Welcome.

[trustwellness]

You wake with the unshakable feeling that you shouldn't be here. Perhaps you were in the middle of something, perhaps you weren't. Either way, you're waking up in an unfamiliar location with no recollection of how you got here. The room you've woken up in is sparsely-decorated, though that might be difficult to tell at first given how nice the beds are...but eventually you'll notice a few things that are a little...off. Maybe the scent is striking you wrong - it's clean, but it's not yours. Maybe your bed back home doesn't support your back in quite this way. Maybe you should be seeing sunlight through your window by now. Maybe you should have a window in the first place. This isn't right, but leaving the room won't give you any more answers. You might want to grab the silver key sitting on your trunk on the way out. Don't worry though, you aren't all alone here. Once you step outside your room into the hallway, you'll notice that a few others are emerging from their rooms as well. It looks like they're just as confused and concerned as you are. Feel free to talk to them, but none of you know how exactly you wound up here and maybe some useful information can be found by exploring. If you follow the hallway to its end (and it's a very long hallway), you'll eventually arrive in the foyer. You'll find some very interesting information about yourselves on the wall near the clock. Perhaps even more importantly, if you look on the other side of the multi-pendulumed thing, you'll find other framed information that you might want to pay attention to. It could very well be the key to escaping this strange place, after all. Don't worry if you forget the rules, you can find them in every room of the building. Of course, search as you might, you won't find a doorway or a window of any sort. Getting out won't be so easy, it seems. But who knows? Perhaps your fellow captives have something to say about all of this. Welcome to Chronos University.

Comments

hallway

[oyashiromama]

[Okay, you don't just say to someone "aw wow, you aren't used to walking either" but Hanyuu definitely has to bite back that comment as she catches Alani's musing.]

Is that something that's...new to you?

[Also, like. She hasn't seen anyone like Alani before, but she feels much less hesitant addressing someone who looks a little more...unique, so to say.]

[iamthatsea]

It's... not that it's super new to me, exactly? I mean I can do it, I've done it before, I just swim all the time so it's been... years? Years. At least two.

[oyashiromama]

[...only two. oh you sweet summer child]

Oh. ...With your appearance, that does make sense, mm. Excuse my question, then. I've never met someone like you before, so it was in ignorance.

[iamthatsea]

[ Look her lifespan is going to be long, her aging is already slowing, but not everyone lives as long as y'all demons. ]

No worries! Half-Helicians with gills attached aren't exactly super common, I get it.

[oyashiromama]

[Hahaha "lives" maybe "exists" is a better way to put it.]

I must admit, I've never heard of a...Helician to begin with. I would assume we're from different dimensions, to be honest.

[iamthatsea]

[ "Just keeps going" ]

Different... dimensions?

[ HUH. ]

Maybe you're just from an underdeveloped planet? It happens, don't worry! I'm not going to laugh at you or anything.

[oyashiromama]

[...UH.]

I... Earth isn't as advanced as it could be, no, but my people were, and no stories the elders told me mention Helicians that I can recall.

[She tries to recall as much as possible. Who else will, if not her?]

[iamthatsea]

[ Hahahaha now there's a feeling Alani is going to get real familiar with soon. ]

Wait, Earth? There are other dimensions, ones where Earth still...

[ HUH. ISN'T THAT SOMETHING. Alani doesn't seem to really know what to say. ]

[oyashiromama]

...where Earth still what?

[Well, now she's on edge!]

[iamthatsea]

Humans moved on from Earth long ago, where I come from. Established themselves in space. Earth is just mostly uninhabited by now, that's all.

[ Because the sun is fucking dead BUT NO NEED TO SAY THAT ]

[oyashiromama]

Is that so...?

[It's just like her people's homeland.]

...well, I hope that, where I am from, that wouldn't come to pass for a long time, if it does at all.

[iamthatsea]

Space isn't so bad, humanity makes due. I should know, my dad was human.

[oyashiromama]

Oh... You're half-human? That... [She finds herself smile wistfully.] My daughter was as well.

[iamthatsea]

[ "was" is not a fun word when it comes to talking about families. ]

Really? That's cool. Not a whole lot of half-and-half people around, even where I'm from.

[oyashiromama]

[Haha it's fine, she died of old age for her time, it's fine it's f i n e ]

That's the case with me as well. She... Well, she was a very special girl. [Technically, the whole village could be, though, couldn't it...?] Here I am talking about her and I haven't even given my name. I'm Hanyuu. ...Hanyuu Furude.

[iamthatsea]

[ She doesn't say it, but she wonders briefly what her birth parents would think if they could see her now. ]

My name is Alani. Just Alani. It's nice to meet you, Hanyuu Furude.

[oyashiromama]

It is...nice to meet you too. [...how long has it been since she said something like that.] Despite the circumstances we're in.

[iamthatsea]

Yeah, this isn't the... greatest situation. But at least none of us are here alone.

[oyashiromama]

Yes. If there is any possible positive point...it's that no one is alone.

[iamthatsea]

Any idea how many people are here?

[ She hasn't reached the profiles yet. ]

[oyashiromama]

No, not yet.

[Nor her, awesome.]

A few...a fair few, if all of these rooms are filled.