And I'll Find Strength In Pain, And I Will Change My Ways [Open; Grant Park]

[causedeath]

Tyler's not sure what's going on. He feels breathless as he comes to. The last thing he remembered was passing out after a transformation. His mother is supposed to be helping him help rescue Caroline. But his mother isn't here. And this definitely isn't the caverns beneath the Lockwood estate either

Comments

[pwnspatrickjane]

"Looks like you fell through a Rift."

That helpful tidbit of information (that probably isn't very helpful at all) is coming from a guy leaning out the window of a wiener mobile. Yes, Tyler, that is a wiener mobile. Her name is Irma, and she's very special to Shawn so try to resist the urge to make fun of him too much. Especially after this:

"You look cold. Parka?"

... It's bright blue. But it's better than nothing? After all, this is the middle of a Chicago winter.

[causedeath]

"What the hell is a rift?"

And why the hell is this guy driving around in a wiener mobile of all things. It's weird, to say the least. But it's also cold, and Tyler doesn't really like the idea of wandering around wearing next to nothing.

So he reluctantly grabs the parka and pulls it on.

[pwnspatrickjane]

"A crack in time and space. Kind of like the space between your dresser and the wall, where things fall through, never to be seen again? Except -- you know, instead of falling into an abyss of dust and debris to be found many years later in a forced fit of spring cleaning, you're falling into an alternate universe."

... That may be the most accurate analogy for that. He should save that for all the other times he gives the welcome speech. He looks suitably pleased with himself, and leans to rest his elbows against the edge of the window.

"I know, it sounds crazy, but it actually happens all the time around here. The Chicago in this universe is a little unstable that way."

[causedeath]

"Wait, so this is Chicago? But in some other universe?" Tyler can't help but sound a little skeptical about this. Sure, weird stuff happens all the time in Mystic Falls, but this is far fetched even by those standards.

"Am I really supposed to just believe that?"

[pwnspatrickjane]

Shawn shrugs. He knows how hard it is to believe, but when you're stuck in a city like Chicago, you get used to it after a while. Sometimes you almost forget how hard it is to believe.

"You have a better explanation for how you went from wherever you were to Chicago so fast that you didn't even have a chance to grab a shirt?"

[causedeath]

"Well, no. But that doesn't make this one any weirder."

He's not about to mention to some stranger the reason why he had been mostly naked. Or that he had been unconscious before getting here. It's not exactly the sort of thing you share with strangers.

[pwnspatrickjane]

"But that doesn't make this one any less true, either," he sighs. "I've been here over a year now. It's just the way it is."

[causedeath]

"So what?" He asks, his expression making it clear that he's not exactly on board with the whole just accepting it for what it was thing. "I'm just supposed to go down without even trying, is that what you're telling me?"

[pwnspatrickjane]

"Not at all," Shawn sighs. "I'm just giving you fair warning that you won't get very far."

[causedeath]

"Well, that really blows, if that's true," He mutters in annoyance.

[pwnspatrickjane]

He shrugs. "It's not so bad after a while. And if you have friends here it makes it a little easier."

[causedeath]

"How do you even figure that out? If you have people from your world here? Is there a way to find them?" He asks.

[pwnspatrickjane]

"Well, most Wanderers are over at the Kashtta," he says with a shrug. "So ... you could go door to door, but you could also always ask? I know most of the Wanderers around here."

[causedeath]

"Do you know if there's a girl named Caroline here?" There are other people from his world he'd like to see, but Caroline comes first. She always does.

[pwnspatrickjane]

"Caroline." Shawn only knows one, so he figures it's worth a shot. "Blond? About this high?" He sticks his hand out the window for an approximate estimation of Caroline's height.

[causedeath]

Tyler's eyes widen a little, and he nods. "That sounds like her. Do you know her?" Because if Caroline's here, he definitely wants to see her.