singillatim | prelude

prelude

January 1st 2015

Do you remember yesterday? What is tomorrow?
How will you face this quiet apocalypse?
— Raphael van Lierop.

As the old year falls and the new year begins, the skies fill with light. An Aurora comes on the last day of December, and with it the usual signs of it: the ethereal noise, the cracks and pops in the air, the stuttering of electrics as they struggle to power on and then blare and flicker. It is, as Interlopers have come to know, business as usual — in terms of the Auroras within this world. However, something a little different happens this time.

Interlopers will fall asleep all over the town of Milton. Even the ones who fight sleep and try to stay up into the small hours of the night will find themselves drifting off for a short while — as if their eyes just feel too heavy to keep open, and their minds slip into a deep kind of quiet darkness without their realising. And at first, there is nothing — nothing but the quiet dark. Something peaceful, almost.

A dream comes.

The first thing you notice is blood in your mouth, the cold in your bones, the deafening din in your ears — as if you are caught in static and the sound of howling winds through pine trees. You are afraid. At first, you do not know why. You find yourself on your knees in the snow. The skies are filled with green light, the air is thick with smoke. And then the realisation comes:

This is the ending of all things.

You look up, to the sight before you: a huge, shapeless shadow. Towering above you, over you. A head peers down at you: a cluster of three wolf skulls, eye-sockets glowing green and terrible, and their three open maws, dripping with more green. The sound it makes is unnatural, you cannot put it into words. The darkness draws in, you are so cold, so tired.

This is the ending of all things.

It is so hungry. You are so tired. The world falls away, you cannot see the stars, the dark hiding them from view. Were they even there to begin with? Or did they go out? You have forgotten. And you know, you know—

This is the ending of all things.

The skies glimmer, licks of strange, colourful wisps curl above — a voice screams out your name, from the static and winds. Through the noise. A woman’s voice. You have heard this voice before, in the lights and noise. Do you see? What could be? What you could become?

Can you hold on? Please. A hand grips your shoulder, but as you turn — the dream ends.

For some, they snap into waking with a shout or cry. Some will shudder awake to find tears in their eyes. All over Milton, the Interlopers wake: shaken, unsure, afraid. They will awaken to the dark: the Aurora is gone — slowly fading from the night skies into an otherwise calm and clear night.

It is a new year.

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.. you were supposed to save the world?

[ Or a kingdom, at least, but it sounds a little bigger than that with the way Ruby describes it.

Or maybe Bigby is projecting. The story sounds so familiar, after all. Losing people. A kingdom-- no, a world lost. A terrifying, overwhelming force you can't seem to fight back, no matter what you try.

Having to flee and leaving everything behind.

The difference is that Bigby had to do that kind of thing when he was a full grown wolf. Ruby is..

.. she's just a girl. So young.

There's something soft in his eyes when he looks at her because of it. ]

C'mon. You can't tell me that they were leaving everything up to you, right..?

Kind of- sorta- Yeah. I mean, I still am. I'm just here instead of there now.

[Ugh. It was a much bigger topic than she really knew how express to someone who wasn't exactly in the know. That might have had something to do with how long she had to keep things secret.]

Maybe not everything. It's kind of complicated.

I had been following someone else's lead for a long time. But it turned out he hadn't been telling us the full truth.

He kind of ...stepped back after that. And I started taking charge from there.

I tried to work with people he had worked with in the past but it didn't turn out so well.

Things are... better now. But it's still a lot of pressure to deal with on any given day, you know?

[ He quietly listens to her while Ruby speaks, slowly exhaling by the time she reaches the end of the half-vague story. ]

'course it is. [ Especially at Ruby's age, he thinks. Who'd make a girl that young carry all that? Was there no one else around to take responsibility, or was it just that everyone else was too cowardly to do it?

Bigby can imagine the latter scenario. Partially because he knows how awful people can be, but also because Ruby has constantly seemed like someone who'd stick up for what's right at any given moment here, he thinks. ]

But.. even though you were dealing with all that shit by yourself back home, it's different here, right? [ It almost feels a little bit too sappy for him to say, even though he is saying it in his.. own unique way.

But he needs Ruby to know this, before she only puts more pressure onto her own shoulders. ]

We're all here together. And we'll also all work on getting this situation fixed. I know I'm not gonna leave you behind and get out of here by myself, Ruby.

[Ruby listens and she knows that she isn't exactly being the most precise with what she's saying, and how that caused even more problems back where she's from. But she also has no idea where to actually start with the issues in her own world. It was still a whole lot bigger than she was.

It gets her to blink when Bigby speaks up because- It's really such a simple response to her worries here. That... This place was different than Remnant. That they could all work together.]

Yeah- I guess.

...Do you think we all can really pull together here?

[It was a smaller crowd. But that just meant that every persons effort mattered that much more.]

And like- not like it was just me back home either. I had friends- and some help. It's just the decisions fell on me. I was the leader.

.. well, I don't know about everyone.

[ Maybe part of Bigby's problem is exactly this - that he's honest to a fault. It'd be so easy to lie here to reassure her, and yet the man can somehow just not pick that option. Especially when he sincerely doubts some people here will really be that cooperative, given the interactions he's had with them so far.

But he does know at least a decent chunk of them could band together, and maybe that's all they need. ]

But it should at least help to not have that added weight of being the leader on your shoulders, right? Here you can just be one of us.

[ And he doubts anyone is looking to have a kid as their leader, anyway. Not that Bigby thinks Ruby is incapable, it's just.. he knows how judgy people can be of several factors - especially here - and age sure is one of those. ]

Yeah- That might be asking for too much, huh?

[Not that things hadn't worked out like that at home. As much as she wanted to work with Ironwood before things went south- That never really had been option had it? Same with Professor Lionheart. It was a little disheartening when she thought about it. But it was the reality of the situation.

But still- It does make her feel a little lighter to hear that.]

Yeah. I have a feeling that might be a whole new thing to get used to- I haven't had to not carry all that for awhile now.

Could be a nice change of pace?

[ Well, he's glad Ruby can at least realise that.

It gives this morning a little bit more light after.. well, that awful dream that's still haunting his thoughts. ]

Leave it to you to express some optimism in the wake of all this, huh?

[ It's the sort of impression he's got of Ruby so far, anyway. A kid with an optimistic streak, even though it does seem like she's already dealt with plenty in the past.

Like she's persevering regardless of it. ]

Now that's the kind of attitude you should be spreading across town right now. I think a whole lot of people can use it today.

[Ruby pauses after hearing that. And- Gosh did she suddenly miss her sister.]

Yeah- Well. Someone once told me that if you didn't have a little bit of it, then you've already lost. You have to believe there's a chance you'll succeed.

[But her lips curl into something a little more confident.]

But you're right. After what we've been through. Everyone could use a little pick me up.

[ He nods. ]

Then how about we make a deal, huh?

[ Bigby has a feeling he doesn't need to. There's something about Ruby that seems eager enough to share with other people at all times. But, still, it's not like he wants no one to be looking after her either during this troubling time, just because she's too busy giving to receive. So.. ]

If you go around and try to cheer some people up right now with your attitude who look like they can use it, you can stop by my place later and I'll let you have some interesting-looking stuff I found while I was out hunting. [ Just some old junk, really, but.. Who knows what a kid like Ruby could be interested in, right? ]

A deal, huh?

[Don't mind Ruby as she taps her chin as he goes over this. She didn't really need the deal as an excuse to go over and try to cheer people up, but she liked it as an excuse. Plus- Maybe it was a sign that he needed a bit of a pick me up too if he wanted to hang out afterward?

It was clearly not her thing though. Why would that ever be the case?]

Oh yeah? It better be something really interesting. Now that I know you're a big dog at heart, you could have just found a really big stick that you're proud of.

[A pause before she adds in.]

Not that I'm opposed to a game of fetch if you really want to.

[ He lets out a sound that definitely sounds both exasperated and amused at the same time. ]

Alright, alright, don't get too carried away.

[ He's still TOUGH, Ruby!! You can't just treat him like this!! ]

Save that energy for all the people who need cheering up right now.

[Nailed it. She let's out a little chuckle.]

This is probably why my uncle never told me that he could turn into a bird sooner, you know?

I'd probably have set up a bird feeder and bath outside of his room. To be fair- That still sounds like a good idea for him.

... Y'know, this suddenly all makes way more sense now.

[ Why Ruby didn't find that information weird in the first place, yes, but.. also why she's so quickly comfortable enough with it to start throwing around these jokes.

She's just done so before. ]

I hope one day I can meet your uncle so I can shake his hand and commiserate.

[ Not about turning into an animal.

But about putting up with Ruby's animal jokes. ]

Weird how you find yourself running into familiar things in unfamiliar places, huh?

[She gives a light hearted grin and pokes him with her elbow.]

I think the both of you would get along pretty well, actually.

[ He raises an eyebrow. Not necessarily sceptical. Maybe more just curious in Bigby's own way. ]

Oh yeah? What makes you say that?

[She gives a little shrug.]

Well- He had that gruff sort of "I act like I don't care, but I actually care a whole lot" kind of vibe to him too. I think you both put a whole lot on your shoulders but even though it's hard you don't let it keep you down.

...I guess there's a certain smell that you both have going for you too

Maybe work a little bit more on your compliments.

[ Because Ruby has a real knack for messing them up right at their tail end.. But Bigby doesn't mind, not really. Even though he sounds gruff, there's also a faint sense of amusement in his words.

Besides, it's not an insult to say a wolf smells like a wolf (read: stinky woodland creature), okay!!

And it's also the easiest thing to address, because this way he doesn't have to admit that she's right and that he cares. A win-win situation for Bigby! ]

...What's wrong with my compliments?

[Look. She was doing her best here! She couldn't help it if they both smelled.]

You're just mad that I'm right.

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