entranceway | Action + Video - I'm off on this super fun adventure

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Action + Video - I'm off on this super fun adventure

[ARRIVAL; Action]

[It's been something of A Day for Louis. A roller coaster of some really awesome and some really horrifically terrible shit. One minute, he was standing over that absolute jackass, Abel, and the next he's stumbling out of the first floor storage room out into the corridor with some comedic arm flailing. He catches himself, then stills, glancing around the space that is definitely not Ericson's courtyard.]

Toto, we're not in Kansas any more.

[He lets out a soft laugh that's toeing a little too close to hysterical. Carefully, he slides what looks like (and turns out IS) a chair leg with nails rammed into the top from an inside pocket of his held-together-by-love-and-duct-tape trenchcoat. For the observant, there's a blood stain on the upper arm, dry, a few weeks old, but definitely there, and definitely around a recently duct-taped hole. He raises his makeshift mace as he edges to a window, peering out at the perfect, beautiful Walker-free grounds.]

Oooookay, Lou. You're having a little bit of a psychotic breakdown. That's okay, that's fine. It's been a weird day. You knew it would have probably happened eventually. It's all good. Someone'll snap you out of this any second now.

[If you're heading towards him or passing him by, congrats, you've got his attention, he'll wave at you with his free hand.]

Hi there, mental breakdown conjuration. How's it hanging? Good? Good. I'm great. Not freaking out at all.

[LATER; Video]

[Once he's been filled in on what's actually happening (but still not utterly convinced this isn't some kind of stress-induced hallucination) Louis picks himself a room. He has his first hot shower in literal years, and even trusts the (magic????) closets to give him a new set of clothes. Aside from the trenchcoat. That remains as filthy and duct-taped as always. He's not parting with that for anything.

He sets himself up in the kitchen, where he sets up his communicator with a few false starts. It's been a long-ass time since he got to play with actual electronics. He's got a veritable feast on the table around him- ranging from god-awful junk food to fancy-ass steaks. They never truly starved in the school, but when all you have to eat for nigh on eight years are variations of rabbit, fish or berries, you can't help but indulge. He'll regret it later, when his system freaks out from suddenly having too-rich nutrients again, but that is a risk he's absolutely willing to take. He grins, giving the camera a thumbs-up. He doesn't get what's happening at all, but he can't just sit still, this...this keeps him active.]

Hey there, fellow captives-slash-mental breakdown prisoners! The name's Louis and I'm brand new to this... whatever it is. AnyHOO, seen as it sounds like I'll be here for a while, I thought I'd get to know you a little better. [He raises a dirty, dog-eared pack of playing cards t the screen.] So! If any kids wanna come to the kitchen and share in my bountiful feast and have a good old game of War, you're totally welcome to. Highest card gets to ask a question to the other person, fun, right? Or, I guess, you can be boring and do it over the video instead. What'd you say?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, you woulda liked space.

( Clementine kinda wishes he could have been there for it. She was a lot younger then when space came around. Just eleven, but it was really cool. )

No one knows for sure, but this place feeds off our memories so probably something to do with that. An Event happens from your world, you forget a word. If you want something from your life, you can buy it from the vendors for a memory, but you... don't know what memory they'll take.

( So she's never really gotten anything from there, but she's been tempted before. There are a lot of bad memories up there, but with her luck, it'd take one of the good ones. )

It also feeds off our deaths. Or that's what people said before. ( It's hard to know which of the residences are telling the truth. If any. )

That sounds...really risky. Like, memories are important, who'd willingly put them on the line when they don't know what they'd lose?

[He couldn't imagine giving up his memories, even his worse ones- they were the foundations of made him who he is, after all. Worse still, what if it made him forget the other kids in Ericsons? Or Clem?]

But surely that's a one-time deal? Eating deaths? Unless everyone turns here too?

The vendors have a way of keeping out the stuff you might have a really hard time saying no to.

( But it is really risky too. Clementine hesitates at the question. This was the other part she wanted to tell him even if it's heavy and hard. Her gaze lifts up to him with something quiet, pained in her expression, because this was hard for her to find out when she first came as a kid. And she cares about him and worries about him.

The thought that people die but it doesn't last, and they don't turn into mindless monsters. They're just back as themselves. )

When people die here, they... come back. Not as walkers. They just come back as themselves. The first time, it takes 24 hours. The next time, it takes two days, and it goes on like that. It's when you get up to five deaths that you have to worry about... lasting consequences.

Unless they have people, I think I can resit them. I've got Chairles and I've got you. What more could I want?

[If they had people there...well, then it might be different. He'd run that risk...if it meant pulling his friends here, somewhere safe- away from the raiders, away from the walkers. He'd do it in a heartbeat. Despite his bravado, knowing the risk, for his family, he'd do anything.

Clementine's hesitation is concerning, and he quickly realises why. People come back, properly- not the awful shadows they get back home- focused only on eating. They come back as...people.]

Well. That's a real kick in the teeth, isn't it? So you gotta be super careful not to die? That's...well, at least we're used to doing that. We're pros at that by now.

No people.

( It doesn't work like that unfortunately. If it did, she would help him, and he knows he'd get them all back regardless of the cost. She saw beyond that front from the start. She saw there was more to him than the jokes and all the rest. It's sweet the way he includes her in the 'what more could I want' part. Those feelings are very real, and she feels them now as she looks at him even if there's a little ache in her heart.

Cause everyone else should get to be here too, and none of them should have to go back to where death is permanent and they're hungry all the time and surrounded by monsters nonstop.

Her arms fold loosely across her chest as she glances down. )

Yeah. ( She pauses again, locking her jaw a bit in memory. ) It's just... sometimes harder to not die here, especially during some of the Events. No matter how careful you are.

[He hesitates, not wanting to ask the question, but knowing he has to- just from looking at her body language, he's worried. It's not a fun question, and he's absolutely sure there's a good chance she'll give him an answer he doesn't want to hear. But he asks it anyway, for a moment, completely serious.]

And what about you? You've been here a while. Have you... have you ever died here?

Yeah. Once.

( Her shoulders tense. It's still a hard, weird memory. She knows what it feels like to die. It probably varies on the kind of death though- on how it happens. Clementine thinks the chess match probably doesn't count, because she was drowned to the point of unconsciousness before being dropped back in that safe room after. She definitely doesn't want to drown again. )

I was eleven. The mansion turned into a tower, and in every level of it, there was monsters. Different kinds that could fuck with you in different ways. I couldn't make it to the safe place in time.

[He was right. He hates that answer. Death is always a certainty, where they come from. It's never a question of if you'll die in the near future, just how soon. With the dwindling number of the living, that margin gets smaller and smaller. It's one of the things that makes him stick to his 'live for the moment' philosophy so fiercely.

You just never know when a moment will be your last.

Still, the thought of Clem dying settles like a rock in his stomach. Inevitable as it is, he doesn't want it to happen, not ever. It would be like having a light just...flicker and die out. He reaches out, the tips of his fingertips finding hers- a simple touch, letting her know he was there.]

Jesus, Clem. I'm sorry. That's... well, that's pretty damn shitty.

( Clementine lifts her head at the feeling of those fingertips against hers-- that simple touch. It means more to her than she could say. She spent a very long time on her own, and she was taking care of AJ, and it means she- She couldn't afford moments like this very often where she let herself feel something when it hurt.

She reaches out the rest of the way, grabbing hold of his hand. It takes her a moment before she can find her voice again but then she does: )

Yeah, it was pretty damn shitty. I'm okay now. ( There's this feeling that maybe people lose something when they die even if they do come back, but she can't put her finger on what it is, and she's still here. She still feels like herself. ) I just... want you to be careful when Events happen. I know we're used to having to fight for our lives all the time, but-

( She really doesn't want anything to happen to him even if he would come back. )

[He squeezes her hand gently, when she grabs hold. He's glad he can offer her that much, for comfort. Clem always seems like such an indomitable force. Like nothing can ever take her down. He knows that can't really be true, she's still human - but seeing her falter even a little makes him want to be that little bit stronger. Help, as best he can. ]

Okay, Clem. I promise I'll be super careful and do my very best not to die horribly.

[He means it, even if he's smiling as he says it- crossing his free hand over his chest to show it really was the most solemn of vows. Then that hand moves across to tap the brim of her hat. Don't die.]

But I'm still holding you to that one. It doesn't have an expiry date.

( It's not easy to let those more vulnerable moments- those vulnerable sides of her show, because she blocked them all out in order to survive. But he makes it easier. He already helps. She gives him a look as if she's trying to gauge his seriousness, but she does know despite the front he puts up, he would take this seriously. He's capable, and he cares a lot, and she just- she cares about him. )

Thank you. And believe me, you don't want to see me when someone breaks a promise to me. You've seen me pissed before, but it doesn't compare.

( But she's smirking too and then it widens when he taps her hat. She seems to relax further, relieved by his sincere promise. )

I don't plan on it. Once was more than enough. ( Of course, most people only get the once. Wonderland's just special that way. ) You ready for the rest of the tour?

[She'd be right, catching it as a front. As genuinely nice a guy as Louis is, humour is his go-to defence mechanism. Violet gets angry, Marlon avoided, Louis? Louis made a joke out of it. Made his fear into something less fearful. Something he could face. He laughs. ]

Trust me, the last thing I want to be is on the receiving end of you being mad as hell. That doesn't sound like a fun place to be.

[He nods, glad for the mutual promise to stay alive- as best they could. His hand remains in hers- it feels right, a proper place for it. He'd let go, if she wanted him to...but wow does he hope she doesn't want him to. ]

I sure am! What's up next?

( They all need a defense mechanism to get through the shit they have to get through. Without it, they wouldn't make it.

Her smirks widens, because no, it is not a fun place to be. Then the smirk slips into a smile as he keeps his hand in hers, and it does feel- it feels right. And good. She gives his hand a tug to make it clear she definitely does not want him to let go. )

The coffee shop.

( She pauses outside of the coffee shop, which will truly look like something straight out of pre-Apocalpyse in their world, the atmosphere, the store front, the smell of coffee and baked goods in the air. )

...do you like coffee?

[He happily follows, his heart feeling light and airy in his chest- that she didn't let go of his hand.

The coffee shop really is like an echo of times long lost to them. He honestly never thought he'd see anything like it again. It's so...normal.]

Yeah, I like coffee. Do they take...special Wonderland money here?

[Money might mean jack-shit to them now, but nothing comes for free.]

( Clementine kind of tugs him in closer by the hand as they stop, and she can feel her face heat up a bit at her own... movement that she just did. Yes. She just wanted him closer, and so she pulled him in closer.

That's all. )

It's... all free. No money. People just wanted some kind of normalcy so they made the coffee shop even if nothing costs money cause money doesn't exist here.

( So people can come in, enjoy coffee, and a pastry, and just pretend like- like it's normal. )

[He lets out a soft squeak of surprise as he's pulled closer, but certainly doesn't object. Not even a little. He chuckles, partly out of the insanity of having something so normal just standing there, but mostly to try and cover up the blush threatening to make an appearance. ]

Wow, how about that. It's...just like it used to be. That's really regular. It's kinda nice.

( Clementine smiles, ducking her head slightly even as she nods. Her gaze lifts up to meet his own again, and she feels that warmth- that aggressive butterfly feeling in her chest at his reaction. )

Yeah, it is. I wanted to show you it, because it might be the most normal place around here.

( This and the center that's for teens/kids. He'd like that too, she thinks. )

No walkers, no weirdness-- Just. Normal.

[Clementine has really pretty eyes is the first, traitorous thought that comes leaping, unbidden, into his mind. He laughs, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. Be cool, BE COOL. ]

Thanks for showing it me. It's nice, to have something normal. Give me a piano and I think I'm all set here.

[He'd love the centre, to be with people his own age- adults, well, they're still too much of an unknown quality to him. Can't trust them the same way you can other kids.]

( Clementine watches his reaction, and she is somehow incredibly endeared by his uncertainty- by the way he seems to become uncertain as soon as she makes an aggressive move of her own. toward him. She smiles and then lifts herself up and presses a kiss to his mouth.

She pulls back slow but certain too. It's because he was so open and charming to start with with her that she's able to be so open in turn. )

Speaking of that, there's another room that I want to show you.

( This place has a lot of rooms, but yes. )

[For all his bluster when he first met her, dealing with real, genuine feelings is a lot harder. His front serves him well, out there, gets him through the day to day. But once that's peeled back, well- he's not half as suave as he likes to pretend he is.

Still, she kisses him and he more than happily kisses her back. It's nice, he realises, that they can have quieter moments here, together- in a way that would be much more difficult back home. The chaos here was less. Gave more them-time, something he was very much looking forward to.

When she pulls back, his face splits into a grin.]

Yeah? Is it a Disco room? Tell me it's a Disco room filled with eighties cheesy decor.

[He's joking. Mostly.]

( Clementine is not used to this either, but she likes that she can have an effect on him- an effect that isn't just scared or intimidated. Not that she would blame anyone for that. She tries to- to have that kind of an effect. But she likes Louis sees beyond that.

Like she sees beyond his own front.

She pulls back with a smile on her face. )

Not quite.

( She gives his hand a tug as she leads him towards the music room where there will be a piano among other instruments. Clementine thinks he might really love this room. )

[He follows, his face lighting up like a kid at christmas when they enter the room. The library-come music room back home in the school, well that was sizeable, but so much had been lost, to decay, to tinder for fires- just to the world. He loved that room, in Ericsson's his sanctuary.

But this...this is something else. It's like a music room plucked out of someone's imagination- if asked what a music room should be. It's almost annoyingly perfect. Oh, but if he doesn't love it, though. ]

Holy shit! Look at this place! Look at that piano! I asked for one and wow! You delivered.

( Clementine studies his expression as they enter the music room. She knew he would love it, but she's still not completely prepared for how he just lights up. He really does take real, genuine joy in things. In ways she thought she couldn't- she couldn't anymore.

She laughs a little at that. )

It wasn't me.

The music room's been around for longer than I have.

[This is the greatest room in the history of ALL rooms. He makes a soft 'phhst' noise, waving off her comment with his free hand.]

Nope. No. In my personal narrative, you found me the greatest music room of all time. I think I like it better.

[He walks a little further in, peering at the shelves of sheet music, endless supplies of endless songs- maybe even songs he hasn't even heard yet.]

Oooooh the gang's all here. Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Chopin, some prime Debusy. [He taps another.] Wow, hello there Alkan, you crazy bastard.

Edited 2018-10-24 00:56 (UTC)

( Clementine ducks her head. Her face feels warm just at his thinking that's the better narrative even if it's not the true one. She won't correct him again on it- on his personal narrative. That he should like it better, want to believe in it cause- cause it involves her.

She watches as he looks at each piece of music. )

You probably haven't gotten to play a lot of these in awhile.

( She smiles. )

Have a favorite?

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