Arrivals - Beachville - OPEN LOG

[fluxscapemod]

Who: You and Jerry, the info booth guy!
What: Arrivals! Information! Money! New Homes!
Where: What's commonly referred to as the Information Hub.
When: August 15th, Mid Afternoon.
Synopsis: New faces arrive in Beachville. Jerry is a helper! Probably! Most likely, he isn't. At least, not as well as people wish. He can only tell people so much, see. But there are cookies, if you aren't a jerk.



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 a mix of dirt and sand and you can smell the ocean. 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.

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. 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.


[ooc: please warn for anything triggery in your threads! thanks! ]

Comments

[luckybucky]

There was a sense of dread settling into Bucky's chest as he watched T'Challa approaching. He knew what it meant if the King was here, and his guard was carrying something more than big enough to hold an arm. He'd stopped what he was doing to watch them approach, dressed in his usual attire; pants, sleeveless shirt, and a shawl tied off to the side to hide the place where his left arm used to be. He was dirty, but minding a farm was hard work.

But then, in an instant, he was in a completely different place. He blinked a few times, turning slowly to take in the scene around him, but nothing seemed... wrong. Aside from the sudden change. "What the hell?" He sounds more tired than annoyed.

[rottedking]

Bucky wasn't the only one who was confused. Athol was more concerned than annoyed, himself, if only because of all the people who depended on them and not knowing how this was going to affect them. But, that aside, there were other people to worry about right now, too.

"I agree," Athol said, approaching a little but keeping a safe distance between them, so no one felt crowded. "This is a strange kidnapping, isn't it? Or we're all hallucinating." Who knew, maybe they were all drugged or enchanted or hooked up to computers.

"Cookie?" he added, flipping open the lid of the box and holding it out. "They're chocolate chip."

[luckybucky]

He glanced over at Athol and nodded his head a little, letting out a quiet hum. "I'm not sure what it is. You'd think if we'd been drugged or knocked out we'd at least have some kind of awareness of lost time," even when he'd been fighting to get his memory back, he was at least aware of a blank existing.

But this was totally different. It was like his whole world had changed... in a snap.

He hummed in appreciation for the offered cookies, and accepted one. "Thanks. Where'd you get 'em?" He had not yet gone to the booth to receive his own, but these were damn good, and he let out a happy noise as he took a first bite.

[rottedking]

"Potentially," Athol said. "This is my first time being kidnapped; it's not going how I'd always thought it would." He definitely hadn't imagined any beaches or tropical towns. Maybe a cold cell with iron bars, or chains.

He nodded his head in the direction of the booth, gesturing with his free hand. "Over there," he explained. "I also received money and information." Which was, again, strange for a kidnapping.

[luckybucky]

"Yeah, it's generally a lot heavier on the restraints and threats of physical violence," Bucky agreed. "Though I suppose it depends on who's doing the kidnapping and why."

The mention of money had his brow furrowing. "Money? Why..." he shook his head. If he didn't know, why would this friendly stranger? And if he did know, he probably wasn't going to share the information anyway. "I guess I'll be back with cookies," he shrugged his good shoulder and headed in that direction.

[rottedking]

"I suppose so." Maybe there were cameras watching them right now, and whoever had brought them here was getting a kick out of their reactions.

He shrugged. "To last until we get jobs, apparently," he replied. "Good luck on scoring some cookies." He'd already noticed that not everybody left the booth with some.

[luckybucky]

Jobs. He supposed there were worse things to expect of people, as long as they weren't the kind of jobs Bucky had sworn off, anyway.

He returned a couple minutes later, awkwardly holding everything in his one arm and absolutely beaming as he held the box up. "They smell just like mom's." That, apparently, won this place a few points.

[rottedking]

Athol graced him with a small smile. Personally, he couldn't remember what his mother's cookies smelled like, but he was glad someone else was having a positive experience in this place. All things considered.

"Do you need help with any of that?" he asked, since he had two working arms.

[luckybucky]

"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind. I didn't think to put stuff in my pockets before I picked up the cookies," he snorted at himself, and held the box for Athol to take, so he could stuff the map and the money into his pockets.

He really should've thought to do this before. His cheeks weren't turning bright red, yours were.

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony turned hearing that familiar voice and he rose an eyebrow at Bucky's outfit. "You might be the first person the train's uniform actually improved his wardrobe."

Why was he so dirty too? And his arm... "What the hell happened to you?"

[luckybucky]

Was Bucky a deer in headlights? Because he sure felt like one and hell, he even kind of looked like one as he turned to face Tony. It took a full thirty seconds for his brain to spin back up to speed, and he schooled his face into a carefully blank expression. "You did." He wasn't angry, exactly, but he wasn't thrilled either.

He even took a step back, and made sure his weight was balanced so he couldn't be knocked over too easily. He didn't normally feel all that disabled without a new arm, but right now he was acutely aware of the extreme disadvantage he was at. If Tony wanted to try killing him again, there wasn't exactly a lot standing in his way.

[runs_on_batteries]

What the hell?

His frown deepened as he tried to read his friend- though nothing about him was making sense. Unless..

"Does the word 'Voidtrecker' mean anything to you?" If not, this encounter was going to get a lot more unpleasant.

[luckybucky]

His expression answered before his mouth did. "Not a damn thing," he confirmed, more than a little relieved that Tony hadn't tried to take a swing at him. Enough to let some of the tension fade from his shoulders. "Does it have anything to do with the fight I was about to be asked to join?" He knew if T'Challa was coming to him with a new arm, there had to be a damn big fight brewing, and Tony never seemed to shy away from those.

[runs_on_batteries]

It was disappointing. He'd hated the man so intensely for so long and now, he was sharply missing him. This Bucky would be different as he was clearly from another point in his time line. Would they be able to repair things again? He just had to not think too hard about how strange his life had turned to even want that. He gave a heavy sigh.

"No, but that is going to be a giant clusterfuck." He glanced around and spotted not too far off a little cafe tucked at the corner of the current street they were on. "Come on, Crocodile Dundee, let me buy you a coffee before we get into it." Without thinking, he reached out to give the man's shoulder (the health one) a pat. It was a familiar kind of gesture he would've done to his friend, at least.

[luckybucky]

Bucky sighed heavily, and he even let Tony get away with that weird pat on the arm thing, though he is starting to think that maybe this isn't Tony Stark after all. "That pretty much sums up my whole life," he replied dryly, but he's put at ease by the banter, and he's willing enough to follow Tony off to get a coffee. "And I don't raise crocodiles, I herd goats. And occasionally Rhinos."

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony gave him a humored grin. "Do you really think saying you raise goats should be stating with such gusto? There should be at least a little shame in your tone when admitting that- although, the rhino part does almost save it. I'll give you that much, Goat Dundee."

"Did you get your money and cookies from the fellow over there yet?" He asked, gesturing toward Mr. Schiff.

[luckybucky]

"Maybe, but the goats talk back to the king," he replied lightly, and glanced in the direction of the information booth, shaking his head. "Where would I put cookies that you wouldn't be able to see them?" In his stomach, he supposed, but that wasn't the point.

The point was that Tony Stark was treating him like a friend, and aside from being unexpected, it was also weird.

[mayp]

May had been laying on the bunk bed in the cabin that she shared with the three teens, she had lovingly called the Spider Kids, a book spread open on her lap though she wasn't paying much attention to it. She didn't like the train, but given what she had on it then she supposed it wasn't that bad. She was glad that Peter was here and Tony, Gwen was lovely too. She was glad that Peter had such a nice girlfriend though she unfortunately had left the Train not that long ago. May hoped that she was ok.

Rubbing her eyes, she pulled her hand away and then blinked. Not only was she no longer on the bunk, she was standing on the beach surrounded by other people. She didn't recognise the place nor had she any idea of how she had arrived. It was probably one of the interesting parts of the train but she also didn't they normally get a heads up if they were changing location and had the option not too? Still, it could be something new.

Grabbing her envelope from the person at the stall, she stuffed it into a pocket and started to look around. Spotting a familiar person, after a while she hurried over.

"Bucky?" she called out to him. They hadn't spent much time together on the train but she recognised him and Peter was fond of him so she would be nice.

[luckybucky]

Bucky was in the midst of grappling with his box of cookies, envelope of money, and map with just one arm when he heard his name. He looked up, searching for the source when his gaze fell on May, and he found himself blinking owlishly.

"Yes, ma'am?" How the hell did she know his name? He knew better than to assume she was harmless, but she also didn't send the alarm bells ringing in the back of his head, even though she seemed to know him.

A lot of people knew who he was these days, he just wasn't used to meeting them in the streets.

[mayp]

This must be a different train then. "You don't remember the train through space then?" she asked curiously. "I'm May Parker, I don't know if you know my nephew Peter yet but we're friends of Tony Stark's," she replied introducing herself.

"Do you need any help with that?" she added indicating everything he was trying to juggle.

[luckybucky]

He blinked at her, and gave his head a shake. "Uh, no ma'am, no trains through space that I can recall," why were their trains through space? Was that who T'Challa had been about to ask him to fight?

The mention of Tony had him freeze up for a second, blinking at her. "Oh... he and I aren't on the best of terms," to put it extremely lightly. "I've got it," he did not have it, as his map slid from his fingers and fluttered to the ground.

[mayp]

"Oh, well it must have een a different version of you on the train then. Whih probably sounds like an incredibly strange thing to say but it was an incredibly strange situation to be in," she shrugged.

"I think he comes around but I won't ever speak of his inner emotions. There might be more to him than you realise," she shrugs.

[luckybucky]

Bucky nodded a little, crouching down to get a better handle on his things and retrieve the map again. "With all due respect ma'am, the last time I saw him I lost an arm." Again. "I'm not exactly eager to revisit the experience." He was tempted to tell her that Tony had been trying to kill him but frankly he couldn't hold a grudge about that -- he'd have tried to kill someone, too, if he'd been in Tony's shoes.

[mayp]

"Ah, I suppose that would explain it. I... I admit I don't know to much about that. I know you have no reason to trust me but if you do need anything I am happy to help."

[luckybucky]

"There aren't many who do. All the news picked up was that Steve and I escaped from Germany," he shrugged his good shoulder and offered her a little smile. "But don't think less of Tony for it -- as nasty as the fight was, if I'd been in his shoes I probably would've done the same thing."

The offer for help has his smile warming, though, and he chuckles. "Same goes to you. I'm handier than I look."