villagelogs | 024-027 » neither reward nor punishment

024-027 » neither reward nor punishment

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Western Mathias + ???
WHEN: Days 024-027
WHAT: The consequences of their actions.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here! The next log will be posted January 23rd.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Deadly Avenger "Onryo" 怨霊

DAYS 024-025
CONSEQUENCES
“There are in nature neither rewards nor punishments —
there are consequences.”
— Robert G. Ingersoll
When the unwilling residents of Mathias Township wake on the morning of the 24th day, they will find themselves in yet another set of frustratingly unnerving circumstances. None of them are where they last remember being, and some of them have strange marks on the palms of their left hands. It's all incredibly unsettling, but truthfully they should be used to it by now. No one will remember traveling to their new location.

Residents can wake up anywhere within their new location and in any position. Curled up in a bed, sprawled on a couch, huddled beneath a coffee table, propped against a wall... Wherever they are, they will themselves to be in quite an unusual state. While they are wearing whatever clothing items they went to sleep in, plus their shoes and a coat. The newest arrivals to Mathias Township will perhaps stand out for being slightly more appropriately dressed than their new neighbors. They are all a bit damp, physically worn out, and half-frozen from their apparent walk through a blizzard.

Each of the four locations is inescapable — residents are trapped, with exterior doors and windows being shut tight and a blizzard raging outside. The locations are stocked with fresh food and water and a large pile of firewood for the fireplaces in each building. The circumstances residents will face, however, may vary wildly between locations as the forces at work in Mathias respond to the recent actions of certain individuals.

BOARDING HOUSE | GREY GULL
NEW HOUSE | MYSTERY MANSION

These residents will wake with a mark on their left hand palms, a spiraling black symbol similar to those some may have seen around town. All marks are identical and cannot be removed, but will have seemingly vanished from their skin on the morning of the 26th day.

Castiel, Daisy Johnson, Dean Winchester
Elena Gilbert, Elijah Mikaelson, Helen Magnus
Phil Coulson, Quentin Coldwater, Sherlock Holmes

DAYS 026-027
IN THE AFTERMATH
After their ordeals of the past two days, the unfortunate residents of Mathias Township will be grateful to find that they were back where they are supposed to be, a chill still clinging to their clothes in whatever place they went to sleep the night of the 23rd day. New arrivals will wake in the living room of the boarding house. None of the residents will wake with anything in their possession from the locations in which they were previously trapped, including any notes or documentation they may have made during their time there.

CONDITIONS UPDATE
— SNOW continues to fall heavily on Days 024-025, resulting in white out conditions from the wind that blows in gusts of over 35 mph; the temperature also drops drastically, making conditions extremely dangerous for residents. The blizzard clears on Day 26 and residents are left with a cold, calm world covered in white.

— THE FOG remains blocking the paths in the forest, urging residents to stay huddled within the town proper, and it also now blocks the northern section of town, beginning just before where residents know the chasm in the earth to be. Venturing into the fog is... ill-advised.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue to plague the town. Kylo Ren and Thomas Richardson have vanished without a trace.

— NO NEW DEATHS have occurred in town, but there is a new "grave" in the small makeshift graveyard near the schoolhouse. Rey's corpse has been moved and covered with stones to wait for the ground to thaw enough for a proper burial.

— THE LANTERNS will be gone from the morning of Day 024. No trace of them remains.

OOC UPDATES
— A GIFT for everyone! As a thank you for being part of this spooky little game, every character in the game is being gifted 2 Activity Points. These may be banked over here — instead of linking to an AC post, you may put "New Year gift" in that field. Happy 2021, friends!

— NEW LAYOUTS have been installed for our communities! Huge thanks to our Eldritch Librarian Stars for putting in the time to get this place looking shiny. (You may have also noticed some new page layouts being installed — these are also our Librarian's handiwork!)

— DISCOVERIES have been collected and collated for your review. Please note that this is OOC information only, put together for the purpose of helping you as players see connections and possibilities for CR and your own character's potential avenues of exploration and investigation. (If we are missing something, please report it so we can add it to the list.)

— REMINDERS — Don't forget about the bulletin board. Please continue reporting your updates to locations, plots, and discoveries. The map of Mathias has been added to the locations page for ease of reference. Make sure your character's sanity level is kept updated. Prospective players are still joining the TDM, so it's recommended to track new top-levels so you don't miss them.

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[ When it becomes clear that the piercing sounds and rumbling shakes aren't going to be stopping anytime soon, Daisy gives up on any attempt of getting sleep. It's hard to even properly rest in between rounds, thanks to the splitting headache that's settled in. Really, it makes everything hard to manage.

Emerging from the kitchen with a glass of water, she nearly drops it as one of her fellow prisoners decides to attack the window. She doesn't even consider how odd it is that it doesn't break — she's too busy trying not to break the glass in one hand while she presses the other to her head. ]

Hey! Can you not with whatever you just did? [ The words are stretched thin as her voice tightens in response to the pain arcing through her skull and arms. She doesn't hear any difference but she sure does feel it. ]

My apologies, I was trying to create a way out for us!

( typically, that wasn't something he'd snap but with the combination of the pain in his head and the constant, undying sounds, the words come out vehemently.

he waits for a moment, holding up a hand in apology before he shakes his head and turns away from the window. )

It should have broken.

( maybe these walls were made of something indestructible but windows were glass and he should have easily been able to get through them. the fact that he'd done nothing to them is a concern. )

[ He's as on edge as she is, that's easy enough to read off him. He's also managing to keep himself in check pretty well, as evidenced by that gesture of apology. That's enough to soothe her own irritation a little, at least. ]

Yeah well, it's probably a good thing it didn't. If you haven't noticed, there's kind of a blizzard going on out there.

[ She rubs at her temple for a moment as she drops less than gracefully into a nearby chair at one of the small tables. The water in her glass sloshes a little but she deposits it on the table regardless, paying no attention as a few droplets sink into the grey strip of fabric she's got wrapped around her palms and up her arms. ]

Indeed.

( the words are slow, sluggish but he does realize that what she's saying is true. he presses a hand to his face, trying to ignore the pounding of his pulse inside his head that's only exacerbated by the sounds.

he turns, watching her fall into a chair. the water sloshes but he doesn't really make a note of it immediately. )

I might almost want to take my chances with the blizzard and not these sounds.

I can understand that. [ Boy, can she. Between the alternating shaking and shrieking, even just the normal howl of the wind is making her head ache between the more intrusive torments. Honestly, she's getting real tired of all of it. ]

After the storm I arrived in, though, I'm not sure we'd be much better off out there. [ Which is really saying something, considering how utterly miserable she both looks and feels. ]

( elijah rubs at the sides of his head, trying to dispel even a small amount of sound. and for a second, he thinks that maybe it eases off but the next moment, it's back and he grimaces, feeling it like several knives burrowing underneath his skin.

he presses a hand against the window but then turns away from it, crossing his arms and peering over at daisy. )

Do you know where we are? In relation to town hall? I've never been in this building.

[ There's something in the way he moves, that grimace that forms. Noticing little things and putting together puzzle pieces is what Daisy does, a natural talent that's been honed by her years with SHIELD. She doesn't know what, but there's something there in all that.

Watching him a little closer, she answers him without hesitation. ] This is the Grey Gull. It's on the beach at the very end of Phillips, the street that cuts through all the houses to town hall. [ A pause, then another puzzle piece. ] I'm guessing you haven't been here long?

No.

( he shakes his head and slides a hand over his face, trying to dispel the noise and the constant banging that seems to be taking up residence in his head. he sighs, closing his eyes to try and center himself. )

A few days. I think. I don't know, I've lost track of time.

( or it's hard to think past the pain in his head and the noise that just won't stop. he growls, glaring at the window. )

What is that noise?

[ Losing track of time is an easy thing to do in this place. She would know, she's also been subjected to a disappearing act she didn't agree to, which has only made things more complicated and a bit terrifying at times.

Frowning at his reaction that is raising all sorts of flags, she turns in her chair to more fully face him. ]

Are you okay? [ There's genuine concern with that frown, and there's a pinched tightness at the edges of her expression hinting at the pain she's in. ] And before you do that guy thing where of course you're okay, I'm only asking because you seem a bit more... affected than the others. [ The slightest pause, then she takes a leap. ] Kinda like how I am.

[ She could be wrong. It could be that he suffers from migraines or some other condition that makes him more sensitive to all this mess. But if he is in the boat as her... Well. Misery loves company? ]

Of course I'm all right.

( he says it partially because she tells him not to and partially because, well, he thinks he is even if he's clearly not. he rubs at his temple before he sighs raggedly and focuses on her.

maybe if he can keep his focus locked onto things, he can ignore the pounding sounds that seem to reverberate through him. maybe that's too hopeful. )

I have a bit of a headache. ( it was less 'a bit' and more 'massively painful.' )

Are you all right? ( she'd just admitted to being more affected so he blinks, looking over at her. )

[ A bit. Yeah, okay. She's got a 'bit' of a headache too, if by a bit he means a jackhammer going off in her skull. Honestly, at this point, that might even be preferable to this torture they're being put through — she could take out a jackhammer pretty easily. ]

Nope. [ There's an emphasis there and a pop to the P. A few hours of go, she might have brushed off the question, redirected the concern back at him, but now she's just too tired and in too much pain to bother with it. She leans forward and rests her elbows on the table, shaking her head tiredly. ] Something's drilling into my head and trying to shake my bones apart, so big nope.

( well, he's comforted by the fact that he's not alone in feeling absolutely terrible. he doesn't want to show it, of course, but it's very difficult.

he sighs, shoulders sagging as he presses a hand against his head. )

Yes, I feel something similar.

( boke shaking, head drilling, all that. when the noise sounds again and he winces, he finds himself really thinking seriously about the blizzard and chancing it. )

What are the chances that there's somewhere in this place that's quiet and protected from this noise?

[ Daisy grimaces at the sound as well, her shoulders hunching in a futile effort to protect herself from the offensive sound. It reminds her almost of what she'd experienced in that old castle with the monolith, only a hundred times worse. If only it was the monolith at the center of this — she'd rather take her chances on a Hive-less Maveth than this creepy town they can't seem to escape. ]

Slim to none. I've checked everywhere and the sound just keeps getting in. [ She takes a deep breath, two, but it does absolutely nothing to help. ] We might be able to do some soundproofing to one of the closets, but I don't think it would do a damn thing for those of us with more than human senses.

[ It's a leap of intuition, putting a few pieces together but not yet outright guessing at his being something else. If he is... Well, hopefully he sees her inclusion in that statement as the gesture of trust that it is. ]

( elijah isn't in so much pain that he doesn't catch her words. at first, he doesn't react because if he immediately denies it, he's going to give himself away. but if he looks startled, he's going to answer her question as well.

he just rubs at his head, giving himself time to figure out what to say in response. )

More than human? ( repeating her words isn't the best start but it's done and he has to keep going. )

You don't think everyone else is reacting just like this?

[ She watches him closely, not with suspicion but with something almost like concern. This dance isn't an unfamiliar one to her, it used to be a regular part of her job, she just hopes she isn't barking up the wrong tree. ]

Not that I've seen. [ She spreads a hand in something intimating a shrug. ] Maybe I'm wrong and that doesn't apply to you, but it does to me. So.

And what are you?

( elijah isn't quite ready to just tell her what he is even if she's deduced that he isn't human. they're in an enclosed building that's refusing to let them loose and he's already had a slip.

he doesn't want to put a target on his back bigger than the one already there. he sighs, rubbing at his head to try and ease the pain there. )

If this is affecting you as badly as it is me, what does that make you?

[ What are you? How many times has the answer to that question earned her irrational hatred and judgment? She's not the least bit ashamed or embarrassed by what she is — it's her birthright and part of who she is, but she's gotten really tired of having to fight to convince others that people like her aren't monsters or things. ]

I'm an Inhuman. Basically, part alien. [ She could elaborate, and she will, but she kind of just wants to see what his reaction is first. There are so many people here from other worlds... ]

Part alien.

( he says the words slowly, looking her over. he doesn't know what an alien looks like so he can't really judge but still.

she is not what he would think an alien would look like. )

How did that happen? ( what he wants to ask is if she's from another planet. )

[ As reactions go, his isn't terrible. Surprisingly. Maybe they're all just too tired for a normal level of skeptical no way. ]

Thousands of years ago, an alien species came to Earth to conduct experiments on the native population, adding a piece of their genetic code to our DNA. That gene has been passed down through generations.

[ She shifts uncomfortably in her chair as another piercing shriek sounds but keeps going. Might as well give them both something else to focus on. ]

When we're exposed to a chemical compound, the gene is activated, giving us unnatural abilities. [ She's said this so many times over the years that it's almost comforting. Almost. ] My thing is vibrations.

How...unfortunate.

( it seems that she had the same choice as he did in her transformation. that is to say she had none. she was made into what she is just like he was made into what he is.

he eyes her, trying to focus in an effort to tune out the sound. but the sound is stronger, burrowing into his head and making him wince. )

Are there many of you?

( she talks about alien dna in the genetic code so he assumes there's more. )

[ The matter of choice is something she has a lot of opinions on, but that's a very different kind of conversation and perhaps one better left for when they don't have a sonic drill boring into their skulls. ]

It's hard to say. We aren't born with our abilities, there's a transformation we go through later, and not everyone even knows they have the gene.

[ She's quiet for just a moment, shifting again and crossing her arms. Her tone is distinctly uncomfortable and more than a little angry when she continues. ]

There were more of us before, but something happened a few years ago and a lot of Inhumans died.

That sounds like an unfortunate situation.

( elijah decides not to ask what happened since she seems like it's difficult to talk about. he doesn't need to know so he doesn't ask. )

Can more be created? Or...I don't know exactly how it works with alien DNA. As you might have suspected, I have no familiarity with that kind of thing.

( his knowlege of the supernatural stops before getting to aliens. )

[ An unfortunate situation. The possibly not entirely human guy sure has a way with words. ]

Yeah, not a lot of people here do. Which is so weird, everyone knows about aliens where I'm from — they kind of invaded New York a few years ago.

[ She shakes her head, then reaches up to run a hand through her hair. ] But more is... complicated. It's not really a good time for powered people on my Earth. Government registration, being hunted by terrorists, people thinking you're some kind of monster...

( oh, he knows that last part very well. for a moment, elijah's quiet before he nods once. he's luckily been able to avoid the government and terrorists but that doesn't mean he hasn't been hunted.

and he knows that it isn't easy. )

I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that that sort of thing never changes from place to place.

( people that are different are always looked at as dangerous, as monsters. )

It does keep things unfortunately predictable.

[ Yes, mysterious guy, she's co-opting your word. It seems too fitting not to. She straightens up again suddenly, facing him head-on, expression completely serious. ]

It's my job to protect people. It's my purpose in life. That extends to everyone here, especially anyone in that not-quite-human category who could use someone in their corner. [ She relaxes slightly again. ] Just... throwing that out there.

sleepless—

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dw ate the notif :|

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