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( 03 ) video ♧ a long year and everyone around me is disappearing
[ neal generally doesn't do afraid and disheveled. he does arrogant, smirky, charming, smug, oddly adorable, and occasionally on special occasions and bank holidays pissed off and/or heartbroken. however, those are all normally done with every hair still in place.
this neal is considerably more ruffled, literally and in spirit. black smoke'll do that to a guy. ]
Can anyone explain exactly what the hell is going on?
[ messy hair and mild profanity: this is a red letter day for mr. smooth. (this is why you take your network device when you get lost exploring, neal.) ]
And once you're done with that, I-- [ he breaks off, stares down at his hands, then inhales and lifts his head, a forced smile stuck in place. ] Just the explanation will do, actually.
this neal is considerably more ruffled, literally and in spirit. black smoke'll do that to a guy. ]
Can anyone explain exactly what the hell is going on?
[ messy hair and mild profanity: this is a red letter day for mr. smooth. (this is why you take your network device when you get lost exploring, neal.) ]
And once you're done with that, I-- [ he breaks off, stares down at his hands, then inhales and lifts his head, a forced smile stuck in place. ] Just the explanation will do, actually.
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Someone else has mentioned that there are monsters and demons that inhabit some parts of this ship. I shall take extra precautions, thank you. Though I think it is hypocritical of you to give such advice when you do not appear to see fit to follow it yourself.
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never mind he nearly killed fowler himself when he thought she was behind kate's death, and damn the consequences. for himself, or peter. who is he to judge? ] Is he here?
That's what I'm hearing, too. [ he grins at her scolding, ducking his head. ] Ah, but I did casually slipped it in there, see? Two birds with one stone.
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Riddick, and Mattie draws herself up a bit, looking determined.] And either he is here, or his twin. I have not yet determined which is the truth.[But she will.]
If it is too dangerous to be out of our rooms, why are you running about like a fool?
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[ sorry, tiny!peter, no takes backsies on neal's attachment. ]
I've been cut off while I was lost-- I just happened to get back in time for this.
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[See how competent she is? And knows it, too.]
Then should you not be seeking shelter rather than conversing with strangers? [You're a nice guy, but you seem to be rather lacking in sense.]
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[ oh my god he wants to take her home and give her to peter and dress them in matching outfits and take pictures of their identical 'caffrey, you're ridiculous' scowls.
...don't judge his active fantasy life, okay. ]
Did that, now I'm on my way to do some exorcisms, apparently. [ he shrugs. ] They'll take any Latin speaking port in a storm, I guess.
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I would offer my assistance but I am afraid my knowledge of Latin is limited to that used in the legal profession.
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In that case, I think you'll get what I mean when I say we're in a cuius est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos kind of situation.
[ for a fourteen year old girl, mattie-- generally, not neal's favorite demographic-- you're kind of baller. ]
The debate on squatter's rights involved less chanting, back home.
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The ad inferos part does seem particularly appropriate. If you are performing exorcisms then it must be a case of possession, so it is possible that actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea may also apply.
[Now you're interesting, sir.]
Yes, I do not believe I have met many squatters in Arkansas who spoke Latin. Most cannot write their own name.
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Ratio legis est anima legis seems especially topical right now, when it comes to exorcism rights.
[ score. ]
Looks like that hasn't changed much-- same.
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I would put that the way 'round -- anima legis est ratio legis.
Where are you from? I know it is not Arkansas.
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Originally? Here and there. [ he'll take a wild leap and guess that the idea of a childhood spent drifting won't be too odd to her, given the time frame he'd bet she's working from. ] Now I live in New York.
[ he can't help the thrill of pride he feels, each time he says it-- he's been 'from' new york since the day he arrived there, but that doesn't make it less of a dream realized. ]
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I have never been further from home than the Choctaw territory, though my papa traveled all the way to St. Louis. I suppose New York is even bigger.
[A pause, and then a wry look.] I should say never until now, I suppose.
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If you don't mind me asking, what year is it, in your Arkansas? [ he winces a little at the inelegant phrasing, but it'll do for the moment. ] Think of it this way-- some people start small, travel a few states over, or cross the border into Mexico or Canada. You came all the way to space. It's not unimpressive, for a first trip far afield.
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...Okay fine, maybe it's a little exciting.]
I think I would like it better if things made more sense.
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I can't help you with the why or how on the bigger questions-- but if you need help acclimating to the rest, I've heard I'm not a bad teacher. Just in case you feel like you might want a hand.
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There's a very long pause here, while Mattie considers how much she's willing to admit to a man whose name she doesn't even know. But he seems helpful, the way Tillman was. And to be perfectly honest, the quest to find Tom Chaney can only sustain her so far, and it doesn't change the fact that she's more lost and on her own than she's ever been.]
There are more things here I do not understand than things that I do.
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And if I don't, I can always find someone who does and tell them I don't get it, and need a better explanation.
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[He did say she could ask anything, might as well start with something to call him by.]
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If no one here has or uses money, and there is no system of trade and no farms or craftsmen, where do our food and clothing come from?
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[ she seems like the type to like a title-- and an adult title, more-- and formality is something neal does paradoxically well. ]
That's a little more of a mystery. I keep hearing we stopped once, but other than that everything seems to be replenished when we jump.
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Are we truly made to go back into the caskets when that happens? [Not something she's looking forward to at all, except for the glimmer of hope Tyke's mention of some people being sent away (home) during these 'jumps'.]
I believe it is your turn to ask a question as well.
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The pods? I wish I could say no, but it's a monthly thing. [ his voice goes lower with sympathy. ] You start to get more used to it as time goes on.
[ OH GOD SO MANY QUESTIONS but fine. starting with the simplest and most complicated to answer: ]
What's it like in your Arkansas? Tell me about something near your house. A barn, a pond... anything you feel like.
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I do not think that is something I will get used to. [She'll endure it, because one endures what one cannot change, but she won't get used to it.
She takes a moment to consider the question, looking thoughtful, going over all the things she thinks a person who had never been to Arkansas might want to know about.]
Behind our farm there is a hill. It has some trees, and headstones for the family graves. There is a good rocky place to sit and look from, and you can see all across the fields -- cotton, wheat, corn, pastures for cows and sheep. I think you can see the whole of Yell County from there.
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