DEADLAND

[petoskeymods]

[Some time after your character dies, they will wake up in their bunk in camp. But something is wrong here, so very wrong.

Venture outside, and you will see that you're still in camp, but it's trapped in a foggy twilight. Time doesn't seem to pass, and it's quiet. Too quiet. No animals, no breeze, nothing.

The only sign of anything living is in the trees, where dozens and dozens of ghostly figures roam. Sometimes they might come into camp, but you'll probably have to go out to meet them if you want to talk to them. They all seem to be watching camp, but are shy and might flicker away if they're approached.

Finally, in the chapel in the lodge, there is a shadowy figure. It looks like a preteen, perhaps? Maybe 11 or 12 or so. But that's about all you can get from it at a glance.

But you're here now, and there are things to do. Where will you start?]

Comments

[seekingsunrise]

[Swaying a little, trying to soothe even as he finds the thread of one of those thoughts and starts unraveling it. It sounds a little too fast, a little too frantic. It's all Tal can do to try to keep his own voice low and steady, as soothing as his arms around Lance.]

No one deserves this place, not us, not even Red.

But the war will go on. One person does not stop the efforts of many and as important as Shiro is his absence doesn't, can't, negate the efforts of everyone else.

[He's not trying to be cold about it he's just trying to help Lance stop panicking long enough to think a little bit.]

Remember what I said... way back? [Weeks ago, what seems like a lifetime ago, after they'd watched Lillith be murdered by that stupid moose and he'd been collecting names for everyone's dog tags.] The people you lose give you strength.

[particlebarrier]

[Lance shakes his head.]

There are only five of us, Tal. Only five paladins. Two people on support. Losing me was bad enough... losing Shiro... Red said he'd joined this group years ago around the same time as her, right? This whole time -- did we just... not notice he was a soulless husk or some kinda clone?! I--

[Deep breaths, more deep breaths. His fingers curl into Tal's back, clinging tighter. He waits longer this time before he speaks, and his voice loses some of the edge it had.]

He was my hero -- I... why did Red have to tell me this like that.

[seekingsunrise]

No.

[It's firm and insistent and Talcott grabs Lance's shoulders and holds him away for a moment so he can meet his gaze.]

There is no way he was replaced or something and you didn't notice. You care too much about people, you pick up on things and you don't let go. Fuck how many times have you called me on hiding? There's no way. Absolutely no way that you and your team didn't notice. You've seen what we're like over there. You'd have known.

[And then he drags him back in, clinging back just as tight. Holding him close and tilting his head to press a reassuring kiss to his hair as he does so.]

I don't know how... but I refuse to accept that.

[particlebarrier]

[There are bunch of responses he has to that, many of them along the lines of insisting that Tal doesn't understand again. Because that's not true; Tal had hit the nail on the head before, calling him a "goober." As much as Lance would deny that to hell and back, he knows there's way too much truth to that. He spent a lot of the war back home pretending like it was just a cool adventure, not this life or death situation where hundreds of thousands of planets and the lives of all their inhabitants were at stake because otherwise the pressure would be too much.

It'd been the same here, hadn't it? Three weeks had gone by with Lance not acknowledging just how serious this dumb camp was and it'd taken Clarke's death to snap him out of it. So... observant -- no, no, it's entirely within the realm of possibility and he'd say that but then....

Then Tal is kissing his hair and that becomes silencing. Lance stares blankly for a moment, not sure what to think or how to feel or ... why all things considered and...

They don't need to breathe, but when he realizes he's holding his breath he tries to let that out as quietly as possible.]

...Tal...

[It's not an accusation, it's not even a request to stop exactly, it's just... a little helpless sounding, like of course everything that could be confusing and hurtful and complicated would all be happening at once. Of course it would.]

[seekingsunrise]

[There's a difference though. Compartmentalizing things in your head to make it so you're able to cope with the scale of what's going on around you is not the same as blatantly ignoring something that would be actively hurtful to the people around him. And that's precisely when he's pushed, when he's made Tal stop and acknowledge what he's doing and that he's hiding from something.

It's like he said before, when Lance stops being a goober and speaks up about something it's when there's a need for it, when there's a damn good reason. He might not think so but he's been very perceptive in his own way.

Tal honestly doesn't even realize that he's done it. It's a simple reassurance, something he's received from Gladio and Iris countless times, something he'd done for Nine and Ren, something he'd have done for Richie or Eddie or anyone that was important to him, anyone he cared for that needed comfort. It doesn't even occur to him that, with everything else racing through his head Lance would notice or think anything strange about it.

He'll have to look into his own feelings around it later. He just... wants to make Lance stop hurting. So there are still fingers in his hair, still swaying gently.]

Shhh... We'll figure something out. Somehow. I believe that, I do. [And a large part of the reason he does is because Lance reminded him how to hope again.]

[particlebarrier]

[The kiss certainly gets something to stop alright, but it isn't necessarily the hurting. Lance stares for just a moment longer, wondering if he ought to be saying something, or if he's reading too much into the situation because he's tired and confused or....

Or does he just not care at the moment because it's Tal and Tal is soothing, and doesn't want Tal to stop being soothing?

He breathes out. It's only been a day since patching things up with Floe. One single day. He doesn't think she'd be too happy about this and for that matter, he somehow doubts that either Nine or Ren would be impressed by this either.

Reluctantly, he lets go of Tal's shirt and tries to pull himself together a bit more. At least superficially, he can manage that much.]

Okay. [His voice is shaky at first, then he repeats himself more firmly.] Okay. I- I think I should sleep. I'm not thinking straight and that's.... not okay.

[But he does smile a little though it's a bit on the wan side.]

...it's really good to hear that you're believing in things again though.

[seekingsunrise]

[Nine and Ren wouldn't fault him for taking comfort where it is available, he knows that, especially with how awful things have been. Floe on the other hand, no she probably wouldn't be very pleased with all of this, even if Tal didn't fully understand the consequences of his actions.

Lance pulls away and for a moment it stings, but the paladin is putting on a brave face and that is so painfully obvious. Tal just shakes his head a little, shifting his position so he's on one knee, still so close to Lance.]

All thanks to you. [He leans in a little, bumps his forehead lightly against Lance's the way Nine does so often, smiles at him from scant inches away while his hands slide into position.]

Let's get you back to the lodge so you can rest, okay? [Which is the last bit of warning Lance gets before Talcott is pushing to his feet, arms wrapped around the other, scooping him up bridal style as he stands.]

[particlebarrier]

[...Oh. Oh god. Lance genuinely thought he was too tired for this, but it turns out that he's entirely wrong about that. Their foreheads are touching and that warm smile is just entirely too close. He misses a beat even before Tal speaks, and that's.... that's -- whatever the heck it is, if it's still playful teasing between friends or if it's gone beyond that into some other territory, it's beginning to feel like it might blow up on him. His face goes beet red.]

Tal-!!

[The flustered indignation would probably be a lot less contradictory if Lance, in the next moment, wasn' clinging Tal's shoulders tightly. He wasn't expecting to be picked up, much less picked up like this and now that he is, he doesn't want to be dropped.

God this is... what's the word for this? Embarrassing? Awkward? But on some level, it's nice and it feels secure being cradled by Tal..... and that's not something he wants to think about or be teased for right now. Preferably never. Lance does what he can to hide his face, knowing it's too late for that, but also knowing he can't possibly make eye contact right now either.]

...J-just don't drop me.

[That's his best attempt at sounding defiant, but it's not a very good one.]

[seekingsunrise]

[Tal would never tease him for this. Just like he never expected Nine to tease him for having to carry him out of the mess hall the day they did the art projects. Sometimes you needed to be sad, to let yourself be emotionally vulnerable. There's nothing wrong with that.

There's also something satisfying and relieving about being able to hold Lance in his arms, being able to do something to actively make things easier for him. It makes the small, hopeful smile on his face become something a little brighter, still gentle but somehow more. Because this is exactly where he wants to be, tragedies aside, here with Lance means that things will be okay.

He takes a moment to adjust his grip before he starts heading back towards the lodge, smiling softly at the weak protest and the way Lance clings to him. He tries to hide his face and Talcott just turns his head, laying his cheek against Lance's hair with a soft, pleased little hum.]

Don't worry... [Soft and low, a reassuring murmur beside his ear.] I've got you.