[ So, it turns out that no matter how well you were handling things, losing your memories and getting them all back like a tidal wave knocking you off your ass is not the best experience and the easiest way to set you back by. A lot.
If he were talking to one of his friends, he would hypocritically tell them that it might be a good idea to talk it all out. But his friends aren't here. That, or they're dead. So he does what he always does.
He distracts himself.
Granted, the first couple of days he could do absolutely nothing but retreat into himself, but when he finds it in himself to reenter the land of the living the first thing he thinks is that he doesn't want to be alone, so he reaches out— ]
hey man im bored as shit feel like hanging? ill bring my guitar
He’s been informed, numerous times, he should be mourning, his brother and boyfriend (?????!!!?????) are gone, that he’s acting weird, that people he’s never met know him, and they keep hugging him, and—
It’s a lot. It’s complicated and it’s wearing on him, making him feel thin, like paper.
[ He pauses to consider...normally he doesn't meet people without having seen them first. Or at least, he meets people as he sees them. Or they see him, rather. The point is, he feels like maybe he should...say something? Does that make things less awkward or more awkward? It's one thing when he first meets someone and they're startled, or stare, but when he's spoken to someone before and then they see him...that's new. ]
heads up you see some weirdo in a mask that's me don't worry about it
in my cabin, out in ache. got a lamp location so you don't have to go through the creepy forest
[ Dean doesn't either, but it kind of seems to be the norm around here. For newbies, anyway - he guesses if you've been here a while and know people it's not quite as necessary.
dude you live in the middle of a creepy forest? cool. k omw
[ With that out of the way! Sal has thankfully figured out the whole lantern thing, and it's not terribly long before he's at the front door of Dean's cabin, knocking to some jovial tune because he's overcompensating for the impending misery just waiting to overtake him on the first sign of a crack in his facade. Luckily, he's a pro.
when you put it like that it sounds a whole lot cooler
[ But he's not wrong, Dean...pretty much does live in a cabin in the middle of the creepy ass forest. He's got plenty of land, but it definitely backs up against some trees and it's heavily, heavily warded.
Dean will open up the door when the knock comes. ]
[ It's only a short pause before Sal chuckles. Bad joke. He's been in a place of isolation and limbo for a really, really, long time. He's basically relearning how to talk like a person again, which will involve lots of weird, randomly placed jokes. ]
[ Sometimes you just gotta lean into the fact that you look kinda creepy to cope.
At any rate, Sal steps inside the cabin and instinctively glances around. Seriously, this dude lives in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Like that movie; Cabin in the Forest. He won't express that thought out loud, though. Might not sound great coming from him. ]
[ Basically, yeah. Like, Dean loves it - it's pretty awesome, it's literally his dream cabin, though it's obviously meant for more than just him.
And yeah, it's weird living out here in Trenchwood alone; Ache is kind of creepy but there's farmlands and hey, he has an herb garden and he farms flowers now apparently, so. There's that. Weird thing to wake up to your previous self doing, but okay. ]
Yeah, tell me about it. Hard to believe this is mine. Want a drink or something?
[ Considering Dean had been talking about living a whole life here that he can't remember, Sal supposes it makes sense that this cabin is so big and so obviously for more than one person. But, that also means memories aren't the only thing missing from his life. Maybe it's the fact that his empathy has been heightened to the point where he'd consider it a superpower since he got here, but this place is screaming "I'm missing something".
It's missing people.
Which probably means Dean is missing people. He wonders if he remembers them or not. Either way, it's got to be tough. ]
Nah, I'm good thanks. [ Drinking in front of people he doesn't know well is always a whole thing. At least, it becomes a whole thing in his head. ] How've you been holding up?
[ They get on well enough that Dean trusts the opinion he'll get. ]
So...There's this abandoned warehouse in Cellar Door that's just kinda sitting there so I just...grabbed it. Been working on a microbrewery thing with a barfront, and an arcade in the basement.
Yeah, and from what I'm seeing, there's one kinda super questionable one and one fancy one. [ unless he's missed one which is entirely possible. ] So maybe one that doesn't have sticky floors or overpriced drinks will be good.
[ a beat. ]
Or...over something. I'm not really sure what constitutes as money yet. It's all trades and stuff.
Not gonna lie, I'd hate to think what over charging in a place that takes trades instead of money is like. Every time I go to buy something I'm worried in the back of my head they're gonna ask me to hop on one foot and recite my a b c's backwards for their amusement.
[ He's paranoid, okay? ]
Sooo having a place like yours around will totally be good.
[ Sal laughs in spite of the fact that these are very real fears. Sometimes you have to laugh off the upsetting things. That, or ignore them completely. Either way. ]
I'm betting on it. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
[ But speaking of "pretty awesome", Sal grabs the strap of his guitar and lifts it over his head. ]
Now, you ready to rock?
[ You bet that he didn't forget that Dean wanted to play. ]
[ A favorite, a favorite. He can do that. It's just the two of them so it's not like he's giving any kinda concert, right? Karaoke in his bar isn't open yet, it's just two dudes, duding out.
So he'll pick a little at the strings, settling against the couch and leaning forward, before starting into ramble on. ]
[ Sal takes a seat on the couch as well, forearms resting on his lap as he leans forward, keeping his gaze off to the side in case Dean didn't feel comfortable with Sal just staring at him expectantly.
When he begins to play, Sal bops his head slowly, appreciatively. Once he transitions into the song Sal recognizes it. Ah, a Steel Dirigible song!
Er, Led Zeppelin, in Dean's case.
Either way, Sal's bopping his head to the music with a touch more enthusiasm as the song plays on. ]
[ Dean won't make him sit through the WHOLE song...just a verse, the chorus, he might sing a little -- quietly, though, because he's a little shy with this piece of himself, but in the few times they've talked, Sal's never made him feel like an idiot. So. That's good.
He'll wrap him, set the guitar on his lap and flash a little smile, tentative, like he's waiting for judgement. ]
[ Sal's smile reaches his eyes from behind the mask, an arm raising to give dean a supportive thumbs up. Cheesy, but he has to rely on cheesy gestures to express himself. ]
That was awesome, dude. Didn't realize you could sing too.
[ Sal chuckles at that way too familiar and relatable admission. ]
Honestly, same. The only one I've ever sung in front of was my cat, and I'm at least half sure he was judging me.
[ Then again, Sal sometimes judges Gizmo for his sticker collection, so maybe that makes them even. At any rate, his words are earnest and spoken deliberately so that his sincerity can come across. ]
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for dean
If he were talking to one of his friends, he would hypocritically tell them that it might be a good idea to talk it all out. But his friends aren't here. That, or they're dead. So he does what he always does.
He distracts himself.
Granted, the first couple of days he could do absolutely nothing but retreat into himself, but when he finds it in himself to reenter the land of the living the first thing he thinks is that he doesn't want to be alone, so he reaches out— ]
hey man
im bored as shit
feel like hanging?
ill bring my guitar
[ "Bored as shit" is one way to put it. ]
no subject
Well.
It’s complicated.
He’s been informed, numerous times, he should be mourning, his brother and boyfriend (?????!!!?????) are gone, that he’s acting weird, that people he’s never met know him, and they keep hugging him, and—
It’s a lot. It’s complicated and it’s wearing on him, making him feel thin, like paper.
So the text is a welcome surprise. ]
hell yeah, let’s do it
no subject
[ He pauses to consider...normally he doesn't meet people without having seen them first. Or at least, he meets people as he sees them. Or they see him, rather. The point is, he feels like maybe he should...say something? Does that make things less awkward or more awkward? It's one thing when he first meets someone and they're startled, or stare, but when he's spoken to someone before and then they see him...that's new. ]
heads up you see some weirdo in a mask that's me don't worry about it
[ Yeah. Sure. That...works??? ]
no subject
[ Dean doesn't either, but it kind of seems to be the norm around here. For newbies, anyway - he guesses if you've been here a while and know people it's not quite as necessary.
Either way, he's not too worried. ]
lol okay
no subject
[ With that out of the way! Sal has thankfully figured out the whole lantern thing, and it's not terribly long before he's at the front door of Dean's cabin, knocking to some jovial tune because he's overcompensating for the impending misery just waiting to overtake him on the first sign of a crack in his facade. Luckily, he's a pro.
He has his guitar strapped to his back. ]
no subject
[ But he's not wrong, Dean...pretty much does live in a cabin in the middle of the creepy ass forest. He's got plenty of land, but it definitely backs up against some trees and it's heavily, heavily warded.
Dean will open up the door when the knock comes. ]
I'm assuming you're Sal? [ he hopes ]
no subject
[ It's only a short pause before Sal chuckles. Bad joke. He's been in a place of isolation and limbo for a really, really, long time. He's basically relearning how to talk like a person again, which will involve lots of weird, randomly placed jokes. ]
Kidding. Yeah, that's me.
no subject
[ Dean blinks, then snorts, opening the door further and stepping back to let him in. ]
Funny. You're funny, I like you. C'mon in.
no subject
[ Sometimes you just gotta lean into the fact that you look kinda creepy to cope.
At any rate, Sal steps inside the cabin and instinctively glances around. Seriously, this dude lives in a cabin in the middle of the woods. Like that movie; Cabin in the Forest. He won't express that thought out loud, though. Might not sound great coming from him. ]
Rad digs, dude.
no subject
And yeah, it's weird living out here in Trenchwood alone; Ache is kind of creepy but there's farmlands and hey, he has an herb garden and he farms flowers now apparently, so. There's that. Weird thing to wake up to your previous self doing, but okay. ]
Yeah, tell me about it. Hard to believe this is mine. Want a drink or something?
no subject
It's missing people.
Which probably means Dean is missing people. He wonders if he remembers them or not. Either way, it's got to be tough. ]
Nah, I'm good thanks. [ Drinking in front of people he doesn't know well is always a whole thing. At least, it becomes a whole thing in his head. ] How've you been holding up?
no subject
[ Well, that's not entirely true. ]
Kinda started working on something in town. But it's still kinda forming, know what I mean? The whole idea of it.
no subject
Oh yeah? That's good. Whatcha workin' on? If you don't mind me asking.
no subject
So...There's this abandoned warehouse in Cellar Door that's just kinda sitting there so I just...grabbed it. Been working on a microbrewery thing with a barfront, and an arcade in the basement.
no subject
[ His inclining tone is a pretty good indicator that he thinks this is a totally rad idea. ]
Dude, that's actually a really awesome idea.
no subject
[ Of his beer, the games, all that good stuff. ]
Man, I hope so. Or I've wasted a whole lotta time and a whole of of goods trading.
no subject
[ He doesn't drink for personal reasons but even he knows that much. ]
If you ever need help or anything let me know. Even if it's just to talk about it.
no subject
[ a beat. ]
Or...over something. I'm not really sure what constitutes as money yet. It's all trades and stuff.
no subject
[ He's paranoid, okay? ]
Sooo having a place like yours around will totally be good.
no subject
But -- yeah. Everyone's welcome, should be pretty awesome.
[ he hopes, anyway. ]
no subject
I'm betting on it. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
[ But speaking of "pretty awesome", Sal grabs the strap of his guitar and lifts it over his head. ]
Now, you ready to rock?
[ You bet that he didn't forget that Dean wanted to play. ]
no subject
Hell yeah I am -- show me what you've got.
no subject
Well, that's kinda accurate, technically. ]
I think you should do the honors of starting off this rock session, dude.
no subject
Damn, okay...where to start..
[ Give him a moment. ]
no subject
Don't think too hard about it. Maybe start with a favorite?
[ It's okay Dean he got nervous his first time playing for people and ended up playing Mary had a little Lamb for the whole network. ]
no subject
Okay, that's a good idea.
[ A favorite, a favorite. He can do that. It's just the two of them so it's not like he's giving any kinda concert, right? Karaoke in his bar isn't open yet, it's just two dudes, duding out.
So he'll pick a little at the strings, settling against the couch and leaning forward, before starting into ramble on. ]
no subject
When he begins to play, Sal bops his head slowly, appreciatively. Once he transitions into the song Sal recognizes it. Ah, a Steel Dirigible song!
Er, Led Zeppelin, in Dean's case.
Either way, Sal's bopping his head to the music with a touch more enthusiasm as the song plays on. ]
steel dirigible cracks me up every time
He'll wrap him, set the guitar on his lap and flash a little smile, tentative, like he's waiting for judgement. ]
good bc i am stupidly proud of that one
That was awesome, dude. Didn't realize you could sing too.
steel dirigible lmao its so good
Yeah, a little, I guess. I don't do it often. Mostly in the shower. Back home, in the car when I was alone.
literally only play sal for the off brand band names tbh
Honestly, same. The only one I've ever sung in front of was my cat, and I'm at least half sure he was judging me.
[ Then again, Sal sometimes judges Gizmo for his sticker collection, so maybe that makes them even. At any rate, his words are earnest and spoken deliberately so that his sincerity can come across. ]
It really was good, though.