WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[deadgirlslikeme]

A door opens, and suddenly the sound of a baby wailing echoes across the nearby chunk of the Nexus. A bleary-eyed Victor Van Dort steps through, bouncing said wailing baby in his arms. "It's okay, it's okay. . .look, we're -- um." He blinks a few times as he registers where he is. "This isn't. . .oh, dear, how did I manage to choose the wrong door?" He goes to step back through --

Then stops, shakes his head, and proceeds to the nearest safe-looking bit of furniture, still cradling his son. "No. Perhaps someone can help here. At least, Alice and the others will get some decent sleep for a change. . ." He looks up, an exhausted man at the end of his rope. "Is there anyone around who's had at least one child and might know why they sometimes just start crying in the middle of the night and won't stop no matter what you do?"

Comments

[lastest_ringbearer]

Wraithses! His commanders, his servants, dark and strong and strange. They rode things that walked or things that flyed. Always about his business, yesss.

We don't know for sure what they are, no. Perhaps they're like me, warped by his power. We're fine like this, my love! But we're so tired. The wraiths seem to have entered the world of spirits without dying. We were not so far from doing the same, I'm thinking. We held up long. Gollum had forgotten Smeagol. It came close.

[save_us_alice]

[Alice, puzzled] If they were spirits, why did they need mounts?

[Victor, shrugging] Speed? But they sound like absolutely horrible creatures. That dark lord seems to have twisted anything and everything that ever came near any part of him.

[Alice, sighing] It certainly sounds like it. [she casts a sympathetic look down at Smeagol -- the whole business reminds her of a close call or three she had fighting the Queen in Wonderland] I'm sorry it came so close, but -- I'm glad you didn't forget. Or Gollum didn't forget. However you'd like to put it.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Not much of a dark lord otherwise, my love.

Wizened we were and wizened we are, but we're still here.

[save_us_alice]

[Victor nods] That's fair. Though I'm sure everyone would have preferred him not being much of one.

[Alice nods as well, setting her jaw] I've felt like that some days. Going through hell and still coming out the other side -- it's something to be proud of.

[lastest_ringbearer]

I'd have been better off never finding the Precious. *It's hard for him to admit, even now.* Smeagol would be long dead, but it would have been a better life. But we would be dead. Not in pain, though, no. Not in pain.

[save_us_alice]

[Alice bites her lip] I'm sorry. It's always painful to be robbed of a normal life. To wonder about the what-ifs. But there's nothing one can do except push on and hope for something better on the way.

[lastest_ringbearer]

*A nod.* Smeagol is stubborn, my love. We've lasted this long. We walked the world in our day, we have. We hated it. We still did it, and here we are.

[save_us_alice]

[That gets a smile out of her] The entire world? Yes, I'd probably end up hating it too if I had to walk that far.

[Victor, nodding to the store as they come up on it] Fortunately we don't, not here. [he eyes the sheer size of the place, sprawling behind the big windows and glass door] Though, um, I think we are in for a bit more walking. . .

[lastest_ringbearer]

Good thing we're used to walking, then, yesss?

[save_us_alice]

[Victor laughs softly] Yes, I suppose it is.

[Alice, opening the door for them] On the plus side, there must be a directory to show us where we need to go. No random wandering if we can help it.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Wish Smeagol had had any idea where to do. Or even a map. But no, no map for poor Smeagol. Never any mapses for him.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Alice gives him another sympathetic look] Well, there's got to be a map for this part of it. I'm -- not sure what to tell you about the rest. Most lives don't come with maps, unfortunately.

[Victor nods, rubbing the back of his head] Mine certainly didn't -- though I think it turned out pretty good despite that.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Be nice if they did, my love. But then there'd be no pleasant surprises! Aren't any anyway.

[save_us_alice]

[Alice's expression turns thoughtful] That's true -- you'd be giving up excitement for certainty. I guess it all depends on how much you prize one or the other. . .

[Victor frowns] It's a tough call to make. But I'd want to keep pleasant surprises, I think. [he looks down at Smeagol] There might be in the future?

[lastest_ringbearer]

There might be? Better than I've had it for a long, long time. We hope it's better.

*Once they come upon the directory Smeagol does his best to read it.* Books? We remember bookses, we think. And clotheses, yesss, we know clotheses. *He gestures to the scraps that remain of a pair of trousers he probably got hold of a century ago.*

[save_us_alice]

[Victor nods] Yes, I hope so too. I mean, hopefully today's been pretty good.

[Alice reads through the directory with Smeagol] Books are nice -- I've always liked the ones with pictures. A good illustration really enhances a story, honestly. [she looks down at the remains of the trousers] We could get some of those too, if you want.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Something warm to put on would be nice. Smeagol's been out in all weathers a long time.

[save_us_alice]

[Alice, with another look at the trousers] Yes, I got that impression. . . Clothes seem to be to the left, so we can take a look through there before heading over to the furniture section. Maybe we'll find a nice sweater for you?

[lastest_ringbearer]

That way, yes. *He's not sure what a sweater is, but he imagines he'll find out soon enough.*

[save_us_alice]

[he will, as Alice leads the way to the clothing section. She hesitates as she actually comes to the "male-presenting" department (the Nexus keeping up with the times, and knowing this is probably more accurate than "men's" when it comes to the various people who pass through) though, unsure where to look. How do the sizes go in this store? She needs something that Smeagol won't get swamped in. . .]

[Victor, for his part, is poking through the nearest rack, taking out a few sweaters for examination -- these particular ones are too big for their companion, but maybe he'll get something while they're here. Just feels good to be out and about, really]

[lastest_ringbearer]

*Considering where they are, it wouldn't be that unlikely if they had sizes for hobbits, dwarves, pixies and gnomes. In any case, he's gotten by so far on whatever he could steal from the goblins and some 600-year-old scraps of his original clothing. In short, he will not care what he gets as long as it keeps him warm.*

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Oh, Alice figures they must have something -- it's figuring out where it is that's the trick. Even if Smeagol doesn't care, she does -- at the very least, she wants something he can move around in! So into the racks she goes, looking for -- well, she guesses she'll know it when she sees it]

[Victor, meanwhile, is still looking a little closer to the main aisle, checking a few patterns as he looks over at Smeagol] Anything catch your eye?

[lastest_ringbearer]

*He shakes his head. All the clothing on display is reminding him of how unrecognizable he would be now to anyone who knew him the last time he had clothes that were all his own; he's getting a bit shy.* Can't remember what Smeagol used to wear.

[deadgirlslikeme]

Oh. [Victor nods, a bit sadly] Well -- we'll find something for you.

[Indeed, they seem to be on the verge of doing so, judging by Alice's pleased "Aha!" a minute later. She emerges from the racks with some smallish sweaters in a few different shades -- red, blue, green, yellow] Here we are! Nice and soft too. [She presents them to Smeagol for inspection]

[lastest_ringbearer]

*He seems to like blue. Yellow is much too bright, too much like sunlight, and he's seen enough blood to shy away from red as well. Green he's neutral on, but somewhere deep in his heart blue means going fishing or swimming in the Anduin five hundred years ago.* Them. I want them. They're nice.