Mass Text

[adamparrish]

[ Normally Adam might have just kept this text to his core group of people. But he knows some people outside of that now, a few he might even call friend. So he sends this text out to the masses. Short and not so sweet as Adam is. ]

So. Someone shook the world and turned out the lights. It's not electrical on our end of things, already tried to fix it.

Everyone okay?

Comments

[venusvandam]

Hello, sweetheart. It's all very strange, isn't it? I'm fine and hope you are too. That apple pie might be delayed.

[makeslouder]

I noticed. It's not just the lights. Have you looked outside?

[adamparrish]

It's okay. I was just worried about you.

[ The apple pie will be nice. But Venus is more important. ]

You have plenty of candles?

[adamparrish]

Yeah. I think we're gonna have to make use of the ley lines.

[ Ronan has not had to dream too much what with the way people could think things into existence here. ]

[venusvandam]

We're gathering some up, now. Has this happened since you've been here?

[championinquisitor]

I'm fine. Does this happen a lot?

[adamparrish]

It's never happened since I've been here. Do you have any ideas of what it might be?

[adamparrish]

Never. It's new. Did you feel the shudder before the sky went dark?

[venusvandam]

I wasn't sure what that was. we have earthquakes in California and it felt a little like that, maybe. What do you suppose it means?

[fictor]

Ronan has run around securing things in Monmouth as much as possible then he'd gone out to the Barns to make sure things were alright there. He'd found the Barns secure enough, but without electricity. He'd put a few things away, secured things as much as he could there. Things seemed a little better there but maybe that's because the Barns are so far away from town. Once everything was done there, he'd driven back to Monmouth.

Adam had just sent out that text when Ronan walked into the room that had once been his, the room they now shared when they were at Monmouth. He flops down on the bed next to Adam, making the whole thing jiggle. Chainsaw is picking through a box he keeps in there of various bits and pieces of trash that she can tear apart.

"Everything seems ... the same there."

[therealgansey]

One would hope this doesn't last long, though we ought to prepare for the worst.

[makeslouder]

Is that such a good idea? We saw what happened to the ley lines when Ronan and Kavinsky overused them back home.

[adamparrish]

We don't have a choice if things stay this way. It'll be okay.

[ What he means is that he'll be okay. He can fix the ley lines and be okay. ]

[adamparrish]

If things keep going this way, we need to stick together and Ronan will use the ley lines.

[adamparrish]

Adam grabs Ronan's hand and pulls as he stands. He leads Ronan over to the windows and points to the city scape outside to the tallest sky scraper in the city, the top of which seems to be slowly eroding away or falling apart or something. You can barely see it through the dark, but it's no longer a square top and there's fire and smoke coming out of the top of it too. Adam can't explain it. And maybe it doesn't need any explanation.

"If things keep going like that, if they get worse, you know what we're going to have to do." Adam says, looking sideways to Ronan where their shoulders are pressed together. They're going to have to use the ley lines, while there are still ley lines to use.

[championinquisitor]

No, but I've never seen electricity until I came here. Looks dark outside, too. Like someone took out the sun.

[adamparrish]

There's going to be a lot of people here who don't know how to live without electricity. You can help them.

[ Adam has an idea of how it is. Sometimes the bills didn't get paid at his trailer in the park. ]

I'm Adam.

[adamparrish]

I don't think it can be good. Are you with Derek?

[ He needs to know she's safe. ]

[venusvandam]

I am. I'm allright, sweetheart. Are you safe?

[championinquisitor]

I'm beginning to think you're right, especially if this keeps up for long. I guess this is payback for everyone having to teach me about electricity when I got here.

[ it's... hard to joke around over text. ]

Alaina Trevelyan. [ not that anyone here has any idea of the weight her name carries, even without the inquisition's backing. ] It's nice to meet you, Adam. Do you need any help with anything?

[adamparrish]

Yeah, I've got my friends.

[ Ronan is probably about to use the ley lines to dream some big things for the group of them since the thought seems to no longer be working. That will set Adam onto crazy land until he can fix the ley lines. But without night terrors, they're defenseless for the most part. ]

It's a little scary. But we'll be okay.

[adamparrish]

We've got a few candles and a lighter. Food's gonna be hard.

[ Unless Ronan gets to dreaming before the ley lines crumble as the buildings have begun to do.

Adam's name isn't weighty at all. In fact, he's hardly noticeable unless he makes himself so, like with this text. Still, he's been getting better about meeting new people. Alaina seems nice so far. Which is good, because the alternative would make Adam clam up faster than anything. ]

I think I know how to make a fire. And we still have some food. Eventually, if this keeps up, I think people, the whole city, is gonna need food. Do you know how to do that?

[venusvandam]

As long as these things work sweetheart I'm just a text away. If there's anything I can do, please let me know. I'm thinking of you.

[championinquisitor]

[ can she help? she's helped and saved so many people during all of the mess with the mage rebellion and the orlesian civil war. she's helped set up camps and strongholds, collected meat off rams in the hinterlands for the starving refugees, located caches of supplies, and even brought the dalish elves pelts they could turn into blankets and warm clothes.

yeah. alaina can definitely help. ]

Leave it to me. Do you know how much wildlife there is here? And if you want, I can make sure you know how to light a fire.

[ no one is dying or starving out here on her watch. ]

[adamparrish]

[ Surprisingly this teenage boy knows the wildlife situation well. He spends a lot of time in the forests, not hunting, but repairing the mystical ley lines that run through them. He is the magician, after all. He can fix things that other people can't even see. ]

Yeah. There's lots of deer and pigs. Birds. That's the bulk of it. But sometimes there are strange things in the forest too. Creatures I've never seen before.

[ Adam has a theory that the creatures change with who is in Itinere and who isn't. They come from the worlds people are from and disappear when those people are gone. ]

[makeslouder]

[She sorely wants to believe that. That everything will be okay. But there's no sky. She might not be psychic like the rest of her family but there are some things that don't take a psychic to know.

Not everything is going to be okay.]

You won't do it alone. And you won't do it without me.

[adamparrish]

I don't need your help.

[ Okay, that was a little harsh. But a part of him didn't like the tenor of her giving him orders either. Whether they were about his being unable to do it himself or not. Why does everything with him and Blue (and him and everyone, really) have to be so hard?

He tries to soften his defensive tone a bit. ]

Thanks though.

[makeslouder]

[She's only being bossy because she knows how unlikely Adam is to ask for help. Not just from her but from any of the others. Sometimes Blue thinks that if Adam could have his way, he'd do everything on his own. It seems like a lonely way to live.

Which is part of the reason why Blue refuses to back down.]

Sometimes you make it really difficult to be your friend, Adam. There's nothing wrong in accepting help. Especially if it can help all of us in the end.

[championinquisitor]

Consider it done. I can drop the meat and pelts off with you or stockpile it in a central location for anyone to find.

[ she's good at marking caches and making sure people survive through whatever means necessary. ]

What else is out there?

[adamparrish]

[ He can't really argue with any of that. But, he's Adam Parrish. ]

Ronan's the one who'll be dreaming to get us whatever we can. Maybe you can help him make a list of things we need with the electric and water down like it is.

[ That's right. Diverting attention. ]

[fictor]

Ronan laces his fingers with Adam's squeezing a little tighter when he sees the sky scraper eroding. He swallows hard and nods. "Things are definitely going to shit in some places." He doesn't want to admit that it may be all over town.

He looks to Adam, eyes narrowing a little. "We better make sure they're strong as hell then." He starts to step away from the window, to lead Adam outside so they can get in the BMW and go work on the ley lines. He doesn't like the idea of driving his boyfriend insane so they can survive, but he will.

[therealgansey]

Alright. I'm going to do some research at the bookstore. I'll let you know if I find anything. You'll keep in touch?

[makeslouder]

[He is Adam Parrish. And she's Blue Sargent. That means that this argument isn't going anywhere.]

And what will you be doing?

[adamparrish]

Surviving until the ley lines can be fixed. Maybe hoping for a pony.

[ He knows sarcasm will get him nowhere. But there's some truth mixed in with it. So, that counts for something. ]

What will you be doing?

[makeslouder]

Do you really care?

[Apparently now. Otherwise the sarcasm wouldn't be so thick in his last response.]

[adamparrish]

[ He knows she's tossing his own sarcasm back at him. But his answer is honest because he can't really joke about caring about Blue or not. ]

Yes.