Searchin' out Fear in the Gathering Gloom

[flared]

Characters: Axel and YOU
Setting: Different settings provided below, but in general this will be occurring all week! If you'd like, then you can specify any particular date and time if that's most convenient to you.
Format: I'll match you
Summary: Like any good drone, he goes about his work without complaint, without fear, and without resistance. And yet every now and then... something tells him that this isn't all real.
Warnings: Brief mentions of body horror and drugs/needles. Character injury and/or death by burning are highly likely in the case of a malfunction. Also scary body modifications which you can find here. As a note, unless otherwise stated, Axel will be wearing his hood up.



Dormitories - Drone
[Along the many dormitory floors walks a hooded figure.

For some they may recognize it, approach it, try to call out to it as they normally would, and yet upon drawing closer they realize the body... is different. There's searing heat radiating off of its skin and it demands distance. After all, there isn't time to chat. There's no time to mingle. There are chores to be done, cracks to be mended, messes to be cleaned, and people to be set in line.

Try to stop this figure or be caught not doing your task... you risk punishment.]



Between Floors/Staircases - Fear
[Then there comes a time when reality settles.

And so does fear.

Along the many stairs and floors Axel may suddenly pause in his step and in a matter of moments bring a hand to his head and scream. Because there's pain and there's memories and voices, flooding in like a molten hot wave through his mind and rapidly into the hollow ends of his body. At one point everything weighs down on him and he staggers, just barely making it to a nearby wall to lean up against in hopes of pulling himself together.

But everything keeps SCREAMING...

He can see streams of pure red blood flowing freely down his arms, smell the ashen Darkness--his existence--rip away from his skin, hear the shrill squeal of machinery and gears, the scrapes of knives and needles, drawing closer and closer and closer still--!

He cries out... and again. Louder. As if that can drown out the drills and the squealing and the voices.]

NO!



Floor Fifty Four - Malfunction
[... At some point he finds himself on this floor, the toy floor, surveying the selection of wooden puppets to porcelain dolls upon their chairs and shelves, though he's not really thinking too much about them. And yet there's something about them all the same. Their eyes, their lips, the reflections of other things he can see upon their glasses white skin.

If you find him here, you may hear him muttering incoherent things to himself. Perhaps he's holding a conversation with them or maybe just with himself.

... Try to stop him this time, however, and you risk death.]

Comments

Staircase, Fear.

[tohko_amano]

Tohko was walking up the stairs, occasionally poking her head into various popular rooms when she saw and heard Axel screaming out. It seemed that someone needed to cool down. First she would use words, but if those weren't enough, she would use her rain ring.]

Axel, stop screaming. You have duties to perform, and you are blocking the stairs.

[flared]

Axel could hear her, but he wasn't going to listen. Not yet...

But after a moment he looked up abruptly from where he was and glanced over his shoulder, his hood still pulled up but from underneath it there were bits of smoke and flickers of fire escaping from the darkness.

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko noticed the flames and the bits of smoke, and while she knew that it wasn't good, it didn't stop her.]

If you do not stop, I will put out your flames and stop you myself.

[flared]

[Panting softly, he stared at her... before he slowly straightened to face her.]

Get back.

[tohko_amano]

Why?

[If you are going against her, Axel, she will fight back..]

[flared]

[Look, he's slowly starting to remember things and he doesn't want you to get involved.]

You'll--

[He can't finish that sentence; his head starts to hurt too much.]

[tohko_amano]

[Sadly, Tohko was not a mind reader, but she could..guess a little.]

Be attacked?

[flared]

[He responds quickly, head snapping up.]

Yes!

[tohko_amano]

And why will you attack me? You have no reason to. I am not against the Administrators.

[A malfunction of some kind? Probably. However, if Axel wouldn't answer, Tohko would start patrolling elsewhere.]

[flared]

[He knows that he has no reason to, but he can't exactly be sure.]

Just go.

[tohko_amano]

Will you patrol the area above us?

[Because if she leaves, that won't get done, and it needs to.]

[flared]

[Suddenly his tone becomes more serious as he stares straight at her. The hood is still hiding his face, but she might be able to feel the intensity of his stare.]

Are you questioning me?

[tohko_amano]

[She feels it, but she doesn't really react to it. As a drone, most emotions or sensations are ignored.]

Only so that I can better see how we can assist the Administrators.

Staircase

[attheclocktower]

[Xion was heading up a staircase herself, heading up to one of the higher floors to do some work there. The concious part of her mind notices Axel, knows that nobody else would be wearing that coat. He's struggling. She wants to stop and help him, but her body keeps moving.

Until he shouts that word.

She freezes, Xion and drone mixing briefly in surprise as she complies wordlessly, coming to a halt. Obviously she'd been doing something wrong but what was it? But no now she can help- ugh her mind was so tired-

Awaiting further instruction, superior.]

[flared]

[He can hear that someone else is nearby and for a while that's a bit of comfort to him. He may not be able to see properly, but he can at least sense the world around him.

But is that really such a comfort?

Panting heavily, he falls quiet... then slowly eases himself up from the floor, hand at the wall to steady himself as he does.]

... What-- What are you doing?

[It's all he can think of to say at that exact second.]

[attheclocktower]

[It's always bothersome, when one of the higher groups asks a question. She can't really... answer via normal means. She can't answer at all not with what she wants to or what this stupid body of hers-

Instead, she merely tilts her head to the side curiously. Whatever you need for her to do? Axel... is there any way she can help...]

[flared]

[She's not doing anything wrong. She's doing exactly as she should. She's listening to him and had probably been going about her usual duties as a drone before he stopped her, but-- Something tells him that that's not right.

Axel shakes his head.]

Stay here...

[attheclocktower]

[Well... that she can do. And is quite happy to do, drone or Xion herself. If anything, it's a bit of a relief, to be of unified purpose - drone and person, and not just because she was fully brainwashed like most of the time.

She'll wait for however long you need her to, Axel.]

[flared]

[Everything is still hurting and nothing is clear in his mind, so he really has no idea why he's calling her over. Or does he? With how he's acting, it's really difficult to tell.]

What were you doing?

[he asks, voice low. Where was she going?]

[attheclocktower]

[She still... can't speak. So the questions are awkward. Xion herself can't really answer because she has no say and though she knows where her body was going that wasn't what she was doing. She was trying to throw this off. Whatever it was.

In the end, she points up the staircase. Since... that's where she was going. To do some assigned tasks. But taking care of Group A's orders takes precedence.]

[flared]

[He turns his head to look in the direction she points to then back to her. She's not speaking. With all the voices in his head from earlier, it's actually a comfort to know what silence is like again, but that can only last for so long. Shrill buzzing returns, ringing in his head, and he clutches it with a grunt.]

Something's... wrong.

[he manages to grate out, his throat raw from his earlier screaming.]

I can't stay here.