November + December Catch-All

[justoscar]

Character Name: Oscar Pine + Others

Who: Oscar and CR
What: November Event threads and other activities
When: Throughout November
Where: Throughout Trench

Content Warnings: grief, ptsd, unreality, hallucinations, child death references


[Prompts TBA Below.]

Comments

November Event: A World of Nonsense | Open

[justoscar]

[Ordinarily, Oscar kept a fairly firm grasp on his reality. Visions and dream walks didn't often plague his experiences as a paleblood in Trench-- only the inability to totally filter the immense levels of chatter that he couldn't fully discern between spoken and unspoken word when exhaustion crept up and grasped him from behind. The recent missteps in his life had led to him being more tired than usual, in a different way.

Filtering out something that was ordinarily present was a far different task than filtering out that which shouldn't have been there at all. But, after Ozpin decided to ruin Ruby's birthday-wedding with a maudlin and selfish speech, he was fairly determined to give Oz the cold shoulder for a while.

He didn't even notice the peals of laughter just at the edge of his awareness, like a kid playing an innocent little prank, at first. It was edging into winter. The skies darkened quicker-- let the kids have their fun before they barely had any sunlight after school to play any longer.

It was only when he started catching glimpses of feathers just along his periphery that he realized there was a problem. Feathers could mean anything, but to him it represented something important:

Almost exactly two years ago, Oscar had met the entity that would become his Omen... and had his imagination sparked in a way that changed his path in his time away from Remnant. Diggs-- once upon a time a small owl, now currently a tiny befeathered deer with wings, regarded him with a wariness that only a woodland creature could muster.

"Be careful," They warned. "This isn't what you think."]

I know...

[Oscar uttered, reaching up to caresses the top of Diggs' head and turning his gaze just long enough to catch sight of her.

A child, with dark hair and dark eyes, and an unreadable expression that Oscar couldn't begin to define. She said nothing-- her sad little smile before she ran off into the shadows said everything that Oscar already knew in his gut.

Suddenly breathless, with his lungs burning from the cold and heart pattering a nervous cadence in his chest, Oscar thoughtlessly spoke aloud the only word he could think of in that moment:]

Julia?

[entreats]

.. Oscar?

[ Maybe just his name being said like that by a different voice, one not belonging to the girl Oscar witnessed standing there a moment ago, is enough to break a bit of the atmosphere here.

Especially since Ange sounds kind of clueless as to what's happening here. Her voice is even, but with that hint of cluelessness and curiosity - like she isn't quite sure why he just said that name, of all names. Whatever Oscar saw - it seems that Ange didn't see the same thing. Instead she just happened to spot the other out on the streets, and couldn't help but approach him, especially when she heard him mention Julia.

.. Sodder, right? ]

Is everything alright?

[justoscar]

I--Ange.

[He heaved a sigh of relief once he registered and recognized Ange beside him. Sucking in a breath, he brought a hand to his head in a futile attempt to settle his vision on something familiar--

In that moment, it was his sister-in-law and her bright hair.]

Sorry. Something weird is going on in town I think. I've been... seeing weird things.

[He sucked in a nervous breath.]

I thought for a sec that I saw Julia.

[entreats]

Julia? [ Ange repeats the name. She already heard him mention her a moment ago, but.. this only confirms that her suspicions were right.

And there's an added piece of information. It's not just that Oscar was randomly thinking about her.

He saw her. ]

Here?

[ Ange frowns, glancing around, but obviously she can't see a thing. ]

You're right. It's got to be this town pulling something strange again. [ Her tone sounds fairly sure of that, confident. ] Why else would she suddenly be here? It's got to be some illusion.

[justoscar]

.... I know.

[Oscar said tightly, shoulders and gaze dropping while he held his hands close to his person. Guilt ate at him once more, for his role in her fate. Sure, it was no bigger than anyone else's-- but he, of all people, should have known better.]

She's dead, right? Sometimes Palebloods see ghosts. I wonder, do you think she's trying to say something?

[threelayers]

[She was on patrol, trying to push the hallucinations that were hitting here and there out of her mind when she caught sight of Oscar. It was a welcome enough sight and so she'd come closer, just in time for two things. One was to completely miss the sight of the girl. The other was to hear the name he spoke.

Her eyes widened and she rushed over, grabbing for his arm and staring around. He'd just said Julia, right? Julia was dead! She couldn't be here, could she? Neo wasn't sure if she was terrified at the mere thought that SHE might be here. She wasn't sure what to think.]

WHERE?

[justoscar]

[Neopolitan, at least, was a grounding presence in this trying time. Oscar settled his focus on her and not the sights and sounds at the edges of his awareness that he knew weren't there-- and shook his head.]

I don't know anymore. I saw her for a second, but she disappeared around a corner and vanished.

[threelayers]

[She breathed out and started to calm when he spoke, walking over closer to him. One hand reached up, the umbrella resting on her shoulder in a ready position. She wasn't here, not now. That was important.]

It might be a hallucination.
We've been dealing with a hell of a lot of those lately.
But why her specifically?

[justoscar]

....Because Trench is a mess right now, but she's a ghost at the core of everything.

And we're the people who killed her.

[shiro2hero]

Julia-!

[There's yet another voice calling out for the missing child. It's Shiro's, his hands cupped around his mouth, shouting with the Big Leader Voice he so rarely uses anymore. The man's soft spoken by default, but when he needs to project? There he goes.]

[He's been out there a while. To no avail. But he's not going to stop. Not until he has answers.]

Ju-! [And then he steps around a corner, and almost right into the other searcher.] - Sorry! I - Hi.

[justoscar]

[That was a voice he knew-- if not from extensive personal experience, then countless times in town and on the networks both in Trench and within the Dream. This was the man many of his friends spoke highly of... Shiro, right.

Oscar took a step backwards, hazel eyes nervous and wide as saucers at how very Present Shiro was in person. It was easy to forget.]

Hi.

I, uh. Guess you're seeing the same things I'm seeing, huh?

[shiro2hero]

Yeah. Yeah, I am.

[At least, that's what it seems like. Since the kid - Oscar, he thinks, who's been around both worlds now - is also out, running around and looking for Julia Sodder. He chews his lip for a moment.]

Have you been able to get near her, at all?

[There's more hope in his words than he meant there to be. But he's tired, things slip through the cracks.]

[justoscar]

...No.

[He both looked and sounded far more tired than a sixteen year old had any right to be in that instant. Warily, Oscar sucked in a breath and straightened out his posture from the way he had slumped in defeat. If they were indeed seeing Julia, this was no time to just give up.]

I don't know why we're seeing her at all. We were told that she's gone, right? Do you think it's her... ghost?

[At this point, nothing seemed implausible.]

What do you think she's trying to tell us? You were in her Dream a lot longer than I was.

Wildcard!

[justoscar]

[For assorted threads without plotting]

For L

[justoscar]

At least, by the beach, he was momentarily free from the hallucinations that had beset many people in town-- himself included. It was something about salt, he guessed. Dipper had always told him to lay boundaries in salt when dealing with the unnatural, and that salt tended to be a cleanser on levels that ordinary people couldn't do anything to effect on their own. He trusted that, and trusted Dipper's wisdom even months after the other boy had returned to his sea... and his version of Earth.

Maybe sitting by the beach would give him some wisdom on the matter. Or, so he hoped.

He wasn't expecting company. The sound of the sea was soothing enough on it's own. However... he wasn't opposed to it, either.

[hearthebell]

Oscar's ambivalence is mirrored by L, who often wishes for company passively as he takes his own solitary way. The beach is a reliable and favorite haunt of his, because while he's not fearsome-looking or a particularly strong swimmer, his orca whale omen, Lycka, is both of those things and requires a lot of stimulation to keep him clever and creative. Their walks serve them both this way, in the best and worst of times.

It's really more like the worst of times, considering the current shape of the city and everyone's increasingly unreliable perception of reality.

"Are you trying to get away from it all?"

Too goes unsaid. It's too vulnerable, and also probably not necessary.

For... Duty?! Early November

[justoscar]

[Oscar was avoiding home for a few days, but he couldn't just stay with Vyng and impose upon that small but vibrant little family forever. Oscar had a mind full of questions, and the best methods to help him think was always to get moving. He had done a lot of work on Vyng's farm, but he saw the similar efforts happening elsewhere-- and a familiar silhouette was enough encouragement for him to approach. ]

Hey, Pyrrha! Mom? Pyrrha?

[He had no idea what to call her anymore, but finding her in the construction zone was a relief. For once, he didn't need to worry.]

I'm not much, but do you need a hand anywhere? I can read blueprints and handle most of the tools here.

[martyrofduty]

A few people gave Duty odd looks. He wasn't known for either the name Pyrrha nor the title mom. The voice readily explained it, as it belonged to a kid Pyrrha'd adopted. It belonged to someone they'd met before sticking around, before there were clear distinctions where he was Duty or Pyrrha. If he'd been walking down the street, that call would have made Pyrrha turn around. This is in Trench, but it's for Outpost Haven. Duty's scarf shows their colors. It's not so easy to switch.

"Oscar," Duty says, making an effort to sound friendlier. It's still less expressive than Pyrrha because he's not trying to act like her (he could, but that'd be a lie).

"Glad to have your help," he says. While the backbone of the operation is the outpost construction crew, Oscar isn't the only community member helping out. Usually Duty works with someone first, whether he knows them or not. Given how much time he spent sleeping last month and the mid-month drama, his social life has taken a hit.

"Join me," he says, "We're reframing the windows and door." Others rebuild a partially demolished wall. Something came through here with little concern for property damage.

It also gives them a little room from the others. Through their omens, Duty sends another message. At work, they know me as Duty. Not the whole can of worms, only taking the lid off.

[justoscar]

The boy and his Omen exchanged a look, both parties confused for the moment by this revelation. Diggs watched him patiently, as if waiting for a cue-- and Oscar nodded.

This was fine. Different, but fine.

Okay. Oscar sent through the Omen connection, hazel eyes wide and trusting. People all had different names for different purposes and reasons-- if Duty was the name in use here, then he could go with that.

"That doesn't sound too hard," Oscar commented, running his fingers along the bare wood that was being used as part of the construction. He didn't feel small or like he didn't belong here. This was no different than some of the repairs he had helped with on the farm.

"Do we know what made the damage? We might be able to reinforce and insulate the structures better if we had an idea."

[martyrofduty]

A good head. Duty appreciates the lack of freaking out and focusing on the job at hand. He already knew Oscar was a good kid. It's not news, but he's not usually the one thinking about him.

"Someone's mask turned them into a large mythical creature," Duty says. The same happened to him, but he fit through a door, if awkwardly. "They freaked out."

His team has already rebuilt the damaged portions of the building excluding the door and windows. Those are coming last. Unfortunately, he doesn't think that helps them too much. The client doesn't expect the issue to recur. Next October, they can be more careful in their selection of masks.

December Container

[justoscar]

For: Johnny

[justoscar]

[He didn't know what to do.

Panic and uncertainty had Oscar on edge. Rationally, he knew it was temporary-- but anything that would terrify Dorothea so much that she made her presence known to the kid she had picked for both his cleverness and his affection for the jackalopes of Deerington, but still shied away from offers of warm drink and homemade snacks, was enough to light an anxious flame along his nerves as well.

Previous instances where Oscar felt the interminable doldrums of the dark winters had seen the boy take up a physical project. But, for once, all of the doors and the cabinets in the place he called home were fully aligned and not squeaking whenever they were pulled open. The restlessness gnawed at his stomach and set his fingers twitching.

There were only a handful of things that would help, and Oscar knew what one of them was.

Against his better judgement, he approached the Cobra Kai dojo and quietly sought out the Sensei himself.]

Uh... Johnny? Johnny sensei?

[He shook his head. Karate manners were confusing at the best of times-- and, for once, Oscar wanted to get the point.]

This is gonna sound really dumb, but can I take your car for a ride?

[strikefirster]

[Of all the things Johnny was expecting in the morning. It was not THIS KID of all people interrupting his work out. Asking to borrow his car of all things. The kid had a lot of nerve.

...That was something Johnny actually respected about Oscar. He was always willing to speak his mind. Even if half the time it did piss Johnny off.

He stops mid sit up and glances over to Oscar.]

You going to bring it back with a full tank and a six pack?

[justoscar]

Yeah. I can do that, if they'll sell me a pack.

[A shrug. While he didn't like Johnny's drinking habits, there was no stopping them. It was only a pity that Johnny's 'no pussies' philosophy didn't apply to this factor-- but there was nothing he could do about it.

All he could do was take care of himself at this point.

Eyebrow arching, he looked at Johnny in curiosity.]

That's it? You're not gonna ask me where I'm going or if I even know what I'm doing?

[strikefirster]

You might have to get creative kid, that's the deal.

[Johnny gives a light little shrug.]

Honestly. I'm more surprised you're asking in the first place. Teenagers don't usually do that.