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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And maybe your desire to walk into the fog brought it to you.

[ he can repeat himself all he wants. elena knows, from him firsthand, that he had wanted to walk out into the fog. a part of him has to have desired it, and a part of him must still do so.

she keeps ahead of him, her desire to pound her feet into the earth one born from her frustration at him for being so stupid. ]

Elena, are you planning on racing me? Is that why you're walking as quickly as you are?

( any other day, he knows he's beat her in a race but he's not feeling up to snuff right now so he thinks that she might have a chance. he just doesn't want her to see him feeling as badly as he does. )

I don't think we're going the right way.

( the foght just seems neverending. )

[ she keeps walking until she stops, hands slapping against the sides of her legs in aggravation. she sighs loudly. she doesn't turn around, knowing he'll come up to her when he's ready. ]

We'll find the right way.

[ despite being annoyed, she tilts her head up defiantly and tries to hold tightly onto positivity. they'll get out of here. all they have to do is keep trying.

how elena tries is very simple: she bends down, grabs a rock, and pelts it as hard as she can into the fog. ]

( elijah watches her throw a rock and then just...kind of stands there, waiting for the rock to be thrown back or for elena to reveal what that was for.

but nothing seems to be happening. )

Are we going to follow that rock?

( he doesn't know why else she might have done that. )

No. [ she sighs, lifts her shoulders angrily. ] Maybe.

[ she looks at him, brows furrowed. she softens the intensity of her glare when she realises she's not angry at him. it's herself and this town that she's unhappy with.

carding her hand through her hair, she sighs deeply. ]

I wanted to see if it hit anything. If it hits a tree, we know that we're wandering into the woods.

( that wasn't a bad idea, actually. elijah doesn't know how well it's going to work but it's not a bad idea. he actually hopes her rocks do hit trees because he really does need to get out of here. )

Did it hit anything?

( he's pretty sure it didn't what with the lack of sound. but, it's still a good idea. )

Or are we still lost in the thick of the fog?

[ she sighs. ] We're still lost.

[ she's more confident with that answer than she is with her hearing. perhaps the rock not hitting anything means that they're going the right way… but elena would hope to hit a tree. ]

I want to hit the trees so we know we're walking along a border or something. At least we'd be near something we could grab onto.

[ it's not the most flawless logic, but it brings her comfort to know that they're not in the eye of the fog, lost from the town and far, far away from the comforts of their beds. ]

It was a good thought.

( and he does mean that. just because this fog is unlike anything either of them have ever seen before, it doesn't mean her idea was any less good because of it.

he sighs, rubbing a hand over his brow and wincing. )

I think you should keep doing it every few feet. We're bound to hit something eventually.

[ elena looks surprised at that. her ideas have never been welcome, especially by damon and sometimes by stefan. she doesn't mean to make decisions that seem wildly dangerous, but she often makes them to help protect those around her. throwing a rock at trees seemed like a dumb idea to her. ]

That, or we hit someone else.

[ brushing hair behind her ear, she shakes her head, smiling in amusement. ]

Imagine if we collected all the people lost in the fog. I wonder if we'd still feel lost.

I think I'd worry if all of us were together in the fog. Then, how would we get out? We'd all be lost.

( elijah rubs at his temple, still feeling the effects of whatever this is. he swallows and tries to center himself. )

Do you feel all right?

( was it just him feeling this? )

[ elena takes a moment to answer, inhaling deeply to try and settle herself. she's a little nervous being in the fog, but she feels less scared with elijah with her. he may not have all the answers, but it means something to not be alone. ]

I feel a little dizzy, but I'm fine.

[ it feels like how she does when she's lost some blood, but she can bounce back. she can concentrate and walk backwards and in a straight line if needed.

his question also makes her nervous. she looks up at him in concern. ] Do you?

Of course.

( that's a lie. he doesn't feel well at all and that's a concern. he should be fine even in fog this dense. he should be able to combat it and not have it affect him so strongly.

but that's not happening. he coughs a few times and waves a hand in front of his face. )

I'm good. I'll be even better when we're out of this fog.

[ for as long as they've been together in mathias and even the few days they'd known one another in mystic falls, she has never heard him cough. that doesn't mean he's incapable of it, but she thinks that it's strange. her gut's telling her as much.

she looks up at him, frowning slightly. ]

I thought you promised not to lie to me, Elijah. You're not fine.

We're in the fog so I have to be fine.

( he can't get sick while they're lost in the haze. he cannot. he has to be fine and he has to help her get them out of here. a headache and a feel of nausea isn't going to keep him from getting out of here. )

Elena, you can't worry about me right now. We have bigger things to deal with.

Like trying to get out of the fog without being eaten, I know.

[ she sighs heavily. while she had initially been kidding about that… well, she wouldn't put it past mathias to have fog monsters.

when she reaches out towards him, the back of her fingers accidentally touch his arm. ]

We won't be able to deal with those bigger things if you don't tell me how you feel. And the truth, this time.

[ see how smooth she is? ]

I feel fine.

( he sighs and rubs at his forehead. he doesn't feel all that terrible. he can continue on, he knows, and terrible for him is probably fine for many others. )

I have a headache. I shouldn't have a headache but I do. Otherwise, I am fine. And we need to keep going.

[ she doesn't stop walking, despite feeling tempted to stop and bend down and throw a rock again. ]

How long ago was it when you last had a headache?

[ a hundred years? a thousand? she can't help but find herself curious.

she asks because she's interested, but she also asks because she knows that he might need a distraction. who better to ask questions and be nosy than one elena gilbert? ]

It has been...some time.

( just because he's a vampire doesn't mean he doesn't experience pain. he definitely does but it's usually not of the mundane variety like this headache. )

The fact of the matter is that it shouldn't be happening so I don't know if it means this place is able to affect me or if it's stripping away what I am.

( he hates both options. )

Do you think it's trying to make you human again?

[ while elena ensures to keep her expression as neutral and composed as possible, she's freaking out on the inside. her racing heartbeat would be enough of a tell, but it's easily explained away by their current fog-circumstances. the way that they fit together is as a human doppelgänger and an original vampire. if they lose the vampire side, they're screwed. they can't rely on just the doppelgänger. ]

( he hadn't thought that until right now and it leaves him speechless. he hadn't considered the possibility that mathias could do that and he doesn't want to think that that's happening.

but he can't count it out either. )

I don't think that's happening.

( he tries to sound sure of that. he knows that he still needs blood so that part of him isn't gone but there are other things that are questionable. )

I don't want to think that's happening.

[ elena hadn't meant to spook him. she doesn't need to have super hearing to know that he's uncomfortable with that suggestion. a part of her wishes she hadn't said it aloud, even if it's something she's been wondering for a while. is this town slowly stripping him of his vampirism?

unsure of what to do, she gives in to her gut instinct. she reaches out to touch the crook of his arm in what she hopes is comforting. ]

You know yourself better than me, but know that even when you're not feeling like yourself, I'm here and I'm not going to stop helping you.

Why?

( he has to wonder why. he knows that he's not klaus but he's still related to klaus and she has to realize that every time she looks at him.

he just doesn't understand the reasons why she feels like she has to help him. he's an original, he can recover. she doesn't need to be there. )

You don't need to.

Why not?

[ she frowns at him. while she understands that he is a man with pride, she does think his incredulity comes from something else. how many times in his long life has he even been told he has help? a thousand years old and one of the strongest beings in the history of supernatural creatures, and she imagines that he's someone who has never needed anyone's assistance before. ]

You're my friend. Friends help each other.

( it's so strange to hear that from her. he takes a breath, feeling unworthy of it. his shoulders slumps and he looks away for a moment, trying to get himself back under control.

then, he looks back at her and the slightest of smiles appears on his face. )

I don't think I'm a very good friend, Elena.

[ immediately, she shakes her head. while elijah isn't like caroline who is so good at being positive, he's been there for her when he hasn't needed to. that means something to elena. ]

You have been.

[ she knows what it's like to not be a good friend. she's been that person. ]

You open doors for me, which is very friendly.

037-040 » the reason for time

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