Court Gossip (Stars Only)

[keytoblivion]

WHO: Open to all members of the Court of Stars
WHAT: STAR FACTION MINGLE LOG! After the audience, it's time to compare notes! and probably complain about the lack of straight forward answers, or something
WHERE: The castle, possibly the throne room, maybe in town? Play it as you like!
WHEN: Right after the Audience!
WARNINGS: S…wearing? Will update as needed?


"Magic."

Comments

[sweariff]

[Bigby notices Sarah's eyes sliding over to the attendant before he sees her himself. His reaction is, all considered, pretty muted and polite — if you could call not making faces or glaring the height of good manners. It takes him all of three seconds to realize what the problem is, and when he does, his eyes flick down to his cigarette... before he takes another drag from it.

The way he exhales, though? Taking deliberate care to blow smoke away from the books? That actually is him being polite.

Sadly, it either doesn't count or make a big enough difference to change the woman's mind. She hurries away like someone's lit a fire under her feet, the same as every attendant Bigby has met in this castle. He's not going to pretend he doesn't understand why, but he won't pretend it's not getting discouraging either. At first, it had been convenient. Now, it just reminds him how disassociated he really is from everyone and everything here, natives and Otherworlders alike.

The silence Sarah and him fall into doesn't seem quite as comfortable anymore. Just heavy and long. It's broken by the sound of Sarah's pen scratching into her paper, drawing Bigby's attention back down to it where it holds, even as she finally speaks up.]

What were they? "Fuck you"? [His chair creaks softly as he shifts in it, the noise louder than the snorting sound he makes.] You can't get more right than that.

[Not even being sarcastic here.]

What's that?

["That" being her paper, and you know what, he's not even going to wait for a response — or maybe he doesn't know how to. Either way, he reaches for the paper to pull it over to his end of the table.]

[notimefordreams]

[She doesn't look up at the question. Instead her smile sort of grows.]

In a way. "You have no power over me." That really does sound like a fancy 'fuck you' if you think about it.

[There she stops a moment, musing a little both to him and herself:]

Then again that might have been more formality than anything. I beat his game so maybe that was all I needed to do. Huh.

[She hadn't thought on it really, given how she had pretty much forgotten the whole thing for a decade. And these last few months had been a mishmash of getting her life semi-together.

During that momentary pause of thought is when Bigby doesn't even wait for a reply to his question. He reaches for the paper, she sees movement out of the periphery of her vision and she does what she would do to anyone out of sheer base instinct -- she drops one of her hands on top of his unless he's quick about moving it of course.

It's a thoughtless gesture and once she flicks her eyes up to him with all the "what do you think you're doing?" teacher sternness, she then blinks a time or two as she rouses herself from a moment of sheer reaction. She pulls her hand away from wherever it landed, over his or on the table or just wherever and the little laugh that rises out of her is entirely, desperately sheepish.]

Sorry about that. You have a toddler around you once, you get pretty used warding off attacks.

[That's not a complete lie either, Toby loved snitching her books when she was a teenager. Either way she passes off the paper completely willingly and he'll find it's probably nothing that shocking. It's a recount of all the questions asked and all the Emperor's answers -- all paraphrased, of course. She is writing them down from memory and she's doesn't have a photographic one.]

[sweariff]

[Bigby's reflexes are fast, but that doesn't mean they're perfect — especially when he underestimates who he's up against. He's not thinking at all when he reaches out to grab the paper, it's instinct and impulse rolled into one, which pretty much makes it a perfect match for Sarah's own thoughtless gesture. Her hand drops over his, surprisingly heavy for being so petite, and it startles Bigby into stillness. His wrist tenses as his hand freezes, laid prone against the paper, and his eyes dart up to Sarah's, looking more than a little dumbfounded as he stares down a woman who, in this light, looks a little like an angry barn owl.

And then it's over, just as quickly as it started. Sarah blinks away her displeasure and offers the most uncomfortable laugh Bigby's heard in a long time, and he's left sitting there with his lips pressed together and his ears heating up, the lines in his forehead creasing as he wonders what the hell just happened.

Now he really understands why kids hate school.

» That was weird.
» I'm not a toddler, damnit.
» Strong grip.
» ...]

Do I look like a toddler to you? [Huffy as hell with a frown to match.] It's a good thing you didn't pick up the pen, shit.

[It's okay, he's working it out of his system like a dog shakes out water from their fur. Bigby takes the paper when it's finally offered to him, more curious than ever to see what's on it, discovering that the truth isn't nearly as interesting as he thought — but still, worth looking over regardless.

When he comes to the paraphrased version of the woman named Ryne's question, he scoffs, a sharp little exhale of air that nonetheless manages to sound derisive.]

This one was such a load of shit. [He taps the sentence Sarah has written with his thumb to show her what he means: "Bring your friends to our side — I'll guarantee their safety. It's the Emperor's answer.] They're telling us everything we want to hear, anything to get us on their side, and people are falling for it.

[There's an edge creeping back into his voice, unheard since the mugging in the marketplace. He looks and sounds disgusted.]

[notimefordreams]

[One would think once Sarah has let go of an uncomfortable laugh she might like any rational or normal person and be even more uncomfortable thanks to Bigby's huffy reaction, complimented by his frown. That would make sense, yes?

Naturally that's not Sarah though. She seems momentarily surprised all over again by his question, brows rising a bit -- and then she snorts. She looks off to one side quickly, bringing her formerly offending hand up to her mouth to cover the entertained grin that rises up. And maybe to stifle back the response she really does want to give to that question. Oh Sarah, that would not be a good idea right now. Goddamn it's tempting though.

Once he taps on the paper though Sarah looks back and directs her gaze down to the paper, hand still up to her mouth for a moment more. She does lower it after a moment though, having drank in those words when she heard them and now doing so again. Her expression mulls and her own tone is matter of fact.]

They are, unfortunately. You can't blame a lot of them though. If they came here like a lot of us did, thinking it was all to help their world.

[There's a touch of sadness on that last part. She can really feel for those people because... well, even she felt somewhat sad for the Emperor during their talk. Even if she equally felt hoodwinked by her well-meaning intentions delivered to a wolf and not royalty.]

Then again, there is that saying about the path to hell being paved with good intentions.

[sweariff]

[Rarely does anyone ever seem to speak with their foot out of their mouth around Bigby. At this point, he's used to it — the weird looks, the snide comments, the I'm-totally-going-to-do-this-thing-you-hate-even-though-you're-right-there gestures, everything. Still doesn't mean he likes it, though. He sneaks another blunt look at Sarah, that frown pressed so hard you'd think he was trying to will her mouth to do the same, but it passes pretty quickly when they move on to the matter at hand.

That's another thing about Bigby: his anger burns bright and simmers low, but it's pretty quick to pass unless it's really warranted.]

And then there's the one about wishing in one hand, shitting in the other, and seeing which one fills up first. [Which is just... gross, the light grimace on his face states, but that doesn't make it any less true.] Even if the Emperor isn't lying, they're going to have a hard time making good on all their promises.

[Hell, he'd be surprised if they even fulfilled one. Despite appearances, they're not all-powerful. That revelation about the wolves (if you could even call it that) proved that much.

Speaking of—

Bigby's eyes go up the list, and when they find the small paragraph designating his own questions, they stop and pensively settle for a moment. His thumb skims along the paper, over the words "war" — "What makes yours so important?" — and "home" — "So why don't you find them a different home? That's what my people did when our worlds fell." — smudging the ink as it goes.]

You heard all that, huh?

[Rhetorical question, but still.]

[notimefordreams]

[Pff. Sarah herself doesn't exactly grimace as much as the corner of her lips twitches again. That's a particularly colorful turn of words, one she's somehow never heard before, and she tucks it away for some future situation here. Because she's got a feeling before her stays over, she's going to need to curse out loud a few good times just to make herself feel better.

The poor ink though. She says nothing about it since it's still legible but really, does he have to smudge it around? These aren't the quick drying ink sort of pens and she really feels that deficit right in this moment.

She props an elbow on the table, settling her chin in head hand. She's slightly leaned forward over the table so she can look at the paper as he references - and mangles - it. At the rhetorical question she nods slowly. She had a feeling the statement had a deeper turn than her own experiences with collapsing worlds but still.]

Yeah, couldn't help it exactly. To be honest I was listening mostly for mentions of magic and the wolf.

[A momentary pause, then:]

I've watched a place nearly collapse before thanks to lack of magic and weakness of will.

[sweariff]

[He nods.] It started to fade away, right? That's what I heard you tell the Emperor.

[And boy, hearing that had been a surprise. Here Bigby thought Sarah was as mundane as they came, but the more he thinks about it, is it really that shocking? All of them saw the wolf, all of them accepted its offer. If you made it this far, you can't be ordinary. Appearances mean even less now than they have before.]

What did you hear? About the wolf, I mean. Besides the fact that it's a god. [Mainly because he's trying to figure out where he should begin with his explanation of things. In the middle of his conversation with the Emperor, he had tried to keep his voice as low as possible, not wanting to implicate Fabletown anymore than he already had, but he doesn't know how successful he was. You never know how well people might be listening, especially Miss Toddler Attacker here.]

[notimefordreams]

Something like that. Fade might have been the wrong term, honestly it broke apart more than anything. That was thanks to the will holding it together fading though so...

[It was still a somewhat accurate description. The magic had certainly faded away.

She takes a moment though to remember everything she heard. His voice had been low enough she hadn't caught portions of the middle but she had caught the end.]

And besides the fact that the Emperor made a contract with them to bring us over?

[She tilts her head some into her hand now, cheek instead of chin cradled there and lets her eyes settle on the paper he still holds. Her expression is thoughtful, mulled into calmness with lines of her sleepless nights new and old settled there.]

Honestly besides you and another woman, I don't think many people asked about the wolf. [Which sort of surprised her really, given how everyone seemingly saw it.] I personally didn't ask because I was more focused on what this war had to do with saving our worlds.

[She flicks her gaze back up to him now, obviously curious.]

I know the Emperor told you to go seek someone out about them. They seemed to be handing out a lot of tasks to people.

[And here all Sarah had asked for was directions to who to begin magic training with. She had been more concerned though with hitting the ground running as fast as she could when it came to protecting herself.]

[sweariff]

[Fading, breaking, all words that mean the same thing: dying. Honestly, hearing that makes him wonder if that world is in as much need of help as this one. One thing that's interesting is that Sarah keeps using the same word — will — and acting like it has some power to it. Which it does, on a symbolic and emotional level Bigby is more familiar with, but the context she's using it in definitely seems like it falls on the magical end of things.

Faerie magic is... strange. There's a reason why it drives people to madness. He makes a mental note to ask her more about that later. For now—]

Yeah. And promises, too. [He props his arm up on his table, leaning his chin against his fist. The cigarette is rapidly shrinking, but damn if he's not going to make the best he can out of what he has left.] I'm glad they didn't exchange that info for one.

[And he means that too. If Sarah is really that familiar with fae and magic, she should know about two of the most important things connected to them: promises and names. Tricking humans into giving either is one of the oldest fae tricks in the book.

Assuming that's what the Emperor is. It's a little hard to tell.]

Whoever it is lives near the God Wood, in something called the Forsvar encampment. [He thinks? It's a good thing one of them is writing this down.] The Emperor said it's going to be impossible to talk to the wolves unless I prove myself to them first, but this person can help me with that. Apparently.

[He sounds tired when he huffs that final bit of punctuation out. Looks tired, too.]

[notimefordreams]

That too.

[There's some misgivings laden in those two words. She had heard more than one person make a promise with the Emperor, things as binding as contracts or even more so, and that had soured her mood more than a little. It was one reason she has simply left the Throne Room after, unwilling to hang around and discuss things. She needed to walk and think, collect her thoughts and her options.

Her brows rise a little at that final bit of punctuation. And then she hums a little under her breath, turning the information over in her mind.]

Sounds rough. Not that surprising though.

[What mystical, magical being out there didn't expect some price to be paid for information? Whether it was through proving oneself or maybe paying in a pound of flesh so to speak, information wasn't free whether the creature was a dwarf with a penchant for shiny bobbles or a God.]

If they live near the God Woods though, they must be pretty powerful. Or at least really in touch with nature. That place didn't exactly feel friendly.

[Her brow now furrows a touch gently.]

Are you going soon?

[She doesn't want to outright ask if he like some others needs to wait for abilities to filter back but there's a light lacing of concern to her tone and expression, much like when she had stopped near that lake to check on the girl wading out into it days earlier. Yeah she barely knows him but that didn't mean she wanted to see him (or a lot of others here) go out and get themselves hurt.]

[sweariff]

[Yeah, that's par the course for enchanted forests. If you think that's bad, you should see the Black Forest. A wry voice in the back of his head reminds him that had been the home of gods, too — or at least what the people of Hesse considered gods.]

I haven't been there yet, but I believe it. It must be under their protection. They probably like humans about as much as whatever other animals live there.

[If he says that a little too frankly like he doesn't blame them, well... it's hard not to. Ancient history is still history, and if there's one thing having a long-lived life has taught him, it's that time seems to move slower and slower the older you get. He can still remember things from a century ago as if they had happened yesterday. It gets worse the further he goes down the line, the further he gets to home.

And being here isn't doing a thing to help with that either. He's experienced more nostalgia and deja vu just by being in this castle than he has looking through old records and scrolls in the Business Office, and he hasn't even seen all of what this land has to offer yet.

Bigby shakes his head.]

I don't know. Whatever I end up doing for this guy probably isn't going to be easy or straightforward. If wolves are involved, I'm sure it'll get violent at some point down the line.

[A pause. He takes another long pull off his cigarette, this one final, and — with nothing remotely resembling an ashtray nearby — puts the end out on one of the ornate, round fixtures on the back of his chair.]

They might be more willing to talk to me if I had more of my strength back.

[notimefordreams]

I ended up there when we first arrived. I don't know about the animals really, there didn't seem to be much of anything there. No predators at least and nothing on the ground.

[It was something she and Lightning both found odd about the place. Later there was a creature of some sort but frankly when Lightning told Sarah to run, that was what she did. And that was part of why she wanted to dive into learning magic and at least some sort of self-defense. Having others fight your battles for you is humiliating after a lifetime of doing so on your own.

She watches him stub out his cigarette, somehow unsurprised he's using the furniture and not just pinching out the end of the cigarette. Does he not have any respect for public property? Sarah turns her attention back to her pen and much like a student fiddling away their hours in class, she slides the instrument through her fingers with a practiced sort of ease. An advanced fiddling gesture, if you will.]

If that's the case you may want to think about taking some people with you. You may have been given the task but I'm sure there are a few here that wouldn't mind talking to the wolf as well if they can. Or if they can't you may be able to get their questions to the wolf answered for them instead. Judging by the ones who spoke during the audience and most of the others I've met, almost everyone here has some fighting experience. So you would be doing each other a favor in a way.

[He's probably already thought of all of this so her words are casually said. It's possible he even had a group of friends here already he can call on. She hums a little, thinking on what she would ask if she had the chance.

What's on her mind first and foremost is how they could help the wolves themselves. They're gods in this place, yes, but if this place is dying and the Emperor intends to abandon it to continue to die, what becomes of the gods of this world then? It's like the Labyrinth collapsing and the hundreds of lives that would be taken with it if it did while Jareth stood and shrugged his shoulders, bastard that he was in the end. The Emperor did intend to take their subjects with them but there were more than just them here - the Gods for one and who knew what else.

They didn't deserve that sort of death anymore than those in the Labyrinth had.]

[sweariff]

[She's got a point there. Well, half of one. The corners of Bigby's mouth wrinkle as his lips press together, half in thought, half in something approximating disapproval.]

I don't really need that kind of help. I know how to take care of myself, I—

["I've been doing it for centuries," a familiar voice that makes his heart ache helpfully supplies in the back of his head, and he trails off for a moment, eyes flicking to the surface of the table as he finishes slowly,]

... I've been doing it for a long time, [he finally says, and that seems to be all he's got to say on the matter, knowing it's a futile point to argue and an even more pointless thing to try to explain. You either get it or you don't, and in a total stranger like Sarah's case, it would just be more baggage on her shoulders. He already feels like he's trickled some down over her anyway.

Bigby leans back against his chair. This isn't where he wanted this conversation to go, so he tries to get it back on track, steer it back to the actual point Sarah was trying to make. After a minute or so of sitting there with his hand swiped through his hair as he thinks on it, he speaks up again:]

But you're right. People deserve to have their questions answered. [There's a small pause as he puts two and two together.] What did you want to ask them?

[notimefordreams]

[She listens quietly, only flicking her gaze back to catch the slight disapproval. When he protests the need for help she doesn't make a sound but mentally she goes 'ah'. Not that she doubts him and his ability to care for himself but she knows enough about protesting help to get some of the back story without needing to ask.

There's a moment of pause when he asks his question. She does want to argue that first point and she'll come back to it in a second. Maybe. It's not exactly her place to chide a grown man.

The question though... well. He's mistaken in thinking that's her point in all of this but she's not going to say she doesn't have one.]

If this world is going to be abandoned in the end, I want to know how to help them. It sounded like the Emperor only intended to take their own people and if the wolves are gods in this place, I want to know what's going to happen to them in the end. I came because the one asked, not the Emperor, so my help belongs to them and and the people here, not this war.

[That's all, that's it. It's a simplistic question and a simplistic sentiment. Yes she's here because she was asked a question and not given a chance to ask any of her own but she came, she's here and she's going to do what was asked of her.]

[sweariff]

[With an answer like that, you'd think it might provoke a noticeable reaction — shock or light surprise at the very least.

Is he actually surprised by Sarah's answer? Yes and no. Her reply is frank, earnest and blunt, and he wasn't expecting that — or at least not with that degree of sincerity. You can see it in his face even if his expression may not overtly read as such; it's attentive and softer than it was before, sharp edges dulled into something more contemplative and somber as he listens to her. So in that regard, yeah, he's surprised.

But in another, he really isn't. Bigby has to remind himself that he is talking to someone who immediately had her mind made up about him when they first met and called him out on it. In public. To his face. Self-preservation doesn't seem like it gets in the way of brutal honesty with her. She is a teacher, after all.]

And you're not angry with them. [His observation is delivered flatly, there's a musing quality to his tone.] Even if you don't care about the war, they did bring you here to fight in it, regardless of whether or not they agree with it. Don't you hold them responsible?

[These aren't accusatory questions, and he doesn't sound judgmental in the least when he asks them. Rather, he's more interested in trying to figure her out and get her to think about the answer.

And maybe he's also trying to decide how he should proceed, too.]

[notimefordreams]

[The question makes Sarah pause for a moment. Her expression has mulled down into something serious and heavy, her thoughts turning to the Emperor and their intentions as well as memories of another bit of royalty and his intentions with his own realm.

She turns her gaze back to her paper now, expression thoughtful but more mellow than seconds before.]

I was sort of ticked off in the beginning, I'm not going to lie. I came to in those woods and the wolf was long gone by then. I couldn't even get a question out or anything.

[She sighs a breath out through her nose, brow pinching together a moment at that memory before it starts to relax out again. And then she shakes her head a little.]

Even if they are partly responsible for bringing me here, in the end I was the one who chose to come. I didn't have to answer after all. I meant what I told it though, that I would do anything to save my world. And I just don't think the Emperor or the Priestess are really the people we need to look towards to do that.

[Saying that out loud in the very library of the Emperor isn't the brightest of ideas maybe, not when she hopes to keep using the Court's services to learn magic as fast as she can. Sarah isn't one to mince words though if she can help it or if she doesn't feel it's necessary. She could keep her tongue in front of the Emperor themselves but she felt there was little reason to do so in front of this guy or any other sleepy library attendants.

Now her brow pinches again.]

I've seen someone try to leave the kingdom they created to die. The Emperor might have a leg up on that bastard for being willing to take their subjects but they had to have help from these gods to even have that option. And then just leave them? Or at least there was no mention of them. And that just --

[Mmh. Her lips tighten together a moment and she fiddles with her pen like it's personally affronted her somehow.]

I'm not going to stand by and watch that happen. Or support it either.

[Not again. If Moppet hadn't come to her yelling at her to help, she might have just blissfully sunk into that dream Labyrinth without another care, a broken and hollow woman accepting a shallow and stupid peace.]

[sweariff]

[The more Sarah goes on, the more Bigby wants to ask: Was that other world really that good to you? Because if what she said about it was true, if its king really is a fae, he has a very hard time believing that.

Fae aren't kind to humans. Magic isn't kind. That's another reason why Fabletown has to stay hidden; mundies can't be trusted with it or around it, can't be trusted not to believe it's like something out of a storybook or — worst of all — a movie where it's nice and sweet and only exists to make life easier or the world just a little less shitty to be in. The truth is, faeries don't pop into desperate teenage girls' lives and whisk them away from a life of boredom or help them get the prince; Bigby can only think of one or two who actually did that without any strings attached. Not all witches are wicked but the ones worth keeping around definitely are, and they're the only ones still alive these days, mysterious magic doors rarely lead to good places and a giant, enchanted wolf is not likely to be your friend. There's no doubt in Bigby's mind that a creature that old and powerful would think of Sarah as being only slightly more interesting than grass or a tree — a present part of the world and nothing remarkable. At best.

At worst, it would think she's completely beneath it and that she's one of two things: prey or a threat. Maybe both, maybe neither. It's a warped, alien view just as a incomprehensible to a human as a faerie perspective. Bigby knew what he was talking about there.

That's why he's very quiet through Sarah's explanation, his hands flat on the desk as he faces her and just. Listens. His expression goes well with the silence, looking contemplative and somber as she hits the right words— well, word. There's one specific one that gets the muscle in his cheek to tic.]

Well, when you put it that way, they still sound like a bastard to me.

[Heh. His eyes drift up from the table to meet hers, the light of very, very dark amusement glinting in them. Doesn't make sense, right? But that's Bigby for you.]

I agree. Actually—

[He cuts himself off for a moment, just a second, because... well.

He's about to do something very stupid. Like, compromising the entire secrecy of a town, going against the whole point of his job stupid.]

... This whole business with the Emperor hits a little too close to home. This kingdom, the war, the wolves, it's... a lot like what's going on back in my own world.

[The muscles in the fingers of his dominant hand twitch, tapping soundlessly on the table.]

I've seen what happens when a world made of magic falls, too. And I've also seen what war can do to it, especially when it's led by a ruler who doesn't give a fuck about anything but winning.

[The Adversary. The Emperor. The Priestess. Bigby runs through all the names in his head like he's reading off a list. A warlord is a warlord. They're all the same.

He shakes his head.]

I couldn't do anything about it then. But I might be able to do something now.

[Something more than hunting goblins and helping people run to a world they have to hide in to survive.]

[notimefordreams]

[She can't help but quirk a grin at the dark amusement. She agrees pretty thoroughly with him there but she feels like she doesn't really need to say it given the look. Instead she devotes herself to listening to whatever he cuts himself off from saying for that brief blip of a second, brows gently raised.

A frown slowly tugs at her lips as the soft beat of his fingers tapping goes largely unnoticed save by her elbow against the table. Eventually she turns her eyes to one side, letting her gaze darken alongside her thoughts. Was this what he talked to the Emperor about in hushed tones? No, she doubted that. She isn't about to pry and ask, choosing to simply soak in this bit of knowledge for a moment.]

It sounds like we're on something of the same page then.

[Her tone is low and thoughtful, mulled like her gaze. If they're on the same page then... well, it's obvious but then again he had protested needing help earlier. Was he the lone wolf type? Probably. And at the moment she can't really offer him much of anything for that quest of his so she would be foolish to offer. But, well...

She doesn't lean back really, instead choosing to fold her arms before her atop the table and lean a little one them. She hasn't exactly been shouting until now but this feels like she needs to say it a little quietly. Again she meets his gaze and hers isn't amused but thoroughly serious.]

Look, I'm going to level with you here. I can't really offer very much right now. I'm going to be apprenticing under the Court Mage and learning what I can. I'm going to learn how to fight from others, as much as I can anyhow. I don't know how long any of that will take and until then all I have is... well, me.

[She quirks a sardonic, dry smile here.]

An English teacher that just happened to make a few stupid wishes.

[Her smile pulls at one corner of her lips and casts a sort of hard light in her eyes. She's not much in the grand scheme of things here, at home or wherever else and she realizes that. She's likely absolutely nothing to those wolves and any feeling she has for what may happen to them probably doesn't matter a bit to them just like she was absolutely nothing against Jareth or to the Labyrinth in the grand scheme of things.

And she doesn't care. She's doing what she wants to do and what she feels is right.]

I want to find a way to do something about this too, whether it's through the wolves or someone else. So let's look for another way.

[sweariff]

Another way without feeding into their bullshit?

[Rhetoric question, but it's nice to hear the words anyway. After going through that entire audience toeing the line and watching others bow and scrape to the Emperor, it feels nice to finally say what's really on his mind without fear of retribution. For now at least.

If Sarah's smile is dry, Bigby's is downright parched. It curves a bit when he hears the way Sarah describes herself and he has to stop himself from adding, yeah, that really isn't much to go by. But what the hell, right? There are plenty of stories out there about ordinary or unlikely people forced into action, enough for him not to count out an English teacher just yet. If that fuck-up Jack could slay a giant, a teacher from Queens has a pretty good shot of doing whatever she wants.]

... Sure. [And the smile slips a notch, just enough moisture trickling back into it to show that not only is he taking this seriously but he believes what he's saying when he adds,] Or at the very least, find somewhere for everyone to go where they don't have to deal with... this.

[His eyes give a quick glance around the room and his head tilts a little in gesture, just enough to give her the impression that he's not talking about the library or the castle itself, but everything beyond it.]

I don't think the Emperor was lying when they said the world is dying. But I don't know that it's worth giving up on just yet. [Although he doesn't have all the pieces to the puzzle to make that particular judgment just yet. Still, it's something he finds himself wanting to believe in regardless until he has a reason not to. Bigby shifts in his seat, the position he takes a little like Sarah's, arms folded, body leaning into them.] These people should have the home they want, not one that's chosen for them. The kind of life the Emperor wants to force on them, it isn't— [He interrupts himself, trying to think of the best way to put it.] ... It's not the happy ending they seem to think it is.

[notimefordreams]

That's a good way of putting it.

[Succinct and to the point. She listens quietly though to the rest of his words, following the quick glance a moment and giving the library a look over. By now most of the attendants themselves have filtered off, she thinks. Or at the very least she can't quite hear any dry footsteps whisking along the rough floors of the library as they were earlier. The mousy little attendant probably booked it out of the room when she could.

His words though make her head tilt a little.]

No, happy endings don't happen in real life.

[She shakes her head gently, eyes still directed off around the library itself. Her words come in the tone of someone who holds no illusions otherwise. She might not have been through wars like he has but she's experienced enough lows in her life, from missed dreams to broken engagements (which she had fooled herself into thinking meant a happy ending at one point), that she can't quite hold up the ideal of a happy ending being a real thing anymore. She hasn't since she was a teenager anyhow.]

Particularly not in situations like these where someone is trying to make a decision for you.

[Sure that's what an Emperor or a King was supposed to do. Make decisions for their populace and lead them. However the populace should probably get a say in it too, at least somewhat.]