week 4

[biteys]

WEEK FOUR

road trip!

As the doctor mentioned, the next leg of your trip is quite long, so walking isn't advised; hopefully, you've all secured alternative methods of travel between the abandoned cars and the wild pack of horses you found last week.

These cars are long abandoned, and most of them still have things like CDs and magazines in the gloveboxes and trunks - so at least you’ll have some entertainment for the trip! Conveniently, music you can find comes from the year 2024 and earlier, because in the Turnout universe, CDs were still widely a thing in modern times because I said so.

Be aware that there are not enough cars and horsies for everyone to go solo; you’ll need to group up and decide who’s driving! And, more notably...

Your drive won't be entirely peaceful! There are bound to be some zombies littering the street, which characters will need to clear in order to keep going. Whether that's through running them over, sniping them with your newfound long-range gun skills, or doing it the old fashioned way by hopping out of the car and beating them to a pulp, they've gotta move! Be careful not to let the horseys get bit.

respite

Whether or not you were suspicious of whatever the “SAFE” marked on the map was supposed to mean, when you come to the coordinates that are marked, you’ll be in front of a door that opens down into the earth — it's a bunker. The entrance is slightly hidden by foliage, seemingly intentionally so.

Inside, it’s obvious this place is not like the places you’ve been traveling to thus far. It’s clean, well stocked, and nicely furnished. Judging by the pictures on the wall, it’s a safe house that’s been used many times by Dr. Bei and her five associates. So, it was built by a bunch of super nerds surviving the apocalypse, meaning that it's pretty well fortified and self sufficient. It seems like the Doctor must have been here at least a few weeks ago, judging by the dust levels and quality of the food.

That means there’s clean running (and hot!) water, as well as a freezer that’s stocked up with some raw meat, vegetables, and a rare ice cream treat. Also in the kitchen are some seasonings and other staples: flour, rice, etc. There are cooking utensils too, of course! Characters well versed in cooking may just be able to throw together a nice feast for everyone.

There’s also, you know. Alcohol. Not a ton of mixers, though!

It seems like the nerds had simple things for means of entertainment: there are some party and card games hidden away in drawers — think pictionary, uno and twister, or other such party games. Of course, only your imagination is holding you back: while you have a safe place to rest, it might be easier to let loose and have fun.

The six rooms in the bunker all have one bed and a connected bathroom - each one is identical but decorated with sparse things, like stray trinkets or a picture frame. Only Dr. Bei's really has anything different about it, because in it, there's still a working computer.

Characters will be able to open basic programs like wordpad, MS paint, or iTunes for music purposes. Like everyone who had iTunes, she has U2 songs on there. There's still no internet, but there are some saved messages from her and another colleague using an alternative connection method.

While exploring, characters can discover a chat log between ♛, which appears to be Dr. Bei's display name, and ♝, another user.

Aside from the beds in the six rooms, there are also sofas and armchairs to rest on.

oops all memshare

While within the safe house, your bracelets will start acting strange. It might have to do with being underground, or perhaps just the highly advanced technology at work down here, but at inopportune times, you’ll find your mind linking with other party members’, especially when initiating physical contact.

When connected to another survivor, you may exchange memories, which may come with 1) the physical sensations you felt at the time, 2) the emotions you felt at the time, or 3) the thoughts you had at that time. Players can be creative with this mechanic and have the memshares be like watching a movie, or physically acted out — whichever is your preference. There’s no prerequisite on the type of memory that might accidentally spill over, and characters may share multiple memories with one person.

According to the map's schedule, you have some time to rest your weary feet from the long ride… you’re not scheduled to leave for two or three days. It seems the Doctor might want you to fill up and face the second half of the trip with your most well rested selves. So, why not relax while you can? What’s the worst that could happen???

code

Comments

[mediator]

You are.

[ He affirms Mark's sentiment, knowing it to be true. Even if the worse does happen. He waits for his own tea to cool, dipping an earl grey bag in. ]

Hey Mark, tell me something about your home. It can be anything.

[titlecard]

[ He's just been kind of angrily staring at his tea, even after Soujuurou affirms that he's still around, still okay. It's that followup that gets him to pause, the tension ebbing from his shoulders.

He looks back up, turns around. After a moment, Mark leans against the counter to address him. ]

Um... [ What's the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of "home"? ] My mom's back home, waiting for me. Her and my little brother. They...

[ the last time he'd seen them angstrom levy had been with them. he'd shown up in this world covered in his blood. and when this is all over mark can go back to a time of his choosing... ]

... I'd do anything for them.

[mediator]

A mother and a brother. [ he smiles fondly, knowing in the back of his mind how lacking he is in that connection himself. ] That sounds nice. How old is your brother?

[titlecard]

[ help i can't believe you went there

For his part, Mark just kind of. stops everything else he was doing, trying to figure out how to answer that. ]

Um, he's a couple of months old... But he has a different mom. An alien mom, and her people age a lot faster, so he... looks like a toddler? Or I guess he just is a toddler, huh...

[ this is a really great way to stop moping actually ]

[mediator]

[ :') ]

Ahh I see, so he might age faster later. [ Toddler now, could be a true child in like a year or less? He couldn't say for sure, but something does catch his ear with how Mark breaks it down. ] But you said he has a different mom, so that would make him your father's son? Is he not around anymore?

[titlecard]

[ This is a great way to make Mark forget about his tea entirely. He's just kind of. Staring at Soujuurou — or maybe right past him, judging by how his eyes aren't exactly focused. ]

Yeah, we have the same dad. My dad, uh... he came to Earth, met my mom, and they raised me. Then I got my powers, and my dad and I got into a big fight, so he left Earth, and then, um, met this other woman on this other planet, and they had my little brother. Things went really far south and... yeah. Our dad's not around anymore.

[ He can't help but deflate a little after getting all of that out. Was that really just a few months ago... it feels like a lifetime these days. ]

[mediator]

[ oh............. ]

That's rough.

[ putting it mildly. ]

I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories for you. I was just curious because I didn't have any parents or siblings growing up... we don't have to talk about it anymore.

[titlecard]

[ buddy,

Mark nods absentmindedly at the sympathies. Not like there's a whole lot else one can say about it, and that was just the cliffsnotes version. Soujuurou talking about himself snaps his attention back to him, and ah...

Nevermind his bullshit. ]

No, no, it's fine. I... My mom's great. My brother's great. I'm... sorry you didn't have any parents or siblings of your own.

[ A beat. ]

Is that something you wanted?

[ Since he brought it up... ]

[mediator]

Hm. I never thought about it before. I don't want it, but knowing people have mothers and fathers and siblings... I guess I can feel the absence that I didn't know existed before.

[ he takes a sip of tea, contemplating. his upbringing is strange and most people aren't going to understand it. even he has trouble wrapping his head around it ever since he came down from the mountain and realized how abnormal it was. ]

I grew up on a compound with other children my age. We had adults and elders who supervised us, but they weren't our parents, and we weren't siblings. I knew them for over fifteen years and I couldn't even call them my friends. It never bothered me growing up because I thought it was normal.

[titlecard]

Oh... like an orphanage?

[ That's the first place Mark's mind goes to. He grew up cushy, a stable home life in the suburbs. It really did not prepare him for what was to come, but at the same time, it was nice? He wanted for nothing, let alone the way Soujuurou apparently didn't even know to want for that kind of familial environment, he supposes.

Though he also thinks he would have considered at least one of the other kids he'd have grown up with a friend? Or maybe even a sibling... It sounds so lonely in a way Mark can't quite comprehend. He gets being lonely now, a human-alien hybrid with a particularly unique level of shit dumped on him, but not... not growing up that way.

For lack of anything to say as he tries to unpack all of this — understand why Soujuurou is the way he is — Mark reaches behind him for his mug. Finds it. Doesn't drink from it. ]

I actually did grow up normal. [ A small, self-deprecating laugh. ] I think it helped me. But I also think that what we have now is important too. And since you're here, I don't know... You're a good person, and that still counts for a lot, right?

[ Maybe he will risk a sip, after all. It's just enough to be soothing rather than nauseating. He's not sure how much longer that's going to last for, so he should enjoy this while he can. ]

But since when this is all over we can go anywhere you want, would you want to try to fill that absence?

[mediator]

Yeah, maybe it was.

[ honestly, he has no idea if it could be called that either. he doesn't know what to call it anymore. the longer he's away, the happier he is for it... even if it makes him sad in a way he can't articulate. things are complicated and that's about the extent he can reason it. ]

But I don't think I would. I don't need to go backwards or spend time searching for things I don't need. [ he drums his fingers against his mug gently, lips pursing. ] Plus, I have to get back to my jobs after this. I really hope I haven't been fired for absence.

[titlecard]

[ ... He can't help but laugh at the worry of getting fired, after all of this. It's so mundane it takes Mark out a little, in a delightful way. ]

I think you can choose to go to a time that people won't even notice you were gone. Then there'd be nothing to fire you for. [ A beat, a sip. ] What do you do for work?

[mediator]

Oh, that's true. Smart thinking. [ he didn't even consider the idea. it feels a little dishonest, but what his bosses won't know can't hurt them. ] I work a few part-time jobs. At the Chinese restaurant weeknights, the fish market before school, I also volunteer at the Church on weekends... I pick up odd jobs here and there. Most of what I make goes right back to my rent.

[titlecard]

Wow, all of that? [ He thought he'd be getting like, one job mentioned, not enough to pack seemingly every hour of the week. All to pay rent, something Mark has never had to do... it's a lot. He involuntarily shivers, whether due to the thought of how much work that is or a chill from his illness or whatever. ] I used to have a fast food job, but uh. I quit that a while ago.

[ Which he feels kinda self-conscious about now, even though realistically there's no way he'd have been able to keep up with it on top of everything else in his life... ]

[mediator]

I like filling my time as much as I can.

[ unfortunately swim club didn't really work out for him like he had hoped, and joining the track club seemed silly when he was already a good runner. anyway, picking up the jobs is a lot more useful for a few reasons. ]

You probably have other commitments compared to me, so don't feel too bad. I'm the only one I know who works as many jobs as I do. My classmates only have one, if any.

[titlecard]

... Isn't there anything else you can fill your time with? I mean, if you like your jobs that's good, I just can't imagine working that much.

[ not like he'd wanted to work fast food before he had powers or anything either, just, personal responsibility and money or whatever. mostly the latter for him, until it stopped being worth it due to everything else he can do ]

[mediator]

Maybe. [ aah, he feels so sheepish to admit this but- ] I don't really know what I would do though. I've never had so much free time in my life since moving to the city.

[titlecard]

[ It's on the tip of Mark's tongue — don't you have any friends? — before he realizes that's potentially a crappy thing to say to the guy, especially when he's learned how Soujuurou grew up. Especially when he doesn't know him all that well. Mark opens his mouth, promptly snaps it shut.

... Bobs his tea bag some more, like that'll do something. ]

I guess I would just... hang out. Um, you know, go to movies, read comics... just... stuff I could do for fun, I guess? I don't know if you have anything like that, but I think it's... good. To just take some time for yourself every now and then.