abraxaslogs | Chapter the First

Entry tags:

Chapter the First | Arrival

WHO: Dr. Reid and you!
WHAT: The good doctor arrives... awkwardly
WHERE: Solvunn
WHEN: Mid-October
NOTES: No warnings to begin with. If you'd like a starter, or to plot for something, feel free to ping me on plurk @ yarnzipan

[an awkward arrival - click to see]

Were Jonathan Reid still human, the soft warmth of sunlight would be a welcome end to the strange nothingness of the void. But as it is, when the sunlight touches him, there is nothing but panic. And when the warm hands pull him to the surface and the protection of the water starts dripping off of him, he doesn't so much let the cloth wrap around his shoulders as he hides inside of it. There's a question or two, especially as the elder consults the book and finds his arcana: the Empress.

"Please," he finally chokes out, "please, keep me- keep me out of the light. It will- it hurts me."

There's some confusion, but they do as such: still a success, after all. A gift with strange beliefs, but a gift all the same. They'll keep a blanket between him and the sunlight even as they give him clothes and offer him welcome and he's very pleased to be in a carriage as he meets the representative and listens to... well, to everything. Getting him to his new apartment is a little awkward but soon enough he's in and the windows are shuttered. And then they can talk about the end of the multiverse and potential living conditions and, well...

Apartment. Apartment good.

[in town - shopping and babysitting]
Reid definitely has some restrictions on when he'll go out, but he's been using the very end of the afternoon, when the sun is low enough, to get his shopping done. He enjoys the fact that at that moment, he can eat and that he needs to eat; food has been something he's missed. But he doesn't intend to end up in the middle of the market during midday when his powers start to manifest again, so he'll play it safe. Most of what he does is seek out items he can use to make medicine, well used to making due with local plant life or other goods to break down into the substances he needs, and whatever books he can potentially find. He's also been trying to find other 'imports' to see if they know anything more about this Horizon. If you've got an arcana anywhere visible or seem not to fit, he might be bee-lining for you.

He's more than happy to babysit for some of his funds, though as with everything else, his evenings are what he offers, which is helpful for plenty of parents who might want a little time alone. For all that he's never spent overmuch time with children, he has any number of stories to tell, especially about the stars in the sky. Of course, the stories he knows are for the stars in his world's sky, but it's easy enough to come up with new stories using that framework and children are very forgiving story audiences as long as you make it entertaining enough. So you might find him with little ones if you find him.

[local farms]
He'll also make his way out to local farms, again after the sun is lower or if someone's willing to take him in a wagon. There, he's more than happy to check after the sick, provide diagnosis, and offer herbal or medicinal assistance. Those medicines he's been making aren't just to look at in the bottle, after all. As he comes to see that his skin is becoming more and more sensitive to the sun, his diagnoses become more accurate. It's a sign that he's been right to keep to the dark. And soon enough, he can travel in the dark by himself, use the shadows.

[monster hunting on the roads - later in the week]
When his strength returns to him, when he once more feels the shadows, the blood, that's when he decides to start helping out on the roads. (Not to mention that it's a good opportunity for him to feed in the woods, in the dark, where most of the monsters might come out and where there is the least chance of anyone watching him feast on rats and rabbits and whatever else he happens to find). You might see him traveling by foot. You might notice something dart between the shadows. Either way, he's not opposed to traveling with you, and if you have his back? He'll have yours.

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Taylor's not wearing her death arcana, but her Maine accent stands out like a sore thumb in the bakery as she peppers the baker's daughter with questions, a stark contrast against Maira's local burr. Mostly right now, questions about what lives on the roads outside town. But an instant before Reid steps inside, she turns to greet him. She's dressed like a local, but the borrowed dress is big on her, and her curly hair is tied back with string instead of the usual ribbon.

"Hey, what can I get you?"

He has heard some of those questions, which is why he pauses and peers past her for a moment before he considers his answer.

"You are... employed here?"

She didn't seem to be. But he's new here. Perhaps this is her service to the community.

She nods, a bit rueful, expression sharpening at his accent.

"Informally. Though I'm not sure if they do anything formally here."

A soft smile before he dips his head to her and offers a gentle chuckle of shared (if amused) consternation on that fact.

"So I have observed in my limited time here. I just wanted to make sure I didn't request my baked goods from another customer."

He picks out a couple of items before he returns to the conversation.

"I have been offering my expertise where I can but the lack of formality does make it somewhat awkward."

"New arrival too?" She turns to fetching his baked goods, but her attention is more on him. "I -arrived about a week ago." The hesitation is very brief, just enough to mark that the word is a deliberate choice.

"As did I," he answers gently, as he's also a touch awkward about the whole thing, not really sure about how others have been taking their new lives, their new roles, their new responsibility. The fact that this has happened twice now is starting to be somewhat frustrating. He'd known that another Disaster was likely in his lifetime, given his vampiric longevity, but he'd thought he'd at least get a few years before then.

"I am... adjusting. Given the changes this place has brought."

She nods, wrapping his things in the rough brown paper they have for the purpose.

"The jet-leg is really something else."

"It is," he agrees with a nod as he takes it from her and it's clear that he only realizes now that he's been terribly rude. He offers a quick bow of his head.

"Jonathan Reid. Doctor Jonathan Reid, if that word holds any meaning for you."

She smiles in return. "It does. Taylor Hebert. 2011, America, Earth Bet, if those mean anything to you. Starting to feel like we all need business cards."

"Left behind in my world, along with... well, everything else, I'm afraid," he says with mild cheer, "but it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Herbert. I don't know what 'Earth Bet' might mean, but I would be more than willing to learn."

"I'm not on any sort of schedule if you have time now?" Taylor glances at Mairi and gets a nod - the other teenager's already used to her being in and out.

"I'm still trying to triangulate what they're looking for, in us."

"As am I," he says earnestly as he nods; yes, he's fine with that. "Though I would ask that we, er, remain indoors until dinner. If that isn't too much to request."

Taylor raises an eyebrow, glancing outside at the patchy autumn sunlight, constantly in flux as the wind blows heavy clouds across the sky.

"Yeah? Sure."

Another bow of his head.

"Much appreciated, miss," he says warmly. There is a glance towards the sunlight that makes him frown just a little.

"Unfortunately," he continues as he carefully bundles away the baked goods from a few moments ago "my porphyria managed to follow me here. And thus, sunlight is... less than ideal for me."

Her expression mostly clears. "Wow, that's got to be very inconvenient, here." Yes, it's blunt. But so is she.

Something he actually appreciates. While he has his manners, he's never been one to play games. He'll nod to her comment.

"They were somewhat startled to receive a 'gift' that hides in the blankets given. But the people here have been very understanding. There are, after all, plenty of jobs to do even when it is dark out. And the dark will grow longer soon enough."

"Which is still - throwing me something of a curve. It was July at home." She smiles, with a faintly overwhelmed shrug.

"If I can ask - when are you here from?"

"1919," he says with a quick dip of his head, "March. So you can imagine my confusion."

There aren't too many travelers in Solvunn who brave the roads at night without a guide. The warmth of the daylight is much more agreeable now that the weather grows crisp, and the beasts who lurk in the woods tend to stay away from a well-lit path. Link has no merchant or visiting familities to escort at this time of night, but that doesn't keep him away from the woods. He's an adventurer at heart, accustomed to staying on the move for days on end, and a peaceful town like this leaves him restless.

That is not good news for the local monsters.

Link sees the movement in the shadows before he sees the other traveler on the road, just as Dr. Reid will likely notice the arrow whizzing past him before he'll see the young Hylian on horseback who sent it flying. There is a thunk and a horrific shriek, and the sound of paws scrabbling away before it's overwhelmed by the noise of hoofbeats as Link rushes past.

He already has another arrow drawn and readied, bowstring held taut against his chin as his eyes on the treeline - but it isn't much further down the hill that the horse slows to a stop and the bow is lowered. Link glances back to the traveler, his voice ever-so-subtly more excited than tense.

"Did you see it?"

His voice is, surprisingly, unhurried and his breathing as slow as if he were merely taking a stroll. He has seen the young man riding around, though some part of him worries for the horse and rocks along the roads that it might step on poorly at this time of night. He nods as he answers.

"I did indeed, young man. Do you intend to give chase?"

This elderly horse has seen better days, no doubt, but the rider seems skilled enough to have come this far despite the darkness. And for a passing moment, it looks as if Link won't hesitate to venture into further danger. His pointed ears are perked and alert when he pulls down his hood, his sharp gaze still scanning the dark forest intensely.

But his eyesight, while good enough at night, isn't that good. And besides... while this man doesn't appear to be in any amount of distress, Link can't rightfully abandon him for the sake of a hunt. He'd made a promise to Rowan to make sure the travelers on these roads stay safe.

At length, Link sighs quietly to himself, restoring the arrow into its quiver and slinging his bow over his back.

"No. It's enough to keep them off the roads."

Already, the tinge of regret in his blue eyes has morphed into something more serious. His head tilts to the side.

"You travel late."

"Spoken by another late traveler," he notes, though certainly not defensively. His tone is amused, mild, and tentatively friendly. He steps out into the moonlight, dips his head in a proper greeting.

"Doctor Reid," he introduces himself, "one of those who've been brought to this world, and tonight, one who is patrolling the roads, albeit on foot."

When one has the ability to dart through the shadows, only a bit of time management is needed to be able to canvas well and safely. And he's not opposed to digging into the ground or hiding in a makeshift shelter if need be. He's not above it, anyway.

Link's head dips slightly in silent acknowledgement of the Doctor's point - he is out late, at least compared to the other townspeople. For himself, it's just as natural for him to be out at this time of night as any other time of the day. He has never been beholden to any schedule except 'hurry.'

Until now, of course. Most travelers preferred escort during the day. Link may have chosen to settle down into the wildest part of Solvunn, but there are still routines to get used to.

"I'm Link," he returns the honor of an introduction easily enough. The press of his lips is somewhat puzzled, however - the man isn't one he recognizes from Castle Thorne. "Brought here, you say. Recently?"

"Only a week past," he explains without hesitation; Solvunn is all he's gotten to see or know. "Good to meet you, Link. I also go by Jon."

He gestures with one arm towards the road.

"I was actually on the way back from one of the farmsteads after treating a young patient. Thankfully, I'm well-versed in defending myself."

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Chapter the First | Arrival

In town - the bakery

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