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

b;

[skladka]

[ The Darkling is far from what he'd call used to this situation, but he has enough of sense to get his shit together as quickly as possible. He dislikes feeling like this, feeling powerless: the simple act of not knowing where he is is enough to set his teeth on edge and his jaw to clench just a little too tightly if he thinks about it for too long. Mercifully, he doesn't have to: he keeps busy, he explores, he learns. There's a clinic, he hears, and of course his feet wind up heading in that direction after he spends the morning pouring over the library. Cursory glances first, deeper dives afterward. He has what others do not. He has all the time in the world.

The clinic's sign makes it fairly easy to spot, though when he steps in he's surprised to see someone right away. The Darkling's an imposing figure, tall and dark, black coat once an elegant, elaborate thing with embroidery covering almost every inch of it, now battered and torn, if clean. His gaze flicks over the stranger he immediately sees, curious.

The other's busy, the Darkling notices, though there's a certain weariness to it, something he recognizes in the smaller villages of Ravka, the ones among the border. It's the instinctual ability to keep busy, lest whatever recent tragedy that's happened starts to wear on you. It's similar to what he himself is doing: if one stops, one is left with the fact that one is horribly, terribly out of their depth. ]

Dr. Suzuki, I presume? [ He keeps his distance, still at the doorway, voice incredibly soft and distinctly British. ]

[setthetone]

[Carter looks up in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. It's been a while since he met someone new and now it seems he's running into strangers left and right.

That's just Mathias for you, he knows. In the beginning he's gone for weeks without having met all the people in this place, especially when the snow was still going strong. So while the Darkling is a new face, he knows that it doesn't necessarily mean he hasn't been here for a while.

Quite the elegant fellow, too. Carter wonders what year this guy might be from before he catches himself staring.]

Sorry! Hi. Uh, no actually. I'm Dr. Carter.

[He puts down the handful of bandages and beckons for him to enter.]

Come on in! What can I do for you?

[skladka]

[ There's a small, slightly apologetic look that crosses his features at the correction. The sign was wrong, it seems, and he had assumed the other was a nurse before he introduces himself as a proper Doctor. The invitation to come in has him moving forward, and, once invited, he has no qualms looking around the place with intense curiousity, trying to get a lay of the land. How advanced is this? How well stocked are the supplies? And Dr. Carter himself, is he a proper Doctor or just the best they have? ]

Ah--I'm not injured. [ Despite the tears in his coat, despite how he'd felt before washing up on shore, despite what had happened to him, he's miraculously fine, cured just like that. ] I thought it would be wise to visit important locations to get a better understanding of this place. New arrival.

Kirigan. Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Carter--is this clinic solely yours?

[setthetone]

Nice to meet you, Mr. Kirigan. Sorry you have to be here?

[He flashes him a quick smile, clearing one of the chairs in case he wants to sit down.]

If you have some questions I can try and answer them but maybe you've already noticed that we're all just as kidnapped and confused.

[As for the clinic...]

Another doctor started it, Dr. Magnus, I was working with her...

[There's a pang and he frowns, looking pained for a moment.]

But she disappeared. I've been trying to keep it up and running. It's not much, anything we can salvage from other places since the real town clinic is pretty much in shambles.

[skladka]

[ Ah, there it is. Loss. Weakness. Attachment. The Darkling bows his head, staring at a small spot on the floor. ]

My condolences. I'm sure Sankt Grigori is watching over her. [ It's genuine, surprisingly: a small nod of assurance, and he turns his gaze back to the equipment. Some of it he recognizes, some of it he doesn't--this entire town has been a mishmash of things that are familiar in the barest sense. It's absolutely grating. ]

How do you heal? [ He glances over to the other after a small beat of silence, scrutinizing him. ]

[setthetone]

Thank you.

[There's warmth to his voice. Carter doesn't know who Sankt Grigori is exactly but he sure appreciates the sentiment.]

How do I...?

[Heal, that's such an odd word.]

How do I treat people you mean? Well, I... most of it is based on diagnosis alone. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of equipment but I do have my stethoscope. Some surgical equipment? I'm a surgeon.

[He raps against one of the boxes with the meager supplies they had scavenged so far.]

Infection is a big concern so I'm always hoping for antiseptics.

[skladka]

[ The Darkling takes his time, mostly looking at the state of the clinic, his gait still managing to come across as purposeful despite the idle way he's eyeing things. ]

This town must be lucky to have you as a surgeon. Highly specialized skills should be venerated. Protected. [ He's wondering if he's a normal doctor or some equivalent to something from his world, and he stops looking at a case of what he assumes is supplies to look at Carter directly. ] Hopefully you won't find it necessary to use your talents here. Are you from... [ He pauses, frowning. What had the man with the scars on his face said? ] New England? America? Is that familiar to you?

[setthetone]

Oh, I wouldn't know about that...

[It's a bit bashful. He's trying and he doesn't really have the luxury of doubting himself too much but the only time he's ever really flaunted his skills was in the competitive environment of the ER. Out here, where it's less about his career and more about people struggling to survive, he finds it difficult to play up the same arrogance.]

America. Yeah.

[Carter nods but the way he asks already makes him wonder.]

From the year 1996. What about you?

[skladka]

[ The Darkling shakes his head, frowning. ] I'm afraid the year won't matter much. America is an entirely foreign place to me--but to answer your question, I'm from a place called Ravka. America doesn't exist. [ He's already bracing himself for the inevitable lack of recognition. On to better things: ]

I'm sure you sell yourself short, Dr. Carter. You have no powers? Just your hands?

[ Ah, there it is. See? He can be pleasant to non-Grisha. It helps that Carter seems to be somewhat genuine in his bashfulness, something that causes the corners of his mouth to turn into a small smile. ]

[setthetone]

Ravka... Sorry, no, doesn't ring a bell.

[Carter frowns and shakes his head. Then again, he isn't exactly a history buff. Even if this guy was from pre-Discovery times, there's a good chance he just didn't know the place. But despite the extravagant clothes the man doesn't seem all that medieval?

Different place then? Different world. Huh. Well, people are already from different times so why not... planets? Dimensions? Isn't that what they call it in the movies?]

By 'powers' I guess you mean things like healing wounds with some magical light or driving out sickness with a fancy spell... no. None of that. Just my hands.

[It's funny how normalized this question has become over the past few weeks that he can answer it so seriously.]

Do you have powers?

[skladka]

[ His face twists up at the fact that the other hasn't heard of Ravka, even though it's for the best: if no one's heard of Ravka, no one knows what he's done. It's easier to hide, he thinks--easier to move forward. ]

Not magic. [ It's an incredibly important distinction to the Darkling, speaking up almost immediately. ] Small science--and yes, I am Grisha. I do have a gift, though I'm neither a Healer or Heartrender.

[ A small moment, his eyes scanning the other, seemingly searching for something, trying to read him. ]

[setthetone]

[Carter's face is blank. Healer, he can more than guess what that means but he's not sure what a Heartrender is supposed to be.]

Grisha, that means having powers then?

[It's like taking a medical history these days. New terms, terminology, effects, a bit overwhelming sometimes so he tries to take it with the stoicism of his med school days and just... file the information away. Except that the information is completely out of this world and plain ridiculous.]

So what do you do? Superhuman strength? Can you fly?

[skladka]

[ He shakes his head, though he has to admit, the other is inquisitive in a way that's rare for him to see outside of the Little Palace. Perhaps this place has some hope after all. ]

Everything is composed of smaller things, invisible to the eye. We call it matter. Grisha can manipulate certain matter, some can manipulate fire, some chemicals, some the human body--we practice Small Science.

[ A beat, and he looks at the other carefully, always assessing, eyes narrowed somewhat. ]

I can manipulate shadows.

[setthetone]

[Carter sticks out his lower lip. Fire, chemicals, the human body. That's small? Huh.]

Hate to see the Big Science then.

[He furrows his brow at his admission. Manipulate shadows. He's had his fair share of shadows in this place.]

As in you could make my shadow annoy the hell out of me Peter Pan style? Or as in, say, stopping strange vicious shadow entities that roam the city at night and tear people apart? Because the latter would be so helpful.

[Hypothetically.

Maybe not so hypothetically.]

[skladka]

[ The peter pan comment gets a completely blank stare, though the slight irritation is quickly surfacing. It's not the poor Doctor's fault, not entirely, but the amount of references that go over his head is quickly growing.

Perhaps, he thinks, Mathis is his own personal punishment in the afterlife. Perhaps he truly is dead.

What Carter gets is a thin smile, the other's words deeply ironic. ]

You've met the mysterious Shadow Man? I've been told my arrival is... ill-timed, considering his actions.

[setthetone]

Not in person.

[More like... in dreams.]

But he's been a lot less hostile than the Shadow... [Carter pauses, still not sure how to describe the inexplicable THINGS that he encountered a few weeks ago.] ... Creatures. They attacked the town not too long ago. It was gruesome, we lost a lot of people.

[Temporarily.]

Could have used someone who can get them to back off.