Mission 001 [ Magic Act ] | OPEN

[flipkicking]

Characters: Jill Valentine and anyone!
Setting: Room 2-03, dorm halls, then Floor 4
Format: Starting prose, but whatever's fine with me.
Summary: Jill arrives, trusts nothing, suspects everything, and explores.
Warnings: None at the moment.

[Room 2-03/Dorm halls]
There were two possibilities, as far as Jill could deduce. Either this was another trick, some illusion that she'd eventually wake or break out of -- or it was real, which meant that she'd been taken somewhere else besides home, besides any place in the Underworld.

Another world, in the latter scenario, was possible -- there was an infinite number of them, so what was to say she hadn't ended up in one she didn't know? The way this was set up, the letters... if anything, the place looked like another crossroads.

Never good, from what she'd learned.

She didn't sit around long. Jill looked in the indicated trunk first, hardly surprised to find her usual weaponry -- she did, however, all but scowl at the single outfit the chest provided. Looking as new as the day she received it, the form-hugging battle suit was, undoubtedly, hers. Her initial impulse was to hurl it back inside, but compared to what she'd woken up in... well. Experience-wise, it was the lesser of two evils, and it allowed her to carry her weapons, which she wasn't about to leave lying around -- so she changed, albeit grudgingly, dropping the pistol and spare clip into the holster, strapping the knife to her boot, tucking away the lockpick. She wore her weapons openly, without choice, but she'd done the same for a year now. The one thing that agitated her more than the suit, though, was the thing around her neck: it wasn't tight enough to choke, but just being there, and apparently without a lock or keyhole or strap that she could find, was enough for her to distrust it.

Fine.

Jill emerged into the unfamiliar hall, heels clicking on the floor until she made an effort to reduce the sound. She didn't question anyone as she passed; she just moved quietly, unassumingly, taking everything in with a trained eye, wanting her own opinion and deductions before asking anyone anything. She didn't recognize a single face, but that didn't really surprise her, either. Just more people, some dressed like she had been, all with similar chokers.


[Floor 4]
Going by the letters she'd received, she decided to go down to the first floor. From there, she eventually and silently made her way up to the fourth. Lingering here the longest, Jill crossed her arms and observed the windows with a blank expression. That her homeworld had been destroyed, she would never believe; that the Underworld had... It was more believable, more acceptable, but no less dreaded, considering all the people who might still be there.

And those who aren't.

Jill's features changed for the first time, edging into a frown.

Illusion or reality, she knew this wasn't a good situation she'd found herself in.

Comments

Floor 4

[kismetatropos]

The man was not the sort to stay in one place for very long in most cases, but Alucard found himself staring into the fog for a long time. The thick clouds didn't let in much light from the moon, if it let in any at all. He was alone inside his own head, wondering what he was going to do. His father was dead. The very reason he still existed was gone.

What could he do now? The desire for revenge was still as strong as ever, but with Dracula dead along with the rest of his world, he was stuck in an odd situation. He needed to find a new purpose. Somehow. Trapped in his brooding, it was a long moment before he noticed that someone else had entered the room. "Good evening," he said, his voice straining to be polite.

[flipkicking]

While aware of other people's presences, Jill had more or less been ignoring them; only when addressed did her attention redirect and refocus, bringing her expression back to a momentary neutral.

"Evening," she replied, managing a brief, polite smile. She took in his appearance reflexively, not as caught off guard as she would have been once upon a time. She couldn't say for certain whether he was human or not, but at this point in her life, it was a small detail.

"Have you been here a while?" Jill ventured to ask. "Or are you a new arrival, too?"

[kismetatropos]

It was an interesting thing, not to be immediately attacked. It was only his distance that he kept away from Simon that had kept him safe, or so he had come to believe. He wasn't ungrateful for the neutral reaction, of course, but it was still one of those things that would take a while to get used to. "A new arrival, I am afraid. I know little about this place."

[flipkicking]

Jill nodded lightly, the gesture understanding. "I'm the same. Just going by the letters and what I've seen so far, though..." She trailed off, her frown returning as her eyes moved to the wide window again.

"...It's not much to go on, but it's not a good thing." Saying her simple deduction aloud seemed to have more of an effect than simply thinking it: Jill was hit with a growing sense of frustration, an urge to act rather than stand around as she was. Still, there was a time and place for everything, and losing her temper now would do no good.

"Jill Valentine," she offered after another moment, glancing over again.

[kismetatropos]

"I am certain that our captors are tricking us," he said, though his tone said he didn't really believe his own words. "But we cannot dwell." Alucard was not the sort to want to join forces with people. He did best alone, but even he saw the value in trying to find out what was going on. He knew the name of the place, but nothing else. To understand what was going on, he would have to meet with people, though he figured that it might be a bit challenging due to his nocturnal nature.

"Call me Alucard," he said.

[flipkicking]

Another nod, partly in acknowledgement and partly in agreement.

"It doesn't sound like leaving is much of an option. Even if it is, there's no guarantee there's an exit outside, either." Jill hesitated before adding, "One that we'd have access to, anyway."

Realizing she'd jumped ahead of herself, she went on, "Are you familiar with the idea of there being more than one world? Or is this the first time you've heard of it?"

[kismetatropos]

"If there is an exit, it is well guarded," he said. Even if they could escape, what exactly would be outside? All he could see was fog and darkness.

At her question, he shook his head. "I have never heard of such thing." He was silent for a moment, turning to look back at the woman. "But that is what this seems to be. Another world."

[flipkicking]

He wasn't looking at her like she was crazy, so that was good.

"And it seems like our hosts aren't up for reasoning," Jill went on, partially thinking out loud. "Which means they won't risk being in the open." Not without a failsafe, at least, which turned her thoughts uncomfortably towards the collars. Still, her gaze remained between Alucard and the window.

"I'm assuming that all we can do is go along and look for an opportunity. It won't be easy, or obvious, if the number of people here is any indication."

[kismetatropos]

The idea of other worlds did not rest well with him, but it was a reasonable explanation for the very strange way that the woman was dressed. He would refrain from asking too many questions about it, though, not wanting to be rude. "It seems reasonable that they wouldn't be," he mused. "If they wish to be seen as a threatening force."

He nodded. Jill had a point. This wasn't going to be like the battles that he was used to fighting. They were at a disadvantage. There were too many unknowns. "I have not met many here," he admitted. "Do you have a grasp on the numbers?"

Dorm Halls

[sonof_thrain]

Thorin had wandered just wearing his white trousers which he awoke wearing. He had ripped off his white tunic in a rage. How dare someone strip him of his armour and dignity. His sword gripped in his right hand as he searched for a familiar face. He turned a corner, his hopes not being held high.

Where was he? He spotted the woman ahead, wearing odd clothes. He was no longer in the wilds. That much he knew of. She did not look dangerous but he kept his guard up.

"Greetings. Do you know where this place is? Who brought us here?"

[flipkicking]

Stopping mid-step, Jill turned back towards the voice, her own poise relaxed but alert. Her glances were quick, taking in the stranger, his weapon, but the atmosphere around her didn't change. He was probably like her, newly arrived and equally confused.

She gave a brief shake of her head. "I don't know who's responsible, specifically. As for where this is--" Jill hesitated, but then went ahead and added with solemn sincerity, "--if I had to guess, I'd say it's a world separate from yours and mine." The message in the letter notwithstanding, it only made (an odd sort of) sense; Jill had developed an eye for those obviously not from her own home, and the odds of this one originating from elsewhere were high.

[sonof_thrain]

Thorin nodded. She looked like she was from another time altogether. Judging by her attire and the way she had her hair. Also, her speech was unfamiliar to Thorin. Strange indeed.

"Do you know how to escape from this tower? It seems we are imprisoned here, yet we have done no wrong. Those shall pay for what they have done to us." He gripped his sword. "Perhaps there are directions around here or a map."

[flipkicking]

"I know the ones responsible are saying this was a rescue attempt," Jill replied, thoughtful, "but you probably believe it as much as I do." Which was to say she didn't. Or that she had very little faith in that being the truth, at least.

"I just arrived myself, so I don't know much. The letters didn't mention any exits, but it can't hurt to look. They did talk about a network, though--" She hesitated, glancing at him and trying to decide if he would even know what a computer was. "--which would probably have more information, especially if the other people here have accessed it."

[sonof_thrain]

Thorin listened to what the woman said about the letters and rescue attempts. He did not believe for one moment about being rescued. He did not need rescuing and believe the letters were a ploy to hide the real reason for him and everyone else being here. Kept like prisoners. He grunted.

"Network? What is that?"

[flipkicking]

"A place where people can archive information," Jill replied easily. "Kind of like a library. It sounds like it's used for communication, so it'd be worth checking out either way. Other than that..."

She thought back to the contents of the letters; not much, but that in itself said a lot. "I doubt it's as simple as they make it sound. Have you met anyone else besides me?"

[sonof_thrain]

"How can I find this library? I do not know my way around this tower well enough for fear of getting myself lost." He frowned. He pondered her last question.

"I have met a hobbit and an elf on my travels. Also, a young boy who is confused as I am as to why he was placed here. It seems our captors do not care whom they abduct."

[flipkicking]

So humans and elves and at least one other species, and whatever this one called himself, and children; same lack of limitations, different setting.

"Sounds like it," Jill agreed grimly. She turned to look the way she'd been heading before. "There should be a terminal -- a way of looking into it," she corrected, "somewhere nearby. If you don't mind going together, we can see what we find."

Dorms! (LATE but you still love me, right...)

[idol_support]

Most of the time when she wanted to find someone, Rise would of course just summon Kanzeon and do a scan to locate them before she went looking for them. But Naoto-kun’s room was literally right next door, so it made more sense--and took less time and effort, honestly--to just pop down the hall, poke her head into the room, and look for her that way. And more often than not, she managed to find her, so Rise was already mid-greeting as she opened the door to Room 02-03.

“Good morning, Naot--oh!” A quick glance at the room’s nameplates showed a new name that Rise didn’t recognise, ‘Jill Valentine’, and the blonde woman looked too disoriented and confused for this to be any kind of attempted theft. ...Not...that most people had much worth stealing here in the Tower anyways... But no, the way she was tentatively touching her collar (orange, Rise noted, though she had no idea what that meant, or if it meant anything really) clenched it: she was a new arrival.

Well, if she was gonna be rooming with Naoto, Rise might as well try to make friends with her! The former idol turned a dazzling 500 megawatt smile on the blonde woman but didn’t move from the doorway; you never knew what the Tower was going to throw at you, and Rise didn’t know for sure what kind of person this ‘Jill Valentine’ was, so it wouldn’t hurt to be able to make a run for it if she had to.

“Hi there! You must be new here!”

alwaaaays. <3 and Rise is officially the happiest (read: ONLY HAPPY) person I've seen so far

[flipkicking]

With the door in her sight but not the focus of her attention, the sudden arrival caught Jill off guard enough to actually make her jump -- only slightly, but it was a rare accomplishment all the same. She turned quickly, alert without necessarily being battle-ready, but she dared to relax a fraction when she saw who it was. No one familiar, but the girl looked harmless enough.

Even so, there was some lingering tension in Jill's shoulders as she nodded.

"Yeah. As of about ten minutes ago, from what I can tell." The last part was very much intentional: she had no idea how long she'd really been here before waking up. The possibility that it had been much longer than she realized lingered on the outskirts of her buzzing thoughts, but Jill pushed it aside for now. There were other details higher in priority.

Despite that -- despite everything about the circumstances -- she managed a smile back, a default kind of polite. The cheerful attitude from the stranger was a little welcome, to be honest.

"You're one of the other residents?"

\o/ ♥♥♥ WELL she's an idol so she's good @ Cheerful ALWAYS Mode when she wants/has to be

[idol_support]

...Whoops, she hadn't meant to startle her...but the returned smile is a good sign (probably) and she sounds normal enough, so Rise let go of her hold on the door, even if she still didn't step into the room just yet.

"Yup!" the idol chirped, then tapped the collar around her own neck with a chuckle as she added, "What was your first clue?" She says it lightly--it's definitely not sarcasm or any sort of put down, more of an attempted joke than anything really--and is on to the next topic with hardly a pause.

"I'm Rise. Rise Kujikawa!"

is good thing to have in a place like this :|

[flipkicking]

Jill was still no expert on name origins and the like, but she'd had enough exposure to guess that Rise's was Japanese. Not that it made a difference, but habit noted it all the same.

"The attitude gave it away. I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't be happy here." A return joke, if a little heavier on the sarcasm, but it was harmless all the same. Her smile gained a touch of sincerity, though, to emphasize as much, even as Jill resisted the urge to shake her head at herself. She'd picked up too many smartass tendencies lately and knew exactly who to blame.

"Jill Valentine," she offered back, in a decidedly warmer tone. She'd noticed that the other was staying where she was, and whether it was out of simple politeness or something else, Jill nonetheless moved to sit on her bed's edge. She was armed, after all, and she doubted all arrivals handled the situation as calmly as she was. Might as well try to put Rise at ease, especially if she had answers to give.

Of all the questions Jill had, she settled first for the most telling: "Have you been here long?" It would give an idea of how long this had been going on, maybe, how developed this process was and how much she could potentially rely on the word of other residents in the future. Not that she was trusting in this one entirely just yet, but she had to start somewhere.

Very true. :|

[idol_support]

"Nice to meet you!" was Rise's immediate response, since Jill seemed to be responding well to the friendliness. The returned joke earned a bit of a chuckle, and the deepening sincerity in the blonde woman's smile as well as the seated, non-threatening body language put Rise a little more at ease. She stepped into the room, letting the door close behind her, and leaned back against the wall beside it casually.

That question, though...well, there's no way to avoid giving her the bad news, so she might as well get it over with.

"Time works a little differently here. The last day I remember back home, it was April, but it was the beginning of October when I woke up here in the Tower. And now, it's the beginning of April. So...this is my sixth month here, I guess!"

Until now, she was trying to maintain her upbeat tone, but saying it aloud...has it really been that long? She can't help but bow her head just slightly as she thinks of Senpai and Naoto-kun and Yosuke-senpai, of everything they've been through and all the things they probably haven't told her about...and her voice is softer, and noticeably less cheerful.

"Some people have been here longer than that--more than a year."

She hesitated then, watching Jill for her reaction before continuing her explanation.

[flipkicking]

Time differences were nothing new. In all honesty, Jill had become so used to what should have been an impossible notion that she arguably took it for granted; so her expression didn't shift at that, except to become more focused as Rise continued.

More than a year. It wasn't the worst-case scenario of twenty, fifty, a lifetime of years, but it made her frown slightly all the same and she glanced away. That was a coincidental time frame -- or was it? She'd just been going on a year herself in her Underworld stay, while those before her had reportedly exceeded her by only a few months.

So what did that mean as a whole? That this multi-world abduction trend had started around the same time, but in different places? Was this even a different place? And she'd said that it was April here; it had been near the end of March last Jill checked.

Her gloved fingers took to drumming along the mattress edge as she considered all of that. She could guess the rest of the basics: trapped, no way out except at random, no direct answers or excuses from those in charge...

Returning to her previous train of thought, Jill finally spoke up again. "You said you came directly here from your world. Have you heard anyone mention being brought somewhere else before this one -- maybe a world other than this and theirs?"

[idol_support]

Wow, not even a flicker of surprise over the time difference thing. Jill must be one really tough lady, or else she was just used to weird things like that happening. Maybe stuff like that was normal, or at least not too strange wherever she'd come from?

Rise blinked a little at that question. Most new people had a lot of questions, but this was kinda a new one, to be honest. She tilted her head a little to the side, thoughtful. "Well, I've seen a few people mention something like that on the network, buuuut you can't always believe everything to see on there, so I'm not too sure, really. Most people were just brought here straight from their worlds, at least as far as I know."

[flipkicking]

Jill's nod was slow, thoughtful, and a little distracted. It was about as much as she'd expected, so there couldn't really be any sense of disappointment. If anything, the only real disappointment was from the fact that she was becoming more and more convinced that this situation -- this time -- was genuine.

Her fingers clenched down on the bed slightly. "And the people in charge -- I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's not exactly a haven that they've set up here, for one." She reached up and around to gather her hair -- hanging free, for once, since she hadn't been supplied with a hair-tie while they were at it -- and laid it over her shoulder as she began to braid it, her movements absent but efficient.

"And that they're not easy to deal with."