video & text; un: majortom

[winscenario]

[ The video starts without words, or introductions. What people can see of it, Jim is in a dark room, cold and almost cavernous, no windows to let any light in. Paint is peeling off the walls, and furniture is scant, what little of it is there falling apart and thrown across the dark, blood-stained floor. There are chains, needles and ropes surrounding a table in the middle of the room, but none of it is quite as scary as the figure lying down across the tabletop, seeming like a human strapped to the table. It's eerily still now, but from the wild look in Finn's eyes, standing some good feet away from the table, that probably wasn't always the case. ]

We can't get it out of here, are you insane?! We can't—

[ Finn's voice is quiet but panicked, and silenced by Spock's swift and quiet interruption. ]

We will need to be swift and careful if we do not wish to be seen. It will not be long before someone comes back—

[ And there is Finn's voice, panicking yet again. ] Are you crazy?! No, I— no!

Captain, [ Spock interrupts again. ] I suggest that we do this now, if we do not wish to be discovered.

[ Jim huffs from behind the camera, taking a deep breath. ]

Alright. Let's get to it.

[ Finn's eyes widen impossibly, seen even in the dark of the room, but before he gets to say anything, the feed cuts.

Along with the video shared, there is also a text post. ]

This is a room in the Remembrance headquarters. It's kept locked at all times, with strange noises coming from it on occasion, and we decided to investigate. We had the key all along to open it, thanks to the work of another group among our own.

This what it looked like on the inside. We didn't have a lot of time to explore, but there was definitely something wrong in there. Blood, signs of torture, a broken dollhouse. An overall sense of stillness and dread.

The mannequin on the table was moving, before I shot that video. It tried to grab our throats as we picked it up. We brought it with us anyway, but we have it locked up in a room right now. It's not moving for the time being. We're not sure how to proceed from here on out, so I'll take any suggestions.

I also got my hands on a music box. The song from it was warped, and the room itself reacted strangely to it. Finn could sense something strange from it. If anyone here is sensitive to supernatural things, I could show you. It might prove useful.

We didn't have a lot of time to explore the room otherwise. A few minutes in there at best, but we didn't want to get caught, and we really wanted to get those things out of there. So we kind of had to rush. If anyone else is able to get in there and have a better look, explore more of it, I think we might be onto something.

Study the walls. there was something wrong with them.

Comments

un: mccoy; voice

[biomed]

I still can't believe you kept it.

( That's it, that's his contribution. Not like he put up much of a fight when push came to shove, but. Details. )

[winscenario]

I told you, it was moving and struggling. It might be alive in its own way. I couldn't just leave it there.

[ He's not particularly comfortable with it locked up in a room so close to them, but— well, what's done is done. Anyway. ]

How are you feeling?

[biomed]

I know, I know.

( it's a mild kind of acknowledgement, not placating, but not not tweaking him a bit, either. old habit, etc.

have a non-answer: )

Uneasy.

[winscenario]

[ There's a soft breath, not quite a sigh, a silence that lasts a few seconds. ]

That's not really much of an answer, Bones.

[ And definitely not what he was asking for. ]

text; un: Black Prince

[blackscales]

I'm glad to see the key lead somewhere interesting. Although curious why Arabella had it, if it lead there.

I can hazard some guesses, but the pieces don't quite complete a full picture yet. We're missing some pieces, some motivations.

As to your box, I am happy to take a look. I admit, I am curious.

[winscenario]

There's a lot we don't know yet, not just about the main players but about this place as a whole. It might take us a while to understand what's going on here.

You can have a look at it, if you want. The music doesn't really sound right, but I think it might just be a mechanical issue.

[blackscales]

If there's something to unusual to be sensed I may be able to pinpoint it. Mechanical issues I can have a look at too, although I am no expert on music boxes -- so if it's a more complex malfunction you may need someone else.

I admit, I am curious to see your mannequin too. I have some working theories, on how this all pieces together, and evidence may help help see if I'm in the right area.

[winscenario]

I know plenty of technological-savvy people, myself included. But have a look at it anyway, you might be able to sense something. If not, we can try to fix it.

You're welcome to have a look at it. I'd still advise caution, just in case it might come to life again. But I'll be there with you, if it helps.

un: absterge

[downswing]

The puppet. If I may.

[winscenario]

You can have a look at it whenever you want, but we are keeping it in Minaras. I don't know which side of the Citadel you're on right now.

[downswing]

Minaras suffices.

[winscenario]

Alright. Are you free now? I can send you the location.

text | un: dollhouse

[thedreamer]

[ The Doctor is...well, a bit unique, so while most people would be understandably unsettled, possibly even afraid by what's been shown, he is in fact, ever more intrigued. He doesn't tend to feel fear very often, he's more just interested in figuring out what's going on, and how to ultimately help...well, everyone. ]

Well done, the lot of you. This is going to be extraordinarily helpful. You said there's something wrong with the walls, what do you mean?

[ Obviously they couldn't be there long enough to learn much, he realizes, but any little bit is helpful. ]

[winscenario]

I'm not sure about helpful yet, but we'll see. I hope so.

It's difficult to explain, but when the song from the music box played, the walls shifted. They didn't look solid anymore, closer to something alive and moving, twisting and morphing. We didn't get to study them further, as we needed to leave before anyone found us there.

[thedreamer]

Drawn to the music. Controlled by it, perhaps. Or - lured by it, connected to it. What you've found and uncovered, well, it may not be the answer to everything we need to know, but it's more than we knew yesterday! In that sense, we're moving a step ahead. Slowly.

Are you planning to try and get back there at all yourself?

[winscenario]

I'd say there was definitely a connection. I don't know if it was the music itself or the sound frequency, but there was some kind of reaction that was, for lack of a better word to describe it, almost biological. It moved like skin.

[ He really doesn't know how else to describe it, and at that point he wasn't able to record much of anything, as they were about to be caught. ]

I don't know. I'm worried we might have drawn some attention after what we did, so I think it's best we sit back for a little while. I would like to see that room again, but not at the risk of our group being found out. So maybe I could give the chance to another group who might explore the room in a different way.

un: civil serpent | text.

[inferus]

That would explain why the door was unlocked when we made our way to the room. Thank you for that. It made access far easier.

What do you intend to do with the mannequin?

[winscenario]

We didn't think that through clearly, I'll admit. We left it unlocked by accident, and I was honestly worried that they'd suspect something was going on after all.

I don't know yet. It hasn't moved since, but it seemed to be alive in some way, back there. So I wonder if it's in some kind of stasis, or if whatever was animating it was just magical.

Did you uncover anything else of interest in there?

[inferus]

I examined the door. I do not believe it could be locked again even with the use of the key. They would have found out regardless. We simply had good timing, and I imagine went in shortly after you had left.

In my experience, they did not feel alive when they were burlap, but did feel that way when their skin became more human like and features more defined. They clearly have some life to them regardless even in their half formed state, but it's a twisted, ugly thing. You would need more dark water if you wanted to complete what was started.

More phrases like the one that activated Arabella. The room itself shifted further. The walls were like that of an organ. The mannequins were attempting to push through from the other side. Sometimes they read as being... human.

un: ut malum pluvia | text

[somebadnews]

[ Five could pretend that there's something other than the mannequin he's focused in on, but it's the first thing that gets his attention. He's stuck on it for a while before he takes in the rest.

He doesn't know if he should be impressed that they broke into a haunted room and thought to steal whatever they could carry out. Including the mannequin. More to the point: ]

Let me guess, you stole some magic items and no one's asked you to ward them away yet?

[winscenario]

[ There was a whole set of risky decisions involved in their little adventure, but honestly, Jim's not sorry they took both those things. It may yet bite them in the ass, but so far so good. ]

Neither of these things have presented a risk yet. The music box seems to have only a mechanical issue that we can fix more or less easily, and the mannequin hasn't moved since we got it out of that room.

[somebadnews]

[ Five is more annoyed at the double standard. He can guarantee if it'd been him who took those items, he'd be getting nothing but grief about it. ...And yes, he still would have done the same thing, and just not announced it out of spite.

He also doesn't feel comfortable with them locking up a mannequin. Of all the things. ]

You took it because you felt sorry for it?

text. un: nah

[growlies]

Is Finn okay? ( she knows him from her arrival to this place - the small group that made their way through the Mouse House and secured passage for the others. ) Also, I'm impressed you went through a freaky horror show and decided to grab some souvenirs.

If your mannequin starts moving later, maybe I could meet them? I might be able to figure out some stuff. ( see if they have an aura/soul. )

[winscenario]

He's fine, really. He was just a little weirded out for a bit, but he's perfectly alright.

[ Just freaking out on occasion, so nothing out of the ordinary. ]

I'm not sure I'd want it to start moving again, but if it does, I can let you know. I might need some help if that happens, actually.

[growlies]

Cool. Glad to hear it. To be fair, it'd be weirder if someone wasn't weirded out by all of that. Can't say I've ever seen something so Stephen-King-y before. Real good job just jumping in, grabbing shit, and leaving before things could really blow up.

Yeah, for sure. I think all of our preference should be for the mannequin burlap doll to stay very much an inanimate object, but in case it doesn't...