my best friend from the Circle, yes. Sorry we didn't manage proper introductions -- I think you would have liked him."

"I wasn't at my best this weekend, anyway. Karl seemed like a sweetheart, though. And maybe he'll come back, and I can introduce myself then!" Rapunzel assured him, waving a hand lightly. "But -- if you want to get a cat, I'm sure he and Pascal would get along! He's talked to birds and a couple dogs. Maybe he can talk to cats?"

Pascal looked a little alarmed at this, but it wasn't like he actually got a vote, anyway.

"He'd get used to it," Anders said, with the utmost concern for Pascal's safety. "And I do want one. Do you want to come to the pet shop with me to pick it out?"

There weren't nearly as many friendly strays in Fandom as Anders saw at home, but he figured a purchased cat was just as good.

"Oh, and I hope Karl can come back to meet you properly. We have to figure out a way to get him here, first. A portal sucked him home." At least, Anders was choosing to believe the portal had sent him back to Thedas and not to the mysterious unknown.

"We definitely should get a cat, and I will totally help you pick it out!" Because they had to get just the right cat, obviously.

Rapunzel's hand flew to her mouth in worry when Anders explained where Karl had gone, though, and her eyes went wide. "Oh, no. And you didn't even get to say goodbye?"

Someone still found portals a little alarming, even after all this time.

Anders shook his head slightly. "He told me he wasn't feeling well, and then the portal opened and he was through it before I could talk him out of it," he explained. "He said it felt like something he had to do. I wish I were a bit faster. I should have stopped him."

He genuinely felt guilty on the last point.

"But" -- and here he brightened -- "Barry's trying to build a fresh portal to go get him. So he may be back soon."

"Good," Rapunzel sighed, though she still looked worried. "Barry can do anything."

She really believed that, too.

"That's how it was when I came here -- a portal opened up and I just felt like I should go through it," she offered. "So...I bet he ended up where he was supposed to be, you know?"

Even if she, personally, felt weird about being here this weekend -- she knew she was where she was meant to be.

"If anyone can help, it'll be him," Anders agreed, with a small but genuine smile. "But I want to think that you're right and Karl is exactly where he's supposed to be."

Preferably in some pleasant world with no Templars or Circles.

"How was your weekend, by the way? I forgot to ask."

"Oh, it was...you know."

That was good, Rapunzel. Descriptive.

"No one knows I'm here, so no one came to visit," she admitted, shrugging a little. "Kind of a hazard of running away from home, right? But it was really nice seeing everyone else so happy!"

"It was," Anders agreed, wincing. "But I know what you mean. I haven't seen my mother in years, but she wrote to me when I was at the Circle. She can't do that anymore. Usually I don't think about it, but sometimes ..."

He shrugged. Maybe he shouldn't complain when he had gotten a visitor.

"It seemed like most of the visitors enjoyed themselves, anyhow."

"Maybe she could get a letter here?" Rapunzel offered softly. "I wrote Mother when I first got here, just to let her know I was all right -- I didn't want her to worry, you know?" Even though, again, she had run away from the only home she'd ever known and was the worst daughter ever. "I think they can get our mail wherever we want."

Of course, she hadn't gotten anything back, but that didn't mean Anders wouldn't.

Anders shook his head.

"It's not about that," he explained quietly. "Hiding a mage is a crime. If the Templars found out we were trading letters -- I couldn't put her at that kind of risk. It's better for me not to write, at least until I've been gone long enough for everyone to forget about me."

"I didn't know you were hiding here," Rapunzel said, eyes widening slightly. "Oh my goodness, Anders, we are like, the room of fugitives. If anyone ever shows up looking for you, I'm gonna tell them there's no Anders here at all, okay? And you do the same for me. Unless it's a lady with curly hair and a red dress. I can talk to her, if she shows up."

Because Mother wouldn't take no for an answer, anyway.

"That's sad, though," she offered, more seriously. "I bet she misses you."

"Thank you. And if that woman shows up, I'll stall her until I'm sure whether you want to talk to her or not," Anders promised. "And probably she does miss me. I miss her, anyhow. But Karl brought a pillow she made for me, so that made it a little better."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The roof [Sunday evening]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject