059-061 » the place where you stop the story

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Southern Mathias
WHEN: Day 059-061
WHAT: Time returns to "normal" and Mathias grants a reprieve.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here! The next log will be posted the weekend of May 15th May 22nd.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Nathan Johnson "Foul Play"

DAY 059-061
A BRIEF REPRIEVE
“There is no real ending. It’s just
the place where you stop the story.”
— Frank Herbert
Residents awake to a peaceful morning with the sun shining and earth remaining still. There is no unsettling shaking to rouse them at dawn, and time has continued moving onward as they slept. Whatever state they were in the night before, they remain that way now, for good or for bad.

On the surface, there seems to be little lasting effect on the tiny town from that strange series of days, save for the memories of any traumatic experiences residents may have faced — but there are always consequences within Mathias. The perpetrators of acts against the town are tormented by nightmares of those acts being used against them, and those who did not raise a hand to stop those acts of destruction may yet face consequences of their own. For now, however, the unwilling townspeople should do their best to rest and recover from the disturbing ordeals of late, for this reprieve from the madness shall surely be shortlived.




THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the beach near The Grey Gull. It's a bit chilly out with their wet clothes, but surely there's something to help warm them inside the restaurant. They may even find some alcohol within — and not just the cowboys' homemade moonshine.

---

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE HISTORY MUSEUM has not fared well with the return of "normal" time. The once esteemed wooden building is now a charred ruin, the recent fire leaving behind little of the contents within for study. The structure is unstable and it is not wise to venture into the ruins for long.

— THE WEATHER conditions remain fairly typical for early fall: warm days and cool nights. It feels almost like spring arriving except that there fewer red and orange leaves on the ground and more of them oddly returning to the trees and slowly fading to green. It's like watching one of those nature documentaries that have a timelapse of the seasons, only it's going in reverse.

— THE FOG has retreated from some areas!

— Residents may now wander the southern stretch of the forest surrounding Mathias Township — it is possible to leave the paths but potentially unwise to do so.
— The fog has also retreated farther into the western section of town, now stretching across town between Stine Road and Shelley Drive. This has revealed the Chasm in the earth that stretches from one side of town to the other between Stine and Hill Lane.
— Access to the northern section of the forest is still blocked beginning a few dozen yards past the treeline; this section of fog will urge residents to stay huddled within the town proper by inducing a physical reaction of panic and fear.

— DEATHS & DISAPPEARANCES continue! Max Guevara has vanished into the fog. Claire Novak's body can be spotted on Day 059 facedown at the bottom of the Chasm between Hill and Stine, near Phillips Drive; by the morning of Day 060, her body will be gone. (Attempts may be made to reach her body but will likely not end well for those involved. Such attempts should be reported under Exploration.)

— ALCOHOL is still in Mathias! Just barely. (Supply is running very low after recent town events.) 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 was also restocked with its lower-end offerings of a variety of alcohol types. (Alcohol does not replenish as food does.)

---

OOC NOTES

— PROJECT HELP Your mod needs help with some projects!

— FUTURE PLANNING If you haven't, please answer the questions here for future log planning. I will almost definitely need some of these answers for the log going up the weekend of May 15, so act quickly! Late submissions will not be considered for that log.

— UPDATES Don't forget to report updates as they come up! Changes to locations (like toppling a few bookshelves in the library), big plots you have coming up that will affect the game (parties, major property destruction, etc), or exciting discoveries that may tie into the game's mythology (even the things provided by the mod) are very helpful to have in one place so relevant page updates can be made.

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

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Comments

[thering]

"Don't we all?" he asks quietly with a small, almost sad smile. Hell Mathias might not be, but this town is certainly sporting a fine collection of lonely sinners.

"I was going to finish up here and head to the greenhouse. Yennefer is growing tomatoes and a few other plants I would... at least like to make sure they flower." It feels like the one good thing he could do in this town, even though he's already sitting on a healthy pile of goodwill. Somehow it never feels enough.

"If you weren't too busy today, I wondered if perhaps you might like to join me?"

[silentretribution]

She nodded. She could at least lend a hand and see that the garden thrived. It was better than doing nothing, save her own chores. The quiet life might suit her, but she was growing more used to and eager for company. Doc's was at least calm and soothing for someone with frazzled nerves...which probably would surprise him, if she could communicate it.

Liz glanced at the tarp. Are you finished with your work here?

She might not share his worry about something happening, but she understood his desire to see this done.

sorry I didn't get a notif for this

[thering]

That she finds his presence to be somewhat reassuring can probably be attributed to his relatively stable and tranquil life here, to be honest. She wouldn't find him so calm or soothing if being around him meant regularly getting chased down and shot at.

"Yes." He's driven the tent nails down as deep as they can go, weighed several edges of the tarp down. Sure, Mathias can rip it all away in an instant, the same way she had previously demonstrated her ability to undo their hard work in the blink of an eye, but she'd have to put up a hell of a fight to do so.

"It ain't perfect, but. It'll hold. Shall we?" Maybe they can even get a headstart on some signs, if it's just going to be the two of them staring at tomato vines trying to keep their crop wet and warm.

Not a problem!

[silentretribution]

She nodded, brushing down her skirts to knock off the dust gathered there. She had her knapsack at her side, carrying the book that Bucky had given her. There were small notes she had made for those willing to learn with drawings of some of the more common signs, as well as the alphabet. It would be something he could keep with him.

She fell into step alongside Doc, no longer intimidated by the surroundings or feeling out of place. She knew her way around now, enough to feel comfortable letting her mind drift and not getting lost.

Her eyes flicked to Doc, curious, but uncertain what to say as silence seemed to settle between them.

[thering]

He is comfortable in the silence, walking alongside her. Sometimes he does find himself talking too much - and simultaneously never enough, because he doesn't want to talk about those things that cut into him deep and put himself or anyone else through that discomfort of bringing up things that are intensely personal - and he prefers the silence.

But, mindful as he is that she would need time to reply to him in writing, he will make small talk with some yes/no questions she can simply nod and shake her head at, whilst giving her some time and space to write something more detailed if she wants.

"Have you been making any friends?" he asks quietly once they pass the Town Hall on their way to the greenhouse. "This wretched town can be painfully lonely."

[silentretribution]

She supposed that there were friends. Doc and Rayland seemed to have filled that role for her, as much as she let them in. Even with the bonds she forged, she still felt aloof from the rest. Not for their lack of consideration, they were all welcoming. Being unable to speak, she would always be an outsider.

It was safer as well, should the Reverend suddenly appear.

I'm used to loneliness. Which was the truth, not something that needed much pity. Everyone has been very kind and eager to learn sign. Without Bucky, she never would have the book to begin with.

Sometimes lonely is better.

[thering]

"Sometimes," he concedes. You would think a man who has spent over a century alone would hasten to disagree. Would never spend another waking minute alone if he could help it. And there are days he feels exactly that. Moments where he surrounds himself with company and nights where he eagerly brings bedwarmers into his humble abode so that he might alleviate some of that otherwise all-consuming, crippling isolation.

"When you find yourself ready for company, I think you already know where to find us." He would not undermine her tenacity, impose his own ideals or what he thinks might be good for her upon her. Doc wants to be available, accessible, helpful. An empty driveway and an open door that anyone can run up and burst into without any reservations. It is not really his place to impose anything upon anyone, much as he is loathe to see people sometimes struggling on their own. Sometimes they are thriving, too.

"Does this mean you would not wish to join us should we be hosting or get invited to a social gathering?" He would much like to bring her along, if she permits. She can be both lonely and present - they are not mutually exclusive options.