Welcome To Krakoa - Post MoMVerse Adventure

[helpdesk_hero]

Home. Strangely David wasn't as excited to be going there as he might otherwise have been. Home would be complicated after being here, especially if he took memories back. Not that he'd even remotely be the first person to have had a weird experience like this back home.

Happened to the Avengers all the time if they were to be believed.

But the portals were supposed to take you home and... Well, David had agreed. Josh and Laurie had already gone on ahead, only with David assuring Laurie that this wasn't an end for her, but a new beginning. Others had gone too, home or to other worlds or to somewhere they'd never known or cared about. But David? David was there, standing with someone, taking a deep breath.

"You know, you could still choose somewhere else. I mean look at you, the heavy clothes you're wearing, they aren't exactly suited to a tropical island life."

Anders. The man had agreed to go with David, to help protect mutants, to help them find their freedom and safety. It wasn't like Krakoa wasn't doing well for itself, but David was okay with it anyway. He just wanted to be certain. No, he wanted Anders to be certain.

"Say you want this before we step."

Comments

[rebelhealer]

He was really about to do this. Anders was about to go to another world, and leave his old life behind yet again. But, Thedas didn't need him anymore, and even if the new Divine pardoned him, there would be people who still wanted him dead. But, he could have a clean slate in David's world, and a chance to do more good for the people of his world.

Turning to David, Anders nodded, "I want this. Let's go."

[helpdesk_hero]

There was even the upside that, in going to David's world, he might be able to tap into magic without fear of demons. And there was Magik to help him keep them at bay if they did creep up. That woman was good at dealing with demons.

Maybe David was just trying to distract himself from the stress of all of this. He took a deep breath and nodded. If Anders was going to accept this, it wasn't like David was going to hold him back.

"I don't know where this will take us. Could be Krakoa, I hope it is. But even then I don't know, it could be the beach, it could be the Boneyard, it could be anywhere. So what you'll need to do is stay close. I'll figure out where we are, especially if my mutation comes back to me there. From there, we'll figure out a pla."

[rebelhealer]

"Don't worry, I won't leave your side until you declare it safe." It was David's world, and he trusted David. He would probably have to buy some new clothes at some point, but that could wait. There was still time to back away from this, and decide to return to Thedas after all, or find another world to live in. He'd made his choice, though, and he wasn't going to back down.

He was also bringing his two cats along. They were in their cat carrier, which Anders had a hold of.

Turning away from the porter, Anders said, "Goodbye this version of Earth. Goodbye Thedas." Anders turned back to the porter, "Let's do this."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Alright then."

David reached out, his hand finding Anders' to catch it. Better to hold hands for now, to keep them close and hopefully united through the portal. When he stepped forward it was pulling Anders with them, and he stepped into the Porter...

And out onto an expansive, beautiful, pristine beach. Well, pristine except for the portal they had walked out of. For it truly was a portal, large and made of tangled wood, living clearly from the leaves and fruits upon it. The pale violet light shone from it as David dropped Anders' hand and looked around.

When he spotted a glinting metal tower in the distance, he sighed in relief.

"Krakoa," he announced. Welcome.

[rebelhealer]

For a moment, Anders felt fear. Fear of the unknown, of wondering if he was making a mistake after all, and fear that he was truly about to take a huge next step in his life. Then they came out of the other side and those fears vanished. A huge grin broke out as he gazed at the land before him.

Looking down at the cat carrier, he told his cats, "Well my little ones, this is our new home." He looked back at David, "So, what happens now? Is there a place where I have to register or apply for housing?" This wasn't the Earth they were just in, where the government just gave him a place to live in exchange for hero services. "You think there's any clinics or hospitals that could always use another healer?"

[helpdesk_hero]

So many questions, and David takes a moment to breathe in the sea air before chuckling.

"Well, our first step will be seeking out my boss, Jean-Paul. He's going to help us figure this out. Him and Rachel. She'll probably dump Krakoan in your head, you'll need the language. And a few others. Until we figure out what you want, you can stay in the Boneyard, and there is the Healing Gardens here, where our limited number of healers work. Most are from mutant abilities, but some are magic."

So Anders might fit in. Of course they needed a story, and Anders needed to decide if he really wanted to stay here.

[rebelhealer]

Hopefully the Boneyard was nicer than it sounded. "I'll be sure to head over to the Healing Gardens at some point then, after I meet these Jean-Paul and Rachel." Learning a new language via telepathy wasn't something he'd ever thought he'd experience, but it would be a nice time-saver.

Kneeling down by the cat carrier, Anders opened the door and let Prince Honeysuckle and Queen Blossom out, so he could attach their leashes to their harnesses. The cats examined their new surroundings with wide eyes, sniffing the air.

[helpdesk_hero]

Yeah, there was a lot for them to look over, to smell, to explore. David offered a smile to the other and led him forward.

"So, you'll want to pull them away from people unless people offer attention first. Mutants typically know if their mutation is bad for animals, and it's better not to let the animals scare them. And if the cats look upset, just speak up and I'll relay it."

After all, not everyone here spoke English

[rebelhealer]

"I'll keep that in mind. I can also put them back in their crate if I need to." Picking up the carrier and holding the leashes so that the cats will have to stay close to him, Anders gestured forward. "I'll follow your lead."

[helpdesk_hero]

They get lucky, there at the start. They move into the undergrowth and Krakoa seemed more aware of David than normal. Or perhaps it was aware of Anders, because plants pulled back from them at the lightest touch, and yet other bushes or limbs seemed to shield their progression. David gets twenty yards in their walk before he comments on it.

“Krakoa definitely has an opinion about us being here. I… don’t know what to do about that. But it hasn’t attacked you, that’s a good sign.”

[rebelhealer]

Anders watched their surroundings, still keeping his cats close, and wondering if this was a good idea after all. "So the island is alive? And it can think?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Very alive," David agreed as he reaches up toward a tree branch bearing a large, pear-like fruit. The branch bent down toward him, meeting him part way, and David smiled. He answered aloud in Krakoan, thanking the island, and then offered it over to Anders.

"Krakoa is the living island. It's sorta like us, a mutant. It helps and protects us. We help and protect it. Nowhere will you meet a place as alive as this."

[rebelhealer]

"A whole living island. Now that's the sort of thing that would be a fairy tale even in my world," Anders accepted the fruit. It was a gift from the tree, so obviously he was meant to eat it, which would hopefully not make it weird. Anders bit into the fruit, smiling and nodding in approval at the taste. "Thank you, Krakoa." Anders wasn't about to attempt the language until he learned it himself, lest he mispronounce something and insult the island's mother or something.

[helpdesk_hero]

"A few decades ago, it'd be a fairy tale here too. A lot of my world seems unreal when you think about it too close."

He does smile in approval at Anders' kindness to the island. His own talents didn't run in the sort of way that would be able to tell him if the island even noticed, but he liked to think so.

"Usually I think it understands intent and emotion," he said as he continued their walk to the new closer, gleaming tower. "Only Doug can talk to it directly and understand it. The rest of us make do."

[rebelhealer]

"Good to know. I was worried I'd accidentally say something insulting to it if I mispronounced anything. They say that in Orlais, a single mispronounced syllable is the difference between a compliment and calling someone a horse's arse." He eats more of his fruit as he continues to walk with David, contemplating putting the cats back in their crate if they start to get antsy with this unfamiliar territory.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Oh, there are plenty of insulting things you can probably say to someone. Just not to Krakoa itself," David answered with a smirk. Better to let the man fret just a touch.

"Come on, we're almost there. When we get to the Boneyard, we should be able to find you a space to let the cats off the leash. I probably know someone with litter and food too. Granted theirs is more calibrated for a wolverine, but we'll figure it out."

[rebelhealer]

"A wolverine? Someone likes to live dangerously." Anders had seen one or two wolverines in the Ferelden wilderness and knew they weren't animals that you messed with or tried to make pets out of. Still, the cats would be glad to be let off their leashes and settle into a new place to live.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Well," David answered, his voice soft and laughing, "it's sort of a family for them. They're... strange."

There, the trees end before them and they come upon the gleaming edifice. Very nice. So very, very nice.

"Welcome to my home, Anders. While you're here, you're very safe."

[rebelhealer]

Anders gazed around, "Wow." Granted Anders lived in a sewer for a long time, so anything looked good by comparison, but this was still really, really nice. He even found it nicer than the government-assigned house that he'd been living at on the other version of Earth.

"I think I'm going to like it here." Bending down, he picked up his cats, after setting down their crate.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Yeah, I think you might," David agreed with a laugh. "So, downstairs we've got some hot springs. The waters are healing. These first lower floors are sorta work areas. We'll have to go up a few to get to residential spaces. You cool with stairs?"

Because there are a lot.

[rebelhealer]

"Are you kidding? To get anywhere in Kirkwall you had to take the stairs. Maybe I'll take a dip in those hot springs later today." He puts the cats down again, making sure his backpack is secured and lifting up the pet carrier.

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, if he's going to accept it, David can accept this. With that done he grins and starts to race up the stairs.

"I don't have any of my tech on me so I can't tell if anyone's here, but I guess we'll figure that out soon enough. Do you want to see a room first or do you want some food?"

[rebelhealer]

The cats run alongside Anders as he follows David up the stairs. This is good exercise for all of them. "I think I'd like to see a room first, and worry about food afterwards. It'll be nice to get settled in."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Alright. I don't think a guest room will work for right now. They're a bit small for the cats. So we'll put you in a proper room."

He pauses when they reach the landing several floors up.

"Alright, you'll be able to pick one out on this floor."

[rebelhealer]

"I appreciate you being understanding with my need to bring them too." He loves his cats too much to give them away. He walks down the hallway, and opens a random door. "This will do nicely."

Stepping into the new apartment, he puts his stuff down and lets the cats off their leashes, but keeps their harnesses on for now.