audio & action @L.Mills forward dated to April 8th

[thestoriesarereal]

[The audio turns on to the sound of silence for the first few seconds before Lucy asks her question.]

If you could have one wish, what would you wish for? Not like...money or anything. Not for powers, but what would you really wish for?

[Because it's her birthday, and she wasn't really in the mood to celebrate. Of course, she'll wish for her family to be okay, for them to remember and come here so they could meet Victor. But...would that be a waste of a wish? Sure, wishes were powerful, but she was in another world, and she didn't think they would be strong enough to pull her family from one realm to the next...

Or, maybe she's just over thinking things. Maybe she just wants to talk and not think about her birthday.]


[ooc: Lucy's birthday is on April 8th, so here's her birthday post! She won't say it's her birthday, not yet anyway. Either way, this post can double as action too. So have fun!]

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[thestoriesarereal]

[She doesn't expect it to go to video. In any other world, it might seem strange that a child is talking to an adult, but well...this place isn't like any other. Besides, she knows not to go off with strangers.

But they can't really be strangers now that she knows his name.]

I worry about Papa...and my Dad. So I'm a bit used to it by now... But, I'm Lucy. Lucy Mills.

[She's in her room, sitting on her bed while a tiny bird like thing (a porg) sits next to her off camera. There's a pensive look on her face as she starts.]

In my world, it's made of up of other worlds, and in those worlds characters that are in stories are actually real. My mom's Cinderella, and my Dad...he's Henry, the son of the Savior, and grandchild of Snow White and Prince Charming.

And my family tree gets a lot more complex. But, my family...they're cursed, taken to a world without magic and they don't remember who they are. [So that's a good place to start...]

[tanker]

It's nice to meet you, Lucy.

[ He leans back in his seat, listening as she tells him her story. It's - well, that's interesting, to say the least. So she's like. A fairytale princess.

Not the strangest thing he's heard since arriving in the Quarantine, but still pretty up there. Still, he keeps his eyes on the camera, looks at how small she is, his heart breaking all over again, another kid left alone in this place. ]

And your parents aren't here?

[thestoriesarereal]

Nice to meet you too.

[ From what she can see of him, he’s probably in his own home, trying to relax when she posted her message.

And she wouldn’t consider herself a princess, just a girl who was trying to break a curse.]

No, they’re not. My grandmother was, but not from my time. She remembered my Dad being a kid not...an adult. And even if my parents were here, they would still be cursed. They wouldn’t remember our home or anything and Henry—my dad—he would still think he’s not my father. It’s part of the curse.

[ Thinking about Emma, Henry and her mom, it really makes her miss them a whole lot. ]

[tanker]

[ He is indeed in his new place, sparsely furnished, but his - or at least, his and Clarice's. Zingo's sleeping on the couch next to him, and there's paint on his fingers from the DYI he's been attempting. ]

Oh, that's terrible, Lucy. Maybe - maybe bringing your family would make them remember. It could break the curse. Don't you think?

[ He has no idea. This is way above his pay grade, after all. But looking for solutions is a way of life. ]

Do you have people to take care of you, here?

[thestoriesarereal]

No, the curse can only be broken with True Love’s kiss...and that hasn’t happened. [ She should have hope. She should, but learning Henry left...it’s been hard. ]

I’m staying with someone, they’re a family friend and he’s my guardian right now. Maybe you know him? His name is Victor, he’s a doctor.

[tanker]

True Love's kiss.

[ Sounds like a myth to him, and he's the guy who keeps on making the goofiest faces whenever Clarice even glances in his direction. ]

That sounds a little... I mean, there's nothing else? Are you supposed to be the one to find this true love? Because that seems unfair to me.

[ John shakes his head. ]

I can't say I do, but I haven't been here for very long.

[thestoriesarereal]

I had to find it, sort of. I was trying to get my parents to be together. To get them to fall in love again and kiss....but that hasn’t happened.

It’s a curse...it’s not going to be fair.

[ Theres a soft sigh in thinking about it. ]

So because no one remembers who they are, it’s like starting from scratch and trying to get Henry, my dad, to believe....it’s been difficult.

[tanker]

I'm sorry, Lucy.

[ It's important to her, obviously, and it sounds like it could change everything. John wishes he could do anything to help. ]

If there's anything you think I can do - or anyone, for that matter, you let me know, okay?

[thestoriesarereal]

It's...not okay, but...I'm going to figure things out.

[Some how..some way, she'll figure out a way to break the curse and not fail.]

I'll keep that in mind. So what's your world like?

[tanker]

I'm sure you will.

[ He smiles, meaning it. He's seen kids with more strength of will than many adults. They had no fear, sometimes. ]

My world? Hm, well, it's not a fairy tale. It's a pretty standard kind of place, until you get to the Mutant population. There's quite a few of us around, some of us with cool powers. We try to all live together alongside Humans, but it's not always easy.

[ John's not one to sugarcoat things, even for kids. ]

[thestoriesarereal]

[Sometimes, she wished she was braver, stronger, like how her parents were. Maybe then she would've been able to break the curse back in her world.]

I hope so...I want my parents to be together again, and have everyone remember who they are.

[Lucy thought she had problems, but hearing about Mutants and living next to people who probably didn't understand them...her problems were small in comparison.]

Because...they fear you? Or...what you can do? [Taking a wild guess here, because that's what happened with Regina when she tried to change. People were afraid she would slip back into her old ways, but she proved to be her own hero.]

[tanker]

[ John nods, giving her an understanding look. There isn't much for him to say, here, when he doesn't know her parents. But she seems strong, to him, and wiling to fight for things to get better. ]

Yeah, there's that. A few years ago, there was this Mutant protest - a peaceful one - about anti-Mutant laws that were being put in place by the government. But it was infiltrated by this extremist group, who unleashed their powers and caused a lot of death, both on Human and Mutant side. Since then, Humans are often scared of us. Some of them want to control us, too, use our powers for their gain.

[ His jaw ticks, as he thinks back on Pulse. On the Strucker kids. On Sonya. He shakes it off, as best he can. ]

Most of us just want to be able to live a normal life. But sometimes, because some of us look different, we can't even do that. [ Like Clarice. ]

[thestoriesarereal]

[Lucy can appreciate John being honest with her, not sugar coating anything and treating her like a little adult.]

That..isn't right You're not....monsters or property or pets. You're people, just different. [It's hard for her mind to wrap around that. Surely, there had to be people fighting against this? Surely, someone was willing to talk reason to those people who would think mutants are bad and should be used like they were play things.]

We might have different definitions of normal...but everyone should be able to live their own lives. I..I'm sorry that's what your world's like, John.

[tanker]

That's what we're fighting for, so people understand that all we want is to live peacefully. Have the same rights and opportunities.

[ He knows so many kids her age that are orphans, abused and mistreated, just because they look different, making their X-gene obvious. John just wants them to be able to not be scared of walking down the street. Of going to school, now that the school for gifted youngsters was closed. ]

It's okay. It's not the whole world, either, just some place are more difficult than others. And at least, we're doing good. We're helping people, who thought they were not going to ever get helped. It's important.

[thestoriesarereal]

I don't understand why people would deny you or anyone else of that...but you're helping Mutants, helping others...it's the right thing to do.

[And now Lucy may have the inkling that John is a hero in his own world. He's helping others, fighting wrongs...it's the beginnings of being a hero in her book.]

Have you at least made friends? IN your world and here?

[tanker]

[ He's no hero. It feels like he's doing the very least he can do, and it never feels like enough. They keep on fighting a losing battle, always steps behind, always losing more people. John's never doing enough.

Still, he smiles. ]

Yeah, I think so too.

[ When she asks about friends, he smiles a little brighter, nodding. ]

Yeah, I have. I have a lot of friends back home - [ his smile dims a little, thinking of betrayals that still feel fresh, ] - and I've made some here, too. I've even got myself a girlfriend.

This place is fascinating, isn't it? So many people from different backgrounds and places and stories.

[thestoriesarereal]

A girlfriend? [Oh, she saw how his smile got bigger. At least he's finding happiness here. His life had to be turning around, right?] No many people can find someone they care about a lot--enough to date them anyway.

It is! There are Gods here, and some of them are pretty neat! No wait..ALL of them are neat. There's even people who are the same person, but from different universes! Like, there's two Loki's, one that's older and one that's younger. They're both pretty cool.

[She's in a much better mood now, talking about this place and the people she's met rather than the people she's missing.]

[tanker]

[ It is. In a strange, unexpected way, that still riddles him with guilt on the regular. But it is. ]

Yeah. I knew her back home, already. I guess we had a headstart on the caring thing.

[ Lucy smiles, and John can't help but follow suit at seeing her face light up. ]

Gods, huh? I haven't met any. Loki - he's Norse, right?

[ Excuse his ignorance. ]

[thestoriesarereal]

I guess so, it certainly worked out in your favor.

[Maybe he even found his true love! Wouldn't that be exciting?]

Yeah! He's Norse, and there's some demigods here too--It's so cool!

[Don't worry, John. Lucy can get you up to speed, or recommend which books to read.]

If you're nice to them, they'll be nice to you too--and if you offer them something, you might put yourself in their good graces. I offered brownies and they liked it.

[Or, maybe it's because she's a kid and they wanted to be nice to her.]

[tanker]

Wait, you're saying they take offerings? Are they considered gods, here, or just - citizens, like you and I? Normal people?

[ John can't help but worry. Give anyone too much power, and that tends to go to someone's head, very easily. He's seen it happen way too often. ]

[thestoriesarereal]

They're actual gods with powers, but they are citizens here. There isn't a..special place for them or anything.

I offered brownies because I thought that's what you had to do.

[tanker]

So they didn't make you give them brownies, you just did it because you're nice?

[ That's something, at least. ]

I'm a terrible cook and baker, so I don't think they'd be interested in my offerings...

[thestoriesarereal]

Yeah? I wanted to make a good first impression.

[Kid logic is logical.]

Well...maybe you should brush up on those skills? Maybe your girlfriend would at least like a handmade treat or two?

[tanker]

[ Oh, would she ever. ]

Problem is that I don't have any skills to brush up on. I left home and my mom's cooking for the military, where we ate rations. And then, my current job is the same. Rations, boxed or canned food. We don't really have the resources for the ingredients for a cake.

[ Smile. ]

Maybe I need a good teacher?

[thestoriesarereal]

[Oh her Aunt Sabine would be shaking her head and be in horror just like Lucy. How could he not have the ingredients for cake?!]

You need a really good teacher--you also need a really easy recipe.

[Thinking, thinking. This is important, more important than her birthday.]

Sugar cookies...sugar cookies are easy and then you can work your way up to cake.