(Untitled)

[hasnobullets]

The cane that slides against the ice is not my own. It's heavier and bulkier, with a curved hook on one end to serve as a grip. I've paid attention to the warnings -- that the weather would turn cold. That some of the topography and architecture could transform with the coming of December. But as I walk through the snowy streets of a city I do not

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[little_moons]

This is fucking weird.

It shouldn't have been a shock, we were all ready for it, but waking up in a bedroom so different from mine, scared me more than I wanna admit. I'm not sure I can remember when I was last so afraid, tearing out of bed and banging through the unfamiliar apartment, and that feeling of overwhelming relief when I yanked open a door and found the twins sleeping peacefully behind it.

We're not on the island anymore. It was a feeling that settled almost as soon as I'd finished checking that the girls were still safe and sound. We're somewhere far from home, and even though I've already run into a fair few of the people I care about most, that thought is undeniably unsettling.

And I can fucking see.

"If I fuckin' knew, man, I'd tell you," I say, and he sounds pissed -- and maybe it's a little fear, too, but I'd never accuse him of it.

[hasnobullets]

"Neil," I say, shoulders sagging with the weight of relief. I swiftly close the distance between us, reaching out with a gloved hand to ensure he's solid. His presence doesn't solve the mystery of the vanishing people, but at least one question has been answered: the environment's shifted out from under us, yes, but I haven't left island life behind entirely.

"When they said there'd be snow, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting."

[little_moons]

"Yeah, no shit," I say, catching him by the elbow, feeling this odd need for an anchor. Everything about this place feels off.

"I been wanderin' around for a goddamn hour. Nothin's where it's fuckin' supposed to be."

It strikes me, suddenly, how rare it is to see him without his glasses. It's not like I haven't caught glimpses of them behind those red lenses, but his eyes are almost shockingly blue.

[hasnobullets]

I have long since memorized the route to the Compound from my house, but there was nothing to indicate I was even going in so much as the right direction. The turn off I used to take found me in a dead end, and after that,

"I noticed," I say on a sigh, feeling my breath come back at me. "We're in a city, for God's sake. Has anything on this scale happened before?"

Other than Rapture, I suppose, but then, that had been underground and far less intrusive than this.

[widowskiss]

"The island," answers Natalia immediately, crunching past the reach of Matt's cane and to his side. "Styled after Victorian England, with some modifications. Apparently," she adds with a twist of mouth he can't see but will surely hear, "This one runs on steam."

[hasnobullets]

I don't know if it's chance that's crossed our paths or if she was out looking for me, nor do I care to wonder for long. It's not important. The sound of a familiar voice, someone with answers is enough to quiet my temper, if only just.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

[widowskiss]

Natalia thinks nothing of his temper - she'd run for him almost the moment she woke up, bothering only to pull on the heavy layers of the era and resolving to find a pair of breeches as soon as possible.

"There's no electricity here," she replies, taking his free hand. "No modern technology at all, instead every machine runs on steam, every light on gas. I presume you awoke as I did, your entire room and building changed." Looking down, she studies the curious mix of gears and gadgets that now comprise her gauntlets. "All your clothes and possessions transformed."

[hasnobullets]

I never had cause to turn on any of the lights -- or anything else, for that matter. Otherwise I would have picked up on that particular change on my own. As it is, I didn't notice anything so specific. The feeling of the building I woke up in was distinctly older, though, with floors that creaked under even the lightest of footsteps and the aged musk of fine wood.

"I woke up in an apartment," I confirm with a nod, the anger bleeding from my voice and replaced with quiet acknowledgment. "I've never experienced anything quite like this before."

There's usually seams that show the illusion for what it is. Wires. Smokes and mirrors. Here, though, there isn't anything of the sort.

[liliesfromluce]

After weighing the likeliness of wearing a petticoat, Luce has found herself a good pair of slacks and a waistcoat to go with her long coat and a scarf, walking the streets of London and taking in the differences surrounding her. When she's called at sharply, she stops and only because she recognizes the voice. "I could recite something about honey right now, but I don't think you'll appreciate it," she says, taking a step closer to lightly touch the end of his cane. "Matt, trust me?"

[hasnobullets]

"...Luce?" I say, mouth pulling in a frown. It takes me a second to place her voice, though hearing anyone familiar comes as a relief. I've had my mind manipulated before; I'm wary of that trick ever happening again. But there's a definite tug at the end of my cane and that's proof enough that I'm not going insane to lower it back to the snow-covered ground.

[liliesfromluce]

"It's me," she assures him. She's careful not to tug at the cane or do anything to unnerve his balance (her own is precarious enough on some of the slips of ice) and she makes her way to his side, offering a quiet, 'here, now' to reacquaint himself with her new position. It's almost like Auggie's been a rather good set of training wheels when it comes to dealing with this particular disability. "Is this your first time outside today?"

[hasnobullets]

Under normal circumstances, I might not care for this level of coddling, but these are far from normal circumstances, so I can't bring myself to complain. Instead I simply use her voice to judge the relative location of her arm, letting my free hand seek out her elbow.

"Yes."

[a_real_viking]

"Still the island, believe it or not," Hiccup replied. Toothless slid around behind him, ears pricked in annoyance of the sharp tone, eyes glancing between the cane and Hiccup as the dragon made the connection that it helped walk in some capacity. Hiccup reached down and touched Toothless' head, trying to will away how tense his friend was.

"It just...changed."

[hasnobullets]

More than one set of footsteps. There be must be an animal of some sort; too big to be a direwolf, and the smell's all wrong besides. Fish. The faint burn of electricity. Probably not too dangerous if it's accompanied by someone so young, though I can't make an accurate guess as to what it is.

"Where on the island?" I ask, feeling stupid even as the words leave my mouth. I haven't run into so many dead ends since the first few weeks after my arrival. This route should've taken me straight to the Compound, had I not met a building where there once was a path some time ago.

[a_real_viking]

"Uh, that's a good question," Hiccup admitted. "I tried to leave my hut this morning and it had turned into a big building, like the compound but bigger. I think all the huts have turned into those."

Actually, it made him sort of uncomfortable. Everything was paved and made over, sharp angles and manmade work. Toothless, too, seemed confused. Hiccup stepped forward, his metal leg creaking, and craned his head down the path.

"There's a central-looking building down the road. That could be it?"

[hasnobullets]

There have been few people to throw me off quite this badly since I first arrived, but the harder I listen, the more I realize there's more than just footsteps at play. His gait is uneven, as though he's favoring one leg over the other, and the protest of weight-bearing metal has me suspecting that he has an artificial limb. In this weather, I don't envy him.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I sigh. It's better than, if I'm being honest, but with no greater lead than that to go on, I set to follow suit, keeping my ears open for whatever pet he's got with him to give it a wide berth.

"Got a name?"

[theblindguy]

It's like someone flipped the switch and brought Auggie right back to how he'd felt the first few days and weeks when he showed up. He'd worked damn hard the last few months to feel comfortable in the new environment he'd been thrown into, so for it all to disappear overnight

[hasnobullets]

For about a second, I wonder if he isn't just using a turn of phrase. So much of the English language is wrapped up in sight, after all, that it's hard to avoid; I've lived over half my life without no true vision to speak of, and yet I still say things like 'going to see someone.' It's simply what's said.

But I am not the only blind guy on this island, even if there aren't so many of us that I would've expected to run into the other one on an occasion I could've used someone with a pair of working eyes. (Or a few street signs written in braille.)

"The literal dark?" I ask, lowering my cane. It's reassuring enough to be addressed that I can drop some of the hostility. "Because if so, that makes us the blind leading the blind."

[theblindguy]

Auggie had heard a while ago, after the speed dating thing, that there was someone else blind on the island. He didn't exactly go seeking the stranger out, always assuming they'd cross paths eventually. Bad timing on the 'eventually', he supposes.

It explains a lot about why the stranger had sounded so annoyed, though. It's probably along the same lines of why he's been feeling the same way since he woke up.

"The literal dark," he confirms, letting out a snort that's almost bitter after. "Nothing like getting used to everything only to have it change completely overnight. This place is insane."

[hasnobullets]

Hell's Kitchen had a different kind of charm. The insanity it attracted was on a smaller scale than the Island's. More intimate and violent and dangerous. Tabula Rasa, however, is another beast. Had I access to the full scope of my senses, my reaction to the change this morning would have been one of jubilance than annoyance, but then, exploring would have taken me in a more exciting place than the snow-covered ground of an unfamiliar street.

"You've got that right," I say. "I'm Matt Murdock, by the way. You're..." I search my memory for a name, remembering it to be something unusual, but equally alliterative. "...Auggie, is it?"