(no subject)

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

There's a pond! Or a little bit of sea, anyway. It's weird.

Though perhaps not as weird as the big earth bunker. Claire met the girl who made the big earth bunker. There was sarcasm, and lots of suspicious question. Claire doesn't think she's liked much in that quarter.

But now she's nowhere near the big earth bunker nor the house with Sylar-who-will-be in it, and out by the pond, sitting near the edge as she re-reads her book on Evolution.

Mr Muggles is crouching at the edge of the pond, occasionally barking at it.

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[apocalypsebaby.livejournal.com]

And now, he isn't.

But there are some bubbles that weren't there before.

Slurp.

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

Claire looksup at the slurp, frowning in confusion as she tries to figure out what just happened.

Seconds later she's discarded her book and is up to her elbows in salt water.

"Mr Muggles?"

[apocalypsebaby.livejournal.com]

There is SILENCE FROM THE MURKY DEEPS.

Then there is a small, wet, and very irritated Pomeranian flying through the air. Think Artoo-Detoo in the Dagobah swamp. wwooooooooooooOOOOOOOooooooosplot.

With suckermarks on his legs.

The kraken peeks above the water with big, sad eyes, and rubs its bitten tentacles together woefully.

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

Claire darts back and fails to catch Mr. Muggles. But she does gather the poor bedraggled dog up into her arms, only crying a little bit.

"Hey, boy, ssssh."

Mr. Muggles yelps and cries and shivers and generally laps up the attention.

[apocalypsebaby.livejournal.com]

Spots hauls himself out of the water with a handful of tentacles and sits on the edge, sniffling at her.

Can cephalopods have runny noses?

This one does.

Also, big sploshy tears.

HE WAS HUNGRY. NOBODY'S FED HIM YET and he tried dragging the seabed for drowned sailors the way Mummy taught him, but there weren't any and it was only a little seabed and he misses his mummy and his new daddies are gone away and the dog bit him and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

Claire is still protectionating Mr.Muggles.

"Go on," she says, nudging at Spot with a foot - not kicking, just trying to get him back in the ocean. "Scat."

[apocalypsebaby.livejournal.com]

IF HE HAD A LOWER LIP IT WOULD BE WOBBLING, CLAIRE.

As it is, he's just wobbling all over. And crying.

"Maaama! Mamaaaa!"

[will_scarlett]

The pond is new and Will heads over then sees the blonde girl and stops, feeling nervous though odd noises are coming from the pool,

"Think might be somethin' in there, milady, keep seein' bubbles."

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?"

Claire glances up, at the pond then at Will.

"Sure it's not one of those natural spring pool things?"

She knows she's in Kansas. It doesn't mean she knows naything about the geology of the area.

[apocalypsebaby.livejournal.com]

The bubbles increase, a tentacle waves at them, and then vanishes quickly.

Spots is shy.

[will_scarlett]

Will points to the tentacle,

"See, tis somethin' in there, milady. An dinna think tis a spring, they're usually cleaner least the ones in Sherwood are."

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

Claire peers at the tentacle.

Mr. Muggles is picked up and set a little way away from the pond.

"Maybe this is a special dirty volcanic spring?"

[will_scarlett]

"Aye, well guess could be milady just thought volcanoes were taller an tisna any 'ills round 'ere barely any trees."

He's just going to look awkward and at Mr. Muggles and blink a lot,

"Is that supposed to be a dog?"

[clockwork-son.livejournal.com]

Gabriel went to go find something to feed the kraken.

Raw mussels seemed to be a success, but they don't have any of those around here (a fact for which he is eternally grateful).

Still, he managed, and is now returning to the pond bearing an armload of possible kraken munchies!

He hasn't seen you yet, Claire. He's a little busy with that ridiculously goofy smile. Oh, and he might be humming a lullaby.

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

Claire is reading her book. So she doesn't look up when there's whistling. Not straight away.

When she does, her heart skips a beat and she stands up carefully, gathering a low growling dog under her arm.

She hasn't noticed he's older: she's just annoyed he hasn't had the thought to give her space.

Claire's just going to back away carefully and avoid the future-murderer guy.

[clockwork-son.livejournal.com]

For his part, when Gabriel notices her he quickly tries to pretend he was neither smiling goofily nor humming a moment ago.

Instead he makes his way to the edge of the pond and apologetically (because she's obviously mad at him for something; well, people are often mad at Gabriel for no reason he can discern) feed the kraken.

"There, there, Spots," he mutters, patting a tentacle fondly. If surreptitiously, because THERE'S SOMEONE THERE WHO MIGHT SEE HIM ACTING ALL UNDIGNIFIED.

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

It really makes perfect sense that the brain eating maniac should be friends with the dog-eating squid.

Mr. Muggles yaps loudly to be put down, but Claire backs away, before turning back to the farm. Safety in numbers and that.

She's never going to get used to this.

[clockwork-son.livejournal.com]

...that's really no good.

"I'm, ah, sorry," he calls softly from his place by the pondside, tossing the last lump of unidentified nourishment into the water. "Have I done something to offend you?"

All right, so he was told earlier that there are people around who are scared of his and other-his face. That doesn't mean he remembers. The mind is good at forgetting things it finds this distasteful.

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

Claire snorts, turning around only quickly, and hugging her dog to her.

"Just leave me alone, OK?"

[verb-not-noun.livejournal.com]

Claire is nice.

Penance isn't so sure about the dog or the kraken, though.

It's okay if she just watches you from that nearby tree, isn't it, Claire?

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

It is when she notices she's being watched. Which happens after Mr Muggles starts yapping, and she has to shush him.

Then she smiles and gives a friendly wave.

"Hey."

[verb-not-noun.livejournal.com]

BUT THE DOG IS MAKING SCARY NOISES AT HER.

Oh, but Claire is waving.

Penance smiles and waves back.

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

"He's just annoying," Claire assures her, poking at Mr. Muggles to make him stop. It works.

"He won't get hurt on you, I promise."

[verb-not-noun.livejournal.com]

Penance tilts her head, obviously not sure if Claire is right about this. But when the dog obeys the poke of Claire, she figures it's probably safe enough.

Climbing down without breaking the tree is complicated and difficult to explain, so the narration will have to ask that the readers just believe it can be done.

Soon enough, Penance is crouching nearby, smiling at Claire while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on her dog.

[lilmsmiraclegro.livejournal.com]

Claire is keeping her promise by setting Mr Muggles firmly in her lap, where he protests for a minute, then settles down like a cat, chin on her knee and watching Penance.

"How are you settling in?"