Snow Day(s)

[worthallthis]

characters: Bucky, Misty, Sora, explore buddies, open
location: The Village, and Downtown during this explore, and around Bonfire Square
date/time: January 14, January 15, January 18-19
content: A snowball fight, some CR building on the explore, and yarnbomb boggling
warnings: Frozen ammunition and the usual mild disassociation


I. Snowball fight! - Closed to Sora and Misty, January 14

The blizzard is over, the endless night calm, and there is now freedom to get out of the cabin without being buffeted around by the wind and flurries. It's still cold as hell, but that's bearable enough in the face of being able to be outside without having to force themselves through a patrol. Well, they're going to do that, too, but. Not yet.

First visiting. Checking on the other people in the village. Kicking the snow a little as they tromp on their way through it. Kind of pretty.


II. Going Shopping - Closed to Aziraphale, Angel, Crowley, Steve, and/or Lucius, January 15

The trek through the woods on the way to the new center of Beacon activity is longer than they want it to be. Not as long as traveling through unknown territory, but still a ways, through dark forest and lots of snow. The Soldier circles the group, gun in hand, lantern tied on their back, watching for threats and kicking snow out of their way when they're around the front.

The trek past the hotel and the storefronts is less long and dark, and more slightly creepy. Dead stores, empty streets, the snow... it doesn't make pleasant echoes in the head. The Soldier hovers closer to the other explorers, then. Particularly when people stop for breaks in the travel.


III. Rain of Yarn? - Open, January 18-19

Emerging for their normal patrol the "morning" of the 18th leaves the Soldier baffled. There's yarn. Knitting. Scarves and hats and mittens. Sweaters. Straight-up globs of purely decorative yarn products, even. Everywhere. So weird.

Would have been useful during the actual blizzard last week. But you know. Nice thought. The Soldier prowls around the village and the Invincible collecting it, trying to figure out what to do with it all. Find them scowling at a hat as if trying to convince themselves to put it on, or offering you a particularly nice colored set of mittens they got from some cabin's roof, or trying to decide what one does with a knitted... doily? Is that even what this weird round thing is? So weird.

Comments

[meridio]

He eyes the hat—not to consider, but to stare at it before he declines.

"I'm accustomed to the cold."

If it starts to get too chilly, all he has to do is be active or head inside. If he really needs a hat, he'll find one later. There's an abundance of them around here.

"What significance do these yarns have?"

[worthallthis]

Sigh. Maybe Aziraphale will want it. They tuck the hat into the pocket of their coat, with the warming stones. "Don't know. Maybe the spirits thought we were cold. There's a lot I can't figure out what we're supposed to to with, though." The round things hanging from the Invincible's eves, for example.

[meridio]

To soak up the moisture or catch the snow, perhaps. Gaudy decoration. Only the spirits know the answer.

"Will they remain until we find use for them elsewhere?"

[worthallthis]

"Don't know. They might." Which means if the Beacon residents don't clean it up, they'll have yarn decorations for the next month or two. That sounds vaguely irritating. "We might have to take it all down ourselves. We did with the onions. And broken dishes." From the day of everyone's new arrival, and all. Somnus probably remembers that clearly enough.

[meridio]

Well enough to know that taking down yarn decorations will be like picking up after children. At least onions are edible; broken dishes, however, are both inconvenient and risky to clean up. Ultimately, all of this is just one large inconvenience.

Enough of that.

"Have you been to downtown?"

[worthallthis]

"Yes. I added it to my patrols second daily patrol, and I accompanied Aziraphale and the others to explore the shopping area." They don't linger there on their patrols, not since there are so few people there now to watch over, but they do pass through on the loop around the unexplored forest. "Have you?"

[meridio]

He turns his head, looking nowhere in particular. All around them is nature steeped in darkness, and he doesn't know where to begin. Little by little, he's been roaming. "I recently visited the school. Is downtown priority?"

[worthallthis]

"It has new housing," the Soldier says with a shrug. "If more people keep coming, then yes, I think so. The Invincible and village are both full." Too bad the downtown area is so damn far away. It makes a nice loop for their second patrol, but it's a long one.

[meridio]

That gives him something more concrete about which to think. If they split to these three locations in the future, measures will need to be taken for the move and thereafter. But it'd be wise not to think too far ahead. Exactly how many more of them is the ferry going to deliver?

He needs to start doing his part.

"What can I do?"

[worthallthis]

Blink blink. An actual adult person with autonomy is asking the Soldier for what to do. Weird.

"There's a paper at the hotel in downtown," they say after a moment of being stymied and, probably not surprisingly given the unexpected position they find themselves in, a little shy about being asked. "To write down what patrols you do or would do. To add to a roster. To coordinate. Can do that. What are your skills?"

[meridio]

The delay stirs some unease in Somnus, if for a brief moment. He'll have to ask after the patrols before writing something down.

"Survival and combat. My power enables me to warp and store my possessions in a space not of this world." He folds his arms across his chest. "Imbuing wine with my magic grants it restorative properties."

[worthallthis]

They knew someone once with that power. The ability to carry things in some kind of pocket dimension. The Soldier tilts their head with interest. "You should test the wine skill. Healing abilities tend not to work as well here. How much can you fit in your warp space?"

[meridio]

Don't they? He makes a mental note to look for some wine after this encounter. As for the question, he doesn't actually know the answer.

"I never observed a quantitative limit. The only trouble I ever experienced was with size."

[worthallthis]

"Do things you keep in there go bad?" the Soldier asks, curious, but also tactical. "Can you keep food in it and have it still be good weeks later?" Because having somewhere else safe to store food that spirits or human(-ish) thieves can't get to might be a good idea. Not that they've had much problem with human thieves, but they might, and spirits have ruined shipments on the ferry before.

[meridio]

Somnus takes a moment to consider this. Taking into account Beacon's setting, he sees numerous merits to securing food in an ostensibly safe place. They can't even hunt here out in the wild.

"I've not tried. This power was granted to my line to do battle; it holds my weapons. The longest I ever stored food was for a day."

[worthallthis]

"You should test that, too," the Soldier suggests. "Put something cold or hot in there, see what it's like when you take it out a day later. Holding weapons is good." Says the guy currently carrying like seven knives and two of their guns. "Holding other things is unexpected and more useful to everyone in Beacon, not just you."

[meridio]

Like the time he hid a plate from the spirits at a woman's behest, his mind supplies, as elementary as the whole matter was. Soldat is right. Realistically speaking, this power can be useful, even if the user has little else to offer.

"Very well." Somnus shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "The patrols—which locations take precedence?"

[worthallthis]

The Soldier considers that for a moment. Central Beacon is important, but has many local protectors. The museum is covered. The armory is covered. The scrapyard might be important to protect, as its only main defender is a spirit and may not always be on their side. The school probably is not particularly important for their purposes. "Downtown and the scrapyard. Downtown has the hotel, and new people will stay there. The scrapyard has supplies. But be careful of the scrapyard guardian. Bring it treats."

[meridio]

He's yet to pay the scrapyard a proper visit. Supplies are good. A guardian can be either or, depending.

"Another spirit?" Most likely. Beacon is teeming with them. "What kind of treats?"

[worthallthis]

"That's the only thing out here besides us," the Soldier answers. "So yes. It is a very large dog." Hence, the treats. "It also likes belly rubs, but only after already pacified, or once it knows you."

[meridio]

The spirits remind Somnus of the Messengers, down to their almost animalistic urges when they take on such shapes. "I shall see what I can do."

Soldat seems to know so much. Somnus will repay that knowledge with at least this much.

[worthallthis]

"I'll check for your route and times at the inn," the Soldier says, looking amiable at least. They're managing to be useful. This is pretty good. "Maybe cross paths sometime."

Look, it's their way of saying "let's talk again sometime". Somnus is refreshingly straight-forward and sober, and weirdly respectful. It's nice.

[meridio]

Crossing paths doesn't sound bad: He's more used to working with people than alone, though he swiftly dismisses the intrusive voice in his head as to why that is. He'll also have to pick something edible up and visit the inn along the way after this.

"Perhaps." While his own expression stays the same, Somnus stands just a little straighter. The conversation is drawing to a close, so he ends with this: "By then, I should have an answer for you in regards to the food."

[worthallthis]

"Good. Thank you, Somnus." They even smile, and then turn off to find someone who actually will be able to wear the damn knitted hat. Might as well get some use out of it, even if they can't put it on themselves.