currently recovering
from a hiatus.
When he first entered the room, the ambiance was tranquil and silent given the lack of fables present, dare he say dull. However, the stranger’s arrival had immediately perturbed the sense of tranquility or perhaps it was merely Garrick’s senses that were alarmed by this man’s presence in the room. Quite frankly, it made little sense for the fable was certain he had not met or seen the individual prior to this day, yet there was something about them that evoked a long forgotten familiarity. Certainly this man was a fable like himself, otherwise they would not be allowed entrance in this establishment, let alone would they have the ability to perceive Fabletown since it was protected by powerful enchantments. There were no signs that indicated that Garrick once frequented the other fable: surely he would have recognized something in particular about the stranger such as the shape of their eyes or their unique stance, but it didn’t seem to be the case at the moment.
Still, there was a nagging voice in the back of the German’s mind, an unsettling feeling inside the pit of his stomach that attempted to convince him that there was something familiar about the other. It was a rather frustrating situation because neither seemed to have the desire to make the first move and break the ice, leaving Garrick to assess the situation all while trying to comprehend whatever this odd feeling was. Great Odin, he’d been in numerous awkward situations in his lifetime yet this one was slowly but surely becoming one of the most peculiar.
Of course, the warrior could always choose continue ignoring this feeling of familiarity and remain silent, avoiding any further eye contact with the other fable and prolonging the awkwardness. Or, he could refrain from stealing furtive glances at the taller man and quiet the persistent, nagging voice in the very back of his mind by asking the one question that was on both of their minds.
Slowly, Garrick turned his body around so that he was partially facing the other fable that was present in the office, brows creased subtly in both curiosity and reluctance. “Have…we met before?” he drawled slowly in a low and gruff tone of voice, arms folding across his broad chest. “As odd as it may sound, you strike me as familiar”.
Won Bin was sure he spotted the other fable glancing at him. But who was he? His face was indeed unknown to the exiled King but his presence took him back to the time of— No he was not going to go there today. He was already at the edge of his nerves just being in the Woodlands and surrounded by more fables than himself. Remembrance was something he did not do, not to spite the others who were still back there, but for his own sanity and well being.
“Have…we met before?”
And that fact did not go well with the addition of being spoken to unprepared. Lifting his gaze away from the floor he looked over at the younger fable. He was at first reluctant to speak his mind, that indeed the other one looked familiar. Yet a part of him thought, what was the harm of replying to such a question with the truth, if he even managed to. “..Perhaps, but your face is unfamiliar to me.” He replied it as he saw it, something he couldn’t help but sound harsh while doing so.
Taking in his face once again, it was indeed unfamiliar to the male. “What’s your name?” He asked bluntly staring the younger in the eyes. Even with his habit of avoiding things he was after all a King, with all the manners that went with it. One of them to always look a person in the eyes and speaking clearly. Exiled or not, manners were manners and his regal air had never disappeared. He waited for the other’s answer, only then realising they were starting to attract the attention of the other fables around.
With wary eyes he glanced around the other fables as they hurriedly averted their own gaze. Again the sense of paranoia surfaced within him. He gritted his teeth as he avoided to look around. His muscles tensed visibly as he wrapped his arms across his chest, this was exactly why he avoided masses of fables. To be able to blend in and not be noticed.
Following the encounter he had with a certain young lady garbed in red, Garrick made the decision to take matters into his own hands. Idly waiting by and slaving away at filling out redundant, exhaustive reports would do nothing for the cause they shared as well as fought for. Truth be told, he grew weary of biding his time in this place, living a life that was not his own - a life that was not meant for him. The fable felt an overwhelming uneasiness the moment he set foot in the realm of mundanes, but what other options did he have? Remaining in the Homelands was considered to be nothing short of suicidal, yet the man’s mind could not help but dwell on the thousands and thousands of lives that were still trapped on the other side of those portals, doomed meet a cruel fate at the hands of the Adversary or live the rest of their days in fear and horror of what the future held for them.
Such thoughts were by no means pleasant. However, the harsh truth of the matter was that most of them were powerless when faced with this reality - powerless to change it. Perhaps Garrick was being impatient, perhaps his faith was wilting after all these decades of waiting to act, waiting for change. However, today was the day he hoped to end all of that; hence the reason why the young man found himself entering the Mayor’s office with the hope that she could be gracious enough to grant him access to the portal in Fabletown. Suffice to say, the place was as heavily guarded as a royal palace: entering without written permission from the mayor was not only forbidden, but a crime deemed punishable through various means.
Garrick had scheduled an appointment beforehand, thus once he arrived at the mayor’s office in the afternoon, the receptionist had already been aware of his arrival and allowed him to step inside. It wasn’t until he actually set foot inside the office that Garrick felt a sudden wave of familiarity wash over him, his steps slowing gradually as his eyes fell upon a taller figure standing in the room. Thick brows furrowed slightly at this particular feeling, standing beside the other male but at a reasonable distance whilst waiting for the mayor.
The old fable stole another quick glance at the stranger, wondering what could that feeling be. It felt…it felt as if though…he had seen that man before.
“Your presence is requested at the Mayor’s office.”
That had been the only message given by the, what he presumed to be, the Mayor’s “lap boy”. Though he had to give it to them, they were aware of his dislike towards and zero knowledge with the Mundane devices. And so he had to leave for the place he had come to dislike oh so much. Fable town and the Mayor’s office. Sighing he flipped the sign to closed, locking the door and making his way towards office.
After hauling a taxi, it didn’t take him too long to get there. Trusty John was at the entrance, just as he had been last time he had visited. He nodded at at said man and entered the Woodland apartments, bracing himself for whatever he would experience while there. Thankfully the entrance area seemed empty of any fables, except Grimble seemingly snoozing on his desk again. Sighing, for what seemed like the umpteenth time that time, he moved further in and down the halls towards the business office. Glancing at the other fables around he positioned himself against one of the walls, waiting for the Mayor to see him. Why was he even summoned here, he wondered. The only reason he could fathom would be why in getting his ‘expertise’, as they had called in, on the Mundane World. Again he sighed. Why had he bothered to agree to this in the first place?
He glanced down at his watch, watching the seconds tick by for a little while. What else was there to do anyways while he awaited to be called in. Lifting his head he did a swipe of the room and the fables around him. And by no shock he couldn’t recognize any of the faces. At last glancing to his side to see a young man stand he couldn’t help but to arch and eyebrow. He swore he had seen him look at him. He stiffened slightly, a flicker of what appeared to be remembrance going over his eyes or was he merely getting paranoid by each passing moment? He lifted his left hand, drawing it through his dark locks of hair. Fable town never did good to his nerves.
