welcome to mayfield: day 4

[mayfield_mods]

[This carnival seems to be getting less and less maintained by the day. Your nerves aren't the only thing fallen apart: what were previously holes in the sky have expanded to cracks. What parts of the sky that haven't fallen into that strange, warping nothingness are full of brown smog-like clouds.

The carnival itself has become filthy, with trash and grease spots littered everywhere. The walls of the tents, wooden stands, and houses seem to be slightly melted, for lack of a better term. The holes of corrupted nothingness aren't confined to the sky anymore: pockets of nothing litter the carnival, shifting tears in the fabric of reality that hurt your eyes to look at.

A faint buzzing noise fills the air, making it difficult to concentrate. If you listen long enough, it starts to sound like voices. For your own sake, it's probably best not to listen to what they have to say.

You're also not alone here anymore, for those of you operating under the assumption that you ever really were. If you've been missing the friendly drones of Mayfield, fear no more, because scattered throughout the carnival are a few drone families seeing the sights, riding the rides and playing the games. Curiously, unlike the drones back home, these ones don't seem to notice you at all, acting as if you're not even there.

Also curiously: their features are warped nearly beyond recognition. Some are missing limbs or facial features; others appear to have had those features scrambled by Picasso's paintbrush, with mouths on their scalps or teeth on their fingers. Still other drones appear to be fused together at the wrist, or waist, or face. None of them seem to be any more aware of their deformity than they are of you.

...and yet, somehow, you can't shake the feeling that when you're not looking at them, they're looking at you.

New here? That's alright; your missing friends have had plenty of time to get acquainted, and they'll be happy to show you around. Just watch your step, because some of these old rides need some maintenance...]

OOC: If your character damages or affects the carnival or town in a noticeable and normally permanent way, please comment here.

Comments

CHURCH

[mayfield_mods]

[Compared to the rest of the immediate area, the church actually seems to be in fairly good shape. There's a distinct lack of blood or death here, and the drones seem to be avoiding it. If you were looking for a safe place to stay, this might be it.

So just ignore the fact that the hairs on the back of your neck are tingling when you walk inside.]

[crazyclownwoman]

[Harley walks into the church, it seems like the safest place right now all things considered. Maybe she could find a book to eat or something....

She stops briefly wondering why she suddenly feels on edge....well more then usual.]

....hello?

[truffulacide]

[and here's Once-ler, walking in barely minutes after she does with axe in tow. he stops with barely one foot in the door and looks at Harley, then back at the altar.]

Uh. Am I missing something here?

Healing Booth: 1 rat tail / 10 HP

[a_gentle_boy]

[The majority of Day 3 had been spent sleeping off the wounds of Day 2. His psychic powers were mentally draining, after all, and while a magic cake or pudding or two would have fixed the problem nicely, there was precious little food to be found here. The amount of PSI he had exerted in that single day was just too much.

Lucas is ravenous when he awakes. He has a few cookies left in his food supply, but even those don't help very much.

...His hunger is forgotten the moment he steps out of the church and glances at the sky.

Twenty minutes later, those residents who had survived the perils of Westport and who remained alive up to this point may find a vaguely familiar sight: a sign etched on the ground announcing 'HEALING' and a blonde boy half-dozing on the steps of a church.]

[crazyclownwoman]

[Sits down next to him.]

How are ya' feeling?

[truffulacide]

[he knows who you are. it'd be pretty hard to forget about the kid who saved his life.

if Lucas is astute, he'll hear the distinct sound of Once-ler's footsteps against the stairs early enough. he moves quietly, scarcely making a sound until he moves to plop down beside the boy, stretching his gangly legs out on the marble in front of him.

old blood still soaks one of his pant legs. he balances his axe on top of his knees, flinching slightly when it rubs against his injured one.]

Hey.

[ex_seventh238]

[...Lucas ;;

Let him doze in peace! Ciel did bring a blanket with her. It's been passed around a bit throughout all that's been going on here, but it's still clean, and more importantly, comfy and keeps warm.

She'll carefully drop it around his shoulder. It won't wake him, hopefully...? The boy looks like he's been through a lot. A well-deserved rest would more than just be in order, if only he would allow himself to get some.]

[spitefulvitae]

[She's dirty and haunted looking, and smells just about as bad as ever... but as far as first-day residents go, Natalie's looking mostly okay. She comes up to Lucas quietly, tilts her head, and speaks softly.]

...how are you faring?

[perfectsymmetry]

[At one point when Lucas rouses from dozing off, he'll find he has company. Crowe is sitting there, leaned against the nearby wall, asleep. Going on his fourth day with almost no food or water clearly shows on him. He looks like hell.]

[willbeurprincess]

[She steps out of the church, shaky herself and not wanting to venture very far from the safe haven. But the boy on the steps with his sign catches her attention and she steps down slowly. Her arm might be broken and in a sling but that isn't why she's here and she will push away his attention if he asks]

Dear--are you hungry? I have a little water left and a bit of food. You need some to keep your strength up. [She settles beside him and digs a few things out of her bag.]

[noluckduck]

Hey. [Clover's approaching as casually as she can manage, looking around and with her hands firmly in her pockets.] Doin' business, are ya?

[... But, as much as she would like to pretend to just be cool and aloof, she feels like she can't just ignore what the boy did for her. It wouldn't be right.] Uh... Thanks. For the other day.

[ukelelenogood]

[Well howdy there. Before you know it there's a pink haired woman leaning over you Lucas. But for once she doesn't seem to be smiling like she always does. Oh, she's still smiling but it's a barely noticeable trace on her lips at this point, a sack flung over her shoulder.

And when she speaks it almost sounds empathetic. Almost concerned.]

Hey kid.

You eaten at all?

[thepurpleway]

[Sleeping in a corner somewhere, because you can't be hungry when you're asleep, right? Right?! Four days without much food or water. He doesn't know how much longer he can go on.

He's also drooling.]

[emperor_cowboy]

[He was tired, injured, hungry, and barely aware of his surroundings at this point. The church had been safe before! No reason it shouldn't be now. Hol slowly made his way back and paused just before entering.]

... Something isn't right...

[doesnotgetit]

[Hakuno stumbles past the doors of the church, practically falling onto the pews in the nearest row. All of this is starting to take its toll on her; while the cooked rat meat is fine - disgusting, but fine - her choice to boil water when not in contact with those who know how to filter the rat blood was definitely a bad one.

Her symptoms aren't as harsh as they would be if she had just drank the water straight, but she's still feeling some effects. She's dizzy, and her head feels like it's being split open... those things are enough to distract her, to make her unaware of the strange uneasiness in the air. If she can just sleep this sickness off, she'll be okay...]

[queen_of_swords]

[Olivier returns the church in the early hours of the morning, three dead rats slung over her shoulder. A shudder runs down her back as she enters the church, and she hesitates about going much further, but she knows there are people inside that need food.]

If you're not above eating rat. I'll be cooking these at house two. If you're incapacitated and need to stay here, let me know and I'll bring some back for you.

Re: CHURCH

[captainofthe10th]

[ A huge, armored figure has propped himself outside the church, scuff marks and divots in the ground indicating he has dragged himself to that location. His left leg, though fully armored, hangs limp against the ground, while he cradles his tremendous bolter in two hands. Obviously waiting for the storm he is sure is coming. He doesn't look.... hostile, more like a sentry. Though a badly wounded one. ]

[technologic]

[April had spent most of the night hunting and had headed back into the church to get some rest, especially when the drones made their appearance and the cracks in the sky got much more worse.

But with the buzzing in the air and how uneasy being inside the church was making her, she's finding it hard to get any sort of rest. So she leans against the wall with a groan, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands.]

Re: CHURCH

[noluckduck]

[On one hand, Clover's starving. On the other hand, it's not like there's anything to eat outside other than the rats - and she's seriously beginning to consider hunting down a few.

On one hand, she's been getting restless, having been cooped up in the church for too long. On the other hand, going out feels like madness.

On the other other hand (and her mind's eye brings back the image of that severed arm; thanks, imagination), this place doesn't feel safe anymore, either.]

[thenewnancydrew]

[ The church is her safe haven. No rats, no creepy, deformed drones. It's the house of God, it's supposed to be safe. Nothing can hurt her here, as far as she's concerned.

She's sitting on the floor again, her back against the wall. Her elbows are propped on her bent knees and her face is pressed into her hands.

Also, she's talking to herself again. ]

I'm going to die here. I'm going to starve to death, I'll never solve this... this case, this whatever, and I'm going to die. Luke's not here to be my knight in shining armor, which would be annoying under normal circumstances, but totally welcome right now. [ She tries hard not to sniffle. ] And I'll never get that ten bucks Budge owes me.

[lettertomyfutureself]

-In all honesty, she had been avoiding the place. Something, far in the back of her mind, was telling her to stay away. To stay away from crowds. To survive on her own. But she was out of bullets. And she didn't think her sword was going to cut it on its own. She was tired. She was famished. And like a lost sheep from the flock, she eventually returned. To this church.

Wait... returned? But she hadn't ever been there before. What an odd thought to have...-

[waiting_for_the_worms]

...Something's different about this place today.

Re: CHURCH

[velesdonnersen]

[Tarvek arrives at the church, having searched this irksome Mayfield clone for Ilsa, and failed to find her. Not that he's surprised...surprise would have been to find her alive. But love holds out hope to the last. He hasn't let himself fall into any of the traps the town offers, but the rats and corpses have been a constant reminder that this version's even worse than "his" Mayfield. The tingle up his spine is, if anything, a reminder of Ilsa...]

Hello? Anyone here?

[silpheed]

[Rachel thought entering the church might be a nice reprieve from anything, but feeling like this maybe it was just better to stay outside. Jeez, this was almost making her feel like a stereotypical vampire. NOT COOL GUYS.]

Honestly, I just hope whatever is going on ends rather soon. Even just a few days here has become quite a bore.

Re: CHURCH

[lets_stay_together]

[After the clown and the blood, Tohru was spending most of her time in the church. It seems to be the only safe place.]