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.

navigation | faq | setting | mod contact

Comments

[revvedup]

[ it's just as clear to max that her savior isn't in great shape, either. she manages to stay mostly steady as they keep moving away from the shore and to the building in the distance. the cold makes her shake, and that's another troubling factor - she gets cold, sure, but it doesn't effect her like this. it takes temperatures much more severe than this to get to her.

they're not too far into their trek before the woman introduces herself and max regards her for a beat before nodding at her. ]

I'm Max.

[chuju]

[ Some savior, Daisy can barely keep them upright as they fight to beat the approaching storm. It's momentum and their combined efforts that continue their slow progress forward. ]

Okay, Max. We're gonna get inside and figure out what the hell's going on, sound good? [ She glances over to the other woman to make sure she's still doing okay, all things considered. She can see now that there's a porch wrapped around the building where they might be able to catch their breath and get a good look at the area before getting inside. They just have to make it there first. ]

[revvedup]

[ she nods again, catching the other woman (daisy's) eye before nodding again. ]

Sounds great. [ they're close enough now that she can make out a few more details of the building - the porch, the building's size, the fact that there's a sign on the front of it. it seems to be a business of some kind, maybe she can figure it out if she can read it. she starts focusing on the sign as they keep moving towards the building, but cries out when pain spikes through her head again, buckling forward. ]

Fuck!

[chuju]

[ Well, at least they agree on a course of action. That's a start. Thunder rumbles ever closer and she's about to say something else when Max suddenly moves forward in a not good way and Daisy immediately tightens her grip on the other woman to keep her standing. ]

What is it? Are you hurt? [ She's no doctor but she's been through enough to know slightly more than basic first aid. If Max is injured, maybe there will be supplies inside... ]

[revvedup]

[ not technically, but what she is is a little more complicated to explain. max is used to the need to keep what she is a secret, so she's wary to reveal it to someone she's just met, but the situation reminds her of the reds, of how original cindy had been pulled into danger just for knowing her and had still helped her, even when she hadn't known for sure what max had needed protection from or what was wrong with her. however it happened, they're in a completely unfamiliar place, and they've only seen each other. and she's becoming increasingly afraid that there's something very, very wrong with her.

they've already decided to trust each other to a certain extent. she just needs to expand that a little further. ]

Not hurt. But something's wrong. [ max straightens a little, grimacing as the pain diminishes from a spike to a throb and nausea floods the pit of her stomach. ] I can explain once we get inside.

[chuju]

Okay. [ It's a pragmatic decision and one that Daisy appreciates despite her curiosity and concern demanding answers now rather than later. Intuition tells her that Max doesn't trust easy, and thus that the allowance she's being given is a pretty big deal. She refuses to jeopardize that with impatience.

So she keeps them moving forward, one foot in front of the other, her firm grip on Max not loosening in the slightest. They're both half-drowned and half-frozen but that isn't going to stop them.

Still, it's a massive relief when only a few yards remain between them and assumed safety. ] Almost there, just a little further.

[ Is she trying to reassure Max or herself? ]

[revvedup]

[ answers are coming. eventually. once they get inside and max is relatively sure she's not going to fall over or pass back out. her grip tightens around daisy, trying to steady the both off them as they keep propelling themselves forward. now that they're closer, she can make out what the sign on the building says - the grey gull.

so it's a restaurant, or maybe a place to rent a room. honestly, it doesn't matter to her, so long as it's shelter from the storm, and she doubts it matters to daisy either. ]

I'm good. [ also in an attempt to reassure both of them. ] We can make it.

[chuju]

[ She's not so used to someone offering her assurances anymore. Usually, she's the one putting on the brave, strong face, carrying the weight of the world without complaint because it's what she does. So she notices what Max says, and the way she says it. She'll remember it later.

The wind picks up suddenly, a gust almost urging them to go faster, pushing them toward the building in a rush of bitter cold. Glancing back toward the water, she can see a curtain of rain moving in quickly. ] Rain's almost here.

[ Just another few yards to the porch. ]

[revvedup]

[ max glances behind her, hearing it, and it's a little bit of a relief to realize that she can hear it. but then maybe that's because daisy had pointed out. she can't be sure and that scares her, but there's no time to dwell on it now. maybe in a few minutes, since they're so close to being indoors and she's already promised daisy she'd fill her in.

they're only a few yards away now and she's filled with immense relief, increasing their combined pace until they finally, finally reach the porch. now they can only hope that the place isn't locked, though it shouldn't be a big deal if it is. ]

[chuju]

[ Daisy's relief at finally stepping foot onto the wooden porch is almost palpable. The rain is moving in quickly, hitting the beach where they'd woken up, and she lets go of Max only long enough to reach out and grab the door handle, giving it a good tug—

And letting out a heavy sigh as it opens without resistance. She ushers Max in first and pulls the door shut behind them just as the rain begins to cascade onto the roof above them. Breathing heavily, she leans against the door and looks at the other woman. ] That was close. You good?

[revvedup]

[ max is propelled through the door once daisy opens it, and she bends forward with her hands on her knees, taking a few moments to let herself adjust. she's still feeling pretty unsteady and frightened, but they'd at least managed to get inside before the rain started up. thanks to daisy.

she straightens after a minute or two, regarding her new companion with a nod. as for her question, she doubts either of them could be considered 'okay', but: ]

Yeah. Thank you. [ she takes a quick look at their new surroundings - it's dark, but in spite of her not having been able to focus before, she can still make things out pretty well. that's at least a mild relief. ] Do you - where were you before you wound up on the beach?

[ she looks like she could be an x5, and in spite of them training together it's not like she'd known about alec until he'd waltzed into her cell. if she is, that's at least one question answered, though she wouldn't have given her a name in place of her designation. ]

[chuju]

[ For some people, that might be an odd question to ask. Most would probably assume they were from the same place, that there had to be some similarity between them to have this sort of thing happen, but for Daisy... Well, weird is her normal. ]

New York City. [ And then, because weird is her normal, she figures she might as well add the truly important factor: ] 1983. You?

[ Time travel complicates everything. This doesn't seem like a Chronicom scheme, there aren't any Hunters lurking around as far as she can tell, but maybe one of them finally programmed themselves an imagination. Or copied one, more likely. ]

[revvedup]

[ weird's pretty normal for max, too, but time travel has never been something she's dealt with before. that's a different james cameron franchise. her expression reflects obvious surprise at daisy's answer, and it's a second before she replies to the question daisy's lobbed back at her. ]

Seattle. 2020.

[chuju]

[ Huh. Daisy's visited Seattle before, but it's been a long time since that particular adventure. Even the details seem to have blurred with time. But that's not the part that really catches her attention. ]

So not far off then... [ Oh, wait. Clarification is important. ] I'm from 2019 originally. But it's, uh, a long story.

[ To put it mildly. ]

[revvedup]

[ max's expression reflects obvious confusion, then she presses her fingertips against her eyes, her head swimming. ]

Okay, uh...I'll probably want to hear it later. [ because it prompts a whole lot of questions, like how did they get pulled here from different coasts, let alone different points in time. but she's not sure she's feeling equipped to debate the hows and whys right now. she's more interested in trying to find an out. they should probably do the bare minimum of tending to themselves first, though. her hands pull back and she looks daisy over, as best she can in the dark with a lingering migraine. ] Are you hurt?