001

[contract_star]

[Hei appears on the Astral Plane, momentarily bewildered until he notices what is around him. Galaxies, planets, and stars, countless stars. The sight makes him stumble, and he can't take his eyes from the glow.]

N-no way...

[Looks around, no longer attempting to keep his face expressionless. Shock? Amazement? Horror? Wonder? There's no one here to see him being so irrational, emotional, so it doesn't matter.]

Stars...real stars...

[Think, you're a Contractor, be rational. There's a logical explanation, must be.]

No, no, this is impossible. This can't be real. Am I inside the Gate? Is this...? But I was miles from the Gate...unless I never left...then was everything since then just an illusion? Damn it.
If this is the Gate I have to get out. But it's...something's off. It doesn't feel like the Gate.

[Fiddles with his earbud] Mao? Huang? ...Yin?

[No answer. A long pause, nothing but silence. His gaze eventually returns to the stars and nebulae wheeling around him.]

The Twins and that woman. The shop. Contractors, I bet. They've either trapped me in the Gate or this is some kind of illusion. Shit.

[Another long pause, eyes half-lidding as he stares at the starlight. Whispering,] They look so real...

Comments

[contract_star]

[Switching to "Li mode" now--no more blankness and tight-muscled tension, now he's expressive, animated, and enthralled with the stars, since, wow, stars!]

All real? The stars, really? But that's impossible, isn't it?

[doubledragons.livejournal.com]

[Looks very confused] Um, yes? Why wouldn't the stars be real? Are there fake stars in your world?

[contract_star]

[Strange people here, if they don't even know about the stars. Unless...but no, keep playing it safe for now.]

...All the stars disappeared ten years ago, replaced by fake ones. The same time the Gates appeared. I thought everyone knew that.

...Did you say "my world"?

[doubledragons.livejournal.com]

No, all the stars are real--! Well, in my world they are. We all come from different worlds here! Um, how does someone replace the stars? Aren't they really far away?

[contract_star]

It's complicated.

Another world. I've been hearing that a lot around here, but...

[doubledragons.livejournal.com]

It sure sounds like it is...

But?

[contract_star]

[Notices the dragons; raises an eyebrow.] Friends of yours?

I don't know. It's hard to believe that I could be in another world, but then again...[Sighs.] I suppose lots of things happen that are hard to believe.

[doubledragons.livejournal.com]

[Way too used to this by now] Um, sort of... They're stuck to me, see? They're Gyoro and Ururun.

Oh, but you can get back too! It's really weird.

[contract_star]

[Rather amused.] Nice to meet you, Gyoro, Ururun.

And I don't think I caught your name. I'm Li Shengshun.

I noticed that--and I agree, it is weird. I find it odd that it's so easy to come and go, especially when this place is so...far removed from everything else.

[doubledragons.livejournal.com]

Oh, right. Sorry-- I'm Ashton Anchors. It's nice to meet you!

I guess that's one way of putting it... It almost feels unreal, huh? Or, well... Something.