OPEN | Early November Catch-all

[perfectlyhuman]

WHO: Adam Young & you
WHERE: Nonah, De Chima, other places optional
WHEN: Early November
WHAT: Free range child wanders around large cities scavenging for random items, building a forest clubhouse, going to class, and musing vaguely about the possible destruction of this world
WARNINGS: N/a at this moment



⌈De Chima⌋
Should anyone notice, Adam seems to be spending a lot of time in De Chima lately. Often accompanied by Dog, he seems to step out of the city often and hang around closer to the suburbs. Or, more specifically, when he's on his way to the woods.

Even on rainy, muddy days, he's walking along with a heavy backpack and a raincoat, down the streets and towards the trees. He's a common sight here, if anyone's ever noticed him, and he's very clearly got something on his mind.

Should anyone approach him, he won't mind a chat. Or if you just want to pet the cute small dog, that's fine too.
--

⌈School⌋
Despite everything that's been going on, school perseveres. Which is a bit disappointing, really. If snow days can cause a school to close down, you'd think that the gradual disintegration of reality and the constant unnatural changes could at least afford them an afternoon off. Still, he can't complain much.

The young boy is more preoccupied with making some sort of list every so often, in class, at lunch, in the hall, as well as scribbling in his notebooks, ideas and concepts for his personal project in the making.

If anyone looks over his shoulder, they'll see what look like ideas for a banner, and some sort of chair and structure. Not a house, but something more simple. Like a tree house, or a camp.

Feel free to ask him - he's been meaning to ask if anyone would like to join him.
--

⌈CLOSED for Crowley⌋
With all the commotion going on out there and in the network, one thing's for certain: something very terrible is supposedly going to maybe happen sometime in the foreseeable future, but the residents of this household seem to be otherwise preoccupied with their own things.

Adam, for one, already has some of his time taken over by things like school, his job at the pet shop and the like. Most of his time is spent outside the house, with the occasional check up by his celestial caretakers, but he's been spending more time out there than usual.

Today, however, he's around. The project he's been working on is turning out to be more of a challenge than he expected, so he needs some help, and Crowley happens to be the first person he finds.

"Hey. Can I ask you something?" Says the boy, which is certainly something Crowley has heard many, many times by now.
--

⌈CLOSED for Gabriel⌋
Well, it's a nice day today. The sun is shining, despite the Autumn showers lately. It's not too cold or too hot. There don't seem to be shadow people or ghost trains or people possessed by strange elemental spirit things about. No random ruins with complicated old machinery and robots (though those were fun). Besides the general feeling of dread that's gently permeating the unseen background, things are quiet, and it's the perfect afternoon to take your pets for a walk.

So that's what Adam's doing. In one hand, two leashes: one tethered to the now moderately well-known Dog, and the other, less conventionally, attached to a harness worn by Bubsy the jackalope.

He can't help but to look around, half expecting something weird to pop up. It's become more and more common, so he wouldn't be entirely surprised if anything did. What would it be now? Giant bugs? People breaking into dance? Maybe things turning into other things? Who knows.

Then, he spots him, up ahead. Hard not to, really. For all that he simply looks like a person, the angel is somehow very hard not to notice.


----
⌈Others?⌋
[OOC:Feel free to suggest other prompts, or to add your own below. You can PM me here or contact me at skree.]

Comments

[goodtobebad]

Can I ask you something is definitely something that comes out of Adam's mouth multiple times a day. Crowley is more than used to it by now - for the most part, it doesn't bother him (unless he's trying to do something in particular, like make out with Aziraphale).

After all, what sort of rebel-questioning-God would he be if he tried to quell the boy's inquisitive side?

Right now, he's trimming his rather meager collection of house plants, so it's really no trouble to be interrupted. It's not even an interruption - he doesn't even pause in what he's doing, just shrugs.

"You just did, but go on then."

[perfectlyhuman]

Much like Crowley's used to his constant questions, Adam's used to Crowley's seemingly less than enthusiastic replies. They're usually just amusing.

The boy perches on the arm of a nearby sofa, watching the demon work.

"I've been trying to make something." Casually enough. There isn't really any reason for secrecy or anything, except for the name of the thing, as he' reveals. "A secret base, out in the woods. In De Chima."

[goodtobebad]

"Oh yeah? Must not be very secret, if you're telling me about it. Am I supposed to keep it a secret from the angel? Because I dunno if I can promise that."

He still doesn't pause in his work.

[perfectlyhuman]

The boy smirks a little. "I guess you can both know about it. As long as you don't tell anyone else." Although it might not even be that secret by the time it's finished, whenever that may be.

"Had one back home, in Hogback Wood. Took a lot of work." And a lot of flags. With all the names they went through before they settled on The Them, many flags had a rather short time of service.

[goodtobebad]

"A lot of work? Was it worth it?"

Crowley finally turns to look at the boy, curious.

[perfectlyhuman]

"Yeah." He misses it. The base, the Them, Hogback Wood. But there's not much of a point in talking about it all the time when nothing can be changed right now.

"My friends and I went there every day. Well, except when it rained." Which was only when it felt right that there should be rain. Only in Autumn, and, strangely, only when there was something interesting on television or someone had somewhere else to go to.

[goodtobebad]

"Uh-huh," Crowley says, not really sure how else to respond to that. "So... what's the question, then?"

Because... he hasn't really posed any of this in the form of a question yet.

De Chima

[duelo]

[ Derek, too, spends a lot of time in the woods, but usually, he's pretty deep within them and, usually, he's running. Right now, he's doing exactly that, only in the form of his full wolf. Catching a familiar scent, Derek slows his run to a jog and, finally, a walk when he's close enough to see through the treeline that it's the kid from the birthday party. Adam. He looks like he's headed out here all by himself. Well. He's got the dog, but...still.

He's careful to stay out of sight as he navigates closer to the treeline to get his clothes, shifting back out to get dressed, and then backtracking, calling out to the boy as he approaches, emerging from the woods. ]

Hey, buddy, what's up?

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Before Derek comes out, Dog stops, ears perked. The boy's taken out of whatever train of thought he's in when he feels the leash tug, looking back at the animal. ]

Dog? What's wrong?

[ Dog makes an uneasy sound, staring out into the woods. Adam looks in the same direction, and that's when he spots Derek walking towards them. ]

Oh, hey. [ He doesn't quite remember, right then, what Derek's told him about hanging out in these same woods. Dog, however, is catching onto something that isn't quite human, staring up at the man. ]

[duelo]

[ He smiles a little, looking down at the dog. ]

He's cute. Is he yours from home, did you say? I can't remember.

[ Derek does remember Adam mentioning that he had a dog, he thinks, but that day is kind of a blur in retrospect, considering everything that happened afterward. ]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ The boy smiles. ]

Yeah. This is Dog. [ Adam looks down at the animal, now stretching out his neck towards Derek to sniff him. ]

He's alright, I guess he just didn't expect you.

[ A beat. ]

Were you off in the woods?

[duelo]

[ Derek crouches, holding a hand out for Dog to sniff. ]

Hey, Dog. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you.

[ He looks back up at Adam. ]

He smells the wolf, I'm betting. It's weird how that works. It makes some dogs more at ease and others really on edge.

[ By reflex, he looks back over his shoulder briefly before looking back at the boy. ]

Yeah, I was going for a run. What are you guys up to, today? Anything interesting.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Dog steps forward and sniffs at Derek's hand. This creature, human but not. It did throw Dog off a little, but the boy doesn't seem to mind. Which puts the animal at ease. ]

We're making something. Out in the woods.

[privatepurchases]

[Gabriel is easy to spot because he looks different. His normally well coiffed hair is out of place and he's sans jacket wearing a tie that has ducks on it.

But he's sans jacket and the tie is loose and he's staring at his hands before spotting Bubsy and looks up and-

the look of shame on his face is palpable. It's a mark on reality before he swallows.]

...I need to pick up...

My pet. I haven't done that since-

[Oh no. He forgot. How could he forget? The jackalope is a lot of things but it's an innocent. Head in his hands he drags his hands over his face before staring at the boy again.]

...I forgot.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Adam stops, and so does Dog. Bubsy, on the other hand, hops ahead and toward Gabriel, sniffing at his shoes with her little twitchy nose.

Now, a lot has been going on. Now that Adam knows everything in detail, but things certainly escalated in the last couple of weeks. Things appearing. People changing. It was entirely impossible not to notice.

He doesn't know if it relates, but Gabriel looks...different. He looks...tired? Confused. A little bit out of it. And, despite their usual interactions, it's enough to get Adam to ask: ]

Are you alright?

[privatepurchases]

[Why do humans do that. Why are they so willing to be kind. To be decent and ask how he is. He has never cared except for maybe once and even then Mary was just business. The boy...

Gabriel runs a hand over his face before he presses his lips together and nods his head.

Then shakes it.]

That power was dangerous. I regret what I did with it.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ He wouldn't know about humans being kind or not. He figures they are. But he's seeing someone who looks upset and sad, so he's asking him if he's okay. Simple as that.

He considers the angel. Bubsy chews on a shoe strap. ]

What did you do?

[privatepurchases]

[the archangel's eyes narrow.]

What I was supposed to do. Save people but it actually hurt to do it. It's never hurt before.

[staring at bubsy he sighs.]

I need to go pick him up. I've been scared to be around him. My pet.

[the longest of pauses happens before he looks up.] Yours is eating your shoe.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Adam looks down, and moves his foot. Crouching down, he scoops Bubsy up in his arms, standing to look up at Gabriel again.]

Did you leave him somewhere?

De Chima

[tricksterofasgard]

Loki has his own reasons to be in De Chima. He isn't particularly interested in stopping the world from ending, but his own interests draw him to this particular city every once in a while.

Which is when he spots the familiar human wandering the streets with obvious purpose in his step.

He doesn't necessarily seek out interactions with mortals these days - Or with anyone, for the matter. The Trickster has been keeping to himself lately, avoiding social interaction for the most part and as far as he is concerned, that is good. And yet, buried somewhere at the back of his mind, something tugs at the back of his conscience at the sight of the human boy. Something, that not too long ago, may have considered Adam a friend in one sense or another.

Loki scowls at himself for a moment, then shakes his head just as Adam steps into reasonable distance for a polite greeting. A greeting that doesn't happen. Instead, the Asgardian merely stares at the child with a disturbed look, one hand picking at his other in an old fidgeting habit of indecision.

It's that indecision he feels that bothers him. He shouldn't be feeling it. He should just let the boy walk past and ignore him. But there is that leftover shred of this something that makes him open his mouth for but a moment. But it's a weak notion. Still too weak to persist.

Though this is what Adam will find himself walking up to: One troubled looking Asgardian, clad in his otherworldly dark leathers, staring at him while fidgeting around and just possibly looking as if he wants to run away like a frightened deer.

[perfectlyhuman]

Having mostly avoided the recent strange happenings all over, Adam holds no particular idea of how other people might be doing. At least not the ones he doesn't tend to keep up with on a daily basis.

But it's not entirely surprising to find people acting strange - strange things have been happening, after all, with growing intensity and a lot closer than they did in the previews month. People were affected directly, as far as he noticed. And he knows, vaguely, that it hasn't ended yet. But he's not too preoccupied about that right now.

He notices Loki, of course, as he walks along, expecting a greeting. But when it does come, and when he notices how uncertain he looks, Adam's expression turns curious.

"Hey, Loki." He eyes the man. "Are you alright?"

[tricksterofasgard]

While Loki's attention hasn't truly left Adam, the Asgardian still blinks in surprise when the boy talks to him.

Oh. Right.

He makes an effort to look less surprised and appear neutral.

"Why, yes. Yes, I am." Comes the possibly not entirely convincing response. It's even less convincing to himself, despite how successfully he has been telling himself this very same little tale over the past few days.

He looks a little confused though, when he asks "Why would you ask?"

[perfectlyhuman]

Yeah, it's very clear, even to a child, that there's something on Loki's mind. Not that Adam has any clue of what it might be. Still, he's thoroughly unconvinced.

"You look a little off." Is the honest answer the Asgardian gets. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I'm sorry for the delay. I was sure I had replied to this already orz

[tricksterofasgard]

"Off." Loki echoes, not too sure what to make of that. He doesn't look in any way different than usual.

He just shakes his head in the end "I would say that I am, indeed. But I do not see how that would be any of your concern."

There is a mental struggle here. A part of him wants to be reassuring, the other wants to push the boy away.

[perfectlyhuman]

Well, he did admit to it. Though the comment serves to do little more than confuse the boy. Why wouldn't he be concerned? Just seems like the right thing to do.

"Did something happen?"