[log] The Pit [open]

[snowblindmods]

Characters: Anyone participating in the Pit event.
Location: A room.
Date: Day 330
Summary: You wake up in a room.
Warnings: general warnings; potential for morbid/suicidal thoughts; note specific warnings in subject line, please!

Comments

[spoileralert]

I.

[ Steph is pretty disoriented when she wakes up, but her first thought is to check on the other people in the room. She turns to the nearest person to ask, ]

You okay?

II.

[ Having established that nobody is hurt, Steph's next course of action is not to check her tablet but the pit instead. She gets right up to the edge of it on her stomach to peer into its depth. ]

Hmm. The bottomless elephant in the room.

[phaseshifter]

[ That's an earth expression (and animal) that Angel actually knows, so there's no confused questioning about why an elephant wouldn't have a butt from her. Alas. Instead she joins Steph at the edge, holding her glowy arm towards the pit in an attempt to illuminate it.

Unsurprisingly, the effort is about as useful as a Torgue firearm in a sniping contest. Which means not at all. Like, not even a little. ]

Think if we yell into it, something'll yell back? I'm getting that kind of feeling.

[godsspeed]

[ Castiel is up and on his feet as soon as he shakes off the disorientation enough to do so, standing precariously close to the edge of the pit and squinting down into its depths. He tilts his head from side to side, back and forth, as if doing so will somehow allow him to see deeper into the darkness. ]

Something's down there. [ He announces, to no one in particular. ] I'm certain of it.

[bywolves]

[ Castiel, please. Royce actually reaches to grab the back of Castiel's coat and tug him back a bit. They haven't spoken in a while, but Royce still is fond of the guy. ]

What do you think is down there? [ He asks, trying to make sure Castiel doesn't accidentally slip. Yet, anyway. ]

for real this time

[motherserpent]

I. (open to the first to claim it)

[Well, this is...something else entirely. Tess seems to wake slowly; in reality she's awake for a while, listening and watching the people around her through slitted eyes. Eventually she decides to give up the pretense and abruptly sits up and addresses the nearest person.]

So, come here often?

[Something is moving in the foot of her sleeping bag.]


II.

[No food, no water, no real light, no real darkness. Tess hasn't seen anything like this outside the Underworld, and even there her surroundings had felt more real than this. She's quiet and contemplative as she takes inventory of her things and repacks her bag, a great feathered serpent coiled around her body until she gets too annoyed working around him and tries to shove him into his mail bag. Instead RGBV meanders nearby, Tess keeping half an eye on him until --]

Tssst! On the ground!

[The order comes out in a terse whisper when she catches sight of the coatl casually circling upward into the air. He has no visible means by which to fly, no wings to match his feathers, but seems to coil through the air as though climbing some invisible structure. He turns beady eyes on his owner, and only reluctantly turns earthward again when she lets out a sharper hiss in his direction.]

I - /CLAIMS

[rubikscomplex]

[The someone she addresses is currently on his knees, nose pressed to the ground before he licks the floor.]

Metal. It's the same as before.

[Good morning, Tess. House doesn't bother to look over at her immediately.]

What do you see? Be specific.

[0thingsonmymind]

This seemed like a good time to get some video. His tablet might not work, but his camera does. Thus there is a masked man in tanish hoodie taking video. He films the room in general for a bit, then the pit itself, then goes on to filming nearby people. Perhaps he's filming you?

[warriorscribe]

Enoch is sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, tablet balanced on them as he taps at its screen ineffectually with a finger. Naturally, nothing he can do will turn the tablet on.

"I can't show it to him..."

Suddenly feeling watched, he looks up and sees Brian and his camera. Someone has a working lens! He smiles weakly and raises a hand in greeting. People might see it later, it seemed like the right thing to do.

ota

[darkincrement]

[ Hello darkness it's your boy.

Vanitas can be found wearing a certain tattered red cloak and his helmet. His arms are crossed, while his unversed is skittering around him. ]

Does anyone have any bright ideas?

[spoileralert]

I mean, I'm pretty sure the hole in the floor is important.

[devoutish]

[Alfie and Royce find a corner for themselves pretty quickly, where they hole up together. He can be found there, either hunched up next to Royce or - if Royce is off talking to people or scouting the area - keeping guard over their bags by himself, hat pulled low over his eyes to hide the fact that he's watching everyone around him very closely.

But, like most people, he'll find his way over to the pit at some point early on, before the abyss starts calling to him. Carefully, he scoots up to the edge, close enough to see in but not so close that he's in danger of falling or being pushed. Turning to look at whoever's nearby, he asks:]

Have you got anything heavy that you could stand to lose?

[darkincrement]

[ For a moment, his attention is going to move towards Billy as he considers asking if people count.

Then he'll dig out a pair of dull wire cutters. Offering it up. ]

Good enough?

the chain gang

[fanboyascended]

[ Billy is laying on the edge of the pit, looking over into the darkness. The diameter is nearly the length of his body, now, and it's growing. He thinks he can see something down there, but maybe that's just whatever's telling him that jumping sans his ability to fly is a good idea. ]

I think maybe we could reach the bottom if we worked together. Some kind of chain...?

[ He's speaking to the room in general, though it's quiet enough that only those close by might hear. ]

[spoileralert]

[ Steph has since given up the whole army crawl deal and returned to a cross-legged position, considering the hole and it's myriad possibilities. Jumping would definitely be easiest, but would she be able to communicate with the people at the top of the pit? ]

Oh yeah, a chain would work.

[fuckingwolverine]

[There are a lot of people here, by Lilly's standards - far more than she's comfortable with, especially since they're all strangers or near-strangers. That combined with the lack of small places to wedge herself into has put her in something of a grumpy mood. She spends the first few hours wedged into a corner, facing the wall, her bag propped up against her back. If she can't see them, they can't see her, right?

Once the pit starts growing and people start feeling the urge to jump into it, though, she'll venture forward, leaving her bag behind (she hasn't cottoned on to Norfinbury's "take it or lose it" philosophy towards personal belongings - like so many things, it's something she has no experience with, and she's used to things staying where she leaves them until she comes back to get them). She crawl-hops right up to the edge of the pit, hanging her head over and looking down with trepidation.]

[deus_ex_phs]

[It's fairly early on that Kunsel notices the small child huddled away in the corner. Curiosity and a strong protective instinct prompt him forward, though he stops a good few feet back before crouching down, elbows propped on his knees. He probably makes for a somewhat ragged, odd figure, from his grimy SOLDIER uniform covered by his Norfinbury coat, to the helmet he still wears on his head that almost seems like it should make it difficult to see, to the well-stuffed pack he carries on his back. At least he's got a friendly smile?]

Hey, there. I don't think I've seen you before.

[Not in person, at least. He saw her on the network, but telling someone you're a network stalker isn't exactly the best way to introduce yourself.]

I'm Kunsel. What's your name?

Re: Chain. For Billy (Let us know if you want to threadjack)

[darkincrement]

[ He's rolling his shoulders after their chain broke apart. Back on the edge again looking down and not seeing either helmet head or Stephanie. ]

Good job, Five Stars. Remind me not to rely on your upper body strength.

[fanboyascended]

[ Billy isn't answering right away. In fact, he seems like he didn't hear Vanitas at all; he's staring over the edge, eyes wide and glassy. ]

I -

[ He stumbles back, shaking his head. ]

[fiftheclipse]

[Again?

He's woken to find himself trapped in an unfamiliar place with random strangers again?

No, maybe not strangers. As Junpei sits up to lean against the nearby wall, it's hard for him to miss that all his belongings are still here for once. So these people... The connection is Norfinbury, right?

Even so. He should probably be worried. Concerned at the very least. But all he can manage to feel is annoyed-- and he's not looking to hide the fact, if the slightly dramatic groan he soon offers is anything to go by.

While he won't put forth the effort to stand or make himself useful yet, it can't hurt to at least speak up...]

So, what. Is this some kinda test to find out how stupid we are?

[phaseshifter]

Actually, if former cases similar to this one are to be taken as precedent, we're far more likely to be tortured or subjected to a brain-mangling labyrinth.

[ Angel is pretty sure that was a rhetorical question, and not one that was even directed at her. The thing about that, though, is that she doesn't give an eff. ]

Although there were tests one time, kinda. Just not of the intelligence-measuring variety.

[harlequinofhate]

[The Joker is as disoriented as everyone else when he wakes up but for him waking up in dark places with white walls is fairly ordinary. He gets his bearings quickly.

He wanders around the pit in the middle of the room with his hands clasping a metal fireplace poker.]

Oooh, fun, a literal pit of despair.

[ooc: Joker is willing to toss random people into the pit so let me know if you're interested in that.]

[rubikscomplex]

If the Albino's down there, I'm suing for copyright infringement.

[House eyes the clown warily, knowing he really shouldn't draw attention, but he can't help it. The pop culture draws him as much as the pit. Not to mention it's a distraction. The doctor is down on his knees, marking where the floor meets the wall with a stick of charcoal.]

[ecks]

[As the day goes on Ecks circles the room, eying each of the people she passes, always staying too far from the pit to be in any danger of falling in...or being pushed. She carries her things with her; when she stops and rests now and then, she sets down her duffel bag and sits on it.

And, too, as the day goes on, there's a question on her mind.]

Do you want to jump into the hole?

[jumpthegun]

Do not jump in the hole, Ecks. There's nothing good down there.

[It's said as much for himself as it is for her. John is increasingly on edge. He has a weapon out, at the ready, a shovel that's the big brother version of the one Ecks carries. He's keeping an eye on the Joker while simultaneously trying to guard the lip of the pit from anyone trying to throw themselves in. Too many have gone already.]

[rubikscomplex]

I. (One only, please!)
[Measure. Test. Categorize. Analyze. Question. Answer.

House knows the walls are the same and the white, the endless white. He can feel the pull of the pit, the draw to jump in, to try it, to find what he wants there. Really, all he can think of there for a comparison is freaking Star Wars with the Dark Side. It's easy enough to ignore for the moment. For the moment, there's work to be done, to focus himself. He starts by using his charcoal sticks to draw a line from the edge of the pit to the wall. His tape measure comes out next to measure that distance. Then, he gets down on his hands and knees and begins to mark the corners where the floor meets the wall. He needs to be able to see. He needs to know where it ends.

If no one's disturbed him after 15 minutes, he'll stop what he's doing when the wall suddenly shifts between blinks. House's brow furrows, and the doctor sits back on his heels to consider. He checks the distance to the wall. Two inches. He goes back and measures the line from the pit two the wall. It is, again, two inches shorter.]

It's growing. It's beneath the town. It wants to swallow you whole. They always swallow you whole...

[Enjoy the slightly mad muttering, anyone within earshot.]

II. (OTA)
Got anything I can use for rope?

[Hello, random person, you and your supplies are being enlisted for an experiment.]

III. (Limited to America and/or Ecks)
[The pit has grown to a yawning chasm at this point and the pull of it is powerful. House has already seen other people go in. There's no telling what's down there.

But he needs to know.

The doctor starts toward the pit, a determined glint in his eye.]

I.

[fiftheclipse]

[It may not be the kind of help House wants-- or any help at all, for that matter-- but Junpei can't keep from noticing this whole.. test, the doctor seems to be so focused on.

Though it's easy enough to stay out of his way while he's silent, not responding to those comments is too much of a challenge.]

Somehow, that's not the most ridiculous thing I'm hearing, today. You think this room's like some kinda feed tray, then?

cw: he's pissing

[notaquaman]

one (a)

[Basically any poor sap who ends up standing next to Nathan is gonna get a friendly whack on the arm as he draws their attention. Grinning, he gestures casually toward the giant, slowly expanding pit.]

I'd like to see Freud psycho-analyze this bullshit.

one (b)

[Or, you could find him crab-walking around the pit's perimeter. He's not being overly cautious. Instead, he cups his hands around his mouth and shouts as loudly as he can.]

WANKER!

two

[The intrusive thoughts are getting a bit harder to swallow. So, how does this weird gross young man pass the time? He situates himself so that he's not directly facing anyone to the best of his abilities (or at least not any children), unzips his fly, and after a slow rotation of his hips, begins to provide a nice long golden shower into the pit.]

three (closed to dio for pushing into the pit, but spectators welcome)

[Nathan adjusts and re-adjusts his things as he squats around the rim of the pit. Thankfully, this squatting doesn't also include bodily functions. He's never been the paranoid type, and his exposure hasn't gotten too severe, but it's hard not to feel uneasy. He's got a lot of good (debatable) shit, and he doesn't want to risk accidentally getting clumsy and losing all of it. When the loud-mouth blonde he's been traveling with comes closer, Nathan gives him some serious side-eye but doesn't show any immediate hostility or suspicion.]

What do you think's gonna happen to those poor bastards?

[You know, the ones that fell in.]

one (a)

[jumpthegun]

[John is surprisingly glad to have the ridiculous Irishman around once more. He raises his brows at Nathan, then shrugs.]

Something, something, a yawning hole in your heart brought on by your father's neglect and your mum's drinking?

[thewarningafter]

I (open to first claimer)

[Anyone who hasn't seen how Stephen sleeps will have their chance now. Answer: dressed in several hodgepodge layers of old, dirty-looking pajamas, an orthopedic wrist brace strapped onto his right arm...though all of that's hard to make out because he's wrapped chin to toe in the Cloak of Levitation, which is outright cuddling with him.

He jerks awake with a start when someone steps too near, sitting up too fast as his brain very suddenly registers that he's woken in a strange place.]

What --?!


II (OTA; cw drug use/addiction)

[God, he needs this, and he knows it's fucked up that he needs it. Stephen is trying to be discreet, tucked up against a wall with his stuff, but his hands are shaking and the pills rattle against one another as he pours them out onto a handkerchief on the floor. He glances up once or twice, grimacing like he's afraid of being caught at something illicit, as he counts the pills back into their bottle as quickly as he can.]


III (OTA)

[For a while, Stephen can be found sitting and staring intently at the pit, his things around him. He could swear --

A bit of rummaging, and he comes up with an empty deodorant stick -- garbage, really, that he hadn't quite gotten around to throwing away, some thought in the back of his mind that he might scrape one or two more uses out of the barren plastic. Leaving the rest of his things piled up, he steps slowly and carefully closer, crossing the last few yards on his knees to set the deodorant an inch from its edge. He returns to where he was to sit quietly again, watching.]


IV (closed -- for House)

[As much as it pains him, Stephen Strange knows exactly how many of each kind of pill is on his person at all times. He knows exactly where each bottle is and what sound it makes, and exactly how much he's counted back into each of them every day for weeks now. So when his obsessive need drives him to check through all his pockets, counting up bottles, it's impossible for him to miss the fact that he's coming up one short. Impossible, too, to miss the significance of which one it is. His private panic is brief, as is his search through his bags -- he knows better than to think he's misplaced it.

Well, if House wants to start shit, so be it. Stephen comes storming his way, hands clenched into shaking fists at his sides.]

Hand it over.

IV

[rubikscomplex]

[House is continuing to mark the progress of the walls as they move backward. There's a line of black charcoal marks exactly 2 inches apart, leading to where the doctor is sitting on his knees. He's more than a little agitated, himself, jumpy, so when Stephen comes storming over, the doctor is on high alert. His tone is sarcastic.]

I'm not giving you my charcoal, Strange. Go find your own wall to jitterbug over.

I FELL IN THE PIT

[zunesareawesome]

I. (OTA)

[Welp.

This wasn't exactly anything like he'd ever expected to happen, but hey. Maybe this place really is a video game.

Peter's hanging back from the busy activities for now, staying by the wall and walking around the room, the incessant feeling that someone's watching him, that people are against him and want his stuff, is a little too difficult to ignore. If someone approaches him, they might see him jump as if he's startled, then back off slightly, pointing an accusing finger at them.]

Best keep your hands off my Zune.

II. (OTA as he'll be trying this multiple times if people stop him, actual jump in reserved for SnowClan specifically)

[It really doesn't take all that much for this place to get its claws into Peter's head. Answers. They needed answers, and y'know, maybe that's not teeth? Or if it is, maybe it's friendly? Just look at that...uh...smile.

Regardless, someone's gotta do it, right? Someone's gotta be the hero and embark on a journey of discovery. He had to prove that he was a good leader, and he didn't want anyone else to get into something much worse if he didn't jump in and figure out what was going on.

To an outsider's perspective, they'll see Peter suddenly take a wild, running leap towards the pit. Stop him, Y/N?]

II - open to SnowClan threadjacking if we want to do it that way

[thewarningafter]

[It's instinct, really. Stephen is on his feet and sprinting toward Peter before he even really knows what he's doing, long strides carrying him across the room. He drops his shoulder just before slamming into Peter's side, grabbing at him to try to end up on top as the two of them go tumbling.]

ota, memloss rhysie cakes

[headjacked]

[ Celebrating the milestones in Rhys' career advancement with massive amount of alcohol: normal.

Blackout-hangover-fever dreams of this caliber: less so.

None of this is real, as much at it's unnerving him. His dream-self. He won't remember it a few minutes after waking up, not in detail. He. He definitely won't.

For now, it's all painfully vivid. He wants to wake up. He hopes he isn't unconcious in a hallway somewhere. Vaughn would never let that happen to him, so he finds a degree of solace in that thought.

Rhys approaches the edge of the pit, looking ready to jump -- fall, wake up abruptly, that's the only thing that can and will happen. Except he peels back as the uncertain blackness stares up at him, wobbling precariously. ]

This... this is crazy. I-I... I need to lay off the... pickles and ice cream. And scotch.

[phaseshifter]

[ There are a lot of people here. By Angel's very pathetic standards, anyhow. She can't bring herself to take advantage of it, though - she doesn't want to be around anyone right now, let alone socialise with them. Putting in the effort to not look completely miserable is just too much. If not for the curiosity that is the hole, she'd be curling up by a wall and trying to get back to sleep.

The hole is too interesting, though. And as she glances over at it for what must be the fiftieth time, she spots a familiar noodly silhouette and promptly pisses herself. Metaphorically. Because this event is apparently all about the pee. ]

Rhys! Rhys --

[ She scramble-runs towards him, only stopping short of a flying hugtackle because of the close proximity to the pit. She doesn't want to cut this reunion short by having one of them go down there like some kind of idiot! That would be awful. ]

You're okay! How long have you - It's been - I've been so freaking worried!

OTA unless otherwise specified, cw: suicidal ideation in prompt C

[warriorscribe]

A: Panicked and drowsy - one only!

[This makes the third week he's been unable to sleep more than four hours a night. The Ambien that Wilson prescribed him - which he's more and more prone to forget to take as his sleep deprivation wears on - tends to come with the small catch of making the nightmares that fuel his sleeplessness worse. And he is just stubborn enough to fight the sedative effect after he can't take anymore. So falling asleep again at the end of the night at first seems like an unfortunate slip. The dream of falling, however, is so tame in comparison to the other horrors this town has inflicted on him his sleep-starved body remains at rest after it ends.

Long enough to lapse into another nightmare. He wakes up bolting forward - he's facing the wall, thankfully, so no pushing someone into the pit - with a screamed "Don't go!". And, of course, he bumps into someone. Or something. Maybe he tripped over someone's bag or just hit the wall while they watched. He's too out of it to tell, propping himself up with one hand as he surveys his surroundings in groggy confusion. Dimly, he remembers the impact, and he focuses on the person he thinks was involved.]

I'm sorry, did I hurt you?


B - diplomatic approach

[When he's managed to clear the brain fog as well as he ever is going to, he explores the area. It doesn't take long. Plain room, hole in the center, lots of people doing the same. After idling with his knees drawn up to his chest for a while, listing slightly sideways as if seated unevenly (he's not), he gets up and tiredly shuffles up to the edge of the hole.

Seeing the teeth, he kneels down and leans over the edge.]

Hello? Are you the thing they call "it"? What is it you don't understand? Can I teach you?

[Hey, on four hours of sleep at best, it seemed like a good idea.]


C: rambling into the void (near-fall optional)

[He keeps talking to the thing, when he isn't keeping someone else company.]

I hear your invitation. For...some meaning of "hear". I can't accept it. I- I know you must think I'm one of the easy targets. I have so little left to lose, after all. It makes a lot of sense, sometimes. Taking this risk. But- don't ask me how, but you remind me of a demon. I can't be sure I won't be turned into a weapon against the people I love again. No offense to you. It's only...what's the phrase. I heard a good one somewhere. "Once bitten"...?

(Optional prompt:)

[Perhaps he is unlucky - perhaps he is leaning over the edge just as two more inches of floor disappear. He yelps and twists, catching himself on the edge and hauling himself out, grabbing any offered hand to help if available. He looks back at the now-wider hole, eyes dilated.]

That wasn't - do you think it was reacting to me?

snagging a

[lacecase]

[Ginger is more worried than startled when Enoch bumps into her. Instinctively her hands grip onto his upper arms--meant to steady him, but she doesn't let go.]

Oh no, no no sweetheart, I'm just fine. Just fine.

[She keeps Enoch close, her heart aching, and she can't decide if her feelings stem more from a sorrow that he's been put into such a state or simply being happy to see him again.]

[jmencalisse]

I. ota


[Okay, but seriously. This trip is really starting to freak him out.

At this point David is putting his money on some drug thingy gone horribly wrong; someone must have spiked his drink. Administered him some fucking experimental cocktail. He's heard horror stories of trips that draw out (or seem to draw out) for days or weeks but come on, what the fuck is this even.

Two days of nicotine withdrawal have him on edge and he's angrily munching on a gum, restlessly walking back and forth and muttering strands of Québécois strong language.

Peering down into the hole he can feel the impulse to throw himself down there and backs off again.]

This is some fucked up bullshit.



II. ota for yelling/fighting/fellow cheerers; up for the taking for someone to fight/kick his ass down there


[What's up, here's David. David has progressed from freaked out dread to rolling with it because it is honestly the only way he can deal right now.

He's currently singing a fanfare, clapping his hands and cheering people on.] Den den de-de-de-de den den den den...

Bonjour, salut and hello to our dear spectators! Welcome to the Winter Games of Asshole Town Alaska. Our candidates are all fired up and wow, look at him go. Dodging all the defenders but ah, too bad, that move turned him a little too much to the side, that jump's probably going to be an 8.5 max.

Oh, here comes another one! Even the jury is excited, will he do a flip!

II.

[zunesareawesome]

Nah, it's a 7, at least.

[Peter's kind of taken in by this whole thing, and he's completely earnest.]

[cahooted]

I. ota

[This is terrifying. The growing bottomless pit, the people flinging themselves into the abyss like lemmings and, worst of all, his own impulse to follow suit, to explore, to see what's down there. For now that impulse is overruled by his horror and mortal fear, memories of... memories of dying still strong in his mind and Flynn backs off from what is happening, frozen and unwilling to engage.

Instead he will be over here trying to find another way out.]

No, no, no, come on, there's always another way, there's always something.


II. ota

[He can't just watch.

Without getting too close to the hole of horror in the ground himself, Flynn grabs hold of the nearest person starting out towards the center in an attempt to hold them back.]

Don't! Don't go down there! Look, a body in free fall will accelerate at approximately 9.8 meter per second square, independent of its mass! You will eventually reach a terminal velocity, which is around 53 meter per second for a human skydiver and unless we have suddenly developed some top notch stealth technology I don't see parachutes on anyone!

II

[bookofnope]

You do realize, this is almost definitely some kind of sensory metaphor?

[The nearest person starting out towards the centre happens to be Flynn's favourite vampire, who isn't even starting out with the intent of jumping. Beckett is conflicted, himself, but as soon as Flynn flails at him, it becomes imperative to put on a confident face. That's just how he rolls.]

I'm a bit more worried about the teeth.

ota!

[phaseshifter]

There's a term for this, isn't there? Um. L'appel du vide?

[ Angel isn't even aware of who she's speaking to. Her full attention has been captured by the pit, and she's finding it increasingly difficult to tear her eyes away from it. Falling that far down would feel a little like being able to fly again, wouldn't it? Geez, she misses flying. Maybe the thing at the bottom will be able to give her her wings back. Maybe...

Suddenly aware of how she's starting to lean towards the hole, she shakes her head and takes a step back. But only a small one. ]

Is it the hole that's drawing us in, do you think? Or whatever's down there?

[devoutish]

L'appel du vide.

[Alfie repeats from a few feet behind her. His eyes are on Royce, who's off talking to someone else, but he's facing Angel.]

French?

[dousedflame]

[Note: Bluestar can't speak without her tablet; seeing as it's off, she will be essentially mute and communicating through body language and meows instead. She can still roughly understand what is said to her.]

I.

[Well, trust a cat to knock something into the pit as her first order of business. The pit is pretty small still, when Bluestar walks over batting a can of tuna toward the edge. It's the heaviest thing she's been carrying, and she's sure she can replenish it whenever the Twolegs find a way out. After a few careful prods, she knocks the can into the pit, and peers over it with her ears pricked as she waits to hear it hit the bottom.

Nothing. Her paw slips on the edge of the growing pit, and for a moment she weighs the pros and cons of just letting herself fall- but no, she's backing up and looking for something else to shove in. For science.]

II.

[Half to distract herself from the pit, she's actually moved away from Peter for a while, investigating all the new people. You may see her weaving between legs, arching her back to rub up against the more familiar people in greeting, and meowing to some before remembering that they can't understand her here. Sometimes when she finds someone she's been meaning to speak to, she'll stretch her paws up on their leg and offer a friendly mrrow.

But other times her mood will shift, and she'll skirt along the wall, watching the humans and non-cats suspiciously. Honestly, she looks like a mess; her fur is starting to mat in places, and is overall dull and unkempt. Her paw pads have started cracking from constant walking and exposure. Her whiskers are crumpled from sleeping on them wrong. To the unfamiliar, she looks like a cat one might see in an ASPCA commercial; and she also looks grumpy enough that approaching her might not be the smartest idea. But someone should try and cheer the cat up, right?]

1

[spoileralert]

[ Steph watches curiously as the cat- it has to be Bluestar, right?- knocks the can into the bottomless pit. She waits, but doesn't hear anything. Does Bluestar hear anything, with her superior hearing?

Then the cat starts to slip, and she grabs the cat up by the middle without a second thought. She sets her down a couple of feet away from the edge. ]

Woah there, be careful! We don't know how deep this thing is.

[bookofnope]

I. For Science (OTA)

[At this point, Beckett isn't even surprised.

Maybe a little surprised, in the technical sense, but certainly not startled or overly confused. He wakes up; he's positively warm, in comparison, and is in no particular state of torture or ill health, so he's seeing very little reason for dismay here. Except the hole. And the whispers. And, after he takes a quick glance in, the teeth.]

The town wants to eat us, [he murmurs, before slooowly stepping back.] All right, then.

[If the hole was not actively calling him, he might have gone for it much faster. As it is, Beckett is saved by his own damn stubborn refusal to do as he's told. Instead he starts a circuit of the room, hand to the wall, tapping for textures and and listening for echoes.]


II. The Worst Friendpire (OTA)

[But there is another concern, and that is that he's not alone. The room is practically crowded with half the town. Among them, several faces he doesn't want to be seeing just now.

Angel. Enoch. Brian. Rhys, apparently. Everyone he's wandered away from without as much as a word, for reasons he is certainly not expressing in public. This is... bad. The only help is the aforementioned crowdedness. He can try to stay out of sight.

This means finding corners where people may be clustering and dodging into them. Quite definitely invading personal spaces. That's fine. As long as he can hush anyone he runs into with a meaningful look before they can call him out.]


III. ... whoops (closed to Quark!)

[He's not jumping. He's not. He's not following the bloody compulsion. The teeth clicking in his head. The way his curiosity, his determination are tainted by this feeling of being pulled on by a predator.

He's not jumping, but he's skirting the edge. It's not a damn compromise. It's just Beckett doing what he does. What he's done so many times before.

He looks in, wishing the thing had eyes he could look into and defy. The attraction of the deep darkness is mad. It calls to everything in him. But he remembers Kaymakli, and he does not jump.]

II

[dousedflame]

[Unfortunately, in the latest cluster he was moving into there was no way to see the blue figure winding around their legs - and he has managed to step on her tail. She announces herself with a yowl and a claw or two stuck momentarily in the leg of his pants... before she backs up and just watches him uncertainly, the fur along her spine bristled.

Is he going to seek revenge around all these people? Is there any way to discuss what happened without her translator app?]

[averytinyparticle]

one

[When Quark wakes up, he feels agitated. He hates this. He's tired of waking up in strange places--because every time that happens, it always seems to end with him hurting someone else or getting himself hurt. He's not sure how good it'll help, but he feels determined enough to stay out of trouble, so after a quick, cautious turn around the pit he curls his legs up to his knees as far away from the hole as he can manage.

With that, there's not much left to do but people watch. Anyone who comes close who seems frantic about getting out in any capacity will be met with a stony appraisal.]

You're wasting your time.

two (ota; he'll attempt this a few times)

[Maybe it's his age or maybe it's the latent virus, but Quark has a history of being susceptible to intrusive thoughts. He tells himself in quiet, private murmurs to ignore them. He doesn't want to jump, of course he doesn't. But still, he's inching closer, and before he knows it, he's dangling precariously close to the ledge. All it would take is a little tip--to lift up one foot and shift his balance forward.]

three (closed to whoever claims it first!)

[Quark is finally losing it. He's been keeping it together pretty well so far, but all that's gone out the window. Diana's fallen in--she fell in trying to keep him from falling in. And then what did he do? He pushed someone else in. Because he was angry. Because it was surprisingly easy. Because his despair for Diana rekindled his dislike of Beckett. It doesn't matter that Beckett caught himself. He'd still done it. He did it and meant it. Quark falls down to his knees and clutches onto his hat and screams.]

three

[fiftheclipse]

[He'd been aware Quark was here. He had, and maybe that was the problem. That he'd known all this time but hadn't been by his side. Instead finding distractions-- trying to help others-- to an extent, trying to help himself.

But that scream.

Hearing that sound from that child...

Ignoring it isn't an option. He needs to be there for him, and makes his way over as quickly as he can.]

Quark. Come on, it's--

[It's okay? No. Nothing going on around them is.]

You'll be okay. You're tough, right?

[His tone is almost strict, rather than gentle. Maybe not the right way to comfort someone so young, but the only way he can think that won't let it all get to him as well.]

Rhys || OTA

[sleight_of_fate]

[It's only obvious how much effort it takes for a guy like Rhys to keep weigh on when he stops putting that effort in.

For those who haven't seen him in a bit? He doesn't look all that good. More than anything, it's a weariness to his eyes, a shadowing to his stubbled cheeks and the lines of his shoulders and chest that looks hollow. He's slumped against the wall for the first little while after he wakes up, just watching everything with dark blue eyes, before he eventually starts to strip off his coats.

This is probably bad news, something awful about to happen, but at least he's going to enjoy being warm, for the time being. He tucks his belongings neatly to the side and sits there in a worn gray t-shirt, showing off his heavily tattooed forearms as he gathers information about the room, the people in it, everything he can draw in.]

It's getting bigger. Every few minutes. Like, out of the corner of your eye.

[And just in case the tattoos aren't enough to draw attention to him, there's also the length of tail laying on the ground next to him, wrapped in red and gold satin and, for the moment, not doing anything in particular but definitely attached to him. It even has a spade at the end, heart-shaped like a devil's tail.]
((Will do brackets or prose to match!))

[clowngirl]

Huh. [Harley peers over at the pit, the appearance of the gaping unknown momentarily taking precedence over that of the man standing next to her.] Y'know, I think you're-- [And, the briefest glance over changes all that.] Rhys? Izzat-- ...do you got a tail?