hadriel_logs | Leave the porch light on

[Ronan Lynch is not exactly a prankster. Sure, he'll vandalize property here and there, get into fights, maybe tell some scary stories, but in general he doesn't care enough about most people enough to concern himself with their reactions, and he definitely doesn't care enough about Fear or his 'blessing' to want to help him out.

So, with the announcement of the new event, the only thing that really affects him is the dimming of all the lights- which is annoying, sure, but not anything that can't be worked around. Ronan had used candles for light the first day and burned them down to a husk, and finding enough flashlights had been annoying enough to just make him dream up a solution the next time he fell asleep.

He's still looking for other sources of light in the city- lanterns or flashlights or anything that could be used to light up their house, but now following him around to help with his searching is a floating ball of light that seems to trail after him on its own. The thing is only about the size of a baseball, but the light it emits is enough to guide his way and help him as he rummage through the shelves of the stores.

Ronan is, of course, also aware that traveling around with a light source makes him a potential target, and so he has his trusty nailbat hefted over his shoulder as he searches- just in case.]

[After finding enough light to get by with at home, Ronan has divided up the extras and is bringing it by the clinic, in case they don't have enough. His usual bag is clunky and bulky with various lighting equipment, and though it's still pitch black outside, he doesn't bother to knock on the door.

Instead, he just helps himself inside, followed again by his wisp of light, and Ronan plops the bag down on a nearby table with a grunt.]

Brought some flashlights for you guys.

[Ronan has met with most of the people working in the clinic for long enough to be a little more comfortable with dropping off supplies during the day. Plus, when he brings stuff in during the morning hours, he also gets to walk to the clinic with Adam, who works there a little more regularly than Ronan himself does.

This particular day, Ronan hangs around a little after dumping off the customary backpack of supplies- which isn't entirely unprecedented, but isn't quite a common occurance either. He helps himself to some of the treats that Bruce keeps in the cabinet for the children, offering one or two of them to the raven on his shoulder before sinking into a chair in the corner- not quite sulking, but not quite looking wholly approachable either.

If undisturbed, he'll spend most of his time there watching the others interact with one another, particularly keeping an eye on Adam- though he tries not to be too obvious about it. He'll continue offering treats up to his bird though, and every so often, she makes a noisy screeching sound- because the clinic is definitely too quiet, right?]

[The Door has opened- ten times now? Nine?

He's heard that it's roughly a month between the times when it opens, which would leave him with the better part of a year under his belt. Though it's technically only been a few months since he last saw his home, the idea of living in Hadriel for a year- and then before that, the months they'd spent in Harborview- is a little strange to think about.

Ronan doesn't think about it often, and he wants to avoid thinking about it now, so he goes for a walk. His path takes him down to the lake, where he shoves his hands in his pockets and tries not to think too hard of home.

The truth is, without a set structure in his life- be it school, which he hated, or tending to the farm, which he loved- he's starting to feel a little listless. But that's a strange thing to admit to anyone, and so when he does see someone also nearby at the lake, he shoves the thoughts from his mind and nods out toward the water, curious.]

Think there's a monster in there?

[The lack of light is annoying to all of them- but perhaps most of all, annoying to Adam, who generally at least tries to keep the place organized, or reads occasionally, or likes going out. Part of Ronan thinks that it might be particularly disconcerting to him due to his partial deafness, but he knows better than to bring it up.

He tries to make it up to him somehow, by being near him. It allows for his dream light to hang above them both and offer Adam some consistent light to work with.

It's what he's doing now, on his back on the couch, resting his head on Adam's thighs while the other boy sits on one end, scrolling through his phone for whatever it is people are saying about the event. Ronan's own legs are hooked up over Aspen, who is curled up without a care on the opposite side of the couch. It's a bit of a tight squeeze to make them all fit, but Ronan forced it to work when he collapsed over them both a few minutes ago, and now that he's made himself comfortable, he doesn't want to move.

Ronan's fingers twist over his wristbands and he tries to wait for Adam to be done, but his impatience gets the better of him, and so he tilts his head back to look at Adam from below and asks-]

-heard any good stories yet?

[Simon's still fairly new--he's only been around a couple days--but he's beginning to settle into the clinic. Given what Bruce had told him regarding their situation, both in the way of supplies and what passes for staff, it's a wonder there's any time he's not there trying to set up a functional system. He's honestly surprised there's no one dead yet.

This time, there's someone already there when he enters the clinic: a rather broody-looking guy with...is that a bird on his shoulder? Do they do veterinary work here, too? He thinks Bruce might have warned him about that. Setting his med kit down on the counter, Simon turns to face him, his best professional face on.]

Ah, hello. Is there something I can help you with? Do...either of you...need medical attention?

[ Walking is pretty much all Dean's got at this point. He's exhausted all other avenues... except booze. That he's got stuffed in his jacket pocket because no one should ever leave home without it. Or something. But he's talked to more people than he usually ever talks to and yet he somehow still feels stuck. He's up a creek with every fucking paddle imaginable and yet he can't stop feeling as if he's going to drown any day now. It's going to happen, he's just waiting for it.

Which is why he walks... with the intermittent stop to stare.

This time, he's sequestered himself again at the lake, where there is an odd and yet not entirely existent feeling of comfort found in staring out at the water. Dean used to believe that beach vacations were the epitome of escapism and yet he's just not so sure anymore.

The question catches him off guard, though, and he glances over, eyebrows lifting at the kid who's spoken up, asked him a question. ]

What, like Nessie? [ That shit is serious, and even though Dean cracks a grin before looking back to the water, his response isn't a joke. ] Wouldn't surprise me. Just not sure I feel like testin' the theory, yet.

[He scrolls through his phone with one hand, the other one idly stroking through the short strands of Ronan's hair now and then. It's a lazy, relaxed gesture, absent and affectionate. Right now, Adam doesn't mind the darkness so much, not with Ronan and Aspen and the light.

It's not that he's afraid of the dark. He never has been, not really. But he's justifiably wary of it, especially here, where things really could be out there. It's difficult to do anything - hard to help out at the clinic, nearly impossible to do anything in the orchard, even difficult to do simple things like cook a meal.

And it's another thing he didn't realize would be so much harder with half his hearing gone. Without much sight, it's even harder to judge distances and tell who's nearby, or where people are speaking from, or even what they're saying. It just makes life harder, overall, and it's been frustrating. This, right here and right now, is a pleasant break from the frustration.

He looks down at Ronan, unable to keep the smile from his lips.]

I'm not sure anyone in this cave knows what a good ghost story is. Lots of memes, though.

[Which, now that he thinks about it, might be Ronan's preferred kind of scary story.]

I would not be surprised if there was.

[ She is sitting down cross-legged on a large rock formation by the lake, too steep to have been climbed. Wanda hasn't opened her Thermos yet, she's still deciding if it's that kind of day where she's going to burn through half a packet of tea bags. Ronan's mind is curiously empty but still broadcasting like a human's, and she's more shaken up than she realised by Ruby. ]

They are everywhere.

[ Hadriel has a way of peeling away the skin, showing other faces. Wanda's seen one of her own. ]

( she's working by fucking candlelight, like some sort of sixteenth century mess. it's fucking ridiculous. one would think that sense would prevail and the gods would leave important locations alone. but of course not.

don't mind kate, she's just bitter and too reminded of history to enjoy a bit of good old fashioned scaring.

which is why it takes a considerable amount of effort to keep her face neutral when she hears ronan and looks up. ) Great. Do they work? ( she's seen the ones in the shops. they're a mess. everything's a mess.

well, at least the dark makes it harder to see the dirt they can never properly get cleaned away. )

[Not so much a target in this case as a - well Noah was looking for Ronan, okay? He heard Ronan leave and wanted to catch up with him, and the light made him thankfully easy to find.]

Oh wow, did you make that?

[... of course, only in a place like this is it a reasonable question.]

Why? Going to try to go in an fight it?

[ Someone likes the lake. Maybe because it's the most natural feeling place in the cave. It's far from being back home, but it's close enough. It almost makes her think about planting roots here and never leaving.

That's only a partial metaphor these days.

She sits at the edge of the water, her toes near the edge where it laps at the dirt. ]

Now I'll never go swimming.

[He doesn't recognize this guy- which is strange, because Ronan comes around the clinic often enough to know the general who's who of the place. Either Simon is new or he's new to the clinic, and either way, Ronan doesn't take particularly well to new people.

So he scowls, disagreeable to the core.]

Who the fuck are you?

[Ronan offers a little shrug at the question, noting the smile and easing back just a bit. This guy is older than him, and he generally doesn't like older people- well, he generally doesn't like younger people or people his own age, but Ronan attributes his disdain toward age for now- but he at least seems... friendly, maybe?

Hopefully not in the stupid way. Ronan doesn't know if there's a way to be friendly that wouldn't get under his skin, but after remembering the chiding about him not being able to make friends at all, he tries to take it in stride. Sort of, anyway.

He doesn't smile back, but he does nod, considering the response.]

Not like Hope wouldn't bring you back if it ate you. [And here comes a smile, though it's more a smirk than anything, smug and overly sure of himself.]

Scared?

[Ronan lifts his brows at the answer, because it is the sort of thing that's more or less up his alley. Not that he was ever significantly into the creepy stories on the internet, but he's a little pleased to hear that most of the people in the city aren't taking this entirely seriously.

Adam looks like something from a dream in this light. With the two of them surrounded by darkness, and the little orb of light above them the only thing allowing them to see, it creates a stark contrast in Adam's fine-boned features. The edges of his face are bathed in light, whereas the hollows of his cheeks, the shrouds of his eyes and the expanse of his throat are nothing more than shadowy suggestions of a face.

He lifts a hand up absently to trace the path of light down the corner of Adam's jaw, a little smile quirking at the corner of his lips.

Memes. Right.]

Good to know that people are more interested in shitposting than in helping the gods.

[It's not sarcasm- it's something that Ronan is honestly a little thankful for, and he settles evenly in Adam's lap, tilting his own head up to nudge against the other boy's fingers.]

You making any plans?

[ Dean snorts, perhaps louder than he should. Scared? Now that's a question, no matter how teasing, he isn't asked very often. At least by people who have any idea who he is, where he's been, that kind of crap. Which is why he can't fault the kid for prodding, offering up some kind of smirk that's meant to be, what- taunting?

It's almost the same exact kind of smug Dean used to be.

Granted, Dean's still more sure of himself than perhaps he should be, except- except he isn't. Not right now. Not in a kind of way he's found himself able to endue. He's anything but sure of himself right now, standing on the kind of shaky ground that's going to topple him over at any second. The internal threat, the one that's leaving him far too vulnerable for far too much, and all Dean can think is that right now he just isn't drunk enough. ]

Of what, being eaten alive or Hope bringing me back?

[ Because both could be scary, he supposes. If he wasn't actually used to the whole dying thing. ]

Worse ways to go than death by lame ass sea monster.

[Ronan hasn't seen her around here before- which is no surprise, given how antisocial he is on any given day, but there's still something about the strange woman nearby that gives him a little pause when she responds.

It seems more ominous than it should- they're everywhere- and Ronan swallows hard before looking back out toward the lake.]

Guess it's the least of our worries.

[He sighs.]

Still creepy as fuck.

[Great, it's her again.

Ronan is growing used to seeing Kate around the place, just like, he's sure, Kate is growing used to seeing him waltz in with a mishmash of needed medical equipment and dropping it at their feet. It doesn't mean they get along, but they've coexisted in the same spaces long enough for him not to be startled by her voice in the dark.]

I didn't check all of them.

[He snaps back a little, frowning.]

The ones I checked do.

[Of course Noah followed him out. He's too good at sneaking up on people. Ronan turns to look at him when he asks his question and shrugs, hefting the bat up while his orb of light hovers overhead.]

The nailbat or the light?

[Both are things that he's made, but only one of them really has an explanation that Noah will be satisfied with.]

[ She smiles a little at his direct method of approach — it gets the point across. Wanda follows his gaze out to the lake. No one really comes here to fish, so, ]

If you prefer to be alone, I do not mind leaving.

[He strokes his thumb along Ronan's temple, disarmed for a moment by the gentle affection of Ronan's touch. Sometimes Adam has to stop and appreciate these things, the little things. Ronan feeling free to touch him, and wanting to, and looking at him like he's - well. Something.

Adam doesn't know what Ronan sees when he looks at him, but the look on Ronan's face makes his heart settle a little, in a strange way. And he's learning, too, to touch Ronan more easily. It's a simple thing, but though Adam wouldn't want to say it aloud, it means so much to him. Ronan makes him feel wanted without seeming to put any effort into it at all. Like it's just something that's simply, impossibly true.

He pulls his thoughts back to the question.]

What, to stumble around in the dark until I break an ankle? I know plenty of ghost stories, but it turns out funny anecdotes about your friend who's an actual ghost don't count.

[He smiles at that, an amused, easy smile.]

No, I think I'm gonna pass this time.

[After a moment, he slides his fingers through Ronan's hair again, gentle. His phone, in his other hand, gets set aside on the arm of the couch for the moment.]

You?

[ Gansey is not carrying a weapon. Gansey does not use weapons for actual fighting; he makes models with them instead. He does have a flashlight with him, but Ronan's orb of light has rendered it unnecessary, so it's tucked into his waistband.

So far his finds have included: something that's pretending to be peach slices, something that looks kind of like powdered milk, and a meat product so indistinct that he just can't warm to it. He sets that one back, and takes a breather to pull a water bottle out of his messenger bag. He takes a sip, and then holds out the bottle to Ronan. ]

This is no good. I dream of the day when we scavenge something better than canned ravioli in tomato sauce.

[ And that had been one of the better finds. Gansey doesn't even really like tomato sauce. ]

The orb is good, though. Reminds me of all the lights back at the Barns. I don't suppose you could dream a bigger one, could you?

The light. ... I already know you made the nailbat.

[Which is also still impressive just in a more wanton destruction kind of way.]

[Ronan rolls his eyes, the expression exaggerated at Blue's question. In truth, the lake reminds him almost of another lake that he's seen, one where his father had stared back at him- but it's different here, and there's no such monster under the water.

He thinks, anyway.]

Scared? If anything, they should be scared of you. [He points out, a little sarcastic.] You do still have that knife, don't you?

( she is used to it now. she still doesn't know how he finds these things, and while a part of her will wonder just where he finds them, the greater part of her knows it doesn't matter enough to question. these things work and that - ultimately - is more important than her curiosity.

(and, besides, Bruce trusts them and the gods have yet to devise some strange scheme to prevent Ronan bringing them. those two things speak volumes to Kate.)

with more careful movements than she would normally - in one way, this is not like the undergrounds of home, where she could navigate the darkness with the lights provided by the powers of everything that surrounded her - Kate steps closer. ) That works for me.

( it'll have to, at least.

she pauses, for just a moment, and adds; ) How are you?

( basic niceties, manners of someone who is supposed to remain professional. she can, at least, manage that much. )

Leave the porch light on

Beetlejuice Event | Scavenging/anywhere

Beetlejuice Event | Clinic

No event | Clinic

No event | Lake

Beetlejuice Event | Locked to Adam

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