A beautiful fiction I invented to keep out the cold

[desperate_times_right]

Who: Chloe Frazer & others
What: Catch-all; open prompts
When: March and April
Where: Around Milton

Content Warnings: Self-injury content related to the echo effects. Descriptions of canon typical violence and murder. Talk about hunting/eating animals.


Chloe doesn't trust Methuselah as far as she could throw him, and a trip through a mine where she's forced to rely on the goodwill of a bunch of cop types does not sound like her idea of a good time. Also, sticking around Milton when most of the people who 'patrol' (imagine her air quotes) are away is a great opportunity to snoop in people’s houses.

Anyone who remains in or returns to Milton may find her either doing her usual wild running in the woods, checking her snares for snacks, or sneaking around newly empty locations to see what's been left behind.

Aurora nights are a different thing, however. Chloe likes to think that she's done her best to do right by the people that she cares about, but the truth is she's cut a few throats in her day, stepped over others to make sure that she would wind up on top. Something about the aurora this month brings every one of those memories roaring back. It has her running faster, drinking until she can't see, and doing risky climbs onto (and jumps between) rooftops, trying to escape the feeling.

Comments

[questioningmermaids]

Even if March wanted to, he can't control the half-snicker half-laugh.

"Lady, you're an attractive woman who's out in the wilderness of your own volition like an idiot." Pot, kettle. March shakes his head.

"No one here is normal. Except for me."

[desperate_times_right]

Maybe Chloe is a little too pleased about being called attractive considering that that's kind of what got her into this mess in the first place, but whatever.

“Right, just a normal guy running from ennui in the fog. Makes sense.”

She shrugs. “Maybe I need a break, too. There's nothing to do in Milton.”

[questioningmermaids]

"Ennui is a serious problem in modern day America. Streets are chalk full of it." Is it relevant? No. Is it something March feels like he needs to say in a desperate attempt to rationalize his very obvious lie? Yeah.

"Plenty to do in Milton. You can deal with the crazy guy in a mask, gaze upon the beautiful architecture of that incredibly sad looking community hall." March's sarcasm is biting. He raises his eyebrows.

"Watch whatever bullshit the rest of the Interlopers have going on. That's a personal favourite."

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe raises her eyebrows. She might not like the sound of that. “You been watching me?”

He’s right, though. That's really all there is to do.

[questioningmermaids]

"There's like, six people in this town, of course I do."

Obviously. March shrugs, reaches up to tap at his temple.

"Everyone here is crazy, anyway. Gotta keep an eye on that sorta shit."

[desperate_times_right]

“Well then, genius: What do you think my deal is?”

She's so defensive for absolutely no real reason, and still leading him in the right direction.

[questioningmermaids]

Finally, someone thinks he's a genius. It doesn't matter that it's very clearly sarcastic, March is gonna hold onto that.

"I don't know if I can answer that, you sound very aggressive right now." He keeps his tone completely and utterly flat.

[desperate_times_right]

“Yeah, it's so weird to not immediately be buddy-buddy with some clown insulting me in the woods.” Chloe rolls her eyes. “One that won't even tell me what he's doing, by the way.”

[questioningmermaids]

"Ennui," March reminds firmly, though there's a spark of something else as he slides his gaze over. Weirdly enough, this is kind of fun.

"Real answer? Trying to track down Wynonna Earp."

[desperate_times_right]

“Is that what her name is?” Don’t worry, she’ll forget it again immediately. “Yeah, she's over there, isn't she?”

Though that raises the question of why he's being so cagey about it.

“There some reason she wouldn't want to see you?”

[questioningmermaids]

March completely scoffs at that, and it’s a miracle they don’t actually stop moving from how much he clearly finds that question ridiculous.

“Everyone wants to see me. I’m a goddamn delight. What’s your name, by the way?”

[desperate_times_right]

“Chloe.” Hopefully this isn't the kind of guy that people you accidentally made fall in love with you would vent to. “Frazer. What about you?”

[questioningmermaids]

"Holland March." It's a crapshoot whether or not they take his name seriously. He's kind of over it, so best to press on: "You the one that sent Tim through the window during that girls night thing?"

[desperate_times_right]

Well. That's a name and a half, isn't it?

“Nah,” Chloe says with a smile. “That was your girlfriend. Pretty spectacular, though.”

[questioningmermaids]

"Not my girlfriend," it's automatic. Lacking any animosity, but rapid-fire and quick nonetheless.

"Gotta be a little bit satisfying to watch, though, right? It's not fun if you go through one, but being a witness? Absolute gold."

[desperate_times_right]

“Yeah. It was a dumbass, frat boy plan, trying to break into a party full of teenage girls.” Chloe chuckles to herself. “Kind of a guilt-free beatdown. That was one of the first things I did here, go to that party.”

[questioningmermaids]

There should be a guy night, March decides, though when he mulls over the list of potential guests he realizes that it's more than half the village.

Maybe not.

"Kinda nice having a problem that's just 'pervert kid.'"

[desperate_times_right]

“Right? There were a few adults there so nothing bad even happened. Guilt-free excitement.” You don't get much of that around here these days.

[questioningmermaids]

"I'm gonna draw a hard line on an HOA if we ever get them. Goddamn nightmare, dealing with that shit." For extra affectation, March leans over.

"'Ohhh, you have to clean pool and not use it as a giant ashtray, it really brings the cost of the neighbourhood down.'"

[desperate_times_right]

“I don't even know what that is.” Chloe has definitely never lived in that kind of neighbourhood. “Couldn't do much with a pool here anyway.”

[questioningmermaids]

March raises a singular finger, deadly serious.

"If we make it out of here alive, and you go back to wherever you came from, you gotta promise me: never move into a place with an HOA. Ever. "

[desperate_times_right]

“Yeah, I think I can promise that.” Chloe doesn't have a legal identity and hates contracts so this is probably an easy promise to keep.