hide and seek

[realitymods]

[A fair amount of time after Wolf's transmission, the lights go out, stars and all. When they snap back on a minute later, anyone currently on the Plane will end up at the gates of a run-down, darkened city that looks a bit like old Tokyo, except with the same Plane sky overhead. There are bent and beat-up posters plastered all over, with illustrations of some horrible monsters and a riddle.]

To win hide and seek,
hide from darkness and seek the light.

[The monsters aren't out yet, and there are no residents to be found except the Plane's captives, but there is an eerie, empty feeling about the place.

On closer inspection, this 'sanctuary' is really a dead end. The buildings surrounding it are high with boarded windows, and the alleyways are quick dead ends.

Also, no one has powers anymore. Sorry!]

[ooc: plot start! There will be a post for prisoners going up in a couple of days.

Threadhopping/threadjacking is much encouraged. Don't worry about order, as I will be jumping in occasionally to screw everything up :D]

Comments

THE GATES

[realitymods]

[An old deli shop is nearby in case you want to make yourself food. The supplies seem fresh! How strange. There are plenty of chairs, tables, and benches near the gates leading inward. Mind the posters, though.

The doors are huge, wooden, and unlocked. They're left just slightly ajar. However, you'll have to push to see what's beyond them.]

[spiritofadventure]

[Castor can be quiet when she has to be. She's creeping around the deli with soft, nearly silent footfalls, making notes of where the food is stashed, and other such landmarks.

It's those doors that are interesting though, and she very slowly starts to nudge them open with her foot - hands up to defend herself if she has to.]

[vengefulagent]

[It's right then that Wash happens upon her and pauses in the doorway to watch what she's doing. He's been silent as he's been walking around, so she most likely hasn't heard him (and if she has, he should be ashamed.) Plus he doesn't want to startle her, not when she seems to be so engrossed with that door.]

Re: THE GATES

[desertdaggers]

[…drop in just to see how everything's doing and it's. This. He doesn't even know.

But okay, sure, gates. Let's go get this investigation started and push them open.]

THE MAIN ROAD

[realitymods]

[There sure is a lot of dust and trash left behind. Neon lights flicker and buzz. There's enough light to pick one's way around, but not enough to really feel safe. Unlike before, some of the buildings look like they could be used as hiding places, though all of them are woefully abandoned.

There are four ways to proceed, not including backward.]

[lamb_of_gold]

[He could feel it. His Cosmo. It was burning and roiling inside as it always did but it would not come when he called for it. It was as though he were blindfolded - deprived of a sense, but not stripped of it.

It was troubling nonetheless. That he could, it seemed, still come and go from the Plane at will was only small consolation.

He glanced to the tops of the buildings nearby, trying and failing to teleport to them. Of course. Still, Cosmo or no, he was still strong and hale, and with only a moment to prepare himself, runs at the closest structure, intent on scaling the wall by hand - the advantage of high ground was too good to pass up.]

[realitymods]

[Mu finds plenty of footholds. When he gets to the top of the building, he can see the ruined city has been divided into five districts. Four are accessible, but there are higher buildings, ruined skyscrapers, keeping from seeing what's beyond the north set of gilded gates.]

[dododo]

Hide from darkness and seek the light?

[ Scrunches face. ]

Vague riddles. Fantastic.

[immodestly]

[ if finding yourself on a different plane of existence from the one you're accustomed to isn't enough, this … is definitely the icing on the proverbial wtf cake. the transmission had been odd in and of itself, but then everything had gone out – and then come back on, and then there had been the gates.

she's never been so confused in all of her life.

she's taken a few steps inside the gates – an explorer at heart, forever and always – and she stops, peering around her, gears already working in her mind. her mouth pulls to the side as she thinks, and there's a small moment in which she drops from the plane to return to the enterprise to nick a tricorder ( no one will miss it, surely ) and then she's back again, taking another moment to attempt to take some sort of readings.

she's surprised in herself for not having thought to do it sooner, even if there's a chance that it won't yield her anything. ]

NORTH

[realitymods]

[There seems to be another gate waiting for you at the end of this long, claustrophobic street. The businesses you can see are boarded up or burned out.]

[fallbythesword]

[Jacqli is far from claustrophobic. She's got this. (Or so she thinks, anyway.)

She's ignoring the boarded up businesses, the dilapidated buildings. She's walking toward that other gate at the end of the road, with purpose. She'd probably slow down and take her time if she still had her powers - or her robot - but as is, she's going with the obvious before she tries branching out.

Something had better come of this venture, or she's going to be very annoyed.]

[dododo]

[ And the Doctor is following. Because she sure is moving with some conviction there and, hey, might as well. Just in case.

And he's curious about all the gates too. ]

[grip_on_reality]

[now that Menzies has a key, she makes her way past the sanctuary area and then heads north, toward those impressive, fancy gates. she's turned her torch back on and is making good time. as she reaches the gates, she pulls the key out of the pouch on her belt, looking at the shape of it again before she steps forward to get a good look at the lock on the gates and give the key a go]

[realitymods]

[She'll find the key will fit perfectly, but there are spaces for four other keys of similar make. Turning the key she has will make a satisfying clicking noise, but the door still won't budge.]

SOUTH

[realitymods]

[At some point the road curves downward, disappearing into a tunnel and making it hard to see where it goes.]

[betrayedtwin]

[Luckily for North, he has his helmet on, which comes with handy helmet lights. He has no problem seeing in front of him.] Oh look, a tunnel. Nothing bad will be hiding in there.

[He double-checks to make sure his safety's off on his pistol (his sniper rifle is a little impractical in a close-quarters situation like this and is thusly stored on his back), and heads on in. His motion tracker's on; he's not taking any chances. He just hopes Patricia is safe wherever she is.]

[realitymods]

[The tunnel leads to what appears to be an abandoned subway. There are broken neon lights, more of those posters...

Hey, an abandoned wagon. It looks like it has some canned food in it.]

EAST

[realitymods]

[Tiny red lights line the balconies of the buildings above you. Torn wind scarves in the shape of carp lie destroyed in the narrow street, as well as trash once identifiable as pieces of a parade.]

[grip_on_reality]

[Menzies is still showing some side effects from her month of invulnerability, with her long hair done up in a bun on her head. however, she broke a nail this morning, so she's discovered that it's worn off--and had a chance to solve a few of the problems it created. now that she's seen that Albrecht is down for the count, she figures it's fitting that it's gone. she can't help but wonder if he not only set up the wishes but was personally keeping them going--until now, at least. and she wonders if someone else in charge feels they deserve trouble after such a kind reprieve. after all, the current changes to the Plane have created an atmosphere that implies anything but safety]

[she walks cautiously along the deserted road. she has her police equipment with her, including a torch that she's using to improve the lighting situation and a baton that she's holding at the ready just in case. she's going slowly, looking around as she does so. more than anything, she's watching for movement. she doesn't know what to expect, and so she's trying to be ready for anything]

[ooc: Open for someone to join me if you'd like!]

[darkercalling]

[Riku's been keeping to himself and keeping his guard up. He's not taking any chances - this seems incredibly bad, to say the least. He's pressing forward, his face hidden behind his hood. At least what little light there is in this place means he has no need for the blindfold or the sunglasses.

He sees the light from her torch from a ways away. Figuring there's probably safety in numbers for something like this (especially after he figures out that he can't use any magic right now... figures), he heads toward it. He doesn't particularly care who it might be at this point. But when he spots that it's Menzies, he's relieved. He smiles faintly as he pushes his hood back.]

Hey. Want some company for the walk?

[rememberstime]

[Dave is standing on one of the balconies, looking out at the streets below. He's taken to going through the buildings to search through them idly. He isn't completely sure what he wants to find or what he's looking for. Clues? Something out of place?

He moves from room to room, jumping from one balcony to another to access other buildings.]

WEST

[realitymods]

[This is the most well-lit of the choices, at least for a good while. The buildings are shorter, but still packed tightly. The road is littered with abandoned cars here and there.]

[moveslikestrider]

[Back here again. Dave stands in the middle of the lights, with his white sword held point down. Everything feels empty, in ways he'd never felt cities should feel. The eerie quality to it all, reminds him of the cave where...

He shakes his head and steps forward, glancing warily at the wreckage on his way down the road. Something had to give him an answer to why the plane looks so different from before.

Maybe that something might be different from what he'd used to worry would happen. Maybe.]

[behisequal]

[This city is unfamiliar to him, but Loki automatically deems it Midgardian in nature by virtue of all the clutter and the technology that's about. Lack of familiarity, however, is the last thing on his mind. He feels...different, and after a quick test, he figures out why--and he is none too pleased. (When is he ever when his arrival to the Plane of Astral is met with such changes?)

Thankfully, he travels down this road with a few daggers for such an occasion and keeps one concealed in the palm of his hand. If he must be exposed, then so be it. Anyone or anything he meets here shall also be given such a disadvantage.

Ahead of him, he spots a figure standing in the road armed with a sword. He knows not whether it is meant for him, but nonetheless, Loki approaches with caution--all while wearing a disarming, innocent expression.]

[decrypts]

[ welcome back to the astral plane, agent york. how would you like your welcome back party to commence? with darkness and weird posters and riddles? well, that's exactly what we have for you!

never fails. as long as he doesn't get stabbed through the eyes again, he might just be okay with what happens … maybe.

he's walking through the well-lit area, peering at the cars that line either side of the road. that transmission had been odd, to say the very least – and to point out the obvious, as always – but too little has happened to extract any real meaning from it just yet, so there's really nothing he can do but wait it out and see what comes of it.

but … naturally, that doesn't mean he isn't going to go poking around in the meantime. can't blame a guy, can you? this place is always full of surprises.

and sometimes radishes. ]