Welcome to Tr- geez, how many times do we have to go through this? [open]

[bookofsilence]

August in Oregon was surprisingly uncomfortable. It was in the northwest, land of cool breezes and forbidding mountains, but apparently that sort of thing didn't apply here. Or maybe Truth or Consequences wasn't really in Oregon, but rather in some sort of quasi-America in another dimension where Oregon was actually located around southern

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[fathertoby]

This town was beginning to seriously disturb Toby in a way he couldn't pinpoint. It was just the little things, he supposed, like the number of stray dogs wandering around town, or the Biblical Latin he found in some of the graffiti, or the little girl using chalk to write math problems on the sidewalk that ranged from the elementary to college trig. Then there were bigger things, of course, like how no transportation system seemed to go out of town, and how no one could give him directions to the interstate, and how the first two people he'd met seemed to know more about him and why he was here than he did

[bookofsilence]

Since she'd been here, Morgan had primarily been the person reaching out to communicate with other people. For whatever reason, strangers on the street didn't seem to talk to each other much, nod and smile as they passed. It didn't bother her much, honestly, since she couldn't exactly strike up a random conversation with anyone, but it did make this suddenly spoken question stand out to her

[fathertoby]

Her expression melted from blank to what Toby guess might have been both uncertain and a little creeped out. He wasn't exactly a model-looking citizen right now, scuffed and shaggy. He was probably even scaring the young miss a little. Besides, Toby was taking her silence as to not knowing, otherwise she might have said something by now just to get rid of him. He stepped back, holding a hand up in a surrendering manner.

"Sorry, nevermind. I'll ask someone else."

[bookofsilence]

... oh. Whoops. She'd probably just given him the death glare or 'I'll bite you if you touch me' look, hadn't she

[bookofsilence]

Nnngh. The inevitable small talk. Also polite, but also something of a difficulty considering she couldn't engage in small talk. Much as she would like to; she would like very much to ask him why he was looking for Ashwood, where he was from, how he got in here. All far more of a mouthful than she was capable of.

Perhaps she should get a name tag, she thought as she stopped and rearranged her bags so she could wiggle her ever-present scratch pad out of her other back pocket. Something that she could wear around her neck that said 'Hello, my name is MORGAN', like those terrible welcome stickers, that she could pull out whenever someone asked her name. It would certainly save her a lot of trouble.

Which, thankfully, wasn't too much when she held the pad with her left hand, with the groceries, and wrote her name with her right, where he could see it, but this writing thing was definitely going to cause delays in any sort of swift walk home.

[fathertoby]

...Just how many random things did this girl carry in her pockets?

Toby kept his thoughts to himself however, watching and waiting for the young woman to finish before leaning over to see what she'd written.

"Morgan," he repeated. "That's a nice name." He walked several more steps before asking, "So are you on a vow of silence, perhaps? Or is it you can't talk at all?"

[bookofsilence]

A snort escaped her as she followed along, tucking everything back to where it belonged. A vow of silence? Sure, and she was a nun.

After getting her bags situated again, hanging over her wrists, Morgan lifted her hand, displaying two fingers - his second statement - and swiping a finger across her throat.

[fathertoby]

Toby correctly took that to mean she couldn't speak and not that she wanted him to die twice. People who wanted you to die twice often didn't give your directions.

"Sorry to hear that," he replied, and on an afterthought hoped she didn't think that was a bad joke. "How long? Your whole life or a certain number of years...or months...or...? You can just nod if it's your whole life, or hold up a number and I can guess."

[bookofsilence]

Morgan stopped dead in her tracks once more, which wasn't exactly a bad thing considering they'd just come to an intersection.

He knew sign? What were the odds that her luck would run this way? That not only was he (possibly) a new tenant, but he also could understand sign? Even a little? That Gray could possibly learn ASL - or her BSL - was a bright point in her very quiet future, but it wasn't immediate; it wasn't now. This was now, and the younger woman wasn't sure whether she should dance around in happiness or take a step back and wonder if there was something more devious behind this.

Even a little sign was more communication than she could get in an average day. And Morgan wasn't going to lie - five years without being able to really make her thoughts be known made her starve for even the haphazard language of American sign language. This was... either the best unbirthday present ever, or something bad was going to happen soon to make her luck even worse.

It was probably rude of her to stare at him the whole time they

[fathertoby]

It was possible he worried her when he didn't respond right away. In fact, his face looked pretty blank and uncomprehending as he watched her face and hand as they walked.

"...A-S-L? A-S-L... Oh! ASL, the American...Sign-Language...thing, yes. Sorry, I thought you were still in the middle of spelling something else. Uh, yes." Toby then signed as he spoke, to help prove he wasn't as incompetent as he'd just made himself look. "I know Sign. Uh, but...small talk mostly. Sorry."

Hmm, he hadn't paid much attention to his expressions as he said that. At least she could hear the tone of his voice to help.

[bookofsilence]

Expressions weren't necessary; she wasn't deaf, after all. He didn't need to sign at all to communicate with her. But that he could understand her, that she wouldn't have to depend on exaggerated facial expressions and a bizarre kind of charades she'd determined were easily understandable, along with hasty scribbles on a scratchpad, was...

... the best damn news she'd gotten since being told there was no way out of Truth or Consequences.

It didn't matter how little he knew, or whether or not he had just embarrassed himself just then. Morgan broke into a rare grin, clearly pleased with this turn of events. Even if he could only read fingerspelling - which was the best she could do with the bags limiting her arms - that opened a world of conversation she couldn't have before.

He did look embarrassed there, though. She flashed the okay sign at him - forefinger and thumb in a circle, the other three fingers spread out - and mouthed 'okay' at him with a reassuring smile.

[fathertoby]

"Ah. Good," he said aloud, relieved by her approval. It was hard to feel confident trying out a language that wasn't your first sometimes, but you could never get better shying away from it. The best tactic was to just dive right in.

Toby looked at the bag weighing down the hand she'd been fingerspelling with. It may not have been any use offering a second time, but... "I really can hold your bags for you if you like. It should make talking easier for you at least."

lol, Book >_>

[bookofsilence]

Her amusement was mixed with disbelief, so his continued assurances that his words were true only amused her more. No doubt he could come up with a good range of sermons; anyone with a bit of background in religion could do so, even herself. ... well, if she could talk, that is.

But the last thing Morgan was interested in was a sermon to prove he was a priest. Especially not if it came with a collection plate (another amusing statement that didn't surprise her). Honestly, while she could accept the likelihood of a bum bumping into her on the street who was potentially a new tenant of Ashwood and understood sign, she couldn't accept the likelihood of a bum bumping into her on the street who was potentially a new tenant of Ashwood and understood sign and was a priest. That was just bizarre.

So she just flapped a hand at him placatingly. Sure, sure. Whatever he said.

Hwy, I deliberately side-stepped the "hellfire and brimstone" remark. ...Just probably not by a lot

[fathertoby]

Toby just gave a defeated little exhale, letting the issue go. It wasn't really important or not if she believed him, he'd only mentioned it because it sometimes helped him gain the trust of others. He was holding half of her groceries however so he supposed that was trust enough for now.

"So how long have you lived here, Morgan?"

[bookofsilence]

two weeks, she replied in sign, flashing two fingers and fingerspelling the rest. Give or take a little, anyway. It had been the wee early hours of the morning on the first of August that she'd ended up in town, unknowing that she wouldn't be able to drive back out again. And now, twelve days later, she was still stuck in town with no obvious way out, trucking home with a few bags of groceries and settling in all domestic like.

Tch.

[fathertoby]

"Not that long then," he said, thinking aloud. Although he gave some silent review briefly to what he asked next.

"So what prompted you to move here?"

'Those creepy cookie-cutter houses I passed earlier that apparently come with free tricycles?'

[bookofsilence]

That would require a real map, that included all the crazy twists and turns that somehow made you end right back where you started. A real guide to the Twilight Zone, which any true watcher would understand that there is none.

But Morgan didn't like that train of thought, of course. She'd find a way out, no doubt about it. It might take her a while, but she'd find it. She was nothing if not stubborn; it was the only way she could get by anymore. She wasn't going to explaint that to him, though. So she just shook her head in response.

[fathertoby]

Well that figured. But instead of looking frustrated about it, Toby just nodded again. "Me neither. And so far it seems no one in this entire city can help me with that yet."

[bookofsilence]

Clearly because everyone in the city was crazy. Living here, completely isolated, unable to take the interstate up to Portland for a weekend trip to the Big City, unable to go to the beach for a little summer vacation, and none of them seemed to mind. And how could that be? Morgan could only assume there was some kind of brain-washing going on here. Maybe it was in the water. ... maybe she should start drinking soda instead of tap.

There was no true explanation for the matter, though. Instead, there was only supposition - which could be strongly suggested by the well-known finger-twirl around the ear. crazy, the gesture said, and the expression that went with.

But the thought couldn't be considered for long. They rounded a corner on the sidewalk, and up ahead loomed the impressive gothic walls of Ashwood. It was still pretty, she had to admit, even two weeks later when she was slowly starting to consider it a prison... but even prisons had a right to look good, she supposed.

[fathertoby]

...He was pretty sure she meant the town was crazy and not him. Though having a homeless stranger come up to you claiming to be a former priest who can't find a way to leave the city does kinda fit under the "crazy" type. At least she wasn't running yet, that had to be a good sign. And she'd let him hold some of her groceries!

Before he could think much on the matter however, he noticed they were walking up toward a rather beautiful building. Almost castle-like in some of its architecture. Toby let out a low, impressed whistle.

"Is that Ashwood Heights?" he asked.