December Catch-All; OTA. 'Marley was dead: to begin with.'

[moralabsolutism]

Who: Rorschach and you!
What: Joining the town creeper on adventures
When: Throughout the month of December
Where: TDM prompt areas, the new library, winter solstice celebration

Content Warnings: Rorschach's right-wing views, burns and blindness from the serpent prompt, more to be added as needed.

A. Library

Towards the end of the month, Rorschach had finally finished the initial work on the library he'd been developing for community use. Exactly how long it would remain in one piece was something he wasn't optimistic about but he decided to focus on just dealing with its upkeep for the moment. He posted a notice in the Community Center.

Since sleeping was something he engaged in so little as it was, he took the opportunity to catch up on a nap for the first week while he served in his new role as the town librarian. It wasn't uncommon to walk in and find him fast asleep with his face still on, legs propped up on a desk he'd put near the front door, leaning back in a comfortable chair with his head lowered down down onto his chest. Well, libraries were meant to be quiet after all, which promoted a good atmosphere for sleeping.

Don't worry though. He'd wake up upon hearing anyone enter like the hypervigilant guard dog he was at heart.

B. Misty Falls Cave

There hadn't been many times in Rorschach's life he'd been glad he was quite a bit smaller than the average man. Right now was one of those rare moments. This place was a tight fit, and if he had been any taller or broader, there was every chance he would have gotten stuck already. Even as it was, he was having a hard time getting through the ever-narrowing passages.

"Doing alright?" He called out, certain the person he'd ended up in the caves with was close by. He hadn't so much teamed up with anyone as just announced they now had help whether they wanted it or not as he usually did.

C. Serpent's Breath Aftermath

Being who he was, Rorschach had gone off to try and kill the dragon/serpent/evil wyrm that had been plaguing the town. Alas, he'd been woefully unprepared for what he was dealing with. While he'd managed to escape with his life, the beast was still alive. And unfortunately, trying to kill the beast had its price. Rorschach had inhaled the fumes while battling the serpent, severely weakening him for about a week.

Worse yet, he'd temporarily lost his sight as well. Never one to be for showing weakness, it would be obvious that something had happened to him, for he stopped his usual nighttime patrols. Instead, after seeking out medical care, he'd holed up in one of his cabins for as long as possible. Much as he tried to be independent, he wouldn't turn away anyone who tracked him down to offer help during this time.

He wouldn't move any further than the porch of the cabin he was staying in but could be found on it while his eyesight slowly returned. Perhaps someone could convince him to at least heat up the cold soup or beans he was likely eating as he got some fresh air in, hoping it might have the effect of helping to heal him faster.

D. Winter Solstice

Considering his experience with magical animals here had been a solid 50/50 on whether or not they were evil (something he'd noted in the portion of his journal that he'd dedicated to his conspiracy theories surrounding Milton), he was a bit suspicious of the holiday board. Still, he decided to see what would happen if he asked for something he'd been desperately craving: a large box of sugar cubes. They were even the individually wrapped kinds, much to his delight (and after he got over his disgust of the giant boar horking them up covered in saliva.) But to make sure they weren't poisoned, going to turn him into a giant boar as well, or otherwise do something negative, he sought out a couple of test subjects first. After he was sure nothing was going to happen to Ken or March when he gave them the sugar cubes, he was happy to put a bunch of them in his trenchcoat pockets so that he'd have a nice good supply of them for the foreseeable future.

By the time the Winter Solstice rolled around, Rorschach was fully healed from the injuries he'd sustained while battling the serpent. He wasn't one much for celebrating, never having many fond memories of the holiday season in general. But there he was, hanging on the outskirts of the bonfire, more in the shadows than anything else like the eternal lurker he was. He'd eat anything that was offered to him but otherwise kept to himself. Still, if anyone came near, he'd be in the holiday spirit in his own way. "Sugar cube?" He asked as he pulled one out of his pocket, offering it to whoever he was near.

D-I. Winter Solstice: For Kate

He kept an eye out for Kate during the festivities. He'd observed that a lot of the clothes she wore were oversized and didn't fit her at all. Besides just the fashion aspect, there was the practical aspect that having a well-fitted base layer would help keep her warmer considering how cold things were likely to get now that they were firmly in the middle of winter. With that in mind, he'd cannibalized some clothes to create a sweater he estimated would be the right size for her. It was neither fashionable nor cute but it would serve the purpose.

When he saw Kate, Rorschach came over. "Enjoying all...this?" He asked, gesturing to what was going on around him. Rorschach wasn't quite a Grinch though he was close to being a Scrooge at time in temperament when it came to being happy during the holidays.

E. Wildcard

[Want a different or custom prompt? Give me a poke at Light_shade or at .lightshade on Discord!]

Comments

C

[solitarysoul]

A few days into Rorschach's period of weakness, Levi comes looking for him. He hadn't seen the masked man on patrols lately, so he was worried the other wasn't doing well. Being alone and unwell was dangerous here, even more so if that snake was still around. Which he assumes it was, as they had failed to kill it.

"Hey. How're you doing?"

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach's head turned in the direction of Levi's voice. At least the good thing about wearing his face was that it made it impossible for anyone to tell if he couldn't see them or not. He could do without having that weakness being shown to anyone in his life right now.

"Fine," he replied, surly as ever. The truth was at least now he could distinguish light from dark and some shadowy shapes again, making him hopeful he could regain full use of his eyes with enough time.

[solitarysoul]

Right, he should have expected that answer. Its all he ever gave, after all. Though Rorschach was likely more focused on not seeming weak than Levi was with people leaving him alone.

"You got hit by that...uh...miasma or whatever that thing had, right? What did it do?" Maybe a more scientific approach would work? He was dying to know what they were dealing with. It hadn't been around, but that didn't mean there weren't more or it didn't just slink off to heal. "Do you need anything?"

[moralabsolutism]

He let out a huff of air through his nose when Levi continued to ask after his well-being. It wasn't something he was used to, always figuring everyone only cared about themselves and serving their own best interests. As it was, his sentences got even shorter and choppier in nature as he reluctantly explained. "Inhaled its breath. It blinded me. Was worse before. Getting better."

At the last question, he thought for a moment. "Maybe." That was as much as he was willing to admit that he was starting to miss warm food right about now.

[solitarysoul]

"Blinded you?" He furrows his brow; things like that could happen? "I'm glad its getting better. It wouldn't do to have you blind." There are lots of people on patrols, but he'd rather that number not go down. And he maybe liked Rorschach?? They worked together well, at least.

"Well, uh, if you can think of anything you want me to bring or do let me know? I'll probably have time, its not like I'm doing much besides patrolling."

[moralabsolutism]

"No. This town needs me." Of that he was certain. Some people here were incapable of defending themselves and needed protection. His purpose was to provide that.

He hesitated for a moment before his words come, slow and almost begrudging in nature. "Could use some hot food." He'd been able to eat some of his limited supplies but thus far it had all been cold. He didn't trust himself to be able to start a fire and be able to control it if he couldn't see what he was doing.

[solitarysoul]

"Yeah. We need all the help we can get. You're better at it than some." Is that a compliment? Sort of. Levi's not good at those either.

"Hot food...um, okay, I think I can do that. There are thermoses in the hall somewhere. You may have to make do with tea or coffee instead of food but at least it should stay hot between here and there. You staying at this place?" Please say yes, wandering around when you can barely see is a recipe for disaster.

D.

[spoilers]

River was never one to miss a party. Okay, it wasn't exactly a party, but it was a celebration. What better time to get to know her fellow travellers better? Which was just what she was trying to do, keeping to the fringes, observing mote than interacting.

His offer almost managed to surprise her. Almost.

Smiling brightly, she held out her hand to accept the offered treat. "Love one, thanks. I don't believe we've met."

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach handed over the sugar cube from his gloved hand to River. He didn't know exactly how long the big box he'd gotten from the weird sapient boar would last but he planned to ration them carefully. Still, this was a celebration, and no celebration was complete without sugar.

"Not face to face." Which hadn't meant Rorschach hadn't viewed her at some point from afar while perched on a rooftop or in a tree. He kept an eye out for all the Interlopers just in case he was needed. If this included getting creepy to the point of knowing where they all lived (save for those hanging out in the woods like Robin Hood and his Merry Men), he didn't care. Respecting personal boundaries had never been very high on his list of priorities.

[spoilers]

Not face to face, of course. He'd been watching. Not unlike what she'd been doing tonight. She unwrapped the sugar cube and popped it in her mouth, giving herself a few more moments.

"I'm River, by the way. And how long have you been here?"

[moralabsolutism]

"Rorschach," he said by way of introduction. The reasoning behind his name was obvious, given the black marks that were continuously moving around on his face, often forming parallel abstract formations before just as quickly dissolving into others.

He thought for a moment, pulled a rather large journal out of an inside pocket in his trenchcoat (where had he even been keeping that? There definitely didn't look like there was enough room for him to be carrying it around!), and flipped to the first page. There was chickenscratch writing there messy enough to be extremely hard to decipher. Satisfied, he slid the journal back into his coat. "Almost four months."

[spoilers]

Her own diary was similarly tucked away, and it gave her slight pause to watch someone else using her move, so to speak.

"Well longer then me. Any helpful tips?" She glanced up at the darkened sky. "I'm still finding my way around."

It was at least partly the truth.

[moralabsolutism]

He thought for a moment and this time there was a longer pause. This was more of his usual behavior when people asked him questions. Rorschach was not an eloquent or off-the-cuff speaker. With how stilted his verbal skills were, he thought over anything he had to say very carefully.

The pause lengthened out and he seemed on the verge of not answering when he suddenly started talking again. "Watch out for the animals. Half have been helpful. Half a hindrance." He'd noticed that pattern and scribbled down what he'd experienced firsthand in his journal. It was just another theory he was developing about this place and how it worked.

finally here for this!!

[castitas]

"Oh. Hey, Rorschach." she feels like she should add a 'mister' in front of there. She's not sure if she should. She smiles a little, nodding at his question. "I think this is definitely more my kind of a party."

It's weird. She never really celebrated the Solstice before. But this is nice, it's a nice kind of party. Just sitting around a fire, talking, being around people. The Vortex Club's got nothing on this, although really... anything is better than the Vortex Club. And Methuselah's speech is hopeful, inspiring. It means a lot to hear it.

"It was really nice of Mr Methuselah to do this. Y'know?"

[moralabsolutism]

He nodded at the mention of how Methuselah had put this together. "Keeping morale up is important." In such situations, it was easy for people to start losing hope and giving in to despair. Not Rorschach though. That black-and-white thinking of his made it easy for him to justify keeping hope alive, even when everything else was bleak and sad.

Having absolutely no skills at socializing and having never had anyone to celebrate the holidays with, he had no idea how one went about giving a present to another person. So he just said something in his usual abrupt fashion. "Have something for you."

[castitas]

"Yeah, exactly." she agrees with a nod.

"Oh. Okay, sure." There's surprise in her face. He has something for her? She wonders briefly what it might be, but she comes up with nothing. He's... kind of a closed book, to be honest. Still, if he has something for her, that's pretty nice of him.

"What... is it?"

[moralabsolutism]

"Wait here. Be right back." Off he went, silent and quick as a shadow in between the various houses, before returning after a few minutes. He'd been keeping it at one of his various domains to protect it from the weather, since he hadn't been certain she'd show up to this.

When he returned, he had a package folded up in plain brown paper and tied neatly with string. "For you," he said, holding it out without any description or hints as to what it might be inside. When she opened it up, Kate would find a sweater that fit just right for her. It was various colors thanks to the clothes he'd had to use to create something new, though the primary color was blue.

He scuffed his deerskin boots in the snow there, pawing at the hard dirt. He'd never given a present to anyone before. "Had to guess at the size but think I got it right."

[castitas]

Kate waits patiently, watching for where he disappears off to. It's weird, she's... never really know where he lives, exactly. He's just... always everywhere.

There's open surprise at the wrapped gift, and she takes it carefully. The package feels soft, even with it's weight and there's a brief look at him almost as if to check like it's okay to open it now.

So she does, her fingers brushing against the fabric and she pulls the sweater free — her expression shifting in realisation and then a smile touching the edges of her open mouth. He got her a sweater? It's like nothing she's ever seen before but... he got her a sweater. Like... like a Christmas gift.

She blinks as he speaks. "... Wait, you made this?"

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach could tell a lot of things about a person. When someone was lying to him, which people were more easy to interrogate than others, which ones were likely to cause trouble in any given situation. But right now he had no idea if his gift had been well-received or not, though he thought he saw the glimpses of a smile on Kate's face. Such social niceties were beyond his grasp after living a life of solitude for so long. He hoped she liked it, and even if she didn't, that at least she'd get some use out of it.

He nodded at the question. "Know how to sew. Made this." He made a gesture towards his face. After working with such unique fabric as the kind his mask had been made out of, anything else was easy.

A

[questioningmermaids]

March has seen the note. He's also been extremely aware of who posted the note, but at the end of the day, it is what it is and it's not like there's a radio or a television set to buzz about.

Yeah, surviving sucks. Boredom, though? That's going to kill him. So he grabs a new pack of cigarettes from the carton the holiday boar deigned to give him, grabs his coat and heads out to the library, figuring he can exchange Starsky and Hutch for some Agatha Christie. He half-hums half-scats the theme as he wanders. Is he drunk? Yeah, but it's his baseline. He's functioning.

He at least has the common sense to hover by the doorway, lit cigarette between in his lips.

"Smoking alright?"

Hey. He's asking, it's progress.

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach woke up with an abrupt snort when March walked in. He blinked a few times as he tried to shake off the sleepiness. When he saw who it was, he all-but-groaned. Oh no. Not the village idiot. But he had said everyone was welcome at the library so long as they obeyed the rules, so he couldn't very well turn the detective out on his ear unless he did something to break those.

He looked March over, figuring the man was probably drunk. Rorschach nodded, being from an era where smoking just about anywhere was still socially acceptable. "Just don't set the books on fire. Or I'm putting that cigarette out on you." He figured that threat would be enough to keep him from flicking any still-hot ashes into the pages of the tomes.

[questioningmermaids]

"Yeah, yeah." Par for the course. March rolls his eyes, stepping fully into the cozy little library and peering around the books, glancing at the spines, keeping his hands to himself instead of giving into the urge to run his fingers along them like a chain link fence.

He's behaving, see?

"General directions of the mystery section?"

[moralabsolutism]

At least he and March understood one another, to the extent he'd ever want to understand the drunken buffoon. He pointed with one hand down to the third row on the left. "Sorted by softcovers. Then hardcovers." And alphabetically of course but that went without saying.

He picked up the book that lay half-forgotten on the desk, one he'd set aside once he'd started to fall asleep. Rorschach opened it back up. It was Dracula. He was reading it for....his own reasons, ones no one else needed to ever know about.

[questioningmermaids]

March acknowledges Rorschach's help with a nod, cigarette still between his lips.

"What're you even reading?" He'd glanced at it on his way past the vigilante, currently eyeing the Agatha Christie section. There's a surprising amount. There's also--

Holy shit, how many books has Steven King written?

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach shifted the cover so that it was facing March and he could read what it said. It was one of those nice fancy leather bound editions that would last a lifetime if they had proper upkeep. "Doing research."

On what? Vampires of course. Not that he'd mention that out loud for fear of being seen like the town lunatic. Who would even believe him if he mentioned he'd met one and been (willingly) fed off of?