video: un: swan

[sheriffing]

Uh, hi.

[ can she have points for effort? the wave she gives is more uncertain than friendly, like she's not entirely comfortable addressing the entire network (she's not). she figures it'll work for everyone else the same way it does for her. when Emma has something to offer, she answers. when she doesn't, she leaves it to someone else.]

My name's Emma, and as a lot of you have already noticed, I'm new here.

[ she's been called out on it enough to know that it's obvious. some part of her still doubts everything here and it bleeds into conversation too easily. most people have been here long enough to accept this reality, but Emma's still thinking of home.]

I'm not gonna pretend that my first instinct wasn't to wallow in my disappointment until my family wakes up, but I know there's a lot to be done here. I've seen all of you getting things done here, and I just wondered... how have you been able to use the skills you learned in your home world to keep you busy in this one?

[ because it's time for her to think about taking on a job, and making a difference, and she's pretty sure that doesn't mean a sheriff's badge and a cruiser anymore. so far, she's been part of the clean-up effort, but she needs something else to get by on.]

Back home, I was the sheriff in a town called Storybrooke, Maine. Here, I don't know. How did you know where to start?

Comments

[america]

Whether you're allowed or not, you should probably make time for it. There's plenty enough to occupy us, the last thing anyone needs is a career crisis.

[sheriffing]

With everything else keeping us occupied, there's no time for a career crisis.

[ and hers pales in comparison to everything else.]

What do you do, Steve?

[america]

Well, you're not wrong.

[ Steve laughs a little ruefully. ]

I'm in the Royal Guard. I might give advice, but I never said I was any good at taking it. Signed myself up as soon as I could.

[sheriffing]

You could get some good advice just by listening to yourself.

[ but jumping right in probably wouldn't leave her any worse off than she is now.]

Were you law enforcement or military?

[america]

I probably could.

[ He smiles serenely.

The likelihood of that ever happening is ... probably next to nothing though. Steve can be so stubborn about the most ridiculous things. ]

Military. Though things have changed a little in the last few years.

[sheriffing]

[ stubborn about ridiculous things? oh good, they'll get along.]

Changed in what way?

[ changed in his world, or changed because they're here?]

[america]

[ Emma, meet your new best friend. ]

It's a long story, but if I had to summarize ... [ He looks thoughtful. ] ... well, I started as a soldier, wound up becoming what you might call a 'superhero', then something of a fugitive.

And now we're here as refugees.

Not quite military any longer.

[sheriffing]

Not a fugitive any longer, either.

[ it's because his world ceased to exist, but if he wants an upside that might be it.]

A superhero, huh?

[ might be the only thing she's heard of that carries as much responsibility as the word 'savior'.]

What's your super power?

[america]

Strength, durability ... mostly things that make a normal soldier a stronger one.

[ It's definitely a responsibility he takes very seriously, even still.

The idea of Captain America had evolved so quickly from being Erskine's successful first lab rat; he'd become so much more in those last few years before his planet was destroyed. A hero, a symbol of hope, someone to look up to, a hero of war. Here, the name and the symbol might not mean anything to anyone, but it still feels important to remember, to keep the meaning behind it alive.

Captain America's mission might have changed environments but the message is still the same. ]

When I say I can pack a pretty mean punch, I don't mean that lightly.

[sheriffing]

Maybe, but sometimes the strongest soldiers aren't the most durable.

[ she's never been on the front lines of a formal war, but she's seen people stand up against the villains of her world. like when Henry ate the turnover for her, or Aurora risked her life to protect them against Cora, when Neal fell slipped through a portal trying to protect her from the same fate. it takes heart to fight against someone who'd threaten others, so if he's a legitimate super hero, he has more than durability on his side.

that he packs a mean punch earns some amusement from her. she packs a mean punch, but without any of the extras he's working with. maybe someday she'll learn how to work that into her magic.]

I used to tell my son that I had a super power. Wasn't really the same thing.

[ more a natural understanding of when people were full of crap. it pales in comparison to Steve's actual abilities.]

And then by the time I realized I had... other abilities, I wasn't really sure how to feel about them.

[america]

[ Curiously: ] Other abilities?

[ Steve tends to be pretty humble where his powers are concerned, preferring a little more showing than telling when a situation calls for it. His explanation probably still leaves a lot of questions unanswered but he appreciates Emma's thoughtfulness.

And honestly, despite the crazy things he can do, he has the highest respect for anyone who decides to do the good, right, heroic thing no matter how big, small, strong, or weak they might be. He's had a lot of experience growing up being the opposite of what he is now, physically. A hero is a hero. ]

[sheriffing]

I'm not a super hero, if that's what you're asking.

[ it isn't, from the sound of it. Steve hasn't made any assumptions about her or what she can do. for Emma, it's simpler to lead with what she isn't than to admit to what she is. it buys her a few seconds to decide how much she wants to say. her initial reaction had been to hide her magic to keep people from learning too much too soon, but then she became aware of just how many magic users are in this world.

now she's more inclined to tell others so that if she has to use it, her magic isn't an unpleasant surprise. besides, talking about it might give her a chance to find someone to practice with, even if Steve definitely isn't that guy. ] I have magic, I was born with it.

[america]

[ No, when it comes to magic, Steve is definitely not that guy. He has friends who do possess ... strange, magic-like abilities though.

He doesn't judge. Hell, he's pretty accepting of anything that comes his way these days. Ninety-something years and some bizarre time-travel will convince anyone to keep an open mind. ]

I'm guessing that despite being born with it, it's still a little new for you.

[ He's gathering this from the uncertainty, the way she mentions it. ]

[sheriffing]

Yeah, a little.

[ or a lot, and her tone says as much. she's not sure why she feels compelled to share, but if he wants to admit he's a literal superhero on the network, being the savior suddenly seems a little more normal. there are people around her who've lived complicated lives, its a weird kind of comfort.]

A queen cast a curse the day I was born. I wasn't raised by my parents, and they couldn't remember me. Needless to say, I didn't grow up hearing about magic and fairytales.

I grew up in the foster system, and I learned how to survive on my own. Wasn't really the kind of thing where I was expecting to find out I had a destiny.

[america]

[ Curses? Magic? Fairytales?

It's admittedly a lot to take in, given Steve's own experiences, but he believes her. He's got no real reason not to. ]

Everyone's got a destiny. Yours just happens to include ... well, magic.

[ The way his own destiny eventually included an experimental process and a super-serum. ]

Maybe this is a stupid question, but is this Queen the one who gave you this magic through the curse? Or is it genetic?

[sheriffing]

And curses.

[ because this place, with everyone separated from their loved ones? it feels like a curse, too. Emma is guessing those don't just go away when the world ends.]

It's...

[ it's opening the door up to an unexpected dilemma. the truth is gonna make her sound insane, but so far, Steve's too good a guy to lie to. she doesn't want to get caught keeping secrets when the truth is just going to come out sooner or later. it always does.]

I was born in the Enchanted Forest, and the only thing in that world more powerful than magic is true love. My parents fought to be together and always found their way back to each other, against almost impossible odds. Their love was true. And since I'm their daughter, I get the ... strange magical benefits of it.

[ a pause.]

I swear I'm not crazy.

[america]

Maybe you're not, but a lot of that could make someone crazy.

[ She sounds like she straight up comes from a Grimm Brothers' fairytale, witches and curses and all. ]

I'm guessing the 'happily ever after' bit has yet to come.

[sheriffing]

You're telling me.

[ you're not that far off, Steve.]

I don't think the offspring of two fairytale characters is guaranteed that. Even my parents had to fight for theirs, and right now... it's all kind of up in the air.

[america]

[ Seems like Emma got the short end of the stick if she isn't guaranteed a happy ending, if Steve's got anything to say about it.

Not that he's got any real clear idea what a happy ending should look like. His own hopes and dreams for one are a little complicated. ]

And was that before the Storm or presently-and-after?

[sheriffing]

A little bit of both. They always found each other, but they were always tested.

[ most recently, it was Regina's sister trying to steal her baby brother. nothing is ever easy for her family, it doesn't matter which world they end up in.]

[america]

Can I ask if they're here right now?

[sheriffing]

They're in stasis.

[ she keeps trying to tell herself its good that they ended up here at all, but waiting for them to wake up is harder than she thought it would be. its hard to know if one could even wake up unless the other does; after all, they share a heart.]

[america]

Ah. I'm sorry.

[ He knows how it feels to have loved ones in stasis. For weeks, his best friend Bucky was up in one of those pods in Thesa, sent back to sleep when he'd been down here with him for months.

And the rest of his team, some of them feeling like family to him ... he hasn't seen any of them walking about here, so it's pretty safe to assume they're still in stasis too. ]

[sheriffing]

It's the norm around here, isn't it? Everyone has someone in stasis.

[ but for Emma, literally everyone is in stasis. she doesn't think she has it worse than anyone else, she just knows that her version of dealing with it isn't as reasonable as other people around here. it's time for her to get more productive, that was the point of going to the network.]

If they wake up, I'll introduce you to them.