I think I'll stay here

[unknowable]

Who: Gansey (mintly), Ronan (greywaren), Adam (unknowable), Noah (casperdisaster), and whoever else!
What: Claiming a house, getting settled in, oh god why are we here
Where: House 1303
When: 10/10-ish
Warnings: Confused teenagers, mental trauma, Ronan's dirty mouth



[It's not the first time they've been pulled into an unwelcoming, dangerous land, so maybe it's easier for these boys to acclimate. Anyway, no one's been eaten by a bear, and they've managed to both find each other and find a house to live in. There might be no food or electricity, but there'll be a roof over their heads, and that's something.

They still need to explore a bit, settle in, claim rooms, and take care of cuts and bruises caused by their unfortunate arrival (and bears, and little girls with swords), but at least now they've got a home base to do it in.

The Raven boys can be found at 1303 in the first spiral of houses. If you would like to drop by and say hello or interact with Gansey, Ronan, Adam, or Noah, feel free to tag in!]

Comments

[mintly]

Just like Monmouth? Well, probably with more walls, but still.

[it's clear in his voice he didn't notice, but he was a bit busy fighting with ronan at the time.]

Oh, shush. You're probably not wrong in this case. At least a little to relax.

[except gansey's not moving for the bottle, and noah's not going to have the easiest time getting out from beneath his weight, so...okay, gansey.]

I'll talk to Ronan later. When everyone else is asleep.

[casperdisaster]

[Yeah, Gansey isn't exactly being accommodating to Noah moving and Noah still doesn't really want to. Maybe he'll take a sip to help him sleep later on.]

Alright.

You can bring some of my vodka with you then if you want. Just don't drink all of it okay?

[mintly]

[gansey kisses noah's cheek, then nuzzles it.]

You're terribly sweet, but I don't know if getting ronan drunk will help. Besides, I wouldn't want to drink it without you. Was just telling you because I didn't want you to wake up to me gone and think I was...staying gone, I guess.

[casperdisaster]

[Um sharing a drink always helps?? Probably?? But okay Gansey probably knows better, so Noah doesn't fight it. Okay ... that sounds fake but okay...]

Thank you. I do worry. How's Adam...?

[mintly]

[sharing a drink with ronan will either help or reduce his impulse control just enough to get gansey punched in the mouth. unsure if worth it.]

Same as ever, blaming himself. I'm not even sure what he could possibly be telling himself to make this even a little his fault.

[casperdisaster]

The ley line, the corrupted one, it surged and we came here right after, right? He's connected to Cabeswater, so. He probably feels responsible for that one too.

[Noah doesn't think he's responsible at all, but he can see why Adam would think he was.]

[mintly]

That's...sort of what happened.

[gansey's quiet for a long moment, just breathing, working himself up to saying this.]

Adam needed me to wake the line. Like I woke Glendower's animals. But then it surged and tried to take us, and I said that it couldn't have us, we don't belong to it. Because we don't. You and Adam and Ronan all belong to Cabeswater, and I'm...me. But I said it in...the same tone. And it sent us here. So actually, it's all my fault. Adam didn't have a choice in waking the line, Cabeswater was insistent. But being here is on me.

[casperdisaster]

I don't really see how us being here or there makes a difference. We aren't in Henrietta either way.

[Of course, it does make a difference. Noah had friends back there. He's not going to bring that up now, though.]

[mintly]

We were building our lives there. Now we have to start over, murderous ley line or no.

[he knows he's just stating the obvious, the thing that noah is skipping over. they had friends, they had a house, they had necessities, they even had pets. a whole life ripped away a second time, and it's gansey's fault.]

Do you want to go home?

[casperdisaster]

[They've done it before, they can do it again, though. And this time they aren't stuck for two months on a train first, they've hit the ground running so to speak.

Noah's quiet at first after Gansey's question, just stroking his hair and sighing.]

... I want us all to be able to go home.

[He's not sure if he likes what's waiting for him back home, and has to wonder if Gansey would want to go too knowing what was waiting for him.

Someone should tell him. He should know what he's going back to, that he's on borrowed time even more than he realizes.]

[mintly]

[there's something in the implications of that answer that gansey finds disconcerting, almost chilling. like if they were able, maybe some of them wouldn't want to. maybe noah wouldn't want to, even if he could. gansey can't blame him. he speaks slowly, carefully.]

Being able to and going are very different things.

[casperdisaster]

They are.

[There's no point in denying it.]

Adam has his future he worked so hard for. Ronan has his home. You ... have your quest.

[And at most, seven months left to live.]

So I want us to be able to go home.

[mintly]

[that hanging pause. something about that hanging pause that really does chill him, as though noah doesn't think his quest for glendower is truly something to go home for. given that it's been the center of his life for years...]

You're implying an awful lot with what you aren't saying, Noah.

[casperdisaster]

[Noah strokes Gansey's hair, fingers scraping lightly at his scalp. His arm is a bit asleep the way it is, pressed between Gansey and the mattress. It's a slow, even pace.

Someone needs to tell him.

It should be Ronan or Adam, though. Noah will give them a bit longer to see if they will, but someone needs to tell him.]

... I don't want to die again.

[mintly]

[gansey snuggles tighter into noah, holding him harder, face in his neck.]

I don't want you to die again either. But I wouldn't want you to stay anywhere else alone.

[noah is like gansey in that sense. neither of them is particularly good at being alone.]

[casperdisaster]

Me neither.

[Therein lies the problem. Ultimately, even if he had a choice... Noah would probably go home, if the others did. Even knowing what it means for him. He doesn't want to be alone, doesn't want them to be alone, even if he's afraid. He feels like there's more awful things waiting for them back home, and is more disturbed by feeling like he used to know what they were even if now it's just a vague feeling of dread.]

If we're gonna sleep we should change into PJs, don't you think? Sleeping in jeans is awful.

[mintly]

And therein lies the rub.

[gansey doesn't want noah to die. he doesn't want ronan to be miserable. he doesn't want to lose anyone. for a king, he's remarkably unwilling to give up any of the pieces on the chessboard of his life. but he can't keep everything, that much is becoming clear. he shudders a little, then sighs.]

Do we have anything to change into? I think mostly we're just changing out of.

[casperdisaster]

[And that's why they love Gansey, because he is their king and remarkably bad at certain aspects necessary for being a king. He almost always finds his work-arounds to have his cake and eat it too, though.

And when he doesn't, he has his friends who are willing to make the calls so he doesn't have to.]

I have my tanktop in my bag, but it's pretty much just boxers, yeah. Ugh. I wonder if we'll get clothes here. Washing them over and over is going to wear them out fast.

[mintly]

[gansey wouldn't consider this a positive trait in himself, but at least his friends do. mostly.]

I hope so. There's enough people here that this has to be purposeful, so providing basic necessities is in...someone's...best interest. I've only got an extra heavy layer, which doesn't help much. Boxers it is.

[he groans softly as he rolls off of noah and begins taking off his jeans. sleeping in them really is the worst, he has no idea how ronan occasionally does it. the alcohol admittedly probably helps. after a moment of thought, he takes off his shirts as well. it leaves him feeling cold in the open air of the room, but he anticipates that it will be quite warm with noah underneath the fluffy blanket in the marshmallowy mattress.]

[casperdisaster]

[Noah doesn't bother to get up either, really. When Gansey rolls off of him he just kicks his shoes off, shucks his shirt and wiggles out of his jeans and kicks them off the side too. It's a bit of work what with how soft the mattress is but whatever, it's going to be rad sleeping on it.]

Well, at least I'm tired enough that I'll sleep well tonight even with the creepy location.

[mintly]

[as noah undresses, gansey wiggles the blanket out from beneath them so that they can get beneath it.]

There is that. You're not a bad pillow, either.

[gansey might sleep for a bit, but he's too unsettled for a real sleep. granted, gansey getting a real sleep is practically a celebratory event in itself. he'll settle for a nap, at this point.]

[casperdisaster]

[Noah does an impressive caterpillar impression, managing to get down to just his boxers and off the blanket without ever actually really getting up. Shame is tabled until he's gotten some sleep.]

Just - [Yawn!] - nudge me if I take over your warm spot when you come back from talkin' to Ronan, okay?

[mintly]

[gansey would laugh, but really it's just darling. noah is just darling, and this has the potential to become a true problem in gansey's life.]

Will do.

[but for now he just rolls onto his side and pulls noah to him, wrapping an arm across his chest in their usual spoony way.]