the second occasion

[deepest_magic]

House. Wardrobe. Coats.

Comments

[neverbeatme]

"I thought so! It's very - generally applicable. C'mon in. Any more room in yours?"

[deepest_magic]

"A little but not enough that I took the can opener and tuna."

[neverbeatme]

"Okay. C'mon in and let's see about water bottles and duct tape."

She finds those things - two water bottles, one large roll of duct tape. She shifts a few protein bars from her backpack to Bella's to make room for the water bottles (filled), then rearranges objects until she can fit the roll of duct tape and a pair of scissors, plus two warm hats and two pairs of warm gloves. Now her backpack is much closer to full. She also uncovers one box of matches at the back of a drawer, which she tucks in her pocket along with a small notebook-and-pen. She wears the clockwork watch, and a pair of boots that will be warmer than her shoes but are more plausible for wandering around an abandoned house in summer than actual winter boots. (Whether the digital watch would have worked in Narnia or not, it disagreed with all the snow she piled over it and is now out of commission.)

"All right," she says, surveying their full backpacks once this mission is complete. "Any last-minute good ideas?"

[deepest_magic]

"Um - no."

[neverbeatme]

"Okay. Time to get a ride from Chris."

She goes to Chris's office.

"Hi, are you busy?"

[queensidecastle]

"Not especially," she says, turning away from her desk.

[neverbeatme]

"Great," says Elizabeth. "Wanna drive me and Bella to an old abandoned house outside of town so we can look for dead bodies that aren't there?"

[queensidecastle]

"How can I refuse?" she snorts. "Certainly an improvement on looking for dead bodies that are there. Will you also be wanting a ride back at some point?"

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah, come get us whenever you start worrying that we're out too late."

[queensidecastle]

"Seems reasonable."

Out to the car they go, then.

[deepest_magic]

Bella heaves her backpack into the car with her, trying to look excited about a much less interesting adventure than "save Narnia from witch".

[queensidecastle]

Chris doesn't appear to suspect anything.

[deepest_magic]

How convenient.

[queensidecastle]

She drives them to the abandoned house.

"Have fun, kids."

[neverbeatme]

"With any luck," Elizabeth agrees as she disembarks from the car.

[deepest_magic]

Bella follows her.

"Where's the wardrobe?"

[neverbeatme]

"This way."

Into the house, upstairs, down the hall. Some of the furniture has been removed and some hasn't. This particular room contains nothing but the enormous wooden wardrobe, a desk, and a couple of chairs, but there are marks on the floor where a bed used to sit.

[deepest_magic]

Bella peers at the gap between the wardrobe and the wall.

[neverbeatme]

It's a few inches wide, slightly cobwebbed, but still plenty clear enough to see light on the other side all the way up and down.

[deepest_magic]

"Okay... let's see the place."

[neverbeatme]

"Okay."

She finds the coat she wore last time, and - gives it to Bella, and finds another one and puts it on. Bella is smaller than she is; better both of them in coats that are slightly too big but still workable than Elizabeth in a coat that basically fits and Bella in a coat that's falling off her shoulders and dragging behind her. And she distributes hats and gloves, and settles her backpack on her back, and climbs into the wardrobe.

[deepest_magic]

Bella wraps up warm, puts her backpack back on, and follows Elizabeth in.

[neverbeatme]

Coats. Coats. Coats.

Trees. Snow.

[deepest_magic]

"Well, okay, there goes residual doubt."

[neverbeatme]

"Yep," says Elizabeth. And more quietly: "Okay. I think the first thing we should probably do is see if we can find Tumnus's place, on the off chance that we're in time to warn him. By the way, I forgot to tell you earlier, but he mentioned that some of the trees might spy for the queen, so keep your voice down while discussing anything seditious."