infinityandmadness
〚☀ Lainn Meadows ☼ Motel Clerk ☽ 26 ☼ Residential Housing ☁〛﹌【✼】𝕬𝖘 𝖆 𝖑𝖔𝖙𝖚𝖘 𝖋𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖗 𝖎𝖘 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖜𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖎𝖙 𝖚𝖓𝖘𝖔𝖎𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝖘𝖔 𝕴 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖚𝖓𝖘𝖔𝖎𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉
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Latest Posts by infinityandmadness
When the other came to stand and looked at him, Lainn directed his gaze away while listening. He watched Tali mumbling about some of the plant life he was seeing before looking back at Lucas, “Really? You encourage that?” Lainn questioned, curious. Then knocked his head toward the other, “Lainn. So, you're Sheriff of this place?” He questioned, wondering how that was established, and why. However, he was not one to go against 'order' over chaos. He very much did enjoy some chaos, too. Lainn twirled the leaf between his fingers on his right hand, “How bad's the crime rate around here?”
Lucas actually looks up to who he's talking to. He vaguely recognizes the face as someone semi-new. Seeing a child helps. Larry? Lauren?
Lucas stands. "Sorry. We just encourage people not to get too close to the woods. Sheriff Lucas Miranda."
He steps forward, offering his hand.
He glances over and smiles toward the kid playing.
Lainn raised an eyebrow at her snort, before glancing away. That told him a little more that this place wasn't as panic-inducing as the people behaved on the first night. Granted, the freaks outside at night to be true in the case, whatever reason, Lainn had decided to play along. Giving Tali the same game plan in private. Though Tali was only just nine years old, he had been through plenty enough. Enough that he knew whatever the situation was in front of them, it would be dangerous to give into the childish part of him, now. Following in step with Lainn as they were walking. Lainn listened to the other, “Right. I got a little information on that when I got here.” Though, he did think about what she was elaborating on here.
At the question, he glanced back to Mira and nodded, listening as she explained the situation with juice and tea. Looking vaguely disgusted on hearing this, he clicked his tongue, “The milk tastes like cardboard…” He wondered how that could have even been possible. But, perhaps he was overthinking what he had learned before coming here. So, he really didn't know how to think, given what he currently knows of this place. Now, he was just concerned with why milk would taste like cardboard. Or if Mira was just playing up the whole act altogether. “But you have cows, so, that's something? Are you feeding them properly?” Should he have even been asking her that question? What made him think she was in control of any livestock? “I mean, are they being fed properly?”
When Mira continued, he nodded his head at her reasoning and continued walking toward the diner. Once inside and Mira had moved to rest on the counter to talk to Tali, Lainn sat back a little to one side, observing this interaction. Tali looked at the woman, now more at eye level with him, and gave a nod of his head toward Mira's words, understanding. He offered a nervous smile before turning his head toward Lainn, who offered an approving smile, “Just give him some time to figure you out.” Lainn echoed part of her prior statement back, nodding as he continued to watch Tali for another moment. When Mira went on to Lainn question of her medical experience, he listened attentively to her, “Ooo, a dropout. Thought about doing that a few times myself, in school.” He swallowed, stopping himself from thinking too far back into those years, “Had a lot going on at the time.”
As she prompted, he moved to hold his hands out for her to see more clearly, they had already been cleaned up pretty well this morning, “That would be unpleasant. I would like to keep my hands. Though, I would like to keep my mind, more. Good brains are a hard thing to come by, you know.” He partially joked, watching her closely as she was cleaning the deepened groves his nails had cut into the bottoms of his palms, “By the sounds of it, don't seem like anyone here just rolled in here on purpose.” He pointed out, then turned to look at Tali, who was sitting at the booth now, playing with some toys he had in his backpack. Lainn looked back toward Mira after a moment, “But, yeah, I guess we were just moving, which you can te-Ah-” He winced a bit as his palms stung with the medicine. Then continued the next second, “The moving truck is a dead giveaway. The Twilight Zone is probably what I'd call it, going by what I've been told so far.” Lainn pauses, looking from his palms to her, “Nah, just going to a different state, I had a new job opportunity waiting for me. Kinda a boring story, actually.” Tali looked over, looking uncertain before looking back to his toys again, Lainn continued, “What about you?”
she walked just ahead, the soft scuff of her boots against the pavement filling the quiet between them. her gaze flicked toward lainn’s son, tali, as he clutched his backpack straps, his eyes darting around like he was trying to catalog everything at once. there was a wariness there she recognized — a kid who’d learned too early to read the room, to stay close to the people who mattered. it made her chest ache, just a little. at lainn’s comment about infections and whatever this is, she snorted softly, her breath visible in the cool morning air. “weak minds don’t last long in a place like this,” she said, her voice low, more to herself than him. “but it’s not just infections you gotta watch out for. this town’s got a way of digging in, pulling at the edges of you until you start unraveling.” his dry response about teeth earned a faint smirk from her, and when he asked about tea and juice, she raised an eyebrow. “tea? sure, if you’re not picky. juice? you’re asking a lot from a place where the milk sometimes tastes like cardboard.” her tone was teasing, but there was a sharpness underneath — this wasn’t the kind of town where you could afford to be picky. not about anything. as they reached the diner, she held the door open, letting them step inside ahead of her. the smell of stale coffee and frying grease hit her immediately, and she relaxed, just a little. this place might not be much, but it was familiar now, and in a town like this, familiar was as close to comfort as you got. “new guy’s just what i call people i haven’t figured out yet,” she said, shrugging as she moved behind the counter. her dark eyes flicked to tali’s brief grin, and something about it softened her sharp edges. “lainn and tali, huh? well, nice to meet you. and tali,” she added, leaning forward slightly, her elbows resting on the counter as she looked at him, “if you ever feel like talking, i make a pretty good listener. no pressure, though.” she pulled a first aid kit from under the counter, plunking it down in front of lainn with a decisive thud. “first aid training?” she repeated, arching an eyebrow as she opened the kit. “let’s just say i spent a few years learning how to fix people up when they were too stubborn to admit they needed help. med school dropout,” she added casually, grabbing some antiseptic wipes and bandages. “but don’t worry, i know what i’m doing.” she gestured for his hand, her movements brisk but not unkind. “you’ll be good as new in no time, i promise. or, at the very least, you won’t have to worry about losing your hand to some weird infection from this town.” she started cleaning the wound, her hands steady as she worked. “so, lainn,” she said after a moment, her tone light but probing, “what’s your story? you don’t seem like the type to roll into a place like this by accident.” she glanced up at him, her eyes sharp and curious. “or maybe i’m wrong. maybe you’re just another lost soul who made a wrong turn and ended up in the twilight zone.”
Lainn raised his eyebrows at their echoing, before squinting at the others, in a small moment of quiet. Though as the stranger continued, he is gaze shifted elsewhere as he listened quietly. That did sound very strange. Though, he supposed most coffee tasted terrible, anyway. As he never liked the stuff. Though he would never have described of the times he had tasted it, to be like a burnt tire, “Does it ever get cleaned out?” He chanced asking. Not sure this was the right person to ask. Turning his head from them, he looked about the 'station' where any coffee maker might be, spotting it easily, then giving a 'tsk' toward the look of the thing. It needed to be put out of its misery.
With a hesitating glance back to the other, he further listened to them as they moved their comments on toward him. Moving closer toward the coffee maker, he sighed a bit, begrudging of this newcomer look he was sporting in his being, at the moment. He hated being new to anything. It drew far too much attention than what he really liked, toward himself. Lainn nodded, however, “I'm not really much of a coffee drinker, to be fair.” Though he could, perhaps, help to make the coffee better, if need be. Lainn glanced at them, “Just, getting the lay of the place, I guess you might say.”
“Have you seen me around, huh.” He supposed his exploring was noticed, “I suppose you'd say that is the case. Though I don't drink coffee, I thought there might be something. Maybe tea… But hello. I'm Lainn.” He elegantly held out his hand, gesturing to Tali, “This is my son, you may call him Tali.” Lainn introduced, his eyes on the area of the coffee maker once more, “It is good to meet you Sullivan, I guess?” He grinned, “Absolute loathing might be more descriptive of what I feel toward coffee.” Turning then, he politely took the other's offering for a handshake, giving a strong, good shake before letting go after a respectable amount of time. Then he pointed at the coffee maker, “Who owns it?”
“What’s wrong with it?” Sullivan echoed, their Southern drawl curling around the words. They gestured dramatically at the mug. “You mean aside from the fact it tastes like someone boiled a burnt tire in swamp water and called it a day? Absolutely nothing. Top-notch poison.”
Their grin deepened as their gaze drifted back to Lainn, noting the way he was sizing them up—or maybe just trying to make sense of them. Sullivan let the silence hang for a moment before adding, “Let me guess—you’re not here for the coffee either, are you? No one comes here for this mess unless they’ve lost a bet or all their other bad habits dried up.”
They tilted their head slightly, as if considering something. “I’ve seen you around,” they said, gesturing lazily toward him. “Usually keeping to yourself. Guess the coffee finally broke you down, huh? Name’s Sullivan, by the way. Figured we should get that out of the way since we’re bonding over mutual disdain.” They extended a hand with a crooked grin, their tone a perfect blend of playful and sardonic. “You?”
Glancing over at the boxes as Charlie had, he wondered what the other might think upon learning what all he had in this truck. Lainn decided it was better not to say too much about it. How much could these strangers really do, anyway? As she spoke about making it through the night, he nodded, “Well, unless you know something I don't. I'm thinking I made it through the night.” He looked down at himself, bringing his hands to pat along his body, as if to make sure it was there, “All here.” He sighed, relieved, sarcastically. As she gave a name, he returned her smile, “Hey Charlie, nice to meet you, I'm Lainn.” Then he glanced back to the back of the truck, “Just looking for something-” Pausing, he wondered how much he could say here, given what the town looked to be like, and how they spoke the day before, he narrowed his eyes a bit. He had to approach this strange situation calmly and rationally. That was the best way to get through what he was experiencing, for now. Tali continued to help Lainn. Who had returned his attention to Charlie again, “Maybe you could help me understand this place a little more?” Lainn offered, not sure whether he wanted a stranger in the truck, which he was going to move closer to the house when he got the chance.
charlie glanced inside the truck, spotting all the boxes. if there was one good thing to come from this, at least these two would have all of their belongings. though, she had a feeling a lot of it might go into the communal stock. even outside of colony house, this place had a 'what's yours is mine' way of living since everything was so scares. she wondered how these two would take that once they learned the truth. but she wasn't going to be the one to tell them right now. "so you made it through the night, that's good," she says with a smile. "i'm charlie," she introduces herself. "do you need some help looking for something?" she didn't mind helping and this guy seemed nice enough. he wasn't yelling at her like most of the newcomers she's seen since it was her as the newcomer.
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He did get told this before, in a way. Certainly, something was wrong with the town, Lainn narrowed his eyes. He couldn't really figure out what exactly this meant, in all. But, he was willing to play this little game for now. Having seen it, they looped back around to the town. In a way, he couldn't find it possible. But yet, had happened regardless, “Right. An infection would weaken the mind to, whatever, this is.” He waved his left hand, gesturing around them. Tali looked over at Lainn before looking back at the woman, grabbing onto the strips of his backpack, and turning his head to look around.
As Mira continued explaining the place, Lainn nodded, “Teeth aren't so bad, I'd guess.” He muttered in reply. Not sure that he was too scared of the place. Even with these 'things' that came out at night. There had to be something at the root of all of this. Being scared to find out what wasn't going to get them out of here. Whatever 'here' even was. Lainn continued, “What's the tea and juice situation like here?” Came the question, a quirk of an eyebrow momentarily along with it before he also looked around, as if he might see something to hint toward an answer to his question, also.
“I'll consider it.” He lied, not thinking he'd suddenly shift to drinking coffee. Now, if there was alcohol around, he wouldn't reject that. Lainn nodded as she had given her name, then asked for their own, “New guy, really? Do I not have any characteristic outside of that?” He asked with a sarcastic tone. Tali grinned at Mira for a moment, clearly amused, before his attention was off to the other's roaming about the town. Lainn went on, “You can call me Lainn, and my son is Tali. He's usually more talkative.” Though not around strangers, he supposed. Which he wasn't going to press about, of course. Lainn and Tali followed behind Mira toward the diner.
“It's nice of you, anyway,” Lainn commented as he moved to follow her inside, letting Tali go before him. Lainn took a moment to look around, then started, “So, what kind of first aid training do you have?”
mira tilted her head slightly as the man spoke, her dark eyes scanning his face. he looked tired — not just the kind that sleep could fix, but the kind that came from being stretched too thin for too long. she knew that look; she’d worn it herself too many times. his response, dry and a little guarded, made her smirk faintly. “yeah, infection’s a real buzzkill,” she said, nodding toward his hand. “especially in a place like this. trust me, you don’t want to give this town any more reasons to mess with you.” she shifted her weight, glancing at the boy. he was quiet, but there was a sharpness in his gaze, like he was taking in everything without saying much. she didn’t miss the way he hovered just enough to keep close to the man’s side, a quiet sort of loyalty that tugged at something in her chest. mira didn’t have anyone like that anymore, but seeing it in others always made her pause. “this place might look like a small town with a swampy makeover, but it’s got teeth,” she said, her voice quieter now, like she was letting him in on a secret. “you’ll figure that out soon enough.” his agreement to her offer surprised her a little. most people here seemed to keep their walls high, especially newcomers. understandably. she raised an eyebrow as he locked up the truck and gestured for her to lead the way. “all right, mr. not-a-coffee-drinker,” she said, her tone lighter now as she turned on her heel. “but if you change your mind, i make a mean cup of diner sludge. best in town — mostly because it’s the only coffee in town.” she walked a few paces ahead before glancing back to make sure they were following. “name’s mira, by the way. i’d say welcome, but..” she shoved her hands deeper into her jacket pockets, her gaze flicking between him and the kid. “what about you two? got names, or should i keep calling you ‘new guy’ and ‘quiet kid’?” she wasn’t sure why she felt the need to reach out, but something about them made her want to stick around a little longer. maybe it was the way the man’s shoulders seemed weighed down, or the boy’s silent strength. or maybe it was just that in this strange, unsettling place, she couldn’t help but want to offer what little comfort or help she could. “don’t worry,” she added as they neared the diner. “i’ll give you the crash course on surviving this place. and if nothing else, at least you’ll have a decent bandage job to show for it.”
Looking up, he scrunched on side of his face a bit, shying away from the sunlight a bit before giving a nod at the question, “Yeah.” Lainn replied. He expected to be asked that a lot over the next few days. He hated being new to a place. But, it was also going to happen if he had arrived at his new destination, with new neighbors trying to figure out if he was some kind of psycho or something. Lainn put a box to one side, “I don't? Huh.” He paused to look around them, “Look's a lot like all the other small towns I grew up around-” Lainn stopped, taking in the sites a bit more, “With a bit more swamp. I'd say.” At their next comment, he looked back, giving a look that somewhat could be read as a mute 'you don't say?'. Letting out a breath, however, he looked toward his hands before dropping them away from himself a bit, “Yeah. Could say that.” Though, all things considered, he supposed it wasn't the worst way things could go. Being trapped in a town, by whatever means. With possible cultists. That was a concern, but, as long they didn't look delicious, he supposed he could find a way out before dinner.
Lainn lifted his head a bit, “Yeah?” At least the ones he had met so far all seemed to be really nice for the time being. Playing dumb, he turned his hands out again, “Well, wouldn't want that. Infection isn't good, I hear.” Lainn watched the stranger glance at the moving truck again. He was thinking he should try to move it closer to the house he and Tali were at, just to be safe. Lainn waited quietly for the woman to continue. Then nodded, listening when she had, “Course. Ain't nothing I haven't dealt with before. High school was a real bad time for me.” Lainn added. Of course, because he was weird and had no parents. Most of the 'normal' kid's hated that. Lifting his right hand up, he scratched it through his hair before looking at Tali and then toward the stranger.
“Yeah. Sure. Okay? Advice wouldn't be too bad. Not much of a coffee drink, though.” She probably had a lot more to elaborate than what he had already heard. Lainn decided it wasn't a bad idea to listen to anything anyone had to say around here. Quickly, he moved to pick up the box he moved and shoved it back into its perfectly sized space, before closing and locking the back of the truck again. Gesturing for the woman to lead the way.
mira stood across the street, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, eyes scanning the quiet morning. the town felt like it was still half asleep, and honestly, she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand the strange, unsettled feeling that clung to the air. she'd been in this place a few weeks now, but the unease was constant. it felt like something was always just out of reach — off, in a way she couldn’t quite place. she noticed the pair then, a man and a young boy walking toward a truck. she hadn’t seen them before. new faces, probably. there was something about them that caught her attention — maybe it was the way the man carried himself, stiff and like he was looking for something. or maybe it was the kid’s quiet steps, as though he wasn’t sure where he was supposed to be, either. mira pushed herself off the diner wall and started walking in their direction, eyes narrowed, not sure what she was expecting but feeling a pull to move closer. she slowed as she neared them, her gaze flicking from the man to the kid, then back to the truck. “you new around here?” she asked, her voice direct but not unkind. “you don’t look like you’re from this part of nowhere." she wondered what kind of trouble they were running from — or if they were like her, just stuck in this strange town, hoping for an escape that wasn’t coming. “looks like you’re having a rough start," she added, her eyes landing on his hand. "need help with that? first aid is in my skill set, i can keep that from getting worse." she glanced at the truck, then back to the man, studying him for a moment. there was something almost familiar about him, like she’d seen that guarded look somewhere before. but she didn’t know him. not yet, anyway. the boy, tall for his age but still looking young, was quiet, but there was a protective edge to his gaze as he looked up at the man. it made mira pause, wondering what their story was. “this place isn't exactly easy on newcomers," she said, shrugging slightly. "but if you want a hot coffee or some advice that doesn’t come with a price tag, i’m your girl. can’t promise much else." her tone was lighter now, like she was offering something small but real.
As she approached, he pats his hands on the box, almost in a bit of warning. But said nothing at the moment, lifting his head a little as he stood up from the box then and nodded at her words as Tali moved to go find boxes to move, “Right. Well, nothing a first aid kit can't fix. So. Hand is still attached.” He replied. Lainn lifts up one of his hands, showing the sore cuts in his palm. Then quickly turned his hand away from the woman, “But no, not hurt. Just clumsy. No need for any infirmary visits. Right?” He questioned toward Tali, who jumped off the truck with an excited agreement to Lainn as he tried to drag a box loose, still. Lainn moved to help pull the box out and nodded as the woman went on, “Yesterday. Later in the afternoon.” Setting the box down while letting Tali believe he had been carrying most of the weight, he pulled away and back to Montana, “So. How are you doing today, and all of that? Great weather today, isn't it." He clapped his hands together, not planning on making any lasting impression or anything. Since he planned on them leaving soon.
She got closer to the man and the kid and was feeling sort of awkward not knowing who they were. "Well, usually when people mention aid kits around here, its because someone has had their hand chopped off or worse." she didn't much censor herself for the kids sake, Montana had a tendency to treat everyone as if they were her peers. "You boys ain't hurt, are ya? We got an infirmary just down the road..." she looks them both over, trying to figure out what might be off but failing at that front. "A-are you....when did you guys get here?"
Lainn reached up to pull a box out, setting it off to one side as Tali was talking and trying to help, but the boxes were a little harder for him. So he defaulted to talking about some of his friends from school and the events they got up to, “Uuh huuuh. Really!? -You didn't!? That's gross Tali.” He commented, amused, however. Tali giggled, then tried to defend his part in the 'prank'. Lainn was sure that whatever friend had managed to eat a worm was going to be alright, though. Lainn looked over hearing a voice and nodded as he moved to grab another box, “Grrreaat.” He muttered distractedly as he dropped the heavy box to the ground and looked it over, finding what it was labeled on. Tali spoke up about it 'not being in that box'. He patted a hand to it and looked at the woman, “You heard right.” Eyeing her, he thought about, if anything he was told, was true. How important such a kit would be. Lainn stood then, “Why do you ask?”
She was done with work and on her way back to Colony House when she stopped by the rusty old gas stop to see if she could somehow oil up the chains of an overused bicycle. Nosy as she was though, she couldn't help but notice the man and the kid and wondered if maybe they could use some assistance. Montana hated offering, especially when exhausted from a days work which for her started much too early. "Hey, everything alright? I didn't mean to eavesdrop but, heard something about the first aid kit?"
Lainn listened to Tali's explaining where he put it. Then about a few other things he helped to pack into the truck. Lainn nodded and moved to look over at the back of the truck. It wasn't everything from their house back in Birdseye, as there had been one other truck one of his friends had offered to take the night before he and Tali left in their own. Lainn reached over toward one of the boxes, and started to tug on it before Tali had reached over to grab his shirt, giving it a tug at the same time Lainn had heard the stranger's voice.
Turning away from the back of the truck, Lainn looked at them and knocked his head in greeting, responding with a “Hey.” He looks her over before saying, “Yeah, we did. About, say, three PM yesterday.” He wasn't really sure, actually. Lainn wasn't sure so far how to approach the situation, at the moment. But he figured, whatever kept these people docile was going to work in his favor, “I'm Lainn. And we're good-just needing to get something out of the back.” He felt, as he said this, that he shouldn't just leave it there, he should ask her about herself, people like that, “What about you?” He faced the open truck again and pulled the box out, reading what was written on the side of it before placing it to one side.
charlie was on her way to her shift at the store when she spots a moving truck and two people she hadn't seen before. she has started to get used to not being the new face around town in the two months that she's been here, there has been a handful since she arrived. but it still didn't make it easier to know that more people were getting stuck here like she was- like they all were. since there wasn't really much of a rush to get to a store that was pretty much there for normalcy, she decides to take a detour and see if they newcomers were okay.
"hey there," she says as she rounds the truck, glancing inside for a second before looking at the man. coming in with a truck full of your things was probably about the best anyone could ask for when being stuck in this place. they were luck, all things considered. "you guys doing alright? did you just get here?"
With: Anyone Location: Near Fuel Stop Gas When: Early morning.
Opening the door to his house, he glanced around, taking stock of the area around the small little town. It wasn't too different from his own hometown. Smaller, sure. But, going by what he was told on the first day he arrived, despite his continued skepticism. He was sure if this were a normal town run by normal people, it would have been nice to spend on outdoor retreats. If you enjoyed a swampy environment. It was early. He couldn't really sleep in this strange place. Which was really interrupting his usual sleep routine. As Tali trailed behind him, he closed the door behind his son and began walking beside the other toward the more active part of the town.
Lifting his right hand up, he hissed under his breath, feeling the sting in his palm from his nails the night before. Tali looked over to Lainn and revealed what had happened, “Really? Wasn't too scary, was it?” Tali shook his head and said he had only been worried Lainn would hurt himself. Lainn turned toward the moving truck and opened up the back, “You think we packed the first aid kit near the front or the back?” Staring into the back of the truck, he frowned, not looking forward to going through items in it just to find anything like that. Not that it really mattered at all anyway, given their current situation. It couldn't all sit in there, anyway.
dark academia isn’t just for the humanities: i bring you STEM academia.
observatories. stargazing. biographies of scientists. filling the board end to end with equations. hand-drawn anatomical diagrams. the hazy euphoria after finally finishing an assignment. oppenheimer & frankenstein. the uniformity of a circuit board; the chaos of a programming window. ibm’s a boy and his atom. event horizon telescope’s black hole photo. the wonder of studying anatomy and knowing that’s happening within you. sketching organic compounds that may as well be sigils. studying latin for medical terminology. doing problem sets to classical music.
Redlight king - Bullet in my hand
I came out of the darkness with a bullet in my hand, I got one more shot at livin, I’m lucky that i can. ‘Cause i got a little roughed up, I really got fucked up. I came out of the darkness with a bullet in my hand.
DÔ VALOR A ESSA BANDA. Mereciam mais reconhecimento do que muita bandinha que se tem por aí.
Following his son into the shop, he took a look around, letting Tali free roam for a bit. Crossing his arms under his chest Lainn started over toward an interesting side not sure what he would find anything of worth in the whole place.
Now that Lainn was getting a better look as he closed in on the items that had caught his interest, he was certain there was nothing of worth. Reaching out for one random item, he paused when a voice interrupted him. Glancing over at the stranger when they brought up fighting for a pair of pants. He glanced away, considering for a moment, how that would go.
Sizing them up, he grabbed the pants and ripped them away from the other's grasp, holding them up to look at them more properly, “Too slow.” As the other started to explain themself to him, he narrowed his eyes on them, tilting his head, “Okay?” Great, a pacifist who couldn't decide to be one or not. Just what Lainn figured he always needed in his life.
Lainn bites on his lips, before making a small popping noise and leaning in a little bit toward the other, “I'm also a pacifist. But sometimes, some people need punched right in the jaw. The human shut off button.” Pulling away a little, he holds the pants out for the other to try to grab if they'd wanted to, before pulling it out of reach again, “Okay. Maybe. I'm not a pacifist. I'm actually an escalator of conflict. Since we are exposing.” He turned away leafing through more of these drab clothes, muttering under his breath, “I don't think you are a pacifist, either.” Probably because he suspected that most of the town was in a violent cult.
where: second chance thrift to: open
—
being stuck in this town shaped prison put a limit on the amount of hobbies mason could half-heartedly start and stop when he got bored. but where there's a will there's a way, and he was in desperate need of some kind of distraction. ever since the storm there was a certain unease that had seeped into his skin, even more prevalent than it had been before. it was growing increasingly harder to sit still.
so he decided to go thrift shopping. there was a feeling of normalcy that came with sifting through racks of second hand clothing, even if the options were considerably slimmer than he was used to.
there was already a vague idea bouncing around in his head of how he'd DIY whatever he could salvage into something he wasn't embarrassed to be seen wearing in public. but the hunt was proving harder than he'd thought. cold and slightly shaky hands came up to rest on a hanger, his gaze raked over the item when he noticed the other person in his peripheral vision. " i'm willing to fight over these pants, " he was joking, mostly. " i'm usually a pacifist but desperate times and what not. "
Trying to mind his own business, he was lost in his own thoughts, half listening to Tali talk to a toy dinosaur he had from a batch of his own toys from the back of the truck. Lainn yawned a bit, rubbing an eye as he tried waking up to deal with this…whatever, moment in his life. He suddenly blinked out of his state, realizing, he had no idea what he had even come in here for. Turning his head and he hears a voice speak up, outside, his Tali yapping off excitedly about dinosaurs. Finding the source of the notable accented voice, he locked his gaze on the person sitting in a corner, picking through a book just a couple of feet from them.
“I don't think even the most skilled coffee maker in this place could ever fix whatever is going on over there.” He gestured half-heartedly toward the coffee machine. Especially if the water may have been tampered with, which was his suspicion of what was going on with the people in this town. Again, he had to ask himself why on earth he had even come to wander in this place. He wasn't even looking for coffee. Lainn's gaze moved from the stranger's face to the book they had. Trying to see from where he was standing if he recognized it.
But the person continued and he listened. There was little else he had going on for him at that moment. But it really didn't culminate too much in the end, for him. Nodding his head, he wondered who was in charge of making moonshine around here. Or the coffee, even. Were they the same people? “What's wrong with it, anyway?” Lainn paused pointing toward their cup of coffee.
The late afternoon sun filtered through the grimy windows of the town diner, casting long streaks of light across the cracked vinyl booths. Sullivan sat at the corner table, a half-empty cup of lukewarm coffee in front of them, the faint trace of a smirk tugging at their lips. One hand lazily flipped through a tattered book they’d snagged from the community bookshelf, the other tapping a restless rhythm on the table. "Y’know," they said aloud to no one in particular, their Southern drawl dripping with amusement, "for a place so hellbent on keeping people alive, you’d think someone would’ve figured out how to make a decent cup of coffee by now." Their eyes flicked up, scanning the room with a mixture of curiosity and mischief, as if waiting for someone to take the bait. Sullivan leaned back in the chair, balancing it precariously on two legs, the grin on their face daring anyone to join them—or argue with them. "Either way," they added with a shrug, "it’s still better than moonshine that tastes like it’s been filtered through an old boot. Guess you pick your poison."
Reaching out toward a plant, Lainn delicately brushed the tips of his fingers on his outstretched left hand against the stem, before moving it to glide along the leaves. Frowning a bit, he remembered what his classes told him about the type of tree in front of him. Before he plucks a leaf right off and moves to stand in on the quick succession of moves.
Glancing over, he could see his son, playing and brought the leaf up to his nose, sniffing it before absently twisting it between his fingers and turning to move away a bit, spotting someone a moment or so later. He quirked an eyebrow at the other's assumption that he was looking to hunt, taking note of it, he gave a nod of his head.
Lainn turned his head, keeping Tali in his view, who remained close to him still before saying, “Well, I don't really hunt.” Holding his hands out, he gives a lazy shrug at this, before continuing to toy with the leaf in his hands and going on, “Do you?” Lainn inquired before turning his head back away from the stranger, listening to Tali come closer as he explained the type of plant he was now holding. Lainn gave a nod of his head, commenting gently toward his son, “That's correct. It's a pretty cool find, Tali.”
As Tali grinned at Lainn's words, before he moved a little ways away once more, to look at more of the plants in the immediate area. Lainn looked toward the stranger again, then around the wooded area before them, “It's pretty, this place. This type of biome is great for all kinds of discovery. There's probably loads of strange bugs here.” Lainn commented offhandedly. He had always found swampland and the like to be almost mystical.
where: edge of the woods | when: day time | whom: open to all
Lucas crouches at the edge of the woods, examining what could be tracks. Or could be nothing. He hates how smart the creatures are. They could've left this behind just to toy with him.
He hears rustling from footsteps behind him, and he doesn't bother looking up.
"The hunting woods are six miles that way," he says, pointing his left hand. "Signs and caution tape everywhere. You can't miss them."
We need books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like being banished into forests far from everyone. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is my belief.
Franz Kafka
