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072-078 » pages of possible futures

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: Mathias Township proper
WHEN: Days 072-078
WHAT: The future is set in motion once more.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here! Next log will be the weekend of July 31.
MOD NOTE: The week did not go as planned. Apologies for the delay on this log and thank you for your patience!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Marco Beltrami "Bad Omens"

DAY 072
“The visions are fragmented and a dark cloud spreads
like spilt ink across the pages of possible futures.”
— Garth Nix
Blue skies greet residents on this bright new morning filled with summer sunshine. It's a day when birds would normally be singing, when there would be boats taken out on the water, children laughing and running through the streets. But in Mathias there is only silence, eerie and almost deafening in its absoluteness, and those blue skies do not stretch on forever. Far off on the horizon are dark clouds stretching ominously in all directions, never moving closer or farther away. They are always there, dark and angry, as if waiting... For what, who can say, but they will remain there for the days going forward, circling the town like a shark circles a meal.

Despite that dreadful darkness in the distance, there is some good news. Residents will also wake to find that their previously missing belongings have returned to them. Clothing and other personal effects are right where they should have been, as if they have always been there, and there is no sign of them having been returned by someone or something. They're just there.

That is, however, the extent of the good news. Residents who visit the Town Hall will find the bulletin board much changed, and those who have thrown caution to the wind and made use the sedatives found within Baneberry Hall will begin to find themselves changing as well. They are easily distracted while awake and plagued by nightmares while asleep. They dream of Mathias burning, fire spreading from the east until it consumes everything in its path. With increasing intensity as the week continues, they will wake with terror gripping their chests and sweat covering their too-hot skin.

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. 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.

DAY 073-075
With those dark clouds still hanging on the horizon, some residents may find themselves watching the ocean a little more closely, searching for signs of whatever it is they are beginning to sense is approaching. If they do, they will find those signs, for every so often a dark shape will appear from out of the water before disappearing a few moments later. Residents are welcome to try getting a better look at those shapes, though moving to higher vantage points will be ineffective and swimming may not be the best investigation method.

Nightfall strengthens the sense of that elusive something. Though nothing can be seen in the darkness, there is something out there. They can feel it when they are outside themselves, a heavy presence that their animal instincts warn them against, urging them to flee to safety indoors. But once inside, they can hear whatever is out there in the night, the sounds horrifying and yet utterly indescribable and beyond the limits of their perception.

There is no way to glimpse what might be making those sounds, nor is there any way to properly record them, though attempts may be made to do so.

DAY 076-077
The strange occurrences of recent days continue as something attempts to lead residents out into the southern forest should they venture within view of the treeline. Unrecognizable voices may call out incoherently or the sounds of someone moving through the trees may pull at their attention. Or, perhaps, a dark figure entering the forest will catch their eye, pulling them to follow the possibly feminine figure with no discernible characteristics.

Whatever it is, it will lead them along the paths or even away from their relative safety, winding this way and that until they're completely lost within the expanse of sun-dappled trees that seem innocent and threatening at the same time. There is nothing left to do but continue following that figure that is always just ahead at the edge of sight.

Eventually, the trees stop and there is a stretch of clearing, the sky a crisp blue overhead, sun shining down and yet—

That dark figure is still shrouded in shadow, as are the other four that have joined it. All slight with long hair, something feminine in the way they stand with hands held out at their sides, facing outward in a line along the edge of the ravine that borders the township, though for some reason their features cannot be focused on enough for true comprehension. They stand there in silence as if waiting, so close to the edge that a strong wind could easily knock them over into oblivion. A concerned resident might try to stop them; a curious one might try to finally get a better look at the figures that led them to this place. Regardless of the reason, any movement into the clearing toward them will end in the same result.

All five figures step forward as one and disappear into the nothingness below.

The ravine so deep that the bottom cannot be seen and wide enough that the other side is tantalizingly out of reach. At first, there is the sense that safety is just beyond if only they could get there, but with that sensation is also the knowledge that if they stay here, death will be a certainty. The edge seems unsteady, like getting too close would set it crumbling and send them tumbling into that as well...

That is when those who do venture to the edge see the truth of the ravine and what lies beyond it: nothing. There is a neverending dark nothingness below and beyond this ravine, beyond this town, and there is something staring back from within the dark.

DAY 078
As morning arrives in Mathias, so too does the storm. Those clouds that hovered in the distance move in quickly, plunging the town into a twilight-like darkness. The rumbling that breaks the silence is like that of a thunderstorm but infinitely more ominous, signaling something approaching that is not meant for the world of man. Within just a few minutes, the residents will learn why as lightning arcs across the sky, the cracks of powerful energy echoing through the air. Those branching spikes at first remain in the sky, but then suddenly they crash down to meet the earth, striking the Lighthouse. The sound of splintering wood and pierced metal fills the air, followed moments later by the roaring crackle of a fire raging into existence. Those cracks and crashes continue as the lightning moves inward, hitting the forest, the beach, and the Grey Gull before moving down Phillips Drive to attack the homes left rotting by time.

While the lightning eventually retreats to the sky, the fire spreads with purpose. It leaps from building to building, consuming everything in its path. It is a living, breathing thing driven by a need to devour. There is no stopping or controlling the almost sentient entity, for it does not behave as fire normally would — it skips buildings before doubling back, burns when there's nothing to fuel it, and seems to almost actively pursue residents fleeing to safety. Ultimately, the fire consumes everything east of the Library, from Jackson Boulevard to the beach and the northeastern forest to the Lighthouse; for an unknown reason, it does not venture farther inland than this.

Ash falls from the sky like snow throughout the town as the eastern half of Mathias glows a terrifying raging red. Residents may seek sanctuary in businesses along the square or in areas in the western half of the town, though the latter will not be without its own risks and consequences.

SANITY LOSS

There are multiple opportunities for sanity loss within this log. All instances of such should be reported before the next log.
— BANEBERRY SEDATIVES These will effect all who have taken them, regardless of type, quantity, or frequency, until the storm on day 78. Each night of nightmares will result in 1 point of sanity loss for a potential total loss of 6 points.

— FIGURES IN THE FOREST All who witness the figures jump into ravine will suffer 3 points of sanity loss.

— SEEING BEYOND THE RAVINE Any who see the truth of what is beyond the ravine will suffer 7 points of sanity loss that cannot be recovered. Additionally, any Madness that results from this sanity loss begins immediately.

— DEATH BY FIRE All who are killed by the fire lose 3 sanity points and gain the Madness pyrophobia for seven days, which should be reported. The pyrophobia will be experienced at an intensive level for the duration of the Madness.

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER Summer has arrived in Mathias, bringing with it warm days that average 70°F and comfortably cool nights.

— THE FOG has maintained its recent 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 have ceased for the moment but they're sure to begin again soon.

OOC NOTES

— ENDGAME We are officially heading into endgame. Over the next few months, things will begin ramping up and moving toward the always planned conclusion, with the last log projected to go up between the end of October and middle of December.

What does this mean? Essentially, hopefully, this will mean more opportunities to dig into the mysteries and lore of the game, as well as more chances for your characters to creep toward insanity. However, how things progress and what information comes to light will depend upon character interaction with the setting and involvement with the mysteries of Mathias.

— ITEMS FROM HOME All items from home have returned to the exact state and location in which they were last seen. This includes all clothing and possessions they had on their person when they arrived in Mathias (or, for arrivals in the previous log, what they should have had). Items from home that were left behind by other characters no longer in the game have also returned.

— THE FIRE A rough representation of where the fire spreads is available over here.

— REMINDER There are a lot of moving parts to this log, as there will be for all logs going forward. Read the narrative and all OOC notes thoroughly and carefully. Ask questions if something is not clear, but please also look through questions others have asked for further clarification.

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It was Raylan's turn to look over at her, eyebrows lifted in a sarcastic, disbelieving questioning. 'Is that so', it seemed to say.

"You snarl a lot for someone who doesn't care."

She picks up on his facial expression more than she does his words, and she slams her water glass down onto the table in response, sloshing water up and over the rim.

"What is it, huh? Can't admit you like anyone? Think it will make you soft like a child again?" He shrugged with his face and looked back out the window. "Suppose that will work for you until it doesn't. You're still young. Got a lotta time, a lotta suns ahead of you."

They weren't going to stop caring about her well being though, no matter how mad she got about it.

"I care about my family," she insists poisonously, spitting out the words. "My dead family. And they're the only ones I'll ever give my heart to. They're the only ones that deserve it."

Raylan's head lowered a little at the words. The venom he could ignore, now that he was fairly sure he'd identified it's real source. After a long second, he looked over at her sidelong.

"I'm not gonna make you argue that." That seemed cruel somehow. "But you ain't gonna make me believe you don't care about if Tim's alive or dead. Here, he is my family. I care."

It wasn't the first time he'd said it out loud, but it was the first time he'd said it out loud to her. To someone who didn't know, who hadn't figured it out. If that was something she would even understand. It didn't matter, he wasn't making any sweeping declarations.

"Yes, you. Not I. He's your family; he's not my family."

She wrinkles her nose, glowering, as if she's offended by the very idea.

"Yet you ask about him."

He wasn't going to ask the question out on it's face; he knew too well what it was like to drastically adjust and overly monitor himself to stop something from slipping out. It was it's own form of hell.

The fury bubbles up, sharp and sudden, and she's reaching for the glass again - hurling it, this time, directly at Raylan's head.

Thank god he was an abused child, a reactive divorcee - it granted him the skill and sense enough to lean to one side, narrowly dodging the glass. Raylan's eyes hardened, jaw tightening with a familiar flare of anger.

Fuck it.

"You care. You care if Tim is alive or dead. You care if he got eaten by the same fire that took your Mama and sister."

"I will kill him. Here. Here." She slaps a hand down on the table; right here, in front of you is the meaning she's trying to get at. And the awful part of it is that she means it, or at least she feels like she does. Callisto's splash zone is unforgiving and all-encompassing - even in cases where she herself stands to be hurt by her own actions.

"I will--"

Her voice breaks off into something wordless, strangled, and pained.

Raylan stepped forward, unafraid of her grief or her worry or the way it was manifesting. It was a physical challenge, the kind he knew she responded to. If she needed to hit him, he'd let her have exactly one shot before breaking his own rules.

If she wanted to fight, he'd fight. What he thought she needed was a goddamned hug and the way she struggled around her fervent declaration only cemented the idea.

"Shut up," he said shortly, taking his own life in his hands and he pulled her into a hug. "Fine, you hate him and we'll still find his short narrow ass in the morning."

Callisto reacts... well. Predictably.

It's been so, so long since anyone has tried to hug her that she barely recognizes it for what it is. When he comes for her, she responds as if she's being attacked - letting out a shriek of rage and indignation, driving both her fists and one knee hard into his gut.

She absolutely, unquestionably does need a goddamned hug. But unfortunately, she doesn't have the slightest clue about how to accept one.

Raylan had been hit before and a lot harder by a lot larger people but that didn't mean she didn't knock the wind out of him. He grunted sharply, hands flashing down to grab her wrists and shove her away, making his bangs fall forward and wild again. The only other option would have been to pull her in and twist them behind her back, but he'd been trying to hug her, not trying to stop her from hurting someone.

He'd known it was a risk, but goddamn.

He didn't dare say anything; letting the impulsive fury around being struck at all play out over his features.

If anything, she's more upset now than she had been ten seconds ago, and the part of her that remembers being hugged is aching and angry at having thrown away the chance to feel someone's arms around her again. But that part of her is small and stifled - not something she's used to recognizing, much less listening to. She manages to keep herself from toppling when she's shoved backwards, but then she sinks down towards the ground anyway - possibly taking Raylan with her, depending on whether or not he's still holding onto her wrists.

"This is Tartarus," she moans in Greek, crouched on her haunches. "This is torture, it's torture--"

If he was more of an asshole, if he cared less, he would have walked out after that shove. But he wasn't. He was stubborn as hell and not about to leave her here by herself if she wasn't swinging.

That didn't mean he was going to hold onto a pissed off wet cat.

Still, he breathed a few deep breaths and let the fury slip off his face as he crouched down where he was in front of her.

"You don't have to handle this alone. None of us are shouldering this shit alone, Callisto, you are not alone." Not in her suffering. Not in her grief or her terror or her torment. They were all on the same spear.

"There is nothing," she says, pressing the heels of her palms hard against her eyes. She thinks of the feeling of safety and comfort that had led her to the edge of the ravine - safety and comfort that had turned out to be lies, only there to lull her into a false sense of security before hitting her with the terrible truth. "There is-- there is nothing, there is dark, there's--"

There's only the void, both within her and without, equally indescribable in both English and Greek.

"There is us." For as shitty as humans were and could be, Raylan couldn't stop his faith in the power of Will, the power of humanity united. Idealistic maybe, but the species had done some pretty amazing things.

"Mathis might be trying to eat us, but we know this isn't the end. There are other worlds than these, yours, mine, Malcolm'." He found himself leaning forwards a little as he ranted in his attempt to convince her, to drag her back from thie edge of hopelessness he was too close to himself. Maybe it was selfish, to be using Callisto's pain as a way to pull himself away from his own. Whatever it took for them to survive the night. "The darkness she sends after us, you give into that and she wins. She wins when we're hopeless and scattered. Like sheep waitin' to be snatched up by a warrior of the dark."

Edited 2021-08-22 17:01 (UTC)

She understands individual words. In some lucky instances, she understands full sentences. She certainly understands his tone: vehement, insistent, hopeful. She feels that hope beating against the walls of her heart, like fists pounding on a locked door, asking to be let in.

"I saw, in the woods, with Dorian," she says hollowly. "Did you go? Did you follow it?"

He couldn't have, she thinks. He wouldn't be saying all this if he'd seen.

Raylan nodded, sinking back into the haunches he was half kneeling on. His eyes stayed on her face but the shift in conversation puts him off the confident pillar he'd been standing on.

"With Jeff," he replied, tone softer and low. He hadn't been right since but that correlation hadn't been made yet. "I tried to go back into the woods to escape the fire.. Dorian had to stop me.. Did you see the.. the women? Jumping in? Feel the.. thing chasin' us towards it?" Had her experience been the same as his or had they all just shared a general vibe?

Even in his half insanity, Raylan was fixated on figuring out what Mathis was doing.

"Yes, the women--"

She mimes jumping, two fingers leaping off of the back of her hand, just to make sure she's understanding that part right.

"They did this, and I saw where they jump to. It was nothing, Raylan; there is nothing."

He nodded again in confirmation. Yeah. That was what he was talking about.

"It can't be nothing and watching us. It can't be nothing and be fucking with us." Hopelessness wasn't a good look on him and one he didn't wear willingly. Mathis was starting to crack the Marshal, but every moment where he was allowed his sanity, he reloaded his proverbial guns for another round of resistance.

"Callisto, Evil can't live in nothing. What is torturing us is not nothing. Darkness is.. Just the absence of light. Dark is just No Light. It still Is."

Maybe it was foolish. Maybe he was wrong, misguided, too idealistic, too hopeful - Doc would probably disapprove, but it was what had gotten him out of Harlan, had let him survive that hellhole. He wasn't going to let Mathis take him down without some thrashing and screaming.

"Don't let it make you go into it willingly." He could speech about it, if she needed him too. If anyone should survive this, it should be ornery bastards like them.

But that's not how it felt, looking at it, and it's not how it feels when it's inside her. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wraps her arms around them, letting out a breathy whimper.

"Maybe I don't care anymore," she says quietly in Greek, more to herself than anything else. "Maybe the nothingness is the only real peace there is. Maybe next time, I'll go with them."

She closes her eyes, tucking her face down against her knees.

"You care about--"

It occurs to her suddenly that while she's learned all sorts of English words for talking about death, she doesn't know the word for life. The realization gets a short burst of laughter from her. How fitting.

"You care about not death. I don't. I never care about this; I don't know how."

Raylan didn't need to understand the Greek to understand the tone. It was the tone of defeat, and coupled with the way she wrapped around herself, he was hard pressed to come up with a different interpretation.

"I care about life, yes. Because it's short and painful and somethin' good oughta come outta it. Fine, you might not know how to be happy. That doesn't mean givin' up. You're young. The years are gonna give you somethin' that raw knowledge now isn't ever gonna touch, Callisto - You can't be doin' anthin' other than goin' back and growin'. You got a lot of life left. Bein' angry all the time is only gonna make it miserable. We gotta grab what happiness we can before it's all darkness again."

He didn't lean forwards, though his tone might suggest such an action, and his eyes were fiery with the life he was. Giving up was not an option for Raylan Givens, crazed or not.

Edited 2021-08-25 01:23 (UTC)

"No," Callisto says quietly, in a voice filled with far more despair than anger. It's a no that encompasses a lot of things. No, she doesn't fully understand his English (though she understands more of the meaning than she'd like to). No, she isn't convinced that rare moments of happiness are worth it, or that reaching for them wouldn't be a betrayal to those that she's lost. No, she doesn't think that she's capable of happiness anymore, or of any of the other things that he seems to think she should feel. No, she doesn't believe she's capable of veering away from the path she's spend the last ten-odd years barreling down at full speed.

No.

She stays in that same position, hunched forward with her face hidden. And this time, if he reaches out, she won't resist.

It was the note of despair in her voice that twisted Raylan's heart, the way she tucked into herself like she could make herself small enough to avoid notice, to be untouched by the beating drums of trauma that were sounding around them.

A hug is still what she needed. Sane people might have taken the punches to the stomach and the knee to match as a reason to not try again, but Raylan wasn't scared of a beating or taking a chance. He scooted forwards and fractionally to her side, wrapping an arm around her.

"It's gonna be okay Callisto. Might not be perfect, but we will get through it."

072-078 » pages of possible futures

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/monologes

a monologue so good DW didn't want to deliver it to my inbox

WE WERE ROBBED

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