Week 8

[airlockedmods]

[This weekend has brought about some unusual questions about your resident robotic Overseer, but unfortunately, you've also lost two more of your own to an accidental death.

You've done your best with the star charts, but if anyone is coming to help you, there is no sign of it yet. SIS remains the only friendly face here, even as you've found that she holds her own secrets. Meanwhile, yet another new floor has opened up - the elevators are in perfect working order now, if any of you care to go and see it. That's four concourses now; one for each of your groups. There's an awful lot of dead, aren't there?]


Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday


(( Don't forget to check in, check your memory regains, and submit for regains! ))

Comments

[daughterofthemark]

[Anyone Arianna runs into today will notice an unusual fashion choice: she's wearing Chitanda's uniform again, like she has a few times, but this time she's accessorized with a cardigan. It's probably not important.

Arianna heads to the diner again for breakfast today, and she's in somewhat better spirits than she has been. Maybe she likes the new choker she's wearing? Or... maybe she's just snapped, considering she appears to be having a friendly conversation with Sir Canaan the galaxy pigeon.]

I've not seen any cantaloupe besides these.

[Annoyed chirping.]

Indeed. But at least there are fresh blueberries.

[Thus she goes on.

In any case, she's finally feeling brave enough to investigate Concourse 3... or maybe she's just decided that she'd rather dwell on the dead than on the motive. Starting down the even-numbered side, she makes it all the way down to gate 6 before she starts crying! (Sorry, Lee.) But... she was prepared this time, and she keeps moving, visiting each gate in turn, looking at the portraits and sometimes touching the mementos on display, then comes back down along the odd-numbered gates doing the same. This puts her at gate 1 at the end, whereupon she takes the Levin Bible, sits nearby, and begins to read.

In the afternoon, she goes back downstairs, and makes her way down to the VR room. She easily finds the same pod she was in before (not that it probably matters), picking up the mask she tried to throw away in a panic before.]

Dame SIS? I would like to reenter the simulation.

R2 concourse

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika's working on another art project! It doesn't appear to be stars on the wall this time, just flowers... flowers that happen to be in the exact position as stars from one of the windows... probably not important. She drops her paintbrush and runs over to Arianna.]

Oh, Arianna-chan! You're reading something?

[daughterofthemark]

[Arianna looks up at her, and takes a moment to wipe a few tears away.]

Levin Bible. It is the text of Clarith's religion.

[ratherdoweddings]

Oh... [Yurika slumps a little, thinking.] It sounds like it's pretty important to you, too. Was she teaching you about it?

[daughterofthemark]

Not especially. It simply seemed appropriate.

[ratherdoweddings]

Well, could you tell me about it? I could use a break from painting all these flowers!

VR Room

[airlockedmods]

[bloop! It she.]

Hello, Arianna! Have you finally decided to go back in and watch more videos?

[daughterofthemark]

[THE GIRL!

And she remembered! Not that that's particularly meaningful with an AI, but Arianna doesn't know that. Let her have her moment.]

I have! I believe I was approaching the episode on space exploration, which seems especially relevant.

[airlockedmods]

Ohh, that is a good one. If you will get into the pod I can upload you into the simulation.

[daughterofthemark]

[Arianna lies down as instructed, pausing just before she puts on the mask.]

How should I alert you when I am prepared to leave?

[airlockedmods]

I will be monitoring you so just say out loud when you'd like to leave. Are you ready?

[daughterofthemark]

[Her response is muffled somewhat by the mask, but from context it's still easy to understand:]

I am ready.

[airlockedmods]

[SIS nods in understanding and touches something on the command console. Arianna will feel a sudden rush of sleepiness that passes quickly once she closes her eyes. When she opens them again she's not in the VR Room anymore. Unfortunately for her she's not in the mall either.

Her surroundings are unfamiliar and seemingly completely void of life. There are a few buildings that look like restaurants and houses littering a stony and somewhat desolate landscape and a vast wall surrounding the perimeter. Not far from where she stands it looks like there's a junkyard and, dangerously close to an enormous void of blackness that looks like it's taken over much of the area that reads:

WELCOME TO FLAVORTOWN.]

[daughterofthemark]

[What... what the fuck.

Despite the familiar name on the sign, this is definitely not the mall. What just happened?]

Flavortown...?

[She takes a few cautious steps in the direction of the nearest house.]

Hello? Is anyone here?

[airlockedmods]

[There's no answer and it looks like about half the back of the house has been lost to the pitch blackness of the void. The front door, which has a sticker slapped on it that reads Honk if You Love Boobies, is still very much in tact.]

[daughterofthemark]

[...hmm. Arianna definitely appreciates boobies, but despite the instructions, honking seems particularly unnecessary here.

Flavortown. Free-associating from there...]

Sir Fourtinbras?

[Assuming she isn't suddenly greeted by a ghost, she'll cautiously approach the house. That void doesn't look particularly inviting, but there's also A Lot Of It, and keeping her distance and figuring out What The Hell seem like contradictory goals.]

[airlockedmods]

[No Fourt answers her and nothing really happens as she approaches the house. The entirety of the area feels very hot though.]

[daughterofthemark]

[That's... probably fine. Every place has its own climate. Maybe Flavortown is just a really hot place.

So let's open the door and head on inside.]

[airlockedmods]

[When she opens the door there's about half a living room set-up and then nothing but the inky blackness of the void. After a beat of stillness two transparent blue figures, the taller one carrying the smaller, child-sized one, rush out from the darkness and straight through Arianna.]

[daughterofthemark]

AAAAH!

[AAAAH!

...I mean.

Yeah she's gonna need a second to. Catch her breath.

With that done, she turns and looks behind her. Any sign of where Sir/Dame Transparent Blue Person and their child have sprinted off to? Or similar ghosts/holograms/whatever suddenly running around?]

[airlockedmods]

[For now they're the only ones. The adult figure, a woman with wild hair, stops a few steps outside the house and looks around nervously. She sets down the child in her arms, a little girl if the pigtails are anything to go by, and kneels down to her level. Her voice sounds strange, a little faded and thickly accented but still understandable.]

Raddy girl, I need ya to listen real careful. I know things're real scary right now but me, Uncle Blaze and your dad? We're gonna take care'a everybody. We're gonna get everyone to the spaceport and get off-planet and we're gonna be safe. [She lifts a hand to smooth back the little girl's bangs and lay a kiss on her forehead.] Shh, shh, girlie. C'mon. [She scoops her child once more and reaches with a free hand to something at her belt. There's a small flick of her wrist and a laser cutlass erupts from the hilt in her hand.] Let's find our boys.

[She runs in the direction of the "Welcome to Flavortown" sign in the distance, toward the void, and vanishes into nothing.]

diner

[kingshaming]

... Arianna?

[Honey are you okay???]

[daughterofthemark]

Lord Xander.

[She's fine, nothing is wrong here.]

[kingshaming]

Were... you talking to someone?

[daughterofthemark]

Yes, to Sir Canaan.

[chirp chirp]

Of course he noticed you.