001-003 » a chilling mathias welcome

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: The east end of Mathias, along the waterfront.
WHEN: Days 001-003
WHAT: The newest residents of Mathias Township are welcomed with a storm.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: A small love letter from your mod. This spot can be used for plotting.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Deadly Avenger "Mara"

DAY 001
THE ARRIVAL BEGINS

Is it the whooshing crash of waves on dark jagged rocks that wakes you? Perhaps. It might also be the near-continuous rumble of thunder growing closer every second, the vibrations almost seeming to come from the wet sand beneath your hands. Or maybe it’s the shivering of your own body as water recedes from the pebble-covered shore, the cold sinking into your very bones as a chilled wind picks up. It could be any of these things that rouse you from a deep slumber that leaves you feeling groggy and out of sorts--

But it’s the fear that gets you moving. A deep, intense terror grips your chest and squeezes the breath right out of you, and you know without a shred of doubt that you have mere minutes before whatever it is you’re so afraid of arrives on that stretch of rocky beach to greet you. Even if you want to stay rooted to that spot and faced it head-on, your body betrays you, a survival instinct etched into your genetic code forcing you to seek shelter.

Welcome to Mathias. You should probably run now.



THE STORM ARRIVES

When the storm crashes into the small township, it's hard to remember what life was like before it. The ocean becomes a raging thing, waves rising and falling as if trying to attack whatever they can reach along the coast. Any foolish enough to venture along the beach have no hope of surviving the encounter; their bodies will be swept out with the current, gone in the blink of an eye.

The wind is a howling beast, screaming between buildings and driving spikes of cold into any crevice it can reach. The rain is just shy of freezing, every drop like a shard of icicle trying to itself into your skin. It will bite at your nerves and leave you shaking if you stay out in it too long, so you had best get inside if you haven't already. You certainly don't want to attract the attention of the lightning that arcs in the sky like a vengeful god ready to unleash its wrath.

The Grey Gull restaurant sits at the edge of the town along the beach, and just a few yards away are two parallel rows of houses lining what might be a picturesque street if the world weren't beginning to resemble an apocalyptic landscape.

Move quickly, and choose wisely.

DAY 002
THE STORM RAGES ON

The storm has somehow become even more violent overnight. The world outside your shelter might be trapped in an endless night, for all you can see through the thick covering of storm clouds. Lightning continues to streak across the sky, thunder following almost immediately in its wake, threatening just how near those spikes of electricity truly are. You can see them touch the shore at times, even the street between the homes, but never the buildings themselves. A blessing, perhaps, or an oddity to take note of?

Some may be foolish enough to try venturing outside. They are welcome to, of course, that is their right, but the rain is still like ice and that lightning is so very near. You may try heading further into town, and you can certainly see buildings beyond this row of houses, but should you walk toward them...

Well. It is far from a pleasant experience. Exhaustion sinks into your bones so quickly that it leaves you reeling, and every second you push through it makes you physically ill with a feeling that you might collapse at any moment. The second you turn away from that path, however, you feel infinitely, and even more so each step back the way you came.

Something wants you to stay where you are. Perhaps you should.

DAY 003
THE CALM DESCENDS

The third day begins much as the second, with waves crashing upon the shore and thunder booming with such force that the ground seems to shake. It feels very much like the world might end right there, torn apart by a force of nature unlike any seen before. Any who venture outside at this time are almost immediately afflicted with a terror so intense that they can make it no more than a few yards or the short distance to cross a street before they become incapacitated by the fear that sets their heart beating dangerously fast. The term scared to death may very well become literal this day.

And then, suddenly it stops. The rain, thunder, lighting— all if it just stops and the silence that fills the night is deafening. There are no sounds of life within the town, no car motors or dogs barking or the voices of anyone beside those new arrivals in the immediate vicinity. In fact, none of those things even exist in Mathias. There are no cars, no animals or insects, no other people. There is just... emptiness and silence.

It may be best to wait until daylight to move further inland.



THE NIGHT DARKENS

For those who are foolish enough to leave the relative safety of the cluster of houses near the Grey Gull, they will find their journey quite chilling, in a very literal sense. There is another row of houses beyond where they had been, branching off on either side into a neighborhood. There are no lights on in any of these homes, though there are occasional streetlights illuminating their way. But as they continue further, reaching a third block of houses, those lights begin to dim, until they have gone out completely, and what had previously been a simple fall chill becomes biting cold as the temperature sharply drops.

In all of this, there is silence. No sounds travel through that night air to comfort them, and even looking up to the sky stretched out above them offers little reassurance. That sky is black, without a single star and not even the faintest outline of the moon to guide them. All that reaches them here is the barest hint of light traveling from the way they've come. The longer they linger outside in this place, the colder it will become, and any light they carry with them will slowly begin to dim as well.

Truly, they should have waited until the sun rose once more.

---

LOCATIONS

THE GREY GULL is what one might expect of the most frequented restaurant in a small coastal town. The wrap-around porch is lined with white chairs characterized by peeling paint. Exposed wooden walls and worn seating speak to its many years of existence, and the mishmash of décor confirms that the owner never much cared for how the place looked. What mattered here was the food, and faded chalk menus advertise soup specials and a daily pie. The bar appears to have once been well-stocked, but all the bottles remaining are unfortunately empty. There is, however, quite a bit of food in the kitchen that is somehow as fresh as if it were purchased that day.

The second floor of the restaurant is a sparsely furnished apartment. There are no personal items to be found; perhaps it was waiting to be rented out to someone.

THE HOUSES are well-kept, middle-class homes, four lining either side of the street. Their doors are unlocked, windows unshuttered, and everything within feels like the owners might return at any second. There is running water and electricity, fresh food in the fridge, photographs on the wall... but also dust everywhere. If you didn't know better, you'd say the place had been abandoned for years, and yet nothing has aged. It is both strange and unsettling, and yet no matter how hard you search, no answers may be found within these homes.

What can be found within them, however, is a phone. One single black phone within a main room of the house, and beside it, a list of handwritten numbers and names that have been crossed out.

1302 8-5491 Thomasen
1304 8-9256 Lyrie
1306 8-4712 Anders
1308 8-3201 Mulcalley

1301 8-0415 Sanderson
1303 8-6762 Reese
1305 8-9132 Evers
1307 8-9025 Hirano

Should your character choose to shelter in one of the houses, you are welcome to choose the features of that particular unit. Please reply to the comment thread below with the details you decide upon, specifying the house number in the subject line.

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Comments

[warfares]

( he'd been thinking about trying to push past the huddle of houses, to locate any of the landmarks he'd seen displayed in the evers' home, but the night was thick and dark and the terrain unfamiliar. he'd hesitated.

but rey, it seems, hadn't.

when the connection opens, he's in the living room, paging through one of the coffee table books. some sort of local guide. )

You've been avoiding me.

( it's a statement rather than a question. he knows that she's been avoiding him, just as he knew that it wouldn't last forever. )

[reydacted]

[ She steadies herself, heels dug into the ground and a defensive stance. Even in the dark, he seems to carry the light from whatever place he's chosen as shelter to illuminate him. It's odd and organic, not at all like the manufactured and sterile light of star ships, just one of the subtle details that refuses to let her forget how truly far they are from their home.

It has had her reeling since they arrived. She can't seem to fully wrestle with the very concept of erasing the lines that the galaxy had drawn for them, and it has her reeling.

It fills the spaces of her mind, but she shouldn't let it change anything. It can't. So she does what comes naturally to her when reality conflicts with what she needs to be true: she lies. ]

I don't want to see you.

[warfares]

Then stop looking.

( the implication being that she must be the one seeking him out rather than the other way around. which must be true, at least on some level, because he had never been able to force it no matter how hard he tried.

finally, he closes the book and lifts his head, glancing over his shoulder toward her. like so many times, his gaze skips over, face to body to back again ㅡ lingering a moment on the torch ㅡ in an effort to figure out where she might be. )

Where are you?

[reydacted]

[ She finds the accusation near eye-roll inducing, breathing out a quick and annoyed huff. She wasn't, thank you. She wasn't even thinking about him and where he sheltered, more revisionist half-truths rewriting where her mind had really been since they fled the beach. ]

Do you actually expect me to answer that?

[warfares]

No.

( because that would be too easy, and he knows better than to expect easy when it comes to her. everything with rey is like pulling teeth: a slow, patience-testing exercise that he's never entirely sure he'll best.

but he wouldn't have it any other way. )

But I had to try.

[reydacted]

You had to. [ She mimics, sounding rather unimpressed. As if some obligation had followed them through time and space. ] This isn't our home. You have no reason to chase me.

[ She treads on dangerous territory, taking hits at the ideas that she maintains for her own sanity. Shouldn't she be glad he's still Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader, chasing Rey of Jakku, the Last Jedi, rather than embracing the anonymity of this place? She clutches the torch tightly, wishing it was the hilt of her saber instead. That's a means of communication she knows much better. ]

[warfares]

And who would I chase if not you?

( chin lifting, there's a wry twist to the question that suggests it's more of a tease than a threat. though, with kylo ren it can easily be seen as either. )

Perhaps I enjoy it.

[reydacted]

[ She purses her lips in an exaggerated displeasure, a clear rejection of whatever alternative he hangs teasingly above her, stopping the thought of if she enjoys running as much as he seems to enjoy chasing before it can even really form in her mind. This isn't a game. ]

Then it's no challenge if I tell you where I am.

[ Not a game or a taunt, at all, no. She glances to her side, an older darkened house she could seek shelter in if he does decide to meet her challenge. She looks back to him, clicking off her torch. Can't make it too easy. ]

[warfares]

( but it is. it always has been, it's just that the stakes have shifted. )

Do you really think I won't find you?

( that he can't. leaving aside that the forcebond is active, he is an accomplished tracker and the village is only so large. )

[reydacted]

[ Her stubbornness won't allow her to put words to it. It's a matter of when, not if. A better question might be what then?

Her eyes rest on the uncanny darkness just beyond the row of houses. ]

You'd have to start looking.

[ And she turns to dash. ]

[warfares]

( ...well, she really has no one to blame for this but herself.

which is to say: he's moving before the connection severs, grabbing his (honestly, inadequate) go bag on the way out of the door, slinging it across his chest. outside, the cold is bracing. not quite the brutal chill of the storm, but close enough that he half expects to find his breath feathering white on the air.

several minutes are spent giving his surroundings a cursory inspection: there are other settlers, now. people like him, he assumes, who woke on the beach. rey could be among them, but he doubts she'd be that cocky if she were that close to his reach. which means he pushes past the huddle of pristine townhouses.

this time, there's knee-buckling unease. no rib-squeezing terror. the chill in the air has sharpened, but if that's all that stands in his way then this should be over quickly. he's had significantly worse. )

rey: surprised pikachu face

[reydacted]

[ What did she expect really?

She can feel his presence growing, coming towards her like a heat-seeking missile. With so few people, she wouldn't be surprised if the lack of noise in the Force actually made her easier to find.

She considers dipping back into one of the houses, but it's too easy to get trapped there. She sprints, sacrificing silence for speed, her long legs carrying her further into the darkness, kept warm only by the pumping of her blood. ]

[warfares]

( he gives chase.

long legs eat up the ground. oxygen and exhilaration burns through his veins, driving him onward. it's a little like takodana, honestly. quieter and considerably less humid, but, he can feel her, now, like he had then. a bright star amidst the gloom. radiant and magnetic.

so she might want to dip inside if she hopes to escape him, because right now he's coming right at her. )

[reydacted]

[ The sound of blood and adrenaline pounding in her ears is near deafening. Predator and prey, she's as good as caught, and the realization has her rooted to the ground for a moment too long.

She's backed up into an alcove, and her hands fumble at the locked door unsuccessfully. Stubbornness makes it impossible for her to give herself up though, so she'll lead him further into the dark, even as the temperature drops and she begins to feel suffocated by the icy bite of the air filling her lungs. She gasps as if it's not even breathable atmosphere anymore, pushing forward into the unknown rather than give up. ]

[warfares]

( eventually, he finds her. she's struggling with one of the houses, cursing softly beneath her breath, visible in the soft plumes of white that feather the air.

she pushes on before he can catch her, but he's close. close enough that he can practically taste the victory. close enough that the way his body strains, muscles aching and heartbeat thundering in his ears, gets pushed aside. ignored. because he's used to discomfort. he knows how to endure it. )

You always have to choose the difficult path.

[reydacted]

[ She's been caught but she tries to push through, the air is so cold now as she's run past the houses into the dark that it feels oppressive. It seeps through her so deeply it feels like it makes her blood slow down. She can't keep her pace as much as she tries, each stride feels more and more like her muscles are made of lead and her attempts at running seem more like she's wading through mud rather than sprinting on a clear night.

She can't see anything and yet she stubbornly keeps moving forward, even if slowly, teeth chattering. ]

What's your plan now? Drag me back to your house? Declare yourself supreme leader of this town?

[warfares]

( there's something admirable in how she continues on even knowing that there's no escape. knowing that he'll catch her.

and he does catch her. throwing an arm around her waist, he hoists her up and into his arms before she has a chance to realize she's been beaten. tucks her against his chest. )

Bold of you to assume I'd settle for the town when I could claim the whole planet, instead.

( not that he would. the little that he's seen of this planet thus far hasn't been particularly inspiring. even jakku had had something of value. )

[reydacted]

[ Her strength has been sapped by the cool air, so when she twists in his arms or when her hands curl into fists to beat up against his chest, it more closely resembles that tantrum of a petulant child than someone fighting against her sworn enemy.

It doesn't last long, and it's definitely not a conscious decision when she adjusts to press into the warmth radiating from his chest as shivers rack through her. Her body will survive despite the best efforts of her stubborn mind. ]

Maybe I should let you. A suitable exile and it would spare the galaxy.

[ Hopefully his generals are eating each other alive in the struggle to fill the power vacuum. ]

[warfares]

Please.

( he clucks his tongue; a sound more amused than offended. he can't feel her through the layers of his clothing, but he can assume how cold she must be. her attire isn't remotely suited to this kind of weather. )

We both know it would be a mistake to leave me alive.

[reydacted]

You know I can walk.

[ Her redirection couldn't be any less smooth. She can't deny that she hadn't thought about it-- in the snow on Starkiller, in the throne room as he lay unconscious, even on the beach in the minutes before he woke. She had seen what her power could do...

That's probably why he picked it. He doesn't need his saber to strike and disarm her with alarming accuracy. ]

[warfares]

Can you?

( lightly. he hadn't missed how she'd struggled — had felt the weight of something pressing against his shoulders, and it had only been his training and his sheer pigheaded stubbornness driving him onward.

regardless, it's not an invitation for her to try. his grip on her tightening as he continues walking. )

You seemed to be having trouble with it.

[reydacted]

The only trouble I have here is you.

[ Which is sort of true, but not in the way that she means it. She could refuse to play this game, she could have continued her explorations without running off to lead him into the oppressive darkness. ]

But it seems supremely like you to have followed me across whatever blasted wormhole spit us out here.

[warfares]

Just as well that I did or you'd have frozen out here.

( it's possible that he's being dramatic, but given the sharp drop in temperature and the way their breath feathers the air, perhaps it's not too far off a possibility. rey was from the desert, though. she should know better than to venture out like this, alone and after dark.

he casts a glance around them, weighing his options. )

Though I suppose you would call that satisfying, escaping to the one place I can't follow.

[reydacted]

I wouldn't have to run into the frigid dark if you didn't insist on chasing.

[ She huffs. Petulantly. Somewhere deep down, she realizes that this is so stubborn and childish, but she feels like a lothcat pet the wrong way. ]

If I promise not to run again, will you put me down?

[ Spoken almost like she believes that she won't immediately start another attempt at a sprint. ]

[warfares]

I'd consider it if you weren't such a terrible liar.

( it's mild as kylo ren call-outs go. almost fond. he knows her too well to ever believe she'd behave herself ㅡ not without trying her luck, first. )

You wouldn't get far; I'd be annoyed at having to chase you a second time. Much easier to let me carry you.

( there is at least one flaw in his otherwise brilliant plan, though. they're still outside, still exposed, and while he's reasonably sure he can force the door of one of the houses he's not so sure he can do it and keep her in his arms.

but he's certainly not telling her that. )