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Fandom Island Museum, Tuesday Daytime

"Yes, lovely that you've set up here right in front of our entrance," Steven said as he side stepped his way around the band that was playing in front of the museum. According to the logo on the drums their name was Pandera. Steven gave them all a tight smile. "Don't mind it at all. Really. Not at all bothered by how loud you are."

Steven stopped when he made it to the door. He looked the band over, which was an assortment of black and brown bears, and for a brief moment wondered if it was worth asking if they hadn't noticed how none of them were pandas.

Then Steven decided that arguing with bears about semantics was probably not one of the wisest courses of action he could take in his life, ability to come back from the dead or no, and resolved to try to focus on his work and tune out the music as best as possible.

Today's task? Coming up with the writeup to put next to the brand new display for the History section on Emotional Baggage. The display itself was a piece of luggage which had somehow remained. It bore the logo for the museum as well as the words No One Knows This Place Exists.

Steven put his glasses on and got to work.

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Nell stopped by to say hello to Steven, but stopped to listen to Pandera. Not exactly her choice of music, but she thought it would be polite. Then she gratefully made her way inside.

"How are you holding up with all the racket?" she asked loudly.

"It's not so bad when the door's shut," Steven shouted back. He motioned for her to do that in case she couldn't hear him while she was so close to the outside. The music could still be heard when the door was closed, but it was more muffled. At least it allowed conversations at a normal volume.

Nell had no idea what he said, so she closed the door and relaxed against it in relief from the horrible noise. "They're everywhere," she said. "This is crazy!"

Still it was better than yesterday. Most anything was better than that.

"Are they?" Steven asked. He'd been fortunate, such as it was, to only see the band out front when he'd gone to work that morning. "I suppose it's better than yesterday? Hopefully no one on the island has sensitive hearing."

"Just about anything is better than yesterday," Nell admitted. "But today we just have bears playing loud music."

"Good for them to have hobbies I suppose?" Steven said. Better than mauling people, for example. "How are you? Recovering from yesterday all right?"

She made a face. "Well enough. I didn't even want to come back to your apartment yesterday. I hated to bring those things home with me." Marc knew about more of her past than Steven, but even so, she had been embarrassed.

Steven hadn't come home until late himself, thanks to the bonfire. "It's all right. Llewellyn's piled up as well for a bit. At least they've vanished. Well, save this one - " Steven indicated the case that was going to have its own Museum display. "Though I'll be honest I don't know if it appeared yesterday or if it's a replica. Blathers may have made it himself overnight."

"I'm just as glad mine are gone," Nell said, "Not sure I need a reminder, but it's good I guess to document it in the museum."

The doors opened behind her, letting in a blast of noise. Nell turned to see who was coming in and was surprised when the courier came up to her and handed her a letter. "Note from Portalocity," he said with a bit of a salute and headed back out.

Nell sighed. "They send me these all the time to tell me they still can't find a portal back to my home."

Edited 2022-08-30 20:56 (UTC)

"Seems a bit rude to keep reminding you of it," Steven said. "Though I suppose it's nice they keep trying as well."

"Just another reminder of what I can't do," Nell agreed as she opened it and scanned the note.

And froze.

Steven looked at her with concern. "Nell? Are you all right?"

Nell opened her mouth and shut it again. She took a deep shuddering breath and held it for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.

Finally she simply handed him the letter, which read:

Dear Mrs. Ingram,

We are writing to inform you that we have finally been able to connect a portal to your home area. While it is not entirely stable as yet, we believe that within the next two to three weeks we will be able to finally return you to your home safely.

We apologize for the great inconvenience you have had during the past four years as we tried to find a way to reconnect and hope that knowing you will be home soon will bring you some relief.

As soon as the stabilization is complete we will contact you again to arrange the details of your return home.

Yours,
The Team at Portalocity

Steven fumbled to remember where he'd put his glasses when Nell came in. Once he had them on he read through the letter twice to be sure he understood it. "Home... area? Does that mean your dimension or - or plane or does it mean right where you were taken here?"

Not that it mattered much. If Nell got back to her own world she could easily take transport to get to where she used to live. But still.

"It's... home... they said they'd find a way to trace the original fluke portal back and return me there..." Her voice had a vague sound to it, sounding as disconencted as she was starting to feel.

"Maybe I can sit for a minute," she said and turned to walk away blindly. There was a chair or bench here somewhere.

Steven held an arm out to guide her. Not touching her, just helping point the way. "Bench right over here. Away from that noise outside as well. Do you need water?"

"I just need to sit," she said without looking up and she sank down as soon as she reached it.

She'd made plans, she'd made arrangements, she'd basically admitted that she was glad she couldn't go home, and now... Everything felt a bit as if it was crashing down around her.

Steven sat on the bench with her, leaving space between them. He tucked his glasses into his shirt pocket and, uncertain what else to do with it, placed the letter down on the bench in Nell's reach. "Take your time. Can't imagine what you're feeling."

For his part, Steven was reminding himself of Llewellyn's advice about being patient and steady. He supposed she'd want to talk to Marc soon enough, but since she hadn't asked he wasn't going to startle her by assuming she wanted to do so now.

Nell was feeling so many things she couldn't begin to express them or straighten them out even for herself. But overall there was this overwhelming feeling of despair, followed closely with extreme guilt for not being able to be happy that she would be going back to her husband. To her duty.

She reached out for the letter and read it again. "Two or three weeks," she said, so quietly Steven would have to strain to hear. "I have to go home in two or three weeks."

Right. Well, there was at least one thing he could say to that.

"You don't have to," Steven pointed out. He kept his voice soft as well. He wasn't lecturing, only reminding her of her options. "You've free will, Nell. You can make your own choices."

She turned to him. "And I made a vow. Of my own free will. What kind of a person would I be if I went back on my solemnly sworn oath to God?"

Nell shook her head. "I can't. I couldn't live with myself."

Steven held up his hands to disclaim any idea he was trying to dispute that. "I know. It's only I've some experience with oaths to Gods, is all."

Nell just put her head in her hands and tried desperately not to cry in front of him.

She might be trying but Steven wondered if he should get her some tissues all the same. "Look, whatever you do, it's nothing that you need to decide now, is it? You couldn't even if you wanted to, right? They said it would take weeks. You've only just found out it was an option. Give yourself a moment to breathe, yeah?"

"The decision is made," she said quietly. She rubbed harshly at her face, then folded the letter and put it in one of her pockets.

She was upset. Steven knew she wasn't really hearing him. So he stuck to simply reminding her, "You're not alone, is all. You've friends who would help you, if you let them."

"I know." She swallowed hard. Her thoughts had been running wildly trying to think of everything she had to do - all the plans she had to change, everything she had to give up. "I was supposed to move into my apartment on Thursday, but now... I can't. Not if I'm leaving in two weeks. Is there, is there any way I could -"

Her throat closed up and she just shook her head. "Never mind."

How could she ask him when he wanted to convince her to stay?

"Could what?" Steven asked. "If you mean to stay with us longer you can. We're not using the room." Not as anything but storage, anyway. "Nell, you don't have to decide a bloody thing right now, I promise. Not even where you're sleeping next week."

She nodded, finding it hard to meet his eyes. "Thank you."

"Is Marc - ? I know you're working and I don't want to interrupt anymore than I already have - but could you let him know - maybe after you're done, I could - I would like to talk with him. When, unless you have plans, but when it's convenient."

She shook her head again. "I can just text him."

Nell hoped that she didn't look as small and lost as she felt.

"I'll tell him," Steven promised. He could bring Marc out right now, of course. But as out of sorts as Nell was, and as public as their location was, he suspected the better option was one which gave Nell a chance to clear her head as well as talk with Marc privately.

Nell nodded again and stood, her head still whirling. "I... I have to go," she said. "I'm sorry. And thank you."

Then she just left, in a manner completely unlike her, without remembering any of the niceties.

Sorry, Steven. She certainly would be later.

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Fandom Island Museum, Tuesday Daytime

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