Event: Consolidation Theory, Part One and Two

[snowblindmods]

Characters: red-marked characters
Location: ???
Date: Morning & Day 353
Summary: You wake up in a cell.
Warnings: general horror warnings; please note in subject lines for anything specific that comes up

Consolidation Theory OOC Post
Part Two OOC Post

Comments

[bywolves]

Yeah. [ Hard swallow. ] Yeah. It's from that. It's too bright.

[devoutish]

Bright enough that closing your eyes doesn't help, I expect.

[bywolves]

No. Not really. Doing it anyway.

Yell. If someone comes. Please.

[devoutish]

Yeah, you'll hear me make a fuss, mate. I won't go quietly.

[bywolves]

Okay. [ He brings a hand up, resting it against the barrier. Trying to reach the best he can. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie does the same, but it does nothing; they're feet apart.

He's not, on the whole, prone to self-sacrifice, and even with Royce, he's more inclined to fight by his side than to throw himself on a sword for him. But he decides that if there ends up being any possible way to take Royce's place in whatever is coming to them, he's going to do it.

Unfortunately for him, there won't be any such options. And when the staticky figures start coming for people the next day, they'll eventually stop in front of Alfie's cell.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce has already decided - already decided a long time ago, actually - that he'll throw himself to the dogs to make sure Alfie stays alive. Both of them are much more ready to fight together, but this is a unique situation. And of course, when the staticy figures come for Alfie, Royce throws a fit.

He shouts, a wordless noise, and kicks and punches at the barrier, pounding at it to get it to come down. No, take Royce - not Alfie, don't take Alfie -- he practically roars, but it does no good. They're taking him and there's nothing Royce can do. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie starts out ready and willing to stand by his promise to fight back, but when he throws a punch at one of the figures and it does absolutely nothing other than cause him to be overtaken by a wave of dizziness... well. That kind of takes the wind out of his sails. He immediately changes tactics and decides to conserve his energy, rather than tiring himself out fighting an unwinnable fight. Still, he's not going to make it easy for them. He goes limp, and they have to manhandle him up onto the hospital bed.

As he's being wheeled out of the cell, he lolls his head to look at Royce. There's fear in his eyes.]

[bywolves]

No!

[ Royce shouts at the top of his lungs - the look on Alfie's face kickstarts how scared he is, and he nearly knocks himself out trying to break the barrier down. He feels so much and it's startling. He's awake. And he cares, more than he cared before, more than he cared in Elan. Scary. Unfamiliar.

But it does no good, and Royce just slides down against the barrier, watching Alfie go with clenched fists, breath harsh and out of whack. No. ]

[devoutish]

I'll be all right.

[He calls back, forcing his voice to be steady and strong. Whatever it is, he'll survive it.

Probably.

And then he's gone.]

[bywolves]

[ There's nothing Royce can do but wait. It might not be long, but it feels like years.

Royce curls up in the corner of his cell and listens to conversations, and holds out until Alfie comes back. Nobody else seems to come for anybody else. Not until Alfie's back. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie isn't exactly keeping track of time well either, but eventually, Royce will hear the squeak of a hospital bed being wheeled down the corridor, coming closer and closer. Could it be headed for the cell across from his?]

[bywolves]

[ Royce crawls back to the barrier when he hears the squeak - he watches, terrified as to what they might have done to Alfie, resting his head against his cage and staying silent. ]

[devoutish]

[When he comes into view, there are no visible injuries, but he looks a lot more out of it than he did when he was wheeled away. There's a glazed look in his eyes, and he's staring off into the middle distance, blinking slowly.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce waits until they're gone. He refuses to speak coherently around them. When they are, when they go after someone else, Royce hisses: ]

Alfie. Alfie. Talk to me.

[devoutish]

[Having been deposited in his cell, Alfie curls against the wall, arms folded over his stomach and eyes squeezed shut.]

Mmph.

[bywolves]

What happened? Can you talk?

[devoutish]

Mmmyeah.

[Except he... doesn't say anything. Oops?]

[bywolves]

[ Royce makes a helpless, frustrated noise. ]

Talk, then.

[devoutish]

Royce...

[He moves to sit up, to get a better look at him - and then immediately doubles over and throws up his breakfast. Also oops.]

[bywolves]

[ Oh. Gross. Royce looks away for just a second, nose wrinkling - he's still a little nauseated from his hangover so that doesn't exactly help. But. ]

I'm here. [ He says, despite not looking. ] What did they do? You're obviously not - you're not fine.

[devoutish]

Think I'm seeing things.

[He mutters, squeezing his eyes shut again.]

The light's too fucking bright--

[bywolves]

Okay - okay. Keep your eyes closed. [ He can't fuss properly from this far away, dammit. ] Rest. Try to sleep. I'm here, I'll watch for you.

[devoutish]

They're gonna come for you. They're gonna give you injections.

[bywolves]

[ Royce is silent for a long moment. ]

Yeah. I know. I'll watch for you for as long as I can. [ His breath is a little short, but it's okay. He's promising this, right now. ]