forum The Traveler (closed)

Started June 17, 2023 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

Marc nodded and gave a small smile. “That does make sense. Unfortunate but…” he shrugged. “Constant exploration does present opportunities. As long as you don't get lost.” he added quickly.

"Getting lost is the fun part." Though it entirely depended on where she got lost. One type, she had portaled right into a pit of, well, she never did figure out what they were. And she was lucky to have gotten out of there with all of her limbs attached to her body

“It can be.” he agreed, though Marc was aware of the dangers as well. “How many worlds have you been to?” he had to ask out of pure curiosity.

"Um, I couldn't be quite sure. It all begins to blend together after awhile," Ariella looked up at him. "A couple dozen, perhaps. I don't remember all of them. Some are very hard to get to. I stumbled upon them by pure luck."

“Of course.” Marc nodded, understanding that logic. “I doubt keeping track of these worlds is like keeping track of visiting countries back on Earth.” he surmised as he met her gaze.

"It's nothing like that." She looked down at her papers before organizing them. "I should be fine but I'll hold onto these just in case. Did you want to eat? There isn't much to do around here other than play card games or eat or sleep."

Marc chuckled and nodded a little. “Actually, I won't mind that. Coffee isn't much of a meal.” he smiled as Ariella gathered her papers. “You should probably eat something too. I don't know what you go through but all that blood loss can't be very good for you.”

At the thought of food, her stomach growled as if in answer. "Yep, food would be good," she chuckled as she stood. She found something in the pantry that resembled earth food well enough and followed the instructions to make it

“Yes, it would.” Marc agreed, laughing softly with Ariella as he followed her to the kitchen. He may not be an expert cook but he was still willing to help… if he could.

Ariella looked back at him with a small smile on her face as she heard him laugh. It was good he felt comfortable to do so after all of this. Most people would be shitting themselves if they had been thrust upon all of this.

Marc smiled back and gave a slight nod. He was still a bit surprised by everything that Ariella had shown him these past few days but he liked to think of himself as adaptable. A useful skill for a police officer since he had to think on his feet plenty of times.

The food was relatively easy to make. It had to be storage safe, as this place could go months without having anyone visit the home. Thankfully, it was similar to astronaut food on earth and easy to make. All she needed to do was add powder to the mixture and let it simmer on the stove. It was a type of pasta but like nothing that was on earth. It was the closest that she had to it.

Marc watched silently before looking around the kitchen, glad that the meal was so easy to make. He would have been happy to help out if Ariella had needed it but he didn't want to impose.

Ariella turned back to Marc. "So, what are you going to do when you get back home? Go home to your family? They're probably worried about you."

“Probably are.” Marc nodded, meeting her gaze. “My family still lives in Ireland so assuming I can use my vacation time after all this, then that might not be a bad idea.” he smiled a little.

Ariella snorted. "Seeing as you're likely considering missing, I think they'll let you see your family without using any of your pto." She placed the food in two separate bowls and handed one of them to him, along with a fork.

Marc laughed with her and nodded. “You're probably right.” he agreed as he accepted the bowl of food. “Oddly enough, that was a topic that wasn't covered during my training.” he smirked.

"I wonder why? It's not like traveling to different worlds isn't uncommon." Ariella winked at him before taking a bite of her food. It may not have been a gourmet meal but it soothed the hunger in her stomach.

“I meant what happens when an officer goes missing.” he smirked back, shaking his head with a light chuckle before he started eating. “Or if it was, I just can't remember.” Marc added with a shrug.

Ariella looked down at her bowl. "Have I said I'm sorry about dragging you into all of this? Because I am. I didn't mean for all this to happen. As much as I like your company, you shouldn't be here."

Marc paused thoughtfully as he swallowed his most recent bite of food. Honestly, he couldn't remember if Ariella had apologized or not for him being here… but he didn't blame her either. “It's not your fault. I'm the one who followed you through the hospital even though you didn't want, or need, me to.” he pointed out, rolling his eyes at his action. “I brought this on myself, so you don't have to apologize.”

She smiled and bumped his hip with her own. "You were just doing your job. As annoying as it was, I can't fault you for that. You're a good cop. That's hard to find these days, anywhere. Most people get corrupted with the power and forget their responsibility."

Marc chuckled at her action and shrugged. “I certainly try to be and I thank you for the compliment. But I know what you mean.” he nodded. “Too many people let the authority of the job go to their head. Start thinking they're above the law when really it should be the opposite. Police, in general, should work just as hard off-duty to uphold the law and lead by example as they should on duty.” he said in agreement with her statement.

Ariella regarded him, an unrecognizable look on her face. She made a small sound and finished her food before placing it in the sink. She would wash it before they left. "Once you're finished with your food. I want to show you something. I think you will quite like it."

Marc cleared his throat softly at Ariella’s look and, likewise, finished his meal in silence. There were times when he couldn't help rambling and it often made for awkward moments. “Oh? What is it?” he asked, raising a brow.