singillatim | open | chapter 1

Entry tags:

open | chapter 1 | march catch-all

« Who: John Doe and you!
« What: John makes his way to Milton
« When: March! Starting early March! Prompts to be added as needed!
« Where: Woods, Milton, and in between
« Content Warnings: none so far!

[ i. The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep... [journey to Milton] ]

John hadn't liked the castle, even after their host had stopped being a secretive fucking asshole, but he certainly liked it better than whatever fucking cave he wakes up in. The first reason is because it's cold as hell. Or. Maybe not hell, but it is extremely goddamn cold. The second is that somehow, somehow, he is not where he is supposed to be in a much more disorienting fashion than any other: he is not within Arthur Lester. He is in a body, a body that feels like his body, that has a collection of limbs and pieces that feel like they belong to him and, from his limited ability to look at it, looks the way he feels like he ought to look. The gold of the robes, the matte black of his skin and hair and claws, the way his right arm seems whole until the individual tentacles that form it separate and stretch like spread fingers-

Legs are new. He can't say he's a fan, especially these that don't even have toes like he'd gotten used to. It takes grabbing a freezing cold stone to push himself up, hooves skittering across the uneven floor at first before finally finding a catch, and then he's hauling himself into an upright position to start really looking around.

"Hel-"

A pause before he puts his claw to his throat. What a sentence that is: his claw, his throat. But more importantly, is that what he sounds like out loud? Fuck, that's weird. Okay.

"Hello! Arthur!?" A pause before- "...Yorick?"

That's what makes him look around, or rather pat down his robes to find the items that had apparently come here with him. The coin is surprising, given where he'd last seen it. The beastiary is a boon, one he's glad not to have lost. But the skull on it's chain, dead and lifeless, no yapping to be heard...

"Shit."

It's not the most auspicious start to a day, but it's also not the worst that he's had. After all, there are trees and snow and rocks, pieces of the real and physical world. It doesn't look like Addison to him, from what he remembers of that place, but it is at least Somewhere. Not the Dark World. Not the Dreamlands, or so he hopes.

It means he needs to get walking, try and find people, or at least a warmer place to stay. As such, he'll set off into the forest, looking for signs of life, movement, and always, always Arthur.

Feel free to find him on the way. ...he'd appreciate if you didn't try to kill him, but he won't be surprised if it happens.

[ ii. And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep. [entering Milton] ]

It's been a long, cold, unfortunate slog, the only benefit of which is the fact that he can wear with pride the 100% success rate at not falling into holes during his first sojourn on legs. It's the sort of thing that he holds to himself as tight as his robes against the frigid temperatures and the rising dark, something to tell Arthur about when he gets back to him.

Because he is getting back to him. That is not up for debate. It's just a matter of how long it'll take him to get there.

He sees the houses, avoids those that are dark and heads towards the greatest source of light. He'd considered trying to sneak around, gather information, learn what this place is and who lives here and what they might do to him if they saw him. But he also knows how clumsy he is in this new body of his, and large, and cold, and that someone caught sneaking would no doubt be thought of as a sneak. Instead, he decides to go (tentatively) for the larger gamble: he heads for the main area of town, the brightest light, the most people. He'll walk slow, gauge reactions, see if he can get someone to trust him at least far enough to let him get near a fire or perhaps provide some food (hunger? sucks) before he gives up, runs, and seeks some other place to go.

He remembers 'hands up' from those police on the island and readies his arms to put them up if asked.

Once more with feeling and in he goes.

[ iii. From what I’ve tasted of desire / I hold with those who favor fire. [community hall fire w/Arthur] ]

It takes a bit of coaxing, and more than a bit of looking out, but John does eventually come in from the cold. They head for the community hall, since the fire is always going there and John's been out in the wilds for quite a few hours. He'll finally get a chance to rest and soak in some warmth, his arms wrapped firmly around Arthur Lester now that they've been reunited. The size difference is a little funny but hopefully the giant non-human figure looks significantly less terrifying while shamelessly cuddling someone who seems just as glad to be there as he is. (The vibe is a lot more My-Neighbor-JohnDoedoe than anything else.)

Feel free to come by and say hi. He doesn't bite!

[ iv. I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. [around Milton] ]

Once John's here, he's... well, he's here. He can be found with Arthur or without Arthur, often in their home on Thompson (neatening up) or in the community hall, getting a feel for...

Everything, frankly.

He's new to this place, he's new to having a body, he's new to clothes (namely the largest coat he could find and a heavy blanket used as a kilt) and food. He's new to people seeing him, acknowledging him, speaking to him. He's new to being able to pick up a book by himself, being by himself in the physical world. He's new to fatigue. He's new to all of these senses that are both more vibrant and duller than what he might have had.

So if you catch him looking confused or looking around, or if he points at himself and looks to make sure you're talking to him, well... he's not fucking with you. This is all a lot to deal with.

[ v. One can see what will trouble / This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is. - closed to Arthur ]

It's as they're settling down in their home (their home!) in the loft area that John starts feeling the pull on his eyelids, the way his limbs are heavy and the urge to get comfortable becomes incredibly strong.

"Arthur... what's-"

[ Return player! New character! As you can see, he's a very obvious non-human! If you want to chat, or an individual starter,

yarnzipan or the same on discord works just fine! ]

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Billy can't help it, really. The moment he looks up and spots.. well, something wandering around town. Someone who looks so obviously non-human, he startles. It's not even like this is the first non-human he's seen in this place, but most of the other ones have been.. well, a little more subtly non-human, let's say.

And there's absolutely nothing about John that's subtle.

It makes Billy worry at first that some sort of weird new danger in this place has made its way into town, and he looks around as if he's wondering where to flee, or who to inform about what's going on. If there's maybe someone else around he can hand over this problem to.

But then he looks back at John, and the other is-- well, he's not really doing much of anything, is he. It makes the alarm on Billy's face turn into something a little more baffled as he asks: "Who are you?"

It's definitely asked in the sort of way that the question's implication is almost more of a what than a who.

He pauses like, well, like a deer caught in a headlight frankly (maybe even a Doe?), before the expression on the mask-like face goes from surprise to fear to... well-

"John. My name is John."

The voice is unnatural, low and reverberating in strange ways and the angle it travels from is slightly weird. But the tone isn't a great booming terror from the woods. It's much more 'aggrieved person who's been walking for fucking ever and it's goddamn cold out and you're asking me dumb questions'.

Sorry, Billy.

"Where is this? Who are you?"

John is far too normal of a name for-- well, whatever this being is. To a point where none of this makes sense. For a moment Billy wonders if maybe the cold is getting to him or something, because how else would he be talking to someone who doesn't look human at all, but who is casually calling himself John of all things? That's even a normal name to Billy, and he's from Victorian times!

But his confusion doesn't seem fake, from what Billy can see. As odd as the other seems, he's reacting in the way Billy has seen many new people react. The way he knows he himself has reacted when he first found himself here.

".. we were taken here," he says.

(He kind of figures maybe the concept of that isn't as strange to John, considering he clearly does not seem like a normal person. Or at least less strange than it was to Billy himself.)

"By an unknown force," he adds, but then hesitates. He's not sure if he can trust John or not, but.. Billy points in the direction that leads further into town. "There is food and warmth at the hall, if you are looking for that."

He looks to where Billy has pointed, but he doesn't move to go. Instead, he looks back at Billy.

"...are they going to freak the fuck out if I go there, though?"

He's feeling cold and sore. He doesn't really feel like testing if he'll feel 'stabbed' or 'shot'.

The bit about being taken by an unknown force is a little bit too normal for him to really question. Yeah, okay, it's Tuesday. What else is new? The body, absolutely having a body, but the rest of it is just a new flavor of fuckery.

You know what? The other's question is entirely valid. In any other context Billy would think the other person was being ridiculous, but this question just feels to him like at least John is aware of what his appearance is like, and what it could induce in other people.

Even Billy doesn't seem too sure of the answer. He figures that if he brings the other there, then people will just figure he's escorting a new person, which would make John's appearance less of a problem.

.. on the other hand--

"Are you planning on doing something that would cause that reaction?"

While he realizes John's appearance is probably the problem, and Billy's expression seems to suggest as much, he still wants to make sure there's nothing more going on here. Billy will not be the idiot who leads a monster into a crowd of people if he can help it, okay. At least not while he's within said crowd too!

"If I was, do you think I'd discuss it with you first?"

Which is and isn't, probably, a smart thing to say. After all, it's not as if he's coming from a position of strength here, height advantage regardless. He's very very awkward with this new form, he's not used to breathing or hunger or anything else, and he's also not used to talking to people outside of one man's mind.

At the same time, it was a pretty dumbass thing to say. He's going to lean on that.

"I'm not-" Exasperated. Tired. In an impossible situation.

"I'm not a thing. I'm a person. Even looking as I do. I just...

"I would just like to get warm. Fair?"

Edited 2025-03-22 21:50 (UTC)

Billy slowly blinks. In the past he would have been terrified in this sort of situation, too scared about the potential things this other person could do to him when he's clearly so inhuman - but he knows he's got the advantage here right now. He has information about this place. He has the power this place granted him, feeling like a warm fire inside of his chest even now. If John did try to do something to him, he'd be able to protect himself - or at least try to.

"Can you blame someone for being wary towards a stranger?" Billy retorts, though relatively calm. The words themselves may be sharp, but the tone doesn't match it - all said very calmly.

He's even saying a stranger, rather than pointing out the obvious reason why humans might be even a little bit more wary about John. It's not even the fact he's inhuman, Billy just knows you can't trust people as a whole so easily.

"But--" He nods. "Fair."

Not the other's criticism of his question, mind you! Just.. wanting to get warm. He understands that, and Billy is already starting to walk, looking over his shoulder to make sure John is joining him.

"They will know you are just a new person here if we enter the hall together, I'm certain."

Billy will then get to see John's shoulders sinking, not in dismay or disappointment, but relief. He nods.

"All right. I... trust you on that."

That trust isn't easy for him either. For so so many reasons, and the way he looks is actually the smallest part of them.

And he'll follow.

"I do not hold much sway here," he adds as they're walking. "So do not blame me if it fails."

Not that he necessarily thinks it would! It's more just that he's being very honest here. If John would need someone who can really convince the masses here, Billy knows he isn't the main candidate.. Not that many people here care about his word..

Still-- "As long as you don't do anything out of line, the people here likely will not care. One time someone beat up someone else in the middle of the town hall, and no one did anything about that afterwards."

So surely John will get away with looking like this. At least that. Not like Billy knows if there's more up with him than that.

"There's no such thing as a guarantee," John murmurs earnestly, because he's not 'blaming' the man unless he does something shitty like point at him with a weapon once he has backup and turns on him so that they can all fucking murder him.

"I just want to get warm and figure out what the fuck is going on. Nothing is the way it should be."

Suspicious thing to murmur, John!

Granted, John is very valid here in his way of thinking - and maybe even Billy realizes that a little bit. It might be why he's not pushing the topic, instead turning to a different angle when he speaks up.

"If you have specific questions, I can answer them while we are on our way." It's not like it's that far away from here, but if the other is that confused, they might as well use the time they have well enough, Billy figures. "I have been here for a long while."

The implication being, of course, that that means he knows quite a bit about this place too. Certainly not everything, but Billy is nosy enough to make sure to know as much as anyone else does here.

He wasn't hiding it, after all. But he follows along and- of course he has questions.

"You were brought here as well? From somewhere else?"

"Yes."

It's a rather quick answer. Apparently it's a question the man doesn't mind in the slightest. Usually he even would have explained where he was before showing up here, but considering the way John is looking and all, Billy doesn't think it's likely the other comes from Earth. Or that he would recognize the specific geographic region Billy would be talking about.

"We all come from different places," he instead explains. "As if different.. worlds are interconnecting, I suppose."

That word 'worlds' is definitely said with a bit of an uncertain tone, like he isn't used to speaking it. It makes it sound a little awkward.

"Right," and that is the least confusing part of it all. Of course worlds are connected. There's tons of them, all different timelines, all of them unique and special and connected in their own portions to the Dreamlands. And, apparently, here.

...is this a portion of the Dreamlands, he wonders?

"That makes sense."

Huh.

Billy blinks at the answer, turning his head to look at the other. Thankfully he knows these streets well enough about all this time to be confident he won't bump into anything, even if he isn't looking directly ahead of himself right now.

"It does?"

He sounds a little surprised. Not fully shocked, but.. well, this is still new.

"Are you familiar with the concept?" Who even knows what kind of world would produce beings who look like John, after all. Maybe it's a world similar to this one?

Oh yes, very much so.

"Yes. I'm aware of many worlds. Some within others. Some... on top of others. There are places that are connected to multiple worlds, like the Dreamlands."

He glances around.

"For all we know, this might be a part of them. I don't know."

There's the slightest pause, and then he starts with a: "Well."

It's a little bit of an awkward 'well.' Billy sure sounds like he's far out of his comfort zone here, hearing the sort of stuff John is saying. It shouldn't be a surprise with the way the other looks, and yet..

"It certainly sounds like you are far more acquainted with the concept than I am." That's for sure, considering Billy never even considered the possibility of multiple worlds before ending up here and being confronted with it! "It should help you settle in here. Most of us here were not familiar-- It means having to do more adjusting, especially at first. But you could just see this as.. a strange new world you had not seen yet, I suppose."

"Doing my best," he says, gruff but not unfriendly about it, "and my main concern is people settling to me."

He knows what he looks like.

"Is there- I mean, does one... have to do anything? To... live here."

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open | chapter 1 | march catch-all

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