open } hiding wolves in wicked skins their darkest sides preserved

[krmvgivv]

Who: YOU
Where: Wonderland
When: 11/11 - 11/13
Rating: Will vary a lot depending on the thread
Summary: Catch-all log for anyone who wants to do stuff post-challenges but still during the event.
The Story:

[Congratulations, you solved all three challenges! Now you get to hang out and wait for your friends to also finish. Plus, you still get to turn into neat animals. Have fun!]

Comments

[adaptiveimmunities]

That didn't sound like "Marco," George.

[Is that the sound of him moving deeper into the maze? It just might be.]

[choosetruth]

You know what does sound sort of like "Marco?" Murder.

[Grumbling as she stomps towards the maze.]

[adaptiveimmunities]

See, you say that? But to me, it just sounds like "murder."

Or maybe "burger." Man, I'd kill for a burger right now. I'm starving.

[choosetruth]

[There's no response. Mostly because as George reaches the maze, running, hunting, she shifts, and before she even knows what she's doing, she's a fox, and then, well, even as a human she knew Shaun's scent better than any other smell there is. Picking it up is easy, following it is child's play.]

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Shaun, meanwhile, is strolling deeper into the maze, whistling a little to himself. There is no question in his mind that George is both on her way, and probably going to hit him at least once for fucking with her the way he'd been doing. The idea doesn't bother him. Waking up without her all those times had had an unsettling familiarity that he hadn't enjoyed at all, and he's just glad things are back to the current normal.]

[choosetruth]

[She finds him easily enough. She circles around him, padding into his field of vision and staying low to the ground, a low growl emanating from her throat even as her tail wags behind her.]

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Shaun's eyes widen a little in surprise, then...]

...Oh, my god, George, is that you? You're... adorable.

[choosetruth]

[Oh, cause he wasn't in enough trouble already. She growls again and launches herself at him, aiming to tackle him to the ground. A vicious fox attack, except her claws are firmly withdrawn and her teeth, while bared, don't go anywhere near him. She's clearly not really trying to injure him.]

[adaptiveimmunities]

[He considers trying to resist the full weight of her furry assault (and given that the average weight of a fox is under thirty pounds, he thinks he's got a pretty good chance), but George is in a playful mood, and that's definitely not something he can resist.

He goes down with the tackle, and then--oops. Apparently playful mood equals playful golden retriever.]

[choosetruth]

[George hasn't quite lost herself, but she also hasn't spent enough time as a fox to be able to separate out her own feelings from the much simpler canine ones. And her canine brain sees Shaun, who she could recognize in any form, so she lets herself continue to play for a handful of moments before the logical center of her brain kicks into gear and overwrites the unabashed freedom she was feeling as an animal. She shifts back into a human sharply and suddenly and sits down backwards hard. At least her sunglasses have transformed with her.]

What the hell?

[adaptiveimmunities]

[Shaun's tail wags and he gives her a doggy grin, tilting his head to one side. What's the matter, George? Haven't you ever seen a happy, huge, shaggy, huge, definitely above the conversion threshold golden retriever before?]

[choosetruth]

[Sure she has. In newspaper clippings about Philip Mason's death.]

Shaun. [Her voice is quiet. Not quite fearful, since she doubts Shaun is infected and knows logically that being a dog doesn't make him any more likely to be infected, but it also sure isn't happy. Sure, they never met their brother, but that doesn't mean his death hasn't shaped their lives.] Please change back.

[adaptiveimmunities]

[It takes some effort to change back--he hadn't actually intended to shift in the first place, and if he'd been in total control, he probably wouldn't have changed in front of George. He knows the reputation the golden retriever used to have, as a friendly family dog, but their family is the reason there's a Mason's law about having household animals above the conversion threshold.]

...Sorry, George. I didn't mean to do that.

[choosetruth]

I know. [She gives him a slight smile and reaches for his very human hand. She's not mad. She can't be mad at Shaun for something that was Wonderland's doing. She knows he wouldn't have chosen that shape if he had the choice.]

We both got carried away. I didn't mean to be a fox either. Though it did make finding you really easy.

[adaptiveimmunities]

[He gives her a little smile in return and squeezes her hand.] I bet. You didn't even have to play Marco Polo.

[choosetruth]

You're still an asshole. [She threads her fingers through his.] Did you have a good time, at least? Cause I hated every minute.

[adaptiveimmunities]

...I kind of had a blast? [He's a little apologetic about that, but it's true.] Iris and I did a superfun paintball obstacle course together, then I was a knight in a life-sized chess game, and then I played Portal with one of those kid twins. The glitter one who says her brother smells bad. [He gave her a little grin.] I was just worried about you.

[Mostly that she wouldn't be there when the dust settled.]

[choosetruth]

[She runs a thumb over his skin. She is glad he had fun. She knows it hasn't been easy for him being cooped up like this with no dead things to poke. She'll put up with her half of the event if he gets to let off a little steam. Not that either of them actually has a choice.]

That's way more fun than any of the events I got. I had to climb out of a pit with that jackass Tim. [She grimaces.] Which involved going back to back and touching each other for way longer than I want to touch anyone ever. [Even Shaun, most of the time.] Then I was stuck in a room with that raccoon guy, then I had to navigate a maze without my sunglasses. So more accurately, my partner had to navigate the maze, and I got to follow uselessly. That was the worst one.

[adaptiveimmunities]

[He winced, squeezing her hand a little. Neither of them really loved touching strangers--a product of the world they'd grown up in--and he knew how she felt about Tim. And none of the rest of it sounded any better, really. Being helpless without her sunglasses was one of the things that pissed George off most about retinal KA. Apparently adventure puzzle party time wasn't everyone's experience for the last event.]

Ugh. That sucks.

[choosetruth]

[George shifts until they're next to each other, close enough that she can lean her head against his shoulder. They're outside, but they're hidden in a maze, and besides, there's nothing wrong with this level of affectionate contact between siblings. It might go against her hardass reporter persona, but right now she doesn't give a fuck.

Maybe she should worry about how often she's failed to give a fuck lately. But she's dead and Shaun's crazy and they're a whole universe away from home. Fuck it.]

It did. I'm glad you had fun, though. You needed it.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Yeah, I figure it will be at least a couple of days now until I do something dumb because I'm bored.

[He rests his head against hers.]

You okay?

[He doesn't generally like to think about how things might not be okay, because in some ways it feels like he's basically living a really happy dream right now, but just like with manic fun puzzle time... That's not how it is for everyone. Especially George, for whom the News and the Truth are more important than almost anything. Even if George did vacations, this wouldn't be her choice.]

[choosetruth]

Physically? Yes. [But he knows that. Still, it's hard to vocalize exactly how mixed she's feeling about this particular blessing. She knocks her knuckles against his knee as she tries to form a response.] And I'm glad I'm alive. But I still hate this place. I hate the lack of internet. And even more, I hate the lack of choice.

[adaptiveimmunities]

I know. Me too. [Maybe he was happy to be with George (no--he was definitely happy to be with George), but that didn't mean he wasn't frustrated to be away from the work he had to do at home. Not at After the End Times, but on unraveling the conspiracy that had claimed George's life. He needed to see that unwound even more than he needed to keep breathing, and he couldn't do that from here.]

[choosetruth]

Think there's any way to blow this place wide open and keep me alive?

[And let her write her final article, and stop Tate and whoever the fuck else is involved, and keep all their articles from here to publish on their site…. George is too much of a realist to think they'll ever get everything they want. But she doesn't want to be a damn martyr, even as she knows she can't do anything but finish what she started. It won't be worth it, but she'll finish the story and hate herself for that being more important than her life.]

[adaptiveimmunities]

I hope so.

[It's what he wants most out of this place. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to be able to keep living with George, and still make the assholes who killed her pay for it. He's not sure how he can make that work but damn it, he wants to try.]

I don't want to lose you again.

[He's not sure he can take it, honestly, and if there's any justice in the universe? He won't remember a thing of this if he has to go back to his life without her.]