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taxonomites2011-11-17 12:46 pm
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[ first thread - location: sanctuary - holo ]
For a brief moment, home had finally felt like home again. She and Briar had argued, loudly and with the reasoning of children, but in that small instant of irritation Sandry had seen their old sibling bond. She had stormed around Daja’s house, taking measurements and debating the best fabrics and colors for her foster brother and sisters. That afternoon, despite her somewhat childish behavior, Sandry had returned hom with a new spark of hope in her chest. Thy were going to be okay. They had to be okay.
What she hadn’t expected was to wake the next morning--or was it still the same night?--in seamless metal chamber with no sign of an exit. For several moments Sandry took in the room, blinking at the walls around her for any sign of magic. The heaviness at her wrist distracted fairly quickly, and she turned to inspect the bracelet on her wrist. It told her nothing, and without Daja’s knowledge of metal there was no telling how or why it had been placed on her. The obvious answer, at least at first, was that she had been taken for ransom, and that the wrist was some sort of magic inhibitor. But there was no magic within the bracelet, and Sandry could feel her own magic as plain and clean as was normal. “Either they’re very good, or very stupid,” she mused to herself. Of course she couldn’t do anything with metal, but there might be other options...
Brow furrowed, the noble finally rose from the ground and checked for the pouch around her neck. Whoever had taken her hadn’t been very smart at all. The pouch was still there, as were its contents. The room was bright for now, but if whatever source was causing the light went out, at least she still had her crystal. More importantly, she had the thread that represented the bond between her foster siblings and herself. The lumps that lately had been warm with Tris and Daja’s magics were cold, but Briar’s gave a faint pulse. She gave it a slight tug, but the connection was still firmly closed. Unless she absolutely could not find a way out it would stay that way. Briar didn’t want her there, and she wasn’t about to force it after their arguments the day before.
Sandry sighed and placed the pouch back under her nightclothes, then smoothed the material over before firmly setting her jaw and addressing the empty room. “I am Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, Clehame fa Landreg, and I demand an immediate explanation as to why I have been brought here.”
No response.
“I won’t sit quietly and wait, if that’s what you’re thinking, so you may as well just answer me now. The very least you can do is give me your terms. It will be much easier on you if you cooperate now.”
Nothing. Mildly frustrated now, Sandry pushed her magic out, seeking some sort of material she could get a grasp on. There were wires in the walls, but she pulled her magic back quickly with a sharp, “Oh!” when she felt the electricity running through them--she would need Tris’ help to even think about doing anything with those.
“Oh, cat dirt.”
What she hadn’t expected was to wake the next morning--or was it still the same night?--in seamless metal chamber with no sign of an exit. For several moments Sandry took in the room, blinking at the walls around her for any sign of magic. The heaviness at her wrist distracted fairly quickly, and she turned to inspect the bracelet on her wrist. It told her nothing, and without Daja’s knowledge of metal there was no telling how or why it had been placed on her. The obvious answer, at least at first, was that she had been taken for ransom, and that the wrist was some sort of magic inhibitor. But there was no magic within the bracelet, and Sandry could feel her own magic as plain and clean as was normal. “Either they’re very good, or very stupid,” she mused to herself. Of course she couldn’t do anything with metal, but there might be other options...
Brow furrowed, the noble finally rose from the ground and checked for the pouch around her neck. Whoever had taken her hadn’t been very smart at all. The pouch was still there, as were its contents. The room was bright for now, but if whatever source was causing the light went out, at least she still had her crystal. More importantly, she had the thread that represented the bond between her foster siblings and herself. The lumps that lately had been warm with Tris and Daja’s magics were cold, but Briar’s gave a faint pulse. She gave it a slight tug, but the connection was still firmly closed. Unless she absolutely could not find a way out it would stay that way. Briar didn’t want her there, and she wasn’t about to force it after their arguments the day before.
Sandry sighed and placed the pouch back under her nightclothes, then smoothed the material over before firmly setting her jaw and addressing the empty room. “I am Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, Clehame fa Landreg, and I demand an immediate explanation as to why I have been brought here.”
No response.
“I won’t sit quietly and wait, if that’s what you’re thinking, so you may as well just answer me now. The very least you can do is give me your terms. It will be much easier on you if you cooperate now.”
Nothing. Mildly frustrated now, Sandry pushed her magic out, seeking some sort of material she could get a grasp on. There were wires in the walls, but she pulled her magic back quickly with a sharp, “Oh!” when she felt the electricity running through them--she would need Tris’ help to even think about doing anything with those.
“Oh, cat dirt.”
[visual]
"An' no mean to burst your bubble, cityrat, you're in a place where nobility flies about as high as a Drac at a wavehead bar." A large, heavy sigh.
"Just pick up the tablet thing my voice an' face is comin' by, door will open. Boom, you're in a city you've been kidnapped and placed inn. And what does cat dirt haveta do with it?"
[ holo ]
Well, plain as Briar might have when he'd first arrived at Discipline.
"I can see I've been kidnapped," she replies, a little more curtly than she would have under normal circumstances. Her cheeks redden at his mention of her pathetic swearing, but she ignores the question and focuses instead on pulling herself back, loosening up. She's still on edge, and isn't sure what to make of the device or the man's picture on it, but there is a significant lack of authority in her voice when she speaks again.
"A city where?"
[ holo ]
He mutters something about being the welcome wagon, and lets out a huge sigh before continuing.
"You've been kidnapped and brought here by weird creatures that only show up when they want to. Us? We're your allies. Pulled from different worlds. A lot of us seem to be from Earth, or varying states of Earth. Buuuut you never know."
[ holo ]
She eyes his bracelet carefully, then looks back to her own. It appears to be made of the same material, and looks just as foreign and uncomfortable on him as it feels on her. "Taxon...is a prison, then? For what purpose?"
There's a pause as she debates just how to approach the subject without appearing as though she has gone completely mad. Then, tentatively, she adds, "Is Australia a prison as well? I've never heard of one named such." She can only guess it's part of that Earth country.
[visual]
"You're pickin' up what I'm puttin' down, though. Nice, motorbaby. Alright, here's the scoop: pick up the tablet thing, the one with my face on it? The door'll open. you'll be lead into the city. Don't bother with anyone that doesn't have a bracelet, they're fucking robots. And more importantly, remember:" Sure, his tone is ominous, but he's a dramatic guy. "Even if they do? Watch your back."
[ visual ]
For as much as she thought she had been following him, some of what he says is completely lost on her. She isn't sure whether or not she should be offended at being called 'motorbaby', but there isn't much time to ponder before he's giving her instructions on how to get out.
Good.
Gingerly, Sandry picks up the tablet. It's lighter than she expected, but the sound of the door opening in the wall distracts her for the moment. An apologetic look crosses her face and she bites her lip. "Robots? I'm terribly sorry, I've just never heard many of the terms you're using. This is all distressingly new to me..."
[ visual ]
"Anyway, tumbleweed. You don't worry about the lingo thing. There's another guy here that's just as confounded as you by all this tech, which is weird for a guy like me, but." Another shrug. "Let's go outside, huh? If you want I can be there in," he checks his watch. "10 minutes to show you the ropes of this place."
[ visual ]
Other things first, then she would track him down. Maybe. If he wanted her to.
"I would hate to ask it," she starts, but the fact that the room is confusing enough, followed by the idea of stepping out into a city that is just as strange and filled with 'tech' stops her. Having someone to show her around, even someone as odd as this young man, is better than floundering about in an unknown place. "But if you don't mind it, I would be very grateful if you could."
[ visual --> audio ]
I offered, sunshine. So, Lady Shangri-lee fa-two...whatsitcalled, welcome to this fucked up place. Name's Party Poison.
[ visual ]
"Sandrilene fa Toren," she corrects, "but please call me Sandry. The title doesn't come into play unless it can't be helped." With a last glance around the chamber, Sandry frowns down at her nightgown--meeting someone in her nightclothes, especially a young man, is not something she had been expecting to do--and steps out into the long hallway. Just to make sure she heard him correctly, she repeats, "Party Poison?"
[Location: Central]
No mistaking the girl in her nightgown with a bracelet and a familiar lost expression.
"Look alive, sunshine!" He offers a half-wave, shivering against what's freezing for him. "Welcome to Taxon. Wish I wasn't the welcome wagon, but.." A shrug. "Gotta start somewhere." He extends a hand, half-smiling in that 'I can't quite remember how to laugh' way that's all too real for him and Kobra.
[ Location: Central ]
"Alive as I can," she promises Party, wondering at how he can look as cold as she feels in so many layers. A moment of hesitation and she delicately takes his hand. "My brother has just informed me that he is also on his way. I apologize for the trouble you might have taken to come here, and will understand if you would rather leave than wait. It is much warmer inside..."
[ Location: Central ]
So's Party, of course, acclimated to desert and radiation, but he doesn't like to show it and he instead is opening the trunk of the trans-am, pulling out a large blanket and offering it to her. "Here." And, because old habits die hard: "Free of charge, tumbleweed, you're in your damn nightgown."
He shuts the trunk, though, sitting on it, feet balanced precariously, and points, things clicking together.
"Your brother's totally Briar. You guys talk the same, all big words with no meanin'."
[ Location: Central ]
She can feel the fibers of the blanket reaching out for her, offering warmth and comfort, before she even touches it. This material doesn't know her like the cloth at home does, and it takes several scoldings before the threads settle and behave.
It's no surprise that he's put her and Briar together, really, not with the way they all seem to speak here. Funny, how it doesn't even require an explanation in a foreign place when people at home constantly questioned them. "He's my foster brother, yes," Sandry confirms, tucking her chin into the blanket and wondering whether she should be offended by the second piece of that statement or not. Not, she decides. Blanket says not.
[ Location: Central ]
"I'll be there. Or Kobra Kid. He's my brother: same eyes as me, blonde hair, pinched jaw, never really talks that much? Look for these," he turns around, showing his Party Poison logo, and then points out Kobra's symbol on the car, "on the walls of Taxon's buildings."
[ Location: Central ]
His initial relief at a familiar face and voice has subsided somewhat, and Briar is back to the same place he was before arriving in Taxon. Not quite sure how to fit all the messy edges between them back together, he slows his pace a few steps away from his sister before closing the distance between them. He won't protest if Sandry hugs him, but he greets her with a smile and a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's good to see you, Sandry," and he means it, in spite of nothing being how it once was.
He turns to the other man, nodding, smile still firmly on his face. "Hello, Party." That red is even brighter in person, and Briar idly runs through a list of dyes in his head, wondering which combination produces a color that bright.
Sandry and Briar, unlike Kobra and Party, couldn't look much less like siblings. They have different hair, skin tone, eye color, and facial structure. If Party can identify them as such, he's very good at looking past appearance and into the way things are. In Briar's experience, a lot of people lack that skill.
[ Location: Central ]
"Do you place your mark many places?" she asks, leaning closer to look at the logo. It's certainly very...distinct.
Sandry is about to ask more about Kobra Kid when she feels the familiar pull of Briar's magic approaching. At first, she isn't sure how to react. They hadn't parted on the best of terms the night before, and there's no telling how Briar will react to her now that they're face to face.
His hand on her shoulder is enough. Sandry, doing her very best not to pout, closes the final foot or two and hugs Briar tight.
"I'm so glad you're here."
[ Location: Central ]
When he gets uncomfortable he clears his throat and answers the girl's query:
"Places I've checked before, places that are safe. Places I'm workin' on making milkshake, slaughtermatic and reachin' up to heaven with a sword and a shield," he states softly.
"But you've got someone you know. S'half the battle, junkpunks."
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"What do you propose I do, then?"
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She pauses, thinking about the faint pulse that is Briar's magic. Barely noticeable, she shakes her head. "I. I'm afraid I don't know."
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"None?" He has to be trying to fool her.
[visual]
"Dawnie?"
It was out of her mouth before she could stop it. But then the name registered and Willow frowned, disappointment clear on her face.
"Sorry. I... thought you were someone else..."
[ holo ]
"It's quite alright. Our eyes and tongues are sometimes quicker to judge than our minds can keep up with."
[ visual ]
"My name's Willow. Uh, it's really nice to meet you, but I don't think I can pronounce your name yet."
[ visual ]
"Sandrilene," she repeats, a little more slowly, "but I normally go by Sandry. It's much easier to remember, and to say."
[ visual ]
[ visual ]
Willow's naming herself a witch gave her more credit already than many of the others Sandry had encountered, and the girl perked up significantly upon hearing it. "A witch? What sort? I'm a thread mage myself..."
[ visual ]
The witch deal made her frown, though. She wasn't sure she understood the question. She knew there was all types of magic, especially from world-to-world but she'd never heard of a thread mage before. "Uh, I think magic works differently in my world," she answered. "I'm just... a witch. I can perform a lot of different spells, make things float, create barriers, all kinds of things. What does... being a thread mage mean?" At least she was honestly curious. She loved learning about different worlds, especially those with magic.
[holo]
Briar is sitting cross-legged on the floor, attempt to meditate broken by a very welcome distraction. "Someone's already told you how to get out of the room, right? If you'll wait there, I can come find you."
[ holo ]
Of course, that also leads to the fact that Briar is here, and she can't help but huff at him. "What do you mean, leaving without you? We couldn't possibly." She gives him a look full of You Silly Boy, but nods nonetheless at his question. "Yes, a young man told me how. He said he would meet me as well..."
[ holo ]
His own feelings ran a similar course to hers. On the one hand, Sandry was the sibling who he fully expected to pester him about opening up and sharing his feelings, but on the other, it was really nice to have family here. "Who?" he asked, wondering if it was one of the few he'd met so far. "I'll come meet you both."
[ holo ]
"He said his name is Party Poison," she answers absently. "He's only supposed to be a few minutes..."
[ holo ]
Nodding, Briar replies, "I've talked to him before," adding, "I'm on my way." He is already on his feet and moving as he speaks. He'd wanted to meet Party anyway, so the other man's presence is hardly a deterrent.
[ holo ]
She looks a little more comfortable when Briar says that he's met the man, and suddenly the idea of meeting this Party Poison in her nightclothes doesn't seem quite as threatening. "I'll be here somewhere." If she can ever figure out where the end of this hallway is.
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The expression of distaste that crossed DG's face made her own opinions on the matter abundantly clear.
"I'm DG," she added, "Welcome to Taxon."
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"Sandry. And, while I'm not sure it is a welcome I really want, thank you."
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"Sometimes ... it's difficult to explain, but sometimes things go wrong with the city. People act strangely until they manage to fix it."
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DG's explanation didn't bode very well for what might be awaiting Sandry outside the little room, and the noble paused to assess what the other woman had said. "Is it a sickness?"
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Based on what she'd seen and what the hamsters had told them on the rare occasions that they decided to make an appearance, it was more of a technical malfunction. But an illness was a good analogy, particularly for someone who came from a world without that sort of technology.
"There's no cure. We just have to wait it out."