Multiversal travel can be disorienting, but there’s no need to worry! All side effects are temporary and lessen with each trip. Your body may experience several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You may have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer dizziness while others are perfectly fine. You notice that the area you are in is filled with a soft cerulean light and feels slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you. Regardless of your current state, however, the stress of transit forces your body into unconsciousness.
Waking up is another story. Or maybe it isn’t.
You find yourself in a nondescript room; sometimes with others who have found themselves in the same situation, sometimes alone. Welcome to Avagi Station, your new home.
Avagi
That First Step, it is a Doozy:
There are always risks to exploring new environments and Avagi is rich with new nooks and crannies to explore. You’re checking out a new corridor that’s been opened, though there have been signs warning that there are areas where structural stability has been weakened by neglect and the passage of time. But maybe things have been going well, you’ve found a few interesting things of note and you’re ready to head back to your bunk for the day.
Except when you turn to leave, the floor is giving way without a screech of metal. Hopefully you’ve got some good reflexes and can catch yourself before you topple down a shaft that seems to go down at least thirty or forty feet. Do you call for help or struggle to handle it on your own? And more importantly, how are you getting around this giant hole in the floor now that it’s there?
The Buddy System:
In order to help new arrivals find their bearings the more experienced residents on board have decided to try out the buddy system in order until the new arrivals get their space legs. The guide is responsible for answering any questions, showing them all the important facilities and making sure their new friend doesn’t wander anywhere too dangerous. And what better way to get to know your buddy than to try and help them find all the supplies they need to be comfortable in their new home? Hopefully the barter blocks have some clothes in your size or else it could get a little bit awkward come laundry day.
Shining Bright:
The Observation Station is the best place on Avagi to get a look at the storm that rages all around. However today when you stop by there’s something strange and new to look upon. It’s not clear if it’s a change in the environment or perhaps an effect of the living energy that opens the portals but the entire room is filled with softly glowing floating lights. If you venture into the room and dare to touch one of the lights you’ll find that you find a song playing in your mind that fills you with a deep and abiding sense of peace. What you do with that feeling is up to you but it seems that these lights aren’t going to cause any harm then why not let yourself relax in a beautiful space for a little while?
Kaittos
This month there is a portal to the planet Kaittos, a peaceful world containing one large land mass and a scattering of lived-on islands across a clear blue ocean. On the mainland, a large city-state occupies the central region and southern coast and resembles what some travelers from some versions of Earth might know of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Bustling and lively, the city is clean and well provided-for due to the temperate climate and the bountiful natural resources found on its northern side; orchards, farms and forests extend into the distance, butting up against a small mountain range. The technology level is low compared to Avagi, with carriages and candles in place rather than cars and electric lights, but the craftsmen of the world have managed some very impressive mechanical feats.
Kaittans, the local residents of the world appear somewhat humanoid, but the bipedal race has hooves rather than feet, silvery skin and three eyes with vertical pupils. Although there is no sign of any other sentient species in the world, the locals are nonetheless excited to meet their guests, rather than suspicious or afraid; for some reason, they are not surprised that aliens exist, merely that they are here.
Visitors are encouraged to explore the city and partake in an exchange of goods and ideas, to share their culture and stories with the locals. Perhaps there’s a merchant willing to trade a bauble for a story or you want to try something entirely unknown to your palette in the culinary quarter. The possibilities, while not quite limitless, are enough to keep the curious busy for quite a while.
For a single picocycle after he shatters, he is everywhere. As his form and energy are absorbed back into the system, for that single moment, so is he. For that moment, he is part of the vast expanse, drained of energy and eager for the scant amount provided by the fallen program. He is the system.
Then nothing.
...
Then blinding light and a great tug, the like of which he has only felt once before. There's no form to blink or shield his sight with, not until the light begins to fade. His arms come up against the light, and he squints even in the cast shadow until it becomes bearable and gradually reveals a room. It doesn't look like much, it's made of a material he doesn't recognise, and he is-- He is--
Well, he is for starters.
Ram looks down at himself, opens and closes his hands, runs a system diagnostic. Everything seems fine, some functions even running smoother than they had in several microcycles.
'This isn't what I expected,' he mutters, partly to fill the space because the familiar hum of the system isn't there.
He looks around. The shape is vaguely similar to the collection rooms programs first come to the Game Grid through. But there are no red guards emerging to take him back to his cell. There are also no other blue programs besides himself. No Tron or Flynn. For a moment, relief and disappointment war before relief wins out. If they're not here, that means they're still running. But where is "here"?
There's a door right there.
In all honesty, he's surprised when it's unlocked, but wastes no time opening it a crack and peeking out. Empty corridors. He slips out, easing the door shut behind him. The corridor is of the same material as the room. When he touches it, it's cold and hard, and when he raps his knuckles on it, it makes a louder noise than he'd expected.
'Shh!' He puts his hand on it, feeling the vibrations fade quickly as it quietens. This place is just stranger and stranger. And interesting. He starts wandering down the halls, mapping out the twists and turns of the corridors and running ever changing calculations of the probability of this all being a trap. It's becoming increasingly unlikely the longer he goes with nothing happening, and after it drops to 6.25%, he stops inching around the corners and staying so close to the wall.
And then the floor drops out from under him.
There's a slight give to the floor as he steps on it, just enough to kick Jai Ali honed instinct in. A flash scan identifies a stable section of ground and he leaps for it, unhooking his disk as he goes and jamming it into the adjacent wall to help catch himself, one knee on, the other leg dangling into the new empty space. The floor on both sides of him crumbles, leaving him scrambling to get more securely onto his little island, still holding onto his disk in the wall.
Ever since the new sections opened, Yori's been keeping an ear out for warning noises. This clang and crash is especially loud--it's a big one, or else close by.
She didn't hear a scream, but if there's a new patch of floor out they definitely have to mark it and warn everyone. She heads toward the sound, cautious of any sign more flooring might break.
Finding a lost stranger isn't exactly uncommon around the Ingress, but finding anyone in Encom-style glowing blue circuitry and bright disk gives her a shock. She has to spare a swift glance down to ground herself--she's wearing pieces of old uniforms that cover up her own tendency to glow and a useful backpack.
Not back in Encom. Not in a system at all.
This program's badly in need of help. Yori banishes other worries for the moment and calls, "Hold on, I'll help you out of there."
She studies the floor. If they both fall it won't do either of them any good, but as far as she can tell the remaining pieces look stable enough.
hanako 'rosalina' nurumi 🌹 original character, ota
Exploration of this new place she'd found herself was naturally something she set out for immediately; she's always been a more curious sort, learning eagerly and quickly. It was a bit- Overwhelming, though. Honestly, she can't decide if it's the newfound knowledge that she's in space or that she's supposed to be dead. Maybe both? Probably both. On top of, of course, a whole slew of other questions and concerns that she's trying to stop buzzing around in her head.
Rose's reflexes have always been sharp, and today? She's certainly grateful for that. The blond's just walking along, minding her own business when suddenly a panel of the floor gives in. Without thinking, she jumps. In a blink (perhaps faster than the average human, someone can feel free to notice) she's safe of the drop and turns to peer down the shaft instead. The blond gives a long whistle that reverberates off the metal edges.
"Man, that would've made for one bad day." Go figure.
shine bright like a diamond;
She's drawn into the lights like a moth to flame. They're beautiful and the sense of calm touching one leaves her with brings a surprisingly sincere smile to her face for the first time since she's arrived. It's not that she hasn't been smiling - in fact, she's being doing it a lot! and been as friendly as can be! - but this one is markedly different. Something serene and sweet and softer to it.
What does someone musically inclined as Rose do when she feels a sense of calm? She sings. Her voice is a magnificent mezzo-soprano permeating the otherwise quiet lighted space.
"I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife. It's lonely out in space on such a timeless flight. And I think it's gonna be a long, long time 'till touch down brings me round again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home. Oh no no no I'm a rocket man. Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone..."
kaittos;
It's still so surreal. She's on a different planet! There are aliens! Well, it looks like she's the alien here. Still! This is awesome! Even if it's only borrowed time, this is a way better end than Rose ever could have anticipated for herself and so she's going to be indulging in anything and everything that she can.
It doesn't take her long to pick up on the fact that cultural knowledge is the currency of this city. And that suits her just fine. Before anyone knows it, she's wearing the local fashion in exchange for dancing along with a troupe local street performers. The music isn't anything she's used to but it's still music and that's something she understands well enough. She's just shimmying along, having a good time, when it's you that she catches for a dance. Perhaps because, well, they're kind of easy to spot. Like seeing someone red-headed or blond in Japan's sea of dark-haired individuals. Or maybe they looked like they weren't having a good time.
"Dance with me, dude," she says, to man or woman. It's a totally gender neutral term, okay! But she'll switch to 'dudette' if there's a preference. "C'mon, it's easy. I'll teach ya'. And you might get some cool local swag out of it too!"
wildcard;
((ooc: I'll match format, so no worries if brackets is more your thing! If you have any other ideas or want to plot with me, I'm over at puddingandpie, Discord (Pudding#5286, or PM this journal to get a hold of me! ))
Users delete it, now what? He's more stable on his little section now, at least, so as long as that holds, he's not going down. Which... he's not scared of heights, but a quick glance and calculation lets him know that falling would mean instant deresolution on impact. If he even can be derezzed again, he's still not sure where this is. But though he's not going down for now, he can't go forward or back either.
Footsteps have him looking up sharply to the end of the corridor. Please be blue, please be blue. Or even yellow. But when they appear around the corner, his grip tightens around his disk in shock, because they don't seem to have any circuits at all. How is that possible?
/Order priorities- get safely off this island, inquire as to lack of circuits.
'Hello!' he calls, grinning across the gap at her. 'That would be great, thanks.' While she looks down, he completes the search and looks up. There are a number of cables of varying thickness running along the ceiling.
'What are the function of those cables, and can this area afford to have any of them severed?' he asks, pointing up. He might at least be able to use one as a safety line.
Yori studies the cables. Life support doesn't run through here, so at least no oxygen explosions that would put the Users at risk. But the power cables are all dangerous, especially to programs like herself with minimal shielding, and they tend to wind everywhere, supporting lights and computers and energy outlets. Beyond the personal risk, she'd hate to cause a power outage.
On the other hand, there is a structural cable meant to help hold up the floor that's already torn off its mooring.
"Don't cut the ones marked in red even a little," she warns, "they're live energy, too strong for us to tolerate." They're also far more vulnerable to a disk than safety would require, for better or worse. "Wait a moment."
She pulls out her shock staff, a stun weapon courtesy of that week when they were all raising dinosaurs. A twist locks it in place at a long fraction of its full telescoping length, taller than she is.
It's so convenient to have a weapon that isn't her only code and memory backup. She turns the shock end toward herself for this, though, careful to shut it down. The loose structural cable is sagging already, so she can pull a long loop down into something like reaching distance.
"This one's just the floor support, and it's past repair. You can walk on my staff and use that to keep your balance," she suggests. The staff is long enough to rest between the safe floor and his isolated patch. She can hold it steady, but it's not exactly designed as a bridge.
'Live energy, huh? I'll make sure to avoid those.' The last thing he needs is to be that close to an energy surge. And the strangely non-circuited woman... would she survive? She's definitely close enough for it to be a danger, even if she isn't a program. Do users naturally havery circuits?
He runs a new set of calculations, factoring in the placement of the red marked cables. Severing another cable without hitting one would still be possible.
A slight clang makes him look down, and he finds a thin pole stretching across the gap. The woman is loosening an old cable, but it's still just out of his reach.
Hmm.
He looks up, finding a rivet that attaches the be able to the ceiling. With a tug, he pulls his disk out of the wall, careful to counter the action so he doesn't topple over.
/Calculating distance, rebound angle and necessary energy use.
He lets the disk fly. It cuts neatly through the rivet and the cable drops to well in his reach. Catching his disk and docking it, he flashes a grin at the woman and starts to carefully inch his way across the pole.
She's glad to see evidence of good sense; he actually does manage to avoid the power lines. "Nice aim!" she calls in approval.
Yori anchors her staff with all her weight, crouching to press her foot down hard. She can't prevent a little rotation, but with a secure handhold it shouldn't be a difficult path.
Not impossible even for a non-combatant function, which the blue-lined program may well be despite his impressive aim. She'll have to ask once neither of them are at risk of falling to their sudden derez.
Now that he's not clinging to his disk, she can confirm that everything about his design is remarkably Encom-style. That can't be a coincidence. But she doesn't recognize his face or his broad friendly grin.
Regardless, she smiles back to encourage his cautious progress.
'Thanks!' he calls back, grin widening. He stays focused on the crossing though. This pole is only just wide enough and only half semi-fixed. It's a tenuous trip and he very resolutely does not look down.
The cable is slack and probably won't do much to catch him if he falls, but it's something to hold onto.
As he reaches the centre, the rod bends under his weight and he pauses, chancing a glance down to gauge it. He's not quite in the middle, but the rod seems sturdy and as he inches further, it remains intact.
With a whistle of relief, he passes the centre point, but he's not on solid ground yet. At the pace he's going, it will take another thirty six picocycles to reach the end, but he doesn't dare speed up.
His patience and caution finally pay off and at last he steps onto the other side, safe. At least from the drop.
'Thank the Users,' he says, huffing a short breath of relief. He turns to the woman. 'And thank you.'
[there are a lot of things to be prepared for when exploring. bathroom breaks, weird fruits in the road, probably natives ready to blow dart your peen, rolling stones but not the band--
and apparently a floor that caves in. Badou may have seen her feat of prowess, but he's also very busy clinging to the floor on the other side of the hole.]
That's a phrase she hasn't heard in...how long since the MCP forbade it? And then years counted in User-time, during which it's never felt appropriate; the actual Users seem to prefer being addressed by name. There's also the awkward fact that out here she's acting as a User to any number of programs in computers.
Yori retrieves her staff safely to give herself another moment for calculation. "You're welcome," she replies. "I'm glad it worked."
If he'd fallen, she doesn't have Rinzler's strength to rescue him.
"Let's get to safer footing," she suggests. The remainder of the corridor doesn't look like it will fall anytime soon, but she'd rather not trust that without a full inspection from people who don't need to worry about floors. Up past the new openings, the halls are well-tested and help is closer.
But eventually she has to open the complicated subject. "Are you from the Encom system?" She can't imagine any Encom program accepting where they are now without considerable confusion, no matter which side they were on or what they believed.
'Me too,' he chuckles, risking a glance down the hole now he's no longer precariously balanced above it. It's... Yeah, he's glad he didn't fall.
He moves back from the edge at her suggestion and falls into step with her. The corridors become cleaner and lighter, though the lights seem to be attached rather than coming from system circuits, which seems an inefficient use of energy.
'I am!' He looks back over at his companion, feeling no shortage of relief at the familiarity. 'Do you know it? I'm afraid I got disoriented in transport, I don't know which system this is, or how I got here. Or why.' There wasn't supposed to be anything after deresolution.
The circuits on his helmet dim as he takes it off and runs his fingers though his hair. 'I must admit the lack of circuits is strange. And worrying. I heard that some sectors of the Encom were going dark from the MCP's power drain, but I hadn't realised it had extended beyond Encom.'
The last collapse in this system had unleashed a swarm of sharp-jawed, fluffy bugs. When Rinzler hears the crash of metal, he wastes no time heading for this one. The enforcer rounds the corner, disk in hand—only to still at the unexpected sight: the same weapon, in the hands of a small shape still scrambling up from the chasm.
Not quite the same. The disk is lit in concentric pulses, forming a complete circle with no central hole. It's joined to intricate blue circuits, pale armor, and a strange helmet, less encasing than even the weak templates patched onto the conscripts in the Games. Something about the sight sends a stutter through assessment—a search, data flagged for comparison. [File not found]. The error rolls out through audio, adding a skipping catch to the harsh rattle of corrupted code.
...Yori's circuits. Encom. That comparison isn't difficult to make, and if it doesn't completely settle the uneasy pressure in his core, it's answer enough to at least put it aside. Rinzler resumes his approach, disk flaring and dimming in brief warning. If the [unknown] ahead decides to throw that weapon, it's going to find itself thoroughly outmatched.
Leaning forward so his weight is over the floor piece, Ram carefully lifts his dangling leg up and onto it, gripping his disk tight. Once he's all on, he slowly stands up, pulling his disk out of the wall and jamming it in higher up.
A strange clicking sound reaches his oral input and he looks over to the edge of the intact floor to find a dark figure with very limited circuits staring back at him. Orange circuits.
Oh frag.
The program has a disk in hand, actived, of a design different to his own. A different system design? Whatever the reason, it's there and Ram is a sitting gridbug.
Right. Decision gate. He'd rather not derezz again so soon, by fall or disk. So.
'Hello!' he calls. 'Help a program out? I'm not much use as pixels.'
[ What a stark contrast to the bleak setting of the space station. Warm, inviting, and with an actual sun shining above. It's not exactly the same at home-- especially not with the strange beings that inhabit this place-- but the fact that he can be underneath the sky and clouds instead of watching from way up above in space makes it close enough. This sand-colored young man cannot complain.
Especially when he's got a fishing rod in hand.
Hanging a bit of bait upon the hook, he casts it out into the clear, bright water. Finally he allows himself to relax, he slouches upon the pier, letting his gaze wander from island to island, to the boats, and then to the horizon. He's never seen the ocean in his own world. To think that he would be fortunate enough to see
Finally, the bob tugs deeper into the water. Looks like he's got a catch! ]
A: Little Catch.
[ It's the small things in life that bring him peace, really. And he'll be happy enough with what he's catching here to either sell, trade, or possibly cook for his own dinner. After doing a favor for one of the locals, he was promised a lesson in preparing one of their dishes if he manages to catch one. If your character is nearby or happens to be fishing alongside him, he'll turn and ask: ] How much d'you think this'll fetch at the market?
A: Big Catch..
[ He tugs at the fishing rod once, winding the wire back in somewhat. Seems like fishing is the same in very world in that respect. He should have this one in the bag pretty soo-- ]
....Ah.
[ That's. That's one huge fish. That's one huge alien fish with tentacles and teeth leaping out of the water and barreling towards the docks. And it still has his line caught within its mouth. Looks like he'll be going for a ride. OOPS. Watch yourself, because you'll see a giant fish/squid monster causing chaos with Link in tow. HE DOESN'T MEAN TO CAUSE PROBLEMS THEY JUST FIND HIM OKAY. ]
[[ OOC: Link is taken just at the start of his canon! Assumed CR is fine <3 ]
The level of sheer bafflement reminds Yori of her own first arrival. There's worse to come. "No one's worked out a why yet," she tells the blue program, voice rueful, "but which system and how I can tell you a little about." Very little. There's never enough data for her own satisfaction, despite all the masses of facts to learn.
"It's going to take a lot of explanation, I'm afraid." By way of apology, she offers a sympathetic smile first. "I know how strange all this will sound. I'm from Encom, too. It's good to see someone who remembers it." Rinzler's memories are complicated at best and Flynn was only a visitor.
She might actually have a fragment of good news from the future to offer, if he hates the MCP as much as she does. That would be a refreshing change.
How can she tell any of this without overwhelming her new acquaintance? It might be an impossible task. Yori starts simple. "Most of us arrived like you did, picked up at random by a light they call the Ingress."
[ Exploration isn't Stan's instinct but he'd had to venture out for a few reasons -- none of which remain important as he's headed back to his bunk. There's a lot of weird things that he's getting used to but nothing could have prepared him for this.
Right under his feet the floor seemed to give way and somehow, he grabbed at something solid and held on for dear life over the cavernous abyss. ]
Don't look down. Don't look down.
[ It's the mantra he's repeating to himself over and over. If he doesn't think about the gaping shaft below him it doesn't really exist. It's not real. ]
Help?
[ If he really thought it wasn't real he could just let go but well... he's holding on for dear life instead. ]
B. ( Kaittos - The Culinary Quarter )
[ It's probably not surprising that a growing young boy ends up in the place where free food can be found. He's more than happy to answer any questions and despite the fact that he should be full he can't seem to get enough of the delicious (mostly) meals that abound here. ]
This place is the best I'm never leaving.
[ And then he's headed into his umpteenth place to get another free meal. ]
C. ( Wildcard )
[ Will match tenses/style! Open to any other options as well or network interactions! ]
So this is another system. 'Why's are always the most complicated,' he chuckles, more at ease now there are close answers. 'Is there a way to get back? Or is this where we come after deresolution.' If he can get back... From his calculations, though he's frustratingly uncertain about the time frame he spent unaware, it's been approximately 0.738 microcycles since he derezzed. There's still a chance to go back and help Flynn and Tron.
'You're Encom?' There's relief and confusion in his tone. 'Good to meet a neighbour! What's your name? Though... I'm sorry, what happened to your circuits?' She seems functioning well enough, and yet the lack speaks of serious energy shortage. He can't even see where dim circuits would be on her, and at that level, she should be pixels.
'Ingress?'
/Searching lexisdatafiles /"Ingress" engaged-requesting definition /Definition not found//
'I haven't heard of it. Does it just bring us here? How?'
unfortunate. For them. Rose blinks owlishly, at first, a little unsure of what exactly happened or what to do. Once the initial surprise of it all fades though, she can't help but give an amused sort of smile. ]
I'm, uh. Guessing this isn't anything new then? [ Also, ] Do you need any help there?
The request is meaningless. No—the request is stupid. Whatever the program's (name) origin, its garb marks it as a potential combatant, and its colors as not Clu's. This might not be entirely his admin's system, but Rinzler has no reason at all to give up his advantage unused.
But the words aren't why he stiffens. It's the voice. The face. The shocked, small uncertainty crawling through his code. Rinzler doesn't know this program, but he... hadn't expected him. Rinzler doesn't know this program, but—
he did—
[WARNING: unauthorized access—]
Processing smashes headlong into the jagged edges of his filters, and Rinzler freezes rigid. It's reflex more than reprimand, just like the grating snarl that rises through his sound stems from frustration and mismatch in equal part. Automation hasn't had its accustomed hold for cycles, but he should still know better than to test. Better than to want anything that had been Tron's.
He doesn't.
What matters is the program's use. What matters is its affiliations, and who they might fall to here. Rinzler glowers back across the gap before responding: not with words, but with a focused scan. Security-grade, aimed to pick out its ID and function.
Ram is watching the other program very carefully, waiting for any movement that he'll need to duck out of the way of. There's a very unfair field advantage to the orange program and Ram needs to be very careful.
What he's not expecting is for the program to do nothing. Are they frozen? That clicking sound certainly doesn't sound healthy. Ram briefly calculates the likelihood of being able to derezz them before they unfreeze, but they might not be frozen, they might unfreeze and then he'd be a sitting gridbug, disklessand have pissed them off.
Too much uncertainty. His disk stays in the wall, his grip on it tight enough that it digs into his palms.
'Uh, are you still in there? I can hang out for a bit, but--'
He breaks off as a tingle sweeps through him, strong enough to make him shudder. He swallows, quickly reminded of similar, but more gentle scans, accompanied by that intense stare and "Are you sure you didn't strain anything?". Frag, he could really do with Tron being here.
Right. Right, okay. So he's dealing with security. Wonderful.
'You know, you could've just asked,' he says once the tingle fades.
(Eddie Kaspbrak hadn't been doing so hot lately. The kid honestly just looked exhausted, and a little bit rattled, like he kept seeing the shapes of evil crawling around after him. Wasn't too far off from the truth, really, and even though he had friends at the station, they weren't the Losers. And having his memories back? It made Eddie ache pretty fiercely for his friends from Derry.
So when he hears a painfully (and God, he does mean painful) familiar voice, it jars him right on off his axis. Was that...? No way.
He brakes his bike hard and whips his head over his shoulder.)
Pleeeease don't be going crazy- (He mumbles to himself. Then he catches sight of him. Stan the fucking Man Uris. That ache in his chest opens up into something light and good. His bike lands with a careless crash and Eddie takes off through the crowd, rudely shoving his way between two bartering adults.)
Stan! Staaan! It's me! (He shrieks with wild delight because between the memories and it being an actual month- God. It's felt like ages. He doesn't give a shit either. Eddie just plows on ahead until he's grabbing Stan into a tight hug, his face shoved hard into Stan's chest. He wasn't going crazy at all.)
[ Stan would have liked to have forgotten everything but he hadn't and then he hears that voice. He's been missing that voice and all the other voices since he got here so he turns toward the shrieking (and Eddie, if he knew you just threw your bike down when you have a perfectly good kickstand...).
He doesn't have time to say anything, because he's already grabbed and somehow the snarky comment he was going to make gets knocked out of him like the wind if he fell on his back. Instead, Stan hugs Eddie back, squeezing tightly and he forgets everything else for this moment of joy and relief.
Then, the tell-tale teenage embarrassment kicks in and he extracts himself from the hug. ]
[He might here someone approaching, but whether or not they heard his cry for help isn’t quite apparently until a firm grip comes and grasps his forearm, plucking him out from the emptiness. Her expression is placid as she sets him back on firm ground (carefully—she does know that despite having done all the work that the weight of his body could have strained his shoulder).
A silence returns as she gives him a once-over, making sure he has no apparent injuries before Laura finally speaks.]
There are signs. [Her tone sounds critical, but for her part, she is only reaffirming the fact that he clearly did something stupid despite all the warnings he passed on the way.]
(God, he really can't believe he forgot any of them. Seeing one in person, knowing that they're here, away from Derry, and more importantly away from It, makes Eddie so God damn relieved it nearly stops his heart. His personal embarrassment doesn't kick in quite as soon, mostly because for him, the distance has been wider and dug deeper.
He wants to hold on a fraction longer, but accepts that the hug is over. Instead, he grabs at Stan's arms. A part of him is a little nervous that if he let go, Stan would vanish like a mirage.)
At least I didn't kill Christ. (He responds with equal affection, complete with toothy grin.)
You're telling me. I've been here for a month and I've been completely alone.
(Not literally, but oh, no one was a Loser. No one really understood what it was like. Eddie wobbles for a second, in the eyes, the voice, and then he's hugging Stan again. It doesn't last too long though, and he's fully breaking away.)
I live on my own and everything. (Poorly, might he add. The kid was still just barely learning his way around cooking. Most of the time he just ate out or ate with someone who could cook.)
[He’d been wandering about and been in need of some grub, passing through and by as any stranger likely would. But when he catches what the kid says, the delicious prospects that await ahead now confirmed, he can’t help but laugh and join step with him, edging slightly closer so the young man knows he’s speaking to him.]
That's some kinda praise! Don’t suppose there’s anything you’d recommend? It all smells amazing, and I can’t say I really know what smell looks like what around here.
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