I'd sit there and look at the deserted lakes and I'd sing

[singmod]

MARCH 2024 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — EXIT STRATEGY: With the way via the main road a no-go, Methuselah finds a potential and very dangerous way out of the Milton area: the Milton Mines. During the Aurora, the Interlopers must find a way to safely navigate the mines and find a way through.

PROMPT TWO — BRAVE NEW WORLD: Interlopers make their way into the Lakeside area, and are free to explore the more of the Northern Territories: a place of both industry and leisure.

PROMPT THREE — THE ECHO: On Aurora nights, the aftermath of the Darkwalker's attack on the Interlopers continues to ripple through the community — with a painful affliction.

EXIT STRATEGY

WHEN: Mid-month.
WHERE: Milton Mines.
CONTENT WARNINGS: claustrophobic situations; potential injury/maiming; potential electrocution/electrocution injuries; potential burn injuries; hyperthermic situations; exploration horror;


Unusually, Methuselah returns to the town around the middle of the month. He is looking pleased and will ask that the Interlopers gather in the Community Hall. Once gathered, he climbs onto the small stage at one end of the Hall and explains that following last month’s Feast, he set out to try to find a way out of Milton, and he believes he may have found a way out.

He goes on to explain that although the Milton Mine has been closed for many years, there may still be access through the mine. The mine had two entrances through either sides of the stone, one on the Milton side since many of the residents worked the mine back in the day, but there was also an additional entrance on the opposite side, which led to a railway track that allowed easier export of coal and precious materials towards the coast. Having gained access, he believes the mine seems to mostly remain intact, but not easy to get through. However, he discovered that during the Aurora, the old mine and its electronics came to life — meaning a way through is certainly possible during those times with the added electronics in play.

It is not much, and it is certainly incredibly dangerous, but it is something. There is certainly no way out towards the south; towards the north might be the Interlopers’ best chance of finding a way out of Milton.

Methuselah will ask for any volunteers to join him in trying to find a way out via the mines, taking them up north and then waiting for an Aurora to happen before they can then make their way through and explore the mine system. Anyone is free to sign up, and he suggests someone drawing up a sign up sheet so that Interlopers have an idea of who is leaving the town on the journey.

The hike towards the mines is a long one, taking a few hours on an incline to reach the northern mountains. Waiting on the Aurora may take time, so setting up camp is the next step — waiting for night and hoping the skies fill with night soon. Interlopers are free to explore the mine beforehand, but will find a lot of it locked up tight. With areas unreachable without power and the darkness suffocating, they won’t get very far.

When the Aurora does finally come, the mine will come to life: the system’s lighting will come on throughout, albeit flickering and a little unreliable. Machinery and track systems whir and groan as the mine slowly cranks itself into functioning once more. While there are maps of the system to help Interlopers navigate the system — showing a second entrance labelled as ‘Lakeside Entrance’ — the true difficulty in getting through lies in wait.

Interlopers will find that parts of the system have been partially flooded: with the frigid water in places mostly ankle deep and others reaching no higher than knee-high on an average-height man. What’s worse, is the half-destroyed electrics ravaged by both time and the Aurora mean plenty of loose wires hanging here and there. It’s possible to accidentally catch yourself on them, meaning burn injuries and mild electric shocks — but care should be taken in checking if these wires may have fallen into these flooded parts. Stepping into these live waters will be far more deadly. They will also find that the electronically-powered gates that open through into areas may not function, with the fuses having been blown.

Gaining access through the mine is not impossible, however. It will simply require a little bit of legwork. One of the larger caverns of the mines houses a fuse board. Characters can switch off sections of the mines in order to traverse them safely, find new fuses in toolboxes scattered through the mines in order to open the gates and make their way through to gain access to the elevator of the mine — which will also require new fuses, in order to power the electrics to get it to function.

It is perhaps, most frustrating, that once Interlopers get the elevator working and head downwards into the final section of the mine, that they will come across hand-cranks — allowing them to use the elevator without the need for electricity. But at least the hard part is over, and the Interlopers now have a way through from Milton that doesn’t require relying on the Aurora to power the mine’s electrics.

On the lower section of the mine, there will be a handful of more gated rooms to get through before reaching the Lakeside Entrance, and more wires and flooded areas to traverse. But you can taste it: something on the air. You’re close.

You’ve made it, Interloper.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

WHEN: Mid-month, onwards.
WHERE: Milton Mines (Lakeside Entrance); The Ravine; Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; themes of peril; acrophobia; potential character/npc death from falls; potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk;

Coming out of the mines, you will be greeted by a small mining camp and railway track enclosed by mountains on both sides. It’s incredibly sheltered here, with little wind chill and not as much snow on the ground compared to some of the more open areas of Milton. It may be best to rest here for the rest of the night. There are several portacabins that were used to house some of the former miners, along with additional cabins with one being some kind of foreman’s office, one that served as a kind of mess hall and one for bathing/toilet needs.

While there is little in terms of supplies left in there, some scraps may be found here and there — plus the cabins will provide decent shelter from the cold, which may be the last Interlopers will get ahead of the long walk down through the mountain track and into Lakeside. There is also plenty of coal left lying around, too — allowing for Interlopers to craft fires to keep warm. Even with it being sheltered, it’s still cold out.

In terms of where to go from here, the only way seems to be to follow the track. It’s a long walk, but rather straightforward if you keep to the tracks. A good few hours of it, but it’s quiet — and there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of wildlife or windchill here. It almost seems too easy, or as easy as it could be in regards to a long walk through thick snow.

Until you come face to face with the ravine.

The world opens up to you, with the tracks stretching over a huge valley via a… mostly sturdy-looking wooden and steel bridge. There doesn’t seem to be any way around it, no alternative route of getting over to the other side. Crossing the bridge is the only option. Care should be taken, with Interlopers now being vulnerable to the wind and the snow-laden tracks. As sturdy as the bridge looks, it seems to creak and groan under the weight of a single footstep. There even appears to be the remains of fall train-carts in the depths, from some unfortunate incident years ago. It’s probably fine.

Crossing the bridge and continuing down the tracks will eventually have the world opening up even more — you’ve finally reached Lakeside. Thick boreal forests crowd around the tracks, and in places, Interlopers will note that the tracks have buckled and become badly damaged. When they find roads, they will also find them in similar states of disrepair from beneath the snow. Following them for another hour or so will eventually lead to Lakeside’s Maintenance Yard. From here, there is a road, with directions: signs pointing towards Milton, the Coast, Lakeside Resort and the Carter Hydrodam.

For those interested in searching the Maintenance Yard, they will be greeted by a large, fenced in building. Fortunately, a great deal of the fencing has been damaged with the bad weather and it is easy enough to gain access. The place is a bit of a mess: scrap metal, wood, and dissued trucks and cars litter the yard, along with wood that can be used for kindling and firewood. Inside the Maintenance Yard, it is a little bit of a mechanic’s dream. There’s plenty of tools in this place, and even a forge which could be used for crafting if someone has the patience to fire it up and keep it hot for long enough. There’s plenty of stores of coal, at least. But in terms of a living space, there’s not much else other than a small break room with some comfy chairs to catch some quick shut-eye. Searching the Yard for any letters or such will reveal a similar theme to that of Milton: difficulty in reaching the Mainland with postage and correspondences, the lack of staffing, and the problems with wildlife. There are also complaints and concerns over growing dangers of small quakes causing damage to the roads and rail system.

Following the road towards the Lakeside Resort is a mostly quiet and pleasant enough trek, as long as one keeps close to or on the road there as much as possible. The Resort is largely secluded, even if it is around the actual lake itself, and it’s easy to see just why this place would have been a popular vacation place.

The resort is a collection of a dozen luxury cabins dotted around the edge of the lake, each of them with a decent amount of space between them for privacy. The cabins themselves are sturdy and well built, but look far more modern and almost designer in terms of style - with huge almost floor to ceiling windows and spacious porches for that perfect lakeside view, and open plan rooms and balconies. Each of the cabins contain multiple bedrooms, suitable for vacationing families and mix both modern technology and more rustic means of heating homes — making them ideal for all weathers.

A couple of the cabins are not completed, appearing to be a kind of expansion of the resort that was not finished. Build materials still remain here. Some of the cabins on the furthest side appear to have become victims of vandalism, having been broken into and completely trashed with windows smashed, furniture missing and broken, and any goods completely ransacked from the place. There are perhaps five cabins out of the twelve that remain fully intact and may contain useful items such as food, basic medical supplies and tools, and will certainly be excellent shelters for those looking for somewhere to stay.

There is also a Camp Office, situated at the east side of the lake. Used as a kind of main office of maintenance for the cabins, along with an office or tourist centre of sorts. It has a decent stock of hiking and outdoor essentials. The Camp Office does also have a small living space upstairs — presumably used by Lake staff or rangers, with a wood stove and kitchenette, along with a bathroom and several bunk-beds. It appears that the Camp Office wasn't abandoned until a short while ago — no more than a couple of months.

Following the road to the Hydrodam is a trickier one than the one to the Resort. There is a higher volume of predator wildlife here, with wolf howls closer and more frequent. With the current state of wildlife’s behaviours, it is likely to face attacks from wolves on the way there. The Carter Hydrodam has clearly seen better days. It seems to have fallen into disrepair and may have only been run by a small skeleton crew. While the Hydrodam is gated and locked up tight, it’s possible to break in through the gate and gain access.

While the lower dam is currently out of bounds, Interlopers will be able to get into the upper levels of the main building of the Hydrodam, which consists mostly of offices, maintenance rooms, a medical bay, and rooms banked with control panels, plus staff areas. The med bay is relatively well stocked, but might need a little forced entry with certain medical lockers and cabinets. Tools and other useful items can also be found here, along with bunk rooms, a small canteen and bathrooms/showers. It might be possible with some work to get access to hot water here — the showering systems run on a back-up furnace system, and while some of the pipes are broken, it might be possible to fix them to get the hot water system up and running again.

Following the road to the Coast will find a dead end. The bridge that heads over towards that direction has been damaged beyond repair, and there looks to be no way of getting around it. Perhaps, much like with getting out of Milton, there may be an alternate way of getting further south, but time will tell.

But for now, here is an entirely new region, ripe for the picking. While it appears some places have already seen minor scavenging (with the exception to the vandalism and looting of some of the resort cabins), Lakeside is largely untouched. It is full of game to hunt, an expansive lake to take up ice-fishing in, and indoor locations to search through for supplies. Some Interlopers may decide to stay here permanently now that it’s easier to travel between Lakeside and Milton.

THE ECHO

WHEN: Aurora Nights, the month of March.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural/otherworldly afflictions; themes of grief; themes of loss

There are roughly no more than ten Aurora nights during the month of March, and everything occurs as usual: the insanely bright colours swirling in the skies before you, the crackles and pops of static in the air providing percussion to the strange, ethereal chorus of almost-electrical sounds. The electrics of the world around coming alive with its usual sputtering and falters. There is much mystery to these strange, almost supernatural phenomena — but they almost feel like a kind of staple in the Northern Territories.

But on these nights something different happens.

If you listen closely, the sound of weeping can be heard on the air. Those with the Aurora Call Feat will be particularly drawn to the sound, and will hear it more clearly compared to their fellow Interlopers. It is the sound of a woman, and those paying attention might be able to recognise the voice it belongs to: it is the same woman heard over the static of radios and televisions in December and early January. The same woman that spoke to Interlopers, telling them to sleep, with the promise of help — thus granting some of them powers. It is the same voice that screamed out the night La’an Noonien-Singh died, and the night of those recently killed in the church.

She is… grief-stricken. Her weeping is a raw and anguished thing, and the more you listen, the more it seems to grip at you. You feel her pain, maybe it echoes within your own. Those you have lost, those you have failed or hurt — a reverb that grows stronger as the night continues. It is an all-consuming pain, its depths endless. It brings tears to your eyes.

You carry this pain, as she does.

You feel it in your very bones, in your flesh and sinew. It’s an exhaustive pain, and as the night progresses, you find yourself incredibly weary. In a strange state of fatigue that won’t even allow you to sleep.

You may find yourself going in search of comfort amongst friends, or loved ones. To hold a hand, to embrace them — to not be alone in this pain you feel.

But it is a pain that is too great.

On these nights, you will find yourselves alone, without the comfort you would otherwise lean on. You will not be soothed by that comfort of others. For as long as the Aurora lasts, reaching out and touching others will bring real physical pain to you. It will hurt to touch others, and physical contact will produce a sharp biting pain, even for those who may not feel pain otherwise. Too much. It’s… too much.

Some of you were told once, in a dream: “Don’t you understand it now? We are all connected. The Aurora connects us.”

Once the lights in the sky fade, that pain will finally ease and the woman’s sobs will go quiet — but it will return once more, when the next Aurora comes.

FAQs

EXIT STRATEGY

1. It is entirely possible for NPC Interlopers to die in the mines due to electrocution, and players are free to use NPCs — we ask that players give mods a heads up so that the masterlist can be updated accordingly.


BRAVE NEW WORLD

1. The lower dam is currently completely physically impossible to access. The door that leads there is jammed shut. Characters will notice half-frozen water leaking on the floor around the door.

2. It is possible to find bodies in Lakeside, however there is a... suspiciously low amount of them, and the rare ones found by characters will have been there for some time. They will have appeared to have died of exposure.

3. Wolves can be found in Lakeside, and their tracks are incredibly common. Interactions with wolves can happen in the exploration of this region, and they will behave much like they did during the September event and be incredibly hostile to players.

4. Bears are also common in Lakeside, and their tracks can also be found. They technically should be still hibernating, and much like wolves — they will be aggressive towards Interlopers. Keep your distance!

5. Lakeside unlocking comes with a Companion Event of an Interation with a new NPC!

THE ECHO

1. Essentially: physical touch with others will bring Interlopers physical pain. Sorry about that.

2. It is possible for Interlopers with Aurora Call to attempt to reach out to the woman. Those interested can inquire into what that interaction may be like! They can find out what that entails here.

PLOTTING POST

Comments

[powersuited]

[ They haven't spoken more than two words to each other since the expedition left town.

It's probably for the best, anyway — before they'd decided to start giving one another the silent treatment, they'd had it out in relatively public fashion off to the side of where everyone had been milling around making final preparations to head out, Bigby offering his opinion in that gruff tone of his while Snow had tried and ultimately failed to keep her own voice from rising louder and louder until more than one head had swiveled in their direction. The topic of their conversation had been — what else — him trying to tell her what to do, insistent that something like this wasn't safe for her, and then she'd tried to assert the reminder that he was just as powerless as she was, maybe even moreso without his abilities, and yet she isn't trying to stop him from going with everybody else —

Before she'd ultimately ended up shouting at him, she'd forced herself to be quiet, metaphorically biting her tongue with the rest of her retort cut off before it could explode out of her, and simply stalked away instead of remaining in his space for too long. That would have only triggered another argument.

Since then, she's kept mostly to herself on the hike, her shoulders hunched beneath the thick fabric of her new (well, previously used) winter coat and her boot-clad feet trudging through the snow. The rest of the group seems to be giving her a wide berth too, as if everyone senses she needs time to cool off, which might be for the best given that her cheeks still feel flaming, rendered a bright pink that's not entirely from the outdoor chill.

By the time she hears the sound of heavier footsteps nearing, crunching in the snow beside her, it's all she can do not to visibly roll her eyes, especially when Bigby leverages that question in her direction. ]

Since you asked — [ The implication being that she wouldn't have elected to speak to him otherwise. ] — I'm doing just fine at the moment. It's actually a rather nice hike, don't you think?

[bigbaddy]

[ He catches the implication entirely well. Maybe it's just because he's used to barbs being thrown his way - not necessarily from her, but still - and on top of that knows that Snow can be sharp like this when she wants to be. A way of lashing out that's much more rooted in her tongue, whereas Bigby has always been in his fists. (Even though that falters in the face of this, because-- because it's still Snow, of course. Even though he got caught up in that argument, raising his own voice as well until she did the same and then walked off, he didn't even once think of getting violent with her. He could never. Him wanting to protect her is the entire damn problem with this in the first place.)

.. not that there's much protecting happening here. Snow is out here with them, and if things get dicey, she's going to be in the thick of it. There's no escaping when there's absolutely nothing nearby but a bunch of trees. Nowhere to run - nowhere to hide.

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his coat, totally not looking childishly grumpy, thanks. ]

I didn't realise you were into hiking now.

[powersuited]

[ Walking alone in the snow should have given her time to think back on all they've just said to each other. Instead, Snow's been allowing herself to silently fume, even as she files back through everything they'd argued about pertaining to this little expedition.

On the one hand, maybe, maybe she can understand Bigby's instinct to warn her off from this because of what's recently happened in town; on the other, he should know that even those recent deaths aren't going to be enough to deter her when she's already made up her mind about coming along. There's nothing that irritates her faster than someone trying to decide what's best for her — and a good portion of that stems from all those years where she had no freedom at all, where she was simply a slave to the whims of others, and where cruelty made it impossible for her to even so much as consider thinking for herself.

Still, the worst of her temper is curbed at the moment, but it doesn't mean her voice is any less frosty, especially when met with his petulance. ]

There's a difference between this and aimless walking. Besides, isn't it a good idea for more of us to know where this potential "way out" is?

[bigbaddy]

[ It's not like she doesn't have a point.

But it still shouldn't have to be her, right. There's so many people here in town. Why should it always have to be Snow putting herself on the frontlines?

Bigby tries to force down the thought. If he gets even more agitated, even if it's more internally-oriented right now than during their argument, he knows that he might transform. Even if he can't go full wolf anymore here, Bigby is well aware that he's got just enough of an ability to transform here to give himself away when he gets too worked up. And since it's mostly in his face, Snow will instantly notice the moment that happens.

So he tries to calm down. It's never been an easy feat for Bigby of all people, but he tries to at least keep himself to a more simmering level of angry worry, just enough so his face stays entirely human as they walk.

And keeping himself at that level means not pointing out that it shouldn't have to be her, even though he wants to. So badly. He tries to think of a more neutral question, and though it still comes out with some of that same petulance, the question itself is at least more neutral. It's a start, maybe. ]

What do you even think we'll find?

[powersuited]

[ Snow can't claim she hasn't been thinking about exactly what he brings up. Even if what Methuselah told them turns out to be less than true, and there isn't a real way out of this place, there have to be answers in some form that they'll uncover, and she wants to be in a position to discover it herself when they do. ]

Maybe... more about who might have been here before all of us. Think about it. Someone had to build those houses in Milton, and beyond that, who was working in the mine? Who even dug out the tunnel in the first place?

[ All these signs of civilization, now abandoned, which does strike Snow as somewhat creepy, but she can't let that part show in her expression. The last thing she needs is to give Bigby any sign that she's uncomfortable enough to justify his reasoning for her staying behind.

Bringing up her theories, as they walk, actually proves to be the best way of steadying her mind — because if she's thinking about the mysteries that surround this place, she's less likely to dwell on something that unsettles her even more deeply. Between that, and the constant sound of snow crunching beneath their feet, she has more to focus on — and can even let her initial frustration with Bigby start to melt away. ]

[bigbaddy]

They're likely all dead.

[ Usually when Bigby might have conveyed this information - to Snow, at the very least - he might have tried to be a little more gentle about it. The tone of his voice dipping into something less gruff, perhaps, or him trying to be a just a touch less direct about it, even though it's difficult for him.

It's very direct this time around though. There's no malice in his voice, no direct attempts to hurt her. Bigby doesn't even look at her as he's saying it, instead staring ahead of him as he walks.

Which means it's likely more meant to make a point. This is why it's dangerous.

This is why he didn't want her to come. ]

When the first of us showed up here, I was one of them. We found an empty town littered with frozen corpses of the people who used to live in Milton. We buried all of them, that's why you don't see them around anymore. [ And Bigby imagines most people don't really like talking about it. Even he doesn't really like to. It's only now that he realises it means the newer people are likely to not have heard that story at all.

Even though it makes it easy to assume so many things about the world. If the people of Milton all died like that, it's likely the same could have happened with the people beyond town. The people who dug out the mines, wherever they might have lived. They might only find frozen corpses on the other side of this - which is what Bigby fully prepared himself for when he went along on this expedition. ]

[powersuited]

[ Snow's pace slows and then stalls out until she's completely stopped on the path, standing still. ]

Bigby...

[ Her voice is small, soft — apology there, in that single utterance of his name, as if all the fight has left her at once. She knows he doesn't expect her to apologize, isn't telling her this to anticipate receiving one, but this is a detail that has somehow escaped her knowledge, even if it doesn't change her mind about coming along on this trip in the first place.

What it does change, however, is her understanding of his reason why he'd been in such vehement opposition to her being here, why he might not have wanted her to see the possible evidence of anyone who lived here before them and are now gone by some mysterious or unknown means.

But her stopping, saying his name in the way that she does, means she expects him to turn around, to stop avoiding making eye contact with her, to actually look in her direction so she can meet his gaze head-on. For a moment, though, her eyes say everything she can't — that she's sorry he was in the position of having to do that, that she now understands what he was trying to spare her from, that she's feeling rather silly about their argument now in hindsight. ]

[bigbaddy]

[ At first he's still walking, even when he hears her calling his name like that. It's easier than facing her, easier than seeing what sort of look she's wearing on her face.

.. but when he realises that there's a pair of footsteps less among the sound of his own footsteps and the ones from the rest of the group in the distance, that's when he does stop, not wanting to leave her behind. The man turns around, and though it's a little more hesitantly than usually, his gaze does slowly move upwards until it's meeting hers.

Seeing the look in her eyes immediately makes him drop his own gaze again, though it's not in annoyance. The emotion that creeps onto his own face looks different. It's something closer to guilt. He still thinks he was right in some ways, but he does feel guilty for being so stubborn, for maybe not explaining it better. For drawing her into an argument in the first place.

For a moment or two he seems uncharacteristically incapable of even forming words, but then he does slowly speak. ]

Look, Snow, I--

[ His hands clench a few times at his sides. Bigby is trying to find the right words, but it's hard when words have never really been your strong suit.

And he doesn't want to fuck up. Not so many times in a row. Not after their argument back in town, its chill accompanying them out here. ]

I don't-- I don't think you're weak. Not at all. You're one of the strongest people I know. [ Maybe not physically, given how many people throw Bigby around on a daily basis, but mentally. In spirit. Even with all the shit that always happens, Snow just keeps on going. ] But things are so different here. We're little more than mundies, and that..

[ His voice trails off, not fully explaining. It's likely easy for her to catch on though. They're vulnerable here. They can get hurt. They can die. It's something he had to worry about so much less back home. Even if he still worked so hard to try and make sure Snow didn't get hurt, at least Bigby is well aware her tale is so famous that it'd be hard for something to take her own permanently, same as with him.

But they can't count on that anymore. Not here.

The man exhales, still not meeting her gaze. His tone is no longer annoyed in the slightest.

If anything, he almost sounds vulnerable. It's much harder to figure out what to say to her when the atmosphere becomes like this, compared to when she's all stern or angry with him. ]

I'm just scared of something terrible happening to you when that's so common here.

[ Bigby doesn't like using the s-word. Ever. And yet here he is doing it, because he knows the ways he tried explaining it before never registered with Snow - like when he told her that he didn't want to lose her back home, and Snow focused on the property aspect of that sentence.

So maybe this way is more honest, even if he doesn't like admitting to it. ]

[powersuited]

[ Even if the rest of the group moves on ahead, Snow doesn't pay them any mind, doesn't even realize whether anyone happens to glance back to see where they've stopped on the path. The only person her attention is locked on is currently deciding whether or not to meet her gaze, and even if Bigby's eyes do rise to hers briefly, she knows better than to be offended by any averting, especially when he really seems to be trying to gather his thoughts instead of resorting to snapping at her.

Some of the tension of their previous argument has dissipated, evaporated along with the ghosts of their breathing in the chill of the winter air, but in its wake rises something else — the anticipation of the moment, as she waits, wordlessly, and allows herself to hear him out before she offers her side. ]

You think I don't know about the risks? About what could happen? Bigby, you know I can't just sit around and do nothing, either. That's never been who I am, just like it's never been you, either.

[ And while they've always had some level of power on their side, something responsible for both their longevity and lack of visible aging, it doesn't mean there aren't threats to their well-being, forces that are capable of harming Fables as much as they are mundies. But he's also been dealing with these new weaknesses, these limitations to what he can do, for much longer than she has, which means he has a different perspective on it.

Just because he's not looking her in the eye doesn't mean he won't be able to sense her moving closer, steps crunching in the snow until she's standing just in front of him again, her voice softer in comparison to all the other instances in which she's spoken to him today — not just in volume but in tone, too. ]

Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, I'm safer with the Big Bad Wolf on my side? [ The corner of her mouth lifts in a half-smile, as she ducks her head down slightly in an effort to meet his gaze. ]

If it makes any difference at all, I promise not to go off anywhere by myself while we're out here. Okay?

[bigbaddy]

[ There's no way she can't catch his gaze when she's making such an effort to do so. Bigby can notice from the edges of his field of vision, and he's too weak. He can't ignore it. Instead he slowly lifts his head a little so they can have eye contact without having to bend their necks too much.

His facial expression still hasn't changed though. Bigby is watching the half-smile on her face, but something about him still looks worried.

After all, it's-- ]

It's not you.

[ Of course it's not her. Snow knows how to make smart decisions. Even in dangerous situations, hopefully. And even if she wasn't at his side, Bigby likes to think that the people of Milton are at least good enough that they would jump in and do something to try and help Snow out if she was in trouble. ]

.. It's me. [ He feels the urge to look away again, but actively fights it when he remembers just how hard she tried to get him to look in the first place. ] The problem is that I'm not strong enough.

[ The different perspective on this new weakness is indeed at work here - a good mental observation by Snow herself. After all, for Bigby their power hasn't always just been around being able to endure things better, though that sure did help in his line of work. But being left without his powers means he can't sense shit. There could be something approaching their group, and he wouldn't be able to hear it, wouldn't be able to smell it-- he wouldn't know it was there until it was already attempting to pounce them.

And even when that would happen, he wouldn't be able to fight back as well as he would back home. Sure, he'd still put his life on the line to protect Snow, but he can't shift forms. He doesn't have the same strength anymore.

Even though he's in a human form rather than a wolf one.. It feels like his youth all over again. When he was so small, the runt of the litter, when he wasn't able to do a single thing to keep his mother safe until she died. Because he was too weak to protect her.

What if that just happens all over again now? ]

[powersuited]

[ At first, Snow's confused, and that confusion lingers in her expression, existing in the subtle knitting of her brows, the brief furrow that appears between them when she tries to understand what he's getting at — and then realization, when that furrow smooths out, when he admits to an even deeper-seated reason for not wanting her to go along in the first place.

She doesn't have to say his name aloud for it to display itself across her features — the truth is, she hadn't considered whether he'd been feeling more inadequate, or incapable, simply because he doesn't have the powers that make them more, that make them the Fables that they are. But she also hadn't considered the extent to which being removed from those abilities would also have a stronger effect on him than it has her, the lack of that power just as intense because of how long it's persisted here. ]

That's not true.

[ It might be in the most literal sense — if he wants to boil it down to the difference between strength when he's the wolf versus what he has to walk around without here — but she hasn't come to rely on him purely because of the wolf, either. If she did, she wouldn't feel as safe as she does in his presence, would allow the threats that keep popping up here to scare her much more than they do. ]

You're the strongest person I know, too. [ Her voice is barely above a whisper now, as her gloved hand slides over his fingers, clutching onto him tightly. ] And I also know you'd do anything you could to — to protect me. But maybe... maybe we have to be better at protecting each other here, okay? Being on each other's side.

[bigbaddy]

[ Protecting each other.

A thing that - for how they are right now - has very little to do with actual physical protection, right? Because she knows he'd protect her, judging by what she's saying now. And Bigby, too, knows that Snow would stand up for him unless he truly did something she doesn't agree with in the slighrest.

(He hopes so, anyway.)

He knows it has more to do with trusting each other right now. Trusting each other's decisions, rather than getting all worked up and arguing the way they did just earlier today. That's what she's suggesting they should be better at, and.. he knows she's right.

Bigby nods. He slowly exhales. He's never been good at dealing with fear when he all he did for the longest time was work towards ensuring that there wouldn't be anything out there anymore that he'd have to be scared of. But he's going to have to tackle the biggest fear he has - the fear of something happening to her - in healthier ways. ]

.. you know, there's-- there's still a place free, next to where I live.

[ It may not be directly what she's suggesting, but it's related enough that Bigby can't help but slowly bring it up. Especially when it's something he's been thinking about for a while already, even if he didn't mention it to her. ]

Maybe you could.. think about that. In case this doesn't lead to any way out, and we'll just return to town as if nothing happened. [ He's speaking slowly though. A touch awkwardly. He stares down at her hand, rather than up at her face.

(If one would take a closer look at him, they might even call it slightly shy or flustered.) ]

It might help with keeping an eye on each other. [ With backing each other up, if they end up needing it. ]

[powersuited]

[ Snow can already tell that Bigby's not holding their previous disagreement against her, especially now that she has the new context of information she hadn't possessed before — not just in what he's had to shoulder prior to her arrival, but what's been nagging at him so much more deeply than she ever could have imagined. It is different for Bigby especially, their being here, especially when this world is capable of stripping them of what separates them from the mundies, and she understands that a lot better now, thanks to what he's admitted to her.

Right now, the prospect of finding a way out is still foremost in her mind, but she's still focused on the present conversation at hand, so much so that she isn't paying attention to the rest of the group walking on ahead of them, leaving them to talk openly without having to keep their voices lowered.

Besides, it might be better that everyone else has gone on, Snow thinks, since Bigby's next suggestion takes her partially by surprise. ]

A — a house, you mean?

[ There's a brief pause when she senses a flush making its way over her cheeks, her chest, and then feels rather ridiculous about it; it isn't as if he's invited her to move in with him, but is essentially saying that he wouldn't object if she decided to occupy the open home beside his. She doesn't pull away from him, but her hand in his gives the moment more weight than she's certain he means it to. ]

Right. Of course. That's... a good idea, actually.

[ From an entirely logical point of view, being in closer proximity to each other will let them keep an eye on each other in ways they might not have been able to do before. Maybe it'll even give him peace of mind about her safety, having her close, and for that reason alone, it seems worth pursuing once she's in a position to. ]

I'll take a look at it once we get back. Deal?

[bigbaddy]

[ Honestly, a part of Bigby is a little stunned by how relatively easily Snow seems to give in to this entire idea. It's not like he hasn't thought about offering that before, but he always held himself back from actually bringing it up to her, figuring that Snow likely wouldn't be very interested in the idea at all.

.. apparently he was entirely wrong on that one.

It's likely though that it's just as Snow always says. They're the only two people from their world here, so they have to stick together. Look after each other. It doesn't even matter that it's him. Surely she would've done the same if it had been anyone else. (Well, anyone decent from their world, anyway.)

So he quickly shrugs off the thought that this might be special in any way before it can foster false hope in him. But he does still manage to smile thinly at her as he replies with: ]

Deal.

[ Not like she can make a full decision on it while they're still all the way out here. When they'll be moving further away from town for now once they rejoin the group, rather than back towards it. ]

Just.. don't expect too much out of the houses here. A lot of them aren't all that great. [ And while they're fine for Bigby, he also knows his standards are pretty low. She might expect more out of a full house after having stayed at the community center for a bit now. ]

[powersuited]

[ It's a good suggestion, now that she has some more time to think about it beyond the initial surprise of the question. There's no way she can stay at the Community Hall forever, even if finding a path home is always distantly at the back of her mind. She realizes she has to start thinking about a short-term solution, and moving into a place of her own is the next obvious step.

The funniest part of it is that she's surprised the solution had come to her courtesy of Bigby — and on the heels of the two of them being at odds over something that feels decidedly less important now that they've actually made a point to listen to each other instead of just stressing their position over and over.

Inside, she's already made up her mind that, regardless of whether they discover a route home, she'll be heading back to town with the rest of the group, but she doesn't have much to gather together in terms of effects. The more she thinks about it, the more she thinks about how it might be nice to have a house to personalize, to make her own, but first things first: they need to see what's out here, and at least now she feels as though they can do so while being on a better page. ]

So that means, in other words, that yours still doesn't have a bed in it? [ She makes the quip based on obvious evidence in his Fabletown apartment, that worn-in chair he sleeps in; she assumes the same is true for his current living situation, even if it doesn't occur to her that joking about a bed might be slightly inappropriate. ]

[bigbaddy]

[ It's a small miracle that his brain doesn't jump right to a certain idea the moment she mentions a bed.

(It probably will later, like belated fluster hitting him. If you see him flustered during some later part of their journey here, please don't ask him about it, Snow..)

In the moment he just sees it for the callout that it is. Snow is the only person in this place who knows about how he lived back home, after all. There's a momentary delay, like the man isn't sure what to answer, before he settles on: ]

There's a bed.

[ See, Snow! He's beating the allegations, okay!!

.. though not entirely, and it's exactly because it's her that he has a hard time not telling the full truth, adding a slightly more reluctant: ]

I mean, not that it's getting used much.. [ Some habits are hard to break. At this point he's not even sure if he could fall asleep in a bed anymore, compared to just on a chair. It's been too long, and he really hasn't had a reason to go back to using a bed instead. ]

[powersuited]

[ Only after uttering the words aloud does she realize how they could have been interpreted, but if there is a moment when Bigby could potentially intuit her response as something different, he brushes past it, not lingering on it or drawing unnecessary attention to her stumble.

Even she's not sure why it's almost a relief when he admits that the bed that is in the house he's been staying in hasn't seen a lot of use — although she wouldn't necessarily have the right to comment on anyone he might have chosen to invite over to spend the night, would she?

It's not as if she hasn't picked up on the fact that there are women who find Bigby attractive, certainly in Fabletown where everyone ends up finding out about everyone else's business one way or another. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to her that the same might hold true here in Milton, too, but based on his response, it seems as though he hasn't even considered it from his end. ]

Oh. Well, that's good. [ Her eyes widen slightly at the verbal gaffe, before she hurriedly moves to correct herself. ] Fine. It's fine. Even if you're still using... what? Another lounger?

[bigbaddy]

[ .. wait, that's good?

Bigby's brain is definitely doing a double take at that one. He thought Snow wanted him to sleep in a bed for once rather than on chairs all the time? Where did she suddenly change track?

Of course his brain is blind enough to the obvious meaning that it goes entirely over his head though. After a moment or two his thoughts just fizzle out into static, meaning he opts to refocus on the question. ]

Uh, yeah. It was there in the house, so.. [ He shrugs. ] Why not?

[ Even though that logic makes no sense, since the house also came with a bed!! Bigby!! ]

I hardly sleep through the night anyway. Even if I don't get woken up here for Fable business, there's still a lot going on all the time here in town. [ He makes a vague gesture with his hand. ] I'm sure you've noticed.

[ And while Bigby doesn't have any sort of duty here.. well, it's still hard for him to not protect the people here all the same. It's what he's like, deep down, even if he might not always realise it himself. ]

[powersuited]

[ Even the thought that would have naturally occurred to Snow — that it makes less sense for Bigby to be sleeping in a lounger when there's a perfectly usable bed sitting in the same house — doesn't settle in her mind the way it's supposed to.

Instead, she's scrambled enough, jumping from concern that he might have been having overnight guests to relief when that didn't turn out to be true, to questioning why she would have been concerned about such a thing in the first place, that everything else flies right over her head. ]

Well, that's not —

[ Fortunately, his words are what help to put her thoughts in some semblance of order, bringing her back around to a different type of concern involving how little sleep he's actually getting per night, and whether he's hurting himself by not getting the rest he needs. ]

Of course, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be sleeping. Bigby. [ She says his name pointedly, with a little exasperation somewhere in there, before peering at him. ] Wait, how many hours did you get last night?

[bigbaddy]

[ ...

It's so hard to lie to her when she says his name like that. How come Snow manages to hit every single one of his weaknesses? Bigby definitely looks like he's contemplating telling her a higher number to try and avoid potentially getting scolded here, but his resolve to do so absolutely crumbles when he thinks back on how pointedly she said his name. ]

I dunno. [ He starts, almost a little awkward compared to the usual. ] Maybe-- An hour or two? Maybe three?

[ At least he's telling the truth, even if it's a messy, messy truth. It's relatively few hours even by his standards, but he's had an even worse time sleeping ever since Snow arrived with that huge Darkwalker attack right after. How can he sleep when he knows something like that could happen to her any moment? ]

[powersuited]

The fact that you don't even have a solid number is what concerns me most.

[ Instead, he's just guessing, although if he'd lied and pretended he'd gotten a full night's sleep she would have seen right through it from the start. Sometimes she wonders whether Bigby is just made of hardier stuff than most of the other Fables she's met, or if being a wolf simply means he's used to being more nocturnal.

In fairness, how reluctant had she been to even let herself fall asleep for too long in the wake of what had happened to her? There'd been that fear, then, irrational though it might have been, that she would close her eyes and possibly never wake up, just like before. That she would lie there at the edge of the woods, helpless and unmoving, left behind for scavengers to feast on, until someone's love proved strong enough to wake her.

Ultimately, she sighs, relenting after a moment as she brushes a stray piece of hair back from her temple. ]

... but I get it. I'm not sure most of us have been sleeping very well ever since what happened.

[bigbaddy]

[ Almost instantly: ]

Have you not been sleeping well?

[ It's so quick that it kind of seems like an attempt to dodge her questioning by turning it around on her. But while it might have that side-effect - if he were to get awya with it, which is rare around Snow of all people - it's not Bigby's intention at all here.

No, the main reason he asks that so quickly that it sounds instinctive is because.. well, of course he's worried about her. He figures the entire Darkwalker incident can't be sitting well with her either, but Bigby didn't think she might actually be losing sleep over it on top of it all. ]

[powersuited]

Well, yes, but who would be, after that?

[ The question comes so quickly that she doesn't even really have time to think about whether Bigby's trying to use it as a deflection, asking her about herself so that she's thinking more along those lines and less about how many hours he's been getting.

She doesn't think it's all that strange to admit to, though — when she'd been torn from sleep the first time by a feeling so terrifying that it proves difficult to put into words now, there are still moments when she wakes up in the dead of night, as if her mind is preparing to be snapped back into awareness by that sheer fright. ]

And this isn't home, not really. Maybe some of it is that. [ She shrugs, a little lamely, a brief smile tugging up the corners of her mouth even if it doesn't fully reach her eyes. ] Still getting used to a new place.

[bigbaddy]

Yeah, I just-- I didn't know you were struggling in that sense.

[ Though it makes logical sense, right? Adjusting to this place is a lot, and Bigby imagines it's even worse when you're dealing with the Darkwalker right away. At least he was here for a few months before he even saw the very first sign of that being. Not that they didn't have danger to deal with back then - the wild wolves sucked - but he feels like it was relatively easier than immediately knowing you're dealing with a being that wants to erase you from existence.

.. and all that on top of the strangeness of having to adjust to a different place entirely. It's something he knows Snow can do, but.. maybe he was relying just a little bit too much on the idealised image of her in his mind to help him figure out how she might be doing, rather than remembering that Snow is so human in her own way.

It renders the man quiet for a moment, but then he slowly offers: ]

I figure there isn't much I do to help with that. [ Probably nothing. He can't change this place for her.

If only, really. ]

But if there ever is anything at any point, you'll let me know, right?

[ Snow, you have no idea of the lengths this wolf would go to for you. ]

[powersuited]

It's not like we were really in a position to discuss it before.

[ Between what had happened with the Darkwalker, Snow fighting to find sleep before ultimately drifting off, only to wake up and find her room empty of Bigby's presence, and their latest argument about her tagging along on this hike, there hadn't really been any room to reveal the truth about her battling insomnia. Some of it is a consequence of trying to get used to sleeping on a cot in the Community Hall, some comes from the fact that she can never really seem to get warm here, no matter what she does or how many layers she wears, and some is a result of the nightmares she still wakes up from, every now and then.

She doesn't want to be seen as helpless, though, or in constant need of being cared for. That's what all of this stemmed from earlier, when they'd been fighting beforehand, with her under the impression that he thought of her as weak, or incapable of handling herself.

Now, though, she's not too proud to admit that she might need some help, even if she doesn't really need Bigby to come in and fix everything for her, or use himself in some way to remove her problems. ]

I will. [ He does have that assurance from her, because she doesn't like letting it get to the point that it had before between them. She even offers him a small, reassuring smile, proof that she'll be fine despite the nightmares. ] Promise.