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The Haunting of Crestwood Hollow - A Supernatural Coming of Age Story

Good morning everyone, work is progressing steadily on the OOC.

Aiming for a Friday launch due to travelling for work tomorrow.

@Lord Wraith

S P E E D

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

Archie

---

"You're right, you won't."

Archie smiled at this. Lynn believed in him, too. His apology was successful.

He followed her out of her room, content to let her lead the way out of the hospital. They were nearing the exit when he excused himself to the little boy's room. That had been interesting. More interesting than squeezing the lemon had any right to be. He turned the little ball in his hands a few times- inspecting it's surface, then pocketed the item. He was still unsure of what to make of that.

Normally when he was anxious or the threat of danger was nearby, and sometimes just for the hell of it his chest would heat up. He had come to recognize it as a warning sign. The hotter and more painful his chest became, the closer he was to an unfortunate accident. He placed his hand on his chest, trying to calm his racing heartbeat, and was surprised that he didn't feel the normal heartburn that was so often associated with the feeling of danger. It had become commonplace, and honestly? It was somewhat comforting to know that if he really, really needed it he had the nuclear option. Since the cafeteria his chest had been still. It had not hurt or burned- it was just... normal.

Archie had mixed feelings on this. He shook his head and left the bathroom and continue after Lynn. She didn't need to worry- he was fine and that's what had mattered. If she had seen Freaky D, she had hopefully not seen him come out of the bathroom. That would take some explaining and he was suddenly very tired from the whole ordeal. It was beginning to get darker now- or at least dark enough for some of the light posts to come on. It was only 7:30ish but when one is surrounded by the dark void of space, the light of the lamp posts was welcome. Archie and Lynn walked in an easy silence, Archie for once in his life was content to shut up and enjoy the moment. He had stuffed his hands in his pockets and simply kept pace with the smaller girl. This had all gone over easier than he thought it would. Hopefully Natalie would go well enough, too. He cast a sideways glance at Lynn and the edges of his lips curled upwards at their situation. She had just walked out of the hospital, and in most cases the person in his position would be the one making sure she didn't get hurt. But of course that wasn't the case here. No, he was quite sure that of the two of them he was the damsel in distress. At least, in his current state. She had more than proven capable of handling herself and if her attitude was anything to go by she would do it with gusto.

As they walked, Archie elected to try and start up conversation.

"So..." he began, kicking a rock off of the sidewalk. "What was your home like? Before this?"

---

@He Who Walks Behind

The Haunting of Crestwood Hollow - A Supernatural Coming of Age Story

Daddy's home.

@Hillan

and daddy's thirsty

The Haunting of Crestwood Hollow - A Supernatural Coming of Age Story

Five minutes into magic superhuman class and chill and @Lord Wraith gives you this look.

The Haunting of Crestwood Hollow - A Supernatural Coming of Age Story

Oh god oh fuck

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

Archie

---

Lynn was adorable when she stammered. Archie was not a man that was terribly in tune with human nature, but he could tell when someone was embarrassed. Or was it flustered? She seemed mostly positive, so Archie settled for that. Flustered. That meant that she most likely was not going to kill him.

She didn't move to take the flowers, she seemed more stunned that he had brought them than anything else. While she was busy talking her way into a coherent sentence, Archie walked to her room's sink to get a coffee mug and fill it with water. He placed it down by the windowsill, and deposited the flowers gently into the mug. He took a moment to adjust a few of them to ensure they would receive their sunlight, and turned back to Lynn just as she asked him about busting her out- immediately following up with whether or not he watched Maury.

He hummed, taking the seat near the foot on her bed- his hand coming up to stroke his chin in pensive thought. "I used to hear some of the people around the island watch something about 'You are not the father!', but I never watched it myself." he explained. He looked up at the TV wistfully. "Never had a TV. Or a computer. Or a phone up until a few weeks ago. Never had the money." he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket as if to prove that he did in fact have a mobile device. "Awful bad at typing, though. Winky said I have fat fingers."

He shrugged and put the phone back into his pocket. He was certainly raised poor. And illegally. It had never really bothered him because he had been a pretty happy kid for the most part- distracting himself on the water or working on boats so he didn't have to spend too much time considering what had happened with his mother and father. Not that he ever had the spare change to go to therapy anyway. That was just how it was- sunshine and sea salt. Some kids were significantly more well off than him, but it just never really clicked with him that wealth mattered.

His eyes moved to the flowers he had brought and he remembered why he had come in the first place. He swallowed and scooted a little closer. Remember what the old lady had said! He channeled his courage and her kind advice and reached forward, resting his hand on top of Lynn's. It was his turn to stumble through words.

"Listen, I uh-" Archie began awkwardly. "I'm sorry for what happened." he said simply. "I have some issues I'm here to deal with and stuff and-" Archie fumbled with his words more, becoming somewhat flustered himself. "The last thing I remember is what the tread of that boot looked like. I was shown the footage and you were immediately trying to help me." Archie looked down at his unoccupied hand, trying his best to not meet her gaze. "Thank you. For trying to help me, I mean." he steeled himself and met her eyes. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I'd never hurt anyone if I could help it. I- I wont ever hurt you again."

He let the words linger for a moment longer and looked away again. He did not move his hand. "You mentioned getting out for a bit, right? I, uh, probably cant get you out for long or anything but if I'm withyoutheymightnot-" he stopped and took a deep breath, having forgotten to breathe throughout his stammering. He composed himself. "What I'm trying to say is- do you wanna go for a walk? The river's nice this time of night."

---

@He Who Walks Behind

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

Alrighty lads!

Introducing plot 2.0!

2.0 I'll Keep Coming

• A week has passed since the cafeteria skirmish. Our cast have gone their separate ways, but as night falls upon the great structure and the darker side of the station comes into full view, they will need to rely on one another more than ever.

---

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

T h e P r o m i s e

---

The giant never stood a chance.

The explosion rocked the entire surrounding area, sending shockwaves of energy through the room and its surrounding hallways. A tremendous finale to the great boon that had been the orientation meeting. As the smoke cleared, the enormous form of a reptile- covered in shrapnel and horridly burned, stumbled from out the kitchen. It fell, seeming too angry to simply die outright, but its spirit seemed to burn out when its contact with the floor- all of its strength having left it. It struggled vainly, but ultimately stilled. It was quiet for another moment, with only the hiss of sizzling oil and steam keeping the still bodies of Lynn and Archie company.

It was broken when the giant's body began to break. The horrible sound of bones breaking came from the great being's body- which twitched and contracted some with what little muscle function it had left. Its back split open, and a fairly burnt but otherwise okay Archie began slowly being rejected from the corpse- which was beginning to deteriorate itself.

The doors of the room busted open, and several guards and paramedics came into the room- which had grown loud once more. Men and women were on Archie's unresponsive body pretty quickly, he was in the middle of the room after all. Lynn was found only moments later. Both were rolled into stretchers and out of the room with cold efficiency- to be dealt with at a later time. Natalie and the others had been found in the Freezer and released- Natalie, having faired the best out of the three in the skirmish was sent to be evaluated for injuries. Amelia had come down when the coast was clear, and had been interrogated as to what had happened. She hadn't many answers, though. She had been a newcomer to the incident and had wisely made the decision to hide. This event had been a failure to organize on The Promise's end, but they would not dwell. People were to be helped, changes were to be made, and repairs were be to completed, after all.

---

_{Waiting for my words, seen but never heard, buried underground but...}

---

I L L K E E P C O M I N G.

---

"Did either of you hear about the cafeteria incident?"

”Yes, we did.”

“Unfortunate for a day welcoming new students.”

"Two girls were heroes. I'm worried about them, though. This is only the beginning."

The little boy slides in his office chair across the room to his desk, and retrieves a history textbook. He flips the pages to a dog ear’d bookmark, and turns the book around to show the two the chapter he had been reading.

"I was reading about trade the other day, and about how stowaways made it from one place to another. Vermin too. Big ship, lots of stowaways, lots of big problems."

The boy looks away from them and down at the textbook.

"I fear we may have more than we know."

”You fear?”

”Or you know?”

"I can't say for certain- looking forward is hazy on even my best days."

”We may look into it ourselves, if you wish.”

“We can tell you what we find.”

"Please do. All I could see clearly was this-"

Matthew shows them a rough sketch of a lever that reads 'RELEASE'.

"I'm not sure what it means. Yet."

Black and White look at the sketch with concern.

”We’ll see what we can uncover.”

“We’ll be back soon.”

---

Archie

---

A week had passed since the events of the cafeteria. Archie had woken up with all kinds of devices plugged into him, monitoring his vitals and keeping track of any activity in his body during his unconscious state. His memory was spotty at best- the last thing he could recall with certainty was the tread of the shoe that had collided with his face. He did remember how he felt, though. Seeing the recordings of what happened was somewhat of an out of body experience. It had felt familiar, but distant. It scared him what he had been capable of, and it dawned upon him that perhaps the restraints he had worn on launch might have not been enough given the situation. Seeing his naked, burnt body get ejected from the corpse of a giant reptile was hard to watch. He had mixed feelings for why no one was around to see it- the more selfish side of him was happy for them being unconscious, and the selfless side of him recognizing that he had been the reason for that.

Of course, as soon as he had been freed from the hospital, having not even needed a healer at that- just time to rest, he had been immediately questioned and guaranteed for observation. It took them three days to conclude that he was not an immediate danger to the public. At least, not anymore than anyone else on The Promise was. The event was ruled an anomaly, and he was not faulted for the extraordinary events that had led up to his transformation. He did have mandatory therapy sessions now. Something about Black and White fellows. Oh well, he would save tomorrow’s problems for tomorrow’s him.

"I don't know… I still think the coffee at the Cianwood Shop is better. Nothing is imported or stuck full of preservatives there; they grow their own coffee beans and make it all from scratch. No one can make coffee like that little old lady. What's her name?"

He took a drink and lowered the still-steaming cup. "Carla. Also, aren’t the coffee seeds imported?"

"Yeah, Carla. Such a sweet thing… Did I ever tell you about the time she…"

Archie listened as the little old waitress rambled on, telling a story he’d heard a few times over the past few days, but he didn't stop her. He never stopped her. After everything he’d been through over the past two week, he didn't think he'd ever tire of hearing a new person’s non-judgemental voice. They’d become fast friends since he had begun visiting the diner after being released from quarantine. So she talked and he listened.

It was getting late, but the streets were still full of people milling about. Men paused at shops to look at possible gift ideas, women juggled bags and guardians herded children past stands selling hot chocolate, and lights strung up in the trees and around doorways twinkled merrily in the fading light. It was coming up on holiday season, the crisp bite of the coming winter already beginning to fill the air. At least, he had instinctively thought it had. It turns out that The Promise emulated the four season cycle and adjusted the temperature accordingly. Evenings on The Promise were extremely different from those on earth. The subtle stretch of day into night was far more prominent than one would think given that the entire canopies of the ceiling were clear- allowing full view of the stars and the ink void. The whole planet below them, which was visible on the side of the ring furthest from earth slowly descended into darkness while the curve of the planet dressed herself for the occasion, traditional reds and yellows and clouds like silk skirts the color of forget-me-nots. The moon hangs further out, visible to the side of the ring closest to earth like a cold, shiny button, pensively quiet.

It's a lovely backdrop, Archie thinks—almost like a canvas sewn together by messy cloud stitches. Earth has peppered stars along her furthest edges like silver rhinestones. Charming, really—the night has always been impervious to criticisms. The sun itself is distant and slowly but surely is beginning its descent behind the planet. Below, the lights of cities were beginning to light up the land. One certainly could not get this view from home.

Archie is broken from his thoughts by a slight chill. It was only just beginning to fall into evening now, but he was still beginning to get cold. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, some standard sneakers, a white henley shirt that he had owned for years and was now definitely no longer entirely white, and a black and red flannel with rolled up sleeves. Two layers, and he was still getting shivers! His little island home was never very cold, so he was unused to the feeling. He had been given some credits to buy essentials for his stay aboard the space station- and he would have to pick up a coat soon if the climate was going to be like this for too much longer.

A part of him winced, thinking back to Amelia’s coat and how he had ruined it. More importantly, it made him think of those who had been present in the cafeteria a week ago. He had ruined a lot more than their coats. Archie put off visiting them for the week, initially for obvious reasons- he couldn’t leave his dwellings for the first three days, but the past four had been out of choice. They probably didn’t want to see his big ugly mug very much- but the recording had been pretty telling. When he was hurt, both Lynn and Natalie had been ready to help him. Natalie leaving to get more help, while Lynn acted as a first responder. That was kindness- and after their conversations before he had flipped shit they had shown to be honest enough people. He owed them an apology, and a thanks. Both for making sure he was okay, and then for beating his ass.

“Girl trouble?”

Archie shifted to the waitress, who was now leaning forward in her seat. He smiled at the little old lady. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“You know, when I was your age, my husband would hold my hand whenever I was mad at him. Let me tell you young man, it is almost impossible to be angry with someone when you’re holding their hand!”

“Huh.” Archie thought out loud. That might not actually be bad advice. Especially given what he had seen of Lynn when talking to her and after seeing the video. At least that way, he’d know if she was going to kill him before she could swing by feeling her temperature rising. He could get a running start that way. Natalie- she seemed receptive somewhat when he had touched her shoulder. Some physical contact to ground them when he made his apology might help. He nodded as the waitress walked away and decided to save the advice for later. He looked down at his now empty table. He’d have to get a job pretty soon.

“Hey, Cara?” He said out loud. Not loud enough to bother anyone, but regular talking volume. He had seen many people do it over the past several days and had come to the conclusion that speaking to the station AI was a fairly normalized practice here. If he was to be here for any length of time, he might as we adjust. A small speaker built into his table came to life.

”Good evening, Archie! What can I do for you?”

Archie thought for a moment. To visit Lynn, or Natalie first? He wasn’t sure. Natalie would almost certainly take to him easier, but getting the hardest part out of the way and visiting Lynn might be the best approach.

“Can you flip a coin for me?”

”Sure!”

The sound of an actual coin being flipped played through the speaker. He thought to himself: Heads for Natalie, tails for Lynn.

”Tails!”

Archie wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or disappointed with this outcome. Well, if she killed him, at least it would be fast.

“Can you tell me where Lynn...” he trailed off, trying to retrieve her last name from the files he had been shown since she had not given it to him in conversation. “...Holmes, I think, is?”

”It’s normally against procedure for me to give out information like that. But, I take it this relates to what happened last week?”

“Uh… yeah.” was all Archie could come up with in response to that.

”She’s currently residing it the Pioneer Clinic, room 244. Bring flowers. Good luck, Godzilla.”

Archie didn’t dignify this with a response, more dumbfounded that the AI had given him advice and a nickname. When he finally overcame his stupor, he grabbed his things and was off in the direction. He had never been one to stay indoors unless he had to, and had accomplished some serious exploring over the past few days. He didn’t need a map to navigate much anymore.

The Promise, for all of its grandeur, was more like a small town of a few thousand than it was some new age space colony. He had found himself forgetting that he was even off world as of late, with the trees and the birds and the little river than flowed along the ring. The station had done an excellent job of reminding its occupants of their real home below them. He was adjusting well to this new normal, all things considered. As he walked, he picked wildflowers from their bushes in an effort to make some small peace offering. They were small and he hadn’t the time to go searching for a proper vendor, but they had to count for something, right? Concern crept through him like a bead of sweat down his ass on a hot day as a realization dawned upon him. If Lynn was still in the hospital, how badly had she been hurt? He quickened his pace. He was a man, and he would face the music for his actions, even if he wasn’t the one at the wheel.

The hospital was not nearly as busy as one might think, given that the primary occupants of the space station were superpower imbued individuals. It had felt so much busier when he had been wheeled in several days ago- but Archie supposed that being as injured and delirious as he was added to that.

“Looking for someone?” he heard someone call. He stopped, turning his head to find a receptionist waving him over. “I recognize you- here recently?”

“Yeah, actually. To both.” Archie said, wincing in embarrassment. The woman gave him a warm smile for his trouble. “Dont sweat it too much, everyone ends up in here now and again. All part of the gig.”

Archie wasn’t sure how to take this, but he supposed that it made sense given the station’s population. It was a small comfort, though. Knowing that he wasn’t the only one to have landed himself up shit creek without a paddle. “I’m looking for a girl named Lynn Holmes, do you know where her room is?”

The receptionist’s expression immediately darkened. “That one has been so frustrating as of late.” She said offhandedly. She produced a clipboard from behind the desk and gave it a quick glance. “Cordelia Lynn Holmes. Room 244.” She read out loud. The woman leaned forward over the desk to see down the hall and pointed in the direction she was looking. “She should be right down the hall on the right.” She looked down at the flowers in his hand and gave Archie an unreadable look, then winked at him. “Try to talk some sense into her.”

Archie was unsure what to make of that, but nevertheless after a quick ‘thank you’ he followed her instructions. Sure enough, room 244 came into sight. He felt his heart rise into his throat- he was anxious, and nervous. This woman had put him down in a state far more powerful that he was in now. Granted, she had help, but she wouldn’t need that in order to turn him to ash. He knocked on the door, and waited a moment before letting himself in. As he stepped in with a he briefly considered that perhaps letting himself in was a bad move. He led with the flowers he had picked, the words “Hey, it’s Archie.” left his mouth, stating his presence as if stepping into her room hadn’t already announced his intrusion. If she was indecent, or in some sort of embarrassing state then she was almost certainly going to kill him for it.

Assuming, of course, that she wasn’t going to kill him already. Heh, rule number one. Double tap.

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

Archie

---

"C'MERE BOAT FARMER! I GOT A TREAT FOR YOU!"

Having recovered fully from its wounds, the reptile turned its attention onto the ever annoying red dot that had appeared and remained in its peripheral vision throughout its time wrecking havoc. It snarled, and pounded the ground once more in frustration. This was the one that had started this- at least, it thinks it is. This annoying red woman had been the first thing it had seen when it had come to. It must've been the cause!

It roared, an ugly and savage sound tearing through its throat. Thus far it had only thrown things at the girl, having more pressing issues to deal with such as taking a beating from the other girl and taking out its frustration on the world around it. But now it was clanging things together. The metallic, tinny sounds was really beginning to rub it the wrong way. It was time to deal with the annoyance up close and personal- it seemed too stubborn to go away from a distance. He could smell the adrenaline, and the he could hear the pain in her voice. She was injured- it was time to finish the job.

Archie lurched forward on all fours, his massive limbs pumping like pistons and carrying him across the room at breakneck speeds in Lynn's direction- into the kitchen.

---

@He Who Walks Behind@Silver Carrot

The Promise - Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning.

Archie

---

The great beast had never been stalemated, or even exceeded in strength before. It panicked as it slowly lost ground, attempting to struggle out of Natalie's grip use its natural weapons rather than raw strength. Before it had the chance, it was pulled down once again and directly into powerful headbutt that made the giant see stars. The lizard stumbled backwards, one of its hands coming up to cradle his damaged and now dented snout, but it had little time to recover. Natalie threw a wild punch that caused the beast's feet to leave the ground.

It twisted in the direction the punch had been thrown, propelling it backwards some. As it turned, eight hundred pounds of pure muscle sailed through the air like a runaway train and collided with Natalie. As the beast had turned and fell it's enormous tail had careened into the woman as collateral. The blow hadn't been on purpose, as thus the force propelled the petite girl more than it crumpled her, but its weight alone qualified it as more than a glancing blow. She sailed through the air in Lynn's direction, now a third projectile sent the poor girl's way.

Archie hit the ground with a groan, the front half of its body having flown through the double doors of the kitchen but not yet entirely inside it. It took a moment to heave its massive body upright again, and stood on shakier legs than before. As it turned to face the two again, it sported a fist sized indent on the left side of it's chest to match the crumple on its snout. It shook its upper body, and violently yanked its shoulder on the its injured side back. There were a few sickening crunches, and the beast feel to its knee, but the warping on its chest had disappeared. It was healing, but the process was obviously taxing and somewhat painful. It would slow the goliath down, but not for long.

---

@He Who Walks Behind@Silver Carrot