towerofanimus | Slacker

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Characters: Enoch and- ...well okay, mostly only people who can sense him since he's six feet underground. Other people can come to try to help dig as well. Because of the situation this is essentially a mingle log unless he can be rescued alive. I'll be providing direction of course. Please try to keep it to one thread if you can?
Setting: Floor 48; Graveyard, backdated to the 7th
Format: Doesn't matter
Summary: The graveyard job was too painful to make himself attend, even more so when it's feasible that this "day to day maintenance" is now for Ruana. He is paying the price for that.
Warnings: Someone is buried alive.

Dirt trickled onto him as he gave the lid of the coffin a hard punch, one that would have broken his knuckles if not for a stage of his armor shattering in their place. The crack that had appeared in the top had given him some hope, but after several more punches to no avail, Enoch let his arm rest over his stomach as he stared up at the lid. The crack he'd managed to make was not visible in the darkness, but one he'd been able to feel as it was created.

He was already feeling lightheaded; the exertion of trying to punch his way out coupled with the initial panic hadn't done him any favors. He tried to control his breathing, imagining a peaceful beach, breathing shallowly to the rhythm of imaginary waves. He knew his only hope was for one of the Archangels to look for him here where he worked and sense him buried underground, or for one of fellow gravekeeper John's Pokemon to smell him, or...basically for some superhuman sense to find him. Even knowing what would happen when this body failed him, death tended to be unpleasant, and being trapped in his bed, paralyzed, wasn't a good thing either.

At least he could make a mental note to himself that if he died, he could ask Jason in person to get him out of this mess instead of waiting on his request form. Surely he'd agree it was work he need not put in to let him continue to attempt to work here...

****

Those who can sense living beings will sense someone six feet underground should they venture to the graveyard. If they can sense vital signs, these are starting to fade. Enoch's superhuman constitution is seeing to him staying awake and alive a bit longer than a normal human, but not by much. He has about forty-five minutes before he passes out, and ten minutes before he stops breathing. It takes two able-bodied men four hours to dig a hole six feet deep, without assistance from the supernatural. Phasing and teleporting powers are severely dampened, but not disabled.

Anyone up to the challenge?

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[Lancer nods and hurries to follow Diarmuid's instructions. He notices Sephiroth out of the corner of his eye.]

Yeah, we'd be glad to have your help, kid.

[He gives Raphael a quick glance.]

This guys' friend got himself buried alive.

[That seems like a grave problem indeed (pun unintentional), and Sephiroth nods seriously, not wasting time on further conversation.

He's smaller than the others, so he's able to fit in the widening hole. He jumps in and starts digging without further delay. He may be small, but he's strong and quick.]

[Diarmuid nods, glad to see Sephiroth. He is actually thinking about asking him to get into the hole because of his size when he gets in himself.]

Thank you, Sephiroth. Pass me whatever you need to keep the hole clear. How far down do you think we are everyone?

[Raphael looked at Sephiroth, smiled and nodded, never stopping in his work.]

Thank you. This is rather kind of you.

[He then turned to Diarmuid.]

We have four feet left to go!

*It has been twenty minutes. The scraping of Solas's roots on the coffin's lid registers in the deathly quiet - the wood's long since done settling. Enoch opens his eyes, raising a hand to the lid. He doesn't speak. If someone or something is there - maybe it's a burrowing monster, for all he knows...

...He'll just hit the lid weakly with his palm. Just in case. Solas might feel the vibrations.*

[Diarmuid nods. He actually thinks they might be farther down than that, but before he can say something his enhanced hearing catches what seems to be a very very faint sound. So faint, he almost thinks he's imagining it.]

Did anyone hear that?

[He turns to the woman standing not far from him.]

Did your...roots...feel anything just then? Do you think he can hear us? Quickly! Someone make a loud noise. Perhaps, you could yell for him again?

[He reaches down to lightly touch Raphael's shoulder.]

He is your friend after all. Your voice may comfort him.

[Raphael didn't look up from his digging or slow down, but he did nod at Diarmuid's hand on his shoulder.]

I do not doubt you. If you say you heard my friend, then you must have heard him. I am not sure if he heard my voice or our scrapings, and I am not sure what comfort I may be. But I shall try.

[And then, once again, Raphael called out to Enoch. He wasn't sure if his friend could hear him, but he was still alive, so there was a chance.]

Enoch, if you can hear me, bang on your coffin three more times!

I heard - felt - yes, he's still alive there. I just need to make sure he stays that way.

[It's easy enough to maneuver one of the tendrils in and make it take over part of the inside, sprouting leaves and flowers - a very good amount of them too. They're funny-lookin', yeah, but not too weird - more importantly, they're doing what plants do.

Inhale CO2. Exhale oxygen. It's a simple thing.]

Okay, I'm working on getting the carbon dioxide levels down in there. If nothing else, it'll at least provide company, right?

...Well, that takes care of that problem.

[Lancer heaves a sigh in relief and then returns to his digging.]

*Well, they're lacking sunlight, but they'll live for a little while.

Enoch can't see the weird plants, but when he feels something brush against his palm, he jerks it back. When nothing else seems to happen, he reaches up again, fingering the leaves to find out what they are.

Plants...?

He can hear Raphael's voice, but muffled and indistinct through all the dirt. He doesn't realize the plants are keeping him alive, but he does know that someone's on their way to rescue him. That much is a relief...

But he doesn't have any idea what these plants are for, and, being unable to see them, he can't see the inherent strangeness that would mark them as Sola's.*

[Raphael, having no idea that Enoch could hear him and not hearing any knocks back, assumed that his friend couldn't hear him down there. But..he was still alive, and that was all that mattered at this point. That and getting him out. He nodded and smiled at Sola as he dug, not stopping or slowing down.]

Thank you. Hopefully that shall help keep him alive until we can get him out.

[Relief enters Diarmuid's eyes, but he shakes his head unwilling to accept such an easy solution.]

Yes, but while we may have more time, that also means more time for things to go wrong or the administrators to interfere. Lets stay focused until he is safely above ground.

[After all, he can completely see the administrators letting them think they have him safe only to snatch their victory away at the very last minute and that would be heartbreaking.]

[And Sola can always make more if they run down. She's still above ground, after all - it may be the graveyard, it may be artificial light for all she knows but it's light and that's enough.]

Right. Okay, he's not that far off, by the way- I'll keep working at the soil.

[And so she does. The plants, upon being touched, make an odd "mrr?" noise. Kind of like sleepy critters who are wondering what that silly human is doing.

Well, if that wasn't proof enough...]

[Lancer has to raise an eyebrow at the sight of the purring plants.]

Find something interesting?

Ah - Enoch just touched them. They're wondering why. Doesn't really make sense to them, after all, it isn't like they're pups or rabbits or anything like that.

[Mrrrrrrrrr, both inside and outside the coffin. Mrr mrr.]

[He snickers.]

Looks like he's alive and kicking down there. Though...I guess his friend might be ready to give him an earful when he finally comes out.

Getting out first. Earful later, yes?

[Maybe it's just easier for Diarmuid to stay focused because he doesn't know Enoch or maybe it's just kickback from being a leader before. Whatever it is, while he's glad to hear things are going so well and they are getting so close, he's not going to relax until the man is safe.]

You said that we were getting close. I think we are about 4 feet down now leaving about 2 to go. Does that seem about right?

I think so, yes. They do use the term 'six feet under' to refer to being buried even here, right? So...six feet sounds about correct, don't you think?

[Ack, sending more emergency plant support tendrils into the coffin. Just in case.]

[Raphael kept on quickly digging as the woman send more of her plants downward. When it showed that they were purring due to Enoch touching them, he had to smile. Enoch, being a curious man, probably couldn't see them and was investigating them.]

That does sound about right, and it does match up with what I am sensing.

[He then looked at Lancer, never pausing in his work.]

However..I am not sure if I shall 'give him an earful' when he gets out. It depends upon how he got in here to begin with.

*Forty five minutes have passed. Enoch would normally be either nearly unconscious or have completely passed out by now, but Solas's plants are seeing to keeping him awake.

The strange purring is startling at first, and Enoch jerks his hand away. As he thinks about it, which is strangely becoming easier and easier, he realizes there's only one person he knows who could possibly make a plant like that.

Enoch settles back and watches the lid, hopeful for the first sign of light.*

Yes, I believe that is the phrase, but it is always good to have confirmation of these things considering how the administrators work around here.

[Diarmuid begins to work faster, egged on by the knowledge that their goal is so close. He can only hope that the others will feel the same way.]

What do you think led to this? I'm afraid I don't know him well enough to make any guesses besides the administrators are probably behind it somehow.

That is true..if someone else and not the Administrators put him in here, I should like to know, even if I cannot fight them.

[Raphael kept on digging quickly. Sola's plants may have been providing Enoch oxygen, but there was no way to tell how long those would last. Enoch was still alive..so it was best to just keep digging quickly and get him out of the box as fast as they could.

At Diarmuid's question, Raphael sighed and shook his head.]

..I am sorry. I cannot think of anything that might have led to this. I know he recently remembered everything he experienced when he returned to Meridian..but I can't see how that would have led to this. I mainly keep to the infirmary, so I may have missed something recently.

[Indeed it is best to keep going, and Solas helps out however she can. Digging with her hands, loosening the soil - continuing to send in the oxygen-plants. They're done 'rrrr'-ing now. Don't surprise them like that, Enoch!

... Raphael's statement gets her attention though, and she grimaces slightly. Her greatest failure.] I really hope it wasn't that. I know the place has fallen apart - literally - but...

[It's her - it's them, it. A broken shell without a soul, but still it.

(Horrorterror earth spirits have weird thought processes.)]

*At last, the coffin is uncovered. Enoch squints at what light can get through between the vines feeding the plants.

From the outside, it's revealed that the vines have gotten in through a long crack in the wood, the edges bent slightly outward indicating it was force from inside rather than the weight of the dirt pressing on a fault in the wood.

In other words, to anyone with an analytical eye, it's clear he'd tried to punch his way out. Feel free to make fun of him for it.*

I don't think it was that..I can't think of why that would be the reason for trying to kill Enoch in this manner.

[And finally, the coffin was uncovered, and Raphael could see the crack that Enoch had made. It was a good think he hadn't demolished the lid-he would have been crushed by all the soil under him. However, he wasn't going to make fun of his friend. Instead, he would try to open up the lid as best he could..at least, until he found that it was locked. Then he would turn into a swan and start pecking at the lid like this was the most normal thing in the world.]

Enoch, can you hear me? Are you alright?

Edited 2013-03-17 04:12 (UTC)

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well, I'm fine with it

all right!

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And my computer did not alert me to all these posts..><;

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