2019.01.18 - Waking Up at Rowanwood: Jason and Jacob

*Jason Christopher and Jacob Black mysteriously wake up in Rowanwood with no memory of how they got there, and something seems wrong. They seek answers...*

January 1, Year Unknown; Morning

Rowanwood

Waking up beside Jason has become a normal part of Jacob's routine, so when the first of the new year dawns, and that's the case, he smiles and snuggles in closer, murmuring sleepily, "Hey, happy new year." But it only takes a second or two before the scents hit. This is, as the song says, not their beautiful house. At least the "beautiful wife" part didn't happen, or there would probably be violence at finding a stranger in bed. Instead, Jacob sits up quickly and looks around, blinking in confusion. "Uh, Jaaaaason? Did you knock me out and carry me to a fancy bed and breakfast or something without telling me? 'Cause, uh, it's really sweet and all, but you could've just asked." A beat, and he's climbing out of bed. "Where the hell are we!?"

Jason Christopher had been up late the night before, it was New Years after all, and a club was always popular on New Years. Even a club out in the middle of nowhere like K9s. So Jason Christopher of the House of Lupus was very much prepared to spend the early part of the day in bed with Jacob. Then the latter half of the day in bed with Jacob. Followed by a light dinner and an early evening in bed. With Jacob. The semi-retired life suited him well.

But as Jacob said his name he sat bolt upright in bed. His eyes moving side to side. The scents, the room decor, all of it. He knew where he was, even though something about it felt like a dream. Knowing where he was, he also had a good idea how they came to be there. "No. Magic, I think we were brought here by magic. If so I know the how, now I need to know why."

Jacob relaxes a little when Jason seems more certain of things. "Magic," he repeats, then snorts a soft laugh. "Okay, so, good magic, or bad magic?" He looks around the room a little, peeking into the wardrobe, and finds clothes, which he starts to pull on. "I need to know whether I should be ready to say 'thank you' or bite somebody." His good humor is quickly returning, perhaps in part because it seems like what will be better for Jason, but mostly he's just finding his feet. And confronting the unknown seemed like a thing he should do while wearing pants. He does glance curiously at the tea table, though, which is offering up some enticing smells. But can they safely eat the food?

Jason Christopher stands up but doesn't head immediately for the food, or the wardrobe. He instead moves directly to the window, standing at the edge of it and glancing outside. Making sure the curtains do not so much as move. "The food, everything will be safe Jacob." Yet his voice betrays the concept that he doesn't feel any of this is safe. "But something is very wrong. Do you feel it? Like, like waking up from a dream." Into a nightmare, but he doesn't quite say that out loud. "It feels like, remembering everything, after..." He lets the rest go unsaid, as Jacob likely knows very well what he means anyway. The damn mirror.

"Everything feels off," Jacob agrees. "So everything's safe, except it's not," he observes. "You know this place?" He frowns at the memory of the mirror, really not liking the cloudy way he feels. His mind and senses are alert, but he feels, like he said, off. Once he's dressed, he does inspect the food, observing, "Huh. Waffles. Isn't this what you made the first morning after we...?" His brow furrows a little. "That seems like a weird thing to pop into my head." He grunt softly in frustration. "Not liking the weird," he mutters. Then, adjusting, he just asks, "So. Plan?"

Jason Christopher lingers at the window a moment, and when he looks back his expression is dark. Dark in a way Jacob has not seen in some time. Not since they met, in his unguarded moments. He sighs and cracks his neck as he approaches the wardrobe. "Ahh fuck it. Retirement is over rated anyway." He opens the warbrobe and takes out black clothing, and nods approvingly. "Waffles, well never let it be said Nessa Du Valle doesn't have a sense of humor." He shakes his head, as if just saying the name clears away some of the fog he is feeling. Jason looks at Jacob then, in a decisive way. "Plan. If you look out that window you are going to understand. I need to go out there and see whats going on. Nothing will see me. Nothing will find me. I need you to search here. To find out what you can. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong. We need more information before we can plan. So step one, is get that information."

Jacob looks out the window, frowning, and says, "I guess you see more than I do. Looks like... a big place, maybe a farm? Lots of trees. We could almost be at home. Just, none of it feels right." He shakes his head, then shrugs and grabs a waffle, since he doesn't especially feel like facing certain doom on an empty stomach, and just eats it by hand without any messy toppings. Between bites, he says, "Okay, so we check out the place, figure out how to get more information. Sounds good. Should I open the door?"

Jason Christopher gets dressed, pulling the black clothing on with quick, efficient motions. Then he grabs a waffle and eats it, predictably wolfing it down. "We are someplace safe, but there is something else. Call it, intuition, experience. Something feels off though and in my experience." He stops and then quite suddenly moves in close and kisses Jacob deeply. "Yes. Now you can open the door."

Jacob returns the kiss, relaxing a bit more just from that reassurance, and hugs Jason hard, returning the kiss with warm affection. "Right," he says when they part, managing a bright grin. "So, here we go." He opens the door, and there's of course just a hallways outside, though he thinks he hears distant voices. "Don't think we're alone, here," he murmurs, and slips out into the hallway, looking carefully around...

### Rowanwood - Kitchen

*The kitchen is spacious but still manages to feel cozy, its walls made from plain white stone bricks meeting the heavy oaken crossbeams of the ceiling overhead. The borders of the room and the edges of the doorways and windows are framed in white wood, all intricately carved with vine patterns. A partial wall separates the kitchen itself from the hallway area, where doors open into the drawing room and dining room beyond, the entry hall, and the east wing. Large windows occupy the south wall.*

*Standing cabinets hold various utensils and serving trays, as well several sets of china, while a larder and pantry hold vast quantities of widely diverse foodstuffs. The oven and stove are free-standing, cast-iron affairs, and the place seems to lack any trace of either gas or electric power. In the very center, a large wooden table is surrounded by sturdy chairs, offering a place for informal dining, food preparation, and everything else kitchen tables do. You may lookout from here.*

The scents and sounds almost seem to lead Jason where he wants to go. Doors unlock for him, opening, and soon enough they've been led downstairs and into the house's kitchen. Jacob looks around, a bit wide-eyed, since even in his time wit Jason he's seldom seen a place like this before. "Damn, this place is huge," he mutters under his breath. Following Jason along, he blinks again at the old-fashioned kitchen. "Wow," he says, "this place is just full of surprises. And... the weirdly not horrifying kind."

Standing at the stove, waiting for a kettle to boil, is Nessa Du Valle, herself. She looks up with a tired smile, looking weary and less energetic than Jason may recall, and says, "Jason. Hello, dear. I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm afraid, as you'll have likely guessed, we're in a bit of a... well. A very bad state of affairs." She gestures to the kettle. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Jason Christopher smiles in a fond way, a manner he reserves for only a very few people. "Nessa Du Valle. It has been a long time. Or maybe it hasn't been. To be perfectly honest, I don't recall. And to be perfectly honest, that bothers me, a great deal. It is however very good to see you." He steps forward and nods to Nessa. "I'd love some. Nessa, this is Jacob Black my mate. Jacob, this is Nessa Du Valle, a dear friend and teacher of mine." He politely waits for the tea service, and then mentions after it is served. "So. Just how bad is it?"

Jacob gives Nessa a polite nod and says, "Um, nice to meet you, ma'am." He's a little rattled by the idea of meeting a *teacher* of Jason's. That, plus the mention of magic, suggests a whole bunch of things that he's not really prepared to sort out just yet, but he's definitely eager to learn what he can about the situation. So, he offers his most winning smile and tries to look less like he's absolutely out of his element. They just don't prepare you for stuff like this in werewolf school... at least, not the one he went to, so to speak.

Nessa lifts the kettle from the stove and goes through the process of making tea. She splashes the pot with water, warming and rinsing it, and then adds tea leaves and pours in the water, closing the lid and setting aside the kettle. She leaves the pot to steep a moment, then turns to face Jason, smoothing her apron and letting out a slow breath. "Quite bad. You see, the world's broken." She pauses a moment, then holds up a hand, explaining, "We're still figuring out the details. We haven't had much time. I'll have to go back and see to the injured, soon. Not everyone arrived... unscathed. And some didn't arrive at all." Then, realizing how scattered this all must sound, she explains, "Reality has... fractured in some way. We aren't sure what the origin is. But we've had to pull people here as best we could, trying to gather those who can help. Outside the Vale, I'm afraid it's... well, the words 'the apocalypse,' I'm afraid, are quite apt."

Jason Christopher takes in what Nessa is telling him, with a unwavering stoic look. When she finishes, he clasps his hands behind his back and steps a few feet away. Thinking, it would seem. "Well fu--" he pauses a moment and then starts again. "Well that sounds very bad. Nessa, we need information." He turns back towards Nessa and Jacob. "Look after things here. Lift the defenses long enough to let me out there. I'll look for any answers out there." He takes a shallow breath and looks at Jacob. "I'm the only one that really can."

Jacob just boggles, his jaw dropping, and he looks to Jason like he very much wants to argue... but he doesn't Instead he nods and says, "Okay. I don't love it, but okay. Just promise me you'll come back safe, all right?" He reaches out, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder, clearly worried but doing all he can to be supportive anyway.

Nessa, meanwhile, nods and says, "We'll explain everything more, as we're able. Unfortunately, matters are tense right now, and we've been kept very busy ensuring that everyone is as safe as possible." Looking to Jason, she says, "Make your way out the rear grounds, dear. I'll see to it that the forest guides you on a safe path out, but take care. It's a very dangerous world out there, fraught with enemies and unusual threats. I well know that you can take care of yourself, but then, if you could not, I would never let you go out there. So, even you, please do be cautious."

Jason Christopher leans in and kisses Jacob once again. "Jacob, do whatever you can to help out here, I'll be back soon." He then takes a breath and smiles softly. "Something out there may have caused the world to shatter. The universe to break. The apocalypse itself. But if whatever it is tries to stop me from coming back to you." His voice takes on a substantially darker tone. "Pity it."

Jason then smiles softly at Nessa and nods to her. "I won't stay out there for very long, and nothing will see me while I'm there." He pauses and smiles in a decidedly predatory manner. "But if by chance something does. Just try and think of it this way. I'm not out there with them, they are out there with me." Then with a last loving gaze at Jacob, he is gone.