Day 8 - Introduction [Open Log]

[like_a_gerbil]

Characters: Steve Rogers
Open? Open
Where: A road that Steve hopes will lead to civilization
When: Morning on Day 8
What: Steve tries to find out where exactly he woke up this time.
Warnings: None that I can think of



Steve was beginning to wonder if waking up in strange places was becoming a habit for him. Though not as disorientating as waking up to find out that almost seventy years had passed since he was last conscious, finding himself in a meadow instead of his Brooklyn apartment with no memory of how he’d gotten there had still been unnerving.

As soon as he’d accepted that initial shock, he’d started searching for some sign of civilization, eventually finding his way to a dirt road and picking a direction at random that he hoped would lead to somewhere where he could find out what was going.

Maybe he should have taken a less conspicuous route, but if his kidnappers wanted to hurt him, they would have done so already. They wouldn’t have given him a battered set of ragtag armor or the white horse that calmly followed behind him. And they wouldn’t have let him keep his shield.

So he kept to the dusty track, wondering what he’d woke up to this time.

Comments

[tatra]

Tatra clapped and giggled in her excitement before curtseying.

"Follow me then, if you would!" New guests for tea were always a good thing, and she was already contemplating just what brew would be best for the stranger.

"I am Tatra, by the way," she supplied, realizing that she had yet to introduce herself. "From the country of Chizeta."

[like_a_gerbil]

The giggle got an answering grin from Steve as he bowed to Tatra. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. I'm Steve, from America."

He considered the names she had told him, trying to find some kind of context to the places he knew and the country she had named as her homeland. "Are we in Chizeta or were you brought here too?"

[tatra]

"This is Schwanheim, or at least the outskirts of it," Tatra explained. "I was brought here from Cephiro, actually." She led the way with a smile.

"As far as I can tell, we aren't anywhere near either Chizeta or Cephiro."

[like_a_gerbil]

Steve nodded absently, still trying to figure out where he was and what had happened. "And we're not near New York," he added quietly.

It was almost as if he'd been drugged, but he knew that wasn't possible. Or it was close to impossible. He doubted that this was some kind of training exercise. So something else that seemed to be routine to Tatra. "Is it normal to meet people who are - um - lost here in Schwanheim?"

[tatra]

"Oh yes, I'm afraid so," Tatra replied. "But the king needs us to help with the thorns. That's why we're all here," she explained with another smile. She had an endless supply of them, it seemed.

"Or at least, that's what I was told."

[like_a_gerbil]

He was glad for the smiles, finding some reassurance in them despite the unfamiliar surroundings. He probably should be more cautious, but he doubted that Tatra would try to hurt him. "People are brought here to help with thorns?" He smiled despite the skeptical tone. "Seems like a lot of trouble just for some gardening."

[tatra]

Tatra laughed a sweet, melodic laugh, not a hint of malice to be found.

"It seems like it, doesn't it? But it seems also that these vines have overrun an entire village and the king's men are powerless to stop it." From what she had seen through Eagle's orb, the vines were really quite dangerous. If there was anyone left alive underneath them, they were no doubt in very serious danger.

[like_a_gerbil]

"An entire village?" The words are repeated slowly as Steve tries to process that. It's too much like the fairy tales he'd read as a kid for it to be easily accepted, except...was it any crazier than a serum making him taller or artifacts that made a madman think he was a god? "If they're bringing people here to stop the thorns, why me? Shouldn't they bring in people who know magic?"

He paused, realizing that Tatra probably didn't have the answers to his questions. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure all this out. After we have tea, is there someone I can see that'll be able to tell me what I'm expected to do here?" There had to be a reason why he was kidnapped even if that reason didn't seem obvious to him.

[tatra]

"Some of us do know magic," Tatra supplied, but shrugged. "Everyone has something special that only they can do. You shouldn't underestimate yourself!" But who could answer his questions? Many had gone to meet with the king, but nobody had been able to get any answers. Perhaps one of the knights would have a better idea of what they were actually meant to be doing, but it was the king who brought them here.

"Perhaps you could meet with the king? Although I've heard he isn't very good at giving straight answers," she warned him. Most of the others seemed almost angry with him for not having the answers they wanted. But what else could they do, really, other than what he asked?