[open] scent of silence under starlight spinning

[borntohurt]

Who: Charles Smith and YOU. Yes you. You.
What: Exploring Anchor with a new four-legged blob-friend. Come say hey!
When: /wiggles hands vaguely and gestures at month of February
Where: All over Anchor. Seriously, he's just exploring the full extent of what's there, so you can meet up with him anywhere.


He couldn't say he'd enjoyed his time there, but things had perhaps been simpler in the City of Sin than he'd given them credit for.

For one, he'd had a place to retreat to with some kind of certainty, when need be. And the need is rather dire, as it happens. He can feel that itch coming up on him, that sense of anxiety that needed release. It grows as the days go by, clawing, scrabbling to be let out, but he doesn't trust the people here quite the same. Here, there seems to be less space to run.

Granted, it wasn't as bad as the first few times. With practice and help, he had something of a handle on the transformation. But it wasn't as good as being able to control it entirely. When it wanted out, it was going to get out, and what it wanted always remained the same. Run. Hunt. Eat. Protect the Pack.

Better that not be around a bunch of people it didn't know.

---

So he's on the move through the city, level by level, looking for anyplace big enough -- and secure enough -- to work for the time being. He's managed to find some new clothing from the recent appearance of the Alien Hot Topic, replacing his worn-out boots and acquiring a new black leather jacket in the process. It's a strange mix of old and modern, still preferring the shirt he'd arrived in, still wearing his beaded necklace, an eagle feather twined into his hair and hanging delicately against his shoulder.

Charles isn't alone, either. Almost fittingly, one of the blobs seems to have taken a liking to him and is following him around in its current assumed form: a large gray wolf. It trots along at his side, quietly offering suggestions and encouragement through this strong bond they now share as they make their way through the levels, exploring as much of the available space as possible.

Really, they're going to make their way just about everywhere in the complex. They're bound to run into at least a few people along the way.

Comments

[kaballin]

Kabal's been in a good mood lately. Probably something to do with his new, er... roommate, who's been keeping him from dying of boredom. So when he sees the blob-wolf, even though his first instinct is to punt it into the stratosphere, he holds back. A model of self-control this one is.

"Where the fuck are all these animals coming from? Is someone here a Disney princess?"

Cats. Dogs. Blobs. Dragons. Wolves. Reindire. Whatever the hell Tripod was. There's seriously a lot of animals around and he's really confused by it.

[borntohurt]

He turns his head at the remark, eyeing the man for a moment. A stranger. Not sure what to make of him, though that tone is a familiar one.

Not in a good way, either.

"Might be they're looking for shelter. Same as the rest of us," he replies quietly, remaining at his current distance until he's more sure of who he's speaking to. He does, however, shift slightly to put himself between the wolf and the newcomer.

[kaballin]

"They were fine for the past half a year or however the fuck long I've been here. Just recently the place exploded like we're the space SPCA." Somewhere there's a reindire that's been trailing him, but fortunately he's scared it off enough that it's decided to give it a rest for a while. Kabal's good mood only stretches so far.

"What? Don't got a room?"

[borntohurt]

"Got one. Just getting a feel for the place. Haven't been here as long as you," he replies quietly, taking in the guy with a sweeping look. Not sure if this guy is here to pick a fight or start trouble, but he seems like the type who could, if he were inclined.

So he remains cautious, for now. And he's still standing with the wolf behind him, who stares at Kabal in a similar fashion. Waiting to see what he does, what to make of him.

[kaballin]

Kabal strolls forward without a care in the world. He's not looking for a fight, but if one broke out he wouldn't be upset about it, at least fighting is something he's used to and understands. Not this community building, everyone working together bullshit. How can he run a black market criminal underground if there just... isn't an underground?

No one understands how Kabal suffers.

"Gotcha. Met someone who was sleeping on park benches for some unknown reason. Idiot. There's rooms just for the taking and not gonna claim that shit? Better take it before someone else does, right?"

He leans against the railing of the level they're on, looking out over the lower levels like some cruel despot, "Not a lot of good stuff to loot around here, so prime pickings are slim."

[borntohurt]

"Probably something under all the rubble. If you felt like helping clear it out."

There's no room for selfishness here. Selfishness gets you killed, ostracized in closed quarters with a lot of people with hidden strengths and powers. Hard to enjoy all your stolen loot if you're dead, or locked up for the good of the group.

He watches as Kabal moves towards the edge, his frown deepening, tugging the edges of the scars that run up his jaw.

"At least that's how it looks, from what I've seen so far."

[kaballin]

"Why you gotta word it like that?" He would have been all for clearing out rubble with the vague promise of riches and treasure but if it's going to help someone else?

Nah. Fuck that.

"So what's your deal? What's with the wolf?"

[circumitus]

Eventually, he does run into someone. Rey's digging through a collapsed area in the library in search for anything that could be useful to this place. Technical books and manuals, mostly. It might not be the lightest of reads, but if they're going to figure out how to get things working and make any progress, then they need a better idea on the tech they're working with...

All the while she's been listening to her own commentary from a certain tiny but fierce thorny lizard, perched on a shelf as Rey pours through the rubble.

If nothing else, her new reptilian companion proves to be useful when it calls for her attention, alerting her to a wanderer and a wolf passing through. Rey stops what she's doing and glances in their direction.

"Looking for something?"

It's almost a rhetorical question, since she can't offer much of anything. In the meantime, the lizard keeps its distance, attention trained on the wolf.

[borntohurt]

The wolf, too, makes eye contact with the lizard. They're not really animals, and perhaps they recognize each other for what they are. But it stares regardless. Charles meanwhile offers the woman a wry smile.

"Guess we all are. How about you?" And he nods to the rubble she's currently sifting through. That looks like it could use an extra pair of hands, from here.

Not that he doubts she could clear it on her own, given time. But help never hurts.

[circumitus]

She sighs, tossing aside a piece of material that looks too battered by whatever happened here to be salvaged.

"Trying to see if there's anything to be learnt from the records here."

Given her workload, it's a lot to sift through for one pair of hands, and her scaly companion hasn't been very helpful, other than being an unnecessary peanut gallery by pointing out the obvious. She ignores it, picking up something that looks vaguely legible.

[borntohurt]

He nods, humming quietly in thought before speaking up again. "Want a hand?"

Might as well offer. He's here, and he's got the time. Besides, if she finds anything that might prove useful, it's of benefit to everyone here.

That's the sort of work effort he can get behind.

[circumitus]

Rey makes a face as she looks at her pile of recent finds, divided between wrecked and illegible trash to actual readable texts that she means to pour through later. It is a lot to work through, so...

"If you're offering, then sure. Would be easier if they kept all this shit digital."

But there's a surprising amount of physical books and... are those imperial scrolls just lying there?

[borntohurt]

"Is it? What happens if the power goes out?" Always the failing with technology, as far as he can see. Not that he's much of a reader, but it makes more sense to just have the writing there, in front of you, uncomplicated and always accessible.

But he makes his way over, all the same, crouching down with a grunt to dust off a couple of tomes and look them over before stacking them carefully to one side.

[redwinekindofgirl]

Julie, too, has managed to get herself a four-legged blob friend, along with the small white-blue dragon that took to following her around some weeks ago. Said dragon is looped around her shoulders and the shape of a tiny black-footed cat snakes around her feet while she walks, frequently coming close to tripping her up and yet somehow never quite in the way of being stepped on.

The cat knows she has company before she does.

'There's someone there.'

"What? No there isn't-- Oh." There is, in fact, someone there. Someone and a very large wolf. "Hey."

[borntohurt]

He'd been looking over a collapsed portion of a doorway, blocking the entrance to...something. Can't quite tell from out here, but clearing it out isn't going to be a one person job. Maybe. He's considering it. Not much else to do.

But his thoughts are interrupted by a voice, and he and the wolf both turn to look at the woman standing there observing him. He quickly takes to his feet. Old habits die hard.

"Ma'am."

[redwinekindofgirl]

"Julie. Wow, I don't think anyone's ever called me 'ma'am'."

She snickers at the thought, and the small cat on her shoulder hops down to the ground to investigate the other daemon. The blocked off doorway pulls her attention, and she purses her lips for a moment.

"If you're trying to get through there... Half the corridors in this place have some kind of shitty self-defence system. So, you know. Don't get shot."

[borntohurt]

"That's usually the plan," he murmurs in response, eyes shifting back to the collapsed bits of rubble, pipe and concrete and steel.

"Makes you wonder what it was defending itself from."

Not that this place lacks for excitement, but a lot of those things appear to be buried deep below. This doesn't look like a way to the lower levels, just other areas of the facility that aren't in use.

[redwinekindofgirl]

Oh, she's had this conversation before. The idea of Anchor being in some way sentient is a vaguely unsettling one and she has been trying not to give too much of her brainpower to it. And then here's Charles, bringing it all back up again.

"Defending itself?"

She purses her lips, leaning down to try and peer through any gaps in the rubble.

"We saw things, when we first got here. Like echoes of a battle."

[borntohurt]

The last city he was in was claimed to be sentient. It's weird, sure, but he's not ruling anything out just because he can't understand how it works.

"A battle?"

Charles frowns thoughtfully at that. "Things around here are broken for sure, but...you'd think there'd be more damage. Or bodies someone might have found. Fortifications set up by people trying to hole up. Or they might have just run."

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob has walked with a wolf before. He and Charles had prowled the City looking for demons, although not always with enjoyable consequences. This time Charles isn't the wolf in question, but it the creature seems so in tune with him that Jacob has no fear about being so close to it.

They need to find somewhere safe for Charles, somewhere he feels is suitable for his transformation. It's been playing on his mind, Jacob knows that full well. There must be somewhere in this place sturdy enough, considering the efforts they went to in breaking open the flooded chambers.

"We could use the accommodation. Kick Angel and Connor out, although I don't think they'd be at risk." He says as they scout the level, filled with what seems to be empty storage rooms, although none have working or reliable doors. "You certainly weren't to me."

[borntohurt]

"No. I remember fighting alongside Connor at one point and...I knew him. I knew he was one of us, and not to hurt him."

Which is progress. When all this started he was blacking out entirely and the beast had no concept of 'pack' or allies. Now, little by little, he seems to be gaining control. Charlotte's to thank for that in part, and he still thinks of the fox at points, wondering how she's fairing in the city they left behind.

Jacob's played his fair part, too. Insisting on being there while he's changed, letting the wolf grow accustomed to his presence.

"It's possible. But I haven't been changing as much since we got here. Which means when it happens, it's likely to be more...intense," he adds, brow furrowing slightly as he glances towards the other man. And the last thing they need is him deciding what he really needs to do is go hunting.

[nothinglikefather]

Jacob knows that Charles has resisted changing in this new place as much as he can, knows that he's pushed the wolf back and away. If it does make the next change more intense, it might well be far more painful for him, the effects may linger. He hopes not, but they should be prepared for that.

Charles won't be worrying about himself, of course. He's worried that he won't have control, that the wolf will be hungry, that he'll hurt people. That's a distinct possibility too, they'll have to be prepared for it.

"We'll find somewhere," Jacob reassures. "There's got to be part of this place with locking doors and sturdy walls." They just haven't found it yet. They need to, pretty soon as far as Jacob can tell. He'd got used to the cycle in the City, but here? His sense of time has been thrown off.

"How many days do we have?"

[borntohurt]

"Won't be long."

The wolf nudges reassuringly at his hip, and Charles reaches down to rub those soft ears. He's okay. They're going to find a way to make it work. That's been the constant all this time. No matter how weird things get, they can handle them so long as they stick together.

It means more than he has words for, honestly. Though Connor's likely heard a fair few of them by now.

"What about the areas down below? We've explored a good part of them. Might be something there we can use. Fewer people wondering what all the noise is about."

[nothinglikefather]

That's not an answer Jacob likes. Tomorrow, the day after? Next week? It makes it difficult to know how quickly they need to act, how long they have to shore something up if they find something that needs work. Still, Jacob appreciates that Charles can't give him a better estimate. If he knew, he would tell him.

"Worth looking." He'll admit although not happily. He wanted to stay away from the lower levels, considering what had poured out of them before. He knows Charles is strong and the wolf is capable of defending itself, but they don't know what could be down there.

But if Charles wants to look, he must think the benefit outweighs the risk.

"I just want to make sure we clear it out properly before you're in there a long time. Make sure there's none of those creatures still hiding in a dark corner."

[borntohurt]

"That, and I'm not sure how secure it is." If there's a chance he could just come wandering back up again, then what was the point?

Charles reaches to scratch at the edge of his jaw, frowning thoughtfully.

"We'll keep looking. Lot of areas here look like they just need clearing out. Might be there just haven't been enough people to do it, before now."

Between him and Angel, a lot of it could be made that much simpler. But there doesn't appear to be a leadership, or much of a plan, as far as making this place more habitable goes.