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A trip sideways in time
Dec. 23rd, 2018 12:30 pm"You know the signs," Corbie heard herself saying. "Mildmay's cough is getting worse."
Only Corbie hadn't said it.
The girl startled and looked up from the book she'd been too preoccupied to read and found a woman sitting across from her. She was older than Corbie, perhaps mid-twenties, but possessed of the same curling yellow hair, the same large blue eyes, the same mischievous quirk to her lips. But there were differences, too. There was a scar on her neck, two round marks that spoke of a bite. And her face was less round, the bones more defined. Her ears were pierced, and she wore a locket around her neck that hummed with magic.
But nothing was as shocking as the baby in her lap. A year old, give or take, but that was most certainly a baby.
Still. That was her own face, that was herself, looking back at her from across the cafe table. Corbie stared with huge eyes.
The woman smiled, bouncing the baby on her knee. "How long has he been coughing for, anyway?"
Corbie's mouth hung open like a fish. "Um... uh... a few days?"
"Oh, honey," the woman shook her head. "You know better than that. He should be in bed, and he won't until you make him. And that creates a problem for me, because now that I've got this one with me," she bounced the baby higher, making her laugh, "my job got a bit harder. I'd gladly have left her with Mildmay, but..."
"Wait." Corbie held up her hands. "What the fucking fuck is happening?"
The woman smiled wider. "Oh you know. You've seen some folk 'round here who shouldn't be, I'm just one of 'em. And you want to go back to your life and I wanna go back to mine, you're gonna be the good girl I know you are and listen to me."
"Who... are you, though?" Even though Corbie already knew it her heart and slightly dreaded the answer.
The other woman extended her hand and they shook. "Gartrett Corbie," the woman said, bold as brass. "Knowst it without asking me, fool girl," she said, in an imitation of gran so spot on that Corbie could hardly deny their connection.
"What d'you want with me?" the girl whispered.
The woman's eyes softened. "You are... in a place I remember being, with a lot of questions about the future and what it can hold for you. Who better to answer those questions than yourself? Even if Gotham is nothing at all like this place. But you do have potential. It's only you don't see it." She sighed. "Ah, well. Plan B. Perhaps we could find Regina."
Only Corbie hadn't said it.
The girl startled and looked up from the book she'd been too preoccupied to read and found a woman sitting across from her. She was older than Corbie, perhaps mid-twenties, but possessed of the same curling yellow hair, the same large blue eyes, the same mischievous quirk to her lips. But there were differences, too. There was a scar on her neck, two round marks that spoke of a bite. And her face was less round, the bones more defined. Her ears were pierced, and she wore a locket around her neck that hummed with magic.
But nothing was as shocking as the baby in her lap. A year old, give or take, but that was most certainly a baby.
Still. That was her own face, that was herself, looking back at her from across the cafe table. Corbie stared with huge eyes.
The woman smiled, bouncing the baby on her knee. "How long has he been coughing for, anyway?"
Corbie's mouth hung open like a fish. "Um... uh... a few days?"
"Oh, honey," the woman shook her head. "You know better than that. He should be in bed, and he won't until you make him. And that creates a problem for me, because now that I've got this one with me," she bounced the baby higher, making her laugh, "my job got a bit harder. I'd gladly have left her with Mildmay, but..."
"Wait." Corbie held up her hands. "What the fucking fuck is happening?"
The woman smiled wider. "Oh you know. You've seen some folk 'round here who shouldn't be, I'm just one of 'em. And you want to go back to your life and I wanna go back to mine, you're gonna be the good girl I know you are and listen to me."
"Who... are you, though?" Even though Corbie already knew it her heart and slightly dreaded the answer.
The other woman extended her hand and they shook. "Gartrett Corbie," the woman said, bold as brass. "Knowst it without asking me, fool girl," she said, in an imitation of gran so spot on that Corbie could hardly deny their connection.
"What d'you want with me?" the girl whispered.
The woman's eyes softened. "You are... in a place I remember being, with a lot of questions about the future and what it can hold for you. Who better to answer those questions than yourself? Even if Gotham is nothing at all like this place. But you do have potential. It's only you don't see it." She sighed. "Ah, well. Plan B. Perhaps we could find Regina."
