deercountry | Was I really seeking good [Open]

Was I really seeking good [Open]

Who: Varian and you!
What: November catchall!
When: Throughout November.
Where: All around the place!

Content Warnings: Child poisoning in the comments, bloodletting in the first half of the Sleeper Farm prompt

BUILDING AN ABOMINATION TO THE GODS - Driveway of Disaster House, Cassandra- OTA

Varian can't actually remember the last time he built something purely for himself. Both back home, in Deerington and here in Trench, his inventions have always had a greater purpose. Sure, he enjoyed making them, but they were always ultimately to help other people. Building something just for his own enjoyment generally wasn't on his radar. It's only recently that he's felt like he's earned the right to indulge in something for himself.

And so, at the start of the month, Varian can be found on the driveway of the Disaster House- starting to put together the very early beginnings of a frame for a car. He isn't bothered by the lightly falling snow- he doesn't feel the cold anymore and the crisp air is honestly good for clearing his head. He's wearing his serial-killer-esque welding mask and has his little foot-pump-powered 1800s welding kit with him, but that isn't doing so well in the cold weather. After a few frustrating attempts at getting the damn thing to work, he gives up, stepping back to stare at the metal he's trying to get into shape. He looks at his hand, a soft hmmmmmm sound echoing in the mask. He's not comfortable with this, but Mako has been helping him get a more...positive outlook on his abilities.

So, for the first time since he got here, he decides to actually use his abilities for something instead of actively avoiding and being reviled by them. He flexes his fingers, using the techniques Mako has run over with him many a time, willing flame to sprout on them. He has to concentrate a lot, and it's definitely not a tiny, careful flame like the one on his torch (he's not quite THERE yet) but it's enough to start welding the pieces of metal together. Once he's done that he snuffs the flame by closing his fist. He steps back, pushing the mask up so it rests above his goggles (why doesn't he just take the goggles off, why does he have to wear both?) to assess his work, before realising someone is standing nearby, turning to offer a little smile.

"Do you think it looks okay? It's kinda shoddy but I guess I can always go over it later once the snow stops."

IT'S FULL OF OPENINGS, IT'S JUST YOU AIN'T SEEING THEM - All around the city - OTA

For once, fate has smiled down at Varian. His Patron is The Tower and while the buildings are shifting and doorways keep vanishing and reappearing he's still able to find his way around. It's given him confidence that means he might just be ignoring the always buddy up system, because it's fine. It's totally fine. He knows where he's going. So he goes about his daily business as normal - unfettered by the chaos that the vast majority of the population are dealing with. He's a compassionate soul, though, and if he sees someone looking lost, he moves over to them, raising an awkward hand in greeting.

"Uh... hey. You look...lost? Do you want me to help you out? I understand where I'm going for...for some reason. If you stick with me, we can get to where you need to go."

SECRET, SECRET, SECRET SECRET BUNKER - Willful Machine - 28th November OTA with CR prompt

Finding the compass on his workbench had been a happy little surprise. He didn't really need one, but it's pretty nice and after quizzing the people in his house (none of whom took responsibility for the little gift) he probably should have been worried about the device that just appeared in his lab in the dead of night. He isn't, though, because it's cool.

Naturally, he uses it as a normal compass first- but as he's working on his car, he does need to try it on bigger things. He's headed to Willful Machine for more parts, and it using it on a sheet of metal on the ground to measure out exactly what he needs. It's while he's doing this that the circle opens up under him, upending him into a little room. One moment he's there, the next he isn't. Maybe you were there to watch him fall in like an idiot. He looks around at the space- full of everything a person would need to hunker down for a night and makes a soft confused noise before yelling because that seems the best course of action here.

"Um- HI??? Is anyone there?"

And if that doesn't work, he'll get out his Omni and send a message to his friends:

Fell in a hole. I think into a pocket dimension? Help.

MUSHABOOMING

On hearing there were cool new mushrooms to deal with here, naturally, Varian's gone about trying to harvest some. He can make all kinds of cool alchemy with them!! This being Varian, of course, means he's neglected some pretty basic health and safety in his mushroom harvesting. So people can catch him in various pickles throughout the town as he goes about stupidly collecting stuff for his lab.

They may find him hallucinating on Walking Terrors, covered in spores and running around with a panicked expression and screaming about the floor melting. Or maybe you'll find him face-down in the dirt, a Floater sitting happily on top of him. Just...help the idiot out, he'd appreciate it.

THE SLEEPER FARM

Varian starts his No Good Real Bad Time swinging upside down- his blood dripping down into a bowl underneath him. It freezes before it hits the bowl, of course, leaving a blue, frozen blood slushie at the bottom. He's still confused how he got here, but he knows that's not the pressing concern here- not while there are other bodies strung up who have definitely had body parts removed. Varian does a quick, muggy-headed check that nothing seems to be out of place- no organs missing, two arms, one leg. Everything as it should be. They've even left him with his prosthetic, which is nice. But he'd still rather get down from here before this gets worse.

"Uhhhhhh, hi? Anyone still...conscious here?"

Or perhaps you find him afterwards, once he's down and on his feet again. He's still got a sizeable gash on his arm, but at least it's frozen over - thanks for the natural cauterization, coldblood! He'll be helping get other people down or helping them move as best he can. Much like earlier in the month in the town, he feels a strange pull towards the way out, and he'll be trying to bring whoever's with him along that path.

"C'mon, I...I know the way out."

He's not offering a reason for that, oh no. It's while he's leading someone towards the alter that they're suddenly pulled out by a force Varian recognises almost immediately. It's an old, familiar one after all- and once they're upended onto the lawn where Disaster House's Lamp Friend sits, he looks up at the sky, frowning.

"...Cynthia?"

[[ooc: As always if you want something else or a closed thread, please hit me up on

teeff or PM me! Will add event stuff later!]]

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That remark was said so confidently that Manabu almost doesn't question it, but...

"...Huh?" He squints. "Why...would...that be new? Do...pe-people not know?"

"Oh...right," Manabu was dead and missed it- he waves at the nearest wall. "The city keeps...moving? Like...by itself. A lot of people are getting lost. I can figure out how to get around it though. It's like...I dunno. I can just sense the right way?"

Moving...by...itself?

The words have meaning on their own, but together like this? Manabu's kind of stumped. What the heck is that supposed to mean?

"Are...bi-businesses...changing locations?"

"I'm...not really sure."

Varian doesn't have the answers here- because while everyone else is struggling, he isn't. It's like trying to explain what it's like to be blind when he can see perfectly fine all the time.

"I think it's more the routes are changing? Like...the pathways there move? I don't really get it myself, I can just find what I need. But that's what people are telling me."

Manabu breathes out a soft sound of confusion, turning himself partway to look toward Magnet and the pathway ahead.

"I didn't...notice." He hesitates. "But then. I wasn't...paying attention, either. M-maybe it's true, but...I can't...imagine it.

"Mm-maybe we'll...see. Moving ahead."

"Don't worry about it, that's....uh, pretty understandable, given everything."

You know, the fact you died, buddy. He nods, moving forward seems to be a...good idea, he starts to do that, then pauses.

"Uh- you gonna be okay walking or do you need me to hold your hand or something?"

He's not saying it to be a shitty teenager for once, his offer is genuine and comes from a place of worry.

"I'm fine," he utters automatically, barely thinking about it. Even if he were shot up and bloody he'd say I'm fine. He watches Magnet pace around in an impatient circle before deciding to move as well, following the omen strike a path down an unknown cobblestone street.

Manabu frowns. Will I even know I'm lost...if I don't even know where I'm going? It must be up to Magnet, whose little nose pokes upward to sniff for sign of sea salt, seeking to get these lads to the beach.

"...Right."

That is not the tone one uses when you believe someone is, in fact, fine. But he's not going to press too hard...yet. He does plan to keep an eye on Manabum just in case. He follows Magnet's lead, glancing around them as they move.

"Just so you know, there's...uh- we've got problems with some Sleepers getting kidnapped, too," he waves at the general area. "Along with the whole moving city and whatever. So just...be on the lookout. That's the fun thing we get to deal with this month."

"Eh?"

He gawks Varian's way in-between steps.

"Then...what are you...do-doing out here? Alone?"

Varian hesitates because he definitely doesn't have a good answer here beyond him being a stubborn little shit who exists only to give the people he cares about constant stress-induced heart attacks.

"Um," good start, great start. "I can find my way around and I wanted to help people get through the city?"

"But..." Bear with him for a few steps: the gears are still sticky from death. "But if you get kidnapped...then who will help folks get around?"

"Um."

Just gonna say 'um' again because that's the best answer to give here. After a few beats more he adds:

"I guess I didn't think that part through."

Manabu just makes a soft sound in reply as they walk, turning at the corner Magnet is impatiently waiting for them to reach before bounding off ahead of them.

"S'okay," he manages eventually. "Just...ss, somethin' to think. Now. Yeah?"

Because if Varian's got something special to help others with, he should realize what it means. And what that means for having to take care of himself to help them. That sort of thing doesn't happen every day, you know?

"...Yeah...okay, that's fair. I know I have a tattoo that helps one of my housemates find me- but it might be an idea to figure out something else- some sort of signal to release if I get in trouble."

Instead of, you know, figuring out how to avoid capture at all by staying out of danger. Varian and self-preservation often don't go hand-in-hand.

Manabu gives a soft, agreeable sound to that. Omnis are great and all, but sometimes things get too dicey to finagle with a communicator - especially here. Before he can start forming the thoughts to suggest Varian perhaps try and make some fancy flares, Magnet barks, pacing a circle around the nearest intersection, whining and growling to express his vexation.

"Mmh..." Manabu stops, frowning and watching the dog pace. "Lost. I think."

There's always Omens- but naturally, Varian doesn't swing in that direction. Ruddiger tends to be the most unhelpful creature to exist- the thought of using him when he's in trouble (as loyal as the raccoon is) doesn't come to mind. He watches as Magnet paces- frowning and trying to turn into the pull in his mind. He turns- pointing in a seemingly random direction.

"This way."

He's going to start moving that way, in confident strides. The new navigational abilities are pretty helpful.

A more put-together Manabu might question this, but even that Manabu would still wind up following Varian. Doubt's never stopped him from trying things, after all! Magnet, more aware of the Pthumerian trickiness in play, falls into step beside Varian after a bit of huffiness. As far as the omen is concerned, Tower better not mess with them and get them to the beach!

Manabu gives the skyline a gradually more thoughtful look as he follows along, trying to remember...if he remembers. Could he even recognize if this or that building were out of place?

He realizes he's not so sure, that he needs to be more attentive.

He's shaken out of his thoughts by Magnet cutting the quiet with triumphant, noisy barking as the narrow streets give way to a view of the boardwalk and the sea glimmering in the midday light.

"Eh...? Did we...go the wrong...way...?"

Even as he's asking, the dog's bulleting ahead, determined to get to the beach to dig up his fuzzy-brained person's satchel.

The Tower needs to stop all his shenanigans, honestly. They're RUDE and DISRUPTIVE! Varian keeps trusting in his weird new abilities- as much as they do creep him out and make him worried he's been singled out for something, he can't disagree they're not super useful right now. He does cast Manabu a few concerned looks as they walk. Just to make sure he's okay.

Once they get to the beach, and he watches Magnet run for it, he shakes his head at the question.

"Your buddy seems to know what's going on- better trust him, huh?"

Now more than ever, Manabu is amenable to that idea. From moment one, Manabu's found his omen to be a tremendous pain in the ass, whose ability to assist or bring assistance more of a fluke than a feature. It really is something of an outward manifestation of the struggles Manabu keeps to himself - that push and pull between duty and the wish to act freely, impulsiveness causing friction against all the experiences that have punished such behavior...

Better trust him, huh?

"Mm...maybe..."

Moving from solid ground to shifty sand leads to wobbling, which leads to Manabu having to grab at Varian's shoulder to keep himself from faceplanting right at the onset. He mumbles an apology before letting go and trudging along to where Magnet's digging up a storm, curly tail in the air. By the time the two bipeds make their way over, Magnet's got a length of saber in his jaws and is trying to tug the whole gun out like a tug-of-war toy.

Varian's never had any struggle with his own Omen. Ruddiger was already a pretty solid fixture in his life for years beforehand. Granted, the raccoon wasn't always on his side of things- he could often be a proverbial thorn in Varian's side - but he's also loyal, and has often helped Varian even when he didn't realise he needed it. It gave him a leg-up with the whole Omen thing.

He doesn't mind the wobbling, nor the shoulder grab. He smiles in Mnabu's direction, giving that hand a gentle little there-there pat before Mnabu lets go. He wanders a little closer to the dog- but not too far from Manabu, in case he needs the support.

"Looks like he found your saber," he moves over to Mganet to try and help the upper pull the thing free.

Manabu watches with a mix of confusion and wonder. It's...just like last time.

"How did...?"

Is it really pointless to ask when weird stuff like this just happens? He'd hate to admit it, but it's really looking that way.

Magnet relents when Varian gets a hold of the saber's hilt, tail wagging, quite pleased, but also not about to idle for long, because he's back to sniffing around for more stuff. Meanwhile, Manabu steps over to Varian, looking the saber up and down.

"Really...really weird..."

It's so very pointless to question the weird stuff that goes on here, Varian's learned. Best to just roll with it. He pats Magnet's head as a reward, letting the dog go back to finding stuff, handing the saber over to Manabu.

"You're lucky! Ruddiger's nowhere near this helpful!"

Manabu gingerly takes the saber into his hands, settling its weight atop both his palms. This thing...wasn't really even his besides the fact he recognizes it, and yet...it's back? So is it...really his?

He blinks a couple times, processing Varian's comment and looking at him curiously. Helpful, really? Until now, Magnet's been mostly a menace in Manabu's opinion - lots of ankle-biting and noise...

"I...I guess so..."

More proof to Varian's point: Magnet trying to tug a satchel strap out of the sand.

Varian thinks that totally counts as his. Finders Keepers rules, and all that. He looks down at Magnet, watching him go about the business of finding all of Manabub's stuff.

"You guess so?" he strolls over, bending down to help the doggo pull it out of the sand. "Look how much he's working to find your stuff. I can't even get Ruddiger to come out once the weather gets cold."

Manabu shifts in place, boots sunk into the sand where he's stopped, and watches Varian and the little dog dig out the familiar bag. The impact doesn't hit yet because he's more focused on listening to Varian's words.

Look how much he's working. Manabu looks, feeling some kind of way about it. There's a nagging poking in the back of his mind, an echo of his own ceaseless need to work hard, to move forward, to help.

He bends to take the satchel before it needs to be dragged or swung his way, pulling it up into his arm and rifling through...until his fingers graze something smooth and solid. Slowly, he withdraws the dented, silver harmonica out, looking at it with a pensive expression that gets a little strained by the second. He gulps.

"...Good boy," he murmurs.

At Varian's feet, Magnet barks, tail wagging happily.

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