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

[lackinginfaith]

They're the type of person to kidnap people and seal them in here. What do you think?

[penduli]

[ .............. ]

So you're saying that saying "pretty please with a cherry on top" wouldn't get us an elevator key.

[lackinginfaith]

Are you actually being serious right now?

[penduli]

No, I'm not. [ ...maybe he was a little but not really the point. ] Sorry. It's in poor taste to joke around in a situation like this, isn't it? I couldn't think of anything else to lighten the mood though.

[lackinginfaith]

I'd rather think about the situation.

[penduli]

[ and no one can fault her! ]

If you think too hard on it, you'll just end up wearing yourself out. Worrying won't get you anywhere. [ ...but that probably isn't something she's going to want to hear, going by her tone. oops. ] ...sorry, it's not really any of my business.

[lackinginfaith]

Either way, it'll do better than playing around.

[penduli]

Playing around might just give you a new perspective. [ says the guy who also never plays around ]

[lackinginfaith]

We haven't been here fifteen minutes and you're giving up?

[penduli]

It's not giving up, it's making sure you don't overwork yourself so you don't miss something important. Narrowing your focus isn't always a good thing, especially in an unfamiliar place. You need to keep an open mind.

[ ...he read it in a mystery novel once! ]

[lackinginfaith]

Sometimes you don't have that luxury, do you?

[penduli]

You're the confrontational type, aren't you.

[lackinginfaith]

Just not very happy.

[penduli]

I don't think any of us are. [ EVEN WITH uh... some rather lackadaisical people about. ] Just don't wear yourself out before anything gets started, okay? We don't know much about this place or the type of people that've landed in here with us.

[lackinginfaith]

That's more of a reason to be careful.

[penduli]

You can be careful and not be narrow-minded at the same time.