Somewhere in Creepyville...
Going into a strange town filled with odd people to talk about freaky things? Strangely enough, Jack had experience with that. He also had experience with people growing tails and acting violent but that was a whole science experiment gone wrong. And none of these guys looked like they were Taggart. Hopefully.
"Hi!" Jack said with forced cheerfulness at a group of yokels. "I'm Jack Carter from the... uh. Big old island over there that appeared the other day. Kinda weird, huh? Bet you don't see that kind of thing every day."
Jack paused for a moment only to realize that most of the yokels were just staring at him with blank looks. "So!" Jack said awkwardly as he clapped his hands trying to distract from the awkwardness. "I don't suppose you guys know anything about a big giant glowing rock? Big creepy things that wander around the forest? People... changing?"
A few of the locals took that as their cue to quickly leave the area, knowing better than to get involved with the oddities of the past in the area. It was for the best, really.
"You best go along home and sleep off whatever you've been drinking, young man" one of the remaining townfolk finally said.
"Oh, hey, wait," Jack said holding up his hands as the locals left. "C'mon. I'm sober as a judge here. What? Is it because I'm not a Red Sox fan?"
"Sober enough to be asking unwanted questions," the man replied. Because he was made of dubiousness.
Jack shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down as he tapped the dirt at his feet with the toe of his shoe. "Yeeeeaaaah," Jack said drawing out the word. "Thing is there's stuff going on back on our island. People are.... becoming different. I don't suppose that sounds familiar at all?"
The man went silent for a moment as the rest of the town folk decided to do a study of their navels at Jack's words.
"Well," he said slowly, focus somewhere else entirely. "I recall hearing about something strange at Nahum Gardner's old plot. 'fore it was flooded for the reservoir."
Jack did his best not to chuckle at the name "Nahum Gardner". Really? That was his name? Really?
"Strange?" Jack asked carefully. "Just exactly how strange are we talking about?"
IT WAS LOVECRAFT. GOD DAMN IT, JACK.
"We don't like talking about those days," the man said firmly. "No need to rehash them. Not after what happened to the Gardners."
"Well, what if there was a way to stop..." Jack made a hand gesture towards what he thought might be where the Gardners might be. "-whatever happened to the Gardners? I mean, there are people in trouble here."
Granted some of them were INSANE people who couldn't help but touch the GIANT GLOWING ROCK OF DOOM but Jack thought was probably not the thing to bring up at the moment.
"If you know something. Anything. It can help."
"They died." Well, that was just so terribly helpful. "Near as anyone can say. The ones that were found, at least."
Well doesn't that sound cheery and hopeful?
"Right," Jack said with a nod. "Okay. Well. That's a good start. I, uh, thank you for your time."
Yep. Not awkward at all.
"Best get a move on, young man." And, you know, run while you still can.
"Sure," Jack said with a nod. "Thank you. You have a nice day now, okay?"
Jack turned and started to head back to the group to tell them what he had found out as he muttered to himself as he went.
"Okay. So. Big glowing rock. Reservoir. People dead."
...
"That can't be good."
[For the BDE. Preplayed with mouthy_merc. Not coded because I'm damn lazy.]
"Hi!" Jack said with forced cheerfulness at a group of yokels. "I'm Jack Carter from the... uh. Big old island over there that appeared the other day. Kinda weird, huh? Bet you don't see that kind of thing every day."
Jack paused for a moment only to realize that most of the yokels were just staring at him with blank looks. "So!" Jack said awkwardly as he clapped his hands trying to distract from the awkwardness. "I don't suppose you guys know anything about a big giant glowing rock? Big creepy things that wander around the forest? People... changing?"
A few of the locals took that as their cue to quickly leave the area, knowing better than to get involved with the oddities of the past in the area. It was for the best, really.
"You best go along home and sleep off whatever you've been drinking, young man" one of the remaining townfolk finally said.
"Oh, hey, wait," Jack said holding up his hands as the locals left. "C'mon. I'm sober as a judge here. What? Is it because I'm not a Red Sox fan?"
"Sober enough to be asking unwanted questions," the man replied. Because he was made of dubiousness.
Jack shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down as he tapped the dirt at his feet with the toe of his shoe. "Yeeeeaaaah," Jack said drawing out the word. "Thing is there's stuff going on back on our island. People are.... becoming different. I don't suppose that sounds familiar at all?"
The man went silent for a moment as the rest of the town folk decided to do a study of their navels at Jack's words.
"Well," he said slowly, focus somewhere else entirely. "I recall hearing about something strange at Nahum Gardner's old plot. 'fore it was flooded for the reservoir."
Jack did his best not to chuckle at the name "Nahum Gardner". Really? That was his name? Really?
"Strange?" Jack asked carefully. "Just exactly how strange are we talking about?"
IT WAS LOVECRAFT. GOD DAMN IT, JACK.
"We don't like talking about those days," the man said firmly. "No need to rehash them. Not after what happened to the Gardners."
"Well, what if there was a way to stop..." Jack made a hand gesture towards what he thought might be where the Gardners might be. "-whatever happened to the Gardners? I mean, there are people in trouble here."
Granted some of them were INSANE people who couldn't help but touch the GIANT GLOWING ROCK OF DOOM but Jack thought was probably not the thing to bring up at the moment.
"If you know something. Anything. It can help."
"They died." Well, that was just so terribly helpful. "Near as anyone can say. The ones that were found, at least."
Well doesn't that sound cheery and hopeful?
"Right," Jack said with a nod. "Okay. Well. That's a good start. I, uh, thank you for your time."
Yep. Not awkward at all.
"Best get a move on, young man." And, you know, run while you still can.
"Sure," Jack said with a nod. "Thank you. You have a nice day now, okay?"
Jack turned and started to head back to the group to tell them what he had found out as he muttered to himself as he went.
"Okay. So. Big glowing rock. Reservoir. People dead."
...
"That can't be good."
[For the BDE. Preplayed with mouthy_merc. Not coded because I'm damn lazy.]