mnt_raph | [OOM: Olau]

It wasn't long after Raph ran into ~~Alanna~~Alan that he made his excuses and made a bee-line for Tortall.
Timelines were in danger.
People he loved were in danger.
Abigail was in danger.

His heart felt as though it was going to burst through his chest as he headed for the front door, his Security badge firmly in hand.

What if...
What if Alan was proof that the door had reset?
What if time had gone backwards?
What if it was like everything he'd lived there just ceased to exist?
All of it, rewritten in some great cosmic do-over?

He opens the door to a familiar scene, and for a split second Raph allows himself to hope.
The Tortoise. The same as always, as it's been for at least three generations now.
Raph walks around the tavern, rather than go straight through the front door, to the place where Abigail'd be hanging up the day's washing to dry in the noon sun.

There, holding a basket of clothes pins is a little girl no older than six, with her blonde hair in one long braid down her back.

"...oh no."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

the_lioness

"Alan."

If Alanna was not already on a horse, she'd have to sit down right now.

Her father, she thinks. Surely. But not if Raph asked about her memories.

Goddess.

"You mean me," she says with resigned certainty.

From:

mnt_raph

"A version o' you, yeah," he replies, nodding. "But as a kid...and not from this here."

"I thought maybe, like...there was time travel involved, but everythin' here would be different. An' it ain't."

He turns back to look at Abigail.

"'Least not that I can tell."

From:

becareful_boyo

Abigail nods, folding her hands together.

"Aye. Near as I can tell, it's all the same."

Beat.

"Boy-o and I are still married and everythin'."

From:

the_lioness

The curses Alanna lets out now are colorful and don't really make her feel any better.

Ignoring Abigail, "What happened? Did anyone SAY anything to him? Her. Me?"

From:

mnt_raph

Raph's expression is priceless for the time it takes for him to realize Abigail is fucking with him. "now ain't the time," he hisses at her, before turning back to Alanna.

"Splinter invited her...him...you to train with us."

IT WAS NOT RAPH'S IDEA.

From:

the_lioness

"But did anyone SAY anything about knowing Alan is Alanna? They can't, Raph. They can't."

Alanna slides off Darkmoon and stalks over to Raph, grabbing his shirt in an effort to express just how serious this is.

"EVERYTHING would be different!"

From:

mnt_raph

Raph starts backing up the second Alanna slides off the horse. It doesn't matter that Raph is quite a bit larger than she is in all directions, when The Lioness has that look in her eyes...you prepare for the worst.

His hands go up in surrender.

"We ain't said nothin'. I swear. We know how this whole time travel thing works."

From:

the_lioness

He does.

They do.

Alanna takes a deep, shuddering breath and nods, but doesn't release him just yet.

"Not everyone will be so conscientious," she warns. "Has... Alan been there more than once?"

Could it be her? Did she forget?

From:

mnt_raph

"Not that I've seen, but...that don't mean much."
Yeah, he could probably have left that last bit off.

"I swear to you, soon as I could I bolted an' came here. Thought Abs, you, Adam, an' the kids were..."

So of course this is the sentence that he doesn't finish.

From:

the_lioness

Alanna exhales through her teeth and reaches up to squeeze his arm.

She lets go,

(Goddess, I would have done the same.)

and does it again. Before lightly smacking his head.

"What a mess," she mutters. "No, I don't remember, so either I've been made to forget," which is even MORE unsettling, "or it's another version of me. That doesn't matter. She still can't know I was ever there."

She frowns.

"Splinter was teaching Alan?"

This is so weird.

From:

mnt_raph

"Hey," he says reflexively. Why was he being bopped in the head again?! What the heck did he do?

"Well, technically he was trainin' Mike, who's kinda under house arrest at the moment. An' Alan kinda wandered into the session."

From:

becareful_boyo

Abigail arches an eyebrow at Raph. She recognizes an affectionate smack upside the head when she sees one. Why doesn't he?

"House arrest?" Her eyes narrow. "Over what he did here?"

Not that he doesn't deserve punishment, mind. But she'd rather have a hand in it herself.

From:

mnt_raph

Raph nods. "Splinter thinks that maybe he's had a bit too much free time on his hands."

From:

becareful_boyo

Abigail snorts.

"Send him 'ere to pay off the debt he owes me," she suggests. "I'll make him work for it."

No, really. Abigail thinks this is a brilliant plan.

"Just leave the flashy thing where it belongs, and we're right as rain."

From:

the_lioness

Alanna shakes her head like she's trying to clear it and continues ignoring Abigail.

"Do you think this is why I haven't been able to go back?" she asks Raph.

From:

mnt_raph

"You know I'd love nothin' more'n giving you the revenge you want Abs, but this is outta my hands. What Master says, goes," he whispers to Abigail as Alanna continues to suss this situation of hers out.

"Because there's a new version of you there? Or because Mikey's under lock and key?"

From:

the_lioness

She waves off the latter option.

"Me, of course. Having two of us there seems like it would break SOME law."

Surely some rules still apply to the end of the universe?

"Given what happened, the battles and all, then me not being able to enter and a shiny new Alan discovering it..." She deflates slightly. "It seems like a sign to me."

From:

mnt_raph

His brow furrows.

"A sign? Of what?"

From:

the_lioness

She tugs on her ear once, looks down, all trying not to show how much this conclusion upsets her.

"That I am now the opposite of bound." Her eyes meet his. "I'm bound here."

Beat.

"Which is as I thought, and as it should be."

Really.

Even if there is so much she will miss.

From:

mnt_raph

"No...no that ain't it. It's a glitch, that's all. Thing's'll iron out, you'll see."

Because...the idea that the door could be so fickle, even after Raph's experienced it himself, is just that unnerving to him.

From:

the_lioness

"A glitch."

Alanna remains unconvinced. What Raph calls a glitch she considers the work of the gods. And when it comes to gods, she has more than enough experience not to expect that things will 'iron out.'

Underneath, she thinks she has always known.

She sighs, the sound equal parts annoyed and resigned, and nods, turning back to Darkmoon. There's no time to dwell on this now.

"Are you coming up?" She mounts her horse, jerks her chin toward Olau.

From:

mnt_raph

Raph looks to Abigail, and raises his eyebrows questioningly.

From:

becareful_boyo

Abigail mimics his expression for a moment, then relents.

"Not today," she decides, reaching for his arm. "We've got catchin' up to do, and you've goodbyes to say."

She gives Alanna a nod, a silent promise to watch over the children while the Lioness is gone.

From:

mnt_raph

"You travel safe, you hear? An' I'll catch up when I can. Give my love to the kids," he says reaching up to offer his hand as a goodbye for now.

From:

the_lioness

Alanna stays silent and still for a moment, but she does eventually reach down and take his hand, turning a shake into a squeeze.

"You, too."

A small smile.

"I'll see you soon enough." She talked to Thayet and is aware of the Queen's request. Lucky Raph! "Goodbye, Abigail."

And thank you.

Alanna waves and lets Darkmoon have his head for the remainder of her journey.