Reality Crisis

After the verbal confrontation with Molly and Magneto, Murphy had done what she could to comfort Harry. But the wizard was in a foul mood. Understandably so, but all the same she had taken her chance to excuse herself. There was only so much cranky wizard that a girl could take.

She was sick of staying inside the city and she had a very strong feeling that she was needed outside. She couldn't explain it beyond that, and perhaps it was simply her imagination. Michael had never fully elaborated on how it was that he was able to know where he was needed. He had said that sometimes it was just arranged coincidence that took him to where he was needed and sometimes he 'just knew.' Which was maddeningly vague.

All the same, she had the feeling and was going to follow it. She had decided to walk and skirted around the forest. She wouldn't tangle with fairies unless she had to. She knew that the sword could cut through most enchantments, but that didn't mean that she had much desire to go in there and potentially piss off any fairies.

She didn't know what she was looking for so she simply walked. She assumed she would get there eventually.

She hoped.

The last time Sam could remember staying in one place this long had been college, which had literally been a lifetime ago. That had been trying to step into someone else's life and Sam was a little surprised that the delusion of trying to be normal had lasted as long as it had back then.

Here, there was no normalcy to be had. There were moments of happiness, but there were also moments when he wasn't quite sure if he'd manage to hang onto the thin tendrils that kept his sanity in place.

Reading helped sometimes. It kept him grounded and gave him something to focus on. Belia, the leader of die Festung, guarded her library jealously. But Sam had managed to get a few books from the woman. Mostly they were books that had been published by conspiracy theorists ranging from the absurd (even for him) to the eerily accurate in hindsight.

He was currently sitting in a deserted courtyard on the edge of die Festung, poring over one of the more interesting books. He might appear at ease to the casual observer, but his posture was just a little bit too rigid, his muscles ever so slightly tensed. Even if he might seem to be engrossed in the book, he was still highly aware of his surroundings. He wasn't safe here. He wouldn't delude himself into thinking that he was. Really, nowhere was safe. He was almost always on his guard, and right now, right here was no exception.

There was only so long a man could dwell in a bottle. Only so long he can avoid his own memories and guilt through the attempt at suicide by alcohol poisoning. Not that it would take to Jack, but he has woken up in a ditch more than once since being here. Scared the hell out of a few passerbyes when he sucked in a sharp breath and sat up. He must have been dead. The bad aftertaste in his mouth had been familiar anyway. This was no way to spend eternity.

He still didn't want to think too much or Ianto and Steven would be right there in his mind, staring at him without an ounce of blame in their eyes. Neither of them would blame him for what he did to them, primarily because he held enough blame for the three of them. But also because they both had loved Jack. Both of them with an innocence that defied belief. Just two more ghosts for Jack. Two more incidents Jack could have avoided if he'd been just a little bit more patient. A little bit more...something. Anything.

Well. If he wasn't going to be drunk or find someone else to pass through his bed, then he was going to figure things out. Oh, he had this city down having spent more than a little time in the bars, wandering the streets. He even got the little community that sprang up outside the walls just inside the forest. What he didn't have the first clue about was New Troy. Something new to discover, to take his mind off of his ghosts. Decision made Jack went back to his top floor apartment, cleaned himself up, shaved then got dressed in clean clothing. He put his coat back on, smoothed his lapels then strolled casually out of die Festung and off into the direction of New Troy.

Oddly, he thought, the trip was without encounter. Jack had been expecting zombies. Faeries. Something. The most he got was an irrate bird who felt Jack had wandered too close to its nest. Pesky little thing took a peck at his hair. So it was with a jaunty stride that he came to New Troy. He stopped to take in the sight of the city, compare its condition with die Festung then he smiled and walked right in.

Fred giggled as she kissed Sam. She knew he'd have to leave eventually, but she wasn't being very helpful. They were at least dressed after breaking in the new-to-Fred(-and-Sam) bed. Actually they probably made very good use of the new place, but not so loudly that people might complain. Hopefully, anyway.

They'd had breakfast, and Fred knew she'd have to look at some of the cooling systems. She'd get to them. She had given her word about it. Sam was trying to be helpful. He'd been returning the kisses that she'd been giving, and possibly throwing a few of his own. They'd made it to the door, and he was actually standing outside the apartment, somewhat.

"We could wait just a little longer." She had managed to get dressed herself. She smiled up at him, her fingers playing with the bottom of his shirt. She hadn't been so very open with Charles, possibly. People didn't seem willing to see Fred in this way perhaps. She had been somewhat reserved with him, only somewhat.

"Oh! Don't forget! I want you to meet Cordy! I don't know when would be a good time, but you have to meet her. She lives right there." The brainy Texan motioned to her friend's door. "I'd go knock on her door, but I don't want to wake her."

After the discussion with Owen about beaches and what water might be out there, Piotr had become determined to find some. He refused to believe that the entire world that they were on was devoid of water. He knew that venturing out by himself might be dangerous with the zombies he'd been told about, but he was still confident that any biting would be tempered by his steel.

He'd yet to be told otherwise.

Piotr set out early one morning, setting aside the entire day for his search. He wasn't foolish about it though, he transformed before leaving. Not only would it give him protection, but when covered in his steel, he didn't need to eat or drink, or breathe, or rest. It was perfect all around for the environment he was going to be in.

His walk took him much further from the fairy forest than he had thought it would, but he was eventually rewarded with a lake. In the middle of all the devastation, it was a beautiful sight. Peaceful waters stretching out over the land. He couldn't tell if it was contaminated or not, and wasn't really willing to risk testing it himself. But he bottled some in an empty metal tube he'd constructed before he left, and squeezed the top of it firmly shut. Maybe Ragged Lady could tell, or her partner.

Looking around, and feeling pretty sure that he was safe, Piotr transformed back and had a seat on a rock. He wanted to spend some time here, just looking. He'd learned many things, some of which were very troubling, and he needed time to think.