rule #1

[scaler]

[Molly has found the journal.

'Calm' is not a good word for it. Neither is 'relaxed,' or 'adjusted,' or 'accepting,' but she is very good at putting on all four. Keeping her head is what keeps her alive.

She's gotten acquainted with the important bits: the magic, the wishes, the losses, the indefinite stay, the familiar faces. Also the really important bit: walkers. That is, lack thereof. Allegedly.

None of it seems real -- but then, options are limited.

She presses a crease into the corner of the journal's page with her thumbnail. The first thing it picks up is a mutter half to herself.]

Feet first, I guess.

[Then, louder:]

So, hey. Ain't I supposed to get a gift basket? That's what luxury places like this do, right? What kind of welcome wagon is this?

Comments

[scaler]

[Talking about loneliness makes her a little uncomfortable. She isn't, not really, but she can't deny that it was nice to be around people who could actually talk back for once.

She could have had a place in Lee's group, maybe, but she gave that up for a reason. One that she's not about to hit Ellie with now.]

Well, going by all the pages in this thing, there's plenty of people around now.

[threeweeksago]

Plenty of people, plenty of headaches trying to understand just what the hell is going on when they talk about their "worlds". [She doesn't say that in a bad way, though. She sounds amused, if anything.]

I gotta say, it's pretty interesting hearing about places where those freaks don't exist at all.

[scaler]

Yeah, still deciding how I feel on that one. Definitely going to take some getting used to.

[threeweeksago]

It does have some perks though, if you wanna look at the bright side. Probably won't be boring at all here, with all the weirdos running around.

[scaler]

You got me there. This place isn't shy about cranking up the weird factor.

[threeweeksago]

No kidding. So what's the weirdest thing you've run into so far? I'm still stuck between "thousand year old elf" and Ben claiming that he's seen a talking dog.

[scaler]

[of course ben would see a talking dog]

Both of you got me beat, then. I'm still stuck on the "magic kidnapping alien hotel."

[threeweeksago]

... "Alien"? You think this place is run by aliens?

[scaler]

I don't know what it's run by, and from the sound of things neither does anyone else.

[A smidge defensive:]

They told me I was on a different world. It stuck, okay?

[threeweeksago]

Ehhhh, it's not that bizarre. I mean, it wasn't my first thought when I showed up here, but I do remember thinking at some point that all this "other world" shit made it seem like life on Mars or some shit was going to be the next thing these guys started talking about.

[scaler]

If this place has been hiding out on Mars this whole time, NASA seriously dropped the ball on that one.

[threeweeksago]

... NASA?

[Oh goddamnit is this some pre-Infection thing...]

[scaler]

[There's a pause while she frowns at the journal, confused -- and then she realizes. 20 years.

Shit. That's what's waiting for them. If they can last that long.

Her tone stays light.]

Cut off from the martians, huh? Makes sense, I guess. Not like we've talked to them since everything went to hell.

[HOW FAR CAN SHE PUSH THIS....]

[threeweeksago]

[Wha]

What the fuck are you talking about?

[scaler]

NASA? The martians? They didn't pass any of that down at all?

[threeweeksago]

[OH SHE SEES HOW IT IS NOW]

You're totally fucking with me.

[scaler]

[PLAY IT COOL....]

Nah, I'm just saying. It was a pretty big deal when it happened, but I guess you gotta pick and choose what's "big" enough after the world ends.

[threeweeksago]

Bullshit. If something like that really happened, not even the end of the world would be able to shut people up!

[scaler]

Don't know what to tell you, kid.

[There's an edge of amusement in her voice.]

[threeweeksago]

You can just tell me that you are fucking with me because that is seriously not cool!

[IT'S NOT HER FAULT THEY DON'T BOTHER TEACHING THIS SHIT IN POST-APOCALYPTIC MILITARY SCHOOLS >:T]

[scaler]

[There's a long pause.....








.... and she laughs.]

Yeah, okay, you got me.

NASA really was a space thing, though. Just never got past the moon.

[By her timeline, anyway.]

[threeweeksago]

[AHA, SHE KNEW IT. She grumbles for a bit, but... damn, she can't stay mad after hearing that.]

The moon? Seriously? That is fucking awesome.

[scaler]

Guess so. [She never really gave it that much thought before. It was always just something she learned in school.] It happened a long time ago, 1960s. We never really did anything up there, just tests and stuff.

[threeweeksago]

Still. Going up there, to a place totally different from what we know... must've been fucking amazing, no matter what the people up there were doing. I can't even imagine what that was like.

[scaler]

[That's... something. To be so earnest about possibilities when the only world you've ever known has long since gone to shit.

It makes sense, in a way.]

Gravity's lower there, so you had to bounce to get around. That's the only part that stuck with me after I saw the tape.