sixthiterationlogs | nothing is inevitable

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nothing is inevitable

WHO: Claire Bennet
WHERE: The Inn
WHEN: December 22nd
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: None right now
STATUS: Open

Despite herself, Claire was shaking when she pulled herself over the edge of the fountain and collapsed on the snowy ground with a grunt. It was all that she could do to lay there for a moment, struggling to catch her breath as she kept her eyes clenched shut and tried to calm the racing of her heart. It wouldn't take that long to do, to be honest, but she would still need a moment before she could lift her head and look around to get a sense of where she was.

When she finally rose to her feet, she looked at the different buildings around her and wondered briefly if she had returned to the very first world she had found herself in when she was taken from her home. The idea was fleeting since the buildings didn't look like that village. No, this place was different and the sigh that escaped her was resigned when she realized that she had been stolen. Yet again.

"Great, world number...four." She was sure that it was four now.

Stomping her feet, she thought about poking through the backpack that seemed to arrive with her but she knew she needed to get inside somewhere warm first. So she scanned the buildings until she picked out a larger one that was all lit up and looked somewhat inviting. It was no surprise to her when she found it to be some sort of inn.

Stepping inside a few moments later, she let the door shut behind her as she looked around and immediately picked out the fireplace. Hurrying over, she looked over the room to see if anyone else was around and if she possibly could recognize anyone. Not that she would say anything if she did know someone. No, she had learned to act oblivious unless someone recognized her and said her name first. Then it was fair game.

Dropping her pack in front of the fireplace, she moved to kneel as she opened the pack up and let out a relieved sigh to find that everything inside was dry. It seemed she wouldn't have to stay in her wet clothes. Not that she was going to start stripping right then and there but it was kind of tempting considering having wet clothes on was never fun.

If someone was nice enough to show her a place to get changed, she would do that. Then she would return to the fireplace and sit there while trying to get her bearings. If she was meant to stay awhile, she would have to make some connections and find a place to stay. Which made her wonder if there was a room waiting for her or not.

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Though Annie didn't stay at the Inn any more, she definitely stopped in now and again to give her help to the woman that ran it where she could. It was coming from out of the dining area that she caught sight of the blonde woman just sitting down next to the fireplace and, realizing that she was soaking wet, widened her eyes.

"Oh, God. Hold on--"

She turned and went back the way she came, hurrying to find a towel or two that she could give over and, finding them, came back into the warmth of the front room. "Here, use these."

Shoving them at the woman in front of her, Annie sat down across from her in one of the chairs and gave her a concerned look. "The fountain is freezing this time of year, believe me, I know." She'd only arrived the previous month herself. "If you want, we can get you a room upstairs and you can change and get warm."

Claire looked up at the surprised urging coming from a woman that she didn't recognize. Looking up curiously, she started to stand as the woman rushed over to her with a towel that she could use to dry herself off.

"Thank you." She smiled, taking the towel to wrap it around herself before she sat down for a moment again, glancing at the bag at her feet. A shiver rolled through her again but it seemed to be an involuntary action rather than her being aware of the fact that she was cold.

"So coming to under water is a normal way of arriving here? That kind of sucks." She had hoped that maybe she was a fluke since she had just experienced how crappy it was. Then she nodded. "Actually, that would be great."

"Apparently, it's an everyone thing, no matter what season," Annie said with an apologetic tone, almost as if she were responsible, which she wasn't. She'd just also arrived when it was a little too cold for her liking and, apparently, close to the kind of water that helped hypothermia along.

Turning her head, she looked for Kate and, not seeing her, nodded at Claire. "The woman that runs the Inn isn't in right now, but you can honestly pick a room and she'll explain all the ins and outs later. It's more of a 'help out where you can' kind of place. Room and board. We're all kind of just..." Annie inhaled, aware that she didn't come across as very helpful. "Stuck. For the time being. It's a weird place. But again, we can talk about it more once you're dry. Come on."

Standing, she motioned for Claire to follow because wet and cold wasn't a good combo.

"Lucky us." Claire groaned a little when the woman told her that people came through the fountain no matter what the temperature or time of day was. Considering she had just gone through, she knew how miserably cold it was but she wasn't going to assume that she was the only one. But, yeah, it was a good thing she had found her way inside and quickly.

She listened quietly as she started to explain what kind of place it was and how everyone was stuck, not seeming at all surprised or horrified. Instead, she was taking it in stride with the appropriate "hmm's" and nods while she continued to dry herself off as best she could in her current situation.

"What happens if people try to walk out of the area? Do they get bounced back?"

Even though he doesn't live in the inn, he spends a good portion of every day there. It's warm, there's food, and it's a good place to sit and work on a task -- even with the collaboration here, it's helpful to be able to make a connection or two.

The bonus for today is it's the first time he's felt even close to warm enough when outside the inn as well. Aside from his very furry hat (in black, of course), he's wearing the warmest of the options given him in his backpack upon his arrival (also black). There's a basket of fish dangling from his hook and a fishing net slung over his shoulder.

He sets the basket down on the table to begin to divest himself of the coveralls and coat, revealing a black scrub top and a pair of black leather pants. He doesn't care if they don't match, they're black and he has an image to cultivate. It's while doing this that he notices Claire, looking disoriented and rather cold.

He picks the basket up to head into the kitchen with it. No one wants to watch him clean the fish out here. "There's tea in the kitchen. I can't make any promises as to its quality, but at least it's warm."

Seeing him causes a little jolt to rush through her and, for a second or two, she looks overjoyed to see him. Why wouldn't she? She was genuinely fond of the man who notices her right as she notices him. Then she realizes that there is no flicker of recognition for him. No, he just looks at her like he might look at a stranger who is standing there wet and a little lost.

She ignores the little pang as her features become politely blank before shifting towards sheepish as she smiles slightly at him. "Tea would help a lot. If you wouldn't mind making some, I would appreciate it."

"I'll try not to contaminate it with fish." Since no one wants tea that tastes like fish. That wouldn't improve the taste even of the leaves they've found around here to make tea out of. "It'll take a few minutes. There should be hot water already."

"That's probably a good idea. I don't think fish tea would be all that popular." But, hey, maybe she is wrong about that. Nodding as he tells her that it will take a few minutes, she sits down again with a little sigh while she decides to wait. She also needs a moment to steady herself.

"It would go well with the fish stew though." Even if they'd probably much rather have fish stew than fish tea.

He disappears into the kitchen and comes back out a few minutes later, still with the basket dangling from his hook, though now empty of fish. In his other hand he's carrying two mugs of tea, which he sets on the table and moves one to in front of her. "Watch out for the leaves."

"I don't know? I'm not sure it would really go with anything." She wrinkles her nose briefly before shaking her head in amusement and watching him go.

Making herself comfortable while she waits, she assesses her situation again. Which kind of feels impossible to do given the fact that she hasn't seen the rest of her new home and she doesn't know very much about it. She is still thinking about it when he comes back and sets some tea in front of her. "Thanks."

"So how long have you been here?" She asks, cradling the cup between her hands.

"Months." He's not sure how many. It wasn't so snowy and cold then. "It's easy to lose track of time here. The days are mostly the same as all the other days." And they don't have calendars. "Four or five months at least."

He's not used to having to stay in one place.

"What do people do most days?" She asked curiously, wondering how the people passed the time if it felt like it was easy to lose track of time while the days were mostly the same.

She understood the feeling or the idea, though. She had been in Haurvatat for years but it had never really felt like that at times. There were days where it seemed longer, though.

"Whatever they can." At least as far as he's noticed there's no one who seems to be slacking off and not pulling their weight around here. Which would be a poor choice since most people seem to be of the opinion that if you want to share in the rewards, you have to do some of the work. "There's a lot that needs doing around here, and plenty of people willing to teach the things they know, and plenty that anyone can do even without learning something new."

"I can do a few things." Claire stated once he was finished speaking, nodding her head slightly even while she wondered again what kind of world she had come to this time. Not that she was really bothered by having to do work. It wasn't as much of a shock as it had been in the first world. She had learned a lot there about being an adult and a team player.

"I can cook and bake. I am also a nurse."

"Those are all things that we need someone to do." There are plenty who can cook and bake, but given the number of people here and the fact that the number seems to grow steadily if not quickly, another pair of hands who can help prepare meals is welcome.

"Especially those with some sort of medical training." There aren't as many of those.

"Is there someone that I can talk to here about cooking?" She asked curiously, figuring that someone had to be cooking meals here for people who didn't want to cook elsewhere. Or couldn't.

She made a mental note to find out about how she could use her medical training here too. Maybe get the word out that people could come to her if needed.

"Kate Kelly. You can generally find her in the kitchen, or elsewhere in the inn." Everyone's settled into their roles, and learned what everyone else's role is, and what's the easiest way to find them if needed. He's not always easy to find, when he's out fishing, but since he stops by the inn afterwards every day, it is possible to find him if you're patient.

"She's the one who first started organizing the group meals."

Claire normally wasn't that great with names but that seemed like a fairly easy one to remember. That and it didn't seem like the place they were in was so huge that she wouldn't be able to find the woman later on. Not when it sounded like she spent most of her time in the very building they were in. Or, at least, that was the assumption that Claire was taking away from his answer.

"Group meals are a good idea." She nodded. "Gets a whole community vibe going on, especially when people need to know and work together."

"Plus everyone is guaranteed one meal a day, if for some reason they can't manage more than that." There's usually extra food of some sort sitting around though. Maybe not always the best options, but it's there.

"I take it that we have to be pretty creative to come up with a meal around here, huh?" Claire was kind of used to having all kinds of ingredients when she needed them but she was sure she could still be useful with very little. At least she hoped she could be.

"There's meat, and fish, and there was a garden last year, but yes, it does require some creativity." Especially in the areas of preserving food for the winter, so that they would still have fresh food to eat then. Luckily they've got some creative people around here.

"Well, luckily, I can be creative if I need to be." That and she learned rather quickly when she needed to. That was something she could do too.

"Thanks for helping me out." She told him with a smile again.

"Anyone who wasn't creative before arriving here figures it out fairly quickly." He considers that he was resourceful enough before arriving here, and he knew how to fish, so that had been an advantage from the start.

"You're welcome. It's how we survive around here."

Helen didn't stay at the Inn herself but she did, actually, make a trip there at least once a day because it was a natural place to congregate. She'd made her way there today to brew some of the coffee she'd received among her presents and when she noticed the blonde girl at the fireplace, she paused for a moment, peeking in at her.

"I suppose this probably seems a bit forward but...would you like some coffee? It's quite good, actually, and rare here because there's very little of it but you appear to be new and I think if you've just come through that fountain in the cold, you deserve a bit of something to warm you up."

While she still wasn't sure what to think about her new situation, Claire couldn't knock the fact that someone had clearly been thinking when they provided a waterproof sack filled with the clothes that she could change into after taking a swim in a cold fountain. Not that she had chosen to arrive under water but that seemed to be the usual way of doing it around here.

Not that she would have chosen overalls for herself but at least she could rock them a little.

Her hair was still wet but it wouldn't take long for it to dry while she sat in front of the fire and planned for her next step. She heard someone walking by and she gave a curious glance up before focusing on the woman with a polite smile. The offer of coffee made her perk up, then. "If you're willing to share, I would love some."

"It's a valuable commodity but I'm willing to share it. After all, what's the fun in life if you don't try to share nice things, right?"

Helen went into the kitchen to get a kettle and set it to boil over the fire; it was the old-fashioned way of doing things, yes, but she was a bit old-fashioned still herself so the technological setbacks of the village weren't as daunting as they could be for some.

"My name is Helen, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Claire checked her bag before trailing after the woman into the kitchen. Glancing around the setup, she took note of the things that were there and wondered how much of it was available to them.

"I'm Claire." She turned back to look at the woman before actually reaching out a slender hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. All things considered."

She only meant how strange everything was to her at the moment. It had nothing to do with her but with the place and the fact that Claire was trying to wrap her mind around the idea that she had jumped universes again. Still, she seemed to be taking the whole thing rather well. She wasn't freaking out at all.

"So I take it that you came through the fountain too? How long have you been here?"

"A few months now," Helen said, thinking back over the time she'd been here in the village. "I came here when it wasn't quite as cold as it is now. It was cool, yes, but I would have called it autumn instead of the dead of winter."

It was certainly the dead of winter now, though, and Helen was glad that Claire seemed to have found her way indoors and to warmth. "Everyone seems to come through that fountain regardless of where we started out from. I came here from British Columbia. Where were you before the fountain brought you here?"

Only a few months. Not the longest time she has heard as an answer to that question but still something to note, especially the bit about the weather.

It was no surprise to her when she was asked where she had come from but it did give her a moment's pause. She was sure that her answer wasn't all that crazy but she was never sure how one might react to it. "A place called The City or at least that was how everyone else referred to that. Before that, a ship and before that a village called Haurvatat."

A slight smile. "Before all those, though, I was in California."

"California? Well, I've always liked California," Helen said, laughing a bit. The other places didn't seem to be familiar to her at all but it wasn't uncommon for people to come here from different places; when she'd spoken to Jo, she'd been to several such worlds. Perhaps Claire was similar in that regard.

"This place is unfortunately not anything like California. No ocean, no sun and entirely too much snow. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say Alaska or the Yukon or something. It's quite inhospitable except the lot of us who are here insist on making it hospitable. We're stubborn."

"It was nice enough." Claire replied somewhat in agreement, the corners of her mouth twitching a little before she looked down briefly. California really hadn't been her home, not like Texas but she didn't talk about that place too often these days.

"How are people settling in?" She asked, glancing up again. "Is there a lot of us here? What sort places have been set up? Do we have stores, a school, a clinic...."

"No stores, I'm afraid, as we have no currency or government. There's a schoolhouse but since there are no children, there's been no need to use it as a school," Helen explained.

"I think some people have used it as a gymnasium, of sorts. There's a town hall and a police station but we've had to use both to shelter the livestock since the weather's gone so poor."

"Sounds sort of intense." Claire really hadn't gotten the chance to look around since she had arrived in the dark and had thought it best to get inside when wet. Clearly, she was going to have to look around when she was dry and the sun was up.

"It also sounds like we're not working with very much here." She added a moment later, nodding. Then she gave a curious look. "Is there a doctor or a healer?"

"I'm a doctor," Helen said, laughing softly.

"Speak of the devil and all of that. There's another, too, called Ravi. We're the only ones that I know of, though, and everything is terribly limited. I do what I can with what I have."

"Really?" Both of her brows lifted slightly before she smiled. "Well, I guess I'm in luck. I'm actually a nurse though I haven't worked as one for a few months. Still, I can help out around here if need be."

"Excellent. We could use another set of hands, regardless, and someone with knowledge is even better. It's just been myself and one other doctor for a while now," Helen explained.

"He's a medical examiner by trade and while I had patients back home, I wasn't a regular practicing physician. This has stretched my ability as well," she admitted.

"I had taken a break for a few months to work as a bartender in the last place I was in." Claire started with a small smile as she sat back a bit. "But then I started running a sort of mobile services to help out in the rougher parts of the city I was in. A lot of the people down there didn't want to go to the clinic, so I would take some stuff around and help where I could."

She wasn't going to mention what had led her to doing such work but she had felt good about it in the end. She had wanted to eventually, maybe, open a sort of clinic in one of those areas but she had been pulled away before she could. "But it's good to know that I'll have a couple doctors to work with. No matter their ability."

"I'm always happy for the gift of capable hands and a willing heart," Helen agreed. "Again, no matter the ability. Though, considering you've some training, I'll have to expect a bit more from you than the others."

This, of course, was said with a laugh and a cheeky wink; Helen was just grateful for someone. She was hardly in a position to judge ability and merit.

Claire chuckled at the comment and the cheekiness mixed in with it. "I suppose that's only natural. I will do my best not to disappoint you. Or myself, to be honest."

She liked to take some pride in her work, after all, and she knew that the kind of work they did was important. Lives usually depended on it.

"Hardly going to be a disappointment. Besides, I might learn a thing or two. I'm a doctor, yes, but it's been a while since I've had a proper nurse to be able to work alongside. I'm sure you know things about direct patient care that I don't," Helen admitted.

There was also the bit where she treated the...less than normal patients. If Claire treated average humans, there would be something of a learning curve there, one that Helen was happy to start closing in on.

"Maybe, maybe not." The fact that she wasn't trying to toot her own horn was probably a good sign that she had grown up in the last few years but Helen wouldn't know that since Helen didn't know her. Only people familiar with Claire might be surprised by her answer as she smiled at the other woman. "I'm sure there are things we could learn from each other. It'll be nice for me to be around a doctor again."

"Well, I'm happy to have you about and I am glad to teach you everything I know," Helen said. "An extra pair of hands is always welcome and a pair that comes with a mind for knowledge is even better."

She'd had stranger assistants before, that was for certain. "Perhaps you'll be a nurse practitioner by the time we're through, hm?"

"Actually, that would be great." Claire commented, lifting her brows slightly as though she had never really had that idea cross her mind before. It was an intriguing idea. "That would be something to work towards for sure."

"But first, I should find a place to sleep at night." She chuckled softly.

"Well, there's a charming little row of houses along the village road, if you'd like to pick one? I know a good many of the people here stay at the inn but I'm afraid that there may be no more room."

It was the worst sort of parable, wasn't it?

"I chose one for myself. It's quite nice, even if I do end up at the inn a lot of the time to eat and fellowship with others."

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