six impossible things before breakfast

The look she gave him was incredulous. "You just made a bird and a pair of shoes appear outta thin air," she pointed out. "And you're making an umbrella, out of rain. How do you even do that? How does it work, is it like a spell or a mind thing or... No, actually hang on, let's wait with the magic. I'll just loose track."

Breathing deeply again - her hands were shaking a bit, and the rambling was a sure sign of how agitated she was - she made an effort to gather herself. Nodded, when he hesitated.

"Uh, yeah. I don't do well with details plucked out of context. The more scattered things you tell me, the worse it will get. So. The whole picture, please. I can pretend it's a story or something." Haha, maybe. Or she'll be a curled up ball of sobbing hysterics after a few sentences. Who knew, really? Certainly not she.

Loren gave Petra an apologetic smile. "Magic comes from inside me, so it's a little bit of both." Nodding, he gave her an understanding look. "I can tell you more about it later." His tone was back to being gently soothing. As she asked for the whole story, he took a deep breath. "Alright. I can do that." He glanced up as they reached the edge of the trees, though the buildings were still a good distance away. "There are gods in this world. Actual gods. They created this world, and the people and beings in it." He paused to let all that sink in. Pressing his lips together, he glanced at her. "There was...someone, who took the magic given by the gods and wanted more. Who used it in ways the old gods didn't approve of. Who became a god herself." Again, he stopped talking in case she had any questions. Taking another deep breath, he continued. "So the old gods and the new one went to war. It was long and bloody. Eventually the old gods triumphed, but they couldn't vanquish the new god. So they imprisoned her, instead, in a magical barrier. However, she found a loophole. A way to bring copies of people from other worlds, using portals. They arrived here, a trickle at first, then a flood. And finally, they set her free." LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat

Later was good. As good as being able to walk at an almost regular pace again. The moccasins weren't great, let's be honest, because there was still a lot of sharp rocks that the soft leather soles couldn't do anything about, but it was better.

And she tried really hard to both navigate the ground and listen at the same time. Alas, focusing too hard on what was being said only reduced it to a hazy mumble in her mind however, and after a moment she blinked, realizing that half of what he had said was already gone. An indistinct haze of noise that should carry meaning. Oops, not again. Bad timing.

Quick, scramble brain, pick out the important parts. Uuuuhm. "Sooo.... I'm actually a copy of myself? And since this self-made god is already free... I'm just a spare part? Left over goods?" It was a poor attempt at a summary, she knew it, but the important part was to put herself into context. There was a distinct relief in hearing that she wasn't gone from her home, that she hadn't left family and friends behind... But damn, that pang of loss still hit hard, when she realized that no one would be missing her either. Because she wasn't gone?

Ugh, this was definitely headache material.

"Is she evil, this god-person? Is it bad that she's free, that I've been brought here?" She felt decidedly uneasy about that prospect. She wasn't really made for confrontations, it made her stomach turn acidic. Bubbly, in all the wrong ways.

For a moment, Loren just rubbed his palms on his thigh nervously. Finally he nodded in agreement with Petra's question. "Pretty much, yeah." Once more, his tone was apologetic. Hesitating again at her next question, he eventually shook his head. "It depends who you ask. Both the old gods and the new have done objectively bad things." He shrugged. "But at this point they're more like forces of nature than anything else. So while they've done things that can be seen as helping and hurting humanity, it's hard to ascribe good and evil to them." Rubbing the back of his head, he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Long story short, it's complicated. But no, it's not bad that you've been brought here. Not at all." LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat

She chewed on that for a bit as they walked. "Great. So. I'm stuck in a world I didn't choose to come to, for no reason other than because someone didn't turn off the switch, and I can't go home because.... oooh, right. Because I'm already home, is that it? This me, this copy... it  was made here, so there's nowhere to go back to.... Makes sense. Or not, but... Nevermind."

At this point, she was just rambling, thinking out loud. Trying to piece together a theory that somehow made sense. Of course there was a bit of grumbling involved, and it was a pain to hear there was no such thing as good and evil - boring, at least make it clear cut - but it definitely absolved her of any kind of responsibilities. No demons to fight. No dragons to vanquish.

No need to get involved with anything, really. Just like home.

"Im glad someone thinks it's not bad," she muttered, throwing a sideways glance at him, with an eyebrow cocked. Did he actually mean that, or just saying it to be nice? "It still... leaves me in a whole lot of trouble. Because I have nothing, not even a job I'm good at. What kind of time period are we talking about here? What's your highest level of technology?"

Squinting at his clothes, she tried to determine what kind of materials they were made of, what cut and general style. Her own were distinctly foreign, with stretchy materials and fabrics woven so fine that it must appear magical in its own right to anyone before industrialized weaving became a thing.

Loren couldn't help but give Petra an understanding and apologetic smile. "I know. It's a lot to take in. I know it is." Biting his lip, he faced front, leading her ever closer to the buildings in the distance. "It gets easier to deal with, I promise." That at least came out firmly. Catching the look in the corner of his eyes, he nodded. "That I do." Frowning at her next question, he drummed a beat against one leg. "I'm sure there's something you're good at. But...I'm sorry, what exactly do you mean by our time period? And our highest level of technology?" His confusion was evident in his tone and his expression. LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat

She could only shrug at the reassurances, not quite ready to accept that kind of comfort. Maybe it would be easier, maybe not. Maybe this was just the beginning of a whole shitstorm of events that would make her frazzled mind disintergrate and leave her a babbling fool - oh wait, she already was that. Nevermind then.

His reply that he did think it was good she was there... made her squirm. Quickly she withdrew her gaze and looked ahead, away, at anything and everything else. It was confusing, and not the kind of thing she really should be worrying about at the moment.

"Oh. Uhm... Well, where I come from, the level of technology is quite advanced? We have vehicles that move on their own, computers... er, devices that can calculate advanced mathematics, and internet... well... think of it as a communications network that anyone can access with the right tools. You can sit in your living room and talk to someone on the other side of the world." She braved a quick glance at him, to see how he was taking this. Not nearly as bad as she was handling this whole inter-dimensional travel bullshittery, surely.

"Science has come a long way... medicine, space travel, archeology... Anyway, in school they teach us about history too. The creation of the world, from beginning until present day... and they've lumped together periods of development in human civilization. Stone age, bronze age, iron age, middle ages, renaissance and so on. I figured, if I knew roughly what kind of tools you have, then maybe I can know what to expect. If you have cars, or horse drawn carriages, or.... something else." Scratching at an itchy spot in the scalp, she shrugged. "Possibly, the existence of magic complicates things a bit."

Thankfully, Loren had encountered people from other worlds, with vastly different levels of development. So while many of the words Petra used were unfamiliar to him, he was able to follow along easily enough. "I see." His expression grew thoughtful. "As you say, magic complicates things. We have items that can communicate across vast distances and move on their own, though they're usually unique." Tapping his fingers against his thigh, he bit his lip. "In general I'd say we're far from being that advanced. We have blacksmiths and herbalists and people learn through apprenticeships. Things of that sort. I don't know if that answers your question." He gave her an apologetic smile. LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat

She nodded and hummed, considering the implications. The expression on her face was a peculiar mix of delight and annoyed peevishness. Then she sighed. "I don't suppose it makes any real difference," she mumbled, again scratching at her damp, waterlogged scalp. "But I meant it, when I said I don't have any skills. I don't know... Gods, what am I supposed to do now?"

It was less dramatic than before, but the cold nausea that swept through her gut still made her blanch. All the safety nets and structures put in place to keep her fed, clothed and comfortable were suddenly not there anymore, and her mind became a whirl of misery as she considered all the problems that lay ahead.

"Where are we going?" she asked, in a feeble attempt to avoid sinking herself into utter despair.

Slowing his steps, Loren reached out to lay a reassuring hand on Petra's shoulder. "I'll bet you have more skills than you know." It came out in a reassuring and soothing voice. "But even if you don't, there are still things you can do. Work as a messenger or a barmaid, that sort of thing until you figure out what you actually want to do." Lowering his hand, he brought her to the buildings on the outer edges of the Settlement. "There are a couple of places that don't mind housing people when they first arrive. They'll help you with food, shelter, clothing, until you've got everything sorted out. I figured I'd take you to one of those." He led her down the streets towards the heart of the small town. "The people here don't have much, but they're more than willing to share what they have." LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat

She wasn't used to being touched. The gesture was nice, but her reaction was awkward, shoulders stiff and expression almost shocked. "Uhuh... right. Yeah, I could probably manage that," she replied, a bit lamely. There was no denying the sinking feeling in her stomach however, nagging insecurity rearing up its ugly head.

It did not really help to realize that he was about to deposit her on some poor destitute to sort out her own mess. It was the sane thing to do of course, who would want to drag a complete stranger around and have them mixed up in you own life? Already Loren was doing more than he had to. Still, as she looked around at the buildings, the empty, rainsoaked streets, the ruins littering the outskirts and edge of every alley... She couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness creep over her.  

"I hate being a burden," she admitted quietly, unable to keep the reluctance from showing through. Rubbing cold hands over even colder arms, she chewed the bottom lip.

Too bad, she would be one no matter what she did. Ha. No different from home, either.

Nodding encouragingly, Loren made sure to slip his hands in his pocket, having seen the awkwardness stealing over Petra. "I know you can." His tone was firm, trying to bolster her apparently low self-esteem. Leading her towards the Temple, his lips twitched into a sad smile. "I know the feeling." Sighing, he shrugged. "The only advice I can give you is to get on your feet as soon as possible, and pay it forward. Help the next person who comes stumbling into this world, looking for answers and help." He spoke softly and hesitantly, as if he didn't know how exactly she might react to that suggestion. LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat

Oh, he knew that, did he? Boldly spoken for a guy who's just met her. The sidelong glance she threw at him was darkly amused, her mouth expressing a whole boatload of doubt. If only he knew her track record of failed attempts at life, he wouldn't sound so confident.

Same thing with the 'pay it forward' mentality. It sounded well and good, but you had to actually know something to help people. But hey, one step at a time, right? Her turn to play the victim, and his to be the nice samaritan. Bet it must feel gooood to save someone.

"Lazing about and leeching off others is usually what I do, but sure. I'll be out of their hair soon as I can. All I need is some clothes, money and a place to sleep, and I'll figure out the rest."

It sounded confident, and in the instant she said it, she could actually believe it herself. Ah, if only these little moments of bravery would last beyond a minute or two.  

They seemed to be headed for the biggest building in town. Craning her neck back, she strained to take it all in, something like awe and appreciation creeping into her subdued demeanor. "Wow. Is it just me, or is this a castle? Very impressive." She always did love good architechture.

Hesitating at Petra's words, Loren gave her an almost guilty look. "We don't, um, use money here. Clothes and shelter we can do, but the rest you'll have to barter goods or services for." However, he nodded at her, trying to muster up an encouraging smile and failing miserably. "That's the spirit!" Similarly, the cheerful words fell flat, his natural neuroticism and current sadness making it impossible for him to be joyful. Glancing up at the Temple, he nodded again. "We call it the Temple, but yes, it's a castle. There's an infirmary there that has clothes to spare and beds you can use for the night." He continued to lead her ever closer to its admittedly foreboding walls. LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat