MOD LOG #3

[bequiet]

MOD LOG #3

Arriving in style
Content Warnings: Fighting, death, violence
Themes: Survival, plot

It's early in the day when it happens. The red dust that seems to be everywhere sweeps through the city streets, mixing with the steady patter of rain and making it hard to see and breathe. All red and leaving the taste of copper if inhaled, what could have been an easy day without any trouble quickly becomes anything but. While those in the community are heading for cover or finding ways to continue on through it, the new arrivals begin waking up in different cities all over the world. There won't be anyone to greet them, and leaving the room through the door is their choice - after doing so, they'll immediately step out into the city they were assigned. The streets are empty, houses abandoned, everything crumbling and in ruins. There will be signs noting their location, which they'll catch a glimpse of before a sharp push forward causes darkness to engulf them.

Waking up for the second time, in Reims but not in the Reset Room, they'll come to inside the red dust as it whips through the streets of the community. They won't be alone for long. Another person will be waking up beside them, and after a few moments of disorientation, try to attack. They might have weapons or use their hands, and they will not stop until they've taken a fatal blow. Their blood is dust, and they, along with their weapons, disintegrate after they've died. Can you stop them on your own? Will someone come to your aid?

The Sight of Lightning
Content Warnings: Poison, sex
Themes: Survival, plot

The day after the storm, the same red dust will find its way through Reims and come into contact with every person. Since the dust is everywhere, some might not notice that it's floating through the community and know that something is off. The effects don't begin until night fall, where everyone will feel the desire to seek out companionship of many different kinds. Though it is not always the case, the people that saw each other in color will "want" to be with that person more strongly than they might already, and will be more likely to confess or do something about it. Some might feel an intense need to be around another person, though not necessarily sexually - almost as if they need that person around them to be happy or content. For some, it might be a desire that can only be fulfilled by more than one person.

The effects wear off the next time the person gets wet. This can be a splash of water across the face or fully submerged. Or even drinking something.

OOC
From your mods:

Please be mindful of content - if something triggery comes up or if it goes up a rating to say, something sexy, mark your threads in the subject line. We're very flexible and allow any material; we just want our players to be respectful of each other. If you have questions, pp the mod account, use the faq or comment to the appropriate post below. Have fun! The OOC Plotting Post.

NAVIGATION

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Comments

Bucky Barnes | OPEN

[lednikovyy]

Arriving in style

Bucky hasn't been here long, but he's learning what some of the dangers look like. The dust is ominous with its red hue and Bucky would just as soon stay inside if he was sure that everyone around him would be equally safe, but they can't be sure of that and from inside of house 1, he sees movement in the streets.

After that, he slips carefully out to find anyone who might be in danger. Shielding his eyes as much as he can, he looks around for movement in the swirling dust or linger footprints, though even his own don't last long in the wind. There are plenty of strong and capable people here, but there are also plenty of civilians who could get hurt or killed if they're left alone in this, so he pushes on through the street, taking cover against buildings when he needs to. It would be easier if he could call out, but he won't risk it right now. Anything that could carry over the wind would be pretty loud.

If he spots any movement or signs of life outside, he'll move towards it. This half-blind, dangerous sort of tracking feels familiar in a way that's actually welcome. Instead of thinking about what he did as the Winter Soldier, this brings him back to the War. Back then, he wouldn't have expected that to be a good thing.

The Sight of Lightning

Maybe it's all the quiet or maybe the stillness of the house right now, but Bucky feels restless in a way he rarely does anymore. Most of his evenings here, he's sat quietly in his room, reading what he could get his hands on or watching others talk on the devices. Spending time quietly isn't new to him and he doesn't mind it. After being on the run, it's almost calming at times.

Tonight, however, he's got an itch to leave. There's something that's so lonely about his room that he just needs to get out of it. Strange that he's been alone almost entirely since he eluded HYDRA, but now he feels the weight of that hitting him and he just wants to be around other people, even if he's not really with them.

He doesn't see anyone around in the house as dusk settles in, so he sets out to find what might resemble nightlife around here. Of course, keeping mostly to himself, he hasn't managed to pick up on where social gatherings might happen or even if they're possible beyond group meals, but he figures there has to be something. Even in the War, they went to bars when they could, sat around fire or even in the cold, dark night together, but they had something.

The town hall seems like the first place to look for people, he supposes, and he winds up there for a little while, hanging back for the most part as a few people mill around. That restless feeling is a little better now and he finds a place to perch out of the way on a bench inside the entrance. He doesn't slink back in the shadows now. What's the point when so many people seem so unfamiliar with him and Stark hasn't tried to make any real trouble, either? He'll smile or nod at anyone who passes by, giving an extra big smile to any pretty young women who catch his eye.

Once he leaves the town hall, he'll wander the sanded streets doing very much the same. A silent gesture of greeting to anyone he sees, though few of them are familiar yet. He's not comfortable here, exactly, but something in him is settling. After moving so often for so long, staying in one place for several weeks with no plans to leave it feel strange. Maybe he really should start to integrate himself a little more.

Rabbit Season

Being a hunter had sounded like an easy job to Bucky at first, but the added challenge of being silent had certainly made it less thoughtless and more of an active challenge. It's a good job for him, because it keeps his mind occupied, at least. Today, he's walking back towards the center of the town with three fat rabbits he'd managed to catch. He knows they have to be careful not to catch too many faster than they can multiply or they'll run out of food, so he figure he can help skin and gut these.

As he walks along by himself, he practices the sign language he's learning. He can't communicate much yet, but he's got a pretty good aptitude for language and this is no different. He signs simple words over and over again, just making gibberish so he can get comfortable with the movements himself, but if someone wanted to think I am fish or Flowers taste blue mean something, that's their choice.

Wildcard

[ If you'd like to throw something at me, go for it, or feel free to request a specific starter. You can reach me at blauren or kobrakidding#0888 on discord ]

[flyguy]

When the kids told me there's a crazy man out here talking to himself I thought they were punking me.

[Tony can't say he's exactly happy it's Bucky. But at least he already knows what Bucky's dysfunction is. In one of the nearby doorways are several of the native kids are gathered, barefoot in their well-worn jumpsuits with a small cadre of, if not elegant then at least functional, rc cars with cameras equipped in hand.]

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky shrugs, a little smirk playing on his face. It can't be that strange that he's practicing. It's not like a written language that he can study by reading. Besides, opperating as the Winter Soldier, he'd had to learn a lot of languages, but now he can't remember how he learned most of them. He's still not sure that he can even name all the languages he understands, let alone remember how to learn them.

He pulls out his device and his typing is still clunky in a way that people who actually grew up texting might laugh at. ]

Possibly crazy. Still a man last time I checked.

[flyguy]

[You know that feeling where you just want to piss in someone’s Cheerios? Yeah, he’s kind of hovering in that area. Thankfully time and crazy paranoia have given him a much needed distance so he can settle for not using the other m word just to be cruel.

He’s really good at being cruel. Exhibit A:]

Either you’ve been sniffing glue or there is a severe lack in your social life. Don’t smirk at me, it’s weird.

[OKAY BUCKY? Okay. Anyway Bucky’s not the only one here and Tony’s getting several messages, as evidenced by him looking up at a street sign slightly to the left.]

The kids want you to play race cars with them. They probably think the metal hand makes you a robot or something.

[He doesn’t kids?? Anyway he wouldn’t have put it out there if he hadn’t intended to put it out there. It’s a thing and no one had better say anything about it.]

rabbit season

[historyrabbit]

[Okay. First, oocly, he has to object to the whole rabbit season thing. He's not in the mood to be hunted. It's a canon nickname.

Secondly... You smell of elderberries? (Couldn't think of anything else.)

It has him stopping and signing at Bucky—after he catches the guy's attention, mostly because they're sharing the same walk path going opposite directions—with a mixture of native language and British Sign Language.]

How would you know if I smelled of elderberries? I don't think we've met. Have we? [He's a world traveler, this one.]

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky has to wait for his device to translate the signs, but when he reads the words, his face twitches in a silent snicker. That's definitely not what he'd thought he was signing. ]

Practicing.

[ He's still learning, but he can sign well enough if he only needs one word and he's learned it. ]

[historyrabbit]

[At least Lavi doesn't seem horribly put off by being told he smells. But he can understand the practicing too.]

It's a lot to take in at once. I had a friend who was willing to teach me all the signs he already learned. Though right now I'm hodgepodging.

[paragon]

[ Steve doesn't really have it in him to leave the battlefield until the battle's won. Not always an easy thing to tell, but he stays out in the midst of the dust and rain and fights until it seems there's nothing left to fight. He's not alone the whole time, but it's easy to lose track of allies in these conditions. He would've preferred not to lose track of Natasha especially, even as he trusts in her ability to take care of herself. He knows he'll still feel relieved when he sees her again.

The dust storm seems to be settling, clearing from the air as quickly as the rain is allowed to wash it away. Red streams from the blond of his hair down his face in rivulets. His pants are light, or were, stained probably irreversibly in the same color. A deeper red now too, as the day seems to be getting on, the sun low and still not especially visible. He's a little weary, but aside from all of this not much worse for the wear. The only noticeable marks are the bruising on his face, a couple days old by now.

It's in this state that he stumbles upon Bucky, stopping in the middle of cobblestones scattered with wet sand. He wonders if it will ever feel like something other than seeing a ghost, but maybe that won't be until the day Bucky actually sticks around. The look Steve gives him, however, is a little more it's about damn time. ]

Buck.

[ Like he's got no idea he shouldn't be saying it out loud. ]

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky's been out in the storm helping anyone who seems to be fighting off an assailant. It's been an oddly high number and he's a little banged up and his jumpsuit is caked with red dust and sweat. He hates to admit it, but he's thankful for the fight after all these quiet days and nights alone with his thoughts.

He'd been running by himself for a long time before Steve finally caught up to him, but the reminder of what it feels like when someone has your back has only driven home that he'd been barely surviving It feels like he doesn't even remember how to make connections anymore when the easiest thing is gently winding up Stark. Besides that, he's not sure who else he can safely be around. At least he knows Stark will have a decent shot at putting him down if someone figures out how to activate all that stuff in his head again.

When he hears his name amidst the pitter-patter of raindrops, his heart stops for the briefest moment. It's too familiar and too welcome to be real, but when he turns his head, there's Steve looking about as messy as Bucky does and standing there like he didn't just walk right out of Bucky's thoughts.

His voice is quiet and his steps careful, even with the rain for cover. ]

Steve?

[ He moves closer, feet careful on the cobblestone. They'll have to re-sand this path. He'll offer to help later. ]

[paragon]

[ The care he takes isn't of immediate note; from the little time Steve's gotten with him, Bucky seems more aware of his steps than he used to be — the way he moves through the world, maybe — though admittedly the difference is starker from Brooklyn than Azzano. Bucky's not the only one with guilt. There are things Steve should've seen, or let himself see.

Aside from that initial shock of seeing him back in D.C., though, Steve doesn't really let himself indulge. He doesn't just let Bucky come to him, meeting him halfway instead. ]

How long you been here?

[ Out in the storm, he means, though he's eyeing Bucky's soiled jumpsuit with a frown. It shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that they were somehow dragged here in tandem — in fact, it seems like the most likely option, considering where they'd both been a few hours ago. Though even those Avengers he'd been farther from than he would've liked (if that's what they still can or should call themselves) seem to have arrived with him too. ]

lightning

[bossily]

There isn't much of a nightlife here. That's the thing that has Clara the most bummed, apart from the sound eaters and lack of ability to make noise. She's an early riser, but she's also a night owl. So she wants so much for there to be more to do than just wander around at night and explore. Still, it's what she chooses to spend her time doing. She's wandering the sandpaths, trying to get a feel for a way to best help Teddy implement his sandbag pathway plan. It's a large challenge, and she isn't sure it's the right one. But it's not enough to simply protest and argue against his ideas. She needs to have actual evidence.

So she's walking down a path with both arms outstretched for balance as she measures the distance by putting one foot directly in front of the other. There's a count that she's silently keeping tabs on, mouth moving with no sound coming out. He waves as she passes him by, and she walks right on past him. And then pauses and glances back his way, taking a moment to look him over appreciatively. His face is nice, and his hair is immaculate the same as hers. But it's his long legs that she's eyeing.

This calls for her device being pulled out and used, as much as she hates relying upon it.

Come stand directly in front of me, would you?

[lednikovyy]

Bucky hadn't given her a second thought at first. Just passing people makes the silence a little less overbearing, but it's not easy or even wise for him to be too outgoing here when he doesn't know who could have information about him or who can take care of themselves if something goes wrong and they have to fight him.

Still, he's not outright anti-social, so he turns around and walks back towards her cautiously.

What are we doing?

[bossily]

Measuring. Your feet are better suited for it than mine are.

She motions for him to go ahead and stand in front of her, arms outstretched so she can place her hands on his shoulders. She has every intention of guiding him to move forward, ready to count his footsteps to add them to her own. It's not exactly accurate, but it'll do.

lightning

[ferrokinetic]

[ lorna doesn't consider herself a people person, but after years of living at underground hq, she's used to having a house filled with mutants, training, planning, living their lives over canned food and top ramen. the silence eats at her, makes her second-guess her choice to leave in the first place. whatever her decisions, she didn't expect to land in a whole other world. she's aching after her battles in the red dust storm, bruises blooming over her body in a way that makes her move stiffly, and she misses her metal jewelry, the steel-toed boots that allowed her to employ her powers in pursuit of flight.

she ends up walking, shuffling along the sand path in her jumpsuit that reminds her way too much of her stint in prison. without making the conscious decision, lorna finds herself heading in the direction of town hall. seeking out companionship. she heard a rumor you can make noise there, that it's been soundproofed, so it seems like a reasonable place to go for some conversation.

something makes her pause in the doorway, powers feeling over foreign metal. what is that? like a bloodhound following a scent, she continues in, eyes falling on a man with a metal arm seated on a nearby bench. he smiles, and it puts her at ease, adds to that itchy feeling of not wanting to be alone. lorna gives a lame little wave before crossing over to throw herself down next to him. ]

what's up, tall dark and shiny?

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky ducks his head in a silent almost-laugh. He really needs to get a glove for his left hand. It'll catch less attention. Still, he's already caught out now and while he might not have been looking for a conversation, he's not looking to turn one away, either. ]

Just people watching. I don't think I've seen you around, have I?

[ Not that he's been here that long, but the green hair is noticeable, at least to him. ]

[ferrokinetic]

[ it's not like her to approach strangers out of the blue, but when his reaction's favorable, something tightly wound in her loosens up. just a little. she can't remember the last time she had a conversation that wasn't about the immediate danger of the war at hand. it's difficult to remember how to socialize, and she's frustrated with herself for following the lure of that metal without considering there's a person attached. ]

i'm lorna
i've never seen anyone like you before

[ said with a wide, appreciative smile that says she's looking at an organic wonder. it's like being near another mutant, but with that added bonus of familiarity, metal setting her at ease. ]

rabbit season

[kiljoy]

[Kilgrave is walking back home in the opposite direction when he sees the guy holding the dead rabbits coming towards him. He holds up his device to translate the signing since at first he thinks it's directed at him, but it quickly becomes clear that it's gibberish. He raises an amused eyebrow and signs back:]

Almost right.

[Close to making sense, at least. He's guessing this is a newbie.]

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky grins. He knows he's not exactly nailing it, but he's getting there. It's really too bad that all of the dozen or so languages he speaks are all but useless here. ]

Thanks.

[ He notices the guy's clothes and remember the vague warning his housemate gave him, but he's still not sure if he trusts her. For all he knows, Stark is going around warning people off of Bucky, too. Besides, Bucky can take care of himself better than most people.

He lifts his hand to sign something else, then realizes that he's forgotten at least two of the words and pulls out his device to type it instead. ]

Does it start to feel like speaking after a while?

[kiljoy]

[Eh. Kilgrave shrugs, shaking his head. No, not really.]

You new?

[He's taking a guess, although it looks like the guy is settling in already judging by his catch.]

lightning.

[swig]

She feels that same restlessness in her muscles and bones, despite how she's still feeling the excitement from the day before, dulled now after having been offered a jar of hooch from one of her housemates. It's no Asgardian mead and doesn't have anything on Sakaar's moonshine, but it'll do just fine. Seven really is a lucky number, who knew.

The lack of nightlife isn't all that surprising and she's content to explore on her own, bare feet silent along the sand as the jar dangles from her hand. She'd picked a path at random to follow and ended up at the town hall again; there's one man sitting on a bench at the entrance and there's a few things that catch her eye, the metal arm being the most obvious one. But there's something about him that makes her linger: an odd sense of familiarity, some vague sort of camaraderie that she hasn't felt in a very long time.

Dry lips tick up at one corner in a half smile in return and she figures why the hell not, slumping down onto the bench next to him. She takes another mouthful of alcohol before placing it between them, a silent offer should he wish to take it.

[lednikovyy]

[ The companionship is more than welcome. He can always spot another soldier. Reading body language and assessing threat is something he can't stop doing, even with the Winter Soldier programming laying dormant. There's something in the way they all carry themselves or maybe in the way they all drink, not that Bucky can actually join in on that fun part.

He smiles at the jar before pulling out his device to type. ]

it would be wasted on me, but thanks anyaway
I'm Bucky

wabbit season

[monomachy]

Being assigned the job of a teacher had been surprising to Diana, but not at all unwelcome. With her particular skill set, she had been certain they would ask her to join the patrol, or perhaps work the sand paths. Both of those things are not out of the realm of possibility, of course, but she is more than happy, for now, to take on the role of an educator. It's one she'd become familiar with on Thisavrou, and subsequently the station. While she can't exactly teach languages here, social anthropology could be an option once she's fully settled.

Class has just ended, and she's shooing the children--most of them natives--back towards their homes. They dart through the square, dodging around the man with the rabbits, signing rapidly to one another. She catches a few words here and there, but even she is not so great with tongues as to pick up on their signs without quite a bit of practice.

She offers the man a smile, nodding appreciatively at the game and trying to figure out what he's saying. It's difficult, so she begins with a sign she does know, one of the first she'd learned:

Hello. And, immediately following: Good catch.

[lednikovyy]

Thanks. Bucky signs back with a smile. He's finally getting to the point where he can use it a little, at least, but he's still relying on typing for most of his communication. It's frustrating for a man who's only had free access to a cell phone (and no one to actually text) for a few years. Everyone else seems so much more comfortable with the devices than he is. Still, he pulls it out as soon as he realizes that the other option is standing there awkwardly trying to remember signs one at a time.

Do you hunt? It's mostly new for me. I'm Bucky.

Lightning

[rockypath]

[Faith is a pretty flirtatious person by nature, so even though something about tonight is making her feel this overwhelming urge to seek out Kara, she does slow her stride through the doors of the Town Hall when she sees a guy there flashing her a big ol' smile.

She smiles back, tossing a wink his way cause why the hell not?]

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky might actually blush. He's not looking, really, but it's been a long time since a woman winked at him like that. A long time. He's just now realizing how long. Being a sketchy-looking guy on the run hadn't exactly pumped up his sex life. Or his dating life or even his flirting life.

He grabs his device, realizing that he really needs to get better at this whole mobile-device-texting thing that everyone else seems so comfortable with. ]

I'm Bucky
what's your name?