fluxscape | Arrivals - Beachville pt 2: OTA!

Who: New Arrivals, Jerry Schiff and YOU!!
What: More arrivals show up in Beachville. There are cookies for the people that behave.
Where: The Information Booth which, while at the same place it always is, seems to have changed a tad!
When: Mid-Morning, September 27th.
Warnings: Just mind your CWs. There's probably swearing, too.

It starts off simple enough. There isn't even any warning. No feeling like something's coming. No little instinct in the back of your head or what have you that tells you change is coming. You blink, your setting has changed. It's as simple and as quick as that. From where you stand, you're surrounded by tall palm trees. The ground beneath your feet is green, a well maintained lawn like one would find in a city park. A clean, salty scent only found on untouched, tropical paradises. You can hear the sounds of the beach. People laughing, amusement park rides thundering in the background. And it's actually pretty peaceful. Even the weather is perfect. Just the right amount of Summer heat without being muggy or humid. There are tropical birds singing in the trees around you, and a light breeze in the trees, rustling the leaves. It's pleasant. Until someone clears their throat nearby. And this is when you notice you're not the only person standing there with a confused look on your face. You're part of a crowd, surrounding an information booth with an older gentleman inside, several stone paths leading away from the booth and towards the nearby beach town.

Was that information booth always there? And how long has the man inside been watching you with that look on his face that suggests he's internally sighing at your presence? He seems friendly enough, however, and once all eyes are on him, he begins speaking.

"Can I have your attention please?" he says, voice calm, lightly accented, fairly monotone, but still gets your attention just the same. And certainly 'no nonsense.' "My name is Jerry Schiff and I run the information booth. I have several envelopes with names on them, so if you hear your name, please step forward and claim your money and information."

With that, he runs down the list of names. And what do you know, your name is on that list.

When you approach, you'll be handed a packet containing money, enough to get through the month, and an information pamphlet about Beachville, along with a note from the mayor welcoming you to town and telling you your stipend only lasts so long and there are many employment opportunities in town. There's also a map with an address and a set of keys. This is where you'll live. The last thing he says to you is to check the chest in your living-room, you'll know which one, before he hands the polite people a box of cookies. They smell amazing and the box is warm, like they're very, very fresh. You might even find your favorite cookies in the box. They've won awards and are delicious. Just as an aside, though; for anyone that's rude, no cookies. For anyone that tries to take a box anyway, they'll find the box is empty. Maybe even full of dead leaves and rocks. That's what you get for acting up, apparently.

Rude enough and he'll shut the information booth windows. No amount of knocking and screaming, magic or psychic abilities will get the doors open again. The booth is pretty resistant, as is the man inside.

Once everyone has their information, Jerry will thank everyone for their cooperation, close the booth down and head into town. Try to follow him. After rounding a corner, he'll seem to vanish and no amount of looking will find him again.

It seems as though the only things left to do are either talk to the people around you, or find your new home.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Very carefully. Most companies don't like paying workers' comp either."

"Oh. Carefully." She wrinkled her nose. "Wonder if you're from Leia's world, she was always on about careful too..."

He frowned a bit. "I dunno about that, but you've gotta be at least a little careful." He shrugged. "I mean, you can't really keep science-ing if you're dead."

"Well no, not until you're alive again," she agreed, then thought, "Well, I mean, I heard that the Baron's got a few dead Sparks that are working for him anyway, and some people have argued that the old style reverants are dead, even if their bodies are still moving, which was moot since they couldn't think in any discernible way, but with the new ones, not being shamblers, now that Sparks can be infested..." She was now giving that some serious thought.

It was an interesting academic question, anyway.

"And then there is the question of if you die while running an experiment, and come back before it finishes, or even as part of it, does that count as you doing science in that brief gap when you were dead...?"

Another moment where he just stared at her.

"...so, people normally come back to life after they die where you're from?"

"Normally, no. But it isn't unheard of, especially in science labs. I mean... I've died and here I am, still doing science," she pointed out.

To be honest, he isn't entirely sure how to feel about that.

"I'm...sorry to hear that," he finally managed. "You dying, I mean. Uh...it's good that you're alive again though."

What else do you say about that?

She shrugged. "It was the only logical step. I had to die, that was the best way to cure myself." She wasn't overly bothered.

"...I...guess that makes sense," he said. And it did, in a weird way. Kind of like respawning in a video game.

She nodded. to her it made perfect sense. "Of course my Castle objected, but..." she shrugged.

"Yeah, I'd imagine they wouldn't like seeing someone die. Even if they could come back."

He certainly knew from experience.

"Actually," she grimaced. "It was more that I don't have heirs yet. It was kind of built to serve and protect the line, so it refused to let me die before there was another to take my place..." she shrugged.

"...Ah. Okay."

This conversation was getting more and more awkward.

"Otherwise, it probably would have helped. The Castle actually enjoys watching people suffer and die. I presume it took great joy in watching Gil and Tarvek until I hooked myself into the connection."

"...doesn't really sound like a nice place to live in."

She chuckled a bit, fondly. "Nice it certainly isn't... but it is home, and it is mine." That last bit had a hint of possessive - and protective - growl to it.

Catching that, he offered a shrug. "Well hey, that's good. Gotta have a place to call your own."

Even if it apparently enjoyed your suffering.

She nodded. "Maybe I can use it to snail farm..." she said, struck by the idea suddenly. It was her home after all, as he pointed out. It understood snails, in theory. And there were all those labs...

"Uh...yeah, probably." He didn't really want to think about farming snails. "That's...something to do."

Then he cleared his throat a little. "Anyway, I should uh...probably grab my drink and get going. I still need to figure out where I'm staying."

Luckily he found the address for the place. He just needed to...find it.

She hesitated then...

"If you need a place to crash a while, I can talk to the Castle."

He seemed a bit surprised by that, and he actually took a moment to consider that.

"Yeah? Well, uh...thanks. I appreciate that." And, despite the fact that she'd just admitted the castle liked to see people suffer, he did mean that. "I've got an address for a place I'm supposed to be staying at, but if I can't find it, I might take you up on that."

Agatha nodded. "The Castle is easy to find. It is the big creepy looking Castle with a few dozen lighting rods on the various roofs. Just tell whatever answers the portcullis that I am expecting you. Feel free to threaten it back if it threatens you. That's either the Castle or the Beast. The others rarely talk."

"Sure, thanks. Actually..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Here, how about if I get your number? Then I can give you a heads-up if I'm coming or not."

"Number? Number of... what?" she was confused. That used to frustrate her, but now it meant there was something new to learn, which could be fun.

"For your Fluxphone." He held his up to show her. "We were all supposed to get one in that welcome packet when we first got here, supposedly."

(no subject)

agathaheterodyne - 2020-10-20 21:35 (UTC) - Expand