001. intro

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

Hello? Is there anybody here? ...Ms. Sault?

[Estelle is beginning to think coming here again was not a good idea after all; she looks around to get her bearings only to realize that there is no obvious way back.] Hm... Well, if I left by waking up the last time, maybe that will work again?

[She opens and closes her eyes a few times. Of course, nothing happens. Now, she is beginning to panic.]

Oh, no! Now what do I do? I-If I don't make it back soon, they'll worry about me.

[A few deep breaths.] Panicking won't do me any good. There must be a way out.

Perhaps if I keep walking, I'll come across somebody who can help me eventually. [With that, she nods, and begins walking determinedly in a direction at random.]

Comments

[lamb_of_gold]

Time does not pass while you're here. Whoever awaits you at home won't have noticed your disappearance.

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

Really? That's a relief. Still, I don't want to be stuck here forever.

[lamb_of_gold]

A thought will get you home and back in short order.

[shunofandromeda.livejournal.com]

[Shun will try to be helpful] If you want to go back home, you just have to think about it.

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

Oh. That's awfully convenient. Now I feel silly for worrying.

[lamb_of_gold]

You're certainly not the first, nor will you be the last, I think.

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

Oh, good! I'm glad to know I won't be stuck here after all.

If it's not a problem, could you tell me a little more about this place? It's very strange. [Estelle is nothing if not curious!]

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

Being here is certainly a very odd experience, but at least it doesn't seem to be dangerous. Can we come back here the same way?

[lamb_of_gold]

Odd is one description, though it is not always so benign.

Yes. Coming and going become instinctive after a time.

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

So it does get dangerous here sometimes? What sort of things can happen?

[lamb_of_gold]

Most certainly. Very recently, several among us were forced to fight to the death.

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

W-What?! That's terrible! Who would make you do that?

[lamb_of_gold]

Those who know more about this place than we do.

[shunofandromeda.livejournal.com]

Time doesn't even pass while you're here, so you don't have to worry about anything happening back home either.

Well, this is the Astral Plane. It's a place where people from a bunch of different worlds can meet and it's suppose to be some sort of experiment.

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

W-What does that mean? If there's injustice going on, we have to stop it!

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

An experiment? That sounds kind of ominous. What sort of experiments do you mean?

[smolderingdark.livejournal.com]

[Oh my god, a woman. And it's not a fake woman like Mu or Jade! Clearly this means that Axel should help the poor girl out. As long as she's not easily scared, then she should be able to handle the tall teenager's impressive spiky hair and black/orange clothing. Yeah, he took a wrong turn at Hot Topic. But that's just how he is.

As he detaches from the shadows of a building nearby, he shoves his hands into his baggy pants pockets and looks her over (not in a flirtatious way, mind you, though she is very cute - that will come later) and greets her with a bit of a delinquent smile.]

You called?

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

[His appearance is certainly somewhat intimidating, but it's not like Estelle hasn't encountered outlandish hairstyles and black leather before. Though that particular association is not altogether pleasant.

As such, she treads lightly.] Oh! I was just hoping to find someone else here. I thought I was alone at first.

[smolderingdark.livejournal.com]

[Smart girl.

... Too bad he's really a big sucker for things like helping old people cross the street, but he won't let anyone else know that ever. EVER.]

Nah, there's lots of people on the Plane, it's just a big place.

Pretty sure I'd recognize someone like you walkin' through here, though. You new?

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

Someone like me? [Somehow that makes her self-conscious.] Have...you been here for very long?

[smolderingdark.livejournal.com]

Uh huh. You stick out in a good way.

[He shrugs.]

Hard to define 'long' in this place. It's only been a couple of months for me, but I've seen so many people come and go that it might as well be years.

[Though he has a careless attitude, if she's in any way perceptive she might get the feeling that he's fully in control of the situation. /ROLL D20]

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, th-thank you. [She guesses?]

[/15 including modifiers! Well, she ain't dumb, that's for sure.] You seem to be pretty confident, though. How long do people tend to stay?

[smolderingdark.livejournal.com]

Sure. [She's cuuuute... though if Judith showed up he'd be all over that like white on rice.

Ahem, anyway.] It depends. You can leave pretty much anytime. Unless something catastrophic happens, which isn't often, just thinking about going home will do it.

Yeah, it sounds crazy. But it works. It's like taking a step. Just stick your foot out and think, 'home!' and it'll be there. Think 'Astral Plane' and you'll pop back in, too.

[lamb_of_gold]

They were stopped, though not as soon as any of us would have liked, I think.

[ladycataclysm.livejournal.com]

If such awful things can happen here, why does anybody stay?