fluxscape | Welcome to Haven:

Entry tags:

Welcome to Haven:

What: It's moving day for everyone.
Where: Haven MagLev Train/Haven Train Station and then Jerry's Info Booth for the Newbies.
When: 04/28 - Morning
Warnings: There will be swearing, probably mentions of violence. Will update as needed.

This FluxOver starts a lot differently than the others. For starters, everyone and we mean everyone is waking up on a train. No one's waking up in their homes. The first sound anyone hears isn't an alarm clock. It's the steady hum and squeal of the MagLev train just barely skimming it's rails as it makes a turn towards the Haven Train Station and then a deep, gravely, lightly accented male voice saying:

"Haven Train Station! Last stop! Everyone off!

And then the grinding of brakes as the train slows down to a bit of a harsh stop. With so many people stuffed into the train like sardines, it's probably hot and crowded, and everyone wants off. It's also very likely you're going to wake up leaning on someone. Do you know them? Are they a stranger? Let's hope you didn't drool while you were sleeping, or snore too loudly.

When the doors open, the heat probably gets a bit worse and the crowd is very eager to get off the train. Jostling and bumping, it seems as though no one cares who they smack into, they just want off. Since it's the last stop, it's probably best you depart, too. Should you choose to stick on the train, you'll find that while it does depart the Haven Train Station eventually, it just goes through a foggy area that seems to lead right back to the Haven Train Station. It'll keep doing so until you depart the train. Once the last person is off, the train will roll away and disappear in the distance.

For all the newcomers, you'll feel an impulse to go right to the very ramshackle-looking information booth, where a gentleman named Jerry has your information packet. For everyone else, your phones will start buzzing and a voice will start giving you directions, leading you back home and we're sorry to say it, but your homes have taken on the external appearance of everything else around them. Pieced together, rusty. Built more for survival and less for visual appeal.

Again; externally. Internally, you'll find that nothings changed and home is just as you remember it. And for anyone that got anything for FluxMas, you'll find your stuff waiting for you in the kitchen of your homes. Unless it's a vehicle. You'll find the keys to that in your pockets, shortly after stepping into your houses.

Settle in. Explore. Find your friends.

Welcome to Haven.

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"Answers. Definitely." Shadow took her hand more for his comfort than possibly hers. He kept a steady stride toward where a majority of people seemed drawn to. If Lydia felt differently, he trusted she'd tell him. His instincts were high about heading into Haven.

They seemed to be heading to a booth. Jerry's Information Booth. The line went surprisingly quick as they approached. Shadow continued a look around and down to Lydia. "This fits something Wednesday might try but... I can't feel him here. There's no sign of him or anyone."

And there was the matter of the two suns in the sky. He continued to look at Lydia with guilt and concern. "I don't feel Leo here either," Shadow admitted sadly. He couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not that their son wasn't with them. Being apart after just meeting was heartbreaking but maybe safer for the baby boy.

At the moment, Lydia wasn't sure how she felt about anything. Normally she was quick to figure things out, to find a way to solve the problem, but right now she was rattled and reeling from being separated from their son. Especially because she had no idea where they were, where he was or if any of them were safe.

"Why would Wednesday do this though? To get you back to working for him? To prove a point?" She asked as they stood in line, shifting forward at a steady pace to talk to the man inside the booth who everyone seemed to be going to for answers.

Then she nodded slowly, not looking surprised at the comment that he couldn't feel Leo. Maybe she didn't have the power to sense in the way he could but a part of her just knew that their little boy wasn't there either. "I just want to know that he's safe."

The heat was dry but intense, a vividly different climate than Beacon Hills had been. It made him think of the deserts out in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. Yet there were differences that made Shadow wonder if they were still on Earth. The thought unsettled him.

"He'd never get me to work for him again. I made it clear if he ever came near you, even by proxy, I'd spend the rest of my life making him pay. And I know all the ways to hurt him."

Shadow hated not knowing whether Odin had any idea that he was a grandfather or not. He wanted the same answer that Lydia searched for; that their little boy was safe and taken cared of. They arrived to the booth to be greeted by a smiling man who didn't answer their questions.

"I don't mean to be rude, but we need to know that our son is safe. If you don't answer anything else, could you please answer that much? We were home with him before finding ourselves on the train here. He's just a baby."

While Lydia had a lot of questions about where they were she was going to assume that wherever they were, it wasn't on Earth. The fact that there were two suns sort of confirmed that for her as she glanced up at the sky again, briefly shielding her gaze once more before sighing softly to herself.

"I just hope he didn't take that as some kind of challenge." She murmured, running her fingers lightly against his arm before letting her hand fall back to her side. If his father did have something to do with this though, she would be right there at Shadow's side making sure that he paid somehow for it.

Focusing on Jerry, she tilted her head as Shadow asked about their son. The man looked stern but his reply was strangely gentle as he reassured them that their son would be fine. If anything, he wouldn't even know that his parents were gone since Lydia and Shadow would eventually be returned to their home right at the exact moment they left.

"But when is that? When will we get to go home?" She asked and frowned when it seemed there was no answer for that.

After, they were given a key to an apartment and a packet that contained information as well as money. Lydia was also given a box of macaroons which actually smelled amazing while Shadow was given a box of cookies as well before they were sent on their way. Holding her stuff against her stomach, she pursed her lips as she glanced sideways at Shadow. "I'm not sure that actually makes me feel better or not but I guess we should find the apartment."

"It's possible. He tried to kill me once though. Won't be so easy to accomplish a second time," he told Lydia before putting an arm around her and pulling her into his side. The move was more protective than possessive while still apologizing for any involvement he might have.

They were soon leaving the booth with few answers and a shared space to stay in. Shadow couldn't shake the feeling that something was very orchestrated about the entire situation yet there wasn't a feeling that Jerry was being dishonest. At least their son wouldn't know the pain of being abandoned.

Shadow arched a brow at looking in the bag to find Lady Fingers, something that wasn't typically ever picked as a favorite cookie. He always had to argue at their versatility over taste. --Though he did also like the light and airy cookie without them being heavily sweet.

"I'm curious to see what they have of ours considering neither of us packed for a trip." Neither of them were even out of bed, the last he recalled. He reached to collect her things so Lydia could keep her hands free to glance at the map or brochure as they walked in the direction their assigned housing was located at.

"Wow, and I thought my parents were messed up," She drawled, not sounding at all pleased by the new tidbit of information about Odin having tried killing him once. While she had been hopeful that he might leave them alone in the beginning, she was starting to think more and more that wasn't the case. Maybe if he wasn't responsible, they were actually safer in this place rather than back home but she guessed that it wouldn't matter if they were eventually going to return to the moment they had left.

It was still rolling around in her head despite the answers they had been given. There was no hesitation when he reached for her things since it was nice of him to carry them while she kept the map. She was also keeping a wary eye on their surroundings since there was a definite vibe about the town. Almost like one had to keep looking over their shoulder at all times.

"It looks like we're heading that way," She pointed after consulting the map, noticing some taller buildings in the direction she was looking. On the outside they didn't look very nice, looking more like they had been built haphazardly by slapping some stuff together or like they had been decaying for a little while. She only hoped they looked nicer on the inside. "I wonder if they have such things as security systems here."

Although she voiced empathy for him, Shadow still felt the need to kiss Lydia by dipping his head to land a soft one on the top of hers. His father was a piece of work but Shadow didn't like hearing that her parents weren't a positive experience for Lydia either. It didn't seem like the best time for a deep conversation so he filed away the information for a later date.

He stood tall and on guard as she looked over the map. The town was a weird combination between a ghost town and steampunk. Shadow never thought Brooklyn could look better than another city until stepping into Haven. His attention returned to Lydia when she spoke.

A frown touched his lips when Lydia mused out loud about whether there were security systems as they walked in the direction she indicated. After not being around for almost two years, Shadow couldn't blame her for not wanting to rely on him. Yet he didn't fully jump to conclusions and decided to ask her, "Security systems?"

While she had made the comment, Lydia knew that the situation with her parents really didn't compare with him and his father. Her parents were just absent most of the time, especially after the divorce and there was often the feeling that she was looking after her mother rather than the other way around. A feeling that they really didn't know her at all. Still, that didn't compare to what Shadow had to deal with and yet she smiled softly as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

Then she glanced up at him, arching a brow briefly. "Yes? As in a system just to warn us in case anyone is trying to get into our place?"

She wasn't really sure what his concern or confusion was, not realizing that he was wondering if she didn't want to rely on him which was a long-standing concern with any man but she wasn't meaning it personally.

"I know that, between us, we can handle whoever might try but it would be nice to have some kind of warning beforehand so we're not caught off guard. Especially since we don't know what to expect here or who we're dealing with," She pointed out in a reasonable tone. "We know what we are, so it wouldn't be weird to assume that there might be others like us."

"I don't know that we should trust anything set up by this place. We can probably set something up ourselves," he responded after she spoke.

Her idea was a good one but Shadow couldn't help think that if they'd been brought to another place without consent or knowledge, they were at the whim of whatever entity at hand. It was an unsettling thought and he was suddenly glad they were without Leo.

The thought of other people with powers also being around didn't help matters. How many were the opposite of heroes? He at least knew how to handle the gods. This was something else entirely. His eyes glanced at Lydia. "Do you feel like you have your abilities here?"

"Fair point," Lydia murmurs in agreement because maybe they shouldn't trust anything set up by this place, especially given what it looked like and the people that gave them dirty looks as they went by. "I'm sure that, between us, we'll be okay."

At least, she was hoping they would be. She could also see now that maybe it was a good thing that Leo wasn't with them so far even though that thought hurt. It felt like a constant knot in the pit of her stomach, churning about and creating a sense of anxiety that she wasn't familiar with. They knew that he was supposedly safe and they would return to him at the exact moment they left but it was her baby. Their son.

Trying to push the looming surge of emotions away, she looked at him as he asked about her abilities and slowed as she thought about it. "I think so. I don't feel like I'm missing anything but I can't be sure without trying it. Which....will draw a lot of attention."

Shadow was usually a man of few words, not hesitating to return glares at anyone who looked unfavorably at Lydia.

"We'll be fine," he agreed with Lydia as they continued to walk. Whatever this place was, there wasn't a sign of immediate danger. The foreboding climate didn't worry him although he didn't see separating from the mother of his child any time soon.

They had gone onto the topic of abilities and Shadow gave her a nod in understanding. "Yeah, let's not do that yet." He had it in mind to try his abilities once they reached their place. Haven could do with a little rain.

He continued to follow Lydia with cautious eyes on their surroundings.

Lydia smiled softly at his reassurance that they would be fine. It did help to have him there as having him around made her feel safer. She usually preferred to know she could protect or handle herself but there was still something comforting in knowing he was there to have her back. That he could intimidate anyone who looked at her sideways.

"Do you know any self-defense?" She asked him, softening her voice as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew how to fight but she was curious about his skills. Or if maybe he had some kind of enhanced strength from being the child of a god. She still wasn't entirely sure how all of that worked yet.

Finally finding the apartment building, she stepped ahead of him through the front door once they got it open and she was relieved to find that the inside was nicer than the outside so far. Their apartment was the first door they spied then and she used her key first to lead them both inside, a sigh of relief escaping her as she noticed the fact that the place was clean, bright, and even fully furnished with furniture that she didn't find immediately appalling.

"This is actually nice," She murmured, moving into the kitchen where they could set their stuff down on the island.

"I've had my share of fights." Shadow tried to avoid them but they always seemed to find him. He didn't want to tell Lydia that and worry her. Neither did he want to sound boastful and tout that he could hold his own, or weak and share how he'd taken a beating more than a few times. Actions spoke louder than words so if any harm came to her, he would give his life to protect her.

They needed to figure out how their abilities worked in Haven, if at all. He remembered the area before the city. The expanse seemed like a good place to test things out without attracting attention.

Entering the apartment was a distraction from his thoughts as it looked like a far cry from the exterior. Shadow arched a brow, finding the nice accommodations more worrying than the town they'd walked through. Something rung very unsettling over the stark contrast.

"Take us to set us up somewhere nice inside a wasteland?" he couldn't help but utter while giving a wary look around. Cautiously, Shadow moved further in and looked into the bedroom after emptying what he carried on the island. Everything was nice. "None of this makes sense."

"Me too," She admitted though she didn't want to tell them how many she had gotten hurt in before she had decided to learn how to defend herself. There had still been times when she had gotten hurt, especially given the people and monsters she had gone up against but there were times when she had won too or helped the pack to win whatever fight they were caught in at the moment. But if it came down to protecting Shadow, then she would do whatever it took to do so too.

"No, it doesn't," It was an easy agreement to make as she turned back to look at him, pursing her lips briefly. "One of the first things we'll have to do is talk to the others that we saw getting off the train. See what kind of answers they can give us and if they have an idea of what's going on."

Then she sighed a little, moving towards him so she could slide her arms around his waist and tuck herself in against his chest. It was a needy thing to do but she did need him. She needed to feel him and reassure herself once again that he was actually there with her. "I'm just glad that you're here with me even if there is a small part that wishes you were back with Leo."

His head dipped when she nestled against his chest, kissing the top of her head as his arms came around her. "I wish we were both back home with him." Shadow carried guilt regardless of not being at fault over their current circumstance. "But I'm glad we didn't get split up." He gave her an affectionate squeeze.

"Let's take it a day at a time. Learn what we can about being here, and how to get back." They could also learn about each other. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, having the time away together without Leo feeling abandoned. In a sense, it gave them time to catch up.

Shadow knew how he felt about Lydia but it wouldn't be bad to have the time together and figure out if the feeling was mutual. Could they build a life together how he dreamt? His hands came up and gently clasped her face together to look up at him. "Let's look around this place," he urged in a gentle voice.

It would be better if they were both with their son but it does soothe her to hear him say the same thing about being glad that they hadn't split up. It earned him a small smile as she returned the little squeeze, lifting her head to rest her chin against his chest so she could look at his face again.

"Okay," She murmured in agreement after licking her lips, thinking the words sounded easy but the follow-through on getting back home could be harder. She just had that feeling. That made her sigh a little as she rubbed a hand against his back as much to soothe herself as him. Maybe it was a bit selfish to be glad he was there but she was relieved to have his support and to know she didn't have to face it all alone. Plus maybe it would be good for them?

Then she paused as he cupped her face between his hands, centering her focus and her thoughts on him again before she nodded slightly. "Sure, do you want to head back to what looks like the center of town?"

"I meant in here. See what we might need before heading into town," he answered then lowered his head to rub the tip of his nose with hers affectionately before straightening back up. "Maybe even figure out where to go in town first."

His hands had fallen to his sides but not without first taking her hands and swinging them lightly before finally letting Lydia go to do as he'd suggested. Shadow was curious as to why they were designated this particular residence. He moved out of the common area toward a bedroom.

There was something like a footlocker at the end of the bed that he was drawn to. He lifted the lid to have a look inside. "What do we have here?" Shadow muttered out loud before taking a deeper look inside.

"That works too," She glanced around at his correction, eyeing their new home and what she could see so far. The layout wasn't bad and the furniture did look comfy but it definitely wasn't home. While she liked her home to be clean, this was almost too much as it was lacking the toys and the baby things she had gotten used to.

But Shadow was good at distracting her as she leaned up to brush her nose against his and followed it by quickly pressing her lips against his in a small kiss. Then she pulled away to look around again, trailing after him when he started to head in the direction of the bedrooms.

"What is it?" She asked curiously, stepping around him to get a look at the footlocker. She couldn't help but watch curiously over his shoulder until she caught sight of another footlocker sitting under the large window to her right. Still curious, she made her way over, leaning this way and that to look at the outside before reaching down to pop open the clasp. Lifting the lid, she blinked a bit at the contents inside.

Making sure the lid was fully open and resting against the wall, she reached in to grab the first thing she had seen which was a photo album. Flipping it open, she melted as she turned to look at Shadow. "Look."

Inside he would find pages and pages of pictures, mostly of Leo ranging from the day he was born to rather recently considering Shadow was in a handful of pictures near the end. Lydia was in a lot of pictures as well, usually holding Leo or sitting with him. There was also a picture or two of her pregnant.

Unlike with Lydia, his once wife wasn't affectionate. Laura didn't push him away but she didn't freely touch him or initiate affection. It was seldom she even reciprocated, often turning away from him in bed. Lydia was nothing like that. Every moment since reuniting, Shadow knew his feelings weren't one sided.

He might have moved from her side easily but relished the close proximity while they had it. Given what he'd been through in the time without her, Shadow knew to enjoy the time they had because it could go at a moment's notice. He was surprised Lydia had been taken with him. The thought wouldn't leave his mind.

Yet there was a break in the fear of losing her company when they looked at the trunk in the room. A photo album of Leo from birth to when he last saw his son. Even photos of Lydia still carrying him in her womb. He couldn't look away from the array of pictures to notice his items in the same trunk.

Lydia might not realize the coins or books meant anything to him, much less a deck of playing cards. Shadow didn't have any pictures of his mother or photos of him with anyone else. Who knew how this place picked the items they had. He'd later wonder if the photo album didn't mean that she was the target taken and he was only along for the ride.

There was the biggest of smiles on his face as he carefully looked at every picture. His eyes were a mix of regret and pride, leaning more toward awe at mother and son than anything sad or negative.

"I wonder if there's a place here that can duplicate photos. I'd love to make a copy of this one," he told her a seemingly recent one.

Affection was easy for Lydia as it was something she had lacked growing up after her grandmother had died and it soothed a lot of different broken pieces inside of her. Plus the time apart from Shadow and the bond they had made it easy for her to turn to him, to reach out and find any excuse she could to initiate contact. Even in bed, she preferred to cuddle with him than roll away and put any sort of distance between them.

Perhaps it was also knowing too how easily something or someone could be taken away from you. How time was short and it was important to hold onto the person you loved when you had them. That was why it was a relief to be taken with him this time even though she had to deal with the pain of not having Leo there.

The pictures could never change that but it helped to look at the moments frozen in time, brushing her fingers lightly over Leo's face here and there as they slowly turned through the pages. At one point, she smiled at him, letting him take over holding the book for a moment so she could look at the things left for them again.

"We can take a look when we go exploring. I'd like to get a few copies made so we can hang them up," She murmured, poking in the box and pulling out something that she didn't think was meant for her.

"I'd like that," he replied about taking a look for a place to make copies or maybe even enlarge some of the photos that had arrived with Lydia. Shadow picked up his gaze, watching her look through the trunk without releasing the photo album.

Books, coins and a deck of cards... Shadow peered in and thought there wasn't more proof that he didn't have a life without Lydia and Leo. At least, not a memorable one from his point of view. "Those are mine, I think." He reached for the coin in her hand and flipped it over each of his fingers.

Maybe she remembered that from when they first met. Shadow had proved an understanding of physics with the trick, although Lydia had been working on a completely different science at the time. Or math. That meeting remained fresh on his mind although nearly two years had passed.

There was a part of Lydia that wanted to continue looking at the book but there was another part of her that found it too painful to at the moment. It ached to look at her son's sweet face and not know when she might actually see it with her own two eyes again. It also made her hurt for Shadow as he had only just found them and it didn't feel fair to have them separated again so soon.

So she focused on the coin as she handed it over to him, watching as he did the familiar trick of flipping it over each of his fingers. Of course, she remembered the first time he had done it on the first night they had met and how she had teased him about how he must be good with his fingers. That had been the start of their conversation taking a serious turn into flirtation rather than just mild interest and curiosity.

It made her smile a little as she reached out to rest her hand on his knee, brushing her thumb over a crease in his pants before she rose up with a bit of a sigh. Then something else caught her eye as she leaned down to pull out a stack of letters tied up with a very cliche style ribbon. It still made her smile though as she showed up, knowing full well he would recognize his writing scrawled on the front of the top one. "I don't know but I think I told you that I kept all of them."

The letters he'd written her and photo album of Leo were bittersweet. Shadow was happy Lydia smiled but there was a pang of sadness, hating how they'd been separated and now separated from their son. He stopped rolling the coin over his fingers and put it into his front pocket of his jeans.

"I might continue to do that. A letter to you and one to Leo, every week here. I'll show you in person too but looks like you started a collection so seems only right to continue it," he told Lydia through a small smile. Shadow felt as if he had to make up for lost time even if it didn't seem as if ending up in Haven was the fault of the gods, new or old.

His eyes glanced to the stack then to Lydia, waiting for her response.

"It didn't feel right to throw them away," Especially since she hadn't been sure that he would ever return to her or find out the truth about Leo. If it had happened that way, she had at least wanted the letters so she could reminisce but also so she could show Leo one day. Show him a glimpse of his father just in case they never had a chance to meet.

"I think a letter a week for Leo sounds nice. Or do a journal that we could give him one day if we get to keep it," She smiled back, reaching out across the short distance to brush her fingers against his cheek. She wouldn't make him write her a letter every week given they were together now but she wouldn't stop him either if he wanted to.

"I'm glad you didn't," he responded heartfelt. The warmth reached his voice, lowering his octave a little--close to how he sounded when waking up. Shadow didn't think of it or how Lydia didn't really know that sound from him yet. Her response had him cease from thinking sadly.

Shadow nodded at her suggestion of a journal. "We don't have to give it to him if he doesn't remember us missing but it'd be nice to do. ...I'm still writing you a letter," he insisted and wrapped Lydia in his arms. In his mind, it was the least he could do to make her happy under the circumstances.

He dipped his head to kiss her tenderly.

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wantadistraction - 2021-07-11 17:53 (UTC) - Expand

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