Who: Susan Pevensie & Oliver Queen What: Chatting at the Thanksgiving party When: Thanksgiving Day Where: Lounge area Rating: Low Status: Closed; Incomplete
Being as Susan was more often than not prepared for anything and everything, particularly at a party, she’d made all the necessary preparations in case certain food items were not acquired prior to the arranged engagement. Obviously, Lucy had been a crucial part of this contingency plan too and between the both of them they managed to make sure there was plenty of everything available to all the guests. Rose also had played a critical role in the planning and between all of them, Susan was satisfied in the gathering that had come to pass for Thanksgiving this year. It was certainly something to be quite proud of and she felt quite a bit of that pride along with the more poignant feelings aroused by this particular American holiday and tradition.
For Susan, these feelings centered particularly around her family because of what tragic events had transpired at home prior their arrival in this very far, very distant future. In their time, Susan was the only member of the four siblings left alive. The other three were killed on a train platform. Of course, before those events occurred, they were brought here and were saved. Susan had arrived shortly after, but had remained in their world long enough to know the effects of living without them. While her siblings and her could be at odds, particularly concerning a pivotal few moments in their lives, Susan never stopped love them for a second. Losing them had practically destroyed her and if she had not come here? Well, she was uncertain as to how her life might have unfolded. Now, thoughts like these were quite strong on holidays where family and friends were brought together to celebrate and Thanksgiving emphasized both to a staggering degree.
Thus Susan was currently reveling in her own good fortune as she hoped others would too. On a round once more to check out the party and make sure everything remained controlled-mostly anyway-and taken care of, Susan spotted Oliver and decided to speak to him. She hadn’t yet in person and felt a bit badly about that. She knew her other siblings had probably already done plenty of it and that she was lacking significantly. Walking over, she offered him a gracious, beautiful smile not unlike the ones she may have offered fellow royals during her moments as Queen Susan the Gentle. “Good evening, Mr. Queen,” she greeted politely. “I do hope you are having a pleasant evening.”
Oliver was enjoying the gathering and now he was standing off to the side with a glass of wine, observing the party. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and he was glad. He’d spoken to Thea earlier and to others that he knew but right not he was happy to just be an observer. When he heard Susan’s voice, he looked over at her and smiled. “Hello but you can call me Oliver,” he said. “Thanks to your family for putting this together. It’s very nice and I think everyone being together is what we needed right now after all that happened.” He and Rose hadn’t been in the city when it happened but they’d both seen the effects when they’d returned and this gathering seemed to be lifting people’s spirits.
Unlike Lucy who could be quite informal in most situations, Susan could be overly such in most situations. Even if she’d been introduced to someone and given explicit permission to refer to them by their first name or even a nickname, she tended to slip back into formalities simply because it was part of her upbringing, but more so because it was a large part of her personality. Impressions were important to Susan and she made it a prominent goal in her life to always make sure to make the best possible one regardless of the situation or context. Addressing Oliver as “Mr. Queen” fell into this category; her time period had engrained in her the importance of manners too and Susan, again, always made sure to use them whenever necessary and sometimes even when it wasn’t quite necessary. It was a pivotal part of her personality as well. Still, when he told her to call him Oliver, Susan smiled and nodded.
“Of course. Oliver it is. I do apologize. I tend to be overly polite sometimes. It’s a part of growing up in a far different time period than this one I’m afraid. My sister, as I’m sure you know, is quite opposite in most instances, but it’s simply been part of my personality for far too long for me to change,” she explained, blushing briefly at her admittance. ‘Thank you. We all worked hard and all the contributions by the guests are appreciated greatly. It was mostly Rose though. She was very much adamant about this Thanksgiving happening even after everything with Rocket.” In truth, she was glad Rose had pushed hard for this tradition to continue precisely for that reason; everyone needed a bit of fun after all of that sadness.
He nodded. “I understand. Being in this time must have been a huge adjustment for you. In some ways it’s not that different from home but in other ways it is. It was 2015 when I left so I’m about three hundred years from there, a little bit over.” Oliver hadn’t really thought about it until he said it but he too was a long way from home although it didn’t seem like it since aside from the technology he hadn’t had to figure a lot of stuff out. “I’m glad your family is here. I’m sure it’s been easier to adjust with all of us being together.” He had no idea if his being here was harder or easier for Thea. Neither of them would ever ask that question and it wasn’t easy to catch up with his sister. She was either really busy or avoiding him. Probably a little bit of both.
“Rose felt bad that we weren’t here when all that happened,” he said. “Of course there was no way we could have known but she always wants to help and she’s definitely good in a fight.” He wasn’t going to tell Susan about their first meeting. As amusing as it had been to him, he had a feeling that Susan wouldn’t have believed such a thing could happen.
It had been a huge adjustment for Susan as it had for her entire family in general. The only saving grace so to speak they had was that they had each other. Obviously, Thea had been a “Godsend” as well. She’d been a big source of outside help for the siblings even as she fought to adjust to this vast change in life as well. In truth, Susan knew all of the early arrivals had leaned upon each other to figure out how to survive in this new environment and they had succeeded quite well. They had even thrived despite such differences in time and technology. It had taken time, but they had come out of it in the end okay to which Susan would always be grateful to Mr. Sadler. He had helped all of them to carve out a niche for themselves despite their different backgrounds.
“It was quite the adjustment to be sure,” Susan replied softly. “But Mr. Sadler was wonderful. He helped us all figure out a place for ourselves here. Obviously, Thea and Rose both helped my siblings and myself to adjust as well.” Through that help, they had formed relationships and bonds that would never have come about otherwise. It was a wonder bi-product of the entire amber situation that would not have come about without such an occurrence. “In a way, the amber has been a wonderful opportunity. Of course, I put this lightly because it has also been the source of much pain and heartache for some who have come here and no one from their world ever followed suit. It has been wonderful, though, because it has given us the chance to meet people we would never have otherwise had the chance to and for friendships we never would have had. A good example would be the two of us for instance. Being from such a past time, I may never have gotten the chance to meet you Oliver simply because I would have passed far before then, but because of the amber, we are standing here now.”
It was normally Lucy’s stance to be positive, but Susan could, on occasion, provide insight that had a positive undertone to it even if she often kept her observations neutral for the sake of not upsetting or shifting the mood in one direction or another. She preferred to keep everything at a somewhat neutral standpoint, but being as this holiday was cheerful on context alone, it was difficult for her not to be swayed to a more positive mood herself. Of course the mention of Rose wishing she’d been here for the situation with Rocket sobered her up and Susan nodded. “I would imagine. She always wants to help her friends and be there. I can see her feeling that way. Unfortunately, I don’t know if even Rose and her unmatched force could have stopped or altered what happened that day to Rocket and to my brothers. It was simply a bad situation all around.”
Oliver nodded. “From what I’ve been told, you’re right. It would have happened regardless. I’m very glad that your brothers are okay incidentally. It’s hard to wee your family in pain.” He didn’t know how much anyone here knew about Thea’s life at home, her death, the Lazarus Pit, the fact that they had both watched their mother die so he left it at that. It could have meant any number of things after all.
“I could tell that those of you you arrived early have a close relationship. I’m sure that helped with the adjustment. I can’t help but wonder what things will be like with a new head of SadTech.” Changes at the corporate level were something that he knew a little bit about. He also knew that he had no business being involved in anyone’s corporate matters. “Here’s hoping that things won’t change too much.
From his statement, Susan sensed that he probably knew quite well what she had been going through when she learned of her brothers’ injuries. However, being Susan, she did not attempt to pry into the subject. Oliver and herself did not know one another well enough for that though she suspected Rose probably did. They had spent more time together than Oliver and Susan though and that obviously made a difference in conversations. Even if they had known each other better, Susan would probably have refrained unless Oliver chose to offer the information himself. “You would no doubt have been the same if Thea had been in the same situation as my brothers,” Susan replied, nodding.
The new head of SadTech. She knew Peter was taking a position on the board and that would only be in the favor of all refugees. Peter had always been someone to see two sides to any situation and judge accordingly. Everyone was in good hands with him in a position of power which was why Susan did not push for herself. She was not meant for that sort of role of leadership. “I don’t think it will,” she attempted to reassure him. “We have been a solid company thus far as we are. It would be a shame to mess all of that up.”
“You’re right, I would have done the same if it had been Thea.” He’d done the same and even went a step further although sometimes he was afraid that he might have gone too far. He hadn’t noticed at home but he couldn’t help but wonder if there were some effects of her resurrection that he didn’t know about that might have showed up later.
“I hope not. Your brother is joining the board isn’t he? I know Thea was going to talk to him.” Oliver hadn’t really spoken to Peter but he knew from his conversation with Lucy that the general consensus was that there were feelings between his sister and Peter. He had no idea if that were true but from what he’d seen of him and from the conversations he’d had with his siblings, it didn’t seem to be a bad thing. They were good people as far as he could tell.
“Family brings out the best in us,” Susan replied softly, nodding. Of course, family could also bring out the worst as well. Susan knew the impact of the double-edge sword that family could be. While she loved her siblings very much, they remained adamant that their childhood game was real. That all of them had actually gone to a place called Narnia and been kings and queens. Susan, on the other hand, did not believe in it. She considered it just wonderful and fun childhood games. It helped that the subject was often avoided at least, but when it was brought up? Things became tense to put it lightly.
The brunette nodded. “Yes, Peter is joining the board.” In her mind, he was absolutely perfect for the position and it had nothing to do with possibly being a king. “Peter is a perfect fit for it and I’m sure he will help keep things running as they are.” Unless certain things accelerated the dangerous situation they found themselves in now with BNU and possibly other major corporations.
“Sometimes both the best and the worst,” Oliver said, having no idea that he had just voiced what she was thinking. His family had had many secrets which he had discovered when he was both on the island and after he returned. None of them had been good. His mother was plotting to destroy the town, his sister was Malcolm Merlyn’s biological daughter and his father, Robert, had been carrying on a long term affair with a woman within the company who was only a couple of years older than Oliver. He often wondered what life would have been like had all of them ever actually encountered each other once the truth was known but that wasn’t meant to be and was probably just as well.
“I’m sure he’ll do a great job. If Thea trusts him, that says a lot.” There were times when he knew that Thea hadn’t trusted him and he really couldn’t blame her so the fact that she trusted Peter to sit on the board spoke highly of him.
His commented prompted a small smile from Susan. He had “hit the nail on the head” so to speak and rather perfectly. Susan could not have voiced it better herself. Yes, family was entirely complicated and wonderful at the same time. It was obvious that him and Thea had both been subjected to both sides as Susan and her siblings had. It was in different ways of course, but all the same, it fell into a similar vein. After all, Susan only knew bits and pieces about Thea; the woman certainly had her secrets and for that, Susan could not entirely blame her. Gossips were everywhere you know even if she knew her siblings were not among them. However, she was glad to finally meet a member of Thea’s family and Oliver, as far as Susan knew at this point, was charming and “down-to-Earth”.
“I honestly could not have put it better, Mr-I mean Oliver,” Susan replied. If one looked closely, there was a bit of a blush upon her cheeks at the slip up. Her and her persistent manners. She could practically see Lucy in her head laughing at how Susan could be with her airs and ways. “But yes, Peter will do wonderful. He was made for this sort of work,” Susan added quickly. She knew Thea did trust her brother immensely, but Susan knew she also trusted all the Pevensies. The early arrivals tended to stick together. “Thea does trust him, but there is no one more so than him. At least, in my opinion. He’s good.”
Oliver remembered some of the things that Rose had said about the early arrivals. They’d had to stick together and try to figure out what this place was and how or why they got here. As far as he knew, there still wasn’t a concrete answer for that. “I’m more than happy to let someone else handle that part of things,” he shook his head and laughed. “I’m far too outspoken to be on the board of anything. Which is why my family’s company ended up in the hands of someone else but he did good things with it so there’s that at least.” He couldn’t fault Ray Palmer for wanting the company although he didn’t particularly appreciate the way he’d done it. If he’d been up front that would have been one thing but he had essentially stalked them all until he knew what would work best and then he took over. They’d made their peace though and sadly Ray was dead or at least that’s what Diggle had told him after he’d returned to Starling City.
Deciding this was a good time to change the subject, he smiled at his companion and asked “So tell me, what is the difference between a British Thanksgiving and the way we celebrate in America? I’ll be honest, I didn’t know that you celebrated there. I knew that Canada did, I have a couple of friends who live there or who lived there, I don’t know if they are there in this time but I didn’t know about England.”
Unfortunately, there were no answers on the how or why people showed up in the future, encased in amber, and apparently from all walks of life and all kinds of worlds. The puzzle remained in tact for the time being; as far as Susan knew, no one had been able to make any progress concerning the strange arrivals. Though they had obviously tested the amber, interrogated all that arrived as well as run tests upon them in medical, there was little actual findings. It was an unexplained occurrence and while Susan was not a fan of such things, for the time being, she simply did not have a choice, but to accept the seemingly unexplainable. This particular situation could not be justified as a “child’s game” and stocked away forever. “There is a time and a place for everything,” Susan replied softly. “Sometimes such zealous is not what is called upon in a particular place or situation, but that does not mean it can not be useful at other points.” Though not nearly as obviously put as Lucy would have made it, Susan had attempted to reassure Oliver that such a trait could be useful even if a place on the board was not fitting for such. Susan’s personal reasons for not being on the board were that she had no heart, no desire to possibly be in such a position in which sending others into danger could be part of the job description. Being that BNU was discovered with the technology to release others from amber, it was only a matter of time before others were discovered and came forward. No, the situation was only going to accelerate now and the “missions” would only involve far more danger. Susan knew Peter could handle it (he had led many an army into battle before-even if Su would never claim it as truth) and he had good diplomatic skills. For now, Susan was okay with simply being in PR. “I am sorry about your company, but at least, like you said, the person who took it, did do good things with the resources,” she added. “Still, it could not have been easy for you.”
Ah. Thanksgiving. Well, to be truthful, Susan had never actual celebrated Thanksgiving as fully as what occurred upon her arrival here. It was not so much a thing in Britain or Europe, but it was actually becoming more popular recently. Susan could not blame people for adopting; it was a holiday that required nothing, but good food and good company. “Well, truthfully, England did not exactly celebrate it. It has become more popular now actually, but for the most part we didn’t,” Susan explained. “After experiencing it here, I could not understand why my home country didn’t. It’s a wonderful holiday.”
He wasn’t a scholar by any means but Oliver did know the story of how the pilgrims came to be in America but he didn’t think he needed to bring that up to a Brit. “It is a wonderful holiday, it’s always good to be with friends and family. I confess that I’m kind of a holiday person. Christmas is my favorite though. I love everything about it. My family used to have a huge Christmas party every year and the house was decorated. I miss that.” He’d attempted to revive the tradition when he’d returned from the island but it hadn’t gone well. Timing was everything it seemed and he didn’t have a very good sense of it according to the people of Starling City.
Yes, Susan knew the story as she was sure many people here did. She also knew that the English people celebrated something similar, but it revolved around harvesting and that was a part of what sparked the original tradition in the Americas. Of course, technicalities aside, Susan was about about to bring it up at the moment. It had relevance, but not very much. What mattered was how the holiday was interpreted now and it was clear that the best parts of what the Pilgrims and the Indians had established so long ago remained strong and intact.
“It is a wonderful holiday,” Susan agreed instantly. Then he mentioned Christmas being his favorite and Susan was glad that he went on to explain more of his family’s parties and celebrations in order to give her a chance to recompose herself...and possibly lock away a memory or two about how special Christmas had been in a place she no longer believed to exist: Narnia. If she allowed herself to think back on it and she almost never did unless such a moment ambushed her-like this-she would remember Santa being able to break through finally as the wretched Queen’s spell began to break over the land. She would remember the treasured bow and arrows, the horn, and the wonderful feelings that had erupted within her in receiving them. Of course, Susan didn’t let it happen...at least not for very long.
“That sounds like a lovely Christmas actually,” Susan replied sincerely. “I’m sure you will get your big party here too so no need to worry about that. It’s always kind of different for me because my family didn’t have such a large party for it, but it’s a little different here anyway being that we have all kind of become a family.”
***
“I’m sure it will be interesting,” he said and smiled. “There are so many people here even from other worlds, seeing all the traditions together should be something.” Oliver was glad that he could celebrate Christmas with his sister even if she wasn’t exactly the sister he remembered. At least they’d be together.
It was what made this place wonderful; it was clearly becoming quite the “melting pot”. No doubt others who had just arrived would bring holidays and traditions of their own in which to celebrate and offer others to partake in. Susan was looking forward to it all even as she remained reserved and yes, always wary to an extent. Lucy, of course, was friendly without hesitation, but Susan, while always one to reach out, always reserved judgement until she’d experienced a person fully.
“It should be an interesting experience,” Susan replied truthfully. “But I suppose I should get back to my siblings least they start to miss me.” She added the last part with a brief smile and shake of her head. “I hope to see you again, Oliver. It was wonderful to talk with you. And I hope you enjoy the rest of the party.”
“Thank you and the same to you,” he smiled at her and watched her as she walked away. She had turned out to be a very pleasant companion and he hoped to get to know her better.