first round :: written

[reengineered]

[Being suddenly with Prone and without her comrades is a shock. She doesn't know precisely what's going on, can't process it, is too shocked for logical thought. Something's terribly wrong.

She has to find out what.

Lucy is sort of used to typing now, has summoned the courage to put thoughts down key by key, but the thought of writing, actually writing, is slightly horrifying. Her thoughts are still a jumble, slow to organize and quick to overwhelm, but she has to say something. She has to know the answers to what and why and how.

Maybe she can just show it to whoever walks by. Her handwriting is shaky, hard to read, but she's done her best.]

Where am I? I need to get back.

[And if anyone happens to notice a short-haired, bedraggled young woman in full armor sitting in the foyer with wide, confused eyes, well... Feel free to say hello. There's a helmet balanced on one knee, and the journal open on the other.]

Comments

[silentrunning]

[Just your luck! Chell happens to be wandering into the foyer. She blinks around at Lucy, noticing her, and raises one hand in a friendly wave, offering a smile.

She's a tall young woman wearing jeans, a t-shirt and odd boots. Her journal is open on one palm and there's a pen clipped over the hair tie in her messy ponytail. Slowly, she walks over. She's now plenty close enough to see what Lucy wrote, if Lucy wanted to show it to her.

[reengineered]

[Lucy doesn't particularly wave, but she does stand up quickly, ready for anything. The armor gives her an effective height of maybe 5'6", hardly imposing.

With one hand, she holds the journal up, eyebrows raised hopefully.]

[silentrunning]

[Chell's still about four inches taller, but that may just be because of the springs on the heels of the boots. When Lucy holds up the journal though, Chell's eyes automaticallyf lick downward, reading. Hmm. That was odd. This person was writing... Like she most often does.

Flipping open her journal, to the page where Lucy's words had appeared in her own magical book, she scrawled back an answer below Lucy's.]

This place is called Caer Paradisa. I am not sure where you were trying to get back to, but I'm afraid to say you can't.

[She draws a frownie face.]

This place drags in people from many, many universes, and then keeps us here. None of us can go home.

[Then as an afterthought, in smaller letters.]

What's your name?

[That done, Chell flips her journal closed, and points to her name where it's embossed on the front cover. She's trying to be friendly.]

[reengineered]

[Lucy frowns as she reads the words, turning the journal around slowly to reveal her name.

LUCY-B091

As she turns it, pages still open, she notes that the other woman's words have appeared on her own page. Her brow furrows more deeply, and she sits once more to write.

With her pen, she circles the frowning face. It's easier than writing. It's not to say that she isn't now curious beyond measure, but...

Carefully, in the same scrawl:]

Why?

[silentrunning]

[Chell drops down to sit next to her. Only Chell is sitting on the floor. It looks like she's comfortable down there.]

The castle feeds on emotional suffering, I think. Takes something important from every person who comes here and plays games with us besides. It can be horribly cruel, by most standards, but I'll help you learn your way around here, if you like.

[Chell's offering help. Just shows what living here's done for her.]

Oh. Don't be surprised if people's voices come out of your journal too. Or liquids of any kind. People can speak through the journals as well as writing, and liquid transfers.

[Chell's so seriously relieved to meet another person who doesn't instantly resort to speech. Though she can, in fact, speak and does so a bit more now than she used to, it still feels a bit foreign to her. So this respite into the land of the written word is nice.

[the_marli_tharn]

[Given how kindly all the men have treatedbher so far, Hyzenthlay's become bold and ventured back into the big ston man-warren, sniffing about the strange things they sat on. Sighting Lucy, she hesitates, standing alert and twitching her ears. It was another of those men wearing a hrududu, and while the other one had been helpful, it was still a rather terrifying sight. ]

[reengineered]

[That. That is a rabbit. In a building.

Okay...

She watches it for a few moments, wondering just why it's here. Someone's pet? Someone's food? Hrm.

For now, she doesn't make a move toward it. That would just scare it off, she wagers.]

[the_marli_tharn]

[That's good, movement probably would have put her on her guard (as much as she learns about this place, she still is just quite a rabbit). Hyzenthlay takes a few more measured, bold hops forward, until she's close enough to stretch out, sniffing at Lucy's armored leg.]

[reengineered]

[Curious, Lucy slowly puts her hand down next to the rabbit. She has little finesse with woodland creatures--Disney Princess she is not--but she can move slowly enough to not scare it away. Maybe. If she's lucky.]

[the_marli_tharn]

[She does startle sligthtly, taking a little hop back, but then stretches forward again and touches noses with Lucy's hand.]

[It's sort of her way of saying hello.]

[originalcopy]

[Have a guy in familiar looking armor wandering by on his way out of the castle.]

[reengineered]

[She's... pretty much just watching him curiously, wondering why there's someone else in full armor wandering around.

Before he can leave, she stands. Of course, she won't call out or anything. But standing is good, right?]

[originalcopy]

[He almost misses the movement, he hadn't realized that there was anyone else around.]

Oh... hey.

[Is that... must be a Freelancer. Can't be a Spartan because they're all built like a brick shithouse and she's shorter than he is.]

You just get here?

[reengineered]

[Nope. No Freelancer here. Just a relatively bitty Spartan. The armor gives her a few inches, but really... nothing to freak out about.

Lucy nods, blatantly looking him over.]

[originalcopy]

[And that's not weird or awkward or anything.]

Well... welcome to Castle Wonderfuck.

herp derp forgot to hit the reply button

[encryptedlock]

[Now that's not exactly an uncommon question, but this is either someone under a loss or a new arrival.]

You're in Cair Paradisa, probably somewhere on the castle grounds. Unless you're not - what does it look like there?

r u d e

[reengineered]

[Barely legible:]

Inside of a building. First floor. No hostiles.

sob

[encryptedlock]

If the walls are stone, you're in the castle. Somewhere on one of the floors, there will be a room with your name on it. This journal is the main communication device for people you don't see in person.

[reengineered]

[It doesn't even occur to her to mention that she doesn't speak.]

Castle. Where is Onyx?

[encryptedlock]

[Plenty of people write. As long as she doesn't mind the book talking at her? No big deal.]

Nowhere near here. As far as we know, this whole world is called Paradisa, and I haven't seen an Onyx on any of the maps.

[action]

[lonenoble]

[There's a Spartan at the foyer, now watching the new arrival, uncertain. But it's familiar armor.] Hello?

[action]

[reengineered]

[Lucy tilts her head for a moment, blinks a few times rapidly, then stands, coughing slightly. That is a Spartan. She rushes over, journal tucked under her arm.]

[action]

[lonenoble]

Spartan-B312,also known as Noble Six, reporting.

Welcome to the castle.

[action]

[reengineered]

[B

Beta.

It hits Lucy like a ton of bricks because this Spartan is supposed to be dead, they're all supposed to be dead, and everything is suddenly very, very wrong.

It's really all she can do to pull her journal from under her arm and show the other Spartan her name.]

LUCY-B091

[action]

[lonenoble]

[Frowning] You can't speak.

But welcome. It's good to have another Beta here again. You're safe.