( prp ) where art thou (America & Jeremiah)

[lizbot]

Carefully, America stepped off of the art, giving the piece one long, final look, before approaching Vivien and putting out her hand for the other take or ignore. "It was real good seeing you again, Miss Vivien, even if it's for sad reasons. We'll try to get back to you soon."

azuredreams

sounds good u

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Laters," said Vivien, waving.

azuredreams

lizbot

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah inclined his head in goodbye, wondering if the paint would stay on their feet as they left. His arm was offered to America so that they could leave the art gallery.

At least now he was prepared for when it was a place that was closed and no longer an operating art gallery.

lizbot

shibrogane

thanks so much shep!

 

[lizbot]

Lowering her hand with an awkward little wave, America took Jer's arm as they made their way out of the gallery. For all the drama of the piece and the surprise of meeting Vivien, it was the image of those dying flowers that lingered in her mind's eye.

"Well, dang," she breathed out as they stepped outside.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

The paint did in Jeremiah's. The blood of the deer as it bled out and would slowly fade away until it- Needless to say the imagery had made it's point.

Once outside, the world seemed to right itself and he looked behind to see what was definitely not an art gallery anymore. Of course not. His fingers squeezed America's arm lightly. "That, I admit, is not what I expected at all but we have a lead, at least ..."

There was also a topic that needed to be discussed. One that would not necessarily be easy but first- "Your thoughts?" he asked quietly. "While things are still fresh in your mind."

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Well, we got a clear path to some sort of progress now," she started out with the biggest piece of relief. Plans, even faulty ones, were always a sort of balm to America. "And getting Liam out was a goal, anyway. Two birds."

A pause, and then she admitted, "I feel bad she's had to wait all this time. That strangers like us are forcing things along with our grubby little paws, that we even have to." There was possibly, just possibly, a bit of a gloomy romantic streak in one America Jones.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Me too." The words were admitted quietly, because Jeremiah Mercer might just have had the same kind of streak. That, at his core, he was a hopeless romantic and seeing love lost- That was the worst in a lot of ways. "All this time and it's us, not Liam, that come to her. We should, at least, be able to help with that- even if it is sadly a little self-serving of us to do so.

"That's what I find relieving, that we have a path once more. Something that we can move forward with instead of blindly reaching. I had wondered, for some time, if I would ever find a lead to the things I-" Jeremiah stopped and shook his head. The things he had gotten in exchange for Sunny's friendship.

It was still a topic that, all this time later, bothered him. How would things have progressed if he had turned down the Burning Man? If he had picked something else instead.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"To the things you what?" America prompted, shamelessly curious. Lead sounded a lot like a case, or at least a mystery.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"The things I learned from Ezra in exchange for the promise that I would never be Sunny's friend. I could safeguard her, I could understand her, but I could never be her friend." Jeremiah looked ahead, making sure their path was clear before his gaze went back to America.

"Though, as is usual with myself, I did not know what I was agreeing to do until afterward. I wouldn't have made such a deal if I had known the cost but it granted me a favor I cashed in for knowledge of the pieces of The Enemy." A sigh escaped. "You do remember while you were gone? When Alg was the one texting you for a bit? That I was having seizures?"

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"What an a*****e," the girl commented plainly. "I mean he's cute in an emo prince with a guitar way, but seriously, what an a*****e." America scowled at the idea of getting banned from being someone's friend.

The mention of the seizures turned her expression even more dire, "Yeah. Jesus wept, that was why you were having them?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Were it anyone else, Jeremiah might have said something else. It was America, however, and she would always get a truer response. "This will likely sound odd but thank you for recognizing that." That even if Ezra was cute in an emo prince way, he was an a*****e- that he was still the Burning Man.

"Yes." His fingers pressed against his forehead a moment, as actively thinking about the knowledge always made his head swim just a little. It was because the images were not static, constantly shifting and changing from one thing to another (always a garnet but not always a ring; sometimes a pendant, sometimes a bracelet).

"You're not really meant to see what I saw- the fabric of magic, what makes this all up. It was overwhelming and left me with the seizures and fainting spells for a few weeks. I still actually," there was a small laugh; though it was not truly a good one, "get a little light-headed around Sonny and I did so around Sunny. As if I might have one all over again."

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

Shaking her head, America replied, "So you suffer double. Doesn't sound like much of a deal, Jer." She turned her frown up toward the man, "So you've been trying to figure out what you saw since?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"I admittedly felt the same way but I asked for the knowledge." Jeremiah looked towards America. "He actually tried to convince me to ask for something else - anything else - but I was persistent. It was what I thought was necessary to know at the time and, I suppose, turns out that I was right."

For the span of a few quick heartbeats, he was silent. "What I saw was burned into my mind, the back of my eyelids ... It's Ashdown, Sunny, a ring of silver and garnet," Vivien's, "a flock of birds and a book. The problem I have is that they shift and change. When I was still having the seizures, I would see the things all over again but sometimes it was different. The ring wasn't a ring but a garnet necklace, the town wasn't ours but from another time, Sunny looking as if she came from another time, and birds that were always watching. When their mouths opened to make bird calls-" Jeremiah shook his head. It had not been a good noise.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Why couldn't you just get a bullet list instead?" America sighed. But symbols, of course, were greater than words. Least that's what she'd found so far. They captured the essence of will a lot better, came across more powerful. Didn't mean she wouldn't ask for something lawyer-y with fine print and all if the chance ever came, though.

"Well we can't just...destroy the town, like we can a ring. And Sunny..." she dipped her head, took a few moments to just breathe. "Well, if it's our Sunny, then I guess we already did that. But we're not gonna hurt this Sonny if that's part of it. We'll find another way, if so." It wasn't a question. She had faith in both Jeremiah and the others they worked with that there would be another way.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"No, I've no desire to see Sonny hurt either." Though he was not entirely sure they had not done something to hurt Sunny themselves. It made him pause before he continued to speak. "I don't know that it will actually be destroying the thing or undoing it. I like to think that there is a difference in that."

His steps slowed and he looked towards America. "We'll find another way. We still have some time, the end of the year isn't here yet, and we have a path to follow."

lizbot