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

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?]

Sorry. _{[Adam lifts his shoulder in a shrug.]} Too much information? I wasn't that into oversharing until the pit. You're better off talking to the monster hunters that are living here, or whatever they're calling themselves. They can give you a better run-down than I can.

_{[He doesn't expect anyone to care about jumping on such a suggestion, not unless they're huge fans of the bible and knowing there are monsters working behind the scenes to fuck the world over, but he can only go with his instinct and keep things as casual as he can. He's not going to break down and cry on the guy, or anything like that. God forbid they start talking about God.

It is what it is, right? And this is Wonderland. Everybody's got some kind of story to tell.]}

Hell is about right.

_{[There's that thin smile again.]}

...Monster hunters? [Now that is a thing he hasn't ever heard of. Outside of maybe movies, anyway. But it's a minor distraction from the main topic, which he returns to with a shake of his head.] --No, no, it's fine. Not too much, just...not what I was expecting.

[Not that he knew what exactly he was expecting. But the Apocalypse was not it. Still, he asked, and he's just glad Adam actually told him, even if it is...startling. The fact that Adam can even talk about it without appearing incredibly bothered is, too, actually. But hey, props to him, he must be pretty damn tough.

Rubbing at the back of his head, Wash makes an awkward face and glances off to the side briefly. Only in Wonderland could he be having a conversation like this and totally buy it.]

Man. I can't even imagine. And I thought what I did is rough. [They say war is hell, right? But he doubts it's any kind of hell compared to actual Hell.] I'm so sorry. I know I had nothing to do with any of it, but it sounds like you could probably use an apology for all of that from someone.

_{[Adam shrugs again.]}

You know Sam and Dean Winchester? That's their thing.

_{[Not his. He's too tired to chase his thoughts around in circles about these things, or get caught up in the pain characterizing just about everything to do with the Winchesters. He could talk about it for hours and probably not get any where close to the bottom of his list of grievances, the same with trying to find words to describe Hell. Just grin and bear it, right? That's what a person's supposed to do when faced with crap they don't understand and can't fully comprehend. Just grin and bear it. It's a policy he seems to have picked up from his dad's side of the family somewhere along the way, and it's too much a part of him now to try and shake off.

As a result, the apology that comes out of the other man's mouth is enough to jar him a little. This... all of this, it'd started from nothing, just an oddball conversation under oddball circumstances, but it's more than anyone who'd been involved in his old life has ever said to him. His lips twitch, pressed as they are in a line. Adam looks for a minute like he's heard a string of gibberish, or something he hadn't expected to hear.

He remembers Dean tooting his own horn, reminding Adam he'd tried to save him while pointing out Adam had shot himself in his own foot. The apologies for failing had only come after... after seeing Adam strung tighter than a bow, about to snap from the tension.

Hell is rough, and it's too much to pretend it hadn't happened, or keep it buried deep and not talk about it, but compassion hurts more than he'd thought it would. Even just basic human sympathy hits like a punch to the gut when given to him like this.

The line of his lips goes white.]}

No one cares.

_{[The words always seem to find a way of tumbling out of him one way or another. It's not that the pain's gotten any better since he's come here, it's that he's gotten better at hiding it from plain sight.]}

When you win big, no one cares about the collateral damage. That doesn't change just because we're here, that's just how it is. But that's... more than some people would say. So thanks. For not signing me up for the mental ward, anyway.

[As a matter of fact, he doesn't know Sam or Dean Winchester. It's possible he's heard of them over the network a time or two, because the names don't seem completely unfamiliar, but Wash knows for certain that he's never met any monster hunters. Maybe something to look into another time. Or, maybe something to avoid, because he's not so sure he wants to know any gritty details about monsters that actually happen to be real things...

All he does is nod in acknowledgement, rather that raising the few questions that come to mind, because he can see the shock that seems to hit Adam with his apology. From what he can tell, it's completely unexpected, which...is unexpected in itself. Surely someone's said something to him? Someone must have given him some sort of apology for everything he's been through?

Apparently not. When Adam speaks then, Wash's eyebrows raise. For something like that, you'd expect someone would care. Someone should hate that he went through what he did! The idea that something like that could go completely thankless is...astounding, not to mention completely awful. It's information that he's not sure what to do with, and it leaves him a bit shaken. If something like that happened to him...his friends would be there, right? His teammates, they'd want to make sure he's okay, they'd want to apologize. He's sure of it. Maybe Adam just...was unlucky with who he got stuck with.]

Well, it's hard to think that anyone belongs in a mental ward while we're all stuck in Wonderland. [A joke, meant to lighten some of the tension, but it's weak. The smile Wash puts on is a bit strained, but he shakes his head and gives Adam an honest look.] I think you deserve more than that, for the record. I don't want to get sappy or anything here, but what happened to you... I don't know any details, but it sounds to me like you deserve more, especially if a "sorry" is more than you get anywhere else.

[A shrug. As he continues, he takes on a lighter tone, the suggestion legitimate, but maybe a bit silly:]

Maybe go to the Dining Hall and have a nice feast all to yourself. If anyone asks, just tell them you went through hell to get here. Might as well get something enjoyable out of it.

That's a good point.

_{[He forces his shoulders to relax. They're practically standing in the middle of a shopping mall dolled up for the holidays--all they're really missing is the crappy Christmas music blaring from wall speakers. It's on the ridiculous side to be talking about this.

And as far as jokes go... it's not untrue. Crazy's already all around them. Should that make him feel better or make him feel worse that he's adding to it?

He's silent, but he nods a little, an acknowledging gesture. It's not sappy until someone starts crying and they have to hug it out, but that's unlikely to happen with a stranger. He doesn't want to be that bad. Food, though... The man hits on a secret perk to having a physical body. Honestly? Binging on anything he wants when he has half a mind to do so has been one of the few good points to being Adam again.

It's not a bad plan, either.]}

That doesn't sound half bad. _{[His smile, though small, is as close to genuine as it's been yet.]} Why not, right?

[No offence seems to be taken, no one looks angry, nothing, so Wash lets himself relax a little, too. It's good to know the guy didn't take the comment too seriously, even if...well. It is a pretty good point. And he knows it. It's hard to be considered crazy when literally everything around them is just that. Crazy.

Hearing the other man taking in his suggestion though, Wash perks up in an almost obvious fashion. Which, okay, might look a little odd on a space marine of all people, a person most people might assume to be all tough and stoic, but he can't particularly help it. He's kind of a people pleaser. So if his shoulders relax and his head lifts in a manner similar to a child proud of itself, well...he's not going to think much of it, himself.]

Exactly. There's no reason not to! [All nods, his smile spreads wide.] Might as well take advantage to one of the actual perks to Wonderland. The fact that you can get whatever food you want and as much of it as you want instantly is kind of ridiculously cool.

_{[If he hasn't depressed someone to the point of them slitting their wrists in the bath with stories of his life, then that's... all he can ask for. Adam's learned not to accept much from other people.]}

Yeah, it's a plus.

_{[The one thing he won't argue about is the free amenities. When he's in the mind to enjoy them, they're all right. Even the Christmas decorations seem innocent at first glance.]}

Haven't heard anyone use the words "ridiculously cool" about the place, though.

OPEN | here come the night

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