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

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.

[ "was." "am." does he think he's dead? she thinks if anyone will know whether they're dead or not is elijah. he has a more intimate death with it than her, but in a different way. ]

Do you think you're still alive?

[ she imagines so, unless she's thrown him for a loop. elena knows one thing: she's dead and not a vampire. thank god she's not a vampire.

looking him over, her brows furrow. ] You don't look hurt.

I know I'm alive, Elena. I can't be killed.

( his mother, though she tried, hadn't managed to break him. he remained a vampire, an original despite his mother's wishes to try and put him in a different body.

he was still himself. he sighs, crossing his arms and fixing her with a quiet look. )

And I'm not hurt because I heal, Elena. There isn't a scratch on me.

( his scars lay elsewhere. )

[ keeping her gaze on him, elena doesn't feel like he's being honest with her. perhaps if she had made him give her his word, he'd tell her what he's skirting around. elena knows an avoider when she sees one.

but he's not her friend, and she doubts he'll tell her if she presses. she lifts her hand to her bandage and wishes that it'd heal. ]

There goes my theory of this being a purgatory.

[ except it doesn't, not really. where does an undead person like him belong other than a limbo between life and death? ]

I don't think his is purgatory, no. But —

( elijah trails off, trying to figure out how to say what he wants to say. he can't tell her everything because even he himself doesn't want to know but he can try and tell her something so it doesn't seem as if he's keeping everything to himself. )

I had just recently been tortured. ( he swallows, looking down. ) It didn't kill me but it was...a close thing.

( he'd almost given in. he'd almost allowed his mother to do what she wanted to do to him just so he stopped hurting. )

[ elena wonders if saying she's sorry to hear that will comfort him or make him feel on edge. she had to apologise for daggering him, but she had no part in whatever torture befell him this time. at least, she doesn't think so. maybe treating him normally is the way to go, especially for someone who seems to crave being in control. ]

How do you know? [ that sounds a bit callous to her. she rests her elbows on her thighs and palms her cheeks, watching him. ] Did you... save yourself before you came here?

No, I had help. My family wasn't going to let me just...stay where I was. They looked for me and I managed to hang on until they found me.

( there were scars, of course. even an original couldn't completely avoid the aftereffects of something like that. his mother had found the cracks in his soul, in his mind and she'd dug her fingers into them until he'd nearly cracked.

elijah sighs, rubbing his chin. )

But I'm fine now. ( for the most part. )

[ as much as elena wants to ask about it (and she wants to ask about it very, very badly), she lets it be. she can possibly find out later when he feels more trusting of her and she's not bleeding from the neck.

she cracks a smile, looking him over. ] Your suit looks like it's seen better days.

[ all wrinkled, patchy with water stains, and it looks a little dirty. she's seen elijah in a ragged version of his suit before after she had pulled the dagger from him, but this... this is a different kind of look. ]

Yes well.

( elijah looks down at his suit and makes a face. it's not the worst his suit has seen (there weren't any bloodstains on it, at least) but he'd definitely like to get out of this and find something cleaner and warmer to wear.

sighing, he straightens his tie before he looks back at her. )

I don't exactly have a wardrobe here to fix that with. Amazingly, I did not pack for this trip. An oversight on my part.

[ shaking her head, she tsks him as if he did have the luxury of knowing. it makes her feel a little normal, at least. his suit looks worse for wear and he looks very dishevelled inside of it... but at least he's all right. if elijah wasn't okay, she doesn't know what she'd do.

but that gives her an idea. they're in an abandoned house that looks like it had been lived in. surely they can use it for their benefit... ]

Maybe there's something here?

[ planting her hands on the couch, she pushes herself up to stand. ]

Elena, you don't need to look for a new suit for me right now. Sit down.

( he reaches up and puts a steady hand on her shoulder, giving her the slightest of pushes down. of course, the slightest of pushes from him is stronger than nearly everyone else so. )

Please, stop trying to do everything right now. I have a feeling we're going to have time to do go...suit shopping. You need to rest.

[ she can't help but pout, peering up at him in slight annoyance. looking after people is something she hasn't been able to do over the past year, but it's a habit of hers that she feels the strong need to fulfil right now. he needs a new suit and she thinks she can help him find one.

but she doesn't fight him. she's fought against vampires before (specifically damon) and she knows she can't win this battle. ]

I have rested, now I want to go look for a suit. I'm sure there's one upstairs.

[ she may not physically fight him, but she'll still fight him. ]

Elena, a suit is not important right now. We just got here. You don't think trying to figure out where here is is more important than the matter of clothing?

( he doesn't need a suit right now, elena. he can survive just fine in this one and clothes are the least of their worrie. )

You're not going upstairs and you're not going to look for a suit for me. You're going to stay there for a little while longer before we leave again.

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