entrancelogs | OPEN | here come the night

Entry tags:

OPEN | here come the night

Who: Adam Milligan (

halfwinchester) and whoever else might be admiring Ewaymas!
Where: Around the mansion.
When: Dec. 13, anytime from late night to mid-afternoon.
Rating: G for now!
Summary: What the hell's with all this Christmas stuff? At least one newcomer is out and about looking at the changes.
The Story:

_{[Very rarely does Adam sleep through the night--or at all, if he's being honest. When the light fades and the mansion gets quiet, it's the perfect time for thoughts of his time in the pit to creep back in, and almost every night begins and ends with him sitting wide-awake until he's too tired to mount a defense. Sometimes he likes to ward away his nightmares in the bathroom. It's smaller in there, and reminds him of the times he'd hidden there when he'd been sick with the flu as a young child.

That night, he's counting spots on the ceiling of his room when the snow starts to fall, and it's the first thing that grabs Adam's attention before the noise starts. Snow? Had that been in Wonderland's weather report? By the time his curiosity wins out over his apprehension, the noises outside his door have long since stopped.

He creeps into the hallway in bare feet to see what going's on. Christmas decorations? Is it Christmas?

The mansion looks beautifully done up in the late hours of the night, and for a while Adam looks around until the pull to return to his room grows too strong. He can be found downstairs inspecting the giant Christmas tree once daylight breaks, dressed for the weather in a heavy sweater. His breakfast is an apple, which he eats while poking at ornaments on the branches.

For once, he has something to do in the mansion that isn't simply "avoid angels." It's strange enough thinking it's already December. A lot of the time it feels like he just arrived, soul broken and all.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's nothing short of a surprise to wake up and find the mansion decorated overnight. When he first steps out his door, Wash has to do a doubletake, and then finds himself wondering if perhaps he's still dreaming. Until he remembers, anyway. Wonderland. Magic. All that stuff that still manages to catch him off guard. At least this is a pleasant piece of Wonderland magic though. He can't deny that the place looks pretty great, and it's been a long time since he last saw Christmas decorations.

Deciding to enjoy it, he makes his way downstairs, not paying as much attention to where he's going as he probably should, too busy inspecting the decorations he passes. Thankfully, he manages to not trip down the stairs and break something, and when he reaches the entrance hall...well. The gigantic tree is another surprise. But what catches his eye is Adam inspecting it, seeming as interested yet puzzled as he is.]

This whole thing new to you, too?

_{[Wonderland is weird. He gets that. He's seen the evidence. It runs by its own rules, some of them benevolent like the luxury found in the Beautiful Room, but undermined by something more sinister like Zachariah. Sometimes bad, sometimes not as bad, but always weird. This... person?... is a prime example.

Adam just stares in silence, apple partially raised to his mouth. Forget answering the question, he has no idea what he's looking at.]}

[His gaze having shifted back to admire the tree while waiting an answer, it only takes Wash a few moments to realize that he's getting nothing but silence in response. Maybe a few moments longer than it should, but it gets through, causing him to blink and glance back over. ...Only to find that he's being stared at.

At first, he just stares back, just for a few seconds. He has half a mind to comment about how staring is rude, but that's pretty hypocritical, in all honesty, as he's guilty of having stared at things he's seen around Wonderland. Things unfamiliar to him and completely strange. Considering he's been thought strange by others around here already, this shouldn't really be a surprise that he's being stared at.]

...Is it the armour? [He taps his chest piece with the question.] It seems like it's always the armour.

_{[As if someone decked out like this isn't batshit enough, the helmet and yellow-tinted visor are creepy in their own right when he knows there's something under there but they're not doing anything.

Suspicious, he's about to back away and pretend his hardest none of this had happened when the man... or whatever it is... speaks again.

Honest answer?]}

Yeah, it's the armour.

_{[There had better be some kind of explanation attached to this stunning display of self-awareness.]}

Right.

[Didn't even need to ask, did he? It only takes a brief glance over the guy, just standing there and staring at him, to realize that he's uncomfortable. Maybe he's newer to Wonderland and just not used to anything unfamiliar, not used to things just being odd in comparison to his home. Or, maybe the armour really is just that strange to some. Wash isn't sure, but he doesn't want to scare him off so he's quick to reach up and pull his helmet off to show off his human features; pale skin, blue-grey eyes, brown hair... Totally normal human face.

He should have just grabbed some clothes out of the closet today, huh.]

I'm not a robot or anything, if that's what you're worried about. Just a person. ...Wearing armour. [Awkward pause. This might be the worst reaction his armour's ever gotten around here, and he's not sure what to say.] It's just kind of a habit.

_{[Adam lets the silence continue on after the man's pause.]}

A robot, I could handle.

_{[Could be worse. He could've been an angel wearing someone's skin; they're bad enough that they don't need decked out body suits to protect themselves. But a person wearing armor for no reason is still worth a good eyebrow raise, angel or not.]}

And... what's it for?

[Oh. That's not really a response he'd been expecting. He though a robot would be weirder than a person in armour, but okay then.]

Well... Protection. [He says it like this should be obvious. Because it should be. Or, he thinks so. Armour is armour, it's all got the same purpose, right?]

I had to wear it almost all the time where I'm from, so the habit carried over here. And it hasn't been a bad idea, considering some of the events that go on around here.

[Shrug. It makes sense to him, but really, he wears it because he's paranoid that something might happen and catch him off guard and ill-prepared. So he makes sure he's always prepared.]

Yeah, I figured that part out on my own.

_{[But protection from what? He'd seen police in riot gear with less full-body protection than this.

Adam's not about to let himself become the odd one in this duo.]}

What, you're worried we're going to have a HAZMAT situation?

[This little interaction is definitely not going quite the way Wash figured it would. He's not really fond of the way these questions are coming up, if only because they're coming off a little... Well. A little rude. But he holds onto his patience for the time being, thankfully not one to fly off the handle easily.]

If we do, at least I'll have a better chance of surviving than the rest of you. [Okay, it's a little sarcastic, but not rude sarcastic.] No, I'm not worried or expecting that kind of situation. But Wonderland doesn't exactly throw us what we're expecting, does it?

[It could happen. ...Oh god, now he's worried it's going to. Sigh.]

I'm in the military where I'm from. And where I'm from, that means being out in space, hence the suit. It lets me breathe out in the vacuum and conveniently helps protect against attack, whether it's fists, bullets, or plasma.

[Explanation enough?]

_{[It's not your fault, Wash. Blame it on the fact a kid's gotten the really short end of the stick where the strange and the supernatural is concerned. Doesn't help having a crushing load of Hell-related memories when you're trying to process someone calling themselves a space soldier.

Adam doesn't stir very much at the grim assessment of their survival, but mention of the military gets a scrutinizing look.]}

Space. _{[He'd heard that right, hadn't he?]} As in... outer space.

_{[Does he have that right? Because if he does, wow. This took a turn he hadn't been expecting.]}

[If he knew everything poor Adam's been through, he'd definitely... Well, be in shock. But also he'd understand that some of this stuff might be hard to swallow. As things are though, it's mildly annoying. But he's fairly patient, especially when it comes to explaining his armour and the whole space thing. Lots of people question those for some reason.]

That's the only place people refer to as space, isn't it? [Little bit snarky, there.] Yeah, outer space. Guess that means you're from somewhere not used to space travel too, just like basically everyone else here.

[Sigh. It's lonely being the only sci-fi character sometimes.]

I think I'm from the future compared to the time most people here are from. Space travel is a really common thing there, but that seems to baffle everyone I tell.

_{[This is a little like meeting an actor at Disney World and having them tell him the Magic Kingdom is real. He doesn't argue, but neither does he look totally convinced. It's hard to think of space and not imagine aliens with as much asshole potential as angels.]}

Sorry, my experience is more... transcendent.

_{[But really, how much is too much? He'd died and been resurrected by angels, then had one ride him down into Hell. Lucifer, and monsters, and monster hunters are all real. Wonderland is apparently a real thing, too, with zombies and talking cats. There's room on the list for space travel.]}

How far into the future are we talking, exactly?

[Aliens with asshole potential? Oh, Wash can tell you all sorts of stories to confirm that little theory. Considering he's been brought here from being in the middle of a war with them. One that they started seemingly because they just thought humankind was beneath them. Considering Adam's reactions thus far, however, he's going to keep those stories to himself for now.]

...Transcendent? How do you mean?

[Now he's curious about exactly where this kid's come from. From the bits he's picked up so far, he figured it was some place pretty normal, but hearing that... It's sounding like he's been wrong there.]

Well, that depends. What year are you from?

_{[Uh, how to put the answer in terms that don't sound equally strange?]}

Like... other worlds that don't involve spaceships to get to?

_{[Adam's slow to get the words out, clearly aware the description is subpar. But how do you jump into the Heaven and Hell thing without warning? Did people know about what happened after death in the future? Did the angels come back in another thousand years and try to jump start the end of days again?

The corner of his mouth twists a little, wryly. The year, he can answer with a little more sureness.]}

2010.

_{[... Or 2013, for people still alive. Funny how much torment in the pit can be squeezed into just three years.]}

[...That sounds equally strange. Wash just kind of stares uncertainly for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond. Or how to even take that, exactly, especially when Adam seems unsure about it himself.]

Uh-huh... [Another long pause, and he squints a little, as though that might help him figure it out.] I don't get it. Like, universe hopping, kind of like what Wonderland can do, or something...?

[That's the only possibility that comes to mind, because...well, he's found out that sort of thing is apparently possible thanks to being here. How would you even get to other worlds without a spaceship other than that anyway, geez.

That year though, wow. That's going to make this kind of weird all over again, isn't it?]

2010? Then... A bit over five hundred years into the future.

[ Y e p. ]

_{[They're about even, then.]}

I mean like... dying. The afterlife. Heaven and Hell. People still die in the future, right?

_{[The admission is said with more surety, because as screwed up as it is, the afterlife exists just as much as space. And he'd died before his time and experienced it all. Another fact of life.

He's almost curious as to how many strange and mind-bending facts they can share before the disbelief gets to be too much. They're not quite at that point yet, but that might be in part due to the man's armor and how impossible it is to ignore next to a giant, dazzling Christmas tree. It's hard to deny something that's right in front of your face.]}

I guess that means people are still around in half a century, too. Good for us.

_{[... A silver lining, maybe?]}

[WELL. That's...not. what he expected. At all.]

Y-- ...Yeah. They do. [Apparently able to answer the question but little else immediately after hearing the clarification, Wash falls silent. It's a stunned silence, one that involves lots of staring and wondering if he heard that correctly because somehow, the idea of the afterlife being real is more startling than, say, universe hopping.

But then, the afterlife isn't exactly something he believes in. It's kind of hard to, when you've been to war and seen all kinds of awful things.]

So... You're saying that Heaven and Hell exist. For real. [Clarifying. He needs to make sure he's got this right before he can fully process.] And you've been to both?

[That's what him saying his experience is more transcendent means, right??? Man, this is...weird. But hey, at least now he has an idea of how mind boggled Adam was with the whole space thing. It's really funny how strange things really can be in all these different universes that Wonderland's pulled people from.]

Oh, people are more than just around. Things have...expanded, is probably the best word for it. There are colonies on dozens of different planets, and most of the people around in my time haven't even been to Earth before.

[A silver lining, sure. People are still alive and thriving, even with the whole aliens trying to drive them extinct thing going on.]

_{[Adam curls his lips in a way that's not quite a smile but still expresses a certain amount of sympathy. Apparently dead guys can be surprised by futuristic astronauts, and astronauts can be surprised by dead guys. At least they're on the same foot, sort of.]}

Yeah. Earth has a bunch of things that go bump in the night living on it like space has aliens.

_{[He pointedly pauses here, looking at Wash expectantly as if to say right? Do they know about monsters and angels in the future? Is that still some kind of secret, or is it public knowledge that freaky things have been living under people's noses all along?]}

Some like to kill people. Some can bring people back from the dead. I died, went to Heaven, got brought by angels. Ended up in the middle of a turf war. Wound up downstairs as the price to end it. _{[The CliffsNotes version, anyway.]} Time moves differently down there. Sure felt like five hundred had gone by, but I guess not. Too bad, I popped out in the wrong place and time to see what space travel is like.

_{[He only tries to summarize events as a way to try and provide context for the guy who looks as baffled as he feels, but the last part is more of an admission, almost unintentional. The fact that only a couple of years have passed in "real time" since Sam had pulled him into the hole is just as hard to grasp as the idea of space colonies.]}

[Sort of on the same foot is better than not being remotely so. It'd be more awkward if only one of them was being flabbergasted and such by the other's home, so the even ground is something to be appreciated.

Wash gives some sort of head movement that's probably too slight to be called a nod in response to that look Adam gives him, looking for clarification. Except he can only confirm aliens, and he's officially a little spooked to hear that, you know, monsters are real. Even without knowing what ones are.

He's silent as Adam speaks, and if he was startled before with the Heaven and Hell thing, it's nothing compared to the actual story, or rather summary of. It sounds to him like the poor guy's been through hell (figuratively and literally), and really... He's got no idea of what to say. How do you even respond to something like that?]

...Wow. [Oh yeah, real smooth.] I-- Sorry, that sounds... I mean, if I heard it anywhere other than here, it'd sound crazy. [Nope, not much better.] Uhm. I don't mean--just--...It sounds awful.

[That's putting it lightly, but after scrambling to find the right words after coming out with all the wrong ones, it's all he's got. Scrubbing a hand through his hair awkwardly, Wash just...shuts himself up for a few seconds. To actually think.]

Sorry. I've just never heard anything quite like that. I didn't even know angels existed until someone mentioned that there are some here.

_{[If you're Sam or Dean, or anyone involved with the Apocalypse, the answer is that you don't respond, not really. You ignore it--ignore him--or give half-hearted apologies, or forget that Hell is a place with very real horrors and that Adam had been a very normal guy before he'd went in.

But that's people who know. For people who have nothing to do with what happened, Adam doesn't expect much, or even know what to expect in the first place. He wouldn't know how to deal with him if he weren't him; looking at him like he's insane is about the only appropriate reaction.]}

It is crazy. _{[Adam knows it. He even cracks a small, tired smile.]} If you'd told me souls, and angels, and all this stuff before, I wouldn't have bought it either. Looks like five-hundred-year-olds can still surprise you. Don't worry, though, you're probably safe.

_{[From following in Adam's footsteps when you pass on, that is. Wash's luck would have to be really bad for that to happen.]}

[Okay, so maybe it's kind of a relief to hear Adam agree that it's crazy. He'd been worried he'd come off ridiculously offensive or rude and that was not what Wash wanted. Adam seemed like a pretty decent guy, even with the shit he's dealt with, so he really just wants to be friendly here.

Mirroring the smile, maybe a tad hesitantly as though still unsure that it's really okay, he huffs a small laugh. Oh, plenty of 'five-hundred-year-olds' here had already surprised him, with all the places they came from around here. But Adam's history does kind of take the cake.]

I hope so. That's not exactly a situation I want to end up in. [Er...no offence.] I'd imagine five hundred years is probably enough time for whatever was going on to be settled.

[The statement almost comes off as a question, and Wash pairs it with a look that's clearly seeking some sort of answer. Preferably confirmation. Getting to know what Adam's been through first-hand sounds really not fun, okay he doesn't want to get mixed up in any crazy supernatural stuff.]

_{[Go ahead and laugh, man. Literally anything is better than being physically torn apart by monsters and spiritually torn apart by two archangels in a giant, flaming bear trap smack dab in the middle of Hell.

Anything.

Fact is, being on his feet and talking--talking to people who aren't supernatural monsters obsessed with his paternal heritage--is a major step up from being a mess on the floor, so he can take whatever one heavy duty astronaut can throw at him. Or at least he can deal with everything he's been told so far and try to make sense of it later.

He wrinkles his nose faintly at the unspoken question. Did he mean had things been peacefully resolved? Now that idea sounds like fiction to him.]}

Human beings aren't extinct for you. Must be.

[It's not so much a laugh meant to offend, or even a fully amused laugh. Rather, it's sort of a weak attempt to lighten the mood, and to acknowledge the comment that had been taken as something of a joke. Seeing someone as young as Adam call himself five hundred years old is a little humorous, you know?

It doesn't last long anyway. The faint amusement, the small smile, they're hard to maintain on such a grave topic. They both slip away as quickly as they've come, and Wash sobers upon hearing Adam's answer to his unasked questions. The fact that humanity was hanging in the balance during whatever it was that Adam got wrapped up in is not something he realized.]

...I think I'm missing something important. What was going on that would have wiped out humans?

[Whatever it is, it sounds a lot bigger than just a turf war.]

_{[Adam gives a straight stare, steady and unflinching. This is the truth as he knows it.]}

Do you still have bibles where you're from? _{[That about sums it up one way or the other.]} End of the world, Sunday school stuff. The Apocalypse. Revelation. Satan breaking out of jail. You don't have to say it, I already know--it sounds about as far-fetched as what you're telling me.

_{[Yeah, he really does know. It's ridiculous, and unbelievable, and sadly real.]}

...The Apocalypse.

[Far-fetched doesn't even cover it. Wash can't even think of a better word for it, but his mind is a little occupied right now. You know, processing the fact that the Apocalypse apparently came and went and Adam got caught up in the middle of it.

Geez. He's envying the poor guy less and less the more he learns here.]

I mean. Yeah. That does sound a little... [Insane?] ...Doesn't matter. That must've been hell.

[He feels bad for not being able to come up with something better or maybe even reassuring to say, but... How are you supposed to react to the Apocalypse?]

OPEN | here come the night

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