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Welcome to the Backwater

Picture a paved square, faced by the backs of various brownstones and ringed with couches of various sizes. One of the buildings is marked 'Visitor Centre', and beyond it seems to be a park of some sort. The paving of the square is white, and broken up into large square blocks that are so neatly set that there are no edges to trip over. Some blocks are missing, so that trees can grow out of these spaces. The square has a light scattering of couches spread around it, and these couches vary from something people from a no frills reality would think of as for dolls, to a massive white thing that's bigger than a mobile home. Between the square and the green space of the park is a road paved with common pavement made from old rubber tires, and there are trees growing wild all around that park. In the distance, over the trees, can be seen something that looks like a larger version of Mad King Ludwig's castle, and some sort of cliffs.

There are people in the square, many look human, and many don't. They mingle with mostly easy going equanimity, asking questions and answering them, chatting, getting oriented by reading books and pamphlets, or just selling sandwiches. Up in the sky, which looks fairly normal, float four islands that look something likes the ones off that movie with the blue cat things, and a flock of five houseairships, one of which is round. The Visitor Centre is an A frame with two windows and a door on the front, and a sign along the top that says, "Ask a question."

Welcome, newcomer, to the Backwater Nexus.

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((Note to self: I made a mistake. Nineveh is actually TWENTY SIX foot tall. Smaller than I thought.))

Nineveh shrinks smaller at being spoken to, then forces herself to lift her head and push her hair back. This reveals a pair of storm grey eyes that are wide with panic attack. "N... no. I... I get frightened any... anyway." She squeezes her eyes shut, then brushes impatiently at her face with a shaking hand as two dark streaks appear in the fur of her cheeks. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

And then here's Aoife, a slice of bread with sausage sliced on it in one hand, and the container that had held the medicine in the other. Dark grey eyes with specks of green laughter in them give Vik a gently stern look.

"Stop that," she says softly as she comes to perch her bum by Vik on the couch.

Vik looks up at Nineveh, she nods to her slowly, "Thank you my friend, i am better."

She shifts to cuddle Lowena as gently as possible, trying to sort out her thoughts.

Old memories are intruding and overlapping the present forcibly. She shakes her head, eyes shut, wishing her memories would just vanish, and leave her alone.

Vik feels someone sit down beside her. From her peripherals, she notes that it is Aoife. Vik hears her words, then confused by them, tries to sort out what she's doing that needs to stop.

She looks up at Aoife, confused, a panic attack at the edges of her awareness. Vik nods and bleakly assents that she must stop. Though she's not sure what that means, as she tries to control the runaway feelings, memories and other confusion.

She tries to focus strongly on Aoife's green flecked eyes, trying to pin down something tangible in the here and now to push back at the panic attack with. "I'm sorry Aoife, i.. I'll try, thank you."

Edited (Typos) 2019-12-10 03:49 (UTC)

"I mean the kicking yourself," says the small woman gently, as she sets some things aside and leaves them floating in mid-air. "Do you want a hug?"

Vik blinks, still sorting all the words, both past and present, they're all jumbling together.

She's trying to keep a grip on the present, while the old images, smells, thoughts and memories wash in and out like tidewaters. But she thinks she grasped the moment correctly, she *thinks* she understood Aoife.

She nods a little and offers a hug. Vik hates it when a panic attack intrudes, like all the other health problems and issues she tries to stay afloat amidst.

She tries to slow and pace her rapid breathing, her heart racing away, and softly whispers "don'wanna be this way, i'm sorry".

Edited 2019-12-12 06:27 (UTC)

Aoife's hug is firm and comforting, and seems to come with a feeling of understanding and a faint hint of sadness related to her own emotional issues. It also comes with a chuckle as Lowena squeaks approvingly about being squished.

"You don't need to be sorry," Aoife says softly.

Vik's eyes seem almost glazed as she accepts the hug. She's beginning to feel less inundated. Sometimes the panic attacks are mild, sometimes not.

She wishes she could help Nineveh feel better. Its an awful thing to feel lost on an ocean of panic storms, emotions trying to drown you.

"Thanks Aoife, thanks for understanding." Vik muses that people who aren't harsh or uncaring are getting rare. It's nice to realize they're not altogether extinct here.

Suddenly an itty bitty squeak startles her. She looks down at Lowena and is slayed all over again by her cuteness.

"Well, nothing wrong with a squishy hug, is there little one?" she says and chuckles softly.

She looks up at Aoife and snickers. Its amazing how comfort and reassurance can come in small packages too.

Edited 2019-12-17 04:36 (UTC)

Aoife laughs out loud as Lowena flails gleefully before snuggling, her tiny face showing an unmistakable big grin.

Then the small brunette looks up from the dollbaby and lets go of Vik except for a hand resting gently on her shoulder. Softly, she answers Vik's thoughts. "I'm paying forward what was given me when I first came here. You have some handicaps, but I..." She looks down, her cheeks darkening with old shame. "I was a nine year old murderer with a bomb in my head." A deep breath makes her shoulders move, and she looks up again, her softly glowing eyes grey now. "But people here took me in. They saved my life, and gave me a new life. This may be a Backwater where the flotsam and jetsam wash up, but it's also a place of new chances. And God is here, just like He is in the real world."

Vik watches Aoife's face with gentle eyes, listening to all she says, then smiles softly.

"You have it in one word; God. This is His Backwater. Whoever washes up here surely came by His plan."

She smiles with joy into Aoife's face, "He's good at making things new, swapping beauty for ashes, making us all new creatures in Christ Jesus. He's the owner of new chances."

Vik looks at her arthritic hands, no longer slender, deft and delicate as they were decades ago. She smiles warmly, "You know, even flotsam and jetsam is treasure in His hands, and has a purpose in His plan."

She looks up at Aoife and pats her hand gently, "Let it go sweety. You have dark places in your past, same as i do, same as everyone. He led you through it, not away from or around it, and that made you grow. You're now stronger. Whatever He has in mind for you, i think its obvious you're in the midst of it, you're doing it."

Edited (Edited) 2019-12-19 06:11 (UTC)

The glow in Aoife's eyes intensifies slightly as Vik speaks, though it stays soft enough to be more a guess than a certain fact. But the grey seems to fade like clouds, and the green once more shows like sunshine after a storm, softened by knowledge as the small brunette nods.

"I know," she says quietly. "I know. And it... might be a little easier for me to tell when I'm doing His will than it is for humans, because this?" She holds up a hand and soft grey-green twinkles the colour of her eyes swirl in a tiny tornado over the palm. "...Only works if I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. If it's not His will, I can't do it."

"Dat," notes Lowena, pointing to the mug of milk and the bread and sausage that are floating in empty air.

((Lowena said, "That".))

Vik's eyes glitter with happiness, nodding at Aoife, acknowledging that all she's saying makes perfect sense to her.

Then Vik's eyes dart down to little Lowena, who has just said, "Dat."

She chuckles softly and gently smoothes Lowena's hair. Vik's eyes dart to what the little dollbaby is pointing at. Vik looks back up at Aoife, grinning ear to ear.

She gently points to the grey-green glittery tornado swirling above Aoife's hand and says, "Dat. Dat right there."

Vik's not always good at expressing herself. But whether Lowena meant to or not, she sorta underscored the point she'd been trying to make.

"One verse of Scripture stays with me, no matter where i go, who i meet, or what all is happening, the one about all good things come from our Father in Heaven. So.."

She nods to the swirly tornado, indicating all that Aoife can do by that, and points to the floating food nearby, "..to me, all these are some of the many good things that the Lord grants us, His blessings. The talents He places in our care to manage until He returns to reward His faithful servants. We just gotta remember not to bury the talents He grants us. It seems to me that you're doing very well by turning five talents into ten, Aoife. Dat."

Her eyes drop to her lap, "I.. i don't always say things well enough for others to understand what I'm getting at, but i hope you understand."

Vik looks up sheepishly, offering an understanding and sisterly hug.

Aoife gently returns the hug, then scoops Lowena up as the doll baby hops to her while she straightens up. "I guess Lowena thinks it's time to trade baby for food.'

She looks down at the doll as the little one nods and quietly repeats her single little baby word, then looks back to Vik as the food floats over to where the older woman can reach it.

"I have a family now," she says, nodding. "Something I never dreamt of before I came here. You see that dizzy redhead over there spinning in place? The one in bright pink and purple."

The girl in question is a tall, lanky, but big boned early teen, her orange hair standing up in all directions as she twirls. A black-haired girl who looks like a cross between a purple naga and a flower is watching her silently, her arms folded on the arm of a soft brown couch.

Vik giggles at Lowena's antics and reactions and reaches for the delicious smelling food, bringing it to her lap. "Thank you both, I'm gonna enjoy this!"

She listens intently, and looks in the direction Aoife indicated, tilting her head a little.

"Oh, okie, i see them!" She smiles and waves gently to them both, sausage in one hand. "How colorful! They're your family?" She begins eating the yummies and trying hard not to eat as ravenously as she felt.

To herself, she thinks, 'woah, this is some awesome sausage! The milk tastes rich too.' She's struggling against the urge to gulp the milk down, same as her childhood self wanted to gulp good milk quickly.

Vik's attention is momentarily lost in the sausagey deliciosness. It's way better than any sausage she's had before. She forces her attention back to Aoife and her family, eyes still wide from enjoying the yumms she's munching on.

She's torn between slowing down to savor things properly, and munching quickly from a huge case of hungries.

"That's two of them," says Aoife, snorking softly as the redhead falls over. "I adopted four daughters and a son before I was married. My husband brought more kids into the mix."

She glances toward Vik. "There's goose liver in the sausage, and beef heart, as well as cow hock and mutton head. I hope you don't mind the crust off the bread. The lady's had so many complaints from people who couldn't bite through it that she just takes it off her trencher slices now."

Then she looks back to the girls as a soft purple twi-lek about ten years old comes running up and jumps on the redhead, getting a very cat-like yowl in response. "Violet, if you get Deidre too excited she won't be able to sit still in school."

Vik chuckles softly as she watches Aoife's kids having fun. "Kids are kids are kids, no matter where, or who they are." She tries not to cackle at the feline like yowl.

"Oh?" Her eyes widen appreciatively as Aoife describes the sausage's meat selections. "That's a great mix right there. And all meats i like!"

Vik chomps and almost makes a hungry cat growl. Almost, she did just remember her manners in time.

The bread was extra yummy... sourdough! Vik plowed in enjoying the sausage juices that had soaked their flavors in. Her eyes popped then slowly closed while she savored unrepentantly. She smiled as she washed down the last of her great meal with some of that gorgeous milk. *such a goofy satisfied grin*

She gets so caught up watching the fun and play that Aoife's girls are having that the upcoming belch almost catches her 100% unguarded.

She stifles and hides it as softly and quickly as possible, eyes popping in the effort. She slightly ducked hoping no one noticed!

She looked at Aoife, "Oooh my... oooh that was extra delicious! Thank you so much Aoife! I was ravenous!"

Edited (Fixed typos and assorted oopsies. x.x) 2020-02-01 03:54 (UTC)

Aoife's laughing. Then she shakes her head a little, grinning. "You're welcome. And don't worry. Not many people here care about burps."

A deep base note rumbles out across the area about then, causing Deidre and Violet to fall down laughing.

"See?" Aoife lifts her eyebrows, then settles back and looks serious. "You're welcome to stay in the Backwater, but before you decide, I need to let you know that some people here shoot their friends for fun, others don't wear very much clothing. The thunder is usually some Transformer with an air pocket, and there are spooks that go bump in the night."

"Dat," comes the little comment from her arms.

Vik chuckles and tries to shake the base reverbs from her head, laughing as she watches Deidre and Violet's reactions.

"Dang," she chuckles appreciatively, "I feel the need to salute that belch out of sheer respect!" She laughs, feeling relaxed and light hearted.

But she sobers and listens to Aoife's very serious words. Vik's eyes widen. She sucks in her bottom lip as Aoife finishes, but looses her grip on it and begins chuckling, eyes glittering.

"Aoife, that sounds pretty much like living in my neighborhood and apartment building!" and she can't stop her chuckles for a bit. Soon though, a sad, serious gaze takes the place of her mirth.

"All kidding aside, in my neighborhood live bullets can fly, and not from friends having fun with friends" she looks up at a large Cybertronian walking by. "Oh, I get it; with armor plating like theirs, I bet the ammo prolly just tickles."

She looks at Aoife, "You've got your awesome abilities too. I can only imagine *your* defenses." Vik says with serious respect, and grins.

Then she smiles, "Or how you might turn lemons into lemonade, ya know? Squirt 'em in the eye, or get lemon juice in that *one* heckuva papercut." she chuckles mischeviously.

Vik sobers again, looking downward, voice soft. "Where I live, they mean to kill when it gets to gunfire. Or blades flying. Or when someone is pushed off their balcony, or gets tied up and tortured in their own apartment."

She gestures in exasperated resignation Then looks back up at Aoife. "With all those concrete walls... they quit letting tenants use sound proofing.. screams for help are drowned out." Vik looks down, a slight tremble.

"I'm not a scrapper. Not even when I *was* able bodied. But I could defend myself, hold my own back then. I credit God alone for keeping me alive past and present.

"But now? I got brittle bones where strong ones used to be, crumbling joints, and 24-7-365 pain levels... no break from it.

Vik's eyes seem distant, "There's a bunch of reasons why I keep to my apartment, away from people there. I don't go out except for monthly doctor visits and medical tests, or some other necessary trip out. I've learned the hard way it has to be that way. For me.

"If shootin' folks is done in fun there, it's because they're wacked on meth or something and next day can't remember what they did.

"In my building, the half dressed and nekkies are typically meth heads as well. Not a good scene, ya know?

"People out of control, dangerous, insane, all wacked out on drugs does scare me, Aoife. But what you're describing doesn't. I just feel safe here. And most of all, I feel welcome.

Vik looks puzzled for a sec, "Wait, spooks ya say? As long as they're not try'na slit my throat or set my place ablaze, they can bump in the night all they want."

She touches her lip with a re-considering finger, one eyebrow shot up at a sharp angle, "Rephrase; *sleep* I need. Could they do it when I'm awake? Or should I just earplug before bed?" She smirks.

Vik feels more at home and safe now than any other time, except for when she was in the safety of her Gramma Lizzie and Aunt Sissie when she was 4-10 years old.

She smiles as her busy mind conjures up images of bullets pinging harmlessly off Cybertronian armor, and the likely grumbling and jokes that might follow.

Vik looks at Lowena and smiles widely, a puzzle piece dropping neatly into place.

She realizes that in a world where a wonderful person like Lowena can exist, thriving, at peace, obviously flourishing as everyone else she's met, then this world, problems and all, has to be a place of God's grace and goodness. She reasons that her Lord has placed her here for His own reasons. Therefore, she is at peace here.

And, she doesn't feel so self conscious about belches creeping up on her.

Edited (Edited) 2020-02-11 05:58 (UTC)

Green eyes go grey with sympathy as Aoife listens to what Vik has to say.

"Transformers don't usually use projectile weapons." She looks up as another of Blackout's kids walks past, then watches as Deidre and Violet catch a ride from him to school. She puts the arm not holding Lowena around the flower naga girl as that one crawls over and leans against her (and Aoife's smaller than the girl is). "It's usually plasma, or some other sort of energy beam. But yeah, even if it damages the soldier models don't care. My gift isn't actually all that strong, because I asked to be weak so I could never go back and take revenge on people from my past. Drunks are actually funny here, and that's about the only drug overuse that happens here, though some of the drunks are kiss drunk Transformers. The spooks... Have you ever seen the Adams family or the Munsters?"

Vik watches Aoife's eyes change colors. By now she's become accustomed to how they convey emotion, and it's pretty to watch too.

She smiles and nods a greeting to the beautiful flower like girl who's leaning on Aoife, and listens carefully.

She nods now and again as Aoife explains everything. Her heart springs to learn that Aoife had chosen so wisely about her powers. That intrigued her; as few people she knew would be that selfless and noble in her own world. Vik smiles at Aoife, gaining an even greater respect for the small woman.

Her eyes pop when Aoife mentions two of her favorite TV shows from when she was small.

"Seen them? I knew John Astin when I was a little tyke! I called him 'Unca Adams', Dad was one of his friends, and did business with him. And Dad worked with Ted Cassidy at the GE plant in Phoenix, Arizona when Mr Cassidy wasn't on set shooting an episode. I watched those shows all the way into my 20's." She takes a calming breath. "Hehe, sorry. I geeked. To answer you, yes, I did. I very much miss all those people, and those days."

Vik smiles widely, as she enjoys some old memories of playing peek-a-boo with 'Unca Adams' when her daddy had taken her with him on a trip to meet with Mr Astin.

"You mean to tell me the spooks here are like the Adams Family and the Munsters?" She has a wry smile, and fidgets like a happy kid.

Edited (Avatar) 2020-02-12 01:56 (UTC)

The small brunette grins. "The actual Adams and Munsters are spooks, yes. They don't live here, but some of their relatives do. The ones that go bump in the night are bored teenagers, but they're fae enough that they can't come into a place they're not allowed. But many spooks are my friends, and my daughters' friends, and the lady who runs the girls' school is a living ragdoll made by a mad scientist."

"And I'm one of those streakers she mentioned," says a deep alto as a shadow falls over the little group on the couch. "Hi. I'm Seaspray of the lu."

Seaspray is forty foot tall, covered in grey fur as soft as and many times longer than that of a Persian cat, looks like a tailless bipedal wolf with big furry human feet, has friendly lilac eyes set in a face several shades darker than her body fur. And doesn't seem to be wearing anything else besides her fur and a sling hung against her chest from which two sets of pointed ears are peeping out.

As Vik is considering and marvelling at Aoife's explanation of The Backwater's spooks, a deep voice from above grabs her attention. Vik looks up, her eyes widening at the sight of a tall, wolflike lady.

Inwardly, she thinks, 'woah.. didn't see that coming!' Vik turns a bit so she can get a better look at her, and waves to her.

"Wow, nice to meet ya Seaspray! That's a pretty name." She smiles up at Seaspray, admiring her, but feels a tad puzzled; "Please forgive my ignorance, but what's the lu, is it a place, or a people?"

Then Vik sees little ears peeping from the sling Seaspray is wearing. She grins widely. Inwardly she muses, 'More cuties! I'm so happy to see all these little guys everywhere.'

Vik turns around more to see Seaspray a little better. The more she meets the Backwater's people, the more she likes The Backwater as a whole.

Edited 2020-02-13 00:08 (UTC)

"It's people," says Seaspray. "My people, though I'm sea lu."

"Better explain that," says Aoife, grinning upward.

"Yes, mom." Seaspray thrrpts slightly, then looks back to Vik. "That means my people lived down on rafts on the ocean back when all the lu were still stuck on the Rock. The women couldn't keep many babies, so we don't have as many menfolk as the land lu. The Rock was a small, tall island where some crazy gas mutated people years ago and made different races. The lu got a few forty foot tall women, lots of twenty foot tall men with slightly more IQ than the average fence post, nearly indestructible physiology, a peaceful nature, and a fifty year life span." Her ears flatten and stand up again in what is clearly a grin. "Yeah. We're human. Technically."

Vik's eyes go wide for a moment, then she sighs and nods. "It never occurred to me that you might be a human, technically or otherwise."

With a wistful smile, she looks at the pair of ears in Seaspray's sling, "Very precious little ones. For a number of reasons I'd assume."

Inwardly, Vik muses that some things never change. In her world men have been known to be as dumb as fence posts too, though not for the same reasons.

And sometimes, just *sometimes*, fence posts can rise above that, and live in wisdom. She hopes that the men of the lu eventually regain what's been lost to them.

Vik looks back up at Seaspray and grins, "Yet, a peaceful nature is a good thing, right?"

"Well, we don't look much like baseline humans." Seaspray does her ear smile again even as she tucks her chin to look into her sling. "Yes. They're precious, and so is the one in my belly. I've got to have my daughter before I get too old, so my bloodline continues. These two are boys, my firstborn son, and his slightly older cousin who was traded to me for my brother." She looks up again. "I guess it is. I'm kind of a maverick with that, and used to go out fighting tyraborg with Blackout's army. And I've left lasting dents in destrons in the fighting pits."

Despite this record of mayhem, those lilac eyes are gentle as they laugh down at the smaller people. And then she's humming softly in what's clearly laughter as one of the sets of little ears in her sling moves and the movement is followed by an enthusiastic, "BRAAAAK!"

Vik smiles up at Seaspray. She marvels at the contrasts and complexities of The Backwater's people. Never a dull moment, always new surprises and history to learn.

It's all wonderful and slightly head spinning, and she's loving every minute of it. But her old bod is tiring out. She ain't no spring chicken anymore.

Then the little one makes a very cute sound. Vik smiles broadly up at Seaspray, "hahaha! Aaww, someone's awake and making it known!"

Vik looks over at Aoife, "Destrons? What're those?" Vik smiles widely, clearly impressed with Seaspray's exploits, though she's unsure of the reference.

She looks back up at Seaspray, "There's so much I need to learn yet, but I'm guessing maybe these Destrons and tyra... tyraborg? I guess they avoid ya now, or are they spoiling for more?" Vik looks at the hints of Seaspray's muscle groups under her fur. She's dead sure Seaspray would bring the hurt in a fight.

"I have an idea I'd love to see ya in action Seaspray. That is if you ever get back into knocking heads together again." She smiles widely and thinks to herself, 'this place gets better and more interesting as time goes by.'

"Destrons are the soldier model bots who don't follow Megatron or the fallen. The ones that don't wear the Decepticon badge," says Aoife, her eyes going very green. "And that was Sandpiper trying to emulate his Uncle Jetfire."

Seaspray hums her laughter. "I'm married to a destron Seeker, and part of Blackout's army. Most of them are destron too. So no. They don't avoid me. And the tyraborg are too driven by the instinct to eat and assimilate everything around them for them to have any survival instinct." More humming laughter. "And once you tune in to Backwater TV, you'll probably see some of my matches on the pit channel."

She flicks her ears and glances toward the sound as that bass rumble booms out again and is challenged by the baby burp in her sling.

"Don't tell me Jetfire's drunk already." Aoife face palms, laughing.

"Nope." Seaspray ear-grins. "Just disorderly. He was drinking fizzy when I went to bring Eugenia to school."

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