trusthell | Welcome.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not bad. Certainly not the least awful word I'm seeing sprawled on that board.

["Sensitive" Ugh... He didn't necessarily dislike the word, he just didn't like the fact that someone he didn't know attached him with the label.]

"Resilient" means you've come through a sort of hardship and kept going. It's good. [Though, what can he really say to this person he's never seen before. She certainly wasn't dressed like anything he'd seen.]

I don't think any of them are necessarily bad.

[ Aqua clears her throat, looking a bit embarrassed. She's worked hard to get where she has... but... ]

A hardship... I'm not sure I can recall anything like that, but that's kind of you to say.

Right. Not necessarily.

[But wow, Sigrun, way to be rude much?

A moment of muscle memory beckons. Speedwagon tips his top hat at her, noticing just after that this new hat wasn't the one he was so familiar with. He takes it off, giving it a once-over.]

Well, neither can I, though I guess it's not much consolation. [He continued, eyes flipping from Aqua to the hat.] Just felt like the right thing to say at the moment, I suppose. Though, I can't fathom why we would be given these labels in the first place.

[ She's noticed it, too. Her clothes are a little more worn, beat up, than she recalls. Odd. Aqua has to wonder if there's something more going on here... something almost sinister.

The wording of the rules, after all... ]

"Punishment"... "engage..." "exercise..." [ Each word is murmured in a low voice. It's only more unsettling the longer she thinks about it. ] Maybe it has something to do with the rules.

[ Quietly: ] "Survivors"... What does that mean?

[Speedwagon had already thought of the idea that something rather sinister was afoot. Why else would a common thug wake up in a place like this?

All of it was more then a little strange, and he was having trouble steeling his spine.]

It all sounds like a load of stark rubbish, if you ask for my opinion. [He crossed his arms, looking down at the rules all the same.]

Well... are you asking about the word's meaning, or what it means for us? [Because frankly that part is freaking him out pretty good.]

I hope that's all it is.

[ The alternative starts seeming worse and worse, the more she thinks about it. ]

What it means for us. What are we supposed to have survived--?

The way it talks... it's like it's telling us we just got through the bloody end of the world. [Just need to come out and say it. He's speaking in hyperboles.... if only...]

...It doesn't sound right in the slightest. Last I checked, the world was right as rain.

And my world was in no way in any sort of danger. Nor were the others I visited. [ She may as well come out and say that; they're all pretty aware that there are different worlds. ]

[...Speedwagon was a little late to that race, but he did pick it up somewhere down the handwaved line.]

Cor... I was thinking about that whole thing. First we figure out different worlds are apparently floating around in the universe, and now you're saying you can hop around them like magic?

[ She nods. ]

It was part of my duty, yes. I was tasked with bringing order to worlds in which balance was at a risk.

[...What can he say to that? He can't just say nothing.]

That's... I'm sure you've done some good work.

[#Nailedit]

I did try my best--but if I'm here, there's not much I can do in regards to my duties.

There's not much any of us can do in these instances. [NOT LIKE THERE'S ANY DOORS AROUND HERE TO UNLOCK... like literally. Not even a fickin window.

considering what she just told him, it's no wonder she's feeling a little off.]

...I suppose I can try and offer up a tip for ya, pro bono.

[ who does something like that?? seriously. it's like claustrophobia central in some places. ]

A tip? I'd be glad to hear it.

The way I see it, if you've been trying your best then that's well and good. Now I can't claim to understand proper what it means to protect different worlds...

[for god's sake, he's just a street criminal from London.]

...I'd wager that includes this one?

It's not exactly a common duty, no.

[ Meaning, she totally sympathizes with you. She'd felt the same way before she'd left home. ]

I haven't been here long--but I'll do my best to make sure nothing terrible befalls this place.

It's not particularly this place that I'm all concerned over.

[There's twenty seven people here. Some of them are kids...]

Protecting a world usually means protecting the people in it. If any of them get hurt...

[ She'd. Rather not think about that. ]

[He'd rather not think about it either. Though this world they're trapped in could pretty much be left to rot for all he cared right now.]

I get it. Personally, I'm not feeling up to giving a brawl anything soon. If everyone can collect themselves long enough, maybe we can stick our collective heads together.

[ She nods, smiling lightly. ]

With so many people, we're bound to have many different perspectives.

A right mess of people from different places. [So many people, it might just be a mess of morality in here.]

Might as well prepare for the worst right now.

Do you truly think we should expect the worst case scenario?

If we don't and it rears its ugly mug, then what will we do?

[...]

Just gotta keep it in mind. Better to be prepared for something that'll never come then not.

Welcome.

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