It didn't seem like he was needed by anybody at the moment, so there was little to do but wander aimlessly. There was certainly a great deal to explore, given the total transfiguration the city had undergone. He started strolling towards the marketplace. He would have to get a grip on the new economic system sooner or later, he might as well start now.
Breath of the Sun
Veda, Two Schools, Lil' Katie
Kyle seemed calm, or at least calm enough, for the moment. Sera was perhaps a bit too blunt in her deprogramming efforts, but Kyle hadn't gotten defensive, so that was a plus. Veda nonetheless gave her a raised eyebrow. He didn't say anything, not wanting to open that can of worms while Kyle was in the car, but he worried her brusque nature might get her in trouble in the future.
"Examining the footage first is fine by me." Veda agreed.
Then someone approached the car. Veda saw them long before they got near, of course, his oculus providing him a detailed image of the woman. Abnormally low body temperature, magical in origin, unnaturally pale, medical issue?
The newcomer was terse, and evidently blunt - perhaps she'd get along with Sera - but not overtly aggressive, just curious.
"Veda Valentine." He greeted. "Like you, I'm not a local. I was living with my aunt and attending college here when things fell apart. I'm not a member of the 317th, but I'm willing to use my talents to assist them. I'm a magical analyst and artificer, so not much of a direct combatant, but I do what I can."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Toyota 2000GT
Ross Chase - Two Schools Area, inside Lil' Katie.
Well, that's very direct and to the point. Not someone the militia should mess with. However, something got his attention.
"No kidding! You helped take down the Eye?" He asked. "Let me tell you, it was a real pain in the ass. When we heard about its defeat from the Warning Glory," he glanced at the radio, "the atmosphere inside my Lil' Katie got so much more joyful. But then, we've heard about this 'something' within the hazard gates, yeah? You wouldn't happen to have any behind the scenes info about that, would you?" There we go. Gathering intel like a pro, with a transition that's completely natural and not forced at all. Like it wasn't his initial plan to just charge in blind. That being said, it made him look like he wanted to run. It made him look like a coward. And so, he quickly clarified. "We've kinda decided to solve the problem on our own. To..." The strategic part of his mind was churning. Somehow, he felt like answering with 'because I want to show the town I can' would not be believed, even if it was truthful. "...strike behind enemy lines, get supplies from outside?" Yeah, that seemed like a reasonable, tactical reason. Perfect.
Edited by JackCossack on Feb 22nd 2024 at 7:06:37 PM
Rebecca Weathers - Two Schools, Outside Lil' Katie
Becca listened to what Veda and Ross said to her, and beneath her scarf, she grinned. It seemed that this car had given her just what she needed to try and escape Sandfield.
"Unfortunately, all I know is a demon is behind the problems with the Hazard Gates," Becca explained. "But I do have a place where we can open them. Tell me, Veda," she turned to look at him. "Your analyst magic. If I were to open a Gate, would you be able to use it to try and figure out what the problem with it was?"
"Yes, yes you're right...I'll admit, I realize that they're likely tired...but I have not been physically tired outside the sleeping hours for a long while now." Daniel sighed, and nodded, "You and your friends are free to explore the Settlement Area and the barracks. Whenever you're ready and able, you can make use of our broadcasting station. It's in the main part of the base, right down from Shin's outpost."
Daniel wiped his forehead, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "Exercise tact, and listen to those in the settlement area. There are a number of cases that I think could be of importance."
With that, he walked off - after all, he had other business to take care of. More pressing issues considering his station within the 317th.
He saw James walking out on his way, and Daniel hoped that his peer didn't have too rough a time with the reunion.
Sandfield Settlement and Market District
As James walked out, on his way to the sprawling markets, he would be able to see several lamp posts now outfitted with strange little winding ever-green vines. A number of new lamp posts are outfitted throughout the settlement and market district. This place seemed to be a blend of older ideas and modern sensibilities. Some of the marketplace covers were made of repurposed shower curtains and other scavenged goods.
Air conditioning units kept the inside of the shops in better condition than the abject heat that might be expected. People sold a variety of baked goods, grown crops, and other items - some trading goods, others still using the fiat currency that they had used their entire lives up to this point.
Children darted through the streets, though never too far from house and home. As a sign of the times, some of them experimented with magic - one child awkwardly juggled a tiny glob of manipulated water for the delight of his classmates.
There were signs of 317th defensive measures here. Propped up ring cameras, repurposed for this. Overhead a pair of 317th boys flew past - likely on mission.
It was obvious that people here were trying to live their lives to the best of their ability even through the damn near apocalypse that awaited just outside the 317th's vigil.
As James passed by one of the shops, he would see an older woman and a young boy hawking some sourdough bread - and a teenage boy roughly his own age sitting by the corner near the desk at the center of the shop.
The teen had broad, handsome features, dirty blond hair neatly parted and combed, a wire cross necklace, and rather ramshackle appearance. A worn down, damaged jacket that had once likely been a letterman jacket, a white t-shirt underneath stained by dirt and faded blood, and damaged, torn up jeans.
He seemed utterly despondent, sitting there in what was likely his mother or grandmother's shop.
Calabasa - Meeting
Shifting in his spot, Elwood cupped his chin with two of those arms, and seemed to sigh, "Ah...alright - after all, I do figure then you deserve to know what you might be looking for." Clasping his fingers in front of him, Elwood commenced his explanation, "The missing artifact is a mystical sword, retrieved at great cost from the ancient Thuggee Temples. A sword that once belonged to the Naga Beastfolk. A sword now steeped in our mythos, and bequeathed a great mysticism..."
"We know it as the Sword of Lir-Abend." Elwood smiled widely, "It is a direly important thing for the sake of our plans, and should it go missing so suddenly...why, Caine would be displeased. Most displeased."
Elwood then pivoted, "I would hope that you would find what you are looking for here anyways, but as you might be able to tell, this locale was somewhat ravaged. All my little friends from here tell me is that they came, took what they liked, and left."
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
An Ordinary Oddball
Mina Parker
"That sounds great! I'll go and check the place out," Mina said brightly, giving Daniel a smart salute and adding, "It was nice seeing you again, Daniel. I hope we can work together again sometime!" With that, she left the minor meeting to go and get her bearings around the rest of the settlement and market district near the same time that James was done talking to his father. Shielding her eyes from the sunlight, she walked at a slow ambling pace, trying to take it all in.
As it was, she noticed the despondent boy sitting in a shop, and walked in to browse. She did have a small roll of money from before the war started in Sandfield, though small for her probably wasn't small for anyone else, given her old money origins. Still, it was quite a bit of cash in 10- and 20-dollar bills. Mina ended up buying a bottle of juice and a sandwich wrapped in wax paper for later just to be polite, and approached the rough-looking youth.
"Hello, are you alright?" she asked him. "I'm on my way out, but you don't look so good. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
Edited by JumpingFruit on Mar 2nd 2024 at 9:24:52 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
The Light That Blinds
Jayden
...well.
He hadn't expected Elwood to spill all of that so easily...but it certainly made his job easier.
"I'll keep that in mind," Jayden said with impressive calm. "Thank you for your information. I'll...see what I can find, and if I don't find what I'm looking for, I'll...come back to you."
And with that, he turned and headed up the stairs, headed for his parents' room.
...
Or, well, what had been his parents' room.
Or specifically what had been his mom's— this sentence was falling apart, he was abandoning this line of thinking.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
James wasn't sure what to do about his relationship with his father. Between meeting Matthew and coming to the Two Schools, he had been trying to live as little of his mundane life as possible, to crumple the time he spent as normal, boring James up into an infinitesimal volume. Even at home he'd tried to focus on studying magic as opposed to anything else. It had worked for the most part. But that had only been possible when the two spheres of his life were segregated. He just didn't know what to do. That his father wasn't an antagonistic force like some of his teammates' parents made it all the more difficult to brush the problem aside.
Wandering through the market, James' spirits lifted slightly. People here seemed less despondent than he had initially expected. There was fear and uncertainty, but there was also a cautious joy. It was almost unbelievable, he missed, that people could adapt so quickly to a new way of life. Then again, he supposed he, Tom, and Mina had all changed quite a bit themselves. As he strolled, he noticed Mina talking to one of the vendors. He raised his arm briefly in a gesture of acknowledgement as he walked over.
Surrounded by weirdoes
Pablo looked like he got a lot of weight off his shoulders, knowing most of the family is at least alive even if things are rough as it is. Seeing the changes to places he had taken for granted was something else, still having flashes of just what the days used to be before all of this.
"And the lockdown objectively wasn't that long" He noted to himself.
Finding some high place to think would be good, but as things are, might as well find something to be useful in.
"Anyone need a pair of hands?" He said, even if he looked like an awkward moron saying that.
Wake me up at your own risk.
Breath of the Sun
Veda, Two Schools, Lil' Katie
"I could. But opening a Gate without proper preparation and potentially letting out a demon seems a bit... unwise. I was told there was footage of the previous Gate opening, which should more than suffice to determine the issue." Veda replied.
Though her smile was concealed by her scarf, Veda could read her excitement in her body language. It was unsurprising; if they could accomplish this, it meant escape from this town was possible. "You're welcome to accompany us when we retrieve said footage. It shouldn't take too long, I would think."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Rebecca Weathers -Two Schools, Outside Lil' Katie
"Of course. If there's a less risky way to find out what we need to know, I see no reason not to use it," Becca said to Veda. Then she looked at Ross. "Any more room in... Lil' Katie?"
Toyota 2000GT
Ross Chase - Two Schools, Lil' Katie
"Absolutely! Get in! Katie deserves some rest from running the AC in this heat anyway," Ross said, "Not that she needs it exactly, her cooling system was built to handle the cooling needs of towing heavy loads in this weather... or crawling through mud... or towing heavy loads through mud..." He added to avoid insulting his car. He quickly bounced back. "Besides! One more set of eyes can't hurt, can it?"
The door promptly unlocked on its own, and the door opened, inviting Becca inside. Ross preemptively reached for the climate controls, turning the heater up to the max, to hopefully balance out the cold she radiated. He could've manipulated that with magic as well, but there is something immensely satisfying about physical controls, isn't there.
Edited by JackCossack on Mar 4th 2024 at 4:13:05 PM
The young man looked up, shifting his posture slightly as he started to stand up. It was clear by the number and the logo on his tattered letterman that this was a basketball player from Monroe. At least, if that was his letterman and not something he picked up. The shift in posture would let the two teens see that he was clenching what looked like a damaged phone in one hand, the device clearly no longer functional - both because of Green Wall and even beyond that due to catastrophic damage.
"...Mina? Mina Parker? The photography club girl?" The young man seemed to brighten up a bit, "Man, everyone thought you were dead after what I heard about that day. The day it all sank straight to—-" The young man shook his head, "My girlfriend got separated from us in the chaos. Something...something grabbed her in a damaged building we went through to avoid the militia. I saw it pull her down into a weird underground area beneath the building."
Shaking his head, the basketball player said, "M-My name's Chase Lambert. And—-And I let the 317th know, but nobody's done anything. Nobody's even tried to find her."
Mina and James might be able to remember good young faithful Chase Lambert. He wore his faith on his sleeve and usually had a private prayer before a game. Ah, he and his girlfriend the lovely Ceci Crawford were going to surely be a lovely straight out of high school couple.
And then Sandfield went to hell.
Kyle for his part glanced curiously at Becca. She brought with her a chilly temperature that was honestly different enough from the norm that he felt a weird sense of nostalgia. As if feeling the cold coming from her was something that was both new to him and deeply familiar. Yet there was not a single memory of a trip up to a mountain or the like - leaving him just sitting there awkwardly rocking back and forth.
Why do I remember the icy cold? Is the world in Pleiades an icy world?
I just don't know...I just do not know...
Elwood for his part just steepled his fingers - both sets of them - and stayed in place downstairs as Jayden ventured upstairs. As if registering the damages and changes to the local area, the stairs creaked and moaned with his passage. Not a hint of life remaining in this space, except for him and his serpentine guest downstairs. Yet even as he went upstairs somehow there was a sense of just...feeling Elwood was nearby now. As if there was a tremendous presence to him that existed even outside of eyeshot.
When he was in an area, and not concealing it, you just knew.
Clearing a couple knocked down doors and ripped open cupboards, Jayden would be able to tell that this place had been decisively ransacked. Someone came in here looking for information well in advance of him. And going by all indications, they had taken quite a few things and pried open areas Jayden might not even have noticed prior could open.
Entering his mother's room, Jayden would be able to see several paper folders and binders all completely robbed. Shreds of tiny pieces of paper made it clear the files and such were ripped out posthaste. Next to nothing was left up there, except for a single piece of brown paper that - going by its placement by the bedside and just slightly underneath - made it look like it had fallen out of a pocket.
Visible on this note was one sentence...: Don't be out too long, remember we have to be back at Erakeen ...and a spell circle on the back.
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
An Ordinary Oddball
Mina Parker
"Chase? I remember you! And y-yes, that's me," Mina affirmed, her stutter returning briefly and eyes going wide in shock as she realized what else had happened on that awful day. It looked like her ruse had worked, but not without cost, and it now seemed like another had lost a person they loved in the scramble to escape. "Your girlfriend is Ceci, right? I'm so sorry that happened. My boyfriend, Xander, I also lost s-sight of him while trying to get to safety."
"It really is strange that the 317th would leave this alone, but I understand if they didn't want to spend their resources looking for only two people, as bad as that sounds," she acknowledged with a grim nod. However, she did extend her hand out to Chase as she made her next offer. "I just got here, but if you could give me your phone, maybe I can repair it with magic. I'm especially attuned to technology, so if Ceci still has her phone with her, I can try and track her whereabouts through the connection between your social media accounts, if that's alright."
Edited by JumpingFruit on Mar 17th 2024 at 4:08:16 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Rebecca Weathers - Lil' Katie
When the door opened for her, Becca waved her hand, and the aura of cold that surrounded her condensed. While the others in the truck would still feel the air around her was colder than the rest of the passengers, at the very least, the entirety of Lil' Katie wasn't now freezing cold thanks to her presence once Becca sat down in a free seat.
"Alright, driver," Becca said to Ross, realizing as she spoke that she'd never actually heard his name. "Lets get moving."
Toyota 2000GT
Ross Chase - Two Schools, Lil' Katie
A little shiver of cold (or was it a shiver of anticipation?) ran through Ross's body. He put the gear in first, lifted the foot of the clutch, and set off towards the Monroe camp, the yellow paintjob shining proudly in the sun.
It must have been difficult for Chase, knowing that his girlfriend could be dead or worse. He probably had his share of vitriol, towards the 317th for their inaction, towards himself for losing her. There was an unbridgeable gulf between him and that cold objective clarity which would assuage his temper. James couldn't fault anybody's choices, the 317th had their hands full enough already, and there was probably little hope that Chase would be able to do anything by himself. So he had been forced to wait; consumed by guilt, at his impotence, that he had found refuge where she had not. It was a grim reality. "We can try and help. I think you realize that we might not find her alive. I can't promise miracles, I'm sorry; but we'll do our upmost to ensure Ceci's return."
The Light That Blinds
Jayden
Jayden kept his back straight and his expression set as he walked, not daring to give Elwood the satisfaction of seeing him afraid. He remained this way all the way up the stairs, down the hallway, right up until he entered his parents' room and shut the door behind him.
And then he dropped to his knees and released the breath he'd been holding, wiping his face with a hand and knocking his glasses askew. "Hoo! I did not breathe! I didn't..." Jayden took a deep breath. I did not think I was gonna make it out of there intact. Or alive.
Well, whatever. Fixing his glasses, Jayden set out to look for something.
...
What he found was that the place had been ransacked. Almost nothing was left, which—seriously? His mom had to have had something that wasn't important to whatever cause these people were committed to. Jayden blew out a sigh, regarding the brown paper with an annoyed look. "Mysterious spell circle just out lying for anyone to grab," he muttered dryly. "Gee, I wonder if it's a trap."
This had been a bit of a wash—but Jayden wasn't ready to give up just yet.
After his dad died, they'd never gone through his old things. It hurt too much, at first, and then there was simply no time. Old watercolors and sketchbooks and photos still sat in unopened boxes, collecting dust for years.
Maybe one of those held a clue. No harm in not checking; Jayden walked up to the closet and opened it, searching for those old boxes.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Surrounded by weirdoes
Pablo turned grim for a second, but he knew how it is to miss people and having no idea about how they are doing. It just tears you apart. But he needed to be confident in front of the others.
"Guess we have a new mission, huh?"
Wake me up at your own risk.
CG for short
Seraphina Twlight - Katie - Newcomer incomin'
"Fair enough, kid," Seraphina remarked. Honestly, she's in the mood for a cigarette now, mainly for something to take off the stress from what's been going on so far, but she doesn't have any on hand and even if she did, it would be rude to smoke in front of other people within such a confined space, so the craving for nicotine would have to wait for another time.
As she pondered on a random train of thought to entertain herself, Seraphina saw a young woman whose body is pretty much covered from head to toe enter the car, with the clothes being best suited for winter. She raised an eyebrow, wondering why someone would cover up their entire body. Does she get cold easily? Is it for religious reasons? Is it just an unconventional aesthetic that she's rocking? She can't exactly judge her if it's the last reason considering her go-to dated outfits.
And here's yet another introduction.
"The name's Seraphina Twilight, a century-old gun mage. I'd joined these guys and we'll be getting some rather important footage soon. I suppose I shouldn't judge fashion choices considering my vintage looks, but how come you're all covered up like you're preparing to endure a giant blizzard or some shit like that?"
Not that long after Sera asked that, Becca gave herself an introduction and entered the car. She felt Becca's cold aura and since she's not exactly best dressed for coldness, she noticeably shivered but thankfully Katie has the heater turned on, so it wouldn't be too big of a deal in the long run. And now Katie is back on the move.
"You're an ice mage, huh," She said towards Becca.
Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."
Rebecca Weathers - Lil' Katie
"That's what I'm working towards becoming, yes," Becca told Sera when asked about her magic. "That training is also the reason for my choice of attire. Anyways... you're from the 1920s?"
Though Becca glanced at Sera's flapper outfit as she paused, the amount of time the transition in conversation topic took suggested it wasn't just her trying to guess when Sera's outfit was fashionable, and that she wanted to get away from discussing the reason she herself was so bundled up as quickly as possible.
"You've obviously learned some kind of anti-aging magic. How long did it take you to master that?"
Chase nodded - admittedly, it was hard for him to square. The 317th hadn't done anything but add his case to the list of cases for them to eventually get to...and going by the way their man had reacted, they had a lot of cases. There were many, many other people with similar circumstances, and perhaps it was his sin nature that made him wish they'd just push him a bit further toward the top. When the others who had similar circumstances likely had equally visceral experiences in the course of their time, and which left them equally desperate for help.
"...You—-You could really do all that with just my phone!?" Chase hurriedly stood up and almost pushed his phone into Mina's hands. He looked outright beaming with excitement And—-yes. That was what it looked like when someone's hopes were restored.
Looking at James, Chase said, "You coming here, and being able to potentially find her—-that's a miracle by God if I've ever seen one. I was without hope, and you gave me light." Chase was now up and pacing - and then he went to tell his mother the good news.
It looked like the boxes in there had been rifled through but nothing was taken - instead, the materials inside had been tossed out to the sides. As if whoever had ransacked the place was frustrated by the lack of results in looking in there. Simply a bunch of items that belonged to Arthur Gardner - old photos, items, keepsakes and knick-knacks - and then Jayden would find something buried in there.
Some kind of diary. Bound in a white front and back cover, a red spine, and with Diary on the front in cursive, likely bought at a store.
Sign on for this After The End Fantasy RP.
An Ordinary Oddball
Mina Parker
"Yes, I have a special affinity with technology—woah!" Mina cut herself off as she caught Chase's phone in her hands, pausing in her conversation with him to examine it and turn it on. Everything seemed intact and functional, so she started accessing his social media accounts, assuming she had already received permission from him. In the course of this, she had pulled out the map of Sandfield that she had been carrying around and laid it on the table in front of them. She started using the sympathetic connection between Chase and Cici's phones, bolstered by the symbolism of their relationship on social media, to trace the location of Cici's phone. Where it was now was probably where she was, if she was still carrying it.
Thin, electric blue lines started to appear over the map, tracing the locations that Chase and Cici had been to before the Militia had arrived. Then, the lines would diverge, with a tooltip that appeared whenever one was looking at it indicating the day Cici had disappeared. From here, the lines slowed down, with a CALCULATING...##% indicator floating over the map. When it was done processing, a glowing X would indicate the last known location of Cici's phone.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Mar 31st 2024 at 2:41:00 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
The Light That Blinds
Jayden
It was strange, going through his dad's old things.
Every photo, every unopened box of watercolors, every sketch and note and card—all of them had been memories, once. More than once, Jayden found himself halting to stare at whatever he'd dug out of the box, each one bringing back memories, before he'd gingerly put it back and resume his search.
That was when he found it.
"A diary?" Jayden murmured, turning it over in his hands. Dad did get me the journal, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised... What would be in this one? More sketches? Just a regular log of his days?
...a clue?
Mentally shrugging, Jayden opened the diary and started reading.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Rebecca Weathers
Becca simply stared at Ross when he gave his dramatic introduction. Then she sighed and answered his questions.
"My family doesn't live here. I just picked a bad time to visit this town," she explained, a tinge of annoyance in her voice over her bad luck. "Name's Becca. I ended up running into some kids who knew some important people in the 317th, helped them take down the Eye, and that got me a free ride to this place. And as for sneaking past the militia..."
Becca held up her hand, and a sharp, double-ended icicle formed in the cold air. "I don't need to worry about being spotted..." With a clench of her fist, the ice dropped to the ground, shattering on impact. "...when I can make sure they keep quiet."