obsidianlogs | august mingle;

i. Dominion

Abigail's dominion is a vast forest, composed of endless rows of pine trees. Sometimes sunny and idyllic, other times dark and ominous, the trees stretch out endlessly in all directions, with a wide river running through them to some distant, unknown shore. The forest is full of life, plenty of fish in the river and a variety of birds, but particularly found in abundance are the deer. They roam freely about the forest, and if you stay quiet and still they'll continue to graze peacefully, though they'll run if you get too close. Should you visit the more foreboding parts of the forest, you may also see the Wendigo lurking between the trees.

In a clearing near the river is a cabin, which looks cosy at first glance, but on entering it's covered with antlers, the trophies of previous kills. And laying on a table at the back of the room is the latest prey, deer or human, waiting to be skinned.

[ Abigail's plotting comment is here, but she can be found all around the forest. ]

ii. Wildcard

[ Hit me up if you want a custom starter for your character, otherwise anything goes! ]

It's a lot more relaxing than Squalo expects, having been effectively losing his shit at his own dominion. He liked being around people, and a city without any just wasn't right. A forest, however? That's different. It doesn't need lights or noises or the peak hour rush. It just is, and he's actually having a fairly good time wandering about, admiring at the nature. He's never had the chance to spend much time out on the countryside, so he's a little amazed already.

He's actually a little surprised to find the cabin, but he doesn't think much of it at first. Well, sure, he'll check it out. Who knows how long he was going to be stuck here, right?

He definitely doesn't expect the sight that greets him, however. The dead person on the table is give or take; he's seen (and made) plenty of those. But the way the entire interior seems to be covered with antlers is outright creepy. He stops near the door, as if mesmerized, and slowly reaches out to touch a horn point, tracing the countour of the antler with his fingertip.

He's not aware of anyone else in the vicinity just yet.

Abigail has been out wandering too, though as far as she goes from the cabin she always seems to find her way back to it. She thought she'd be upset at coming here without her father, but if anything, it's the exact opposite - for better or worse this place had made her who and what she was, and she could either run from that or embrace it. And she knew that the latter was the only way she'd survive in Obsidian.

She hums to herself as she enters, a little off key, though she stops short as she sees she's not alone, as though she's embarrassed to be caught off guard.

"Sorry, I didn't realise there was anyone else here."

He hears her coming in, and that's the main reason he's not startled when she speaks, though he does shift in a way that does not leave his back turned to her. She doesn't look dangerous, but he's seen her around Obsidian, and there were no 'safe' people there.

That doesn't mean he's not going to be civil unless prompted otherwise, of course.

"No need. I probably shouldn't be here."

Yet here he is. Hell of a weird dream, really. He very much prefers it to the place he visited on the first night, though. He has half a mind to thank her, but he expects she hasn't exactly invited him.

He gestures at the antlers vaguely.

"Interesting design choice. Did you do this?"

Ignoring the corpse at the back like a champ, but that last question just might apply to both.

She glances around at the antlers, looking quite proud, reaching over to gently brush a cobweb she notices on one of them.

"I helped. It's mostly my dad's handiwork."

"That sounds fun." If only he knew.

Well, technically, he does know, a little bit from whatever crumbles of press they got here and the rumors, but in his mind, those two things aren't necessarily connected. His gang did murders; he still liked to think that wasn't the entire basis of his bond with the kid that ran with them. Maybe the cannibal girl had a perfectly normal, happy childhood. It doesn't look like she'd dreamt up her dad, though, unless it was him there at the back.

He steps away from the hazard waiting to happen, but doesn't leave just yet, instead lingering by the door. Leaving just might drop him in the empty streets with encroaching waters again and he'd much rather risk becoming a pincushion at the moment.

"You get along well?"

"We did. He was everything to me."

Abigail adjusts the angle of the antlers a little so that they're in line with the rest of them, then steps back to survey the wall. There, perfect.

She realises that Squalo's lingering near the door and figures that he might just feel like he's intruding - it doesn't even occur to her that the trophies from her hunts and the actual human body in the back of the room might come across as big red flags. This version of the cabin feels comforting and powerful to her, the exact opposite of the impact the 'real' one had on her.

"Oh, you can come in if you like. It's nice to have the company."

"In that case, I'm sorry for your loss."

He doubts she hears that a lot, considering the... everything, but it feels appropriate. This is getting to be more words than he's ever said to her in the real world so far, but then, neither of them had been in Obsidian that long.

He watches her, considering. He doubts a girl could take him down that easily even if she catches him by surprise, but then, as a hunter, she might've been stronger than she looked. Oh well. None of this was real anyway, was it?

He glances back at the oddly comforting lush green, then heads on in, pulling up a rough looking stool near the work bench.

"I am pretty delightful company." It's only half joke; he's as vain as it gets so of course he thinks anyone would be thrilled to spend time with him. "So it's fine if I stick around for a while? The last... place I ended up at was shit."

She simply shrugs at his condolences. There were times when she still missed her father greatly, but they were balanced by the knowledge that she'd had to answer for his crimes. Being back in the cabin, which had been their place against the world, had only served to reinforce to her just how alone she was now, and while she couldn't feel contempt for her father - although she knew it would be far easier on her if she could - she most definitely did feel disappointment.

She brightens up, however, as she realises that he does plan on staying for a while. "It's absolutely fine, make yourself at home. I'm Abigail."

Steve should feel more unnerved about the dark, foggy forest than he is. It reminds him too much of Hawkins and the woods surrounding his own house. He doesn't feel lost yet, though he's actually got no idea where he is. So long as he keeps walking in a straight line, he'll eventually run into something, right? At least that's his mindset for the first little while. He's not wearing a watch, so he can't tell how much time has passed, but it feels like he's been walking a long damn time.

When the fog doesn't seem to pick up and the sounds of the forest seem kind of muted is when his paranoia kicks in. Every snap of twig or rustle of leaves seems louder in the quiet, and he swears he sees something between the trees on the edge of his vision. Something big and unnatural. When he's certain he's seen movement and the feeling of not being alone only intensifies, he starts to run as fast as his legs will carry him.

"Shit shit shit--"

He chances a look over his shoulder and doesn't see anyone, but when he turns around, he sees a girl and nearly knocks her over in his haste to stop. His hands land on her arms, both to stabilize himself and to make sure she's there.

"What the hell is this place? Did you see that?!"

She'd heard footsteps through the trees and the sound of snapping twigs, making the deer scatter. Abigail was only mildly annoyed that whoever was running through had scared them off, it just meant that she could begin the hunt over later on, and it was the thrill of tracking them that she enjoyed most. Even though she knows he's close, though, she still jumps pretty badly when Steve nearly runs into her, and she drops the rifle that she'd been carrying so that she doesn't shoot in her surprise.

Once her initial shock has worn off, however, she doesn't look at all fazed to be here. In fact, she's more comfortable in this forest than any other place she can think of, and she looks a little confused that Steve seems like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Slow down. Are you okay?"

august mingle;

Abigail Hobbs

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