028-029 » the winds of change

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central Mathias.
WHEN: Days 028-029
WHAT: A town meeting is called.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Deadly Avenger "Ikiryo"

DAY 028
SOMETHING ON THE WIND
Another day dawns in the fair town of Mathias. The sky is a blanket of light grey, tiny specks of snow lightly falling as the hours pass. It makes the town feel almost quaint, the scenery quite peaceful in its winter garb. But beneath the veneer of peace there is a pervasive dread of something approaching. Something inevitable is on the wind, something that has come before and will come again...

Throughout the day, residents will consistently experience feelings of deja vu, that sense of having done or seen or said something before that can never be fully recalled. It happens again and again, tugging at the back of their minds, the memories just frustratingly out of reach.

Residents will also notice a note pinned around town:




The note can be found on the town hall's bulletin board and the front doors of many town establishments, including the Grey Gull, the library, and the boarding house. At the bottom of the note it is specified that the meeting will take place "tomorrow, when the sun is over the town square."


NEW ARRIVALs
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake on the frozen lawn of the town hall atop a snowdrift. They had best hurry inside and get warmed up before hypothermia sets in.

DAY 029
A GATHERING OF MINDS
In the late afternoon when the sun hangs over the town square, residents will converge upon the Town Hall, where a larger meeting room has been filled with rows of chairs. After most people arrive, John Constantine stands and addresses the room... and then sits again. A grand introduction, truly.

Residents are encouraged to share their experiences and information they have gathered in the town while holding questions until the end. Rather than getting tangled in the intricacies of each person's tale, it seems better to absorb the broad strokes and try to connect the puzzle pieces to get a look at the bigger picture that is the mystery of Mathias Township.


THE INEVITABLE
As the meeting comes to an end and residents begin to converse among themselves, the feeling of something approaching and sense of deja vu begin to build, becoming almost oppressive as night falls. An hour after nightfall, residents learn the reason for these sensations that cease immediately as the earth begins to rumble. The buildings shake, furniture tumbles, and breakables crash to the floor as the earthquake sets in without warning.

The tremors last around a minute, far longer than a normal earthquake, and then the town settles again. There are no aftershocks, which many may note is quite unusual. Residents will find quite a bit of mess in their homes and other locations around town, but there is no structural damage to be found despite the intense shaking.

---

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER is fairly typical of a northern winter. The sky is grey, the temperature hovers just below freezing during the day (colder at night), and a light snow falls during both days. Residents should bundle up when going outside and not venture too far into the dark night...

— 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 with Sherlock Holmes being the latest victim of the town's unsettling whims.

---

OOC NOTES

— TOWN MEETING STRUCTURE The town meeting section of the log is designed for characters to share any information they would like to with the other residents in attendance. ICly, characters should "hold questions until the end" with the intent that they can get the Big Picture first and connect any dots they see. OOCly, this means players should post their character's information sharing tag in the Meeting section, but the actual conversation about whatever they share happens after the meeting proper in the Mingle section. That way, these conversations can happen however players prefer, be that one-on-one or in small or large groups.

— HOUSING Please be sure your character's housing arrangements are up to date on our list. We're missing a few people and it really helps to know where everyone is for planning. Frequent updates for wandering characters are perfectly acceptable.

— THE BULLETIN BOARD has been updated. Players should note there is a change to the wall near the board that may be of great interest to some residents.

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Claire Novak - Closed Prompts

[waywardsister]

[ Please see my thread on the town hall mingle for an open option for everyone to tag into post townhall information sharing.

I'll add closed starters as separate comments under this here TL.

Feel free to hit up the OOC Plotting comment or approach me on inkcharm if you wanna plan for specific things! ]

Day 28: Closed to Castiel

[waywardsister]

[ It still takes some adjusting - living with Dean and Castiel.

well, who is she kidding, no... it's downright weird. Not bad, just... yeah. Claire's gotten used to sharing the house with Jody and Alex, and lives alone in her car and in motel rooms when on the road during a case. This arrangement is... weird. And new.

Quite frankly, she feels oddly crowded in and doesn't quite know why. They're not doing anything except... existing. And caring. And being their usual brand of gross weird brothers-dads-uncles.

Ugh.

Still. Living in such close proximity, and having Cas back despite the dire news Dean intitially had to share with her... It's not a bad deal honestly. It also means, though, that she gets to watch them.

And that means she gets to watch them be weird at each other.

Something's up. And Claire has every intention of skillfully, tactfully unearthing secrets via subtle interrogation of the less emotionally constipated dude in the house - which ironically is an angel wearing her father's corpse.

Her life feels like a dumb TV show sometimes.

Regardless... they've all been back from their weird little trips for a while, she still has her hand bandaged with torn sheets - downgraded from manor sheets to abandoned house sheets, thanks for nothing Mathias, and launches operations sneak attack by casually wandering over to Cas and beginning the most skilfull, subtle, roundabout interrogation... by way of applying a battering ram to the topic. ]

So, you and Dean are acting weirder than usual.

[aprofoundbond]

[Castiel is glad to be back in their own house. Or, rather, the borrowed house that they've claimed for themselves here in Mathias, he supposes is the technical way of describing it. Mostly, Castiel is trying to give Dean the space and time he's asked for, not wanting to pressure him into anything, even as much as he yearns for Dean, for that intimacy between them the night they kissed.

He tries to keep himself busy, tidying up the home, taking stock of what they have through running an inventory of sorts, making a list of what they should stock up on and anything that they might still need, and organizing what they do have stocked up. Between his conflicting emotions and his struggle with reconciling his newly human needs with his angelic abilities, it's all quite a lot for Castiel; he tries not to let himself get overwhelmed.

He's in the middle of dusting the living room as a means of getting out of his own head when Claire approaches, knocking any semblance of pretense right out of the water by directly asking about him and Dean. Castiel stiffens before he can help himself as he turns to her.] What do you mean? It's been a long few days; I think we're both just stressed out from being trapped in that other house.

[Castiel says, as if he could actually fool Claire with his attempt at avoiding answering the question.]

[waywardsister]

Right. Yeah, totally.

[ No human in the history of humanity has sounded less convinced of anything than Claire does in this moment. ]

So here's the thing, Mary Poppins. I don't think that anything spooky going on in Mathias would make you stress-clean the house. 'cause that's a very Jody thing you do. And no offense, you're no Jody.

[ She misses Jody. ]

Though you do get props for making decent sandwiches.

[ Claire flops down onto the couch with the sort of practice casual sprawl that only teenagers and young adults can manage, careful not to jostle her right hand. ]

Take it from someone who's made deflection an art form... what you are is a pretty shitty liar. Just saying.

[aprofoundbond]

[Castiel wishes, in that moment, that he could forget all he's learned and experienced of human sarcasm, particularly the sarcasm and wit of young adult humans. He hears Claire's lack of conviction in her tone; he sighs, rubs a hand over the bottom half of his face as he tries to think of an answer that isn't exactly the truth but will still satisfy her curiosity in some way.

He huffs out something of a laugh when Claire mentions that he's 'no Jody.' She's certainly not wrong there.] I'm glad I have decent sandwiches going for me. That seems to be the only thing I have going for me, at the moment.

[He sighs again, shoulders sagging. He considers a moment before deciding to join Claire on the couch, curling up into the opposite corner from where Claire has sprawled herself out.] I don't know that you'll want to hear what I have to say regarding me and Dean.

[He can't imagine that Claire Novak will want to know that, in her father's body, he made out with Dean Winchester after an attempt at talking through their feelings.]

[waywardsister]

[ Claire's eyes narrow. What's with the self-deprecation around here? Sheesh. She's the only one who is allowed to give these oafs shit, no one else - not even they themselves. ]

Bullshit.

[ She says that easily and without heat, stretching out one leg to poke Cas' knee with the tip of her boot. ]

Remember... when you came back for me. I told you that you're nicer. And a bit of a doofus. Doesn't mean best you can do is sandwiches.

[ Not his fault she was clever enough to give him the slip either. He's... trusting. With a big old heart that she never suspected him to have when all she felt, chained to his comet, was something ancient and righteous and fierce.

In so many ways, though, he's just like her. An outer shell that's heart and fierce, and if you dig below... if you see the truth...

I can barely keep it together on a good day. ]

Are you putting yourself down because your grace fizzled out in this shit hole?

[aprofoundbond]

[As Claire pokes him with her boot, Castiel actually manages a quirk of a smile, a burst of fondness for Claire flaring up in his chest. Even his ancient and celestial self can appreciate her concern and the way she tries to cheer him up. Truth be told, it does feel good to talk to someone about everything he's been through, especially with someone who isn't Dean.

At her mentioning that he's more than good for sandwiches, Castiel's smile widens as he turns to look at her.] Thanks Claire. I appreciate that.

[And of course, in the next moment, they come to the meat and potatoes of it all, as Dean might say. He feels relaxed enough around Claire that he feels he can talk about it; his shoulders sag and he lets himself relax back against the back of the couch.]

I think that's certainly part of it. My Grace has restored itself now, but who's to say that next time I won't accidentally use even more of it and possibly incapacitate and/or kill myself? Plus, the fact that I'm still an angel yet I need to perform human functions. It's all very...well, it's a lot, as you kids might say.

[Castiel manages a flicker of a smile in Claire's direction before letting out a long, low breath. He concentrates on the floor by his feet when he next speaks.]

There's also the fact that I'm in love with Dean.

[waywardsister]

.... huh.

[ Her breath leaves her in a little puff with the sound, and for a moment Claire thinks she can practically hear the record scratch in her brain as her mind tries to wrap its head around that.

Her face goes on a bit of a journey, of internalizing the concept to her nose wrinkling as she weighs Castiel against her father's body, as she contemplates Dean in general as a romantic aspect for any self-respecting person, as she comes to the conclusion she'd rather not think about it because neither of them is her father but they're kind of her Dads, so like, ew but also good on them, maybe.

Eventually she narrows her eyes. ]

Alright, so why are you moping in here instead of making gross heart eyes at the guy?

[ Never let it be said that complex emotional stakes cannot be boiled down to... well. This. ]

[aprofoundbond]

[Castiel physically tenses, bracing himself for Claire's reaction. He can't blame her for however she chooses to react; it's a...unique situation, and one that does effect her, from multiple angles.

The 'huh' somewhat catches him off-guard, a more mild response than he expects. Castiel turns to her, expression cautious, as she processes this information. Perhaps he shouldn't have told her. But she already knows that something is going on between him and Dean; Claire is an intelligent, clever, and bright young woman, and himself and Dean aren't exactly acting subtly with the way that they're attempting to walk on eggshells around one another.

When she asks him that, Castiel sighs, shoulders sagging. Now here comes the part that will probably, he thinks, prove especially awkward.]

Because we made out the other night and Dean needed space when I talked to him about it.

[It is, of course, more complicated than how he describes the situation, but it feels like the best way to summarize the entire experience for Claire.]

[waywardsister]

First of all: Gross.

[ But there's a wry smile once she's done sticking out her tongue in fake disgust. Who likes to hear about old guys getting it on, after all. Like good for Cas, but also... again with the sort-of-dads motif.

And her father's corpse.

How's her life this shitty and complicated?

Not the point of this conversation though. Claire's expression slides into something more neutral, and she looks at Cas for a while, with those too blue eyes that are so much like his.

Difficult to reconcile the comet she was once chained to with the soft, lovesick creature in front of her. ]

Alright. So, we're waiting for Dean to untwist his panties. Gotcha. I suggest alcohol. Cures any woe temporarily. And you look like you can use a pick me up. Also, just saying, Dean's like really old, so if he gives you shit, I can totally kick his ass for you. Defend you honor, all that jazz.

[ She's not serious - not in what she says about kicking anyone's ass, at least. But there's something genuine in the way her hand curls around his and squeezes for a moment before Claire gets up to retrieve two glasses and some of Dean's booze.

She chews on her bottom lip as she pours. ]

He'll get over himself, y'know. Love's stupid, and so is Dean sometimes, but it'll work out.

[aprofoundbond]

[Castiel doesn't know what to expect out of Claire's reaction but he braces for it, all the same. He feels the weight of her gaze, wonders what she's thinking. It's difficult not to dwell on how similar her blue eyes are to his own. (Or, rather, the eyes of his vessel, her father's body, which is a train of thought he doesn't want to particularly travel down at this moment.)

Castiel listens as Claire mentions something about Dean's panties being in a twist and then alcohol curing everything, and he manages to smile, almost laugh, even.

When her hand squeezes around his, he squeezes back.

At her comment about love and stupidity, he does at last laugh out loud, watching her pour them some of Dean's alcohol.]

I appreciate your sense of optimism. Technically, I'm older than Dean. But I guess we're both of us old fools, in our own ways.

Day 29, Evening: Closed to Ellie

[waywardsister]

[ 1301 Philips Drive is a mess, and it's a mess Claire is leaving in the competent hands of Team Emotional Constipation. She made some alibi efforts on the cleanup, then contemplated the phone, and then marched out the door calling 'I'm checking up on friends' over her shoulder while already mostly out the door.

What an she say, she's a very considerate pseudo-daughter like that. Not that Dean and Cas are her fathers. They're just kinda her dads.

Shaking her head against those weird contemplations, Claire pulls her coat more closely around herself as she makes her way to a familiar house, knocking three times on the door just like she did during that first night and the raging storm.

Still no pizza.

Just an earthquake this time. She really hopes Ellie's okay - has no doubt that Ellie is someone you don't have to worry about living on her own, but still. Claire just needs her to not be hurt or anything like that.

Her throat is dry - the last time they talked, Claire had been a mess and creeping on Ellie's singing. But it's cool, right? They're cool.

Yeah.

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and shifts her weight on her feet, worrying her lower lip.

Claire knows she could have just called, but... well. But. it felt better to just... come over.

Yeah, totally normal. Totally cool. Just checking in. Cool cool cool. ]

[enduresurvive]

[ Ellie is unharmed from the earthquake, but she's most suspicious of it. Next will probably be a fire and they'll all burn to death, knowing this place. Or something extra crazy like asteroids crashing into the houses or something.

She wants to be amused at her own grim thoughts but she can't find any actual humour about it. Those things could really happen here, seems like.

She's picking up some books that fell off a shelf, just absently, needing something to do.

When she goes to the door, she's expecting Henry. It's his overprotective dad nature to come check on her, she figures. So she looks like she's about to roll her eyes and make some remark when she pulls the door open, but that cuts off when she sees who is actually standing there. ]

Claire? Oh, hey. Man, I haven't seen you in like a week.

[waywardsister]

Yeah, I've been...

[ Claire makes a vague gesture, indicating their surroundings. There's a bandage around her hand. She ducks her head a little, sheepish, worries her lower lip. ]

I bailed on you after I totally broke down on you, and... it wasn't cool of me to make myself rare, but I'm really grateful you were there for me. I just. I'm not really great at like. You know. The emotional crap. Kind of took some time. Dug my body up and gave myself a hunter's funeral. Bonfire. That was... weirdly cathertic. And then, y'know, seems everyone was pulled different places, and...

[ She's rambling. Claire scuffs the tip of her boot against the floor, purses her lips, then looks back up Ellie with a glint of teasing in her eyes. ]

So, hey. There was a bit of a rumble. If you have a big sound system in there that you were blasting, now'd be a good time to come clean on holding out on me Ell's Bells.

[enduresurvive]

What'd you do to your hand?

[ Of course Ellie notices that bandage. ]

Here, come in, it's still fucking freezing.

[ She moves to let Claire in so they can go to the living room. The heat is working, for now, so it's a livable temperature. Ellie doesn't turn it up too high; she figures if she gets too used to being very warm, the nights when the power fritzes will be harder. Still, it's warm enough that she doesn't need a coat inside. Good enough for her. ]

Wait, dude, you dug up your body? You mean it was still there? How the fuck does that work?

[ She hears the rest of it, but that part...she can't decide if that's terrifying or hardcore or just plain goddamn weird.

She snorts a laugh at the sound system thing. ]

Psh, I wish. I heard sound systems used to do cool shit like shake the walls but I've only ever had a dinky stereo. And somehow I doubt this nightmare town has big boomy speakers either.

[waywardsister]

Lost a fight with a mirror.

[ Arriving at the mansion, back where she'd been on that one lost day not even a month ago, Claire had somewhat lost it. It had taken the realization that at least this time she wasn't alone in the endless, identical corridors, to calm her frayed nerves.

She's in somewhat less of a pitch black headspace now, and follows Ellie inside. ]

Yeah, it was there. Wore my clothes, looked perfectly like me. This place is such a freakshow.

[ Her mind's circled through explanations, and none of them are good - whether she draws from hunter knowledge or from pop culture. ]

Well, if it did, we'd blast it so loud the old dudes here with us think it's another earthquake. Speaking of - that's why I'm here. Figured I'd make sure you're okay, and help you with the clean up.

[enduresurvive]

Gotta stop picking fights you can't win.

[ Ellie might have thought it was an anger thing, but she heard about there being weird shit in the mirrors. Henry mentioned it to her. So maybe Claire was trapped in that same place? Or it was happening other places? Well, fuck that idea. ]

That's the worst fucking thing I've heard all day.

[ She can't imagine how surreal and awful it is, looking at your own dead body. Maybe that's what it's like to be a ghost! Not that she believes in those either, but she's entertaining the idea, considering this town so far. ]

Well now we gotta find one. But yeah, I'm just picking up books like I actually live here or am gonna read them. Come in. The other lady who's staying here isn't here right now, but she's cool anyway.

[waywardsister]

I'll let you know when I've found a fight in this place I can win. Gotta earn back some points for badassery, right?

[ She smiles, wry but earnest, and looks around to survey the damage. Not too bad overall. Nothing that can't be fixed and put back together, at least, and isn't that a tiny little silver lining in this shithole of a place. ]

Other lady? You got a new roommate, then?

[enduresurvive]

Yeah, I'll keep a tally.

[ There's a bit of broken glass in the kitchen and then the books, some messed up shelves. But the house did a pretty good job standing up to the earthquake. And Ellie herself is unscathed, probably by sheer luck. But she'll take what little luck she can in this place. ]

Uh...yeah, I guess Henry got worried about me and asked her to come. Her name's Yennefer. She's a wizard or something?

[ Look, Ellie can't keep all the words for People That Do Magic straight. ]

She's...

[ Breathtakingly pretty? Clearly a badass? Probably capable of killing people with less remorse than Ellie? ]

...pretty cool so far.

[waywardsister]

[ Claire's glad she's bending down to pick something up, back to Ellie, because she's pretty sure her face goes on an unflattering journey.

A wizard or something - so a witch. Witches suck.

Except for the ones who are pretty cool apparently. Claire grips the stack of books a little too tightly for a moment, and forces herself to relax. ]

Oh yeah? She pull any bunnies out of any hats?

[ She tosses a wry little smile over her shoulder to Ellie.

Honestly, no need to be an ass, and Claire manages to keep the bite out of her tone pretty well. ]

[enduresurvive]

[ Ellie still doesn't know that Claire, like Dean, is a hunter, someone who messes with magical beings and shit like that. It hasn't quite crossed her mind to figure that out; magic is still an afterthought to her. Monsters are real, but...monsters are just people. And real people are so much worse than Infected most of the time anyway.

She laughs at the joke anyway. ]

Ha, no. That would be extra amazing here, though, since there's no bunnies anywhere that I've seen. She was just, like, mixing something for...what was it? Divination?

Day 29: Closed to Zed

[waywardsister]

[ It's to John's house next. Well, John and... Zed, if she remembers correctly. He's mentioned her, and Claire's sure she's seen her around, but... well. She's been preoccupied. Still, checking up on the British Trenchcoat post earthquake means checking up on his... uh.

His what, actually?

Well that's gonna be a fun thing to puzzle out. Whoever she is, she must have nerves of steel - and Claire's sure both of them can use a hand with the post-earthquake mess.

So she raps her knuckles against their house's door sharply and calls out: ]

Hey, it's Claire.

[chicartista]

[ whenever zed thinks mathias will give them a break the town throws another curveball. it had been good to go to the meeting even if she hadn't really contributed anything. opening up to people still wasn't really her strong suit. she did stay for a while after the meeting, john had been insisting she meet more people. but then evening came and with it an earthquake of all things.

she isn't sure where john has gotten too when she hears the knock on the door. he's probably out investigating (or hurting himself or both). her hair is in a messy ponytail when she opens the door - it was easier to clear debris without her curls constantly and annoyingly getting in her face.

john had mentioned claire to her before and zed had seen her around the town but they'd never had a chance to talk until now. something was always getting in the way of meeting everyone else.

still zed smiles when she opens the door. ]

Hi, I'm not sure where John is right now. I'm Zed.

[waywardsister]

[ Claire purses her lips, worry flashing over her features for a moment - but truth be told, looking around the dark streets, tilting her flash light... it doesn't look like there's been much damage outside the houses. Loose things inside smashed up, sure, but everything else is still standing.

So... John's out, but no reason to rush through the dark to find him.

Claire looks back at Zed, and then past Zed, and finally ends on a grin. ]

Typical, right? Just leaves you to deal with the mess. Well, lucky for you, I can upgrade my plan from 'check if John and his friend are okay' to 'check if Zed is okay and help her get this mess sorted out'. Claire, by the way. Claire Novak.

[chicartista]

He's okay. [ zed knows that look and she understands it when it comes to john - especially here. it's like he's become more reckless the problem for him being that there were people who cared about him here whether he liked it or not. ] Just... being John.

[ she smiles back and moves so claire can entre the house. ] I'd appreciate that, I almost think that's why John went out.

It's nice to meet you Claire.