Participants:
| Scene Title | Why Is It So Dark? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Bannerman's Castle receives a surprise visitor, and a warning. |
| Date | October 5, 2011 |
Early October paints Pollepel Island and the surrounding New York countryside in shades of orange and gold punctuated by brilliant pops of postcard-perfect red. The trees have begun to thin and look more anemic as buildings winds gradually strip branches of their leaves. In the past, this was a time for celebration, for spiced cider, knit scarves, and long walks through the woods, but these days the national mood skews a little more anxious and even more insular than the bitter cold warrants.
The boat carrying Eve Mas hits the docks of the island with an unceremonious noise that sounds like a heavy object falling a very short distance. Her captain, a small, squat man with arms as thick as a boa constrictor is wide hauls her out of his vessel with as much care as his too-large hands can manage. "There y'are," he says with a tip of his wool cap, shifting a gob of chewing tobacco from one side of his mouth to the other. "Next time give us some warnin', aye?" He touches a meaty palm to his firearm and gives it a little pat, then gestures to an old brass bell at the end of the dock. "Nearly took yer head off. Go on and ring that there bell and someone will be down for ya."
The lone passenger on the boat is mostly quiet. Save for a hum here or there. Her long raven colored hair in thick curls, unruly and not taken care of that much in the recent weeks at a loose knot to keep it out of her face. Those eerie light grey eyes survey the island as they get closer.
"Row.. row.. row.. your boat. Gently down.."
The singing of the oracle is cut short as she is hauled out of the boat. "Thanks Popeye, be sure to eat your spinach." Eve scratches her head with a roguish grin and does a curtsy. Her black legging clad leg peeks out from the deep ivy green dress she wears today. Her combat boots are scoffed and have seen better days. A messenger bag hangs from her shoulder. She shivers for a moment as she stares from the dock. Taking a deep breath the singer closes her eyes as her face twitches. A memory of something crosses her mind. The door is so black.
With a heavy sigh, the captain slumps back into his boat and uses his heels to push off back into the river, one clumsy oar under the crook of his arm. "Nobody ever uses the fuckin' bell," he mutters.
White steam cascades down the polished wood of a bolt action rifle. The fading colors of the horizon dance through the refracted glass of the scope. The rifle is pulled away and set in the crook of the tree. Another puff of steam eeks out over the high collar of the brown jacket. Pulling his beanie down low, Brian Winters gives a contemplative look in the direction he had been viewing through the weapon. The rifle is picked back up, and another look is stolen through the scope as if to confirm what was seen.
The rifle is lowered back down into the crook of the tree as a wide eyed shrug is sent down to the identical man standing at the base of the tree. Standing at the bottom of the tree and also perching in the branches, Brian Winters holds two styrofoam cups. A steam more potent than that coming from his breath is pouring from the cups as he goes up on his toes to hold one of the cups up toward the Brian-in-the-tree. Carefully holding the rifle, he leans out gingerly to retrieve the hot cup from himself. Despite moving in perfect unison, both figures angling for the perfect angle to make the hand-off.
Not everything works out.
Tumbling down, the Brian on the ground quickly springs to the side to dart out of the way of the hot coffee raining down onto him, in the process spilling the second cup of coffee.
"Shit."
"Shit."
The same words in the same tones at the same time spews out from two different mouths.
The two Brians share a dissapointed look at each other, before the higher of the two goes back to looking down to the dock, and the lower geographically starts making his way down towards the dock. With no hot drinks to speak of Winters is shaking his hand vigorously to get any trace of the hot liquid free from his skin. Stepping down the oppposite side of the dock and pursuing Eve as she walks past, he glances at the boat at the grumbling Captain. Pausing, Brian takes a few steps back and gives a hard tug on the bell. He glances to the Captain with a concilliatory look, raising his shoulders up in a light shrug. He then turns back to the target at hand.
"Eve Mas. It has been some time."
There is the sound of chuckling that precedes the appearance of two blondes. One tiny, one much taller, both are bundled against the colder weather. These warmer outfits include thick scarves that about cover up the lower half of their faces. Kaylee just happens to be the taller blonde, hunched over - sort of looming over the smaller blonde, so that the toddler can hold her hand. The older of the two has her hair pulled back on the back of her head, though golden strands have started to loosen from the bun.
A little hand hold onto the fingers of the telepath, only letting go long enough to pick up a leaf. Which is promptly shown to Kaylee. Emily, one of the Lighthouse's youngest kids has little cheeks flushed as if she's been laughing, but no sound escapes her.
Kaylee is taking the leaf for closer scrutiny as she hears a familiar voice, followed by familiar faces. Eve is quickly recognized. "Eve?" She says it almost like she is trying to remember it correctly.
In the castle courtyard, two young women are engaged in a fight, and it looks like the darker haired one is winning. The sound carries each time Noa's strikes land against the ginger girl's arms, held up to block, the soft leather of her borrowed coat taking more of the impact than she thinks she deserves. But what Rue lacks in skill, she makes up for in determination. If there's one thing she's learned from Hana Gitelman, it's how to take a fall and how to avoid getting too hurt.
What she needs to work on is her ability to commit to the idea that she's in a real fight when she's "just" sparring, and not allow herself to become distracted. She can ignore the domestic sight of Kaylee with one of the Lighthouse kids, but when the bell at the dock rings, her arms drop a fraction as she casts a look that way out of the corner of her eye. Juuuust enough that Noa's next attack connects with Rue's cheekbone, and she staggers back, dropping to the ground. More surprised than injured. "Ffff— "
Toddler, Rue.
"— uddruckers!"
Luckily Noa knows how to pull her punches in a sparring match, though she was expecting a little more of a duck. Or at least a pull-back. So the punch hits a bit harder than it might. "Ah, shit, Rue, you okay?" Noa says, hurrying toward the less experienced fighter to peer down at her face. She turns her head, though, to look at the gathering down by the docks. "Visitor? Let's check it out." Because life is boring sometimes at Pollepel Island and new people are exciting things. It's like the Wells Fargo wagon back in the day. Also the boat might have dropped off supplies. So many maybes.
"Come on," she says, offering a hand to Rue to pull her up. "You'll be fine," she declares, with the authority of a doctor, despite being a teenager without even a formal education. With that, she heads down toward Brian, Eve, and Kaylee.
The clanging bell has drawn more than just the attention of the island's human residents. Large crows float down from the tops of skeletal trees and hook their feet into lower branches, jostling one another for a better view of the reunion happening down below. Glittering eyes seek out the shape of Brian's rifle and the high cheekbones of Eve's face, and together the flock seems to cluck and chortle in the humourless way that only birds do. One picks idly at a silver band around its leg with the tip of its beak.
From a spot farther down the shore, Lynette also comes at the sound of the bell. They're all so well trained. She carries a shotgun with her, although not readied, because it's more a safety blanket than real safety. Anyone she might shoot with it would have to be pretty close already, after all. So it is resting lazily against a shoulder as she strolls into view. "Anyone we have to kill?" she asks sarcastically. Dryly. Probably not hopefully. That is your imagination. Once she's a little closer, she looks toward Brian and then Kaylee, a question in her expression. She doesn't voice it, but she does look like she expects one of them to know what it is she's asking.
The strumming of an acoustic guitar rings out as someone new appears - average height, another blonde to join Kaylee - dyed, though, from the look of the roots. She leans against a wall, humming to herself, bright red headphones settled down around her neck. She turns, looking back towards the quickly growing group and smiles. Robyn Quinn has always had a bad habit of taking too many trips to and from Pollepel, but here she is again - and probably for a while, from the bag she brought with her the day before.
"I heard a ruckus," she remarks as she looks over the overs. "Over m' headphones, so I thought I'd come see what's the craic." Letting the guitar hang from its strap she stretches. "Glad I did, hadn't run int' too many familiar faces yet." She gazes at Kaylee, to Brian, to Lynette, to Rue and Noa. She lingers for a moment, before her eyes finally move to Eve.
"Eve Mas?" she says, being like the third person to state her name in ful and having no idea of this. "Huh. May wonders never cease!" Leaning back against the wall, she slumps downwards, looking up at everyone from where she sits. She listens beyond that, pulling a small tape player out of her pocket and hitting off - less trouble than bringing an iPod or something else that could be tracked.
She blinks, though, as she listens to the woman's relation of… well, what, exactly she can't say. The musician simply cocks her head to the side, and decides it best for once to keep quiet and listen.
For once.
"The beach of bones, so white.. but covered by dark. Why is it always so dark?"
Had Brian not said anything she would have run right past him. Hims? The expression he would catch on her face being one of anguish and confusion. And well, fear. Her sprint grinds to a halt suddenly her back as stiff as a board. Eyes shifting between the two versions of her best friend's brother. "Multi-Man, which one are you?" Eve hasn't seen Brian in ages. Her attention is just as quickly stolen by the blonde telepath, Kaylee. Yes that's her name. She was nice. Wasn't she? Someone else Eve hasn't seen in a while. "Careful Mind Burrower! My brains like a petrified forest right now. Don't want you getting stuck."
Dark purple fingernails flash as she taps the side of her head with a audible thud thud thud. The seer's eyes widen as she staggers a bit. "Had to come tell someone. It's so dark.. everything dead. I can't speak.. I.." Eve's eyes well up with tears as she shakes her head, her hand digging feverishly around in her messenger bag. The rustling of the pages can be heard from within. "I can't speak." She repeats with a soft cry. The countless evenings of her not being able to sleep plagued by this seemingly neverending nightmare have taken it'st toll on Eve and it's noticeable. The dark circles that ring her eyes and the slight glaze to her expression. It jumps from foggy to an lucid gaze an disturbing amount. Her free hand goes to clutch at her hair.
Why is it so dark?
Crossing the space of the dock, one hand slides up to rub the head of the smaller of the approaching blondes. Brian gives Kaylee a dip of a nod to Kaylee, though mostly focuses on Emily. Playing with her hair for a moment he gives her a delighted smile, "You having fun?" He leans in to give her forehead a light kiss, while giving her hand a brief squeeze before pulling back and turning to more fully face Eve. He looks past Eve to the squat man on the boat, raising his hand up.
"We got it Otis, thanks."
Eve's questions have him a little uneasy, tilting his head. "There's only one of me, Eve." He assures her, bringing one hand up palm out towards her in a soothing gesture. Glancing over in recognition to Lynette. "An old friend from Phoenix days. Precog." He lets out as his attention goes back to her. Though the way he murmurs precog definitely suggests that something is wrong. As Eve is acting alarmed, Brian steps in front of Kaylee and more visibly Emily. Both palms held out to Eve. "Eve.. We're going to help you out." He starts to approach her slowly, going to try and set one hand on her shoulder. "We'll get everything you need to say out, alright. Let's get you out of the cold first." He tries to move around her and put one arm around her shoulders, giving a slightly alarmed look to the other ladies present as if asking for help.
The tiny tot in the telepath's care, develops a case of shyness and reaches arms to wrap around the older woman's leg. Face is tucked against the rough jean fabric of the leg, with only a single blue iris looking at Eve. Kaylee glances down at Emily for a moment, touching a gentle hand to fine curls. Reassurance maybe. A silent exchange. The toddler relaxes a fraction.
But something else, catches the telepath's attention. Her hand moves to stop Brian, adding a soft shhhh. She is trying to concentrate here… Blue eyes close for a moment, finally, allowing herself to listen to what is practically screaming at her. Only to be interrupted by the bird, which get only an annoyed glance. Suspicious.. of who might be looking out of those eyes. Maybe just remembering other things… "How about some tea, Eve?" Kaylee asks of Eve, turning her attention back. "Then we can sit and talk about the darkness."
Rue is back on her feet easily with Noa's help, grateful for the commotion as a cover for her embarrassment. At least her bestie doesn't think less of her, probably.
Her steps falter when she hears guitar notes behind her. Quinnie. Things are still a little awkward there for her part, conflicted. Act casual. "H- Hey." Nailed it. With the greeting out of the way, she's able to pick up her jog to join the rest of the growing knot around the precognitive. "I have something stronger in my room, if you need it. I mean, it's cold, right?" Her gaze darts around the group, nerves kept in check for now.
Noa glances over at the music to smirk at Quinn, but sobers again given the frightening words spoken by Eve, who she's never seen before. She tips her head and watches the woman, her dark eyes darting to Brian then Kaylee as they interact with her. Finally they settle on the toddler, who she waggles her fingers at — she's often around the kids as well, delighting in watching the childish antics of those she was village-raised by in her own timeline. "Is she…" she whispers to Rue, thinking Rue might know the woman. Is she what? Crazy? Psychic? Trustworthy? Fill in the blank.
As Brian explains, Lynette tilts her head, listening. Only when he mentions the power, precog, does she straighten. "Ah." As if this explains everything. Her eyebrow lifts at the rather ominous riddle from the oracle. And then she rubs at her forehead, as if she has also been given a headache. But luckily, someone gives her something more concrete to focus on. That being Rue. She looks over at the younger woman, her expression disbelieving. "I do believe that's what we call a terrible idea, darling." But she comes over to Brian's side, ostensibly as moral support. "If you'd like to, you're welcome to come inside. Tea, warmth, all that. A place to sit, even." Baby steps. "We're always glad for interesting company." That part's a joke. Probably.
Precog. That's really all Quinn needs to hear to know that now's not the time for joking around, and she starightens up, her expression changing to reflect that. She's trying to be more srs business lately. She's only ever half successful, but she tries.
"Darkness," she repeats. One of her least favourite things, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. When Rue offers drinks, she glances over at her, a half smile offered, before she looks more direct at Eve. "What sort of darkness?" Because there's certainly more than one sense of darkness. Her lips quirk side to side, and she looks around for her bag - which is still in her room. "What can we get you?"
"I just keep failing Brian. I can't open it. I can't." Eve's voice rings out through the slight cries escaping from within her. She looks from Brian to Kaylee and then to Emily. "You have to get the children out of here." She whispers with eyes wide, her shoulders shagging as she leans forward her hair now free of the loose knot and falling into her pale face. "The darkness is coming. And it never stops."
The images of ash falling all along the island in the dead of a terrible night echo through Eve's mind. The bones of the dead littering the place.. the crumbling corridor. With the assault of the memory of the dream on her mind, it sparks her ability. Light grey eyes milking over to white. She blinks as tears fall down her face. She would allow herself to be led by Brian or Kaylee, Lynette, whomever it is. Her mouth drops open as she sees what others cannot. "When the ashes fall our bones will crawl.. bleached and burned in darkness. Thick in the air, the shadows declare the wilting of the flower." She repeats this over and over a few times in a whisper that could barely be heard. Out of the bag falls a piece of paper a page from a sketchbook. If someone doesn't catch it, it might fall into the water.
The page is a rough sketch done in charcoal of a corridor with crumbling rock and covered in shadows. It looks an awful lot like the castle. At the end of the corridor shrouded in shadow itself is a door. The door is covered in some sort of black substance that sticks but drips off the door.
Eve's eyes begin to fade back to their normal color and she shakes her head sniffling. "My brain likes to explode at times, used to be able to control it but I lost sight of it." She whispers sheepishly and scratches the back of her hand. She looks to the little group assembled before her. Ready to be led wherever, she looks put out. With a look to Quinn, then Rue, she tilts her head, "Do you have weed? Clears the passages." It's delivered in a serious tone.
Tea works too.
"Eve, no, you're fine." Comes the soothing words from the replicator as he eases his arm around her. Then his eyes go a little wider at her words. His lips quivering. Staring at her for a long moment after her command he gives a slow nod. As Eve starts to repeat herself rapidly, he glances up at Kaylee pointedly then to Emily. Jerking his head to the side, indicating he would like Emily gone in that moment. As he starts to lead Eve to the castle proper he looks to Lynette. "I'll start gathering the council that I can find. Know where anyone else is right now?"
As he asks behind all of them, another Brian is falling softly out of his tree, shouldering his rifle and beginning a light jog towards the interior of the island.
"I'd like to gather all the kids as well please." He asks softly towards Kaylee, not noticing the paper fly out of the book.
He looks to Rue as well. "Weed?" He asks hopefully, while leading Eve and possibly the rest of the gathering towards the courtyard itself.
It is almost too much for Kaylee to comprehend, between the images battering at her mental defenses and the words. Brows tip down in concentration, her eyes distance looking past Eve, when he looks at her. Whatever she is seeing, she looks pale and a touch ill at the images. Mind and ears assaulted, she almost doesn't hear Brian. It sinks in. What he says and asks. Blinking rapidly, Kaylee gives Brian a confused look and then down at Emily who looks back up at her, saying nothing. At least not verbally.
"Good plan." Kaylee finally murmurs, bending to pick up the child. She offers the tiny blonde to the other Brian, Emily is only momentarily put out, before stretching arms for him. She still seems a little distracted, maybe because Eve's mind is so loud. She might even unintentionally raise her voice just slightly. "I.. think I can try to help her. What is in her head is… loud. It needs to be heard." The telepath agrees with the precog. "I…" She swallows and then tries again with a wince, blue-eyed gaze shifting to Lynette. "I can probably even show you."
Noa's question earns from Rue a slight widening of blue eyes and a subtle shrug of her shoulders. Hell if I know. At Lynette's admonishment - precisely the sort of thing she feared – her chin dips toward her chest and she offers a murmured, "Sorry, Miss Rowan."
She isn't left to stew too long, because Eve's train of thought has left the station and it is moving at a healthy clip. There's not much to do but hop on and hold tight. She's startled when Eve's gaze - no longer clouded by her visions - lands on her, followed by Brian's. "I —" A look is sent Lynette's way for guidance as to the correct answer to that question. Does she have weed? It may not be the truthful one, after all.
There's an opening to dodge out of having to answer at all when Rue catches sight of the paper fluttering. She darts forward and snatches it out of the air before it can hit the ground and find ruin. She knows she probably shouldn't look - it isn't hers - but with all this ominous talk and the tension that comes with it, she can't help herself.
Noa's eyes widen at the seemingly nonsensical things coming from Eve, but she's lived with very strange people and seen very strange things in her own time. Given the very serious looks shared by "the adults," she realizes that this is something to take seriously. Kaylee's words make sense of some of it, and she nods, about to speak, when Rue catches the paper. She too looks down at it, before glancing back up.
"I can throw a call out to the ones off the island, get them to come if you need them," she says, glancing from Brian to Lynette. "Want me to get on that?"
"I'm afraid," Lynette says to Brian, "I'm the only one here." From the Council, that is. And by her tone, it's a regrettable situation. But that passes in a moment as she turns to Noa at her suggestion. "Please do. Let them know it's urgent," she says more seriously. There's a glance to Kaylee at her suggestion and then to Eve. To consider. "Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have several minds on the problem. But if anyone on this island does have weed — " Ahem Rue " — they had better have enough to share." She follows Brian and Eve when he starts to move her, putting her hand under Eve's arm, just in case. And then she looks over at the replicator, her head tilting. "I would like the children accounted for as well. That might be a better use of your time than trying to hunt down the rest of the Council." There is a glance back at Kaylee, then back to Brian, since Kaylee seems… a little distracted to be handling the children. At the moment.
"If she doesn't," Quinn starts with a strum across the strings of her guitar, "I do." She wouldn't normally admit to that. Particularly not with even the possibility of children around, but- well, it seems important and that's literally something she never thought she'd be thinking. "Not on me, though, I'm afraid."
Pulling the guitar up and over her shoulders, she lays it on the ground beside her. "I figure it'll go to a good cause," she adds as she rises back up to her feet. "Either way, I'm here t' help if there's anythin' I can do beyond that." Her question unanswered, she leaves the bright red guitar aside and approaches the rest of them with a curious expression. "Another mind, I guess."
"Is Gilly here? I haven't found her, I need her help. She makes me better." Cuz that's what best friends are for. Eve leans on Brian and shakes her head. "I can't open the door. I've been trying for weeks. There's something there, something infected. Someone? I think.. it feels like it's sick. All sick. All scared, the darkness slips over." Her rant stops as Kaylee begins to speak. She at first shakes her head at Kaylee and looks from her to Lynette. "It's scary in there Miss Mind Burrower," a beat, "But I can show you, if you want to see what I see. Live in the place where things happen and don't. BINGO! That's it!" Eve has always had problems with telepaths being around mostly from her days in PARIAH making her paranoid. She feels oddly soothed near Kaylee though and Brian's arm for support give her the strength to be brave. Then Lynette is adding her support and Eve feels it as well.
"A disclaimer Your Ladyship, if you venture into my brain I cannot be at fault for the dreams to ensue after." Just a fair warning. Eve is more afraid of what is inside of her head hurting the women. "Genius Miss Mind! You can intercept the transmission from my brain," she slaps the side of her head and then points to Kaylee's head, "to your brain and then inject her brain," finger now pointing at Lynette, "With it." Sounds painless. Eyes shifting from person to person she scratches her arm and gnaws on the inside of her mouth. "I had to come warn you guys. Eileen.. the others have been very good to me and my silly brain." She smiles weakly as her eyebrows raise at Rue. "You can keep the sketch if you get me the green." As if they were already haggling over the price of the herb.
A chill slides up Eve's spine, making her shudder again. "My brain, to her brain equals her brain. Our brain."
To Rue and Quinn, Brian nods a little impatiently. "If you could either get it, or tell me where to grab it from." As Kaylee offers up Emily, the forest running Brian changes course to come sweep her up, giving the toddler a little spin as he does and making a 'weeee' sound as he continues to run past the group.
Watching himself go by, Winters glances back at Lynette. "I'm popping in for extra clothes so I can find all the kids faster." He tends to give her more information on what he does with his selves. Knowing she has a familiarity, an understanding of the strange hivemind that is his constant existence seems to make him more at ease and comfortable with her than he was before.
He gives Eve a light hug as she asks for his sister. "I'll find her as quick as I can." He murmurs reassuringly to Eve. Finally looking back to Lynette. "If she's saying we should be gone we should have everyone at least on alert and ready to evacuate just in case. Right?"
The mention of weed has worry flitting across Kaylee's features, an uneasy glance is sent to everyone in that discussion. "If you do indulge. Not around me…" There is a brief pause before she adds, "Please." She adds a little wiggle of fingers at her head adding, "It causes my ability to go out of whack." She doesn't explain the extent, but the worry in her voice should be enough.
When Eve easily offers up what is in her head, Kaylee lifts both hands to ward her off for a moment. She tries to gentle the gesture with a smile, pained smile. "Not - not yet." The telepath moves to then rub her temples. "I need to get some aspirin." She murmurs to no one. Taking a step back, she glances at the others, before grimacing again, one hand flat against her head. Taking a deep breath, Kaylee straightens and squares her shoulders. "I'll go makes some tea. Y'all make our guest comfortable." She does not wait for confirmation. She turns on her heels and hurries back into the castle to do just that.
It is only polite for the telepath to offer tea and maybe a nibble of food before diving into someone's head. Seems rude otherwise.
Rue holds the sketch to her chest after her friend's had a chance to look it over. The price of the drawing is some green? Well, that seems like a fair enough trade to her. "Yeah," she murmurs a little lamely, "can do." She watches Kaylee go, and listens to what the grown ups are saying.
Evacuate.
Surely the situation can't be that drastic, can it? But Rue's seen terrible things, and her stomach's tying itself in knots made cold by her doubt. Even if the images are metaphor, it's not drawing a sunny picture. "I'll, ah… It's okay, Quinnie. My stash this time, yours next time. I'll go get it." Before the councilwoman can change her mind about it, Rue is off and jogging toward the castle.
"On it," says Noa, falling back a little so that her voice won't be interrupting theirs as they make their way toward the warmer interior of the castle with promises of tea. Her eyes sparkle just a little as she chooses the first of the council folks to contact — "Noah, come in, Noah. This is Noa." There's a small pause. "Gitelman. Calling from Fantasy Island."
She follows the "grown-ups" slowly, as she goes through each of the council members to tell them to check in with Lynette when they can, making note of who gets the message and who doesn't. Hopefully there'll be a quorum to decide what to do with the frightening imagery of Eve Mas' latest vision.