apocalypsehowcomm | Event - Appalachia: Into the Pines

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Event - Appalachia: Into the Pines

Appalachia: Into the Pines

Footage plays on the television as a new story comes on, showing a series of sweeping vistas, intercut with clips of wolves that have clearly been filmed at some local wildlife sanctuary. "As far as anyone knows it, the last wolf to ever freely roam the Allegheny Mountains was slain in West Virginia in 1897. Daniel Stoffer Hamrick saw to the beast's passing, and the woods in our part of the world have gone quieter ever since. Appalachia does not forget its history, though. It buries it beneath coal and flyash, debts and white powder and pills. And the blood of people taken before their time, by the mines, by the mountain, by things we don't have names for, just hurt. But Appalachia does not forget.

"This is Cindy Parsons with Channel 5, Wolf News." Footage cuts to a newscaster standing outside a gated apartment complex with FYRE's logo emblazoned on it. "As we know, our beloved Wolf Pen is home to one of the biggest FYRE worker housing complexes in Wyoming County. It is a monument to the history of our town, and this week, we'll be on the lookout for visitors from all over the country, coming to see the grand re-opening of the historic Bluestone Mine as a museum."

Footage cuts to a nondescript businessman, identified by the news footage as Carl Watts, CEO of FYRE. He's smiling blandly as he stands at a podium and gestures to the entrance of the mining tunnel behind him. "The Wolf Pen community has been a partner to us for decades now, and we knew it was finally time to give something back to all y’all. We'll have our soft opening on Monday with a full Rumble Down Under party in the old mines scheduled for June 15th. We'll have a live bluegrass concert and anticipate a huge influx of tourists to the area to help out our neighbors itching for a few more pocketbooks to tend to." A wink.

The footage returns to Cindy. "FYRE has stated that this new museum will provide an educational tool and tourist attraction for those wanting to learn about West Virginia, Wolf Pen, and the hard-working men and women who have made this beautiful part of our nation their home. Time will tell. Time is always telling when it comes to the promises of people who have used our land and our bodies to line their pocketbooks. They fill our blood and our lungs with black tar and-"

Cindy cuts out and is replaced by in-studio anchors. "Thank you, Cindy!" a blonde woman says, smile just a little strained. "I think we're all looking forward to seeing the big opening by FYRE on Sunday and that rocking good party next month. It should be a gneiss one! Now to Tim with the weather. Tim?"

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That gives him some pause. It's not unheard of: wild animal attack. People wandered too far from their towns and stumbled into wildlife all the time. It was more the fact ADI could so simply fix such wounds. It seemed like magic and yet the people of ADI were so against the use of abilities...it was curious.

"No, it is not." He answers rather seriously. "You strayed too far from the path of your village, then? Or simply had poor luck with local wildlife while in the forest? I suppose it is lucky you arrived here, then."

His village? Local wildlife? This sap's never been to an actual city, has he. It's a good thing that Garner's blind because Hickey's giving him a condescending look that's very 'oh buddy.'

"I was a sailor," he answers, ignoring the fridge for a moment so he can sit back on his heels and look up at the man. "I was on a ship that sailed to the Arctic to try and find a trade route to the East. We ran afoul of...plenty of things, one of them being a polar bear." He shrugs. "It attacked me. Pulled here before it could finish me off."

His mouth makes a small 'oh' as he processes that, then nods. Alright, fair enough. He knew nothing about the arctic other than it was why he couldn't travel too far north in the Cliffkeep Mountains or he'd hit ice. He also knew nothing about sailing.

"Ah...then sailing must be very dangerous. I grew up in the mountains and lost my sight before I left them, while I've been to the coast here and back home, I'm afraid I've never seen the ocean. I understand it is vast and nearly endless. I...admit I did not know polar bears were a possible threat on the ocean."

"They can't swim into the middle of the ocean if that's what you're asking," Hickey points out. "But the passage we were trying to find involved sailing up north, where the land's covered in ice. We even got frozen in at one point, surrounded by nothing but ice. Ice as far as the eye could see."

"Oh..." He tries to imagine that, taking the brief view he'd had of the High Ice in the distance and multiplying it to his entire surroundings. "I imagine that was almost like being stuck in a snowstorm for how blinding it might be." Snow always reflected so brightly and all that ice being solid and locking in...it sounded frightening.

"How were you able to get out? Or-well...I suppose you didn't." His tact could use some work.

"Got it in one," Hickey dryly responds. "When I was back home, before getting brought here, we were still there. Still stuck."

And it's obvious based on his tone of voice that he has very mixed feelings about that.

He has the urge to say 'Well, it doesn't seem to be in your hands anymore' but thinks better of it. His tone was enough to make him think it maybe wasn't something to be so blasé about, just because Garner lived in blunt practicality.

"I'm sorry. For you and your people." That was probably better and still honestly meant all the same. "I hope they are able to find their way through in one piece."

"They won't," he says, without any hesitation. Hickey keeps his voice as calm and as neutral as possible as he points out, "By the time I arrived here, almost three-quarters of the expedition had died. The rest would be on their way out soon."

"I see...then I'm sorry for their eventual loss. To my understanding, expeditions and explorers live lives full of all the dirt and danger of travel, sometimes see wonderous things others never will, but only follow such a path for a short while." The danger of a road with bandits was not the same danger as a trail not yet blazed.

"I suppose, then, it is lucky you have found yourself with a new life here." He wasn't unsympathetic, but he was severely practical.

It wasn't luck, Hickey thinks but doesn't say. Somebody wanted him here. One of those things, those Entities obviously wanted him to be here.

But he keeps that little bit of delusion to himself.

"Mate, I'm not complaining," he chuckles. "Add in the fact that this place has all sorts of things that my last ship didn't and I'm perfectly happy to be here as long as possible."

He nods and leans back a bit on the bed. "That is very true. In have spent many sleepless nights learning all I can through the internet here and I know I have barely scratched the surface of what can be learned. It's fascinating."

Which reminded him... "Ah...what are we intending to do with this project of yours? I suppose they won't be exceptionally happy to see it damaged...then again, if you can reassemble it, perhaps it will take time before they notice."

Oh.

Right.

Huh, that's a problem. Hickey pauses for a moment, frowning at the fridge as he realizes that he might have to deal with the consequences of his actions.

"I'm going to reassemble it, of course. They'll only notice something wrong when we've left. And by that point, it's someone else's problem."

Not the most ethical of issues, they could certainly mention something seemed to be 'wrong' with it. Then again...perhaps he could simply do that on their way out.

He nods. "I think that might be the best course of action. Surely they can fix it later." His smile curls a little higher at a corner with amusement. "I would offer to help...but it seems you've managed fine so far."

Ethics are for losers!

"I think I can patch this thing back up into something close to working order," Hickey grins. He is going to do a shit job at 'repairing' the minifridge and they both know it. "But I wouldn't mind the conversation while I do so."

"Your capable hands have it." He agrees with a smirk.

Conversation he could do. "So, aside from, ah...sailing into the icy unknown, what else would you share? I do not know Earth locations very well still, but I could hear of your home or your hobbies? Perhaps your thoughts of this place instead, if you'd rather not dwell."

"London was a shithole and I'm never returning," Hickey says, without any hesitation. That is something he is absolutely certain of: bugger London and bugger anyone who tries to tell him he should stay there.

"Here's better. Fresh food at every corner, my own bed, a constant roof over my head? Bloody brilliant."

Garner nods a bit. That was all very fair. Besides, he really didn't think they could return home, so he wasn't about to argue.

"I'm confused about there not being fresh food available, but I agree there are benefits and improvements to be found here. The medicine is fairly snappy for not having magic involved. Though...the prices are...alarming. To start."

When you were used to tings costing coppers at best, basic amenities listed at fifteen of the highest monetary denomination seemed excessive.

"Be thankful you've never lived in London," Hickey points out, with a little laugh. Big city, 1840s, shitty food, him being poor...Hickey is well-used to the 'only eating fried food' lifestyle. And that's before subsisting on mainly tinned food for three years.

There's a pause before he points out, "Though what d'you mean 'not having magic involved?' Never met any magic involving medicine before."

At least that question seems simple enough. "There are healers back home, those who can utilize their magic for knitting skin and setting bone. Typically clerics, but some are druids, wizards, sorcerers, bards...the form of the magic matters less than the capability of the caster."

Garner had gotten along fine without healing magic for a very long time, but he'd been spoiled by Rory's quick hand at casting and the efficiency of her magic over the requirement of time.

Hickey frowns, thinking that all over. All sorts of people who could use magic, all sorts of people who could heal.

"Can anybody use that magic? How do you be a healer in the first place?"

Garner makes a small sound in thought.

"Well...Yes and no. Anyone with enough intellect and wherewithal can learn magic from books and anyone in tune with nature or gods or artistic ventures enough can be a druid or a cleric or a bard, but it chooses you, not the other way around. Others can make pacts with more powerful entities, like the ones here, and learn magic that way. Though. healing is less likely. Certainly less likely here, from what I've heard."

He shrugs. "There are some who use magic similar to mine to heal, but I went through training and lessons and a ritual to learn." Arguably, anyone could learn blood magic, but still not here.

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Event - Appalachia: Into the Pines

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