▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

[stolenface]

Who: The Alices
What: The next World's door isn't opening, but the Cat's left something open behind him instead
Where: ▒▒▒▒▒
Warnings: Potential for (non-permanent) death, there's a few body parts around, an eye in a jar, and also mentions of a sewing needle; will update with further info

The Cat hadn't shown up the entire time everyone was in the Hub. It probably was a tiny bit disconcerting. But still, they are ushered on to the next World. But as they go, they'll be greeted with the Cat... Walking away with his back turned to them. He steps through a literal hole in the wall, perfectly round, on the far side of the room where the doors are. And then, it stays open. Should they try the doors, only the ones they've been to previously will open. That hole must be awfully tempting, if the Cat left it.

When they enter, they awaken to a very odd place indeed. An alleyway with one end fenced off and a large grave in the middle of it. The only other way to go is an old factory. Upon entering, they will find the space is off in itself. The machinery is all rusted, but there's the sense that touching the controls could turn it on. And in one corner, in an area that's far more warehouse because this place seems to be patched together from a factory, warehouse and basement, is an old mattress with bloodstains on it and the floor around it. Various body parts, some fresh, some far more decayed and only bone, all seem to be scattered around. There's thick thread--almost like wire--and a large sewing needle that's definitely seen use. On a stand next to the old beat-up mattress is a jar with a single eye in it, red in iris coloring. All of the text everywhere is garbled and unreadable, and the entire world is inverted in coloring. It's probably disorienting.

The Cat doesn't seem to be anywhere they can find, although scraps of cloth in a few places look similar enough to what he wears. There's definitely more to this place beyond the fence outside, but there's no discernible way to get past it. No powers that could help them get over it are accessible, and trying to use any extrasensory powers will earn a splitting headache and nausea similar to that caused by the mysterious voice from before. In fact, the entire area gives the sense that they're not normally supposed to be here.

Where did they get to now...?

Comments

[dolosa]

[ Let's do a little investigation work here, shall we? Rei is going to first check the grave, if only to see if it gives any clues. Let's just see who this belongs to, if it's available. ]

[worldkeys]

[ The gravestone is far too worn to read. ]

[dolosa]

[ Will pushing it do anything, then? ]

[worldkeys]

[ It doesn't budge. ]

[heartgatherer]

[From the moment she saw it, she knew she didn't want any part of this. But with the cat acting suspicious, it was bound to attract the others' attention. Begrudgingly she finds herself following.

You shouldn't chase talking animals-- and this is yet another perfect example why not.]

...I don't think we should be here.

[The grave... it leaves her feeling pained and anxious-- although the organ that should hurt the most is gone now, and the clock in her chest... remains unaffected.]

[dolosa]

Then... shall we leave?

[ Rei still continues to smile even with the unsettling feelings that this place seems to be giving her. ]

[heartgatherer]

...

['Yes' is the obvious answer. They should.

But...]

...I don't know. I just-- I have a bad feeling about this place.

[dolosa]

Trust your gut.

[ She says this easily, without a single hint of emotion in her words as she folds her arms over her chest. ]

I don't think we should stay in this area nevertheless. There isn't anything to find here.

[ At least, not in this initial area. ]

[bakegarasu]

[... Well, Otoha will pick up the jar and look at the eye inside of it.]

[worldkeys]

[ The eye is just an eye. But it, like the other body parts scattered around, is not inverted or washed out in color. It looks well taken care of and even fresh. But more than that, while he holds it, he gets the impression this belonged to a very strange girl whose life was taken from her by the Cat. ]

[bakegarasu]

... Huh.

[It's hard to get worked up about it - if she got herself killed, that must have been her fault. But he sets it down and prods the mattress, trying to see if either he can learn anything more from it or if there's anything underneath it.]

[worldkeys]

[ He'll receive the impression that the Cat occasionally sleeps here. Also, very suddenly, he'll be hit with the smell of rotting flesh and indistinct muttering. ]

[mearry]

[ Well, while some are dealing with the grave and the rotten body parts, C-ta's off in the old factory. The machinery, though old and rusted, grabs his attention. Tentatively, despite his heart that hammers away inside his chest, he presses the controls. What happens? ]

[worldkeys]

[ The machinery roars to life with a loud screech. Following this, it moves, and it's not easy to turn off. Accompanying this will be the sounds of several workers, although none can be seen. Some of the workers, as he listens, are obviously young. ]

[mearry]

[ Okay..... Okay! Totally normal! Totally fine, this is fine. Breathe C-ta, think about the situation. He hears the sounds of workers, but they're not around...could they be ghosts, or something? Let's try calling out to them. ]

Hello? Is anyone here?

[worldkeys]

[ No one responds, but the bustle keeps up. There's some shouting at someone to be careful around the machines, but otherwise it seems he's not interacted with by the voices at all. ]

[frozentear]

[This area is... interesting. Sebastian is going to inspect the mattress, including lifting it up.]

[worldkeys]

[ For a brief moment, Sebastian will receive the impression of the Cat trying to stitch something together and muttering. The only thing under the mattress is the ground, stained and thoroughly soaked with blood. ]

[frozentear]

[That is... a lot of blood.

What about the needle and thread?]

[worldkeys]

[ At first, there doesn't seem to be anything. However, after a moment, it'll feel as if someone is sewing something through his skin about halfway up his forearm. It's an oddly dulled pain, and when he looks, there's no indication that anything has actually happened. ]

[bakegarasu]

[Well hello there.]

Find anything?

[frozentear]

Not much, not yet. The grave seems like it was put down before the stones... it's odd that it's still there.

[It's still a little awkward talking to Otoha, but not quite as much as it had been.]

[notsogreedy]

[It seems inevitable that Ankh is going to feel mildly nauseous the entire time he's in here. He's not trying> to use any powers, but the ability to read desires is something so passive he can't completely turn it off. At least if he doesn't try to focus on anything specifically, it's not too horrible. Just disquieting and unpleasant. He can't help notice how similar it feels to the presence of that voice, though, and that sets him on edge. It's not quite enough to make him try to just go back--looking around might answer some questions, or so he hopes--but he's going to be cautious in exploring.

For now, he takes a closer look at some of the scraps of fabric, having noticed the similarity to what the cat wears. Is there anything else noteworthy about them?]

[worldkeys]

[ There's nothing especially noteworthy about the fabric, although Ankh will note that when he holds the scraps of fabric, he gets the impression that the Cat has made his own clothing from the purple, shabby material by hand with his own needle and thread. ]

[notsogreedy]

[Well, that's not very interesting, though getting information from touching the fabric is worth noting. He takes one of the pieces with him, in case there's some use for it later, and goes to take a closer look at the grave.]