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[whittiers-blog]

#i’m either rosa or terry there’s no in between

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belle

As Snow visibly relaxed, Belle could crack another smile herself, and shake the woman’s hand. “It’s lovely to meet you too. It was even worse a few months ago, when I got here. I heard they added a map!” It was just a rumor going around, but it would be a great addition to the brochure if it turned out to be true. “Really, I can just show you around and get off your back if you grow tired of me,” Her laugh was sincere, and she winked to make sure Snow understood it was a joke. “Patching up? So you’re a nurse, then? I didn’t read the file they sent me, I thought it’d be a little rude to know everything about you before you even arrived.” A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. “Sure, a tour! I’ll show you the essentials - the convenience store, the library, maybe the local pharmacy? And there’s this really cute café not too far from here too.”

“I couldn’t imagine what I would’ve done without a map,” Snow admitted with a bashful grin. Her sense of direction wasn’t the best, and Google Maps wouldn’t help in a compound like this. “That would be great, actually! I have plenty of questions--maybe you could help me with them?” She couldn’t tell for sure, but Belle seemed like she was on top of things. She’d probably be useful in terms of knowledge of the compound. “Not quite. I’m a med student, so I’ll hopefully be a doctor in the next couple of years.” Emphasis on the hopeful. “What about you? What do you do, besides being part of the welcoming committee?” The mention of the pharmacy didn’t help ease her paranoia. She probably had more than enough painkillers in her luggage to put said local pharmacy out of business, but her new companion didn’t need to know that. With a smile, she said, “Maybe we could stop for a coffee after we’re done with the tour?”

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daisy

“Yes, it is, but it’s not favorable. ” Before she could continue, her friend touched her arm to tell her that he had to go since their ride was waiting, so she kissed her fingertips before pointing them in the direction of him as a goodbye. It was a common practice on stage as much as it was in her culture. Her hazel eyes then centered back on woman when she spoke again, and despite her plans to shop for Christmas decorations, it took the forefront as conversations almost always did for her. It was how she got sidetracked. “That’s an impossibility. With the winter blues around the corner, I find any excuse to stay indoors with people if temperatures reach below fifty. Ice skating would have to be the only exception.”

Snow watched the man leave out of the corner of her eye before turning her attention on who was in front of her. She wondered why talking to a random stranger seemed more important than a proper farewell, but Snow’s inner doctor was eager to show off what she knew. Filing away the thought for later, Snow said, “It’s hard, admittedly, but spending so much time cooped up with sick people can increase your risks of catching a cold. I know being in the cold is just as dangerous for you at this time of year, but a couple of walks now and then while bundled up well might keep you as healthy as possible!”

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james

The Halloween party had left Hook on edge. There was something about his ex being accused of a murder, even if it was fake, that had made him act a little differently. Because that’s apparently what happens when your life is put into a weird perspective. So, James found himself sitting outside of his dorm room. He was sitting to the side on the steps, just enough so that he was out of anyone’s way, when someone came up behind him. “Move along. There’s enough room unless you’re the size of an elephant,” he waved his hand in the air.

It had become increasingly clear to Snow that she was in the wrong place. When her key didn’t work in the appropriate door, she realised she was probably in the wrong hall. It had looked remarkably similar though, and her awful sense of direction was infamous amongst those who knew her. Unable to remember how to get to her own hall, she had roamed the floors of this one, trying to find someone who could help point her in the right direction. It would be fitting that the only person she had found was in no mood to deal with people. “Sorry to bother you,” she said, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible, “I was just hoping I’d get some pointers. I’m trying to get to the other side of the compound, but I can’t find the entrance.” 

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peter

Immediately, Peter thought that this girl seemed rather uptight. Uptight was not at all his scene. There was nothing he despised more than kids thinking they were adults. Still, he did his best not to roll his eyes. “There’s not really a plank. Or maybe there is. You never know with pirates. But in my world, there’s not. It’s a metaphor. That’s what that’s called, right?” he instinctively leaned back against the table she sat at. “And we’re not gonna meet here, obviously. Once we’re formed, we’ll be way more exclusive,”

The more Snow heard this guy talk, the more confused she felt. Everything felt nonsensical and she couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not--“Oh, this is all a metaphor?” It was nothing Snow could make sense of, but it made her feel a little better. “That’s what they’re called, yes--at least when you’re comparing something by saying it’s something else.” And now Snow was talking in riddles. It wasn’t like grammar had been her forte, though. Still a little curious, Snow said, “Seems like the criteria for being a lost boy must be pretty picky, then, if it’s going to be that exclusive.” 

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ariel

Unless the young woman near her was some sort of celebrity or political scion she didn’t know about, there was no guarantee she knew who she was supposed to be. Peeking up from her book, she pursed her lips together as she tried to run the answers to all of her questions.

Wedging her index finger in between the closed pages of her book, Ariel opened her mouth, looking up at the ceiling briefly before answering. “Well, I guess you could consider me part of the welcoming committee? I’m really not, but they should consider me for it,” she joked, chuckling to herself. “If you consider me whispering and trying to get my voice back without sounding like a dying cat, then I probably am sick?”

It took a moment for Snow to realise that the girl was talking to her. She could barely hear what she was saying. Although she’d been convinced the girl had called her name, she wasn’t so sure of it now. Her name had been said so clearly, and this girl’s voice was barely raised past a whisper. Had it been her? Was she pulling her leg? Snow moved closer, trying to make out what she was saying.

“It was you who called me, wasn’t it?” She asked, wanting to make sure she wasn’t hearing things. “If you were on a welcoming committee, you’d know my name, right?” Was she on a welcoming committee? Snow hadn’t made out everything the other girl had said, so she could be wrong on that front. Moving closer still allowed her to hear better, and her own concerns were put aside for a moment as she pondered the other girl’s question. Trying not to sound like her textbook, she said, “It depends what caused you to lose your voice in the first place. If it was laryngitis caused by an infection, I’d call that being sick. But voice loss isn’t always caused by disease--so while it’s a condition, it’s not always an illness. Maybe the right question to ask is: did you feel sick when you didn’t have a voice?”

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megara

Megara arched a brow. She hadn’t expected to be asked that. She was momentarily caught off guard. “Whiskey, wine, nicotine, crime drama, old movies, psychology, mythology…” she rallied off a few of her interests quickly, unsure of what the girl actually wanted from the question.

“You could’ve just said alcohol, you know,” Snow said with a little laugh. “Unless you’re not fond of anything other than whisky and wine?” She could understand that. She liked wine herself, but after a wild night in her second year of college, Snow couldn’t even think about tequila without feeling ill. “I always wanted to take a psychology unit at school, but I never had enough units. It always sounded so interesting.” Snow hoped she would elaborate further. She found the other girl’s interests eclectic, but intriguing. 

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daisy

During this time, the cold weather in her hometown would start to have an effect on her. The usual stuffy nose and sore throat would be proof of that, and she was telling this to a friend as they stood in the lobby. They told to her to go see someone named Snow Whittier in the compound, unknowing that the woman was nearby until she spoke. “Oh, no, it’s fine. I’m perfectly fine. The climate here hasn’t been too insane for me to feel under the weather. I was speaking in the past tense.”

It was interesting, and quite heartwarming, to realise that despite her short time at the compound, people still turned to her if they needed medical attention. It seemed pretty obvious--she was an aspiring doctor, after all--but despite how close she was now to the real thing, it was nice to know that people trusted her to take care of them. Even though the woman in font of her wasn’t sick, she could still give her some advice. “The climate is pretty mild here, isn’t it?” It was no Washington D.C., but it was definitely cooler than Tuscon. “I’m glad you’re alright now. But as the temperature drops, I’d probably try not to spend too much time with people in closed spaces. You can’t be too careful.” 

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belle

For some reason, Belle kept putting herself out there, kept forcing herself to step out of her comfort zone and interact with more people. She’d signed up for the weird buddy system the compound liked to advertise, to show new people around and get them settled in. “My name is Belle, I’ve been assigned to show you your dorm and tell you what you need to know.” Why they didn’t assign actual staff to do this, was a mystery to her. They’d left the astranauts to their own devices before, which had annoyed her immensely. Perhaps that was why she’d signed up. “Injured? No, no, nothing of the sort!” A nurse, then?

It was just a welcoming committee. The tension seeped out of Snow’s frame, and the smile on her face grew as she relaxed. No one was looking for her--at least not yet. “It’s nice to meet you, Belle,” she said, offering out her hand to shake. It wasn’t a lie. “If I’m being honest, the welcoming package was a... little bit lacking on certain things, so a buddy would be great.” Snow locked her door with a twist of her wrist, before turning back to the other woman. “People only usually call me if they need patching up or--”

The way Snow had almost revealed her secret almost immediately after meeting Belle was a testament to easily the other woman had put her at ease. Instead, she cleared her throat and tried to gloss over her hesitation. “I’ve found my dorm, but I wouldn’t mind a tour around the compound. Or at least, your favourite cafe in the area.” 

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megara

Megara arched a brow. “-I mean, I’m all for public health,” she murmured. “But I wouldn’t call it an interest,” she added. “Why were you talking about it?” she asked, mildly bothered, mildly puzzled.

“As you should be,” Snow said automatically. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from going on another rant. “Sorry. I don’t even know how I got there--sometimes if people talk to me too long, I’ll always end up rambling about it.” It had been something she’d been passionate about since she was fifteen or so--she couldn’t help it. Clearing her throat, she said, “So. What are your interests?”

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eris

“I was just making sure I was right,” Eris said with a light chuckle. She was making a point to know everyone at this compound. She couldn’t plot world domination if she didn’t know everything about everyone. Besides, she had a habit of messing with nice people. And this girl was like a deer in headlights. Clearly uncomfortable, but still smiling. Eris wondered what made her frown. But that was for another day.

“Are you a nurse, then? With a name like Snow Whittier I could only imagine what you’re capable of.”

“Don’t worry, you were.” Snow kept a wary eye on the other woman, her smile still intact. The other woman didn’t seem suspicious, but she wasn’t answering all her questions. “You seem to know a lot more about me than I do you. What’s your name?” It hadn’t escaped her notice that the other woman hadn’t offered hers in return. 

She shook her head. “I’m an aspiring doctor, actually. I’m in my last year of school.” Or she had been, at least. “I’m taking a year off. I felt like some life experience would help me do better after graduation.” 

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“Yes, I’m Snow Whittier.” Quickly scanning her eyes over the person--looking for injury or concealed weapons, it was reflex at this point--Snow’s gaze eventually settled on their face. “Who’s asking?” 

What else did they know? Had the whole compound been informed she was coming, or was this person part of the welcoming committee? Did they know more? Clearing her throat and trying to hide her discomfort, she tried for a small smile. “Are you looking for me for a reason, perhaps? Are you sick? Is someone injured?” If they knew her name, surely they knew what she was supposed to be doing for a living.

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The truth hurts more than fiction.

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peter

Peter stood up on top of the diner’s table and cupped his hands around his mouth. He got some strange looks from those around him, but he ignored it. At this point, he was pretty used to it. And besides, he had to get his message across! “Attention, attention, food lovers! I’m searching for a new hideout for a new troupe of Lost Boys. I’m open to taking suggestions from fairies and mermaids, but any from a pirate and you’ll surely walk the plank!” Peter clapped his hands together and then jumped down swiftly, half expecting applause.

Three immediate thoughts that went through Snow’s mind as she watched the guy standing on the table. The first was Are the Lost Boys a gang? The second was of a mental list of the local gangs in the area, and the realisation she’d never heard of a Lost Boys gang before. The third was that it was too early to think of a list of gang names without having had some coffee, and was it weird that’s where her mind went? She probably should’ve been more concerned by what he was saying. “Walk the plank?” She echoed. “Can the group not... meet in the diner?” God, she really hoped the Lost Boys weren’t a gang. The coffee was good here and she wasn’t willing to give it up.

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megara

Megara shook her head, shutting her eyes momentarily. “Sorry, what were you saying? I completely zoned out,” she admitted.

“--the importance of public health infrastructure,” Snow finished. She felt herself come back to earth, the heat rising in her cheeks as she realised she let herself get carried away again. “Sorry,” she said, with a sheepish grin. “It’s not what people normally consider an interest, is it?”

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pinocchio

Pinocchio was wandering around the compound, wanting to get some semblance of bearings. He’d never been anywhere this big without his dad being around, and he knew his eyes were wide and he probably looked like a lost child. But he was really having fun. It was an exciting place. He hopped up on a bench for a better view, and ended up catching someone’s eye.

 “Hi!”

All things considered, Snow thought it was reasonable for her to be extra jumpy. It didn’t make it any less embarrassing, though. The young woman let out an undignified screech, one hand clapped over her mouth and another against her chest. It took a few deep breaths (five to be exact) before she felt ready to speak.

“Hey there. You gave me quite the fright, kid!”