awashlogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

WHO: Caramia + Whoever wants to join this idiot.
WHERE: "Around town"??? // General store // Ruga
WHEN: 3/19, early morning // noon // 3/21
WHAT: Searching for the source of the hoofbeats // Guitar??? Jam Out??? Sure. // Sick lion dad is sick
WARNINGS: Eerie sounds and some dumbass playing his guitar. Also being Very Sick.

3/19 (Early morning) [Ruga house --> Exploring the town]

[ How many hours of sleep has it been today? It's hard to tell. Caramia can just confirm that he is, in fact, still tired. How fun. It has been hard to sleep through the dead silence, with only the sounds of the heartbeats and breaths of the people nearby, and if that sounded weirdly creepy, that's because it is. He'd have to fashion himself some earplugs sometime soon...

In the meantime, even though light is only just beginning to bathe the world, this tired lion still gets up for the day. He reaches over for the laptop (because that's what they're called! He's figured that out!!) and opens up the typing application to start jotting a few things down. Namely that it's a new day and he didn't get much sleep again. Nothing was labelled by dates, he simply kept things written as "Day 1", "Day 2", etc. It is a boring thing to read, as Caramia just seemed to have written what he did on the day, with the occasional question or theory about this town, but most of it stays bland.

He stops, however, when he realizes there's a peculiar tapping sound that rivals that of the ticking on his keys. It seems to have only been for a fleeting moment... no, there it is again. The sound is strange. Then again, any sound at this point is going to sound strange, since no sound is the standard here. Is this... the sound of horses?

Quickly, the laptop is pushed aside, and the curious lion makes his way out onto the streets of this dreadful town to follow the very out of place noise of hoofbeats. Dangerous? Probably. But he couldn't just ignore it now, could he? ]

3/19 (Noon) [General Store]

[ There are a lot of things to not like about this town. The fact the lack of color was so depressing, the food didn't taste good, the water felt worse than actual water, and the overall cold weather of the town... wasn't great. Oh, and of course, the fact they are stuck here with no clue what is going on and no idea of how to get home, but we'll just gloss over that little, tiny detail for now!! The worst of it, for Caramia, is definitely the fact that this town-- this horribly silent town, complete with no noise when one so much as steps on old leaves-- suddenly has what Caramia can only describe as "phantom horse trots" in the town.

It proves to be the most grating thing. Eerie, too, but fear is very rarely a problem for this reckless man. And, if he can't find the source of the issue, what better way than to just... drown it out? Taking his guitar case with him, Caramia strides much too stubbornly to the General Store, poking his head around to ensure he was alone. Not because he really didn't want company, but rather because he didn't want to think he might've been disturbing anyone.

Once there, he procures his acoustic guitar from its case and finds a place to take a seat that isn't falling apart under his weight. He adjusts it in his hands and gets situated.

...

He runs his fingers along the strings once, giving a little shudder at just how loud it sounds through the deadness of this town.

...

Regardless, he does it again, and his hands start to fall into practiced movements. ]

3/21 [A House Full of Nerds in Ruga...]

[ The weather outside is... not so bad, actually. It's cold, sure, and there's some flurries of snow, but it's certainly no winter wonderland. Nice weather to sit by the fireplace with a good book and some hot cocoa, though, right? Haha. Too bad there is none of that.

All yesterday, Caramia found himself with a bad case of the sniffles, though he was awful quick to brush aside any sort of concern. He took his medication, after all! He'd be fine! That is, until he wasn't. This morning, he stayed curled up in his usual dingy sleeping spot on the floor, using one of the rough blankets as a pillow, and his own coat as a cover, curled underneath with very prominent shaking. His breathing came out in short, quick gasps, face flushed and clearly the exact opposite of "being fine".

Oh well, it was only a matter of time before someone was going to get sick of this place, right? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Caramia walks like he's on a mission. Where that mission is taking him is literally beyond him, but he's going anyway. Is it dangerous? Yeah... probably. Does he care? No, not really.

He does manage to stop when he hears a voice, which honestly is for the best, since it's so hard to figure out just where the noise is stemming from. One moment it sounds like it's in the middle of town, next it sounds like it's coming from the forest outward of Ruga, then to the forward outward of Flavo. It was infuriating. ]

Oi... [ Sorry, Keith, he seems a little distracted. At least Caramia gives a nod in his direction, but otherwise his golden cat-like eyes are much too busy looking around for the source of the hoofbeats. ] Unfortunately, they're a tad hard for me to miss.

I can't tell where they're coming from. And I sure as heck haven't seen any horses around here. I mean... weird deer things in the wood. But they didn't... have hooves...

[Spider-deer. Keith is still residually unsettled by it at this point in time. Trying to contain the worst of his shivers, he looks around, frowning.]

What the quiznak is going on.

[ Weird... deer things? Geez, Caramia, you should really actually go out into the forest to do some exploring. He feels so left in the dark... about a lot of things. It's his own fault, really. At least this time around, he is trying. ]

Well, I was on my way to follow it. You're welcome to come with me-- going in numbers is probably better anyway.

[ That said, he doesn't wait for an answer before he starts moving again. After all, if Keith decides he didn't want to come, it's not like Caramia would've blamed him. Chasing odd sounds wasn't exactly a pleasant thought. ]

[Keith does not recommend the forest at this point. Not until they figure out a decent shadow repellent. Not that the shadows bothered them until they were in the little hut. So maybe they're mostly around there?

Anyway, he's quick to fall into step. Even a bundle of shivers, Keith isn't going to hang around.]

Great. The buddy system. Actually it's a good idea. [And after a pause.] Can you tell where it's coming from?

[ Oi, the buddy system is a great idea and Caramia will not tolerate slander.

He waits momentarily after Keith asks, mostly to keep listening. It's growing faint again, but if it's anything like it was before, it'll just... pick right back up. ]

I can. I wouldn't make a very good hunter otherwise, right? Thing is, it keeps moving. Not like normal moving, either, it's like the sound... teleports? I'm not sure how, but I'm hoping to find out.

...Are you cold?

[No hey buddy system is the only way to go. Keith is silent as Caramia listens, intent to try to place it himself.]

You're a hunter?

[He has not put together that this guy is the lion-turned-human guy yet. Stupid hex code usernames.] Could it be some weird acoustic echo because of the city? Or are you sure it's moving around like that?

[Oh uh that.]

Freezing, yeah. Have been since I ran into some shadows deep in the forest. Hasn't killed me though, so it's fine.

Of sorts! I might be a little biased, but felines tend to be the best there is.

[ Well, if it helps, Caramia doesn't do much to hide it. It's not like he really knows who Keith is, either. ] I'm sure it's moving around. Not the strangest thing this town has had to offer, but definitely one of the more irritating.

[ Despite how this made him a little more determined to give the hooved assholes, he does slow a bit to shrug off the coat from his shoulders, offering it out to Keith in turn. ]

Well, it's certainly not going to be good if you catch something. Put this on for now?

Felines?

[OH HEY.] Are you that guy who was talking about being a lion turned into a human?

[Yes? Maybe? Keith takes a closer look. Very human very not lion. Anyway. Right. Hoof beats. How do you follow hoof beats that keep changing where they're coming from?

Keith looks startled at the offer, but shakes his head.] Thanks, but honestly. Doesn't matter how many coats or how many blankets, I'm still cold. At least one of us should be warm. Besides, my suit is designed to keep me insulated. If it keeps me warm enough in space, it should do the trick here too.

That's me! You're the guy who's a fan of lions, right?? [ He makes sure to give a big smile, showing off his fangs and everything. Unfortunately, no amount of cat-like features would probably make up for the fact that he wasn't, in fact, a lion anymore, no matter how much he considered himself to be. Oh well, this was what he wanted. ]

Ah, so... it's like an ultimate chill that you got from those creatures you ran into? [ It's coming to him now. Poor Keith! That sounded abysmal. Caramia loathes the cold, and could only imagine how terrible it must be for him. Regardless, he puts his coat back on his shoulders and starts back for the distant trots. ]

Hopefully, these guys won't have anything to do with them.

Yeah. I've got a history with them. You know? Kind of.

[Robot alien lion ships. But you know, same difference. Castle of Lions. All sorts of things. Anyway, Keith offers a little smile of his own back to him.] I'm Keith.

[A nod at the next question, and his expression turns noticeably darker.] Yeah, basically. I'm just hoping it goes away. ...and you're right. It'd be better if whatever was making those hoof beats isn't related to those shadows.

[ He nods. ] I'm not surprised. For someone like you, I mean. They're a sign of bravery, you know. You must be proud!

[ Well, Caramia isn't a robot, but he was technically an alien? Sort of. Oz isn't technically on Earth, after all. So there's that, I guess. ] Caramia! I might've already introduced myself on the computer, I don't remember... Regardless, a proper introduction is far better, in my opinion.

[ He picks up his pace, just slightly. Maybe moving a little more will help Keith warm up...? He hopes so... ] I'm sure it will go away. Somehow. We'll figure it out one way or another.

[ Even if they have to ask one of the many super-powered/magic users around here for help. ]

Yeah, bravery, loyalty. All that stuff. I mean, they were alien robot lions, but I think it still applies.

[Keith nods his head in acknowledgment of the name. Honestly he can't keep names straight on the network. Like he'll remember being introduced, but there is no way in hell he's ever going to remember who belongs to what name and what hex code.]

It'll go away or I'll get used to it. Either way, I'm still on my feet so I can't complain too much.

[Fine by Keith. Quicker is better.] You don't think we're chasing ghost horses, do you?

Well, I'm not a robot, but I'm not really from Earth, either. I guess that technically makes me an alien to most of the people here?

[ Earth lions didn't usually talk, right? That was probably a big difference there, too. ]

Well, still. I'm worried-- Getting used to it doesn't sound so easy or... comfortable. If it's alright, I'd like to check up on you in a week or so. We'll see if we can talk to someone about it.

[ Ghost horses. Gh...ghorses. Ghorsts? Hmm... ]

Not sure. Either way, we'll be getting our exorcise done, right? [ Caramia, no. ] Get it? Exercise-- like... because we're... moving and because- [ Caramia. ] Nevermind.

Technically, I suppose so. ...where are you from though?

[Keith never really knows what to do with concern over his well being though, so the next question, well, he shrugs a shoulder.] I mean yeah, okay. Thanks...

[And then... then the pun comes and Keith looks over at him like he honestly can't believe that just happened.] ...you really went there. All right.

A place called Oz. Talking lions are pretty much the norm there.

[ He wished he could say "Maybe someday I could show you", but that would require, A.) Getting home and B.) Figuring out how to find these people again once everyone was back home. Plus, didn't Keith say that he might've been dead in his... world(?) Hm... ]

It... sounded better in my head. I meant to try something with horses, but I couldn't think of one.

Huh. So you're not actually from Earth. Most people here seem to be.

[Not worlds with talking lions. But hey, talking lions are cool. And Keith has been to enough alien worlds that this doesn't sound super weird to him.]

Well, you gave it a go. So there's that.

No, but I know a lot about it. A lot of books from there end up in Oz for... some reason.

[ Look, it's fine, Caramia will just somehow magically get them to Oz again and bring Keith along to meet said talking lions. It'll be great and nothing could ever go wrong. Probably. ]

I've definitely had better go's. [ Aw, he's pouting. Not enough to make him slow his pace to follow the horse sounds, of course, but still.

Though, it seemed that the closer they got to the source of the noise, the... quieter it became? How strange. ]

So... they're connected?

[For the benefit of not shattering the 4th wall, we'll just assume Keith has lived under a rock in terms of pop culture. Which, in fairness, Keith has lived under a rock in terms of pop culture so. Hooray.

Despite himself there's the start of a grin.]

Yeah. You'll nail it next time.

[Maybe when they aren't distracted chasing invisible hoof beats that are definitely screwing with them.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only