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

» day 3 ota/closed

[chuju]

[ooc: She's a bit busy on Day 3 with saving Coulson from a fear storm, adventures with Ellie, and Bad Decisions with Doc Holliday, but she could chat with people at the Gull in between those!]

[thering]

With enough supplies to last about a week out and about on his own, Doc had set out to explore further away from the restaurant and the houses that people have started settling down in. Yes, some of those dwellings are big grand houses, and given how everyone he's met had also washed up and are equally clueless as to what might have happened, he could have stayed in a vacant room with little trouble at all. For the most part everyone has been hospitable, polite, if a little miffed about their current circumstances. That's surely understandable.

But he doesn't much like the idea of sitting around waiting for the next terrible thing to happen. Leaving a note for familiar names to find at the Grey Gull, Doc has been straying away from the growing crowd as far as he can. Earlier he had been out knocking on the next two rows of houses he'd come across. No lights and seemingly as empty as the first, so he's not hopeful, but at least he'll have tried.

By the time she might cross his path, he'll have wandered out truly far indeed. It's bitterly cold and he has no luck starting a fire. He's plenty noisy though, breaking branches and crushing leaves everywhere he goes, so short of calling out into the darkness, he's definitely making his presence known.

[chuju]

Daisy hadn't started out alone that night, but she's alone now. With a flashlight in hand that she consistently cranks and a backpack full of supplies, she wishes she'd also brought a few more layers of clothes to add to what she's wearing — the second pair of socks helps, and so does the sweater under the raincoat she's not ready to abandon just yet, but the cold is already seeping straight to her bones. She can see her breath in the air and the shivers running through her are aggravating her bandaged injuries, but she reminds herself she's been through worse. All of this could be so much worse...

Still, she's not ungrateful to finally hear the sounds of life out here. Following those quiet branch cracks that seem so loud in the silence, the eerie nature of this creepy town almost has her imagination running away from her, so it's a relief when she catches sight of a very real, very much alive man.

Huh. Another cowboy. What are the odds.

Her flashlight probably gives her away, along with the sound of her boots on the ground, but she still calls out to let him know which side she's on. "Hey, you a kidnappee too?"

[thering]

They're barely been here three days and she's got bandages already. Doc Holliday is not amused. He tilts his head away out of the path of the beam of light, though he does manage a friendly smile.

"Is that what we're calling ourselves now?" he calls out as he slowly approaches her. He's not armed beyond a butter knife he absconded away with from the Grey Gull, and he wouldn't consider that as being armed, but it's still safer to approach with caution than get overly friendly and court a gun, fist or slap to the face.

"Did you get hurt out here, ma'am?" He slows to a stop in front of her. They're barely silhouettes in the dim lighting, but at least, at this distance, they can see each other better.

"It's a little cold and dark to be wandering alone, wounded," he observes quietly, hovering close and never quite breaking eye contact.

[chuju]

She lowers the flashlight's beam when he approaches, pointing it off to the side so there's still a bit of light to see by. Not much, especially not with the way most light has seemed to disappear with the onset of the bitter cold, but it's better than nothing.

The concern is touching but also feels a tad bit condescending. This cowboy (and he is absolutely one with that hat, accent, and mustache) has no idea who she is and what she's capable of, yet he's already assumed that she can't handle being out here while he obviously can. Wrong foot, pal. Try the other one.

"I'm fine," she informs him firmly, though she'll be pulling her sleeves down to cover the ends of the bandages on her hands the first chance she gets. "And it's a lot cold and dark to be wandering alone, so what are you doing out here?"

She's not impressed by the apparent chivalry that could very easily be an act, her expression both expectant and pointed as she waits for what had better be a damn good answer.

[thering]

"Looking for answers, same as everyone else. Though I'm not sure I will be finding any tonight." He can't even find his own ass in this rapidly plunging sort of darkness at this point, since she was the one smart enough to bring a torch, so...

"Don't suppose you would like to join me?" He doesn't know if it's irresponsible to get her to join him out here or if he should turn back and encourage her to return with him, but it seems easier to hit a dead end together than convince her as to what a lady with bandages should or shouldn't be doing at this time of night out alone in a foreboding, unsettlingly quiet town. Hopefully without either of them getting dead, of course.

[chuju]

No, answers are probably going to be pretty scarce tonight, unfortunately. She'd been interested in some of the houses that thus far seem untouched, but in this darkness... Well, she might be able to defend herself, but she's seen horror movies. Waiting until daylight just seems safest for venturing into abandoned houses on her own.

"You know, I really would," she admits, almost surprising herself. Better than wandering around out here until she freezes to death, right? Moving the beam of the flashlight around the area, she spots something that makes her tilt her head slightly in consideration. "Were you trying to get a fire going?"

[thering]

"Yes ma'am, but it is still too wet for that," he confirms. The rain had only just stopped barely a day ago and he needs something dry and flammable to get one properly started. He's fine without though, even if it is starting to get uncomfortably cold.

"The abandoned, unlocked houses are presently occupied, and I do hate to impose. I had planned on spending the night out here, venture out further at dawn." He gestures at the pitch black nothingness before them.

"I suppose you think it unwise?" He wouldn't mind her counsel even if he had not been seeking it prior.

[chuju]

The mechanics of starting a fire aren't something Daisy has any experience in, but at the back of her mind, she runs through everything she'd stuffed into her borrowed backpack. Maybe there's something in there that could help... Even a small fire would be nice with this harsh cold.

"What, the staying out here in the cold creepy darkness or the heading further into the creepy town we've been kidnapped to?" She shrugs and then begins working the backpack off her shoulders, hoping he won't notice the stiff way she moves. "Exploring is a good idea, but definitely in daylight. Staying out here, though — there's no telling how cold it'll get, so not a great idea to be out here in general. But if I have something in here that can help with the fire, our prospects might improve."

Honestly, if they can just manage not to die of hypothermia, she'll consider it a win.

[thering]

If he noticed something, he's not saying anything. He is worried, yes, but a stranger's worry is often misattributed to more unsavoury intentions, so he lets her rifle through her things without comment.

"You're planning on staying out here too?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. He's got the rocks, just needs something suitable for tinder. While he wasn't planning on having any company, he's not going to complain about a bit of help either.

"Suppose I should have brought marshmallows," he jokes with a twitch of a smile.

[chuju]

She glances up at his shadowy figure briefly but just shrugs again. Honestly, she might try heading back if this doesn't work, but there's also some part of her that is all too happy to find temporary comfort in the presence of another living person. Going back now would mean going back alone, and some deep fear in the darkest corners of her mind cautions her against wandering in this pitch-black world for too long.

"Well, that would have really livened things up," she says with her own smile, finally unearthing a pocket-sized spiral notebook from the bottom of the bag stuffed with clothes, some packaged food, and various other supplies. Holding it up to him with a bandaged hand, she asks, "Will paper help at all?"

She doesn't say anything about the other option just yet. If she can avoid using her powers, she will, but she's pretty certain that it would work if she tried hard enough.

[thering]

"It will do us just fine, ma'am. I appreciate it." He takes the notebook and tears a couple of blank pages out, handing it back to her before returning to his little lean-to fire setup, arranged with a large, wet log blocking the wind. Crouching down, he puts the paper in a compact little heap beneath his structure and strikes rocks that he'd already gathered before she showed up. It's all very old fashioned, maybe with a hint of Bear Grylls. With a bit of blowing and poking, he gets a small fire started with apparent ease.

No telling how long it'll last, but it's not his first rodeo outdoors.

"I did bring some food from the Grey Gull, if you were hungry," he offers, glancing up at her while he's still crouched down. There's ample space for her to join him by the fire, but that's an unspoken invitation she is welcome to take him up on in her own time.

[chuju]

It's so weird to watch him use such an old-fashioned method to start the fire. She'd assumed he'd use matches or a lighter, but instead, she'd been treated to seeing something you just didn't see anymore, at least not in her time. For the first time, she wonders if he really is a cowboy and not just someone who takes great joy in emulating the lifestyle. With other worlds and mixed up timelines in play, she really wouldn't be that surprised by it.

"I'm good, but thanks," she says in response to that offer, which isn't something she'd expected. Despite that first misstep, he's seemed very... polite. Gentlemanly. It reminds her a bit of Sousa, actually. Maybe that's why she hasn't hesitated once at the idea of staying out here with him.

Her own time to take him on that unspoken invitation is right now, it turns out. Picking up the backpack by the top handle, she moves over to sit next to him, an arm's length between them doing nothing to diminish the comfort she finds in even being this close to him. A perfect stranger. It's those base instincts, again.

There's no way she can just sit there in silence though, not when the beginning crackles of the fire are so quiet and yet loud in the eerie night, so she says the first thing that comes to mind: "So, cowboy. What's your story?"

[thering]

"Oh I'm afraid it is a boring one," he offers with a smile that tugs at the corners of his eyes, playing down the sheer length of that story and the eventfulness of everything that's happened recently.

"I was a doctor, a gambler and a gunslinger, a lifetime ago. And not necessarily in that order." If he was the bill paying type, poker would have paid more bills than dentistry would, given how he much preferred spending time on the former.

"Now I know, things are a little different around here. Changed a fair bit, since my time. But I would be happy to check on those," he lowers his gaze to her bandaged arms and gestures with an incline of his head. "If I may call on you from time to time."

[chuju]

It's that damned politeness, it has to be. Any other time, she would have brushed off the offer with a casual dismissal of being just fine; no need to worry, and no explanations given. But she's so tired and sore, and he keeps reminding her so damn much of Sousa, that she finds herself sighing quietly and shaking her head with a soft smile.

"I appreciate the offer, but there's nothing to check on," she tells him, carefully untying the bandage from where it's tucked against her left palm. With practiced ease, she unwinds enough of the bandage to reveal the mottled bruising from her fingers up to her wrists, leaving the rest of it disappeared beneath her sleeve. "Burst capillaries and hairline fractures. Nothing to do except wait for them to heal."

The way she says it makes it clear this is far from the first time she's dealt with this particular injury, unfortunate as that is. But she's not looking for sympathy.

[thering]

He ever so gingerly slides his hand underneath her knuckles, studying the damage with an inscrutable expression hiding behind the rim of his hat. It is not any ordinary, run of the mill injury. He does not think she acquired it from anywhere around here. He would have expected a cut, scrape, scratch or something to that effect. This almost seems... internal?

"This happened before you got here? Seems a little trite to ask if it hurts. Sure looks like it would." He lifts his softened gaze to meet hers and slowly retracts his hands. "If there was anything I could do to help, you need only say so."

[chuju]

There's a gentleness in the way he touches her hand that speaks of genuine care. Is it the doctor in him? Do all genuinely good doctors have that quality to them, the way Jemma does? It matches that steadiness in how he studies the bruises, something in his expression reminding her of someone trying to solve a puzzle.

A few days ago, this entire exchange would have bothered her. Today? It's almost familiar and... comforting. Again, the strange association of that sensation with this stranger, likely entirely apart from his intentions.

"Thanks," she murmurs, something in her almost unsettled by the softness in his eyes. No one ever looks at her like that anymore. Would he look at her like that if he knew anything about who she is? No, doubtful. It's because she's a stranger and she's hurt. That's all.

Grasping the bandage between her injured fingers again, she begins the incredibly familiar and well-practiced task of wrapping her hand again. There's only a little wincing from how tightly she has to wrap it, which she tries to distract from by casually telling him, "It does hurt, and it did happen here, actually. This is what happens sometimes with my powers."

[thering]

"Powers?" he asks softly, keeping his head turned towards her even as he sticks his hands out close to the fire. It's big enough now to engulf all the kindling and it's likely to survive a strong gust or two, although the elements do seem rather keen on snuffing their fire out.

He has come across Number Five who has demonstrated his trick, and another man who claims to be a magician. There are demons who can do all manner of different... and somewhat unusual things back home. Whatever she chooses to disclose likely won't impress him. But she is equally free to disclose nothing at all and just watch the fire with him.

"It has been mere days since we arrived in this wretched place. You should keep yourself in good health, ma'am."

[chuju]

Well, that confirms two things for her. One, that he's used to the idea of powers being an actual thing that exists, judging by how he didn't scoff at the idea or look at her like she was crazy. Two, that he'd arrived here at the same time as the rest of the people she'd met over the last few days. It's almost frustrating how those elements just continue to cement what she's already been feeling.

"Well, cowboy, it wasn't exactly intentional," she informs him, something like kindness coloring the affectation. She glances at him, meeting his gaze for just a moment before turning her attention back to her hands. "My powers aren't working right here, and I'm not the only one."

She tries very hard to keep any hint of uneasiness from her expression, but the affect of his presence makes that difficult. There's tension in the lines of her forehead and a tightness to her mouth that betrays just how much that fact worries her.

[thering]

"You may call me Henry, ma'am." He is not yet aware of the existence of the other cowboy, but that could get confusing real quick. Also, it feels more impersonal, not sharing a name that is hardly a secret.

"Very little is working right here." Other than a stable electricity supply and readily accessible water that are somehow not yet cut off despite the fact that it might have been months, or even years of bills going unpaid.

"By 'powers' not working right, you are referring to...?" Something to do with her hands, presumably?

[chuju]

Henry. Even his name screams polite and old-fashioned. It's almost ridiculous how well it fits him.

Sighing, she ties off the bandage before answering. "I can manipulate vibrations. Shockwaves, earthquakes, vibrating weapons apart... That sort of thing."

It's the most basic answer for what she can do, but explaining that she can tap into the frequencies at which everything vibrates and change those frequencies and rates of vibration seems like it might be a bit overkill for him. She makes stuff shake is a much simpler way of putting it.

[thering]

He has no reason to doubt she can do what she says she does. It does a better job of explaining her internal injuries than anything more mundane that he can think of.

"If I may suggest, for you to not exert yourself too much." He tries not to undermine her or sound patronising, but if they look at the facts, well. Her ability is somehow 'not working right' and she's hurting herself, in a strange town with no abandoned hospital or staff in sight.

"We may be here a while." Much as he doesn't like to dwell on that fact. "You should conserve your energy."

[chuju]

He's not the first person to say that to her today, but that doesn't make it any easier to hear. She shifts uncomfortably, sitting up a little straighter and almost hunching in on herself. It's not a combative reaction, he's being far too polite for that and she can tell he really does mean well, but...

"It's not that easy." There's just so much that he doesn't know. The same things that Coulson doesn't know, only with Henry she doesn't have to worry about breaking her own personal timeline. She's almost tempted to tell him, to just spill her secrets to this total stranger because she's so tired and there's no one here who knows and—

The feeling of being alone is starting to wear her down.

[thering]

He recognises those little signs. The slump in her shoulders. The defeat in her eyes that seem to have lost that little spark, dullness despite the flickering flame in front of them.

"It is hard to keep your head up with the weight of the world on your shoulders," he observes quietly. "But it will be alright, little darling." He forces a braver smile than he really ought to be able to manage, given their current circumstances, and hesitates for a beat before shifting over a little closer towards her. Extending an arm, he moves slowly to put his arm around behind her back, reaching for her far upper arm. Giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze, he leans until their shoulders are touching.

He might be sort of half-expecting a violent reaction but hopefully they can allow this, even if it's just for a little while.

[chuju]

Little darling. How strange to be called that. She's a thirty-one-year-old woman who feels like she's six again, crying in the orphanage for parents who will never find her. In this moment, she's drowning under that weight of having to be strong when all she wants is someone to help hold her up, just for a little while.

Maybe that's why she doesn't flinch away from his touch when he reaches out and puts his arm around her. The thought is there, the instinct to move away and keep up that strong facade, but in the end... He doesn't know her. There are no expectations to be met, no team to lead, no orders to follow. She's on her own, and maybe he is too. So she allows it, leaning into his side until there's a warm line of contact between them.

For a moment, she's just quiet, drinking in the comfort he's offered, but then. "Is there anyone here from home for you?"