Shatter EP

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

A few hours of walking north of the Grand Canyon, there is a FLASH followed by a BANG with the immediate appearance of a small, skinny teenager standing where nothing had been standing before. She freezes, dark eyes tracking this way and that, the quickness of the motion the only clue to her panic.

Then, a few feet away, there's a FLASH followed by a BANG with the immediate appearance of a large, floppy bloodhound in mid-distressed bark.

A bark which rapidly transforms into a yap of contentment as it spots the girl and trots toward her, long ears flapping.

Jordan Harper grins at her dog, but it only lasts for a moment. While she scratches the creature's ears, she looks around at the desolate bit of land she landed in.

Nothing that can do this, in her experience, should or could be ignored.

Comments

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Jordan nods, smile fading into a more apologetic expression in response to Ai-Ling's look.

"She."

It's important.

And Journey is whiiiiiiiiiining because there's people and she wants to say hi.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"She." Ai-Ling corrects herself, and allows a tiny smile, if only to accept the implied apology. But because the 'she' doesn't sound happy, there's a brighter smile turned that way.

"What is she?"

It's a perfectly acceptable question whe you're used to the kind of animals Ai-Ling grew up with.

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Of course. Or if you're just not used to hound dogs. People from cities tend not to be. Something about the howling.

So Jordan just smiles and approaches, because Ai-Ling hasn't told her not to. It makes Journey go nuts, though, since she still hasn't been told she can move. "A bloodhound," is the answer Jordan offers, smiling fondly at the dog as she approaches, and then looks to Ai-Ling again. "She's just excited. I won't let her jump on you."

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

The tenseness that accompanied Journey's approach doesn't greet Jordan. Ai-Ling has her right thumb tucked in the empty belt loops of her jeans, which brings it close - but not threateningly so - to her sword,and her demeaour is confident and relaxed.

"Good. I don't much like being jumped on."

She frowns slightly at the name blood-hound. It doesn't sound savoury.

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

She's got a sword. That answers any questions Jordan might have had about her meeting with the mirrors being a fluke.

She only glances at the weapon, though. Then she's smiling at her dog and looking at Ai-Ling with slightly lifted eyebrows. "She just wants you to pet her. You don't have to."

Journey whiiiiiiines and is only slightly mollified when Jordan scritches her ears.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

And to Ai-Ling it's something so normal that it was only ow that the narration saw fit to mention it. She may or may not have seen a glance to it; some people have weapons, some don't. This one has sentimental value.

"Oh," she says, and unhooks her hand, holding it out tentatively to the animal's head. "I don't mind. I like animals."

Sometimes she likes to eat them, but she won't.

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Well, Jordan would hope not. It would be a weird thing to fight someone over.

...assuming Ai-Ling is human, anyway.

Journey's tail goes a mile a minute as soon as Ai-Ling reaches out toward her, excited and wriggly all over. Her massive tongue lolls out of her mouth and she grins a happy dog grin at Ai-Ling hopefully.

Jordan just grins and glances around, looking away from them. She knows her dog and knows the hound won't move unless she tells her to.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Happy grins produce return grins and Ai-Ling pats the top of the dog's head tentatively and then strokes it gently.

"What's her name?"

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Journey is about to die of love here, wriggly and happy and excited but staying obediently still.

Jordan just smiles as she returns her gaze to Ai-Ling, apparently pleased with the question. "Journey," she replies. And, after a moment, "I'm Jordan."

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Journey," she says, as the dog begins to grow on her.

To Jordan, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Ai-Ling."

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Growing on her means movement is okay, right? Journey continues wriggling and lets out a little whine.

Jordan just smiles. "You, too. Do you mind if I let her get up? She won't jump on you."

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"I don't mind," Ai-Ling says, slightly curious. "How are you keeping her there?"

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Glancing at her dog, Jordan smiles and tilts her head slightly toward Ai-Ling. Immediately, Journey is up, jumping and yapping, prancing in circles around Ai-Ling and occasionally shoving her nose under the girl's hand to be pet.

Jordan just grins, but the question only receives a shrug. "I just told her to stay."

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Instinctively, she pulls her hands back, then begins to relax again and offers more pets.

It's still not natural.

"Animals don't do that where I'm from."

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

"...listen?"

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"Do what people tell them to," she explains. And adds, "I mean, like that. We have pets and working animals, but they wouldn't stay still just because they were told to."

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Jordan blinks at her. Her eyes flicker over to the sword.

"...where are you from?" she asks finally, voice soft and expression quizzical.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Ai-Ling's been here a long time, and she knows most people don't know her world. But she's also, in that time, never really met someone who isn't aware of other worlds by the time she shows up.

"The Earth Kingdom, originally."

She expects Jordan to imply that they're not from the same worlds.

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Whereas Jordan expected a number of different responses, all very very different from that one.

Her eyebrows furrow but she doesn't quite frown. It's an expression of troubled confusion more than anything.

"I'm sorry," she says, diplomatic in her ignorance. "Where is that?"

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's nowhere around here," Ai-Ling says. "It's in a different world altogether."

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

The mirror-god (and she thinks this not out of respect, but out of humoring Mort) had mentioned that this was a new world, that there was a repopulation effort.

He hadn't mentioned that people would be from other worlds aside from Jordan's own.

"...oh."

There is a distinct lack of comprehension in her face.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Ai-Ling stands up a little straighter - she's not particularly tall, but she's hoping it'll give her explanation some authority.

"And then I fell through the spirit world into this one. Didn't you do the same?"

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

Jordan can't help it. As much as she's always been reserved and careful with how she acts around others, her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline and her chin jerks sharply to the side. It's a very obvious mixture of surprise and disbelief.

"You... fell through the spirit world?"

Perhaps also questioning Ai-Ling's sanity. She'll answer the question once she hears the answer to hers.

[blueisboring.livejournal.com]

Ai-Ling is perfectly sane, thank you. She's just about come to terms with the fact that not everyone she meets takes this as just something that happened, but still.

"And ended up on this world. Were you born here, then?"

[littlegal-lost.livejournal.com]

It's more Ai-Ling's transitional world than the other two that worries Jordan. In her head, she's translated 'spirit world' to mean that Ai-Ling died, was dead for long enough to realize she was dead, and then came here.

And she's just not sure that's what's going on. For a variety of reasons.

She shakes her head slowly, reaching up to absently rub an eyebrow with two fingers. "I'm just confused, I think. I've only met one person before you and he wasn't very..."

Reliable.

"Informative."

Human.