INTRO.

[ultrapenumbramods]

You wake up feeling like you’ve had a rough night’s sleep… maybe a bit jet-lagged, if you’re familiar with the feeling, or perhaps like you, uh, had a little too much to drink last night. Either way, you’re probably not expecting to wake up in a forest clearing, so that might be even more disorienting. It’s not an unpleasant place to wake up, mind. It’s sunny, and there’s a pleasantly cool breeze blowing through. The grass isn’t tall enough that you could get lost in it or that someone could be hiding in it… or something.

There are, in fact, a lot of somethings surrounding you--a veritable menagerie of creatures, some of them adorable, and some of them intimidating… but they seem to be as disoriented as you are. And then, well… you realize something’s a little off about yourself. There’s no pond to look at your new appearance, but… maybe the ground’s a little closer. Maybe you don’t actually have arms and legs at the moment. Maybe you don’t have eyes anymore?

Regardless, something’s definitely up. Fortunately, there’s a path leading out of the clearing, so once you get your bearings and speak with some of the other weird critters you’ve woken up with, you can find… somewhere you can get answers. Well, hopefully, anyway.

Comments

[promiselisting]

[ She really, really doesn't want to get up. Never does, but, y'know. But boy is she feeling weird and then again she's never really fallen asleep in the back of a moving van before? So that's probably it. But the sounds around her are weird too and so she finally gives up on sleep for now, opens her eyes and-

Um.

Well. She screams. Immediately. And then looks down at herself and screams again because that is not what hands are supposed to look like. And then she rockets towards the edge of the clearing. There's not enough there to hide in but she still tries her best, ducking low to the ground behind a tree. ]

Wh-what is this? Who are all you? This better not be some kind of trick!

[ Angry as her voice sounds, it'd work a lot better if it weren't obviously shaking. God please let one of the others be able to hear her? ]

[moonfang]

Trick? [there's a weird metal creature sitting against one of the trees near the edge of the clearing, both bladed arms behind its head.] Nope. Just a really weird dream! I'm waitin' to wake up!

[promiselisting]

[ That is not one of the others. With a yelp, Futaba quickly scoots around, until the tree is between her and this stranger. ]

N-no way! I'm the one who fell asleep, and I'm pretty sure I'd know if this was a dream!

[ She'd like to think that by now she has a pretty good grasp of what her subconscious is likely to come up with. ]

[moonfang]

Bullshit! This has GOT to be a dream, because none'a you are Ichigo or the Old Man, and those are the only people who live where I live! So either I've been separated from my master... or I'm dreaming! [he huffs, like it's obvious] So it MUST be a dream. My dream! Now get.

[promiselisting]

[ RUDE.... ]

I can't just leave just because I want to! Otherwise I wouldn't even be here!

[ She'd much rather be back in the bus with all of the others, please and thank you. And even if she thought this was a dream, she. Can't exactly pinch herself like this. ]

[moonfang]

Ugh! So what, is this some sort of shared hallucination? A group dream? [he throws his little arms up] No one has any answers!!

[promiselisting]

I don't know, I don't have them either, s-so stop yelling at me!

[ She. She probably should try to slow down, before the anger she's using to cover her panic loops back around into actual panic again.

God she wishes the others were here. How does she manage this by herself again? ]

[moonfang]

I'm not yelling at you!! I'm just... I'm just yelling because I'm frustrated!! ... Ughh... I guess it ain't helpin' any...

[grantmeamiracle]

[Oh... oh dear.]

If it's a trick, I think whoever set it up got all of us...

[promiselisting]

[ That's... not entirely reassuring. ]

All of us? Wh-where are my friends then?

[ That's the first place her mind jumps to when 'us' is mentioned, though she'll kick herself for it later. ]

[grantmeamiracle]

I-I don't know... I'm not sure where my friends are either.

[But surely they're fine! She... hopes...]

Everyone else I've talked to is just as confused by what's going on...

[promiselisting]

[ Okay... now she's starting grasp things a little bit better now. Helps that her conversation partner seems pretty nervous too. Hm... ]

So... so what, we all just got.... brought here, somehow? Like to a different world or dimension or something?

[ ... ]

Sounds like something out of a TV show.

[grantmeamiracle]

It seems the likeliest answer that I can come up with...

[And, like, there are worse alternatives... right?]

Especially with the transforming...

[promiselisting]

Y-yeah, no joke there...

[ She takes a moment to examine what she can see of her own form again. Vaaaaguely humanish? Though only vaguely. And she's definitely floating now. ]

Just.. what are we even supposed to be?

[betheman]

A...Aaauuh.... [Gongenzaka is not a very calm...Stufful. He is not calm at all.

But he is trying.] S...Should I, the man Gongenzaka, not ask the same of you perhaps..? [He manages, sounding very much like an elder from a period drama.]

[promiselisting]

[ Any other time that probably would have startled a laugh out of her, and maybe a teasing jibe. But right now she's still a little too wound up. Not the picture of a composed, mysterious Elgyem at all. ]

H-how should I know!? I'm the one who just woke up here!

[ Like. About 60 seconds ago. Rudest wake-up she can ever remember. ]

[betheman]

AUH...I....It is only a hope, after all..!! I, the man Gongenzaka, only just awoke as well...as have others so far, so...!

[So...! ...Bah! He doesn't know what to do with this!]

[promiselisting]

[ Neither does she, really, although she's able to pick up at least something from what he's saying. Well, maybe more than one something, but, but all those parts amount to... mostly the same thing, in the end. ]

So we're all like this? Is that what you're saying?

[betheman]

Auh....it would seem so, yes... [He grimaces as he admits this.]

...As to why however...we are all equally as lost...

[onetwoboom]

[There’s nothing like someone being way more visibly terrified than you To instill confidence, and so Gaige approaches the tree like she’s just having a grand old time.]

To answer your first question: no idea. Current running theories are a collective hallucination-slash-fever dream, an alternate universe, orrrr we’re all dead.

[Reassuring!]

Second question: name’s Gaige. Not really about the whole tricking thing, isn’t really my style - at least not like this.

[There’s a difference between pranking your best friends and causing mass hysteria.]

Who’re you?

[promiselisting]

[ Well, something in the confidence at least is... honestly reassuring? At least it's something a lot more steady than... a lot of things. Including her own legs. Or lack thereof.

The question is easy enough too, and if they're all trapped here, then... might as well. ]

F-Futaba Sakura.

[onetwoboom]

Nice to meet you, Futaba.

[She'd offer a hand or something, but she doesn't...have those. She settles for waving.]

You wanna come out from there?

[promiselisting]

[ No, actually. She's. Quite comfy here scrunched down against the grass behind a tree in some world she knows pretty much nothing about- okay no not really. But it's comparatively quiet here. And so Futaba gives her a... well, it'd be a dubious look, but it's probably hard to read like this. ]

There's people out there.

[ Strange people. ]

[onetwoboom]

Well, yeah.

[She gives a shrug.]

But I’m out here too. And if anyone tries anything, I’ll kick their butt!

[She sparks a little to demonstrate. She’s...admittedly not sure how strong she is like this, but there’s something to be said for determination.]

[promiselisting]

[ That might be a tiny bit more impressive if Rotom were actually bigger than Elgyem but well. Even so Futaba knows better than to entirely judge by size. Haru being a perfect example. And herself.

That being said, she has... no idea who you are, Gaige, besides the name. You're not one of her teammates and you're definitely not her key item. But. The confidence is still relatively reassuring. Maybe instead of a key item Gaige is like one of those... temporary items you get that helps you get through that one dungeon? The snorkel that lets you do the water level or the torch that lets you get through the pitch black place.

Yeah. Yeah she'll go with that.

Slooooowly she inches out. Slower than she means to actually. And then she has to kind of push herself in little scoots because moving is tricky when you're not used to floating.

Still though, finally she ends up out from behind the tree and next to Gaige, arms held out stiffly like she's on a balance beam. LOOK SHE DID A THING, PRAISE HER. ]