(no subject)

[solitarysoul]

Who: Levi and anyone!
What: Bow training, snek hunting, static voices, whatever else. Catch-all for the month.
When: Through out December
Where: Around town, in the woods, wherever they end up

Content Warnings: Levi carries the probable warnings for child soldiers, child abuse and mental illness (PTSD/Depression).


I

He'd found a bow pretty easily in the weapon/hunting supply store (or whatever it was), as well as some arrows and a bunch of papers with targets drawn on them. He doesn't want to go into the woods yet, so he's found a still-abandoned house near the edge of town and set up. A target has been pinned to a wall and he's pulled out a table to rest his arrows on. In retrospect, he should have gotten a quiver but whatever.

Levi is an excellent shot with a gun, but he's yet to figure out how much he needs to pull back on the bow to get the arrow to go the correct distance. So there are some arrows between him and the house, and a few stuck way too deep into the wall. He'll figure it out, but perhaps someone would like to help him?



II

Levi had noticed the rot and dead things almost immediately once they started showing up. They all seemed to be following a path or paths, and that combined with the strange tunnel-like trails in the snow led him to believe that something was causing it. Some sort of animal or monster or person or whatever, it didn't matter so much what it was, just that it was a threat.

The dead animals seemed obvious enough (even if he wasn't sure how they died), but the damage to the plant life perplexed him. He's never seen bushes and even trees just...wilt within a day or two. He'd come this way just yesterday and now a patch of trees leading further into the forest was dead. Not just dead, rotting. Like it'd been like that for...however long it took trees to rot normally.



II.b - for Rorschach

He'd seen enough of the trails by now to know they had something to do with whatever was killing things. That much seemed obvious, but what made them was not. The only real option he saw was following them into the woods. Even armed, it probably wasn't a good idea to do that alone.

So he gathers his rifle, his back up handgun and ammo for both. Hopefully too much ammo, but he tended towards paranoid rather than optimistic. A large group doesn't seem to be a good idea, but just two could cover more ground and remain quieter. He could put up a note asking for a partner, but that might waste time. Instead, he seeks out someone else he's seen doing patrols for assistance.



III

The stores were largely picked clean by now, but Levi found going through them could still be useful. He'd found smaller animals hiding in them, so that was basically a free meal when that happened. Mostly they were empty, which is what he thought this one was. But he's not so sure anymore. It was an electronics store of some sort, or at least that's what was left, so the static everything was putting out was annoying. He tried his best to ignore it.

Until he heard his name. He had to be imagining things, right? It was just static...but then it happened again. Thankfully he wasn't alone on this patrol, so after the third time he heard his name in the static he turns to his companion.

"Did you, um, did you hear anything? Somebody saying something?"


IV?

((wild card or whatever you want. feel free to contact me at ConnectiveTrick or discord at nvrknwsbst for plotting))
((will match style!))

Comments

II

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach was perched on the edge of a roof when he saw Levi striding towards him like he was specifically seeking out Rorschach with a purpose in mind. So that the kid didn't have to shout up at him, he descended, scrambling down the edge of the roof and then the side of the building until he ended up on the ground.

His footwork was easier now and more flowing since he'd gotten the boots from the mystical deer. He was thankful to finally have a pair that actually fit. Once on the ground, he let Levi come up to him and waited for the kid to speak first.

[solitarysoul]

He nods to the other man, letting that pass as any sort of greeting.

"I'm going to follow those trails. The big ones." Not the pig tracks. "But I need back up."

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach nodded again. He held up a hand in a 'wait here' signal. He was off again, this time over the ground. He went to the nearest place he'd been staying in the past few days, one of the cabins he'd staked out as his dwelling. He grabbed a long coil of rope, two knives, and an extra scarf. The last could be used as an improvised bandage as well as clothing.

Then back he went to where Levi was. "Ready."

[solitarysoul]

He waits patiently for Rorschach to come back, idly watching the tree line as he does. Once the other man returns he starts towards the closest track.

He hadn't thought about restraints for the thing, but he guesses they're not a bad idea. He'd prefer to kill whatever it was, but studying it might be wise. Maybe if they catch it he'll find Erich.

He crouches down by the tunnel/track when they get to it. It's too old to really get anything from, but it is apparent the thing was heading away from town.

"I'm not sure how old this is, but I can't imagine newer ones would be hard to spot."

Unless it went under the snow...but the tunnels should collapse without something in them. Right?

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach let the kid take the lead on this. He seemed to know more about hunting animals than he did, so the vigilante resolved to watch and learn what he could. He knelt down for a moment, looking over the track carefully.

"What kind of creature?" He would have assumed an animal had it not been for some of the other strange things that had happened in Milton. In a place were ghosts could be seen, who knew what could create these tracks?

[solitarysoul]

"I don't really know...it looks like a snake or a worm or something dragging something behind it. But we don't have snakes that big where I come from and I can't imagine it'd be dragging whatever it is all the time. I guess it could be some sort of vehicle, but that'd probably leave traces of exhaust in the snow.

"I'm pretty sure its going this way though," He stands up and starts heading into the forest, walking in the track itself for ease.

[moralabsolutism]

"One hell of a snake or worm," Rorschach observed dryly. Granted, given how damn weird some of the animals in this place were, he really wouldn't have been all that surprised to find a giant worm that could somehow live under the ice and snow without freezing to death.

Rorschach followed. He let Levi track the beast while he kept an eye on everything else around them, just in case this was leading into a trap or something else just as bad as the creature they were following decided to attack. There was never just one predator in the forest. There was always multiple.

I

[myfavoritemurder]

If he hadn't expected to be spied on from above, then, uh... surprise? Whether he realizes she's there or not, Callisto will listen in silence from the rooftop: not able to see, of course, but able to tell whether or not he's hitting the target by whether or not she can hear the sound of paper crinkling as the arrows hit them. After about fifteen minutes, he'll hear the sound of someone scuffling around outside - and then the door will fly open, revealing a tall woman in mismatched torn, stained outerwear.

"You're awful at this," is what she chooses to start out with, her lips curling into a sneer. Without changing her expression, she adds, "Loosen your elbow."

[solitarysoul]

Levi knows at least two people patrol on the rooftops for whatever reason. (Up was advantageous, but he didn't think it was needed here most times. But whatever worked for them, it was probably good to get different view points on look outs.) So he's not that surprised to hear someone up there, though he doesn't really expect them to come and visit.

He stops when the door flies open, lowering his bow. "Uh, I, um, I've never done this before..." So its not weird that he's awful about it??? He doesn't feel shame for it.

"Loosen my elbow?" He brings the bow up again, paying attention to how he's holding it. "W-which elbow? How much?"

[myfavoritemurder]

"The elbow you're pulling back the arrow with," Callisto says disgustedly, as if it's obvious and he's being purposefully dense. She stalks over and examines his form with a(n overly) critical eye.

"It's too stiff and tense. Start relaxing it slowly and I'll tell you when to stop."

[solitarysoul]

"S-sorry. I've never done this before." But he does as instructed and slowly starts relaxing the arm in question.

[myfavoritemurder]

"Better."

It's not placating - she's not anything close to capable of that - and she's watching him with a highly critical eye, ready and willing to point out any mistakes.

"Now pull it back, slowly, and try again."

[solitarysoul]

He'd rather she point out mistakes immediately, really. Its what he's used too.

He nods and slowly pulls back on the string. He's staring at the target, but listening for her to say when to shoot.

I;

[blondfragility]

Ken is not the person to help Levi out. He does, at least, know what the bow is. He's watched some Barbies use them before before some summer games, but the Kens would never be allowed to participate. He watches Levi for a bit before deciding to speak up.

"That's so cool."

[solitarysoul]

"Huh?" Levi stops as Ken talks and looks over to the other man. "Uh...t-thanks? But I'm not very good at it."

[blondfragility]

Ken scrunches his nose up a bit, and then shrugs.

"I'm learning it's okay not to be good at things right away. Like I wasn't really good at soup or tea when I got here, but I keep trying and now I'm sort of fine at it!"

He hasn't poisoned March or Barbie yet, anyway.

"You look like you're gonna be good in no time."

[solitarysoul]

"T-that's true. Not everybody can pick up skills the same way as others." He'd seen it in the army. He'd outshone the other recruits, but as he became the trainer it became obvious people learned in all sorts of different ways.

"I hope so...I think arrows would be a lot easier to replace than bullets. What do you mean good at soup or tea? At making it?"

Or eating/drinking it? Look this guy is weird he's not sure.

[blondfragility]

"Yes." Which doesn't actually answer the question, and it takes Ken a moment to realize that.

"Making soup and drinking tea. I just don't know why tea has to be so hot but it's okay once you're used to it."

[solitarysoul]

"I don't think tea always has to be hot, but it's better hot here. Sometimes you just have to let it cool down a bit...I, um, guess you knew that by now." Ugh, what a stupid thing for him to say.

"I don't know anything about making soup, though. Just put things in water and boiling probably isn't enough."

III?

[spoilers]

Always up for a bit of scavenging while she's out, River's poking through the remnants of mainly useless electronics, all it currently seems putting out an irritating amount of white noise. At first, she doesn't really notice he's spoken, a bad habit she has, until she realizes a certain...expectation about him. "Hm? Oh, uh, you know, now that you mention it."

She takes a step closer to him and tilts her head slightly, listening. "Where is that coming from?"

Re: III?

[solitarysoul]

"You hear, uh..." Saying his name probably sounded weirder than just the fact that it was speaking, "words, right? I'm not sure which one."

He pokes at the nearest radio and fiddle with the volume knob, as if that would do anything.

[spoilers]

River takes a different approach reaching into her pocket for a cylindrical device, clearly technological in nature but not from this place. She'd learned early on her sonic only worked during the aurora, and even then, not as it should. Still, she carries it always. Now, she raises it to her ear, leaning in to listen.

"Words, yes. Names." Hers, specifically. And his, she'd imagine. She's rather forgotten what it is, if she'd known it to begin with, but that's hardly important right now. "I think it's coming from everything."

Does she sound just a little bit excited?

[solitarysoul]

"Y-yeah...I think its coming from all of them. I've never heard voices in the static before." They bother him, more so because they're saying his name. It might be some sort of ghost...

"I wish we could turn them off."

[spoilers]

"Interesting, isn't it?" She isn't as oblivious to his unease as it seems, though it doesn't slow her down much.

She fiddles a bit with the sonic before raising it to listen again. "I don't think there's much chance of that, sweetie. Almost nothing interferes with the sonic." Said with all the authority of someone ignoring the fact the aurora interferes with it regularly.

[solitarysoul]

"With the...sonic?" Something else to think about, good. Is that the thing you have there? What's it supposed to do?"