Life is Strange - One Shots

Grahamscott: Welcome to Arcadia Bay

Okay so I may have just pulled and adapted this from my book of phan one shots, but I don't care because this pairing and AU is a match made in heaven! It is based of the first episode of the podcast Welcome To Night Vale. If the media doesn't work, I will link it here: https://youtu.be/Ujksjzqrhys

"A new man came into town today." The man on the radio, Nathan, announced, his charming voice echoing through speakers around Night Vale.

Warren listened in, knowing that Nathan was talking about him. He was curious to find out what this mysterious voice thought of him, and what the rest of this strange town would think of him.

"Who is he? What does he want from us? Why his perfect and beautiful haircut? Why his perfect and beautiful coat?" Nathan speculated, unashamed of admitting that the man had beautiful hair.

Warren heard that and blushed. He didn't think of his hair as perfect or beautiful, and his coat was just a standard lab coat. Warren believed he was nothing special at all.

"He says he is a scientist." Nathan carried on. Warren was confused, since he was a scientist. "Well, we have all been scientists at one point or another in our lives. But why now? Why here? And just what does he plan to do with all those breakers and humming electrical instruments in that lab he is renting - the one next to Big Ricco's Pizza. No one does a slice like Big Ricco. No one."

Warren hesitated slightly at the last sentence - Nathan made pizza sound so sinister - but he shrugged it off. He was here to do science, after all. Why would he get scared over a simple two word sentence? Perhaps he would call a town meeting. He didn't want people to think he was here for a bad reason and he wanted to get to know as many people in town as possible.

Just after the meeting, Warren heard his name mentioned on the radio again.

"That new scientist, we now know is named Warren, called a town meeting." Nathan spoke, his voice somehow filled with adoration. "He has a square jaw, and teeth like a military cemetery. His hair is perfect, and we all hate and despair and love that perfect hair in equal measure."

Warren reached up and touched the mop of unruly hair on his head. Was it really that perfect? Were people really in despair over it? He did admit to spending a little more time on it this morning, but that was because he was going into new town and he wanted to look good. He couldn't turn up looking scruffy. While Warren was wondering about the level of perfection his hair carried, Nathan went on speaking.

"Old Woman Josie brought corn muffins, which were decent, but lacked salt. She said the angels had taken her salt for a godly mission, and she hadn't yet gotten around to buying more." Nathan could understand. I mean, who goes shopping every day? "Warren told us that we are, by far, the most scientifically interesting community in the US, and he had come to study just what is going around here."

Warren had said that. There were just so many odd things happening in Night Vale - none of which he had ever seen happen in any town ever before. Warren hoped to spend some time in Night Vale just to study everything.

Nathan smiled as he said "He grinned, and everything about him was perfect, and I fell in love instantly."

Warren could hear the smile through Nathan's voice and blushed aggressively. This strange man whom he had only heard of today was in love with him? The idea was perplexing yet wonderful.

Nathan pressed on, his voice taking on a slightly sadder tone. "Government agents from a vague, yet menacing agency were in the back watching. I fear for Warren. I fear for Night Vale. I fear for anyone caught between what they know and what they don't yet know that they don't know."

Warren hesitated. Nathan feared for him? Why? Was Night Vale unsafe? Warren very briefly considered leaving then, the fear of the unknown taking over for a small second. But, no. No. Warren couldn't leave. This town was simply too scientifically interesting! He needed to study everything before he left.

After Nathan had spoken about the new Night Vale Harbor and Waterfront Recreation Area, which was unusual to say the least, his attention turned back to the scientist. "Warren and his team of scientists warn that one of the houses in the new development of Desert Creek, out back of the old elementary school, doesn't actually exist. It seems like it exists, explained Warren and his perfect hair, like it's just right there when you look at it. And it's between two identical houses, so it would make more sense for it to be there than not. But, he says, they have done experiments, and the house is definitely not there. At news time, the scientists are standing in a group in front of the nonexistent house, daring each other to go knock on the door."

Warren listened in again, noting that Nathan seemed to treat Warren and his "perfect" hair as two separate sentient beings. Warren wished to study the non-existent house all day but there were other things to study. Perhaps he would have to stay in Night Vale longer than he expected. As soon as he thought he'd finished studying one thing, something else caught the attention Warren's beautiful brown eyes, and he just had to go and study this new thing.

"Warren and his scientists at the monitoring station near Route 800 say their seismic monitors have been indicating wild seismic shifts, meaning to say that the ground should be going up and down all over the place." Nathan clearly took an interest in Warren, since he had already been mentioned many times in this one broadcast. "I don't know about you folks, but the ground has been as still as the crust of a tiny globe rocketing through an endless void could be. Warren says that they've double-checked the monitors and they are in perfect working order. To put it plainly, there appears to be catastrophic earthquakes happening right here in Night Vale that absolutely no one can feel. Well, submit an insurance claim anyway, see what you can get, right?"

Warren was astounded by how nonchalantly Nathan mentioned this. Shouldn't he be more alarmed about the earthquakes? Perhaps the people in this town were as strange as the town itself.

Nathan updated Night Vale on traffic, then introduced the weather. Warren was confused as there was not actually a weather update, but a song played. Warren didn't mind though, it turned out that he really liked the song.

Once the weather had finished, Nathan resumed the broadcast, talking about how the sun didn't set at the correct time that day. He then went on to remind the town that they should be grateful for the sun, despite how hot it makes the desert climate.

Nathan talked about Warren for a final time at the end of the broadcast. "Warren, perfect and beautiful, came into our studios during the break earlier, but declined to stay for an interview. He had some sort of blinking box in his hand covered with wires and tubes. Said he was testing the place for materials. I don't know what materials he meant, but that box sure whistled and beeped a lot. When he put it close to the microphone it sounded like, well, like a bunch of baby birds had just woken up, really went crazy. Warren looked nervous. I've never seen that kind of look on someone with that strong of a jaw. He left in a hurry. Told us to evacuate the building. But then, who would be here to talk sweetly to all of you out there? Settling in to be another clear night and pretty evening here in Night Vale. I hope all of you out there have someone to sleep through it with, or, at least, good memories of when you did."

While Warren was complimented by Nathan describing him as "perfect and beautiful", he was worried about Nathan. There was a big reason for him asking Nathan to evacuate, but he chose to stay and finish his broadcast. Warren admired his devotion to his work. He knew it was going to be fun to study Night Vale.

"Goodnight, listers. Goodnight."