[Open] The World It Learns

[wontforgetyou]

WHO: Jamie McCrimmon and you!
WHAT: Rifter reflections and various other things
WHEN: Mid-to-late Haring unless otherwise specified
WHERE: Various places in Skyhold
NOTES: Either brackets or prose is fine with me, so feel free to use either and I will match your style. I'm also happy to set threads prior to the Abomination appearing, so if you would prefer one of those, just say so in the header. Will update warnings as needed.

Battlements
[Monsters. It seems no matter where he goes, there's monsters. It's something that's been a part of his life for so long now that he normally he doesn't even think twice about the fact they're here, too, just falls into the habits he's developed over the past few years when they turn up.

The night the Abomination shows up is one of those nights, although he doesn't wind up facing it directly. Instead, he helps others get out of its path and tries to keep the fires from spreading, and when all is said and done the night becomes a bit of a blur. It's not until a few days later that he finds himself up on the battlements, staring down at the Courtyard below.

It's entirely not because of what's happened, although it is part of it. Losing people is never easy, and there's a part of him that regrets they couldn't do more to save them, especially that poor mage lass who'd never stood a chance. However, what happened also reminds him all too much of the way life used to be, before he'd fallen through the rift. Only a few months ago he'd still been with the Doctor and Zoe, fighting beasties and helping the people wherever they'd wound up. Sometimes they'd died, too, but they'd done their best to stop things from getting worse. Maybe he's doing the same here now, in a way, but now he's doing it alone. As much as he likes to think that he can handle what this world is throwing at him, deep down he misses his friends - and he winds up caught up in those thoughts, making it all too easy to sneak up on him at the moment and catch him unawares.]

Library
[Jamie's not normally the sort to be found in the library. He's neither a mage or a scholar, and much prefers trying to see about getting something to eat rather than nosing around old books. But the longer he's here, the more he's starting to realize that the books here can be useful, too. The main problem with that - or with reading anything that's being written down around here - is that he has no idea how to make heads or tales out of the runes people seem to be using for writing. Having to learn to read all over again in the space of only a few years isn't something he's particularly keen on doing, but given that it could be something that would be handy to know, he's determined to figure it out.

The problem, in his case, is getting started. There were books the Doctor used to when he first taught him to read. Simple children's books, ones where it was easy enough to take the letters he'd been taught and string them into words, and from there, start to puzzle out sentences. He hasn't seen all that many children about, but the library here has a lot of different books. Surely there's something her that'd work. On the days he's trying to find these books anyone who happens to come by the library can find him pulling tomes off the shelves, leafing through them (often while the book is upside down), and putting them back again, although not necessarily the right way around. Sometimes he finds a couple that look almost promising, and settles in a nearby chair, slowly tracing the symbols with a finger as if trying to make some sort of sense out of them. More often than not, though, he simply winds up looking frustrated with the whole exercise and winds up grumbling to himself. He tries to keep that part of things quiet...but he's also not particularly good at always being quiet. If it means he gets glared at, well, that's only to be expected.]

Out and about
[Being at Skyhold for the moment means that he can be found just about anywhere: having a drink at the tavern, trying to sneak a bit of food from the kitchens, or hanging out with the horses in the stables. Occasionally he can be found carving a piece of wood. It's a longer piece, about the length of someone's forearm, and to those who can recognize such it's slowly starting to resemble something rather akin to a recorder, although still very roughly formed. He seems to be taking his time with it, although it's hard to say if it's because he wants it to be perfect or if he just needs the practice. Either way, if you need him for something, you should be able to track him down one way or another.]

Comments

[wontforgetyou]

[To Jamie's credit, he doesn't actually startle when someone turns up next to him. Still, his thoughts are far enough away that it takes him a few seconds for what the other man is saying to register - and for the look of faint bafflement to fade away off of his face.]

Hey? Oh, aye, the gardens. Not sure that it's just that that's bothering them, to tell you the truth.

[There'd been the whole 'monster appearing out of nowhere and killing people' part of things as well. But it's true the gardens are a mess, and will be for awhile, and his eyes wander to one of the scorch marks, lingering there for a moment as he reaches up and itches at a spot just behind his ear.]

Can't say as I blame them, though. There's a few of them who I know've been trying to get them into shape for a few months now. Even before we started turning up here. ['We' being the rifters, which may or not be obvious, but if it's not he'll worry about that part of things in a moment.] Don't think we've had a chance to meet yet, have we? I'm Jamie.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Holy fuck, this guy is the most Scottish guy ever. Church is actually kind of fascinated by the accent, cuz...really, nobody around him had that much of an accent before.]

Well, yeah, I mean, the whole flame monster thing was kind of a downer. I'm just saying, with the garden, y'know? I kind of only know the basics about magic-wielders being susceptible tooooo demon possession? I guess? Basically is what happened?

[He shrugs. He's pretty sure he understands the very basics, even if, with this proof, he still doesn't really buy into it.] You'd think the couple of us that got pulled out of other dimensions would have all met before now. Sup. I'm Church. Did I interrupt some alone time?

[wontforgetyou]

[At one point, the accent used to be broader, if such a thing was possible. His travels over the past few years have mellowed it somewhat - but any gains there may very well still be offset by the fact he still insists on wearing a kilt, even if it's a hunting kilt. That and the sporran worn over it are quite visible even now, making stand out like a sore thumb. He's a friendly seeming sore thumb, though, if nothing else.]

Don't ask me, I don't know any more about magic than you do. You'd be better off asking one of the rifters who knows about that sort of thing. Or one of the mages here, although I don't know how much they want to go into right now, given everything.

[He shrugs as well, although it's more because of the last part of what's said rather than anything else.]

Think that's more a matter of all those demons turning up when you fall through. I don't know about you, but if that's going to happen every time one of us turns up we're going to have to figure out some way to say hello that's not 'Look out!' Don't worry, though, you've not interrupted anything. I was just...thinking, that's all.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Good. [He means about the not interrupting, so he'll just mosey on up and lean on the wall right by his fellow rifter.] Cuz all this old-timey medieval bullshit gets pretty old after a while. I'll have to start practicing with some of these weapons so I'm not, y'know, bored all the time when I'm not fearing for my life or falling asleep in stables.

I've kiiiind of been learning about some of the magical demon stuff here. I mean...I dunno, I can't say I buy it. A lot of things were magic in Earth's history before we learned better and figured stuff out. Okay, yeah, granted that nobody was shooting lightning out of sticks, but still...

[wontforgetyou]

[There's not even a blink on Jamie's end as Church ambles over and leans against the wall. He's not particularly bothered by that sort of thing normally anyway, so as far as he's concerned the other man is more than welcome to hang out next to him. It's what he says after that that gets Jamie's full attention - to the point that he winds up twisting about in order to better face his fellow rifter.]

Wait, you're from Earth, too?

[He's met a fair amount of the other rifters since arriving here, but they've all been from other worlds. While that part of things isn't all that unusual for him (at least nowadays), he's wondered a bit if anyone else would turn up from Earth. Finding that someone has gets him to smile quite broadly, even as he offers out a hand.]

You might be the first one I've met out of the rifters besides me that has been, to tell you the truth. Everyone's from other worlds, I think. I'm Jamie, though. Jamie McCrimmon.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Um. I wouldn't say I'm from Earth. [He does have vague memories, it's true, but they must be some kind of bleedover from the Director. He's never been. Right? Sometimes this gives him a headache.] But yeah, I know Earth. It exists. Hasn't been blown up by aliens yet that I know of.

[Most people would find that statement strange. He'll be pleasantly surprised that it won't necessarily be to Jamie.] Church. Leonard Church, but, y'know, just Church is fine. I'm pretty sure there might be another one or two from Earth, but you're right. There are a lot of other worlds in the multiverse out there, I guess.

sorry for the delay!

[wontforgetyou]

Oh.

[That's a little disappointing to hear, but at least Church knows about Earth, which is something. And aliens as well, but he's right that that's no longer strange to Jamie (even if a part of him deep down keeps wanting to call the lot of them 'beasties'). So while a flicker of that disappointment does cross his face briefly, it's soon replaced with a rather more wry expression - and a vaguely amused sounding snort, as well.]

Och, well, it's probably not from lack of trying, though. Unless it's the sort of aliens that just want to take over. Most times I've found that sort don't try and blow up too much. It's good to meet you, Church. Take it you're more familiar with space travel and those sorts of things in that case? Especially since you think this place is a bit, ah, old-timey.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Man, no, I'm pretty sure they want to destroy all of humanity. I dunno, something about a prophecy? They didn't really cover the details in basic. [Not that he was paying attention. Not that he went to basic, technically. It's complicated.] But oh yeah, we got spaceships for space travel to fight the space war, colonizing planets, space armor, space guns, space megalomaniacs creating super space soldiers with mad space science and ruining everything in space and also not in space. We got it all. In space."

Yes, Church, he gets the point.

[wontforgetyou]

[He definitely gets the point. And by the end of it, he's also managed to conveniently develop a slightly itchy spot on his cheek that just so happens to cover his mouth when he goes to scratch it. It makes hiding the smile that's threatening to break through a little bit easier. When he drops his hand again, however, he's more or less schooled his expression into something relatively neutral.]

Think the only thing you're missing there is space robots and that space food that comes in those wee cubes and doesn't taste a thing like roast beef even if it's supposed to. I've not tried to explain any of that to most of the people here, to tell you the truth. Think most of them would think I'd gone mad if I'd tried.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Space robots can be cool. Depends on whose side they're on. And god, no, I'm not about to explain spaceships to people that don't get...cars. Or guns. Or lightbulbs. Bad enough they're trying to deal with the idea of other worlds and dimensions. Not convinced demons aren't aliens of some sort, but I've only ever met one species. God forbid there are more out there that want to destroy humans for some bullshit reason when we had enough trouble with one in my universe.

[wontforgetyou]

Aye, well, aliens can be like robots. Depends on whose side they're on. I've met a few that don't want to kill anyone at all, you know.

[Although he's beginning to think that maybe Church isn't quite from the same place he is, just somewhere similar, and he lifts his chin slightly in order to give Church a thoughtful look.]

What're they called, anyway? Those aliens that you're fighting?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Yeah, some robots just wanna be left alone. Or to stop being part of really dumb teams. [Ay, pobre Lopez.]

Oh, fuck if I know. They're just...aliens. Um, I think they're...uhhhh... [Maybe it's in there somewhere, but hey, there are a lot of holes. Besides, far as he knows, it's just the one alien race, so just saying aliens is...kind of okay.] Nope, couldn't tell you what they're called. Big mean suckers though. Weird jaws. Too many teeth.

[wontforgetyou]

[As much as he'd hoped there'd been some sort of name there, he can live with the description. Unfortunately, while "big mean suckers" could describe a lot of the aliens he's run across, "weird jaws and too many teeth" aren't ringing any bells, at least not off the top of his head. It could mean they are from slightly different places after all - but it's still closer than anyone else. He'll take it.]

Can't say as I'd heard of any aliens that look like that. Suppose that's probably not a bad thing, though, if they're that nasty. At least here you've only got to worry about the demons, and the undead if you go back to the Mire. Maybe some bears, too.

...that's probably not helping, is it.