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quietplacelogs2018-03-17 11:38 am
oorah) wrote in quietplacelogs2018-03-17 11:38 am
Entry tags:
IV. (closed-ish) i believe it is my duty to do my best to obey the scout oath and law
featuring: hotdog & his best eagle scouts
what's happening? boy scouts trip; hunting, fishing, camping, sound eatas
day: march 19-26
content warnings: animal death, general spookiness, sound eaters
notes: feel free to make your own toplevels encompassing whichever prompts you'd like, tag frank specifically, or create your own prompts!
day 1 | [ it's a regular expedition, and frank is feeling optimistic about the whole thing. the weather is clear and there should be a fair bit of game this time of year before the sound eaters get to them. he's spent over a day checking and checking over every detail, making sure they have everything they're going to need for the next six days. an abundance of sand, of course. from david and frank's personal stockpile but then he asked for everyone to bring along their own too. and then there are more normal supplies: flint, tents, sleeping rolls, knives and pots. it reminds him of bootcamp just as much as it reminds him of taking his kids out into the woods to disappear for days at a time. neither is an unpleasant memory on its own, but given everything that happened after, the framing of them seems all wrong. still, he's ready for this. and he knows the people who approached him about coming along need this too, whether they're coming to get away from the village, because they're hungry, or simply because they want to see the monsters who threaten their every day here.
frank goes around to every person on his list and collects them and their stuff in preparation to leave. it's a good mixture of ages and skillsets and he thinks they'll all have something to learn from one another out there. once they have everyone and everything (and a few tagalongs) they set out. a veritable ragtag troop of misfits. the first day is mostly just hiking and chatter. frank will stop along the path to show which berries are safe and which are poison. to teach them how to walk silently with and without sand. frank prefers not-sand, anything but sand. that it's a necessary evil here couldn't be any more soul-taxing, but as always he doesn't complain. he points out poisonous plants too on their way higher up into the overgrown cities. and when it's time to pitch camp for the night he patiently explains how to do so silently before passing out a meal of granola that micro made and berries they picked from earlier for dinner. ]
day 2 | [ when frank lays his head down on his roll to sleep the first night, all the sleepless nights and all his thwarted naps catch up with him. his exhaustion is complete and he sleeps on, unable to be awoken for the entire night and long into the next day. this is a lost day, where for once the steady presence of hotdog will be absent. he'll make his way out of his tent well after noon, upset with himself that he overslept and even more upset with micro and the other adults for not waking him. but everyone is doing alright without him, and maybe that's the true lesson here.
that night frank builds a small, quiet fire by the river, the current covering over the sound of the crackling flame enough to be safe for heating up some beans. over the fire he starts to tell a ghost story in sign language, directing everyone to raise their devices so they don't miss any part of the "scary" tale. he seems in better spirits than he's been in a long time, and he teaches lessons on knot-tying and knife-sharpening after that. then he puts out the fire and tells everyone to hurry on to bed. ]
day 3 | [ this day is an early riser, and it starts with fishing in the river they'd set up camp next to. passive lures are used to make the least noise and everyone participating is instructed to pull up the fish they catch with a sheet of cotton and then to stab the fish in the eye before they can thrash. next is rabbits, which are significantly easier to kill quietly if caught by surprise, but without the proper speed and accuracy they will scream. frank shows each person how to dispatch them efficiently and silently.
there's more hiking and foraging for the rest of the day and everything goes smoothly. they eat well that night and frank turns the floor over to anyone who might want to tell a story of their own or start a discussion. they'll see the sound eaters in the morning and he knows especially for those who haven't seen them yet, there's an anxiety that comes along with it. anticipation and dread both. he remembers exactly how it had felt his first weeks here and he wants to see them for himself again too. he wants to prove to himself that somehow it wasn't just a fluke. frank will encourage everyone, especially the kids, to go to sleep early, but if anyone should come by his tent he'll be awake most of the night. ]
day 4 | [ today's the day. there's a tension in the air that wasn't there previously, and they're close enough to the sound eater den to smell and taste copper now. the closer they get to the center of the city and the tower, the thinner the woods become. before they get too close, frank makes sure everyone understands: they must be perfect here. complete silence. he will understand if anyone wants to wait farther back but he's going in closer with the bulk of the group now. sand is laid with painstaking care to ensure they don't make a sound, up until the bramble-covered cobblestone disappears and all that used to be the eiffel tower park is now a pit of red dust.
they're early enough to catch the tail end of the sunrise, casting an eerie haze over the scene. that same feeling of helplessness descends on him as the monsters make their climb from the tower, three distinct factions of the creatures that all move as one towards the middle of the clearing. there are younger ones than the young even, perhaps newborn. they have no eyes or mouth and the older ones seem to gather around them. every way they move is calculated; coordinated, like parts of a whole. the screams and cracking bones of the shambling, deformed middle children punctuate the silent space. the whole thing is eerie, of course, but frank doesn't feel fear the way he did the first time. there's something about these things that he identifies with, that he almost feels for. when he looks at them, it's like he knows them and it's on the tip of his tongue, but the words never come out.
they'll spend most of the day there, just watching. he encourages people to take video and pictures, but also to take breaks so no one gets overwhelmed and slips up. there's no dying on his watch -- not this time. not when he doesn't know what the consequences of it truly mean. almost reluctantly, he packs them up to hike some more, knowing it isn't safe to set up camp so close to theirs. there's no fire or lively stories tonight, just cold meat and beans and another early bedtime. ]
day 5 | [ they set out on their first day winding way back to town, but frank has his mind set on big game today. the farther they travel from the sound eaters the more life there is and when he sees a small cluster of deer in the distance he knows they have an opportunity. he instructs everyone to pour sand into a clearing up ahead, then to set out a pile of found berries and wait. it's a long and tedious stake-out, but frank is used to that. he signs Patience for all the kids watching, and finally one of the larger does wanders into their trap. frank aims his crossbow and as she looks up he takes his shot. the arrow lands clean and perfectly and she doesn't suffer, falling back into the sand with a soft noise of the granules being displaced. he holds up his hand for everyone to wait and make sure it wasn't enough to attract the sound eaters. when nothing comes, they'll load their bounty onto the cart and gather back up their sand before carrying on.
there's something about the day after seeing the beasts that's calm, a complacency that comes with knowing your enemy and looking him in the eye. well, teeth. they cover a lot of ground on this day, in attempts to make up for the lost day before the sound eaters. as it nears dark, there seems to be a colder front moving in, creating a layer of fog that has them winding up the day earlier than frank had anticipated. the fire is more for warmth that night than it had been previously, and with all the excitement most of them seem inclined to stay up and stay out late into the night. for the adults (and young adults???) frank brought some whiskey and now seems as good a time as any to break it out. ]
day 6 | [ the journey is beginning to wear on everyone, especially the children. frank will offer his shoulders or a piggyback to anyone who needs to take a load off for a while. there's more fishing as they cross through the other side of the river and the crisp air of the day feels welcome after the slight balminess that begun their trip. there's some urgency today to return to their routines. it feels weird to be out here instead of in town hall, airing their grievances to the town at large. though frank can't actually say he misses it. he would rather be out here even without the opportunity to speak and make noise.
another day of hiking passes more or less without incident. frank will be open to telling some war stories today and tonight if anyone should show interest. there are things he's getting better with: opening up used to be something he'd only do with his unit, even his family didn't get the full frank castle story all the way up until the end. this place has been about breaking patterns and cycles for him; about not making the same mistakes. he wants these people to know him, and to rely on him. it isn't as though he has anything to return to when his job here is done.
later on in the night, just after they've eaten supper, the rain will start up. it comes on sudden and without warning, drenching the party and extinguishing their carefully built fire. this can only mean one thing: frank runs to his tent and grabs his guitar. just don't request stairway to heaven. ]
day 7 | [ the next morning it's still raining, but with some effort they get an early start. and it isn't long before they see the outline of the village through the trees. they return before noon with 0 incidents and a lot more food than they left with. hopefully they've also gleaned some survival skills and a deeper understanding of one another and the terrain, to say nothing of the monster's lair they visited. it still feels like cheating death every time.
though it's a rain day, frank will find himself hard-pressed to do anything of worth today. he will most likely reunite with his dog and beeline for castle castle and take another long siesta if anyone wants to join him. feel free to open your day 7 prompts up to everyone for reunions and sharing what was learned! ]
what's happening? boy scouts trip; hunting, fishing, camping, sound eatas
day: march 19-26
content warnings: animal death, general spookiness, sound eaters
notes: feel free to make your own toplevels encompassing whichever prompts you'd like, tag frank specifically, or create your own prompts!
day 1 | [ it's a regular expedition, and frank is feeling optimistic about the whole thing. the weather is clear and there should be a fair bit of game this time of year before the sound eaters get to them. he's spent over a day checking and checking over every detail, making sure they have everything they're going to need for the next six days. an abundance of sand, of course. from david and frank's personal stockpile but then he asked for everyone to bring along their own too. and then there are more normal supplies: flint, tents, sleeping rolls, knives and pots. it reminds him of bootcamp just as much as it reminds him of taking his kids out into the woods to disappear for days at a time. neither is an unpleasant memory on its own, but given everything that happened after, the framing of them seems all wrong. still, he's ready for this. and he knows the people who approached him about coming along need this too, whether they're coming to get away from the village, because they're hungry, or simply because they want to see the monsters who threaten their every day here.
frank goes around to every person on his list and collects them and their stuff in preparation to leave. it's a good mixture of ages and skillsets and he thinks they'll all have something to learn from one another out there. once they have everyone and everything (and a few tagalongs) they set out. a veritable ragtag troop of misfits. the first day is mostly just hiking and chatter. frank will stop along the path to show which berries are safe and which are poison. to teach them how to walk silently with and without sand. frank prefers not-sand, anything but sand. that it's a necessary evil here couldn't be any more soul-taxing, but as always he doesn't complain. he points out poisonous plants too on their way higher up into the overgrown cities. and when it's time to pitch camp for the night he patiently explains how to do so silently before passing out a meal of granola that micro made and berries they picked from earlier for dinner. ]
day 2 | [ when frank lays his head down on his roll to sleep the first night, all the sleepless nights and all his thwarted naps catch up with him. his exhaustion is complete and he sleeps on, unable to be awoken for the entire night and long into the next day. this is a lost day, where for once the steady presence of hotdog will be absent. he'll make his way out of his tent well after noon, upset with himself that he overslept and even more upset with micro and the other adults for not waking him. but everyone is doing alright without him, and maybe that's the true lesson here.
that night frank builds a small, quiet fire by the river, the current covering over the sound of the crackling flame enough to be safe for heating up some beans. over the fire he starts to tell a ghost story in sign language, directing everyone to raise their devices so they don't miss any part of the "scary" tale. he seems in better spirits than he's been in a long time, and he teaches lessons on knot-tying and knife-sharpening after that. then he puts out the fire and tells everyone to hurry on to bed. ]
day 3 | [ this day is an early riser, and it starts with fishing in the river they'd set up camp next to. passive lures are used to make the least noise and everyone participating is instructed to pull up the fish they catch with a sheet of cotton and then to stab the fish in the eye before they can thrash. next is rabbits, which are significantly easier to kill quietly if caught by surprise, but without the proper speed and accuracy they will scream. frank shows each person how to dispatch them efficiently and silently.
there's more hiking and foraging for the rest of the day and everything goes smoothly. they eat well that night and frank turns the floor over to anyone who might want to tell a story of their own or start a discussion. they'll see the sound eaters in the morning and he knows especially for those who haven't seen them yet, there's an anxiety that comes along with it. anticipation and dread both. he remembers exactly how it had felt his first weeks here and he wants to see them for himself again too. he wants to prove to himself that somehow it wasn't just a fluke. frank will encourage everyone, especially the kids, to go to sleep early, but if anyone should come by his tent he'll be awake most of the night. ]
day 4 | [ today's the day. there's a tension in the air that wasn't there previously, and they're close enough to the sound eater den to smell and taste copper now. the closer they get to the center of the city and the tower, the thinner the woods become. before they get too close, frank makes sure everyone understands: they must be perfect here. complete silence. he will understand if anyone wants to wait farther back but he's going in closer with the bulk of the group now. sand is laid with painstaking care to ensure they don't make a sound, up until the bramble-covered cobblestone disappears and all that used to be the eiffel tower park is now a pit of red dust.
they're early enough to catch the tail end of the sunrise, casting an eerie haze over the scene. that same feeling of helplessness descends on him as the monsters make their climb from the tower, three distinct factions of the creatures that all move as one towards the middle of the clearing. there are younger ones than the young even, perhaps newborn. they have no eyes or mouth and the older ones seem to gather around them. every way they move is calculated; coordinated, like parts of a whole. the screams and cracking bones of the shambling, deformed middle children punctuate the silent space. the whole thing is eerie, of course, but frank doesn't feel fear the way he did the first time. there's something about these things that he identifies with, that he almost feels for. when he looks at them, it's like he knows them and it's on the tip of his tongue, but the words never come out.
they'll spend most of the day there, just watching. he encourages people to take video and pictures, but also to take breaks so no one gets overwhelmed and slips up. there's no dying on his watch -- not this time. not when he doesn't know what the consequences of it truly mean. almost reluctantly, he packs them up to hike some more, knowing it isn't safe to set up camp so close to theirs. there's no fire or lively stories tonight, just cold meat and beans and another early bedtime. ]
day 5 | [ they set out on their first day winding way back to town, but frank has his mind set on big game today. the farther they travel from the sound eaters the more life there is and when he sees a small cluster of deer in the distance he knows they have an opportunity. he instructs everyone to pour sand into a clearing up ahead, then to set out a pile of found berries and wait. it's a long and tedious stake-out, but frank is used to that. he signs Patience for all the kids watching, and finally one of the larger does wanders into their trap. frank aims his crossbow and as she looks up he takes his shot. the arrow lands clean and perfectly and she doesn't suffer, falling back into the sand with a soft noise of the granules being displaced. he holds up his hand for everyone to wait and make sure it wasn't enough to attract the sound eaters. when nothing comes, they'll load their bounty onto the cart and gather back up their sand before carrying on.
there's something about the day after seeing the beasts that's calm, a complacency that comes with knowing your enemy and looking him in the eye. well, teeth. they cover a lot of ground on this day, in attempts to make up for the lost day before the sound eaters. as it nears dark, there seems to be a colder front moving in, creating a layer of fog that has them winding up the day earlier than frank had anticipated. the fire is more for warmth that night than it had been previously, and with all the excitement most of them seem inclined to stay up and stay out late into the night. for the adults (and young adults???) frank brought some whiskey and now seems as good a time as any to break it out. ]
day 6 | [ the journey is beginning to wear on everyone, especially the children. frank will offer his shoulders or a piggyback to anyone who needs to take a load off for a while. there's more fishing as they cross through the other side of the river and the crisp air of the day feels welcome after the slight balminess that begun their trip. there's some urgency today to return to their routines. it feels weird to be out here instead of in town hall, airing their grievances to the town at large. though frank can't actually say he misses it. he would rather be out here even without the opportunity to speak and make noise.
another day of hiking passes more or less without incident. frank will be open to telling some war stories today and tonight if anyone should show interest. there are things he's getting better with: opening up used to be something he'd only do with his unit, even his family didn't get the full frank castle story all the way up until the end. this place has been about breaking patterns and cycles for him; about not making the same mistakes. he wants these people to know him, and to rely on him. it isn't as though he has anything to return to when his job here is done.
later on in the night, just after they've eaten supper, the rain will start up. it comes on sudden and without warning, drenching the party and extinguishing their carefully built fire. this can only mean one thing: frank runs to his tent and grabs his guitar. just don't request stairway to heaven. ]
day 7 | [ the next morning it's still raining, but with some effort they get an early start. and it isn't long before they see the outline of the village through the trees. they return before noon with 0 incidents and a lot more food than they left with. hopefully they've also gleaned some survival skills and a deeper understanding of one another and the terrain, to say nothing of the monster's lair they visited. it still feels like cheating death every time.
though it's a rain day, frank will find himself hard-pressed to do anything of worth today. he will most likely reunite with his dog and beeline for castle castle and take another long siesta if anyone wants to join him. feel free to open your day 7 prompts up to everyone for reunions and sharing what was learned! ]
day 5
Feel free to lecture, Dorothy.]
no subject
will's been a little snuffly, and she's noticed, so when she passes him and sees that he's huddled down despite the jackets and the scarf, she finds a blanket and brings it over. ]
here
[ she still hardly knows any sign language, so typing it is. ] wouldn't want you catching a cold
no subject
So he manages a very small, hesitant smile.] thanks. sorry.
no subject
of course
howre you feeling?
i'm dorothy. i'm a nurse [ in case he missed the 'talk' she'd given at the beginning of this trip ]
no subject
yeah, just not used to camping. i never really went, back home.
it's fun. just different.
i'm will.
no subject
i never really went back home, either
though i did spend a few nights sleeping in a field as a kid at one point just because it seemed like fun
[ it had been, the stars above her. ]
it's good to meet you will
how old are you?
no subject
[He was, all alone in the Upside-Down. Even though it's not remotely the same thing, the idea of being someplace by himself overnight is terrifying, still.]
twelve. [A pause, then, quickly:] thirteen, i mean. now i'm thirteen.
no subject
it was nice and em and henry knew where i was
[ growing up on their farm had been nice, even if dorothy's always struggled with being adopted. ]
yeah? birthday recently, huh
happy birthday. belatedly
[ she would have pegged him for eleven or so. ]
no subject
[He hesitates for a moment before clarifying:] yesterday, yeah. [Cause what says "happy birthday" better than seeing horrifying monsters, right?]
no subject
and no, they weren't
they knew where i was and that it was safe
[ wow. ]
let me guess
seeing the soundeaters wasn't your favourite birthday present
no subject
[He hesitates, then shrugs, a little awkwardly.] i wanted to come. i didn't mind it. i didn't really want anyone to know it was my birthday anyway.
no subject
why not? birthdays are something to celebrate
no subject
i do. indiana.
[Here Will sort of shrugs, gesturing at...everything.] there's a lot going on already.
no subject
in kansas
[ and, well -- ] yeah
but all the more reason, i think