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

[abrightboy]

“From what I could glean of Klaus’ Candyland rules, Klaus cheating is a totally legal move and you’re lucky he didn’t convince everyone to make it Strip Candyland,” Malcolm points out. He looks up at her again. “I brought a chess board, if you’re interested. I don’t know if you play and I know it’s less exciting than Cutthroat Candyland but....” But it was there.

[citharede]

"Strip Candy Land is indecent. Also no one needs to see Jeff's Lil Bitch tattoo."

A pause as she realizes what that sounds like. "I saw it in old pictures of when he was in a band, for the record, he didn't randomly pull his clothes off or something. Me and Mel--his daughter--took a bunch of copies of them and papered their living room."

At the mention of chess she tries very hard not to smile more. Of-fuckin'-course Malcolm plays chess. "You could teach me. My aunt plays but she said trying to hold my attention for long enough to explain the rules is like trying to wield a lawn mower by the blades."

[abrightboy]

He looks up at her. “Is it also as likely to end with chopped off fingers? Because then I might have a hesitation,” he jokes.

[citharede]

"There's nothing sharp enough here," she says, with a dignified sniff.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm’s smile broadens.

“Well, if chess isn’t your game, what was your post-Candyland party plan?” he asks.

[citharede]

She tilts her head back and forth consideringly. "Probably background music. It's a party and we don't have any."

[abrightboy]

“Do you want to go get the record player from the Grey Gull?” he asks assuming that’s the only way they could get some music into the party.

[citharede]

"That would take too long. I just figured I'd sing something. Or put my phone music on again."

She shrugs.

[abrightboy]

“Sing something? Oh. Right. You’re a musician,” he recalls. “What sort of songs are your specialty?”

[citharede]

She considers the question, frowning slightly.

"I told Raylan I like pretty much everything. Or I'll try pretty much everything." But what's her specialty? "I guess like... folk stuff, and indie pop rock, but I like jazz and funk a lot too. And pretty much anything that involves a piano."

A pause.

"I guess that doesn't narrow it down much."

[abrightboy]

He smiles.

"Sing something," he tells her. "What's your favourite song?"

[citharede]

Her favorite song. That's a tall order. She considers the question for a long moment, then breaks straight into the lyrics of Under Pressure, voice bright and clear.

"Pressure, pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure, that burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets

That's okay

It's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming let me out
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets..."

She breaks off there, though she's on the verge of just singing the whole thing. Another little shrug. "That's a favorite anyway."

[abrightboy]

"I was in the hospital a little while ago and after I got out, once I got back into yoga, I listened to that one a lot during my morning workout," he tells her with a smile of recognition lingering on his face.

[citharede]

"Why were you in the hospital?"

One thing they have in common: they are both wildly, sometimes inappropriately, curious.

[abrightboy]

He shrugs a shoulder.

"I was kidnapped by a serial killer my dad used to... mentor. In the trade. He wanted to groom me into a killer. The first 'trial' I had to pass involved him stabbing me in the abdomen."

He turns slightly, lifting his t-shirt enough for her to see a pink line that is fully healed at this point but still shiny enough to be... recent. He drops his shirt back down. "The second trial was that he intended to murder my mother and sister with an axe. He left his tool bag behind. The only thing I could reach was a ball peen hammer. Not much use for breaking steel shackles but... it worked a trick breaking my hand so I could slip it out of the shackles." He looks at her. "That was actually more painful than the stabbing."

[citharede]

She stares at him for a long moment.

"Holy fuck, Malcolm." It's no wonder the guy screams at night. "I mean this in like... the nicest possible way I can but I got kidnapped by a serial killer too and your life is still the most extra thing I've ever heard."

Just wait until she learns more about Klaus.

[abrightboy]

He breathes out a laugh towards his shoes.

“The life of a serial killer’s son,” he jokes. “It’s a psycho rollercoaster.”

[citharede]

"Okay, come on." She grabs his hand, hauling him back toward the living room. "Do you sing? Were you in like, some rich kid choir where everyone wore those little white things that look like dresses? That's a Catholic thing I think. I have no idea."

[abrightboy]

"I'm not Catholic and I don't sing in public. Every now and then I might sing in the shower," he admits.

I LOST THIS ONE

[citharede]

"There's a first time for everything, and you have rehearsed for this moment, obviously."

Shower rehearsals count. "What songs do you know all the lyrics to?"

OH NO

[abrightboy]

He shrugs. “A little Motown, a little soul. Classics.”

[citharede]

Athena rolls her eyes as they get to the living room, more empty now than it was earlier.

"Pick a song, you equivocal nerd."

[abrightboy]

“Do you know ‘I Can See Clearly Now’?” he asks, if she’s not going to offer a menu.

[citharede]

Athena gives him a Look. "Of course I do."

Gosh Malcolm. Everyone knows that one. She hauls him over to the couch before letting go, hopping up to sit on the back of it again. She starts clapping the beat, both with her hands and against her jeans. Once she's got that down, she starts to sing, trusting Malcolm to join her when he's ready.

[abrightboy]

He doesn't look entirely sure about this but he does know the song well. He wakes up to it on a regular basis.

He joins in, a bit softly at first, but then more confidently when he's not immediately booed out of the room.