villagelogs | 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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jeff laughs, shaking his head. "Yeaaaah... I never had a gift for acting." His attempt at Raylan Givens would probably sound a whoooole lot more like Foghorn Leghorn. "Maybe one day I'll do some shots in the name of research."

Moonshine, though. He doubts his tolerance can take it these days. Wouldn't take much for him to get shitfaced and goofy.

He lets out a breath, sunny disposition dimming as Raylan goes through his own missing inventory.

"No. My guitar's gone. Athena's phone is, too. And the clothes I was wearing..." He pulls a face. "I woke up in these fucking... hospital pajamas."

Oh what Raylan wouldn't give to be there to hear it. "Make sure someone gets it on camera for me."

He could guess what the following answer would be with the way Jeff's face dipped and dropped, and he nodded fractionally at it, a thread of worry move through the slight furrow of his brow. Athena, when she was upset, ran full speed to the first thing that could make musical noise. Could Jeff do the same or was he just up a shit creek without a paddle? The phone meant the lost of shit too, shit that was vastly more important than a hat or a badge.

"I'm still waitin' for someone to make a proper Jonestown joke, but.." He wondered if Ellie was coming back. She had that acoustic. It was something. Better than nothing, right? But was she? "I got a hunt to go on later. For Ellie's guitar. She didn't come in with it, someone found it here." He rolled a shoulder in a shrug. "Someone oughta take care of it until she gets back too."

He watched Jeff's face sidelong and causal like, to see how he took that suggestion.

Hey, Raylan, who says you won't be there to witness it in all its glory?

Jeff cracks a smile, somewhat subdued, at the Jonestown remark. But it soon lights up into something a lot less strained when Raylan floats the idea of Jeff looking after Ellie's guitar. It's not that he's looking to take it and cling to it for totally selfish reasons or anything, it's just--

It's important, to Jeff, to care for a treasured instrument until its owner comes back. It feels significant, and almost sacred, even if only to him as a bard. The guitar should be tuned and treasured and kept from gathering dust.

"Oh... Yeah. Yeah! I'd look after it for you-- for her!" He looks a little embarrassed at his own enthusiasm, rubbing the back of his neck as he adds, "It's, ah... What I'd want someone to do with my guitar, if I ever..."

Blind, stupid luck.

But the lift in Jeff's face was enough. Raylan didn't understand the connection these people had to music, but he knew it was there. He couldn't unearth Jeff's guitar or grant him an amp. What he could do was try and better things, as fractional as it was. He tried to not let his amusement at Jeff's reaction at the idea color his features too much, and failed spectacularly.

"I think she'd appreciate it. Seems sentimental to her. You.. Wanna go take a look or am I distractin' you from somethin' important?"

Yes, it was easier to parse it as doing something for Ellie, but it was just a guitar. This was for Jeff.

See, all of this just strengthens Jeff's conviction in his belief that Raylan Givens is, unequivocally, A Good Person.

"Oh-- yeah, no, I'm not-- distracted, that is. I mean. Not busy. I've got nothing to do." Which, really, is part of the problem here. Trapped in a ghost town with too much free time. He's going to lose his fucking mind. "Let's go! We'll be like the Hardy Boys!" Jeff makes a face, then fixes Raylan with a thoughtful look. "Admittedly, I've never read the Hardy Boys, so I don't really know if it's the best comparison to make..."

"I liked Nancy Drew better," Raylan admitted with a little lean in before snagging and extra plum and turning around, jerking his head gently in the directions of Phillips Drive.

Jeff's conviction would be challenged just as soon as he saw the wrong side of Raylan.. Or learned how many people he's put into the ground. Even if Raylan wasn't thinking about it in the moment, it's how things tended to go. A cool comfort that his jacket file wasn't going to be found here.

"But honestly, if you're lookin' to busy yourself, we've found some shit in the walls, secret compartments in closets, doors into tunnels. Some houses turn up nothin' but if you know where to look..." Raylan looked over. "Do you.. know where to look?"

No offense but Jeff seemed like the kind of guy who knew how to hide drugs. Maybe that was just Raylan's biases showing.

It throws him for a second.

"I dunno." Jeff very pointedly doesn't look at Raylan as he answers the question, way too obvious in his attempt at being subtle and nonchalant. Which is as good as saying 'yes.'

It used to be, he knew the tricks, the little telltale signs most people don't think to look for. He'd show up at a house party, mingle and make the rounds, get good and fucking wasted, and still walk out with the host's personal stash of whatever-- drugs, cash, shit to pawn for drugs or cash. Nobody ever thought to blame him, even after he'd started spiraling out. Not Jeff, who could have gotten anything he wanted with a smile, back in those days.

"I guess it depends on what you're looking for." When he figures he can convincingly be Jeff the dorky dad again, he looks at his twin with a playful grin. "It's a terrible power to have when you've got a teenager. I keep finding her diary, man!" He holds up a finger. "And no, I've never read it."

It was as good as saying yes, especially to someone of Raylan's experience. It wasn't just that - it was also the way that Jeff bounced back into the ultra-perky that Raylan was sure swept some people up into a river of their own belief. He knew the power of a smile, of a smooth line and redirection. He used it often enough himself.

"Under mattresses and taped to the bottom of desk drawers sounds about right for Teenage shit.. Real innocent like teenage shit.. But we're lookin' for.. anything salacious. Hell, I'd give someone's left nut for one sense that anyone in this town had a vice. A bottle of cookin' sherry, a pill bottle, a needle, weed of any kind."

Yes, he was listing on purpose. He wanted to see what made Jeff twitch.

"I mean, we're knockin' on walls and floors, at this point."

065-071 » assign to oblivion / part iii

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