villagelogs | 037-040 » the reason for time

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037-040 » the reason for time

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central Mathias
WHEN: Day 037-040
WHAT: The dead return and the living wake to changes within Mathias Township.
WARNINGS: Some explicit sexual content in threads. (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Kammarheit "Sleep after Toyle, Port after Stormie Seas"

DAY 037
THE DEAD RETURN
“The only reason for time is so that everything
doesn't happen at once.” —Albert Einstein
The dead return to Mathias forever changed by their experiences. Waking along the beach, near the tree line, or among the graves, they will find that their bodies are not as they remember them. They are whole again and not torn to shreds by the shadow creatures that cannot be described, but they are also not as they were before the Hunt. These residents will find, so strangely, that their bodies are in the physical state in which they first arrived in Mathias — any injuries or recovery they have made since their initial arrival no longer exists, as if their time in Mathias has simply been a horrible nightmare. Except they all now carry a last reminder of the Hunt with them: spiderweb-thin healed scars marking their injuries from the Hunt. Those who were injured by fire in the other realm also carry those burns with them.

The dead are not the only things that have returned to Mathias. Inexplicably, fall is back, with the temperature finally reaching above freezing and snow falling from trees to reveal beautiful autumnal colors. As the sun rises higher in the lightly cloudy sky and the day warms, the snow begins rapidly melting, puddles growing in the slowly revealed grass and little rivers forming in the streets. And with that snow comes the frozen blood from the deaths to the Hunt, tinting the street river on Phillips Drive a sickening shade of red.

Another oddity that residents will notice: houses with broken windows from the encounter with the fog on Day 015 have now been completely repaired, though any boards put in place are still there somehow. A small bit of good news, at least? And truly, how kind of Mathias to clean up its own mess.

Finally, alcohol is back. Enjoy in moderation, friends, for more will not be arriving the following morning.

THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the beach near The Grey Gull. It's quite chilly out with their wet clothes, but surely there's something to help warm them inside the restaurant. Indeed, their timing is perfect, for alcohol has finally returned to Mathias Township — and not just the cowboys' homemade moonshine.

DAY 038-039
THE CHANGE OF SEASON
The continued warm weather proves that the unseasonable shift of the previous day was not merely a fluke. Once again, the sun rises and brings with it a temperature that feels almost spring-like, save for the fact that each day there seem to be more and more leaves on the trees in hues of red and orange. For those who have been in Mathias for some time, this new type of weird may be almost normal at this point, but newer arrivals will likely find it quite odd.

The gently trickling river running along Phillips Drive is still somewhat pink in color as the snow continues to melt and refreeze each night. By Day 040, the bloody snow will finally be gone completely, though the relief will be... short-lived.

DAY 040
THE BLINDING WHITE
In the late morning of Day 040, when the sun is visible through patchy greyish clouds, the fog sweeps into town like a like a tidal wave. It moves in quickly and without warning, not from the waterfront but the forest, cascading through every street in a thick wave of white. Rather than a soft blanket enveloping the town, it is a heavy weight pressing down, blotting out the sky in a way that almost feels suffocating, for none can see further than their outstretch hand.

Those outside when it rolls in are left wandering blind, stumbling toward shelter as you're unable to even see your feet beneath you, let alone any obstacles in your path. Perhaps you call out for help, hoping for another voice to guide you toward shelter or simply another living soul. Or perhaps you were lucky enough to already be inside when the fog descended, quickly closing doors and windows to keep it from creeping in.

Unlike the last time the fog swept into the town, residents who encounter it are not immediately killed. Instead, they are simply disoriented, possibly losing their sense of time and place, and it is only after prolonged exposure that they will begin to feel off. A sense of being ill will cling to them if they are in the fog for too long, including dizziness, lightheadedness, or nausea — the time it takes to manifest varies from person to person, as does the duration it will last after leaving the fog.

By nightfall, the fog still has not dissipated.

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER conditions are fairly typical for late fall: chilly "sweater weather" days and nights that can dip just below freezing. You don't want to be outside without a coat, but it won't kill anyone if they bundle up. Probably.

— THE FOG remains blocking the paths in the forest beginning a few dozen yards past the treeline, urging residents to stay huddled within the town proper, and it also now blocks the western section of town, beginning just past Hill Lane, before where residents know the chasm in the earth to be between Hill and Stine Road. Venturing into the fog blocking these areas is ill-advised.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue. Castiel and Sam Winchester have vanished, and Dean Winchester has not returned with the others after his death during the Hunt.

— THE GRAVEYARD has now seen around a dozen burials, both below and above ground. With the weather warming, though, something may need to be done about the handful of temporary graves aboveground...

— ALCOHOL has returned to Mathias! A small stock of beer and cheap wine may be found at the General Store, and some homes may have a small store of alcohol in the fridge or pantry. The Grey Gull has also been restocked with its lower-end offerings of a variety of alcohol types. Alcohol does not replenish in the same way as food.

— THE GREY GULL has been cleaned up and stocked with moonshine. Along with the newly restocked usual offerings, the place almost seems like an actual bar again.

— THE GENERAL STORE is in a bit of a state following the brutal slaughter of two residents during the Hunt. Cleanup on aisle 3, anyone?

OOC NOTES

— FOOD is now being mysteriously restocked as per usual, including inside homes and at the General Store. Alcohol is not being restocked. Use those rationing skills, friends.

— REWARD REDEPEMPTION is back and will soon have a new option for anyone looking to spend big AP and learn a bit more of the lore of the town.

— MADNESSES due to the Hunt have been earned by Klaus Hargreeves, Ellie, and Malcolm Bright and may now be claimed. Players may also claim additional sanity loss from the aftermath of the Hunt; only losses from the Hunt itself have been deducted from totals thus far.

— SANITY REGAIN is now available! Players will submit a form with some details of the progress their character has made and the mod will review and decide on the numbers of points that will be regained.

— MOD STATUS The usual reminder that it's mostly just Amy steering this ship for now, so things will probably be pretty slow for a while. Apologies in advance, and please don't feel shy about pinging me if you're stuck waiting for something.

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( he's coming back from the library when he notices it. at first, it's just a slight haze around him but when his focus turns from the book in his hands to the sudden thick fog.

he blinks, unable to see anything around him. elijah closes his eyes and tries to focus. he's been on this walk many times before and he knows where to go. he keeps on his path because that should take him to where he needs to be.

except he finds himself walking for what he knows is too long. he knows he should be back to the boarding house by now but he's still on the fog and his sense of direction seems to be twisted and turned around.

spinning on one foot, elijah looks around, trying to see anything through the thick haze but there's nothing. )

Hello?

( was he the only one in here? was this for him specifically? it can't be. there has to be other people so he keeps walking, one arm out in front of him to feel anything that he might bump into. )

[ when elijah is gone for too long, elena begins to worry. it's not like him to leave her for this long, especially given how overprotective he actually is.

elena spends some time wondering where he could be until she remembers something he had said several days ago. her disorientation from being out in the fog has lifted, making everything feel a lot clearer. hadn't elijah said he wanted to venture out into the fog? what better way to do so when she's not around and he's unburdened by her withering stare?

he only has himself to blame for what happens next.

in her winter coat, elena heads out from the boarding house and into the fog, hoping with every cell in her being that she can find him. when she enters it, she covers her mouth with her hand as if that's enough to keep her from being dizzy once more.

she calls out as loudly as she can: ] Elijah!

[ he'll hear her. she knows he will. ]

( elijah hears it but he doesn't know what direction it's coming from. he pauses, turning in a complete circle to try and spot her but all he can see is the fog.

he takes a few steps forward but stops, changing his mind because that's not right. he stops and looks around again, rubbing a hand against his head. )

Elena?

( he hates that he sounds confused. he hates that he can't figure out where she is. )

[ here's the thing: she's not a vampire. she thinks she hears him, but she's been thinking she's been hearing him since she stepped into this fog. elena knows she wants to hear him. she doesn't want to think he's permanently dead like constantine. she wants to believe he's here, waiting for her, just lost because he's a thousand-year-old idiot.

so, she does the only thing she can think of.

cupping her hands around her mouth, she bellows, ] Elijah!

( he hears her louder this time and starts to move towards where he thinks her voice is coming from. he can't tell if he's right though because he's so turned around and that...that shouldn't be. )

Elena? I'm right here!

( which tells her nothing, he knows. he frowns, trying to wave his hand in front of his face. )

Can you hear me?

[ narrowing her eyes, she momentarily wonders if she's manifested his voice. elena trusts her gut: she hasn't. elijah is somewhere nearby; he has to be if she can hear him. ]

Yes!

[ she spins around, frowning deeply. she squints as if she's able to see through the fog when she can barely see anything at all. ]

I'm... [ her voice falters. ] Can you track me?

( elijah quiets, trying to smell her but he can't. he tries to see her but he can't. and he doesn't want to admit that. that shouldn't be the case. he should be able to find her but all he can hear is her voice.

his silence probably damns him. )

No.

( he hates saying that. )

I can't. Can you follow my voice?

I could try...

[ but she's human. elena's pretty sure she'll turn herself around in several circles and twist herself up into knots long before she finds him.

looking down at the ground, she tiptoes are gently as she can, wanting to not take too long of a stride and get lost herself. when the toe of her boot touches something firm in the ground, she picks up a rock.

quietly, ] Maybe you can smell this...

[ holding her palm up and facing her, she drags the rock's sharpest edge against her skin as hard as she can. after trying it a few times, she eventually tears her skin.

then yells, ] What about now!?

What did you do? Elena, what did you —

( but then he knows. it's faint but he can smell blood on the wind. he turns towards where the smell's coming from and takes a few steps in what he thinks is the direction the smell's coming from. )

Elena, why am I smelling blood? What happened to you?

( had she cut herself? )

[ so, he can smell blood but he can't smell her scent. interesting. she is glad that cutting her hand hasn't been for nothing.

squeezing her fist as tightly as she can, she feels the sting of her cut skin and blood pool in the centre of her palm. she hisses softly and stops walking, standing in the middle of the street or yard or woods. ]

Come find me!

Elena, why am I smelling your blood?

( even though he's disoriented, he's still going to sound somewhat annoyed by the thought of her having cut herself just to try and get his attention.

it's worked but he's still going to be annoyed with especially when he finds her. )

What did you do?

Cut myself.

[ duh, elijah. she doesn't hide it from her tone. this isn't the first time elena's hurt herself to help someone find her and it won't be the last. she suspects that she'll have to be smarter about it in the future with elijah. he doesn't seem like the type who'd appreciate her carrying around a pocket knife to slice herself with. doppelgänger blood's precious and all that. ]

It's working, isn't it? You can track me.

Why did you cut yourself? You shouldn't have done that.

( because...that just wasn't necessary. elijah takes a few quick steps but feels a little lightheaded after a second and he has to stop, taking a few deep breaths.

that's not right, that shouldn't be. he shouldn't feel like this ever. he's glad that elena can't see him, though. after gathering himself, he straightens and starts walking again. )

[ she sighs, exasperated. ] Then what should I have done, Elijah?

[ for a brief moment, elena's well-aware that someone else may be in the fog, listening to their bickering. she imagines that if someone was, one of them would've heard from them by now. there's no way in hell anyone's standing in this fog because they're happy to. ]

Played "Marco Polo" with you until I had no voice? This works and you know it!

You shouldn't have cut yourself. I would have found you eventually.

( he trails off, sounding slightly strained before he coughs a few times. there was...something about this fog that was making him feel unwell. he'd convinced himself that the fog would not affect him so having it happen is disconcerting. )

Does it sound like I'm getting closer?

( he hopes so because he needs to get out of this fog. he just hopes elena's able to find the way out. )

I think you've moved from the left to the right.

[ and she's just got human hearing, too. elena's not entirely sure where elijah is, but she thinks he'll find her. she just has to be patient. ]

I'm standing still. I'm not moving.

[ but what she does do is squeeze her hand tightly and drop more blood onto her other hand. ]

( he takes a long sniff and finds the scent of blood stronger so he moves towards it steadily, putting one foot in front of the other. )

Elena, why did you come in the fog? If I find you, how are you going to find the way out?

( had she left a trail of breadcrumbs? because it wasn't like he could use her blood to find them a way out. )

Teamwork.

[ it's an easy, cop-out answer. with the two of them working together, she knows that they'd be able to navigate their way out of the fog in no time... or some time. she just knows two heads are better than one. it's good logic. ]

You were gone for too long. [ now, she quietens her voice, a little hopeful he can't hear her. ] I was worried.

I apologize.

( his voice sounds a little more strained now and he has to stop and take a breath. it feels like there's something sitting on his chest and he's...not sure what that could. he's an original and these things don't affect him.

it passes after a moment and then he's walking again, steps quickening because the way this fog is starting to get to him is worrying. )

I didn't go into this fog, though. It was just...suddenly here.

So the man who told me that he wanted to go into the fog didn't actually go into the fog?

[ elena feels and sounds a little amused by that, which may not quite fit nicely into the current situation at hand. she does believe him, even if she doesn't quite believe he hadn't been seeking it out. the fog has his name on it, after all.

rubbing at her cut palm, she lets out a breath. she continues to speak loudly so he can hear and smell her. ]

I find that really hard to believe, Elijah.

I did not seek out this fog, Elena. I was in town, walking. That's it. If you don't believe me, so be it. I'm not going to try and convince you.

( he knows what he'd been doing and he knows that he hadn't left the boarding house with the intent of going into the fog. it had just appeared and before he'd known it, he was inside of it. )

Do I sound closer?

( he hopes so because he's starting to feel more and more nauseous and lightheaded with each step. he hopes that finding her will help him get out of this fog before he can't hide it from her. )

You sound a little closer.

[ pressing her palms together, she wonders if he can still smell the blood if she blocks it with her hand. she does think to cut herself again, but given how he'd reacted before, she spares herself the flinch and sting. ]

I'd move, but I'm afraid I'd just go in the wrong direction.

Just stay still. The scent is stronger now. Don't move.

( he has to stop and get his breath, giving his head a shake and then moving again. he's not going to be able to hide this for long once he finds her.

if he finds her. it's starting to become clear to him that something about this fog is making him feel sick. the only thing that can truly hurt him isn't this so he has to wonder...what's happening. )

I think I'm almost there.

Either you are or you're smelling someone else's blood.

[ which could possibly lead him to another person, but that means that elena's all by herself and left alone, a little lost inside of it. she much prefers the idea of him finding her and only her scent.

with a press of her lips, she lets out a sigh, feeling it try to beat against the tension she feels in her back. ]

I really hope no one else is bleeding out here.

That would be unfortunate, wouldn't it?

( elijah swallows and keeps moving, inhaling deeply to get a sense of her blood and then moving again, quicker now. he wants to think he's getting closer, that he's almost there. )

I think I'm getting closer.

( or he's just walking in circles and nothing's being accomplished. )

DAY 040

aftermath.

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