villagelogs | 018-020 » what he hides

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018-020 » what he hides

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not going anywhere.

( he has a long, long time until he desiccates and he plans on stopping that from happening anyway. he's going to find a food source and he's going to feed and he's going to be fine. that's just how it's going to be. )

You don't need to worry about me. There's a reason I've been alive as long as I have.

( plus or minus the few decades spent in a coffin courtesy of his brother. )

[ she can't help but arch her brow at his comments. yes, elijah is over a thousand years old, but he's somewhere new and somewhere that neither of them can recognise. all it takes is one thing...

elena looks down and decides another course of action is required. he likes to help people, doesn't he? she looks like someone he once cared about, and she thinks that he cares about her as elena gilbert than a shadow self of someone he once loved. she clears her throat and pulls a face as she touches the open wound of her neck. ]

Were you a doctor in one of your past lives?

No.

( elijah doesn't think he has the bedside manner for that. most people would describe him as too stern or too emotionless. he knows basic first aide but has never really needed it considering his family and what they were. )

I haven't had past lives either. I've lived a long time but it's all been one life. Why are as you asking me that?

( if she needs a doctor, they're going to have to find one better suited for this than him. )

It's a joke, Elijah.

[ in amusement, she shakes her head as she regards him. he's so serious, like stefan. she prefers the seriousness and literal interpretation than the opposite, though. if he joked with her, he'd remind her too much of damon.

considering what she's about to say next, she lets out a small breath through her nose. truthfully, she doesn't like to ask for help. ]

I can't put my bandage on without getting up and finding a mirror.

Then, let me help you, Elena. You don't need to get up and find a mirror. I can do it.

( he was right in front of her and he was willing. she needs the assistance and he thinks he could put it on better than she could, standing alone in a bathroom. )

You're not going to be so stubborn that you won't even let me do that, are you?

( was everyone with her face going to give him a migraine at some point in their life? )

[ she doesn't want to trouble him, but she knows to zip her lips and let him. he'll question her if she doesn't allow him this one courtesy.

a little guiltily, ] No.

[ she was planning on trying to do it herself… somehow. elena isn't quite sure how she can get herself out of this one, but she stops trying to plot her way to the bathroom to place a bandage on her neck and pull her matted and bloodied hair away. ]

I won't be so stubborn today.

[ no promises for any other day. ]

Thank you.

( he sighs, eyeing the wound and wincing because while he doesn't know exactly what a bite from his brother feels like, he's been hurt by him before so he can only imagine.

he's gentle as he presses the bandage to her neck, making sure it adheres but not wanting to cause any further pain than has already been caused.

once he's satisfied that it's not going to come off, he pulls back and looks up at her. )

I'm sorry he did that to you.

( it doesn't fix anything but he says it anyway. )

[ heart fluttering inside of her chest, she hates how her breathing pitches and she looks at him from the corner of her eye as if fearful he'll rip her wound right open. she knows that elijah won't hurt her. he compelled her once before she had leveraged with him, showcasing herself as someone who was almost on his level. he's had ample opportunity to rip her throat out and seems to choose the exact opposite.

licking her lips, she lets out a quiet breath once that bandage seems to be in place. unable to help herself, she touches her fingers against the bandage. it's a lot easier to do considering what he says.

she can't help her shrug. ] It was bound to happen, right? [ pursing her lips, she adds derisively, ] I'm the doppelgänger. I'm his.

You're not Niklaus' property and you shouldn't speak like you are, Elena.

( he loves his brother and he will always love and support him but that doesn't mean he agees with him. elena gilbert is her own peson and she doesn't deserve to think this way. )

You shouldn't think that way. I apologize for his shortsighted nature and his ability to fixate. I cannot take back what he did but I am sorry for it.

Why?

[ her brows furrow as she looks up at him. maybe it's gumption that has her asking, or perhaps it's blood loss. really, what does elena have to lose now? ]

Even when Jeremy does things, I don't… It's his mistake to own. It's not like you were the one who created the Sun and Moon Curse or… [ she frowns, feeling her words and thoughts and history is all mixed up. ] whatever his curse really was.

[ elijah isn't responsible for him. it sits on her tongue and blares in the back of her head. ]

Because I have had many opportunities to stop my brother and yet, he continued to do what he wanted to do. So, I take some responsibility for his actions.

( niklaus was his brother and he'd enabled him too many times to count. he wishes he hadn't but he knows that, if faced with the same choices, he'd do it again.

he sighs, rubbing his brow and shaking his head. )

You and your brother have a very different relationship than I do with my siblings.

Because you're older?

[ she can't help but arch her brow at that. the only difference between them is that he's the boy while she's the girl and his younger brother is wilder than jeremy even on his worse days. jeremy, while capable of hurting a fly, prefers to lash out at her while klaus seems like he gets off on lashing out at the entire world.

keeping her head cushioned against the back of the armchair, she regards him without any sort of sassy expression. elena's tired and she wears it on her face, but not in her voice. ]

Or is it because of what you are? Does that play a difference?

Perhaps because of what we are. When you and your brother have a fight, you yell, you shove, maybe you leave. When we fight, there is the ever present possibility that someone ends up in a coffin for centuries.

( their anger like their love was fierce and uncontrollable. he wants to think they've moved past that but he knows that their differing personalities means it will always be a possibility. )

And perhaps the amount of time we've spent around each other as well. We've been alive and in each other's company for a very long time. It changes how you deal with people.

Do you resent him?

[ her eyes narrow slightly in thought. does he hate klaus? does he want klaus to be gone for good? how complicated had it truly been for him to stand with her all those times and talk about putting him down? not once did elena second guess elijah's intentions. he had said she had his word and she had believed him.

but she thinks everything—life, love, hate—is a lot more nuanced than a mere giving of a word. ]

You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... a thousand years and longer sounds like a really long time to feel that way.

I have. At different points in my life, I've resented all my siblings and my siblings have resented me. But, I like to think our family bond is strong enough to get past that.

( he sighs, looking away from her. he gets to his feet and crosses to peer out a window before he turns to look back at her. )

Have you never resented Jeremy?

( he doesn't know a lot about her brother but he knows their relationship isn't picture perfect. )

[ that's a question she both knows and doesn't know the answer to. a little afraid to even think of it, elena looks away from him and packs at her pants. there's some dirt embedded into the threads, most likely from mystic falls. it's proof of what happened after she blacked out. ]

Yes, I have. [ she says it quietly, then tries to hide it behind a big, loud sigh. ] He got to wear his grief on his sleeve and be destructive, and he… has the simple family. I resent the fact that I resent him for things he never asked for.

[ if anyone will understand complicated siblings, it's elijah. stefan would, too, but she doesn't think stefan holds damon in any tight resentment like elijah could and has.

shrugging, she continues to glide her nail over her pants. ]

It's okay to do that, Elena. It's okay to resent him because you still love him, don't you?

( he knows the answer to that question but he says it aloud so she can see that her love for her brother overwhelms the fact that she's resented him. )

Siblings are an amazing thing to have, Elena, but they can be difficult. They know you so well and sometimes you don't want that. But when you need them, they are there. My siblings will be there if I need them just like Jeremy would be there for you.

[ he can't be there for her any more because she's dead. that's why she's resentful; she's left him alone, he'll spiral, and no one will be there to try and shove him into a better and safer path. he's all alone.

inhaling roughly and deeply through her nose, she tries to push all that down. there's no point in crying over it. she's here, wherever that is, and she's with elijah who, as far as she's aware, is only undead and not dead-dead. ]

He's technically my cousin. [ she smiles then shakes her head, lettig out an amused puff of air. ] At least your family knows how you're all related.

Technicalities don't matter, Elena. He's your brother in all the ways that count.

( just like marcellus was klaus' son in all the ways that counted. it doesn't have to be a blood relation to be family.

he tilts his head, fixing her with a quiet look. )

You love him and he loves you. You're family.

[ despite how she tries to lighten and even run away from it, he brings her back. shouldn't be surprising, given how elijah had proven to be a stabilising force even during the business-like moments she knew him.

she sighs and allows herself it. there's nowhere to hide and no reason to. ]

I miss him and I wish he was here. But I don't know what it means to be here. I'm stupidly hoping it's a good thing.

[ a purgatory, maybe—or perhaps being a supernatural creature means they end up somewhere else. it still doesn't explain elijah. ]

I miss everyone but Kol.

( elijah manages to keep a straight face for a moment but then he laughs, bowing his head and giving it a shake. no, he misses kol too even if this place...would probably not survive kol mikaelson. )

Do you have any ideas on what you think it means? I might not know you as well as the Salvatores, Elena, but I know you're a smart woman. You have theories, don't you?

[ who's kol? elena files that away to pry from him later. clearly a brother, but one that he doesn't get along with? no, it must be a brother he enjoys the company of if his laughter means anything. if it was klaus, she imagines he'd have a more pensive expression. ]

A few… [ she looks down, a little sheepish now. it's a warm compliment, especially from him. ] But… [ her theory is entirely based on herself, not elijah. she's dead, but him? she's not quite sure, and it's rude to ask him if he's dead.

she leans forward and ignores how she wants to fall back against the chair again. pinning him with a look, she arches her brow softly. ]

What were you doing before you got here? Really doing.

I was supposed to be recovering.

( from what, he doesn't say. he doesn't feel like going too much into what he'd been doing because that's going to open up to what had happened to him to make him have to recover. )

But, I was mostly trying to keep an eye on my brother and to clean up a mess that had been made.

( it's all very vague, he knows. )

Is there something specific you want to know about what I was doing before this?

[ there is. elena debates whether or not she wants to tell him. what will elijah do with that information? how will he react? what will he say? what can he even do from here? it worries her. she doesn't want him to look at her and think she's lying or incapable of coping. she doesn't want him to be offended.

then elena realises she's not exactly afraid of what he will say. she's afraid of what she will think, feel, say, sound.

she wants to look away, but she doesn't. ]

Are you dead? Not undead. Dead.

[ from what he says, she doubts it. "recovering" implies he's alive, able to heal and move on. she wonders what from—another dagger? another betrayal from klaus? ]

( elijah stares at her for a long moment. he's not contemplating what to tell her because he knows that already. no, what he's contemplating is if she's asking him that, she's asking for a reason.

she's trying to find a pattern and if she's asking him if he's dead, then that must mean — )

No.

( he shakes his head. )

No, I am still alive last I remember. None of my siblings had stuck a dagger in my chest and no one had broken my neck. I was alive and well.

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