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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Klaus has made it inside, he’s had a heavy reunion with his brother and grabbed a shower, but something crawls around inside his head and tells him something is wrong. It feels like Death, and he can’t get the creeping sensation to go away.

He wanders downstairs, pack of cigarettes in one hand, a lighter in the other, and goes to sit outside on the front steps of the boarding house. He lights a cigarette and takes a long, deep drag from it, closing his eyes and focusing on the burn in his lungs.

Max is still moving slowly, needing to pause every so often and regain her bearings when the world tilts off its axis. But she finally, finally makes it to the boarding house, close enough to spot someone coming out onto the porch to light up a cigarette, and her heart pounds in her throat when she thinks she recognizes who it is.

She hasn't forgotten where she is, she knows that it's a bad idea, but she's not close enough to be sure it's Klaus from the distance she's at. She starts running and as she comes closer, she tries to focus her vision to make out the details of his face, and pain instantly spikes through her head as she does, provoking another wave of nausea.

She immediately needs to stop in her tracks, hunching forward with her hands on her knees and moaning loudly as she tries to will the world to stay still.

He’s barely gotten his cigarette lit when he notices a figure in the distance. At first, he freezes, unsure of who or what it might be. But it’s only a moment later that he realizes it’s definitely someone who’s been hurt.

“Hey, hey!” He scrambles to shove his pack and lighter into his pockets before bounding down the steps and out into the dark. He can’t make out much more than the vague shape of a person hunched over in pain until he comes in closer. “Max?” He breathes her name out, half-breathless as he snaps into some sort of bone-deep ingrained action—

He tugs her arm around his shoulders and slides his around the small of her back. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay? What happened?” He can’t hide the concern in his voice as he brushes her hair out of her face; he can’t help noticing the slight sticky dampness of it. Like she’d been sweating from overextending herself too far. And from the looks of her, maybe she had been.

All the same, until he has answers on the basic questions he won’t force her forward unless she’s ready.

Not hurt, not quite. But she's definitely off-kilter enough that she might as well be hurt with how well she's moving right now. She's aware of someone - Klaus, she registers that at least - comes to her side and asks her what's wrong. She's not sure how to answer, because she doesn't know what this could be.

"I don't know," she manages after a few moments, looking up at him and trying to straighten. Her insides protest at the movement, but the ground is at least a little steadier beneath her feet. "I woke up on the beach, and I'm not - I don't feel hurt, but something feels wrong."

It occurs to her belatedly that Klaus had been where she was, and her eyes go wide as she reaches for his arms, clutching them as she stumbles a little again.

"You - are you okay? Where did you wake up?"

Does he remember where they'd been?

"Heyheyhey," he catches her as she stumbles, holding her upright so she doesn't fall. "It's okay. You're gonna be fine, okay? We're back." His voice shakes a little on those last two words. He's still not sure which side of the mirror is worse, but... at least this side is a familiar torment, and has his brother in it.

"Come on, let's get you inside." he mutters softly, making sure to steady her as he moves with her back toward the boarding house. Once they're up the steps and inside, he leads her over to the couch; she doesn't seem like she's particularly in shape to haul up a proper flight of stairs to go to her room, and the couch is almost like their space, at this point, anyway.

He sits down next to her, one hand resting lightly on her knee. "You're sure you're okay?" he asks gently, eyes shining with worry.

She meets his eyes and nods, relief flooding through her as he confirms they're alive again. Which maybe confirms that where they'd been was real and that he can remember it, too. Not that she'd have wanted to end up being back in Mathias if given the choice, but she's glad to be alive again, in any case.

Klaus guides her inside and settles her on the couch and she bends forward again, dropping her head into her hands.

"I feel sick," she mutters, shifting away a little when he places his hand on her knee. She appreciates the attempt at comfort, but now that she's still all the movement feels like it's settled warningly in her stomach. "I woke up on the beach like when I first got here and I feel like I've been moving underwater."

"Sorry," he mutters, pulling his hand back when she shifts away and listens as she explains everything up to now. "I woke up in the graveyard." he shudders slightly at the thought of it again. He hadn't been in a great place, when Five found him.

Most of the scars he sustained from that night were hidden, but there's evidence of one creeping out from the collar of his shirt, across one side of his neck. Max is probably too focused on making sure she doesn't hurl to notice just yet, but it'll be obvious as soon as she can look at him properly again, especially now that they're inside, under some light.

"You want me to get you some water? A cool rag?" Anything that would let him be of some kind of use right now.

She hasn't had the opportunity to get a good look at him to see the scars peeking out from underneath his collar yet, not to mention her own, which are currently covered by long sleeves and pants. Granted, she is a little distracted with trying to keep the nausea under control, but it's quickly becoming too much. She stands a few moments after he asks if he can get her anything and darts into the bathroom, barely making it before she starts to get sick.

He barely has time to register anything before she's on the move. He doesn't have to ask, he's been in similar positions far too many times not to know, even without warning. He sighs softly and gets up, going to the kitchen to get that glass of water anyway, because she's going to need it after this.

He wanders back into the main living area and heads toward the bathroom near the back corner, knocking on the doorframe. "Hey... can I come in?" He knows it isn't necessarily the kind of position people want to be seen in, so he'll ask instead of just barging in.

There's not much to come up besides stomach acid and her stomach cramps and contracts painfully as that gets forced out, leaving her stomach queasy and her throat burning. Klaus's knocking is registered, but she can't really answer until her body relents and she takes a second to wipe at her mouth and lean against the wall once the mess is flushed away.

"Yeah," she eventually replies, trying to push herself into standing so she can get to the sink. "It's not pretty."

He pushes the door open carefully, easing into the room. He offers a hand out to help steady her, too many years spent dealing with stubborn personalities to just push the help on her without a sign it's okay. If she indicates it's okay, he'll help her stand steady so she can rinse her mouth out, and while she does, he goes to grab a rag, getting it damp with cool water from the tub and folding it, wrapping it around the back of her neck.

"What happened, Max?" he asks softly, threading his fingers through her hair gently, watching their reflections in the mirror from his place behind her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were in detox or something."

She does indicate that it's okay by accepting his hand and letting him help her over to the sink. She even lets him move her hair out of the way so he can place the rag on the back of her neck (it helps immensely, coolness seeping into her and leaving her feeling a little more refreshed and less feverish). She bends down to cup water into her mouth, rinsing out the taste before spitting it back out. Klaus mentions detox and she shakes her head.

"I'm not," she says, looking back at him in the mirror. But she can see why he thinks that - there's a sheen of sweat coating her features, her eyes look glazed and sunken and she's unsteady as hell. "I don't do drugs, they don't work on me unless - "

Something clicks then, one memory connecting with another. Where she'd been right before arriving in Mathias and how bad off she'd been when she arrived. She turns to look at Klaus head on now, eyes going a little wider with fear.

" - When we first got here. Was there something that happened to you? Were you hurt or anything like that?"

Edited 2021-03-31 03:09 (UTC)

He sees it as she connects some sort of dots he isn't aware about. His eyebrows arch upwards slightly, "Unless...?" he prompts gently.

He blinks at the sudden shift as she turns to face him. Her face is twisted into a wide-eyed fear. He rests his hands on her shoulders in what's hopefully a comforting gesture and shakes his head at her question, "No... why? Were you? Max, what's going on?"

Edited 2021-04-01 00:16 (UTC)

"Because I think I'm coming down from being drugged. Again."

Which she realizes doesn't really cover everything she means for it to and she takes a deep breath, reaching for the glass of water he'd brought in with him and taking a slow sip, swallowing it and making sure it'll stay down before she continues.

"I was being interrogated before I was brought here. By the place that made me. They were looking for a friend of mine."

"What kind of shit did they pump you with?" he asks, brushing a stubborn strand of hair away from her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. "Amphetamines? Hallucinogenics?" He has experience in this, at least, even if the drug isn't completely normal or natural, some things must be similar enough he could help coach her through it. It would be easier than going through it alone.

"That's shitty. I'm sorry, Max." Klaus is no stranger to situations just like that, however; life as part of the Umbrella Academy wasn't as glamorous as it looked from the outside, by any stretch. Not that she had reference for that, but... he runs a thumb across her cheek. "Tell me what you know so I can help you." Even if it's as simple as ice chips and soft talking. He's not going to leave her alone tonight.

"I don't know for sure." Another wave of nausea surges up from the pit of her stomach when she thinks about what they could have pumped her full of aside from the virus intended to kill Logan and she grimaces, taking another sip of water that goes down a little worse than the first one did. "Whatever they thought would make me tell them what they wanted to know, and something that was meant to take out my friend."

Which she'll...explain. At some point.

"God, that's fucked..." He mutters softly, shaking his head. "Besides the nausea, what else you got goin' on? Nothing is too gross, I've seen and been through every stage of detox and withdrawal more times than I can count, okay?"

"It's mostly that. And you saw how unsteady I was," she says, finally pushing back from the sink and trying to move her hair out of her face. "I want to sleep for about a week but I should probably shower first."

She's thinking that's probably not a great idea when she still feels like she's on a cruise ship in a hurricane, though.

"Mmkay. Let me know if it changes." He has no clue how to handle mystery drugs. She might land in the middle of a bad trip at three a.m., who knows?

He smiles softly, "If you really want to, maybe a bath is better? And if you're not against it, I could help get out. No slipping while you're still so unsteady." Just an innocent offer; he has sisters, it's not like it's a mystery. But it is a vulnerability and he recognizes it might be crossing lines she doesn't want to. So the offer is left open-ended to whatever she wants out of it.

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037-040 » the reason for time

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