[Jack, on his never-ending quest to see all of the Horizon, strides in as though nothing is amiss. He has a fabrication of his faithful hound, Zero, at his heels. The ghostly dog yips and floats around to sniff things with his little jack-o-lantern nose, but otherwise causes little trouble. It could never replace the real Zero, but it did fill a little of the hole that was growing in Jack's heart. He missed the denizens of Halloween Town. He missed being scary. He'd had to squash a lot of himself down to take on this new role as The Fool for the people of Solvunn.]
[He thought these heavy thoughts as he passed through the yards and driveways of the safe zone, occasionally pausing to take advantage of his height and peek in a window.]
[ It's quiet enough in his domain that when someone comes through the gates and starts exploring, he can hear it through his open window. Especially with the sound of barking being carried through the silence. That's really the thing that gets his attention.
Once he's out of his room and down the stairs, he stops at the kitchen so he can jam the old, worn sheriff's hat on his head. He's just about to head for the front door when he catches movement out of the corner of his eye coming from one of the side windows.
He lets out a startled scream, stumbling backward into a wall with a hand going to the empty holster on his thigh once he realizes just what he's looking at.
It's the fucking Slenderman.. Oh god oh god oh fuck!!
He's perfectly prepared to handle walkers by the dozens, but this? Nope. Nope. Nnnnnooope. Carl vividly remembers he and his friends in school talking about this in a jokey, awed sort of way that preteen kids do about internet hoaxes. ]
[Jack alerts to the scream at once. He pulls himself from his moody thoughts and looks around for the source of that beautiful sound. Zero, of coarse, doesn't react because he's not real. He's just an afterthought of Jack's that trails around in the background as his attention shifts.]
Who could that be...
[He starts to stalk on his long terrible legs over a low hedge and in the direction he thinks he heard the scream.]
[ He stays frozen to the spot, heart hammering almost painfully against his chest until the figure in the window moves forward. The minute those long, spindly legs step over one of the hedges like it's nothing, Carl clambers to his feet and books it toward the side door in the kitchen. There's access to the small stretch of yard between houses, and once he's out in the open, he can run pretty fast.
At least, that's what he tells himself in his panic.
What actually happens is that as soon as his feet touch the pavement and he makes the mistake of trying to get his eye on the Slenderman, his toe catches the other side of the curb and he trips, falling in a heap on the ground. His hat flops onto the ground in the process. When he manages to get himself righted, he brings his arms up to shield his face.
The lore was a little confusing if he remembered right and he doesn't actually know what the Slenderman would even do in the Horizon, but all he knows is that it's bad if he disappears. Shit, he really wished he'd paid closer attention. ]
Wh-- What do you want? [ Can the Slenderman even talk? He doesn't know, but he can't just not say something. ]
[All at once a boy bursts onto the scene like a spooked deer and Jack simply watches with wide, curious eye sockets. He does wince when Carl eats shit in front of him and starts to advance once again, a long bony arm outstretched to help.]
Careful there! You've got skin.
[Normal things to say. It's fine.]
I don't want anything, I'm just exploring. Are you hurt?
[ It takes him longer to process the fact that his visitor is talking to him than he'd like, but between the blind panic and the racing heart, it's kind of hard to think. ]
I-- what? [ Okay, what the fuck. Lowering his arms, he looks up. And up, because jeez, this guy is tall.
He's a skeleton. A talking, moving goddamn skeleton.
Breathing out a shaky laugh of relief at the fact that he's not about to be attacked, he hesitantly reaches out to take the long, bony hand for assistance up. ]
No, I'm okay. You scared the hell out of me! I thought you were.. uh. Something else.
[He tugs Carl to his feet with ease. It's both a comfort to know that he's still scary and a frustration because that's no way to make friends. Friends were everything in this world. Zero drifts over and offers a curious yip.]
Oh, really? What?
[He tilts his head, that gentle smile as present as ever. What else could a skeleton look like? When he wore his cloak outside the Horizon, some might have saw him as some kind of wraith or maybe Death himself. He's dressed normally today, but maybe that's what Carl saw.]
Let me introduce myself. I'm Jack. It's nice to meet you! Your Domain is really interesting.
Yeah, uh.. It's hard to explain? But at first, I thought you were something I hadn't thought about in a long time, so seeing you in the window scared the hell out of me.
[ Once Carl is to his feet, he brushes himself off and picks up his discarded hat, sticking it back on his head. The bark immediately gets his attention, his focus on Zero. He lets out a noise of awe, bending over to hold his hand out. ]
Your dog is really cool. Nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Carl. [ Straightening, Carl looks around his modest little domain and shrugs. ] It's not much, but it's enough like home for me. I'm not very creative.
[Jack lets out a creaky laugh--it's creepy but not entirely unkind.]
I promise I wasn't trying to be scary. For the best too, I'll bet.
[He elbows Carl gently with a bony arm before waving to his dog.]
When I first got to the Horizon, the first thing I did was make Halloween Town. Doing something familiar is nothing to be ashamed of! And this is--well, a memory of my dog from home. His name's Zero and if you don't watch out he'll pester you into playing fetch until the sun goes down!
Honestly, I'll take you over The Slenderman any day.
[ Now that the fear has worn out, Jack doesn't seem so bad. Spooky, but not nightmare fuel. ]
What is Halloween Town? Some place they celebrate Halloween all the time? [ He grins, looking around trying to find a loose stick to throw for Zero. ] Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad deal.
Sort of--we bring Halloween to the rest of the world. We spend all year getting ready for it. And you're right!
[A huge grin.]
It's the most fun anyone could ever have! Black cats, witches, ghouls and devils! Everyone is there! I miss it, so that's what I made. You must miss this place too.
Everything sounds so different where you're from. Before I got here, I can't even remember the last time we celebrated a holiday. Can I see what your domain looks like?
[ Carl looks around and nods. ]
Yeah. It's different with actual people in it, but they're not the real thing so it just kinda falls flat, you know? I mean I know I have a few, but I'd rather see them than not.
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abraxaslogs2022-11-21 02:18 pm
Re: The Horizon
[Sort of.]
[Jack, on his never-ending quest to see all of the Horizon, strides in as though nothing is amiss. He has a fabrication of his faithful hound, Zero, at his heels. The ghostly dog yips and floats around to sniff things with his little jack-o-lantern nose, but otherwise causes little trouble. It could never replace the real Zero, but it did fill a little of the hole that was growing in Jack's heart. He missed the denizens of Halloween Town. He missed being scary. He'd had to squash a lot of himself down to take on this new role as The Fool for the people of Solvunn.]
[He thought these heavy thoughts as he passed through the yards and driveways of the safe zone, occasionally pausing to take advantage of his height and peek in a window.]
no subject
Once he's out of his room and down the stairs, he stops at the kitchen so he can jam the old, worn sheriff's hat on his head. He's just about to head for the front door when he catches movement out of the corner of his eye coming from one of the side windows.
He lets out a startled scream, stumbling backward into a wall with a hand going to the empty holster on his thigh once he realizes just what he's looking at.
It's the fucking Slenderman.. Oh god oh god oh fuck!!
He's perfectly prepared to handle walkers by the dozens, but this? Nope. Nope. Nnnnnooope. Carl vividly remembers he and his friends in school talking about this in a jokey, awed sort of way that preteen kids do about internet hoaxes. ]
no subject
Who could that be...
[He starts to stalk on his long terrible legs over a low hedge and in the direction he thinks he heard the scream.]
[Here he comes, Carl.]
no subject
At least, that's what he tells himself in his panic.
What actually happens is that as soon as his feet touch the pavement and he makes the mistake of trying to get his eye on the Slenderman, his toe catches the other side of the curb and he trips, falling in a heap on the ground. His hat flops onto the ground in the process. When he manages to get himself righted, he brings his arms up to shield his face.
The lore was a little confusing if he remembered right and he doesn't actually know what the Slenderman would even do in the Horizon, but all he knows is that it's bad if he disappears. Shit, he really wished he'd paid closer attention. ]
Wh-- What do you want? [ Can the Slenderman even talk? He doesn't know, but he can't just not say something. ]
no subject
Careful there! You've got skin.
[Normal things to say. It's fine.]
I don't want anything, I'm just exploring. Are you hurt?
no subject
I-- what? [ Okay, what the fuck. Lowering his arms, he looks up. And up, because jeez, this guy is tall.
He's a skeleton. A talking, moving goddamn skeleton.
Breathing out a shaky laugh of relief at the fact that he's not about to be attacked, he hesitantly reaches out to take the long, bony hand for assistance up. ]
No, I'm okay. You scared the hell out of me! I thought you were.. uh. Something else.
no subject
Oh, really? What?
[He tilts his head, that gentle smile as present as ever. What else could a skeleton look like? When he wore his cloak outside the Horizon, some might have saw him as some kind of wraith or maybe Death himself. He's dressed normally today, but maybe that's what Carl saw.]
Let me introduce myself. I'm Jack. It's nice to meet you! Your Domain is really interesting.
no subject
[ Once Carl is to his feet, he brushes himself off and picks up his discarded hat, sticking it back on his head. The bark immediately gets his attention, his focus on Zero. He lets out a noise of awe, bending over to hold his hand out. ]
Your dog is really cool. Nice to meet you, Jack. I'm Carl. [ Straightening, Carl looks around his modest little domain and shrugs. ] It's not much, but it's enough like home for me. I'm not very creative.
no subject
I promise I wasn't trying to be scary. For the best too, I'll bet.
[He elbows Carl gently with a bony arm before waving to his dog.]
When I first got to the Horizon, the first thing I did was make Halloween Town. Doing something familiar is nothing to be ashamed of! And this is--well, a memory of my dog from home. His name's Zero and if you don't watch out he'll pester you into playing fetch until the sun goes down!
no subject
[ Now that the fear has worn out, Jack doesn't seem so bad. Spooky, but not nightmare fuel. ]
What is Halloween Town? Some place they celebrate Halloween all the time? [ He grins, looking around trying to find a loose stick to throw for Zero. ] Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad deal.
no subject
[A huge grin.]
It's the most fun anyone could ever have! Black cats, witches, ghouls and devils! Everyone is there! I miss it, so that's what I made. You must miss this place too.
no subject
[ Carl looks around and nods. ]
Yeah. It's different with actual people in it, but they're not the real thing so it just kinda falls flat, you know? I mean I know I have a few, but I'd rather see them than not.