◌ 022 ◌ The power of belief brings even monsters into existence

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[The scream that comes directly after the CAT's strange message makes Fuu's head snap up from where she'd been resting it on her hand, staring vacantly across the street. Eyes wide, she at once focuses her gaze towards what had been the object of her fixation for the past two weeks- and sees a woman's body collapsing outside the White Rabbit, part way into the street like she'd been about to cross-.]

Ahhh--!

[A thin scream of her own erupting from her, she runs over to the person-- no, not just any person. That hair...
With shaking hands she tentatively kneels beside her and reaches over to touch her shoulder, brush away the hair, glimpse at her face--]

No- no, no. Oh, Miss Ardes-

[Unsteadily she tries to find a pulse, but it's impossible with her hands shaking like this, and she knows she shouldn't move an injured person... So she takes out her CAT and broadcasts in the hologram mode to all the residents.]

I- I need help! A d-doctor, anyone- please! Please. Out s-side the White Rabbit, Miss Ardes- she- she's just collapsed- she's not moving-

Comments

Audio

[lamb_of_gold]

Fuu? [That doesn't sound good.]

I'm on my way. Stay there.

Holo

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Oh, thank you.
Is there anything I can do until you get here?

Audio

[lamb_of_gold]

Check her breathing and pulse, and try not to move her too much.

[There's white noise over the CAT that may suggest he's running very /very/ quickly]

Holo

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

I- I tried, but I'm shaking so much... I'll try again.

[Taking a couple deep breaths, she tries to find a pulse again. It only takes half a minute, but it feels like forever.
She can't find one.
With sudden inspiration (she saw this on TV once), she takes a compact out of her purse and opening it, slides the mirror in front of Miss Ardes' mouth.
She watches intently, but the mirror doesn't fog with her breath.
Fuu feels like her stomach has turned to ice.]

Oh, no. No... no...

>Action!

[lamb_of_gold]

[He's there between one heartbeat and the next, folding down next to Fuu with an exhale that's the only sign that he'd exerted himself at all.

But just from a look, he can tell. There's no life in this body. Still, he looks at Fuu for confirmation before he touches the body.]

Perma-action!

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[But forgotten beside her, Fuu's CAT is still broadcasting in holo]


[She meets his eyes, holding back tears.]

Th- there is no sign... I'm sorry. I'm sorry...

[With a lost look on her face, she slumps down until her head rests on her knees.]

[lamb_of_gold]

[Mu looks between the corpse and Fuu for a moment before rising and tries to pull Fuu up to her feet and lead her a little ways away to calm down]

[Audio]

[bonnypiperlad]

[There's a bit of noise before Jamie's voice is heard, sounding remarkably as if he dropped the CAT and had to retrieve it before he could reply.]

Fuu? It's Miss Ardes, ye said?

[holo]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[She nods numbly.]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do-

[Audio]

[bonnypiperlad]

Och. Look, stay put, will ye? I'll be right there.

[More bumping-thumping noises, and then, muttered:] How do ye turn off this infernal thing anyway?

Re: [Audio]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Th-thank you for coming.

There's a narrow button along the top... [She answers softly, even if his question was rhetorical. It ...keeps her from thinking too much about her being alone in the presence of a dead woman.]

[Audio-to-Action!]

[bonnypiperlad]

Hey? Oh, aye, thank ye.

[There's a click, and the transmission shuts off. But Jamie arrives a few minutes later, only slightly out of breath from running. He glances down at Audrey's unmoving figure.]

Is she...?

[perma-action!]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Those few minutes of waiting were very dour, with Fuu keeping a silent watch over the body. (And silent it was, as no town-people passed by.)
At the sound of him approaching she looks up from where she'd been sitting on the curb, rubbing at her eyes. She shakes her head sadly.]

I'm sorry. I didn't- I couldn't do anything...

[Holo~]

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

How is that even possible? Did we not just hear her in a broadcast from an entirely different location a moment ago?

Re: [Holo~]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Oh, a new person- She sniffs a bit and wipes away her tears with her sleeve. Grateful for the question to distract her, she tries to pull herself together.]

I- I'm not sure. Perhaps... mmm... [a long pause as she thinks] perhaps the video was on time delay. Or pre-programmed to broadcast in case of- of- [She glances down at Miss Ardes and wipes at her eyes again, taking a couple deep breaths.]

I'm sorry.

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

In case of what? In case someone feels the desire to- [picking up his diary and flipping to a recent page] "-get some noise going?" [Then slamming the book shut and tucking it under his arm]

The timing is too perfect, and the girl in the broadcast sure as hell didn't sound like she wasn't aware of exactly what was going on. Shouldn't she have sounded just a little bit worried?

[Shaking his head] I need to see this in person. On camera, something about this seems... Off. It doesn't feel the way it should. I'm not far away, I'll just be making my way there from the town's gardens.

In the meantime... [Quirking an eyebrow and sounding rather agitated] Shouldn't a massive group of people have stopped by to help you with this situation by now!? What the hell is wrong with this town!? Is everyone else deaf and blind, or are they just stupid!?

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[She notes his book with interest - ah, good, someone else is keeping a journal! - but interest gets overridden with shock. He- he's so brash-]

Ah- thank you for coming... and you're right. There hasn't been even a passer-by or anyone...

[She stands up and looks over to the pub. She can't see anyone through the windows, not even the staff who should be behind the bar.]

Where is everyone...?

[manicurious.livejournal.com]

Someone had to. When a person collapses all of a sudden, it's completely inappropriate to just disappear to leave nobody but a young girl to deal with the situation.

[Although, frankly, he's probably not the best candidate to handle this either. He's visibly shaken by all of this.] Like I would know where everyone ran off to! They probably just couldn't stand the thought of actually being useful in an emergency!

[Fortunately, he manages to quiet down for a minute to inspect the body. He gasps upon discovering something-] They're different!

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[She's unable to get a word in edgewise in all that, but at his exclamation she tries to see what he's looking at.]

What's different?

video

[desertdaggers]

Miss Ardes? Audrey? I'll be there shortly.

Re: video

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Th-thank you, Hawk...

[desertdaggers]

[He arrives a little while later, a little out of breath, and takes a moment to slow down.] Wasn't she speaking to someone, just a little while ago? How did she get here? [He reaches out to check for a pulse.]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

I was wondering that too. Th-there is the chance that the video was on a time delay, or set to play in case of- of... [She trails off sadly]

[desertdaggers]

[He nods, and since there's no pulse lets go of Audrey's wrist.] If her being back in the town didn't work out.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

It's all messed up. Everything that happens makes more questions! She- she was trying so hard to help us...

[Not knowing what else to do, she sits down on the curb. Taking a few deep breaths, she tries to focus.]

Something that she showed us has to be such a serious hint that- that... this happened. What could it have been?