open post: further up and further in

[magicianking]

Eliot hasn't been depressed, per se, because it's sort of impossible to be depressed in Fillory. There's too much to do, these days: rebuilding Castle Whitespire, helping Josh and Poppy with the baby, and generally trying to run a post-apocalyptic-but-now-pretty-much-fine magical kingdom. Being High King of Fillory is, not to be totally cliche, Eliot's calling, and he's found a peace that he never had before. But it still sucks absolute balls that both Quentin and Janet are gone.

When Janet had first disappeared, Eliot had devoted all of his kingly resources to trying to find her. None of their world-jumping buttons had been missing, so he'd promised a knighthood and a castle to anyone in Fillory who found the missing Queen Janet.

"She won't love being treated like a damsel in distress like this," Poppy had told him.

"Well, if you have a better idea," he'd snapped, and that had been that, until a letter had arrived in the gazing pool. It had been frustratingly contextless, but obviously from Janet.

"Where is she?" Josh asked at the next meeting of the monarchs.

"I don't know. She's trapped, but she seems more annoyed than in danger."

"So she's in another universe? Since she had to use your telegram thing?" Poppy asked.

"Seems likely."

All of them had lapsed into silence.

"Should we call off the Queen hunt? Some of them are getting a little Don Quixote out there," said Poppy.

"No," Eliot had decided. "Just in case." Damsel in distress, Janet was not; but hell if he would ever be the one to give up on finding her.

--

Eliot's on his way to check on the progress of Castle Whitespire, wandering up the path from the comfortable townhouse he's been staying in, when the ground changes abruptly beneath his feet. He stumbles, and when he looks up--Dorothy, he is not in magical Kansas any more. Not in Oz any more? Whatever. The energy of wherever he is is totally different. He doesn't think it's Earth, either, despite the fact that he's in front of a huge Earth-style mansion.

"What the fuck," he mutters, and opens the door.

Comments

[sorrowandsorrow]

Fortuitously, maybe, or whatever, Janet's walking past the front door, staves strapped to her back and boots up to her knees. Mostly, she's thinking about how she's supposed to make Crowley, of all people, look sexy for a nude calendar -- and then she's not thinking about that even a little bit.

"You!" Her face tries to split into a giant grin. It also tries to turn thunderous with annoyance. "I've been waiting forever for you, asshole!"

[magicianking]

"I've been waiting for you," Eliot says back, grinning. More relief than he thought he'd feel courses through him. Of course Janet's okay, she's Janet, but he feels like he can breathe again. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to be on Josh and Poppy duty by myself? I've had to babysit, for god's sake." He pulls her into a tight hug, then releases her. "Where the fuck are we?"

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan is setting out a sign on the welcome table indicating that social events will be ticking up with the season: the play is back on, and the lecture series shall finally be set in motion. "Just a moment," she calls as the door behind her opens, moving on to posting the (extremely fake) chore chart she's devised for Crowley.

[magicianking]

"Oh, hey," Eliot says. The woman in front of him is beautiful, but not so beautiful that he's worried about her being some kind of evil spirit, or something. Not that he couldn't deal with that, but it's always good to be cautious about random hot people who may or may not have brought you to their magical house. "Excuse me, but do you know where I am?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Oh, you poor baby," Janet drawls, still grinning into the force of that hug. They've been apart for long stretches of time before, Eliot off on his stupid quests while Janet actually kept the damn kingdom running, but shit, she's glad to see him. "We're in -- it's so stupid. It's another world, but I didn't go through the Neitherlands to get here."

[magicianking]

"Curiouser and curiouser," Eliot says. "I didn't think all this magical world shit could surprise me any more, but what do you know." He looks around. "This your place? I didn't think this was your decorating sensibility. It's very English."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Ugh, isn't it?" Janet rolls her eyes. "I live here, but it's not mine. It's communal. Like being in the Physical Kids' cottage forever, but bigger and weirder. It grows rooms when it's bored."

[magicianking]

"Well, how fun of it," he says sarcastically. "Now, don't tell me you've found somewhere better than Fillory and have decided to stay forever." He tries to sound flip, casual, but he can't think of many other reasons Janet hasn't come home yet.

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Aw, would that hurt your ego?" Janet pauses. Slipping into sincerity isn't exactly the easiest thing to do around Eliot, but fuck it. She missed him. "No, I just can't figure out how to get the fuck out of here. And trust me, I've tried like hell."

[untamedantinous]

Enjolras glances over, practice rapier slung over his shoulder as he heads back to his room. He lifts an eyebrow at the apparent new arrival and nods shortly.

"Good morning." Is it morning? We may never know.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Yes. You're in a different world to the one you've just come from. I can't imagine you're caught here; it's one of those days, so you ought to be back to wherever your home is by this time tomorrow."

[aflashbastard]

"--if we ever get internet service here, I think I'd show Aziraphale BookTok and watch his little angelic brain implode. Metaphorically, of course. Though like I said, we've both been shot before--"

They turn the corner and spot Eliot. For G-- S-- Someone's sake, when will they be done inspecting ankles??? Crowley's had enough of it! "Ankle," is all he says to Eliot.

[sagramore]

Another hopelessly handsome man he's going to have to menace because he loves his daughter. Sagramore glowers. "Now," he adds.

[magicianking]

"It would, just a bit. Huge blow to the Fillory tourism board. But shit," Eliot says. "This place must have insane security, if you can't get out."

[magicianking]

"Well, hello," Eliot says. This guy is gorgeous. "I'm High King Eliot, of Fillory." The rapier makes him think maybe he's the kind of guy who thing king thing would work on.

[magicianking]

"You'd be surprised by how unsurprising I find that," he says. "High King Eliot of Fillory. Nice to meet you."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Eliot!" says Susan, whirling from her work to take this newcomer in in full. "Janet's Eliot?"

[magicianking]

"Whoa now, gentlemen. Buy a guy a drink first," Eliot says easily. Both of them are kind of hot, especially the glowering guy, in a total daddy way.

[magicianking]

"You know Janet?" Eliot smiles. "Yep, I'm hers, though not like that. You'd think Fillorians would get I'm not interested in women by now, but no one can resist royal gossip."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan ignores... most of this. "Oh, she'll be ever so pleased that you're here," she sighs. "I'm Susan. Queen of Narnia, incidentally, though I imagine if Janet's not heard of it, you haven't either."

[untamedantinous]

Enjolras blinks and sets his rapier down against the floor. "A word of advice for you, monsieur: I would not lead with the fact that you are a king. There are some here that may take offense." There's the barest trace of a smile playing about his lips, hard to miss if you don't know him well; but he does not sound very amused. In fact, he sounds very nearly cold. "One might even call them revolutionaries."

[magicianking]

"I'm afraid not. Is this Narnia, your majesty?"

[magicianking]

"Oh, hey, come on," Eliot says. "I'm a totally benevolent king. No oppressing or anything. The Fillorians love me."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"I'm afraid not. It's yet another alternate world."

[magicianking]

"Some kind of magical queen-napping dimension? Sounds like it's being run by a total perv with a very specific fetish," Eliot observes.