APRIL EVENT: AND HARDSHIPS UNNUMBERED (LOCKED ROOM POST)

[sailmods]

[it happens in less than the blink of an eye.

April 10th. 10:47 AM. no matter where they were, no matter what they were doing, most passengers previously aboard the Serena Eterna find themselves in an empty room. not a very large room, but not a very small one, either. stone floors. stone ceiling. mostly stone walls. whatever they were wearing before, they aren’t wearing it now; all of them are now in one of two outfits, with no real seeming rhyme or reason as to who gets what. there is a large wooden door in the center of one wall, locked with a heavy drawbar. there is an LED display above it, like you would see at a sports arena; it’s currently turned off.

and then there are the heads.

the walls are mostly stone. mostly, because seeming every square inch of every wall has a head sticking out of it. human, animal, mixes of both and neither. passengers may recognize friends, or family. fellow passengers, specifically the dead (and anyone living that opted out). themselves, if they’ve ever died during the voyage. every head ends just at the top of the neck, and every one has their eyes wide open, expressions glassy and unseeing, but entirely neutral. just staring forward.

the display flickers to life, displaying the following information:]

NEXT: DAISY TONNER

64 LIVES

[has anyone seen Fio?]

Comments

iii

[seethesun]

Eleanor's trying to reach out to people, but she's scared, and the usual comfort of information is only turning up more things to be scared of, comparisons to Rapture's past that unsettle her. When Dimitri approaches she's on the floor, and she wraps her arms around him in a tight hug.

She's shaking.

[prince_of_beasts]

If their own friendship weren't enough, Eleanor's affection for Dedue Dimitri will simply not be processing attraction to himself at this time has cemented her as one of his. He curls around her with a warm rumble, rubbing the point of his jaw against her shoulder.

"Stay with me, Eleanor. I'm here."

Biological horrors in your area want YOU to realize you're worthy of love

[seethesun]

"Father is here," Eleanor whispers in a tight voice. "They took his helmet. It's not his face without his helmet and I can't find one."

[prince_of_beasts]

Hh. Another sympathetic headbutt.

"Would any covering help, at least a little? Or does he need a helmet?"

[seethesun]

"Would it be your face without your eyes?" Eleanor whispers. She only hugs tighter, which may be an issue; as Dimitri learned she needs someone like him to train with, as this girl is unnaturally strong.

[prince_of_beasts]

"No. It isn't." The lion's laugh is more of a bitter, barking cough. He huffs apologetically. "What I mean is -- if it would help not to look, or at least not to have that face exposed, I can offer the shirt I arrived with. I hardly need it in this shape." A sigh. "If it makes no difference ... I can only offer my sympathy. As if this sick game weren't bad enough, it must violate the people we love as well."

[seethesun]

"...I don't want you to see him like this," Eleanor confesses in the barest whisper. "Let his head be one in the crowd. I - I am sorry, Sir Alexander, I should be more composed."

The hug is threatening to end.

[prince_of_beasts]

Dimitri won't force Eleanor to maintain the hug, but he gives a reassuring grunt; she's welcome to continue it.

"Then forget I suggested it. No -- no, it is entirely reasonable to lose your composure. This room is meant to break us before we even step foot in whatever lies beyond. Had I not had Darcy and Dedue to catch me when we arrived, I would be out of my mind with terror and grief. And, truthfully ... " The lion's shoulders tense, then sink. " ... it is not for any good reason that I can maintain my own composure."

[seethesun]

"...That's just it. This is my first true horror as a free woman, and..."

The hug tightens again.

[prince_of_beasts]

"That's just it, indeed. We were forged in a crucible; removed from it, we're liable to shatter." Dimitri doesn't know enough about the ocean to make the comparison to deep-sea creatures, but if he did he would. He gives another deep rumble. " ... I know the feeling. But that is why we have each other. Standing strong alone made us brittle. Together, we have a real chance. And any one of us faltering can be borne up by the rest."

[seethesun]

Eleanor nods against Dimitri's mane. She takes in a deep breath and does manage to pull away from the hug this time...

...Mainly to start petting the top of his lion head.

"Will you...you said before that you require assistance to shed this form. Will you be facing the trials ahead as a lion, sir?"

[prince_of_beasts]

It's a good thing lions can't visibly blush. "I'm not planning to, no. There's a, a talisman, that I require assistance with. It appears I can take this form without it, but it's less ... stable, and more taxing." He huffs air through his nose. "Whatever lies through that door, I'll face on two legs. But for the moment, this shape ... it helps."

[seethesun]

"If only I could join you." Eleanor pauses. "...On further reflection perhaps not. If I am wishing anyway, I might rather like to be a reef shark and learn how to swim with a pack, and though they are adorable and quite pettable, I fear flopping on this stone floor next to you might have side effects including preventable asphyxiation and comic death."

[prince_of_beasts]

It turns out lions can, approximately, laugh; it comes out as a sort of barking cough. "Yes, that would be unpleasant. And I might have to stop Siffleur from eating you, which would go poorly for all involved. -- though if you are interested, do you know Ylva? Her shapeshifting abilities are much broader, and she may be able to facilitate something once we're out of here."

[seethesun]

Eleanor brightens at the prospect. "If she could facilitate such a thing I could take you diving! There's not much to see but I feel so at peace in the waters..."

Eleanor's joy cuts short. A troubled expression flickers across her face.

[prince_of_beasts]

"What's wrong?"

[seethesun]

"...Sir Alexander...did you find Father's armor...displeasing?"

She's trying so hard to be brave right now Dimitri. Look at her she's got anxiety.

[prince_of_beasts]

"Displeasing?" Not a question Dimitri had expected. "I ... hm. No, I don't believe so. Everything there was so far out of my frame of reference I didn't know what to think." A thoughtful pause. In the name of full honesty, "I was a bit unnerved, but again, that was true of the whole scenario, not just your father. It's hard to say what I might have felt given a chance to get used to it." A briefer pause. "I did worry about that drill making a fine meat sauce out of me. But I wouldn't say displeasing."

[seethesun]

Fine meat sauce. Eleanor can't help a giggle, and the giggle in turn helps with some of her stress. "Father wouldn't grind your bones to make his bread, Sir Alexander. He's much more fond of creme cakes." She looks down, at her wrists again. "It's a relief to hear. My diving suit...the armor of a Big Sister is based on that of a Big Daddy, like Father. Only our weapon is an upscaled extraction needle. I wouldn't want to unsettle you."

[prince_of_beasts]

A laugh! Dimitri doesn't often make people laugh. It's a nice feeling, even if he's not sure exactly what he said.

He does wince at the mention of the needle. "Another weapon I would not like to find myself on the wrong end of. Even if I do find it unsettling at first, I'll adjust quickly enough. The face of a friend never stays frightening for long."

His tail flicks. "In truth, I've always found I have more to fear from beautiful faces than strange ones."

[seethesun]

"Ha! Yes, indeed. Father Wales used to say that the greatest lie the Devil ever told is that beauty and goodness are the same." Eleanor looks somewhere over Dimitri's shoulder, her eyes unfocusing. "...He was a very different man, before...before everything. He and his brother were Rapture's architects, I'll have you know."

[prince_of_beasts]

"Father Wales?" Dimitri only knows it as the name of a country. Is it like 'Father Christmas' maybe? "He sounds like a wise man."

[seethesun]

"He was. He tried to have Father killed for attempting to rescue me, which I believe may demonstrate that he abandoned reason for madness." Eleanor sighs deeply. "...At least he had the courage to die as one of his men instead of cowering in a hole. Father Wales had the true faith. I only wish it had been in a better god."

[prince_of_beasts]

"I'm sorry. It's one of the world's greatest tragedies when loyalty turns a person's best qualities to foul ends. At least, as you say, he died with dignity ... but it's terrible that he had to die at all."

[seethesun]

"Yes," Eleanor murmurs. "...His soul was starving for something my mother promised that I would give him. I'm rather afraid that our conversation about the similarities between our worlds, and our lives, has continued to haunt me. Not...not that I want to dwell on past tragedies in the midst of our present one, but..."

What else is there to do in this giant head room?