o1. Arrival | Dictation

[nohalfway]

Okay... Okay.

So I'm all for traveling, surprises, and bullshit.

Oh yeah, I'm all for the bullshit. I'm all for being thrown into some bumfuck Egypt kinda place, no one answering my questions, and fucking nabbing all of my shit.

Someone is going to get their eyes gauged out and their fingers hacked off, and it's gonna be the asshole who thought it'd be useful to snag all my stuff. Don't think I won't find you, because I will.

Oh, and when I do? It'll be motherfucking war.

And while we're at it, it'd be real nice to get some answers as to where the shit I am. Because I'm not in the mood for this and I'm way too old to play fairy princess.

Comments

[thiefoflight]

You tell 'em!

[nohalfway]

And who the fuck are you? You think this is a joke?

[handwritten]

[fearbringer]

Egypt?

[handwritten]

[nohalfway]

No, fucking the moon, what else? It's a figure of speech.

[handwritten]

[fearbringer]

A strange one. Not one I've ever heard before.

It seems we've been kidnapped by a magical castle, though I suppose you're not going to take that explanation at face value.

[handwritten]

[nohalfway]

... So being knocked out or high isn't an answer?

Oh my god, I am so freaking confused.

[dog_eat_dog]

[Needless to say, having arrived after both Ellie and Joel, Tess is new at welcoming people she recognizes. Ellie was here, then she was gone, and now she's apparently back again, and Tess finds herself both relieved and sighing. She was just getting used to having Joel to herself again, too.

Tess wills herself to get out of bed and pick up her journal to reply. Stern, commanding, annoyed, so help her if she has to deal with theatrics right now.]

Ellie. Calm down.

[nohalfway]

[ Out of everything that has happened here, hearing a familiar voice like this isn't what she expected. Honestly. Ellie stops for a minute before her jaw drops. ]

...

Tess?

[dog_eat_dog]

Long time, no see, huh?

[That's only a little morbid. Tess feels unsettled by Ellie's reaction, but she rules it out of her tone best she can.]

Wherever you are, stay put. I'm going to find Joel so he doesn't have a heart attack.

[nohalfway]

No, no, fuck that!

You're dead! You died over a freaking year ago! What the hell is going on here?!

[indirectcause]

[Oh, well, shit. That was fast. Well, she clearly doesn't remember anything here, and as such, she probably doesn't remember him. Being the king of bad judgement calls, he's not about to tell her.]

No one knows who's really running the show. Chances are it actually is just the castle. Its fucking crazy, I know.

[He might not be able to lie any more, but he can sure evade the truth.]

[nohalfway]

Well good, that just means I'll have to find out myself.

And when I do? Oh man, shit will hit the fan so hard. I am not in the mood for this bullshit.

[indirectcause]

Yeah, I figured.

[Shit, this is hard.]

Look, at least you should know some things. Like this place will take something important from you, when you show up.

[focusrighthere]

[ The sleeping plague came and went, stealing more than one thing from him at a time. When he hears the voice over the journal, it sounds like six months of that voice being absent now suddenly present, filling a void. He went to sleep wrong and he never woke up right.

It doesn't matter. To Joel, this is a big, big relief. He spent all that time wondering if she was alright back home, if Tommy and Maria were taking good care of her. He had nightmares of her death (he did, didn't he? some things are so fuzzy) and not being there to prevent it. He struggled with all the goddamn guilt of not being there, and now --

fucking nabbing all of my shit

It's like someone hit him sideways with a brick. Joel's voice is abrupt, low, and yes, concerned. A strict sense of urgency conveyed through tone. ]

Ellie. Ellie. Where are you? What room?

[nohalfway]

[ Hearing Tess's voice was strange in itself, but another familiar one joins in the ring. Not as earth-shattering as the one before, but enough to have her chomping at the bit to make a response. ]

Fuck, Joel?!

[ She's not happy to hear from him. Not at all. But that was her reality well before she arrived here. Joel lied to her, she's sure of it. The way things ended back in their world weren't pleasant at all, and she's suspicious enough to make the rest of their journey extremely uncomfortable. But she can't say that it's putting much of a strain on her right now. Because her reality now? She's terrified. Their world was scary enough, but how is she supposed to know this place isn't any worse? How is she supposed to know that if she were to walk outside right now, she'd burst into flames or get torn to shreds by some mythical demon? ]

[ Her imagination has always been... Something. But it's because of that that she can set her issues aside. ]

Um... Uh.


Dude, how am I supposed to know? I'm not opening the goddamn door! Why does someone here sound real fucking close to Tess? She knows my name, Joel, what the shit is going on here?

[focusrighthere]

It --

[ It is Tess. Christ, he doesn't blame her for being freaked out. He remembers how freaked out he was. And still is, at times. Joel grumbles under his breath, because Ellie's going to think he's fucking lost his mind when he tries to tell her the truth about where she is. ]

Ellie, listen to me. You're safe. Take a look outside and tell me where. Nothing's gonna happen, alright?

[ Meanwhile, he's on the move. There's only so many floors, so many rooms. He's bound to track her down eventually even if she stays cooped up and refuses to come out, but a room number would make this quicker.

Moving like a dark, angry cloud. She's terrified, newly arrived, and he needs to see her. Now. ]

dictated

[willrememberthat]

[Ellie. It's been a while since Clementine's heard from her, but this is probably why--she's new again. It's sad when people leave, especially when people come from crappy worlds like Ellie's, so she supposes she should be glad she came back at all. Joel would be happy.]

It's okay.

dictated

[nohalfway]

[ As much as she wants to believe all that, she can't say that the many times she's heard such a thing has ever been true. ]

Two words that pretty much don't mean shit in my dictionary.

dictated

[willrememberthat]

I know.

[It feels better to say them than to not say them.]

I'm Clementine. What's your name?

[Maybe she'll take a page out of Ben's book.]

[i_rule_me]

While I can totally understand, an' even admire yuir anger, it's not gonna help ya here, luv.

[nohalfway]

What the fuck is wrong with your voice?

[i_rule_me]

[David can't help but laugh at her response. This was a girl with her priorities straight.]

It's jus' an accent. I picked it up on an island north o' Scotland when I was a wee bairn, haven' been able ta shake it since.

[rightchoices]

[ It'll be a while before Lee responds - he figures she's probably overwhelmed with information overload from all sides, so he gives her some time to - hopefully - get settled. ]

Ellie. Good to have you back.

[nohalfway]

...

Back? I've never been here before, what are you talking about?

[rightchoices]

It's- complicated.

[ Oops. He does sound apologetic, at least. ]

People come and go. Some remember when they come back, but not usually, not as far as I can tell.