other worlds than these

[dividedgirlofmine]

Who| Susannah Dean and anyone
What| Susannah thought she was going back to New York. This place is not New York.
Where| Tribute tower, all around.
When| Today!
Warnings/Notes| Possibility of Detta Walker showing up.

For gutless sons of bitches who were planning to send her into a death match, the people of the capital had been pretty cordial. They'd given her clothing--quality stuff, even if some of it wasn't really the kind of thing Susannah would wear outside of the bedroom--and even rustled her up an electric wheelchair.

She was riding it now, going from floor to floor and room to room in the tribute tower, trying to get the lay of the land--which definitely wasn't the Central Park, New York City, that her dreams had promised her lay beyond the door. Roland, she thought ruefully, had been right about it all being a trick.

What in the world was she going to do now?

Comments

[dividedgirlofmine]

"That," Susannah says ruefully, "is a very long story. Even summing it up'll take a while. You might want to find a place to sit down."

While she gives him a chance to do that, she adds, "And I'll warn you, the Roland I know is different than the one you know. Older. Forty years old, at least, and I suspect much, much older."

[tis_allgood]

"You're in luck, I'm a man who will always hear a story. But why not follow me? It might be more comfortable in my room."

He leads the way back toward his room.

"All I can imagine when you say that is the man I know only taller and wider. He has seemed old for some time already now."

[dividedgirlofmine]

"My, Sai Allgood, how very forward of you," she teases, rolling after him. "We've only just met, you know."

It's easy to tease Cuthbert, she finds. Easy and comfortable.

After a moment, though, she laughs--odd that she can still laugh--and shakes her head. "I think Roland was born old," she agrees.

[tis_allgood]

"We have only just met, but you know my dinh and that is worth a bit of faith on my part. And yours, or you would not follow."

He flops down on his bed once they get to his room. There's nothing all that special to see, he hasn't gathered too many personal effects yet, but his bed is unmade and it generally feels lived in.

"There was a time when he seemed young, but I think now that it might have been simply a mask he wore until he could be old believably. Now tell me how the two of thee crossed paths, I would hear of how he fairs in a time when I may not be by his side."

He doesn't really believe in his heart that he will walk with Roland to the Dark Tower, he has already accepted that.

[dividedgirlofmine]

"To tell you the whole story of my time with Roland," Susannah says, "would take hours if not days--and I can already tell that time here is not so soft as it was in the world we've both left behind. But I can tell you a little now and gradually a little more until you can piece it all together. I met him when he drew me from the world I was first from, through a magical door on the shore of the Western Sea. He'd done the same to Eddie, the man who was to be my late husband, already..."

And she tells him about the Drawing Roland had done, though she glosses over Detta's involvement in the events as much as she can, lest her presence in the narrative make things too awkward. She'll explain more about that bitch later.

[tis_allgood]

Bert listens to the whole story and only makes comments when absolutely necessary, which is a lot less than one might expect. And finally when she's done talking about being brought through to his world.

"Some part of me always knew I wouldn't be walking with Roland to the tower. That was something only he could do. Unless you're going to tell me next that you and he and your new tet met up with the rest of us somewhere further on."

But he doesn't sound sad, he's always known this wasn't his fight and he is proud to know that Roland is still out there kicking ass somewhere.

[dividedgirlofmine]

She shakes he head. "I'm sorry, honey. I think Roland lost you and Alain and Jamie DeCurry and all the rest before he met with us. He was alone for a long time." She gives his hand a squeeze. "We did meet Sheemie later on, much later. He and his friends Ted and Dinky helped us save the Beam and the Tower. I could tell you that story too, if you don't mind me bouncin forward in time a good bit."

[tis_allgood]

"Sheemie? Oh, but I'm glad to hear that!" It was the least he could do to focus on the good and ignore the bad right now.

"I have time and then some, bounce all you wish."

Because it just wouldn't be Cuthbert (or Eddie) without trying to squeeze a joke out of her words from time to time.