♥ v2

[screwthatnoise]

A cold, delicate hand grabs yours and pulls. It pulls, and it pulls... there's a sense of urgency in this icy grasp, as well as a trace of reluctance. Abruptly the hand let's go, right as your vision fades to black, and for a brief moment, only a brief moment, your senses disappear. There's only the eerie sensation of weightlessness before your feet are settled back on solid ground again.

(please join #echolife! ♪)

Comments

entry

[screwthatnoise]

You're standing in a dark, narrow hall. To some, this may seem familiar.

Your eyes quickly adjust to the darkness—enough to make out your surroundings. The ornate rug, stained a color darker than red, and the walls, damaged and dented beyond simple repair, are only as welcoming as the darkness and the musty odor immersing you. There may also be the occasional giggle...

But, where there is a hall, there are places to go. Ahead of you the hall descends further into darkness. Behind you are a pair of tall doors framed by cracked, fogged windows. And, of course, you have the company of the other people who have been pulled into this narrow hall along with you.

Re: entry

[knighttoremember]

[ how is this even worse than last time ]

Re: entry

[aheroemerges]

[blinks and squints as his eyes adjust to the darkness, glancing around at the scene as best he can]

What the hell...?

Re: entry

[squirreledaway]

[... Hail.

Somehow, he's... not really surprised this is worse]

Re: entry

[pchaaair]

[he can't see, but it ... definitely feels worse in here this time, jesus.]

. . . I don't like this.

Re: entry

[restorefromsave]

[Well this looks awful]

Re: entry

[autorejoin]

[ He looks around warily, scowling. ]

Well, this isn't good.

Re: entry

[selfdefeater]

[ UHHHH ]

-- Where ... ?

Re: entry

[copyking]

[ i don't know symbolism but this already doesn't look good ]

Re: entry

[glorious]

[...this is familiar.]

Zwei...

Re: entry

[antreegonist]

*BIZARRO TIMING MEANS WE SOMEHOW ARE IN HERE AFTER EVERYONE ELSE HAS WANDERED OFF -- still has a hand reached out in front of him*

Wait -- oh, hell.

Re: entry

[phantompass]

[ he's felt this weightlessness before, a long time ago when he first arrived in Aather ]

Another world...? [ the cracked windows catch his eyes first and he moves over to try and look through them ]

...?

[screwthatnoise]

This room is colossal. The wallpaper is peeling, and the blood-stained floor is dusted with dirt. The light is dim, annoyingly flickering from time to time. There are broken tables and chairs pushed to the walls in neat piles. It plainly reflects the state the rest of the building is in, in its own way.

Towards the back of the room—but not so far that it lines the back wall, as that would be too far back given the enormity of this room and the placement of the large, icy(?) grandfather clock against the wall—is a row of five unoccupied hospital beds, each stained with various amounts of blood. In between each bed is a ratty curtain divider. Settled between the doorways that lead you to this room is a desk, as well as a few filing cabinets. Cabinets occupy the wall above this office-like setup as well.

For some reason there are dead, wilted potted plants in this room, all pushed aside like trivial things. Some are large, some are small... some are uprooted and lying on the ground next to a broken pot. There are a couple gardening tools sitting atop a table in a corner of the room, too, along with a few other gardening necessities.

In the midst of this chaotic and questionable hospital(?)-plant nursery(???) setup is a rusted gurney carrying a dreadfully pale girl, who is dressed in what must have once been an elegant, turquoise ballgown—only, now that dress is torn apart and filthy. Before you can get a look at this girl’s face, a nurse (wearing an outfit complete with the dress, the thigh-high boots, and the little cap) drops a cloth over the girl’s face. This nurse, who looks just like Echo, glances over you coolly as she pulls the bloody rubber gloves off of her hands, and speaks in a flat, cold tone that one with such a cute voice shouldn't speak in.

"Can I help you?"

Re: ...?

[pchaaair]

Uh—is this the ballroom? Just to make sure, because, I am not able to see right now, and all.

Re: ...?

[squirreledaway]

Is-- Is she alright?

[this is all wrong-- what happened to the room the hospital was in? Why did it fail now?]

Re: ...?

[autorejoin]

[ He groans as he wakes up in the hospital bed. Before he even bothers to check his surroundings, he's feeling to make sure that Janta is there— and looking to see if that limb was given to him, as well. ]

Re: ...?

[glorious]

[...]

Can I ask what happened here?

Re: ...?

[aheroemerges]

[takes a minute to register anything, groaning as he wakes up, then taking a few deeps breaths in and out, trying to get a grip on himself... only after a good few moments of that does he notice her]

H... Hail...?

outside

[screwthatnoise]

It's foggy outside—chilly, too. But in spite of that, everything seems vibrant. The grass, the flowers, the sky. Some distance ahead is a garden, with a gazebo off to the side of it, and along this gazebo, and into some of the garden as well, are lit candles! To your far right is a tree, and beside it a vividly blue lake.

Up, just ahead of you, is a tall black tree. Practically looming, really. If you look at it closely, even from this distance you can see that this tree is growing, right before your eyes. But there's something caught on the limb of that tree, too...

Re: outside

[aheroemerges]

[approaching the tree to check out what's caught on the limb]

trauma center...

[screwthatnoise]

There is little to nothing in this dim little room. Everything around you is a sterile white—save for that dark red stains on the floor. The walls and floor are made entirely of tiling that could be likened to those used in a cheap restroom.

All that remains behind in this room is a strange metal bed and a rusted first aid box. Perhaps someone left these behind...?

Re: trauma center...

[autorejoin]

[ He stares at the hooded figure as he reaches for his sword. The cloak is unfamiliar, but he has his suspicions... ]

Zwei.

♪♫♪

[screwthatnoise]

This room is in poor shape, too, but this looks far more deliberate.

Bright light fills this tiny space, thanks to the large, bay window. The delicate curtains, however, are ripped and tossed onto the floor, and the pointed curtain rod sits upright in the corner.

In the center of this room is an overturned table, as well as a couple broken chairs. A shattered tea set is scattered in pieces around several stuffed animals.

There is a vanity dresser off to the side—the mirror is cracked. Something is written on that mirror in large letters. The drawers of the dresser are pulled out, too—one is even sitting on the floor. There's a bit of a mess on the floor by this area.

Adjacent to the door you entered from is another</i. door; laying next to it, a crumpled piece of paper. It seems really cramped in here; everything is a little too close for comfort.

Re: ♪♫♪

[copyking]

[ well. He's going to go check out that mirror first ]

What's with this room? I don't see Zwei in, either...

library

[screwthatnoise]

Tall, wooden bookshelves line the walls. Some of the shelves are broken, or unhinged and hanging at drastic angles, but they hold the books as they should... for the most part. Thankfully there is a fairly wide collection of books; as a matter of fact, there are fourteen in Aather’s team colors! To add to that, there are many thin books that have relatively bold numbers printed on the spine.

Towards the middle of this large room is a single table, holding many blank papers and a few pencils. There may have once been a chair used to seat yourself at the table to enjoy a good(?) read, but that chair is clearly broken apart and lying on the floor now, next to a large, red stain on the carpeted floor.

Re: library

[phantompass]

[ browses along the shelves, taking in the titles of the books. he stops in front of the team books, curious ]

They're our colors...

echo's true heart

[screwthatnoise]

Once you've climbed to the very top of the ladder, you reach a bright space! It's not very large, but it's actually quite clean and undamaged in contrast to the rest of the heart. There are cool guard rails to make sure you don't fall off from where you came, too.

In fact, you're in a clock tower. There's a large, opaque clock face occupying the entirety of one of the walls. Oddly enough, there are long, thin cracks running over it.

In the one corner, fireworks. In the opposite corner, pillows and stuffed animals.

Sitting in the pillow pile, with a warm blanket over her shoulders, is none other than Hail in a cute dress.

Re: echo's true heart

[autorejoin]

[ Clue looks around the room curiously. ]

Nice place you have here.

underground

[screwthatnoise]

You land with a splash. It's pitch black down here. If you stop to listen, you might hear... voices? Soft, muffled voices. Coming from below.

It smells awfully metallic down here though.

Re: underground

[selfdefeater]

[ makes a face at the smell ]

-- Can't even see ...

???

[screwthatnoise]

It's freezing in this dim room—far colder than the hall. The walls are coated with thick, slippery ice. The floors, too.

The thick draperies over the window are pulled shut.

On the ground are a few loose feathers.

Re: ???

[phantompass]

It's all frozen...?

[ lightly steps towards the feathers, it's the first point of interest ]