ways_infirmary | (no subject)

After her conversation with Tom the other night, Tonks thought it might not be a bad idea to pop by the infirmary and check up on the poor girl.

The door creaks open, and a bright pink head appears in the doorway. "Anyone at home?"

Toto lifts his head; Dorothy stirs.

"Oh!" She props herself up, touching her head absently. "Oh my. I had the strangest dream--" She looks at Tonks clearly for the first time and gasps, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my goodness! Your hair!"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. 'S pink. No worries, it's just magic." A grin, and she walks fully into the room. "I'm sorry to've woken you, I just-- I heard you were here and thought I'd check in on you."

"It's so pink! I've never seen anyone with pink hair before, and yours is like--oh, it's like rainbows! Is it really magic?"

Giggling a bit, Tonks pulls a chair up beside the bed and skritches Toto behind the ears. "Yeah, it is. I can make it any colour I like. Just happen to be really keen on pink... Oh, I'm sorry." She sticks her hand out. "'Dora Tonks."

"I'm Dorothy Gale." She shifts around to sit on the bed, and shakes the woman's hand. "Am I in the hospital? I remember there was a twister, and I got shaken up--"

"Oh, blimey. And you're--" The witch chews on her lip, trying to figure out how to explain. "You're sort of in hospital, but not really. This is the Milliways infirmary. Which I know doesn't really help, but it's a start."

She hugs Toto unhappily, frowning. "What happened? Are Auntie Em and Uncle Henry all right? And the hands?"

"Oh dear." An apologetic look. "I'm afraid I don't know those people, Dorothy. You're someplace-- someplace else, just now. Really, really... else."

"I've heard that twisters can pick things up and carry them away," she says, worriedly. "Am I in England?"

"Not... not as such, no. Though you certainly seem to have been carried a long way. You're at a place called Milliways." A pause. "It's sort of at the end of the universe. And by sort of, I mean... it is."

She hugs Toto again. "I--I don't know that word. Am I--over the rainbow?"

She looks around the room, at her own hands. "It's just--there are so many colors here. Even on Toto and me." She strokes a blue satin ribbon around the little dog's neck.

"...There aren't any colours where you're from?" Her brow furrows. "And I s'pose you could call it 'over the rainbow.' As good a description as any I've heard."

"Oh, no, of course there are colors. But the colors here are so strong."

"Hardly anything is, well, like your hair or anything in Kansas. Just rainbows and bluebirds."

"Huh! That's... well, it's kind of sad, actually. I'm quite fond of colour, as you can imagine."

A wrinkle of her nose, and her hair changes to green.

"Oh!" Dorothy gives a little shriek, covering her mouth with her hand, and breaks into giggles. "Oh my goodness, that's wonderful. You are magic!"

A slightly cheeky grin.

She might be showing off.

Just a little.

"So who's this, then? Did you say he was called Toto?"

The witch pets the dog again, getting a bit of a lick for her trouble.

"Yes, this is Toto. He's my friend." She strokes the dog's side. "When I went to live with Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, I was very lonely. They're very nice, but they're grown-ups, and running a farm takes a lot of hard work. There isn't much time to play with a little girl."

Her ears perk up at that. "You come from a farm? An American one? My husband grew up on a farm in Washington state. His parents still live there. He was the only kid there, too, though I do think he quite liked it. But you're right, it's a lot of hard work."

Dorothy smiles. "Our farm is in Kansas. It's awfully big--we have three hands who help us. They play with me sometimes when they aren't too busy, but Auntie Em gets upset."

"Do you live on the farm together now?" she asks.

A shake of her head. "No, we live here, actually. Bernard runs this place -- Milliways. It's sort of a pub and an inn and a restaurant, all in one." She pauses, wording the next carefully. "There's rooms, if you find you need to stay a while."

Concern begins to return to her face, and her eyes are beseeching. "Can't--can't you help me get back to Kansas? I'm sure Auntie Em and Uncle Henry will be so worried. I did such a silly thing, and they don't even know I came home--they think I ran away." She begins to tear up.

"Professor Marvel said Auntie Em had gotten sick worrying about me, so you see, I've got to get home again."

Biting her lip, Tonks covers Dorothy's hand with her own. "We can try. But sometimes people get stuck here, and can't leave for a while. So be prepared that it might be that way for you, too."

A gentle squeeze of her hand.

"It's a nice place. Loads of interesting people."

Dorothy blinks back her tears, trying to be brave.

(Have a little courage, that's all.)

"All right," she says in a small voice. "Are the people here nice? Do they--do they like little dogs?"

"A lot of the people are really nice," she says softly, still holding Dorothy's hand. "But some of the people aren't, so do be careful, okay? And yes." A grin. "Little dogs are quite welcome. I've got one of my own."

She smiles, a little bit.

"How do I know who I can trust?" she says quietly.

"Can't always tell straight away," she replies honestly. "But you can always come to find me or my my husband, if you're scared or need help. He's got bright, bright red hair and always wears black clothes. Our home is at the end of that hallway" -- she points out the open door of the infirmary -- "and you can knock on the door whenever."

"All right," she says. After a little pause, "You're going to have a baby, aren't you?"

"Any day now, yeah." Tonks laughs. "Hopefully sooner rather than later. I'm ready for him to come out."

She laughs, a short giggling squeak. "Do you already have children?"

"We adopted a little girl called Sunny just about a year ago. She'll be three in May." Tonks grins proudly. "But this is our first baby, so we're a little nervous."

"I think you'll be a very good mother," Dorothy says earnestly. "You're very kind. Thank you."

The witch flushes, pleased, and her smile widens. "Cheers, Dorothy. And you're quite welcome, it's my pleasure. You're welcome to stay in the infirmary long as you like, but whenever you want to go into the bar, it's just through there." She points in the opposite direction of the flat. "Even if there's no one tending, just step up and ask for anything to eat or drink, anything at all, and you'll get it. That's magic too, you see."

She slips down from the table, still holding Toto. "I... think I'd like to go out and see, please," she says, slowly.

"Okay." Tonks stands too, and gives Dorothy a reassuring smile. "Remember what I said -- last door down the hall."

She smiles bravely and nods; and goes (http://www.livejournal.com/community/milliways_bar/10417234.html).