Victor glances at him, then at his watch, slightly concerned. He supposes he can’t blame his friend for staring -- the sub they’ve come to examine, bobbing gently at the top of the water, IS pretty amazing with its delicate fins and gleaming metal. But the way Doc’s looking at the machine, Victor half-expects him to get the train and a rope and tow it back to the shop. “Er -- you’ve been standing here for two minutes,” he offers up tentatively.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help it! That’s the Nautilus, Victor!” Doc cries, bursting into sudden, delighted flailing. “From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea! My favorite Jules Verne title! The Nautilus, here in the -- well, metal, I suppose!”
Victor chuckles. “I did notice a resemblance to your train.” He goes to knock on the hatch. “But we are here on a job. . .and if we don’t pick up the pace, you’ll never get to see the inside.”
🎵 - for my muse to catch yours singing in secret .
He hears the soft voice, singing. It catches his interest, making him stand up and follow the singing. He hums softly to himself, a small smile forming on his lips when he sees her. He stays quiet, not wanting to startle her.
' you know you're not supposed to be here. ' gaze raises to her, and a tilt of their head. ' how did you even get here ? ' that doesn't make him any less excited to see her. the only remaining part of his family that hartley gave any care about. but he's currently got his hands in some less than legal cookie jar. ' are you okay ? '
"We're like geese," Mary declared, tilting her head back, legs dangling 50 feet above the glittering water. "South for the winter."
For a moment she was content to enjoy the sun; the wide brim of her hat shaded her shoulders and arms, and the cackle of seagulls caught up on a breeze and trailed off out of earshot. Looped back as the birds circled far overhead.
Then she clicked her tongue, brow furrowed. She pulled herself to her feet and strolled past Jerrie - inside, an array of seafood had been laid out, cocktails and sauces and delicacies from the mainland.
"Can't you just enjoy anything? You know, I bring you all the way out here--" Mary stopped in the doorway and turned to look at Jerrie out on the deck over the top of her sunglasses. "--And you're just gonna sit there and ask me how I paid for it?" As if the bank robbery hadn't been all over the news anyway. "It's offensive."
@hamelinbound / winter is starting to hit detroit already. white flurries dance through the air and dust the city scope. it’d be a magical sight if the inner city had any whimsy. instead, pedestrians continue their brisk pace as always, even as ice speckles their coats.
detroit’s nonchalance doesn’t dampen shelly’s yuletide spirit, however, nor should it hinder jerry’s. “hey, what do you say we get a hot chocolate? it’s getting cold out here.”
@hamelinbound asked for a starter in Tim’s merfolk!verse.
He knew he wasn’t supposed to be this close to the shore, especially not a city shoreline, but he couldn’t help it. Humans were fascinating and he had long since realised that what he was taught about them weren’t always true. Tim had to know more and he could only do that by observing.
Carefully, he swam as close as he could, feeling his fin touching the rocky bottom. Wide eyed, he silently watched a human close by. So close that he easily could be seen, but his curiosity won over his fear and he remained in the shallow water.
@hamelinbound I have fic for you, based around one of our recent conversations regarding the versions of Jerrie and Hartley that live in Secundus and have a very book-accurate version of the Nautilus sub! You know, the one that you then suggested we turn into a thread. ^^; I figured you’d still like the fic, though. XD Plus some additional inspiration from that cool “Cephalopodoptera” picture you shared with me earlier. Hope you like!
----
“This is amazing!”
Jerrie blinked, looked between Doc and Victor, then laughed. “Did you mean to do that in stereo?”
“No, it just – sort of happened,” Victor said, glancing at Doc with a blush and a smile. “I meant it, though!” He waved at the tank, watching a squid flap past on butterfly-thin wings, tentacles trailing. “These little creatures – they’re incredible! I thought I was doing amazing things with butterflies, but this–!” He fumbled in his jacket pocket for his travel sketchbook. “I’ve got to take some notes – do you mind?”
“Not at all!” Jerrie assured him, grinning. “That’s why they’re on display, after all – so people can enjoy them!”
“They are quite something,” Doc said, watching as a moth-like cephalopod swam in circles near the top. “But I admit, as a Touched whose own specialties tend to lie in physical engineering, I’m most impressed by the submarine. I know I keep going on about how well made it is, but – I swear, the way you’ve done it? It’s practically exactly like I pictured it when I first read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea! I can’t imagine the amount of time it took you to make it this book accurate!”
“Aren’t you a flatterer,” Jerrie said with a little wink. “Honestly, I came up with the plans, but it was Hartley who did most of the work of building it. He’s the mechanical genius here.”
“And don’t think I don’t appreciate the compliments,” Hartley said from his chair. “It was a hell of a lot of work.”
“Oh, I’m sure! Especially with making it watertight. . .” Doc ran his fingers over a line of rivets. “Honestly, I don’t think I could have done better myself.”
“Eh, I’ve seen your train – you could have given it a solid go,” Hartley said with a little smile of his own. “I’m surprised you haven’t converted it for underwater use.”
“Air travel is a bit more convenient when you have a lot of electrical devices on board,” Doc said, shaking his head with a chuckle. Then he frowned. “That being said. . .”
“Oh dear, now you’ve given him ideas,” Victor said, bending over before the aquarium, pen flying as he made hasty sketches of the creatures within. “Marty’s going to find us both insufferable when we get back.”
“He’s used to it,” Doc replied with a careless wave. “It’s what I pay him for, after all.”
“He might need a raise after this trip.” Victor looked back at Jerrie for a moment. “I assume you’ve always liked the ocean?”
“Well, it took me a little while to warm up to squids and such, but – that got easier after I went creative,” Jerrie informed him. “It’s more I want to explore the unknown! See what lurks in the places most people don’t dare look! Like, I know almost everyone else hears the word ‘abyss’ and goes ‘oh boy, don’t want to go in there,’ but my first thought is ‘I wonder what’s down there! I want to know what everyone else is missing!’” She folded her arms. “Why does everyone assume it’ll be bad?”
“I – I don’t know,” Victor admitted. “I guess because it’s–” a deep crack in the center of his mind, full of the dark, twisting, awful thoughts he knew he was capable of – they couldn’t get out, but they sure as hell could drag you in if you didn’t watch yourself “–d-dark and scary?”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Jerrie insisted. “The whole point of exploring is to shine a light in those places.”
“I don’t think most people share your affinity for poking into the blackness,” Hartley pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Victor. “Especially not him.”
Victor offered a weak, embarrassed smile in return. “Old childhood fear,” he said softly. “My i-imagination tends to run a bit wild.”
“Yeah, and we know Touched imaginations can get pretty wild indeed.” Hartley grinned at him, uncrossing his legs. “But, you know, if you stuck around long enough, I’m sure I could get you to loosen up.”
Victor blinked a few times. What the – was that – he looked at Doc, who stared back in equal surprised. Had he really – “Ah–”
Jerrie slapped her hand across her face. “Hartley – he has a girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Hartley sat up straight, frowning. “Don’t the cute ones always just.”
“I’m – flattered?” Victor said, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly. “But, um, yes, v-very taken.” And here I thought those days were over after Victoria and Emily both found love. . .how have my romantic prospects improved this much after giving myself over to mad science?
Hartley just sighed and turned away. “He’ll get over it,” Jerrie assured Victor, before tugging his arm and pulling his attention back to the tank. “Here – I’ll tell you how I made a couple of these. . .”
@hamelinbound asked: “my whole life is a dark room.” / BEETLEJUICE SENTENCE STARTERS
not long ago, shelly would have commented that jerrie is a little young to have such a grim view on life . . . then she met sarah. she is well aware now that life is not always kind, even to the ones that deserve it most. “i’m sorry,” with camera clutched in hand, the photographer kneels to the child’s level. “tell you what — you help me decide what to shoot today. then, i’ll take them to my darkroom and when our photos are done? they’re all yours, jerrie.”
