swimming in memories thicker than this damn mist

you wouldn't even recognize me anymore

not that you knew me back then

Oh, so she has his attention now? Alright, alright. Trying to keep all his questions straight, Wessex nods to confirm that she was indeed born in the Grounds. “Well, life here was fucking hard sometimes. We had a community that more or less took care of its own when they could, but there wasn’t always food and then there was the year when almost every family lost at least one person to a fever. Death was normal. It - well, it’s not something I can summarize into a neat and tidy little statement. I’m starting to realize just how much we don’t know, how much magic can do and the Naturals here are such traditionalists that it effectively kept any progress from occurring. That, and it’s hard to make discoveries when you don’t have enough to eat, or the LongNight monsters have slaughtered half your family, or -” she breaks off suddenly, running a hand through her hair. “Or every effort is focused on figuring out how to get out of the barrier without being fried.”

Shaking her head, Wessex looks off into the mists. “Living in a bubble fucked us all up. For multiple generations. We’re weak, brainwashed, and don’t know how to work together for the greater good.” Her voice grows low, resentful. “And if it weren’t for the Outlanders, who have taken over everything… we would still be stuck in it.”

She turns to the kid now, with a sudden change in tone. “But that barrier coming down was one of the best moments of my life. The first view of the forest. Fresh air. It was a miracle. Freedom -” Wessex isn’t terribly eloquent, she stops short of describing things with too much emotion or in detail, but the way she stops before diving in deeper suggests there is a well of feeling behind that singular moment. In fact, it makes her forget his last question about mutations and after a pause, she remembers that he asked about Ascended, too.

And that… that makes her far more cautious. “There’s definitely bias. We don’t know… the whole truth about why The Voice was imprisoned here, I don’t think. There are some very devout followers of the Old Gods here and between blaming her for that and the Blight, they… they’re afraid. And angry. But I think most of that is directed at The Voice and me. The others are relatively well liked.” She offers a shrug, but no further explanation, the door wide fucking open for what’s she sure will be more questions.

but it all comes back to me in the end

WESSEX

so hold my hand and i'll walk with you, my dear

Wessex gives you a lot to think about; you turn the information over and over in your head like a cow chewing its cud. Thus far you've learned the most about the influences of living under the barrier by those tho hadn't been there very long, and it's fascinating to get an alternative point of view. Your brain scrambles to take mental notes, commit it all to recount to Oia later-

It's almost more than you can hold.

So when the woman begins to talk about the Voice and the Ascended and anger you stand up abruptly, not trying to be rude but knowing this conversation will have to be... Well, more. "I'm sorry Wessex I really liked learnin' from ya an' I wanna learn a lot more but I need to talk to Oia- can I come see you again an' talk an' learn things? An' maybe bring her?"

Your abrupt (but earnest and good-natured) farewell completed, you wait for her to respond before turning heel and bounding down the bridge, your bare feet falling precariously close to the edge of the structure. Almost like you want to give Wessex a heart attack.

{Fin for Kai <3}

Kaimana

you wouldn't even recognize me anymore

not that you knew me back then

Oh. Ok. Thinking that they might be in for a longer conversation, Wessex is a little surprised when Kai abruptly stands up. There’s something about being able to actually talk about the past that feels like slowly opening a dam. A trickle now, as the words come more easily, as she organizes events and examples into categories of varying heartache and woe. Best to worst, nevermind the fallacy of memory and whatever spins her own adolescence may have put on it.

“Oh. Sure.” Like she would say no to the first person outside the barrier who actually wants to know without putting their own spin on things. The Loreseekers, for all their collecting of knowledge, have done little to turn their eyes inward and to the past, even with the plethora of narratives to collect.

“Of course. I can usually be found in the Outskirts. Night is best.” When the Wraith wants to be found, she can be. Feeling a little emotionally off-kilter, the demi-god is glad she doesn’t have a heart to skip beats as she watches Rae’s child skip away. Fucking hell, she thinks with a shake of her head. What was that?

{Fin}

but it all comes back to me in the end

WESSEX