◌ 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

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?

[desertdaggers]

Probably she knew the risk…

[Going to sit down as well, then.]

Maybe that chart held some relevancy… What kind of growth were they talking about? The town's growth?

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[She doesn't know what to do with the body, so she'll wait with it until an adult comes and does something...]

Yes... that chart. I'm not sure that it's measuring population growth or something like that. It is something connected with what happened after Miss Ardes' message from inside the White Rabbit. But I can't imagine what...

What gets me about it is that the projected increase of whatever-it-is by the Luministi people was overall less than ten percent, and the actual increase surpassed it almost immediately. Yet, the projection was not changed. What could they possibly be charting?

[desertdaggers]

[at least there aren't monsters that'd try to eat it… Does the town have a graveyard? :|a]

They said the numbers doubled after that video, after all. Something connected with the effects we were feeling at the time, perhaps?

Mm, it seems odd not to make adjustments of some kind.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[Yes, but who knows if the body will make it there...]

[She closes her eyes for a moment, imagining the chart, then opens her eyes with a sigh.]
Perhaps! Perhaps. It's hard to know what 'progress' they are charting.

And there is so much else - perhaps even more than we know, if 'PL' felt the need to ... silence Miss Ardes.

[With a tentative look, she leans closer to Hawk, softly dropping her voice.]

Say... I might just be... grasping at straws here, but... you remember how there were two of Mayor Caligin in the end?

[desertdaggers]

[somebody would have to pick it up for at some point at least…]

Mm, I doubt they'd let us in on it too easily. We should be careful- though really, at this point I suppose that goes without saying.

[He leans in as well, the better to be sure he hears her.] I do. Though… in the transmission, nothing seemed off… but perhaps they've made changes to whatever procedure it was to adjust for that.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[*calls not-it*]

[She gives him an eager nod.]

Right! Exactly what I was thinking! Anything could have happened in a year - if it's truly been that long.

[Excited, she suddenly clasps his hand in hers, smiling gratefully.]

I'm so glad that you can see what I'm getting at, and you ask the best questions-- [And she realizes that she's holding his hand. Promptly blushing, she lets his hand go.]

[desertdaggers]

[…I don't know if the Navarre guild had a lot to do with deaths/assassinations pre-Bigieu… :|a He could probably do it, though.]

Caligin said something about the seven hundred and first Festival coming up soon, didn't he? Still, since the town wasn't truly founded then… it's hard to say. Maybe it has been, maybe it hasn't.

[It surprises him a little, and he blinks for a moment before cocking his head and grinning.] Just trying to keep up with your own curiosity!

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Ah... thank you.
Well... part curiosity and part desperation to get out of this town again.

[desertdaggers]

It isn't really a kind place, is it?

[will an arm around the shoulders help any?]

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[You know how to make the girl blush horribly, Hawk.]

[At his arm encircling her shoulders, she blushes, but gives a tiny, thankful smile.]

Not a kind place at all. But I'm glad that we're stuck with kind people.

[desertdaggers]

[hurrah physical affection~

[He smiles in return, glad.]

Mm. That's definitely the best part about this.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

...A shame we don't remember anything once we are home.

[desertdaggers]

Yeah. We'd miss each other if we remembered… but at least we'd remember.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Mmm. I... hate how easy it is for them to tinker with our minds. To make us forget, to make us paranoid, to make things happen around us...

[desertdaggers]

It's not right. [He sighs, and rubs her shoulder.] We'll work out some way to get around it- or if we can get to them, to stop it.

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

[She sighs too.]

Yes... Yes. We'll keep-- each other safe again [She looks over sorrowfully at Miss Ardes] and we'll get out again.

[desertdaggers]

Yeah. We should try to find out how it's happening that they're bringing us here, too, and stop that. Was there anything you noticed…?

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

In coming here again? No, nothing except for the man in black again. If we could but get to him, I'd bet we'd get more answers than even if we got to 'PL'...

[desertdaggers]

Mm. More about the process of getting us here, I'd think. That would be useful.

Any ideas who that might be? One of the men in the video, perhaps?

[wind-of-reason.livejournal.com]

Could be. There had to be some reason that video was shown to us...

Mister Mu speculated that PL could mean 'Project Lead'. The young man called the older 'Proctor', so it's not him. And the younger seemed to have some authority, so, it could be.