taxonomites | [holo] Arrival post

Penny's arms were still curved to hold the laundry basket that had disappeared the moment she stepped into the Coin Wash, and it was with a jolt that she stumbled forward. She did her best to ignore the sense of vertigo as she looked down at her empty arms, eyebrows crooking in earnest confusion at the empty space. “Um. What?” she asked out of sheer reflex, because she suddenly was very much not where she had been before. Belatedly and a bit dumbly, she relaxed her arms and spun in a half-circle, trying to gather her bearings. “Hello? Hey, where am I?” Silence. What had she expected, a grinning madman to pop out of the metallic walls and tell her she was on Candid Camera?

A room. Well, that much was obvious, at least. But -where-? And how had she gotten there?

“Don't panic, Penny. You're just in a .. strange room. And your laundry is gone,” she muttered to herself and rubbed her wrist, jolting a little again in surprise as her fingers bumped against the bracelet, and her eyebrows knit again in concern. “You'd think I'd remember having that done.”

A bit awkwardly, she inspected the bracelet, before she pressed her hand firmly against her mouth, biting her lower lip. Well, she was here, but how did she get -out?- “Maybe this..” She looked around again to verify that the place was still empty before cautiously picking up the tablet on the pedestal next to her. Some kind of phone, maybe? No, more complicated than that. “I probably shouldn't just take it, but there's no..”

She shut her eyes and exhaled a low sigh, shaking her head to clear it. She'd tackle obstacles as she came to them; the most important thing right then was figuring out where she was. Tablet in hand, she cast another cursory glance around the empty chamber before zeroing in on the steps descending from the platform. “Well,” she whispered, “might as well,” and inhaling another deep breath as if to steel her nerves, she took the steps out into the Sanctuary, knuckles white with the force of her grip on the Tablet at her side as she entered the Sanctuary.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

At the sound of the voice, Penny simultaneously a. jumped out of her skin and b. nearly flung the Tablet across the hallway she had found herself in, though she thankfully managed to refrain.

"Oh!" she said instead, squinting at the screen. "Taxon? Um, right. Hello. How do I get out?" Well, might as well get right down to business. She certainly didn't belong here.

John shook his head and gave a small smile. "I'm afraid I'm not sure how to leave. I've tried a few more... interesting methods of transportation, and all have failed miserably." He sat, getting a better look at her. She seemed young. He wasn't sure if that was a common theme of the residents of the city.

"Oh. Oh." Penny exhaled a low sigh, studying John in return for a moment, before she pulled the tablet away from her face, turning it upside down briefly. What in the world was this device? "Hi, by the way. I'm, um, Penny."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Penny. I am John. I arrived just a few days prior in the very same room. It seems this is a common occurrence. I found a few people I knew from my own location, but several more seem to exist." He knew that upon his arrival, he had wanted to know as much as possible.

Penny stared at the screen for a long moment, absorbing the information as best she could, before letting out a long, low sigh. "This isn't me - going crazy, is it? I mean, I'm not really locked up in some asylum hallucinating all of this, am I?"

She realized fully the futility of the question, but it didn't seem to stop her from asking the question. Hesitating a moment further, she stepped down the hallway to further explore the Sanctuary.

"I can assure you with as much reassurance as one can offer in this place - that you are not losing any part of your mind." He smiled slightly. She seemed like a very nice girl - lost, like him. "They call the building you are currently in 'The Sanctuary'. Another Sanctuary exists, from what I'm told, but this one is where we all begin our time in Taxon - from what I'm told." John knew he was just a vehicle of second hand knowledge, but he had to help where he could.

"There are rooms here, within which you can take residence if you choose. Otherwise, the town lies outside to be explored. I have only been on a few outings, but nothing seems outwardly dangerous."

Penny sighed, but out of sheer reflex smiled in return at John. Well, she was lost, but at least the people there seemed friendly, and she nodded at his image on the screen.

"I guess.. I'll explore some, then," she exhaled, then lifted her head to study the hallway again. "Thanks for your help. If I have any more questions, do you mind if I..?"

"Of course, Penny. I am at your service." He would have bowed, but doing so over the device seemed illogical. "I'm not sure if there are any others with the name John lingering, but to avoid confusion, my full name is John Druitt. Any questions you may have, I will do my best to answer. Good luck."

[holo] Arrival post

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]