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Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME 001
⚰︎ ⍢ ⌲ ⍚ TEST DRIVE MEME:
CONTENT WARNINGS for this game include: monsters, body horror, dub-con, non-con, religion, blood/violence, and marking/branding, loss of autonomy/self, and mental influences.
This log additionally has warnings for: nudity, spiders, waxplay, character death, and references to children in proximity to sexual situations.
✧ ✧ ✧
Welcome to RUBILYKSKOYE — a dark, horror-smut game where player choices will drive a mod-run storyline about the world and its NPCs. For the first round, this test drive serves as characters' arrival into game.
THESE THREADS CAN BE GAME CANON if both players are accepted into the game and agree to it. However, if players who'd prefer to start fresh are welcome to reuse these prompts in their own personal logs upon acceptance into the communities.
If you have QUESTIONS about the test drive prompts, please ask HERE. Questions about the game itself or the general setting should be directed to the FAQ.
FAQ ✧ SETTING ✧ CALENDAR ✧ RESERVES ✧ APPLICATIONS
This log additionally has warnings for: nudity, spiders, waxplay, character death, and references to children in proximity to sexual situations.
Welcome to RUBILYKSKOYE — a dark, horror-smut game where player choices will drive a mod-run storyline about the world and its NPCs. For the first round, this test drive serves as characters' arrival into game.
THESE THREADS CAN BE GAME CANON if both players are accepted into the game and agree to it. However, if players who'd prefer to start fresh are welcome to reuse these prompts in their own personal logs upon acceptance into the communities.
If you have QUESTIONS about the test drive prompts, please ask HERE. Questions about the game itself or the general setting should be directed to the FAQ.
AWAKENING IN PAJAK WOOD
The chirping of partridges in the treetops rouses you. Light barely filters through the canopy, just enough to suggest warmth of the sun. By the time it reaches the forest floor, the daylight has taken on a sickly green tinge. You lie amongst the mosses and ferns, the soil cold and just a little damp on your bare skin. Wherever you were before this moment, whatever you were doing or wearing, when you awaken in this forest, you find yourself naked and helpless as the day you were born.Fortunately, you seem to be alone. The birdsong continues as you sit up and get your bearings — aside from a brief wave of disoriented nausea, you seem to be no worse for wear than you last remember. Amongst gnarled oaks and moss, you see nothing around. No sign of civilization or sentient life. Movement flickers at the corner of your eye, but it's just a curious animal — brave squirrels or lizards who have come to see what stirs in their home.
Then, like the rippling of the horizon at noontime, the ash-gray soil around you undulates. Sea, not earth. Something else has come to greet you — their grey bodies blended in so easily with the floor, but as you stagger to your feet, you see them. Thousands of spiders roll like waves underfoot. They crawl towards you from the darker edge of the forest.
attack
Individuals who attack the spiders will find the small spiders are easy to kill, but the pheromones released by their corpses draw larger spiders in their place. Huge, blood-red spiders the size of hunting dogs drop from the treetops. In addition to their venomous bite, which contains a fast-acting paralytic, these creatures are clever: they will attempt to use their webbing to handicap any trespassers, binding limbs together or to trees. If you're unfortunate to become fully cocooned, you don't have long before this forest will be the last thing you see.
hunt
Any aspiring monster-hunters enterprising enough to try to follow the spiders to their nest will move eastward. This way, the forest grows darker and darker — though the sun never grows warm red-gold with sunset.
In the void, the birdsong is replaced by the click of mandibles and the skitter of many legs, but soon it is impossible to see. Even with the brightest magical light does not reach further than a few inches. The air grows heavy and thick, as if it were not air at all but some more solid mass. Almost like liquid-smoke, it presses down upon you. Slowing your movements. Soon, you cannot move at all.
Turn back while you still can — collapsing out here is dangerous. The void can play tricks on your senses. You may find yourself reliving unhappy memories or hallucinating your worst nightmares.
In the void, the birdsong is replaced by the click of mandibles and the skitter of many legs, but soon it is impossible to see. Even with the brightest magical light does not reach further than a few inches. The air grows heavy and thick, as if it were not air at all but some more solid mass. Almost like liquid-smoke, it presses down upon you. Slowing your movements. Soon, you cannot move at all.
Turn back while you still can — collapsing out here is dangerous. The void can play tricks on your senses. You may find yourself reliving unhappy memories or hallucinating your worst nightmares.
But flee the spiders westward and you will discover that the wood is well-populated with the survival resources that someone might seek — berries bushes and trees bearing stone fruits; sticks and dry leaves to aid in the building of a fire; rocks big enough to fashion into crude weapons; small animals that can be hunted or caught; hike long enough, and you might just find the freshwater stream that runs north-to-south, populated by both poisonous toads and delicious crawdads.
What's more, you may run into others with stories just like yours. Some may have already formed clumsy nudist hiking parties, others may still be naked and confused and processing how they have no memory of how they got here. They all stagger vaguely, as you do, with only the sun for a waymarker — and even that won't last long.
Now is a good time to overcome any hang-ups you have about modesty, as it's going to be a long hike. If you sneak a good look at your new companions, you may four varietals of marks on their bodies. Maybe someone will even point out that you have one, too.
EVERY DAY LIKE THE ONE BEFORE
Hike far enough — or long enough that the sun does go down — and signs of life come into view. The glow of fires and lights, the smooth curve of a stone wall. A town sits at the edge of this wood, a reward to the survivors.The fifty-foot wall of beige stone protecting the town's perimeter has only a single entrance — an iron gate positioned on the southern edge. When you arrive, the gate is already open, welcoming people into town from the winding dirt road. Attentive eyes may note that the road itself bears the mark of many wagon wheels and horse hoofs, but not cars.
guards
The guards grant entry to anyone who attempts a conversation with them. However, if your character is more likely to attempt to sneak in, overcome the guards, or attack them, please reach out HERE.
Inside the wall lies a quaint, historic town with a population around five thousand. The streets are cobbled, and their signs are lit by gas lamp. Wooden shutters protect otherwise open-air windows on the buildings, which are all under three stories with gabled roofs. A number of businesses hug the main street — a clockmaker, a cobbler, a bank — while residential homes sprawl outwards towards the wall. At the far end of the main street, visible about a mile to the north now that the trees and the enormous wall is out of the way, sits a castle with three towers.
No matter what time you pass through the gate, the streets are full of people. The climate of the bustle befits a night market or a busy friday downtown — plenty of people to ogle at your exposed body. But despite any efforts on your part to hide or make excuses, the locals don't seem offended by your nakedness. Even families with children don't gawk or look twice. In fact, the further into town you go, the more you may notice that they all wear revealing clothing that, to your sensibilities, may seem sexually suggestive. Some individuals openly expose their breasts and nipples, while some others may incidentally reveal when they turn around to tend to their errands that their dress is backless — entirely! If anything, they seem to be under the impression that you're naked to participate in the evening's events with the rest of them.
Those still determined to find proper clothing will find that modern clothing stores aren't a thing here. The closest this town has is a tailor's shop, which is closed for religious observance, and a stand in the central marketplace selling scarves and blankets.
Fortunately, the people of the town are very generous! The locals will gladly share what they have with those who ask politely — but those items are as revealing as what they're wearing. You might get a mesh bodysuit or drape outfit. Remember not to be ungracious! it's only appropriate for the occasion.
steal clothing
Anyone unwilling to ask nicely for help could break into someone's house or yard to steal some of their clean laundry. Notably, inside their homes, the people of the town also appear to own some more modest apparel. Be sure to alert us HERE if your character pursues this option.
And what is the occasion? The locals are excited and flattered by any interest in their ordinary weekly prayer: the folks dancing and selling their wares are all offering their energies to give thanks and ask for their god's patronage! The abstractions are all familiar — fertility, harvest, peace. Smalltalk makes them eager to chat and draw you into those festivities — including some ceremonial wax-dripping on the exposed parts of your body!
Anyone who chats at length with the townspeople will gather that the locals feel it's better for the newcomers to dive into the deep-end because, since you'll be settling in here, they expect you'll want to participate down the line. They seem to be under the impression that the new arrivals are a boon from their god.
In addition, many of the locals' choice of clothes reveal the same four types of marks on their bodies as the folx who were wandering out in the wood!
ROOM AND BOARD
Once you're tired out, the locals will help you find a place to stay. The boarding house is several stories tall and spacious, accessible through an embellished iron garden gate and obscured by hanging plants, trees, and vines. 
Beyond the overgrown yard is a bright red door, which opens into a spacious cottage.
The house has clearly been empty for some time — dust has gathered on various furnishings — bedding, sofas, curtains, wooden tables. According to the locals, it has remained empty since its last occupant passed away, and that's all they'll say about that!
Each floor of the house has a shared sitting room, but only the first floor has a kitchen — large enough to support feeding the entire household. Here, a few of the townspeople will help out — they stock the kitchen and help make dinner for the new arrivals.
Get a good night's rest. By the light of day, locals will help get the new arrivals set up on the coal stove with breakfast. You may notice they're dressed in a way you would almost call normal — at least, in a manner befitting 19th century Eastern Europe. As you find your way around town to get your bearings, folks are eager to help you find a place to apply your skills so you can contribute to your new home.
Beyond the overgrown yard is a bright red door, which opens into a spacious cottage. The house has clearly been empty for some time — dust has gathered on various furnishings — bedding, sofas, curtains, wooden tables. According to the locals, it has remained empty since its last occupant passed away, and that's all they'll say about that!
Each floor of the house has a shared sitting room, but only the first floor has a kitchen — large enough to support feeding the entire household. Here, a few of the townspeople will help out — they stock the kitchen and help make dinner for the new arrivals.
finding roommates
Don't spend too much time in the dining room going for seconds, though. You'll want to claim a bedroom quickly because each one only has two full-size beds, and there aren't enough spaces for everyone. The last people upstairs will need to double up to squeeze in. Roommates will not be mod-assigned; players should coordinate directly with one another to determine their living arrangements.
Get a good night's rest. By the light of day, locals will help get the new arrivals set up on the coal stove with breakfast. You may notice they're dressed in a way you would almost call normal — at least, in a manner befitting 19th century Eastern Europe. As you find your way around town to get your bearings, folks are eager to help you find a place to apply your skills so you can contribute to your new home.
advice
Tripping doesn't sound so bad.
[ It sounds kind of appealing, actually. Get high, lose himself a little bit. Maybe come back to something that actually makes sense, if he's lucky. The second part, though...Jesse drops his hand reluctantly, leaving the bright red berries where they are. His stomach grumbles in protest, and he swallows hard, mouth still watering at the sight. ]
There aren't, like, any that get you fucked up without the shitting yourself part, are they? Shrooms or something?
[ Mushrooms grow in forests, right? And maybe this guy would know, if he knows about the shit-yourself berries. He glances over at his reluctant savior, only to immediately, reflexively look away again. They've all gotten as used to walking around naked together as they can, but that doesn't mean Jesse's going to actually deliberately look at anybody for longer than he needs to. ]
Or just, like...the normal kind? The food kind?
[ Because fuck, he's hungry. Still practically starving, and if the guy looks at Jesse at all the first thing he'll probably notice is his too-skinny frame, skin stretched tight over his bones. ]
no subject
You sure we ain't already? Fucked up or trippin'?
[ But he could actually hear the other guy's stomach rumble and Daryl bites back on saying more or complaining himself. He's learned to control his hunger, he's had to, this day isn't all that different from times he's gone through before, but they're in the middle of nowhere and Daryl doesn't have a single piece of gear with him. They'll all have to eat something soon or the next day of hiking and wandering is going to be even harder.
For a minute he doesn't say anything, then he just grunts: ]
I'll find somethin'.
[ Which really means 'I'll find you something' because Daryl's never been able to say no to someone who needs something he can provide. Something he's good at providing. Talking has been made exponentially more difficult by being naked around other people but this guy, at least, seems to be keeping his eyes to himself. But Daryl's own paranoid, surreptitious glances have been enough to confirm that from the looks of it, this guy deserves to be hungry. The more he sneaks glances, Daryl isn't sure how he's still hiking. ]
Forest's gotta give us somethin' eventually, right? [ A stream, a trail, anything. Anything Daryl can use to start figuring out where the hell they are. ]
no subject
When Daryl says I'll find somethin', though, he looks up, startled out of his conscious avoidance of looking at anyone else at all. And he gets an eyeful for his troubles. The guy sure looks like he knows how to find stuff in the woods, if anybody does. He's older, but still clearly tough, with defined muscles underneath skin that's even more scarred than Jesse's own. ]
You don't...it's okay. You don't have to look.
[ Stumbling onto berries is one thing, but the idea of someone going out of his way for Jesse, to find food for him...He can't afford to depend on someone that way. To owe him like that. He bites his lip, looking the other way. There's nothing to see but trees. ]
Maybe the forest isn't real either.
[ Maybe they'll just keep walking forever. ]
no subject
I ain't lookin' just for you.
[ He sounds too gruff again but he can't help it. Still, he's thinking practically now and that helps him settle a bit. Tasks to do, food that needs finding. That's a problem Daryl can solve, at least. Even if it takes a while. The no clothes situation, on the other hand, just has to be endured for now. ]
Feels real enough. You ever dream this real?
[ Daryl's dreams have never been vivid and he isn't prone to remembering them. They'd only ever been enough to keep him awake right after Rick had first disappeared. This doesn't feel anything like those nightmares. ]
no subject
Sorry.
[ He mutters it reflexively, just in case. The stranger doesn't seem actually mad, though. There's no threat of punishment or hint of a grudge, just another question. He frowns, giving it serious thought before he answers. It's kind of good to have something else to focus on, distracting him from everything else. Kind of good just to have a conversation about nothing much at all, for as long as it lasts. ]
Uh...I dunno. Maybe? But I never know I'm dreaming while I'm dreaming, so...
[ So what's that mean? That this is real? Or that it's a dream so bizarre even Jesse's unconscious mind refuses to accept it? ]
no subject
It's more than just the hungry way the other guy's skin is stretched over his bones. The tattoos are familiar, something he might have seen on anyone like himself who ran in his circles over a decade ago before the end of the world, but he hasn't seen maybe people with them here so far. But it's the scars on his back when Jesse turns around that make Daryl's insides ice up. Their path through the low fern-looking plants is even under the fronds but Daryl still misses a step and has to consciously pay more attention to his feet for a few moments.
He stops looking after that. When he speaks next he doesn't sound as rough as he did before. ]
It's not a dream.
[ Daryl is too practical to believe anything else. That's a settled matter to him. He doesn't think any dream of his would invent the situations or the people it has so far today. ]
So who are you? [ But it doesn't sound like a demand. He sounds almost a little afraid to find out more about just how crazy his day really is. ]
no subject
But he can't think of anything to do but go with it. Keep walking, hope they find...something, anything. Keep talking to this guy, if only to keep his mind occupied. He slides his gaze over, still not looking long enough to catch more than a glimpse of the other man. It has to...it can't be a trap, right? He doesn't look familiar, and that Southern accent doesn't sound familiar either. If this was one of Jack's guys, or Fring's, or even a cop, he wouldn't have to ask Jesse who he was. He'd already know. And he'd probably have let Jesse eat those berries just to laugh at him. ]
Jesse.
[ It comes out almost shyly, all the same. At least he's too smart to offer up his last name. ]
Who're you?
no subject
[ The guy's name alone was less than what Daryl was gunning for but he answers in kind anyway. At least that's out of the way, though it's the answer that tells Daryl the least. He keeps looking around them as they hike, keeping track of the sun, which has recently dipped more than he's comfortable with. They're still heading in the same directly but that's all Daryl can say for sure. ]
Jesse from where?
[ Maybe if he can get that sort of important information out of this guy then he can start to figure out where the hell they are. West Virginia, maybe? Farther east? The terrain isn't anything like what he was expecting but Daryl can't seem to remember how many days he'd been on the road before he'd just woken up... here. ]
My people're from a place called the Commonwealth.
[ At least they are now. He might as well start the sharing, right? ]
no subject
But right now, he doesn't want to think about where he came from. Much as he's not loving wandering through a strange, unknown forest, with no idea where on earth he is or how he'd gotten here, he doesn't really want to be in Albuquerque ever again. There's nothing left for him there, anyway. ]
Nowhere.
[ He says it softly, hoping the guy won't press. He'll tell the truth of he does, but it's just not something he wants to get into right now.
Anyway, the other guy's answer is more interesting. ]
The Commonwealth? Sounds like some sorta...hippie shit.
[ Not that this guy's giving off hippie vibes at all. ]
no subject
Daryl has no one to protect from this guy. He doesn't need to know. So he just leaves it.
But again, Jesse gets him to snort. It's not quite a laugh. But it's something. ]
Couldn't be more wrong. At least, it definitely wasn't started by hippies.
[ It had been started by privileged politicians with the money to protect themselves. But his family had turned it into something else. Something worth protecting. ]
Hang on... Down here, in this depression. There's somethin'.
[ The game trail proves it. Daryl has an awkward moment where he has to climb down naked into a thorn-filled cut in the rock on one side of the ridge they've been following. Then he pulls back some covering brush, ignoring the thorns once again, and nods towards the low clusters of what look like blueberries. ]
no subject
He looks down where Daryl gestures, but if there's anything there, Jesse sure can't see it. But this guy had known about the berries, or at least claimed to. He'd said he'd find something else, and he'd sounded sure of it. So Jesse doesn't question him, or think twice about climbing down after him, as gingerly as can be. It's weird how you never appreciate pants until they're gone.
He makes it, though, with minimal scratches, and looks where Daryl's pointing. It takes him a second to register what he's seeing, and then he glances at Daryl, blue eyes wide and hopeful. ]
Are those...?
no subject
Pick one, I can't reach. Lemme try.
[ He waits, staring off at nothing in the dense thicket of trees while Jesse bends down to do as he's been told (something he's been quick to do today, Daryl hasn't failed to notice), and then when he's out of the way, Daryl lets the branch fall and holds his hand out. They look like blueberries but Daryl is still careful as he breaks it between his front teeth to test it anyway.
His expression finally cracks into a satisfied half-smirk and he nods, relieved he doesn't have to spit out the first hint of food he's had all day. He'd just break back or cut the branches if he had his gear but instead, they'll have to be slower and more careful about this harvest. ]
Yeah. They taste right, anyway. You go ahead first, I'll hold this.
no subject
And then he confirms it and Jesse's expression breaks into a grin, his first real smile since he'd driven away from Jack's compound, laughing wildly through his tears. ]
Yeah. Yeah.
[ He barely needs the encouragement to follow Daryl's instructions again, crawling through the brambles to the bush to collect as many berries as he can hold. It gives Daryl a front-row view of his bare ass, not to mention the scars littering his back, but Jesse's barely aware of the fact. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters.
He has the patience to pick off individual blueberries and collect them in his hand for about two seconds before he gives up and just starts cramming them into his mouth. It's uncivilized, almost animal, but he doesn't care about that any more than he does about the show he's giving Daryl.
There's plenty of them, more than enough for them both, and Jesse eats until he feels like he's about to pop himself, purple juice dripping down from the sides of his mouth. They're ripe, tart with just a hint of sweetness, and he's here on the ground under the open sky, no metal chaining him to the wall, no one with a gun on him or laughing as they force him to run back and forth until he can't anymore or turn a firehose on him, and he doesn't know when he starts crying. He just knows when he's doing it hard enough he can't eat any more, sobbing so hard he's almost wailing, his body shuddering so hard it hurts. ]
sadsack pinkman
But then he starts to hear thick, choking moans in place of the rustling of branches and Daryl can't help but look down, even though for a terribly long moment he doesn't react to what he's seeing. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know this crying man, he doesn't know what's causing these tears but the sound is something he can't have. That urgency is cutting through his hesitance and Daryl moves around the branch, letting it press into his back as he crouches beside Jesse so the other man isn't hit. Thorns dig into his back but he ignores those too, takes in the sobbing mess in front of him.
But doesn't know this man, but... he does. Somehow, he does. The scars, the hunger. The way he'd squinted at the sun all day. The state of him. ]
Shit. It's-- it's okay...? Hey. Stop.
[ He sounds a little more firm than comforting but the hands that finally close over Jesse's shoulders from behind squeeze him tight. He doesn't let go. For some reason, he's remembering the way Jesus had looked at him over the corpse of Fat Joey. ]
Fuck, man. What's goin' on with you? Hm?
[ He doesn't sound impatient. Just sorry for him. ]
pathetic
But he does feel the hands that settle on his shoulders and then squeeze, just holding him. Not demanding anything, not pushing or pulling him anywhere. Just that touch, skin on skin, firm and grounding.
He doesn't think. Just collapses, the way he'd collapsed into Mr. White's arms after Jane. After what Mr. White had let happen to Jane. Jesse sobs harder, turning enough to curl in against Daryl, to wrap his arms around him and hold on tight, crying into his chest. ]
I can't. I c-can't.
no subject
He isn't lacking in emotional intelligence. The opposite is true, in fact, he sees the world far more deeply than most people expect. But what Daryl does struggle with is feeling things freely. Letting things out, especially with anyone but his closest family. Vulnerability makes him feel so weak, so exposed. The fact that Jesse was falling apart had been painful enough for Daryl to watch because he knows how horrible the guy must feel to dissolve like this.
But being reached for? Being asked to hold him? It's too much. Daryl means to only give him a second, okay two seconds, of comfort before he pushes him away. His arms are stiff as he tries to support Jesse's back, his shoulders as rigid and tense as they've ever been, but he lets the guy collapse against his chest and he doesn't move. He squeezes Jesse's arm because he's already there and he's shaking and then it's been a minute. Then it's been two. ]
Yes, y'can. Shh. Shh.
[ At least his own body is muffling the sound now, as self-conscious and uncomfortable as that makes Daryl. ]
There ain't no one here. No one's gonna... [ Going to what? ] You're safe. You're safe, okay?
no subject
But Daryl's arms are around him, strong and reassuring. Holding him in, boxing the rest of the world out. He takes in a shuddering breath, blinking away tears, soaking Daryl's chest. ]
They're dead.
[ He's saying it to himself more than to Daryl, as if saying it out loud will make it more true. He'd seen Jack and Todd and all the rest die. Seen the light fade from their eyes. It had been terrible, horrifying, but sickeningly euphoric at the same time. They're dead now. They can't hurt him anymore. ]
They're dead. He killed them.
no subject
But Daryl is making an educated guess that none of these things are what Jesse is afraid of. ]
Who's dead?
[ There's no telling how any of them have come to be here and maybe if this guy has reason to be afraid of someone then Daryl should pay close attention. ]
Who killed who? Someone we gotta be worried about?
[ It takes nothing for Daryl to lump himself into the problem. He's still holding the guy while he cries, after all, even though now the additional tension in Daryl's grip is because he needs answers out of him. Just what the hell is going on? Could someone be after this guy? ]
no subject
Mr...Mr. White.
He killed them.
[ As for whether they have to be worried...he has no idea. Mr. White's the one who'd turned him over to Todd in the first place, after all. He'd been willing to watch Jesse die. But he'd also saved him, in the end. There's just too much there. Too much history. It's impossible to predict.
The we passes unquestioned, the same way Jesse doesn't question the fact that he's still clinging to Daryl's naked body, that he's confiding - to some extent, at least - in a complete stranger. Daryl'd reached for him, he hadn't judged him. He'd said he was safe. It's more than anyone's offered Jesse in a long, long time. ]
I...I dunno.
I dunno if he's here.
no subject
And to say it like Jesse had? Fearfully, through tears? Getting information from this guy felt like he was trying to collect rain in cupped hands. ]
Well...
[ Daryl lets out a tense sigh and moves one hand to the back of Jesse's neck, holding him there and squeezing. It at once keeps him grounded and allows Daryl to detach from him just a little bit. At least Jesse is breathing now, he isn't sobbing anymore. ]
Well if you see him, you tell me. Yeah?
[ He shakes Jesse slightly, trying to get him to agree. ]
Hm? You gotta keep a look out.
no subject
But he can't explain all of that to Daryl. He wouldn't even know where to start. So he just nods obediently when Daryl shakes him a little, just...letting it happen. Telling him what he wants to hear. ]
Yeah.
Yeah, I'll...I'll tell you.
[ He won't, though, he thinks. All it would do is paint a target on Daryl's back too, and he doesn't deserve that. Jesse sniffs, wiping the tears off his cheek with the back of his hand. ]
Um. Sorry. [ He can't quite meet Daryl's eyes, keeping his own cast down to the ground. Which means he has to look awkwardly away, too, to keep himself from staring at other parts of Daryl he definitely doesn't wanna be staring at. ] I didn't...I haven't had much food in a while.
no subject
[ He doesn't feel great about that dull response from Jesse but it's something, at least. Daryl wants to keep him talking, keep him focusing. The guy's breathing had evened out a bit and his sobs had steadied when he had to listen and respond, but another good sign is the way he had just wiped his own eyes and Daryl doesn't rush him. Not exactly.
But his nod when Jesse apologizes is still curt and quick. They don't have to talk about anything that just happened, that's for sure. Daryl is at least very, very good at shutting the door on uncomfortable experiences. ]
Don't mention it.
[ Really, he's not going to say anything. He's going to mind his business like he almost always does. ]
You just got outta somethin'. Right?
[ He keeps his voice low because they're so close, but also because he knows he's right. The breakdown, the hunger, the state of the guy. He looks like someone who'd been working the wall for Negan. It's far from the first time that Daryl has run into someone as fucked up as Jesse.
Or so Daryl thinks. ]
no subject
[ It's still true, even though it's been years since he was Jesse's teacher, even though he's a whole lot more than that now. The guy just screams nerd no matter what. ]
He's got glasses, maybe a beard now, I...I dunno.
[ The memories are hazy, all jumbled up. But he can't lie, not when Daryl asks him directly like that. He won't drag him or anyone else into this if he doesn't have to, but it's better for him to be prepared. To at least have some idea of who to look out for.
When Daryl asks about his past, though, it's a different story. Jesse's throat closes up, his expression going blank immediately, like a switch had been flipped. He nods, the motion jerky, his eyes sliding away from Daryl again. But he can't say a word. ]
no subject
[ Like he'd ever gone that far in high school. The information is not helpful at all. 'Maybe a beard now'. At least he can look out for someone with glasses but something is already nagging at Daryl, the notion of glasses having sparked the thought - if they all seemed to be naked here, robbed of all their possessions and supplies, would someone's glasses have been taken as well?
The purpose and motives behind their abduction take over Daryl's flurry of concerns again for a few long moments until he notices how Jesse has just turned off behind the eyes as he nods at him. Yeah, that's what Daryl thought. He isn't exactly a stranger to that thousand-mile stare. ]
Y'think any of the people you know could be behind what's happenin' to us?
[ He can see he's already walking a line with the guy but Daryl has to be blunt. There has to be some answer to what's going on, doesn't there? ]
no subject
His eyes flick back to Daryl's at the question, though. That's something else that hasn't occurred to him. He'd been so glad to get out, then so freaked out about the nudity and spiders and everything else. There's been a lot going on.
But is it possible? Not Jack or his guys, obviously, not after what Mr. White had done to them. But Mr. White himself? Someone from the cartel, if there's anyone else even left? He stares for a long moment, then slowly shakes his head. ]
I don't...think so.
Why would they do that? They wouldn't do that, they'd wanna...
[ He stops, biting his lip. ]
They wouldn't just...dump us like that.
[ They wouldn't dump him. Everyone Jesse knows wants him dead or cooking for them, pretty much. Not out in the woods, out of their control. ]
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