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Post by ★|Sayu on Dec 21, 2017 1:20:20 GMT -7
Finally, after a good bit of rather tedious and mind-numbing rowing later, the boat pulls in near a small staircase that leads to a concrete walkway of some sorts.
With the guidance of their new companion, "Red", the two dolls have made it to a new set of ruins. These seem to be in better shape albeit not by much. At least there doesn't seem any immediate risk of the tall buildings collapsing on their heads.
The foliage on this side of the ruins is much more thick and developed. Some of it climbs from out of the water and wraps its way around the buildings, other smaller plants and weeds broke their way through cracks in the concrete to find the best spots for absorbing sunlight. It's a surprisingly beautiful and serene scene which is helped further by the gentle crashing of waves against the hard concrete buildings submerged in the ocean.
"Ви можете робити те, що хочете. Не стікайте надто довго." Red says, surprisingly the most he had said since their escape from the previous ruins. He sighs and strains audibly as he gets up and climbs out of the small boat, gently rocking it under his weight. Naturally he is sure to provide the female doll with the utmost care as he carries her along the walkway and around the corner.
The dolls are left to their devices.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Dec 21, 2017 10:54:54 GMT -7
As the boat pulled closer to the new set of ruins, Jen noted the stark differences in his surroundings. Mother Nature had taken a slightly more gentle approach to reclaiming what was originally hers. Various weeds and other plants desperately broke through the concrete to reach as much sunlight as possible. They weren't too different from J and himself, the Mouthless Doll thought; though their escape from rock-bottom was more due to blind luck than determination. If it hadn't been for Red and his now-inactive doll, they would've been killed. Killed… Where do we go from here? The soothing crash of waves washed away Jen’s uneasiness.
Red muttered something incoherent before sighing like an old man. Carefully stepping off the boat with his prize, the figure pathed along the walkway.
Clearly this doll was special, and Jen had a few theories as to why. Back in its original room, Red’s doll looked like it was some sort of converging body. All those other dolls had been connected to it, and seemed to spring to life to defend it; surely there was something larger going on. Was it connected by some mind-link to the others? If so, then that staredown earlier on the boat might not have been a coincidence.
Jen stares blankly in thought for a moment before turning to J, and pointing back in the direction of Red with his thumb. I don't really see anything else immediately important, do you want to follow him?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2017 23:37:44 GMT -7
After their interminable repose at sea the thief found himself somewhat pleased to see land closing in. Scanning the landscape for any onlookers and to his ambivalence discovering none, he finds himself oddly worried and relieved. It appears the only life other than themselves within these ruins are the resilient plant life. As he glances toward ‘Red’ and its ‘Princess’, the former speaks in its native tongue before shoring itself with a bit of audible effort, as a matter of course, it takes the utmost care that its charge found no harm despite 'Red's' personal struggle. Rauj follows the pair with his gaze, his focus mostly on the 'Princess', unable to assuage his curiosity as to Red's plans for it. It seemed to still lie dormant at the time, but its obvious importance he had already gleaned from not only its original location, and its apparent interest to the opposing group of beings, but also how its decrepit defenders (almost) leapt to its defense. That combined with ‘Red’s’ care in her handling.
The crimson cloaked figure vanished from view around the corner, not seeming to care what 'Rauj' and 'Jen' did from there. Seeing no immediate clues, threats, or hints to pursue for a path to their original bodies, the thief found himself inclined to follow. "I'll check around this place later, but lets establish a base of sorts first. I'm betting 'Red' already has a spot here; I'll branch out from there and see what else this place has to hold, hell, maybe he's already found something that could help." Though despite these perfectly logical processes, the creative side of him really just wanted to see what was up with the 'Princess'. He almost forgets Jen despite himself, taking a few steps foward to follow 'Red' before seeing his compatriot seemed to be on the same page anyway. He confirms Jen's motion with a nod before falling in step behind the cowled 'Red'.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Dec 23, 2017 13:41:58 GMT -7
The two dolls follow Red across the walkway and behind the building. Part of the building next to them seems to have crumbled over and provides this area with a lot of cover and between it and the foliage the small entrance into the building is safely obscured in this little alcove.
They make their way inside, brushing aside some of the greens that had wrapped their way around the entrance's frame, to find themselves in a rather cozy room. It was small with stairs wrapping around the inside leading up to another floor. Red was no where to be seen so presumably that is where Red could be found.
The room had all sorts of blankets and even a bears fur lain on the ground. In one of the corners was a small enclosed area with chiseled concrete bricks lining a makeshift fireplace of sorts that was burning and crackling with surprising comfort. A small wooden chest could be found adjacent to the fireplace. It doesn't seem to have any form of lock on it.
Some scraping of stone grinding on stone can be heard coming from upstairs. But it stops as quickly as it began and suddenly the natural light that had come from the top of the stairs has been snuffed out.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Dec 27, 2017 12:10:30 GMT -7
Pushing aside the various vines from the entrance, Jen steps into what appears to be Red’s home. The oddly conventional layout of the room intrigued the Hunter as he took a few steps further in. This is surprisingly normal, or rather, as normal as it could be. Jen assumed Red went upstairs, as he was nowhere to be seen. There was some noise from above, but he dismissed it for the time being.
Figuring this was likely their stopping point for now, Jen’s curiosity finally overcame him and he investigated the room. The bear fur that laid on the ground confirmed at least thing in his mind. So it's not just seagulls, but bears too… That and the dust on the gadgets in the other ruins… Is this world the past or the future? Jen sorely wished he could discuss things with J, but right now that wasn't very feasible. The opportunity would present itself at some point - or so he hoped.
Jen makes his way to the unlocked chest, intending to see what's inside. After his curiosity is satisfied, he plans on going upstairs to find Red.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2018 21:58:53 GMT -7
As the Thief follows ‘Red’ into his hideout, he can’t help but appreciate its strategic location. It was a very well hidden spot, easily blending in with its surroundings, it would be hard to find with no prior inkling as to its location. He stepped inside after clearing the greenery only to see no ‘Red’, but quite a homely little spot despite the circumstances. “Hmm, he’s clearly been here awhile, this place is pretty well established.” Rauj gathered from the many blankets, there was even a bear fur, which would've made the thief raise an eyebrow in intrigue... if he still had any. Though still, he couldn't help but wonder about the surrounding area... He glances at the fireplace, quite impressed with it. "This Red definitely has the skills he needs to survive on his own." he thinks as his eyes trail upstairs to where he presumes Red was now interacting with the doll he had brought all the way here. "I wonder why he's so caught on that thing... Something must be pretty special about it..." He glances at Jen to see if he could discern if he was thinking something similar, but sees him closing in on the chest adjacent from the fireplace. Considering it was unlocked, the thief assumed nothing of too much importance would be within... Still his nagging curiosity bid him to stay and see what it contained before he made his next move. The easily discernible sound of stone on stone caused Rauj to crane his head towards its source, and as he does, he notices the sudden darkness from above. "Hmm... Might as well check on that before i head out..." Rauj turns back to Jen waiting for him to check what's inside the chest so he could garner his attention and get him to follow the thief's ascension.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Jan 7, 2018 23:33:57 GMT -7
After examining the main room, Jen approaches the chest and opens it. Inside there are various trinkets, some tools, and a few coins of some unknown currency of some sorts loosely thrown into the box.
Afterwards the two dolls head the concrete stairway leading up the side of the room. When they arrive upstairs the source of the light, or rather lack thereof, is immediately clear. A thin stone slab has been pushed in front of a window, only letting in limited amounts of light. This room is similarly furnished, although it has a makeshift bed built from twigs and furs and some poorly built shelves lined with various gadgets and gizmos.
Red is sitting in front of the bed, and the Doll is placed inside of it, still unmoving.
On the opposite side of the room from the stairs is a metal door with a lock on the inside.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Jan 8, 2018 0:21:51 GMT -7
Jen pulled back the lid of the chest, revealing a rather mundane set of items. Sifting through the odds and ends slightly, reveals a few coins whose origins he'd never seen before. Reaching in, he carefully grabs a single piece from the container, and examines it closely. Jen pulls it close to his eyes as he pores over every detail. It didn't surprise him that this currency was so foreign given the circumstances, but he was fascinated nonetheless. Coin in hand, Jen turned to J to let him see. Have you seen anything like this? If it's any money from our world, I'm sure you'd know of it. Of course, Jen highly doubted that his companion would have an answer; it wasn't J's fault, and Jen knew that. The past few years for Jen were filled with ambiguity, and it somehow left him both frustrated and somewhat complacent. It was a recurring theme in his life; one that caused him intense pain when he chose to dwell on it. Where was his sister? Who ended his life in Recudor? Those things lacked definition, and perhaps this coin reminded him of that.
Such bullshit. With a hint of irritation, Jen threw the coin back in the box, and headed upstairs with J. Upon covering the flight of stairs, he eyed Red in front of the bed with the Doll. Wanting to get a better look at what Red was doing, Jen takes a few steps toward his side and waits.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 17:43:23 GMT -7
Jen turns to the thief, giving him not only a glipse of the coin, but to a further extent, the contents of the chest. Trinkets and tools, nothing too special, just as he expected. He takes a few steps towards the held coin, eyes flickering over the details of the coin and turning it over to get a glance of both sides, before closing his eyes for a moment, attempting to draw connections between the many he’s seen and the one before him… Nothing. “Dammit.”
He shakes his head slowly in response to Jen’s inquisitive stare; the coin was nothing he had seen before, but it did at least confirm that at some point the residents of this time used the same economy as they did, wherever they were, it had some connection to their own time and place, their histories followed the same timeline at some point… Rauj eases up somewhat, he feels a bit of peace at that thought. It had been bothering him for awhile, and he had seen clues prior that alluded to this fact, but actual currency, even if it was now nothing more than a useless representation of a lost age, helped him stick to a sense of familiarity… Like a life-raft in the vast ocean of unknown he was currently treading in. Jen tosses the coin back into the box with what seems to be some irritation and Rauj quickly snatches it out of the air as it bounces against one of the many other miscellaneous items within, twiddling it between his fingers before slipping it into a easy to access area upon his person.
The thief then leads the way upstairs stepping aside to allow room for Jen to progress and taking a look around before stepping further forward himself. Despite taking a footnote of the slab being used as a makeshift shade of some sort, his attention is immediately drawn to the locked door across the room. Large and metal, it almost seems to share a cold moment with Rauj, barring his way forward, seemingly taunting him in the dark of the room. A moment that felt like forever passes before the thief steps further into the room, slowly as to not spook ‘Red’ who seems to be eerily watching over the doll he’s placed within the nearby bed, like some fairy-tale figure awaiting the awakening of its princess. He ignores the analogy and scratches a few things into the thin slab as quickly and quietly as he can, using the coin he swiped not too long ago; “Hello, Thank you for earlier. Would you mind explaining a few things?”
Honestly, he doesn’t expect Red to understand what’s written. The likelihood of that being abysmally low due to the thief not understanding the language ‘Red’ had spoken to the pair with earlier. Still, he wanted to let ‘Red’ know his assistance was appreciated somehow. As he awaited an almost inevitable response of utter confusion, Rauj began to muse on how to properly communicate. Wondering if ‘Red’ could already understand that the pair were more than autonomous servants, or mindless dolls, and if so, if he could possibly explain more about how they got into this situation. He allowed his mind to drift towards exploring the island as well, gathering as many facts and points of interest as possible… All to keep his mind off that door… That damn door which seemed to cast more darkness into the room with every moment... It was always like this, every time he saw a locked door he needed to see what was behind it. If he couldn't tell from a glance it was fine, but with stand out locks like that...! Even with his body like this, and indebted to the door's owner he was finding it hard to pull his attention away from it...
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Post by ★|Sayu on Jan 13, 2018 1:59:36 GMT -7
Jen steps next to Red and watches him. Red seems to be studying the doll, although whether or not he is analyzing her or waiting for something to happen remains a mystery through his rags. He watches her intently before speaking: "Вона є релікти з іншого часу, чи знаєте ви?" He chuckles to himself and shakes his head. "Кожен бореться за свою силу. Вона, як ти, але краще. Вона має потенціал."
Somehow his words make a strange amount of sense to the two dolls. They manage to make out the words 'Relic' and 'Potential' from his speech.
Red sighs and then notices Rauj scribbling on the slab. He gets up and inspects the writing - then shrugs. "Я не розумію вас."
Suddenly a sound emerges from the door. Someone or something is fiddling with the handle. Red instinctively spins around and grabs his sword.
There handle jitters a few times, turns, and then stops. ... ... Some light scratching can be heard on the outside of the door, as if something was trying to get in. The three can hear some chatter coming from outside. Red seems to be frozen in anticipation, waiting, but nothing seems to happen. There is no more sound, and no one tries to enter the door anymore.
Red sighs in relief and sheathes his sword before sitting on the ground, watching the Doll once more.
As Rauj happens to glance back at the female doll he sees her with eyes wide open and her arm outstretched towards him. He feels a sudden compulsion to be near her but his body is completely locked up. Jen meanwhile sees none of this. The doll is simply laying in the bed, unmoving.
After a brief moment, Rauj becomes dizzy and in this brief moment of weakness he shuts his eyes. When he opens them again the doll lays still in its bed without any reaction from either Red or Jen.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Jan 13, 2018 16:46:02 GMT -7
Jen stands idly in momentary silence, as Red sits with his gaze still fixated on the Doll on the bed. Red seemingly addresses both Jen and J, even chuckling slightly during. At least he can find some humor in things, maybe he’s less foreign than I thought. As Red continued to speak, Jen could make out bits and pieces of information. Relic… She’s a relic; obviously an important one considering you and everyone else were after her. The incident with the other dolls coming alive, and the odd occurrence on the boat, felt even more relevant as time went by. Eventually things would make sense, he just had to remain patient - it’d come out in due time. Both Jen and Red turn to see J’s message on the slab. Jen felt the same as J about Red, but there wasn’t a convenient way to show that gratitude short of shaking his hand - even that may be a stretch.
As if from nowhere, the three snap their attention to various noises from beyond the door. Judging by Red’s aggressive stance, it wasn’t a welcome guest. Jen readies himself by lowering his center of gravity. If something came through the door, he’d do what was necessary to give Red an opening to strike.
Almost as quickly as it began, the sounds ceased, leaving an uneasy silence. A short sigh from Red breaks the suspense; he sheathes his sword and assumes his former position. Seeing that everything has returned to normal, Jen takes a seat next to Red. Despite Jen having expressed his doubts about greeting Red with a handshake, he decides that it couldn’t hurt to try; actions often speak louder than words, his mother frequently told him. Though they had been in his company for a decent amount of time, this was the friendliest gesture he could come up with; a pat on the back seemed too informal. Tapping Red on the shoulder, Jen extends his hand to shake. Much of his emotion in his interactions felt lost without the ability to smile... Admittedly, life was much less convenient in the body of another. Surely that lesson is applicable somewhere...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2018 22:06:16 GMT -7
Rauj flicks his eyes over to 'Red' as he seems to exfoliate a bit on the status, past and future of the doll before him. 'Relic' was a bit obvious, considering the state of the place she was found in and how much everything that seemed to seek her valued her, it was a given. The 'potential' part though... that interested him, though the following chuckle irritated him a bit, the thief mused as to what potential it could have. Granted, its connection to a large amount of dolls that more than likely had some bit of intelligence at some time alluded to the fact that it may have been the central hub of some kind-of hive mind, that it had a moderate amount of control over the dolls that had served it, even on the throes, or approaching their death... "Hm..." Rauj thought on the final few strikes of his message to'Red' "...I wonder what he's planning to do with something with abilities like that... Asumming that's the only abilities it possesses..." He suspected more from the 'princess'; it honestly wouldn't surprise him, but there was a chance that he was extremely vulnerable in this body, it's wakening could cause him to lose himself, given the circumstances. He shifts back to musing a means of communication as 'Red' shrugs in reaction to the message the thief had written on the slab. "Shaking hands? A thumbs up?" he flips through a few gestures and motions evaluating and theorized possible reactions; remembering that some, in one culture, mean something drastically different in another, when the door suddenly gives off a few sounds. Rauj shifts almost instantly into his familiar fighting stance holding the coin between two fingers, ready to use his first move to distract whatever foe awaited. he makes a quick note of the other two's movements, definitely appreciative of their quick responses, but making sure to make special note of 'Red's' especially. "He wasn't expecting an ally of some sort, no... that was the response of someone who had no more 'guests' on the way..." It also confirmed Rauj's earlier suspicions, there were definitely other forces in the area, intelligent forces, based on the chatter.
There's a few moments of ear piercing silence before 'Red' finally relaxes and goes back to his 'princess'. Rauj turns back towards her as well and freezes. She's looking straight at him, her arms outstretched as if asking for his grasp. He feels an intense need to return it, but he can't move, confused as to whether this was his body instinctively holding him back or ..." His vision blurs for a moment and Rauj closes his eyes and shakes his head quickly attempting to shake off the following dizziness. When he opens them the 'princess' is resting once again, as if she never moved in the first place. The thief shifts his gaze to 'Red' and Jen. No reaction. He turns back to the doll, lifting his head a bit feeling a few of his earlier suspicions given a bit more weight... "Sticking around this thing could be bad... and yet..." Rauj couldn't help but find himself curious as to what would happen if he got closer... After the commotion coming from the door, the thief found himself conflicted though. He wished to explore these new stomping grounds, but waiting for the doorknockers to dissipate over the course of at least fifteen to twenty minutes seemed prudent. Glancing at Jen as he seems to attempt non-verbal communication with 'Red' Rauj attempts to explain what he wants to do with 'princess' through interpretive dance. Waving at the both of them, before pointing to the 'princess', his eye, pinching his fingers together before it and opening them to show the motion of opening an eye. Then mimicking her motion of reaching, and pointing to himself to indicate who she was reaching towards. He repeats it a few times, then scribbles on the slab: "I had a vision, she opened her eyes and reached for me in it. Should i pick her up and see what happens?" Then beckons Jen over for his opinion.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Jan 15, 2018 15:17:10 GMT -7
As Jen extends his hand to Red the latter man stares up at him through his rags. A moment passes, and Jen starts to become less confident the receiving party is understanding his gesture, but then Red reaches for his metallic hand and shakes it briefly. He then watches Rauj perform his act, trying to explain his situation, but doesn't seem to understand. For a moment Red keeps looking between the three dolls, and eventually he stares back behind him at the door. After a brief moment staring at the doll he finally gets up, rather energetic looking.
"Якщо ти так кажеш. Я приготую Ви маєте мою вдячність." He says and descends down the stairs. The dolls only understand the words "Say", "So" and "Gratitude"
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Jan 16, 2018 0:10:32 GMT -7
Jen reaches out with slight hesitancy at first, before gaining his confidence halfway through. His hand remained suspended in front of Red for a moment, waiting for the other to notice. Red’s gaze traveled up Jen’s arm before finally resting eye to eye. The next few seconds were silent, causing Jen to doubt his plan. Well this is a colossal fail- Red gripped Jen’s hand just as he began to recede, and the two shook momentarily. Wow. Alright, this was something… Good.
J grabbed the attention of both Jen and Red, and performed various motions. During J’s antics, Jen came to a mild revelation. Opened eyes? She opened her eyes?! The information caused him to tense up; whether it was out of excitement or unease, he couldn't quite tell. That doll was linked to J and himself in some way or another… But through what? By mechanical means or… The soul. That has to be it. Something tied their soul, or their consciousness to these doll bodies. Was it this doll’s doing? Was she the voice I heard earlier? What would happen if we made contact with her? Would our souls merge? Jen evaluated the risks of touching the doll, while Red left the room saying something about “gratitude”. Perhaps he had misunderstood J’s various motions; Jen himself thought he could put a little more "oomf" in his routine.
The duo were now left alone in the room with the ghost-like doll. Jen immediately moves to J, and borrows his coin. “I saw it on the boat too. You can try.” he scribbles on the slab before pausing. “Just know, it might mess with your soul.” Jen realized his hypothesis was 90% guess-work, but he wanted J to know what he was getting into. Honestly though, nothing else seemed like a way forward. Red didn't seem to have any plans like Jen originally thought, so maybe this was the right choice. “Want me or you to do it?” he finally wrote, giving him back the coin.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 3:28:36 GMT -7
The thief follows 'Red's' Gaze as he stares at the door behind him, still curious as to what had rapped upon it earlier, but in no real rush to find out now that he had an objective. This time though, as 'Red' left, he found himself understanding a few more of the words he spoke than he did previously, despite being taught almost nothing related to whatever language to robed figure was speaking... A useful albeit somewhat jarring adaptive feature his mind seemed to possess in this body. At 'Gratitude' Rauj bows to express his own, before returning his attention to Jen.
Earlier, during what Rauj thought was an honestly stellar performance, he noted his comrade's slight shift at something, he wasn't sure what though and decided it would be easier to explain in words. Handing Jen the coin so he could speak his piece, the thief raises his head in interest in interest in regards to the encounter on the boat. "So he's seen it as well. Good. Honestly glad its not just me." Rauj eases his own personal tension in a bit of sub-conscious relief during the pause in Jen's writing, but finding that tension quickly creeping back up at the next passage of script. Not that he hadn't considered it, more that he was hoping it would pertain more to the body he himself was possessing and not the soul or consciousness that inhabited it at the time. He turned the thought over in his mind as Jen wrote a question this time, one the thief found himself taken aback by. "What? Why would you even...?" The suggestion was absurd in his mind, to first bring the reality of such a dire risk to mind and then offer to be the test dummy? Rauj stared at his compatriot for a moment. Trying to glean something from his mannerisms, understand if Jen was testing him or not. "Could you seriously be that 'good' of a person or just some kinda death-seeker. Hell this could even constitute a fate worse than death, yet you give me a fair warning and offer yourself instead..." If he could've laughed this would have him in tears. He instead drags his remaining hand down his metallic face and gently takes the coin from this odd duck, sketching 'Both of us, on 3, your count.' Into the slab and walking over to the 'princess's' opposite hand.
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