quietplacelogs | MOD LOG #3

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MOD LOG #3

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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[ a champion. that's what she had said before she gave him that dusty trinket. since his arrival here, spike hadn't been doing much championing. or any really if he's honest. in his defense, not much before now had required his particular skillset, but when he'd heard the ruckus he'd come running. especially after slowly acclimating to the silence the past few weeks. spike inserts himself directly into the center of the fray and starts systematically taking the assailants down. there's something satisfying about when they turn to red clay, like dusting a vampire back home, and it only galvanizes his need to be here.

he loses count of how many people he's saved today rather quickly, the rain getting in his eyes and matting down his hair and clothes (or bright yellow jumpsuit, in this case). not that the numbers have ever mattered to him. only that he could be of some use when it counted. and when things were down to the wire, he had given the greatest sacrifice he could at the time -- whether his life meant anything or not at that point was of no consequence. and so it doesn't here either, and he could swear that as he takes a particularly hard hit he sees golden hair as his body twists to accommodate his fall. and as he hits the ground, a sword slices through him, splitting down the center of his throat.

the pathetic offering of his own dust peppers over theirs only to disintegrate in the same fashion mere seconds later. inside of a minute, he's reconstituted as whole inside the reset room, just as disappointed the second time around as the first. he coughs ineffectually and scoops up some of the red stuff in his palm, knowing no amount of staring at it will help him learn its secrets, but that won't stop him from trying. in the end, all he can do is shake his head and utter a soft curse. ] Oh, balls.

[ Her own death is... not so clean. Bleeding out from wounds to the stomach isn't something she'd ever wanted to experience, and her final thoughts were of Faith, her sister slayer who would have to hold the line on her own now. The girl she'd once stabbed just like those things had stabbed her, but where Faith had had the chance to escape the killing blow, Buffy had no such opportunity.

It's with a feeling of devastation that she blinks back into consciousness amidst more of that red dust. How many times is this now? How many times has she died and-- Is that how this hell dimension works? They fight, die, wake and fight again? She doesn't remember the people she'd saved in the storm, not Faith or the young girl, none of them. She doesn't recall that the attackers turned to dust, or the fleeting sight of LA fallen. But the blood on her clothes makes it all too clear what her fate had been, and it hurts. ]

[ he feels rather than hears someone shift beside him, whipping his head towards the movement as if it could be another threat. his breathing rachets up though the oxygen is useless for him, mouth falling slack as he takes in a familiar figure. the blood on her clothes unsettles him, but he can smell it even over the copper tang of the reset room. it's real, which must mean that so is she. but he's reaching out for her anyway, breath stuttering again when his fingers connect with her arm. ] Buffy? [ his voice is impossibly small and his eyes wide and wet. when did she get here? as happy as he is to see her, that can only mean the threat to this place is worse than he or faith could have imagined. ]

[ Everything seems slower than normal, a light fog of disorientation weaving around her thoughts as she takes in the man she was never supposed to see again. She'd lost him, yet here he is, looking at her like--

It doesn't make sense. He's real, she understands that, but she doesn't comprehend it. That should have been the first thing to come out of her mouth, questions of how and why, but when she speaks, it's something else entirely that tumbles from her lips, her voice thin and wavering to match the lost expression she wears. ]

I died again.

[ he frowns at first, his hand dropping away from her to fall ineffectually to the dirt floor they're sat on. maybe he could just lay back down and sleep the big sleep once and for all. but something about the way she says that, how lost she'd been a year ago when her mates tore her out of the good place -- he sighs, a slant of commiseration worn on his face like a badge. ]

Yeah, bites just as good as the first time around, don't it, luv?

[ There's something about his hand leaving her arm that snaps her out of it, bringing that ache rising back to the surface from the dark depths where she'd tried to hide it. This is Spike and she needs to focus on what's important here, of which her fourth death does not make the list.

Looking down at his hand on the dirt, her own fingers pick up some of that red dust, testing it before turning her gaze back up to him. He's the center of her universe in that moment, the only thing that makes any sense. ] Spike, how are you here? What is this place? Why— Why don't I remember dying?

[ spike is as at a loss as she is, but the way she looks at him melts him down. he's the one who's supposed to ask for her direction, not the other way around. ] Alternate dimension, I think. No one rightly knows. ...I think it comes back? The memories. I'm still hazy, too.

[ he gestures vaguely before getting to his feet and offering a hand down to her. he supposes it's up to him to introduce her to this shit existence. ]

[ An alternate dimension. It fits, but she doesn't feel any more settled by having a working theory. Only answers will do that, and they're likely a long time coming yet.

She takes that hand without hesitation, offer and acceptance feeling as natural as breathing, and she doesn't let go even when she's on her feet. What she does do is lift the hem of her shirt with her free hand, exposing a stretch of unmarked skin where they should have been... something. Some sign of whatever injury had spilled so much blood. But there's nothing and she just holds his hand a little tighter for it. ]

How long have you been here? [ Tugging her shirt back down, she returns her focus to him and the parts of their situation that don't involve her dying and miraculously healing. ]

[ his fingers tighten around hers without hesitation, squeezing in a way he hopes is reassuring. there's really nothing he can tell her she doesn't know other than the whole sound eater thing... which is important, but he's not in a hurry even so. ] Couple weeks? [ it's hard enough to keep track without memory loss tbh ] Enough time to figure out this place is bollocks.

[ A couple of weeks? That means he must have come here right after-- Her expression tightens with discomfort before smoothing out again, and she makes an effort to center herself around the touch of his hand, the sound of his voice. She needs an anchor in the storm and there's no one better for that. ]

Well, we can figure out the rest together. [ It's said with far more conviction that she actually feels, and she's well aware that he might see right through it, but putting on a brave face is standard procedure for the slayer. Despite that, she finds herself admitting something she wouldn't have with almost anyone else. ] I don't know what to do next.

[ he uses their joined hands to draw her a little closer, frowning at the reassurance she gives him. as much as he wants to work things out and save this place with her, he can tell she doesn't believe they can. and she doesn't even know what's at stake yet. ]

Hey... that's okay. You don't have to be the answer girl all the time. [ especially since she only just arrived and already died, effectively losing any progress she had made. ] Next maybe you just get some rest, huh?

[ Doesn't she? Answer girl, plan girl, save the world girl, isn't it all part of her job description, right there beside the whole until you die clause. But maybe, just maybe, she can get a pass this once seeing as how she's done that dying for the cause thing a hell of a lot more than the slayer who'd come before her. ]

I don't think I've had real rest since... [ Since before he died, at least. Before Caleb had come to town, before the Bringers had started stalking the streets in search of Potentials to kill. ] It's been a while. I think I'm kinda bad at it now.

[ spike nods, knowing that to be the truth. has she really even rested once since her mother died? without thinking it through, spike pushes some hair away from her face and regards her seriously. if she's supposed to take care of everyone, the least he can do is take care of her, right? ] Come on, let's go have a nap. Then we can look at this with fresh eyes.

[ How was she supposed to rest when everyone expected her to be some kind of superhero and take care of everything? She'd never had any other option; every time she'd tried to find another way, everyone had been so... Well, she'd found out what happened when she made mistakes, and it's not a lesson she'll ever forget.

She doesn't turn away from his touch; it's comforting to have him make these little gestures. And if she's honest with herself, the idea of having someone worry about whether she's taking care of herself is actually really nice. ]

A nap sounds good.

[ Of course, she isn't allowed to leave just yet, as is made quite clear by the people who enter and don't hesitate to try to usher her out. ]

Oh, right. Those Native guys. [ spike reluctantly lets go as they herd her away from him. ] They're just going to tell you to be quiet and give you a phone. I'll be waiting right here.

[ The whole spiel about staying quiet isn't something Buffy could have anticipated; these people live like this? She has far more questions than they have answers, and by the time she returns to Spike, now dressed in a light blue jumpsuit, she's pretty grumpy about it. This isn't how she's used to working and she has a hunch there won't be any good demon bars with informants ripe for intimidation.

Slipping her phone into her pocket, she looks up at Spike with a tired pout. ] Can we go now?

Edited 2018-04-01 17:30 (UTC)

[ he gives the natives a look as if to say he's got it from here. not that he'd been all that keen to follow their rules. buffy deserves a good rest before tackling this world's problems too, doesn't she? he heaves out a sigh and gets a glare for his trouble. ] Yeah, we can go, but we have to talk using these blasted things. [ he waves his device around even as his shoulder slots in against hers, ready to make his way outside the reset rooms. ] Like this :/

[ Frowning at his screen, she pulls her device back out of her pocket, studying it for a moment before trying her hand at typing. She'd never been much for texting, she usually ended up pushing the keys too many times, and cellphones were too expensive to risk taking out on patrol, so she'd just never really bothered.

It takes two attempts, but she finally manages to find what she's looking for. ] Okay :(

[ he starts leading the way back towards the houses, walking on the grass since the rain has turned the paths to mud once again. he could really use some shoes. ]

This place is stupid. They tell you about the sound whatsits?

[ He's not the only one - even if they were walking on sand, she'd still be of the opinion that barefoot walks are only for sandy beaches. But it seems like they don't really have much choice in the matter. ]

The reason we have to use these things? Yeah, they mentioned but left out a few details. How do I kill them?

[ What? She's got her priorities. ]

[ spike shrugs, he wishes he had a better answer for her. ]

Everyone says you can't. Faith is here - you see her yet?

[ Faith is-- Buffy stops walking, staring at Spike in confusion for a moment before looking down? Had she-- A hand lifts to her press at her stomach, feeling for a wound that isn't there anymore, and a few more seconds pass before she shakes her head and slowly types out her reply. ]

I don't remember.

[ he stops too, realizing his mistake instantly and reaching for her arm. ] It's okay. That's normal or so I hear

[ It's not his mistake, it's just... wrong. Like so many things about this place. She doesn't have anything to say, so she just nods and takes his hand, not giving even a moment's thought to the action. She feels more settled when she holds onto him, that's all there is to it. ]

[ o-oh. he doesn't hesitate to lace their fingers and squeeze in reassurance, but there's something about it that's foreign and new. something they were on the precipice of, maybe, before the end. he slips his phone into his pocket with his free hand and leads her into the shared house he's become familiar with. though he usually just sleeps on the deck like an animal, he leads her into the middle of the house where someone abandoned a bed and some other things. spike will lead her right to it and nudge her to sit gently. ]

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