Something Unexpected

[animusmods]

Characters: characters selected to go into the elevator
Setting: the admin levels
Format: any
Summary: The admin elevator has been left open, its destination preprogrammed. Where is it going to take you?
Warnings: general horror warnings for now

The elevator doesn't announce itself when its doors slide open. There's no alarm, no message to be found about it. It sits open and waits for anyone curious enough to enter. There's a barrier on it that locks out anyone without a collar, and it isn't going to stay long, but aside from that there appears to be no security. There's nothing stopping someone--or multiple someones--from climbing into the elevator and going down.

Where's it going? Who knows.

Hub Area
A lounge area with sofas and chairs. It's large enough to hold the entire group, constructed similarly to the dorm rooms, and is connected to five doors.

Door One
???

Door Two
???

Door Three
???

Door Four
???

Door Five
???

Comments

[ghostytrainer]

[Before following her, John releases his Haunter from the ball in his hand. He's not exactly sure what's behind that door, but not wanting to be caught with his pants down, he figures it's better to have on of his harder hitting 'mons out and ready.]

Slimer, this is kind of serious business so I need you to hold off on the pranks for now, okay dude? [The ghost nods and the two exchange a quick fistbump before John and his two ghosts head over to the door to stand behind Arturia.]

[sageprincess]

[Zelda has no weapons, no armor, but as she waits alongside Arturia, she flexes her fingers, allowing sparks of magic to form and dissipate with her breathing.

Stay calm, stay focused, and try not to be too uneasy about having to place her trust in a certain grey-haired Persona user.]

[pitiedthefool]

[Yu can't really blame her for being wary of him, but in this case even he is choosing to trust those he is grouped with also damn that Haunter is kind of cool-looking nope not jelly at all. He nods faintly, orb still glowing in one hand while the other is ready to either unsheathe his katana or summon a Persona.

After all, who knows what will be behind door number two?]

...Let's go.

[> Open the door?
> Yes
> No]

[no_longer_a_king]

[>Yes

Arturia does just that, keeping to the front because she's trying to be the meatshield she refuses to allow anything to hurt those in her group.]

[animusnpcs]

[The door opens. It's dark, of course, though through what little bit of light filters in from the lounge it appears to be some sort of library.]

[ghostytrainer]

[John peers around meatshield Arturia, completely unsurprised to see that they're faced with yet ANOTHER dark room.]

So who's surprised by this completely unforeseen turn of events? Chandel, give us a little light, if you will.

[Better to send in a Pokemon before a person, right? She can be pulled our of danger much faster, after all. In fact, John has her pokeball at the ready as the Litwick floats into the room with a squeak, trying to make her flame burn as brightly as she can.]

[animusnpcs]

[As Litwick floats through the room, it does indeed reveal itself to be a library--a very deep one, with a multitude of shelves that would be impossible to illuminate with just one candle, even if it is a sentient moving one.

The books appear to be fiction--novels. England is sorting few some of them, putting them away in the proper order.]

[sageprincess]

... A library?

[Zelda muses quietly, her gaze following the strange, floating candle... thing. But then everything stops, her breath catching as she sees a familiar face sorting through the books.]

A-Arthur...?

[Thankfully she doesn't run, but sorry, guys, she's going to be stepping on ahead. She needs to know what's going on. Why is Arthur here?]

[animusnpcs]

[The lights turn on, illuminating the library properly. England continues shelving books as if he didn't notice the change.]

[pitiedthefool]

[Oh hey a library this totally isn't surprising whatsoev-]

Kirkland-san...

[...Something about this doesn't set right with him. And no, it isn't simply because he is a firm believer in facts and seeing beyond what the eye might say or hollow rumors may speak of. Not even the fact that this was the man, or at least an afterimage of the one he had inevitably had killed.

He holds the orb of sight even tighter, and the fact that he isn't responding to Zelda of all people... Maybe a little extra light would shed some truth? Wouldn't hurt to try, right?]

[animusnpcs]

[The orb of sight does its job.

This is definitely the real England.]

[ghostytrainer]

[With the lights back on, beckons Chandel back to his side. Okay, so it really is a library. That's cool, he guesses. Though who his this guy straightening the books?]

[He's guessing the man isn't one of the admins, judging how both Zelda and Souji Yu's reactions. But that doesn't make the situation any less confusing, because John sure as hell doesn't recognize BigBrows McBookOrganizer.]

Hey...fill in the rest of the class, who is this guy?

[sageprincess]

[She glances back to the rest of her group, uncertainty coloring her expression.]

He is... a friend.

[Only, no, he's so much more to her than that, but she doesn't have time to explain. Why is he here? Why isn't he responding to her? What is going on?

She gives the group an apologetic look, but then she's walking towards the man, stopping just out of arms length. Trying a weak and forced smile, she keeps her voice light, though that does not filter the fear and worry from her tone.]

Arthur... What are you doing down here? You are going to worry that boy of yours, you know.

[And her.]

[animusnpcs]

[England continues not to respond. His eyes look glassy; not like those of the dead, but of someone entirely lost in thought or daydream. He continues shelving books.

There is shuffling from behind another shelf--a more standard worker unit appears. Its collar appears chipped and scratched; all other worker units have always had perfectly maintained collars. It speaks.] Do you require assistance?

[sageprincess]

[For a moment that stretches on far too long, Zelda waits silently for a response, but when none comes, her worried smile turns into a frown. Closing the distance, she reaches out, gently grabbing Arthur's wrist, trying to force him to pay attention to her.

That's when the strange worker unit appears, and she glances between it and her mentor's glassy eyes.]

What is he doing down here? Why does he not respond to me?

[pitiedthefool]

Arthur Kirkland. ...An acquaintance of mine, too.

[If he could even call him that, now... since he was his first victim, in a sense. He's silent for a while, not really responding at first to the worker unit. ...What was going on, anyway? ...May as well listen to their discussion for a brief moment, because something about this, and his eyes...

'Something isn't right. It's definitely Kirkland-san, but...'

Why won't he respond? Zelda already asked it before he could, though. Thus he stays silent like the silent protagonist he is for the time being.]

[ghostytrainer]

Ahh, gotcha. [He'd ask what Arthur's doing down here but it's pretty obvious that neither Zelda nor Yu knows. And given that glazed look in the man's eyes, John can only assume something isn't quite right.]

[He hangs back, sticking close to Saber and Yu for now, hesitant to get too close to Arthur or the worker unit. Somehow, those scratches seem ominous. His ghosts hover behind him, both of them keeping an eye the door behind them. Someone has to cover the humans' backsides, after all.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[Arturia takes in the scene, glancing around the library with interest and notes what they're saying about Arthur. The name amuses her a little and she finds herself wondering if he's British like she is.

While they're talking, she silently moves closer to the shelves, curious as to what some of the titles might be. Then the worker unit appears and she tightens her grip on her sword, but beyond that doesn't make any sort of hostile move.]

[animusnpcs]

[The worker unit's gaze shifts to England, who is still acting as if no one is in the room at all.]

He has been heavily drugged.

[no_longer_a_king]

Can you please tell us why?

[Why would one of their number need to be drugged? And why is one of their number working down here?]

[sageprincess]

[Zelda's grip on Arthur tightens noticeably, something dark and angry and unfortunately familiar settling into her heart. She's shaking - oh, how she's shaking with barely contained rage, but she doesn't lash out. Not yet. Arturia has asked the question that's most immediately blaring in her mind, and she would like to know the answer.

So she remains quiet, but oh, if looks could kill, that worker unit would have had a nuclear bomb dropped on it ten seconds ago.]

[animusnpcs]

He has been assigned to librarian task. [The worker unit speaks calmly, as if this were in no way unusual.] Those residents who have been assigned to tasks are at times called to complete them in the administrative levels, as opposed to the residential levels.

[no_longer_a_king]

[That alarms Arturia, who draws closer to the group. She herself had been assigned to 'work' on the floor featuring a circus, though she normally had to do nothing more strenuous than walk across a rope. She'd also heard of others being assigned tasks like that and if this Arthur is down here, then:]

Why not simply ask them to come down here to work? Why drug them at all?

[sageprincess]

Because then they would remember.

[The Princess' voice is low, bitter, laced with months of enduring the torments of the tower. To think that the administrators use them as their own personal assistants...]

Wake him up.

[She demands, not asks.]

[no_longer_a_king]

Which is precisely what I'm asking: What is wrong with us remembering?

[She takes another step closer to Zelda, sword at her side. She knows that tone, not on Zelda, but herself. The righteous anger, the demanding tone of someone who will be listened to: things Arturia herself had once used to get her way.

Arturia agrees with Zelda completely--This man should be woken up--but she does not trust the worker drone and she is fully prepared to defend the members of their party if her demand is taken the wrong way.]