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

[chuju]

[ He'd been at one of the houses. She'd tried to check them all but maybe they'd just missed each other time and again, the storm making it so much difficult to move around. If only she'd found him sooner... And what about the others? They can't all be in these few houses, some have to be further into the town, or somewhere else.

She doesn't notice the way he freezes, her own fear ebbing and flowing like a living thing, her adrenaline spiking higher with each new flash of lightning. And then he— Seriously? Honestly, she shouldn't be surprised, he's always been like this, but that doesn't make it any less of a bullshit thing to say. ]

Like hell, I will. You wouldn't leave me behind out here.

[ So she gives him a push, holding on as firmly as she can with the ache in her arms, hoping she doesn't send them both toppling to the ground in the process and instead just jumpstarts some forward motion so they can get going. ]

[40seconds]

[ Honestly, he should have anticipated that answer as well, and maybe a part of him did, but his only reaction is to just frown, because of course he wants her to get back inside where it's safe. It was his own foolishness that sent him out here, and he won't tolerate anyone being put in harm's way because of a decision he made. ]

This isn't a discussion; you shouldn't even be out here.

[ He shouldn't either, but he had a point to all this, really. But before he can continue, she shoves him forward, and that action takes him by surprise, sending him stumbling before he can catch himself. It's a near miss, but he manages not to take them both crashing to the ground, because that's very much not what they need right now.

It's brief, but he gives her a look of mild consternation, but at least her push got them both moving. He can still feel tendrils of fear threatening to root him in place again, but now that Skye's here, he's not about to let anything get in the way of them getting out of this storm and back to shelter. ]

Come on. The sooner we get out of this mess, the better.

[ As if he wasn't the one who got them into it in the first place. ]

[chuju]

[ He is so incredibly lucky that she's distracted right now and doesn't have the time to properly argue the point with him. Not that an argument won't be happening as soon as they get inside, of course, because no way will either of them last that long without addressing the situation, but for now he's reprieved from her yelling at him.

Because what the fuck, Coulson.

She doesn't even look apologetic about the shove, just glad that it actually got him moving. He'd been standing like he was stuck in mud and ready to devolve into a panic attack while falling prey to hypothermia. Which was not an option, obviously. ]

Can you make it to the Gull? [ They're not far, but every foot feels like a mile. A house might be closer but some people have holed up in them, and somehow the thus far communal nature of the restaurant feels safer. ]

[40seconds]

[ The thing is, he knows that he's full of hot air, because neither of them should be out here, but he cares about her far too much to put himself and his safety before hers. He's not expendable, exactly, but as far as he's concerned, between the two of them, the one who needs to survive is her. If he happens to do so as well, that's fine, but she's got her whole life ahead of her. He's had a life, and while he doesn't have a death wish, there's still so much more she can do, both here and back at home.

So, yes, an argument may very well be in their future, because what is self-preservation, anyway? When it comes to her, he'll always put her first. ]

Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it.

[ His tone is neutral, as if nothing of consequence just happened. It might take some effort to get there, but they'll get there one way or another.

Whether he can or can't isn't really relevant. They have to get there, and he's (mostly) done being dead weight. ]

It can't be that far off. [ And with that in mind, he reaches for her hand, intending to take it in his, if she'll allow it. ]

[chuju]

[ And she will always put herself last. Her own safety and well-being is never more important than that of another person's, especially someone she loves. No amount of lectures or pleading will ever change her mind on that, much to the consternation of certain members of her team.

Not only does she allow it, she holds on as tight as she can despite the cold and rain. Her arm aches at the tension but she doesn't care. He's here and they're going to get out of this mess, no matter what it takes. There is no plan b, only plan a. ]

It's up ahead... [ She can see it in the flashes of the lightning, just past the next house, but every second is a struggle the fear that wants to consume her. Of course, the fear of losing him is even stronger. ] Just hang on, we can make it.

[40seconds]

[ Between the two of them, their resolve to put themselves last and everyone else first probably cancels that out somehow, but that's the thing about them: they're both stubborn and way too determined to even notice. It's just how they're wired, and that's not going to change, for either of them.

He smiles a little bit when she holds on; it's as good a reminder as any that she's here, and she's as well as can be under the circumstances, and also, it's a reminder to him that he'll always move mountains to keep her safe. Whatever it takes. ]

Of course we can. And you hang on too. [ His smile widens just a fraction, mostly for her benefit, because they're going to help each other get through this, just as they've always done. ]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm getting the feeling that we have a lot to talk about.

[ And as far as he's concerned, if there's ever been a motivating factor to get them through, it's that. He has questions for her, just like he figures she has some for him.

Luckily, he can see the Gull looming up in front of them, in between the lightning strikes, and even though they still have a few more steps to go, it's heartening to know that safety and shelter is just at hand. ]

[chuju]

[ The fact that he's smiling at all is enough to reassure her that he's gonna be okay. Well, that he'll be okay so long as they get inside. She doesn't know how being soaked in freezing rain might effect his composition, but she's damn certain that being struck by lightning won't be good for any part of him. And without having any knowledge of how to back up his hard drive... Well, she can't lose him again. It's just that simple.

Frowning at his statement, she can't quite grasp his meaning. The way he phrased the statement, he isn't talking about just the last few days. But what else is there? ]

Do we? I mean, aside from the obvious of why you decided to make the dumb decision go out into a storm like this... [ Sorry, AC. She couldn't resist. ]

[40seconds]

[ He can't know what thoughts are running through her mind, but what he's thinking has nothing to do with his composition or having a hard drive backed up, simply because he's just a plain ordinary human.

But her question makes him think they're not on the same page at all. ]

Well, yes, we do, and about more than just that. [ He'd rather not talk about that at all, but he supposes she won't let him off the hook. ] What was it you were doing back there?

[chuju]

[ They're almost to the porch now and she feels an almost palpable sense of relief at that knowledge. The porch means safety and shelter, a place to rest and catch their bearings, even somewhere to stay if this storm continues with the ferocity.

But as glad she is to be so close, she almost stops moving altogether when he asks that question. Almost. Instead, she stumbles just a bit, taken completely off-guard, and looks at him with utter incomprehension. ]

What do you mean? You've seen me quake like that a hundred times.

[40seconds]

[ He catches himself letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in, because he's as relieved to see the porch as she is. It means shelter and safety, and it's something solid they can (hopefully) rely on.

But when she stumbles, he's quick to reach out to try and catch her so she doesn't fall. ]

That's- [ Not possible, he wants to say, but he doesn't want to anger her. ] I've never seen you do that.

[chuju]

[ Anger is not the emotion such a statement would provoke. Confusion? Frustration? A modicum of true panic? Absolutely. Though she's still pissed as hell that he went out into the storm, so... ]

Yes, you have. That's how I fi— [ Her foot hits the first step of the porch and she almost has the urge to thank a deity she doesn't even believe in. ] Did you actually get hit by lightning out there or something?

[40seconds]

[ Confusion is exactly what he's feeling as he stares at her like he's never seen her before. He knows what he knows, and that he's never seen her display anything like that before. It's an incredible thought, but he's starting to think that just maybe, at some point, they branched off and remember different things as a result.

Stranger things have happened, after all. ]

No, Skye, I didn't. I just know that in the time that I've known you, since we first met, you never displayed the ability to do anything like what I just witnessed.

[ And that's the concerning thing. Just what happened to her to make that even a possibility? He knows better than to let his mind run away from him, but he's thinking the worst here. ]

[chuju]

[ Okay, something is very wrong and she is not okay with it. The way Coulson's looking at her makes her feel a very different kind of fear. So she tugs at his hand, ignoring the pain in her arm again, pulling him underneath the overhang so they're at least out of the rain. Funny how the inexplicable fear almost immediately dissipates, leaving only the real thing behind. ]

Why do you keep calling me that? [ She hates how quiet her voice comes out, fear leaking out into each syllable in a way she'd stop if she could. So she continues quickly, forcing herself past the panic rising in her chest. ] No, it's— it's fine, you'll be fine, we'll figure out what's wrong and get you fixed up—

[40seconds]

[ He agrees with that assessment. Something is wrong, and he can't begin to guess at what that might be. She's acting differently from how he remembers her being, and he still can't shake the image of her launching herself at him like she was blasted from a cannon.

He lets her pull him under the overhang, and this time, he really sighs in relief, because that gripping fear has finally subsided, leaving only confusion in its wake. ]

What do you mean? That's your name. [ The only name she knows, and it's all he knows her as. ]

And sorry, what do you mean by fixed up? I'm fine.

[chuju]

[ She lets go of his hand finally, needing to take a step back and scrub at her face. This can't be happening. This can't. After everything she's been through this week, this can't be the hand she's being dealt. A deep breath. She can handle this. Work the problem, figure it out, deal with it. ]

You might be, or you might not. [ Another breath, because she needs to consciously work at not hyperventilating. ] Just answer one question: What's the last thing you remember before this place?

[40seconds]

[ He can almost feel her distress, and that worries him. The confusion on his face is replaced by concern, and while he doesn't know what's going on, he wants to make this easier somehow. ]

I promise, I'm fine.

[ Physically, anyway. Mentally, he's rattled. ]

I remember being at the Hub and trying to stop HYDRA.

[ His expression darkens. ]

So many of our friends were HYDRA agents the whole time.

[chuju]

[ HYDRA. The nightmare that just wouldn't stop coming, the boogeyman in SHIELD's closet that had been such a formative part of her early years as an agent. It had taken so long for them to root out every last bit of it, only for it to resurface again when they least expected.

But that's not what's important right now. Either his memory really has been fried by one thing or another, or—

She steps closer again suddenly, moving in to wrap her arms around him in a hug. It feels so good to hug him again, to feel him solidly beneath her hands. Basking in that sensation isn't an option though. As soon as her arms are around him, she sends a gentle quake through his body, just to be sure. The ache in her arms is sharp again, making her wince at the pain, but there, beneath it all... ]

How are you—?

[40seconds]

[ He waits for a reaction, for surprise, or shock, or some other expression to give him a frame of reference for where she's coming from. Obviously she's from a much later time than he is, because even looking at her, he can see the differences.

Suddenly, though, she's wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in for a hug, and for just a second, he leans into it, content to just stay like this for a little while. But he doesn't get that chance, because no sooner are her arms around him than he feels a strange kind of vibration pulse through him, and he looks at her again, that confused expression from earlier slipping back into place. ]

What was that?

[ He doesn't mean to answer her question with another question, but it seems to him that they're both very much at a loss here. ]

[chuju]

[ She'd like nothing more than to wrap him back up in another hug and never let go, but they can't just stand here in the cold, not when he's probably soaked through and human. So she pulls back, her hands lingering on his shoulders for just a moment before dropping to her sides. It feels... strange, to be standing there with a man who has been like a father to her for so long but who barely knows her. He knows Skye, the hacktivist desperate for a family and a place to belong, who is still trying to find her own identity and is only just beginning to tap into the strength she always had within her. ]

Me. That was me... [ He knows nothing about Inhumans, has no preconceptions about the species and what they're capable of, but he knows enhanced people. Will he see her the same way he did back then or will this time be different? She clears her throat and gestures to the door before moving toward it. ] Let's talk inside where it's warmer.

[ She needs those seconds to stretch into hours, because how else will she get hold of her emotions and keep from looking like she's completely lost and devastated. Some of that's already showing through her carefully crafted expression, she knows, but then he always had been able to read her like an open book. ]

[40seconds]

[ He's beyond mystified, because nothing that she's telling him is adding up, let alone those strange vibrations that he felt running through him when she pulled him in for that hug. ]

I don't understand. How was that you? [ He poses that question even as he's moving to follow her inside. Once they're there, the urge to just pepper her with questions is strong, but looking at her, he can tell she needs a minute to think, to process- something.

There's something else in her expression too, something that worries him and makes him want to do something to soothe away that devastation that's slipping through. He can't even be sure what's causing it, but that doesn't matter. He just wants to help make it go away. ]

Why don't we sit down? I have a feeling this could be a long conversation.

[chuju]

[ Daisy has been through a lot in her life. A lot. She knows how to deal with the shitty hand she's been dealt, and she's powered through the hard times again and again over the years. But this... If they'd met just a few weeks ago, she might have just told him everything. Flat out, tell him all the good and the bad, and the in-between. Now? Now she can hear Mack's voice in her ear, telling them to make ripples, not waves. She has to preserve the timeline. Somehow.

She nods at the suggestion of sitting, leading the way over to a table while she tries to decide how to explain. What to explain. His simple question has such a complicated answer. Shivering slightly from the cold rain that's soaked the bottom of her jeans, she gratefully shrugs off the raincoat that had kept most of her dry, only to be reminded of her injuries. Her wincing is both from the deep ache as the coat is draped across the back of her chair and from the dark mottled bruises from palm to upper arm that are clearly visible with her short-sleeve shirt.

There's no hiding them now. ]

[40seconds]

[ Sure, Coulson hasn't always felt this way, but now that he knows her and what she's been through, he'd do anything to change how her story started. Of course, it's true that she has a new found family with him and the rest of the team, but it's not a replacement for her real family. He can't even begin to know what's happened to her in the intervening years between what he knows and what she does, but he doesn't really have to. Something about the way she carries herself suggests to him that it's been a long, hard road.

Still, he imagines that she's risen above it as she's done before, but he can see that some kind of toll has been taken on her.

Once they're both seated and she's removed her raincoat, his glance zeroes in on how she moves and winces, and then he finally spots the bruising pattern on her hands and traveling up her arms. ]

Skye, what in the world?

[ He'd never be this forward with anyone else, but because it's her, he reaches out, intending to take her hand in his so he can get a better look. If she lets him, he'll gently move her arm just enough that he can see it and check for anything out of the ordinary. He's not a doctor, but he's seen injuries before, and some injuries just feel a certain way. ]

Did this happen because of the- [ What did she call it earlier? ] Because of the quake?

[chuju]

[ She lets him, of course, resting both arms on the table so he can have easy access to them. It's not exactly that she wants him to fret and worry over her, just that she accepts that it's going to happen and so she might as well make it easier on the both of them. There will be a slight grimace if he touches her wrist or near her elbow, the deep bruising from a few days ago just exacerbated by the additional injuries, but there's no grating of bones or other outwardly apparent signs of serious injury. ]

Yeah, this happens sometimes. It usually takes a lot more than this though, I don't understand— [ Her voice breaks and she takes a quick breath to power through before he can say anything about it. She is not telling him about Nathaniel Malick. There is no way in hell she's putting that on him. ] It's Daisy now, by the way.

[ Because hearing him call her Skye... It's bittersweet. ]

[40seconds]

[ He keeps it brief, because it's not like he has an x-ray machine in his back pocket, and he doesn't want to cause her too much discomfort with his cursory examination. Finally, when he's finished, it's not to his satisfaction, but he sits back and sighs. ]

I know I'm no doctor, but you're probably going to want to take it as easy as you can for the next little while. At the very least, your arms are probably going to be very uncomfortable.

[ And it irritates him that he can't do more to help with that. But he doesn't have time to dwell on that irritation, because he finds himself taken aback by the next thing she says. ]

All right, but why Daisy? [ The name feels foreign on his tongue, but if she wants him to use that name, of course he'll comply. He's about to say something else, but then it hits him. ]

You found something out, didn't you?

[ On one hand, it feels like a leap, because when he last saw her, she was no closer to knowing who her parents were or what her history was, but since she doesn't strike him as the type to just spontaneously change her name, it also seems like the most logical conclusion. Combining that with the sudden bombshell that she has abilities, Coulson feels compelled to conclude that there's a significant gap in time separating the two of them.

The only problem is, he can't be sure how much time and how much has changed. ]

[chuju]

[ It's tempting to tell him that she'll be fine, this isn't the first time she's had injuries like this, and she knows exactly what sort of damage was done. After her vigilante period, she knows what these injuries feel like. But telling him any of that would just do more harm than good. She needs to pick and choose what to reveal, weigh what will give him information versus what will just serve to hurt that heart that cares more than anyone else she knows.

So she focuses on what she can tell him. Her name... That's an easy one, relatively speaking. ]

I found out everything. I found them. [ She takes a deep breath and shakes her head, wet hair hardly moving. ] Everything with HYDRA... Everything you remember, that was five years ago for me. A lot's happened since then. But, uh... Daisy is the name my father gave me. Daisy Johnson.

[ Her father, who had given up everything for his family. He'd spent decades of his life looking for his little girl, watching his wife become a twisted version of herself while he too became a monster. And then, what he'd done for his daughter... Even after all this time, her heart aches at the thought of that day on the ship. The day she'd lost her parents all over again. ]