sunborne | ＩＮＢＯＸ 🔥 ( ＩＮＴＨＥＮＩＧＨＴ. )

I have found a place. A cabin in the woods. If you wanted to meet up and I could. See how you are?

I'm in the cabin with the broken fairy lights outside

[ !!!! ]

Hey Quentin! Yeah, I have some free time right about now.

I'll swing by in just a bit. You won't miss me, promise!

Just knock and I'll let you in? You can't miss the place

Sure thing, Quentin. See you in a shake of a tailfeather! :D

[ well- daylight doesn't get there in a literal shake but he does his best to not keep a potential buddy of his waiting. (though he's ready to justify the very minor yet important pitstop to say hi to a friendly crooning spirit because! they were crooning.

right- back on topic-)

but when he arrives to the location, taking pains to find the landmark as given to him earlier, daylight hurries to the front and knocks. there should be no way to miss his presence - this is daylight in all of his colourful and very clearly humanoid in appearance but possibly not in nature glory - but it never hurts to be sure: ]

Hey, Quentin! It's Daylight! [ he knocks again for emphasis, trying his best to be gentle with the door. ] I'm here! Sorry for taking so long- I kind of got distracted by a forest spirit when passing by.

[With a name like Daylight, there's a lot of assumptions Quentin could have made about who might show up at the door, but opening it and finally seeing him- wow, so not what he was expecting. And he takes a step forward before catching himself and he stands there, staring a bit.]

Uhm, hello? I-- yeah, I'm Quentin? [that was not supposed to be a question, but fuck it. He holds the door wide open and waves at hand at the cabin.] So. Uhm, come in? I mean, please, come in! Hello, nice to meet you.

[The cabin looks like all the other cabins except for where Eliot has been busy putting up pillows and making it look lived-in and cozy. There's a couch with a small coffee table in front of it, the table is brimming with papers, notes, notebooks and various half-empty glasses of water.]

[ daylight looks a bit nervous for a second, perhaps catching quentin's reaction to his appearance. the winglets on his back dip back from his sudden case of shyness as he's reminded that, well, he's different from the others, significantly so.

but the nervousness soon disappears when he's invited inside to the cabin. his smile comes back at full strength, always quick to bounce back. ]

Thanks! [ daylight has to bend down a bit and keep his helm low as he enters, but it looks like he won't crash into anything or break any delicates. ] It's nice to finally meet you, Quentin.

And- Oh wow! [ daylight looks around and his winglets perk up, wriggling in great interest of his surroundings. ] Your cabin is really cosy. Coraline and I are still sprucing up our place.

[Something is moving on Daylight's back, lying flat against the hull of his back for a moment and then it wriggles. Kind of like a dog's tail, Quentin thinks, trying not to stare too much. People staring is the worst. Instead, he smiles proudly and looks back at the cabin.]

I wish I could take credit for it, but that's all Eliot. He's the one who's good with things like this, because I'd just-- sleep here? If I was on my own. Have a seat?

[Hovering a little, Quentin picks a spot on the couch and slouches in to it.] Yeah? Well, I can understand dragging your feet on that, with everything else that's been going on and it's just a house? How long have you been here?

[ the offer is gratefully acknowledged but politely turned down. daylight opts to, instead, take a brisk seat right on the floor. truth be told, he does not think the poor chairs will survive his fidgeting so better to play it safe. last thing he wants to do is ruin the hard work of quentin's friend, eliot.

at the question, daylight's smile fades a bit. being reminded how long he's been here is still a bit of shock to him. some part of him still hopes to go back home and figure out what the heck is going on, but- that's for another time. let's try to answer quentin's question...! ]

Oh man- I think I've been here for a few months already. The very start of this new... [ he's still trying to- what's that fancy term dialup once used? - collect and understand the information dr. ingram gave to them weeks ago. ] ...this new session, I guess is the best word for what's going on.

So, give or take, around over four months.

Four months?

[So, it's one thing to be told they're supposed to be here for years and it's quite another to actually talk to someone who's been stuck here for longer than a few weeks. The few weeks where hope of this all just being one big mistake is just huge.]

Man. I'm sorry. [Quentin says, tilting his head and trying very hard not to say something really stupid.] Did it work? With pushing beds together?

[ for a few seconds, daylight looks rather glum as he nods his head in confirmation. the reminder that they'll be here for far longer is kind of- daylight is unsure, that's for certain.

but quentin makes the right call when he asks his question about the bed situation. it successfully distracts day and he perks up, winglets wriggling behind him in joy now that his attentions are on that topic instead. ]

Oh! Yeah! You're a real lifesaver with that advice, buddy! It's nice to no longer sleep on the floor, you know?

I do feel kind of silly for not realising it sooner. [ he rubs the back of his neck as he speaks. ] The last few months have been kind of hectic, you know. Trying to figure out what to do and stuff.

[It's all kinds of weird how Quentin can actually tell what kinds of feelings are flashing over Daylight's face. Like, it moves like a face and it's a face even if Daylight seems completely made of metal. It's even more weird that Daylight wiggles, like he has a tail, only there's more than one and it's still a happy feeling watching it. Like watching a dog wag its tail. Jesus, maybe Quentin just really likes dogs, but Daylight kind of reminds him of one. A big, happy one, so he smiles and tilts his head in interest.]

Sure. I mean, I haven't been here all that long, but-- but just trying to figure out where we go from here? Like, what's the most important thing to start with? It's. Yeah, it's not good. But I'm glad the bed worked out for you. Everyone should have a place to crash that isn't going to, you know, kill their back or whatever.

Right? Soft beds and cushioned mattresses should, like, be one of the rights for all sentient beings. [ daylight makes a show of rubbing his back, wincing at the ghost sensory of how stiff his struts felt in the morning. ]

And I'm glad I'm with Coraline now, too. Ever since Winters- [ daylight stops for a second, optics wide as if he was unsure he could bring himself to say it. a part of him didn't want to say it. easier to pretend it never happened.

but he quickly realised that was wrong. wrong to quentin, who deserved to know what the heck happened before his arrival so he was on even grounds with everyone. wrong especially to winters, who did his best to help the others. ] ... Ever since Winters, you know, died... It didn't feel right to live in the room we shared anymore. Felt.. too big, somehow. I guess that could be considered one of the things we have to figure out to know where to go, right?

It should be, yeah. Not that it ever was, at least not where I'm from. There as a lot of people who had-- who had nothing?

[Useless to think about now, since he's dead and all, but there had been a lot of misery in the world, even stuff that had nothing to do with magic or ending the world. Just, general, down-to-earth everyday sufferings that most people had learned to close their eyes to.]

Coraline? Oh, is she, uh, not that tall, dressed in all black and she likes magic? I think I saw her at the church.

[Small and pleased-looking, clutching a broom and trying to mimic the tuts they'd been doing at the time. She'd seemed nice, but the reason for Daylight moving--] Oh shit, you lost someone you were living with? I'm sorry. Uh, I mean, my condolences. That must have, jesus, that must have been-- awful.

[ daylight's winglets perk upon hearing the description of one of his best friends, coraline, and he happily nods his helm in reply with great enthusiasm. just hearing about her and her whereabouts makes him happy (and he takes note of her location, a bit worried but trusting her at the same time) to hear.

so he can't help but startle a bit at the sudden rush of apologies quentin gives; it takes daylight a few seconds to figure out what's going on next and, when he does, it's his turn to give out his own tumble of sorries: ] Oh no! I'm sorry for springing that on you, Quentin. It's- It's fine! It's fine! I swear- It's okay.

[ ... not really, when daylight thinks about it, but he tries to plow on ahead, hoping to explain that, ] It... What happened... We're trying to make the best of the situation. [ he smiles now, making a light huff of amusement when he realises what he said. ] I guess that's a good way to describe our entire thing, huh? Making the best of the situation. But it's true. It happened and we gotta do what we can. Right?

I don't-- yeah I guess we do, but. That's-

[And outlook on life that never really agreed with Quentin, with who he was deep down underneath the anxiety and the depression and the really fucking fanatical love of fantasy books and of course magic. Deeper than that, ran the streak of 'doing something', fixing things.]

I don't really think we can, uh, make the best of this? [He gestures at the dark windows and the world beyond that.] It seems like it's do or die here. We have to do this thing, or she flips the switch and we're all gone. Really gone.

... Oh.

[ oh, indeed.

that- that isn't something he expected. day can't help but look out the window when quentin gestures towards the window. his expression flickers at the sight of all that darkness.

for a second, daylight looks a little unsure of how to reply to that. much as he wants to disagree with that, he finds himself looking over to quentin. he ends up tilting his helm to the side as uncertainty becomes thoughtfulness. ] ... Yeah- That's true. It's going to be hard because, you know, do or die but I like to think it's possible.

Yeah? Well, I mean. I guess we could just solve the puzzle and, uh, move on? Like, there has to be something beyond this place, right? Something... better.

[Or maybe not. Hell was repetition and maybe the eternity they all bought when they died, was this. This town, these people. Quentin clears his throat and shakes his head, trying to lighten the mood.]

But, uh. But there has to be something to do here, right? Something other than that fu- that annoying Sudoku game on the tablet. Or the really very boring books I found at the library.

[ daylight looks pretty uncertain now, unsure of what to answer any of that. they're all pretty heavy and things that, honestly, daylight is trying to still comprehend.

so the instant he can think of an answer he can give, he blurts it out: ]

-The forests.

We can explore the forests here. The ones beyond the light of the bonfire. It's risky, considering the stuff out there, but there's always something interesting found there. [ he pauses, trying to recall what they've found through poking around the dark woods. now that quentin has pointed out through the conversation, it's been so long since day's arrival here. ] I think, in order, we discovered the post office and the village and, now, the gym. They've helped us a lot and there's no doubt more.

There's a post office?

[What? Of the most random things to find in a creepy forest of the undead.] Who, uh, who is sending letters? Is it-- can we send a letter home? That kind of post office?

[Maybe not. Or maybe no one's tried? Maybe everyone just gave up and Quentin makes a mental note to look in to the strange post office.]

But. It's dangerous in the forest? And those spirits?

There is! [ daylight tries to smile now as he speaks, trying to pitch it nicely as possible. ]

Um- The Postmaster General is a forest spirit and they're very friendly. They help out send mail that we give to them. I don't know if it goes... home but you could try...

[ he trails off at that point, uncertain of his answer for that and his upcoming answer for the next question- ] It's dark and unknown. So anything can go there. While some forest spirits are friendly... Not all of them are, from what I've heard.

Yeah.

[To both really, because he is going to try and send letters, but also the forest. The spirits that may or may not be friendly. Since more than a couple of them have moved in to town and set up shop. Literally. But that had been deaths, too.

Quentin clears his throat and smiles a little.]

But, hey. At least we're not bored? Yet? And, uh, also- do you want something to drink? I think Eliot has tea somewhere?

[Did robot people have to drink? How about food? Could he feel things if touched? So many questions and all of them rude.]

ＩＮＢＯＸ 🔥 ( ＩＮＴＨＥＮＩＧＨＴ. )

text @ SuprNerd

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I'm so sorry for the delay!

Don't worry about it, I'll tag back forever

Yesss. I love their CR so much right now.

This is my soft spot to hide from all the angst!

ＩＮＢＯＸ 🔥 ( ＩＮ ＴＨＥ ＮＩＧＨＴ. )

text @ SuprNerd

no subject

no subject

( text to action! )

no subject

no subject

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no subject

no subject

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no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

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no subject

no subject

I'm so sorry for the delay!

Don't worry about it, I'll tag back forever

Yesss. I love their CR so much right now.

This is my soft spot to hide from all the angst!

ＩＮＢＯＸ 🔥 ( ＩＮＴＨＥＮＩＧＨＴ. )