open } I'll forever be whatever you want me to be

[endingpoint]

Who: Jane Weller + You
Where: Gardens
When: Weekend of July 6th
Rating: PG
Summary: Jane found out some news at home and now she's obsessed.
The Story:

[ Now that the library has robots, it's not a place Jane super wants to be, so she uses the closet to get a few books and then heads outside. It's hot, but she's never super minded the heat and she's wearing shorts now with a white t-shirt, sitting under a tree for at least shade. Spread out around her are different books on pregnancy, from the traditional What to Except When You're Expecting to a week to week book one what to expect moment by moment. She even has What to Expect Before You're Excepting since she's not currently pregnant in Wonderland.

Jane even has a highlighter out, going through books as she reads them and highlighting certain parts. She's definitely botherable, in a good mood and just reading happily. ]

Comments

[endingpoint]

[ Were they friends? They certainly don't 'hang out.' But he has been someone she's turned to for advice, for guidance even, maybe. ]

I think we were working on that. On becoming friends. Right now, you've helped me with a few things. My brother looks exactly like someone from your world, and you, Daisy and I worked together to figure out if we were all from the same place. But we're not. That was a while ago, though. I went through something pretty terrible a few months back, and we talked it out together. You're a great listener.

[ She smiles a little, hoping she's not offending him, at least. ]

[hypoxic]

So you're from a world with alternative versions of people who look identical.

[And you just become exponentially more interesting, young mother-to-be. For once, there's a benefit to how much of a doormat his doppelganger was.]

If that's the case, then I'd hope you'd trust me enough to rekindle such a friendship-to-be.

[He gives a nod to her book.]

Are you and your partner trying?

[endingpoint]

Technically, I think we all are? There's a woman who's been here before who looks exactly like me, but she's some...goddess warrior from another world. Literally.

[ Such an inspiration for Jane. Meeting Lady Sif had really been something. ]

Of course; you've always been kind to me. We just happen to meet and talk when this place turns sideways for a few days and terrible things are going on around us.

[ When he nods toward the book, she can't help smiling just a little. ]

We found out that back home, I already am. Pregnant, I mean. A close friend left and went through about six months before coming back and letting us know.

[hypoxic]

[His eyebrows raise and his eyes narrow at that. In another lifetime, he might have laughed about it.]

A "goddess warrior." That sounds more like an alien with an ego issue.

[She probably even tricked half the populace into worshiping her as a God... Those types really will stop at nothing to invade and assimilate. It's disgusting, really.]

But a pregnancy makes everything that much better. [She's propagating her species. She's creating more pure humans. There's nothing to fault about that.] It seems congratulations are in order.

[endingpoint]

She was actually really nice. Humble, too. At least now I know why a lot of people from your world called me 'Sif' when I first showed up.

[ The tattoos hadn't seemed to make much of a difference in identifying her, which in hindsight is odd, considering Jane met her doppelganger and there wasn't a tattoo in sight.

Smiling softly, Jane ducks her head in an appreciative nod. ]

Thank you. I don't mind being here, most of the time, but now I kind of have a reason to want to leave.

[hypoxic]

It's an act, generally. When they appear good-natured, it's intended to get you to lower your guard. Skepticism can be a lifesaver at times.

[Perhaps now isn't the time to try to engage with her about this particular issue. They'll learn in time, or will die in the shuffle.]

All the more reason to find an escape for you before your child comes to term. [and maybe he hasn't quite gotten hold of all the intricacies of their place outside the timeline yet.]

[endingpoint]

[ Jane can't really remember if Fitz had this same tone to his voice before; if he carried himself the same way. Her disadvantage in only talking to him during events, for the most part, is not having a good handle on his general personality. ]

Oh, no, I'm not pregnant here, I think the timing is a little off. But honestly, I wouldn't mind leaving now if it meant I could finally live the life I've wanted to for a long time.

[hypoxic]

[During events, he seemed like he'd been most concerned with his own invisibility. He was mousey at the best of times, and occasionally fully downtrodden. It's a notable difference from how this conversation started, though he's been making significantly less eye contact since learning that they were previously acquainted. Can't have her running off raising hackles when they've started to lower again.]

You aren't worried about the potential for memory loss, then? What if you prepare this much only to lose it all later?

[endingpoint]

[ Jane shrugs a little, shaking her head. ]

I've lived an entire life and forgotten it already. It's nothing new. The only difference is being aware I don't know what happened to me for the first thirty years of my life. At least when I leave here I won't ever know there's something missing.

[hypoxic]

[That's traumatic, to say the least. Is this something their world's Fitz already knew about her? He might need to be careful about the questions he asks from this point on.]

At least you're taking it in stride now. There's probably something liberating in that.

[endingpoint]

I have to. I can't...focus on what I don't know. Just on what I do, and what I know, right now, is that I'm making a life for myself that's all mine. Not dictated by anyone else.

[ She's talked with Fitz about this before, so to her - no other context needed. ]

[hypoxic]

Independence is a rare gift indeed. Most people never realize there's anything wrong with living under someone else's thumb.

[Freedom is an illusion, mostly. People scramble for their petty victories and ignore the larger world around them. Her life will surely be swallowed up by something else.]

I'm happy for you. [No matter what his lack of expression might otherwise indicate.]

[endingpoint]

It took erasing everything I knew about my past to realize it.

[ Even if it'd been Remi's plan and it hadn't gone right, Jane had done everything she could. ]

Thank you, Fitz. I appreciate it. Are you doing all right?

[ It isn't just about her, after all, and she knows he went home for a little while. ]

[hypoxic]

[Ah. She's been sent for re-education. So this version of her is most likely some sort of sleeper agent. He can't help but wonder about what triggers her. Who does she serve, while she thinks she's become her own master?]

Oh, me? I'm as well as can be expected. Right now, I'm learning what I can about the life I used to lead here. It's become more of a process than I was expecting.

[endingpoint]

I can imagine. I don't know of anyone who left for that short of a timeframe and didn't remember anything about this place when they returned.

[ For a second, something makes her go down a specific path. If his memory had been erased at home, wouldn't that stick here, too? You come to Wonderland as you are...right? She frowns at this flicker of thought but lets it go, frown slipping away, slight as it was. ]

If I can help with anything, I'm happy to.

[hypoxic]

How short was it, exactly? [Of all the things they've been gushing about while they hover over him, a timeframe hasn't come up.]

[endingpoint]

Oh, um...a week? Usually when people leave and their things stay, that's about how long they're gone. It might have been a couple of days beyond that, but not by much.

[ She isn't a hundred percent sure how long he specifically was gone, but she knows what the usual parameters are. ]