rampents

[rampents]

Muz straightens slightly, unfolding his arms and stepping closer, his boots scuffing lightly against the pavement. He reaches up to adjust the strap of his bag, his movements easy and unhurried. 'You know me, Cherry, gotta do my rounds every morning.' His eyes flick toward her cigarette for a moment before meeting her gaze again, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He tilts his head, leaning just enough to feign a closer inspection of her. 'Making sure no one’s not doing some crap like ghost huntin’, yeah?'

" DOWNRIGHT TERRIFYING ." cherry replies with an arch of her brows . her eyes sparkle briefly in her amusement before she brings her cigarette back to her lips and inhales . her brow furrows as muz continues, and she can't help but look at him consideringly as she blows smoke out of her nostrils . " you need something from me or somethin', muz ? tryna find me for a reason ?" she licks the seam of her lips briefly before she's arching her brows at his question, her crooked grin tinged with something weary as she simply replies, " ghost huntin' ."

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‘Uh, I don’t-I don’t know.’ He feels himself lurch, stumble over the words. What would happen to the watch when it was fixed hadn’t crossed his mind, his focus remained only on point a and b; the difference between him traipsing around and finding the broken watch, deciding Ellington was the one to fix it and then physically getting to them to hand it over. Now that’s all finished, he’s lost. ‘Maybe.’

He watches them inspect it, leers past their shoulder to see it laid flat on the work station ready to be taken apart. It feels silly watching it sitting there surrounded by things that have a genuine, immediate need to be fixed, and silly for the fact he brought it in.

‘If you take a particular fancy to it, I’m not fussed. Not really. I just saw it and- I don’t know. Yeah. Thought it could get some life put back into it, you know.’

Ellington straightened from their hunched position over the engine, wiping grease-streaked hands on a rag tucked into their back pocket. They glanced at Muz, then at the watch he held out. The light filtering through the chop shop caught on its cracked glass, giving the object an air of aged mystery.

"A watch, huh?" El said, their tone curious but not dismissive. "Not exactly my usual kind of project, but..." They stepped closer, reaching out to take it from Muz’s hand. Turning it over carefully, they inspected its wear and tear.

"Found it in the woods, you said?" El asked, their brows furrowing as they caught sight of a faint inscription on the back. "Looks like it’s been through hell. But these older pieces? Sometimes they’re tougher than they look."

They turned to one of the workbenches, setting the watch down gently amidst the organized clutter. Grabbing a magnifier, they peered closer. "Could be salvageable. Might take a little tinkering to get it ticking again. You want it if I can fix it?" They wondered out loud.

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‘Dunno, to be honest.’ And to be honest, he never really does. Most days are spent wandering aimlessly, usually painted with the job of scavenger on it in an attempt to make the aimless travels useful sounding. Before Oblitus, he’d call them ‘mindfulness’ walks, just to think, even when they were charged with anger or grandeur or some other spiking energy. Now he comes back with a bit of scrap wood and calls it a good day. ‘I don’t wanna stop you reading if you’re into it, though. Honest. I can find somewhere else to have a sit. I was just gonna think the night away.’

a nod follows. “yeah…” she lifts the book from her lap, its weight almost comforting in her hands. against the flickering candlelight, its shadow dances across her face, obscuring her expression in the dimness. “just reading. can’t sleep.” her voice carries a stillness ⸺ an understanding, that muz very well could be in the same restless state she is in. with a deliberate motion, she slips her finger between the pages to mark her place, careful not to crease the spine—a small, habitual act of care.

“how about you?” she asks, her gaze flicking over them, taking in their silhouette against the faint glow. her eyes linger for a moment, scanning for any sign of injury, any hint of trouble written on their form. "looking for company?"

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He nods an upturned cheers and shuffles over to the cot. ‘Uh,’ he mumbles, giving a feigning shrug. ‘Couple days. Tumble in the woods.’ Muz looks over the room and notes how it’s people-less. He’d spent the morning debating whether or not to come in, whether he’d be actively taking away needed attention from other people in the town over a twisted ankle, but now seeing just Jean here, he almost feels a little less embarrassed over it. ‘You miss WebMD in this town. I used to have it bookmarked.’

jean looks up from taking inventory of the medicine cabinet when she hears the sound of someone clearing their throat. seeing muz, she nods before shutting the cabinet. "of course, always have time." she had too much time here. back home she would be juggling a bunch of patients but here, a slow day was a good day because it meant nothing bad was happening. she would take a hurting ankle over something way worse. "come take a seat," she gestured to one of the cots that lined the wall of the clinic. "how long has it been bothering?"

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Camaraderie - that’s it. The library and its inhabitants just have it. ‘Yeah, man. Used to be a big reader. The biggest.’ He smiles absently back. ‘Nowadays…’ his hand raises and shakes like a seesaw midair. ‘I’m neither here nor there. Started a fair few. Finished none. I’m more on the vibes in here now.’

It makes him sad, almost, losing reading as his safety net. Or he would be if this town gave him enough space to think about it. Back home it was all he’d do. He’d heard other people in the town saying that reading here, it gave them their escape, even for just a little bit, but cycling between high and low like Muz and then throwing a sci-fi page turner into the mix doesn’t do much for quietening the brain. ‘I could pose with a book for a bit if it buys me time in here though.’ He gives a finger a-ok. ‘Vibes? Immaculate. Worth being a poser.’

as muz talks, mason feels a thread of ease work it's way into his veins. someone else feels it, the way the library can slow down time and make everything feel simple. words on pages, books on shelves. there's something to be said about the connection sharing a mutual feeling can bring.

" exactly, man. exactly. " he smiles, toothy and big. " it's all easy here, y'know? like there's not a care in the world. " it's hard not be all doom and gloom but the library makes it just a little bit easier. " actually reading isn't so bad either, you kind of forget what's going on... out there. "

fingers tap absentmindedly on the cover of a book in front of him, " do you read much at all, or just like to enjoy the vibes here? " it's said entirely without judgement, just sincerely wondering. although he does like to promote literature, but mostly just out of his own selfish desire to talk to someone else about books he has an affinity for.

[rampents]

His head, this brain, this place. All things impossible to dodge. 'You're spot on, you know. Nowhere to dodge stuff here.’ He gives a wry smile. ‘Just-‘ he hesitates for a second then falls into a breath of a sigh as he looks out on the water, back at Adrien. ‘Crap. All kinds of crap.’ Muz makes a vague gesture to his head. ‘Don’t wanna bring anyone down. More than they are, anyway.’

Adrien chuckles.

"It's not that big of a deal. I just really want someone that I know I can talk to. Can be close to like that. We can be vulnerable with each other in a way that friends can't."

He shrugs and looks at Muz.

"What are you dodging, huh? Not much room in town to dodge things."

[rampents]

Muz feels the words like a shiver tracing his spine, an instinctive reaction he grinds to a halt. This pit of distain gurgles inside of him for this place, those things; even when they surrender Elm out in the night like that, letting them live has to mean something more sinister than it is shred of mercy - almost scarier than finding the dead. 'Yeah,' he agrees quietly. 'It is.'

ELM CONSIDERS HIS WORDS FOR A LONG MOMENT . thinks on them silently as their fingers continue to trace that rip . they don't know what it is that makes them look up to meet his eyes . maybe it's the softness of his tone . maybe it's nothing at all . all elm knows is that they allow their eyes to meet as they simply say, " ... i think they let me ." to elm it is simply fact . they're perhaps less bothered by it than they should be . the gaps in their memories are more frustrating than this simple truth . " ... i'm here cause they let me be here ." the slightest furrow of their brows before they're shrugging . " i'm alive because they want me to be ." she searches muz's face for an instant before her gaze is drifting once again . " ... i don't know why they didn't want to kill me ." their brows drift closer together as they toy with that rip again . " ... isn't that strange ?"

[rampents]

Sound of Metal (2019) dir. Darius Marder

[rampents]

Muz lets out a breath of a laugh at Mason’s reaction, a slight tilt of his head as he crosses his arms. He doesn’t mean to startle anyone, but it’s hard not to when you’re as quiet as he is. 'Killing time sounds about right,' he says, leaning a bit more casually against the shelf. 'Can’t say I’m in the mood for anything important either.'

His eyes flick over to the book Mason was holding before they settle back on him. 'Nah, I’m good. Just...' He pauses, glancing around the space before meeting Mason’s gaze again. 'Library’s got that vibe, dunnit? Like, the world can be a mess, but in here it’s all just words on pages.'

being in the library always makes mason feel more at ease. the books, the quiet, he feels closer to normal. and today is no exception. to be honest, he's been a little shaken. skittish. ever since the storm. the library felt even more like a safe haven. he didn't really care that the work could be kind of monotonous, especially with the fact that they were never particularly that busy but mason found it almost easy to fall into the routine.

right now he's sifting through a small stack of new returns, just leafing through to make sure there are no homemade bookmarks or belongings tucked in between pages before he starts shelving. the intrusion makes him startle slightly, eyes snapping up to rest on the person in front of him. mason thinks he might recognize him, but he kind of vaguely recognizes everyone.

" jesus, you scared me. " he puts the book he was holding down on the table, a copy of catcher in the rye, to run a hand through his hair. it occurs to him that the other person asked him a question. " what? oh, killing time mostly. nothing is ever that important in the library. s'why i like it so much. " mason straightens a little, " did you need help finding something? "

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Catie frowns, her hand instinctively tightens around the strap of her bag, still rattled by the shock of seeing someone else out here. 'Waiting?' she echoes, unable to hide the skepticism. She takes a step forward, not quite sure whether to approach or turn back. The whole idea of standing still in these woods, of waiting for something, feels… wrong. Her eyes narrow. 'For what?'

the wind was cool against her skin as she stood in the middle of the forest. she should be working, searching for things in the ruins of cars or trying to find something she may have missed before that could be useful for the town, but instead, she was just standing, looking out at the trees. hearing the sounds of footsteps, she turns around quickly to see someone. it was one of the new girls. she hadn't met her yet but she remembered seeing her panicked eyes roaming the halloween party. "just waiting," she says, not giving any context for what she was waiting for. "what are you doing?"

[rampents]

Catie narrows her eyes. 'You’re kidding,' she says, the disbelief in her voice impossible to miss. 'A sheriff. Deputies. What, have you got a judge and jury hiding somewhere back there?'

She doesn’t mean to sound so harsh, but the absurdity of it all—the structure, the formalities, the idea that any of this town could resemble real life—is too much. Her gaze flicks to the desk behind him, cluttered with papers and a coffee mug, as if this were any normal police station.

'Sorry,' she adds after a beat, though her tone is only slightly softer. 'I just... I don’t get it. I don’t get any of this.'

Lucas looks up and sees a girl standing at the front desk. She looks lost and scared.

"Hi," he greets, walking over and chuckling. "I am, and yes, we do. We even have a couple of deputies if you can believe it. But it's just me today. How can I help you?"

He stands with his hands behind him, polite and non-threatening, so he doesn't scare her.

[rampents]

'Been one of those days. Sometimes the noise at Colony House just gets to me, yeah? Needed a break.' He watches Adrien for a moment, catching the way his leg swings and his gaze seems distant. 'Guess we’re both out here avoiding it all today, huh?' His lips quirk into a small smile without quite reaching his eyes. 'Not that I blame you. The whole “getting-a-boyfriend” thing sounds like a hell of a lot more stress than anything I’m dodging.'

Adrien sits quietly, reminiscing on the few memories he still has of his parents. One such from the day they'd died. They'd spent the day attempting to fish in a river similar to this one. Since Adriennwas 10, he was obviously terrible at it, and he'd had his parents clutching their sides in laughter from his attempts. It had been on the way back when it had happened.

Adrien looks up and smiles when he sees it's Muz talking.

"Oh hey," he greets though it's not a peppy or bright as he usually is. "El made me take the day off, and I wasn't feeling up for hanging at the colony house. Not having much luck on the getting-a-boyfriend front and everyone else was busy, so... yeah, getting lost felt like a good way to pass the time."

He looks back toward the horizon and swings his leg, his big toe skimming the surface of the cool, clear water.

"What about you? What brings you to getting lost territory?"

[rampents]

Muz chuckles under his breath, his grin widens as he leans against the doorframe. 'From me, yeah? Must be scarier than I thought.' His gaze lingers on her for a beat longer, catching the glimmer of something behind her tired bravado, though he doesn’t press. 'You’re not exactly easy to pin down, Cherry.' He tilts his head slightly. 'So, what’s this big mission pulling you away now? Gotta be something worth dodging breakfast for.'

THE SOUND OF MUZ'S VOICE BRINGS CHERRY OUT OF HER THOUGHTS . she can't help but arch a brow at the comment even as she brows out a stream of smoke, half amused as she retorts, " yeah, well, maybe i'm runnin' from you ." the words are accompanied with a twinkle in her tired eyes and what's near a smile . her nose scrunches with it before she shrugs . " what can i say, muz ? i'm a busy girl . i got shit to do ." she gestures with her cigarette as she says, " like, right now ? i've got somewhere to be . you're lucky you even caught me ."

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Catie raises a brow, caught off guard by the dry, actually almost absurd response. She wasn't quite sure what what to expect but it’s enough to make her pause, her frustration momentarily muted by the hint of a smile despite herself.

'Wow,' she says and glances around the library. Her gaze lingers on the flickering light then she studies the person behind the desk—calm, steady in a way most people here weren’t. 'Do you actually have stuff like that? Or are you just messing with me?'

THE LIBRARY WAS USUALLY QUIET . reading was one of the few past times to indulge in here but not many turned to it . after all, it was hard to think about hobbies when your life was at risk . but elm didn't mind the lack of company . it was actually how they preferred it usually . it was peaceful . nice . and routine . so few things in this place were routine . elm took them where they could get them . so at the sight of someone new they could only blink . they study her for a moment before simply, " ... what's useful ?" the question is toneless as elm blinks at her from behind the library desk . " medicinal herbs ?" a beat before their head tilts . " the history of improvised explosives ?"

[rampents]

Riz Ahmed as Ruben Stone Sound of Metal (2019)

[rampents]

the library, mason. @insickness

The library feels quiet today. Muz isn't exactly here to read, it’s more about the stillness. It’s always been easier for him to think in spaces like this. Less noise, less interference. His attention catches on the back of a figure at one of the tables—Muz can’t remember if they’ve spoken much before, just the odd passing conversation, and even then, it’s been brief. He moves closer, not necessarily wanting to interrupt but doing it anyway. 'Hey,' Muz says quietly, leaning against the edge of a bookshelf as he comes to a stop. 'You deep in something important or just trying to kill time?'

[rampents]

colony house, maude. @fromsaudades

It’s late, the kind of late where Colony House quiets down a little, but the hum of distant conversations still lingers in the hallways. Muz had been roaming the house, as usual, trying to find a spot where the noise didn’t feel like it was going to crawl into his skin. He lands in the kitchen and leans against the doorframe. He glances across the room and notices Maude, sitting at the kitchen table.

'Hey,' Muz says, his voice low but steady. The last thing he wants to do after nightfall is startle anyone. 'You doing alright?'