[log] EnArmoured with Snow [open]

[darkincrement]

Characters: Al and pals
Location: Various Places
Date: 358-366?
Summary: Downtown and Event.
Warnings: Vanitas, alcohol, creepy dolls, blood, etc...


Day 358
[ Halfway through the day, they will arrive at the store.

A grocery store of decent size, it's stocked with fresh food. Even the produce and bakery have items available, and if you get here in the morning, all the bakery goods are still warm. Aside from that, there really isn't a lot here--it's a large building, and obviously receives regular cleaning, but all of its electronics are missing. Still, there's plenty of food to be had! A mark has been stained above the doorway on the west side of the building's interior.

After restocking food, they head to the toy store to crash there for the night.

A small toy store that sells old-fashioned toys. Dusty, long-forgotten dolls, wooden blocks, and rubber balls line the shelves. There are a few board games, and even some stuffed animals, with polar bears and seals being favored alongside more traditional teddy bears. While the building seems normal enough, it has an eerie feel to it. Are the dolls moving around while you're not looking at them? There's a door near the back that leads to an employees only area, but it's completely empty except for one a chair that has a note glued heavily onto it. The note reads "dont trust the toys. i took a marionette apart and it put itself back together overnight plus every other toy moved up against this door. the chair kept the door closed fine but i still wouldnt trust them". At least there's also a public bathroom readily available. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY 113, TRAVELLING SOUTH. CONTACT LELRIC FOR ANY ASSISTANCE" is written on the wall. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE, TRAVELLING NORTH. IF ANY ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED CONTACT @LELRIC ANY TIME." is written on the wall. ]

Day 359
[ They land in the liqueur store for the night.

A small building with the distinct scent of hard spirits wafting around it: this is definitely a liquor store. It's cozy and looks to be a family-owned business, with only a few shelves and a back area partitioned off by a wooden gate. The back room is small, but has chairs to sit at, a table, and a bathroom. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY 107, TRAVELLING EAST. CONTACT LELRIC FOR ANY ASSISTANCE" and "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY 115, TRAVELLING NORTH. CONTACT LELRIC FOR ANY ASSISTANCE" are written on the wall. "ALFIE SOLOMONS, 1922. Camden Town, London, England, UK, Europe, Earth. Day 172, March 2 or March 3" is carved on the wall. ]

Day 360
[ Today is searching through the rubble and landing at the post office for the night.

: A post office, long-abandoned. There are a few empty white plastic bins where mail was once piled up, and the lobby area is still remarkably clean and polished. The back area isn't locked, so if you like you can go through the back and see the office with its locked safe and the back door that leads to the downtown area. Trees, impossibly tall men, and lots of Ⓧs have been drawn on the walls, along with ball-like things that are made up of tentacles and beaks and death and one circle in green crayon that's been scribbled over in charcoal. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SEVEN, TRAVELLING NORTH. IF ANY ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED CONTACT @LELRIC ANY TIME" is carved on the wall. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX, CONTACT @LELRIC FOR ANY ASSISTANCE" is written on the wall. ]

Comments

[fanboyascended]

Day 358 - Grocery Store - for Vanitas

[ As soon as they arrive at the store, Billy makes a bee-line toward the candy section and starts loading up his arms with junk. Reese's cups, jelly bellys, red hots, whoppers - the works. After that he's hunting down Vanitas and presenting him with the entire lot of it. ]

There you go. One jello cup, paid in full.

[ He knows it was you that put it in the bag, buddy. ]

Day 358 - toy store - OTA

[ Billy's feeling a little better today than he has in a while, which might explain why he's set up shop in the back of the shop with some dusty old board games. All the ones he's opened so far are missing pieces, or just plain unusable, but the jenga tower he found is pretty promising.

It would be if it didn't keep falling over, anyway. ]

-I kind of forgot how hard this is without cheating.

[ It's unclear if he's talking to himself or the room at large. ]

Grocery Store

[darkincrement]

[ He doesn't pay attention to where Billy nyooms off to, and he regrets it as soon as he sees the haul. Billy will find him standing in front of the fruit with a strawberry in his mouth. He finishes eating it as he already opens his bag and gives a nod towards it. Yup, expecting Billy to put it in his bag. ]

Needed the room.

[ That's totally the reason and you can't prove otherwise. ]

Where did you find these?

[fanboyascended]

Candy aisle.

[ Billy will just sort of... dump them on top of the bag. He's not going to organize your shit, Vanitas.

He is going to steal one of your strawberries, though. ]

Not fooling anyone, by the way.

[darkincrement]

[ Wow. No. Those are his. He has a moment where he considers just ganking it back. ]

Don't know what you're talking about.

[ His attention is already scanning the aisles for a clue as to what might be the candy section. He doesn't want to look through the whole store. Then he sees the signs hanging above. That would explain how Billy was quick. Just going to leave his bag unzipped as he starts walking. ]

Anything else worth checking out here?

[fanboyascended]

There are different kinds of pudding. And jello.

[ Billy is content to trail along after Vanitas after he's grabbed an apple. ]

Little things of yogurt that come in a tube so you can eat 'em while you're walking.

[darkincrement]

[ That gets him looking at Billy. Both brows raise and he tilts his head. The jello and pudding is pretty tempting. There's a tug on the corners of his mouth, but he turns away to look at the next sign and the next as he walks. Finally finding the chips and candy sign and heading down it. ]

Are stores like these normal?

[ There's a touch of warmth to his voice. He's pretty excited in his own way. ]

[armoured]

[Al looks over at the sound of tiny pieces of wood clattering to the floor, crossing over to help gather them up.]

What are you actually trying to do?

[Is it some kind of puzzle?]

[fanboyascended]

It's a party game from my world.

[ Kind of a dumb game when you try to explain it to someone else, actually, but - ]

You take the pieces from the bottom and try to pile it as high as you can on top without making the tower fall over.

[armoured]

Oh.

[That doesn't sound too silly. But then, anything that's not to do with the horrors of this town sounds like a good distraction.]

Do you think I could play it with you? Only if you don't mind.

[fanboyascended]

It's a lot more fun with two people, c'mon.

[ Billy moves his stuff around to make sure there's enough room for Al if he wants one of the chairs, though he realizes after he starts that he's not sure if Al can actually sit in one. How much does armor weigh...? ]

[armoured]

[He doesn't really fit, he's far too big for most chairs, but he squeezes himself in carefully and then turns his attention to the stack of blocks.]

Can you take it from anywhere, or does it have to be the bottom?

Toy store

[termineur]

[ He stares at the Jenga tower, a grin on his face. ]

Cheating, huh? Guess I never got into that bad habit.

[ Not for this game, anyway. ]

But my hands are steady- gotta be if I made it as a watchmaker. Can I play?

[darkincrement]

1. Fruitful Encounter | Day 358

[ This is actually his first time to any grocery store. He pauses at the entrance to just take it all in, before heading over to the produce. Helmet is removed and his stuff placed against one of the shelves before he gets to work trying all the things. Skipping the pineapple, even if it might make for an interesting projectile.

When he lands on the strawberries though, he decides that's going to be his new home. Leaning against the display while cradling a basket of berries in his arms and munching on them. Bother him? ]


2a. Toys R Nope | Night 358

[ He's found a toy paddle and is hopping onto the counter where the cash register used to be. Sitting there, while trying not to look at the toys to see if they would move. ]

Think the snake will eat them?

2b.

[ Vanitas knows he's not getting any sleep tonight. So, he sets up the crystal, which he might have taken out of Billy's bag, up on the counter. Turning on his tablet and placing it against it to send out little specks of colors and light around the room. Then he'll check through the games and toys. He'll come back with some board games to paw through. ]

Might be useful for kindling.

[ Opening up one with candy on the cover and looking through the instructions. ]


3. Pour life choices | Night 359

[ It can be exhausting to people too long with Al and the nerd Al picked up. Once they enter, he's immediately heading off to a corner, peeking at the shelves as he passes. There doesn't seem to be much left here. Maybe some dumb napkins with sayings, and markers for glasses. It's not until he sees a couple lone bottles that he stops. He knows about alcohol from the pirate that Peter Pan used to go up against. There's people who would trade for it, so it could be useful. Snagging the bottles and then seeing the apple on it.

Apples are good, so this should taste good, right?

After a moment or two of considerating, he decides to just try it. Might as well know what he's trying to sell.

It's quiet, and then there's going to be coughing as he spits it out. IT IS SOUR, TASTES LIKE COUGH SYRUP, AND IT BURNS. HE HAS REGRETS. ]

Why would anyone drink this?

[ The label is a lie. He feels betrayed. :< ]


4. Bring your own

3

[fanboyascended]

[ Billy was going to say something. He really, really was.

It's just that he doesn't manage it in time, because he was too busy looking at the rum and wondering if it would even be worth it to get a little trashed in Norfinbury.

Honest, as soon as he saw, he was going to say something!

He wasn't expecting anything like that reaction, though, so he can be forgiven for bursting into loud laughter instead. ]

:<

[darkincrement]

[ Because he's laughing and is someone legal to drink, he's going to blame him. Narrowing his eyes and walking over to him to smack him in the arm with the back of his hand. Rude.

And the he sees that rum. Just going to grab it. This is his now, binch. ]

How do you get the taste out, Mr. Smee?

[ Yup. Downgraded to a pirate. ]

[fanboyascended]

Mr. Smee?

[ Now listen here, you little shit! ]

First of all, you have to be old enough to drink. And you're not.

[ Unlike Billy, who is very maturely trying to grab the rum back. ]

[darkincrement]

Mr. Smee.

[ He's just going to bounce backwards to keep it out of reach. ]

A pirate who has a thing for his Captain.

[fanboyascended]

[ The amusement drops off Billy's face as he catches wind of the joke at his expense. He didn't mind teasing, but -

Well, it doesn't matter. He makes an effort to pack the feeling away as he darts forward, trying to use his better height to get it back. ]

You didn't even like it.

2a

[termineur]

[ Gabriel is pretty done with these creepy toys, and he stares at them thoughtfully. ]

Maybe. Should he eat them is a definite 'no', though.

[darkincrement]

[ Looking over Gabriel to see if the feathered freeloader is with him again. ]

Maybe he can sit on them.

[ Who knows the toys might want hugs too ]

[termineur]

[ Gabriel's taken to being at least one of the snake's default heating systems and therefore is frequently holding the snake (or the snake is holding him, wrapped around him as it tends to be). Right now, though, Roy is off exploring the building and therefore not 'hogging' the watchmaker. ]

Maybe. If one of them moves on him, I wonder if he'll bite it. I wouldn't blame him.

You ever been in this building before? I always heard about creepy dolls, but this is the first time I've seen 'em.

[darkincrement]

[ He's actually going to visibly relax at not seeing his new feathery accessory on. ]

Are you worried about them?

[ Gabriel, you won't live it down if he has to protect you from toys. ]

It's my first time here. Didn't get the chance to make it down this way.

Event Stuff

[darkincrement]

1. Lost in Translation. 364 Closed to Billy

[ The mania is kicking in hard core as soon as he sees the messages from the admin. He spends time scrolling through the network to see if this has ever happened before. And then he checks again just to be sure.

It's not until he sees a new network message that he puts together what is happening. Now that it's solved, he is bringing his tablet over to Billy to see. He doesn't say anything though. Just offers up the tablet to show him. Look, something is going on. ]


2. Distraction. 364/365 Day [ He seems to be doing something really interesting on his tablet. His focus seems pretty locked on as he types steadily.

Uncharacteristically, he's not going to notice if anyone tries to sneak a gander at his screen. If they do look, they will find a notepad opened with row after row of emojis and smiley faces on his screen. When he finally realizes someone is there, he's going to push them away to regain his space regardless if they looked. ]

What do you want?

3. Light em up up up. Evening 365[CW: Blood] [ Good news, there's still something that glows in the dark. Vanitas removes his helmet just as he starts coughing. It sounds like a wet, deep kind of cough and he can tastes copper. Once the fit is done with, he opens his eyes to try to get a look at it. His eyes glow dimly in the dark. ]

Oh goody. [ His voice is hoarse from the coughing. ] Looks like we have something new to look forward to.

2

[armoured]

[Al hesitates when Vanitas speaks to him, but he's no idea what's being said, it doesn't even vaguely sound like a language that he might know.]

Um, what?

3

[termineur]

[ Gabriel, meanwhile, still has Mohinder's flashlight. After being extremely careful with how often he uses it, there's some charge left. But for now, he only turns it on to be sure it's working. He puts it back away again, coughing as he does it. ]

Yep. It's just a roller coaster ride around here. Think we're coughing up blood too, which is always a great sign.

[ He'll check to be sure- later. He's fine leaving that up in the air for now. In fact, he's fine leaving all of that alone for the moment, just letting the bad omens sit ominously in the distance. He'd rather talk about something else. Which is why he moves on to-- ]

Huh. I didn't know your eyes glowed. Is that just how they've always been?