[log] Event: Lavender's Green, Part Two [open]

[snowblindmods]

Characters: everyone
Location: mysterious, white hallways
Date: Day 193-194
Summary: Find friends. Get lost. Don't look.
Warnings: Potential for gore and psychological horror. Please note any specific warnings in your subject lines!

While confusingly similar, the area is split into a few different sections:

The Core
The hallways here are narrow and twist at a rapid rate. With how dazzlingly white everything is, it's easy to not realize you're coming on a turn and slam right into the walls. There are no rooms here--no one starts here, though they may find it while they wander. At the center is a large, round area, like the center of a spiral. There's a lot of air pressure here.

The Inner Hallways
The largest area, filled with dead ends, gentle slopes and twists, and, occasionally, difficult-to-see drops where a higher hallway intersects with a lower one without a wall to separate them. The whole place tastes vaguely like blood. Most rooms are here--most people start here.

The Outer Hallways
The outer ring of the ball of yarn. It's not as thick with halls and twists as the other two areas, leading to a lot more boring walking in one direction. It's totally possible to circle around the same path multiple times without realizing it, as everything is so similar here. Occasionally, footsteps can be heard just outside the farthest walls. Sometimes, something breathes. There are a few rooms here--some people will start here.


Remember to note what kind of eyes your character has in their top level!

Comments

[redrooms]

[Natasha takes the bag just in case, but doesn't touch anything inside. If anything, she can dump it out and find some other use for it. She moves quickly and quietly as well—her suit might stand out against the white of the walls, but her boots have soft, flexible soles, perfect for keeping her steps almost silent. There are so many blind corners, though, that she has no real way to ensure she doesn't get caught by surprise. That's why Bucky manages to grab her at all, and she almost tries to retaliate before she recognizes who he is, even as her back slams against the wall and the air is forced from her lungs.]

Bucky. Fancy meeting you here.

[It comes out breathless as she lifts one hand to touch his arm, gentle.]

It's me. No programming.

[advanced]

[For a moment he remains still, completely tense and ready to press his advantage, but then he's stepping back and letting her go. He's not so far gone as to attack just anyone, and she's one of the few people he's at least sort of glad to see.]

Have you seen anyone else?

[redrooms]

No, just you.

[She steps away from the wall when he lets her, readjusting the pack on her shoulders.]

Are you alright?

[advanced]

[It's pretty obvious that the answer to that is 'no'. He looks wild-eyed, he hasn't brought the pack with him, and his body language screams danger.]

Yeah.

[His gaze flicks up and down her as if to check her for injuries too.]

I've got to keep moving.

[redrooms]

It would be safer to stay together. We don't know what we're going to run into.

[Plus, she doesn't want to leave him alone like this.]

[advanced]

[He teeters for a moment on refusing, but there's at least a small part of him that trusts her, so he eventually nods.]

If you come with me, you understand that I'm getting out of here no matter what it takes.

[redrooms]

[She raises her eyebrows.]

You have to be more specific than that.

[advanced]

I will neutralise anyone who stands in my way.

[redrooms]

[Natasha's mouth twists, and she crosses her arms.]

Anyone? Even the others who are trapped?

[advanced]

[His jaw firms, guilt in his eyes.]

Anyone. I won't be programmed again.

[redrooms]

[Natasha sighs, reaching for his arm again.]

Bucky, I'm not going to let anyone program you, but I can't let you hurt innocent people.

[advanced]

[He's so close to the edge of snapping. He needs time to be safe, to feel like he's not being pursued, but that's really not going to happen here. His voice remains level with just the tiniest hint of a crack beneath it.]

I can't let them inside my head, you have to understand.

[redrooms]

[Natasha keeps her voice level and soothing, not moving any closer, but not letting go of him, either.]

I do understand. You know I do.

[advanced]

Then you know why I have to get out.

[No matter what, no matter who is in the way. He can't do this again.]

I don't want to argue with you.

[redrooms]

So don't argue. I'm coming with.

[advanced]

Then don't argue about what might need to be done to get out.

[He turns on her abruptly to start walking.]

[redrooms]

[Natasha rolls her eyes as she follows, stifling a cough as she does.]

Have you seen anything strange? Anything that isn't a white hallway?

[advanced]

No.

[He comes to a dead end and just slams his fist into it in frustration. By the state of his knuckles, this isn't the first time.]

[redrooms]

Barnes.

[She understands his frustration, really, she does, but it isn't going to help.]

Come on, let's try the other branch. We're going to be fine.

[advanced]

[He turns on his heel to start stalking past her, back towards the other branch.

His conversational skills have ground to a halt again. He's too frightened, too tense.]

[peacemongering]

[OOC: Let me know if this isn't okay.]

[Like a mirage, he appeared in the branch, stepping to it as he looked both ways to decide on his neck course of action. He had taken the backpack with him, hooked over his shoulders as if this were nothing more or less than a camping trip. His suit is dirty but otherwise well pressed still, and his hair might not be quite so brushed with more than fingers, he still exuded an air of being in control.

His eyes were glowing, and when he caught sight of the dangerous individuals heading in his direction, he gave them a simple nod of his head as if simply acknowledging fellow travelers. Then he was off down the branch opposite to their direction, humming a jaunty tune.]

[redrooms]

[Natasha raises her eyebrows as the man moves past them, glancing over at Bucky a little incredulously. She doesn't recognize Pierce at all, but anyone acting so nonchalant about this is weird enough.]

[advanced]

[The only reason Pierce is able to get past them at all, is that Bucky can scarcely believe his eyes. Hearing this man's voice over the tablets and actually seeing him face-to-face is such a different thing, it's like being back in time. He hates that a part of him stands straighter by reflexive habit.

But the frozen silence doesn't last long.

He has no eyes for Natasha, no warning for her, before he's sprinting after Pierce at full force and trying to tackle him to the ground looking like he's gone mad.]

[peacemongering]

[Pierce was wise enough to turn his head enough to sight the Soldier a moment before he was tackled over. It allowed him to bring his arms up in order to brace when he tumbled to the floor. How rude!

There was a flare of pain along his arms and ribs, but he was hopeful that he hadn't broken anything. The Soldier hit like a freight train. That irony was not lost on him either.]

That's quite enough of that. [Okay, he might have wheezed that out.]

[redrooms]

[That's the last reaction Natasha was expecting, and she sprints after the two of them, sliding to a stop when Bucky takes Pierce to the floor.]

Barnes.

[He was jumpy enough to slam her against the wall, but she's not sure he's jumpy enough to chase people down and tackle them.]