singillatim | Only a little fellow in a wide world

Who: Frodo Baggins and you!
What: Settling in
When: The first couple of days since his arrival
Where: Around Milton

A. Dress-up

[ With food in his belly, dry clothes and a bit of rest, now comes the matter of actually dressing appropriately for the weather. The jacket and cloak may have served Frodo well enough during his journey back home, but he doesn't need anyone to tell him that they will not be enough in this cold. If his walk here was any indication, it's probably worth finding boots, too, for all that he'd prefer not.

This is easier said than done. Surely, there must be appropriately-sized clothing for him. The people who must have left these items behind would have had children, wouldn't they? At least some of them. Or will he need to find someone who can potentially tailor one of the coats for shorter men?

He can be found trying on coats, one after the other, that are small enough that he's not drowning in them but so big that even keeping his hands outside of the sleeves long enough to reach the zipper is a battle. Not to mention the existence of zippers in the first place. He scowls down at one of said zippers, then throws the coat off him with a frustrated sigh. ]

B. Exploration

[ Once he's found good enough clothing, Frodo ventures outside again. He'd gotten a decent look at the town on the way in, but he was mostly concerned with getting to his destination without dying. The wind still bites into every bit of exposed skin it can, but it's manageable.

He doesn't get all that far, though. Once he reaches the post office, he stops in the crossroads to stare. First, he only sweeps his gaze across what he can see, but in a moment he starts turning around, taking in the abandoned and run-down buildings with a sinking feeling in his chest. This isn't right. It's not right at all.

When he sees someone else on the road, he stops turning to direct a question to them. For a moment, being wary of strangers is unimportant. ]

What happened to all the people here?

[ He hasn't had - or taken - the time to do his research just yet. ]

C. Wildcard

[ If you want to use his arrival prompts from the TDM, feel free! Also down for considering them game canon. Or run into him some place else in town. You can hit me up at

Tossino or discord @ tossino! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Uh...m-maybe? T-the winter probably isn't normal but I'm not sure if the thing that killed them caused it or if its just happening. The aurora is special, but the winter is just...never ending.

Though, um, I guess I don't know what this place was like before we all got here. I think the newspapers said the weather was weird? I don't really remember.

[ The key to finding his way back home has to be in understanding what happens. Which means that if there is information somewhere, he wants to see it. Read everything there is. But ... ]

'Newspapers'?

[ That's an unfamiliar word. ]

Um, they're like daily news digests for a town or wherever. In print. Chloe or the library have a bunch of old ones from before whatever happened here.

Is the library here in town?

[ Now he has a goal. Good. That makes him feel better. ]

Yeah, its [Insert location/description of library here].

Rorschach runs it. He's, um...kind of rough. And wears a weird mask. But he's okay. Make sure you return anything you take out, though.

[He's okay to Levi, though that doesn't stand for everyone else. Levi's yet to see those issues himself. Other than the smell.]

Of course. Thank you.

[ He wouldn't dream of not returning it. ]

... How is this mask 'weird'?

No problem.

[:)]

It moves. The spots move around somehow. And he wears it all the time, but you get used to it.

Is there any reason he wears this mask?

[ There ought to be. ]

[He shrugs.]

Probably. He's never said anything about it, though, and I never asked.

[He thought it was just his face for a long time, and asking after that seemed rude.]

I suppose if he's always wearing it, it would be rude to ask.

[ Thoughtfully.

Could be the kind of thing you don't normally want to tell strangers. Maybe. ]

Y-yeah, that's what I thought...I-it'd be rude and awkward.

[ He's silent for a second or two as he mulls it over. What reasons might one have to be always wearing a mask? Some kind of wound or scar, maybe? A fear that someone might recognise you who you wouldn't want to recognise you? Although, a scar like that also really brings attention to you, doesn't it?

Then, he shakes his head slightly. ]

Sorry. My name is Frodo, by the way. It's a pleasure.

O-oh, sorry. I'm Levi. It's nice to meet you.

I take it you've been here a while?

[ Levi seems very familiar with the area, and has clearly known the proprietor of the library for some time too. ]

Yeah...I was with the first wave of arrivals.

How long ago was that?

[ He's not sure if that information will be much help to him, but more information generally doesn't hurt. Often, it's beneficial. ]

Um...about a year and a half, I think.

[ Every now and then, when he lets himself think too hard about the situation, he feels a spike of panic in his chest. And there it is again. Why did he ask? ]

That is a very long time to be stuck.

I guess...I don't really have anything to go back to so its not that bad.

[ That's something else to focus on, and he'll gladly latch onto that. ]

Why not? If you don't mind my asking.

[ The very concept is like a luxury he wishes he had. ]

It, um.

[How does he put this so its not too depressing...]

I-its just I guess, um, everything I was doing is finished up and I don't have any family or anything.

[ No family or anything. That's a very difficult concept for Frodo - for any Hobbit, really - to imagine. Even if he were to lose a large part of his family, he'd be able to trace his lineage far enough to find another, so long as the Shire still stands.

Which it may not, for much longer, so long as the ring still persists.

His fingers itch to check his neck, but he resists the urge for now. If he pays attention for a moment, he can still feel the chain. It's still there. He doesn't need to touch it. ]

I'm sorry to hear that.

Its okay. Its been like that for a long time; I'm used to it.

I suppose you have no choice but to get used to it.

[ He wraps his coat a little tighter around himself, and looks over at the setting sun. It barely rises here, and it's already nearly past the peaks of the mountains. ]

It will be dark soon.

Yeah...

[He looks up towards the sky.]

I guess its getting late. I'll see you around?

(no subject)

nicehobbit - 2025-04-05 17:10 (UTC) - Expand