robowest | [ WEEK ONE

Entry tags:

game: start

[ WEEK ONE – ARRIVAL ]

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounds about right. [The answer comes from her left where Percy and his ~~hellhound~~ dog appear to be taking a walk. Natalie probably has further reason to be unimpressed seeing how he's still in his ripped up t-shirt and jeans, but seeing how his hands are in his pocket he's not exactly a threat.] I have no idea why we have to wait 'til tomorrow to get a better explanation.

Edited (im smart sorry eli) 2017-01-14 00:10 (UTC)

My first guess is that it's because that guy is a huge piece of—

[She pauses when she turns to look at him and sees both the state of his clothing and his dog. She glances between the two of them before settling on looking towards Percy. She has several questions already.]

Let me guess, I should see the other guy?

[There's a closed-lipped smile which really isn't an answer? But it's probably fine.]

It's a long story. [And apparently not one he's willing to part with just yet. Mrs. O'Leary, on the other hand, seems to be watching Natalie closely as if she's getting a gauge on the girl.] Hopefully the other guys stay where they're supposed to be.

[Otherwise...well, let's not think about that.] I'm not sure what to think of this place though.

Stay where they're supposed to be? Did you get into a fight with a bunch of kids from juvie or something?

[She gets the idea that he doesn't want to talk about it, but that doesn't mean she won't needle him about it.]

It sucks and this is a heaping load of horseshit seems like a good summary. Also, I feel like your dog is subtly judging me.

Yeah, I guess you could say it was something like that. Like a jailbreak? [He sounds like he believes his own story, but he's carefully skirting around the details. Instead, he looks down at Mrs. O'Leary and actually smiles before he looks back up at Natalie.]

She does that. She's...really protective. [And usually the size of a hummer but again, details.] Is there something she should be judging you for?

You know, I could ask why you were involved in a jailbreak, but I don't think I really want to know.

[So he's off the hook (for now, at least). She stares down at his dog.]

No, but that doesn't change the fact that I can feel her staring into my soul. [She pauses.] Unless I've broken some sacred law of canine society etiquette. I don't know what dogs find worthy of judgment.

We're the ones trying to put everyone back in jail if it helps. [It probably doesn't. Mrs. O'Leary continues to stare up at Natalie, tail slowly wagging as she shifts on her feet to see what Natalie will do. Despite her appearance, the dog seems pretty playful.]

Mrs. O'Leary hasn't seen a lot of people for a really long time. [He's assuming. The last thing he remembers is that she was with his half-brother searching for his stupid ass before finding him in California and making her way back to New York with his brother and another friend.] When I first met her she just wanted to play but this probably isn't the best time to be doing that.

[Not that the dog cares, but whatever.] As long as you don't have any weapons on you that're going to slice through my ribs, you probably pass.

So you're a thirteen year old police officer, got it.

[In no way does he look thirteen years old, but she's going with it anyways. Sorry, Percy.

She does make a face that's halfway between confusion and mild horror at his next words, though.]

Holy shit, why is that the first thing you jump to? Why would I want to stab you?

Just call me Officer Jackson. [It's fine, he'll sass right back because this is still, somehow, a much better option than how things were before.

It's. About then he realizes he probably should remember how to talk to people that're normal mortals again and he at least has the decency to look properly embarrassed.] Would you believe me if I said "jailbreak flashbacks"?

I am never using that name.

[Okay, no, now she has to ask.]

How much stabbing did this jailbreak involve, dude?

[Nobody appreciates that more than Percy, really. But...there's a sudden silence. Mrs. O'Leary looks up at Percy and gives a concerned little woof but Percy doesn't acknowledge it.

Two and a half weeks. They were there for two and a half weeks and now they're here. It's nervewracking even if he refuses to let on that he's nervous about it. What good would it do?]

About the same amount as the poisoning, drowning and crushing we were up against. [Very, very casual, but there's a closed edge that says he's really not ready to talk about it just yet. He knows this is misleading but he's pretty sure "I spent two and a half weeks in the darkest part of the Underworld with my girlfriend journeying to close the Doors of Death and seal in a bunch of monsters that wanted to kill us multiple times" isn't a believable story either.] What's the last thing you remember before the train?

[From the look of skepticism on her face, it's fairly certain that she isn't certain she believes him. This has to be a joke, right? It sounds pretty strange to her, but then, so does waking up on a train with no memory of how you got there.]

Gotta say, I'm more concerned with what yours was. Jesus.

[It's not a lie, really, but it is a deflection.]

[He's used to that look. But on the other hand this sort of works for him in case he has to backtrack. He's not sure if he's already said too much, but he's pretty easily picking up the conversation again.]

Not a train, so I'm guessing that's two of us. [They can both play the deflection game, it's fine.] Almost everybody I've talked to can't remember a train being anywhere near them.

[She notices the evasion, and while she's not going to comment on it just yet, she's filing it away for later.]

Almost everyone? Was there an exception to this?

[And like that he thinks nothing of it.]

The guy I'm sharing a room with said he was on a different train before waking up on the one we showed up in. Not really sure what that means.

Probably just a coincidence, but... Who was it?

[She's admittedly curious.]

His name's Harry. We didn't get into it that much but I think that part's a coincidence, too. Some other people I've talked to mentioned being on camping trips and other people showed up covered in blood so...what do you think?

[They might have just met, and he might not actually know her name, but opinions are usually helpful anyway.]

I definitely was not on a camping trip or covered in blood, as you can see from the lack of dirt and, well, blood.

[She gestures down at herself. Skirt, leggings, t-shirt; nothing out of the ordinary.]

It's weird, though. If some of us were camping or whatever, wouldn't they have had to grab people from places that are pretty far apart? I wasn't anywhere near the woods.

[An ordinary mortal. That's fair. His gaze drifts a bit as Mrs. O'Leary gets up to wander and his fingers tug at the ratty hem of his t-shirt.]

And I wasn't exactly near Japan but I talked to someone from Tokyo yesterday. Something weird is going on and I think it's weirder than any of us are ready for. [Like. It's possible, but seriously unlikely.]

I think I got the weird memo when I wandered into a spaghetti western out of nowhere.

[She's curious, though.]

You got any theories?

A few, but probably not any that make sense to anybody else. [Annabeth. He has to get back to Annabeth, something's really wrong with this town and maybe she can figure it out because right now Percy's only thoughts are a little too based on experience. On the other hand talking to Natalie gives him something to focus on which helps.]

You didn't get a good count of how many of us showed up, did you?

Well, that's sure helpful.

[But she can't be too frustrated. It's not like she can make heads or tails of why and how they're all here. She shakes her head in response to his question, though now she wishes she did. It would have been relatively easy during their initial meeting, if she had thought of it.]

Nah, too busy freaking out about being kidnapped. Something tells me it's a bigger deal for me than it is for you?

[If he can talk casually about getting stabbed, kidnapping should be no problem, right?]

[It's funny, considering that one answer sort of ties into another but her next question is a little easier to talk about. It's a little easier to skew it into something more normal and less supernatural, almost. There's a smile because yes, he knows he isn't being helpful but at the same time it's probably for their own good. Instead...]

Yeah, maybe. [He looks away.] I was kidnapped last winter and woke up on the other side of the country four months later. I didn't get any of my memories back until the end of June. [Which is the easy version of the story, but yeah. Kidnapping. He's annoyed and he doesn't like it, given how his jaw tenses a bit, but this isn't the first time. And again it occurs to him he maybe shouldn't so blatantly tell this to a stranger but at the same time...nobody knows the circumstances behind it. It's fine, probably.]

Huh.

[Well, that's terrifying. At least, the memory loss he's describing throws her, and she has to think about it for a second.]

You think the same thing has happened to all of us before, maybe, but most of us haven't remembered it like you eventually did?

[Maybe they're all involved in a weird kidnapping chain and they don't remember it? (No.)]

[Yeah that's pretty much 0/10, would not recommend. He doesn't like the possibility but he shakes his head.]

Maybe not exactly like that. [The whole thing was pretty complicated if you ask him.] I couldn't even remember my name or where I was from or anything like that. I think most of us can remember all of that. It's just a gap in how we got on the train to here.

The last time this happened it was because someone wanted to push for an end to an old feud. ["To stop a war" goes unsaid.] But that was sort of like a family thing so it's not important.

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