✰ welcome, welcome.

[dilithium]

you're new here, aren't you? you have that look about you. like the proverbial deer in the headlights - but don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough.
after all, you might just be here for a while. why not make the most of it?

the room you've woken up in - it's yours. pretty nice, isn't it? we want everyone to enjoy their stay here, and that means providing decent amenities. the beds are soft, the roofs don't leak, and best of all? it's free of charge.

it's all on us. you're welcome.
feel free to roam about - it's not like you're a prisoner, or anything. and there really is a lot to see here, so go on ahead, knock yourself out. have fun. explore.
but i wouldn't go too far, if i were you.

does that sound ominous?
ah, well. like i said. you'll get used to it soon enough.

.welcome to siaion.

Comments

surprise!

[sparkbitter]

[ awin has been awake for a while, too. his first few moments had been decidedly better than escha's – mostly because instead of tears, fear and nervous, restless moving about, he'd taken one look at the device he'd found on the desktop across the room and proceeded attempting to take it apart.

yes. we are not kidding.

it's probably been some hours since he's woken up, and though he does wonder where he is and how he'd managed to find himself away from colseit, to be perfectly honest? he's more concerned with his surroundings and how they work. even from as little as he's seen, there seem to be a lot of technological nuances that he's not even remotely familiar with, things that he'd really like to see the inner workings of, figure them out, take them apart and put them back together …

but. of course that can come later. ( right? please tell him that can come later. ) and he finally drags himself out of his new home, device and key and other things stuffed into various pockets like he's setting out on some grand adventure. it isn't until he spots a familiar flash of pinkish hair, a fluffy tail that he finally picks up his steps, pretty much making a bee-line for escha before she has a chance to notice him. ] Escha? Hey – [ he catches up to her, reaches out to lightly grasp her shoulder, eyes both bright and concerned. ]

You're here!

squeak!

[appletart]

[That voice--!

She whirls around, wide-eyed but daring to be hopeful. And when she sees him - sees that it really is him, and her mind isn't just playing tricks on her - she gasps. His hand braces against her shoulder, and she finally smiles, tears of relief welling up in her eyes.]

Brother!!

[And almost immediately, she throws her arms around his waist, squeezes her eyes shut and buries her face in his chest.]

What's going on?!

[sparkbitter]

[ he's just as relieved to see her as she is to see him – not only because it means a familiar face, but because it means she's safe, and he can keep an eye on her. he smiles down at her, his own arms winding around slender shoulders as her make their way around his middle, squeezing her only as tightly as he dares without worrying he might accidentally hurt her.

it's just a moment, but his nose buries itself against her hair, taking a small bit of comfort in the familiarity her presence offers. you're okay … you're safe.

he pulls away just enough to answer, voice even, calm to mirror her distress. ] I don't know – I don't even know where we are. We're not … [ a beat, and he tries to find the right wording to keep from distressing her further. ]

We're not anywhere close to home, are we?

[appletart]

[If Awin hadn't found her, if she'd been trapped in this strange place all alone... well, she doesn't know what she would have done. But it's okay - he's here now. She lets the tears in her eyes fall as his arms wrap around her. She feels so much better, just knowing that he's here. He's okay, he's safe... and they can work together, and make sure that the both of them stay that way.

She turns her head, so she can speak without her words becoming muffled against his shirt, but she doesn't move away from him whatsoever. This is the first comfort she's had, after all.]

I... I don't think so. But... did you get a letter, too?

[sparkbitter]

[ hey, don't you go thinking about that. you aren't alone – you'll never be alone so long as he has a way to get to you – so there's no point in thinking about what would have happened if he hadn't found you.

his arms wrap around her just a bit more tightly, and he relishes the thought that she's okay. she's safe. he can keep an eye on her and make sure nothing happens. ( well … to the best of his ability, anyway. he's going to try his damndest to make sure nothing else happens. )

it doesn't matter that she doesn't move away from him. he hadn't quite been ready to let her go, anyway. they can stay like this for a little longer, can't they? ]

I did. And I have to say, I've read it over a handful of times now and I still can't make heads or tails of it.

[appletart]

[You're right. She doesn't have to wonder, because he did find her. She's not alone. And she could not be more grateful for that fact.

They can stay like this as long as they want, as far as she's concerned. She doesn't want to let go, and doesn't want him to let go either.]

I can't either... but it sounds so serious, doesn't it?

[She doesn't want to ask the obvious: "do you think we can go back home?"]

[sparkbitter]

[ oh, good. because he isn't moving just yet, and doesn't plan to. this is too familiar, too much like something normal to have him willing to let go. ( in a place like this, where nothing at all is like anything he knows, he clings to that which he does – and in this very moment, that alone is escha.

he would say he was sorry, but … well, he isn't. not really. ) ] I wouldn't say serious. [ he tries for a small laugh, here, just to be reassuring. ] But it definitely merits some attention. Don't worry –

[ he nuzzles her hair, smiling against the top of her head. ] We'll be okay. Get it all sorted out.

[ and get back home goes unsaid, but he hopes the implication is clear enough. ]

[appletart]

[She needs the familiarity just as much as he does, and she's not afraid to admit it or act on it. She knows she wouldn't be able to handle this alone. And while she will eventually pull herself together and make things work, she's more than aware that it'll be that much easier to do with her friends around.]

Okay. I trust you. We will.

[She finally manages a smile in return - it's small, and a little unsure... but it's more than she's been capable of since she woke up here.]

But where do we start?

[sparkbitter]

[ neither of them would be able to handle this alone – he doesn't think, anyway – if only for the fact that they've relied on one another so heavily over the past years. he looks after her, she looks after him, and that's just how they operate. he doesn't know any other way to be.

he gives her a light squeeze at her next words. you have no idea how much that means to him, escha. ] We start at the beginning, of course. [ of course! where else is there to start~? ] There's a pretty good chance that we might be able to find something out if we explore where we woke up. Like the other rooms, or something.

[ and you can bet that he's now more used to exploration than he ever was before all of this happened. ]

What do you say? Up for it?

[appletart]

[They don't have to handle this alone. Now, more than ever, they're part of the same team. More - he's one of her best friends. He's family, and not just by blood relation. She'd call him "brother" no matter the family tree.

He's so upbeat, she can't help but follow suit. (and that's something she appreciates more than even she realizes...)] Of course! That's a great idea, Brother.

[Exploration? Count her in. The Escha of a few years ago wouldn't have been nearly as brave...

She looks up at him, nods with determination.]

I'm up for it. Lead the way?