feigns | ► five → video/action。

[Will is in Xanadu, and currently lazing about beneath a tree, an apple in hand — green, for the record, rather than gold. He looks, it has to be said, exceptionally comfortable and contented.

He's also full of complete and utter crap.]

When I awoke this morning, I had the strongest urge to travel to the north, perhaps to the coast, or at least to a cliff. There, I imagined I would face a dragon with a hundred heads, and an array of beautiful, young women, dancing and singing.

Alas, nothing went quite as I expected — although I dare say that viewed from the right angle and considering his temper, the gentleman — in as much as he can be considered as such; I consider the description to be erring on the side of exceptional kindness — I happened upon could very well be viewed as in the same mould. Of course, perhaps if I hadn’t got lost it would have been a different story entirely — he might have still been sleeping. And I’d hardly describe the women, pretty as they were, as nymphs.

But then, as I recall, disappointment did nothing but await him, either. [A beat, and Will eyes the apple in his hand for a moment.] Or a sense of futility, at any rate. Fortunately, I suppose, Athena’s yet to make any claim on the apples, and I can continue feeling both like Hercules and Eurystheus.

—I suppose it’s a curse, and I can’t say I have any intention of complaining. I could have felt a burning desire to clean stables.

(ooc: anyone’s free to assume that Will nicked the apples from them, or come across him in the park or. anything.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's part of the reason Ginny takes the time to fly through Xanadu or the forest or the beach. The first two more out of nostalgia than anything else, a girl whose childhood was spent in an orchard and the hills around Ottery St Catchpole and then the mountains around Hogwarts. London was only ever a place to visit and she's never fancied living in the heart of it, though it's always a sort of adventure to explore. The City's the same way for her, even if she lives in an apartment building; spending time in a cabin in the forest with her brothers is the highlight of it all. It's quieter, calmer, more like home.

She raises both eyebrows at Will, curious and vaguely amused.]

I must have, yeah. Do I get to hear it, then, or it is some secret thing I've got to imagine on my own?

[He sits up and crosses his legs, regarding her for a moment before dropping the apple in his hands.]

I don't suppose you're familiar with Hercules? It was simply that I woke up feeling rather like him this morning — perhaps not physically, but in aim and purpose.

[She cocks her head a fraction, turning the handle of her broom in hand as it rests on her shoulder, thinking. The name sounds familiar. Perhaps Hermione mentioned it once, or perhaps even Binns, but she isn't sure in what context because... goblins. Maybe Charlie? Was there a dragon? She shrugs instead, guessing.]

Did he go on some daring adventure for... apples?

Something like that. He had to accomplish twelve labours in penance for killing his songs. One of the tasks was to steal the apples of the Hesperides. [He eyes her for a moment.] Nymphs. Supposedly, the apples grant immortality, but Hercules didn't get to eat them. He obtained them before being told to return them.

[He pauses for a moment.] Of course, before he managed to get them, he had to fight a hundred-headed dragon and bear the weight of the world on his shoulders.

I don't think a hundred-headed dragon could actually survive in the wild. I mean, I reckon it'd go after itself for a bit, wouldn't it.

[It's an absent-minded thought and she supposes Charlie could articulate it even better, but she doesn't know Greek mythology and she does know 'mythological' creatures. Ginny looks considering for a moment, biting down on her bottom lip, and then she shrugs.]

Apples that grant immortality, though, I suppose that could exist. That's a normal apple, I suppose? But with the way the City handles death, I expect immortal ones aren't really necessary.

[They'd be Dark magic, anyway. And bollocks, she hadn't meant to bring up City death at all, since... Fred.]

You really are quite serious, aren't you? Do you ever believe in the fantastical? [He pauses for a moment, scrutinising her briefly. He's fairly certain she's never mentioned dragons, but her response seems to imply that there's a possibility they exist in her world — or at the very least, that she's given thought to their existence. In what is quite possibly one of the more exceptionally boring ways.] The fantasy of fairy tales and children's stories and myths. I can't imagine anything more dull than ruthlessly applying logic to every little thing. [A beat.] Besides, if it lives, it has sentience and intelligence. If it has intelligence, it'll feel the pain the rest of its body feels, even if every head is operated by separate brains; if it goes after itself, I dare
say it'll learn pretty quick that it oughtn't.

—Unless, I suppose, it's capable of being masochistic, but I can't help but think that feelings of sadism and masochism are restricted somewhat to humans. Do you think dragons have their very own Marquis de Sade? It might explain a lot.

[He falls silent for a moment, attention shifting back to the apples. He'd heard about the City's approach to death, and it's not something he wants to dwell on. He'd wondered briefly what it'd mean for Jem if he ever happened to arrive here, before deciding that it wasn't his place to wonder at all.] What should I say — I have immortal longings in me? I'm afraid I'm not quite Cleopatra. No, I think I prefer Samuel Butler's view: to himself everyone is an immortal. He may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead. I don't need apples for that.

► five → video/action。

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