[PRP] Lesson Plan (Temperance/Rabbit and the Gang)

[Smerdle]

Upon arrival, he had given her a very brief tour, showed her where she would sleep and the nearest bathroom, and then he'd gone, promising he'd be back soon to begin... whatever this was.

That had been nine days ago.

Every day since, Rabbit had tried to find a way back to court, but he'd had no luck at all. It seemed the sirens' mystical sidecar ride had been a one time deal, and he couldn't bring himself to ask someone more powerful for help, for fear they would find out what he was up to. He told the kids to stay away entirely until he could return, and as far as he could tell, they had. Oroh was another story, however. Unable to leave the otherworld, she had watched Temperance mostly from afar, providing the occasional meal but refusing to speak. It was a hardship. The fetch loved to talk.

When Rabbit finally found himself in other Ashdown again, he hurried to where he had left his tithe, only to find Oroh preparing breakfast in the small kitchen close to their rooms. For a moment he stared stupidly, recalling a meal half a year ago in a different space. Alois's bitter anger, the darkening bruises circling his neck, a near-immediate decision to be the better son so that he might avoid the same. And... oatmeal.

Before his gag reflex could get the better of him, Oroh turned and smiled, interrupting his thoughts. "Lord Bennett. You've returned."

"Hey." He inched closer, eyeing what was in the pan. Eggs. Toast and fruit on the counter nearby. "Those are the ones I brought, right? Not from some weird otherchickens?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

It had been a long, long nine days. Despite her best efforts, Rabbit's fetch had refused to talk to her. There was food, and adequate shelter, and everything she'd need to survive. Temperance was bored out of her mind. Rabbit had not come back, and neither had the sirens. Maybe this was part of the test, she told herself. Still, she'd tried to explore a bit, only to find locked doors and the feeling that she shouldn't go outside. It was mildly infuriating.

So, when she heard voices, like, actual voice, Temperance burst out of her room like a spring. And then she paused - how was she supposed to address him? "L-lord Rabbit," she began, awkwardly. "You have been gone quite some time."

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Yes, yes. These are the eggs from your—"

Oroh went eerily and abruptly silent when Temperance entered, the only sound the sizzle of the pan until the woman spoke. Rabbit didn't register her arrival with quite the same immediacy, but he knew something was up, and he didn't jump in response to Temp's words. His lack of reaction brought Rabbit a measure of satisfaction, grateful that here, at least, he wasn't prone to pissing himself at every unexpected surprise.

The fetch turned and inclined her head, the chipped golden ball in her eye socket winking in the light. "Good morning, Temperance. I apologize for failing to engage you while we were alone, but my lord left no instructions as to how I was to proceed."

Rabbit, caught between mortification and amusement over the whole 'Lord Rabbit' thing, let titles slide for a moment as he parsed Oroh's meaning. "You didn't talk to her at all? Jesus, Oroh, what the ******** assumed I would be interrupting your plans, so I did nothing."

"I was..." In hindsight, yes, he could have probably handled things better. He had kind of run off when he might have stuck around and broken the ice, but he had been sure it would be easy to return now that he had a reason to, so he'd thought nothing of leaving things to settle for a night. If he'd been doing it wrong, Oroh should have told him. He stared at the back of her head, silently willing it to explode. Not really. Maybe she could just get an annoying headache instead.

"Look, you can talk to her just like you do to me. Think of it. A whole second person to tell you stories." He left off a few things he might have said had they been alone, not wanting to make this any more awkward than it already was. When Rabbit spoke again it was directed at Temp, though for a moment he continued staring daggers at the fetch.

"Sorry. Oroh's just being... Oroh. You don't have to call me lord though. It's... I mean, I've gotten used to it from her, but from regular people it's weird. And yeah. I didn't mean to leave for so long, but I couldn't find my way back. It's a problem. I'm working on it. Do you want any food?" He didn't take anything himself, but he did grab a seat at the table, emptying his pockets onto it.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I, uh, wasn't sure Oroh could talk, really." She rubbed the back of her neck before winding her way to the table. It had been incredibly boring and that was so far opposite what she'd expected, she had no idea what to do.

She pulled out a chair with a creak and sat. "Food sounds good. I wonder why this place isn't easier for you to find... I guess you could've had Nev guide you again?" Temperance fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"What am I supposed to be doing here, Rabbit?" Just chilling while her fetch got comfy?

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Oh, she can talk," he muttered, his reply slipping out before he thought better of it. It seemed as though he might elaborate, but then he moved on, organizing the contents of his pockets as he spoke. Loose cigarettes and cigarette-related paraphernalia in one pile, spare change and keys in another, and a folded slip of dark blue paper in a pile all its own.

"I heard that some people can just find their way here no problem," he said. "But I can't. I used to get here through my bathroom door a lot, especially after I had a couple of drinks, but I don't live in that apartment anymore. Not since the void." Rabbit swallowed and started repocketing his things in no particular order. "The kids said them bringing me was a one time thing too. And I—"

Temp's question shut him up entirely, which was probably a good thing considering he'd been headed toward a ramble. He watched Oroh bring toast, fruit, pan, and plates to the table, sticking serving spoons and knives and butter and utensils where appropriate. He still didn't take any of the food once his fetch sat, but he did look up at Temperance.

"Learning." It was the most succinct response he could come up with. "I was thinking you could get better with magically healing things. Because you want to save people, right?"

Oroh folded her hands. "Saving people is more than closing wounds, my lord. The subject has to agree to be saved or they will simply continue throwing themselves to the wolves."

The Semblance of Woot

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Can you not go back-" Oh, he didn't live in that apartment anymore. "I can find my way into alternate Ashdown no problem, though getting back out isn't as easy." She looked at the toast but waited. Wasn't it rude to serve herself first?

And then his next words blew the thoughts of crunchy toast out of her head. "I do, I want to help people I..." She slid her eyes over to Oroh. "The subject has a right to be saved regardless of whether they continue to throw their lives to the wolves, so to speak." That didn't mean it was ideal, but in the immediacy of a moment, saving people physically trumped.

"I would like to learn," she said, simply.

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Had Oroh had eyelids to narrow, she would have done so. As it was, the fetch could mostly only smile, frown, or stare, so she engaged in the latter as dismissively as she was able. Then she leaned over the table, plucked a piece of dry toast off of its serving plate, and dropped it in front of the girl.

"I would not waste my time, though I suppose I admire your conviction even so." She rose the short distance to her feet and backed away with a shallow nod. Rabbit paid her little mind, though he did nod back as she left, a bob of his head that was surprisingly respectful.

"Good. Yeah. Great!" he said to Temp. "I need to figure out how to kind of hold back your magic so you can't do anything you wouldn't do at home, I guess. So you can tell if you're picking anything up? 'Cause here you can kind of do anything. But I will. I'll be back sooner this time and we'll start." There remained no way for him to guarantee that, of course, but he sounded determined enough to make it so through sheer willpower alone.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Distrustfully, she pushed the toast to the edge of her plate and proceeded to drag an egg over instead. Later on, she'd give in and eat the toast. Oroh clearly did not admire Temperance's conviction, whatever her words said.

She frowned a little, switching her attention to Rabbit. "Hold back? I.. assure you, I can't do that much." That was the point of this. She did, however, really hope that Rabbit would be back sooner.

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Yeah, but here you really can do anything if you want it enough." Rabbit dragged his finger across the table in a series of loops, leaving behind a line of pale, rainbow light that faded soon after. He was confident with this impromptu display in a way that he was with little else, but after a second or two he stopped abruptly anyway, leaving his hand where it was.

"And you might not know if you've really got something or if it's just this place." He reached over, taking a piece of toast for himself. "Don't worry. I'll figure it out."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"If you're sure," she said, kind of doubtfully. Then she stabbed her egg, breaking the yolk, and proceeded to cut it up into neat pieces. The rainbow light was pretty, but Temperance was about ninety-seven point eighty-six sure she'd never be able to just will light to work.

Realizing she might have sounded a little rude. "I'm, um, looking forward to learning more, though. But I guess you already know that." She smiled and dragged her toast through the eggy mess.

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"I'm—"

He had only just lifted his head to nod when he heard a muffled thump from the hall, like someone was crashing into furniture. He wasn't nervous, since he had yet to experience a break in here and therefore still assumed that one wasn't possible, but he did make a bit of a face, looking in the direction where Oroh had shuffled. Not her. Which meant...

"Nev? Sy? Are you here?"

Sywyly let out a chipper chirp as she slid into the room on sock feet, her brother following at a more sedate and deliberate walk.

"I told her not to do that. She's going to break something."

Rabbit shook his head and chuckled once. "How about I make her pay for it if she does? Now come here and sit down so you can meet Temperance properly."

The Semblance of Unity