singillppl | August 2023 Test Drive Meme

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August 2023 Test Drive Meme

AUGUST 2023 TDM

PROMPT ONE — ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST: A group of newcomers find themselves lost in the frozen wilds and vulnerable to the dangers of nature. With luck, they make it to the town of Milton, and to a friendly face offering food, warmth and shelter.

PROMPT TWO — HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE: Once recovered from their journey, newcomers are free to explore the town of Milton for supplies and find any signs of the townsfolk.

PROMPT THREE — THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN: A mysterious woman haunts the frozen lake of the Milton Basin, trying to lure newcomers to their deaths.

ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST

WHEN: Day One.
WHERE: Milton, Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential animal attacks, potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.

’You are the Interloper. You are not part of nature’s design.’

It’s the last thing you hear. A dark, deep voice. Impossibly ancient. You feel afraid. Maybe you’re dreaming, maybe you’re wide awake. You saw the lights, and then your world went dark. But you hear it in the blackness, you won’t forget those words.

You awaken. You are not where you were before. It’s different for everyone, there doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern in where you find yourself. You may open your eyes to find yourself in a cold, dim and dank cabin. The air is stale, dust hangs in the rays of weak sunlight that shine through the tiny windows. Someone lived here once, but they aren’t to be found. You look around, it seems like no one has been here in several days, maybe longer. The fire is cold, the dishes in the sink are a little mouldy. It is quiet. The wood creaks around you. Or perhaps you may awaken to find yourself shivering in the yawning maw of a cave, the freezing stone below you. Or maybe you’re unfortunate enough to sit up to find yourself lying in the snow, in the middle of the wilderness. Snow lies thick around you. It’s freezing out. You haven’t felt a cold like this before in your entire life. Cruel and biting. You have no idea where you are, and what’s worse — you are completely alone.

You may feel different, too. Any powers or magics you may have feel... absent. Disconnected. Things that may not have affected you previously now do. Something in you has changed.

You know you can’t stay where you are. You’ll need to move, try to work out where you are and how you came to be here. So you walk, head out into the unknown, in hope of finding a trail or a road. You’ll find one soon enough. It’s here you may find someone else in the same boat as yourself, equally freezing and confused. You’ll both need to keep going. It won’t be easy. You hear howls of wolves around you, and the terrain is difficult: slips and falls are likely. You’re completely vulnerable out here in the open.

But it won’t be long until you see it: the lazy trail of smoke rising in the air. Fire.

Follow it, and soon enough the way you’ve taken will certainly become a path or road. Unfolding before you in the mountainous forests, you’ll see the most welcome of sights: a small mining town tucked up in the valley. Battered, rusted road signs will direct to “MILTON, POP. 947”. You’re almost there, you keep going, and it looks like other people have had the same idea as you. As you head into the outskirts and further into town, you’ll find it’s a little easier to walk but the cold has gripped you hard. You’ll find the buildings, both shops and homes, are dark and lifeless, some of them are boarded up. Other than those heading in the same direction, towards the smoke, you won’t find any townsfolk coming to greet you, or even looking at you from behind curtains. … Where is everyone?

Towards the center of town, you’ll find the building from which the smoke rises: a school-house of sorts, or some kind of community hall. Perhaps both. You’ll find more and more people all drawn to this place, each and every one of them in the same position as yourself (and your companion, if you’ve found one). Some are in worse states than others: some are bloodied, nursing bite wounds or cuts; others might have some other kind of injury sustained in the journey here from falls. Others may look as if they could faint from the cold at any second.

The door opens, and you’re greeted by the gnarled, wizened face of an elderly man, dressed in thick furs. He has a kind face. He smiles warmly, and with pity, ushering you in with haste.

“It seems like a great deal of you have come.” he muses finally. “I am Methuselah. I welcome you Newcomer, although I’m sorry for how you’ve come to find yourself here. Please, warm yourselves. Eat. Get your bearings. Mother Nature has not been kind to you.”

The room is dim, lit mostly by the weak natural daylight through the windows. A roaring fire sits at one end of the huge hall. It crackles, bright and cheerful…. and warm. Even as big as this place is, the room is pleasantly warm. You’ll also find basic cots set up down one side of the hall, places to rest for a moment and get your bearings, or just trying to recover from the cold or any injuries. Down the other side are tables and chairs, and long, foldable tables laden with food, drinks and bottled water similar to one might find at a soup kitchen.

There are canisters with hot herbal teas and coffee, along with soup and stew and trays of charred moose, deer and rabbit meats, instant mashed potatoes, and tinned vegetables. It’s very basic, but it’s hot and filling. A feast. The old man has been busy. And Methuselah will continue to busy himself, still; there is plenty to do. He will fetch blankets, tend to wounds, serve food and drinks. He does not have much time to talk. More and more people seem to be coming in from the cold. He will not stop to sit and rest until everyone is seen to, taking up a place by the fire to gaze silently into its flames. He is troubled, thoughtful.

If you ask him where you are, he will simply respond: “This is Milton, of the Northern Territories.”

If you ask how you came to be here, he will shake his head: “Something has changed. The sky, it was… full of light. The Flare. I felt you coming, a great arrival. But I cannot say for certain how, or why you are here.”

He is regretful, genuinely so. He wishes he had more answers for you, but he does not. Instead he will simply insist you rest, get warm and eat. There is plenty to go around. Eventually, when you feel well enough, Methuselah will gesture to the door: “When you are ready and able, explore the town. Many left, others could not make it out. I have found no one but the dead. They will have no use of the place now, perhaps you might in the meantime.”

HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE

WHEN: First couple of weeks since arrival.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: frozen dead bodies, unexplained deaths, suicide, murder.

Other than Methuselah in the Hall, the town of Milton is void of life. While not a particularly large town, there’s a few stores and even a gas station. Life here is rustic. Function over form. Homes are simple but sturdy and warm, it’s a rugged place and one can easily deduce that the folk living here led simple, self-sufficient lives.

Commercial buildings and stores of note include a bank and post office, a hunting/fishing supply store, a grocery store, and a clothing store. There is even a church just on the outskirts of town. The buildings are ripe for picking, with most of them still with the doors unlocked, including the residential buildings. Others are locked, but can be broken into easily enough. A few are even trickier, with some of them boarded up or with entrances blocked. In terms of contents, a third of the residential buildings seem to be almost empty, as if the owners moved out long ago. There might still be things left behind of use: old, warm clothes good for the wintery weather, tools and cooking utensils — but little in terms of food. Even if the former residents move some time ago, they didn’t completely empty their homes.

Most of the homes in Milton seem to be left as if the owner stepped out only a short while ago, and with very little disturbance. Some houses, however, seem to be abandoned in a hurry, with a mess of items strewn about in some last-minute dash to grab essentials: keys, identification, treasured personal items, supplies for a quick exit. Cupboards are typically filled with an abundance of canned goods, and some chilled goods might have survived in the cold weather within the fridge-freezers, but it might be a gamble if one wants to try and eat them. Any and all electronics within homes: televisions, computers, mobile-phones — although dated, will all appear cracked and damaged, and will not function or turn out at all. The same will go for any vehicles around the town: there is no hope of starting any of them.

Diaries and journals kept by the former residents may remark on a change in the weather, with the cold and harsh climate becoming more hostile as of late. Others remark strange lights in the skies, dating several weeks or so ago, strange noises in the air, issues with power and electrical items. Some make mentions of changes to the wildlife, with wolves coming close to the town even when they had never done so before. One or two mention problems on the Mainland, with increasing difficulty of reaching out to loved ones who don’t live in the Northern Territories, or deliveries being unable to arrive. The growing trend is that something odd and terrible has been happening, although no one can truly explain what, and the problems have been growing increasingly worse and worse up to the final entries. You might note that the actual years and dates might not line up with your own: the current year given in these entries is 2014.

The newcomers are free to take over these homes, if they wish. No one appears to be stopping them, and even Methuselah seems to shrug about moving in. And as he’d mentioned, he has found no one but the dead: and plenty of them can be found.

Bodies of the town’s former residence can be found scattered over the town. In homes, in stores, out in the snow. They appear still relatively fresh, although it may be hard to tell if it’s from the cold or if it’s from very little time passing. Most appear to have died from cold exposure, some appear to have simply dropped dead on the spot. Others may be found with a gun in hand. Some, worryingly, appear to have perished by another’s hand. You won’t find the entirety of the town’s population, but there’ll be at least several dozen. Men, women, children.

Methuselah seems to have begun laying the dead to rest, but there’s too many for one man to do. Maybe you can work out what to do with them, try to bury them in their backyards, or try to take them to the churchyard.

THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN

WHEN: Until the next Aurora.
WHERE: Milton Basin.
CONTENT WARNINGS: mental manipulation, malevolent mythical creatures, falling through ice, attempted drowning/possible successful drowning, potential character death.

Those who venture further south of the town will find themselves traversing the steep, winding paths down towards the Milton Basin. The way down is treacherous, but if enough care is taken you should be able to make it down in one piece. The water is just about completely frozen over down here, thick and sturdy enough to walk over for the most part. Within the Basin there’s more wildlife to be found: deer and rabbit are plenty. And there’s even plenty of foragables, too.

Out on the water are two small ice-fishing cabins, enough to fit one or two people inside comfortably, which hold a few forgotten supplies to try out some ice-fishing if you want to see if anything bites. Both even hold little log burners to keep warm. An old hunter’s shack can be found along the water’s edge, for those not quite brave enough to travel out onto the ice, to take shelter in for when the weather gets a little too difficult, with an old log burner still working within it.

But it’s calm down here, for the most part. Peaceful even. It’s an excellent place for fishing and hunting, and a little more sheltered from the freezing winds.

Until you hear the voice. Something soft and feminine, echoing across the ice. The Basin helps to amplify the sound, and for a long time you can’t quite be sure of where exactly it’s coming from. It’s singing, she is singing. Something old, in a language you can’t quite understand. Maybe it’s not even a language at all, but simply melodic vocalizations. It’s... beautiful, you’ve never heard anything like it before in your life.

And then you see her: a woman standing upon the frozen waters of the Basin. You realise she’s probably the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen in your life, even if you can’t quite even begin to describe her. She appears different to everyone who beholds her, some one might see her hair is long and dark, others might see her with neat red curls. Some swear her skin is dark and rich, that looks almost plum when the light hits it just so, others claim it to be cool-toned that glistens like sunlight on snow. Whatever someone might find aesthetically pleasing is how she’ll appear, and even then to describe her to others will bring you at a loss for words. And she’s singing… to you, for you.

You’re compelled to go to her, although you can’t explain why. You’re drawn to approach her, to hear her better, see her better. Your feet carry you onto the ice, out into the midst of the Basin. You ignore the calls of everyone and anyone around you, fixated on the woman before you. She smiles when you’re close enough, beckons you a little closer.

… Then everything changes. Without warning, the woman leaps for you, her face contorting into something hideous, mouth opening to scream to reveal rows upon rows of tiny, needle-like teeth. She collides with you, and the force (paired with the slippery ice below you) is enough to send you off your feet. As you fall back, the ice cracks beneath you with an almighty sound, plunging you into the frigid depths below.

The woman fights to put you beneath the water’s surface, those needle-like teeth bared like some ferocious beast. She can be fought off easily enough, but she might just drown you before you’re able to. If you’re lucky, someone might be able to help pull you out. Tools or weapons made of iron or silver are especially harmful to her.

Once you’re pulled from the water, getting somewhere warm will be the utmost priority — otherwise the cold will kill you quicker than the woman would. The woman, you’ll find, will have vanished, and the ice where you’d fallen will have restored itself, as if it had never been broken at all.

FAQs

ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST

1. Items characters have brought from home can be found either strewn around them when they awaken, or in the community hall — as if someone left them out for them to collect. Methuselah will not know how they got there, and will be quite bemused by the happenings.

2. Reminder that all characters are now depowered upon arrival. They can choose not to notice it at first, or can immediately sense something is different about them.

3. If asked any personal questions, Methuselah will smile and say "Oh, you don't want to know about an old man like me. But I have lived all over in these parts for all my life." He will be more concerned with trying to help Newcomers, and is genuinely concerned for them and their well-being.

4. If asked how he knew that the Newcomers were arriving, he concedes that although it is a strange thing to know, it is much like how one knows a storm is coming.

HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE

1. Characters are welcome to take up residency in any of the homes of Milton. Methuselah will strongly advise characters to leave a huge, dilapidated house — known as Milton House — well alone, due to extensive fire damage.

2. More information about Milton can be found here.

THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN

1. Characters with hearing impairments will not be susceptible to the Siren's song, or may only be somewhat susceptible depending, but may be entranced to a degree by looking at the Siren. However, this will be far easier to snap out of.

2. The Siren cannot be killed, only fought off. She will disappear for a length of time to recover before she attempts to lure her next victim.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴀʟ

[ Sam's no stranger to abruptly waking up in strange places. Usually he's got some ideas as to exactly how he landed himself in one of those situations, even if it takes a few minutes to shake those recent memories loose, but this is one of those times where he has absolutely no idea. He does remember dragging himself back to his room in the bunker, totally exhausted as usual, and it shouldn't have been possible for some entity to just pluck him right up out of there, right under the nose of several hunters, not to mention Jack, blowing past the best warding that he's ever encountered.

But first things first— he's not in a great situation now. He's in a dusty old cabin, he recognizes the smell of musty wood and the sound of a cold wind whistling through the ragged planks, it seems like it's been abandoned for quite some time. Which wouldn't have been so bad if not for the collapsed pile of broken beams and floorboards from what used to be a second floor that's boxed him in. Prying himself free is easier said than done, and by the time he manages to stumble out of the place he's got a couple of rips in his jacket and jeans and a gash on his arm from his efforts to free himself. He'll just have to deal with that later.

He's picked up his gun on the way out, which makes him feel a little bit less vulnerable. But Cas isn't answering him, so... not great. There's no sign that anyone's been around here at all aside from the smoke he spots drifting from somewhere further down into the forest. That's where he's headed, but he's searching every building he comes across along the way, cautious but hopeful that he'll find either something or someone who can help him figure this out.

When he kicks in the door on a similarly ramshackle cabin to the one that he landed in he definitely hears rustling, but instead of rushing in he calls out, gun in hand though not pointed wildly at the darkness. ]

Hey, anybody in there?

ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴀʟ ɪɪ

[ Methuselah isn't as helpful as Sam was hoping that he might be, but he's not going to complain when the old man's offering up shelter and food and assistance and he seems genuinely interested in helping. While he's inherently wary of trusting mysterious people who just happen to be living in an old, clearly troubled and abandoned town, no offense, for now the only rational thing to do is to take the help. He had a bowl of soup thrust into his hands and since he's starving, it feels like he hasn't eaten in days, he does eat it, and he even goes back for coffee. But by the time he's cleaned and wrapped up the worst of his wounds he's already peering back out through the windows at the gloom outside. They've had a steady stream of people trickling in, all of which seem to be just as confused about all of this as he is.

It feels a too eerily similar to what he went through with Azazel, but he keeps those thoughts to himself. It might just mean that he's a little more careful about not turning his back on anyone until he gets a better feel for what's going on around here.

So he does notice that someone's followed him to the door, curious or concerned or maybe they just have the same thought that he does. He turns as he's zipping his jacket up, which isn't the best wear for a cold night like this, but it'll do. ]

I'm going back. There could be more people trapped or lost out there.

[ Living ones. And maybe he'll find a few more clues about Milton while he's at it. ]

ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ/ᴏᴏᴄ

[ ooc: I'm totally open to tweaking these prompts or doing a whole new one, just lmk if you want to plot! Sam here is from early season 13 but don't feel like you have to know anything about Supernatural to hop in, I'm happy to explain any relevant details c: apologizes in advance for slow tags, I'm in the middle of my work week but I wanted to get this up asap lol ]

You can't possibly be thinking of going out there again on your own.

[ It's cold, it's dark (and it's only going to get darker, she thinks; it's just a feeling she has), and she's pretty sure there are things lurking out there that should not be faced head on. Certainly not by oneself.

Not that this very tall man probably couldn't handle himself, but she's still going to be concerned. ]

Isn't that what a buddy system's for?

[ Wait. Did she just volunteer herself?

Oh, well. ]

Yeah, usually.

[ He didn't see anything actively stalking around out there on the way in, but he did run across a few people who did, and he's definitely not suspecting that it was an animal. Normal wild animals wouldn't have taken out an entire town, and if they had he wouldn't have expected to find that much left behind. No, he's pretty sure there's something, maybe several somethings, out there, which makes it that much more important to get people to the safest spot they've got.

And as confident as he is in his ability to take care of himself he knows all too well that no one is too good to need someone to watch their back, but it still doesn't make him any more eager to drag someone back into danger with him. He pauses though, turning to give her his full attention. ]

You want to go?

[ Maybe want is a strong word, but he can understand needing to at least try. ]

[ Barbie has no idea what might be lying in wait outside, but her imagination is nevertheless ill equipped with any exposure whatsoever to the scary or the monstrous or some terrifying combination of both.

Her naivety is what prompts her to step forward, nodding, even with the prospect of absolutely freezing to some unpleasant death out there. What's important is that she doesn't leave this man on his own out there. She'll be his buddy.

And thankfully she's bundled herself up since then with whatever was offered to her. The parka isn't her colour, but it'll do. ]

I — yes. [ Actually — ] Yes, I do.

[ Arguably it's a bigger risk to take someone else out with him who might end up getting dragged into trouble because of him, that's happened more times than he cares to remember, and it does feel kind of selfish on his part to accept her company, but... on the other hand they're stuck in what seems like a pretty grim situation, trying to shield these people from that would definitely do more harm than good. So he nods, standing to the side as he steps through the door to let her follow. He's got a general idea of which direction he wants to go.

As soon as they door's open he's reminded of just how cold it is outside. It's a jarring change from the mostly pleasant spring weather that he just came out of, but at least he dropped in with a jacket. Later on it might be a good idea to pick up some warmer clothes though, if there happens to be some he can wear around here. ]

My name's Sam, by the way. You?

[ He'll take the lead, obviously. If there's anything nasty out here he'd much prefer to stumble into it first. ]

[ She still believes that if anything were to happen, nothing on the level of horror that Sam Winchester is likely used to, but if anything else were to happen, she could be the one to call for help, or he could, and that's just the way the buddy system works.

This is a fool-proof plan, and she's determined to see it through.

She nods, her smile warm and bright despite the circumstance at hand — and the temperature outside. Almost as though it's a reflex, or an automatic tic. ]

I'm Barbie! It sure is nice to meet you, Sam.

[Castiel arrives at the schoolhouse much later than Sam who looks unphased on the surface despite their current circumstances. It would be difficult not to notice Sam in a room, a head above the rest, off to the side more studious than scared. Fear remains, in himself and he's sure in Sam intertangling with the bonds of uncertainty.

Much of Castiel's time after Methusaluh's lackluster explanation was spent hanging his clothes and changing into something more comfortable. He's dressed now in the woolen heavy knit jacket he'd found in one of the stores, a pair of jeans, and work boots.

The bowl of food is still in his hand, barely touched, coffee felt more comforting and after a few bites of the gruel, he'd had his fill. Experience wasn't on his side when it came to enjoying human necessities.]

If you're going back then I'm coming with you.

[It's not how he saw the reunion going, but he's not about to let him go into that uncharted territory alone.]

[ There's enough of a crowd here that Sam doesn't immediately notice when Cas arrives, after trying to call out to him a few times on the way in he'd decided to give it a rest for now, hoping that the silence didn't turn out to be ominous. It's only when he's preparing to reach for the door that he hears that familiar voice, and if he wasn't accustomed to years of the angel appearing abruptly it might have caught him off-guard. As it is he's just relieved, he really was more or less halfway convinced that all of this was some weird nightmare hallucination.

Cas being here doesn't entirely rule that out, but he sounds... fine, as fine as any of them ever can be at least. He turns, reaching out instinctively to grasp a hand on the angel's shoulder, as if he needs that tactile connection to convince himself that this is real. And maybe he does, it's been a while since anything threw him for a loop this hard with no warning whatsoever. ]

Cas. Hey, when did you get here? Did you hear me before?

[ This doesn't change his plans obviously, but more immediately he's hoping that Cas might have more answers than he does. It wouldn't be hard, he's rolling with a whole lot of nothing at the moment. ]

A little while ago. I was too perturbed by our situation to eat, so I placed my portion aside for later.

[In a thermos, but he didn't need to say that. He's got a duffle bag on his shoulder, and a look of discomfort that went alongside his diminished grace. None of this made any sense to him.]

I didn't know you were here until you got up for the door.

[Cas reciprocates the small touch Sam affords him by reaching out to clasp the arm of the same hand that was gripping his shoulder. It's good to see him, a relief in retrospect. Sam Winchester was as much a survivor as Dean, and the two of them were far more reliable in this situation than he considered himself to be.]

[ It's a brief but strong grip, enough to tell him that they're both here, that this is real— or at least that they have to take it as real until they've got any reason to believe otherwise. As relieved as he is to see a friendly face, one of the few he can trust without question these days despite, or maybe because of everything they've been through together, on the other hand what does it say about the force that brought them here that it apparently can affect an angel just as easily as a human? ]

You should eat when you can. [ He says it almost instinctively, despite the fact that Cas usually doesn't need to eat at all. Usually. But if he didn't hear prayers or even sense that he was in the room... ] Is this place effecting your Grace too?

[ He asks, but he kind of knows the answer already. If he could have Cas surely would have already suggested flying them all out of here, that would have had to have been the first thing he would try when he landed in an unfamiliar place, presumably out of nowhere the same way he did. That would be enough to rattle him too, it's been a while since human Cas was a thing.

Of course there's never an easy way out, not for them. ]

[Solid, but undoubtedly telling Sam Winchester was there in front of him and their newfound harsh environment was every bit as real as the two of them were. When Sam mentions the food Castiel spares a passing glance to where he'd left his bowl close to the fire, he knows that Sam is right but his pride won't let him admit that aloud.]

I think there may be a disconnect. Wherever we are now, it's too far removed from home for me to draw from it.

[Had he been able to use his wings he definitely would have done just that. While some things are functional such as his awareness and his senses, any true power has been subdued.]

[ It hasn't been that long since waking up, but everything about this place screams abandoned. She's looking around despite that, trying to get her bearings, but there's a growing feeling that she'll probably have to head out to find anything useful. She's certainly not expecting anyone to show up at the door, and there's a startled, hissed swearing from deeper in the cabin when Sam kicks open the door. ]

Hey, uh-- [ Her voice is nervous, moving closer as she moves out from the back room of the cabin towards the front. ] Sorry, is this your house? I didn't take anything, I swear.

[ In hindsight maybe he should have tried knocking? Oh well. Now that he's gotten a good look at the apparent sole occupant of this particular cabin Sam's posture visibly relaxes, though he knows better than to let his guard down, especially not in a place like this where he doesn't know what to expect. That said he's got a lot of sympathy for whoever else might be caught up in this, who may or may not have had any experience with this kind of thing. ]

No, it's not. Sorry if I scared you, I just thought that you might have been trapped like I was. [ Now that he's got a clear view of the cabin interior he takes a moment to glance around, though he's less worried about a potential ambush. If there was anything unpleasant in here she would have known about it. ] Did you just wake up here too?

[ It's a question that might sound crazy to anyone who actually lives around here, but he's used to that too. Dealing with various levels of disbelief is just a part of being a hunter, or at least the kind of hunter that he is. He's not like others he's met, and definitely not like his father. He still has occasional disagreements with Dean too... when he's not off being possessed by an archangel anyway.

It's not a great time to take a sudden vacation to some frozen wasteland. As if there's ever a good time for it. ]

[ Alyson relaxes a little herself at the question, which probably serves as an answer before she even opens her mouth. On the one hand, it would be nice to find out what in the world is going on here; but it's also kind of nice to know she's not the one suddenly in a strange place. Nothing like this has ever happened to her before -- at least she's not alone anymore. ]

I did. I haven't tried to leave yet -- I've been looking around, but I haven't found anything useful. [ And then, as she catches sight of the gash on his arm, she frowns. ] Uh, but there might be bandages somewhere. Are you okay?

It's starting to get crowded in here. Din's had his back turned most of the time, sitting on the very edge of the room, but it's obvious just by listening that more people are arriving every now and then. Methuselah said something about a Flare -- Din's thinking he means a solar flare, or an aurora, or something else that generates a lot of energy, enough to propel people here from all sorts of worlds.

He doesn't know how it plucked him up from the middle of space, but that's something to investigated later.

When he turns his head to look back at the people, one of them's in the middle of leaving. He's got a resolute look on his face, too, and Din knows exactly what he's up to just by looking at him. So he sighs gustily, stands, and makes his way over. The environmental controls in his armor aren't working, but he's still better prepared for the elements than most: no skin showing, full head coverage, and he's even got a spear that doesn't depend on power to work, unlike the rest of his weapons.

"I'll come with you," he offers, his voice raspy through the helmet, the edge of the firelight flickering over the blank beskar face.

The jacket the guy's wearing isn't good enough for this kind of cold. So Din might just wind up rescuing him and not any others.

"You got a location, or are you just wandering blind?"

[ That armor sure stands out in a crowd. Sam's more than a little curious about where he got that, since it's only vaguely like anything he's seen or even read about but it's obvious that it's not some kind of cosplay. And considering the situation they're apparently stuck in here? Not a bad choice. It makes him feel a lot more exposed, as if the frigid wind outside wasn't doing that already, but he wouldn't be any good with actual armor aside from maybe a bulletproof vest. He's a lot more used to relying on being quick on his feet, or, even better, prepared with specifically effective weapons against whatever he has to fight.

Right now he has no idea what they're up against. It seems reasonable to assume that there's wild animals out there, and those could be a real threat if they're hungry and they're not scared of people.

So when the strangers offers his company Sam's inclined to take him up on it. He doesn't seem exactly chatty, but he's clearly got that armor for a reason and the overall impression is definitely of someone who knows how to handle a tough situation. So when Sam steps out back into the gloom he slides to the side to let his new companion join him outside on the stoop. ]

Not exactly blind. I was going to work my way out in the opposite direction from where I came, since I checked all those buildings on the way here. What about you?

As they step outside, the cold air seems to blast air them, skimming right off the top of the snow. What ice had gathered on his armor had melted in the warmth of the community hall, but no doubt it will gather once more. He really misses his armor's environmental controls. But his gear is built for all weather, even extreme weather. He doesn't know how well his companion is going to fare.

Din tips his head up, studying the sky and the dim shape of the sun behind the clouds.

After a long moment, he says, "I came from the north. It took me an hour to walk here. I didn't check many buildings."

No, he'd been more concerned about getting himself to civilization and that tower of smoke he'd seen from the fire here, he hadn't been thinking about other people. Until he got here, he hadn't even been aware that others were in the same predicament he was. He'd checked just enough buildings to gather that the town seemed to have been largely abandoned. But with more people filtering into the community hall, it seems likely that there's more out there. Not all of them would be able to make it in this weather.

Din steps out, boots crunching in the snow. For now, he'll go with this guy's plan, since at least he has one. That's always a good sign. "Lead the way."

We can try east then.

[ Sam's not going to judge anyone for making a beeline straight for what seems like the only hospitable location anywhere nearby, especially not when the weather is awful and they're surrounded by some kind of lurking threat, potentially one aside from the wild animals. It's always his first instinct to check on others whenever he finds himself in a dangerous situation, but that's just what he does. And these days he doesn't resent it, while he'd never encourage anyone else to take that same path it's his, and yeah, he'll take whatever help he can get.

The quiet of the town comes crushing back in on him as soon as the door closes behind them on the lively atmosphere of Methusalah's place, and though he doesn't expect to find anyone who needs help this close to the most obvious destination he's still peering through windows and down alleys as they walk, just to scope things out. There might be some clues and more useful supplies around here too, but the more important thing for him is to look for people who might be lost or hurt. ]

So I gotta ask, where did you come from? Before you landed here.

[ From what he's gathered so far there have been a lot of people from the Earth that he knows, but then there are others who have had very different answers. If not for the past few years in particular he would have had a hard time believing it, but now he's mostly just intrigued. Whether it's a good or a bad sign that there's so much diversity here, he can't say. ]

So far, Din's managed to gather one very important thing: most, if not all of the people here, are from a different galaxy to him. He can't say whether or not most of them are from spacefaring civilizations, but he doesn't think so. Their clothing is low-tech, and so are their weapons.

Which means that this guy's probably expecting an answer like, what city is he from. It means Din has to talk a little differently about his galaxy than he'd talk about it to a native.

"I was leaving a light cruiser, on my way to a planet called Tattooine," he replies. As his companion's peering through windows, Din stays on a straight path, helmet swiveling as he keeps watch for danger, boots crunching the snow. "I was only a couple of parsecs away in hyperspace when I must have blacked out, and I woke up here." He pauses. "I don't know if that answer will be useful to you."

His current company seems like the thoughtful sort -- and the sort of guy who would go out into freezing weather he's not properly dressed for just to make sure he can rescue every person he can. For a person to do that for people he doesn't know, that takes a real strength of character. A dedication. A willingness for self-sacrifice. All of the people he's met so far have been good. Din wonders if that's a pattern.

"What about you?"

[ Dean's already hauled Cas' pathetic ass back and dumped him in front of the fire with a plate of food (and maybe devoured some himself), and is now prowling the space, looking around, chatting with people here and there but ultimately looking for the exact person he finds. ]

Well, I'm coming with you.

[ Obviously.

Sam looks kinda...weird, different than the last time Dean had seen him, older or something but he bypasses that in favor of simply being relieved he's found his brother. ]

(( ooc; dean's a season5 ish baby! enjoy that lmao ))

[ Dean's not the only one who can tell that something's off. Sam stops, relief and worry washing over him when he hears his brother's voice, but it's not exactly the same, is it? Turning to get a better look at him just confirms it, he knows Dean's face just as well as his own and he can immediately tell that he looks too young. It's both more and less weird than that time Dean spent as a teenager again.

He's alive. He's himself. That's the most important thing, but Sam isn't sure how to feel about this one. ]

Dean, did you...? [ Plans to go trudging back outside are temporarily forgotten as he tries to think of how to ask. As if they're not used to weird, when their entire lives have been unbelievable, and only more so every year. God, he hadn't realized exactly how much older and more exhausted Dean has looked lately until he's seeing him with... less of that. ] Okay, what were you doing before you woke up here?

[ Is it that obvious to Dean too? ]

[ The lines are smoother, wrinkles at the corner of his eyes not nearly as deep. Younger, obviously, but there's still weight there, pressing on his shoulders, holding him down.

Not nearly as much as later, though. ]

What?

[ He frowns, looking at Sam and yeah, dude is definitely different. ]

Sleeping? C'mon, man. Get a jacket and lets go.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

August 2023 Test Drive Meme

sam winchester | supernatural

arrival ii —; (also lmk if spoilers are ok or not and i'll keep it general!)

spoilers are okay with me!

perfect 👍

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arrival ii

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arrival

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ii

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arrival II timey wimey

a semi-baby dean oh my

just a lil guy