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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 1, 2017 3:54:44 GMT -7
Another chip of paint comes loose and falls gracelessly to the floor. Just like before the chilling breeze carries yet more dust along with it. Certainly everyone has had strange dreams before, but this was another level.
In his dream Rauj continues to stare about the room he finds himself in. Unable to move, still, but taking in all the details of his surroundings. The place is run down to say the least. Metal beams are eating through the stone walls. Bits of shattered glass and foliage are scattered everywhere throughout the dimly lit room.
He looks up to the window directly ahead of him. It's not easy to see through as he seems to be laying motionlessly against the wall of his decrepit room. It's bright outside. He can see the seagulls flying about right outside his window. Smell the fresh seabreeze carried in by the wind. What little buildings he could see looked ancient. Like the sketches and pictures people drew up in books and letters imagining what the long forgotten past may have been like. Rauj listens to the noise of the outside and for a brief moment it seems like he can pick up the soft words of a woman whispering. "for all the world... captured in a single drop... ...what pain... ... ... it must... ... ... ..."
A sudden click - His body goes limp and he falls over on his side. It seems he can finally move so he decides to pick himself up. It takes some effort to do so as his body screeches with the resistance of rusty metal rubbing against itself. That's an odd sound for a body to make. He looks down at his hands - his hand, rather, as one of them seems to be missing instead replaced by a rusted metal stump where his left hand should have been. His right arm, surely once metallic and sleek, is rusted, dented, and overgrown with vines. What a bizzare dream...
"...torn... ... lost... ... returned..." The voice fades back into hearing. But he is suddenly distracted by the loud rumble of the building. The wall next to him crumbles and most of it falls off the side of the building giving him a much better view of the outside.
There is water as far as the eye can see and ruined archaic skyscrapers of the old world jutting out of it. A sea of ruins. Makeshift bridges and ramps seem to lead all over the place in the distance - Though so far none of them connect to his building which again shakes as a prompt reminder to how unstable the area is. He looks back at his rusted left stump. This dream is incredibly vivid. But there isn't any time to worry about that right now. No - Now he better find a way out of here before this structure continues to collapse on him.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2017 2:28:28 GMT -7
"Ohhhh Kaaaayyyy...." Rauj mutters as he lifts himself to his feet, if they even were what he could call those at the moment. Despite the imminent danger he takes a moment to piece things together taking a deep breath as he does so, at least mentally. "Not my usual state... or my 'other state'. I'm probably as ancient or more so than the area I'm in right now... Which I'm pretty sure I don't recognize... I seem to be in the middle of what used to be a city that sunk, and is still sinking, below sea level... Currently, this little island of land I'm on is teetering on the edge of falling below as well." He looks again at the parts he can see, wondering if he could survive underwater like this, but given the shape his body is in, decides it would be best to stay above as much as possible. The voice could be put off for later, as soon as he could make sure he was safe he could investigate it, but first, he needed out of this building. He goes towards the most obvious exit, the dilapidated wall, and tries to get a grasp of how high up he is. Taking a step back and getting a better feel for how much control he actually had over his present body, he does a few small exercises, mostly stretches, and looks around the room for something to loosen his body or oil up with. Then cautiously tests the edges of the remainder of the wall that recently fell before using the parts he finds sturdy enough to begin making his way outside.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 9, 2017 3:05:37 GMT -7
A realization of obscurity settles in as Rauj gets a read on his alien environment and personal status. This strange place seems simply bizarre, albeit manageable. He peers outside from the fallen wall, seeing more buildings adjacent and even blow him. There is a small bridge with a broken glass roof leading from his building to the other... however it is a good bit further down form his position. He is unsure of his physical traits at the moment and for all he knows a fall like that could be detrimental. But there doesn't seem to be any other way out of the room he is currently in.
He partakes in a brief exercise, starting to get a bit of a feel of his bodies capabilities. He feels stronger somehow but also significantly heavier. A brief examination of the room reveals nothing to help him oil up his body. There are however plenty of vines and foliage growing alongside the walls of the room.
A brief shudder draws his attention. As he looks outside his make-shift exit he notices one of the farther off buildings crumbling and collapsing into the sea. A flock of seagulls escape their now broken home and begin circling the ocean overhead.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2017 16:13:37 GMT -7
"Hmm." Rauj muses about his added weight, and considers how fragile he likely is as he considers the plummet. He looks towards the falling building and circling seagulls and looks towards the other buildings to see if he could spot the movement and reactions of other possible lifeforms. He pauses for a beat, just getting a feel for the eerie environment. Noting nothing from the odd voice from earlier, and deciding he had wasted enough time, Rauj grabs some of the nearby vines and begins to tug at them to see if they're sturdy enough to use as a makeshift rope just in case his planned descent doesn't go too well. He wraps and ties them together, then strings them down as far as they can go, figuring they wouldn't touch base, but anything closer to the ground is fine at this point. He begins his progress by climbing out of the hole, going straight down. Taking his time and cautiously checking whether each step he takes can actually handle his adjusted weight. He makes sure to stay close to the vines as a last resort, worst comes to worst he could use them to swing down, or to another, lower part of the building.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 9, 2017 17:24:28 GMT -7
Rauj scans the environment for any signs of movement or other life. There doesn't seem to be anyone about aside the seagulls flying overhead.
After testing the vines and deciding they were strong enough, in theory at least, Rauj decides to descend.
The waves clashing against the buildings below, only interrupted by the occasoinal rubble falling into the sea, is strangely comforting. A similar sort of comfort he felt at the Inn before.
He reaches the bridge connecting the two buildings together. Seemingly just in time as more of the building he had just found himself in moments ago begins crumbling into the ocean. Fortunately the base structure seems to be intact enough to continue navigating.
Seeing there is no other way to go from here Rauj climbs into the ruined hallway. From here he can see inside both buildings. The one he came from seems to show more of the same. A ruined dusty room with a broken staircase inside of it and rubble everywhere. Ahead of him is... well. The same again. The major difference lies in the bent and rusted metallic doll sprawled across the end of the bridge.
"...the omen..." the voice continues. "... ... ...an echo..."
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2017 19:20:15 GMT -7
As he descends, Rauj finds himself at some kindof peace listening to the ambiance the area provides. He wonders what could possibly cause him to have such a vivid dream. His mind instantly shifts to what he ate, but he dismisses the thought. Never caused any thing this absurd before afterall. He wondered if maybe something was slipped into his food, but that wouldn't work, it was half the reason he applied so many toppings, it diluted any agents... The other half being the amazing taste it produced of course. He reaches a somewhat stable ground, and looks back at the area he just left so he could get familiar with it in case he needed to go back, only to watch it too begin to crumble. He sighs, and shrugs, musing on the psychological aspect of the situation. Wondering if his mind was trying to explain something his waking mind couldn't quite grasp. The ideas of being under some sort of trance, or something trying to convey some sort of message to him crossed his mind as well. In lieu of his musings he moved on, looking back towards the staircase as a possible area of interest for later, and then back to the remains of a mechanical doll towards the end of the bridge. He stares towards it for a moment, wondering if he looked anything similar to it, but before he begins making his way over the voice he heard before, calls out once more.
"Ah. You again." He says aloud, not sure if it could hear him but figuring that giving it a shot couldn’t hurt. He repeats everything he's heard the voice say so far as he makes his way casually over to the broken doll, finishing with "A name and a place might help, yanno. I'm-" He pauses for a moment, considering whether he should give the ghostly wail his name or not, "Rauj. And you are?" He asks as he makes his final steps towards the doll, figuring he might as well go for broke.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 9, 2017 23:07:56 GMT -7
After receiving no answer what so ever Rauj makes his way over to the doll. It doesn't seem to be moving, instead laying face down on the floor. It's made up of all kinds of metal parts intricately and finely put together to imitate muscles and tendons. Just like himself, the doll is rusted all over and shows a whole lot of signs of wear and tear.
Rauj briefly glances around the bridge between the two buildings. Based on the cracks on the floor and the way the glass is shattered directly above the doll his best guess is it fell onto the bridge from up high. And sure enough looking up he can see a red cloth hanging out from one of the ruined windows above.
There is a brief whirring and Rauj takes a cautious step away from the doll. A few clicks later and a spark emits from the back of the doll.
Then its fingers noticeably twitch and grasp at the ground.
Rauj doesn't really have anywhere to hide so he simply watches.
Another sting. And suddenly Jen finds himself laying on the ground. It's a lot more dirtier than he remembers... but then he was just succumbing to the worst headache he's ever felt since his initial first few days without feeding. He looks up from the ground, now realizing he is not at all where he remembers to be. In surprise he scrambles to his feet and looks about. He's on some strange bridge, surrounded by nothing but sea and ruined skyscrapers. But more importantly the strange doll a safe distance across from him staring at him in curiosity.
Jens first thought is to say something, but he finds himself unable to speak. Almost like he is suffocating anytime he tries to say a word. He instinctively touches his lips with a metallic ting and then notices his strange appearance.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 10, 2017 0:06:51 GMT -7
What the hell… Jen thinks to himself, perplexed by the scene laid out before him. WHAT THE HELL?! He repeats in his mind, stunned at his loss of vocalization as well as his metallic body. Taking a fraction of a second to calm his nerves, the once fleshy vampire steels himself. Taking notice of the doll staring at him, Jen instinctively waves his hands to signal the most desperate “Hello!” anyone has ever witnessed. This doll seems to have been here before me, so maybe it can help. That’d be a miracle. After grabbing the rundown doll’s attention, he takes a step to the side and swings his arms back as if to showcase the endless setting before them. Jen then shrugs his shoulders in confusion, noticing a considerable resistance in his ligaments. I hope this works...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 1:20:59 GMT -7
Rauj watches the odd doll clamber to its feet and touch its own mouth, or lack thereof, as it tries to communicate. He cocks his head in curiosity, but after the doll takes a moment to collect itself he can understand its subsequent waving clearly enough. "Ah, hello to you too." Rauj waves with his fingered hand, placing the knobbed one on his hip as he does so. The doll gestures again, seemingly indicating the entire area this time before shrugging. "I'm guessing you have no idea where we are either." Rauj says as he mimics the doll's gestures, doing both in case it didn't understand what he was trying to say. "Hmm. Well first we need to find a bit of a better way for you to communicate. I can tell this isn't gonna work if that's how you say 'hello'." He chuckles a bit before looking asking the other doll to "Hold up one sec." Gesturing by holding up one finger (?) and pushing it towards the newcomer then opening his palm before turning away to seek something to write with. Anything would do at the moment, glass, a rock, some dirt to write in would be fine, even some healthy plants could work, their chlorophyll an interesting ink of a sort.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 10, 2017 2:00:08 GMT -7
As the two dolls attempt to communicate with one another, Rauj looks about for a way for the other one to write.
There is plenty of glass, plenty of rubble, and plenty of vines and foliage growing along the walls of the buildings. Not easy tools to write but they will have to do and it doesn't take long for Jen to realize what he is getting at.
A little more debris falls into the ocean in the distance - a grim reminder of the instability of these buildings. Although...
The two dolls notice some dust and stone raining down onto them. Instinctively looking up for any signs of collapse Rauj realizes the brilliant red cloth hanging out the window has disappeared.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 10, 2017 11:28:26 GMT -7
Jen gave a visual sigh of relief as the other doll understood him. Nodding in agreement, Jen also searched for a method of writing. Taking a glance into the sea again, Jen took note of the crumbling infrastructure all around. If we don't find something soon, this place could crumble too... and we're probably both terrible swimmers. Communication may have to wait if this takes too long. As Jen thinks to himself, some small debris trickles on both him and his comrade. Jen looks up, but sees nothing out of the ordinary for the surroundings. His gaze falls to his new friend, who seems to notice something Jen himself didn't. With a slight tilt of the head, the vampire-turned-machine looks at the other doll quizzically.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 13:09:18 GMT -7
Rauj grabs a rock pointed enough to work as a makeshift marker and stands only to note the debris raining down on him. Backing off as quick as he could and looking up he notes the cloth that was hanging from where the other doll allegedly fell had vanished. He returns his gaze to his newfound companion who seems to have noticed Rauj's interest in the cloth's disappearance. "Welp, i've got no other leads, might as well check it out." He indicates that the newcomer fell from above, pointing at it, then pointing up while raising his arm. He then wiggles his fingers to indicate falling, and smacks his hand against the knob on his left stump showing his impact. Rauj then shrugs, walks to a wall nearest his current company and writes 'lets go see' as best he can. Knowing that the staircase in the direction he came from is in disrepair, he begins looking for another way up.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 10, 2017 16:59:07 GMT -7
Examining the surrounding area the two dolls decide there is only one of two ways to go. Back to the building Rauj had come from, taking their chances with some dodgy stairs. Or continuing on to the next building and up to the mysterious cloth.
"...shifting..." The voice begins again. "... ...n the... ... ...is danger coming..."
Indeed, both dolls notice some shadows moving in the distance. Some creatures are shifting from cover to cover. The occasional lens flash sparks in between various windows.
Whatever those things are they seem interested in the dolls, but far enough not to be any real danger. Probably.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 10, 2017 17:53:25 GMT -7
I fell from the sky? Jen thought to himself, not really comprehending how that was possible. Shrugging off his lack of understanding, Jen witnessed the other doll scribble a message on the wall telling him they should investigate the curiosity. Jen again nodded in agreement before suddenly hearing a woman's voice. That woman... Danger coming? What does that mean? Is this a hallucination?
Jen soon found his answer, as traces of something or someone dashed from the corner of his vision. We definitely need to get moving. Jen could see one of two paths toward their decided objective, one of which continued on to the building they were near. To Jen it seemed the better of the two choices. Reaching out to pat his companion's arm in a cautious manner so as not to startle him, Jen pointed toward the nearest building. The voiceless doll tilted his head again to see if his newfound friend had come to the same decision.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 19:59:40 GMT -7
Rauj looks around as the ethereal voice speaks, this time attempting to discern from where exactly the voice was coming, for a moment his glance falls upon his fellow doll, "Seems it can hear it too. Well at least i'm not losing it comple-" He cuts his thought off, noting some shifting of shadows. Something is indeed coming, as the voice stated, but was it indeed danger? All he had to go on was the broken musings of some entity he couldn't even identify. He sees flashing occur between a few of the windows... "Hmm, some form of communication? Seems whatever they are, they ma possess some sort of intelligence."
The other doll cautiously taps Rauj on the shoulder, and indicates they should move on with a tilt of its head towards the nearest building, The thief agrees with a nod and begins to head towards the nearest building, keeping the pointed rock securely in his grip.
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