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The changing of the guard indicates another day passing; the only measure of time you have available to you. One bland face replaced with another. One would think after years of imprisonment you would know these faces, but their weekly processes have stripped you of your memories. Maybe a phantom of the past remains, but these faces could well be masks for all you know. Once more, as it has so many times in the past few years, the doors to your cells rattle open, to destroy these past seven days as they have every other
The muffled sound of sirens fills the air, quietened by the thick walls of the compound. The guards seem to sitr, leaving the vaults of the nest silent except the soft whispers of those imprisoned.
Faint light fills the Nest from flickering candles. Oddly, for once, there are no signs of the guards. The air is chill, and your breath frosts before you. From within the shadows, you hear a faint voice whispering to you, promising one thing, a concept you have never forgotten. “freedom”
The sound of a hundred roaring voices fills the Nest, echoing throughout the vaults until they reach the hidden cells where you were kept. The door of your cells swing open, yet for once no guards enter to drag you to processing.
From the room you were contained in there are four exits. One, what little fragments of the past remain tells you leads to the room where you where oft interrogated them your mind erased in an endless cycle. From another you can hear the voices loudest, the sound of battle and bloodshed. You have no knowledge of the east or northwards two doors.
OOC thread
__________________ love of mine, someday you will die,
and I'll be close behind
to follow you into the dark
The soft orange hum of the muffled alarm awoke Nicola from her rest. Her tired eyes scanned across the room as she exited her cell. The cold, hard stone floor, still unfamiliar thanks to whatever has they had been doing to her, was not evenly paved, so she moved slowly.
As Nicola gazed at the doors, she recongised the one which had led to her present state, the one that took away her mind, her will. It was all she could not to shudder or cry out at the entrance to...whatever it was that ate at her mind. No. Not now, not ever. thought the girl. Never again.
Moving on to the western door, she could see the tell-tale sounds of battle, the angry red of angry screams, the sheer grey of metal clashing on metal. A nostalgic feeling washed over Nicola, as her pulse quickened and mouth watered a little. I can fight. I am meant to fight. But what of the others?
Even as her eyes drifted towards the eastern and northern doors, Nicola breathed deeply before trying to speak to the other prisioners. "Hello?" Nicola whispered, her voice weak from disuse. "Are you all awake? I..."
Nicola's voice trailed off as she processed the scents coming from the northern door, in the hopes of shedding more light on their options. After all, I can't leave the others. And Chie... The thought of the young girl in the cell next to her own nearly caused Nicola to lose composure. I almost remember her.
"We need a plan We will never get better chance to leave." Nicola said, her voice stronger now, as she turned toward her companions. "Anyone with an idea?" The question nearly caused Nicola to smile, but she managed to keep her stone-like neutral expression. I think I missed this...
Chie lies still at first, utterly motionless; then in a fashion exclusive to those of youth, a flash of energy overtakes her, and with a showy spring forward projects herself onto her feet, fully awake. She yawns.
Ah, what a week. What's all this then?
She looks around, at the doors. Ooh, maybe we're being let out. Seeing the grl poking around the doors , she makes at first to greet her loudly, but shows more caution as it dawns on her she seems to be listening out for something. Perking her ears and rubbing off her grogginess, she listens in to the sound of battle.
"Oh, nothing good can come of that." Che brushes the dust from her clothes, dull and prisonwear though they may be, straightens herself up and clears her throat, waving wildly. "Hello, nice lady. I always wondered what was on the other side of those doors, so why don't we go find out? Also, does anyone else hear soem voice saying 'freedom'. I sometimes hear inanimate objects speaking to me, so maybe I'm just crazy."
Chie leaves her cell, stretching as she goes to join Nicola's side. "I'm pretty quick on my feet when I need to be, if you wnat to make a dash for it, though maybe the old farts over there have a better idea. You guys awake yet?"
Last edited by TraceHyde : 05-01-2012 at 11:06 AM.
"Well I’m going down that hallway there" says Robb while gesturing towards the Interrogation room “All I remember is a few hazy scenes of something important and being dragged out of that room god knows how many times, so I’m bloody well going to find out what they did to me while I was in there then maybe I can find out why I was brought here. If you want to work together then let me scout ahead and I will shout if it’s all clear. Considering how much noise is coming from above it they should be too busy to bother us for now so it should be safe for you to leave if you don't want to come and i will catch you up i'm sure” after he has finished speaking Robb flashes them his cockiest grin as a reassurance and heads down the passageway.
(some rolls below)
Spoiler
Hide check (1d20+10)[20]
Spot Check to see if there are any enemies once i'm in the room and to see if there is anything useful in there (1d20+5)[24]
Listen check for enemies and to try and peice together more about what's happening upstairs (1d20+9)[28]
A smile danced behind Nicola's eyes when Chie came running out, though it never reached her face."I am sure you are, little one. Good to see you again," Nicola agreed, "and no, you aren't the only one who heard it."
Thinking back on that voice, Nicola leaned back onto the northern door. A man's voice, blue like the sky broke her short lived reveire. He actaully wanted to go into that room. Shaking her head, Nicola answered in the pale white voice of a monotone. "We remain together unless absolutly nessicary. Chie?" Nicola asked, unsure of her memories of the child's name. "Will you accompany us?"
Chie grins widely at Nicola. "Don't have anywhere else I should be! Or do I? Hm.... I think I WAS in the middle of something. But, it's not like I'm going to accomplish it by staying here, right?" She giggles, chiper. "Quite an energetic man, isn't he? Come on, lady, let's go follow him. What's the worst that could happen?" she asks, though more commands - clearly not teh sort of person one can argue with. "So what do I call you? You knowing my name is a bit of a disadvantage, cheating lady!"
Nicola wondered breifly about what it was the little child was up to, before the happy little girl 'requested' that they follow the blue-voiced man. Nicola would have prefered to question the door first, but it can not be helped as he had already reached the door. Still, Nicola tried to not to think of the answer to Chie's second question.
Walking slowly toward the place where their captors tried to destroy her mind, Nicola braced herself. And was taken completly off guard. "So what do I call you? You knowing my name is a bit of a disadvantage, cheating lady!" The voice caused Nicola to pause for a moment, as the older girl tried not to let the pain show.
"Nicola. My name is Nicola," the spaniard repiled. Turning her head to look at the enthusastic questioner as they approached the southern door. So, she's already had her 'treatment'...
It is said that children have a strong innate ability to sense emotion; perhaps their lack of words forces their reliance upon feeling, upon faces, just as a blind man's ears and scent might sharpen to compensate, while a man with sight might allow his other senses to dull in overreliance. Perhaps that is why Nicola's slightest quirks pique Chie's current interest.
Chie stops in her tracks, eyeing up her clear elder, cocking a thin eyebrow at her observation. "You feeling all right, Nicola-lady? Are you hurt somewhere? Or...?" After failing to get an instant response from her still fast-talikng, she takes to the air, jumping as high as she can to enter Nicola's field of vision. "You need a hug or something? You look kinda... sad, I think."
Internally Nicola cursed her weakness. Focus. Steel is cold and hard, yeilding only when it must. Be the Steel. Crouching down on the sone floor so the little one did not have to jump, Nicola breathed in deeply before repling.
"I'll be fine, thank you Chie. I simply do not wish to forget again, or for anyone else to either," Nicola anwsered carefully, knowing that she is a very bad liar. The words came out a great deal warmer than Nicola intened, but then again even steel yeilds when it must. And it is foolish to deny that I am fond of her.
Her duty done, Nicola stood up once more and turned back towards the door. Just in case.
Last edited by EchoKnight : 05-01-2012 at 06:50 PM.
Chie ponders a moment, then pats Nicola on the head before she remains in her reach. "'kay then, whatever you say, Nici-.... Nico... I had it a second ago. Nicky. That's your new name. Come on, Nicky, let's see how well that man's look into the interrogation room is going. Maybe we can INTERROGATE it out of someone why we're in here and how to leave. Speaking of, HEY, HOW GOES THE STEALTH?" she asked in the oddest loud-whisper that human vocal chords can produce.
Nicola sighed softly as she turned to the pale girl who just spoke. "We stay together. He," said the hellbringer, gesturing to the blue voiced man, "believes the answer to your second question lies behind the southern door. Please do not leave yet." Nicola's voice faltered from the monotone toward the end, as she stepped toward the new addition.
Robb begins his procession down towards the interrogation room, his footsteps echoing alone in the wide corridor. Along the walls are signs of sruggle, slight ruts in the old stone floor where things have been dragged across them, the odd brown smear of dried bloody handprint where people have fought. As you walk down the corridor, your mind fills with phantoms of sounds, of screams long past. the faintest memory of words, too twisted and broken to be made out.
At the end of the corridor, you come across a small, circular chamber, dominated by a single huge stone slab, surrounded on all sides by a number of odd techollogical looking devices and many, much more understandable, blades, brands and whips. A collection of highly exotic tools sits on a small table near the central slab. At the back of the room is a shinigami spawled against the back wall, a vicious carving knife through his skull.
Tessa tries the northern door, finding it oppening eaisly. Inside she can see a cold stone passageway, which splits into two a few feet away. She can feel a strong breeze flowing through the rightmost passageway. Nicola's sensing from before indicate a strong feeling of dread from that direction.
__________________ love of mine, someday you will die,
and I'll be close behind
to follow you into the dark
Chie comes bolting down the corridor after Robb, grinding to a halt as she comes into room. With a flick of her wrist, she conjures light and then immediately wishes she hadn't as she looks upon the grim scene. Even her cheerfulness dampened, her heart sinks a moment before she takes a deep breath to muster herself and step forth. "We won't be staying here long," she seems to declare, though it sounds more like a question to Robb's ears, a pleading request.
Chie looks around for weapons, improvised or not, for a moment, giving a cursory look over the room for anything useful - particularly anything she coulkd use as a dagger or sword - including the dead shinigami's zanpakuto, if present, but not the knife in his head.
That done, she turns her body, but not her head to the knife. Her voice shaking, she addresses the blade itself in a moment of timidness, as if the knife itself was purposefully responsible for the man's death. Invoking the soul of the non-living thing, she calls out to it as she would another person, the light of fullbringing becoming apparent. "Excuse me, Mr. Knife. Do you know who killed this man?"
A sigh of relief escaped Nicola's lips at the pale girl response. "Thank you. I am Nicola. I'm afraid I do not remember your name. could you please remind me?" Did I ever know her name? The oughts echoing in her mind, Nicola tried to stand straighter.
Walking over to the now open northern door, Nicola looked down the corridor at it branched into two. "The one on the right...it reeks of something...something dreadful," Nicola stated vaguely. Sniffingly somewhat harder, she tried to identify the offending odour.
Spoiler
Not sure if this is the right check but hey;
Survival check (identifing scent) (1d20+13)[22]
A tall man stepped out of one of the cells. His eyes were tired and a long black beard covered his face. He looked around and let out a deep breath. After a moment, he finally spoke. "The smell of death... is everywhere..."
He didn't remember why he was here. Or even who he was. But he did know that he needed to get out of here. Something told him in the back of his mind, a voice. And that voice was getting louder.
"Yo, Jack, get yer ass movin."
He really wished the voice would just shut up.
__________________
Credit to AlterForm for the awesome Iroh avatar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by golentan
What Yuki said.
Also, infernals are the only cool solaroids, so, just sayin'.*
*You are entitled to disagree. But to do so is wrong.
The final door creaks open, a blond man walking out, pulling a glove onto his right hand and then straightening his tie.
"Feels good to be back in the old clothes," Artur says, flexing his hand to ensure the glove is on right. "Brings back the few memories I have left."
Glancing around the main room, he quickly makes his way to a plain steel longsword resting on a table, reclaiming it and its sheath and sliding them onto his left hip.
"Hm." He mutters, turning his attention to the few gathered in the main room and getting an idea of their composition. "It seems that the Root has a way of mocking me, doesn't it?"
Looking round the scene of so much pain, Robb found it hard to sympathise with the man before him obviously he was one of the Shinigami perhaps even part of the group that had captured him. Instead he looks around the room for something to use as a weapon finally finding a heavy cleaver he picks it up “This should do, at least I’m not totally defenseless now.” Turning back to the girl he says “You know knives aren’t really known for being talkative”
Chie turns her head at the man, a look of discomfort on her face. "Can't you here them? All around us, the voices." When no look of comprehension or perking of ears becomes apparent, she regresses, feeling embarrassed. "I... I don't know why..."
Che ceases trying to draw out the voice, regressing to simply taking the Shinigami's zanpakuto. "He won't be needing it anymore, right? I guess... I don't feel SORRY for him, but..." She fails to even look at the scene of the corpse by way of more than a glance as she draws away from it.
Chie makes her way out of the room, down the corridor from whence she came. As she draws closer to the cells, coming within earshot of Nicola, she finds her pace increasing, her sadness melting away, until at last in the dim light of the room she comes running back in, an enthusiastic smile upon her face once more as she instinctually joins Nicola's side. "I'm back, Nicky-lady. And look! I got an unsheathed sword! maybe I should have taken the sheath, too... Ah well, I'll just have to be super double careful! "
Chie's interrogation of the knife reveals a slight phantom of spiritual pressure, as well as a fingerprint. She also feels a sense of profound sorrow from the blade at what it has been used for in its last act.
Nicola's survival skills re unable to detect what the danger she feels is, as it is a spiritual feeling (Try sense spiritual power, a use for Sense Motive :))
Spoiler
you still have oyour fullbring etc with you. You where allowed to keep them to garner false hope of escape, to increase dispair. as such, you shouldn't need an improvised weapon.
especially since Nicola is already using hers, since she's in her half-hollow state, which comes with turning her fullbring on (7 uses remaining today).
and since your a fullbringer, I'm going to assume whenever you speak to a wall yuor litteraly speaking to it, not just being generally crazy. so you don't need to announce your using Speak with X (though saying it somewere anywho would help me know, as I can miss things)
__________________ love of mine, someday you will die,
and I'll be close behind
to follow you into the dark
Chie stares back at Tessa for a moment. "My HAT speaks to me sometimes." Chie suddenly becomes aware that she's even wearing a hat. "Ooh. look. It's all shiny," she remarks as she removes it from her head, analyzing the brim. She reaches her hand in, the dimensions twisting, as she withdraws a book. "Hey, it's a book in a language I can't read. Nifty! You want it, Nicky-lady?" She offers the Latin-print Bible to Nicola. "So that's what my hat does, apparently. What does your crazy lady voice do, tuh-Tessa-lady? Do you mean naughty like stealing stuff? Because that's not SO naughty. Like, right now when I just stole this SHINY sword! So it would be a little hypo... hypocr-... hyporitinal... hippopotamus of me to say stealing is wrong." Her innocence is almost a painful thing to behold, though mostly just annoying. "It's nice to know I'm not the only one who hears voices. You hear voices too, right, Nicky-lady? And, ooh, hello blonde-man person and tall man person, finally out of your cells, are ya? Do you guys hear voices? I'm taking a tally of voice-hearers!"
Taking another look around the room his attention is drawn to the stone slab in the middle moving over he touches it and his mind flashes back to what must have been one of the previous times he had been brought in here. He remembers the chains tearing at his wrists as someone tries to sedate him suddenly a sword starts to manifest in his hand and he attempts to cut himself free before the sedative took effect and everything went black. Returning to the present he feels a weight in his hand, it takes him a moment to realise that the sword from his flashback now fills his unoccupied hand. Placing the cleaver in his belt he weighs the sword in both hands and tries a few experimental swings and finds the balance suits him perfectly.
Grinning widely “Yea this will do nicely, good weight, two handed I should be able to escape with this.” Looking round and realising everyone else has left the room he sheaths the sword and hurry’s to catch up, not really noticing the pressuring building in his mind.
Being downwind, Nicola is surprised to find no unusual scents. At least there are no rotting corpses, though the Tall-Man is right. This whole places smells of death. Stepping to the side of the door, so that the newly awaked prisioners may take a look, if they so chose.
Upon Chie's return, Nicola bit back a smile. The younger girl was always so very energetic, even when she seemed worried. Maybe Chie will be more calm with another individual to converse with. Maybe the blue-eyed lady "Uh, my name is T...Tessa! There's a lady, looks like a doctor, she talks to me sometimes. She says some pretty naughty stuff too..." Maybe not. On the other hand, it might have been me. Focus inward...
Nicola let Chie speak her piece, somehow knowing that it would be useless to interupt, though she was sorely tempted to when she saw the Bible. "Yes Chie, I hear the voices of objects when I command them and...yes, I would like the book. It's...familiar." Crouching down, Nicola extended her other senses to try and reveal more infomation than her natural ones, before continuing. "I think maybe we all need to talk some more. Maybe we can shed some light on each others pasts. I...I remember Chie. I remember what I can do. I remember this book holds salvation. What do you remember, Tessa?"
Spoiler
Suppress Reiatsu: (1d20+13)[24]
Sense Motive: Sense Reiatsu (1d20+10)[17]
"Naughty like..." Tessa then thinks of how young and innocent Chie is. "I'll tell you later."
Tessa then realises she has a weapon at her side. Her eyes widen. "Hari!" She looks at the sword. "That's the name of my sword who talks to me." Tessa scratches her head. "Well, she's a nurse and a sword, not sure exactly how that works..."
Tessa looks to Nicola. "I really don't remember much of anything. Maybe it will come to me as I go along."
Hmm... Chie tilted her head to the side, trying to recall. "Nothing comes to mind... I remember... Getting stabbed a lot by tall people. Hm. Maybe I don't WANT to remember THAT. I remember a lady with a sword like this. And... a big scary tunnel or two. And... sister? Yeah, I had... a sister...? Hm. Maybe it'll come to me. I think I was running to try and meet her. And then.. I got lost and ended up here? It's all i've dreamed about for as long as I can remember, anyway. I should probably get back and find he as soon as we gather our strength to bust out. I wonder how long I've been here - or how I'll even find her? Guess I'll figure it out."
As she finishes rambling, she also discards her serious look. Instead, a noise of annoyance utters from her mouth. "Hey, how come YOU get to rememeber me, Nicky-lady? I don't think I've seen you before in my life!" Though, despite her words, her face shows not annoyance but curiosity, a thirst for knowledge, her eyes aflame now with real interest in Nicola. She leaves Nicola to think on her question for a moment as she addresses Tessa happily, like a 6 year old desperate to make friends (perhaps not that far from the truth). "So the strange doctor lady is in the sword? Wonder what she says? Let's find out! Ahem." The glow of fullbringing is apparent as she addresses Tessa's zanpakuto. "Hello, sword-lady. Can you hear me? Will you be my friend? Speak up!"
Last edited by TraceHyde : 05-03-2012 at 11:48 AM.
"Ha ha, see, Tessa? You aren't crazy after all. Hello sword-lady. Make sure you're good and sharp, since Tessa will need your help, okay? Let's all get along, Miss Sword-Doctor! And if Tessa doesn't hear you, just pipe up and I'll get her attention." Chie pauses for a moment, wondering if there is some correct way to addrss zanpakuto that she was failing at. Maybe they don't like friendliness? "Where DID you come from? I wonder if all you swords can talk. If so, this one probably won't like me stealing it. I should probably find one for my own soon. So really, I only BORROWED this one."
Spoiler
BoM and Dire;
Diplomacy check to get on Hari's good side (1d20+14)[18]
Chie looks around as she hears Robb coming. "Hello, man-person. I'm just waiting for everyone to suit up, me. I could have sworn there was one more lady here before... Hm, well, I'll get started on our escape in the meantime."
Chie steps toward the door Nicola and Tessa had been scouting. "Kind of dark, isn't it? Abra Kadabra!" With a clap of her hands, Chie conjures 4 Dancling Lights - appearing similar to balloons with a doodle of her face making a peace sign drawn on the side. With a wave of her hands, she sends them down the corridor. "Right, I'm pretty fast on my feet, so give me a second and I'll run down open fo these corridors real quick and scout ahead for a bit. It's just, i got this sudden urge to be prepared for a fight..."
Chie sits down, paying no heed to the discomfort of the cold, stone floor as she reaches inside her hat. Form it, she pulls a series of objects alien to her but whose function she feels competent in nonetheless, as she begins using her magic energy to bind and don them.
Spoiler
Chie is quickly donning the meldshapes on her character sheet.
Anyone familiar with Hollows recognze the odd bits of mask and tendrils and whatever else she fashions into masks and armbands and whatever else as having a similar appearance to Hollow body parts.
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Misplaced Identity IC
