[log] The Hills Have Eyes [closed-ish]

[jumpthegun]

Characters: Watson, Charles, Davesprite, Bucky, Zell, Sora, Kunsel, Homura, and Quark
Location Building 235 (Aquarium) and Building 130 (Pharmacy)
Date: Day 162 - 164
Summary: Eyes appear all around, static and paranoia return, friends arrive with fire, hopefully no one is getting attacked. Later, Bucky, Quark, and John discover evidence of Fiona's murder.
Warnings: References to character death.

[The aquarium has the feel of a small-town tourist attraction, the sort built to give people just stopping to fuel up on petrol a reason to stay for an hour or two. There are various aquariums inside that, according to plaques beside them, once showcased various Alaskan fish; they're empty now. The whole atmosphere is kind of eerie, with the water casting rippling patterns on the walls, ceilings, and floors, but there's hot water in the sinks for anyone who wants it.

What's probably unwanted by everyone is the eyes. They're on the walls, drawn in the frost on the windows, they're on the ceilings, and the static crawls its way over walls and people. The sense of being watched, of being followed, is strong.]

Comments

[perfero]

[Well, this is frustrating. She needs to have an actual conversation with someone, not awkward one-sided-talking-with-unhelpful-chirps.]

I don't know what you're gesturing at.

[mrcreamsicles]

[His hand drops halfway, mouth flat as ever. Okay, well, he has his tablet. It'll be clearer. He digs it from a pocket, floating closer as he draws up what he wants, then holds it into view once he's got House's map on display. He points to where they are. Considering the tanks and other design elements around them, it's obviously the aquarium. Next, he points to her, then the large square of the hospital, then traces a line to the aquarium's marker. Caw for question and a look back to her face. Did she follow better then?]

[perfero]

[After a moment of debate Homura steps closer, half expecting to simply disappear again. When she doesn't she lets out the breath of air she's been holding and looks at Davesprite's tablet. Ah, okay. Aquarium and hospital and... she's traveled a long way in what feels like an instant.]

I hadn't gotten there yet. I hadn't even gotten past the school, I was north-east of it.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Wait a minute, what? He caws again, more insistently, then tries to gesture—more toward the northeast area of the map, then holding that hand palm-up and open beside him in question. How the fuck, Homura? Did she miss the static? He motions broadly at all that nonsense fuzzing around over the tanks, and the eyes with it.]

[perfero]

The static is going on over there. [At least, that's what she's guessing he means. She puts a hand to her face exasperatedly.] I don't know how I got here. I'm moving everywhere, but I don't have any memories aside from being there.

[mrcreamsicles]

[The line of his mouth presses tighter, flatter. He hasn't heard of this happening with anyone else, but with all this other nonsense he can't discount it. Jade's got... something going on with her vision. Hmm.]

[He points to her, then to various random spots across the map. So, popping in and out everywhere. He gets that. Next he swaps to the notepad app and its drawing mode, and marks down a swatch of bright, neon green. He points to it, points toward her eyes, then makes that questioning gesture again. Has she seen that color during the process?]

[It's a reach, but if the static lifted some kind of limit on Jade's powers enough, it's not unthinkable that they could have malfunctioned to teleport Homura across Norfibury like this.]

[perfero]

[Davesprite gets a blank look in return. Has she seen anything that's that shade of green? That's a ridiculous question.]

I haven't seen that green.

[She opens her mouth to ask him what exactly he think she should have seen, but pauses.]

You can tell me what that means when you can speak again.

[mrcreamsicles]

[He nods to her without fuss. He could try now, could show her the snippet of his conversation with Jade, but what good would that do without context for her powers? Besides, she's cleared up his question and the answer is a no. He tucks the tablet away.]

[But so long as she is here—and weird as this is, there's nothing he can do about it—there is the other subject they've talked about. From a different pocket he pulls out a small spool of twine, one he's shown before, and holds it up. Not to her to take, but for clear display. She knows what he asked before. Offer's still on the table, if she'll answer her end.]

[perfero]

[Thankfully she knows what the twine means, though from her expression she clearly isn't happy he's bringing that up again.]

This isn't a good time for that.

[mrcreamsicles]

[He shrugs broadly. Your loss, Homura. Who even knows when they'll be in each other's presence again if she keeps teleporting. He puts the twine away.]

[Then he takes his tablet again, starts drawing—and wow, it's Homura in a block of ice with a crown on top. Nice act, ice queen.]

[perfero]

[So rude, even in person. Even if it's accurate....

She just frowns and looks away.]

Being kind is a weakness.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Oh what's that, Homura? That's his middle finger, sneaking up beside and higher into view. Look at that. Just look at it.]

[perfero]

[Thanks to whatever is going on, her poker face is getting pretty strained.]

I don't expect you to understand.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite adds a dunce cap to his ice queen doodle and holds it up.]

[perfero]

You barely know me.

[She knows she's right, damnit.]

[mrcreamsicles]

[He shrugs at her again. So? Then he goes back to the drawing, adding thick tear tracks down her face, then editing her outfit into something more fitting of a mid-late 2000s Hot Topic goth. If only he had some Linkin Park to play in the background.]

[perfero]

[Okay, the doodling? Getting irritating. She walks on over to Davesprite to grab his hand... birdclaw thing, so he can stop that.]

[mrcreamsicles]

[Squawk!! That's his hand, Homura. He pulls his arm and tablet out of range, floating further, doodling more. He's still drifting when he holds it up again; rain clouds have been added, along with little broken hearts beside Homura's face.]

[perfero]

[That is pretty much her life right there, honestly. And she doesn't like it. Nor does she like all this hopping around, or everything being out of her control.]

Stop that!

[She's going to try for grabbing his tablet this time!]

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite caws at her, perhaps his current equivalent of a nah, or just some stupid, pointless bird noise. It's hard to tell. This time he doesn't draw out of range, but he keeps his grip on the tablet firm, tugging it back toward him once she's holding it.]

[Fancy a dipshit game of tug-of-war? Because that's what's gonna happen if she keeps it up.]

[perfero]

[It actually looks like that might happen, since once Homura has a good grip on the tablet she isn't planning on letting go, either.

Except a split second later she's gone without a trace.]

[mrcreamsicles]

[What.]

[Caw?]

[No really, what? She didn't even fade into a lump of static first like people have been doing off and on all day; she just vanished outright. He tentatively reaches forward, but the space is empty. No green, either, just like she said. Jade definitely has nothing to do with it.]

[So, eventually, he drifts back and settles against a wall. He's saving that drawing, though. It's a work of art and he feels he captured her true soul with it.]

[perfero]

[Lucky him, she's winding up in that same place again. Away from the town. Or where it will be - where it was? Time travel is her thing, but she honestly isn't sure which it is. All she knows is it's freezing and snowy and there aren't any homes left, no hospital, no aquarium. Nowhere to take shelter, and no one to bond with while slowly freezing to death, because that's what will probably happen if she keeps ending up there.

It's only a few minutes before she's suddenly blinking back into the aquarium, when for her it feels like it's been nearly an hour. She's shivering, there's snow on her coat, and it takes a few moments for her to process she's traveled again.]

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite's looking at his tablet still, pondering cleaning up the doodle a little, really making it a masterpiece, you know? His finger skids a line right across it the moment Homura shows back up, but he doesn't have time to be glad he saved the original before his attention is eaten up with what he's seeing.]

[It's not just that she's here again; it's everything else. If she'd been outside for a couple minutes she shouldn't be this cold. The snow on her coat looks natural, not like a lump fell off a roof edge, but like it actually drifted down from the sky to settle there and make itself at home. She looks... shaken.]

[Caw?]

[It's softer this time, and when he rises back upright the tablet gets left on the floor. He holds his hands out, open and imploring and honestly concerned. What happened?]

[perfero]

[Homura is immediately sinking down onto her knees. She notices Davesprite, but suddenly his stupid drawing is a lot less important.

If this is time travel, she can't control it anymore. And if she can't control it how is she going to get back to Mitakihara Town? How is she supposed to save Madoka like this?

Her voice has gotten very quiet, and very shaky.]

I can't take this anymore.