Infinityandmadness - No Mask? NO MASK!!

Lainn raised his eyebrows at their echoing, before squinting at the others, in a small moment of quiet. Though as the stranger continued, he is gaze shifted elsewhere as he listened quietly. That did sound very strange. Though, he supposed most coffee tasted terrible, anyway. As he never liked the stuff. Though he would never have described of the times he had tasted it, to be like a burnt tire, “Does it ever get cleaned out?” He chanced asking. Not sure this was the right person to ask. Turning his head from them, he looked about the 'station' where any coffee maker might be, spotting it easily, then giving a 'tsk' toward the look of the thing. It needed to be put out of its misery.

With a hesitating glance back to the other, he further listened to them as they moved their comments on toward him. Moving closer toward the coffee maker, he sighed a bit, begrudging of this newcomer look he was sporting in his being, at the moment. He hated being new to anything. It drew far too much attention than what he really liked, toward himself. Lainn nodded, however, “I'm not really much of a coffee drinker, to be fair.” Though he could, perhaps, help to make the coffee better, if need be. Lainn glanced at them, “Just, getting the lay of the place, I guess you might say.”

“Have you seen me around, huh.” He supposed his exploring was noticed, “I suppose you'd say that is the case. Though I don't drink coffee, I thought there might be something. Maybe tea… But hello. I'm Lainn.” He elegantly held out his hand, gesturing to Tali, “This is my son, you may call him Tali.” Lainn introduced, his eyes on the area of the coffee maker once more, “It is good to meet you Sullivan, I guess?” He grinned, “Absolute loathing might be more descriptive of what I feel toward coffee.” Turning then, he politely took the other's offering for a handshake, giving a strong, good shake before letting go after a respectable amount of time. Then he pointed at the coffee maker, “Who owns it?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Sullivan echoed, their Southern drawl curling around the words. They gestured dramatically at the mug. “You mean aside from the fact it tastes like someone boiled a burnt tire in swamp water and called it a day? Absolutely nothing. Top-notch poison.”

Their grin deepened as their gaze drifted back to Lainn, noting the way he was sizing them up—or maybe just trying to make sense of them. Sullivan let the silence hang for a moment before adding, “Let me guess—you’re not here for the coffee either, are you? No one comes here for this mess unless they’ve lost a bet or all their other bad habits dried up.”

They tilted their head slightly, as if considering something. “I’ve seen you around,” they said, gesturing lazily toward him. “Usually keeping to yourself. Guess the coffee finally broke you down, huh? Name’s Sullivan, by the way. Figured we should get that out of the way since we’re bonding over mutual disdain.” They extended a hand with a crooked grin, their tone a perfect blend of playful and sardonic. “You?”

Lainn raised an eyebrow at her snort, before glancing away. That told him a little more that this place wasn't as panic-inducing as the people behaved on the first night. Granted, the freaks outside at night to be true in the case, whatever reason, Lainn had decided to play along. Giving Tali the same game plan in private. Though Tali was only just nine years old, he had been through plenty enough. Enough that he knew whatever the situation was in front of them, it would be dangerous to give into the childish part of him, now. Following in step with Lainn as they were walking. Lainn listened to the other, “Right. I got a little information on that when I got here.” Though, he did think about what she was elaborating on here.

At the question, he glanced back to Mira and nodded, listening as she explained the situation with juice and tea. Looking vaguely disgusted on hearing this, he clicked his tongue, “The milk tastes like cardboard…” He wondered how that could have even been possible. But, perhaps he was overthinking what he had learned before coming here. So, he really didn't know how to think, given what he currently knows of this place. Now, he was just concerned with why milk would taste like cardboard. Or if Mira was just playing up the whole act altogether. “But you have cows, so, that's something? Are you feeding them properly?” Should he have even been asking her that question? What made him think she was in control of any livestock? “I mean, are they being fed properly?”

When Mira continued, he nodded his head at her reasoning and continued walking toward the diner. Once inside and Mira had moved to rest on the counter to talk to Tali, Lainn sat back a little to one side, observing this interaction. Tali looked at the woman, now more at eye level with him, and gave a nod of his head toward Mira's words, understanding. He offered a nervous smile before turning his head toward Lainn, who offered an approving smile, “Just give him some time to figure you out.” Lainn echoed part of her prior statement back, nodding as he continued to watch Tali for another moment. When Mira went on to Lainn question of her medical experience, he listened attentively to her, “Ooo, a dropout. Thought about doing that a few times myself, in school.” He swallowed, stopping himself from thinking too far back into those years, “Had a lot going on at the time.”

As she prompted, he moved to hold his hands out for her to see more clearly, they had already been cleaned up pretty well this morning, “That would be unpleasant. I would like to keep my hands. Though, I would like to keep my mind, more. Good brains are a hard thing to come by, you know.” He partially joked, watching her closely as she was cleaning the deepened groves his nails had cut into the bottoms of his palms, “By the sounds of it, don't seem like anyone here just rolled in here on purpose.” He pointed out, then turned to look at Tali, who was sitting at the booth now, playing with some toys he had in his backpack. Lainn looked back toward Mira after a moment, “But, yeah, I guess we were just moving, which you can te-Ah-” He winced a bit as his palms stung with the medicine. Then continued the next second, “The moving truck is a dead giveaway. The Twilight Zone is probably what I'd call it, going by what I've been told so far.” Lainn pauses, looking from his palms to her, “Nah, just going to a different state, I had a new job opportunity waiting for me. Kinda a boring story, actually.” Tali looked over, looking uncertain before looking back to his toys again, Lainn continued, “What about you?”

she walked just ahead, the soft scuff of her boots against the pavement filling the quiet between them. her gaze flicked toward lainn’s son, tali, as he clutched his backpack straps, his eyes darting around like he was trying to catalog everything at once. there was a wariness there she recognized — a kid who’d learned too early to read the room, to stay close to the people who mattered. it made her chest ache, just a little. at lainn’s comment about infections and whatever this is, she snorted softly, her breath visible in the cool morning air. “weak minds don’t last long in a place like this,” she said, her voice low, more to herself than him. “but it’s not just infections you gotta watch out for. this town’s got a way of digging in, pulling at the edges of you until you start unraveling.” his dry response about teeth earned a faint smirk from her, and when he asked about tea and juice, she raised an eyebrow. “tea? sure, if you’re not picky. juice? you’re asking a lot from a place where the milk sometimes tastes like cardboard.” her tone was teasing, but there was a sharpness underneath — this wasn’t the kind of town where you could afford to be picky. not about anything. as they reached the diner, she held the door open, letting them step inside ahead of her. the smell of stale coffee and frying grease hit her immediately, and she relaxed, just a little. this place might not be much, but it was familiar now, and in a town like this, familiar was as close to comfort as you got. “new guy’s just what i call people i haven’t figured out yet,” she said, shrugging as she moved behind the counter. her dark eyes flicked to tali’s brief grin, and something about it softened her sharp edges. “lainn and tali, huh? well, nice to meet you. and tali,” she added, leaning forward slightly, her elbows resting on the counter as she looked at him, “if you ever feel like talking, i make a pretty good listener. no pressure, though.” she pulled a first aid kit from under the counter, plunking it down in front of lainn with a decisive thud. “first aid training?” she repeated, arching an eyebrow as she opened the kit. “let’s just say i spent a few years learning how to fix people up when they were too stubborn to admit they needed help. med school dropout,” she added casually, grabbing some antiseptic wipes and bandages. “but don’t worry, i know what i’m doing.” she gestured for his hand, her movements brisk but not unkind. “you’ll be good as new in no time, i promise. or, at the very least, you won’t have to worry about losing your hand to some weird infection from this town.” she started cleaning the wound, her hands steady as she worked. “so, lainn,” she said after a moment, her tone light but probing, “what’s your story? you don’t seem like the type to roll into a place like this by accident.” she glanced up at him, her eyes sharp and curious. “or maybe i’m wrong. maybe you’re just another lost soul who made a wrong turn and ended up in the twilight zone.”

Plant native plants, y’all!

bought this gem secondhand and can’t get over how stunning it is 🪐 reblog is okay, don’t repost/use

Looking up, he scrunched on side of his face a bit, shying away from the sunlight a bit before giving a nod at the question, “Yeah.” Lainn replied. He expected to be asked that a lot over the next few days. He hated being new to a place. But, it was also going to happen if he had arrived at his new destination, with new neighbors trying to figure out if he was some kind of psycho or something. Lainn put a box to one side, “I don't? Huh.” He paused to look around them, “Look's a lot like all the other small towns I grew up around-” Lainn stopped, taking in the sites a bit more, “With a bit more swamp. I'd say.” At their next comment, he looked back, giving a look that somewhat could be read as a mute 'you don't say?'. Letting out a breath, however, he looked toward his hands before dropping them away from himself a bit, “Yeah. Could say that.” Though, all things considered, he supposed it wasn't the worst way things could go. Being trapped in a town, by whatever means. With possible cultists. That was a concern, but, as long they didn't look delicious, he supposed he could find a way out before dinner.

Lainn lifted his head a bit, “Yeah?” At least the ones he had met so far all seemed to be really nice for the time being. Playing dumb, he turned his hands out again, “Well, wouldn't want that. Infection isn't good, I hear.” Lainn watched the stranger glance at the moving truck again. He was thinking he should try to move it closer to the house he and Tali were at, just to be safe. Lainn waited quietly for the woman to continue. Then nodded, listening when she had, “Course. Ain't nothing I haven't dealt with before. High school was a real bad time for me.” Lainn added. Of course, because he was weird and had no parents. Most of the 'normal' kid's hated that. Lifting his right hand up, he scratched it through his hair before looking at Tali and then toward the stranger.

“Yeah. Sure. Okay? Advice wouldn't be too bad. Not much of a coffee drink, though.” She probably had a lot more to elaborate than what he had already heard. Lainn decided it wasn't a bad idea to listen to anything anyone had to say around here. Quickly, he moved to pick up the box he moved and shoved it back into its perfectly sized space, before closing and locking the back of the truck again. Gesturing for the woman to lead the way.

mira stood across the street, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, eyes scanning the quiet morning. the town felt like it was still half asleep, and honestly, she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand the strange, unsettled feeling that clung to the air. she'd been in this place a few weeks now, but the unease was constant. it felt like something was always just out of reach — off, in a way she couldn’t quite place. she noticed the pair then, a man and a young boy walking toward a truck. she hadn’t seen them before. new faces, probably. there was something about them that caught her attention — maybe it was the way the man carried himself, stiff and like he was looking for something. or maybe it was the kid’s quiet steps, as though he wasn’t sure where he was supposed to be, either. mira pushed herself off the diner wall and started walking in their direction, eyes narrowed, not sure what she was expecting but feeling a pull to move closer. she slowed as she neared them, her gaze flicking from the man to the kid, then back to the truck. “you new around here?” she asked, her voice direct but not unkind. “you don’t look like you’re from this part of nowhere." she wondered what kind of trouble they were running from — or if they were like her, just stuck in this strange town, hoping for an escape that wasn’t coming. “looks like you’re having a rough start," she added, her eyes landing on his hand. "need help with that? first aid is in my skill set, i can keep that from getting worse." she glanced at the truck, then back to the man, studying him for a moment. there was something almost familiar about him, like she’d seen that guarded look somewhere before. but she didn’t know him. not yet, anyway. the boy, tall for his age but still looking young, was quiet, but there was a protective edge to his gaze as he looked up at the man. it made mira pause, wondering what their story was. “this place isn't exactly easy on newcomers," she said, shrugging slightly. "but if you want a hot coffee or some advice that doesn’t come with a price tag, i’m your girl. can’t promise much else." her tone was lighter now, like she was offering something small but real.

Reminder: you can't kill them in any way that matters.

As she approached, he pats his hands on the box, almost in a bit of warning. But said nothing at the moment, lifting his head a little as he stood up from the box then and nodded at her words as Tali moved to go find boxes to move, “Right. Well, nothing a first aid kit can't fix. So. Hand is still attached.” He replied. Lainn lifts up one of his hands, showing the sore cuts in his palm. Then quickly turned his hand away from the woman, “But no, not hurt. Just clumsy. No need for any infirmary visits. Right?” He questioned toward Tali, who jumped off the truck with an excited agreement to Lainn as he tried to drag a box loose, still. Lainn moved to help pull the box out and nodded as the woman went on, “Yesterday. Later in the afternoon.” Setting the box down while letting Tali believe he had been carrying most of the weight, he pulled away and back to Montana, “So. How are you doing today, and all of that? Great weather today, isn't it." He clapped his hands together, not planning on making any lasting impression or anything. Since he planned on them leaving soon.

She got closer to the man and the kid and was feeling sort of awkward not knowing who they were. "Well, usually when people mention aid kits around here, its because someone has had their hand chopped off or worse." she didn't much censor herself for the kids sake, Montana had a tendency to treat everyone as if they were her peers. "You boys ain't hurt, are ya? We got an infirmary just down the road..." she looks them both over, trying to figure out what might be off but failing at that front. "A-are you....when did you guys get here?"

Reaching out toward a plant, Lainn delicately brushed the tips of his fingers on his outstretched left hand against the stem, before moving it to glide along the leaves. Frowning a bit, he remembered what his classes told him about the type of tree in front of him. Before he plucks a leaf right off and moves to stand in on the quick succession of moves.

Glancing over, he could see his son, playing and brought the leaf up to his nose, sniffing it before absently twisting it between his fingers and turning to move away a bit, spotting someone a moment or so later. He quirked an eyebrow at the other's assumption that he was looking to hunt, taking note of it, he gave a nod of his head.

Lainn turned his head, keeping Tali in his view, who remained close to him still before saying, “Well, I don't really hunt.” Holding his hands out, he gives a lazy shrug at this, before continuing to toy with the leaf in his hands and going on, “Do you?” Lainn inquired before turning his head back away from the stranger, listening to Tali come closer as he explained the type of plant he was now holding. Lainn gave a nod of his head, commenting gently toward his son, “That's correct. It's a pretty cool find, Tali.”

As Tali grinned at Lainn's words, before he moved a little ways away once more, to look at more of the plants in the immediate area. Lainn looked toward the stranger again, then around the wooded area before them, “It's pretty, this place. This type of biome is great for all kinds of discovery. There's probably loads of strange bugs here.” Lainn commented offhandedly. He had always found swampland and the like to be almost mystical.

where: edge of the woods | when: day time | whom: open to all

Lucas crouches at the edge of the woods, examining what could be tracks. Or could be nothing. He hates how smart the creatures are. They could've left this behind just to toy with him.

He hears rustling from footsteps behind him, and he doesn't bother looking up.

"The hunting woods are six miles that way," he says, pointing his left hand. "Signs and caution tape everywhere. You can't miss them."

Amy Youngs: Hydroponic Solar Garden (2005)

Lainn listened to Tali's explaining where he put it. Then about a few other things he helped to pack into the truck. Lainn nodded and moved to look over at the back of the truck. It wasn't everything from their house back in Birdseye, as there had been one other truck one of his friends had offered to take the night before he and Tali left in their own. Lainn reached over toward one of the boxes, and started to tug on it before Tali had reached over to grab his shirt, giving it a tug at the same time Lainn had heard the stranger's voice.

Turning away from the back of the truck, Lainn looked at them and knocked his head in greeting, responding with a “Hey.” He looks her over before saying, “Yeah, we did. About, say, three PM yesterday.” He wasn't really sure, actually. Lainn wasn't sure so far how to approach the situation, at the moment. But he figured, whatever kept these people docile was going to work in his favor, “I'm Lainn. And we're good-just needing to get something out of the back.” He felt, as he said this, that he shouldn't just leave it there, he should ask her about herself, people like that, “What about you?” He faced the open truck again and pulled the box out, reading what was written on the side of it before placing it to one side.

charlie was on her way to her shift at the store when she spots a moving truck and two people she hadn't seen before. she has started to get used to not being the new face around town in the two months that she's been here, there has been a handful since she arrived. but it still didn't make it easier to know that more people were getting stuck here like she was- like they all were. since there wasn't really much of a rush to get to a store that was pretty much there for normalcy, she decides to take a detour and see if they newcomers were okay.

"hey there," she says as she rounds the truck, glancing inside for a second before looking at the man. coming in with a truck full of your things was probably about the best anyone could ask for when being stuck in this place. they were luck, all things considered. "you guys doing alright? did you just get here?"