So listen to the secret things you hear the west wind say.

[asliceofchaos]

Sunset, days after the vanishing of the first group, the Carnival goes oddly still. The rides don't stop, the crowd keeps moving, but in spite of all the noise and motion there's a frozen feeling in the air, like everything in motion is just a collection of confetti in a shaken snow globe

Comments

CELL FOUR

[babylonmods]

[gallantgoggles]

When Takato wakes up in the cell the first thing he becomes aware of is his partner. Or rather, his missing partner.

Guilmon wasn't there.

He quickly jumps to his feet and begins walking around the cell, calling out his best friend's name and clutching his D-Arc..

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim stirs at the sound of a kid's voice calling out an unfamiliar name. He can feel the--absolutely horrifying--collar still around his neck, so he knows he isn't free yet, but this is definitely not one of the voices from the cell he'd been familiar with.

He opens his eyes and frowns a little. No chains. Hm. And a different--smaller--group of people.

"Who's Guilmon?" he asks finally. His voice comes out raspy and quiet. Damn. He would kill for some water right now.

[gallantgoggles]

Takato turns around with a half-frantic expression on his face. "My partner! He isn't here."

[mrsarcastic003]

He leans his head back against the wall, frowning slightly. "Partner?"

[whateverthemess]

Murphy blinks awake, propped up in a corner and feeling like she's been worked over with a pair of hammers. "Tim?"

She squints at the other people in the little group, recognizing the kid but not knowing why - until she imagines him with a red dinosaur thing. Murphy drags one knee up to her chest and clears her throat, trying not to cough. The mark Kitsune put on her neck months ago still burns.

"Well. This is... different. You two-" she spots the Doctor opposite and sighs "-you three all right?"

[mrsarcastic003]

"I feel a little bit like I came out worse in a fight with a steamroller," Tim admits. "And you, Ms. Murphy? Did you find your sleep restful?" He gives her a wry grin.

[whateverthemess]

She snorts. "I did think you looked a little flat. I also think the turn-down service in this hotel leaves a lot to be desired."

Murphy eases to her feet, testing each limb with careful stretches to make sure everything's still more or less in proper shape. "We can move around, at least."

She frames her eyes with both hands and squints up at the little holes in the ceiling. "I'm glad you're okay," she says. A pause, and then, "Any idea where we are?"

[mrsarcastic003]

"I don't know. It's a vast improvement over my last accommodations." He motions to the collar. "I mean, this is still very 'Boy Submissive' but there were chains at the last place that gave me a definite 'Boy Bondage' look. Not really my style."

He glances up at the holes in the ceiling too, frowning slightly. "A theory, but it doesn't really make sense. That last place they kept us... There was sand coming down from those holes, sometimes, and the air was dry--very desert-like. So I'd guess... some kind of desert. Is there a desert in the Wood?"

[thatsortofaman]

"There's not," the Doctor mumbles, reaching up to rub at his temples without opening his eyes yet. "I've seen the maps, seen the whole Wood from above, and there's just... not."

His hand falls to the collar, and he grimaces before yanking his hand away from that quickly. He opens his eyes finally and glances around the room.

"Hello, Karrin," he says with a bright, only slightly forced smile. "Lovely to see you, and for once, I can assure you it's not my fault. Probably Kitsune..."

[gallantgoggles]

"There was a desert on the card the otter gave me," Takato says thoughtfully. "A city made of sand."

He felt a little awkward about joining in on the adult's conversation, but it didn't seem like there was much else he could do now. Without Guilmon he was useless.

[whateverthemess]

"Yeahuh. Whose maps?" Murphy raises her eyebrows, turning to Takato. She smiles at him, sitting herself back down so she won't be intimidating- not that someone of her height often seems it. "What card? I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

[gallantgoggles]

"My name is Takato." He fidgets slightly with his goggles in a nervous gesture.

"It was at the carnival. An otter gave me a card and asked me to give it to someone. It had a picture of two castles on it. one of them was made out of sand."

[thatsortofaman]

"Tempest's," the Doctor answers, and shoots Karrin a warning look. "Don't start." As if she could ever be convinced not to question everything he says.

He turns toward Takato, and frowns a little. The otter must be the one from the barracks, though it seems odd that she'd just give him anything when she's so possessive of her treasures. "Do you still have it? The card?"

[gallantgoggles]

"I think so. I mean, I haven't checked. But I couldn't find the person she wanted me to find, so I couldn't give it to them."

He reaches into the card-holder on his belt and starts thumbing through a thick deck of cards.

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim looks on with interest. He's never seen a map of the wood. It would... definitely be interesting to see where they are in relation to where they were. It will give him an idea of how long it will take to get back.