Lainn Raised His Eyebrows At Their Echoing, Before Squinting At The Others, In A Small Moment Of Quiet.

Looking up, he scrunched on side of his face a bit, shying away from the sunlight a bit before giving a nod at the question, “Yeah.” Lainn replied. He expected to be asked that a lot over the next few days. He hated being new to a place. But, it was also going to happen if he had arrived at his new destination, with new neighbors trying to figure out if he was some kind of psycho or something. Lainn put a box to one side, “I don't? Huh.” He paused to look around them, “Look's a lot like all the other small towns I grew up around-” Lainn stopped, taking in the sites a bit more, “With a bit more swamp. I'd say.” At their next comment, he looked back, giving a look that somewhat could be read as a mute 'you don't say?'. Letting out a breath, however, he looked toward his hands before dropping them away from himself a bit, “Yeah. Could say that.” Though, all things considered, he supposed it wasn't the worst way things could go. Being trapped in a town, by whatever means. With possible cultists. That was a concern, but, as long they didn't look delicious, he supposed he could find a way out before dinner.

Lainn lifted his head a bit, “Yeah?” At least the ones he had met so far all seemed to be really nice for the time being. Playing dumb, he turned his hands out again, “Well, wouldn't want that. Infection isn't good, I hear.” Lainn watched the stranger glance at the moving truck again. He was thinking he should try to move it closer to the house he and Tali were at, just to be safe. Lainn waited quietly for the woman to continue. Then nodded, listening when she had, “Course. Ain't nothing I haven't dealt with before. High school was a real bad time for me.” Lainn added. Of course, because he was weird and had no parents. Most of the 'normal' kid's hated that. Lifting his right hand up, he scratched it through his hair before looking at Tali and then toward the stranger.

“Yeah. Sure. Okay? Advice wouldn't be too bad. Not much of a coffee drink, though.” She probably had a lot more to elaborate than what he had already heard. Lainn decided it wasn't a bad idea to listen to anything anyone had to say around here. Quickly, he moved to pick up the box he moved and shoved it back into its perfectly sized space, before closing and locking the back of the truck again. Gesturing for the woman to lead the way.

mira stood across the street, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, eyes scanning the quiet morning. the town felt like it was still half asleep, and honestly, she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand the strange, unsettled feeling that clung to the air. she'd been in this place a few weeks now, but the unease was constant. it felt like something was always just out of reach — off, in a way she couldn’t quite place. she noticed the pair then, a man and a young boy walking toward a truck. she hadn’t seen them before. new faces, probably. there was something about them that caught her attention — maybe it was the way the man carried himself, stiff and like he was looking for something. or maybe it was the kid’s quiet steps, as though he wasn’t sure where he was supposed to be, either. mira pushed herself off the diner wall and started walking in their direction, eyes narrowed, not sure what she was expecting but feeling a pull to move closer. she slowed as she neared them, her gaze flicking from the man to the kid, then back to the truck. “you new around here?” she asked, her voice direct but not unkind. “you don’t look like you’re from this part of nowhere." she wondered what kind of trouble they were running from — or if they were like her, just stuck in this strange town, hoping for an escape that wasn’t coming. “looks like you’re having a rough start," she added, her eyes landing on his hand. "need help with that? first aid is in my skill set, i can keep that from getting worse." she glanced at the truck, then back to the man, studying him for a moment. there was something almost familiar about him, like she’d seen that guarded look somewhere before. but she didn’t know him. not yet, anyway. the boy, tall for his age but still looking young, was quiet, but there was a protective edge to his gaze as he looked up at the man. it made mira pause, wondering what their story was. “this place isn't exactly easy on newcomers," she said, shrugging slightly. "but if you want a hot coffee or some advice that doesn’t come with a price tag, i’m your girl. can’t promise much else." her tone was lighter now, like she was offering something small but real.

bought this gem secondhand and can’t get over how stunning it is 🪐 reblog is okay, don’t repost/use

Avan Jogia as Ulysses Zane in ‘Now Apocalypse’ 1.02

We need books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like being banished into forests far from everyone. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is my belief.

Franz Kafka

He did get told this before, in a way. Certainly, something was wrong with the town, Lainn narrowed his eyes. He couldn't really figure out what exactly this meant, in all. But, he was willing to play this little game for now. Having seen it, they looped back around to the town. In a way, he couldn't find it possible. But yet, had happened regardless, “Right. An infection would weaken the mind to, whatever, this is.” He waved his left hand, gesturing around them. Tali looked over at Lainn before looking back at the woman, grabbing onto the strips of his backpack, and turning his head to look around.

As Mira continued explaining the place, Lainn nodded, “Teeth aren't so bad, I'd guess.” He muttered in reply. Not sure that he was too scared of the place. Even with these 'things' that came out at night. There had to be something at the root of all of this. Being scared to find out what wasn't going to get them out of here. Whatever 'here' even was. Lainn continued, “What's the tea and juice situation like here?” Came the question, a quirk of an eyebrow momentarily along with it before he also looked around, as if he might see something to hint toward an answer to his question, also.

“I'll consider it.” He lied, not thinking he'd suddenly shift to drinking coffee. Now, if there was alcohol around, he wouldn't reject that. Lainn nodded as she had given her name, then asked for their own, “New guy, really? Do I not have any characteristic outside of that?” He asked with a sarcastic tone. Tali grinned at Mira for a moment, clearly amused, before his attention was off to the other's roaming about the town. Lainn went on, “You can call me Lainn, and my son is Tali. He's usually more talkative.” Though not around strangers, he supposed. Which he wasn't going to press about, of course. Lainn and Tali followed behind Mira toward the diner.

“It's nice of you, anyway,” Lainn commented as he moved to follow her inside, letting Tali go before him. Lainn took a moment to look around, then started, “So, what kind of first aid training do you have?”

mira tilted her head slightly as the man spoke, her dark eyes scanning his face. he looked tired — not just the kind that sleep could fix, but the kind that came from being stretched too thin for too long. she knew that look; she’d worn it herself too many times. his response, dry and a little guarded, made her smirk faintly. “yeah, infection’s a real buzzkill,” she said, nodding toward his hand. “especially in a place like this. trust me, you don’t want to give this town any more reasons to mess with you.” she shifted her weight, glancing at the boy. he was quiet, but there was a sharpness in his gaze, like he was taking in everything without saying much. she didn’t miss the way he hovered just enough to keep close to the man’s side, a quiet sort of loyalty that tugged at something in her chest. mira didn’t have anyone like that anymore, but seeing it in others always made her pause. “this place might look like a small town with a swampy makeover, but it’s got teeth,” she said, her voice quieter now, like she was letting him in on a secret. “you’ll figure that out soon enough.” his agreement to her offer surprised her a little. most people here seemed to keep their walls high, especially newcomers. understandably. she raised an eyebrow as he locked up the truck and gestured for her to lead the way. “all right, mr. not-a-coffee-drinker,” she said, her tone lighter now as she turned on her heel. “but if you change your mind, i make a mean cup of diner sludge. best in town — mostly because it’s the only coffee in town.” she walked a few paces ahead before glancing back to make sure they were following. “name’s mira, by the way. i’d say welcome, but..” she shoved her hands deeper into her jacket pockets, her gaze flicking between him and the kid. “what about you two? got names, or should i keep calling you ‘new guy’ and ‘quiet kid’?” she wasn’t sure why she felt the need to reach out, but something about them made her want to stick around a little longer. maybe it was the way the man’s shoulders seemed weighed down, or the boy’s silent strength. or maybe it was just that in this strange, unsettling place, she couldn’t help but want to offer what little comfort or help she could. “don’t worry,” she added as they neared the diner. “i’ll give you the crash course on surviving this place. and if nothing else, at least you’ll have a decent bandage job to show for it.”

Trying to mind his own business, he was lost in his own thoughts, half listening to Tali talk to a toy dinosaur he had from a batch of his own toys from the back of the truck. Lainn yawned a bit, rubbing an eye as he tried waking up to deal with this…whatever, moment in his life. He suddenly blinked out of his state, realizing, he had no idea what he had even come in here for. Turning his head and he hears a voice speak up, outside, his Tali yapping off excitedly about dinosaurs. Finding the source of the notable accented voice, he locked his gaze on the person sitting in a corner, picking through a book just a couple of feet from them.

“I don't think even the most skilled coffee maker in this place could ever fix whatever is going on over there.” He gestured half-heartedly toward the coffee machine. Especially if the water may have been tampered with, which was his suspicion of what was going on with the people in this town. Again, he had to ask himself why on earth he had even come to wander in this place. He wasn't even looking for coffee. Lainn's gaze moved from the stranger's face to the book they had. Trying to see from where he was standing if he recognized it.

But the person continued and he listened. There was little else he had going on for him at that moment. But it really didn't culminate too much in the end, for him. Nodding his head, he wondered who was in charge of making moonshine around here. Or the coffee, even. Were they the same people? “What's wrong with it, anyway?” Lainn paused pointing toward their cup of coffee.

The late afternoon sun filtered through the grimy windows of the town diner, casting long streaks of light across the cracked vinyl booths. Sullivan sat at the corner table, a half-empty cup of lukewarm coffee in front of them, the faint trace of a smirk tugging at their lips. One hand lazily flipped through a tattered book they’d snagged from the community bookshelf, the other tapping a restless rhythm on the table. "Y’know," they said aloud to no one in particular, their Southern drawl dripping with amusement, "for a place so hellbent on keeping people alive, you’d think someone would’ve figured out how to make a decent cup of coffee by now." Their eyes flicked up, scanning the room with a mixture of curiosity and mischief, as if waiting for someone to take the bait. Sullivan leaned back in the chair, balancing it precariously on two legs, the grin on their face daring anyone to join them—or argue with them. "Either way," they added with a shrug, "it’s still better than moonshine that tastes like it’s been filtered through an old boot. Guess you pick your poison."