sixthiterationlogs | 001

Entry tags:

001 | arrival

WHO: Tina Goldstein
WHERE: The Fountain & Around
WHEN: 3/25 Onwards
OPEN TO: Closed arrival to Queenie, OTA threads to anyone else
WARNINGS: Nothing applicable at the moment
STATUS: OTA sans Queenie thread

FOUNTAIN// ARRIVAL
(This is locked to Queenie, but should you want to do something with it let me know! It's merely because I prefer not to have a lot of initial reaction threads. )

Tina is usually not so quick to wake up in the mornings. The nature of her job forced her to be an earlier riser, but even then she had to wake up a little earlier than most. It took at least one cup of coffee to make her ready for the day (some days more if a case kept her later than usual). The sudden jerking motion, as if from a fitful of sleep, to wakefulness is more than enough to set her sense alive. Her brain whirled half groggily become aware very quickly that this was certainly not where she was supposed to be.

It's December in New York. Most of the water inland was frozen over, so she has to be somewhere else. It's distinctly somehow warmer than it had been and that's more than enough to set off further bells. Bells that she can't really take heed to at the moment as she forces herself upwards. Grateful, not for the first time, of the training that Aurors were pressured to go through of all kinds. Panicking right then would surely be her downfall. A few moments later her hand grasps the sides of a slick wall, uses it to guide, and lets out a strangled breath as her hand grips the edge and her head emerges from the water.

She gives herself a moment to catch her breath before giving a frustrated noise and hoisting herself out of the water. The immediate danger seemingly gone for now, the woman can't help but still remain on high alert. What kind of Auror doesn't have a wand? She mentally scolds herself, but it's easily returned with a simple: The kind who was sleeping peacefully in their home until five minutes ago. The realization sobers her from the adrenaline high of a few minutes prior and she takes in her immediate surroundings: Buildings she would certainly not find in their part of New York.

A tensity sets her shoulders and for the first time she glances down at herself: Definitely not the comfortable pajamas she had worn to bed. Her mouth formed a thin line and she rises to her feet, hefts the weight off her back-- a bag-- and glares at it as if it's the problem here (there was a lot of problems here).

"What in the name of Deliverence Dane is going on?" She growled to herself neverminding at the moment how absurd she most look as she unzips the thing hoping against hope somehow a wand would be in there. Hope, of course, doesn't work and she hardly looks as absurd as the last person to arrive. Or the person before them.

LATER// AROUND THE VILLAGE
Once she's settled and dry, Tina finds she can't sit any longer. As much as she wants to sit and talk to her sister-- to make up for an apparent lack of being there-- she's restless. The house Queenie had settled in was nice, far larger than their one bedroom they shared in New York, but it reeked of unfamiliarity. The idea of simply having her own room after all this time was simply disconcerting and saying as much wasn't going to help anyone (of course, however, her sister knew her better than anyone could read her in ways she didn't like to be). Tina just had to get out and do something: Anything.

Even taking in the village left her uneasy. The functionalities of things didn't seem so strange, but she's used to taller buildings, crowded streets, millions of people. There was overcrowding New York and here it seemed overly spacious. The fog certainly doesn't help. When the weather was right the fog rolled over Manhattan and on a good day it was difficult to see where you were going and as homey as that feeling was it's inherently wrong. Tina feels more disconcerted by the moment as she takes in the various houses and buildings, frowning at how it can seem so empty and stepping away quickly if she comes too close to someone.

She doesn't seem to offer any words of apologies in that moment: Or at least the excuse me doesn't sound entirely apologetic. It's not as if people running into each other in overpopulated New York wasn't normal nor was it really easy to see anything. The disgruntlement is obvious in her tone if and when she does even if she manages a somewhat apologetic look.

THE WOODS// A FEW DAYS LATER
Being busy is just part of who Tina is and investigating is another. Once she's set on where things are in the village she can't help but test the limits: Just because someone says they're trapped doesn't make it any easier for the woman to believe. Her time in any expanse of forest is few and far between. Most of her job involved city arrests and her Ilvermorny days were kept to the school (not into the surrounding woods on Mount Greylock). In spite of that she's determinedly made her way into the woods.

The woman certainly doesn't move with any sense of ease in the woods, but she's careful enough. Taking in the growth and wondering just how large the woods are. If there's really no way out. Right now, however, she's merely curious-- taking in the area as opposed to even trying to find a way to escape. It's hardly as if she's prepared for that at all.

Unfortunately for her, inexperience in a forest shows and now and then the noises of animals moving or the rustling of trees makes her stiffen up. At one point she catches sight of a deer out of the corner of her eye and stops-- Turning to it in surprise and gives out a puff of a breath.

"Now this is ridiculous," She mumbles to herself unhelpfully deciding then that she's certainly had enough for the day and turns to find her way back to the village. Which is another thing altogether: Mapping a city she can do. A forest? Not so much.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Moana looked back at Tina and nodded her head as they continued forward. She knew the pathway and didn't need to watch where she was going to make it to the inn unharmed.

"I do. I've also been making nets and other things that might help people. My village is small and I've found that it isn't like other places. I want to use what I know to help everyone if I can. Since things here are different." It's what she can do and it's something she's very good at. "As long as someone is willing to learn." Moana didn't want to waste her time with people who didn't want to learn.

It wasn't to hard to tell that Tina was tense though Moana couldn't pin point the reason why. The obvious reason was that she was new and this place was weird but there could always be more to it than that. She didn't want to push or pry but knowing a little bit about the woman's home might tell Moana what's really bothering her. Then maybe, she could help.

"A city? I've heard of a few other those. Chicago and New York..." They sound awkward on Moana's tongue. "Mostly from Ravi and Credence. I keep asking them to tell me more about it. I can't imagine that many people living so close together but I'd love to see a city someday." Her tone was bright and very excited. Cities to her were like legends or daydreams. It was so hard for Moana to visualize.

"Here." She turned back to look forward, pushing open the door to the inn. "Do you have a favorite part of the city? What's central park? Some place at the center?"

"That seems a good way to go about things," Tina agreed in offering. It was. If no one had those skills she possessed and the younger girl just left at some point then, well, a lack of the ability wasn't any good. Even so relying heavily on a set number of people wasn't in their best interests. Not the way things seemed to be here. Swallowing, she didn't hesitate to continue on, "Would you be willing to teach me?"

She had to know something or do something or she'd crazy within a week. The restlessness was already eating at her and she hadn't even been here all that long. Her ears pricked at the mentions of Chicago and New York. She new there was a number of resident New Yorkers here, but considered if there might be anyone else. A breath escapes at the mentions of Credence and she can't help but be warmed by the fact that the young man was talking to people. Seemed to have ones closer to his age to talk to. It would be good for him. In many ways this place was better for him than New York.

"It's not all it's cracked out to be," Tina warned with a sigh, "there's usually a foul smell and crime rates are high up. I'd imagine that going from some place like this to New York would be more than a little shock." Considering the reverse that she was getting and she tended to keep to herself. But she smiles gratefully as the younger woman opens the door, offering a word as she waited to the side.

"It's close to the center, but New York-- Manhattan especially, the area it's in, is all buildings and people. Central Park is the only place that's left without them. There's a zoo, but it's mostly places for people to walk and enjoy nature," Tina answered automatically, but can't offer more than a shrug to the question about her favorite place. New York was in many ways a means to an end-- It was where her job was, her sister, where her family had once been. She didn't really take much time to stop and enjoy different things, she was too busy to accommodate for it and didn't feel the need to waste time or money on herself.

"Sorry," She said with the same wavering sort of honest smile, "I'd say I have to prefer my home." It's certainly not wrong at least.

Moana grinned. "I think so." She liked how she did things and while results varied, she felt like it was a good way to do things. "Yes, if you’re willing to learn. I’d teach you from beginning to end. You have to know where things come from to really understand them right?" She found it easy to reply, saying whatever thought happened to pop into her head.

"I’m actually planning a few different things but you can always find me in the Inn in the evenings." As it got darker and colder Moana would always retreat inside.

Moana shook her head. "You don’t have to be sorry. It sounds strange to me. I grew up with nature. We’re taught to respect her and the sea." It definitely sounded different from what she knew and bit by bit Moana began to understand how others viewed the world. It was interesting though a little hard for her to grasp.

"I have heard about crime." She also thought that was weird.

Moana took a seat near the fire, holding out her hands to absorb the warmth. She then kicks off her shoes and wiggles her toes at the fire. "I’ll go make something to eat. Will you be alright sitting out here for a bit?"

Tina nods promptly in response. She wasn't one to half anything she did-- It was all or nothing. "I agree," She answered with a small roll of her shoulders, "it's not doing anyone any good if you only learn some of it." Thankfully, either, she didn't feel she'd be squeamish about fishing or anything that accompanied it. She'd seen plenty of owls eat small rodents in her youth (not that it was quite the same).

"I wouldn't want to bother you when you're busy anyway," She adds quickly, frowning slightly, as she pulled back her hair in a familiar tick. In many ways she can't expect a world of just living in nature, even Mount Greylock she was in the castle. And although she goes to say as much Moana's getting settled an she gives another short nod.

"Of course," Tina answers sheepishly, before continuing, "anything I can help with?"

Moana shook her head. "I'm not busy. I control what I do and when." She didn't really understand the concept of 'busy' in the same sense that Tina did. She didn't have a job but she had responsibilities. The most important of which was to make people happy.

"If you'd like to help me cook you're welcome too." The kitchen had no power and was strange. "Do you know how to prepare a fish?"

Her gaze flickers to the younger woman cautiously, because she can't imagine not being busy. Tina kept to a schedule that didn't really exist in her-- Perhaps one day soon.

"I don't mind, my sister usually does the cooking at home, though. So I'm only of mind to do simple things," She said, brushing back her hair. A lack of power doesn't bother her, at least, and any strangeness was always going to be there. Time and magical means meant that things were slightly different. "No, unfortunately not. But that's why I'd like to help. I mean, if it doesn't impede you any."

Moana shook her head. "I'm happy to have the help. It's warm in the kitchen too." That way Tina would be able to warm up and feel useful. Being idle was something that Moana couldn't do, she always had something to do but unlike Tina, she didn't keep a schedule.

"Can you help me cut up some of the roots? I'm going to put them on the fire with the fish." She also had to grab some logs and start a fire in the oven. Everything here was very simple which worked well for Moana because she didn't know how to work a conventional stove top. This way was easy. She'd take the root, fish and wrap it in a leaf that's been soaked in water and then place it around the fire.

It always tasted really good and it reminded her of home.

Even with a lack of modern advancements, Tina feels out of place in the kitchen. She'd never been a conventional woman and following the tides expected of her had always been something rather difficult-- She was an outsider by nature, through and through. Still, she was determined to learn what needed to be done.

So even glancing around the room apprehensively she still manages a swift nod at the question. "Yes, I can do that," Tina answered quickly, taking a breath before reaching for knife and root and moving to set it properly to cut. At least this part of cooking wasn't too odd to her-- When it came to simple things she often liked doing it by hand. If not for anything more than to have something to do. And having that right now was something she desperately needed.

Frowning into her work she's quiet a moment before thinking maybe she should speak more-- but small talk was rarely her strong point.

"What else do you do around here?"

Nailed it? Totally.

Moana as familiar with cooking though the kitchen was still new to her. There were moments where she'd run off to one location of the kitchen, look frustrated and then move to another. The easy part was starting the fire in the stove, she struck flint together and watched as the sparks littered across the wood, coaxing a small flame from the glowing embers.

She then cleaned the fish, rubbed them in spices and then wrapped them in leaves so that they wouldn't burn. She wanted to add the roots that Tina was cutting before tying them up and tossing them into the fire to cook.

Moana found nothing odd by the girls question though she did take a moment to answer while running in circles around the kitchen. "Well, it took a while to get used to things. I made a fishing net and I've been working on making some other tools for people." She looked over at Tina with a small smile. "Like needles and things like that. My island isn't like this place, we lived with the land and I was taught to take and give back to it." It was a give and take relationship and Moana always treated the land and sea with respect.

"What did you do before you came here?"

She glanced at the girl between her own work. There's something nervewracking about the way she flits about, but she doesn't say anything-- Merely nods as she discusses whats she's been doing here. She finds she wonders again what the point of bringing all kinds of people here is, if there's something more to it.

There's a pause when Moana turns the question to her and she scrunches up her eyebrows. "Law enforcement," She finally answered decidedly, turning back to knife in roots in her hand to continue her job. "Making sure people obeyed our laws and protecting those within them." That was it, really. Queenie took care of the household things more than she did.

Moan nodded her head. "There are a few here who've done that in the past." She wondered if she'd be able to introduce Tina to Emma. She thought that the pair might make fast friends though it was hard to say. They were both very reserved in the same ways.

"There wasn't anyone dedicated to law enforcement on my island." She began as she continued her preparation of the fish. The fire was slowly growing and Moana hoped that it'd soon sink to hot coals that she could use to cook with. "It's a very small place, like this but with a few more people. Everyone helped each other out. When there were difficulties or disputes that my father couldn't solve he'd take it before the council. Everyone tried to settle things on their own though. Which is why we didn't really have anything like law enforcement." After talking to Sonny she'd given this a lot of thought.

Dark eyes glanced over at Tina with a small smile. "I bet that sounds strange. Doesn't it?"

She holds her tongue knowing that being an Auror was more strenuous than she'd seen from the no-maj police in New York. It's the closest equivalent she could think of given they didn't merely hold the laws but acted as defense in wars and investigations. Though she won't put down the efforts of a regular police no-maj it's hardly the same and she knows it, but it's not something she can explain. Not without saying things she's still uncertain she even should here. Grateful for Moana continuing on and being a distraction from that, she concentrates on the food before her.

Her gaze flickers to the girl once more when she questions her and after a small pause she shakes her head. Turning her attention back to her cutting before she speaks once more. "Not any stranger than anything else," Tina answers, "smaller places don't need as much. There's plenty of towns in America that can handle things through local authority and likely run the same way. New York's too large for that, though. And a lot of people arrive from other countries in New York that it'd be a mess not to have laws in place. That's still got its own local departments. What I worked for is larger, though, a country-wide scale than just our city..."

Which is why she had left New York now to begin with. Aurors were utilized where they were needed even if MACUSA's headquarters was in New York City. And with the events in Europe there always seemed to be that possibility as well... Shrugging her shoulders she hefted out a breath. "Besides. Anything sounds strange if you're not familiar with it. Where I'm from would be every bit to you as well." Especially if it was Magical New York.

Moana wasn't completely unfamiliar with magic. She spoke to the ocean and she knew of those who could command the wind and sky's. They had a different name where she was from but magic was in everything around them, if you had the eye to see it.

"Yeah." She agreed with a smile. "Are you done cutting? I can throw them in with the fish if you are." Moana knew a little bit about New York and other large cities. "Do you have any legends where you're from? Of gods or monsters?" It was an easy question and one that reflected the culture.

Moana's culture had traditions and stories that were passed from one generation to the next. "Thorfinn told me about the god of lighting Thor when I first arrived." Who happened to also be in the village. "I really like hearing stories like that." She admitted with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm done," Tina returned easily, placing the knife on the table before stepping away from the now cut roots to allow Moana easier access. Her arms folding across her chest, the same sort of uneasy still resounding through her as she listened. A brow arching once more at the girl's question.

"That's Norse mythology, I know that much," she answered, turning her eyes away, "there's mythologies all over the world, but I never really read them as a child. There wasn't a lot of time to. The only local legends are Native American, though, and my middle name would be considered from such..."

She paused thinking about that. Tina doesn't give much nod to mythologies, though she knew some of course. She knew her namesake, but doesn't wear it much on her sleeve. There's religious context to it and after the death of her parents, aside from a few things, she really wasn't all too ingrained in that side of her heritage. "I was studying books on law and skills from a young age than those sorts of things."

Moana took the roots, wrapping them up with the fish and then placing them in the leaves that she'd gathered. With a piece of string she tied her mixer together and then carefully placed them in the fire that she'd reduced to burning coals.

She hadn't known that Thorfinn was Norse though she supposed that it might not be what he called himself. "Really?" Her dark eyes pointed curiously at Tina while the fish began to roast. It'd cook quickly and Moana didn't want to burn it.

"What is your middle name? Does it mean something?" Her own name meant sea like the ocean. Moana loved her name, even if she was chastised for going near the ocean.

The woman watches the oven rather than the girl, lips forming a thin line. It'd been a while since she thought about her namesake. As much as a part of her as it is, it's not something she too often wears on her sleeve. "Well, yes," She admits with a frown, "though I'm not anymore knowledgeable about the Norse than I am things in my own country." If only because America contained far too many ethnic identities to properly establish. She knew enough of her own, that's what mattered.

Pausing briefly she nodded before speaking once more. "It's Esther. An old name, it goes back to our religious texts," She said lightly, brushing a finger against her neck before speaking again, "she was orphaned but became Queen of Persia and prevents a genocide on her people." Of course it's more than that, she knows, there's more details-- but to surmise it that was enough without getting into the finer details of the story itself.

Moana’s name sake was the sea and she was proud of it. The sea was someone she respected, just as she respected the earth and the sky. They were friends and if treated poorly would rage against you.

"Esther is a beautiful name." She remarked with a smile, her dark eyes watching the fish cook while occasionally flicking over to look at Tina. It was difficult to have her attention divided but she didn’t mind. She liked talking to people, learning about their culture and their history. It was fascinating. "She sounds like a good Queen." Moana remarked with a warm smile.

She began to fan the smoke from her fire, pushing it away from where the fish rested. It would taste like the fire and the leaves but there was a balance that Moana was trying to reach.

"We have a lot of legends on my island. My favorite is about the goddess of life; Ta Fiti."

"She was clever," Tina found herself agreeing, shifting to lean slightly against the table as she watched. Gladdened for skills that taught her to pay attention to small details in things-- She could learn some things simply from watching. "But I'm afraid I haven't read where she's from in a long time."

"How does that legend go?"

Moana smiled, happy to retell one of her favorite legends. "Te Fiti was able to grant life to the islands of the world. However, her heart, the source of her power, was stolen by the demigod Maui. Who was known as a shape shift, master of earth and sky, and also very devious. As Maui made his escape, he was attacked by the lava demon Te Kā, causing the heart to become lost in the ocean."

She tried to make her voice dynamic, the way her grandmother once had. "When the heart was stolen, darkness covered the land and it was slowly stealing life from the surrounding islands. The darkness is still coming. One day, someone will find the heart of Te Fiti, find Maui and make him return what he'd stolen."

The smoke in the kitchen grew thicker and Moana gingerly took the fish off the glowing coals. "It's done!"

The woman listens attentively, if only because it was something the other found important. It's not a tale that's familiar to her, but that's really of no surprise to her. She remembers some of the stories of the Torrah from before her parents died and most everyone seemed to know the basics of Greek and Roman mythology, but beyond that not so much.

But the way Moana says it Tina can't help but note it's less a story to her-- As if it was still on-going and perhaps it was. Her brows knitted together in thought but just as quickly as the story stopped Moana was calling out the food was done. The older woman waved a hand in the air giving a slightly cough before speaking.

"Anything more I can do?" Even if she was more of a listener than a talker on a good day she would at least always contribute.

Moana unwrapped the fish and roots, arranging them carefully on a plate. She didn't want Tina to think that she was suppose to eat the leaves too. She then passed them over to the woman with a fork.

"Just tell me what you think."

She gestured to the food before making her own plate and digging in.

In many ways Moana reminds Tina of her sister, but it's not a kindness she expects from strangers. Her fingers dug into her forearm as she watched the girl a moment, cheeks tinging a slightly pink when she insisted she start to eat. Her fingers combed through her hair before she moved for the fork without further ado.

Tina's careful with her manners, taking her time with the bite before speaking. "It's great," She answered earnestly, giving the other an approving smile after she swallowed the first bite and placed her fork back down. "Really."

Moana began to eat her own food. She always ate slowly, giving her stomach time to realize it was eating. It was the only way she knew not to over eat and it worked well to save food also. She never ate until she was full to bursting, just until she was content.

Her smile grew at Tina's approval. "I'm glad! I'm always happy to cook. I go fishing every other day to make sure there is fish here. People have other food but I feel bad using things that aren't mine."

Moana knew that things in the inn were to be shared but she tried to use as little as possible.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

001 | arrival

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