186th Page

[aldebaranshit]

(April 19th)

Good job, you found the machine. It's not so simple as turning a lever, but you're getting there. You know it runs, but you should clean out all the animal bones from the gears before moving forward. The sun is setting in the abandoned city. While a few brave souls step forth to do the dirty work, how about the rest of you enjoy the last of each other's company and try not to cry or whatever.

[Mission: Clean the machine and give it a go.]

(plot post )

Comments

[foodporn]

[i call not it on disgusting rodent duty. let august do it.]

[cmere cas. constantine you too. we need to hug it out. i'll even throw in a little sugar for faith. morrigan would be on the hitlist but alas.]

[rhymeswithdesign]

Feel any better about going home, love?

[nudges her with his elbow. even he's not sure if he means it or not. the machine isn't really filling him with confidence in it not being a deathtrap.

wrapped his hand with a strip of really gross shirt and pitched his cigarette off a balcony ages ago.]

[foodporn]

[no, but it has nothing to do with possible deathtrapness]

[looks at him and smiles weakly at the nudge]

Bittersweet. I guess you all didn't make the worst traveling company a girl could ask for.

[rhymeswithdesign]

[yeah, he knows. or he assumed. that was his other guess. lifts his eyebrows and smiles back at her.]

Steady on there, I don't know how to deal with this outpouring of affection.

[yeah he'd call some of them the worst traveling company a girl could ask for. not bo though. he might miss bo.]

[foodporn]

I could give you a hug but that might make some people jealous.

[swings arms a little by her sides, trying to keep the whole shebang at least surface-level upbeat for all the anxiety everyone's apparently feeling.]

[armedarchaeologist]

[leaves his vest and weapons behind, crawls up behind the machine with his flashlight in his teeth and steps forth to do the dirty work. very. carefully.]

[andtrue]

Watch your head.

[armedarchaeologist]

Wh—

[startles. hits his head. freezes. looks up at the machine slowly but the only damage seems to have been to him. oh good. carefully takes the flashlight out from between his teeth and hopes he didn't chip a tooth.]

...Thanks.

[andtrue]

It's just a dead animal. If you get yourself hurt in there, I'm not dragging you back out.

[armedarchaeologist]

That's very thoughtful of you.

[that desert they crossed wasn't half as dry. yanks out a mummified squirrel head and tosses it to august.]

I think that's the eighth one I've found. Is this thing made of nuts?

[recurred]

[wow all this waiting sucks. it's like test results or something more exciting like standing in the vestibule before walking down the aisle of your wedding day.]

[gonna go look for some fresh air]

[sawedoff]

[everyone's milling around waiting for the cardboards to get squirrel guts out of the tubes and it's an uncomfortable mixture of awkward and pathetic with all the goodbyes being exchanged so when he sees clara duck out he jumps on the excuse to get out for a few]

Did you find it?

[it's not hard catching up with shortstack]

[recurred]

[taken to looking at a long line of paintings down some gallery hall. better than listening to people with their graduation goggles and hearing bones tinker into the bowels of the machine.]

[doesn't quite look away from the painting upon hearing his approach]

I let it go.

[sawedoff]

[stops a pace or two away from her and briefly assesses the painting before deciding it unworthy of his extended attention and glancing around at some of the others. they mostly get the same treatment]

Guess if that's the only casualty you gotta account for outta this whole ugly mess you dodged a bullet.

[look on the bright side you could be dead again.]

[recurred]

[yeah, that's not helping her. you tried.]

[hovers a moment more before moseying on to the next painting]

All considering, I'm not complaining. It was a good adventure, and I suppose I've left my mark. [or something like that. she's not sounding entirely convinced but she'll pretend]

[andtrue]

[ did someone say disgusting rodent duty? ]

[ but he can actually do this. he's worked with machines like this before - on a much smaller scale and not with world-jumping abilities, but. still. ]

[cabineyes]

[ that's not a clock august. ]

[ tick tock why is this taking so long. he thought they'd be out of here within minutes. leans against one of the fog baby tubes and waits for them to do their thang. ]

[andtrue]

[ gears are gears. ]

Said your goodbyes? Got the girl?

[cabineyes]

More or less.

[ got the ring. ]

I'm done with this place. Finished.

[andtrue]

Maybe we'll run into each other back in Storybrooke.

[aldebaranshit]

[k the thing is deboned]

[want to give it another whirl?]

[wolfsoul]

Who had the key?

[ it's still covered in dust and creepy babies he's not too convinced. ]

[armedarchaeologist]

[brushing mouse bones out of his hair, buckling on his inventory again. just doesn't feel the same without the klaxons going off, does it.]

Dean, right?

[looks over at dean. you, right?]

[cabineyes]

Well, get a move on with it then.

[ now that he's decided he's going he really is going. leans against the machine and taps his foot impatiently. ]

[rhymeswithdesign]

Dunno about you but I've no idea how the bloody thing works. You want to stick your hook in and give it a go, be my guest.

[please don't. steeling himself for what he has to do when he gets home. the niceness from bo is wearing off a little.]