i. my name is death and the end is near.

[tehplagues]

what has been left after the plagues is a constellation of ghost towns.

the lone survivors walk the streets of an emptied world, one that alternates swiftly between discomfortingly eerie silence and chaotic brutality. it doesn't seem to understand moderation, the pendulum swinging from one extreme to the other in the space of a heartbeat. there are times when it feels like you are the only person left in the ruins - like you will be driven mad by the nightmares and the grievous silence that follows. and there are other times. times when you know you are not alone in the darkness, not with the rift opening up one last time to pour into the cracks every monster it has in its arsenal; you must protect yourself.

careful where you step. you might stumble on rotting bodies across desolate lawns. you might stumble on rioters fueled by flagg's nightmares until they committed to his deadly causes - believing you to be the enemy. if you're lucky, you'll cross paths with those who, like you, are trying to find a place to lay their weary heads. if you're not, pray to what gods you believe in that someone hears you.

prayer may be all you have left.

Comments

[bochord]

[ rose has experience with shapeshifting, but she still has to figure out how to properly communicate while she is in pup form. she tried shifting back a couple of hours ago, to no avail. she stands on her hind legs, her other two paws landing roughly on his cheeks.

pay attention, son. she has good info up in here. ]

[pushingdeep]

[He blinks, confused as to what this dog is doing, but he's seen enough weird shit to recognize that maybe this isn't a normal dog.]

What is it boy? Did Timmy fall down the well?

[Okay so he's still a smart ass. But you have his attention.]

[bochord]

[ rose has had to perfect lip reading, coming from a hearing family, but she has to learn the person's mouth and its movements to sustain a fluid conversation.

but see, she caught that last bit. so her paw lands a bit more roughly on his cheek. eventually, it'll be clear to him the puppy is trying to get his head to move to the right, where he will hopefully see her composition notebook. ]

[pushingdeep]

[Is..? Is this dog punching him in the face?? So rude. But he does end up turning his head enough to notice the notebook.]

Hey, what's this..?

[Gonna grab it and check it out!]

[bochord]

[ rose wriggles in his arms, equal parts excitement and urgency. the composition notebook has her name on the cover, but the first few pages are dedicated to writing inventory on what's in the house, in terms of viable food sources and weapons. she hadn't even begun stocking up on the goods when ... well, she became this.

ur welcome, bucko. ]

[pushingdeep]

[He lets the pup down, flipping through the notebook and looking really confused.]

Hey, buddy. Do you belong to Rose? Is she around here somewhere?

[bochord]

[ SHE IS ROSE. bah. there is absolutely no feasible way she can convey this, outside of pressing her paw against the name insistently. the good thing is her frustration is building, and that means she can sort of start to feel the shift back. she scurries away until she's safely hidden behind the couch.

insert here the awkward and kinda painful process of shifting; bones snapping and twisting into place, larger than they were before.

all he'll see peeking out of the couch minutes later is a pale arm and some blonde curls. hi again. ]

[pushingdeep]

[Do you know what is one of the scariest things ever? That sound. Zin backs away slowly.]

Nice puppy... Gooood puppy. [He's expecting some sort of monster so he's got his knife out now. But then it's just...an arm. And some curls.]

Uh...

[bochord]

[ wow rude. rose pushes herself off the ground a bit, hands flattening against the carpeted floor. he'll see her face now, and just her face. she arches an eyebrow at the knife. ]

Uncool.

[pushingdeep]

[He sees where her eyes move and glances down as well.]

Sorry! I was just-! And there was a dog but- And then you were...

[He sighs and shakes his head.]

I'm guessing you're Rose?

[bochord]

[ she releases a breath of relief when he doesn't come at her with said knife. unfortunately, she's also busy looking for a blanket to wrap around herself. BECAUSE SHE IS NAKED. so she doesn't realize he has said anything. except when she looks up, he is in turn look at her expectantly. ]

Hmm? [ oh. she taps her ear. ]

I'm Deaf. I can't hear you. [ it's no big deal. if he speaks slowly and emphatically, they will get along fine. ] I'm Rose. Sorry about that. [ the dog thing. ]

[pushingdeep]

Shit, I'm sorry. [He apologizes for... not guessing that she's deaf? He feels bad! Even if there was no way he could have known.]

Uhm... [He grabs the notebook and a pen that he finds nearby and writes his name down in big, scrawling handwriting. He turns the paper around so she can see, tapping it with the pen then pointing at himself.]

Zinoviy.

[bochord]

[ rose brings the covers further around herself, her eyes landing on the paper while she keeps her distance. he has a knife, okay!! she frowns curiously, since that name isn't familiar to her. even as she speaks, her fingers move, because that is what she's used to the most these days. ]

That's a unique name. [ it's a lot less common than rose, ok. ]

[pushingdeep]

My parents hated me. [He jokes with a little smirk. Covering up the last half of his name, he turns it back to her with just "Zin" visible.]

For short.