bindlestifflost: (Drifter)
George Milton ([personal profile] bindlestifflost) wrote in [community profile] apocalypsehowcomm2022-07-02 11:27 pm

Over the hills and far away LOG [OPEN + Closed prompts]

Who: George Milton + various
When: July
Where: Various locations in Gloucester, on the train, in and around ADI
Summary: TDM Prompts + July catch-all
Warnings: scopophobia; paranoia; unnatural animals, thalassophobia; mild scopophobia, bodily harm, stalking, bullying, altered perception, alcohol abuse, discussion of mercy killing/murder, mob "justice," gun violence

Train Home

George can be found in various parts of the train throughout the ride home, the dining car, the passenger area, the scenic window look-out, or the sleeping cubbies when it's dark and late. Pick a place if you want to talk to him about the events in Wolf's Pen or anything else. He's quiet and a little subdued but approachable and willing to talk.

Birdswatching

Maybe it's because he has spent so much of his time outside in his life, or maybe it's because he has always been extra wary of eyes on him, but it doesn't take George long at all to notice something is very off about the birds in the trees and in stealthier spots beneath bushes on the ground watching.

He pulls the brim of his LA Dodgers ballcap lower to conceal as much of his face as possible when he faces you and says, "This is a new one. What do you make of it? Think we ought to cut patrol short?"

If they're just watching, that's one thing. There's no guarantee they'll keep it to that. In his thin, short sleeved t-shirt and jeans, he doesn't feel nearly protected enough from sharp beaks or swarming talons. Not all of those birds are small or harmless, if they got it in their heads to get punchy.

Current Events

Riptide


((OOC: Please note, I'm doing 2 of these. 1 rescuing someone else, 1 being rescued. After that, George would be getting out of the water and not getting back in. First come first serve.))

1. Rescue

George has been enjoying himself in the water, a good swimmer even if being in the surf is new to him. He's swimming slow laps out beyond the breaker line when he notices you shoot past him, and whether you realize you're in trouble or not, he realizes it. "Hey!" he shouts, changing his trajectory almost immediately.

"Hang on! I'm coming for you!" He picks up speed to cut through the water to catch up.

"Relax if you can. If you fight me, we's both gonna drown."

2. Help!

Well, he'd only just managed to get someone else to safety. Whether the current shifted or he somehow managed to get further to his left than he intended, he feels himself very suddenly in a strong pull and sweep. Instinctively, he goes to his back, face out of the water and as little of him under as he can manage. It's still very fast, very far, and he's feeling both nervous and a little queasy when he looks back toward shore.

That's a long way to swim when a body is already tired out. He's looking for anything he can grab onto, and if not, trying to scull sideways to get out of the worst of it.

Poseidon Quivers

George is no artist. He'll be the first person to say it, but building sand castles isn't half bad. He's enjoying himself except for his legs going to sleep under him. He has just finished a rounded turret with a bucket when he's standing up and trying to walk it off. "Damnedest thing," he mutters.

He's wearing a LA Dodgers baseball cap, a plain pair of red swimming trunks that hit mid-thigh, and a cheap pair of sunglasses. His unfortunate permanent farmer's tan and very white legs are on full display, the latter covered with sand.

We Feast upon the Flesh

"You little bastard!" George is swatting his ballcap unsuccessfully at a seagull that just lunged in and stole his entire hotdog out of its bun. "Did you see that? Unbelievable!"

OR

George is sitting on a lounge chair hunched over a plate of food protectively and watching out for any sign of bird movement with paranoid eyes. He's eating in quick, decisive bites. If you draw close, he says, "Better watch your food. Those damned birds are out for blood today."

Spot the Difference

((OOC: Just one thread for the actual artifact, please, since it doesn't make sense to me he'd continually handle something that hurt him. I'll take repeat threads for the other injuries appearing later. First come first serve for the knife part.))

Wearing a pair of thick leather work gloves, George has picked a box and begun carefully looking at, taking pictures of, and cataloging the items inside. He's not keen to discover any weirdness. It's part of the job, and after the events in Wolf's Pen, he's both more resigned to this aspect of it and a little more confident in his ability to handle things.

He has a knife in gloved hand he's turning over to look for odd markings on the blade or handle. A strange sensation stabs through him. He glances down to see a spreading red stain on his white t-shirt on his right side over his ribs. "What the Hell?"

Setting the knife aside, he untucks the shirt and begins rolling it up carefully. There's a five inch gash across his ribs, not quite deep enough to need stitches. "You got a better angle on it. How bad is it?"

OR

It's lunch at the cafeteria. George is digging into a sandwich and some chips when a long wound opens across the back of his left hand. He drops the sandwich and grabs his hand, grimacing in sudden pain. "Aww, Hell, not again. Don't suppose you could grab me a handful a' some of them napkins, could you?"

He's bleeding onto the tray and table despite efforts to stop it with one hand clamped hard to the back of the other.

OR

It's another morning heading out for patrol around the perimeter of the dog park. George seems cheerful enough if a little subdued, his left hand bandaged and his ballcap set a bit low. He doesn't like the idea of the birds able to read his expression easily. He's setting a rapid clip until he suddenly stumbles and grimaces.

"You gotta be kiddin' me," he grumbles. "Hold up. I need to check something." He hobbles to take a seat in the grass off the sidewalk and moves to pull off his left work boot.

Studying

George can be caught in various places around ADI with a study book from the DMV. He doesn't try to hide it if he's caught with it but will need to be approached or spoken to if someone wants him breaking away from his work to engage.

SOL/Handwave Prompts

((OOC: Feel free to pick anything from this list as a log prompt if you want something lighter or fill it out if we've threaded at least once before.))
whisperedone: (7)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-07-14 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
'Rip tides?' He doesn't like them. Or...maybe even the ocean. Perhaps he will stick to lakes and rivers in the future. Somewhere he's less likely to get himself and a friend drowned.

When George speaks again, something is...off. He sounded strained before, but now he sounds tense. And for good reason, what sort of instruction was that in a normal circumstance?

"Bump? Alright..." It doesn't take much thought to put it together. something is in the water with them. Something George perceives as a threat or something to be concerned about.

There's a brief pause, but he keeps his voice calm and level when he asks: "What sort of creature?"
whisperedone: (15)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-07-19 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
Oh...Geltryk had said something about being able to smell when someone cut themselves anywhere in the house and how he had a sense similar to Garner's based in actual movement rather than sounds. They were doing a collective bit of both, weren't they? He'd...sort of forgotten sharks were things that lived in the ocean and not your friendly in-house cook and baker.

"Very possibly..." He says it about as sheepishly as you can get when still half trying to support himself now that there was a threat. A threat he actually hears this time in the form of a swish of water from a tail barely ten feet from them.

"Let go a moment." Whether George does or doesn't, Garner brings his right hand up towards his face. The deepest scratch there had largely closed over, but not enough he couldn't bite into it to open it back up. Blood seeps from the wound which he holds above the water. That thrum of energy leftover from his Hunt flows forward as he tries to pinpoint the shark's movement. It doesn't take long as he hears that swish again not too far from George's left. A red swirl lifts up from Garner's hand over towards the shark which- freezes in place.
whisperedone: (1)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-07-22 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Garner can feel the thrum of power keeping the shark in place and that's plenty enough assurance to have him following George back towards shore. The salt was unkind to his hand, but he at least expected it this time.

"It's not going to come closer, George, don't give yourself a cramp." Those he was more familiar with. O'terra had cramped up trying to stubbornly show off how quickly he could swim the lake and it hadn't bee a fun day for anyone.
whisperedone: (7)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-08-08 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
The sea is harder to swim through than lakes, though he doesn't need to fight as hard to keep himself buoyant. It's an interesting observation that he would need to look more into later. Right now, he's focusing on simply keeping up. By the time his feet can touch the seafloor again, he's fairly well resolved the ocean is something he might listen to on occasion, but he will not be found on the sand or in the surf again any time soon. An indulgence for other people, perhaps.

George lets go and there's a part of him that's more earnestly surprised he held onto him as long as he did. Appreciative, yes, but surprised. More of that need to care for others at work, Garner suspected.

He can hear his friend's heavy settling into the sand and Garner joins him soon after. He might have quite a bit of stamina and strength to him, but he was only human and that was...a lot. It's only once he's sat and laid back to catch his breath that he lifts the wounded hand up slightly to wave off the effect on the creature still caught in the surf, then sets it on his chest with a sigh. "Thank you...I regret that that was such...an ordeal. Are you alright, George? You sounded very scared."
whisperedone: (8)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-08-14 05:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Garner nods quietly, though he doesn't expect it's seen with the change of angle from George's voice.

"I've never encountered a shark before...there was a shark-man in the house I'd been staying in back home, he was the cook. He told me a bit about normal sharks while he was teaching me to bake." Which...even he knows that might be a bit of a larger sentence to try and swallow, but it was the truth all the same.

"My injuries did not occur to me before I got into the water, otherwise I would have stayed out...as it is, I don't think I'll be going back in the ocean any time soon." It simply wasn't for him on a number of levels.
whisperedone: (12)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-08-19 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"A shark-person. Sahuagin is their official name, I believe." He delivers it entirely evenly despite the distinct impression George might be doubting or judging him...

"Reasonable of you." He sighs and sits up, every limb leaden, but whole and functional, so he was fine. "Perhaps we ought to head home?"
whisperedone: (8)

[personal profile] whisperedone 2022-08-23 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Garner works back up to his feet and offers a hand down in the general direction of George's voice.

"That is true...besides, it is warm and...very sunny." He smiles ever so slightly. "Perhaps I am feeling faint and you are simply ensuring I do not suffer ill effects of exertion." Worst case scenario...have something plausible in your back pocket for getting out of hard questions.