♪ EXEC_04/. ♫

[fallbythesword]

[1007 was in her room, and was content to stay there. Until now.

Anyone on the 10th floor will see the door to 1007 abruptly slide open, much faster than it was ever intended to be opened, and it connects with its internal stopper with a "crack!" and a "slam!" as the black-haired occupant barrels out of there as fast as her short little legs will carry her.

To her credit, she doesn't scream - doesn't make any noise whatsoever, save for her heavy and rapid breathing, but her bright red eyes are as wide as saucers and she looks as though she's just been witness to something too horrible for words. She's also trembling so violently that she can't even keep her balance, and she trips, dropping to her knees in the middle of the hallway. That doesn't stop her. She spins around and begins crawling backwards, away from her room, until her back is pressed up against the entrance to the porch.

She's not moving. She refuses. She will sit here, trembling, knees drawn up tightly against her chest, and stare down the hallway with wide eyes until she finds somewhere safe to go. Anywhere... please...

And... it may be incredibly faint, but are there quiet whispers of a song coming from that room...? No, maybe you're just imagining things... ]


((OoC: Anyone who looks into room 1007 will see that it's been entirely turned into this place - the Crescent Chronicle, from her home world. In addition, there are grathnode crystals growing from the walls - just... pretend that picture is red in color. Since there are no good images of an actual grathnode crystal. sigh, obscure canon woes...))

Comments

[decrypts]

[801 isn't .. he isn't snooping, he swears. that's his story and he's sticking to it - but when he comes across the girl looking like she's about as scared as she's ever been, he has to stop. because that's just the kind of person he is - or at least .. that's the kind of person he thinks he is.

so he stops. he doesn't get too close - because you never know when somebody's gonna be carrying a knife around .. thanks a lot for that by the way, morgana 806 - but he does linger, looking concerned.] Hey - are you okay?

[obvious answer? NOPE. way to be observant.]

[fallbythesword]

[As he comes toward her, her eyes do occasionally flick upward to look at his face, but her attention constantly goes right back toward the door to her room. She can't look away. She wants to, but she really can't, she's just so scared and what if it spreads, what if... always "what if"... She doesn't even know - remember? - what it is, where that place is... but she needed out. She could feel that it wanted her, and that song...

Her attention snaps back to him at his question, and she shakes her head rapidly. She's not okay. At least she knows that much... ]

[decrypts]

[with the way she's looking, he knows she isn't okay. she's far from okay - and he doesn't know what's gotten her so upset, so scared, but it isn't going to keep him from trying to help her.

so he extends a hand, offering to help her up, a small little smile playing across his mouth in the meantime.] You really look like you don't want to be here. Why don't we go somewhere else?

[fallbythesword]

[She hesitates, for a very long moment, staring at his hand like she's just not sure if she can take it. But... doesn't she not want to be alone...? After a little bit of silently arguing with herself, she puts her hand in his and uses that to pick herself up.]

Where will we go?

[decrypts]

[he expects her to hesitate. expects her not to trust a single thing he's saying – because he's a stranger, right? but he's legitimately trying to help, and he doesn't like thinking there's something he can do and then .. just not do it.

when she puts her hand in his, he smiles a small little thing, helping her to her feet.] Away from whatever it is that has you scared out of your mind. Which .. I'm thinking might be anywhere but here. Sound like a plan?

[lamb_of_gold]

[1006 was in the process of cleaning up his own room - which he'd awoken to find was covered in blood and what looked to be peices of armor- when '07's door opens. '06 drops the armload of refuse he was carrying and crossed the hall to catch the girl before she hurt herself.]

Hey now. What's shaken you so?

[dumb question, now that he thinks about it, but mundane things tend to induce calm, so...]

[fallbythesword]

[That wide-eyed stare just turns to him when he comes to help her. She holds that stare for a moment, but then she squeezes her eyes shut tightly and shakes her head rapidly.]

That place... in there. I can't-... I-... I don't know.

[lamb_of_gold]

Can you stand? We'll go down a floor and talk there, alright?

[fallbythesword]

[She hesitates, for a long moment... but she nods twice and then stands. She's not sure why, but she feels the need to stand a bit closer to '06. The proximity eases her anxiety a little, but she's still trembling quite a lot and trying not to look at her room.]

Alright. That sounds... good.

[inhumanity]

[108 hears the slam and steps out. He sees 1007 in distress...

...and all he can think to do is walk over to her and crouch down beside her.]

Hello again. [He smiles gently.] Would you like to go outside for a walk? There are beautiful flowers out there.

[fallbythesword]

[She's too frightened to respond to his greeting, but the gentle smile is... comforting. And that helps. Her tight grip on her knees relaxes a bit, but she's still shaking, still wide-eyed and frightened.]

...Flowers...?

[inhumanity]

In the forest. [His expression doesn't change. This hurts, and he hurts for her. He feels like he has done this before. He wants her to find peace. And he speaks of the flowers warmly, like there is nothing more wonderful in the world.] They're beautiful. There are flowers of all sorts, some even glow. We could make a ring of them for your hair.

[fallbythesword]

[She's... not so sure about having a ring made for her hair, but she... really does want to see the flowers. They must really be beautiful, and she does like beautiful things. She thinks she does, anyway. Something about hearing about them...

So she stands, slowly, and nods at 1008.]

Show me?

[this is familiar. why is it familiar? did someone show her this kind of kindness, give her this appreciation for the world's beauty and a taste of freedom before?]

[beagoodman]

((ooc: Oops, now I'm listening to that song on loop...))

[1012 walking around the hotel, trying find out what could have happened, or what's going on. His senses working as if he'd be in the middle of a fight, but he isn't. Is he...? But then, he hears the slam from the floor he just passed, so he hurries back just to find a girl scared out of her mind.

1012 decided to be wary, but fear doesn't mean you have to ditch everyone else for your own safety.]

Hello? Excuse me, I'm... from the room 1012. I'd like to help, so I'm going to go closer, alright?

[fallbythesword]

((OoC: Yeeeeah it happens. I just put it back on... oops.))

[She looks up at him, still frightened... but he doesn't seem like a threat, and more importantly, he's real. And here. And for some reason, she really doesn't want to be alone right now...

So she nods at him, to answer his question, but she still doesn't say anything yet.]

[beagoodman]

[1207 nods and slowly proceeds to approach the girl. He's trying to look as convincing as he could even if he knows that in a state which the girl seems to be, it must be hard to believe it.

He passes the door and hears faint music. It's beautiful but in the way that makes you cold and lonely. 1012 tries not to be taken aback by it as he reaches the girl.]

Hey... are you alright? I mean, if you got hurt anywhere? [Because it was obvious she wasn't fine, but physical injury's more important right now. 1207 slowly crouches down to her, trying to see if everything's alright.]

[fallbythesword]

[She relaxes her grip on her knees, pushes some of her hair out of her face and behind her ear. She shakes her head.]

No... I'm not hurt. My room, 1007... it changed. I had to get out of there, or...

[... Or what? She doesn't entirely know for sure, but it felt... horrible.]

[betrayedtwin]

[207 happens to be trying out some of the special functions in his helmet, his eyes watching the little figures and dots moving about in his motion tracker and thermal systems when he spots one dot in particular moving from end of the building to the other suddenly. He might have chocked it up to someone merely screwing around upstairs but...something tells him there's a little more to it. Not one to waste time, he jumps to his feet and runs out into the hallway and up the stairs, his eyes glued on that one dot until he finds the right floor. He's surprised to see a small young woman as the source, but that makes him all the more concerned.]

[He jogs over to her, removing his helmet so he doesn't scare her any more than she seems to be.] Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?

[fallbythesword]

[She's relieved to see someone coming, even a stranger. It doesn't matter. It means she's not alone, and that's one less thing for her to think about.

But his question, did someone hurt her...? No. Not... not quite. ... She shakes her head once. Twice. ...then she winces, looking away from him and down at the floor. She draws her knees in closer.]

I was going to be trapped in there. In my room, in that... place it's become.

[betrayedtwin]

[207 frowns, slightly confused.] Trapped? [He looks from her, then around him at the other doors.] I promise nothing will happen to you. Can you tell me what happened to your room? You won't have to go over to it or anything.

[fallbythesword]

[She shakes her head slowly.]

It... turned into a prison. A very specific prison. With those crystals, and that song...

[She knows she probably isn't making any sense. She's barely making any sense to herself, she just knows that she is afraid.]

[grip_on_reality]

[403 has been exploring, and she's in the stairwell when she hears the crash of the door on floor 10. she breaks out into a jog, throwing open the door to the floor where she's sure she heard the noise--]

[--she stops short at the sight of the terrified young woman. slowing down, she approaches with concern]

Hey...what happened? Are you hurt?

[fallbythesword]

[She shakes her head - rapidly and sharply at first, but she calms down a bit. Just hearing this stranger's voice, just knowing that someone else is around, even someone she doesn't know... it helps. Somehow. Her breathing is returning to normal, at least, though her gaze is still wide-eyed, terrified and flicking back toward that room every few seconds.]

I'm... no. I'm not hurt. My room, it...

[grip_on_reality]

[she frowns, holding out a hand to help the woman up] Is there someone in there? Look, the stairwell's in the corner. Head down and get out of 'ere.

[while she takes a look at whatever has frightened her so badly...]

[fallbythesword]

[She takes the hand up, but after she stands... she finds that she's very, very reluctant to let go of the woman's hand. She eventually does so, but not until after a rather long spell of hesitation.]

... If you say so.

[And she does head for the stairwell, practically scampering when she gets anywhere near her door. She refuses to listen to that song, to see the inside of that room, to go anywhere near it... afjdkal And she darts down the stairs.

If 403 cares to go find her when she's done looking into the room, she'll find 1007 sitting at one of the dining tables, quiet and pensive.]