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

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

[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-

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Fuu? [That doesn't sound good.]

I'm on my way. Stay there.

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

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]

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...

[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.]

[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.]

[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]

[Fuu rises to her feet at Mu's prompting and allows herself to be led away. Silent tears fall down her tired face.]

I'm sorry. I- I didn't even think to use- but then, death can't be healed. It was so sudden...

Are you hurt at all, Fuu? Tell me what happened.

[He puts a hand on her shoulder not as a gesture of affection, but to try and focus her a little bit. His voice remains smooth and even.]

[She shakes her head. No, she's not hurt. In fact, the thick paranoia that had been on her mind recently seems to have completely vanished. When had that happened?
She is grateful for it all the same, for it allows her to calm herself a bit more easily. ...A bit. She wipes at her tears with her sleeve.]

I was watching the last CAT broadcast. When it ended, I kinda looked up, thinking about it, then someone screamed. I saw... Miss Ardes collapse across the road, but- it seemed like she came out of nowhere. And she- I- I think she was already... gone...

How close did the scream sound?

[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?

[She nods numbly.]

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

Really close. [She thinks for a beat] But, I couldn't say for sure who screamed.

[She glances around, belatedly looking for the source. There are no random passer-bys, no shoppers across the street, she can't even see any staff through the window of the pub.] ...Where is everybody anyways?

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

A good question. Fuu, I need you to check around here, anywhere someone might be hiding. I'll see if I can find out what killed her.

[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.

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!?

[Grateful for the distraction, she nods. Picking up her CAT and turning it off, she turns to go into the pub.

She takes her time to look around well, even going into the staff-only areas. But she can't find anyone. Drinks are cold, food is warm, but everything is left like... the rapture happened or something.
She walks around outside the building, then crosses the street to the shops. Not finding anyone, she comes back to Mu.]

I can't find anyone. This... has happened before too. [And don't think she hasn't been watching her back for moving statues and killer plants. But...] It's even more quiet than then, though.

Have you... found out anything? [She feels ice in her stomach again, but tries to hold on. She won't let what Miss Ardes did - whatever she did - go to waste.]

[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...?

Has it? What happened then?

Nothing that could have killed her. There's a half-healed injury on her head here, but I do not think that is the culprit.

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!

[She shakes her head sadly at Mu's news. What could have possibly happened-?]

Well, last time all of the residents except for a few disappeared. At that time, some statues came alive and attacked us, and all of the plants also were able to grow really fast and tried to hurt us.

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?

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.]

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

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