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 Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2023 6:29 am
“Yes, please,” Casey answered for both himself and Ariel. He wasn’t sure if Ariel was so stressed that he would have agreed on his own, or if he would have tried to be polite and trust the man.
“I’m Casey… by the way. Thank you for letting us stay here. This is Ariel, and this bestest girl is Harrison,” he introduced as he reached out to rub her butt. Her tail was wagging a bit more enthusiastically now. Which was a good thing, because if Harrison couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary then--
Well, no… Harrison was a horrible guard dog and was probably reacting to his and Ariel’s emotions more than her own senses.
“But yes, please, if we could see the footage. It… I mean, I believe you. If you say it wasn’t human. But it didn’t feel like a bear. Or animal. So… yeah, is that okay, Ariel? If we can see something then we’ll know what to expect.”
Oh, was he rambling too much? Probably. But this guy didn’t seem as scary as he had before. And Harrison obviously felt comfortable around him--
Ah, no, that wasn’t a good measurement of trustworthiness, but still.
He rubbed Ariel’s back and took the water from him graciously.
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2023 5:24 pm
The corner of the man’s lip twitched into a smile when he watched Harrison wag her tail. He nodded and planted his feet on the ground so he could turn towards the computers. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Morgan.”
“Thank you,” Ariel said. His voice sounded forced and he was visibly stressed still. He wanted to believe the man, of course, but–
He’d feel better seeing it. Or, rather, not seeing it. He almost didn’t even care what it was as long as it wasn’t what he was afraid of.
His eyes were glued to the screen, like he was waiting for something horrible to jump out on it.
Morgan worked efficiently, clearly used to this system. A monitor that had been turned off when they’d been alone flickered on, and he’d pulled up the footage from the last few minutes, starting with the cameras he suspected were closest to them on their walk.
“If you want me to pause anything, I can. I’m going to fast forward it so you’re not here all day. There are better places to be than cooped up in here.”
Though, he understood if they weren’t exactly up for appreciating the forest right now.
The recording started to play, and even with it sped up as it was, nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary. There were no beasts, no monsters, no bears, no people, outside of them. No rustling bushes, no mysterious shadows–on camera, it looked like a perfectly normal day.
Morgan’s eyes narrowed in scrutiny; he leaned back in the chair as he watched, and despite the lack of any obvious threat, it didn’t seem like he was taking the situation any less seriously than when they’d first shown up.
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:41 pm
Casey held his breath, waiting for… something. He knew he felt something. He knew Ariel wasn’t just making things up. Harrison wasn’t just making things up. They all felt it… but if it was real or… maybe paranormal, he didn’t know.
“It’s not so bad here,” he offered Morgan a small smile. “But I can imagine it gets lonely. Are you usually here by yourself?”
Was he talking too much? Probably. He reached over to place his hand on Ariel’s arm, giving it a little rub to try and keep him reassured that things were okay. Even if he didn’t want to stay with him that night, that was okay. As long as he knew he didn’t have to be alone. That he wasn’t alone.
“I really thought there was something--...” he started, but then stopped and shook his head. What mattered was that there wasn’t anything there. That was good. “Thank you for showing us,” he sighed, once it got to the part where they were ushered into the cabin, but there was still nothing on the cameras.
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 7:00 pm
Morgan watched intently, but when he saw nothing on the cameras, he switched to the recording on another camera and began fastforwarding it. “Sometimes the forest is strange,” he mused, like maybe he was trying to be sympathetic.
He didn’t seem the sort to believe in anything supernatural, but then–he wasn’t exactly easy to read. Even now, he still had a mostly stoic expression, but he seemed like he had every intention of being thorough. Seeing the video they already had failed to bring them any comfort, so he was going to make sure he did his research.
Ariel didn’t speak, but he did lean heavily against Casey. His brows were knitted together and though his eyes were still on the screen they were no longer darting around as they had been before. He wasn’t trembling anymore, and his breathing had settled. He looked tired.
“It’s easy to see things when you’re alone. We’re usually spread thin out here, but I don’t mind working by myself. Every now and then I see something I can’t explain, too.” Morgan didn’t sound like he was particularly eager to entertain the thought, but it was only fair to mention it since he didn’t know what had spooked them so much.
“I’d have liked to see something on the video,” he admitted. “If only for your own peace of mind. The squirrels around here sometimes like to drop out of the trees. And it’s not so cold that there might not be snakes. But there’s nothing big out there. No one you need to worry about.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 7:26 pm
There was nothing on the video. Morgan was saying it was probably something they just couldn’t explain. And that was fine. But Ariel seemed like he had been startled beyond just a squirrel or bear.
Casey didn’t mind Ariel leaning against him, and he adjusted his arm so he could carefully wrap it around him. He rubbed his arm again, hoping to soothe him. Harrison seemed to have settled down and was patiently attempting to crawl across both of their laps for more attention. Casey gave her a few pets, but kept his focus on Ariel and the video.
He didn’t want to argue. He didn’t want to say there was definitely something there. Would it be better for Ariel if he just tried to let it go, or insist that there was something.
Obviously nothing that had been caught on camera, but still…
“Thank you,” he said instead. “It was kind of you to let us stay here, even if there wasn’t anything out there.”
But something had obviously scared Ariel… maybe he could talk to him about it more, later.
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:49 pm
Morgan was quiet for a moment longer, but the videos yielded no further information. He didn’t think there was any reason to keep looking through them, but he didn’t turn them off just yet.
“Thank you,” Ariel finally said. His voice was quiet, but he’d steeled it as much as he could. He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay here for a while longer.
Morgan switched the camera to look at the park’s current state, but aside from an old couple making their way down the path, there wasn’t anyone nearby. There was no reason to stay here any longer. The creep of shame was slowly overpowering his fear of what could have gone wrong.
“We should head out,” Ariel said quietly. His eyes had lowered and he distracted himself with Harrison, and petting her. His hand was still shaking so he balled it into a fist for a second and then resumed gently stroking her fur.
Briefly, Morgan glanced at the three of them; he looked from the corner of his eyes so he didn’t draw too much attention to them. He clicked onto another screen. “Let me walk you back to the front. Just to be safe.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 9:34 am
Casey wanted to say they would be fine. That he could protect Ariel if anything happened. Or if a bear attacked them. Or chased them a little. Harrison could -- no, Harrison would probably just run away or try to make friends with whoever was trying to chase them.
As much as he wanted to be able to protect Ariel, Casey knew he wasn’t much of a fighter. He could barely protect himself, much less anyone else.
With a little bit of shame, Casey chewed on his lip and nodded in agreement to Morgan’s offer.
“If that won’t be a problem, we’d appreciate it,” he said for the two of them. He felt overprotective of Ariel, and yet couldn’t do anything about what happened.
“Come on, we’ll be okay,” he insisted as he rubbed Ariel’s back again, and then rose to his feet. He held his hand out to his neighbor, and made sure he had a good hold on Harrison’s leash.
He felt like there was something he was missing, but he couldn’t just ask Ariel in front of a stranger. A handsome, mysterious, brave stranger who was being kind to them and obviously cared about animals and nature and -- oh right they were supposed to be leaving.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:09 pm
“It won’t be a problem,” Morgan reassured. He might have just made a soft noise of affirmation to confirm that it wasn’t an issue; he didn’t think it needed much attention for him to expand on, but the two seemed shaken so he was willing to make the extra effort for them.
Ariel was quiet for another long moment before he pressed his lips together and finally forced a nod. He still seemed wound up, like wire ready to snap, but he forced himself to reel it in. He took Casey’s hand and stood up, but the gesture was almost entirely performative. He hadn’t pulled on Casey as he rose, but he didn’t drop his hand. It was pathetic, really, and he knew it. He just didn’t want to lose the connection with him.
It was selfish to want even that, but Ariel couldn’t bring himself to move away.
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
He spoke to both of them, but his voice was so quiet that Morgan almost hadn’t even heard it. Briefly, his eyes fell to their intertwined fingers, but if he thought anything of it, he was silent. Instead, he turned and pulled open the door. He stepped out first and took one look around, unsurprised to find nothing of note, but he kept his hand high on the door to hold it open for the two of them.
“Go on ahead,” he instructed. “I’ll be right here. I’ll make sure you get out safely. If you want, I can call you a ride back into town, too.”
He sounded easy going, not quite distant and not quite disinterested, but there was something soothing about the way he spoke even when he sounded so stoic. There was a confidence in it, a stability, that made him want to believe that it was okay.
Ariel’s stomach was in knots, but he got the distinct impression that Morgan wasn’t particularly shakable. “Yes, please,” he answered, because he wasn’t sure if Casey would insist otherwise. It was worth the extra expense just to get home without having to look over their shoulder.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:32 pm
Casey didn’t mind the performance of the gesture. He also didn’t mind holding Ariel’s hand. It was a bit of a relief, really, because he’d had every intention of holding it if given the chance.
And he was grateful that Morgan didn’t seem to have a problem with them holding hands. That was a relief. He wanted to believe in the best of people, but there were a lot of people who showed that they had an ugly side to them, especially when there was something they didn’t like.
He couldn’t exactly say he didn’t expect people to react like his parents when they decided to kick him out.
But on the other hand, he was always pleasantly surprised when someone was, well… chill.
Not that he and Ariel were anything more than good friends and neighbors and sure they had dinner together most nights but that was because they lived alone. Well, not including Harrison.
Holding onto Ariel’s hand, Casey led the way out of the little cabin along with Harrison, who seemed to be in better spirits now that they were with Morgan. And maybe whatever was following them had gone.
“Do you like chocolate? Or maybe-- oh, what’s your favorite fruit?” Casey asked Morgan, and then maybe realized it was kind of out of the blue and winced. “I just mean… I want to thank you for your help. I like cooking and baking and, I don’t know, do you like cupcakes?”
Was that childish? Probably… maybe Morgan really would judge them harshly after all.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:45 pm
It wouldn’t have surprised Morgan if Casey was making conversation just to fill the space; he’d done so before, probably for Ariel’s benefit more than his own. Still, the offer caught him by surprise. He was walking just behind the two, listening to the forest around them just to make sure there was nothing abnormal hiding just out of sight.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Morgan said, but there was something in Casey’s expression that made him feel like it would have been better to just accept it. It didn’t matter if he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, he couldn't say as much when Casey looked like he was about to squirm out of his skin. It made him think of a new kid on his first day of school, trying to find a way to fit in.
Ariel wasn’t listening to their conversation; he hadn’t looked back at Morgan. He seemed like he was taking every effort to keep his eyes locked on the path ahead of him. He was carrying a lot of tension, visibly, and he had a tight grip on Casey’s hand. He was still shaken, but at least he was focused on getting to the front of the park.
Morgan really didn’t expect anything of Casey, and if nothing else, the gesture was kind enough. “I like apples, though. Have you ever had them roasted over a campfire? Better than s’mores, sometimes. If you bring me cupcakes, you’ll have to stick around so I can show you.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 6:10 pm
“Oh! Good choice.”
Especially since apples were usually pretty cheap, as far as fruit was concerned. He could probably figure out a good apple cupcake or pastry to try his hand at making.
“And uh, no, I can’t say I’ve ever been around a campfire,” he admitted with a bit of a grimace. Then again, he doubted that he looked much of anything less than a city boy. Even being in the woods now was… well… he’d really just been hoping to get Ariel some fresh air when he’d suggested going. Oh, and Harrison too. But Harrison would be happy just about anywhere.
He felt pretty guilty for Ariel being in distress, though.
Oh… oh, but he’d almost missed Morgan’s offer to show him if he stuck around. Oh… he didn’t know why his cheeks suddenly felt rather warm, or why he thought it was a good idea to laugh somewhat awkwardly to fill the silence between actually responding.
“That sounds… really nice. Um… okay yeah. That sounds like a plan.” He was going to bring apples and cupcakes anyway, so why not? He just hoped Ariel would come with him. Harrison obviously would be.
He could tell that Ariel was still pretty out of it, and he didn’t want to alarm him, but he also didn’t want him getting so lost in his thoughts that he started to panic. So Casey swung their hands as they walked. Not much, but just enough that he hoped to distract him.
“See? We’re not too far from the parking lot,” he said to Ariel, nodding up ahead where there was an obvious clearing in the trees. “Almost there then I’ll make sure you get safely into your place,” he promised. He didn’t want to push his offer from before. If Ariel wanted time alone, then he would respect that.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 6:34 pm
The corner of Morgan’s lip twitched into a smile, and for such a subtle gesture it still softened his whole face. He let the two in front of them have their moment, and when Casey spoke to Ariel, he pulled out his phone. Morgan was acutely aware of the space around them, but the trees were thinning a bit and it was brighter now. If there was anything that was going to attack them, it wasn’t going to be here.
He’d promised them a car to take them home, and he didn’t want them to have to wait forever out here. It helped that he had a cheat; Destiny City had too many strange things happening for there not to be someone nearby to help out in emergencies. Morgan probably could have driven them himself, but he still had a bit of work to do here. He texted an associate down the road to come by. Usually his presence was reserved for emergencies or accidents–driving family to the hospital, going to pick up gas for cars that had run out, driving home teenagers that weren’t annoying enough to go home in a cop car–whatever, nothing impressive. He received a response roughly fifteen seconds later and had an ETA of three minutes, so he pocketed his phone.
Casey was swinging Ariel’s hand now, and it seemed to have jolted Ariel out of whatever labyrinth he’d lost himself in.
Ariel didn’t quite jump, but there was something animated about the way his head snapped to Casey. He’d known he was there, he was holding his hand. He’d just–
He forced a smile. “Oh, right. Thank you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to–I was having fun. With you. And Harrison. I just want you to know that.”
Or, maybe that was too much. Maybe he should have kept his mouth closed. He didn’t want to hurt Casey. He was already thinking about moving again. None of this was fair to him.
He deserved better than this.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 7:03 pm
I just want you to know that.
Casey didn’t know why those words had his breath caught in his throat, but… something about the way Ariel said them, something about his tone and mannerisms… it was almost as if he was saying goodbye.
But… that was silly. They still had to get home. And it wasn’t as though they weren’t right next door to each other.
“Of course I know that,” he smiled as well, but it was sincere if not a little sad. “You’ll have to come back with me when I bring Morgan his thank you cupcakes. I want to try some roasted apples with you,” he grinned, giving Ariel’s hand a little squeeze and for the moment deciding that he was making things up in his head.
“And Morgan is going to tell us all about his time in the woods, yeah?” he asked over his shoulder, ignoring the way his cheeks were still a bit warm, especially now that Morgan seemed so much softer with the little smile on his lips.
Harrison was being a good girl, of course. She only stopped to sniff at a tree twice, and once to try and dig through the leaves to see what presents other animals had left.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 7:20 pm
“Oh?” Morgan asked. “I suppose I’ve got a few stories, if you want to hear them.” Not ghost stories, he supposed, but he had plenty of other ones. They both seemed like they were fresh out of the city, and after today he wasn’t sure he’d be able to convince either of them to come back and give the forest another chance, but if they were willing to make the trip, of course he’d put forth the effort to keep them coming back.
Ariel had no words, at first. Everything on the tip of his tongue felt like a lie. Would he come back? There wasn’t anything inherently bad about this place. Morgan had proved that there wasn’t anyone after them. Anything after them. Just a bad wind, maybe.
He didn’t think it was his imagination, not with how Casey and Harrison had been acting.
Not knowing what it was brought him no comfort, though. His imagination was running wild, and just when he thought he’d settled on the worst thought possible, another one came crashing down to replace it.
He flashed a quick smile, and thought he should say something but–
He couldn’t. The smile wasn't even convincing, and the words died in his throat. He just wanted to go home.
He didn’t want to make a promise he couldn’t keep.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 7:27 pm
It wasn’t lost on Casey that Ariel hadn’t said anything. And the smile he showed them wasn’t really, well…
No, it was fine. He was just tired. They’d had a frightening experience. It would be fine once they had a chance to rest.
And yet, Casey couldn’t stop his heart from racing. There was a feeling of panic in his chest that he did his best to tamp down. He wouldn’t cause problems for either Ariel or Morgan. He didn’t want to be that kind of person if he could help it.
“Oh, yeah, we’d love to hear them,” Casey grinned, determined to set in stone that they would both be back. They would be together. They were friends, after all. Ariel would let him know if something was really wrong, right? Ah, well, he hadn’t really had the chance to talk with Morgan there. But that was okay. They’d have the chance soon.
“So you should definitely think of some good ones for when we’re roasting apples and eating cupcakes. Oh… is that car for us?” he asked in surprise as they neared the edge of the parking lot and there was someone already driving up towards them. “That was fast. Okay, we’re gonna go home and I can make you some tea, does that sound okay?”
He was doing too much. He was forcing Ariel to do things he wouldn’t want to. And yet, he was desperate to keep him, even without any proof that something was really wrong.
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