018-020 » what he hides

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Western Mathias.
WHEN: Days 018-020
WHAT: The fog recedes!
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Graham Plowman "Edge of Darkness"

DAYS 018-020
THE HIDDEN REVEALED
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
— Benjamin Franklin

As the sun rises in the distance above the sea, the fog slips away from the unsettling town, winding through streets and across buildings until it is nestled soundly in the forest. There it waits, ready to snare any who dare test its limits — residents would do well to remember what happened the last time they encountered the fog so intimately.

With the fog receded, the western portion of Mathias is now revealed and available for exploring. There are more businesses on the town square and even some on the street that runs off the square. The schoolhouse is nestled by the southern treeline, not from the little makeshift cemetery at the end of Jackson Boulevard that is courtesy of a few kind residents in town. To the far north of the square is a sprawling garden, now covered in snow, and a greenhouse that once supplied the botanical shop. And to the west, beyond the square, is another residential district of the same size as that to the east. What is different, however...

These buildings are all in some form of decay. From the beginnings of rot to completely collapsed and little more than a pile of proverbial bones, none of these homes are anything resembling livable. Well, as far as one can tell, at least. For between the streets of Hill Lane and Stine road there is a crack in the earth. A dozen feet across and fifty feet down, the crack extends from one side of the forest to the other, either end cut off by the fog. The view to the other side is clear but there is no way across.


THE NEW ARRIVALS
There are quite a few new faces in Mathias on this day. Awaking throughout Day 018, they will find themselves laying in the snow beside that unsettling crack in the earth, houses both quaint and decaying surrounding them as the snow begins to cover their bodies. Best get inside and warm up, dears.

SPECTRES IN THE NIGHT
The days are short now that winter seems to have set in unseasonably early. Though the clocks in Mathias fail to properly keep time or sometimes even work at all, the sun rises around 8:00am and sets at 5:00pm. There is far more darkness than light in these days, but in that darkness there is, in fact, light.

In the distance all across Mathias, there are lanterns lit against that darkness. Their lights dance across the snow, the warm flickering shining like tiny stars and offering an almost ethereal glow to the crisp white snow. It would be a beautiful sight to behold... if it weren't for the shadowy figures that held them. With partially raised arms, the figures hold the lanterns and walk the streets of Mathias, drifting in between buildings and disappearing into the forest. Still yet, there are some that simply stand in place, as if waiting for something or someone.

No matter where or when these figures are seen, they always seem to be facing away from our residents, and attempts at reaching them are all for naught. They will fade from view if one gets too close, and return to sight when that distance is regained. And in the morning, those lanterns may be found in the snow, their lights extinguished but their glass somehow still warm.

STRANGER IN THE SNOW
Those investigating the western part of Mathias and venturing near that inexplicable crack in the earth will have the most unsettling feeling of being watched. Most of the time, there is nothing there and no one to be seen, but then—

On the other side of that expanse, sitting on a porch, in the shadow of a home, or standing in the oddly moonlit street, there is a man. His features are shrouded in darkness and not much can be discerned about him, but instinct tells you he is dangerous. There is a sense deep in your bones that he is maliciously amused.

He makes no move to speak, nor will he respond to any attempts on your part. Instead, he sits, or he stands, and he watches. By the end of Day 020, all sign of him will be gone, along with the eerie feeling of being watched.

---

LOCATIONS

Unless otherwise noted, all new locations have working electricity and other utilities.

BENEDICT BOOKS Nestled quaintly on the square surrounding the Town Hall, a thick layer of dirt covering the front windows. A portrait hangs at the front of the store to illustrate the namesake of the little shop... that may, in fact, not be so little. Dust covers everything in sight and detritus litters the wooden floor, as if someone left the door open and allowed half the forest inside. (more info)

MATHESON ANTIQUES Also on the town square is an antique store that is a lesson in chaos more than culture. The items within are stacked haphazardly, creating narrow aisles running throughout the space. Furniture, light fixtures, old revolutionary and civil war memorabilia, all of it is jumbled together with no rhyme or reason. Indeed, one wrong move could create an avalanche of aged wood and peeling paint.

POE'S CLOTHES Located on the town square, this shop carries only the basics. Loose jeans in a few sizes, khakis, solid color dress shirts and blouses, flannel in various styles, socks and underwear.

SPIN RIGHT ROUND RECORDS On the square across from the beauty store, the music shop is as dusty as everything else in this town has been. Tables line the walls of the long shop, filled with rows and rows of vinyl records, while a few wall shelves display cassette tapes for sale. One side of the store is for New items, while the other holds the Used section with items for resale. Residents may recognize some of the artists but many are unfamiliar to them.

CLINIC Outside the decayed, crumbling building just north of the square is a still miraculously intact sign with the name of the clinic's doctor, Dr. Ken Suzuki. There is no way to treat patients in this location, but with care, some salvageable supplies may yet be found in the remains.

BARKER BOTANICALS Not quite a flower shop and not entirely an apothecary, the botanical store to the far north of the square is something of an amalgamation of both. With a few broken windows to let in the rain, parts of the shop have been overtaken by nature, the house plants growing beyond their pots and rotted flower petals littering the floor to tell of seasons past. The still unclaimed walls are filled with decaying plants and jars of dried herbs and other vegetation, along with a few essences and tinctures.

GREENHOUSE A few dozen yards from the botanicals shop is a sprawling garden, now covered in snow, and a greenhouse that once supplied the botanical shop. The glass is still miraculously intact, though covered in grime so thick that one cannot see inside.

GALLERY The gallery is essentially a large empty space with framed and matted black and white photographs of the town lining the walls. There is a small selected of prints available for sale near the front entrance, and a few rooms at the back of the building — a dark room for developing photos, a small office, and a locked room.

MOVIE THEATER This single-screen theater is quite small, having only 40 seats, but there is a large collection of movies in its storage room. These are all old film reels however, so hopefully someone knows how to thread a film projector.

HISTORY MUSEUM Across the street from the Historical Society, this once esteemed wooden building has seen better days. Windows and doors are boarded up and there is visible rot and decay on the exterior walls. Part of the roof has fallen in and the accumulating snow threatens to collapse the rest of it as well. It is not wise to venture within.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY This brick building has also seen better days, though in a different sort of way. Where once had been carefully cataloged collections and cozy reading rooms for aficionados of local history, there are now stacks of bankers boxes and weathered tomes in every nook and cranny. There is no organization to any of it, everything seeming to have been stashed in a hurry and then left forgotten. Anyone who dares to dive into this archive will need to devote quite some time in order to find anything worthwhile. They will also want to bring their own light source — the electricity does not work here and the windows are quite dark from the accumulated dust and grime.

SCHOOLHOUSE A much smaller school than most of our residents might be used to, there are only a half-dozen rooms in the building, with a few comprising classrooms, meeting areas, and workspaces. All ages were taught here, and one might almost imagine the sound of children's whispered voices and distant laughter while within the empty building.

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— SNOW continues to fall in Mathias. Days 18-19 see light snowfall that very slowly accumulates, but the snowfall turns moderately heavy on Day 20 and sees significant accumulation. The temperature hovers just below freezing and dips lower when the sun goes down.

— VOICES are not 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.

— THE FOG has receded from the town proper and much of the eastern and northern beach. The path through the northern forest to the lighthouse is now also clear.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue to plague the town. While Daisy Johnson has returned, Zed Martin, Rey, and Quentin Coldwater have now vanished without a trace.

OOC UPDATES

— MADNESS has now been unlocked. Congratulations to Inky for Claire earning the first Madness! Who will be next? (Please be sure to keep your sanity updated regularly; Stars has created an amazing tracker for anyone to use if they'd like.)

— HELPERS are officially in residence! Kelly is our Registrar and Stars is our Librarian — both of these delightful members of our community are helping behind the scenes to keep things organized and updated (and doing wonders for the mod's own sanity levels), so please give them some thanks for their hard work!

— REPORTING updates is still a thing that your mod and helpers beg you to do. Changes to locations, plot notes that affect the community, and discoveries should be reported over here so these can all be noted in their appropriate places. (For clarification, reported Discoveries are not public knowledge unless a character has ICly shared this information.)

— A MAP of Mathias now exists, thanks to our wonderful Librarian! Please note that it is not to scale and there may be a few minor errors due to your frazzled mod. Expect updates in the future as more secrets are revealed.

— BULLETIN BOARD — don't forget about it. That's all.

CLAIMING AP REWARDS

Normally, only one AP reward can be claimed per log, but due to the plethora of new and old locations to explore, this restriction is being relaxed. Instead, for this log only:

— Players may spend AP on up to three rewards, though only Spot Hidden may be repeated.
— If a player is spending multiple Spot Hiddens, they must be with different characters and in different locations.

If two characters are investigating the same location together, they may each spend a Spot Hidden on that location. Players should record their spent AP after the AP request has been approved. Sometimes there is nothing to Spot with your Hidden and the points will be "refunded" to use elsewhere.

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Comments

[chuju]

[ That's the Coulson she knows and loves. If he'd refuted her statement, tried to be anything less than confident in their capabilities to handle this, she'd have known immediately that something had shaken him. Because Phil Coulson has always been the one pushing them forward even when everything is on fire and none of them can see a way through the darkness.

He's the heart of them. He's her rock, her solid ground, and she can't imagine going back to a life without him. Nodding against his shoulder, she carefully pulls back, mindful of the coffee still in her hand. ]

That's probably a good plan. It's kinda been a rough day so far. [ Her smile is small but there's a joke in there as she tries to lighten the mood even the tiniest bit. ]

Day 18 @ Daisy

[thering]

It is what he would normally consider late in the afternoon when Doc receives word that Daisy Johnson has returned. In hindsight it is perhaps not the best idea to have left the house phone number on the bulletin board, because he is hardly ever sitting around in it beyond the last few hours before bed and the first couple of hours after waking.

He would never admit that he dropped everything and hurried over but really, there is hardly anything else pressing to do in this town. He had missed the ground shaking but he sees her silhouette outside the Boarding House and closes the distance between them in long, snow-crunching strides.

"Miss Daisy," he greets without raising his voice when he's within earshot. "Oh, you're alright." Doc huffs a quiet sigh of relief, breath visible in the early evening chill. Well, she looks alright on the outside at least...

[40seconds]

[ That's the thing. He can say that with confidence because he believes it. They can handle this town, whatever it throws at them, even disappearances like Daisy's. It's the other things, the things he's not talking about just yet that he's not sure about. ]

For me too. I don't have a problem admitting that. I- Well, when you disappeared, it was hard. [ He says that plainly, but even as they pull apart, he returns the smile too, even if his is just as small. ]

We've had rough days before, but I have to say, these last few took the cake for all of us.

[ Once they're both seated, he asks the question (well, one of them) that he's curious about. And maybe, even if he doesn't want to go there, it'll be an opening for what he has to tell her. ] What did Constantine have to say?

Bogans pass and I'm crazybound

[thering]

Doc had parted ways with Raylan briefly in what they both agreed on was late morning. The cold was making it difficult to complete the thankless task of boarding up all the windows, something they had started undertaking shortly after the murderous fog claimed a few lives, and he had encouraged Raylan to return to their house for a hot drink. He's still alright to finish the last few buildings, having gotten used to this kind of winter in Purgatory.

Honestly, he wasn't expecting company, but there are no animals here so the sound of shoe soles crunching snow beneath small feet has him starting to turn, expecting to see a familiar face. When he lays eyes on her, how pale she looks, the state she is in, possibly still bleeding, he sets the hammer down and leaves the broken floorboard half nailed to the window, confusion drifting across his face as he hurries over towards her.

"Jesus Christ. What happened to you, ma'am?" He sheds out of his long coat and moves slowly to approach, holding it up by the collar with both hands. If she lets him close, he would drape it over her shoulders. He has half a mind to pick her up, carry her back to the house he's staying in, though they may have to settle for the closest structurally sound building at this rate.

Day 19 @ Dean & Malcolm

[thering]

He first got a glimpse of the new offerings put on display by the town after the fog rolled back out yesterday, with Raylan, but they had work to finish, and more pressing matters with a couple of strong-headed women had him delaying his exploration until today.

While he is keen to explore everything he can find, the clinic is a particularly treasured discovery and while he cannot recall exactly all those long names that Malcolm's antidepressing... antipsycho... benzodiaphragm something or other, he figures that anything he can find here would be worth taking back with him. It was for the better that he had taken Malcolm along with him.

Not to mention, Raylan did not explain much about his morning excursion with Malcolm, but he did suggest that they try to keep Malcolm busy. Doc might not understand Malcolm's cornucopia of 'conditions', but he knows some simple truths in life. Sometimes it is a two smokes, two glasses kind of day. Sometimes it is a two packs, two bottles kind of day. And two packs and two bottles are best a burden shared between them.

"I do not know what we may find," he cautions gently, not wanting Malcolm to get his hopes up as they head up the quiet, snowed over road and approach the clinic. "But anything we do find could be helpful to us all."

Any other comforting words he could provide are abruptly cut short by the fresh, powdery snow outline of footprints on the steps of the clinic. He raises one hand to slow Malcolm down from racing inside.

"Be careful. Someone's inside." Could be a friend, but. Doc's been a little more on edge since the day they buried those folks.

Day 20 @ Negan

[thering]

It's not as if Doc had been expecting a different outcome, but chasing ghosts had proven itself to be a fruitless endeavour, and it's hard not to be disappointed. He's trying to stay positive, keep the faith, hold on to all the little blessings, but with each passing day it gets harder and harder to be the buoyant one trying to lift others' spirits with a reassuring smile and sugarlaced words. He's perpetually only ever one bad day away from drinking himself into a dark corner he does not wish to revisit, and if he didn't keep himself busy or keep company on the porch every night, he might have gone there a few times already.

It's not that he has a particular affinity for historical things or places, but. He feels he understands them better than he does a store full of modern gadgets or products he has never encountered before. He is of more use looking around a place like the historical society or the museum than he would be staring into the abyss of a building filled with computers and televisions.

So there he stands, outside what is left of the history museum, looking as old and rundown and decrepit as he feels sometimes, especially with the cold setting in. Snow falls like ashes onto his hat as he takes a few steps to the left and then to the right, loitering near the entrance, trying to figure out how to get in.

[thering]

After combing through the clinic rather thoroughly with Dean and Malcolm, Doc was keen to explore a different place. The receded fog brought with it many welcome surprises and he would want to have paid all of the different establishments a visit over a few days. Unlike the investigators who are perpetually on the lookout for clues and more answers about Mathias, Doc is more or less solely interested in finding a way out. While he might not be too thorough in his search, he does want to cover all his bases.

He bumps into Constantine on his way towards the record store. There are many things they do not necessarily agree on. Doc did not stick around to witness the scruffy blond find fifty new and interesting ways to defile his own corpse yesterday morning. But so far he looks to be still alive and intact. That is a good sign, at least.

"What kind of a mess have you got yourself into this time?" he asks with a sigh when he sees John poking his head into one doorframe, and then another, and then checking around behind a tall pile of rubble. "Lost your virginity?"

Day 19 | OPEN

[aprofoundbond]

[Castiel is still trying to orient himself to this town, this Mathias. After yesterday, a day that felt unappealingly long and unending, not to mention, last night, with Claire and…everything that entailed, Castiel is bone weary when he finally manages to push himself out of bed and get dressed. He has to eat, drink, and take care of every other irritating human need before he can even make his way out of the door; he grumbles, but tries to shove it down in favor of concentrating on finding out more of what’s going on in town.

Castiel makes his way to Poe’s Clothes earlier on, as a point of practicality; he needs changes of clothes. He focuses on gathering some jeans and khakis, some dress shirts, socks, underwear, and, yes, even some flannel; Dean and Claire should both be proud.

He makes a point of returning home, first, to drop off his findings before making his way back into town to explore. He stops first at the bulletin board, taking in all of the messages there. After pausing there a few moments, Castiel wanders, gaze trying to absorb every detail he notices, from the buildings to the trees surrounding the town, and everything in between.

He winds up at Barker Botanicals and The Greenhouse next, and he lingers there for quite some time. Nature and healing are both of importance to Castiel; they are two of the things he appreciates most in the world, and so he finds himself relaxing, or, at least, not as previously tense as he woke up this morning, as he meanders through what looks like an apothecary and tries to see into the greenhouse.

Castiel eventually makes his way to the Schoolhouse, and he feels a distinct sense of unease at seeing a building made for children and learning so thoroughly abandoned; he feels as though he can easily imagine the sound of children’s voices and laughter, a hollow echo of the joy and pandemonium that once might have taken place here.

Day 20 | OPEN

[aprofoundbond]

[Castiel can’t stop thinking about those lights; those lights that move almost of their own accord, except for the fact that he’s seen the shapes of the people (spirits?) carrying them. He’s also very much worried about Claire, and the state he found her in the night of his arrival. He knows the relationship between them is fraught, and that she can take care of herself, though, so, two nights after he arrives, Castiel makes his way back out into the dark again, a flashlight of his own with him as he seeks out the lanterns.

It doesn’t take Castiel long to realize that he’s not alone; the sounds of footsteps approaching catches his attention, and he swerves, flashlight gliding over the snow in the dark, seeking out the source of the noise, wondering, instinctively, if said source is friend or foe.]

Hello?

[aprofoundbond]

[Castiel doesn't want to admit how much it hurts when Claire abruptly pulls her hand back like that, but then, the way she reacts upon seeing him? Hurts even more, though he takes care to try and not let it show.

He focuses on Claire, on the way her voice sounds, pleading, and the tears filling her eyes. She reminds Castiel of a frightened child, and that thought, in turn, frightens him; what happened to frighten Claire like this? What happened to render her so seemingly vulnerable like this?

Castiel concentrates on keeping his voice steady and calm; when Claire steps backwards, he stays still, hands held up and out to try and show that he doesn't mean any harm.]

Claire, it's me. I am here, I promise. It's really me.

[He considers her a moment before cautiously offering her his hand or sleeve, whichever she prefers.]

Would you like to feel for yourself? I promise, I'm real, and I'm here.

hello from the other side~

[thering]

[Doc is torn between thinking the lights are a good idea to follow around, to ascertain what they are, what their agenda is, why they are here, why now, and all those other questions, and a terrible idea to investigate. They are most likely dangerous.

A part of him thinks, better himself than someone else going out there stalking them. He doesn't have much going for himself, admittedly, he's not invincible nor is he terribly useful without a six-shooter fastened to his thigh, but he'd rather face down whatever lurks with those winking stars of lantern lights himself than have someone else do it.

Of course, it seems like he's not the only one curious and crazy enough to go at it alone with the snow up to his ankles. Doc raises both hands, empty, unarmed, and stops moving, ducking his head so that the brim of his black cowboy hat shields his eyes from the beam of light.]

Salutations. [Another new face. And curiously, he looks to be sporting a similar attire to one John Constantine.]

Klaus Hargreeves | The Umbrella Academy

[bestfuneralever]

Plotting comment. Wildcards welcome. Prose by default, but will match.

Day 018 {New secrets unveiled

[bestfuneralever]

I. Greeting new arrivals Open to the boarding house, residents & guests.

{We all wander, and we all wonder

Not every new arrival takes up residence in the boarding house but when they do, Klaus is usually easily found downstairs in the more social areas of the house. He isn’t as anti-social as his brother, and he rather likes having the easy opportunity to be around people, have and take up company with the others in the house.

Right now is one of those such moments. He’s perched on a chair in the common room and when someone wanders in, he greets them with an easy smile and a wave. His greeting is is, “Hey, you must be new, I’m Klaus.” if it’s someone he hasn’t seen before, or something more casual and tailored if it happens to be one of his more familiar housemates or usual droppers-by.

II. Investigating new locations Open to everyone

{New spaces and new places, discoveries untold

Rumor has it, they've magically unlocked new grounds around the town. How had they done that? Who fucking knows, but upon hearing there are both clothing and record stores, he has to investigate. The clothes are just as plain and drab as he's come to expect from his raiding of closets of unclaimed homes around the place, but... he got some new jeans out of the deal, so he'll take it. The records are much more promising, and he wonders idly if there's a record player back at the boarding house. (Records remind him of Luther, and it hits a snag somewhere in his chest.) Just in case, he snags a few records in hopes of being able to play them later.

III. Wildcard

Day 019 {Strangers in our midst

[bestfuneralever]

I. Explorations Open to everyone

{Sometimes I get restless

Some days, Klaus just wanders up and down the streets near the boarding house, bored and tired of sitting inside despite knowing he'll be frozen to the bone if he's outside for very long. His inner core temperature has always been a little colder than average, and once he gets cold, it's so hard to get warm again, but it's worth the risk to strike out against boredom setting in.

He checks the bulletin board in Town Hall from time to time, and today happens to be one of those moments. Five keeps up with it every day, sometimes multiple times a day, so he knows anything of utter import he'll know about the second Five does. But not every note is dire, and he smirks at the joke posted by someone and he scralws a couple of his own in response on a spare scrap of paper he finds lying around.

Otherwise, one might find him between his wanderings, or poking around at the clinic or the movie theater.

II. Wildcard

Day 020 {Living on the edge of a fault line

[bestfuneralever]

I. Fault Line Investigation Open to everyone

{Don't slip into the earth

News travels fast in small towns, and the crack in the earth is... more than noticeable once you get within a decent distance of it. Klaus finds himself curious, and he makes sure to traipse over in the light of day so he could try and get a good look at the new fissure in the ground on the other side of town.

Anyone wandering up during the early afternoon may see him doing any number of things ranging from trying to peek over the edge of one side of the busted up earth to throwing various things (including but not limited to decent-sized rocks and large sticks) into it, trying to decide if he can hear it hit the bottom, or if it's just an endless vast of nothingness.

II. Stranger Danger Open to everyone, but only (1) response

{When strangers' faces come out in the rain

Day turns to night so quickly lately, and Klaus has run all but completely out of daylight now. He huffs a sigh, pushing up to his feet from the crouch he had been in, ready to admit defeat. He wasn't exactly an expert in these things, but for what he could tell, there didn't seem to be any sort of explanation for the whole thing. Maybe if he'd paid more attention to some of Dad's lessons, he might see something interesting or telling, here, but... well. That was a long time ago, and he's done plenty of drugs since then; even if he could remember something, it's buried under the years of ruin he's done to his brain and body, anyway.

He's about to turn and head back home when he feels an intense sensation he is so intimately familiar with; that ever-present feeling of being watched, even when no one is supposed to be around. He feels his shoulders tense, because it's the first sign he's had of anything ghost-like in the place. He turns slowly to squint into the darkness to find the source of the feeling. Had to be a ghost or someone fucking around out here, right?

There's a flash of movement from across the fissure in the ground and he frowns, edging closer (but not too close) to it to squint harder into the darkness, where he can just make out the silhouette of someone posted up on the porch of one of the houses across the way. "Hey!" he shouts across the expanse of the broken earth. "Hey, who's over there?"

III. Wildcard

[waywardsister]

[ It's the darkness. He's not real, can't be real. She's seeing things. If she touches him, he'll turn into John. Or he'll fade, like a nightmare. Like the nightmares she's been having.

Like almost everyone else she's ever loved, she's lost him.

Claire holds herself very still for a moment, wide, panicked eyes sliding off into the darkness around them, before sliding back onto Castiel. They have the same eyes - not just because of Jimmy anymore. When Castiel took her as a vessel, he changed her. She's his in ways, too.

Trembling fingers reach out, brush against the sleeve of his coat, then his outstretched hand. He's solid, and he doesn't change.

And with a sob, Claire flees from the darkness into Castiel's arms, clinging to him tight as she can. ]

DAY 20 | SCHOOL EXPLORING + STRANGER IN THE SNOW.

[descendent]

SCHOOL'S BACK IN.

---

[ honestly, the last place elena wants to be is back at school, but it's the most familiar building in all of the town. she ventures over there with the intention of coming out with more information than she started.

it's without any hesitation that she opens the doors to step inside of the building, a little grateful for her decision in doing so as it's a touch warmer inside than it is outside. she may be dressed in something new—a flannel shirt and a scarf wrapped nicely around her neck—but she still wears her converse shoes, stained with a couple of drops of blood she's tried to scrub off.

stepping into a classroom, she looks around, touching everything that's within her eye line, and even takes a seat at the teacher's desk. she pulls open the drawers and starts to rifle through it and test the pens. look, a girl needs a good pen to write down diary entries. ]

CREEPY STRANGER.

---

[ elena is no stranger to being stalked. she tries to shrug off the feeling that she's being watched as she returns to the crack in the road, determined to see whether something is here that can answer a question that she's desperate for. she sees nothing, no imprint of jenna, no scuffle of a shoe that could remind her of stefan. as she looks at the crack in the road, elena feels something inside of her feeling strangely empty.

and like there's a set of two eyes on the back of her head, imploring her to turn around and look at it.

turning, she spots a silhouette on the other side. she frowns, wondering if the shadow is truly there. and then she does the only thing that makes sense for a girl like elena to do. she yells. ]

Hey!

[ stupidly, she expects it to lift its hand up and wave, but it does neither. actually, the person—she thinks it's a man by the shape of their shoulders and arms—takes a seat instead. ]

Who are you?

[ crossing her arms against her chest, she arches her brow and decides to stare him down. she's stood toe to toe with original vampires and hybrids before and not so much as shivered. she can stare whoever it is across the expanse down into talking.

it's fine; she's got nothing to do and she's got all damn night. ]

[enduresurvive]

haha YEAH it was too good to pass up. Glad it made you laugh x)

[tinstar]

The exhaustion wasn't hard to see and Raylan could guess why, with all that thrashing and screaming. Following behind in a lazy amble, Raylan emptied his hand into the trash can as he came to it and headed over to the sink to rise his hands after Malcolm was done filling the kettle. Once he was done, he turned around to lean against the counter as well, arms crossing loosely over his chest as he let Malcolm speak in his own time.

"Okay, so we mitigate stress to the full limit we can. What's stressin' you out this mornin'?" There wasn't anything they could do for Malcolm's medicinal needs and Raylan knew there was no stopping them out right, but he'd found Malcolm over a dangerous mess, yelling at a corner. He felt right to be worried.

"I don't suppose settin' up some kinda code word for reality will work, since your information is.. well, yours." No use trying to set up that structure if Malcolm's mind could take the information and twist it against them.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm took a shaky breath.

"Nothing," he breathed. "I'm off the meds. They'll show up whenever they want." A beat. "I don't know where or when. But when I'm at home, when I'm... having problems in my head, if I can get a case to work on... it helps me focus. It helps me sleep. I... can I still go with you to... the thing you wanted to see?"

[tinstar]

Raylan nodded in return, 'Howdy, fancy meetin' you out here' before looking forward at the spectre. It put an unease into him that he didn't like, but it was easily kept down. There wasn't any fog to get his hairs up.

"Ghosts are your department, right? If I'd known they were out here, I woulda brought a pocket fulla salt." It was odd that they only started seeing them after people died, but Raylan figured that was half and half on causation. "You really think it's connected to y'all kickin' the bucket? Shades manifesting?" He glanced over at John.

"Got all the bits of your soul on ya?"

ARRIVAL

[prevenance]

( before this, if asked, elijah would have said that heat was his least favorite type of weather. but, he thinks that he's going to be changing his mind and amending that to snow.

he dislikes snow. his pants are went, his shoes are caked with snow and he's disoriented. the only thing that he can see is that crack and he starts to follow it, thinking it might lead him somewhere.

and he's right but it leads him to something that he doesn't expect. because standing right in front of him, looking very much like she should be in a hospital was elena gilbert.

he stops, blinking a few times and then strides forward, already trying to assess what was wrong with her and what, if anything, he could do to help. )

Elena.

( he doesn't know if she's heard him but he keeps moving towards her, long legs eating up the space quickly. )

[cholesterol]

( While he's not the brother to wake up early in the morning, he's still worried for Claire, and he's still working with zero new answers, like the rest of the town. With his green jacket on (and still not watched, the bloody handprint sure to stain soon), he steps out onto the porch. While the inside of 1301 is in working over and was kept up, the outside is dilapidated and just plain dated, like every house on the road.

It's also snowing.

Dean should change his jacket, but all he does is head back outside again, this time in a dark grey beanie. He's not about to freeze in abandoned Mathias Helltown. He questions going out without Claire, but he sees something in the distance through the snow. It draws him there and without letting her know, Dean moves one foot, his other, and the first again, in that order as he heads down the small set of stairs and out into town.

With a searching, soulful look, Dean passes the other buildings and approaches what looks like a crack in the ground. The closer he gets, the more he feels like he's not alone. He felt it on his porch, too, like traveling toward the crack should happen - or, like someone expected it.

Looking across the crack, he sees the cabin, and the man on the porch of that cabin. Is he smiling?

And then there's a sneeze.

The sneeze breaks his intense crack-cabin scrutiny and he turning in its direction. It's as if he is being watched again, an out of body experience as he sees himself spot the angel he'd lost. The angel who'd given himself to the Empty to save his life. )

...Cas?

[cholesterol]

( Dean's late to John's party, but his flashlight and concealed knife are ready. More the flashlight, than the knife, but whipping out a knife is easy.

He hears something down the corridor, John Constantine not being subtle, apparently. One quick run of the theatre itself again, before he turns back and follows the sounds of Constantine ripping things apart.

Switching his flashlight to his non-dominant hand, he pulls his knife out, holding it horizontally, ready for anything. )

[cholesterol]

( Raylan will see the cardboard box he's filled. He's greedy, but he has needs. And considering the needs that he wants to feed, these are healthy needs.

He doesn't look up, but smiles to himself. He's liked Raylan since his first night here. His drawl calms Dean. Even if he's assbackwards about everything supernatural. )

Anything to make this place more bearable. You've heard of these bands? Zepherphyn? ( He pulls that one out, checks the back and looks up. ) Yeah, these aren't real.