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

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"I don't believe introversion has got a great deal to do with enthusiasm and participation," says Susan, who has, of course, read a great deal of the original Jung. "You asked what I would change. I produced an answer."

[magicianking]

"I'm just trying to make conversation. I hope people get more enthusiastic for you." Eliot himself is getting less enthusiastic.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan decides to indulge in the little flare of anger she's feeling at his dismissive air. "You'd like to make conversation! Lovely. Have you moved past the portion of our little chat where you're blatantly trying to size me up against what you imagine a good friend to Janet might look like - which I assume you're basing on yourself - whilst casting subtle aspersions toward her past relationships in a way that frankly reads as you being rather unsupportive of her? Or perhaps the bit where you're making assumptions about who I am what my traits must be based on what seems to be rather a myopic worldview? Because I should like to get to know Janet's best friend a little better but it's rather difficult when you're behaving unpleasantly."

[magicianking]

"Janet is my best friend," Eliot fires back. "I haven't seen her in months. I'm well within my rights to try to make sure she's okay, and that her friends don't totally suck. You have no idea how supportive of her I've been, ever since we met. Yes, I'm casting aspersions, because you should know as well as I do that Janet has unfortunately low standards sometimes. I'm doing my best here to try to deputize you into helping her the way I did, because I may never see her again! It's one of the worst losses of my life." Eliot's breathing hard, surprised by his own passion.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan tilts her head, eyebrows raised, her flare of anger shifting into something more thoughtful. "Deputize me! Pray tell what, precisely, you mean."

[magicianking]

"Give her good advice. Stop her from making bad decisions, or comfort her when she does. That's what I always did. And she did it for me, when I was stupid about boys." Eliot chooses to leave out that they sometimes made bad decisions together, because Janet doesn't need Susan doing that with her.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Janet is an adult woman who can make her own decisions without being coddled like a child, and she hasn't made any bad decisions or needed sanctimonious advice for as long as Susan's known her. "Very well."

[magicianking]

"Okay, cool." Eliot can tell Susan isn't really up to the task, but at least she's not being the unfun kind of bitchy any more.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan, meanwhile, is beginning to suspect Eliot might be - what was that word Janet used one of the times Susan was complaining about Enjolras? Ah, yes. Sexist. What a tremendously useful word.

It's only because Janet genuinely loves Eliot that Susan says, "Well, I shouldn't want to monopolize time you might spend with Janet."

[magicianking]

"No, yeah, totally," Eliot says. He's sort of sorry to let her go, but on the other hand he does better making friends over a much longer period of time. "It was nice to meet you."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Likewise," politely. "She's almost certainly on the Welters field right now. You can't miss it. Straight down this hall, third door on your left."