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countryclub2022-09-25 09:57 pm
reddosmod) wrote in countryclub2022-09-25 09:57 pm
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SEPTEMBER TEST DRIVE MEME!
SEPTEMBER 2022 TDM
STANDARD ARRIVAL
A FADED MEMORY
FRIEND OR FOE
CODING
Another month, another test drive meme! Our test drive memes are open to anyone interested - regardless of whether or not you join our game!
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Bread Cornucopia filled with fruits and veggies]
[Image Two: Creepy glass eye embedded in sand]
Prompt Two
[Image One: A Lone Lighthouse by night]
[Image Two: Ghost Ship in dilapidated condition]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Wasps, Wasp Nest made from human Mask screaming terror, swirling eddies in wasp Nest]
[Image Two: Horribly mutilated Cenobite in Latex gear with exposed teeth]
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
Prompt One
[Image One: Bread Cornucopia filled with fruits and veggies]
[Image Two: Creepy glass eye embedded in sand]
Prompt Two
[Image One: A Lone Lighthouse by night]
[Image Two: Ghost Ship in dilapidated condition]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Wasps, Wasp Nest made from human Mask screaming terror, swirling eddies in wasp Nest]
[Image Two: Horribly mutilated Cenobite in Latex gear with exposed teeth]
WHEN: First Week of September
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk, Koz's Orphanage
CONTENT WARNINGS: Creepy Prosthetics buried in the sand
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk, Koz's Orphanage
CONTENT WARNINGS: Creepy Prosthetics buried in the sand
On some level, you are one of the fortunate ones. The storms of August are now a distant memory. It is the waning of the Blood Moon and the tempestuous state of the Beast Moon this year is fading finally while the harvest is being collected. Sleepers arriving find no particular difficulty in actually reaching the shores for the most part, and transformations back into their natural state of being are relatively easy.
They are met by happy Trenchies and fellow Sleepers with robes of white and their bags as normal, and motioned towards the waiting tents set up along the
What is strange, however, is that when Sleepers arrive, they may find their eyes drawn to something disturbing amongst the sand. Water washes with the waves and tide, and reveals a body part! They are always prosthetics of some variety, and many are glass eyes that eerily stare at the person. They can be retrieved with some ease, though they're in bad need of cleaning. Perhaps they belong to someone in town? If not, however, asking around will get a suggestion to bring those to Koz's Orphange in Crenshaw. They have a Lost and Found there, and it is the season of finding what and who is lost. If they do, they might catch a glimpse of Koz floating mournfully through the area, and one of the children will gratefully take the item, saying that they will add it to the rest of the Lost and Found, before coming back with a photo in hand. "Here, I found this, and I think it might be yours?" The photo is, indeed, of the giver and someone from their past. Perhaps it is an actual photo taken, or one they cannot remember having been taken. Regardless, it is offered to them in a cheap wooden frame. How it got there, the orphan does not know. It was probably there when they arrived.
SEASONAL DETAILS ON THE BOARDWALK
The Boardwalk is quite the spectacle this time of year, and those who were here the prior year will remember many of the decorations and festivities. Pumpkins have been stacked on spikes lining the Boardwalk with grotesquely realistic carvings of faces decorated on them. Massive white linen has been hung in the air to look like ghosts floating back and forth against the ocean wind.
Delicious smells waft from the Boardwalk as fresh donuts, candied apples, and hot apple cider are sold at every other booth, along with complementary cornucopias given to each new Sleeper made out of bread that has fruits of all varieties but always seems to have a small jar of the favorite fruit, seed, vegetable (or even meat) of the person receiving it. If asked where it is from, the Sleepers shrug and say "The Orphans took up a collection to give a welcoming gift to new arrivals." If what is in the jar is eaten by the person given it, it will help to ease their mind and give them a calm that can last up to a week as they acclimate.
Preparations are in order for this year's Black Parade. An annual celebration, it is promoted among the excited locals as something that people can participate in. Face Painting booths and costumes are available to those who wish them, with the statement by the Trenchies, "We do it to disguise ourselves from roaming spirits and hungry beasts."
What is strange, however, is that when Sleepers arrive, they may find their eyes drawn to something disturbing amongst the sand. Water washes with the waves and tide, and reveals a body part! They are always prosthetics of some variety, and many are glass eyes that eerily stare at the person. They can be retrieved with some ease, though they're in bad need of cleaning. Perhaps they belong to someone in town? If not, however, asking around will get a suggestion to bring those to Koz's Orphange in Crenshaw. They have a Lost and Found there, and it is the season of finding what and who is lost. If they do, they might catch a glimpse of Koz floating mournfully through the area, and one of the children will gratefully take the item, saying that they will add it to the rest of the Lost and Found, before coming back with a photo in hand. "Here, I found this, and I think it might be yours?" The photo is, indeed, of the giver and someone from their past. Perhaps it is an actual photo taken, or one they cannot remember having been taken. Regardless, it is offered to them in a cheap wooden frame. How it got there, the orphan does not know. It was probably there when they arrived.
The Boardwalk is quite the spectacle this time of year, and those who were here the prior year will remember many of the decorations and festivities. Pumpkins have been stacked on spikes lining the Boardwalk with grotesquely realistic carvings of faces decorated on them. Massive white linen has been hung in the air to look like ghosts floating back and forth against the ocean wind.
Delicious smells waft from the Boardwalk as fresh donuts, candied apples, and hot apple cider are sold at every other booth, along with complementary cornucopias given to each new Sleeper made out of bread that has fruits of all varieties but always seems to have a small jar of the favorite fruit, seed, vegetable (or even meat) of the person receiving it. If asked where it is from, the Sleepers shrug and say "The Orphans took up a collection to give a welcoming gift to new arrivals." If what is in the jar is eaten by the person given it, it will help to ease their mind and give them a calm that can last up to a week as they acclimate.
Preparations are in order for this year's Black Parade. An annual celebration, it is promoted among the excited locals as something that people can participate in. Face Painting booths and costumes are available to those who wish them, with the statement by the Trenchies, "We do it to disguise ourselves from roaming spirits and hungry beasts."
WHEN: Mid October
WHERE: In Swimming distance (Barely) of the Farther Shores
CONTENT WARNINGS: Ghostly Ship & Lighthouse, Threat of Corruption, Remains of Ghastly Murder and Dismembered Corpse
WHERE: In Swimming distance (Barely) of the Farther Shores
CONTENT WARNINGS: Ghostly Ship & Lighthouse, Threat of Corruption, Remains of Ghastly Murder and Dismembered Corpse
It is by accident that your eyes chance to look towards the Farther Shores. There, you happen to see a lighthouse, but you know for certain that it cannot be the lighthouse that is normally there and manned by the fishermen. You can't usually see that from this angle. The moment that you see it, a feeling of mounting dread falls upon you, and you realize that there is no light in the lighthouse. Though the compulsion to investigate can be resisted, there is an almost overwhelming urge to go, to investigate, to re-ignite the flame before it is too late!
The question is getting out there. The fishermen, when the lighthouse is mentioned, will make warding gestures and look terrified. All will resolutely refuse to sail out, muttering incomprehensible curses and lashing their boats securely to the shore. There will be no fishing tonight. The lighthouse, from the docks and shores, is out in the water on a rocky outcrop that nobody remembers being there, though any Trenchy asked will pale at the mention. The only way to get out there is to swim. It is a hard, dangerous swim, but the tide is coming in, rather than going out, so the riptide is not pulling down. It can be done, or a raft can be hastily made. When clambering up the stone steps to the lone lighthouse, it is apparent its door is ajar. And within? Horror awaits.
The insides of the tower are caked in viscuous, green blood. The Lighthouse itself is barely standing. It looks as if a thunderous, colossal fist has battered it repeatedly, the building nearly collapsing at every step. It does not actually break apart, but those who ascend the steps find themselves fighting not to slip on old, caked and thick blood that smells of roses. The contact with the blood isn't doing anything good to the person's sanity and hallucinations of the screams of the dying can be heard, along with shrieks of "What is it?" at the top of someone's voice. An increase in corruption is possible here, though not required. The more one contacts the blood, the greater the risk is. In the top of the lighthouse, dismembered, skeletal remains lay in gobs of what may once have been flesh. One of them holds desperately a torch in their hand, and there is a lighter present. One look out into the night will see a great vessel approaching, broken, its sails tattered and ruined. there is little time, and hopefully the lighter works!
The moment the torch lights the lamp in the lighthouse, the ship veers away from a collision course that would have destroyed the lighthouse and likely the flimsy rock outcropping on which it stood. Shades of dead sailors stare in horror at those who man the lighthouse today, the ship sailing away into the night. All are pointing beyond, and if you look over your shoulder, you can barely see a collosal figure in shadow walking into the town beyond, seemingly confused and wailing. Nothing further happens, and when the people in the lighthouse reach shore again, they will find upon turning back that it is gone, as is the outcropping, though a close inspection does see the remains of a shallow of stone there where the island once stood.
Note: The Ghost ship cannot be interacted with. If someone has the ability to reach it, they will pass through it only to realize it is nothing more than a memory in the land. Fragments of rotted wood and broken masonry can be found in the water below, covered in countless barnacles. Nothing within them shows any proof of what once transpired. There is a risk of corruption from blood exposure, though this is very much up to the players if they wish to incorporate it.
No Trenchy will willingly speak of what transpired, though a careful investigation at the Pale Sanctuary may find a tome among the sacred texts associated with Cloverfield. Reading from it, one might find a forgotten marking that the first sighting of Cloverfield, long ago, saw the collapse of the original lighthouse. No Disciple recalls the incident, and none will speak of it.
The question is getting out there. The fishermen, when the lighthouse is mentioned, will make warding gestures and look terrified. All will resolutely refuse to sail out, muttering incomprehensible curses and lashing their boats securely to the shore. There will be no fishing tonight. The lighthouse, from the docks and shores, is out in the water on a rocky outcrop that nobody remembers being there, though any Trenchy asked will pale at the mention. The only way to get out there is to swim. It is a hard, dangerous swim, but the tide is coming in, rather than going out, so the riptide is not pulling down. It can be done, or a raft can be hastily made. When clambering up the stone steps to the lone lighthouse, it is apparent its door is ajar. And within? Horror awaits.
The insides of the tower are caked in viscuous, green blood. The Lighthouse itself is barely standing. It looks as if a thunderous, colossal fist has battered it repeatedly, the building nearly collapsing at every step. It does not actually break apart, but those who ascend the steps find themselves fighting not to slip on old, caked and thick blood that smells of roses. The contact with the blood isn't doing anything good to the person's sanity and hallucinations of the screams of the dying can be heard, along with shrieks of "What is it?" at the top of someone's voice. An increase in corruption is possible here, though not required. The more one contacts the blood, the greater the risk is. In the top of the lighthouse, dismembered, skeletal remains lay in gobs of what may once have been flesh. One of them holds desperately a torch in their hand, and there is a lighter present. One look out into the night will see a great vessel approaching, broken, its sails tattered and ruined. there is little time, and hopefully the lighter works!
The moment the torch lights the lamp in the lighthouse, the ship veers away from a collision course that would have destroyed the lighthouse and likely the flimsy rock outcropping on which it stood. Shades of dead sailors stare in horror at those who man the lighthouse today, the ship sailing away into the night. All are pointing beyond, and if you look over your shoulder, you can barely see a collosal figure in shadow walking into the town beyond, seemingly confused and wailing. Nothing further happens, and when the people in the lighthouse reach shore again, they will find upon turning back that it is gone, as is the outcropping, though a close inspection does see the remains of a shallow of stone there where the island once stood.
Note: The Ghost ship cannot be interacted with. If someone has the ability to reach it, they will pass through it only to realize it is nothing more than a memory in the land. Fragments of rotted wood and broken masonry can be found in the water below, covered in countless barnacles. Nothing within them shows any proof of what once transpired. There is a risk of corruption from blood exposure, though this is very much up to the players if they wish to incorporate it.
No Trenchy will willingly speak of what transpired, though a careful investigation at the Pale Sanctuary may find a tome among the sacred texts associated with Cloverfield. Reading from it, one might find a forgotten marking that the first sighting of Cloverfield, long ago, saw the collapse of the original lighthouse. No Disciple recalls the incident, and none will speak of it.
WHEN: Anytime in October
WHERE: At the frindges of the main districts
CONTENT WARNINGS: demonic bugs, Bug Horror, Grotesque death, Self mutilation, Bug Infestation
WHERE: At the frindges of the main districts
CONTENT WARNINGS: demonic bugs, Bug Horror, Grotesque death, Self mutilation, Bug Infestation
The first thing that alerts you to the danger is the screams. They are agonizing, gut-wrenching and full of naked horror. When traveling near the edge of any of the districts, particularly the Crenshaw district, it is possible at times to witness a truly horrifying sight. The screams, if investigated, come upon the grisly attack of a horde of not exactly wasps but closer to demonic insects swarming over a person. They shriek, their whole form shrouded by the terrible creatures as they're being stun and the things seem to be extruding some sort of substance to cocoon them while still alive to one of the trees. There is no cry for help, as the person is clearly unaware of who is there, but do you reach out to save them?
If you do not, the scene is horrific and grisly beyond reckoning. The wasps trap the hapless victim against a tree, grafting the extruded paper all over their screaming visage to form a new wasp nest before they ultimately begin crawling inside of them, devouring them from the inside out and implanting their eggs in the new 'home' created for them. It is at this time that the palpable danger may dawn upon you. The infernal bugs have not yet seen you, but they seem to be aware that there is other life around. Do you take this moment to try and beat a hasty retreat, or do you fight it out with the bugs? They can be destroyed, but only by means of abilities and powers that destroy multiples at once, such as great gouts of flame. Hopefully you have a coldblood present! Fleeing them is easier, but can you leave this person to their fate? Still, if instead you observe and take no action, eventually the bugs seem to notice you, and though they swarm near, as long as they are not attacked, they seem to do nothing.
Strange.
If, however, you try to save the victim, a very different scene plays out. The same rules apply to fight the swarm, and if you stop them short of killing their victim, you will see just who it is that you have saved. There, mutilated through self scarification and brutally altered in horrible ways that seem almost fetishistic, is one of the blood crazed zealots. Despite being weakened and badly injured, they lash out at you, their defender. The power that they wield with their blood is incredible, and they demonstrate an ability to wield it that is well documented. The only note is that no Cold-blooded Zealots are present, and so their powers are not represented this time. However, they are drained and though they pose a threat to your life, they can be killed here with a bit of care, can be resisted with great difficulty and certainly be escaped. Either way, there is no true reward for having killed them other than knowing that you have done so. Why are they here? Alone?
It is almost as if they were an advance scout, and the wasps were someone's defense against them, someone's early warning.
If you do not, the scene is horrific and grisly beyond reckoning. The wasps trap the hapless victim against a tree, grafting the extruded paper all over their screaming visage to form a new wasp nest before they ultimately begin crawling inside of them, devouring them from the inside out and implanting their eggs in the new 'home' created for them. It is at this time that the palpable danger may dawn upon you. The infernal bugs have not yet seen you, but they seem to be aware that there is other life around. Do you take this moment to try and beat a hasty retreat, or do you fight it out with the bugs? They can be destroyed, but only by means of abilities and powers that destroy multiples at once, such as great gouts of flame. Hopefully you have a coldblood present! Fleeing them is easier, but can you leave this person to their fate? Still, if instead you observe and take no action, eventually the bugs seem to notice you, and though they swarm near, as long as they are not attacked, they seem to do nothing.
Strange.
If, however, you try to save the victim, a very different scene plays out. The same rules apply to fight the swarm, and if you stop them short of killing their victim, you will see just who it is that you have saved. There, mutilated through self scarification and brutally altered in horrible ways that seem almost fetishistic, is one of the blood crazed zealots. Despite being weakened and badly injured, they lash out at you, their defender. The power that they wield with their blood is incredible, and they demonstrate an ability to wield it that is well documented. The only note is that no Cold-blooded Zealots are present, and so their powers are not represented this time. However, they are drained and though they pose a threat to your life, they can be killed here with a bit of care, can be resisted with great difficulty and certainly be escaped. Either way, there is no true reward for having killed them other than knowing that you have done so. Why are they here? Alone?
It is almost as if they were an advance scout, and the wasps were someone's defense against them, someone's early warning.
a faded memory
This entire lighthouse deal already felt like a bad idea to her - but at the same time there was something about it calling out to her that she couldn't quite resist. An urge that brought her all the way out to it.
An urge that is now only stopped when she suddenly meets this face right outside of it. Ange stares at Martin like she just spotted an alien, her body freezing up entirely. She's so caught off guard by his sudden appearance that she doesn't even have the time or the mental energy to shift her expression into a pokerface, leaving the surprise wide out in the open.
She'll remember the lighthouse in a moment. But for now her breath feels like it's caught up in her throat, and the only word the girl manages to force out is:
".. Martin..?"
no subject
She calls him by name, and she clearly knows who he is, but he's sure he's never seen her before in his life. His brow furrows in confusion. This is going to get really embarrassing really quickly if she turns out to be someone he ought to know that he just doesn't remember.
"I- I'm sorry." There's half a beat of hesitation from him. "Do I... know you?"
cw: mention of depression and suicidal ideation in narration
Oh.
Oh.
The girl's jaw drops, her mouth hanging open as she stares at him. If she was surprised to see him a moment ago, then that surprise has only grown stronger with the introduction of this new information - even if Ange immediately knows what it means. If anything, it's more logical than her assuming this is the same Martin she met before. Of course the ocean wouldn't bring the exact same one when there could be an infinite number of Martins out there.
.. most of which.. don't remember her. Or any of the stuff they talked about in the past. Which is a lot, considering he was one of the first people, if not the first person in general, she talked to about her struggles with depression and suicidal ideation.
When the surprise fades a little, Ange's gaze turns downwards, looking at the ground. Though she isn't blushing - not even the usual glittery darkblood blush - something about the girl looks fiercely embarrassed, like it's hanging in the air right around her.
"Oh." .. what does she even say to that? ".. No."
Apparently not, she thinks.
"Sorry. I knew a different you." It's the sort of statement that would be out of place anywhere else. It might be out of place even here, considering Martin must be new. She can't recall having seen him around town at all yet, after all.
But it's too late to retract the fact she knows him and pretend that she just mistook him for someone else, considering her instinctive reaction. All she can do is owe up to the awkward, painful truth.
no subject
He thinks it might just be a case of mistaken identity - a different person who looks kind of like him named Martin? Okay, a little coincidental perhaps, but possible. Except then she adds on 'different you' and that explanation isn't at all reassuring. Was he replaced like Sasha was? Is he doing the replacing, and doesn't even realize it? No, no, that's not possible. He's Martin, he knows he's Martin. Even if he was a squid before this.
"Oh. Um. A- a different me? I'm sorry, what?"
no subject
And she has to explain that to him. How does she even do that?
"This.. is probably the worst possible time for this."
Especially since she can still feel the pull from that lighthouse. It's the fact that the emotions she's feeling over a different Martin being thrown into Trench are so strong that keeps her rooted to the spot for now.
"But I mean-- Have you ever heard about.. alternate worlds? You know, parallel dimensions, that stuff."
no subject
"Oh. Uh. Yeah. I mean, not - not in any great detail, but yeah. I've heard about the concept?" He's not sure that's any more comforting than believing she is someone that he knew before and simply, for one reason or another, has forgotten. That would still be horribly awkward, of course, but still a bit easier to take than the potential for being just one of an infinite number of Martins from an infinite number of universes, or something.
"That's - that's actually a real thing, huh? Are - are you sure?"
no subject
"I'm sure."
She wouldn't mistake him. Even though it's been such a while since the last time she's seen Martin, he looks the same. Sounds the same. There's no way it's just someone else who just happens to be called Martin too - especially since it's not even the first case of someone having appeared in Trench who was in Deerington before, but not remembering the dream at all.
"I mean, I could tell you something about you that a stranger wouldn't know, but I figure that'd be awkward."
After all, he knows nothing about her.
(Nothing, Ange thinks, feeling like someone dropped a huge block of ice right into the pit of her stomach.)
And here she knows relatively intimate details about him. It's got to be awkward on both sides, not just on hers.
"But I-- I guess it doesn't mean anything." She shakes her head.
Even though it does mean something to her. But what else is she supposed to say here?
"Since you.. or.. this "you" doesn't know me anyway."
It's not meant in a dismissive way towards Martin either. If anything, it's Ange trying to make things lighter for him, not wanting him to be pressured by something he can't even help. It's easier for Ange to bear the pain by herself, to shove it down into some dark corner where it won't bother anyone but her.
no subject
"No, no, that's okay. I believe you," he answers, holding up his hands. "It's just... a little weird, that's all. But that, ah, seems to be kind of... normal? For around here? I mean, it's probably not as weird as being a squid, right?"
Martin falls quiet for a moment. He's not entirely sure the best way to move forward from here, but he does not want to hurt Ange. It's obvious she's already hurt enough that he doesn't actually know who she is. They must have been close, he thinks.
"We, um. We could be friends again. If - if you want?" The offer is uncertain; he's not sure if it's actually helpful, or if maybe she'd just rather forget about him all together.
no subject
After all - she has no idea what she wants here. She really liked Martin before, to a point where it seemed like they could really understand each other on some points in ways most people would never be able to. But now they're starting out from an entirely different point. Where she knows so much about him, and some of the deepest thoughts that other him had, and he knows nothing about her.
Wouldn't it be awkward? Or painful?
.. She isn't sure. But on the other hand, it's not like Ange just wants to ignore Martin either. The same Martin, or a different Martin - they're still people she wishes to see happy. She wishes to somehow be happy with.
".. wouldn't that be too awkward for you?" She asks, avoiding direct eye contact with him.
Sure, it'd be awkward on her end too. But Ange can think about that awkward, and decide whether or not she can handle that. She can't decide the same for him.
no subject
He rubs at the back of his neck, and looks away while she avoids his gaze. "I, uh. I mean. It might be awkward?" This whole everything is awkward. "But maybe not too awkward? Unless - unless, you think it would be?"
no subject
".. No. Not too awkward."
That's something Ange can settle on.
"I don't.." Her voice trails off. Everything about her sounds and looks so embarrassed, but Ange forces herself to just say it all the same. "I don't want to lose you twice."
By just rejecting the idea of getting near this Martin. Pretending he isn't here.
"So as long as I'm not making you super awkward, I'd like to-- to try this again, I guess." Getting to know him, for the second time.
no subject
"Well... I think I'm staying here? I mean, since the alternative's being a squid, I think I'd rather just be me?" He'd definitely rather be him. "So, you won't lose me. Not if I can help it anyway."
He offers a smile, and extends a hand. If they're going to do this, they may as well do it properly. "Martin Blackwood. It's nice to meet you."
no subject
Yes, that sounds like Martin, alright.
She takes his hand, giving it a brief shake, her gaze at the same time rising to meet his own.
"I'm Ange. Ange Ushiromiya."
She decides to shove aside the weirdness of the idea that she's introducing herself to someone she knows so well, and instead tries to see it as a new start. Trying everything all over again.
"And.. I guess we should go into the lighthouse now, right? It kind of feels inevitable." Like it's still pulling on them.
no subject
He's already familiar with the feeling of being compelled, and this feels the same. It is inevitable, though, as much as they try to resist; he knows one or the other will eventually cave, and the one remaining will follow.
Right. Best to go under their own steam.
"Yeah. Yeah," he takes a deep breath, as he pushes the door open. "Just a little look around, right? Satisfy our curiosity?"
no subject
Like right now. Martin may say that, but Ange isn't under the impression in the slightest that they can just have a casual look around and then go.
.. which is only strenghtened when she looks past him and the open door. Ange manages to keep her nonchalant attitude, sure, but she's very quick to say: "Don't touch anything in there."
Look, that blood could technically be any blood. It could even just be some other weird, green liquid.
But Ange is pretty sure that's vileblood, and she's not going to let Martin hurt himself by touching it on her watch. Especially not when he's only just arrived and may have no clue about this stuff in the first place.
no subject
Don't touch it? That's probably sound advice, who knows what it is, or what it would do to bare skin. The last thing he wants to do is get infected or burned by it or something. "Yeah. Yeah. God, what a mess. What even is this stuff?"
He looks at the stairs, leading up to the lamp, slick with the vileblood as well. "All right. We'll have to watch our step, I guess."
no subject
It's not even the first time Ange has seen something like this, a room filled with blood like this, as if someone just straight up exploded in the middle of the room, but it's gross all the same. If not just for the fact that it kind of makes her worry about where this blood came from, and whether they could be the next victims of something.
She glances up at the stairs, frowning, and then nods.
But.. she also kind of figures Martin needs a full idea of the situation here, considering he can't even know what this is, as new as he is.
Ange looks at the room around them rather than directly at him as she says: "This stuff.. it's all blood."
A very wholesome and comforting message, she's sure.
no subject
He reaches forward as though about to touch it to confirm and withdraws his hand again, recalling the warning.
"That's an awful lot of blood..." There's probably some hidden danger here somewhere then, which means they may be in danger too. "Looks like it's still pretty fresh too?"
He's not even going to touch the obvious question about why the blood is green. It can wait.
He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "We'll have to be careful. Like. Really careful. Stay close, okay?"
no subject
Let alone anything that was bad enough to apparently make a vileblood explode on the spot, or whatever the hell happened in here for this entire place to be covered in fresh blood.
She does take a step closer towards him, but there's a frown on Ange's face as she does so.
"What are you going to do if some danger pops up after we head up?"
Ange tries to think back to Martin. The one she knew. It's so long ago now, and some details of the place they were in before, of the dream, are quite hazy now. She doesn't think she remembers him having any special powers - but who knows. Maybe he's already discovered his blood magic here by accident or something.
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"I - I don't know yet," he admits, although that's probably no more reassuring than the idea of just running from a threat. "I mean, I guess it kind of depends on what the danger is? Best to just avoid it, I think, if we can."
Cautiously, he steps over to the stairs and peers up them, looking for any sign of trouble. He doesn't hear anything - not yet, anyway - and it looks quiet too, but he's well aware that might not mean much. It feels like the top of the stairs is calling to him. He sets a foot down experimentally on the bottom step, and looks around as he tests his weight on it, half expecting some godawful horror to appear, but nothing happens. He takes a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, that's got to be a good sign, right?"
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The only way to get through this is to just keep moving on, something tells her.
"Yeah. Let's climb it."
Because it feels like there's something up. Above. Ange figures that Martin can feel it just as much as she can, no matter how much of a bad idea it might seem to be.
"I have plenty of powers," she adds. Sure, maybe she still can't handle a really big danger all alone, but.. she can at least do some stuff, and she wants to make sure Martin is aware of that. Before he gets himself hurt trying to protect her like an idiot. (And she thinks that in the fondest meaning of the word idiot, okay.) "So just yell if you spot something first."
Since he's the one walking ahead of her on the stairs. It's not exactly broad enough to allow two people to climb it side by side. "I'll see what I can do."
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He climbs the steps carefully, mindful of the green blood splattered around them, and the scent of roses that hang in the air. This is a bad idea. This a fantastically bad idea, but he can't seem to bring himself to suggest they turn back, and leave. It's a relief to hear that Ange does have power that might come in handy.
"All right," he answers with a small nod. He takes a deep breath. "All right. What can you do?"
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Not the most helpful answer, and Ange knows it. On the other hand, she has a really hard time summing up the use of her magic, especially with the way it's been expanding ever since she showed up in this place. It doesn't feel like this lighthouse - despite all the other creepy and unsettling things about it - is dimming the power of her blood either, which helps.
"I mainly specialize in summoning and dealing with demons, but I can do most stuff you'd imagine a witch could do at this point." Though she's better at some stuff than she is at others - but Ange knows how to improvise in a pickle.
It's basically all you do in a place like Trench with its many dangers, after all.
"If something dangerous appears, I can try to either contain it or get it out of our way."