pineslog | ( february intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

( february intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

INTRODUCTION LOG

waking up

There was an accident. That's basically the only thing you know for certain. Maybe a car wreck - metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the screaming. Or maybe there was an explosion. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. You can't can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can remember.

It's also the last thing you remember from before you wake up here.

When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed. You're sluggish, covered in a scattering of minor injuries you only vaguely remember getting, not to mention the vaguely-healed remnants of any wounds you might've had before.

It's a shame you won't be able to tell the difference between the two. Your memories are an indiscernible fog if not absent altogether, only a few standing out in your mind with any kind of certainty.

Whether or not the room's empty when you wake, it's not for long. Nurses bustle in, taking your vitals and asking your name and anything else you might remember. Welcome to Wayward Pines, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here.

Much of what you say (especially anything unusual, anything about monsters or magic or outlandish technology) will earn placating speculation of head trauma “from the accident”. You'll be told to stay put, not to push yourself, and to wait for the doctor to clear you before you leave... Then you'll be left alone. The hospital's population is quadruple the usual, and you get the impression the nurses are working themselves ragged just running damage control. You can even leave your room without much fuss - whichever doctor or nurse intercepts you gets called away almost immediately to deal with something even more pressing.

Mingle, visit your fellow patients, even poke around for a few basic answers. Or maybe, maybe just stroll right on out the front door.

heading outside

Outside, the birds sing a joyful song, and though the air is awfully crisp to be wandering around in your hospital gown, the sky's as sunny as you've ever seen it. It's bright enough to make you squint for a moment before you feast your eyes on the quaint little town of Wayward Pines, though that might be in part because of the glare off the scattered patches of snow along the sides of the street.

Trees line the street at regular intervals, carefully manicured. Cars cruise by at a safe and respectable speed. Pedestrians spare you glances, some wary and some concerned.

This isn't even the picturesque city center, though a colorful nearby sign reads "Main Street" with an arrow pointing due south, followed in smaller font by a list of businesses you don't recognize and one that you might: Wayward Pines Police Department. Whether you asked for yourself or simply overheard, you've likely caught wind by now that all of your earthly possessions now lie with the Sheriff until you see fit to claim them.

Might as well head that way, right?

items reclaimed

So you've visited the Wayward Pines Police Department and reclaimed... well. Most of your stuff, anyway, though you can't quite remember what's missing. Best to put it out of mind, as you head down the steps toward the Main Street sidewalk. At the very least, pedestrians have stopped looking at you like you're sick or crazy. (Then again, depending on what you're wearing, maybe it's gotten worse.)

The sheriff also forked over what looks like the key to a house ("A cozy place to stay while you're here in town."), plus the address that it belongs to. You could check it out, see what kind of digs they're putting you up in.

Or you could stick around Main Street and sight-see a little. Also a perfectly viable option. Hell, maybe it'll jog your memory a little. A few of the shops do feel inexplicably familiar...

( ooc notes )

Welcome to the first newbie mingle log! We apologize for the minor delay.

This log is meant to cover characters' first day in Wayward Pines. For the most part, only the five memories detailed in your character's application are remembered throughout the duration of this log, although the first couple of false Wayward Pines memories might begin to surface (in those who've opted to utilize this mechanic) as the day wears on. These memories, as noted in the FAQ, feel very real and are accompanied by as much emotion or sentiment as a real memory would be.

Any questions about the log or its contents can be addressed to our FAQ or the intro log's designated Plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He watches her as she steps into the room, his eyes narrowing a little at the temporary offending amount of light until she pulls the door further closed behind herself.

"I can't say that I have," Dio says with a small shake of his head. It's interesting though. This is the first he's heard of anyone looking for someone else, much less family. "That might not be such a bad thing for your daughter's sake though. Granted, I have spent most of time my time in here, but a child being the topic of conversation in a hospital is rarely a good thing."

Jiaying lets out a breath and nods. "You're right. I just hope she's not in the same accident I was. She's still so little," she trails off for a moment, holding on to that one fleeting memory of her newborn. She shakes her head. "But thank you for your help. They could be waiting for me at home and I'm making a fuss over nothing." Though what she says sounds more like she's trying to reassure herself.

Her anxiety is a palpable weight in the room, and Dio isn't convinced she's managed to soothe it to the point thoughts of the worst case won't continue to plague her with light reassurance like that. It's because of how thick her anxiety is in the air that Dio doesn't give voice to the question of why would they be at home? If they weren't involved in the accident — as indicated by the hospital staff's responses to her questions — why would they not be waiting diligently here at the hospital for her to awaken rather than at home? There's no easily known answer to that question, and it's the unknown that's always the most terrifying. So, he leaves it be and lets her have her flimsy explanation. Even if it does little to abate her anxiety, that's enough.

He does tip his head to one side slightly.

"There seems to be a lot of accidents today."

Indeed. The very fact that she carries little memory about... anything is worrying on its own. She knows how flimsy her hope is but it's better than stumbling into a panic.

At his statement, she turns to glance towards the door briefly.

"There has been. And many with amnesia." Strange, isn't it?

"It certainly makes one wonder."

Dio doesn't specify what exactly it makes one wonder not because there's a variety of questions that one could ask, but because it seems unwise to mention explicit mistrust of those vested with power and authority. At least not while the sun is still out. That's the underlying, implied question though. Too much of this doesn't add up, and they're being expected to simply accept what little they've been provided with.

She nods. Her gaze indicating that she understands, maybe not his thoughts exactly but there are certainly enough to wonder about. She sucks in a breath, tilting her head up. Even without memories, there's something prideful in the way she holds herself.

"Did the nurses tell you anything useful?"

"No."

Which is not completely the truth. Dio had been somewhat lost in his senses as the nurses were speaking, and generally speaking, when one is stealing blood from a hospital, one must possess the good sense and proclivity to avoid hospital staff. But based on his limited conversation with others, it doesn't appear the staff have anything of value to say.

"The nurses defer to the doctors." Not surprising given the hierarchy of authority. "But the doctors don't appear to have much more to say than their nurses."

She believes him. Currently she has more reason to believe a fellow patient than a hospital staff who's less than forthcoming.

"Yes, that's very--" She's interrupted by the door sliding open and there stands a nurse, looking like she does not approve of Jiaying walking around in her condition. Jiaying does her best to deflect while also trying to get answers but all she gets are repeated statements of 'you must rest until you're well enough to be discharged'. Finally, Jiaying decides to play along, saying "Yes, I will return to my room soon." Satisfied, the nurse turns to regard Dio with a wordless query on whether he needs anything.

Jiaying, on the other hand, looks concerned and it's evident in the way she looks at Dio. She's angry, worried, and upset all at once and she feels like there's even more of a need to be secretive now.

Dio grunts when the door is slid open once more, turning his head aside and his gaze downward. He only steals brief glances in their direction as the nurse gives Jiaying the runaround, his light sensitivity not improving with exposure of any kind. When he chances eye contact with Jiaying briefly, his eyes are relatively unfocused with pupils constricted into thin lines, but what little he can see tells him that Jiaying isn't going to remain complacent for long. He declines the nurse's offer.

"Close the door on your way out." Dio's patience already spent, he doesn't bother with a please. The nurse's placid smile becomes a touch strained, but she asks that he call for her if he should change his mind before sliding the door to once more. Dio rubs at his eyes with a hand, the coolness of his fingers somewhat soothing through his eyelids. The splotches of white on his vision begin to fade, but still obscure plenty of it. "Her ears must have been burning."

Jiaying notices the way he reacts and after another moment of observation, notes that it may have something to do with the light. She slides the door all the way shut, cutting out the last ray of light.

"Something tells me she's used to it." She takes another moment to quell her anger. Dio doesn't deserve the brunt of it, no matter how frustrated she feels. "Are you all right?"

"I've never felt better." Granted, the sudden amount of light that had been pouring into his room had been largely unpleasant, but on the whole, Dio feels quite strong and capable. If it weren't for the sun, he would not still be lingering in this hospital as far as he's concerned. "Just a bit sensitive to the light is all. I'm sure it will pass."

She nods. He would know better. It's his body after all. And who is she to judge? She's walking around while in pain.

"Well, I wouldn't suggest calling on that nurse again." They should be professionals but, well, it's hard to be sure of anything right now. "She did mention our belongings are with the sheriff so I'll be headed there."

"Seems odd to me that they would be taken from us in the first place, let alone that they would end up with the sheriff," Dio notes, keeping the skepticism and suspicion relatively light in his tone. It would make more sense to him if the hospital were holding on their personal effects.

"One of many strange things to add to the list, I'm sure." They'd be here all day analyzing it if they did. "I'd ask if you'd like to come with but it's very sunny out."

"It's the thought that counts," Dio smiles mildly. "I'm afraid I must be patient for nightfall."

"Take care, then. Maybe I'll see you again soon." she nods politely and then turns to leave. She pauses before she opens the door though. "Are you ready?"

The consideration of light coming into the room catches Dio off-guard for a moment, but he nods before averting his gaze. "Go on."

With a nod, she opens the door, steps outside and shuts it behind her. She has things to attend to still but maybe they can meet again soon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( february intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

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