make the choice to choose

[connatural]

WHO: Ashley Magnus
WHERE: South Village, by the water
WHEN: random Mornings throughout the month
OPEN TO: Everyone
WARNINGS: Updated as needed

---

un: magnus

One more day of this normal routine and I'm going to fucking lose it. South Village. By the mill. Sparring partners needed before I go fucking nuts without work. Any morning from dawn until lunchish.

Ashley never thought about how much of her life was spent constantly on the go. Even in her downtime, she realized she wasn't likely to sit around long, coming up with reasons to get out and move. It's a restlessness that she took for granted when she had the Sanctuary work to do, and an entire city to traverse. Not to mention abnormals to contain, especially with the uptick because of the Cabal before this place.

Now if this place is Cabal or not, she doesn't know, but if it is, they already know what she's capable of so there's reason to hide it.

Mornings start with a run, heading out further each day, taking new routes, trying to not only learn this place but learn every path she might need for any reason. Not to mention the creatures, the resources, anything to keep her on her toes and know what she might need no matter what happens.

By the mill she practices with the few weapons she's gathered, using them in various ways so she knows the heft and weight of them in case. Everything is in case, even if here she has no idea in case of what. There's only so much a person can practice alone, so she hopes sending out that message will draw a few people to practice against. Will keep her on point, not to mention meaning she could get a chance to know more of those here. It's already been eye opening, and she's curious what else this place holds.

Comments

[connatural]

"It's helpful," she agrees with a nod. "Glad for that fact, even if some of it is confusing." Because dealing with Druitt isn't easy, but she's determined to not let it get to her, and to try and learn the things she's always wanted to know. "Not you," she rushes to assure Beverly. "Just some things, like emotions and people from home."

Which between those two, it is all a bit weird, but she's not one to give up. Especially just because things get weird.

Ashley makes a sound, a bit of a harumph. "I wonder that all the time. Especially the more I talk to people with military backgrounds, or something like it."

[ethnobotany]

Beverly chuckles warmly with amusement. She raised a son, so she knows well how tiresome mothers and motherly types can sometimes be. She wouldn't have been too offended if Ashley had needed space.

"Believe me, I understand. Sometimes even the best people from home can come with a lot of complications."

She pauses for a little as they work through another pose. "Anything you want to talk about?" she offers gently, settling back into the next Mok'bara stages. It's up to Ashley if she wants to say anything else, but the offer is there if she does. Beverly will listen and support.

[connatural]

Ashley moves with the way Beverly does, the same poses, the easy way that she shifts and changes her pose. It's easier to focus on the Mok'bara than it is to focus on her thoughts. Not that she can stop them.

"Did my mom ever mention anything to you about a man named Druitt? Do you know him?"

[ethnobotany]

Beverly has to think about the name for a few moments. It doesn't ring a bell at all from what she remembers of what Helen has told her and she knows she hasn't met anyone by that name here.

"No, I don't think so. Is he someone you know from home?"

[connatural]

Ashley considers that, what implications there are to her mom not mentioning him. She must have thought he either not a threat, or that he was not a problem in this place.

"We did. He knew my mother back when she was in school," she admits. "He's here now. Why I'm curious if she talked about him. He told me he hadn't been here long."

[ethnobotany]

Beverly can think of many reasons why Helen wouldn't have mentioned Druitt. They were fairly close for as long as Helen had been here, but even so neither of them had delved into everything in their lives. There were plenty of personal things Beverly hadn't told Helen.

So she gives Ashley an apologetic smile in answer. "He may not have been here long enough to have overlapped a lot with Helen," she says gently. But if he knew Helen during her school days, that means a lot. "What's he like?" And what has Ashley so confused about his presence?

[connatural]

She falls silent a moment, considering how to answer that. "He was, from what I've been told, an adventurer and kind of a scientist and researcher as my mother was." Pausing again, realizing another question might come before more about Druitt.

"If I assume you knew about my mom and her age and you don't, I'm going to feel bad," she admits.

[ethnobotany]

Beverly's lips curl upwards with amusement. "Don't worry about it. We didn't talk about a lot of gritty life details." At least not until Beverly ran into that mist and started spitting out everything she was thinking. But they didn't get to talking about a lot of Helen's life. "She once called herself old, but I never asked if that was what she felt or what she chronologically was. The distinction didn't really seem to matter. I assumed she's been through a lot."

It wouldn't have mattered to Beverly at any rate. Human lifespans were increasing over the centuries and she's been around enough half-humans and other species to understand that differing lifespans exist. Knowing that a human had a longer lifespan than expected would hardly have been a novelty to her.

[connatural]

It reminds her of when Ty was there, telling him about this. Knowing that she should and yet finding herself nervous about outing his nature. If things have changed, then should others know? Yes, someone besides Ashley needs to know. She knows that. If anything were to happen, someone needs to know.

"She is older than most live, and she wasn't the only one. She lost some of those friends, but two have come back into our life. One is Druitt. He's here now, and, well, he's my dad."

Well there's one thing down. It's a slow start, but she's never sure how to approach this, but Beverly is someone that well could help her if it's needed.

[ethnobotany]

Beverly doesn't watch Ashley as the girl tells her the story as much as she just listens to the inflection. The pieces she gets from all of this suggest that something in there is more than a little uncomfortable for Ashley to talk about. After a few moments pass, Beverly finally glances at Ashley to see if she can catch any body language signals.

"I'm guessing that isn't an easy thing to handle," she says quietly. She might not have experience helping people deal with parental issues, but she's going to do her best to help Ashley through this, whatever it is.

[connatural]

"Given she didn't tell me until he had like bounced into our lives and threatened my life to get what he wanted? Nope, wasn't easy at all," she says, tones a bit more animated, a lot of emotions there she still hasn't really coped with, and won't ever get a chance to in her life.

"But... Look. I'm telling you this because I think everything is okay, and it's not going to be an issue, okay? He's... changed. Again, and from everything I can put together? It wasn't his fault. Technically. Well, the kidnapping me to get what he wanted, was, but that was ..."

She sighs, knowing she's rambling on. "The abilities they gave themselves came with a price sometimes. For Druitt it amped up certain aspects and desires. I worry sometimes, especially since you can get the same ability in the bunker, that it could happen again. The last time it happened he went down in history as one of the most infamous serial killers ever."

Nope, it didn't get any easier admitting it, especially here. They weren't close, but she didn't have the anger towards him she once did, or towards her mother. Things changed, and she knew that.

She just couldn't take the chance with everyone else if they changed back again.

[ethnobotany]

There are a lot of questions Beverly could ask at this point. She could ask what serial killer Druitt was, just to see if her universe's Earth history knew of him. She could ask what kind of ability he had. Or any of a number of other things. Instead, she focuses on something else, something more important than satisfying any kind of curiosity.

"If there's a chance at all, it's better that someone else be aware," she suggests, with an understanding nod. "Thank you for telling me. I'll keep it quiet, but if anything goes wrong, I'll do everything I can to help." She can fight if she needs to and she has enough training and skill to keep her head in a crisis. If anything happens to go wrong with Druitt, she is at least armed with the knowledge to be prepared.

[connatural]

Ashley nods then, heaving out a sigh at that. "Exactly. I had told Ty before, mostly because we were sharing a place and if he got weird about it, I wanted Ty to know." Mostly so Ty might not bait him and cause an issue.

"And it's possible it won't? I mean... I don't know real details if he's been killing since then, or how many total there were. I just know..." She considers this, the things Beverly has told her about her own world and what might be similar. "In my world? Police are still trying to identify Jack the Ripper, and he makes up half my DNA," she says, closing her eyes just so she doesn't roll them hard enough to sprain anything.

[ethnobotany]

Surprise does color Beverly's face for a few moments as that revelation washes over her. Ashley's words do bring up several questions, but they aren't ones Beverly would ask of her. Those are questions for Helen, if she ever turns up here again.

For now, Beverly schools her expression into something sympathetic and supportive as they shift poses again. "Well, for what it's worth, Jean-Luc and I have dealt with our fair share of people like that. I suspect you can hold your own if it comes down to it, but if you need anything at all, we'd both be happy to help. Even if it's just a space to get away from it all. We certainly have enough space."

[connatural]

Well, that does answer that, though she's not sure if it makes it better or not. She's not even sure it's a threat, but she's not risking others by keeping that secret. Not entirely.

Though she smiles at that, tight if only to try and keep herself from tearing up. She's not one given to tears often, but this place has given her things Ashley never thought she would have outside of the Sanctuary.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. So much, and I will take you up on that. I really think it's totally going to be okay. Just if it's not, I want to make sure someone knows, and I trust you."

[ethnobotany]

Beverly breaks form for only a moment, reaching over to grip Ashley's shoulder gently. This is something that means as much to her as it does to Ashley and is something Beverly will hold dear.

"I won't abuse that trust," she says quietly. "Now I don't know about you, but I think we need another round to really get the meditation aspect working. Shall we?"