Realistic or Modern 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙷𝚒𝚕𝚕: 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 [Main Thread]

[CaptainSully]

The sun shone bright against the metallic silver paintwork of the minibus, the glare resistant glass allowing its occupants to gaze out into the world without the need to squint. At the front of the bus with the driver was Doctor Elizabeth Spiers. Her fiery red hair and deep, blue eyes complemented the paleness of her soft skin. She had arranged the trip so that the other passengers would have the opportunity to try and get away from the problems they were seeing her from. In reality the fresh air and nature of their destination was all part of giving them an environment that would help her to draw forth the deep seated issues within them all.

“Alright everyone,” she said gently, “We are going to be stopping in a second, Frank needs to top up the fuel to make sure we have enough to get there. Feel free to get off and stretch your legs, get a bite to eat or whatever. Just be back in ten minutes.”

Frank wore a shirt and tie but looked considerably out of place for it. His grease addled skin, thinning hair and portly stature certainly pertained to a certain type of person. That being said, he had been nothing but courteous to his passengers. It wasn’t long before Frank was turning off the road and into a fairly modern looking gas station. They hadn’t seen much beyond a few farmsteads and the picturesque scenery lining the roads.

Coming to a stop Rob reached out to the door handle and slid it open. The Welshman hopped out and stretched his limbs out wide, his bones creaking slightly as he did. His red flannel shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a band t-shirt for his current favourite band. A pair of dark, grey jeans were capped off with a pair of tan boots, a pretty generic look but still a far cry from the suits he would usually be found wearing.

He made his way straight towards the toilet around the side, not saying a word to anyone else, such was his desperation. His walk soon became an awkward jog and within a moment he was standing in front of the porcelain receptacle he had been so desperate for. The lighting of the bathroom was poor, especially given the rest of the station looked modern. The tiles were caked in grime and the urinal he was stood before had a large chuck of porcelain missing from the upper corner. He let out a deep sigh of relief as he felt his bladder empty completely, turning to the nearby sink to wash his hands after zipping himself up..

“13:00?!” he said out loud to himself as he caught a glimpse of his watch, “is that it? Been on this bus for hours”

He ran his hands beneath the dryer before his eyes caught sight of a flickering light beneath the door of a nearby closet. He paid it no mind at first but the intensity of the light began to grow. It grew brighter, flashed faster before it felt as if the entire room was illuminated by the small gap between the door and the floor. The silence of the hand dryer stopping brought an end to the bright light as it seemed to slowly recede back into the crack of space. For a moment Rob stood silent, his mind racing to work out what had happened.

“Electrics must be shit…” he said under his breath. He rubbed his hands together before re-emerging into the daylight outside. He looked back at the bus as the others began to emerge, some walking around talking while others heading inside the gas station, presumably to get some snacks.

 

[VomitIcicle]

James was startled from his sleep by the voice of the doctor, he rubbed his blearly eyes, stumbling out of the bus into the daylight. He blinked away the spots forming in his eyes.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about this whole 'retreat' thing. Smelled like a bunch of bullshit. Then again, doctor seemed like a nice lady.

He'd reserve judgement. At least for now.

He headed towards the gas station itself alongside his fellow 'patients', hoping to fill up on snacks.

 

[thehighpriestess]

In the darkness behind her eyes, a reoccurring dream formed. Behind her eyelids, sparks of everything and nothing burst and dimmed until she saw a familiar face of someone she both loved and despised.
The fluctuating colors that blew across her restful eyes expanded, pushing the darkness away, and woman appeared; matronly with a smile that extended across her sharp feature. She knew every inch of her. Long curling brown hair, heavy lidded eyes, and a small beauty mark at the corner of her lip.

Mom. I'm getting better. Her voice tried to call out, but the words remained trapped. The woman said nothing, and her smile remained.

--------


Two dull, dark blue orbs peered out of one of the van's many windows, blinking as they adjusted to the light and their return from the land of dreams. Penelope watched as a few others began to muster the energy after hours of sitting, in order to leave the bus. The angular young woman did not leave her seat; at least not immediately. One of her long pale fingers brushed away a stray tendril of chestnut colored hair before she began to twirl it, nervously, around her fingertip. Several flesh colored bandages were wrapped around most of her fingers; a pathetic attempt to keep herself from ripping the skin of her nail beds off whenever she felt nervous .

So far, so good.

To be fair, she had kept to herself most of the ride so far and occasionally drifted in and out of sleep. There hadn't been much opportunity for her to speak with her fellow patients. She had quickly picked a seat in the back, next to a window and did her best to avoid the gaze of the woman she knew was watching them all. As kind as Dr. Spiers had been, Penelope wondered if perhaps this was more than a retreat. Her inner paranoia of failing some sort of unspoken test had kept her from voicing her concerns, and instead she had decided perhaps silent might be best.

Her eyes peeked again over the seat in front of her, as more people scrambled off she quickly took a deep breath before she lifted herself out of her seat. Her legs were stick thin, covered in a pair of fleece black leggings and barely seemed like they'd be able to hold her up even as they did. She wore a long, oversized black sweater that dragged down to her knees. She had several layers underneath; a white camisole and a plain black shirt, but she shivered still when she emerged from the bus into the sunlight. She had put on a strong fifteen pounds since she came to know Dr. Spier, but still could never quite keep a bit of warmth to herself.

Food. She decided on that as her mission before she would climb back into their bus once more. Timidly, she walked behind a few strangers before she entered the gas station. Though it was not quite packed, her heart began to pound harder than necessary as soon as she walked within speaking distance of a stranger. Every face seemed to be filled with judgement or annoyance (at least, to her ) and within seconds a sheen of sweat was beginning to develop across her forehead. She moved awkwardly towards the back of the room, nearly stumbling into a rack of Hostess donuts.

She should have just brought something with her.

 

[VomitIcicle]

In the darkness behind her eyes, a reoccurring dream formed. Behind her eyelids, sparks of everything and nothing burst and dimmed until she saw a familiar face of someone she both loved and despised.
The fluctuating colors that blew across her restful eyes expanded, pushing the darkness away, and woman appeared; matronly with a smile that extended across her sharp feature. She knew every inch of her. Long curling brown hair, heavy lidded eyes, and a small beauty mark at the corner of her lip.

Mom. I'm getting better. Her voice tried to call out, but the words remained trapped. The woman said nothing, and her smile remained.

--------


Two dull, dark blue orbs peered out of one of the van's many windows, blinking as they adjusted to the light and their return from the land of dreams. Penelope watched as a few others began to muster the energy after hours of sitting, in order to leave the bus. The angular young woman did not leave her seat; at least not immediately. One of her long pale fingers brushed away a stray tendril of chestnut colored hair before she began to twirl it, nervously, around her fingertip. Several flesh colored bandages were wrapped around most of her fingers; a pathetic attempt to keep herself from ripping the skin of her nail beds off whenever she felt nervous .

So far, so good.

To be fair, she had kept to herself most of the ride so far and occasionally drifted in and out of sleep. There hadn't been much opportunity for her to speak with her fellow patients. She had quickly picked a seat in the back, next to a window and did her best to avoid the gaze of the woman she knew was watching them all. As kind as Dr. Spiers had been, Penelope wondered if perhaps this was more than a retreat. Her inner paranoia of failing some sort of unspoken test had kept her from voicing her concerns, and instead she had decided perhaps silent might be best.

Her eyes peeked again over the seat in front of her, as more people scrambled off she quickly took a deep breath before she lifted herself out of her seat. Her legs were stick thin, covered in a pair of fleece black leggings and barely seemed like they'd be able to hold her up even as they did. She wore a long, oversized black sweater that dragged down to her knees. She had several layers underneath; a white camisole and a plain black shirt, but she shivered still when she emerged from the bus into the sunlight. She had put on a strong fifteen pounds since she came to know Dr. Spier, but still could never quite keep a bit of warmth to herself.

Food. She decided on that as her mission before she would climb back into their bus once more. Timidly, she walked behind a few strangers before she entered the gas station. Though it was not quite packed, her heart began to pound harder than necessary as soon as she walked within speaking distance of a stranger. Every face seemed to be filled with judgement or annoyance (at least, to her ) and within seconds a sheen of sweat was beginning to develop across her forehead. She moved awkwardly towards the back of the room, nearly stumbling into a rack of Hostess donuts.

She should have just brought something with her.

James turned to glance at the sound of the awkward shuffling behind him, seeing that mousy looking girl giving just about everything in this place a wide eyed lookabout. He felt a pang of pity. Not something he got often.

He turned to face her completely, doing his best to give her a reassuring smile. He dropped it after a few moments, the facial expression feeling especially unnatural on him, and opted to cough awkwardly into his hand instead.

Well.

"You, uh, you alright, missy?"

 

[InTheSea]

*

location

Ye Old Gas Station

mood

Neutral, Tired

mentions

CaptainSully thehighpriestess VomitIcicle

Zoe Lane - The Left Behind

It took a lot of therapy for Zoe to even feel comfortable in a car let alone a minibus. But Dr. Spiers had been meticulous with her encouragement, and with the promise of a quiet getaway, even Zoe couldn't resist for long.

New York City was always bustling and full of people and cars, horns blaring and people chattering or yelling on the sidewalks. It was loud, and even her apartment couldn't completely block out all the sound no matter how many sound makers she scattered through the small abode. To get away from it all - to visit the quaint, if not beautiful, town of Silent Hill - was something she was sure would really assist in her own therapy work. She arrived to the bus on time, and decided to sit towards the front where she could be comfortable around the one person who had helped her more in a single year than hundreds of others had in nearly a decade; Dr. Spiers.

For the trip there, Zoe had decided on a simple floral dress with a white camisole underneath. It was bright yellow and cheerful, rather unlike her usual solemn demeanor. It was supposed to help her moods of course, as black would easily draw her into sadness. She also rather liked the bright colors; the therapy really was working, albeit slowly. Around her neck she wore a thick, heart-shaped locket, the piece gently tapping against her clavicle bone with ever little bump. It was incredibly special to her, and she was never seen without it on her person. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a loose braid held together with a simple bright yellow band, a few strands having pulled free around the bottom. She felt good with how she looked, which made the anxiety of the trip a little less tense.

At sometime during the hours-long drive, Zoe had fallen asleep. With her head against the window, she slept in a somewhat awkward fashion with her arms wrapped around her pink backpack. It was a miracle she even fell asleep to begin with, though it wouldn't last long. When the voice of her therapist spoke up, watery blue eyes shot open. There was the briefest rush of panic, but it died down just as quickly as it came when Zoe realized everything was fine. "Sounds good," She said, before letting out a little sigh. She turned to look out of the window as she clutched her bag a little tighter.

When the bus came to a stop, she follow some of the others off the bus and towards the bathrooms; what better time to relieve themselves than this. And who knew when they would reach the next rest stop? After finishing her business, Zoe joined a few others in the mart inside the gas station and picked up a bottle of water for the rest of the trip. A small bag of pre-peeled sunflower seeds were purchased as well but she figured she would just eat them before she got back on the bus. Just as she turned to leave, she caught sight of one of the other patients, if she could call all of them that, nearly walk into a stand of donuts; Penelope, or Pen as the other girl preferred to be called. An older patient, James, was quick to see if the other girl was alright. Keeping the receipt in her hand as she held onto her food, Zoe shuffled to where James and Pen were.

"Are you two going to get donuts?" Blue eyes shifted between the two; she hoped the conversation of food would take away any insecurities Pen was feeling, as Zoe certainly understood completely. "They look good. Maybe I should have gotten one of those instead." She smiled awkwardly as she held up her little bag of sunflower seeds.

coded by natasha.

 

[RayneIlStorm]

As most of the passengers left the bus for the gas station mini-mart or the restrooms that it provided, Margaret decided to stay on-board. Her weary, hazel eyes watched as almost everyone left, and for a moment, she felt like she should have followed everyone out, but then she thought against it. She didn't want to risk the chance of being late to getting back on the bus and then they would drive off without her. She wouldn't know what she would do if they did, though the chances of it actually happening were very low. Still, she didn't want it to happen at all.

After a while was spent with her attention flickering from the gas station's store to the fingers she fiddled with upon her lap, Margaret turned her attention to the thick tome that sat beside her on another seat. It was one of the many tomes of random stories, classical or otherwise, that she owned. The one that seat next to her was full of classic fantasy stories, like Alice in Wonderland, for example. Her eyes scanned it carefully, taking in all of the intricate designs on the book's cover before she scooped it up in her hand and turned to her spot inside.

Margaret only read about a page before stopping. She couldn't get herself to read anymore. She had been reading the entire trip and grew tired of it. Sighing, she leaned up against the window to her left and glanced out. There wasn't much on her side of the bus, but just seeing the misty morning outside was calming enough.

 

[Trektek]

Cora

Cora had almost surprised herself by coming out on this trip. Ever since the incident, she, while cordial enough to people in certain setting, such as a work environment or the like, did not do well enough with smaller groups or one on one time. She had grown to be easily irritable and discouraged by people and tasks that she had with great pride, breezed through with ease. Now though, she had been stuck in a rut. A deep and dark rut from which it had seemed that she would never emerge.

And then she had met the good doctor. While admittedly her own progress had been slow, it had been a steady stream forward. So much so that she actually agreed to come on this trip with other members. The doctor had proposed it as a way to get away from all of their problems, but it really seemed to her to be some sort of test. A test of how far they have all come. And perhaps how well they could interact in a group? She wasn't sure, but this screamed team building camp to her. Cora had gone to her fair share of those working in the air industry. But, she could be wrong. She was wrong on lots of things.

The journey so far had been long and as such, with the steady movement of the vehicle, she drifted off to sleep. She was woken by their mode of transport coming to a complete stop and was pleasantly surprised that she hadn't had a nightmare, or at least hadn't woken up in a cold sweat.

Looking around, she saw that the others had already left the vehicle to take care of themselves. All except for, she wants to say Margaret. Names were kind of difficult for her. But she was pretty sure that was her name.

Besides the point, she went to go relieve herself as who knew how much longer the ride would be and she wouldn't want to be caught having to go in the woods by the side of the road. That would be embarrassing and dangerous.

Walking back to the car, she started stretching out her arms and legs. They were really, really stiff after this car ride and she needed to loosen up a little.​

 

[thehighpriestess]

"You, uh, you alright, missy?"

Like a computer with one too many tabs open, her brain and mouth lagged as she attempted to answer his simple question.

Actually, my mother convinced me, our entire family, and random strangers all over the world that I had nearly every illness someone could have. Now she's in prison and I have minor panic attacks whenever I'm thrown into new environments. Can you see my hands shaking and the swamp of sweat pooling on my forehead? I'm doing splendid, James.

Her honest inner monologue was beat instead by her quiet as a mouse voice squeaking out a simple "I'm alright." Her arms folded protectively over her chest, and her eyes kept themselves bouncing uneasily around the room. No, that wasn't a good enough answer. He was clearly concerned about her (or was at the very least, attempting to be) and all she had in her was a "I'm alright"? Her eyes fluttered close for a moment and she tried to gather herself to further the conversation, but a head of blonde hair suddenly appeared and entered their bubble of conversation. Having another presence, which shifted some of the energy over in her direction, was a godsend.

She smiled at the bag of sunflower seeds, instead of directly at Zoe. It was easier that way, since she still had problems with making eye contact. Her fingers reached out, grabbing a bag of the powdered sugary goodness and her empty hand hung awkwardly at her side.

"You can ...have some of mine if you get hungry later," she offered, the words almost a whisper, still keeping her eyes from making contact with either of the two. With a nod of her head, and a tightness in her chest that seemed to imply you've reached the end of your social meter, please pay and leave, the young woman shuffled away from the two and headed for the small line to check out.

The top of the bag of donuts she carried was moist with how sweaty her hands had become from not even a full five minutes of speaking. Her teeth chewed familiarly on her bottom lip. James seemed kind, Zoe seemed just as kind. Hopefully there would be more opportunities to prove she wasn't completely out of her mind.

Thankfully, the female cashier was not the chatty type. The lank, greasy haired young woman seemed unenthused with anything that was going on inside of the gas station. Harper her nametag read, several scratched around the metal and the "p" beginning to fade ever so slightly. She must have worked here for quite some time, and Pen imagined herself in her shoes. Eventually she would have to get a better job, join society and move on from it all. She scanned the donuts, held a hand out for Pen's cash, and dumped her change back into her hand without a single word spoken between the two. Her eyes flicked to the bandages on Pen's fingers, but just as quickly they looked away. So far, this was the easiest interaction of the whole trip.

The jaunt back to the bus was short, and there was no more side conversations. She found her seat, and sank tiredly back into it, letting the bag of donuts rest in her lap. Her head laid against the window. From the safety of the bus, she allowed herself to people watch.

Just a few more hours to go.

 

[VomitIcicle]

*

location

Ye Old Gas Station

mood

Neutral, Tired

mentions

CaptainSully thehighpriestess VomitIcicle

Zoe Lane - The Left Behind

It took a lot of therapy for Zoe to even feel comfortable in a car let alone a minibus. But Dr. Spiers had been meticulous with her encouragement, and with the promise of a quiet getaway, even Zoe couldn't resist for long.

New York City was always bustling and full of people and cars, horns blaring and people chattering or yelling on the sidewalks. It was loud, and even her apartment couldn't completely block out all the sound no matter how many sound makers she scattered through the small abode. To get away from it all - to visit the quaint, if not beautiful, town of Silent Hill - was something she was sure would really assist in her own therapy work. She arrived to the bus on time, and decided to sit towards the front where she could be comfortable around the one person who had helped her more in a single year than hundreds of others had in nearly a decade; Dr. Spiers.

For the trip there, Zoe had decided on a simple floral dress with a white camisole underneath. It was bright yellow and cheerful, rather unlike her usual solemn demeanor. It was supposed to help her moods of course, as black would easily draw her into sadness. She also rather liked the bright colors; the therapy really was working, albeit slowly. Around her neck she wore a thick, heart-shaped locket, the piece gently tapping against her clavicle bone with ever little bump. It was incredibly special to her, and she was never seen without it on her person. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a loose braid held together with a simple bright yellow band, a few strands having pulled free around the bottom. She felt good with how she looked, which made the anxiety of the trip a little less tense.

At sometime during the hours-long drive, Zoe had fallen asleep. With her head against the window, she slept in a somewhat awkward fashion with her arms wrapped around her pink backpack. It was a miracle she even fell asleep to begin with, though it wouldn't last long. When the voice of her therapist spoke up, watery blue eyes shot open. There was the briefest rush of panic, but it died down just as quickly as it came when Zoe realized everything was fine. "Sounds good," She said, before letting out a little sigh. She turned to look out of the window as she clutched her bag a little tighter.

When the bus came to a stop, she follow some of the others off the bus and towards the bathrooms; what better time to relieve themselves than this. And who knew when they would reach the next rest stop? After finishing her business, Zoe joined a few others in the mart inside the gas station and picked up a bottle of water for the rest of the trip. A small bag of pre-peeled sunflower seeds were purchased as well but she figured she would just eat them before she got back on the bus. Just as she turned to leave, she caught sight of one of the other patients, if she could call all of them that, nearly walk into a stand of donuts; Penelope, or Pen as the other girl preferred to be called. An older patient, James, was quick to see if the other girl was alright. Keeping the receipt in her hand as she held onto her food, Zoe shuffled to where James and Pen were.

"Are you two going to get donuts?" Blue eyes shifted between the two; she hoped the conversation of food would take away any insecurities Pen was feeling, as Zoe certainly understood completely. "They look good. Maybe I should have gotten one of those instead." She smiled awkwardly as she held up her little bag of sunflower seeds.

coded by natasha.

James turned his head at the question, answering it via the plucking of a bag from the shelf. "Things sure as hell beat whatever else they got in this dump." He said, barking a laugh that earned him a few sideways looks from the few patrons within the gas station. He coughed once again, shuffling awkwardly over to the checkout to pay for his bounty of powdered sugary goodness.

A familiar pang, that itch.

His daughter used to love these things.

The bottle in his pocket weighed heavy, a vice gripping his heart.

The cashier gave him a weird look.

He'd been standing here a while.

"Uh, yeah, right." He fisted over a crumpled bill. Didn't like using card anymore. Easier to disappear, if he needed too.

He'd take a few at the hotel, maybe. Before he went to bed.

Yeah, sounded alright.

James settled back into the bus, munching down on his recently acquired sweets, paying little mind to the sugar powdering both his beard and his lap.

 

[InTheSea]

*

location

Ye Old Bus

mood

Self-conscious

mentions

thehighpriestess VomitIcicle Trektek RayneIlStorm

Zoe Lane - The Left Behind

Zoe couldn't say she was convinced with Pen's squeaking 'alright', but she doubted she would have much better to say if anyone asked her how she was doing. She was alright, too. She could do worse, and she could do better. Perhaps all of them could do little bits of both, so being simply 'alright' was...well, alright.

"Thanks, Pen." Zoe murmured when the other girl offered a later snack of donuts if she needed it. That was quite nice of her, Zoe noted to herself.

James plucked a bag of donuts from the shelf and let out a loud laugh. Zoe managed to smile at his comment, shaking off the feeling that he thought her own decision for a snack was lackluster. Well, he would be right; she probably should have gotten a donut or two. Zoe slowly followed the two as they made their way to pay for things, breaking off to the door when they stood in line. She tore open her sunflower seeds and practically inhaled them. The faster she could get rid of the bag, the better. She had no use for garbage in her bag on the trip, and even though the bag itself was small, it was still better to get rid of it prior to entering the bus. With the sunflower seeds eaten, the girl crunched up the bag and tossed it in the receptacle outside the mart. She headed back to the bathrooms to quickly clean her hands before heading back to the bus.

As she walked back, she noticed the girl Cora heading back as well.

"Hey Cora." Zoe quickened her pace a touch to catch up to the other girl. "Did you get anything to eat? I didn't see you in the mart." Zoe paused, reflecting. "I mean, if you're not hungry that's okay too." The blond girl smiled sheepishly, awkwardly. "S-sorry." And then fell silent, afraid Cora might think she was accusing her of something.

If Cora entered the bus, Zoe would follow suit; otherwise, Zoe would leave the other girl outside without another word and avoiding her gaze.

Once she was back to her seat, Zoe pulled her backpack off and placed it on her lap. She lifted a hand to her neck and ran her fingers over the locket for a moment to calm her nerves, before sighing. It then occurred to her that someone else was on the bus; Margaret. She could see the girl looking bored as she looked out of the window. The blond watched her for a moment, then turned her gaze elsewhere. She didn't want to end up asking about food when the woman clearly didn't leave the bus for that purpose.

coded by natasha.