Welcome.

[trustharder]

You last remember feeling safe.

You don't know what caused that response, now that you think about it; you can't remember what you were doing before the warm, comfortable feeling came over you, a sensation somewhere between relief and the light contentment that comes with the knowledge that you're safe enough to sleep and god, are you ready to. It feels like you may have been sleeping for a while before this, even; your limbs are heavy in the memory, and you recall how difficult it was to open your eyes.

Turning your head is likewise difficult, it feels kind of like it's full of sand. Weighted-down by sleep. It's so much easier to remain still, and so you do, and before you haze out again you can vaguely hear a voice.

It's no one you recognize, and it sounds strange and vaguely distorted as you start to drift off again.

"Everything'll be fine."

There isn't an answer that you can hear; the voice speaks once more.

"...you ready?"

You don't remember what you wanted to say to that. Always, maybe. Or Ready for what? Or perhaps What's happened to me?

But none of it matters, because consciousness slips away from you too quickly for you to respond.

---

You wake up some time later; the comfortable, safe feeling from earlier certainly isn't dampened any by the bed you wake up in. Whether you like it soft as a cloud or firm enough to support the most finicky of spines, the bed you're in is nice, and it's pretty much exactly what you've been looking for in a mattress.

Shame the rest of the room is probably going to be a bit jarring when you wake up properly.

The room you're in is completely unfamiliar, all concrete and steel and almost nothing that makes it yours - but there's a trunk near the bed and there's what looks like a smartphone sitting on the trunk, and you might want to grab that before you leave the room. Trying to text or call out won't do anything for the time being, unfortunately, but it's something. A lifeline, maybe.

If you're looking to see if anyone is here with you, maybe you can find someone as you wander through the main corridor; after all, there are a few places to explore here, even if the bulk of the place is pretty much a straight shot down the center. If you're looking to gather, the dining hall is probably the best place for it, as it's large enough to accommodate all of you.

Wherever you choose to go, however, there are a set of rules posted in every room; the far wall of the dining hall, across from the entrances, also has a bulletin board with twenty-seven pictures, along with some...interesting information, posted on it. The board is large enough for all of you to look at it, but you might not want to try to get at anything posted there; just like the rules, there's glass in front of it, and it's looking to be extremely shatterproof.

Sorry about that.

There's one more thing you'll notice on your wanderings through the corridor – there are no windows, and there are no doors that can possibly lead outside.

Looks like you're trapped. Might as well get to know those that are here with you.

Comments

bulletin board

[lackinginfaith]

You're not surprised at how he got these? Mine clearly wasn't taken with my knowledge.

[happysweets]

Well, I am a model. It's not too hard to find a picture of me, if you look around...so that part isn't what's bothering me.

Still, with all of this information up here, you'd think he'd at least get a picture that looks better. ...And get my age right, for that matter.

[lackinginfaith]

Your age? ...Mine's off by one. [She pauses.] Maybe he suspects that you lie about your age to the public? Don't models do that?

[happysweets]

H-hey! That's rude, not all models do that! And even if I did lie about my age, I definitely wouldn't lie about five whole years! That's just plain silly!

[lackinginfaith]

Don't get so defensive. I have no idea who's got us all here or what they're thinking, snatching up all these unrelated people. We have nothing in common.

[happysweets]

Well, you're right about that much, at least...

[ Scanning over everyone real quick, just to see if there's a trend in the likes and dislikes... ]

Aaah, it's no good! There isn't a pattern or anything!

[ Did she really think it was going to be that easy...... ]

But it can't just be a randomly picked group, can it? Can it?

[lackinginfaith]

That's what I want to know. Is everything else on yours right? If I'm right, some is probably private information, but if it's right anyway, that makes this even more confusing.

[happysweets]

No, everything on here is accurate but my age! And nothing's all that private...

[ It's not exactly agreeable to have the big flag saying I LOVE KIRA on display for the world to see, but, there are Kira fanatics out there. It's not like she's the only one. And naturally, anyone on Kira's side is opposed to L...

As for homewreckers and housebreakers, well, that's low, but, it's true. ]

...What about yours? You're really a princess?!

[lackinginfaith]

Yours are just filled with individual people. That and things anyone would like or dislike.

[At that, Caren's hand goes to the pendant she's wearing -- a purple shell with wings. Slowly, she nods.]

And if he knows that, I've got bigger problems.

[happysweets]

Right. There's nothing all that distinctive about it...

[ Looks like she doesn't know who Kira is after all. Normally she'd take some umbrage with that, but, at the end of the day, it's better like that. ]

Is it supposed to be some kind of secret identity?

[lackinginfaith]

As long as I'm... well, I don't know where I am now, aside from the obvious things. "With a bunch of strangers." "Long hallway." "Not underwater." "Probably not on the sun." [Caren rolls her eyes.] Not much to go on there, is there?

[happysweets]

What's bothering me most is how there are no windows or exits or anything...we're probably somewhere underground, then, right? That's the only reason I could think of. The concrete walls remind me of some basement...

But, um, it's probably one heck of a place, if this is the basement.

[lackinginfaith]

I've definitely never seen anything like it. What kind of place puts all these advanced appliances in the kitchen, but makes you wash your dishes and your clothes by hand?

[happysweets]

...The kind that doesn't have the energy or the hot water for a washing machine?

[lackinginfaith]

So they put the whole budget towards the kitchen. Great. Maybe they're a cook in their spare time when they're not kidnapping random strangers.

[happysweets]

Maybe...that vending machine looked kind of cool, too, but I didn't really get a chance to see if there was anything nice inside...

[ She was sort of...huddled next to it crying. Whoops. ]

[lackinginfaith]

What currency would it even take? There are people from all over the world here, it looks like.

[happysweets]

You don't think it'd be yen? I didn't have my purse in my room with me, anyway...

[lackinginfaith]

Could be. It'll probably be marked.

[happysweets]

But where do we get the money? Should we look under the couch cushions? Maybe it'll be like a scavenger hunt for them?!

[ That sounds like it could be fun! ]

[lackinginfaith]

Escape first, remember?

[just. shakes her head.]

[happysweets]

O-oh, right...

...Wait, wait, wait, Misa-Misa's got it! Maybe there's something in the vending machine that can help us escape! Like a crowbar to open up the elevator doors!

[ WHO PUTS CROWBARS IN A VENDING MACHINE....... ]

So it'll be a useful scavenger hunt!

[lackinginfaith]

[sigh.] You go do that. I personally doubt it.

[happysweets]

[ rude ]

Oh, come on, you don't have to be such a stick in the mud! It's obviously here for a reason. Aren't you even a little curious?

[lackinginfaith]

I'm curious about how to get out of here and back to where I was. Everything else can wait.