paradisabeyond | (no subject)

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After packing up camp and heading up, they reach their destination only an hour north.

The tomb is just a little off the road, a massive door with intricate carvings around the frame in an unknown script. The characters in the script are made up entirely by straight lines. Given that straight lines lend themselves well to carving, it may indicate that whoever created this script was used to carving in stone. The door looks like it will open, as the hinges are intact, but it's ridiculously heavy and will need a lot of people to pull on those big carved handles.

Heave ho?

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[She's not very good at puzzles, but Coraline's just going to lean against the wall and stare at those slots for a while, imagining all the possible things that people have with them that could fit. Maybe they didn't have everything?]

Huh.

Careful where you lean. Booby traps could be a lot less obvious than these pedestals.

[Shrugs] I'm making myself useful by pronouncing this wall booby-trap free.

[ He smiles a bit, partially in amusement, partially in sympathy. The rebellious pre-teen mindset is not one that's lost on him, or one he's forgotten about.

Since everyone else is either taking a few minutes to cool down, or inspect the altars, Jr. thinks it's an okay time for him to take a five minute break. Waving a hand, he walks away from the group a bit, motioning for her to follow. ]

You know I'm older than you, right? You figured it out. That's why you keep thinking of me as a baby-sitter.

[She follows, keeping that look of curiosity on her face as she does. Did he have to bring up the baby-sitting thing again?]

Yup. But didn't I prove that I could hold my own on the last expedition?

That's not the point.

My goal is to look out for everyone on this trip. So if you think you're being singled out, you're not. It's in my nature to pay a little more attention to civilians. That includes kids.

I know it can be kinda frustrating at your age, but you should trust that when I make a call, I have a good reason. You need to understand that I've been in these situations enough to know when it's important to pull back or move forward, and when those less experienced need to be protected.

But trust me, if you keep at this, you will get experience under your belt, you'll get stronger, and when you get older, you'll have earned the right to call the shots. That make sense? It's a game of patience everyone has to play at one point or another.

If anything, I don't push you because I think you're incapable. I push you because I think you've got potential, and I want to see how far you can take it.

Oh, trust me, it's very frustrating. It's not that easy to explain to people that an el- twelve year old's saved a bunch of ghost kids and her parents.

What potential do I have here? I don't get it.

[ Jr. doesn't seem very surprised by her claim. ]

Well, I believe it. You need to consider that I stopped aging right when I was your age, and that obviously didn't happen while I was eating pizza and watching a movie. I know what it's like to experience bizarre situations and battle at a young age.

Which is exactly why I want to help you learn to protect yourself and avoid those situations at all cost. You have plenty of time to grow up and experience the harsh realities of life. There's no reason to forcefully subject yourself to it when you don't have to. If you have time to play, to be free, then you should take full advantage of that while you can.

But in the situations where you have no choice, and you're backed into a corner, I can tell that you're stubborn, and you're resourceful. Those are good signs, and probably why you were able to accomplish what you have already. Someone who learns to put those skills to use and focus on training them, the knowledge and self-confidence that comes from that is what will help you know which battles are worth fighting, and how to cause damage before you take any.

But that's different! The only reason I'm not aging is because I'm here! I'll age as soon as this place sends me home.

So you want me to live like a kid, but fight like an adult? I like that. Oh yeah, stubborn and resourceful, that's me! I was pretty awesome at kicking Slenderman's butt back in March.

Don't you think we should train more when we aren't busy on an expedition? If something does attack us on this one, I'd get by in my own way. I wouldn't really have time to practice whatever you're going to teach me.

[ Oh sure rub it in, Coraline! ]

Y'know, there's no wall that separates adults from kids. There's no right way and wrong way to be either. If I let those type of expectations get to me all the time, I'd go crazy. And worrying about how you're perceived will drive you crazy.

And you're right, we definitely should.

But whether you're battle-hardened or not, something would have to get through me before you even needed to worry about it.

...Do you go on every expedition? [~~Are you going to be my babysitter every expedition?~~]

If I can, yeah. I hate sitting still.

It's not the drive to know what's out there and what this place is that makes you want to go? [Coraline can't stand to be cooped up in a castle for who-knows-how-long. She wants adventure!]

There's that, but it's so I can find a way home...for myself and my friends. Time stopping or not, it still feels like I'm wasting it.

I'm not sure which is worse for me, home or here. Do you think there's really another way home than just waiting?

There has to be. There's too much going on here.

Nobody goes through this much trouble to keep secrets unless they've got something to hide.

What do you mean, you're not sure which is worse?

I just don't get what it'll look like if we find a way home. Would it be a door, a rock you touch? It doesn't seem very likely.

Apparently I'm in 'terrible danger' back home.

Who knows. I've experienced all sorts of transportation types... Could be anything you can imagine, really.

What's that mean? What sort?

That'll make it really, really hard to find, then.

[She fiddles with her satchel a little] It's a long story, but my friend who came her farther in time then I did told me that a stupid mistake that I made ended up with him falling into a well.

[ Oh. That draws an odd look. ]

Do you know how it turned out?

He came here while falling down the well, so no. It's really confusing if you haven't heard the whole story, trust me.

You sure you don't want to talk about it? We've got a few minutes.

Well. Back in my world, there was this door in my new house. It was tiny and on the other side was this... world. Everything was better, there. This woman, witch, whatever was disguised as my "Other Mother." There were copies of all of my family, too. But they all had buttons for eyes. [She is forever scarred for life ;;]

...Buttons for eyes?

[ That sounds like some Twilight Zone shit, kid. Fortunately, Jr. has experienced bizarreness all his life! ]

Sounds kind of like a doppelgänger.

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