Far From Home

"I don't think so-oh-ho-ah," was what he started to stay, at least, until he felt a persistent buzzing under his shirt, going down the front. He hastily untucked his shirt to create an opening for the bird to fly out, and it seemed to find the light and came fluttering out.

James felt a little silly, now holding his jacket and feeling disheveled.

"I think that's the last of them," he said.

Evaline couldn't help but laugh at the sight, letting out a soft and airy sound as she smiled a little. "Glad you let it free," she said as she got up on her feet and looked at the mess they made. Well, that she made, really. But it was worth it.

"Ready to go and repick all the berries I sacrificed?" she asked.

James glanced up at Evaline with a glint of a smile in his eyes and brushed himself off one more time just to be sure before he put his jacket back on.

“I suppose so,” he said, giving her a nod.

Evaline watched as James put his jacket back on, and she made a mental note to give him common clothes so he would better fit in. The sooner he fit in and was comfortable, the better.

"Come on, then," she beckoned as she waited for him to follow her back down the path. Even if they repicked the berries, they'd probably get back to the Elliots in another hour. By then, Ellie would just be waking up, but would still need a little bit more time before they could ride.

"I haven't yet asked," Evaline said as she waited for James to walk by her side again. "What was your first day here like, before we met? I know you said you thought it was a dream, and I don't blame you."

James once again joined Evaline at her side, but the moment she asked her question, any remains of his smile faded, and he averted his eyes. Oh. Right.

“Well... at first, I actually thought I was still on Nye,” he said. “I woke up face-down in the dirt on a cliff overlooking the ocean.”

Evaline nodded, scanning the area in front of her so that she made sure she led James down the right path so they wouldn't have to backtrack.

"Makes sense," she said. "I thought the same thing back then."

Her memory was a bit hazy, but she certainly remembered that she thought she was in another continent or land. That was, of course, before she fully realized the map of the land surrounding her.

"When did you realize you weren't on Nye?" she asked.

“It— well—“ James started, having to remember, again, that there was no need to be defensive or sarcastic with Evaline. If anyone understood the situation he was in, it was her. And yet, he still felt nervous to explain.

“Probably when Elise led me down the tunnel. She started talking about sectors, and powers, and refugees... and there were little glass lanterns on the walls. None of it felt like Nye,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound juvenile.

There was a lot to unpack here. Evaline hadn't quite given James the explanation of sectors and refugees that he deserved.

But first...

"Little glass lanterns," she repeated, amused by his phrase.

She recalled Nye being archaic and not having much technology. Earth wasn't as advanced as it used to be due to production limitations, so technology was still not particularly widespread enough to reach the average person, but she obviously still knew of it, and had many connections.

"Also known as light bulbs," she explained. "It's powered by electricity. It's not common here because there's a lack of energy storage, but someone who can manipulate electrons could easily recharge it. The lights can also be powered using the sun or wind, but you'd only see them in important structures. Like the tunnel you went down."

James nodded slowly, withholding comparisons to magic, because he knew it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t sure he would remember all of that, but he could remember the same so he didn’t sound like an idiot if it came up with someone else for whatever reason. Light bulbs.

“I see,” he said with a small nod. “Noted.”

Evaline wasn't sure if he was absorbing all this information. It was a lot to take in, and she knew that. But she wanted to help him make this experience feel less foreign.

She made another mental note to give him text resources on all this. Maybe reading it instead of listening would help him understand it better. It certainly would for her.

"I know this must be a lot," she said. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

James glanced at Evaline, and then back out at the path Evaline was leading them on.

“I don’t know what to ask about to be honest,” he said quietly. “But I can’t imagine everyone else will be as patient with my cluelessness as you are at the moment. So... I guess, it would be helpful to know more about the refugee situation. You said the war was over. But it sounds like there’s still something going on.”

Evaline nodded slowly, still leading James around the path. She ducked underneath a short branch sticking out.

He was right; there were going to be people who wouldn't be giving him the same patience she was giving him. But he didn't have to worry about that for now. She wanted him to feel as minimally overwhelmed as possible, but she also knew that was a stretch.

The question he asked was a bit complex, but she figured that if he had any more questions, he could ask. For now, she'll stick with simple answers to not overwhelm him.

"Refugees come from the sectors and the war," she began. "After the war, there have been an influx of escapees from the sectors seeking refuge. Meanwhile, war criminals went into hiding. Now it's harder to escape the sectors, and it seems the government has given up reprimanding any more criminals, so lately there has been a big influx of people seeking refuge who were a part of the war."

Evaline glanced back at James. "Let me know if that makes sense, or if you're confused on anything. I understand it's completely different than what you're used to in Nye."

James was trying to understand, but some of it didn't really make sense yet.

"Can I ask how the war ended? Who... won?"

Evaline glanced at James. She took a few moments to pause and reframe her sentence so he would best understand it.

"The rebellion lost, and the sectors won," she said. "It was no surprise. They had a bigger and more powerful army. More weapons, and more information. It was impossible to plan anything without them knowing."

She had always known it was a feeble effort. Part of her had always wondered how they had lasted as long as they did before she joined, even if it was a small organization.

Ah. So their efforts were all for naught. That would explain the refugees escaping the sectors, then, and the camps that had to be protected, and the meetings in secret.

"How long have you been helping refugees?"