026 》sweet troubled man are you giving or taking?

[thering]

characters: Malcolm, Neal, Negan, Raylan, Doc
location: 1306 Phillips Dr
date/time: day 26 morning
content: the reset Playstation button was pressed
warnings: tbd

After the strangeness of the past two nights they were likely fully expecting to awaken in the same strange, different, not-so-new anymore places they found themselves in in the past two days.

Instead everything seems to have reset, again. The three permanent residents and two guests are back in 1306, exactly where they had been two nights ago. Malcolm was in his own room, Neal was in Doc's and Negan in Raylan's master bedroom. The two displaced cowboys are downstairs sharing one too-small couch, a night of drinking culminating in fighting over couch space and who gets to be the bigger spoon.

The fire in the fireplace had gone out and their Winter 2020 Collection of bespoke lanterns have vanished, but nothing else seems to be awry.

Comments

Re: Later

[vampirebats]

"I was thinking about it at least. Not sure how smart it is yet... just having trouble staying in one place after our little midnight walk and lock-in." He hasn't been avoiding Malcolm, really, but there's been a lot of distractions.

And he's not sure how the fuck to politely ask if he's feeling better or if he's going to grab the poker again.

"Or whatever that was. Some freaky shit, right?"

[abrightboy]

"I think it isn't smart yet. Especially to... be alone out there."

He wrung his hands distractedly, glancing out the window by Negan.

"It was... concerning that they decided to drop the pretense that there isn't an... intelligence behind all this." For them to be kidnapped from their beds and returned to them... it was a message that they were not left to their own devices here and that the hidden hand could exert itself at any time. "I think we were originally meant to think we'd been transported to an abandoned town and had to... deal with that. But. Not now. Now we are definitely someone's amusement."

[vampirebats]

"Maybe..."

Guy's right, much as he hates to admit it. "Guess I'm just feeling a little..."

He gives a dismissive wave. Being trapped is never something he likes.

"Something fucked up is going on here. Now we can't even go to sleep without worrying where we're gonna wake up in the morning?" Hopefully none of that shit happens again, but Negan isn't ready to rule it out.

"I just wish we had a clue as to what's having a laugh at our expense, you know?"

[abrightboy]

"That sort of thing happened one time before that I'm aware of. Raylan and I woke up in the lighthouse shortly after I arrived here. I'd only met him once at that point; we talked for a few minutes. But you couldn't... get to the lighthouse from here at that point. That only lasted... a few hours and then we were back where we'd been."

He shrugged expansively, then clamped his hands together in front of him.

"I don't know if it's possible for us to gain access to the 'outside' of this place to see who's messing with us. Unless they grant it."

[vampirebats]

His jaw clenches tight for a moment as he glares off. It's not aimed at Malcolm. He's just-- pissed off in general. At this whole situation.

"There's got to be something we can do, some... way to fight back. I'm gonna go fucking nuts around here if all I can do is bend over and take it."

[abrightboy]

"If we can find the walls, maybe we can figure out how to breach them. But... I don't know how to go about that." He paused suddenly, his eyes widening slightly. "Please... please don't try to cross the fog. I really wouldn't like to bury you."

[vampirebats]

Braving the fog doesn't sound-- well, alright, it sounds like a fucking awful idea, but one that might be necessary if they want out. Still, the request has him giving a pause, maybe slightly surprised by it.

He just reaches over to clap Malcolm on the back, reassuring. "I'm touched. What, afraid you wouldn't see this pretty face again? But don't worry. I'm not planning on anything reckless."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm breathes out a laugh at the reassurance.

"If you want to poke around the places we can go... any of us would go with you, though."

[vampirebats]

"Hey, I might take you up on it. Seems the best bet is to retrace our steps, just to make sure after all this weird shit happened." He isn't sure if there's anything they'd have missed, but... better than doing nothing.

"Just wish there was a clear cut way to get answers, you know? Back home, shit was crazy, but... at least I could see what we were up against, you know?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm nodded, then looked at Negan. "What were you up against? I mean. Ultimately. I know you had a whole... apocalypse."

[vampirebats]

"I was a leader of a group... people called us The Saviors because that's what we did. Saved people, tried to give them some goddamn hope. It wasn't always easy... had to make a lot of tough calls." Some he's not proud of, but hell, too late to really worry about how he ended up. He's there, he's got to own it.

"It's not easy rebuilding after civilization collapses and people lose their goddamn minds, you know?"

[abrightboy]

"Based on how well they maintain their goddamn minds when civilization hasn't collapsed, I believe you," Malcolm told him. "What did the other groups want, if they didn't want to save people?"

[vampirebats]

"You run into all types out there. Assholes who'd barter women like we're goddamn animals for supplies or a place to stay, people who'd leave others to die because they were too pussy to stay and fucking fight."

His jaw tightens for a moment. "Then people who'll come in and slaughter your people in their sleep and still call you the monster. And look, it's the goddamn apocalypse. I'm not going to pretend I've never had to do shit I didn't want, kill somebody because they were going to kill me or somebody else. But lives are fucking precious when there are that few of them. You don't mindlessly slaughter, you know?" You get them to fall in line.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm nodded.

"I hope everyone here remembers that too," he said grimly. A beat. "Not in this house, specifically; these guys are pretty dedicated to that concept. Just. Everyone else."

[vampirebats]

"All you can do is keep an eye on'em. People tend to fall in line when there are enough people setting an example." Or keeping them in line, whichever.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm smiled brightly at him.

"I'm glad you're here," he said. "If you do go out... do you think you'll be coming back here after?"

[vampirebats]

He pauses at that question. considering it. "I could, sure. Haven't worn out my welcome, huh?"

It isn't like the prospect of being alone out there is particularly a good thing, not with all the weirdness. Better to share it. This group seems like they've got their heads on too, generally speaking.

[abrightboy]

"You haven't taken the first opportunity to run away from the weirdo who almost took your head off with a poker mid-psychosis," Malcolm pointed out. "You're not the one with a talent for making other people uncomfortable."

[vampirebats]

"You know, pretty sure you're not the only person who has wanted to do that... at least you didn't know it was me." It was fucking concerning, he's not gonna lie, but... well, he can deal with crazy. The real dangerous shit is this town in general.

He reaches out to clap a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "You can make it up, if you want, of course. Wouldn't say no to a couple drinks when we're out of here. Whenever that is."

A couple drinks, some interesting goddamn conversation. He's not a hard guy to please.

[abrightboy]

"Maybe when we find the way out of here, you don't have to go back to a world that's ended. Maybe you can just... come to one of our worlds, where it's still alive," Malcolm suggested.

[vampirebats]

Well, now. That gets him to pause, giving Malcolm a look. "Well, I'm fucking touch for starters."

That might sound like a joke, but hey, he's actually kind of more serious than he wants to let on. "But first, we gotta see if any of us are finding a way home before I decide to start freeloading on some other world, right?"

[abrightboy]

"It's not freeloading when you're contributing. I don't think you could live somewhere and not contribute to it," Malcolm told him simply.

[vampirebats]

"You know... you're an alright kinda guy, Malcolm." He gives a smile before he reaches over to give him a pat on the shoulder.

"But you're right. I couldn't just sit on my ass all day doing nothing. Never liked it much."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm laughed lightly. “Well, you are too,” he said. “Sleep well when you go,” he told him, giving him a clap on his shoulder before heading for the stairs.