[A c t i o n & V i d e o]

[greatestgood]

[Action: Waking at the Dream Docks. CW: Involves Grindelwald's whole life/history.]

[He had gone to the docks unwillingly, but trusting that, like Albus, he would return. However he had not expected to see and experience all that he had during his (seemingly) too long slumber. Albus hadn't lied to him - he had caused a war that spread from country to country like a plague. Power and pride had driven him to become a despicable man - a far cry from the man he had envisioned at twenty-two.

But Albus had conquered him - brilliantly - and the Elder Wand had passed onto a new Master. Then he had been chained and locked in the very prison he had designed for those that thought to oppose him. Nurmengard.

Half a century he stayed in a cell, rotting and withering, hearing scraps of news here and there. By the time Voldemort came for him, he couldn't stand. But oh how he had infuriated that spoiled brat.

"Kill me, then, Voldemort! You will not win, you cannot win! The wand will never, ever be yours —"

And the brat had acted according to his nature: he had struck out and killed him. Then Gellert had awoken, back in the Dream Docks and very much alive. He leaves them at a slow, thoughtful pace, relieved at the strength he feels in his young body. Once or twice, he will draw out the Elder Wand and examine it with a look that borders on disgust, yet he won't be rid of it. He needs a wand just in case.

Yet it is easy to tell that his light has been dampened by what he has seen and he will glance at anyone on the street oddly - as if he is unused to seeing others.]

[Video]

I'm sorry for my absence. [He hasn't changed or aged physically, but there is something about him that feels older.] It must have been only a few days? Not even a week?

[How can that be? How can he have seen so much and -]

I trust all of my possessions are where I left them?

Comments

[video]

[chambermusicandtenpins]

[Albus has spent the past few days forcing himself to be calm. He knows full well where Gellert must be, because there would be no other reason for him to be so silent. It has not been easy to force himself to believe that Gellert would come back -- what if the docks kept him, what if something happened to him in their world, what if he came back changed -- but he knew he had no choice. He'd experience their power firsthand. All he could do was wait.

Still, he has not slept a wink since Gellert left.

When he sees the video on the stream, his face bears some sign of tiredness, but his expression is pure, blissful relief.]

It is very, very good to see you back, Gellert. Where are you now? Let me see you.

[video]

[greatestgood]

[Albus's voice is the one he wants to hear the most. His heart aches to the point of pure agony, but he understands this emotion intimately now. He has had a lot of years to contemplate it; to study it.]

You're young, Albus.

[Which is funny coming from him because this body of his is technically younger.]

Not far from the Dream Docks. [Walking is something he is having to become re-accustomed to again.]

[video]->[action]

[chambermusicandtenpins]

[Those first words surprise him, sending a small burst of curiosity through his thoughts. But the rest of his focus is on Gellert, on seeing if he is hurt, on the gratitude of seeing him again. When Gellert tells him where he is, he nods, already planning to Apparate.]

I will see you in a moment, then.

[And then he's gone, the video off, and he's appeared near the docks. He scans for Gellert and then moves quickly towards him once he's spotted him.]

Gellert!

[action]

[greatestgood]

[He is a shadow of his younger self, though his body hasn't changed. When Albus first sees him, Gellert will be examining the communication's device, shaking it and testing it for ill magic. However when he hears the other man, he freezes and holds his breath.]

... [If this is a dream, he will be very upset. Gritting his teeth, he turns towards Albus and gazes at him warily. Yet under that wariness, there is a deep, hungry longing.] How will you greet me?

Re: [action]

[chambermusicandtenpins]

[His initial thought had been to pull him into a tight embrace, burying his face in his neck, risks be damned. But there is such caution in Gellert's face and it pauses him, and he looks at Gellert with curiosity and longing in turn. What has he seen? Has he forgotten their time together and gone far enough to be deep in his cause?]

I would greet you by embracing you and looking you over to make sure you are well. I would hold you as if doing so might keep you from ever disappearing again.

[action]

[greatestgood]

Then what are you waiting for? [His smile is more unhinged than it had been, but oh is it desperate too. He takes a step towards Albus, eager for what the man says he will give him. What pride he has left has been eroded away by the long years and the cold walls of his cell.] Albus Dumbledore, you never lie.

[action]

[chambermusicandtenpins]

[There is concern in his eyes, an unspoken questioning of what has happened, but there is also such deep love and longing in him, too. Without hesitation, his arms wrap around Gellert and bring him in tightly, holding him as if he might disappear again at any moment.]

I have missed you, love. Are you all right? Did anything happen to you?

[action]

[greatestgood]

[The air rushes out of his lungs and he is shocked at the initial contact. No one has touched him in...over fifty years. There are the rats, of course, but he has enough magic left to him to send them far away from his person. Albus is not a rat; he is a wonderfully solid, warm man who always smells faintly of tea and sweets. In other words, he is perfect.

Gellert's arms lift awkwardly and he clings to the back of Albus's shirt, breathing in with a shudder.]

A war... A duel... Then fifty years of silence.

[action]

[chambermusicandtenpins]

[Fifty years? Albus' arms do not loosen in any way, and he holds Gellert as firmly as he can without harming him. There is some reassurance in his presence, but his words are cryptic, and so many fears run through him even as they remain embraced.]

Gellert, what was happened to you?

[video]

[chikapolilla]

[Since the coming of the new folks, Vaggie had been making a habit of looking over the video feed. Most of the time the comm was just everyday happenings and were of little consequence to her. This one too, would have been the same except for one crucial thing.]

[The comm opens and the one-eyed woman appears on the screen. She waves a hand to the screen, signalling the recipient to slow down.]

Whoa whoa whoa. Hold up. You're... back? Which means you weren't here. But you were. So you went... back to where you came from. And now you're here. Again.

AM I hearing that right? Did you... really go back where you came from?

R[video]

[greatestgood]

In dreams, maybe, but it felt real. [Welcome to the Dream Docks, Vaggie.] Have you heard of the Dream Docks? You can rest there for a few days, a week or longer and experience the life you left behind.

[chikapolilla]

[Oh...]

...no... no I haven't.

[The disappointment is painted everywhere on her -- her voice, her posture, even in the bow on her head. The idea of going back home in her dreams only to wake up back here would make the hurt of separation that much more severe.]

You were asleep for several days? No food or bedsores?

[greatestgood]

Bedsores don't appear that soon. [He looks around him warily, twitching at the slightest sounds.] The Docks are equipped to keep you healthy while you dream. If you are called to go to them, there is no use in avoiding it.

[chikapolilla]

...fun.

[No, its not. She's angry. She should be screaming at the top of her lungs, but... she can't. She doesn't want to dream. She hates the very idea of it. She wants to yell, and to fight, and to curse whatever unholy thing put her here. Her memories were hers and the only tether that she had to home. For a second she thought she found a way back, but it was just another dead end.]

[So why did this one hurt so much?]

...did you have a good dream?

[greatestgood]

Not really. [It was a dream of unbelievable power and then a cage.] I live to a ridiculous age - for a man anyway.

[But those years stop mattering when you can't move properly. Or at all.]

[chikapolilla]

How old did you live?

[She didn't really care. At this point she just wanted the sound of conversation. Anything would do.]

[greatestgood]

I was one hundred and fifteen when I was murdered.

[He, like Albus, probably could have kept going for awhile yet.]

[Video]

[li_amaranth]

[Lets just say there's a slightly concerned Kelpie on the other end of the video feed.]

You sound different.

[Maybe not physically but... Li's not an idiot either.]

Let me guess, the docks pulled you in like they did Albus.

[Video]

[greatestgood]

Lithium. [Seeing her is nice, he decides, and he almost smiles.] Yes. I lived the rest of my life in a few days.

Re: [Video]

[li_amaranth]

[If she had been her usual form, her ears would have been back against her skull just from how unpleasant that sounded. Instead, she's frowning slightly and definitely looking concerned.]

Oh yeah? How'd that go.

[Something tells her 'not well'.]

....I'm at my cave right now.

[In other words, come visit.]

[Video] -> [Action]

[greatestgood]

[There is a crack and Gellert appears, unsteady, outside of her cave. His older body would have fallen over from the force, but not this one. He's...young. With all his memories crammed in his head. It's very strange.]

I lived to be one hundred and fifteen.

Re: [Video] -> [Action]

[li_amaranth]

[The moment Li heard the crack, she was at the entrance of her cave, watching him and noting how unsteady he was. Whatever his life entailed, Li was already getting the hints that it wasn't good.]

That's an admirable age for a human. Most die before they hit ninety.

[Action]

[greatestgood]

For powerful wizards it is a bit different. [For powerful, stubborn wizards it is entirely different.] I would have lasted longer if it hadn't been for Riddle.

Re: [Action]

[li_amaranth]

...Riddle? Who the hell is that?

[Already it sounds like someone she'd want to eat.]

[Action]

[greatestgood]

Lord Voldemort. Another Dark Wizard that rose to power after me. [Don't eat him. He's inbred, crazy meat.]