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Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Listen, can you hear it? Spring's sweet cantata. The strains of grass pushing through the snow. The song of buds swelling on the vine. The tender timpani of a baby robin's heart. Spring.
Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Wake Up Call (1992)
Waiting For Rain
OOC thread is here
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The night time sky was filled with the torn fragments of clouds, rent as if from the talons of a great dragon. The moon shines out from behind the half-veiling shadows. It shines so brilliantly that it seems like it should light up the entire world, brighter than the sun ever could. That the landscape below remains cold, dark and shadowy feels like a betrayal - the sweetest, most beautiful, most natural betrayal.
The ground is cold and wet. The tarmac is sharp and jagged under bare feet. The side of the road is lined with clumps of melting white snow. Tender green shoots and the buds of early flowers exist as black silhouettes under the moonlight, waiting eagerly for the dawn.
They'd walked for hours along this road. Long enough to finish screaming, finish crying, and to start dealing with the confused mess of emotions and memories left by the Durance. Long enough to start to wake up and remember reality, and for the memories of Arcadia to take on a hazy quality, like a dream starting to slip away.
The roads were lined with fresh yellow paint; they'd been re-marked recently. The men doing the re-marking evidently hadn't cared a whit about the quality of their work because they'd painted over the tops of piles of dead leaves at the side of the road rather than attempting to clear them off. Dead brown leaves with yellow paint drifted lazily in the stiff mountain breeze.
Every now and then, the mountain sloped off on one side, giving them a spectacular view of the peaks and valleys. It wasn't as stark or powerful as Arcadia's most epic scenery, but these normal-sized pine trees and normal-sized mountains had a grandeur of their own. A grandeur that even the most outsized excesses of wilderness couldn't take away from them.
And down in the hilly valley, in the distance, there was light. Glowing, yellow-orange electrical lights. The sensation was utterly and unbearably that of home.
The road went on. It came to a suspension bridge, raised up between two mountains. There were two lanes. One of which had a truck parked on it, in the centre of the bridge, blocking it off.
The lights were on. And there was someone standing there, in the centre of that bridge, with his back to the lights. A silhouetted figure.
Tall. Hulking. Holding an octagonal sign in one hand, standing in the middle of the road at three a.m. in the morning.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
This place was all so strange, so surreal. The imperfections; the poorly drawn lines on the roads, the dirty brown snow that was on the brink of slush and the night that was actually dark …
Isabelle’s mind still struggled with those, it didn’t seem right. The lines should have been perfect, the snow pristine and powder white and she should have been able to see everything easily, as if nightfall was nothing more than a slight dimming of the stage and a blue filter over reality.
Part of her rejoiced in those imperfections, even as she struggled to accept them. They were … well if not proof, then at least reassurance that she was no longer in the realm of Arcadia.
She’d had similar thoughts meeting her two companions. In truth, that had been one of the only reasons she hadn’t tried to fight or flee from them when they’d first met. Part of her argued against this, told her that she knew the mutability of the Fae first hand. That her keeper might have decided to change again and that ‘reality’ might be his new fantasy.
She tried to ignore that voice, or rather the hope within her burned strongly enough to shunt it aside for the time being. Meanwhile, her mind tried to focus on those imperfect anchors to reality.
Because she was constantly looking around them as they walked, and by simple virtue of being first in line, she was the first to spot the person on the bridge ahead.
Part of her quailed at the sight, trusting it even less than she did the two others that walked behind her. At least she had some knowledge of their wants, they’d all had to work together to get this far.
Well, they could also work together to confront this first hurdle then.
She turned back to them, and nodded towards the bridge ahead.
“There’s someone out there, on the bridge ahead. What do you think we should do?”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene walked in silent attention a few feet's distance behind the group. As she walked, she continually breathed in the cool night air while frightened eyes darted between shadows and features of the landscape along the road. The cool freshness, the calm of the night, why weren't they running? Charlene looked over her shoulder, back down the empty road behind them, the sad leaves of brown and yellow, then back at her two companions. She lifted a hand to her face, long fingers feeling along the scars. For a while an emptiness filled her up, blotted out her mind.
Her attention was snapped back as Isabelle spoke. Charlene started and swiftly sought the nearest shadow from which she peeked out ahead, along the road and bridge. A bridge, a bottleneck, a perfect place to set a trap. No way around, no way through. They had to flee! And yet... as Charlene's eyes searched the bridge they settled on the sign. A person with a sign, a road block, police, a vague reminiscence. Her eyes narrowed in on the sign.
Spoiler
Show
Charlene would try to make out the sign, some details about it or its shape, anything to maybe identify its meaning. I assume this would be a regular Wits+Composure check, so dice pool 4+2?
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Home
The feeling was almost like a dream...but no, it was the other that had been a dream - a dream like when he was a little child, where the monsters were chasing you and you ran because you didn't know what would happen if they caught you, but you knew it wouldn't be good - except this time the monsters had been real.
At the thought, Jon shuddered, but it didn't matter; for the first time in years, he wanted to run toward something, rather than away. As he walked, a blur of orange lights hovered ahead, marking out the shape of the city and reminding him of everything good there: Jessica, his parents, the old two-story house that would talk to them in a creaking whisper when the wind blew… With each step, more memories surfaced; and even though so many seemed to flow out of his mind like water as soon as they came, the ones that remained kindled a fierce sort of joy in his chest, till he felt like he would burst.
Then, suddenly, Isabelle stopped. As she turned to address them, Jon saw the man on the bridge for himself, and all the fears he thought he'd left in Faerie came swarming back. A jolt of adrenaline burned through him, telling his body to flee, and a pang of sadness trailed close on its heels as he wondered if every new meeting would mean fighting against the urge to run away like this.
Of course, he couldn't go back - after all, there was nowhere to go back to, and turning around would mean walking willingly into the jaws of the hunt. With nothing else to do, Jon stood by the road for minutes that weighed like hours, until he finally managed to whisper, "I don't know. Has he seen us?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
[Wits+Composure to discern details is at -1 due to distance and -3 due to high-beam headlights directly behind the figure, for a total of a -4 penalty]
A closer look indicated that the figure was at least seven feet tall, possibly more, but it was hunched slightly. It's shoulders were broad, and the thing clutched in it's hand slowly became recognisable as the shape of a STOP sign.
It continued to stand impassively, only moving to it's own breaths. Any sounds it was making were lost over the sound of the rushing waterfall below the bridge.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The headlights made Charlene uncomfortable. She couldn't remember lights so bright and vibrant, all she remembered was the bleary, grey light of the dream. "I don't think we can get past," she mumbled as she turned her head away from the light. "Unnoticed," she added. "Is it alone? It's not doing anything." The situation was unfamiliar, confusing.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle flinched as Catherine told her what she saw. Her own eyes were not able to make out anything past the glare of the headlights.
"I can't tell. He might have others behind the truck, it would be kind of strange to have him watching the road all on his own ...
He looks ... big ... too big."
She shuddered, the fear from the other two was infectious.
"I - I could go and talk to him. Find out where we are." She suggested, half hoping that the others would talk her down. If he really was seven feet tall, he might be a fey.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
A torrent of thoughts battled for dominance within Charlene. A fearful voice within wanted to flee, another reminded her to stay with the others. It was safer together, strength in numbers. One argued there was nowhere to flee, she couldn't face what was behind her. Not yet. "If we go, we go together," she whispered back. A tiny voice surfaced briefly, an old spark of compassion. "Maybe it is looking for help," she mumbled under her breath, remembering how she needed help not long ago. "Maybe it is hurt, or lost too." In the bright light features were blurred, she could almost imagine herself standing there, all alone on the bridge in that terrible light. The cynical fear soon returned and wanted to remind her that it was an obvious trap, the obvious kind of the city. It wasn't like her Hunter's traps, though. They always involved making her think she was running to safety, only to find it was a dead end, with dogs barking like hell hounds behind her and nothing before her. This didn't look like safety.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
“Together.” As he said the word, Jon turned it over in his mind. For so long, he had been on his own, caught in the unending chase where there was no time to think, no time find allies or form a plan - only time to run. He had almost forgotten it was possible to think and plan and stand together against enemies, and so Charlene’s suggestion seemed almost surreal...but it also seemed right.
“I agree with Charlene. We all have to cross that bridge and I’d rather not do it alone, especially not with that...that standing there.” As he spoke, Jon glanced nervously over to Isabelle, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Together then ... but I'll go first." Isabelle replied, taking a breath to calm her nerves. " Just ... be ready to run ... just in case."
She stood, suiting actions to words, and began to make her way along the roadside. Although she drew strength from committing to the decision, her mouth was dry as she approached the bridge.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BlasTech
"Together then ... but I'll go first." Isabelle replied, taking a breath to calm her nerves. " Just ... be ready to run ... just in case."
She stood, suiting actions to words, and began to make her way along the roadside. Although she drew strength from committing to the decision, her mouth was dry as she approached the bridge.
"Fee," said the man on the bridge as she approached.
"Fie," he said in a voice like he was chewing on gravel. The closer she got, the bigger he was. He was eight feet tall, looming over her, head and shoulders. Even the stop sign clenched in his fist was smaller than he was.
"Foe," he said, and there was a sound that was distinctive even through the Durance. A sound so memorable that it echoed through a hundred movies and games to land squarely in the 'dread' section of the brain. The distinctive shuck-shuck of a shotgun cocking.
"Fum," he said, raising his left hand to point the shotgun at her one-handed, as she was just before him on the bridge. His features were still obscured by the light behind him, but he was wearing the neon green vest of a construction worker.
"I smell the blood of an American."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle froze at the sight of the shotgun, reflexively throwing out an arm to sheild the others.
"What? What are you going on about? Why are you pointing that thing at us?" She asked, before even considering the scene before her.
Her brain soon caught up and she felt a fresh layer of sweat break out on her forehead. There was no way this thing was human, he had to be fey ... but why would a Fey need a shotgun?
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"I was planning on eating you,"
It wasn't a threat. It was somehow more an apology. Low and rumbling, in tune with the crashing of the river and waterfalls far below.
"I'm just so very hungry, is the thing. Sorry ma'am."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene was happy to follow last, as before, muttering to herself as they approached the bridge and the towering... thing. "Walk calmly, don't make eye contact, don't draw attention..." old advice. She still wasn't sure where it all came from, a former life now forgotten, did it matter? The last bit was rather unhelpful given their tattered state, and all of it even more so when the thing began to speak and draw a weapon. Charlene froze at the sound, instinctive forces fighting with training now barely remembered.
"Calm, don't provoke, don't let him control you," the teachings flashed through her mind, trying to keep her from doing something stupid. It was difficult. But if he wanted to eat them, why hesitate to shoot? Why tell them first? "Use his sympathy, make him reconsider," the thought continued. She tried to keep her voice calm as well, but it was admittedly a challenge in the situation, "W.. wouldn't you rather eat something else, sir? We are poor, and starving just like you."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
Charlene was happy to follow last, as before, muttering to herself as they approached the bridge and the towering... thing. "Walk calmly, don't make eye contact, don't draw attention..." old advice. She still wasn't sure where it all came from, a former life now forgotten, did it matter? The last bit was rather unhelpful given their tattered state, and all of it even more so when the thing began to speak and draw a weapon. Charlene froze at the sound, instinctive forces fighting with training now barely remembered.
"Calm, don't provoke, don't let him control you," the teachings flashed through her mind, trying to keep her from doing something stupid. It was difficult. But if he wanted to eat them, why hesitate to shoot? Why tell them first? "Use his sympathy, make him reconsider," the thought continued. She tried to keep her voice calm as well, but it was admittedly a challenge in the situation, "W.. wouldn't you rather eat something else, sir? We are poor, and starving just like you."
"I don't have anything else to eat," said the giant, this time with a tinge of desperation in his voice, "I've been waiting here all night and I'm so hungry."
There were orange traffic cones strewn haphazardly around the bridge. Some of them had huge bite chunks taken out of them. Looking closer, even the stop sign had been gnawed on, with teeth sharp enough to pierce the metal.
[Manipulation+Persuasion, +1 for taking an approach he sympathises with]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
[Thank you Google Cache, dice pool 4: Rolled 7, 2, 2, 10, ten again gave 2 so one success]
"I understand," Charlene continued as best she could. She had vague memories of learning these skills, long ago, or was it someone else, or but a dream? She had to put a name to her face, make him look at her as a fellow being and not just prey. It had never worked with the Hunter, but he had never spoken, this one did. "My name is Charlene," it felt strange to call herself by name, it had been years since it held any meaning, years since she lost track of herself. She didn't think it really was her name, once, but it was now. "This is Jon and Isabelle," she gestured at her two companions, "maybe we can help each other, if you put down your gun?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
When Jon heard the gun ****, a part of his mind began prepping everything to flee, hoping to get out of range before the worst happened. What surprised him was that some other part suddenly began to laugh.
So this is how it ends - you spent all that time pushing yourself and testing your skill against the Hunter and his Hounds, barely staying out of their jaws, just to come home and be gunned down on a bridge in the cold because you were out walking when you should have been asleep. It’s the most prosaic death imaginable! It’s hilarious! The laughing in his head shifted pitch, and it was hard to tell if it was laughing or crying now. This man with the gun, he should really have a nice talk with the Hunter. If he had used a weapon, everything would have been over much faster, so much more easily...
Dimly, Jon was aware that what was going on in his head was probably a symptom of shock, or PTSD, or some other word read long ago in a psychology book from another life, but for the moment he could do nothing, not trusting himself to move or speak and sickening with the growing dread that in his absence everyone had been exchanged for bizarre creatures that wanted to eat his flesh, or some other, equally insane thing.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
[Thank you Google Cache, dice pool 4: Rolled 7, 2, 2, 10, ten again gave 2 so one success]
"I understand," Charlene continued as best she could. She had vague memories of learning these skills, long ago, or was it someone else, or but a dream? She had to put a name to her face, make him look at her as a fellow being and not just prey. It had never worked with the Hunter, but he had never spoken, this one did. "My name is Charlene," it felt strange to call herself by name, it had been years since it held any meaning, years since she lost track of herself. She didn't think it really was her name, once, but it was now. "This is Jon and Isabelle," she gestured at her two companions, "maybe we can help each other, if you put down your gun?"
The gun wavered. Lowered. Lowered a little more.
"You'd do that?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thanqol
The gun wavered. Lowered. Lowered a little more.
"You'd do that?"
Isabelle's mind had blanked, surprised by Charlene's offer as much as by the fact this giant seemed to be taking it seriously.
She turned her head and whispered over her shoulder at Charlene, hopefully quietly enough that the Giant wouldn't hear her.
"Would we?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Better to eat than be eaten" Charlene said. Maybe it was the light blinding her, but she found a strange empathy with this creature. As if it could have been her, as if it was her, standing there alone on a bridge in the night, starving and desperate. She reflexively lifted a hand to her face. This thing was no human, but neither was she. Neither were her two companions. They had nowhere to go, nothing to eat, no one to help them. Was this man in the same boat? They would need help, need contacts, need a network, something to pull on. Here was their first chance. She looked up at the towering figure before them. It was still unnerving, but she relaxed a little now that the weapon wasn't pointing squarely at them. "We need to find food and shelter too, we might as well help each other out. I know a bit about living in the wilds, but if we work together maybe we can do better."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The monster turned away a little. And as he did so, the lights from the car fell across his features. It took force of will to avoid flinching back.
The man's jaw was grossly distended, coming all the way down to his chest. It was huge and filled with spiked, jagged stone teeth. When his mouth moved it wasn't like rocks were grinding - rocks literally were grinding against each other with each slurred syllable. Underneath the too-small construction helmet and patches of black hair, mournful black eyes gazed out from under a low, heavy brow.
He wore a construction worker's uniform, and held a stop sign in calloused fists. The shotgun was far too small for his hands, and he held it in two fingers. He'd broken off the trigger guard so it could fit. Both stop sign and shotgun bore multiple bite marks, like they'd been gnawed on.
"... I can't leave here, ma'am," he said ponderously, "it's roadwork. Got to work the road."
Other than the truck full of roadwork equipment, there was virtually no sign of roadwork being done.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene flinched reflexively. The sight reminded her of bones cracking, deforming. What painful transformation had lead to this form? She knew all too well, and it did little to lessen the pity she felt but another part of her, the part that still remembered the gun pointed at them just seconds ago, was happy enough that they might not have the thing following them around. "Maybe you can tell us where it is good to find food then? Do you know the area?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
When the giant on the bridge lowered his gun, Jon felt his panic subside a bit. The creature in front of them was still...intimidating, but as he listened to Charlene try and negotiate, he realized that there was something sad about the whole situation as well. This creature - no - this person was a lot like them, or at least he had suffered like they had at the hands of the Fae...
Suddenly, Jon realized that even though he was no longer in Arcadia, he still hadn’t met an ordinary person. Again he was struck by the odd fancy that the whole world had been switched out while he was gone, or that before he was taken he had been the only one who wasn’t a...whatever he was now... He shivered very faintly at the thought, and tried to push it back out of his mind; struggling to look helpful, rather than nervous, in front of the giant.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle looked around, noticing for the first time the dejected stance of the Giant, and the detrius littering the roadway beside him. Charlene was right. With that realisation, all the anger she'd felt at having the gun shoved in her face collapsed, leaving sympathy in its wake.
When the headlights illuminated his face and his expression, she willed herself to take a step forward.
"Oh, you poor thing"
OOC:
Spoiler
Show
"Force of will" to keep from turning away? Righto, um. Composure + Resolve to keep it from affecting her. Possibly with a 2 dice bonus from the "Tolerance to Biology" merit if she frames it in her mind as a medical deformity?
So, dice pool of 5 or 7. Depending how Thanqol rules on the merit.
Following that, Manipulation + Persuasion for an 8 dice pool to try to gather sympathy by saying "we'll help you, we're in the same boat as you", with a bit of "we are probably not good eating" on the side :smalltongue:
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
Charlene flinched reflexively. The sight reminded her of bones cracking, deforming. What painful transformation had lead to this form? She knew all too well, and it did little to lessen the pity she felt but another part of her, the part that still remembered the gun pointed at them just seconds ago, was happy enough that they might not have the thing following them around. "Maybe you can tell us where it is good to find food then? Do you know the area?"
"I know the road. Been working these roads for a while." And there was a vague touch of... pride in that voice. "This is a pretty good spot for food. Comes by here every so often.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BlasTech
OOC:
Spoiler
Show
"Force of will" to keep from turning away? Righto, um. Composure + Resolve to keep it from affecting her. Possibly with a 2 dice bonus from the "Tolerance to Biology" merit if she frames it in her mind as a medical deformity?
So, dice pool of 5 or 7. Depending how Thanqol rules on the merit.
Following that, Manipulation + Persuasion for an 8 dice pool to try to gather sympathy by saying "we'll help you, we're in the same boat as you", with a bit of "we are probably not good eating" on the side :smalltongue:
[If I don't specifically call for a roll, presume you don't need a roll. If you want to provoke a challenge then you can suggest a roll and I'll decide if it's valid at that moment.
As such, you don't need to make a manipulation roll because there's already been a roll to achieve that exact effect already.]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene glanced up and down the road. She could imagine what kind of 'food' came by every so often. "What work are you doing here? Do you work for someone?" Something was definitely odd about this.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
Charlene glanced up and down the road. She could imagine what kind of 'food' came by every so often. "What work are you doing here? Do you work for someone?" Something was definitely odd about this.
"Used to. Used to. They don't need me any more. So I just help out, where I can. At night, when they're not working, and I don't bother them. Just because I'm n-not," and here the gravel-voice trembled for a second, "a roadworker doesn't mean I can't work the road."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thanqol
"Used to. Used to. They don't need me any more. So I just help out, where I can. At night, when they're not working, and I don't bother them. Just because I'm n-not," and here the gravel-voice trembled for a second, "a roadworker doesn't mean I can't work the road."
Isabelle blinked, torn between comforting the upset creature and trying to convince it that its apparent taste in "food" was wrong. The two emotions converged into a ludicrous scene in her mind, of her patting the thing on its head and murmuring "people are only a 'sometimes' food" to calm it down.
While the imagry was not helping her already raw emotional state, a rational part of her wondered whether she might be able to effect something along those lines. Clearly this creature was not exactly bright enough to strike a match, and maybe it was just misguided.
Then again, maybe it really was a crazy homicidal giant with a deep love for pavement.
"Hey, now. It's okay" She said, trying to break a middle ground. "Why do you want to be a road worker so badly?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
At last, Jon's curiosity got the best of him, and he took a step closer to the hulking figure, asking a question that had been nagging at him.
"Excuse me, but how long have you been out here? It doesn't seem like a very friendly place."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the_druid_droid
At last, Jon's curiosity got the best of him, and he took a step closer to the hulking figure, asking a question that had been nagging at him.
"Excuse me, but how long have you been out here? It doesn't seem like a very friendly place."
"A couple of... somethings," when the giant thought deeply like this, it's teeth ground against each other so loudly it seemed like they would break.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BlasTech
"Hey, now. It's okay" She said, trying to break a middle ground. "Why do you want to be a road worker so badly?"
"Always was," the giant paused, trying to think. "I was good at it. But then I made a mistake."
And now the creature seemed piteous rather than intimidating. A deep sadness emanated out from those pinched black eyes.
"I went and knocked down a bridge that shouldn't have been knocked down. And I got punished for it, ma'am. This is my punishment for it."
And he looked sad, so deeply sad that it was hard to say. So sad it was impossible to articulate. So sad that it was unbearable. So sad that it was intolerable, unendurable, impossible. So sad that the only way to properly deal with the sadness was to go over to the edge of that bridge and jump -
Before they could stop themselves, the group found their feet taking juddering, involuntary steps towards the edge of the bridge...
[Resistance: Resolve+Composure+Wyrd]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thanqol
"A couple of... somethings," when the giant thought deeply like this, it's teeth ground against each other so loudly it seemed like they would break.
"Always was," the giant paused, trying to think. "I was good at it. But then I made a mistake."
And now the creature seemed piteous rather than intimidating. A deep sadness emanated out from those pinched black eyes.
"I went and knocked down a bridge that shouldn't have been knocked down. And I got punished for it, ma'am. This is my punishment for it."
And he looked sad, so deeply sad that it was hard to say. So sad it was impossible to articulate. So sad that it was unbearable. So sad that it was intolerable, unendurable, impossible. So sad that the only way to properly deal with the sadness was to go over to the edge of that bridge and jump -
Before they could stop themselves, the group found their feet taking juddering, involuntary steps towards the edge of the bridge...
[Resistance: Resolve+Composure+Wyrd]
(Why oh why can't I keep Isabelle's mouth shut?! :smalltongue:)
Rolls:
Spoiler
Show
Resolve (3), Composure (2), Wyrd (1) - 6 Dice
Roll(6d10):
2,1,10,3,4,6
Extra roll:
Roll(1d10)+0:
9
Two successes
Isabelle feet began moving of their own accord but she didn't notice. Her mind was lost in the empathetic grief that had suddenly poured out from the Giant.
She looked down, silent and helpless, as a small child ran from a fire, clutching tightly to a doll that had been sewn for her by her mother. The girl paused to look back at her home as it burned to the ground, oblivious to the fire truck that was racing down the street.
A screech of brakes, shouts and the doll falling from lifeless hands.
Two lovers met in the forest, unseen from prejudiced eyes. The dappled leaves fell as they exchanged vows, their murmured confessions accompanied by the bubbling of a nearby creek. The sudden ... brutal crack of the rifle.
The screams of disbelief as the jealous noble strode into the clearing, his hunting dogs flanking him like grim-faced attendants.
It wasn't fair. Tragedy like this should not exist. The fact it did meant that this world was flawed. That fate, like some cruel puppet master, sought only to make people dance on his strings before cutting them and watching their forms fall, lifeless, to the ground.
Far easier to end it on your own terms, than to face that fate. And the edge was so close now.
A young girl, her blonde hair in a braid, fell to the ground. Dark figures loomed over her, taunting her, even as they reached for her again. The girl seemed to be looking right at Isabelle now, her blue eyes pleading.
Her feet moved ... away from the bridge's edge. A single word escaped from her lips before she knew what was happening.
"Annabelle"
Isabelle blinked, the images fled. There was no fire, only the bright lights of the truck. The forest was dark and forboding, not the leafy green of spring. Traffic cones, stop signs and ...
She quickly looked for her companions, worried about what had just happened to them.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
[Dice pool 6: Rolled 8, 7, 9, 7, 2, 7 so two successes]
Unthinkable. Unthinkable to continue on. Couldn't dredge through this cold, hollow nightmare any longer. She felt her feet take her to the edge, looked down and felt herself leave this body that wasn't hers. She didn't belong in this body, it wasn't right for her to claim it. She felt herself lean over the edge and fall, slowly like a feather, falling eternally into the deep darkness.
Yet her feet never left the ground.
[Would it be possible for Charlene to use this sorrow somehow? Harvesting it without really realizing it, I'm thinking. She wouldn't do it consciously in this situation, I feel]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Rolls:
Spoiler
Show
Dice pool: 5 -> 5, 2, 5, 2, 10
10 again: 3
So glad about that last-minute ten...
Jon was about to protest that 'something' wasn't a very helpful measure of time when he realized that he couldn't say for sure how long he had been gone. By now, the Hunt seemed like a dream; as far as he could tell it might have taken only a night... or it might have taken years.
And if it had been years, what then? Would there be anything left to come home to? He had been worried about returning to find monsters, but in their own way, monsters would be easier to face than corpses. Truthfully, Jon didn't want to face either one, but he certainly couldn't return to Faerie; really, there was only one option, and as he considered it the edge of the bridge drew closer.
Maybe it was better this way... surely he was as good as dead in everyone else's eyes, and it would be so easy to take the final step, to give in and finally rest...
With a start, Jon shook his head and glanced down. His hand was clenched around the bridge railing, and in the cold air of the early morning, it was freezing. The icy pain had cut in on his thoughts, and now that he could think again, the dizzy drop from the bridge made his stomach lurch and he scrambled away from the railing.
"Wh-What happened?" Jon wondered, half-aloud.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
And the spell was broken. The giant was no longer transcendently sad. He was just kind of pitiful, weak, broken.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I'm sorry. I was just so hungry."
He turned away. "Just... just go."
[Why yes, I will allow Charlene a Harvest roll for this.]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
“So it was you.” Jon had thought he felt strange, and the giant’s words confirmed that the suicidal mood swing hadn’t been his own, not entirely at least. He took a few steps toward the hulking figure, and even as he wondered why, he spoke, “You know it isn’t right... You don’t have to be like this!”
There was something else, a gamble, and he didn’t want to say it but he couldn’t stop now. “You don’t have to be like Them!”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle let her hand drop from Jon's shoulder as he began to talk to the Giant. She doubted he'd even noticed her, entranced as he'd been when he stepped up to the ledge.
"He has a point" Isabelle added. "You've made some mistakes, some ... bad decisions. But you can do better in the future, you can be better in the future. If you want to, that is."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The giant flinched away from their words. "I tried. Tried to work. Tried not to eat. But I'm so hungry. It never goes away."
The giant bent down by the rail at the side of the bridge. There was a deep crunching sound. He straightened up, and the sound of chewing metal filled the air.
He rummaged in his pockets, produced a set of keys for the truck. He thrust them at Jon, indiscriminately. "Take the truck. Just go."
[Situation doesn't call for a roll; this might change if you acquire some conversational traction or something specific to talk him into]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Jon took the keys gingerly. “I’ll bring this back soon, I promise.” Because I want to get to the bottom of this, he added mentally.
Glad for a chance to finally get in out of the chill air, Jon crossed quickly to the driver’s side and took a moment to remind himself of how everything worked, before glancing back at his companions and starting the engine.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thanqol
The giant flinched away from their words. "I tried. Tried to work. Tried not to eat. But I'm so hungry. It never goes away."
The giant bent down by the rail at the side of the bridge. There was a deep crunching sound. He straightened up, and the sound of chewing metal filled the air.
He rummaged in his pockets, produced a set of keys for the truck. He thrust them at Jon, indiscriminately. "Take the truck. Just go."
[Situation doesn't call for a roll; this might change if you acquire some conversational traction or something specific to talk him into]
Isabelle stared at the railing where the giant had been, its ends now broken and torn.
"You ... eat metal?" She asked to the air, the first wisps of an idea forming in her mind. "Does that help the hunger? How do you even ... digest it?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BlasTech
Isabelle stared at the railing where the giant had been, its ends now broken and torn.
"You ... eat metal?" She asked to the air, the first wisps of an idea forming in her mind. "Does that help the hunger? How do you even ... digest it?"
"Not really," he muttered vaguely, staring resolutely off the side of the bridge.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
[Dice pool 4: Rolled 9, 3, 8, 4, two successes]
Charlene stood by the side of the bridge, staring into the deep. The cold wind in her face rushed past her, as in her mind she kept falling. She couldn't breathe and all she felt or heard was the beating of her heart, the last rush before the end, the ultimate rush. The world grew still around her, the wind calmed, and still she fell. Tears streamed down her cheeks as sweet oblivion closed in around her. The emptiness, the end, it was unbearably beautiful. A beautiful despair.
The sorrow filled her, carried her away to experiences she had never thought possible. Even as the giant's spell broke, even as the other two moved on, the echo of sorrow reverberated still within her heart. She didn't hear the others, she simply cried, let the tears flow freely as she clenched the railing of the bridge. She didn't want it to end, didn't want the fall, the sorrow, the despair to end.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the_druid_droid
Glad for a chance to finally get in out of the chill air, Jon crossed quickly to the driver’s side and took a moment to remind himself of how everything worked, before glancing back at his companions and starting the engine.
When the engine failed to turn over, Jon glanced around for a moment, puzzled. Then, looking down, he noticed that the truck had three pedals, instead of the familiar two. Swearing under his breath, he turned to search for the others, who seemed to still be over by the road worker-turned-maneater.
Hoping this would be the last obstacle of the night, Jon slid back out of the driver’s seat and called sheepishly toward Isabelle and Charlene, “Hey! Anyone know how to drive this? I never bothered to learn...”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thanqol
"Not really," he muttered vaguely, staring resolutely off the side of the bridge.
Isabelle face fell. Of course things couldn't be that simple.
"Listen ... I'm sorry you're still hungry. But I promise I'll try to help you, I don't know how yet but I'll try." She said, giving the Giant a reassuring smile. "In return, all I ask is that you try too, at least to not eat any people."
Turning, she was distracted for a moment by a call from Jon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
the_druid_droid
When the engine failed to turn over, Jon glanced around for a moment, puzzled. Then, looking down, he noticed that the truck had three pedals, instead of the familiar two. Swearing under his breath, he turned to search for the others, who seemed to still be over by the road worker-turned-maneater.
Hoping this would be the last obstacle of the night, Jon slid back out of the driver’s seat and called sheepishly toward Isabelle and Charlene, “Hey! Anyone know how to drive this? I never bothered to learn...”
"Drive what? A truck?" Isabelle said, walking up to the cabin and having a look inside. "Oh right, manual. Well I managed to pass my learners on those, so I can do it if no one else can."
Might be a bit rusty though." she amended, after a moment's thought.
"Anyway, lets get moving" she finished, having a look around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
[Dice pool 4: Rolled 9, 3, 8, 4, two successes]
Charlene stood by the side of the bridge, staring into the deep. The cold wind in her face rushed past her, as in her mind she kept falling. She couldn't breathe and all she felt or heard was the beating of her heart, the last rush before the end, the ultimate rush. The world grew still around her, the wind calmed, and still she fell. Tears streamed down her cheeks as sweet oblivion closed in around her. The emptiness, the end, it was unbearably beautiful. A beautiful despair.
The sorrow filled her, carried her away to experiences she had never thought possible. Even as the giant's spell broke, even as the other two moved on, the echo of sorrow reverberated still within her heart. She didn't hear the others, she simply cried, let the tears flow freely as she clenched the railing of the bridge. She didn't want it to end, didn't want the fall, the sorrow, the despair to end.
She frowned as she caught sight of Charlene, still standing by the edge of the bridge. The other girl had stopped moving at the same time she had and, consequently, Isabelle had not paid that much attention to her. Not once she'd seen Jon about to step off into oblivion at least.
Looking closer now, she could see that something was wrong.
"Charlene?" She called, concern in her voice. "Are you okay?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Voices from beyond called her name, tore her back towards the cold reality, towards the blinding light. It was tough. Charlene sighed and slumped over, tried to stay in the moment but it was already fading. She didn't answer Isabelle immediately, just held on to the edge and looked miserable. She knew they had to go, she knew she didn't want to stay with the hungry giant, but it was hard to let go. She wanted more.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
Voices from beyond called her name, tore her back towards the cold reality, towards the blinding light. It was tough. Charlene sighed and slumped over, tried to stay in the moment but it was already fading. She didn't answer Isabelle immediately, just held on to the edge and looked miserable. She knew they had to go, she knew she didn't want to stay with the hungry giant, but it was hard to let go. She wanted more.
"Charlene?" Isabelle asked again, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BlasTech
"Drive what? A truck?" Isabelle said, walking up to the cabin and having a look inside. "Oh right, manual. Well I managed to pass my learners on those, so I can do it if no one else can."
Might be a bit rusty though." she amended, after a moment's thought.
"Anyway, lets get moving" she finished, having a look around.
Jon simply nodded, glad that someone could get them out of this place. For a moment, he felt like he should defend his driving skills, but suddenly it seemed like the whole night’s travel had caught up with him after sitting down in the truck’s cab. Instead of protesting, he walked around the passenger side and climbed in slowly, sparing a glance back at Charlene and frowning worriedly before settling himself inside.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene shook a little and closed her eyes. It was gone. She looked up as Isabelle lay her hand on her shoulder, and finally seemed to take note of what was going on around her. "I..." She wasn't sure what had just happened. There was so much she needed to think through after this night. She looked down and turned around. "I'm coming," she said as she headed towards the car, and unless stopped took a seat in the back, silently.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The passenger's seat had what looked uncomfortably like bloodstains in it. The truck was full of various construction junk but there was room to squeeze into the back seat.
And once they started driving, there'd be a glimpse of a silent giant, standing holding a stop sign, in the dark before it was gone.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Jon sat in the passenger seat of the truck, head leaning against the window while his lower half was twisted uncomfortably, trying to avoid the worst of the stains. As they began to move down the road, he let his eyes wander over the dimly-glimpsed scenery outside, feeling the bumps and vibration of the engine against his temple as the truck drove on.
Half asleep, Jon’s thoughts turned toward his family once again. Now that he was almost home, he realized he had no idea what to say to them. Even if everything was as he’d left it, how would he explain his absence, and what would they think of him? Somehow he doubted that the absolute truth would be very believable, and he didn’t feel like he was in any state at the moment to think up a better explanation...
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle watched Charlene go, uncertain what had just happened but equally certain that something had just occurred. With no way to tell what that had been, though, Isabelle gave the giant one last wave goodbye and settled into the driver's seat of the truck.
She noticed the stain on the passenger's seat, despite the fact that Jon's bulk obscured most of it and couldn't hep but give it a quick inspection to see if it was recent or, worse yet, human.
The truck rumbled to life when she turned the ignition, her feet and hands moving by rote to put the vehicle into gear. It was strange how much she could still do from pure muscle memory. Those driving lessons felt ... were a lifetime ago.
Gritting her teeth she started the vehicle on the road down the mountain.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene sat in the back seat quietly. For a while she looked around and out the window, then bowed her head and closed her eyes. She didn't remember much of the words. She knew she probably wasn't turning right, or doing it right, but surely He understood her circumstances, surely He knew she was earnest. Surely that was all that really mattered, if anything mattered at all. She continued silently praying as the car bumbled along the road.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The mountain road went on; winding gently down the trail towards the town. The moon emerged from the clouds like a galleon, sailing through to a clear patch of sky and shining brilliantly. The stars were out in force.
The town was quiet, dark, illuminated only by those golden puddles thrown by streetlights. There was a glimpse, there, of a young man on a night time jog. There was a moment when the graffiti on that warehouse seemed a priceless work of art that held the future. There was a moment where a gust of rain fell across the car, gone almost before it started. The breeze was stiff and chill.
There was time before they had to decide where they were going, time where they could just drift on the idea of home. But that time whittled away, and decisions loomed ahead. "Where are you going?" is not a question that can be put off for ever.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
“How am I going to tell them?” Jon had only half-intentionally let the question slip out to break the quiet of the truck’s cab. Tired as he was, the thought wouldn’t let him rest, and he imagined that some version of it was on everyone’s mind at the moment. Hopefully putting it into words would help him think...
Now more than ever, Jon wished he could erase the past along with his captivity, and go back to his old life, no explanations needed, and no Hunter lurking out there somewhere, dogging his steps and making him glance over his shoulder with every step.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The question of "where are we going" bounced around in the back of Isabelle's mind. It had been superseded, temporarily at least, by the more pertinent question of "where are we?"
She'd seen a road sign to Portland before, so they were at least still in Oregon state ... or maybe California. She silently cursed whoever had the bright idea of reusing so many city names in this country. Guiding the truck down from the mountain road, she kept her eyes open for any landmarks as they entered the small city below.
Soon enough, she found what she was looking for, and pulled the truck off the road and into a nearby carpark. There, by the roadside, was a sight that was all too ubiquitous in the States. Most people, if they looked at it at all, would subconsciously ignore it. Right now, she couldn't express how much she appreciated the green paint of its background, or the white words that had been spray-painted on the front:
Welcome to Oregon City OC"
Urbs civitatis nostrae prima et mater
Pop: 39186
She had to blink sudden tears back from her eyes, they were not too far from her home ...
"Jon?" She asked, quietly, so as not to disturb Charlene. "Is there a roadmap in the glove compartment?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
“Huh? Oh, right, I’ll check.” Jon reached up and flipped on the overhead light, then yanked at the glovebox door until it came unstuck, bringing with it a flurry of old food wrappers and yellowed receipts. Grabbing a handful of the mess, he began sorting through it, looking for anything that might help them while trying to avoid the worst of the stains and sticky patches.
After a moment of searching, Jon caught a glimpse of familiar red-outlined paper and pulled the map free from the rest of the pile before stuffing the rest away as best he could and commenting under his breath, “This truck is a mess...” Struggling not to think of the stained seat cover beneath him, Jon turned to Isabelle. “So, where are we trying to go?”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle pored over the map for a moment, trying to locate exactly where they were. She spoke to Jon as she did so. "According to the sign back there, we've just passed the outskirts of Oregon City. I don't know about you two, but I can't wait to find my family again. I have no idea how much they must have worried about me when I was taken ..."
"Our home is up in Seattle, a couple of hundred miles from here ... but it's at least in the same state. How about yours?" She asked, shooting a glance at Charlene and Jon.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene opened her eyes but didn't look up. "I don't remember..." She was already dreading where they might be going. Part of her wanted to go hide in the countryside, some small backwaters town with a population of ten. Up in the mountains maybe. Away from it all. "Portland, I think, but I don't think I can go back there." She glanced out the windows. "Not yet." Maybe never. She turned to the others, "We won't get far like this, will we? How much gas do we have? No food, no money," then down at herself, "barely any clothes." She brushed her old clothes with a hand. They were dirty and ragged, smudged by mud and torn by thorns and branches. How could she return like that? Show herself like that? She looked at her scarred hand. She would need much more than just clothes, wouldn't she?
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
“That’s a good point - how much gas do we have?” Jon leaned over, trying to see the gauge from his position in the passenger seat. “However much is left, there’s probably enough to make it to my place at least, and then...” he trailed off, suddenly realizing that as difficult as his own absence would be to explain, he had no idea how to introduce the others. “...I guess we’ll see how it goes.” Jon knew the recovery was lame, and he wanted to promise more, but the future looked so uncertain in even his own eyes that he didn’t dare raise their hopes. Pointing to the map, he continued a bit reluctantly, “This is where I live, on Prospector Terrace at the south end of town. It’s close to the community college.”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle nodded and started the truck up again. "We can go there then, at least it's a first step. Just navigate the way for me?"
Isabelle guided the vehicle out into the black. Leaving unsaid just how much she was relying on Jon's path finding. After all, if he could find his family again ... well it would bode well for her chances, even after all that time.
As for Charlene ... well, she'd figure something out ...
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene returned to her quiet contemplation. She had a strange feeling about all this, but surely they didn't need her for this. If they wanted to find their families again who was she to stop them, and she could stay in the car, out of sight and mind. This wasn't her life but theirs, maybe she could spend the time figuring out what to do with herself.
She tried to remember her family, who she had been, but all she got were faces, so many faces of herself and yet not her. Maybe... maybe she had never had a life before, maybe it was just a dream, a fantasy. And if she had had a life before, how could she return if she didn't even know who she was?
It was not the time yet. She couldn't return yet, even if she remembered enough to find her way there.