won't let the waves wash me away

[thevulnerability]

WHO: Chloe Decker
WHERE: South Villiage Fountain | Town Hall | Hot Springs
WHEN: Beginning February 10th, from the day she arrives to a couple days later
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: Nothing, will update if needed

---

I. THE FOUNTAIN

It's a blessing she long ago learned how to swim in the unpredictable waves of the ocean, because Chloe isn't convinced she wouldn't have drowned just on account of the shock it was to wake up submerged in water. Most of it is a blur now, with clarity arriving only when she is finally pulling herself out, her fingers desperately clinging to the lip of the fountain even as she alternates between gasping for breath and gagging as she forces water out of her lungs. Eventually, she's prone on the ground, eyes staring up into the sky as she tries to force herself to breathe normally, but by then, the fountain-created trauma is now being quickly obscured by general panic, because she has no idea where the hell she is.

Finally finding the strength to push herself onto her knees, she palms wet hair from her face and takes in the uniqueness of her surrounding. This definitely isn't Los Angeles. With her adrenaline waning, she's starting to feel the cold, and the common sense part of her brain is telling her that she needs to get up and get inside, but that small voice is overshadowed by her shock and confusion. Finally, she forces herself to stand up, a bit more wobbly on her feet than she'd like but it's a step in the right direction.

It's then that she feels the weight on her back and she stares down at her shoulder, her forehead wrinkling in confusion as she slips it off of her. "Wha... Why am I wearing a fricking backpack?"

Because that is, of course, the most important question at the moment.

II. TOWN HALL

She's (sort of) clean and dry, and she swapped out her wet creepy scrubs for the equally offensive overalls and undershirt, with the provided coat as an additional layer. Chloe hasn't stayed down for the count long, though; she's already poking around, trying to orient herself to her new surroundings.

Eventually, she finds her way into the town hall, her still somewhat waterlogged hiking boots sucking pathetically against the floor as she rounds into the main room. She's moving slowly, slow enough that her demeanor could be considered timid, but her sharp and narrowed eyes speak to a more confident wariness as she examines the room around her.

"Hello?" Oh, yeah, she's also holding a giant stick she found in the woods, you know, just in case.

III. HOT SPRINGS

Just because she has no idea what's going on doesn't mean she can't take a break. After she's had a little time to settle in and get some more information about the settlement and the surrounding area, Chloe decides to pay a visit to the hot springs. She's been constantly cold, and she feels gross, and a dip in some warm water seems like the least she could do for herself while she tries to grasp what she's going to do next.

Blissfully, it looks like there isn't anyone there when she arrives, especially since she realizes she didn't entirely think through what she was going to wear when she got in the water. Her internal monologue starts a fight between paranoid modesty and practicality and the latter finally wins over, resulting in Chloe depositing everything but her cotton bra and underwear on the rocks before she wades into the water.

She's already starting to feel better once she settles in, letting out a breath as she rests her head against a rock and closes her eyes. This is precisely the kind of respite she needed, although her peace probably is not destined to last for long.

Comments

The fountain

[connatural]

The shake up of being snatched from the village, the visions they've been exposed to, all of it has left Ashley in a place where she isn't sure what to do. She's dead. No matter what else happens, what she thinks, she is a dead woman, and that is both painful and difficult to cope with. Her life has been work and war and fighting and not emotions. Not like this. So she does what she knows.

She throws herself into what work she has, including the patrols around the fountain.

Sadly, in this case, showing up a bit late for the newest arrival, witnessing her moving onto her feet, water coursing off her, and standing there in the cool air. Ashley rushes in instantly.

Moving to grab a blanket from a basket on one side of the fountain, rushing over to where the newcomer is.

"The backpack has your clothes, which is really just scrubs but there's a good coat when it's warm," she assures her, wearing the same jacket. She shakes the blanket out and moving to wrap it around her shoulders if Chloe let's her. "There's an inn nearby where there's a fireplace going, and food available."

She pauses, taking a breath. "I'm Ashley, and I'm sorry." She winces, not having meant to say that last part, but then it was there.

[thevulnerability]

Under most circumstances, Chloe would have forced a distance between her and the complete stranger with uncanny timing that showed up right after she appeared, half-drowned, in a strange place, but the woman has a blanket and a place for her to go, and Chloe isn't in any position to refuse either.

She lets her put the blanket over her, although it isn't doing much to make a huge difference. Her soaking wet clothes are the real problem.

"Chloe," she offers, managing to push the words from her throat although it is still sore from coughing. She even manages a half-hearted, thankful smile. "What do you mean you're sorry?"

[connatural]

"I'm sorry you're here now, and that they bring people in through that damn torture system," she says, waving her hand at the fountain. "It's the dumbest thing, and in this weather? It's nuts."

She shakes her head, giving a jerk of her head. "Come on. Let's get into the inn. There's a fire and warm food and places to change. I mean, I know some that just change in the main room, but yeah no. And we can find you dry clothes there until yours dry."

She takes a breath. "And you can ask all the questions you have, and I'll do my best to try and answer them without any of us having a lot of answers here."

[thevulnerability]

There's a lot of talking happening right now. A lot of words that Chloe understands independently of each other but all together aren't making a lick of sense. Maybe she did drown, and this is some kind of messed up afterlife. Or maybe was deprived of oxygen too long and this is some kind of brain-damaged fever dream.

She pulls away slightly, grasping the blanket around her. It really is far too cold and as tempting as it is to stumble along to whatever inn Ashely is talking about, Chloe is getting her wits about her enough to start freaking out a little.

"Hold on. I'm not going with you anywhere until you tell me where I am and how I got here."

Hot Springs

[skyward_eyes]

It's official. The pain and annoyance of a sprained ankle have gotten to Nida. The looks he gets, the annoyance of how it slows him down, the fact that people kept expecting him to explain things, nope, he's done with it. After some time at the dojo he decided it just had to be over, and he's heard some things about the hotspring soothing pain so... why not try it.

He arrives not long after Chloe settles into the water, and almost immediately looks a bit sorry for it.

"Hey," he greets as he moves to sit near the spring, taking off one boot and sock. "If you want I can cover my head with my coat or something."

[thevulnerability]

While Chloe doesn't look thrilled at her peace being disturbed, she isn't going to make him do gymnastics to accommodate her, either.

"No, it's fine. It's a free country." Her brow furrows thoughtfully and she pressed into the rock wall, trying to keep most of her body submerged to at least give herself a little privacy. "At least, I think it is. Who knows, maybe it isn't."

She has no idea what's going on.

[skyward_eyes]

"We've been working on yes there," he offered, a brief smile as he moves to roll up a pant leg. Then he sits on the edge, putting is foot and ankle in the water. And he sighs at the relief that offered.

"Sorry, I've just got a bad ankle pain right now, and this hot spring is special."

Hot Springs

[sonofthedawn]

Lucifer can't even believe how perfectly his luck has worked out. Not only has he managed to get nearly two weeks' worth of wardrobe, but he's discovered from the locals that there are hot springs here. True, he doesn't like to walk so far and would much rather be ferried around, but he'll make do when you know there's a reward coming.

Did he realize what kind of reward would be there? No, but when he arrives, his grin is positively wicked.

"I didn't realize they were making a sequel to Hot Tub High School," he says, positively gleeful that he's found the Detective in such a compromising situation. "By all means, don't let me intrude, I'm dying to know what possible plot you could be following."

[thevulnerability]

That voice shatters her silence and Chloe's eyes fly open. She manages to try to stand up and sink down at the same time, nearly flipping over completely and risking her second traumatic water incident for the day.

"Lucifer!" Once she regains her balance she remembers what she's wearing - or rather, what she isn't. Her arms fly over her chest and she ducks down slightly as if she could just roll into a ball and ignore any of the inevitable boob jokes that are about to be launched her way. She does move towards him, though, her teeth clenched together as she hisses, "What are you doing here?"

[sonofthedawn]

He could leer, but he's grown somewhat in the last few years (and he's not growing in the obvious places right now because of the respect he's developed for the Detective). It's why he begins to slide off his suit jacket to offer it over to her, also because he doesn't think they treat their hot springs with chemicals and it likely won't stain.

"I believe the more pertinent question is what you're doing enjoying the hot springs without inviting me?" he asks, pressing his palm over his heart, genuinely hurt by the implication. "Steamy fun is right up my alley, though I was led to believe it's no longer up yours."

town hall

[ethnobotany]

This isn't the usual place Beverly chooses to find herself. She's been here long enough to have experienced enough town hall gatherings for various reasons, not all of them the good sort. Still, when she happens to spot someone so obviously new, despite the lack of scrubs on, she feels she would rather risk interrupting something than let someone go around without meeting someone to get the rundown.

"Hi," she says, somewhat surprisingly, from behind. Beverly isn't dressed in her scrubs, either, having picked something much better suited for the weather. "It doesn't look like there's anyone inside today. Are you looking for someone?"

[thevulnerability]

Chloe lets out a gasp and spins around, ready with her stick to take down whoever the hell just moseyed up behind her. Luckily, her self-control saves Beverly from having to side-step a swipe, but Chloe does keep the stick raised slightly, her eyes narrowing.

"Not really," she replies. So far, no one she's met has actually been a threat, but Chloe still isn't trusting that this isn't some kind of sick social experiment run by a maniacal serial killer or something. Granted, that was a little too much like a film plot for her tastes, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. "No one specific," she clarifies. Suddenly, standing there was a stick menacing an unarmed woman seems really ridiculous, and Chloe lowers it to her side, offering a timid, mirthless smile. "Sorry, I'm a little on edge."

[ethnobotany]

Definitely a newcomer, if the reactions are anything to go by. Most of the more long-term residents are more used to the way things are here or at least aren't so jumpy. Beverly holds her hands up, her smile still easy, like she's been through this before.

"That's all right," she responds easily, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "A lot of people are when they first arrive." Often the little bit of edge doesn't fully go away, for all that some may channel it in other directions. Rather than mention any of that and give the poor woman more reason to be on edge, she simply offers a hand. "Beverly Crusher. I don't think we've met before."

It's easier to say that than poke at the fact that this woman has the look of a newcomer about her. Probably less threatening, too.

town hall

[vidal]

Reyes glances up from his rummaging through the store,s at the first whine of the door as it opens and the heavy creak of the floorboards as the woman enters. He's started a habit of keeping his knife strapped to his thigh and bow slung over his shoulder -- paranoid preparation in case he's whisked away by the Observers again -- so the sight of someone else lugging along a heavy stick is, by far, the least surprising thing he's ever seen. When needs must.

"Morning," he says lightly. "You looking for some food too?"

The man's carrying a basket half-full of ingredients for dinner tonight, because after a while, you get damned tired of the inn stew and sometimes you just want to relax with a proper meal in your own house. Particularly now that he has electricity and an actual stove.

[thevulnerability]

Even though she had called out first, Chloe still looks surprised at finding someone else there. She has no idea how many people are around but, granted, she still doesn't really understand what all this is about to begin with.

She eyes the bow on his back quietly, her mind quickly assessing whether or not this man is a threat to her safety. She finally lands on "unlikely," considering his weapon of choice isn't at the ready and he has his hands pretty full as it is. Thus, she lowers her stick.

"I just nearly drowned in a fountain and wound up in an encampment that looks like it crawled out of the middle ages, so, no, food isn't the first thing on my mind."

Her stomach grumbles as if to deliberately contradict her.

[vidal]

He exhales a half-startled Ah, taking a closer look at her. The blonde was an unfamiliar face to him, but that hardly means anything -- Reyes doesn't know everyone in the village yet. She'd covered it up well with the wardrobe adjustment, too. But now that he's realised it, he can recognise that wary way she's carrying herself, the unease of being a stranger in a strange land.

"So... you're brand-new," Reyes says. "Sorry -- welcome to the semi-medieval village. The lack of amenities can be awful." Propping the basket against his side, he fishes out an orange and tosses it gently underhand in her direction. (Winter citrus. Important to avoid scurvy!!)

It's a playful move, somewhat calculated to place her more at ease. From the sounds of it, she's not comfortable with this time period either.

"It gets better."

Hot Springs

[championofsnark]

Hawke's been on the move all day, as per usual, but she had to bring in a little more meat for their supplies. Taking a long roundabout trip hadn't been in her plans, and they weren't dangerously low by the time she came back, but she's still on top of it. Which means that after she's spent all day running about, picking up a few kills along the way, she skinned them helpfully and stripped them down. On those days, she ends up more than a little bit of a mess, and ends up at the springs.

She whistles cheerfully on her way so her entrance isn't a surprise, because Hawke is so quiet on her feet she startles people frequently. There's dirt and a little blood on her face, not as bad as when she went monster hunting, and her hunting clothes are splattered a little as well. It becomes a little evident why since she has a bow strung over her back with a quiver of arrows, and she sets them aside.

"Oh hello!" So casually, like she doesn't look like a wreck. Hawke knows most people in the village, so she gives the woman a curious look, sitting down by the springs for a moment to start unlacing her boots. "Isn't this a marvelous spot?"

[thevulnerability]

The sound of whistling rouses Chloe from her thoughts and she opens her eyes in time to watch a strange, pretty filthy looking woman come towards her. She knows she shouldn't be surprised - it isn't as if she's the only one who knows about the hot springs, and it was just luck that no one was here when she arrived. Although she isn't thrilled about the company, she's not put off by it, either.

"Yeah, it's nice," Chloe agrees, leaning forward as she watches the other woman unlace her shoes. "You know, quiet." That might have been a subtle hint, that she didn't entirely appreciate being disturbed, but she doesn't own the place, either.

"You have a little..." Chloe points to a spot on her face, mirroring where the blood is on the other woman. She knows blood when she sees it. "Something. There."

[championofsnark]

Hawke laughs. She hears what she's saying and the undertones, and if it'd been a different day, she'd salute and respect hr boundaries. "Don't you fret, I won't spoil your quiet time for too long. I unfortunately don't have a better bathing option when I'm this bad off. At least not without giving myself a real cold." Her accent sounds to people from earth as distinctly British, which she always finds hilarious considering she's from another universe and all. Who knew dialects were similar across the board?

"I'm fairly certain if have a little everywhere," she admits. "Those bloody chupapacas, small deer with creepy teeth, they're the worst. It's only a portion of my size but they hunt as a pack and can get real messy." Hawke strips down as if it is nothing at all, not going with her underthings at all, but full out nude as she slips into the water a respectful distance from Chloe. "That's one great thing about this spring, it's magic and all, doesn't get dirty." She has a rather impressive gash in her shoulder now that she's unclothed, so the blood on her wasn't only the animals. She puts it under the water though, and it'll patch.

"Sorry about the intrusion it'll be a minute while that heals. So!" Hawke smiles warmly at her. "You must be new, I'm fairly certain I know almost everyone here. I'm Hawke, with an e at the end."

Hot Springs

[pop_of_color]

Rosa can't remember where she heard about the Hot Springs. She thinks she might've overheard some folks talking about it at the Inn, but then again, she might've managed to stumble upon them during her many hours of exploration. Since she's arrived in the village, with food and shelter taken care of, she's been spending the rest of her time trying to get a layout of the land that's as accurate as possible. She's hit up a couple of spots of interest that have been suggested to her, like the Butcher's and the Dojo, but she's otherwise been trying to get as familiar as she can with what's around.

The fact that it literally feels like she's in The Village is constantly unnerving, and the only thing that manages to make her forget about it for a little while is submerging herself in the Hot Springs. She'd been vaguely suspicious that the water was poisonous, or that it would leech chemicals/toxins into her system if she dared go into it. But after asking around, she was told that there were no ill effects of going for a dip and that the opposite was actually true: the water seemed to have healing properties. Rosa usually liked to drown herself in a bottle of whiskey for those same side effects, but seeing as this town is dry as a fucking bone, the Hot Springs is an acceptable alternative.

She's normally alone whenever she goes, and she takes the opportunity to skinny dip. She doesn't give a shit. She would if Holt or anyone from the squad was around (obviously), but since she doesn't know these people (and doesn't plan on getting to know them all that much), she couldn't give a shit as to whether or not they see her naked. Of course, though, just as she's looking forward to a solo dip, she sees a head poking out from the water as she gets near enough.

She grumbles something to herself as she huffs her displeasure, but whatever. It's not like she's got ownership rights over the Hot Springs.

Rosa strips down to her birthday suit and wades her way in. Hopefully the stranger doesn't care or, if she does, takes it as a cue to get the fuck out. Either way, it's a win-win for Rosa.

[thevulnerability]

Chloe feels as equally disgruntled as Rosa. Granted, she has no idea as to how frequently populated the hot springs might be, but she was fine on her own and having another person barge in who has immediately made it clear that Chloe's presence is less than welcome annoys the crap out of her.

But she isn't going to let it deter her either. Chloe was here first. So she nestles herself back into her spot, relaxing her head back again but keeping her eye on the newcomer.

That is, until the woman starts to strip down. And down. And doesn't stop. Chloe's eyes slowly widen, as if she's waiting for the woman to grasp some kind of decorum and is continually shocked at the fact that she seems to be lacking any. Maybe the woman hasn't seen her? Maybe the distinct grumbling Chloe heard had been about something else?

Chloe clears her throat quietly, and as the woman starts to wade her naked self into the water, she clears her throat again, loudly, pushing herself off the rocks to sit up.

"Uh, excuse me, do you mind?"

[pop_of_color]

"No, I don't," Rosa replies simply as she makes her way to the opposite side of the springs. If she really wanted to be a dick, she would've gone closer to the stranger, but that's pushing it, even for her. Instead, she finds the rock she normally likes to perch on, lowers herself down into the water, and settles herself in nicely.

She would kill for a hair-tie right about now, but it's not like she can go to Target and pick up a pack. Instead, she unties a piece of twine she'd had around her wrist, gathers up her curls, and ties them up as best she can with her limited resources.

The heat of the water and the immediate relaxing effect it has on her almost makes her forget about the woman who seems to be pissed the fuck off at the sight of a naked human, but Rosa's bent on not letting that get to her. She shifts herself around to get into a perfectly comfortable position, assuming something similar to how the woman had been earlier — her head back on a rock, eyes closed, blissful.

Town Hall

[cisskabob]

Cissie is in one of the meeting rooms off the main room of the town hall, having taken some time to explore the village again and this time go poking into rooms, where she hasn't previously. She hears Chloe's voice and pokes her head out of the room. "Hello?"

She spots Chloe and her eyebrows shoot up at the large stick, and the woman's posture. She is dressed similarly, though she's wearing her overalls over her white scrub top. She steps out of the room and offers a small wave. "You know, I've heard the phrase 'speak softly and carry a big stick,' but this is the first time I've seen it in practice."

[thevulnerability]

"Yeah, well, my gun didn't make it so I had to improvise."

Chloe sizes the newcomer up, her eyes narrowed as she evaluates whether or not she could be a threat. The result is "likely not" and she lowers the stick to her side. Everyone she has encountered so far seems to be in the same situation as her, especially if the scrubs that keep showing up are any indication. Chloe has no regrets about ditching her own the first chance she got, although she's still beyond getting the stupid smartwatch off her wrist.

"What kind of building is this supposed to be, anyway?"

[cisskabob]

A smile tugs at Cissie's mouth, though she doesn't relax much more until the other woman lowers her stick. She's been lucky so far in her encounters with other villagers; she's mainly met friendly, helpful people who haven't been physically threatening to her. It hasn't really occurred to her that there are probably dangerous people here too, unlike in Wonderland, where she was much more hesitant with the people she met. Chloe is the first person Cissie's encountered who has presented something of a threat.

Cissie isn't worried, necessarily, but she's wary. Still, she keeps a friendly smile on her face, shrugging and glancing around the room they stand in. "The Town Hall, I guess? We haven't had any meetings or gatherings here since I've been here, but I've only been here since right before New Year's. It's, uh, mid February here now," she adds, in case time doesn't line up the same here as in the other woman's world. She lifts a hand in another wave, her white wristband visible. "I'm Cissie. Hi."