Through the Rabbit Hole [Action/Open]

[ascarletsecret]

Who: Ada Wong and whoever would like to join her.
Where: The Parlor.
When: Day 1, after noon.
What: Ada arrives and investigates her surroundings~
Warnings: None so far!

Comments

[knightmystere]

Leo had been wandering the manor ever since he'd parted with Nina and the strange man he'd met at the entrance. What world was this, where nobody seemed to know what beastmen were? It confused and disoriented him - and frankly, the odd stares he'd gotten from the few people he'd met so far hadn't helped one bit. Lost in thought, Leo wandered back to the entrance, hoping to examine the door again when he saw a woman in red.

Hoping not to startle her, he cleared his throat. "Hello," he began, somewhat awkwardly. "Are you lost as well?"

[ascarletsecret]

It took only two seconds for her to whirl around, gun snatched out of its holster from her thigh, and point the thing right at creature's face. Her expression never changed, but her heart had leapt into her throat as soon as he'd cleared his throat.

"Maybe," She replied easily enough, her casual tone not mirroring the way she held herself. She was ready to pull the trigger if he tried anything funny--what was he? The horn, the ears, his face. Not human. Intelligent, clearly, but not human.

Suddenly, her arm dropped, but just because the gun was no longer pointed at the beast man didn't mean that he was out of the woods yet. "You startled me," As though she couldn't be blamed for her reactions, but she wasn't about to let him jump in with any sort of apology are protest.

"I'm assuming you don't know where we are."

[knightmystere]

Leo instantly drew his sword when the woman pointed what was clearly meant to be a weapon of some kind at him, sharp fangs baring themselves in warning. He held back, however, realizing he must surely have startled her, and his gaze made it clear that he would only attack her if he needed to. Luckily, he didn't, and his sword was lowered once she relaxed a bit.

"My apologies," he replied with a courteous nod, the apology being meant for startling her as well as the answer he was about to give. "I'm afraid I woke up here. I have little knowledge of where we are, and no knowledge as to why." Another pause, and he sheathed his sword as a gesture of peace. "My name is Leo."

[ascarletsecret]

Nice teeth. She paid the sword a moment's notice, studying its build before her eyes flicked right back up to his again. His name earned a smile at least, though she was more amused with the irony of the situation. Leo, huh? Just like a lion. Someone wasn't very creative.

"I'm Ada. I certainly didn't wake up here..." No, far from it. "I was walking," And she started to move away from Leo a little, trailing her fingers over the marker-scrawled message on the table. "And then, here I was."

[knightmystere]

Leo's blade was a bastard sword, crafted carefully from some of the finest artisans in Lunar. He'd chosen it with care, shortly before the final battle against Zophar, and it had stayed with him ever since and served him well. The beastman raised an eyebrow at Ada, wondering what was so amusing, though he declined to ask.

"Strange. It seems that nobody here knows where we are," replied Leo thoughtfully, bringing a hand up to his chin. "Furthermore, it looks like those of us brought here are from different worlds." But why? What would be the purpose of such a thing. And how could it even be possible?

[ascarletsecret]

"I'm not surprised, if everyone arrived like we did," She quietly folded her arms for a moment, the handgun still dangling from one hand. "I don't think you'll find any answers just by asking, though. How much of this place have you checked out?"

Information, after all, was going to be the key. If she could find out who was in charge and why... Her instincts were telling her this went beyond Los Illuminados. "A window would be handy, for starters."

[knightmystere]

Leo shifted his weight, more at ease now that Ada didn't seem ready to make an attempt on his life any time soon. :I believe I have explored as much of the manor as is possible at the moment," he replied. "Some places remain locked, or otherwise inaccessible."

He sighed. "The windows tell us little, if anything." He'd cleaned off a few panes himself earlier, in an attempt to get some idea of their surroundings, but to be honest, he hadn't learned anything from it. "I'm afraid there's no sign or where we are so far, or why."

[ascarletsecret]

"You try to break down the doors, or escape through said windows?" Please say he had. With his build and that blade, well, no door should be able to stand up to it. In theory, anyway. The woman clicked her tongue a moment, thinking.

No use standing around, she supposed. "Looks like this room has been through some trouble. You hear anything?" One hand absently gestured to the message still scrawled on the table, a brow arching. Someone, she wasn't best pleased at the thought of someone expecting them.

[knightmystere]

"I have. I was unable to so much as scratch them." It was disconcerting for Leo, with his strength, to not be able to even put a dent in anything in this strange place. His ears twitched in irritation as he approached the table, mouthing the word "Welcome" as he read it.

"I heard chimes," he offered. "And after them, the sound of laughter. I wasn't able to trace it." He winced slightly, the brighter light getting to him, not to mention the strange sound he kept hearing. And there was the feeling of being watched, of someone lurking just in the corner of his vision, though he could never catch more than a flash of someone. He chose not to mention that, however, wondering if it wasn't merely the result of hitting his head earlier. Shaking his head as though it would clear it of the slight headache he was developing, he continued. "Every door I could see opened and shut, and there were footprints in the dust which hadn't been there before. I couldn't manage to find the source."

[ascarletsecret]

She was quiet for a time, her head tilted just so as she listened. The doors... well, she wasn't sure if she bought it. Chimes, laughter, footsteps? Her finger tapped a few times against her elbow, an unconscious gesture. Surely he wasn't suggesting that-- "You think this place is haunted?" Ada sounded amused, her lips curling just so.

"I don't believe in ghost stories. There must be someone behind this." It just came down to who, and why. "Am I the first person you've found here?" Next order of business, get. She didn't want to waste time on half-hearted assumptions.

[knightmystere]

Leo merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I that," he replied, skepticism showing itself in his voice. Never mind the fact that he'd faced ghosts in combat before, none of them had done things like this. "But something strange is definitely happening, as if it weren't obvious enough. I mean to find out what it is."

"Regardless of whether you believe or not, I'm unwilling to rule anything out. I've seen many things in my days of travel, and still more before I began wandering." He shook his head. "I have met a little girl named Nina and a man named Hypnos. Hypnos mentioned having met others, as well. It would appear this place has many who have found themselves here, for one reason or another."

[ascarletsecret]

"Mm. We'll see." Was all the woman said in reply, dismissive without being quite so blunt. If he wanted to play hero, she'd let him. The hero types... they always managed to rally others behind them, somehow. She preferred to travel without anyone else weighing her down. Liabilities became tricky.

"Why us? We have no connections, no similarities. Why bring children here?" She was speaking aloud for his benefit, but didn't truly expect an answer.

Whoops, meant of that, not I that! /fails

[knightmystere]

Leo nodded, pushing those thoughts from his head - there was no use for that line of conversation with someone who was obviously not one to discuss it, especially when he lacked proof of whatever was going on here. There was no point in pressing on, much less arguing.

"I'm certain whoever brought us here has a reason for it," he replied, "just as I'm sure we'll find out. For now, all we can do is get our bearings and learn what we can on our own." It was just a matter of time before something happened; the only question was when it would.

No problem! <3

[ascarletsecret]

"So that means that you need to stay prepared," It could have almost been a bit of advice, coming from her. "I wouldn't recommend trusting everyone so easily, either. For all we know, the real person behind this might be pretending to be brought here, too."

She didn't think this Leo guy meant any harm, but she'd keep an eye on him, too.

[knightmystere]

That went without saying. Leo raised an eyebrow at Ada, listening. "Perhaps," he agreed. "But if someone is in trouble, I must help them. It's the least I can do." Besides, in a place like this, wouldn't it be better to form a united front, the better to face off against threats? Perhaps that was only Hiro's influence on him, or his own experience in Althena's Guard, but he would stand by it, at least until it was proven he needed to do otherwise.

[ascarletsecret]

"Unless it's a trap," She just shook her head. There was no point in arguing--they were going to go their separate ways sooner than later. First and foremost, she had to worry about herself.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Leo," Ada gave him a small nod of acknowledgement, and if he had nothing more to say, would slip past him and out the door. If he went and checked the hallway for her, she'd already be gone without a trace.