Field Mission 5: Il Prigioniero, Part 1

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There was a theme park in Caleb Cleveland, Kid Cop #7: The Carnival Caper. Sirs, I gotta say, I liked that one a whole lot better. NAVIGATION Click here for the RNG thread! 1. IL PRIGIONIERO: WELCOME TO CORMANTHOR A. A CRASH BETWEEN TWO FERNS Lucretia has given the orders and locale for the next Grand Relic to be reclaimed and destroyed, a task that will present itself with many new and weird dangers that the Reclaimers haven't come across before. For anyone looking to brush up on their history of Myth Drannor, the Netheril, and the forest of Cormanthor, some of you have already learned a great deal of what occurred here, in bits and pieces. Leon, the Artificer of the Bureau of Balance, had described the tale of a very unfortunate city facing a major energy crisis that was bleeding out the land. You've already met the culprit behind one of the worst decisions humanity has ever made (Spoiler: it's Karsus, a god-tier shit wizard who sacrificed himself to get some of you out of dodge back in Lyrabar), and seen the destruction, first hand, of what happened to the Netheril via the events of Vista Virs. Phew, that's a lot of lore to take in all at once. But as history would have it, there are always a few sides to every story, and the fall of the Netheril wasn't the only mass of land that had been affected deeply by its twisted magical decay. The forested region of Cormanthor, not far from the source of corruption, did as well. Cormanthor was once home to capital of High Elves. They had resided in a city deep within, warded carefully from the outside world, known as Myth Drannor. Today, it lay in shambles, lost forever and protected by the sickened forest that surrounds it. You see, over 200 years ago, a floating city of Netherese fashion had appeared over the vicinity of Vista Virs. A battle raged on between heroic paladins and the cult that had raised it into this plane of existence. The result of that war sent the planar magics that bound the raised city into turmoil. Its target? Myth Drannor. And what didn't destroy the city from impact damage left a far deeper, darker problem among the elves that lived there. A twisted sickness, a dark corruption, it seeped deeply into the hearts of all that dwelt there. Legend has it that the Tree of Life itself, Yggdrasil, is at the heart of Myth Drannor. But that's all ancient history at this point. No one's been able to make it deep enough into the woods to find out what really happened. Most often, they find the city of Shadowdale instead, and with that... Wonderland. Speaking of which, you'll be blasted down to the outskirts of the forest. The entire balance of magic in this area is highly off kilter, which isn't entirely new to some of you veteran Reclaimers. When a Grand Relic is used, it often leaves behind a very distinct path of destruction that makes even the most learned scholars scratch their head. Magical interference runs nigh high throughout all of Cormanthor, which makes this mission particularly dangerous. Bubbles are not able to penetrate the canopy of Cormanthor or land directly at Wonderland. As Lucretia had said a few months ago, these missions are going to get harder and come with higher consequences. She has faith in all of you to make better decisions. You're the most amazing and stalwart people she's ever met, after all. Blasted down to Cormanthor in parties no more than 4, you land somewhere near the outskirts of the forest. Look behind you, and you can see the yellow-hued mountains of the Netheril behind you, boasting a land of pure desert and its own uniquely cursed roster of flora and fauna. Pitter patter, Reclaimers. Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma. There it is before you, smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, "Come and find out." Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness Back to top 2. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS B. EMPTY WOODS The woods of Cormanthor were stunningly beautiful once. Before most people who walk among these trees were born, sure — but once upon a time, this was a beautiful place. A living, thriving forest, like any other great wood. When the Reclaimers enter, however, the first thing they'll notice is the silence. Unnatural, ubiquitous, and oppressive, silence is the single unifying factor throughout these woods. The trees themselves shift, first sparse pines, then white ash and beech, and finally towering oaks, maples, and hickory. The silence doesn't change. There is no noise but the wind rustling the leaves on the trees — and as you get further in, even that begins to fall away. It will become quickly apparent that there's no animal life here. This is a forest in stasis, certainly, but it's utterly devoid of birds flying overhead, four-legged creatures scurrying through the leaf debris. No deer, no wolves, no bears. No monsters. No insects, even, if you're paying attention. Those with the ability to speak with animals will notice very quickly that life simply doesn't seem to exist here. Those with the ability to speak to plants may be even more alarmed, because while the trees and other plants do respond, their replies are sluggish and distant, somewhat reminiscent of speaking to someone suffering with a severe fever, drifting in and out of consciousness. Travel through Cormanthor's forest takes a few days' time, and so much time spent in silence begins to take a toll. Never mind the fact that no matter your Boy Scout badges, you can't forage for anything useful out here: nothing from the forest that is eaten provides any sustenance. Eat a bucket full of berries, and you'll still be as hungry as if you hadn't eaten a thing. The trees press in on all sides, and you know each one is different from the last, but after a while they all start to look the same. Some will be more affected than others. Those with a madness effect (RNG'd or chosen from the list on this mission's dossier) will begin to feel it by the end of the second day. There are infinite options of how to play with this in the frozen forest, but here are a few possibilities: ○ If you have forgotten something important to you (1), it can happen quickly or slowly. Perhaps you're camping with your bubblemates, talking about someone from home. That Greg Grimaldis, was he really that bad? the Reclaimer to your right asks. Who, you ask, perplexed, brow furrowing, is Greg Grimaldis? ○ If reality is beginning to distort (2) for you, you might become abruptly certain that you're going the wrong way. Wonderland is back the way you came. Anyone trying to convince you otherwise is absolutely up to something — trying to make you look bad? Trying to hurt you? Who knows, but they're definitely up to something. ○ If you've lost valuable skills (3), they might drop out from under you at the worst possible moment. Even a forest in stasis has its hazards: pitfalls, roots that disguise holes and twist ankles, flimsy bridges that collapse and leave you hanging perilously over ravines, et cetera. Design peril to fit the skills you've lost. When you reach for your tried-and-tested knowledge, what do you know? It isn't there. You have to figure out another way out of this. ○ If you're feeling unlucky (4), guess what? The one person/thing in this whole realm that was keeping you safe isn't here right now. Everything around you is a portent of awful luck. Is that tree telling you to go die? It probably is! Paranoia creeps up on you from everywhere. Even your teammates. There's something about them that makes you certain everything's going to go to hell any minute now. C. EMPTY CITY Before you enter, you can see a town and only a town. Step across the border and you'll feel a barrier, something invisible and not quite permeable. After a pause, it seems to accept you, and your foot touches down in Shadowdale. Then you look up. You can't help but look up. Stretching so high you've got to crane your neck to see to the top is a great gold tree sprung from the center of town. You couldn't see any of it from outside of Shadowdale's borders, but the town, it seems, wants you here. It wants you to see Wonderland. This could be paradise for a while, a place to stay safe from prying eyes and protected by the vastness of the forest as the Reclaimers track down this latest relic. Except, not to put too fine a point on it, it's kind of creepy here. The whole place is empty — not everyone-got-up-and-left-in-a-rush empty, but ghost-town empty. Nobody wants to stay here, it seems. Maybe there's somewhere else they'd rather be. Regardless, it leaves you with plenty of lodgings to choose from. If you don't mind making your own fun, there's plenty to do, too: bookshops to visit, bakeries to use, butcher shops to — okay, maybe not that one. There's a courthouse, though. Who wants to play Judge Judy? Consider any shop or government building one might find in a small town to be fair game. After a few hours, though, it becomes clear that this place isn't quite empty after all. You aren't the only ones investigating. D. A FAMILIAR FACE (OR TWO) ○ The first face you see is a friendly one. Upon seeing the bracer on your wrist, Matthew Hollyweather walks right up to you, all the more readily if he remembers your face from New New Aspen. Despite the setting, he's clearly and genuinely pleased to see Reclaimers here. To those he's met before, he's eager to share all the positive change going on in New New Aspen: the newfound peace, the booming economy, pictures of one bajillion bouncing new spider-nieces-and-nephews. To those new to him, he introduces himself as Mayor Hollyweather of New New Aspen with just enough good-natured self-derision in his tone that he comes off as authoritative but kind of embarrassed about it. It becomes obvious pretty quickly that he's been here a while — a few weeks, perhaps, more than long enough to get kind of lonely. Matthew's only company so far has been that kid, who's nice enough, but only showed up a couple days ago. And why is Matthew here? Well, that's where he stops being quite so much of an open book. He's looking for something, that's what he tells you. Something he's missing . . . and that's all. If you want to know more, you're going to roll for it. Everyone can get information from Matthew, but if you were present for the New Aspen mission, you'll get +2 on any DC on top of your existing class or skill bonuses. ○ The kid Matthew is talking about makes himself known soon enough. Perhaps you catch him perusing the bookstore in his fancy-boy suit and spiffy fancy cap, nose deep in a tome his thin arms tremble to hold, clearly paying no attention to you. Or maybe he's chowing down on some truly unusual-looking fried concoction (where did he get that?) in the town square by the fountain, clearly paying no attention to you. Wherever you first see him, he is clearly paying no attention to you. Once addressed, he will brightly greet you and introduce himself as "Angus McDonald! I'm a little boy, I'm ten years old! Who are you? How did you get here? It's a really nice day, isn't it? It's nice to meet you!" Angus says a lot, actually. But other than giving off a strong vibe of needing to be noogied, nurtured, or both, he doesn't actually tell you much. Asking him anything is a good way to get the question turned right back on you. But then, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? If you can stand listening to him extoll the virtues of Caleb Cleveland, Kid Cop for a few minutes, you might level up enough to actually learn something. Of course, you can't stay in Shadowdale forever. Literally: you can't. Every Reclaimer's feet are inexorably pulled to the entrance to Wonderland after not very long at all. The golden tree at the center of town is impossible to ignore. Step into the elevator at its base, and you might very well find yourself elbow-to-elbow with Matthew or Angus, staring as the numbers tick up . . . up . . . Carrying you to Wonderland. Back to top 3. WELCOME TO WONDERLAND E. A BEARY GOOD TIME You arrive in Terminal Square, where you can sign up for a membership with Roland and find out more about this larger-than-life amusement park. The entire theme park city seems to run on a currency known as Wunderbux- directly inscribed via magic into a stone you're handed after filling out a small precursory screening by the giant anthropomorphic bear. Gifted with some starting credits and maybe a really gaudy Roland-eared hat, depending on how much of a good Wonderperson you've been so far, he explains that certain actions in the park will add credits or remove them. He advises against owing Wonderbux to Wonderland, if you can help it. "Wouldn't it be unbearable not to be able to ride the rides!?" Yeah. You know what this guy is all about. Chutes and ladders will take you all over the various places of the park, all branching out from Terminal Square. The entirety of the complex is, at scale, ridiculously large. All throughout Wonderland, you'll be treated like a king if you let yourself be pampered. The sheer amount of gilded perfection that went into crafting this place is at a scale even larger than the Moon Base. Gorgeous fountains spouting golden water are not infrequent, stands selling food of every type imaginable pepper anywhere there's space, and often as you pass by, you can hear people having the time of their lives here. F. PLAY WITH ME IN THE SPACE! There's so much to do in Wonderland. So much. Honestly, you wouldn't be the first to say it's overwhelming. That's part of the fun! Wonderland sweeps you away with all of the fun it brings. We could fill pages with the wonders in Wonderland, but why don't we stick with a few highlights and let you fill in the rest? ○ Wonder Square: When you first enter the confines of Wonder Square, you'll notice it looks and feels sort of like a casino... minus the strong and pungent smells that usually accompany those types of areas, typically. The wide birth of the room overlooks a beautiful vantage point of the top of Cormanthor's forest; pale greens look out into a sea of leaves for miles on end, as if the rest of the world doesn't exist outside of Wonderland itself. And why would you think it does, when you're here? Tables are set up for games, games, and- you guessed it- more games. Arm wrestle against a machine to test your strength. Shoot hoops into a basketball for 60 seconds. Engage in a few games of chance: Queen's Call is particularly abundant in this area. You'll notice this is where Maria can most likely be found, surveying the area like a snake mother, carefully winding herself around the pit and ensuring that no one is up to anything less than pure, unadulterated fun around these parts. You can do you best to scam a few extra Wonderbux here, either through legitimate play at any number of the machines present, or otherwise through less than scrupulous means. Don't get caught, though... it never ends up quite well. Dodging in and out of the crowds of Wonder Square, often charging forward and giving his best at a VR simulation of as snowboarding game, you might find Niel here as well. He's awfully energetic, a typical cornerstone of youth in the midst of a truly killer arcade. One thing you might notice, or might... not notice? Every now and then you might look at someone one moment, enjoying themselves thoroughly or getting a little deep into the game they play. You blink, and suddenly they're gone. And so is the recollection of events that've happened the entire last hour of your life. Something tells you not to question it, deep down. If you could only remember what they looked like... or the fact that they were even here to begin with. Oh well, there are games to be had. Might want to head on over somewhere else. We hear Event Square has a ton of live entertainment for you to check out. Some people are even saying that there's a cactus like creature performing Jazz tonight! Now that's something you've never seen before! ○ Round Square: How did you end up in this luxurious tram? It's truly fantastic. Wheeling around the entirety of Wonderland as night falls, you're swept away with the romance of it all. Look at those stars! Look at that moon! You gaze fondly at the person sharing this ride with you, and— Wait, who's that? How did they get in here? For that matter, how did you get in here? You don't remember getting on this ride. But here you are, with a fellow Reclaimer and, if you're particularly (un)lucky, a native elf, too. In the latter case, it might be a good time to ask them some questions. In the former case . . . snuggle? We're not your boss or mom. ○ Speed Square: Upon entering the speed square for the first time, another Roland will ask if you got your Roland Racing Registration! Then you'll have a stamp card shoved in your hands. Going on each roller coaster gives you one stamp on your card, which you can then hand in to a friendly Roland for a beary special reward. ○ Ghost Square: While the Ghost Square has many options to take some years off your life — from haunted houses to fortune tellers to wandering workers done up in bedsheets — the main attraction here is the Hall of Mirrors. It boasts of the "longest mirror maze in Faerun!*". Inside, all the mirrors are kept polished to perfection via magic, varying between normal reflections and wavy funhouse style, but some of the mirrors might reflect something... weird. Either a friend from your home world, or a version of you from your past, or even a reflection of the person's soul. It's a fun ghost story everyone shares. *: The poster has the tiniest print of 'that we know of'. Whoever runs Wonderland has a good lawyer. ○ Reeducation Ride™: Not everyone's the funloving sort we want here in Wonderland, but there are ways to deal with that. For anyone who cheats, is rude to carnival workers, or is a persistent curmudgeon, party pooper, or fun sponge, it's time for the Reeducation Ride™. On this disciplinary ride, you are strapped into a cart that wheels in a wide circle for three hours, during which you are hugged and complimented by a slew of Roland Replicas™. Begone, sour face! Elevate, low self-esteem! Be snuggled! Be huggled! Be happy. Everyone gets in on the fun here in Wonderland. No matter how reticent one might normally be to do so, something about this place just puts pep in everyone's step. Nine times out of ten you might be the kind of person who finds rides, games, and having fun to be childish or beneath you, but guess what? Here in Wonderland, you're at least a little into it. So are the few non-natives you see. Angus is here, trying to figure out the rules of all these arcade games. Matthew is here, getting lost in Ghost Square and wandering the food court. A couple of other faces, too. Anything in the dossier is fair game for your use. But keep in mind, Reclaimers: those madness effects? They're still very much in effect. You're still in Cormanthor forest, after all. The longer you stay, the more you play, the worse it gets. Little by little, hour by hour, day by day. Have fun, kids. Be yourselves. Don't do anything Lucretia wouldn't do. Back to top 4. OOC In order to keep to our goal of providing the most personalized Wonderland experience for all of you, we're setting a limit of 3 RNG attempts per character this log. Additionally, please be aware that while more mundane rolls will have standard-level DCs (for this log, anyway), any RNG with the potential to uncover plot information is high-risk high-reward and will have a very high DC along with steep penalties for failure. As always, we will let you know of this before we roll, and you have the option to decline any roll at any time. Other than that, this is your story to write and your setting to play with! Anything on the OOC post is fair game, and if there's something you'd like to try, please don't hesitate to let us know on the RNG thread. Back to top blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

guido mista | ota

[protegge]

i. hole up kid ( shadowdale )

[Shadowdale, like the forest, is too quiet. At least it doesn’t hem him on all sides in the same way, although for Mista, someone used to the quiet bustle of city backstreets, the utter silence of Shadowdale is almost as frightening as the gloomy pressure of Cormanthor.]

[Visually, though, it’s more familiar, so he does his best to make a home base, something to suffice for the moment. He doesn’t want to be alone, and he’s up front about that:]

This place freaks me out. You wanna bunk together? I found a house that has like five jillion bedrooms.

[It’s a nice place. Not actually five jillion bedrooms, more like five, but it’s well-put-together and homey, a huge improvement over the forest floor. Except Mista keeps catching things that bother him, seems like. The arrangement of furniture and decorations, the organization of spices in the cabinets, dishware . . . Everything he touches is left in small groups of three. Three stacks of three plates in the cabinet, two groups of three glasses.]

[There’s a crash, eventually, which turns out to be him breaking a wine glass deliberately on the kitchen floor. This isn’t a violent gesture, but one of deliberate destruction; his expression is pinched and focused, anxious sweat beading on the nape of his neck.]

It — that was the fourth one. So we’re fine now.

ii. there’s a storm coming down ( wonder square )

[Mista’s in some trouble, it seems.]

[The first time he went through the hall of mirrors, he found himself frantic for reasons he couldn’t put his finger on, pushed into a corner until he felt his only option for escape was to fight his way out. Somehow he escaped physically unscathed, but he has been punished: he’s in debt.]

[So he finds himself in Wonder Square, morosely arm-wrestling a robot arm and mostly winning, or playing ring toss and mostly winning, or playing whack-a-gnome and mostly winning. However, he skirts the card games like if he goes too close to the tables he might catch on fire. Weird, that. Somebody really needs to drag him into having some fun.]

iii. you aren’t safe ( round square )

[Ah, romance! Mista’s favorite subject, other than gun. Not that he’s particularly in the mood for it right now, but if he’s going to be shoved into one ride at this stupid place, he’s okay with it being the one where you go in a big slow circle and don’t have to interact with any Rolands.]

[After the initial panic at being manhandled into fun, he settles into his seat on the tram and catches sight of the other person sharing his space before collapsing backwards with a weak grin.]

Thank fuck. I thought it was gonna be, like . . . I don’t even know. [Anyone other than a Reclaimer in the opposite seat would be a nightmare in this place, let’s be honest.]

iv. under the earth ( ghost square | max 3 )

[Why is Mista back in the mirror maze?]

[That’s a good question. He’s been somewhat cryptic about it. He asked for help — I need someone to back me up in there, in case I go crazy again — and says he saw something weird while he was in there, something he’s not sure what it even was. That’s the other reason he wants backup. It’ll be easier to figure out what’s going on, in his mind, with more than one set of eyes.]

[For a while, it goes okay. And then he turns left, and something happens.]

[From the outside, it looks like Mista’s totally lost it. When he turns left, he enters a medium-sized mirrored chamber, not a corridor. He shuffles a few feet down it, then turns left, left, left again. Moving around the room as though guided to some destination, but all there is is this one open space. He hesitates, continues in the direction that looks to him like forward: left, left, left. Ultimately, he’s walking in a square.]

Do you — shit!

[Suddenly he slams his eyes shut, covers them with both hands, letting out a hiss of pain that doesn’t seem to be relieved any by shielding his eyes. But he . . . keeps walking. Shuffling in that square.]

Where’d that come from, Jesus, that hurts — you still there? [Is that you, making that noise? Is that you, with those heavy footfalls?]

v. wildcard

[Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar. PM this journal or PP passiones for plotting. Also for that last prompt, you’re welcome to just find Mista in the mirror maze for normal shenanigans, and there’s no limit on how many people can do that.]

( closed | bubble drop )

[protegge]

A. YOU GOT GRIT ( CAMPING )

[It’s been a long couple days.]

[Not just for himself, Mista knows that much. It’s wearing on all of them, and this is real fuckin’ early in a mission for them to be this exhausted. But something about this place just hems in around them, like every time they turn away and back the trees behind them are a little bit closer, a little bit denser.]

[It’s too goddamn quiet.]

[They’re camping for the night — he got the fire started, nine months later vaguely fucking competent with a tinderbox, and it’s Alex’s turn to tend it — but he’s too occupied with how dead everything feels to remember how to make decent conversation. Except for the obvious, which has become almost compulsive by now:]

You doin’ okay?

B. THAT’S A FACT ( TRAVELING + MADNESS EFFECTS )

[By the time the sun rises on day four, things are taking a decisive turn for the worse. They’re still making their way steadily towards the center of the forest, but everyone’s getting steadily twitchier and more distracted by—]

[Well, take Mista for example. There’s something different about him. His trusty, hideous hat is not on his head. He has noticed. And while he made a brief stink about it not being in his pack, he’s gone wide-eyed and quiet now, frequently wheeling around to stare behind them the way they came. When he faces ahead, he counts the trees under his breath until he loses count, then starts over. Not a great conversationalist, really.]

[After a while, though, he can’t keep quiet in the face of his own paranoia.]

I don’t — I don’t think we should go any further. Not like this. Not that way.

A;

[feytality]

[ maya's gaze keeps wandering back to the trees. she's been just as maya as she normally is, perky and cheerful and the works, so she hasn't quite been worn down, but she's a little preoccupied, it seems. she tilts her head back to mista when he addresses her. ]

Yeah, it's just kind of creepy around here. And, well...

[ her gaze goes back to the trees. ]

I don't know... I wish I knew what was making them so sick.

[ this doesn't have much to do with what he originally asked her, oh well. ]

[protegge]

[There's a part of him that kind of wants to ask the question again. Maya, he did not want this. Not even a little. He wants to know how you are, you dingus.]

[Still, that's Maya. And it's a valid worry, even if it's not his top priority. He scoots over to sit next to her.]

I can't feel 'em. What're you feeling from them? Are they sad?

[feytality]

[ she's fine!! like always, gosh, mista. ]

... I talked to them.... it's hard, 'cause they're so sick, they talk really slowly and it's hard to follow them.

[ this conversation would sound insane to anyone else ]

[protegge]

[It sounds pretty insane in context. But you know. #justdruidthings]

Like talking to an old person.

[What??? Mista that's rude.]

after ten thousand years, A

[rockymountaindie]

[ As it turns out, Alex is pretty darn good with a tinderbox. Doesn't mean he loses the uncomfortable grimace as he does so; he's not very fond of fire, for reasons Mista can probably guess. Still, being that way means he's aware of how to be careful, and damn, careful he sure is.

He's so focused on that, all of it, that he's a little surprised by the question. ]

Huh? ...Yeah. I mean...nothing new. Just camping.

[ That's probably not what he meant. ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[It'd be pure chance that Mia ended up in the right place at the right time to back Mista up, but the truth is Mia's been returning to the ghost square and that mirror maze more times than she actually remembers what with Wonderland's haze. She isn't counting on what happens to Mista, though. Each time she's been in this maze someone has seen a something, not a fog, not... whatever is causing Mista to shuffle like that.

From the open end of the mirror chamber, Mia watches with her mouth ajar for a moment until it occurs to her Mista's talking. He sees something, something to-- okay, you know what, Mia can't stand to watch this anymore. She marches in, hurrying to Mista's side to grasp his shoulder, speaking as she does in an attempt to at least announce her presence.]

I'm right here-- what are you doing? Can you hear me?

[She tries not to sound panicky about it, but hey this is like grade a weird dude]

[protegge]

[He can hear her, for sure — but he feels her first, her grip on his shoulder heavy and threatening from behind the fog of paranoia. Spinning towards it (though he's still in that loop, in that square, so part of him keeps going backwards, back and back and back, and he turns left), he pulls his gun—]

[Almost.]

[Eyes watering, he hisses and tries to close them, not quite able because — because there's something holding them open, isn't there? Isn't there? Don't shoot your fucking gun if you can't fucking see. He drops it, arms folding tight and protective across his chest, not-touching.]

I hear you. Don't yell.

[He. Doesn't sound as old as he likes to act, right now.]

I gotta get out. It hurts, isn't that hurting you? [He tries to twist out of her grip into that same pattern. Left, left, left.]

[doubledsofjustice]

[Luckily(?) for Mista, Mia can't help but to let go of him when Mista moves defensively. She doesn't even breathe until Mista's dropped his gun, and isn't actually sure if she's breathing while she listens to Mista, either. Mia's stuck, watching, aghast, as Mista returns to that pattern-- before it hurts hits her in the face again and snaps her out of it.

Whatever is hurting Mista isn't hurting Mia, so if all she has to to is bear through Mista... well, she'll take the possibility of being hurt by a reclaimer over watching them get hurt themselves. So, despite his earlier reaction, Mia grabs Mista again-- this time by his upper arms, with the intent to tug at him.]

Just follow me, alright? [She asks, in an almost hushed voice. Was she really yelling, or was Mista hearing her louder? She doesn't know, mostly doesn't care about anything past getting Mista out.]

This way.

[An urgent tug at his arm. If she has to drag him she will do it]

[protegge]

[Just follow me. Oh, the magic words — he goes limp in her grip, which is stronger than he expected; he'll be impressed by that later. Not now. Obediently, he nods. He can follow. He can do that.]

'M coming.

[And he is, but — it's weird. Even as he follows her, kind of, his feet keep trying to continue that movement. One-two-three-four around in a square, all left turns. She tries to pull him forward, and he goes, mostly, but his feet try to disobey. Even when they do what he wants them to, he keeps glancing back over his shoulder. That sound.]

You hear him?

[The sound.]

He's beatboxing.

[His fingers tap, one by one, against his thumb. One-two-three-four. 4/4. He's heavier than he looks, dense with muscle. Even mostly cooperating, he's tough to move.]

[doubledsofjustice]

[But Mia hears nothing. No tempo, no beatboxing, just Mista and the shuffling of his feet. He keeps tugging almost away-- this isn't working as well as she'd like it to. With that grip on his arm tightening Mia shifts so she can put the other arm behind him, sort of shoving the tall wall of Mista forward, rooting her steps in the ground as best she can.]

Just focus on me.

[She isn't answering his question just yet, unsure if lying or telling the truth will help more than the other, or if either will help at all. Better to change the topic for now, as she tries to keep forcing him against those turns. It's definitely not easy, and neither is talking during it, but she needs to give him something else to hear.]

We're going to keep... going forward-- okay? [who even makes teens this difficult to move]

We're going to get out of here, one- step- at a- time.

III

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran is barely paying attention when Mista is shoved on board, scribbling something in a notepad with his hood over his head, but a closer look shows that the left side of his face has been recently messed up. He doesn't look happy to be there, but he clearly has no intention of going anywhere, either.]

A bear?

[Bears are officially On Notice.]

[protegge]

[He laughs, but hoarsely. It's a funny joke because it is true . . . ha ha.]

Yeah, I mean. Yeah.

[Unconsciously, he rubs his face in response.]

That looks bad, dude. You hurting?

[noblegarnet]

No. The healing worked fine.

[... if not for the literal words he just said, it would sound like he was talking about how much it ached. Hm.]

I've had worse, and that had to heal the long way. [From how long they've been roommates, Mista has probably seen the scar on his right arm by this point, stretching from his elbow to the back of his shoulder. It looks like the ones on his face on a larger scale, so he might be able to guess it was from a similar injury.]

[protegge]

[Yeah. He's seen the scar. He knows Ferran pretty well, too, by now, so he knows something's off, but. What else is new? They're all fucked. Looking for something off is kind of a waste of time.]

[He rubs his chin, anxious and unsure.]

That's . . . good, I guess. Yeah. I'm—

[The last time he got hurt, before this place, anyway, his scars healed up like magic. Better than magic. He doesn't mention that.]

This thing hasn't fucked anybody up yet. I kind of wanna sleep here. [He laughs again, but it's not really a joke.]

round square

[korekara]

[ How long has Honoka been on the tram exactly? It's unclear! And not even in the goofy fun way – she literally can't remember when she got on the train or exactly how long she's been going in circles. When Mista speaks up, she sort of blinks like she's coming out of a nap or a deep daydream and then all at once, she's firing on all cylinders. ]

Oh–! Oh jeez, I didn't even notice you getting on! [ she laughs, but it's sort of high pitched and nervous. ] Um, it's just us on here, right?

[protegge]

Yeah, they kinda just shoved me on, so uh — I didn't notice me getting on, either.

[Kind of a pathetic laugh. He's Trying, rip. Rubbing a hand through his hair, he ducks his head in a nervous nod.]

Just us. They didn't throw any of the locals on. [Or Rolands. Thankfully.] How long have you — how long have you been here?

[korekara]

Uh–

[ That's a very good question, isn't it? What a shame Honoka doesn't exactly have a good answer. Even when she casts her mind back, she can't quite remember the how and when of getting on the train – she vaguely knows what she was doing before she got on here but the connecting thread between that and the train seems to spiral off somewhere Honoka can't regain hold of it.

She blinks once or twice and then realizes that her silence is quite telling – she could try and cover this up and pretend that everything's just fine, instead, she shrugs a bit listlessly. ]

A while? I can't really remember exactly how long.

1

[eastofeden]

Are we?

[ Aziraphale had accepted Mista's offer readily. His roommate is nowhere to be seen, and it's not as if he knows anyone else well enough to ask to share living space (at least, not that he remembers currently). Surely "bunking" with a fellow Reclaimer, even a near-stranger, has to be better than staying all alone in this strange place.

Or so he'd thought. After watching his new (temporary, thank Someone) roommate prowl through the house, arranging everything in meticulous little trios that Aziraphale doesn't dare touch, he's starting to have second thoughts. ]

I'm very glad to hear it. Just, ah. [ He clears his throat, looking warily down at the broken glass scattered across the floor. ] Just - just wondering - what exactly did the glass do wrong?

[protegge]

[Mista looks at Aziraphale like he's grown an extra head. As opposed to asking a totally reasonable question. Like he is the crazy person.]

[Let it be known: Aziraphale is not the lunatic here.]

It was the fourth one.

[In the key of duh. He frowns down at the glass on the floor and then steps over it to fetch a broom.]

Shoulda gotten this before, sorry. You didn't get any on you*, did you?

[*I didn't get any on you, did I? Jesus, Mista.]

[eastofeden]

Yes, yes of course. The fourth one.

[ This explains nothing. Aziraphale's quick to reassure him anyway. ]

No, of course not. I'm perfectly fine.

[ He'd had to use up his daily miracle to make sure of it, but neither of them had been cut as the wineglass exploded against the floor, so it had been well spent, as far as he's concerned. He tenses as Mista steps over the glass, reaching out a useless hand as if to help. ]

Oh, do be careful, please, it's just everywhere...

under the earth.

[bu773rfly]

[Back him up? Sure. Bring up the topic, and Erika immediately has advice. Here's some techniques to verify your memories. Here's some tests that help with hallucinations. She'll talk his ear off the whole way there about it, swerving distractedly into explanations of VR tech that she expects him not to listen to, hanging close by his side. She'll grab his wrist if he lets her, and apply steady pressure with her thumb.

Every now and then, the mirrors flash black and white at her. Her thumb flutters in a rhythm like annoyance. Her voice doesn't flutter. Status? How's it going? What do you see? I'm standing here. I see you.

He turns left.

And again.]

Um. So, what do you s-

[He yells. She gasps and staggers, hand wrenched off his arm, and for a moment sees whirling monochrome again and feels fear like cold blankness.

Grabs for him again, almost frantically. Almost trips over him, or gets tripped over, in that little square he's wearing into the ground.]

I'm here! [Gasp argh don't step on me.] I'm right - here. You're in front of me, I'm still touching you. And I don't...know...what you're doing? [She follows him around that little square, voice lifting in concern.]

wonder square

[mylawn]

[76 is trying to play all this a little close to the chest--staying away from any rides, games that might have him owing a debt to this place, keeping his activities to observing before he actually makes a move. He knows he can't count on that from other Reclaimers, so in a way it's insurance, as well. He doesn't want to end up on the wrong side of things, just in case he needs to bail someone out.

He is not sure what this is yet, or if his talents are needed, but it seems kind of wrong to walk past Mista and his robotic arm-wrestling opponent without checking in, at least.]

This looks like it's going well.

[Mostly winning is pretty good.]

iii

[mycrosstobear]

Full of bears? [The things are everywhere. It's kind of a relief to just be in the company of actual humans again.

Is that why he got on this ride? He...can't seem to remember now.

Wolfwood, with no regard for anyone else on the tram, takes out a cigarette and a lighter.]