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TEST DRIVE MEME #4
TEST DRIVE MEME
Something is… wrong. It’s something you’ve all felt before, whether from proximity to the kaijuu blood or from falling through your own Confluences. It’s as though reality is thinning, stretching around you.
It’s starting small. A building on the street may shift into a different building - perhaps even one you recognize from home. People on the streets flicker, and you see familiar faces out of the corners of your eyes. At night, anyone who pays attention can see that even the stars themselves are changing. Sometimes, the constellations you see when you look up shouldn’t be visible from Earth at all. Planets and stars far from home glitter in foreign skies, and you feel a sense of dread.
Across the country, people are filming their own odd phenomenon. Some are more intense than others, but all do seem to be centered in places where metas tend to live or congregate.
What the guilds had initially perceived as a sign things were returning to normal - confluences becoming more mild, less potent - is a sign things have turned for the worse. Confluences are no longer singular bursts of meta-energy, they’re steady bleeds.
And this time, the confluence rocks the entire country.
It’s starting small. A building on the street may shift into a different building - perhaps even one you recognize from home. People on the streets flicker, and you see familiar faces out of the corners of your eyes. At night, anyone who pays attention can see that even the stars themselves are changing. Sometimes, the constellations you see when you look up shouldn’t be visible from Earth at all. Planets and stars far from home glitter in foreign skies, and you feel a sense of dread.
Across the country, people are filming their own odd phenomenon. Some are more intense than others, but all do seem to be centered in places where metas tend to live or congregate.
What the guilds had initially perceived as a sign things were returning to normal - confluences becoming more mild, less potent - is a sign things have turned for the worse. Confluences are no longer singular bursts of meta-energy, they’re steady bleeds.
And this time, the confluence rocks the entire country.
DOWN WHERE IT'S WETTER. ATLANTIS.
You wake from a dream of infinity.
There’s a moment of weightlessness, before a sudden pressure and wetness: you’ve found yourselves at the bottom of the ocean, drifting upwards out of glowing cracks in the earth.
Dark sleek shapes emerge from the shadows, moving with swift grace through the water towards you. They’re seals - or, more properly, selkies. Chubby and doe-eyed, with mouths full of sharp carnivorous teeth. Once they may have eaten a lost traveler, but they owe land dwellers their lives now and are eager to return the favor. They loop cowrie necklaces over your heads and wait patiently for you to stop stubbornly holding your breath. When you gasp, you breathe water as easily as air. It’s magic.
They begin to herd you with gentle pushes and nudges from their tails. Their home, Atlantis, shines bright in these abyssal depths. They tell you that under the sea, all is known as Atlantis. Their home is in the Antarctic, and once they say it, you understand why they’re swimming so close. The energy is being zapped from your body by frigid waters. They’re making sure you don’t pass out from the effort.
Parts of the city have been encased in magical bubbles, for the safety of the outsiders now traveling to and fro. There’s no formal gathering place and so the selkies leave you outside of what looks to be a hospital. The city is an odd blend of rock, coral and crystal. The streets have no signs and there’s no clear signage around town. Yet if you wander you’ll find restaurants with fish-headed waiters serving a variety of unique dishes. There are movie theaters. A club with pulse-pounding music that vibrates the water around it. None of it is what you’re accustomed to, but it’s there for you to experience...the people seem hungry for levity right now. Much of much of the city appears to be destroyed, and many of its people seem to be disoriented.
The Guardian Alliance and The Society are both there to shepherd you back to land when they’ve got a moment to spare from the repair efforts.
It’s possible, of course, that some of you may slip through the metaphorical cracks. You can try to brave the waters and swim out to see what else there is. But beware the blood that still shimmers in the water. Swimming through it is not an experience you want. Your soul will feel ripped from your body, your mind exposed to the universe itself. But hey, if you’re out here, you’re unsupervised. It’s not like anyone can stop you.
Other metas can come out to rescue these stragglers - the Atlanteans have plenty of personal submersibles that they can loan you.
There’s a moment of weightlessness, before a sudden pressure and wetness: you’ve found yourselves at the bottom of the ocean, drifting upwards out of glowing cracks in the earth.
Dark sleek shapes emerge from the shadows, moving with swift grace through the water towards you. They’re seals - or, more properly, selkies. Chubby and doe-eyed, with mouths full of sharp carnivorous teeth. Once they may have eaten a lost traveler, but they owe land dwellers their lives now and are eager to return the favor. They loop cowrie necklaces over your heads and wait patiently for you to stop stubbornly holding your breath. When you gasp, you breathe water as easily as air. It’s magic.
They begin to herd you with gentle pushes and nudges from their tails. Their home, Atlantis, shines bright in these abyssal depths. They tell you that under the sea, all is known as Atlantis. Their home is in the Antarctic, and once they say it, you understand why they’re swimming so close. The energy is being zapped from your body by frigid waters. They’re making sure you don’t pass out from the effort.
Parts of the city have been encased in magical bubbles, for the safety of the outsiders now traveling to and fro. There’s no formal gathering place and so the selkies leave you outside of what looks to be a hospital. The city is an odd blend of rock, coral and crystal. The streets have no signs and there’s no clear signage around town. Yet if you wander you’ll find restaurants with fish-headed waiters serving a variety of unique dishes. There are movie theaters. A club with pulse-pounding music that vibrates the water around it. None of it is what you’re accustomed to, but it’s there for you to experience...the people seem hungry for levity right now. Much of much of the city appears to be destroyed, and many of its people seem to be disoriented.
The Guardian Alliance and The Society are both there to shepherd you back to land when they’ve got a moment to spare from the repair efforts.
It’s possible, of course, that some of you may slip through the metaphorical cracks. You can try to brave the waters and swim out to see what else there is. But beware the blood that still shimmers in the water. Swimming through it is not an experience you want. Your soul will feel ripped from your body, your mind exposed to the universe itself. But hey, if you’re out here, you’re unsupervised. It’s not like anyone can stop you.
Other metas can come out to rescue these stragglers - the Atlanteans have plenty of personal submersibles that they can loan you.
DIADEM HOTEL
You're not going home anytime soon. Hopefully, the LUXURY HOTEL they've put you up in will ease that sting.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the highly anticipated DROP DEAD GORGEOUS movie, a thriller wherein a fictional beauty queen accidentally swallows a fragment of the Necronomicon and becomes the world’s most powerful necromancer. Oh, and her boyfriend transforms into her chainsaw.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the highly anticipated DROP DEAD GORGEOUS movie, a thriller wherein a fictional beauty queen accidentally swallows a fragment of the Necronomicon and becomes the world’s most powerful necromancer. Oh, and her boyfriend transforms into her chainsaw.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
CRACKS IN THE SKY. LITTLE LOVE, KANSAS.
The town of Little Love is as quiet and easy going as can be. Nothing interesting ever happens here - if you discount the events of the last six months. Right now, the most exciting things going on are the annual Fishing Tourney (catch the biggest bass to win!) and the summer barbeque festival.
If you happen to be out on the streets in the evening, enjoying the summer heat, you’ll notice that the sky above you has changed. Maybe you’re not an expert astrologist, but you do know a fair amount about what you look up at every night. Foreign constellations are dotting the skies. Planets not visible from Earth flicker in and out of view. Some so close you swear they’ve entered orbit. You watch this in puzzled silence and then, all at once, something breaks. Massive glowing cracks appear in the sky, pulsing with light. And then quickly as the sky breaks, you watch it reverse.
Moments later, it cracks again.
You watch this process unfold for the better part of the night. As it goes on, the cracks are slower to mend. They linger like the afterimage of lightning, fading slowly back to the picturesque sky you’re familiar with. Neighbors come out to watch as well. Someone remarks that this is aurora borealis. And remain unconvinced when they’re corrected.
The peaceful moment is shattered by the sound of something shrieking through the crack in the sky seconds before it closes. A spacecraft hurtles towards the ground. Then another. And another.
They leave trails of burning wreckage in their wake; there’ll be some fires to put out before anyone can even begin to deal with the other potential fallout. The town could go up in smoke in seconds if this fire were to spread.
By the time anyone reaches the downed ships, any survivors are long gone. The crumpled foliage suggests that something did survive and slip free… but that’s not the concerning part. The ships are a kaleidoscope, each person present sees something different. Perhaps you see a spaceship from a book you read growing up. Or perhaps this is a spacecraft from your homeworld, spurring hope that someone has come to find you. Hope that’s dashed when the person beside you shakes their head and says they see a cartoonishly shaped UFO. You all reach out to touch it and find that your perceptions are all correct. Your hands stop in different spots.
This ship is all of these things and none of them at once. And it’s the same for any other ships that fall through the cracks.
The next morning, the ships are quarantined by Alliance folks. The citizens come in to report that livestock and staff have gone missing in the night. Some who were present when they were snatched can’t provide a coherent explanation of what they saw. No two people have the same story, even if they witnessed the same snatching. They were twelve feet tall! They had bulbous heads. They were tiny as ants. They appear to change depending on who is perceiving them.
You'll have to go out into the fields to try and locate the lost, searching through abandoned homesteads and gaping empty barns. There's not too many places to hide around here; eventually you'll find your quarry. But what you find is a matter of perspective. Do you trust your perception of reality? Is the being before you dangerous and bloodthirsty. Or will you defer to your partner on this mission if they see something lost and frightened?
If you happen to be out on the streets in the evening, enjoying the summer heat, you’ll notice that the sky above you has changed. Maybe you’re not an expert astrologist, but you do know a fair amount about what you look up at every night. Foreign constellations are dotting the skies. Planets not visible from Earth flicker in and out of view. Some so close you swear they’ve entered orbit. You watch this in puzzled silence and then, all at once, something breaks. Massive glowing cracks appear in the sky, pulsing with light. And then quickly as the sky breaks, you watch it reverse.
Moments later, it cracks again.
You watch this process unfold for the better part of the night. As it goes on, the cracks are slower to mend. They linger like the afterimage of lightning, fading slowly back to the picturesque sky you’re familiar with. Neighbors come out to watch as well. Someone remarks that this is aurora borealis. And remain unconvinced when they’re corrected.
The peaceful moment is shattered by the sound of something shrieking through the crack in the sky seconds before it closes. A spacecraft hurtles towards the ground. Then another. And another.
They leave trails of burning wreckage in their wake; there’ll be some fires to put out before anyone can even begin to deal with the other potential fallout. The town could go up in smoke in seconds if this fire were to spread.
By the time anyone reaches the downed ships, any survivors are long gone. The crumpled foliage suggests that something did survive and slip free… but that’s not the concerning part. The ships are a kaleidoscope, each person present sees something different. Perhaps you see a spaceship from a book you read growing up. Or perhaps this is a spacecraft from your homeworld, spurring hope that someone has come to find you. Hope that’s dashed when the person beside you shakes their head and says they see a cartoonishly shaped UFO. You all reach out to touch it and find that your perceptions are all correct. Your hands stop in different spots.
This ship is all of these things and none of them at once. And it’s the same for any other ships that fall through the cracks.
The next morning, the ships are quarantined by Alliance folks. The citizens come in to report that livestock and staff have gone missing in the night. Some who were present when they were snatched can’t provide a coherent explanation of what they saw. No two people have the same story, even if they witnessed the same snatching. They were twelve feet tall! They had bulbous heads. They were tiny as ants. They appear to change depending on who is perceiving them.
You'll have to go out into the fields to try and locate the lost, searching through abandoned homesteads and gaping empty barns. There's not too many places to hide around here; eventually you'll find your quarry. But what you find is a matter of perspective. Do you trust your perception of reality? Is the being before you dangerous and bloodthirsty. Or will you defer to your partner on this mission if they see something lost and frightened?
DOPPELGANGERS. SUNSET FALLS.
The multiverse is a known entity. Though most modern metahumans have no first hand experience with it, many who were active before the Godfall Event have tales of falling into worlds that were almost their own...but not quite.
In one, the heroes were villains, and villains were heroes.
In another, the confluences had never occurred at all and there was a perfectly ordinary world devoid of powers that had no idea how to react to their presence.
In yet another, the Godfall Event had never occurred. The Protocols, Guild System, and rules of engagement were never formed. Time had passed and alternate universe children greeted them with tears and excitement to know the parents they’d lost in the No Man’s Land the world had become.
The people of Sunset Falls are used to odd apparitions. Most of them know better than to chase phantoms or to stare too long at something that shouldn’t be there. The best they can do is offer a sympathetic smile to the newcomers, reaching out to pat your hands and slip you a note:
Don’t worry. I see it too.
It’s not nearly as comforting as they seem to think it is. Yet they move on unperturbed.
Flickering in and out of existence, there are phantoms walking the streets. They don’t appear to be properly synced with this reality. They move on a different plane, through buildings, appearing to interact with objects that aren’t there. That’s not the unsettling thing, though.
They’re you.
It’s not just you, though. This isn’t a mirror. It’s a warped reflection. Maybe the way they wear their hair is just a little different than yours. Smooth skin where you have scars. Every animal instinct you possess screams that this should not be, yet you feel a pull towards them. And they seem to feel the same to you.
If you fall into the temptation and reach out to touch them, you’ll find yourself trading places. They fall into your body and you tumble out of it, into the world between worlds where memory is all that matters. Their memories and experiences spread out before you - a world made entirely of their similar-yet-different life. But you are so much more powerful than they are. If anyone wanders too close, they’ll be pulled into this what-if world with you.
Meanwhile they - good, evil, or just different - are now in your place. In your body, indistinguishable from you at least visually, they’re perfectly placed to slide into your life...or, depending on their proclivities, to destroy it.
In order to escape and return to your rightful places, you'll have to repeat the action that brought you here in the first place: find your doppelganger. As they were once phantoms flickering in and out of the world, so too were you flickering in and out of theirs. Even here, in this alternate reality, you may see flashes of people and places you know. The worlds don't always align very neatly, though. It will take some exploration - probably, some learning about your double and how their life differs from yours - in order to find the echo of them again. Just don't forget which reality you came from to begin with; this is where having a friend from your own world along may help.
And, of course, your doppelgangers are also on their own little adventure. Some of them may also wish to return home, or are simply decent enough to see this fixed; they may seek out people to help, though they're no more equipped than you to find their way through this unfamiliar world. Naturally, there are also those who do not want to return and may flee from you and fight anyone else's efforts to capture them.
In one, the heroes were villains, and villains were heroes.
In another, the confluences had never occurred at all and there was a perfectly ordinary world devoid of powers that had no idea how to react to their presence.
In yet another, the Godfall Event had never occurred. The Protocols, Guild System, and rules of engagement were never formed. Time had passed and alternate universe children greeted them with tears and excitement to know the parents they’d lost in the No Man’s Land the world had become.
The people of Sunset Falls are used to odd apparitions. Most of them know better than to chase phantoms or to stare too long at something that shouldn’t be there. The best they can do is offer a sympathetic smile to the newcomers, reaching out to pat your hands and slip you a note:
Don’t worry. I see it too.
It’s not nearly as comforting as they seem to think it is. Yet they move on unperturbed.
Flickering in and out of existence, there are phantoms walking the streets. They don’t appear to be properly synced with this reality. They move on a different plane, through buildings, appearing to interact with objects that aren’t there. That’s not the unsettling thing, though.
They’re you.
It’s not just you, though. This isn’t a mirror. It’s a warped reflection. Maybe the way they wear their hair is just a little different than yours. Smooth skin where you have scars. Every animal instinct you possess screams that this should not be, yet you feel a pull towards them. And they seem to feel the same to you.
If you fall into the temptation and reach out to touch them, you’ll find yourself trading places. They fall into your body and you tumble out of it, into the world between worlds where memory is all that matters. Their memories and experiences spread out before you - a world made entirely of their similar-yet-different life. But you are so much more powerful than they are. If anyone wanders too close, they’ll be pulled into this what-if world with you.
Meanwhile they - good, evil, or just different - are now in your place. In your body, indistinguishable from you at least visually, they’re perfectly placed to slide into your life...or, depending on their proclivities, to destroy it.
In order to escape and return to your rightful places, you'll have to repeat the action that brought you here in the first place: find your doppelganger. As they were once phantoms flickering in and out of the world, so too were you flickering in and out of theirs. Even here, in this alternate reality, you may see flashes of people and places you know. The worlds don't always align very neatly, though. It will take some exploration - probably, some learning about your double and how their life differs from yours - in order to find the echo of them again. Just don't forget which reality you came from to begin with; this is where having a friend from your own world along may help.
And, of course, your doppelgangers are also on their own little adventure. Some of them may also wish to return home, or are simply decent enough to see this fixed; they may seek out people to help, though they're no more equipped than you to find their way through this unfamiliar world. Naturally, there are also those who do not want to return and may flee from you and fight anyone else's efforts to capture them.
CLIFF NOTES.
➢ Newbies will be arriving in Atlantis. Enjoy the sights, the dancing, and restaurants! Have fun wondering if its ethical to eat fish in front of fish people.
➢ Current Players are welcome to treat this as a bonus event. These events are canonically happening within the game but can be largely ignored if you'd prefer to use the month for personal plots. You can tag into the TDM, reference these prompts in network posts, or use them in your own logs.
➢ Reality is warping around you. While you can’t consciously warp reality, it does seem to be temporarily bending around you and trying to make parts of this location your home. Your favorite cafe, arcade, your house - all of those are on the table to appear.
➢ There are cracks appearing in the sky above Little Love, and alien spacecrafts are falling through them. The reality that these spacecrafts (and their passengers) inhabit is entirely subjective. What you see is real. And so is what your friend sees. You’ll need to decide on whose reality is the one worth sticking with.
➢ There are Alternate Universe Doppelgangers in Sunset Falls! These Doppelgangers are a potential you. Attempting to physically interact with these Doppelgangers will have you switch places with them! They’ll get your body, and you get thrown into what you can only describe as the Afterlife. A world where memories are the only thing that matters.
➢![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
metaheroes is an invite-only game. However, anyone is welcomed to participate on the TDM. If you do not know anyone involved and would like an invitation, you can contact the Mod Team on the Mod Contact page and request an invite.
➢ Current Players are welcome to treat this as a bonus event. These events are canonically happening within the game but can be largely ignored if you'd prefer to use the month for personal plots. You can tag into the TDM, reference these prompts in network posts, or use them in your own logs.
➢ Reality is warping around you. While you can’t consciously warp reality, it does seem to be temporarily bending around you and trying to make parts of this location your home. Your favorite cafe, arcade, your house - all of those are on the table to appear.
➢ There are cracks appearing in the sky above Little Love, and alien spacecrafts are falling through them. The reality that these spacecrafts (and their passengers) inhabit is entirely subjective. What you see is real. And so is what your friend sees. You’ll need to decide on whose reality is the one worth sticking with.
➢ There are Alternate Universe Doppelgangers in Sunset Falls! These Doppelgangers are a potential you. Attempting to physically interact with these Doppelgangers will have you switch places with them! They’ll get your body, and you get thrown into what you can only describe as the Afterlife. A world where memories are the only thing that matters.
➢
metaheroes is an invite-only game. However, anyone is welcomed to participate on the TDM. If you do not know anyone involved and would like an invitation, you can contact the Mod Team on the Mod Contact page and request an invite.WILDCARD.
Metaheroes takes inspiration from all walks of comics. Take a look at the CITIES to get an idea as to what day to day life is like in the other cities. Perhaps you've encountered a supervillain (or hero) who needs to be thwarted, or a metahuman with unusual powers creating bizarre effects. You can also take a look at the MISSION BOARD to get your start as a professional hero, villain, or vigilante.
no subject
His leg was amputated, and you're making jokes about it?
[That's exactly what Eddie would probably do, she realizes. And her shock softens into acceptance, nose scrunching up as she reaches over to gently push at his arm. Not too hard, since he's driving.]
It is really metal. But also really gross. He shouldn't just leave it laying around!
no subject
[ VINDICATIONNNNNN. ]
He'll explain about his leg, it's a lot better now. He has this prosthetic that gives him a fake ankle so he can walk ... it's not as horrific as I'm making it sound, I'm sorry.
no subject
I kept some of the screws they used to hold my arms and legs in place for a while.
[It's murmured so softly, she almost isn't sure she's said it out loud. But of course she has, because she feels herself smiling about it, can feel her cheeks turning pink as she warms over with embarrassment.
So Eddie's bone thing is a little weird and gross, but she gets it. She gets it so much, she finds herself restless to get to wherever they live so she can see him. Her legs start bouncing nervously, hands fidgeting with the straps on Steve's backpack, and her attention turns back out the window.]
Are we almost there?
no subject
Not far, the apartment's in midtown.
[ The ride isn't too long and he parks up in the little lot behind the building they call home. It's only five floors, a nice brown-brick building with a large stoop in a decent neighbourhood; the elevator button he pushes belonging to the top floor. Nothing as fancy as the Harrington's estate in Hawkins but it clear that Billy and Eddie wouldn't have selected it.
The apartment is large enough to house three grown men, an open-plan loft for the living space for the lounge and kitchen so that when they enter he can see no one's in the main room, the couch and chairs empty by the long window that spans the room.
Steve's keys clatter as he tosses them in a bowl beside the door. ]
Hey, anyone home? Eddie? EDDIE! Got someone who wants to see you, dude.
no subject
I'm coming, I'm coming! Keep your pants on. Shit, where are mine. [ his are decidedly not on, from the sounds of it. It takes another minute or so of rummaging before he's presentable, hair piled high on his head in a messy bun, metal shirt a few sizes too big, the shorts he's wearing just long enough to hide the gnarly scars.
There are scars on his face, where the bats took chunks. One long leg has been replaced by red metal, a simple design like he'd have to manage with back home, and it has been plastered with stickers from the same pack that personalized the passengers side of the SUV. ]
And who is coveting my favor -
[ and he stops short, his eyes going wide as he takes in the ghost of a girl at Steve's side. ]
Ch... Chrissy?
no subject
And then there he is, looking far different than the last time she had seen him. But Steve had prepared her for the sight of his leg, not that it would make any difference to her. The scars are noticeable, and she knows hers likely are too. Makeup takes care of the ones from surgeries around her eyes, but nothing hides the webbing of scars across her arms and legs. The amount of surgeries and stitches she had needed to become functional again was intense.
Scars aren't really what she's paying attention to though. It's the messy bun on top of his head, a sight that makes her laugh, even as she white knuckle clutches hold of Steve's backpack and feels tears brimming in her eyes again. Her mascara is definitely all over her face by this point. But she doesn't care. Seeing him standing there, eyes wide and looking at her like she's a ghost, she lets the tears freely fall.]
I guess you were right. I really am terrifying, if you're looking at me like that.
[Saying nothing about death or sadness out of the gate, she instead opts for an attempt at humor. Because beneath her tears, she's brightly smiling, and laughs softly as she drops the backpack on the ground. She clumsily hops over it as she makes her way over to Eddie, careful not to knock him over as her arms wrap around him in a tight hug.]
I'm sorry.
[She isn't sure what she's sorry for. For dying? For getting him involved in her mess? For not being there to help him when he needed it? She's sorry for all of that, and a hell of a lot more. Specifics will come in time. Right now, she cries and clings a little as she tries to let him feel that she's solid and real and not a ghost that's here to haunt him.]
no subject
[ The soft expression Steve wears gives a nod to Eddie over Chrissy's shoulder. He gathers up his bag and slips out, still smiling. ]
no subject
[ it comes out half-laugh, half sob. The word breaking on its way out as his arms go around her, feeling how frail she is - frail and alive and God, God, she's apologizing and Eddie -
Eddie feels himself laugh again. Managing a hiccuping sob. ]
No, no - no, I'm sorry. I - I shouldn't have run. You didn't do anything wrong. Don't you ever - don't you ever apologize, okay?
no subject
You ran?
[She has to laugh to keep from apologizing again. Or worse, crying more. The thought of him running and leaving her there all alone is depressing. He shouldn't have had to deal with that.]
It doesn't matter. We're both alive here. And —
Wait. How long have you been here, Eddie?
no subject
Three... four months? I wasn't really conscious for the first bit.
[ It had been touch and go for a little bit there. He doesn't remember much other than asking to keep his leg bones if they couldn't save the leg, then... recovery. physiotherapy. relearning how to walk and trying to adjust to being thrust forty years into the future. eventually being well enough to be discharged and then being left directionless. ]
You?
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[She sounds unsure when she says it, because she really is.]
They told me I was dead when I fell through one of the confluences. [Which is a lot to admit, because they both know the condition her body was in after that happened. She leans back enough that she can peer up at his face, nibbling at her lip in worry.]
But I don't remember most of the first three months here because they kept me sedated to heal. There were a lot of surgeries to fix my arms and legs, and...my eyes. They had to use magic and medicine to fix my eyes.
[The more she admits, the more guilty she feels. The tears keep flowing, and soon enough she's pulled herself back in and buried her face against his chest. His metal tshirt can soak up her tears.]
I've only been out of the hospital for about a week.
[And everything here is overwhelming and a lot to deal with. She's overwhelmed and lonely, but isn't miserable anymore. Not now that she has Eddie and Steve.]
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they were probably right next to each other, all this time. not knowing. he swallows the sudden lump in his throat. rubbing her back, dropping his chin to rest on top of her head. ]
You're gonna be staying right here with us from now on.
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[It's impossible for her to hide the surprise and awe in her voice, like she can't believe that anyone would want to stay with her.]
Really?
[Her voice cracks on that part, before a small sob shakes her petite frame once again. She's been so scared and overwhelmed for months, and the past week has been almost too much for her. To know that she has someplace she can stay and belong, people here she can trust and stick with?
She's incredibly grateful.
She pulls back a little, head lifting so she can look up at him. Her makeup is definitely a mess as tears stream down her face. But she's smiling, just a little. And that's enough.]
Are you sure? I don't want to get in the way.
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[ there's that nervous part of him that shrinks at the thought. at how much he'll want to tone down the comfortable intimacy he has with steve, because chrissy cunningham is a nice girl - but he knows all too well that nice people can have the wrong opinion about people like him. them.
but the world here is... different. in so, so many ways. ]
I'm a slob, though. I mean - you saw my last place.
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[It's a quick retort, attached with a laugh because this is going to tread dangerously close into discussing things that really aren't meant for happy reunions. The last time she was at his place, it was pure trauma for the both of them.
She pulls back out of the hug, just enough that she can let him see her smile. After everything that they went through together, some trauma bonding can lead to what feels like a pretty solid friendship. He deserves to see her smile, she thinks, after the last time he saw her she was probably...not great to look at.]
I'll make sure things stay clean. I mean, you guys are really helping me out here.
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it's a lot.
he isn't entirely sure how to process it. chrissy cunningham's pretty smile could melt even the iciest of hearts. there's a reason why hawkins loved her - and unlike so many others, that reason has absolutely nothing to do with cruelty. chrissy never went out of her way to make other people feel small. ]
Oh no. No way. That's my burden to bear. All you need to do is worry about getting comfortable and adjusted to the future. You check this internet thing out yet?
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I've tried! But it's so much to figure out, and everything is happening all at once!
[She pauses, grin becoming a little toothy as she tries to inject the conversation with some much needed laughter.]
What's a Tiktok and snapchat supposed to be, anyway?
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Pretty sure snapchat's just for sending nudes. Tiktok's my new kingdom.
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But she shuffles her way over to the couch, sitting down and leaning over enough she can look at his phone. It's so small that it's hard for her to believe it's capable of doing everything.]
Show me everything.
[Whatever he uses Tiktok for, she'd like to see. She wants to be a part of that kingdom.]
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Hargrove's the one who put me onto this. [ he will not out how billy is making his fortune. ] I've got thousands of adoring fans all of the world and they're into everything from guitar [ he pulls up a video of him playing Master of Puppets ] to painting D&D figs. [ and he flips to that. its. just a timelapse of him painting a tiefling warlock. ]
And it's funny. It figures out what you like and then shoves it in your face.
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Maybe I should get one. [She means a phone. And a tiktok account.] I've been so afraid of everything in this world because I was trying to figure it out alone. But it doesn't seem so scary now.
[In fact, it seems like something she can easily do. As she gets more comfortable with the idea of technology, her legs slowly curl up onto the couch and she leans over to rest up against him. He doesn't ask her to touch at his phone, and maybe it's rude, but she reaches over to use a single finger to scroll through his videos. There's an entire new life's worth of interests here, and she hopes she'll eventually have the same thing going for her.]
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[ he'd been about the same. hiding in his hotel room, cocooning himself in anything he found familiar. right up until steve and billy had barged in. he tips the phone over for her to see, and as she leans into him, his arm drops to secure itself around her shoulders in an unspoken I got you. ]
If you make one we can do collabs and shit.
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Promise? [His phone forgotten now, she holds up her hand, pinkie extended for him to shake.]
You'll have to take me out to get a new phone though. I lost the one they gave me the first day I had it. I set my bag down and someone grabbed it and ran.
[It's hard going from small town Indiana to being here, okay??]
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Harrington's got that covered. His power lets him just... make whatever shit we need in the moment.
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He can do that? Really? That's so neat!
[Maybe that's why they have such a nice apartment and things inside it. Steve just created the building and made everything they owned.]
So we don't have to use that credit card to buy things. Steve could just make me whatever I wanted.
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