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[Varian knew settling into a new world wouldn't be an easy experience, he wasn't anywhere near that naive, but he didn't expect it to be as monumentally difficult as this has been. A solid mixture of having to deal with suddenly having magic and the paranoia of actually hurting someone with that and the general coldblood anxiety of the month has made the settling in experience awful. He's only catching snatches of sleep which while not unusual for him is really not helped by the fact when he's awake he feels like every nerve ending is on fire. Maybe they are. Maybe everything is just fire right now. That stands to reason.
Despite the fact everything is fire, he has been trying to sleep. Or rather, he's laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling while willing his brain to go to sleep. Bur tragically as much as he tells himself to go to sleep right now it's not really working, so his mind just starts to wander. Little snippets of everything and anything come floating in his head- mostly science stuff, also some garbled nonsense that makes perfect sense to him at the time. He remembers old conversations, runs through them in his head like little pantomimes.
Fern said something once about crashing Finn's birthday party and trying to murder him. Which wasn't anything new, but something about that particular conversation is picking at is mind. Something about telling Finn he could attack him if he could land the same blow-
Varian sits upright, suddenly an old story he remembers reading coming surging into his mind. This is definitely not an important thing and maybe if his mind wasn't running on every cylinder all at once he might have left this until the morning, just left Fern sleeping peacefully next to him and just went on with his anxiety-fueled not-sleeping. But it's not. That is not the reality they are living in.
So that's how Fern gets aggressively shaken at 3 in the morning like this is the most drastic piece of information in the universe.]
Fern! Fern, Fern, wake up! Did you know you did an Arthurian Legend?
[There are probably a thousand better ways to vocalise that thought, but this is what he's got. ]
Despite the fact everything is fire, he has been trying to sleep. Or rather, he's laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling while willing his brain to go to sleep. Bur tragically as much as he tells himself to go to sleep right now it's not really working, so his mind just starts to wander. Little snippets of everything and anything come floating in his head- mostly science stuff, also some garbled nonsense that makes perfect sense to him at the time. He remembers old conversations, runs through them in his head like little pantomimes.
Fern said something once about crashing Finn's birthday party and trying to murder him. Which wasn't anything new, but something about that particular conversation is picking at is mind. Something about telling Finn he could attack him if he could land the same blow-
Varian sits upright, suddenly an old story he remembers reading coming surging into his mind. This is definitely not an important thing and maybe if his mind wasn't running on every cylinder all at once he might have left this until the morning, just left Fern sleeping peacefully next to him and just went on with his anxiety-fueled not-sleeping. But it's not. That is not the reality they are living in.
So that's how Fern gets aggressively shaken at 3 in the morning like this is the most drastic piece of information in the universe.]
Fern! Fern, Fern, wake up! Did you know you did an Arthurian Legend?
[There are probably a thousand better ways to vocalise that thought, but this is what he's got. ]
[Settling into an entirely new world has, strangely enough, been a bit easier for Fern. He still feels uncomfortably suspicious about it all, for sure, but so far everything seems legitimate. Not fake, not a hallucination, not a trap by Deerington. He isn't going to discount the possibility of the last one, of course, and occasionally his head has been feeling weird as hell, but all in all he's been adjusting okay.
Better than Varian, at least. His concern for his boyfriend hasn't really abated, not since the beach, but he's doing his best and hoping that having friends like Luca and Luz staying in the house will help. Maybe he just needs some time? That's what Fern is hoping.
At any rate, he's been a bit more firm about making sure Varian sleeps regularly. Tonight he's fallen asleep rather quickly, so when Varian decides this is the most important piece of information ever he's still fast asleep. He's still asleep when he's being shaken awake, and luckily this time he doesn't startle awake and try to stab anything in his immediate vicinity. He just curls up a little bit more, wanting to go back to sleep, groaning.]
Bwuuuuh? [What is going on, is he dreaming, he's so, so tired.]
Better than Varian, at least. His concern for his boyfriend hasn't really abated, not since the beach, but he's doing his best and hoping that having friends like Luca and Luz staying in the house will help. Maybe he just needs some time? That's what Fern is hoping.
At any rate, he's been a bit more firm about making sure Varian sleeps regularly. Tonight he's fallen asleep rather quickly, so when Varian decides this is the most important piece of information ever he's still fast asleep. He's still asleep when he's being shaken awake, and luckily this time he doesn't startle awake and try to stab anything in his immediate vicinity. He just curls up a little bit more, wanting to go back to sleep, groaning.]
Bwuuuuh? [What is going on, is he dreaming, he's so, so tired.]
[Having more bodies in the house has helped a little- it at least provides a steady tempo for which Varian to live by. If there are other people willing to drag him out of his lab and his own thoughts, it means he can try and focus on actually existing instead of being stuck in his own head all the time.
He watches as Fern curls up more, clearly wanting to sleep. It's fortunate he didn't get sleep-shanked, he probably would have deserved it if he did. He should just let his boyfriend sleep. That would be the decent thing to do. Just because he can't sleep doesn't mean Fern shouldn't be allowed to sleep. The poor guy's probably worn out, this place isn't exactly easy on plant life. Fern needs his rest.
So Varian's just going to edge a little closer, leaning in by Fern's face and gently starts poking his cheek with his index finger. So gentle. So obnoxious. He's just gonna start whisper-shouting to make things better. ]
Fern? Fern are you awake? I realised something. Fern.
He watches as Fern curls up more, clearly wanting to sleep. It's fortunate he didn't get sleep-shanked, he probably would have deserved it if he did. He should just let his boyfriend sleep. That would be the decent thing to do. Just because he can't sleep doesn't mean Fern shouldn't be allowed to sleep. The poor guy's probably worn out, this place isn't exactly easy on plant life. Fern needs his rest.
So Varian's just going to edge a little closer, leaning in by Fern's face and gently starts poking his cheek with his index finger. So gentle. So obnoxious. He's just gonna start whisper-shouting to make things better. ]
Fern? Fern are you awake? I realised something. Fern.
[Cool cool cool. Who needs sleep? Not Varian, apparently, and not him. He's nodding off again when there's a poke to his cheek, and more talking, and Fern groggily realizes this means he likely isn't about to get back to sleep right away. He grumbles, reaching up to wave Varian's hand away. Okay, bud, you win. He's awake. He's awake and he hates it, cracking an eye open.]
Nngg. What?
[He's up. What is this about?]
Nngg. What?
[He's up. What is this about?]
[A message from Stan, entirely out of the blue!]
HEY KID YOU GOT A MINUTE???
HEY KID YOU GOT A MINUTE???
SO YOU'RE A TEEN AND PROBABLY GOOD AT ALL THIS COMPUTER JUNK. I NEED SOMEONE TO HELP ME, A POOR TECHNOLOGICALLY-CHALLENGED OLD MAN, FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO SOMETHING ON THESE NEW FANGLED ROCK ONES.
...AND I NEED THAT SOMEONE TO BE YOU FOR NON-SPECIFIC REASONS.
WHERE ARE YOU?
...AND I NEED THAT SOMEONE TO BE YOU FOR NON-SPECIFIC REASONS.
WHERE ARE YOU?
OF COURSE THERE ARE CREEPY BLOOD TREES HERE
ANYWAY GREAT! I'LL BE THERE IN FIVE!
[And he is, through the magic of lantern travel! It doesn't take him long at all to find Fern and Varian's place, and he knocks loud! ...Hopefully he's caught him when Varian's not home, or he'll probably get picked on until the end of time about this.]
Fern? I'm here!
ANYWAY GREAT! I'LL BE THERE IN FIVE!
[And he is, through the magic of lantern travel! It doesn't take him long at all to find Fern and Varian's place, and he knocks loud! ...Hopefully he's caught him when Varian's not home, or he'll probably get picked on until the end of time about this.]
Fern? I'm here!
[Thankfully, had the foresight to put a lantern out in the front yard, so it really doesn't take any time at all to travel there!
When Fern hears the knocking he'll head on down, swinging open the door.]
Hey! C'mon in.
[Thankfully, Varian is down in his lab and Luz and Luca are occupied, so it's just the two of them. Fern will turn and head into the living room, which is decorated exactly as it was in Deerington: tastefully, in a kind of 'you should probably think about making sure your will is up to date, just in case' way.]
When Fern hears the knocking he'll head on down, swinging open the door.]
Hey! C'mon in.
[Thankfully, Varian is down in his lab and Luz and Luca are occupied, so it's just the two of them. Fern will turn and head into the living room, which is decorated exactly as it was in Deerington: tastefully, in a kind of 'you should probably think about making sure your will is up to date, just in case' way.]
[Varian definitely needs sleep, but his body has decided this month, he is not getting it. He sits back a little, to give Fern a little of his personal space back, grinning as he gets signs of life from the other boy. He waves his arms animatedly as he talks like this is a nice afternoon get together and not the dead of night. ]
So hey! Do you remember telling me about that time you crashed Finn's birthday party to try and kill him? But you did it by telling him he could attack you with your axe first?
So hey! Do you remember telling me about that time you crashed Finn's birthday party to try and kill him? But you did it by telling him he could attack you with your axe first?
[Fern slowly draaags himself up until he's sitting, rubbing his eyes as he tries to drive the desire to sleep away. Okay, he can do this, it's important that he doesn't just... leave Varian like this. Plus, whatever he has to say might be important.]
Uh, yeah. A game - it was a game with my battle axe. "All You Have to Do is Strike Me With it and it is Yours." What about it?
Uh, yeah. A game - it was a game with my battle axe. "All You Have to Do is Strike Me With it and it is Yours." What about it?
[Great! Best case scenario!
Stan glances around, and since it's just like their place in Deerington it's really familiar. Fern's got good taste in stuff! And Varian is getting none of the credit.]
So...these things.
[He roots in his pocket and holds out his omni on his open palm.]
I, uh. ...I heard you can take pictures with 'em?
Stan glances around, and since it's just like their place in Deerington it's really familiar. Fern's got good taste in stuff! And Varian is getting none of the credit.]
So...these things.
[He roots in his pocket and holds out his omni on his open palm.]
I, uh. ...I heard you can take pictures with 'em?
[The t-rex skull coffee table is the centrepiece. It is beautiful and the best idea ever.]
Oh yeah, it's easy. Sorta like a regular phone.
[Fern will take the omni, poking through the options so Stan can see how to pull up the camera.]
Then all you do is take the pic, and send it to whoever you want.
Oh yeah, it's easy. Sorta like a regular phone.
[Fern will take the omni, poking through the options so Stan can see how to pull up the camera.]
Then all you do is take the pic, and send it to whoever you want.
[Stan leans over and looks, nodding along as Fern goes through the options and opening the app.]
Right, right. And this side's the camera side right? What's the one you hit to do the it the other way around?
[A selfie. He means a selfie.]
Right, right. And this side's the camera side right? What's the one you hit to do the it the other way around?
[A selfie. He means a selfie.]
Great! I thought it was something like that.
[Stan grins and holds up the camera, thumb hovering over the shutter button. Then, without much more warning than that, Stan puts a cold arm around Fern's shoulder and tugs him close to pull him in frame. He sure seems like he might've known how to do this already!]
Say cheese!
[CLICK!]
[Stan grins and holds up the camera, thumb hovering over the shutter button. Then, without much more warning than that, Stan puts a cold arm around Fern's shoulder and tugs him close to pull him in frame. He sure seems like he might've known how to do this already!]
Say cheese!
[CLICK!]
[Wow, warn a guy why don't you!!! Fern has no clue what's going on the entire time until Stan is yanking him close and snapping the picture. Of course, since he has no clue it really isn't the best pictures that Stan is getting. He looks shocked and his eyes are looking a lot more serpentine than human.]
Wh - dude!
[He's even hissing a little. It's totally fine.]
Wh - dude!
[He's even hissing a little. It's totally fine.]
Edited 2021-09-04 00:20 (UTC)
[It's tragically not important, but Varian continues to move animatedly- it's probably a good thing he took his leg off already or he'd be pacing.]
Yeah! Yes that! The strike me with the axe and you get to keep it thing! Did you know that's actually a story in my world. [He points at Fern, just...directly at him, like he's the piece of some great cosmic puzzle. ] It's called Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. I never even put the pieces together but I was lying there thinking about it and I realised, hey, I've heard this story before!. Wild, right?
Yeah! Yes that! The strike me with the axe and you get to keep it thing! Did you know that's actually a story in my world. [He points at Fern, just...directly at him, like he's the piece of some great cosmic puzzle. ] It's called Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. I never even put the pieces together but I was lying there thinking about it and I realised, hey, I've heard this story before!. Wild, right?
[Fern would be far more enthusiastic about this news if it wasn't three in the morning. As Varian speaks he's wobbling slightly, struggling to not just flop back over and go back to sleep. After a few moments he manages a compromise: gradually leaning further and further over until bonk! He's resting his head against Varian's shoulder.
That will probably make all the gesticulating harder to accomplish but he doesn't really care right now.]
But Finn's name is Finn, not Gawain. 'S totally different.
That will probably make all the gesticulating harder to accomplish but he doesn't really care right now.]
But Finn's name is Finn, not Gawain. 'S totally different.
[That's fine, the resting is totally fine- and it does stop all the wild arm flailing. One moves to gently pat his back, there there, boyfriend. ]
Yeah, obviously that part is different, but!! But, but, but Gawain cuts off the Green Knight's Head and he's like...well, some stories suggest he's a plant person too? Anyway, the Green Knight is like "ok you chopped off my head and now I'm gonna strike the same blow on you in a year." And there's these tests of his knighthood and...stuff.
[This would be far more coherent if Varian wasn't running on about two hours sleep in as many days but there you go. ]
Yeah, obviously that part is different, but!! But, but, but Gawain cuts off the Green Knight's Head and he's like...well, some stories suggest he's a plant person too? Anyway, the Green Knight is like "ok you chopped off my head and now I'm gonna strike the same blow on you in a year." And there's these tests of his knighthood and...stuff.
[This would be far more coherent if Varian wasn't running on about two hours sleep in as many days but there you go. ]
[The patting is nice. He likes that. And he supposes he can see the resemblance - Finn had cut off his head, and he nearly cut off Finn's - so that's a bit weird.
Fern, half-asleep and not really thinking about being grass instead of human, makes a noise like a yawn.]
Chivalric virtues. There's five of 'em. [Not that he could name all five right now.] What do you mean, some stories say he's a plant person?
Fern, half-asleep and not really thinking about being grass instead of human, makes a noise like a yawn.]
Chivalric virtues. There's five of 'em. [Not that he could name all five right now.] What do you mean, some stories say he's a plant person?
Yup! Those things!
[Varian your father was a knight and you're literally dating one, can you please at least try to learn what those virtues are. The back-patting continues, it gives Varian something to do with one of his hands at least- to try and temper the nervous energy jittering through him.]
Well, people aren't sure if he's just wearing green or if he is actually a plant person? Like it's not clear and he does survive having his head chopped off. So there'a good chance he's not human.
[Varian your father was a knight and you're literally dating one, can you please at least try to learn what those virtues are. The back-patting continues, it gives Varian something to do with one of his hands at least- to try and temper the nervous energy jittering through him.]
Well, people aren't sure if he's just wearing green or if he is actually a plant person? Like it's not clear and he does survive having his head chopped off. So there'a good chance he's not human.
[The patting is such a nice, repetitive motion that Fern starts getting a tiny bit worried it's going to lull him back to sleep. Now that he's awake he should really try and stay awake until Varian goes back to bed....]
Huh. [That's definitely something to think about.] I survived getting my head chopped off, so I bet he is.
[Makes sense to him!]
Before I tried to chop Finn's head off we went through... not really any of the virtues, but as a prank we did some of his birthday games. He thought playing those would make us square after he cut my head off.
Huh. [That's definitely something to think about.] I survived getting my head chopped off, so I bet he is.
[Makes sense to him!]
Before I tried to chop Finn's head off we went through... not really any of the virtues, but as a prank we did some of his birthday games. He thought playing those would make us square after he cut my head off.
[Good luck getting Varian to actually sleep properly, Fern. Chances are the grassy boy will fall asleep before the human one. ]
That's what I was thinking. The stories match up quite a lot - which is weird because you guys wouldn't have had access to that text. It's really old in my time, by the time you hit your time, I'd imagine it would have been pretty much forgotten.
[The back-pats turn into back-rubs which probably doesn't help with Fern's sleepiness.]
Because somehow playing birthday games equals cutting someone's head off? Like, did he realise it wouldn't have killed you? Because that would make it worse.
That's what I was thinking. The stories match up quite a lot - which is weird because you guys wouldn't have had access to that text. It's really old in my time, by the time you hit your time, I'd imagine it would have been pretty much forgotten.
[The back-pats turn into back-rubs which probably doesn't help with Fern's sleepiness.]
Because somehow playing birthday games equals cutting someone's head off? Like, did he realise it wouldn't have killed you? Because that would make it worse.
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