castleinthemist | 01

Entry tags:

01 - open

[ Serah had been more shaken by being trapped in the sarcophagus than she cared to admit. One moment she'd felt herself turning to crystal, tears freezing on her cheek, Snow's words replaying like a mantra - they wouldn't call it eternity if you died. And then the feeling of suffocation, both sudden and unexpected. She'd screamed soundlessly, out of breath, as she'd hit the walls of the sarcophagus as hard as she could.

Eventually, she'd tumbled out of it and hit the ground, earning herself some bruises in the process. But Serah had been too stunned to register them, when she'd finally regained her bearings. Crystals didn't bruise. Crystals didn't feel. So what was she doing in this ruined... castle?

She'd wandered around in a daze until she'd come across what she assumed were sectored bedrooms - dormitories, maybe? It seemed a weird word to apply to rooms in a sprawling ruin - even the word castle felt like something out of a children's story - but it was the most fitting one, too. It hadn't taken Serah long to find the phone, too, and scroll through its functions hoping to see Snow and Lightning's names amidst all the unfamiliar ones.

If this was some kind of afterlife, some kind of eternity outside of reality, then Serah supposed they wouldn't be here anyway. She'd slept fitfully that night, snatching a few hours of undisturbed rest before she was awake and unpleasantly alert again. So she'd hesitantly stepped outside of the room, intent on exploring the place. Might as well, she thought, if there was nothing else she could do. She doubted her hero would be along to save her here. ]

So strange... [ She murmurs the words thoughtfully as she explores the area just outside the dormitories, unwilling to stray too far from them yet. ] It's not like the Vestige at all.

[ ooc: characters are free to run into her in the hallways or just outside the dorms, and roomies can run into her in the dorm too! ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Stalking the outside of the dorms if only plainly because of the fact that he has nothing better to be doing, Serge manages to catch the last of the girl's words at a corner, which prompt him to stride up ever so casually to keep her company. Presumably, she's as new as the rest of them, if not newer, and since he hasn't seen her face before, it's all the more reason to hit her up. ]

What kind of place is the Vestige?

Oh! [ Serah starts a little when Serge speaks to her. She hadn't expected the company. ] ... Sorry. I was just talking to myself.

[ Her surprised expression subsides into more of a frown at the question. He didn't know? Although considering they didn't appear to be on Cocoon, maybe that... made an eerie kind of sense. ] A lot more... modern than this. Just as creepy, though.

[ Wherever she was, some bizarre l'Cie afterlife or somewhere else entirely, it was nice to know she wasn't the only living soul here. ] So... you woke up here too?

[Kadar has been torn between exploring the castle and resigning himself to the fact that he can't explore most of the castle alone. It's thwarting him, and a lesser man might be frustrated, but not Kadar. No. Not Kadar. That just means there's more time to get to know everyone and see if any of them want to explore the castle! He's still operating under the assumption that everyone here is more or less an ally as far as 'figuring out why we're here' is an issue, and he's eager to learn about everyone. And everything.]

What's the Vestige? [queries the weird, gray-hooded man who appears to be... climbing the wall. he jumps down.]

[Willow runs into her as she steps out of her own room, the doors clustered close together. She starts in surprise when she sees someone else there.]

--Oh, hi! I don't think I've seen you before.

Creepy, huh? That's too bad.

[ It's a shame such a nice-seeming girl has to have come from a "creepy" place. Briefly, he wonders how much more modern, since the technological levels at least sound to differ a great deal. ]

A few days ago. [ Since that's a question which was asked quite a while back, he's going to venture a wild guess: ] Are you new?

I guess I am. I got here yesterday, or maybe a little sooner. [ She doesn't know how long she slept for, but she's guessing it wasn't that long. ] Do you know anything about this place?

[ He nods. Then he shall take it upon himself to assist! ] Sorry, but not much. All I know for sure is that everyone comes from completely different places, and that the doors here are picky.

[ She's a little startled by the voice, and turns to see... is that a gray-hooded man who was just climbing the wall? Yes, yes it is. She stifles a gasp. ] Oh, um, I didn't see you there.

[ ... He hadn't heard of the Vestige? It's now she starts to really wonder just where she's ended up. ] It's... a leftover part of Pulse, from centuries ago. [ A pause, and she hazards an assumption-- ] You probably haven't heard of Pulse, either, huh?

Completely different places... you mean other than Cocoon? Or Pulse? [ Wow. Well, that would be a fair explanation for why no one had heard of the Vestige. ]

And by picky I hope you just mean locked. [ This is all too weird. ]

[ Serah jumps a little, shocked, but thankfully doesn't shriek or anything. The moment passes and she attempts a sheepish smile. ] Sorry! I wasn't exactly expecting to see other people around.

[ A beat, and she nods. ] I didn't get here very long ago. I'm Serah.

That's exactly what I mean. Hope they didn't give you much trouble.

[ Pausing, he thinks. Cocoon and Pulse . . . nope. ]

I've never heard of either of those places before. I come from a place called Fulheim. Does that mean anything to you?

I haven't explored much beyond here yet. I wasn't sure if it was safe alone. [ And she knows the danger of exploring strange places on her own now - she learned that lesson last time. She's keeping a hand on her forearm, though, to hide her brand. Force of habit. ]

Fulheim... [ She thinks on it, then shakes her head helplessly. ] No, it doesn't ring a bell.

[ He shrugs amiably. ]

You wouldn't be the first to not know. Guess we're all foreigners to each other.

Anyway, if you decide to go exploring, you should make sure that you go as a pair or a group. You don't know what could be prowling out there.

Yeah, I guess you're right. It's weird to think about, though. [ Completely different worlds, it seems like. How is it even possible? ]

... Better safe than sorry. Do you think there's monsters around?

Probably. If this area and the sarcophagus room are any indication, no one's lived here in a while. It's the perfect breeding ground for monsters.

Not good, in other words. I hope no one got stuck further in by themselves. [ She brushes her bangs out of her eyes, from both nervousness and worry - until she realises that leaves her brand exposed and quickly clasps her hands behind her back. ] Oh... I'm Serah, by the way.

[ The suddenness of the gestures would have warranted the arch of a brow from him, but he casts the curiosity aside in favor of a smile. ]

Call me Serge. Tell you what, Serah: if you ever want to explore, I'll take you anytime. That way you'll always have at least one option.

[Kadar smiles a little as he heads over, stopping a couple feet away.] I'm sorry I startled you. [except not really. if he's startling people, it means he's getting better as an Assassin--!

regardless, he shakes his head a little.] I haven't. Is it-- a... group?

[Sofia is hanging out in the halls, sitting on a bench and lost in thought. She does notice, however, the girl looking lost, and that pulls her out of her reveries.]

Have you only just arrived?

[Willow returns her smile with an apologetic one, and finally shuts the door behind her, one hand trailing on the door frame.]

I'm Willow. The whole atmosphere does give off the dank and dreary. I felt like Sleeping Beauty going to bed last night.

You would do that? Well... thank you, Serge. It's nice to meet you. [ And it's a bit of a relief to have somebody who's willing to go with her, since she doesn't relish the thought of being stuck on her own. ]

[ Serah looks over at Sofia, and gives a tiny, hesitant nod along with an equally hesitant smile. She isn't sure how many hours she's been here for, but it certainly hasn't been long, and she still feels out of sorts. ] Yeah, not too long ago. I'm still... taking it all in, I think.

Dank and dreary is right. And old, too. [ She wonders at the "Sleeping Beauty" thing, but social niceties come first! Even in strange and new situations. ] But... it's nice to meet you, Willow. Despite the circumstances.

Not a group, exactly. It's... part of the world below Cocoon. Complicated to explain. [ And besides which, she is not so fond of all things Pulse-related at the moment. ] So... you aren't from Cocoon?

[She smiles, too, despite everything.]

Before recently, there was no one here at all. I can't pretend to know much, or to be able to explain it all, but I can at least offer welcome.

Anytime, sweetheart. [He grins. This right here is the face of a lady killer.] Good to meet you too.

Pish posh, circumstances. Always nice to meet new people.

Did you want to go get, well, the slop that passes as breakfast with me?

[he shakes his head a little, offering a rueful smile.] No. I am from a place called Masyaf-- but if we are from such different places, I imagine you have not heard of it?

Slop? [ That earns a small laugh. ] Well, I am pretty hungry. Lead the way.

A welcome's better than nothing. I didn't see anyone on the way to the dorms earlier, so I wasn't sure I'd even get that. [ Knowing there are other people stuck in the same situation - well, it's comforting. At least she's not alone. ] But I'm Serah, for what it's worth.

Masyaf. [ She sounds the word out. ] I can't say I've heard of it before, no.

[ She shakes her head. ] And now we're here, in some sort of ruined castle. It's so strange.

It's this way, [she says, heading off down the corridor,] and it's definitely slop, so don't get your hopes up. Exaggeration not necessary.

I think it is normal for this place to bring us all together, even if we had no knowledge of the others' worlds. It is strange to us, but there must be a plan...

[Heine has tendency to pace as restless as many souls do. When it is not taking the city, it is the space of his apartment that he rounds. The castle offers plenty of space unlike the small rooms of his home, but he does not want to be too far out and lose track of where he is. Not so much a poor sense of direction as becoming lost in a long train of thought and forgetting to watch your steps.

The arms of his watch are not moving, but the approach of light is enough to tell that morning is there or coming. It has come to front that if his watch is dead, then his pistol may well be to. Growling as an exhale, he continues the halls with this possibility in head.

It takes a voice to stop the train of thought and for the surrounds to come to. A woman's voice and one that places him on edge. From the living area he can see her in the hall moving. Being the recluse he is, Heine stays quiet all the while taking glances at her to make sure distance is maintained.]

It's better than having nothing to eat, I guess. [ She follows Willow along the corridor. ] Even though it sounds like I might not still think that after I try it.

[ Serah continues to wander around the place, taking in the surroundings and trying to work out what she can do from here. So far, she hasn't come up with much of a plan other than: try to figure out the mysteries of this place. She hates feeling so helpless -- again -- and hates the fact she can't fend for herself, but she pushes those thoughts aside for now. They aren't going to help her, in the long run.

She wanders into the living area next, and soon spots Heine standing there. So she gives him a small, polite smile of greeting. ] Oh! Hey. So you got stuck here too, huh?

... A plan? So you think somebody or some...thing brought us here for some reason? [ Her mind flashes to the fal'Cie. ]

I believe someone must have. Where else would this food and these accommodations come from? Someone clearly wanted-- or expected-- us here.

[Heine's greeting comes as a titled look, his eyes half closed from the morning light. Plans are a come as they will deal, he would go and come up with something along the way. The thought process came with the knack of being hard to kill and being linear in task. Waste of time to think when you could just go.]

Yea.

[Who has not gotten stuck there? He shakes his head and turns more adjacent to Serah. Too early to be biting at someone and it would not do any good with the rest of the people trapped there. He is going to stay out of it much as he can, sarcasm and annoyance being pushed aside.]

Yesterday, like everyone else.

What a pretty name. [Sofia's glad to know there are others here, too.] I'm Sofia. Welcome to... this unnamed place.

It's not starvation worthy, anyway? Just kinda a rough transition.

Maybe we could find something better around here somewhere... this place looks huge.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

01 - open

Maddieee.

omg jae! hi!! C:

no subject

no subject

long time no see!! c:

yes!! how have you been?

great! how about you?

no subject

good!! excited for xiii-2 perpetually... sigh... /no life

no subject

to think it's coming out soon! and what is a life . . .

ee i know!! and lol idk certainly not something i've ever had :|b

it'll forever be a mystery . . . :|a

yes... :|a OH btw do you... have plurk....

I do . . . I shall add you!?

okay!!!

yeah!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

ccc:

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Heine is not that social, but he can be approached. Really!

no subject

well in that case B) /approaches!!

no subject

no subject

I cannot say he is nice when you get to know him. Haha

no subject

no subject