villagelogs | 065-071 » assign to oblivion / part iii

065-071 » assign to oblivion / part iii

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: Mathias Township proper
WHEN: Days 065-071
WHAT: The residents of Mathias reunite under unnerving conditions.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross "Outside"

DAY 065-071
ASSIGN TO OBLIVION
“No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes
place in the interim, there are some things we can never
assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.”
— Haruki Murakami

Only two days have passed since the town was fractured, leaving residents cut off from those they'd come to know and even care for. A mere two days of wandering the new streets, uncovering more secrets that continue to make little sense of this strange place. Two days with sunrises, sunsets, and nights that seem like any other.

And yet.

When residents wake on this third day, they will find that much has changed. All around them, wherever they may be, there are signs that time has passed without them. Dust covers everything, indoors and out, even areas that were spotlessly clean seemingly hours ago. The residents themselves are covered as well, dust clinging to their hair, skin, and clothing—

Clothing that they may not have been wearing when they went to sleep. Each resident, regardless of the state they were in previously, is now clad in a pair of white pajamas, with long pants and button-up shirts. Those who thoroughly explored Baneberry Hall will easily recognize these articles as identical to those well-stocked in the decaying great house. On top of this, the clothes they wore from home have disappeared, along with anything else they may have brought with them when they arrived or items from home that have been found within the borders of Mathias.

There is no sign that anyone has entered their place of shelter, nor is there any sign of what may have been done with these items or how they came to be wearing these clothes. The dust all around them is undisturbed, almost as if they had been sleeping there for quite some time, though it seems impossible for such a thing to have occurred naturally.

THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the lawn of Town Hall, at the center of the little town square. They, too, are bereft of any items from home and clothed in the identical white pajamas. There are shops all around them, with houses just beyond, and at first glance, everything seems almost picturesque. Except for the silence that is at times so complete as to be maddening... Welcome to Mathias.

SUMMERTIME
— When summer arrives, so too does an outdoor stand in front of the General Store. Sporting a handpainted sign proclaiming Whateley Farm, the stand is overflowing with a variety of produce: berries, plums, carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, green beans, leeks, onions, peppers, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic bulbs. These do not replace the produce offerings normally found inside the market, but they do behave strangely. The stand replenishes sporadically, sometimes every other day or every five days. There is no discernible pattern to when it replenishes, nor is there any sign of how it came to be there at all.

— With the now-complete reverse change of season, much of the autumn debris has cleared from around town. Only a few stray leaves and fallen branches remain, their crisp colors at odds with the warm summer days. The forest has also cleared of much of the fall detritus, making it easier to both follow the paths and potentially spy things that might be out of the ordinary.

CONDITIONS UPDATE
— THE WEATHER Summer has arrived in Mathias, bringing with it warm days that average 70°F and comfortably cool nights. The skies are clear throughout the week save for Day 68 when a light rain falls from a grey sky throughout the day.

— THE FOG has maintained its new boundaries.
— 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 from the western section of town entirely.
— 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.

— DISAPPEARANCES AND DEATHS continue! Max Guevara and Liz Brundy have disappeared, and now that everyone is back together, residents will notice that Yennefer, Number Five, and Tony Stark have also vanished.

— ALCOHOL supplies have run dry, save for any dregs that have been squirreled away by individual residents. Moonshine can still be acquired by those in desperate need.

OOC NOTES
— 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. IC events are also helpful to know about in advance so they can be included in the log write-ups.

— MOD STATUS My non-RP life is busy and chaotic and I continue to ask for your forgiveness and understanding as game things continue to be slower, as I cannot promise timely mod responses beyond weekends and even that is not wholly guaranteed.

— ITEMS FROM HOME All items from home that characters would normally possess have vanished for this log and will return in the next. This includes clothing and possessions they had when they arrived in Mathias, items that were found in the rain, and items that were found in Baneberry Hall and removed from the property. Items from home that were left behind by other characters no longer in the game have also vanished. (All other items and clothing still remain, it is only items from characters' homes that have disappeared.)

— BANEBERRY ITEMS The items from home that were not removed from Baneberry Hall in the last log have vanished from the property. These items will not reappear in the next log. (Please be sure to comment in the appropriate spot on those logs about the state of your character's item for inventory purposes, ie whether they were removed from the property or left behind.)

— ACTIVITY CHECK Beginning with June's AC (posted at the start of July), all tags that consist of only dialogue will count as 0.5 points, not just those that occur in an inbox thread — this applies to both AC and AP totals. This adjustment is an extension of what has been in place since the start of the game: that all dialogue-only inbox tags counted for a half-point. Since such tags have occurred regularly in log threads as well, the half-point status is simply being extended to all tags regardless of location in order to be fairer in point distribution. (Examples will be provided in the AC post to assist with proper counting.)

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There was an involuntary shudder of pleasure across Raylan's stomach, accompanied by an equally half had breath as his legs spread to make room. Even though he knew it was coming, seeing Malcolm down there looking up at him filled him with a sweet anticipation that broke with the press of him into that moist heat.

Raylan's eyes fluttered with a throaty groan that he couldn't control, fingertips trying to find purchase in whatever they could and settling on the sheets beneath him as his head rolled back for a half second. He forced himself to open his eyes, to look down, to savor every second of it as his hips lifted.

"You're so goddamned handsome," he managed out of a tight throat, one hand lifting to card into Malcolm's hair and settle there. It was no pressure as to how fast or how much Malcolm took, he was in control of that, but Raylan wanted to touch him.

A smile Malcolm couldn’t form with his busy mouth did reach his eyes at that and they lit with it as he worked Raylan’s length, slowly at first, then a little quicker and a little deeper, his hand squeezing at the base with each stroke.

Callisto steps back reluctantly, and only when it becomes clear that he's really not going to start showing off until she does. She'll roll her eyes in an effort to show just how ridiculous she thinks these safety precautions are, but she'll do it.

And then, of course, she'll immediately step forward again once he starts demonstrating his powers - not close enough to be in the danger zone, at least, but possibly a bit too close for comfort. She isn't awed or impressed, and she certainly isn't scared, but there's sharp interest in her eyes all the same. And when he nearly hits himself and then smiles, she smiles, too.

"Hurt?" she asks, peering closely, on the lookout for smoke or any sign of injury.

Wow, how...terrible of you.

( he doesn't say that with any sort of judgment there. he actually laughs, giving his head a shake as he does. )

Did it work?

[He'd take it. If he could forgo explaining what a failing shit stain of a human being he was in interpersonal life, he would.]

Like we all got initiated at a Mormon church in an asylum. [he half snorted the words. Whatever he might have theorized at the split was set aside for the moment in the wake of Bucky's last words. Raylan frowned deeply, brow pinching to match.]

No, she-.. she wasn't. You check the boarding house? That's where she was stayin'.. I'd ask Klaus but..

Five and Max are gone too.

Lifting his eyebrows and shrugging with his face, Raylan fetches a butterknife and unwraps the butter enough to cut off a knob and drop it in the pan.

"Yes, this. Butter," he informs her with a gesture at the knob he'd just thrown in. "Egg," he continued, holding up the egg. Might as well get the word association out of the way. The pan was lifted slightly so he could move the melting butter around and once he was satisfied, he cracked the egg on the side of the pan and dropped it in, smiling a little at the sizzle it took on.

"We could scramble it," he said, making the general gesture that one did when scrambling eggs, "But we're not going to." He lifted up one finger and darted away to the toaster, fetching a couple pieces of bread to be dropped in the toaster before he went and grabbed a single slice of cheese from the fridge. Like hell all this was going to waste.

"Watch it," he directed, gesturing at the egg. He always found it interesting, watching an egg cook.

It was astonishingly sweet how much Malcolm trusted him. There was no sense of fear that he could lose the man just by turning the corner. Nothing that held him back from taking this kind of chance.

"Alright," he said softly, opening the door and leading Malcolm in with hands on his shoulders until they were in the living room, in front of the laid out spread and all of Neal's work. Raylan leaned down to whisper in Malcolm's ear: "Okay, open."

To go with the sandwiches, Raylan had also gotten a few sprigs of lavender to set on top of them. That was the calming one, right?"

Callisto gives him a nod, encouraging him to go ahead with it - less because she's interested in the music itself, and more because electronics in general are still strange, foreign things to her. She's curious.

"It's an instrument?" she asks in Greek, miming strumming something.

That was the calming one, he was correct.

Malcolm opened his eyes and his face brightened.

"This looks amazing," he breathed. He looked at Raylan. "This is for me?" He spotted the record player on the other side of Raylan and his eyes widened. "Did you bring our record?" he asked, excited, giving him an earnest kiss before heading over to look at the pile.

If Raylan liked him more, he might be more sympathetic but considering he didn't have his gun on his hip - his thing - he was perfectly fine with Kirigan being displeased. At least the magician had something left to his name. A scrap of what he once was. The experiance of his knowledge to help him.

That's what Raylan was interested in. If Kirigan was the type to use them, then Raylan would take the opportunity to learn and know what he could of the man in kind.

His features pinched and twitched towards a frown as he took that information in. He didn't trust Kirigan, but he trusted this information. If he had been successful, he wouldn't look as half as sour as he does.

"Somethin' else like what?" If anyone knew, it would be the man next to him. Raylan wasn't even mad at him for it; whatever helped him get the hell outta this town. Kirigan hadn't killed anyone yet, he had to earn that badass badge and Raylan hadn't seen much of his actual talents.

"Then why learn?" She digs her fingers down under one of the roof tiles, trying to pull it up and off. "Was it just a passing whimsy?"

“No. Other kids used to beat me after school.” He gestures to the scar on his lip. “Sometimes bad. I wanted to know enough fighting to make them stay away.”

A couple of times…

[ she's admittedly a little embarrassed by how horrible she was as a kid… and how opportunistic she was, too. perhaps she really is the villain. but she recalls the story with a fond tone. ]

And then my mom figured it out. I used to put his teeth under my bed and my dad fell for it a few times, but then… My mom figured it out when she realised that I wasn't losing any teeth. I don't know how I got away with it.

[ she chuckles. snip, snip, snip of his hair. ]

I know, I'm a horrible person.

That's quite ingenious, actually.

( kind of terrible as well but it makes him laugh, giving his head a shake. )

How much money did you actually make from this scheme of yours?

( he hopes she'd spent anything she made before her parents caught on so she couldn't give it back. )

[There's a pause as she puzzles over the words - picking out what she recognizes, and attempting to guess at the meaning of what she doesn't.]

I am a woman.

[She says slowly, though that can't be what the actual meaning of his question was, can it?]

Out?

[She gestures towards the window, pointing in the approximate direction of the eastern woods.]

This? The woods? Yes. And I don't know why that shocks all of you so much. You all act like babies about it.

[This last bit is, of course, in Greek, and is punctuated with an eyeroll.]

The woods - not danger.

She watches, though having never fried an egg before, she doesn't actually know what to look for.

"We do egg in water," she informs him, picking up a fork and giving the yolk a poke.

"And you fought them with swords?" she asks, clearly as flummoxed as she is impressed. Children teased and bullied each other in Ancient Greece too, of course, but generally not with weapons.

[ It had been going so well, hadn't it?

Behind the sunglasses, Billy's own eyes narrow, and while Kirigan can't see it he probably knows it's happening. Billy's noticed that they seem to share more than a few mannerisms, a fact which gets under his skin.

The perk of wearing sunglasses is that Billy doesn't feel like his vulnerability is exposed. There's no way of knowing the way his eyes briefly flicker away before locking back on the other's face. Billy's not the sort to shy away, never has been, but he can't deny that he's a little more broken these days. The scars on his face are just a visual reminder of what's going on inside. ]

No one gets to stay pretty forever.

[ There's no hiding the disdain in his voice or the particular way the word pretty seems to leave a sour taste in his mouth. ]

"Shit."

Billy raises his eyebrows, and he's not sure if he's impressed or sorry to hear that he can be here for an extended amount of time.

"I've gotten a few cryptic statements. I think I've pieced together a pretty good profile of the place, yeah." And the fact that no one seems to know why they're here, or where, exactly, they are. "What does a guy do around here to keep himself busy for two months? You don't just stand around staring at fog all day, right?"

The corner of his mouth quirks up. If Billy had to pick the moments in his life where he felt genuinely happy, or genuinely at his best, it would have been the years he served. To him, that was his family, and he still never gets tired of the way that they can always pick each other out in a crowd if they're paying enough attention.

"I did a few tours in Afghanistan. Marines." A fact of which he's clearly very proud. "You?"

Tim grinned. His teeth were set together in a way that could almost come off as aggressive in the way they bared, but the light of recognition in his blue eyes softened to expression. There was a genuine pleasure in meeting a fellow soldier. Even if they were technically strangers, they were a unique sort of family.

"Rangers," was his response. "Previously of Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently of the U.S. Marshal Service."

"Well, a wooin' before dinner stirs the appetite, doesn't it?" The question was given with an utterly innocent look over a shit eating grin, something that Raylan managed quite easily. Somehow, the long suffering sigh was a victory.

Maybe Henry was walking around, talking shit about how well Raylan was willing to integrate, talking about his idea of what he thought Raylan's life was like, because he wanted the Marshal for himself. Raylan could find a way to be okay with that, especially in the face of Henry's face, eyes all soft around the edges and happy enough to hang out for an evening with the Marshal. Why would he fuck this up when it was so good?

He could handle a few more indirect lashes.

Raylan smiled into the kiss and broke it with a chuckle as a hand found it's way into his back pocket. It might have been an excuse to grab his ass but it made him feel young again. Well. Younger.

"Besides, I need to fuel up for my strength." He could almost hear the old joke coming.

Raylan isn't wrong with a lot of his assumptions of Dorian, so it seems his sense for people is spot on. To be fair, with the way this world is interacting and messing with his magical ability or focus, it's only a matter of time till someone gets caught in the cross-fire or is too close to avoid being caught in his magic. He's doing his damnedest to avoid that by practicing daily and trying to strengthen himself so that's less likely to happen. He's not entirely sure it's making any headway but he's going to do it anyway, just like being back in the Circles of Tevinter and having to relearn things from scratch. Beyond that though, there had been times where innocent got caught up in his more destructive behaviors, but he's grown a lot since then.

Dorian mirrors the laugh, realizing the other likely didn't understand his gentle innuendo and he debates with himself for a moment continuing with the fun. Especially as the other juts a thumb over one shoulder to suggest he go into the kitchen and fix himself some food.

"That is a sound suggestion, I must say. But I think only half of the ingredients are available for my sandwich. Unless of course, you're feeling like inviting that twin of yours." He smirks playfully, chin in hand, expression wry and flirtatious. He lets the moment draw on for a bit so the other can put two and two together before once again chuckling.

"I'm joking of course. Honestly, I'll take whatever is available, I realize supplies are limited and food is a good idea."

He shakes his head, frowning slightly. "No one that even seems like they came from the same galaxy."

He hopes it's as simple as that and they find each other again sooner than later. If he ends up seeing the teenage boy around, he'll tell him his brother was looking for him.

The question gets a slight nod. "Yeah, a couple days ago."

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065-071 » assign to oblivion / part iii

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