007-011 » ...that made the day seem so bright

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central Mathias.
WHEN: Days 007-011
WHAT: The residents venture further inland.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here! This log covers two weeks IRL, to give people time to catch up and also encompass the Halloween event, so the next log will be posted on November 6th.

RECOMMENDED ♫ FJØRA "Bad Omen"

DAY 007-009
A FARCE OF NORMALITY

On the seventh day, the sun returns, as if it had never left to begin with. For the first time, the unwilling residents of Mathias Township are greeted by a brightly lit, crisp fall morning, the sky a clear blue without a cloud in the sight. There's the promise of warmth later, but even a few minutes of standing out in the sunlight is enough to thaw frozen bones. Finally, these weary travelers can get a good look at their surroundings without the threat of storms or icy weather.

It's strange to now see it all in the light. Such a normal appearance in places, just quaint homes waiting for their inhabitants to return. But in other locations... The dilapidated houses nestled next to those picturesque buildings are jarring, speaking of horrors and unknown conditions that haunt this place. There's no possible explanation for why one building has been kept in pristine, albeit dusty condition while another has been left to rot and crumble. And now, in the early dawn, there seems no discernible reason for anything to have kept these fellows from venturing from one side of the town to the other.

That reason still exists though, whatever it is. It has simply moved further inland, allowing Mathias's unwilling residents to travel to the decaying heart of the town. There are three more blocks of houses past the Public Library that may be explored, though they yield no information — every building on these streets is in ruin, either abandoned and left to rot or a charred mass of wood and stone left behind from a fire that did not touch its surroundings. Beyond this lies the town square, which is cut solidly in half by a wall of white fog; one may approach the fog, but entering it leaves a person possessed by a fear and panic so intense that they physically can do nothing but flee back the way they came.

Our weary wanderers may also now venture to the southern edge of the the residential area of town, which ends at the forest that borders Mathias Township. The leaves here tell the tale of fall, with colors ranging from rusty oranges to rich reds and deep browns. A hundred yards into the forest, they are met with that same fog that will allow none to pass.


THE ARRIVAL OF ROYALTY
Alas, there is no fanfare for the newest arrivals, though royalty they may be. The High King awakes on the lawn of a dilapidated house a block from the town square, while the Fool finds himself on the lawn of the Boarding House. Groggy and disoriented, at least they are met by far more hospitable weather conditions than those who came before them.

The third new arrival may not be royalty but he is certainly no stranger to fame. The Bright one awakes just past the tree line on the southeast side of the residential district.

DAY 010
THE DAY THAT ISN'T
The day dawns just as any other in Mathias, giving no indication of what is to come in the hours ahead. For everyone within the town's limits shall experience a strange occurrence of one kind or another, be it inexplicable dreams, waking somewhere they shouldn't be, or finding themselves so dreadfully alone. And after their day is done, however long it may last, they will each of them sleep solidly through the night and not wake again until the following morn.

How strange it is to live in this town.


DAY 011
TIME MOVES ONWARD
“The only reason for time is so that everything
doesn't happen at once.” —Albert Einstein

A normal day. A day to rest, to recover, to wonder what you ever did to deserve this place. The weather is beautiful, with a bright blue sky and white puffy clouds, the leaves beginning to change and a crisp chill in the shadows. How will you spend this day after what you've experienced?

Whether you share tales of what happened or keep these secrets, the day still dawns, the night still approaches, and time moves ever onward in its spiral.

---

LOCATIONS

TOWN HALL Standing at the center of Mathias Township, the town hall is a modest two-story building that would be welcoming if not for the faded sign, chipped paint, and deafening silence within its empty halls. It's a typical government building, with a reception desk at the front and rows of identical offices within, the names half faded from each door. But what catches the attention is a large bulletin board on the main wall beside the reception desk, once meant to hold flyers or announcements for the community.

What it holds now is decidedly different. Tacked onto the board is a torn scrap of paper with words scrawled almost illegibly in dark red ink. Upon close examination, a keen eye will realize that the ink is actually blood, though whether it is human is unknown.

why did this happen
A number of tarnished metal push pins are scattered around the edges of the board, waiting for future messages to be shared, and a stack of pristine white paper and stack of cheap ballpoint pens rest on one of three chairs beside the board. The chairs are clearly meant for those waiting for meetings and are covered in the same layer of grime as everything else in the building — everything except the pens, paper, and bulletin board.

GENERAL STORE Basic food, drink, and first aid supplies may be found in the small General Store which, while a tad dusty, is impeccably well-stocked. The popular staple North American brands of the 1990s are mingled amongst unknown generic brands. No matter how the shelves are depleted, they will be restocked by the next day with the exact same amount of each item, in the exact same position as before. This phenomenon cannot be explained, nor can it be observed in any way. It simply is. (No, before you ask, there is no alcohol in the store. There are, however, a few packs of cigarettes.)

ZELDA'S BEAUTY SUPPLY Pink is the color of choice in this particular location. The front of the building is painted a slightly garish bubblegum pink, while the interior walls are an antique pink, with white curtains draped around the large front display window. The dusty shelves are filled with bath and hair products, shaving supplies, nail polish, cleansers, cold creams, and basic makeup products.

REEL RENTALS The small town version of a Blockbuster, Reel Rentals has a dozen shelves packed full of weathered, dusty VHS tapes, with covers stuffed with styrofoam and the tapes themselves in worn plastic cases. With a wide range of genres and both popular films and unknown B-movies, there's something here for everyone. Did you bring your membership card?

OLD TOY SHOPPE Everything in this quaint yet creepy shop has a handmade quality to it. Wooden dolls, hand-carved puppets, painted train sets, intricate block sets... The items speak of time, devotion to craft, and enough popularity to keep such a business afloat. The lights do not work in this building, though, and it is quite chilling at night without the comfort of artificial illumination.



CONDITIONS UPDATE

— POWER has returned to most buildings in Mathias. Those that are decaying remain without working utilities.

— VOICES are no longer openly haunting our residents, though they may still be occasionally encountered in the more heavily decayed buildings where some rooms seem to almost swallow whatever light tries to enter them.

— WEATHER conditions are fairly typical for late fall: chilly "sweater weather" days and nights that can dip below freezing. You don't want to be outside without a coat, but it won't kill anyone if they bundle up. Probably.

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Comments

◄ Day 11 | Southern problem solving in action - Stare at it.

[tinstar]

They'd done it. They all seemed to have survived the day beforehand and the moonshine, however potent and pungent in its own rite, was the reward. Not the most ideal but they were working on slim silver linings so the cowboy wasn't going to discount the one that left him crooked on his feet, amble a little more swaying as he still managed to walk a straight line. His face was warm to match the fire now in his chest and stomach and he'd opted to take a break from the still and the noise of the people puttering around the house for walk. It was a good thing, a gathering but he found it to be fractionally more demanding than he had figured.

Hat and jacket on, Raylan wandered his way, shine glass in hand, towards the treeline. He stopped about several yards away and considered the changing leaves and colors as he sipped at glass in his hand. This place hadn't given him anything but more questions and still, Raylan felt better prepared for the days to come than he had when he first arrived. He wondered if that feeling would last or if the town, having taken on a life of its own in his head, would crush it under a dark boot heel.

Another thought to be swallowed down and burned away by moonshine.

[torsion]

Jill kept to herself that she was incapable of being intoxicated. Thus far, it seemed to carry on here but it could've been that she simply hadn't had enough. She's not willing to think on it too much, especially since she knows she won't have the answers. She could do chemistry and could recall things beyond that of a basic education, but she wasn't a scientist and who knows if it was just the P30 in her system still or not? Better to err on the side of caution, she thinks.

Release of control is tempting. But she's not ready to offer it to anyone else, even the wind.

She's still in the damned bodysuit. Part of her argues that it's more efficient and at this point, people have seen her in it. No reason to change unless she could find a pair of compression leggings and a compression bra, ideally with a t-shirt and maybe a jacket or light hooded sweatshirt to accompany it. Familiarity breeds trust, offers something straight in a line where it simply exists in a way that is recognizable. It was better for her in this moment.

He's against the line where city turns to forest when she spots him, headed toward her own searching. Perhaps he's listening to the voices that seem to come with the fog or he's just relaxing, studying the atmosphere? Jill doesn't know, but his visage is recognizable to her.

"Hey, Rayan," she calls upon approach to ensure there's no startling that might end in a tussle of quick reflexes that was sure to happen. It's a few more seconds before she makes it to his side and half-turns toward him with a smile. "Think there's an answer out there, too?"