[ WEEK ONE – ARRIVAL ]

[sheriffexe]

ARRIVAL

It's a surprisingly quiet ride. The passenger cart is nothing more than wood and a bit of cotton to cushion the seats but for some reason, even as the train hurtles along down the track, the cart remains silent. It only starts filling with noise when the passengers begin to stir. There isn't any indication on how you got here. No grogginess, no injuries -- in fact, those who arrive with injuries might find them healed up completely (of course there are others who won't be so lucky) -- but in one blink and the next, you are here, on this train. Maybe you're even sitting next to a friend. Maybe a stranger. Won't be any time to talk either, the train suddenly slowing down with enough of a jerk to throw its passengers back into their seats. A few seconds later, it comes to a complete stop and with a whistle, the doors open and a voice calls from outside. It's male, with a slight mechanical twang behind it and anyone who looks out the window towards the station can just about spot the portly man out on the platform. "You might as well come on out, folks. You won't be getting any answers on the train." Once everyone is out on the platform, the man stands before them taking an assessing look at each person. There is something very off about him, though he looks human enough -- but his eyes are too white, his skin too dry, and his hair is doesn't shine quite right. He is dressed in a flannel shirt, suspenders, and jeans, a cowboy hat atop his head and a badge pinned to his shirt that reads "Sheriff". After a moment, he gives a gruff nod and speaks again. "Howdy. Real happy to see all of you. Explanations will come... Sunday morning, yeah. Give y'all a bit of time to meet each other. Settle in. Keys are on the table over there, hat and pistol in your room. Don't, er... Don't shoot each other right away but if you do, my office is over there. Go get some dinner, sun's about to set. Wouldn't want any coyote trouble." And that seems to be... it. The Sheriff tips his hat and turns to head to the building with the large "Sheriff" sign on the front. There is a table nearby, keys neatly laid out for everyone with nametags attached to each one. An owl hoots in the distance and a breeze passes through the group. It's quiet again. Welcome to game start! Characters will find their items in their hotel rooms and anyone who goes to visit the Sheriff after he leaves will find the station empty. On top of that, rulebooks will not be available to find until later. The Sheriff might be forcing it a little but it seems like the intent here really is to get everyone to interact with each other. If there are any questions, PM or hit up the plurk at robowest!

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Comments

[sweats]

one, arrival.

[ There is something incredibly jarring about plummeting to your death one moment, bracing for pain beyond belief and then -- and then nothing. Waking up on a train, clean and dry and healed up. It's that last part that keeps Will quiet, tongue dragging along the inside of the scar across his face and wondering how in the world something like that is possible. Is he dreaming? Is he dead?

It's one of those, he decides, as he stands quietly in the crowd and his eyes flick around to the others and at the man in charge. He doesn't like crowds, especially ones as confused and upset as this, and the assault of emotion hitting him is making his head swim.

As the crowd disperses, he quietly heads off to the side to slip behind one of the building. The saloon, apparently, as he takes a quick read of the sign. It's only when he's alone that he finally drops to shaky knees in the dirt and in one quick lurch, empties the contents of his stomach on the ground.

Wryly, he realizes, all he can taste is blood and seawater. ]

two, saturday morning/afternoon.

[ The next morning, however, Will can be found walking through the town as a slow pace. He doesn't look well but, really, when does he ever? He still looks pale and shaky, eyes bloodshot like he didn't get any sleep at all. His hands are tucked into a jacket he grabbed from the clothing shop and frankly, he looks like one bit of social interaction might make him keel over.

On the bright side though, at his heel is a very fluffy looking dog who actually looks pretty happy in comparison. Winston sniffs the ground at Will's feet, tail wagging happily as he runs off ahead a bit before winding his way back to Will. Winston and Will at the very least, seem to be of the same level of curious about their surroundings. Anyone who spots Will can see him touching and feeling out the area, scanning the stores that are open and the stores that aren't, and even taking the hike up to the farm to see what's there too.

Anyone's welcome to join him, even if it doesn't quite look it. ]

three, wildcard.

[ Here at 1-800-WILDCARD, we're up to doing anything and everything you want. If there's something else you want to do, go for it! Will is a boring boy, okay. ]

one!

[feminitis]

[It's not like Sei really means to infringe on Will's privacy. Really, it's more of an unfortunate coincidence - she's just trying to become more familiar with their surroundings by exploring, rather than seeking him out specifically. But she can't help but notice him on his knees in the dirt as she rounds the salon.]

—are you okay?!

[Well, obviously not. If he was, he'd be standing upright, not kneeling in the dirt. She takes a few hesitant steps closer before the smell hits her, and she grimaces. Oh. Oh, yikes. Poor guy.

Steeling herself, she kneels down next to him and reaches out for his shoulder.]

Can you walk? Maybe we should try and get you to that hotel so you can lie down.

[sweats]

[ Well.

Honestly, not what he expected and he's already trying to back away, wiping his mouth with a sleeve and waving Sei off as he tries to pull himself up from the ground. He stumbles slightly in his attempt but he doesn't want someone to -- to touch here so Sei will get a very unbelievable grin in response at least. ]

I'm -- I'm fine. Just had a shock. Please don't worry.

[ He might puke again if she worries. ]

[feminitis]

[She's worrying, sorry Will.

But she at least recognizes that he doesn't want her to touch him, so she pulls her hand back, looking him over appraisingly. She's never treated a Westerner before, but in theory it shouldn't be any different than treating her comrades, right..?]

You need to be sure to get something to drink as soon as you can... vomiting like that is going to dehydrate you quickly in a place like this. My father was a doctor, so I know.

[Please stop.]

one.

[insincerely]

[Shinnosuke was attracted to the sound of suffering!! Or someone throwing up. Or something like that. He swears that he doesn't have questionable hobbies.

He'll be standing at a distance, though, and... not making a move to help the poor man on the ground, oops.]

Damn. I was hoping you'd be someone else, but looks like that isn't the case. I know the scenery's tacky, and it makes me want to throw up too, but you should at least try to show a little more restraint, hmm?

[sweats]

[ Will's still on all fours here and when he hears Shinnosuke's voice, he narrows his eyes up at the teenager. His first reaction is to, well, pick a fight actually but that isn't quite something he actually wants to do. Just a reaction to a reaction. ]

Oh, sorry. Wasn't really thinking straight. I'm not that concerned about aesthetics, actually but sure, I'll mind where I vomit for next time.

[ Freggin' teenagers. ]

[insincerely]

[Shinnosuke embodies all that is horrible about teenagers, it's true.]

Are the rest of us going to have to be concerned about a repeat performance? Because not only would some old man choking on his vomit be a bad start to all this, I really don't know who's going to clean that up, to be honest.

[Is that going to be the first use of the suggestion box... "please clean up Will's vomit"...]

two, saturday morning.

[tightly]

[ After breakfast, Chane had opted to take some time to wander on her own, finding some peace in the clear blue sky and the crisp, country air. This place is strange, unwilling to really explain itself and Chane incapable of asking, but she's well-rested and fed, and has decided that neither her nor Claire are in any immediate danger. That's fine for now.

Practically, she decides there's no reason for the man with the dog to look so sickly, unless he was unwell before they arrived, or maybe just possesses a weak constitution.

Impulsively, she decides no, she doesn't want to just leave it and walk on, because Jacuzzi probably wouldn't.

So guess what, Will! You're getting tapped on the shoulder. ]

[sweats]

[ Will actually doesn't expect anyone to approach him because, well, strangers (which he hates) and socializing (which he also hates). So, he jerks a little at the tap on his shoulder, blinking at her with a frown pulled tight across his face.

Winston, on the other hand, sits at Will's feet and his tail wags. He sniffs in Chane's direction but doesn't quite approach yet. ]

... Yes?

two, saturday morning!!

[cherrypuncher]

[holy shit

puppy

For all that Yuna is trying to be helpful and act mature, she is still a fourteen-year-old girl with a penchant for cute things, and there's a puppy here.

She spends a moment watching the fluffy dog trotting from a short distance and considering exercising basic self-control before she scurries over. She's gotta pet the puppy.]

Excuse me, Mister? [And she hesitates for half a second when she sees how sickly he looks, then beams.] Can I please pet your dog?

[sweats]

[ Will's in the middle of doing not much of anything, just sort of standing outside the saloon and taking in the look of the train from here. He's wondering, like everyone else, what exactly's going on here and then --

And then his head sort of throbs and he looks nearby to Yuna. A raise of an eyebrow is what she gets in greeting. ]

You want to pet Winston?

[ Winston, who is sitting at Will's feet, lets out a soft woof. ]

Sure, go ahead. Behave, Winston.

2

[uraniumnumnum]

[ as it turns out, robots don't really need to "sleep" (he never has, and even if it would probably be better for his current body to shut down and rest for at least an hour or two, he doesn't consider it), and thus, he's still almost as mad today as he was yesterday. He's been stalking around for several hours now, looking for signs, clues, answers, or just something to kill to make him feel better. Unfortunately, he hasn't succeeded at locating any of the above.

And so, he finds himself back at the train station, standing in front of the bulletin board with a look of mild disgust. There's a pack of cigarettes in one of his hands. However, he doesn't seem to be smoking them. Rather, if one watches, they might see him... eat one. Just put the whole thing in his mouth and eat it.

When he catches sight of Will, he glares - then looks to his dog, eyes narrowing further. ]

[sweats]

[ What the hell.

Will was just entering the station to see, again, just what was keeping him here when he spots Ash. He's not really planning to interact with the guy at all (Will's default notion is to only speak when spoken too because honestly, he'd rather not speak at all) but then -- then there's that. Right, okay.

If there's one thing to convince Will that this isn't a full fledged hallucination, it's that he's pretty sure his brain would never come up with Ash. ]

... Should I even bother asking why you ate that cigarette?

three!

[alcobrawlic]

[ She's not even considering roommates when she finally opts to use her key to find her room. The Sheriff had mentioned pistols, and she's missing both her weapons, so of course after determining that there was most definitely booze (concern number two, concern number one not being something she wanted to dwell on right now) it was on to concern number three.

Which is why she's walking into the room, looking around to see-- well, that's one weapon down, but that pistol sure is disappointing. ]

You'd think they could at least get the gun right-- oh, hey!

[ THERE IS A DOG, and Sara doesn't actually mind dogs, so she's going down on one knee to try and coax said dog over. ]

I'll maybe forgive him if he's handing out complimentary dogs.

[ Sara, maybe notice the other person in the room. Or maybe she has and she's just trying to establish that she didn't just bust in looking for a gun. ]

[sweats]

[ There are two beds in this room and one is already covered in dog fur so that sort of makes the choice for Will of which one he's going to sleep in. He sort of expected whoever he was sharing with to arrive already (honestly assuming for a while there it'd be Hannibal) -- but then Sara enters the room and Winston, who is sitting between the beds, perks up with a bark and Will realizes this is his roommate.

Of course, she doesn't actually notice him at first either which he kind of prefers so he grins wryly and watches as Winston walks over to her for petting. ]

Winston's not complimentary, actually, but I'm glad to hear you approve of him. Since it looks like we're sharing.

[ Which, really, he's not quite sure if he likes or not. Maybe he will go seek out Hannibal, see if the man will swap. ]

pupper!!!

[court_chesster]

[ Simon is also out for a walk. He has a skittish, fearful air about him, and is glancing around as if lost or confused. A keener observer, however, might notice that there's no randomness to his actions whatsoever; he's not actually panicking, but rather taking everything in. His gaze lingers on people, especially when he thinks they're not looking. His monkey is having its own adventure, scrambling around on rooftops in search of shiny objects, though it never strays so far it can't see its master.

When Simon spots Winston, his demeanor instantly brightens. ]

Oh! Cute doggie!

[sweats]

[ Will, of course, notices Simon's demeanor and then curses himself inwardly for noticing, not wanting to sponge up even more of the wary feeling permeating through the air. Of course then the man spots Winston and Will isn't really sure what to do.

So, awkwardly, he'll offer -- ]

Thanks. Do you, uh, want to pet him?

[ Maybe he can just run away, that is a normal thing for an adult man to do. Christ, where's Hannibal when you need him? ]

two.

[moraled]

[There's a dog that's pretty happy, and he's going to run into another dog pretty quickly.

Constantine wags his tail as well, brightly and excitedly, sniffing at Winston--Barnham is following behind, frowning tightly as he does.]

Constantine, hold--

[...Ah.]

This dog is your companion?

[How stuffy.]

[sweats]

[ Well, that's new. Winston barks happily at the presence of another dog, going forth to sniff Constantine with just as much enthusiasm. Will just sort of stands there looking befuddled at both dogs before -- Oh.

Of course the dog has an owner. The dog is wearing armor, he's definitely not a stray. ]

... Yeah? Yes. His name is Winston. You have your dog too?

two

[elemancy]

[noctis doesn't really need to mind umbra too much—he's a pretty self-sufficient dog due to his nature.

but not wanting to explore completely alone means he's just going with the flow of umbra's trustworthy explanation. but a dog is still a dog in some respects, so when winston is near... umbra runs on ahead, leaving noct to play catch-up.]

Umbra, hey—wait up! [now will can have two dogs sniffing around at his feet. and when noct catches up (while leaning over a bit to catch his breath), he'll make his apologies.]

Sorry 'bout that. Guess he got curious, seeing another dog around here.

[sweats]

[ So, on one hand: Will should probably be a bit better about this -- this, uh, talking to people and not just immediately telling them to go away. But on the other hand, he never will be and it's really Umbra's presence that saves it all.

Will's a little blindsided at the sudden dog approaching Winston but Winston on the other hand, seems quite pleased and moves forward cautiously to take a few sniffs in return. Will looks up at the man -- kid, really -- who approaches after and he raises an eyebrow. ]

Does he not spend a lot of time with other dogs?

[ Will, that isn't even a hello!!! ]

one

[robitussin]

Oh, dude, gross.

[What a sympathetic, kind response.

She'd had the same thought as him; she'd been starting to panic and being in the middle of a large crowd definitely wasn't helping. She was still fighting to keep her breathing under control, not to completely freak out, when she wandered behind the same building he did. Now she just makes a face of disgust.]

Come on, we've been off the train for a few minutes now. Are you seriously that motion sick?

[Because that's definitely what it is.]

[sweats]

[ NATALIE YOU'RE SO NICE.......

Seriously, Will is going to make a bit of a face when Natalie starts, what is this, criticizing him for being sick? He's seriously not good with people in general and teenagers even more so, so as he pushes up from the ground, he gives her an unimpressed look and wipes his mouth with his sleeve. ]

You can leave, you know. Just turn around and walk away. Pretty sure you're able-bodied enough for that.

[ Thankfully, Will doesn't even want sympathy but the unnecessary comments are just that -- unnecessary. ]

one

[beyeotic]

[Pain and anguish are never out of earshot. Never has she sought it out, mind you-- it simply comes to her.

Will might be well into his 30s but that still doesn't stop Ana from seeing him as a boy. Not that he seems like a boyish type, it's just that he seems like he could only be a few years older than her own daughter. The pain of someone young, someone who likely hasn't dealt with anything like this, strikes a maternal chord within her.

Ana walks quietly over to him, her boots likely just barely in his peripheral view by the time she comes to a stop. She maintains distance as she crouches down.]

Too much for you?

[Whatever is "too much" she doesn't say. Her tone is even. It's amazing how still she is in the position she's in.]

[sweats]

[ He appreciates one thing -- that she doesn't reach out. He's not fond of unwarranted physical touch and if anyone was going to stumble upon him like this, he wouldn't be very nice about it. Instead, he leans back on his heels and wipes his mouth with his sleeve, looking at Ana with caution. ]

You could say that. The kidnapping's new at least.

[ This is the point where he'd ask her something in turn, he reminds himself, and so he does -- ]

You used to this?