忘れない, 忘れない

pinchings:

[Madotsuki found she could breathe a little easier with the extra room created between them. Thankfully the lady had recognized her need for personal space. Or maybe she just got lucky, who knows. Her eyes stayed glued to the ground as the white-haired woman relayed her status report. Not even when she affirmed that she was ok did Madotsuki make any notion to her existence.

Okay. She was okay. That’s all she needed to hear. But then she kept on talking.]

[Parents.. parents. What were those again? It had been so long since she had even thought of them. Days of spending time with the family were nonexistent in her memory. In fact she couldn’t quite remember anything since the sweet serenity of sleep had taken control of her life.

A moment of silence passed as the word rolled around in her mind and she picked her head up to stare at the woman’s face.]

…You need a shower. 

[Without another word Madotsuki picked herself up and walked around and beyond the woman. The villages were this way, weren’t they?]

IA couldn’t help but be a bit concerned by the girl’s lack of eye contact, staring at her with an expression of worry to try and get her attention somehow. When it didn’t work, and the girl seemed to be pondering her question, her cerulean gaze fell to the ground, disappointed and embarrassed at herself that she was unworthy even of a little girl’s attention.

She perked up briefly when Madotsuki spoke, hopeful, but it fell again as the girl continued to dismiss her question and walked right past her. Still, knowing she couldn’t leave a little miss alone with no adult figure, IA got up and jogged for a second to catch up to her. 

“Ah! Alright then…”

The young singer wasn’t so enthusiastic in her steps, though, once she begun to take a look around. Destruction littered every inch of the dirt beneath their feet, and the sky was gray, conveying further unrest in the area that surrounded her. With every piece of rubble, she began to feel uneasy, walking increasingly slower behind Madotsuki and glancing around every which was as if she felt unsafe. 

“Are you sure we have to leave? M…Maybe we should go back where you found me, it’d be safer in there…”

imnotamoron:

Wheatley took notice of her sheepish state. It was odd to him, how humans clearly displayed their embarrassment. Slightly flushed cheeks, a nervous smile; it was all seen on IA’s face. If he were human, he would make sure to keep these habits in check; he would not want another person to see him as weak.

He was a bit surprised to hear her mention that she was a singer. He had never met a singer before, only test subjects. The closest thing he had ever heard to singing was the shrill voice of the turrets. His optic flickered around in its socket before refocusing on IA.

“I’ve never heard anyone sing before, really. Perhaps you could give me a, uh, a demonstration. I’m sure you sing just fine—perfect, actually. You are a singer, after all.”

IA watched as the robot’s eye gazed around thoughtfully, wondering what he was thinking about. Being only a little metal sphere, it was hard to tell what he was feeling without proper means to express emotions—outwardly, anyways.

When he asked her to sing for him, she immediately smiled and hopped a bit in her excitement. She would often get stopped by her fans when she was in public, and got requested to sing a little bit for them. She would happily oblige; anything to make her fans happy. Plus, her arm was beginning to get tired from carrying all of those bottles of water. 

“Oh—sure! I’d be happy to.”

Glancing around, she soon realized that she was in luck. There was a little abandoned house to her left, which was for the most part intact. There were shut-able doors, at least, which was all IA cared about—protection while she sang, completely vulnerable while she did so. She shuffled through the door and closed it behind her with a few fingers from the hand holding Wheatley, walking to the wall where the floor was most cleared of rubbish. The young singer kneeled down, setting Wheatley and the water down. She then sat up straight against the wall directly across from the small robot, not slouching at all—any good singer knew not to obstruct one’s diaphragm while singing. She took a deep breath. 

“Okay, u-um…”

[ We watched the fading vapor trails

They were so dazzling, I ran away

I was always weak

I let go, frustrated by the fact

That I couldn’t change myself since that day

I could not stay unchanged forever… ♫ ]

IA, who had closed her eyes once she had begun singing, opened them slightly to survey Wheatley’s reaction, slightly anxious, like she always was when anticipating outside opinions on her voice. 

“Should I keep going?”

[[ final exams are officially done!

i’ll be getting to IA and Sasha’s replies now shortly, thank you all for your patience! ]]

imnotamoron:

Lifted from the ground once more, Wheatley felt relief as they began to move. He was not entirely sure where IA was taking him, but at this point it did not matter. IA seemed to be someone he could trust; he could not imagine the soft-spoken girl suddenly throwing him into danger. His only worry now was that they arrived safely to their destination, where ever that was.

Wheatley perked up a bit at her question. He enjoyed conversation, which he rarely received in the Aperture Laboratories, and definitely not in space.

“Well, there’s this place called Aperture Laboratories, I’m sure you’ve heard of it,” he wiggled his handles a bit, as if making an effort to nod. “I worked there until I was, uh, kicked out. Into space, actually. It’s kind of a, um, long story.” 

He was not in the mood to extrapolate about his previous experiences. It would most likely result in some form of self-reflection or regret, which he wasn’t keen on feeling at the moment. He had enough time to think about his mistakes while he was in space. Instead, Wheatley looked up at IA curiously, switching the focus to her.

“Might I ask what, um, band you sing for? Since you are a singer and all. I’m pretty sure that most singers are in bands.”

IA noted how he perked up whenever she initiated conversation instead of him, which confirmed her earlier theory that Wheatley enjoyed being talked to. Smiling down at him, she immediately knew she would rarely have a problem with that at all. As the small robot continued to talk, though, she frowned, becoming concerned.

“Ah, I’ve actually never heard of that place before, but…” The young singer cut off with a small noise of surprise as Wheatley interrupted her, changing the subject. She was going to ask why he had been kicked out, into space, for that matter, and was a bit worried about him now, wondering what kind of toll it took on him to be floating aimlessly in space, like he had just said, for who knows how long. Shaking her head to get back on track, IA answered Wheatley’s question with much more ease.

“Oh, well, I perform as a solo singer, actually. I tend to be very popular with the younger audiences, ehe.” The young woman laughed a bit nervously; talking about her celebrity status always made her a bit embarrassed. 

imnotamoron:

Wheatley’s optic shrank to a pinpoint as IA’s grip loosened, crying out as he fell. His scream was cut off swiftly as IA regained her grip on him.

“Oh-oh goodness! I thought that I was going to die,” Wheatley wheezed, slowly regaining his composure.

He was set gently onto the ground, which assisted him in relaxing a bit more. IA’s sweet nature had a soothing quality to it; it was something that Chell—and definitely not GLaDOS—possessed. He watched her regather her water bottles under her arm, and felt a bit ashamed that he could not assist her. He merely sat uselessly, only able to chat with her, and he was not entirely sure that she enjoyed that. If only had some arms or legs, something that he could use to help her out.

However, once she asked him for his name, he felt a bit more relieved. Perhaps she did not mind idle chatter; she might even enjoy it. His blue optic glowed in an almost blissful manner.

“The name’s Wheatley, mate,” he said before inquiring, “Might I ask what yours is?”

IA took notice of his enthusiastic response. It was beginning to occur to her that Wheatley was quite talkative, and liked when people returned the idle chatter, which she was fine with—she didn’t like awkward silences, much preferring the quiet be filled somehow. She flashed a tiny, sweet smile at the robot, stuffing the last water bottle under her arm.

“Wheatley… that’s a nice name.” Giggling a little bit, the young singer turned her body towards him and patted his head a few times. “You can call me IA. That’s my stage name, anyways. I-I’m a singer, ehehe…”

After the short exchange, IA moved her arm slightly to make sure the bottles were snug and would not dislodged easily. When that was made secure, she curled her tiny, frail-looking hand around Wheatley’s topmost handle, lifting him up from the ground without much trouble—he was lighter than he looked. Remembering from earlier that the robot preferred conversation, IA began making small talk with him, skipping cheerfully in her steps.

“So, where did you come from, Wheatley?”

imnotamoron:

IA’s sudden display of affection surprised Wheatley, causing his ‘pupil’ to shrink to a pinpoint. He had seen many companion cubes snuggled viciously by socially deprived test subjects, who longed for the touch of another person. However, this was different; IA appeared to be in perfect mental health. Wheatley’s optical dilated, relaxing as he realized that he was not in the arms of a deranged human; he was only the arms of a very affectionate one.

One particular thing that Wheatley noticed about IA was her grip. Unlike others who had held him before, the girl grasped him lightly, squeezing him only if in an embrace. Most who had previously possessed him knew that he was constructed of sturdy materials, and clenched him tightly in their hands. Though Wheatley usually felt anxious when not held firmly enough, there was some sense of security in IA’s delicate clutch.

“I have been called many things, but ‘cute’ is a new one. I do prefer ‘extremely intellectual being’, but cute will do,” he narrowed his shutters, his optic gazing sideways at IA. “But, um, I remember you saying that you were going to hold me by my handles. So, unless you are holding me with your cheek, you might want to hold me differently. Unless, you know, you don’t want water anymore. Which is fine. Up to you, mate.”

IA, too preoccupied with squeezing him affectionately to see his initial panic, didn’t even let up as Wheatley started talking, but nearly dropped him in realization as he brought the water to her attention once again, catching him from her little slip up, this time by his handle.

“Oh! Right, the water!”

Kneeling down, the young singer seated Wheatley carefully on the ground, positioned so that he wouldn’t roll, and began gathering the scattered bottles, picking them up one by one and depositing them under her right arm. As she worked at retrieving them, though, she felt like she should say something to this new robot—her new friend—for his constant rambling was contagious; now she, too, felt the need to fill the silence.

“Do you have a name, Mr. Robot?”

imnotamoron:

A rush of euphoria filled the spherical robot. He felt so light, so free now that he had been lifted off the ground. Despite IA’s delicate appearance, she managed to keep a tight, reassuring grip on him. He nuzzled himself cozily into the nook of her arm, glancing up at her with his wide blue iris. As she walked towards the water bottles, the robot began to ramble, a habit that he displayed quite often.

“Going back where? You mean that you, um, live here? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a uh, quaint place, very nice. Just not my sort of neighborhood. Not too many friendly neighbors, if you ask me.”

After she reached the fallen water bottles, Wheatley noticed her gaze flickering from the mess to him. He recognized this look; it was the same kind of glance that Chell made as she solved the tests at the Aperture Laboratories. She would construct some sort of plan with a few simple glances. A few water bottles did not create a difficult puzzle for IA, but Wheatley could not help but remember his old friend’s mannerisms.

The girl placed her hand lightly onto one of his handles, explaining her predicament to him. Her preposition to his handles as, well, handles, surprised him.

“So that’s what those are for? I always wondered why I had them. Seemed pretty useless to me, having those and not legs.” Wheatley swiftly answered her question, “And of course you can. They’ve only been used like this once before. In space, actually, so I can assure you that they are sturdy.”

“Ah! I don’t live here, goodness no! I’m not quite sure how I ended up here, but I know that I don’t like it one bit…”

The whole time Wheatley had been talking—rambling was a better word, frankly—she had noticed how his slight English accent became apparent, and IA looked down, a bit surprised as the small robot shifted in her arms, nuzzling up against her. It was…

A wide, endeared smile spread across the young singer’s face, pausing after the robot’s approval at using his handles. Propping up the robot with her arms, she pressed the side of her face against Wheatley’s metal body, squishing it against him while squeezing him tightly in the process like a big, robotic stuffed animal.

“Uuu~ You’re so cute~” She squeezed him as hard as she could to drive the point home. IA had completely forgotten about the bottles for now, and at this rate it looked like she would need to be reminded of them for her to let up on smothering Wheatley like he was some sort of cute house pet.

mama-meiko:

It’s been another long day, considering that Meiko had done absolutely nothing productive. While many citizens of this odd city were out scavenging and surviving to put food on the table, the performer decided to walk around a few blocks, making a mental map as to the layout of the place. If things ever went to hell, which they probably would in the near future, she’d have to have an escape route planned, or at least an area of high ground.

Course, she’d been walking for only a few minutes when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. That usually meant that there was someone new around, and that also meant having to take time out to show them the ropes and help them not get killed out there. The brunette turned around reluctantly, ready to read off the same script again.

“Sheesh. Market’s that way, bathroom’s are over there, n’ I have no idea where th’ hell…”

“…I seen ya’ before, kid? Ya’ look pretty damn familiar ta’ me.”

IA grew disheartened as Meiko spoke coldly back to her, relaying some useful information to her as if she was the tenth person to approach her today. Gaining the look of a sad puppy dog, she had already formed an apology in her head when the red-clad woman spoke again, this time with interest and meaning. The young singer brightened up instantly, still looking a bit shy and anxious. What if Meiko didn’t remember her…?

“Ah, I-I believe you have…! We were in the singing industry together, I recall seeing you in passing sometimes in the studios… remember?”

imnotamoron:

It had been a long time since Wheatley had made contact with another living thing; besides the monsters that roamed here, of course. The last person who had touched him was…

Don’t think of her, don’t think of her, don’t think of her.

However, it was impossible to avoid the thought of Chell, his only friend; the one that he had inevitably betrayed. Obviously, IA had very little in common with Chell. IA was a delicate sort of a woman, her skin appearing softer with some sort of natural luminescence; Chell was a more rugged woman, built on muscle and strength. The one thing that the two shared in common was their sympathy for Wheatley. Chell could have just as easily left Wheatley behind, as IA could have scampered away with her collection of water bottles, never to be seen again.

Wheatley managed to blink away the memory, though it still lurked in the back of his mind. He preferred not to make the same mistake that he had made with Chell. If IA was to become a friend of his, he did not want the hunger for power to push her out of his priorities. His blue eye shifted around in its socket as he remembered just what he had called IA over here to do.

“Ah, yes, help. Almost forgot about that,” he chuckled nervously as his shutters closed slightly, barely covering his blue iris. “Well, I was hoping that you could, quite possibly, carry me to wherever you were going. Because you seem like a smart person, who would know a smart place to hide. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of being thrown about all day.” 

IA noticed Wheatley’s pause and tilted her head slightly, wondering if he was thinking about something, or if there was some sort of bug in his system. He did eventually respond, though, and the young singer perked up a bit, excited at the idea of helping this adorable little robot.

“Ah, that would be no problem! I was just on my way back, actually.”

As she spoke, she began to make her way back to the water bottles she had dropped out of fright earlier, cradling Wheatley tightly in her arms, almost like a large teddy bear. When she reached the scattered pile of bottles, however, IA realized she had a bit of a dilemma; she couldn’t carry the bottles with Wheatley already occupying her entire armspace.

“Hmm…”

As she looked down at the small robot, she noticed two handle-like pieces protruding from him, noting that they would be easy to grip onto. Hatching an idea, IA tilted her head down to look at Wheatley, tenatively putting a hand on one of the parts.

“Um… would it be okay if I held you from these for now? S-So I can carry the water without having to leave you here…?”

pinchings:

[ Dust sprinkled the air and tickled Madotsuki’s face. She had to take a step back and cough while it settled around her. When her eyes opened back up a shadow filled her vision and Madotsuki had to blink a few times before she could get a clear picture. ]

[ A woman, dressed in an unusual outfit not unlike something Britney Spears would have adorned in her teen years, was kneeling down with her face a few inches from her own. Her long light hair messily sprawled around her dusty, trembling form. There was no mistaking that this was who was trapped inside that enclosure. Almost instinctively Madotsuki’s hand rose to pinch at her own cheek, feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety to meet the person inside.

But it quickly dropped as she recollected her previous thoughts. You can’t wake up, remember that. The petite brunette nodded swiftly as she took a step back to create a little distance in between them. The lady seemed harmless enough, but one could never judge a book by its cover, no matter how benevolent they appeared. ]

Yes.

[ Her fingers began to ache for the extra comfort of the kitchen blade, but she resisted the urge. This woman seemed shocked enough without being in the presence of a pointy weapon. Eyes cast down, Madotsuki spoke in a voice that barely preceded a whisper. ] …Are you hurt? [ As she said this the hand rose again to begin wiping away some of the blood from her face. ]

IA could immediately tell that this girl was very out of her comfort zone, judging by her strange behavior and the way she seemed anxious when she got close. The young singer knew all too well what that feeling was; only when she had achieved fame was completely able to shake the nervousness that came to talking with other people, and even now, in her early twenties, it still arose every now and again. Understanding, IA leaned slightly away from the girl to give her some space as she replied.

“Ah, I’m fine, just a bit dusty, ehehe… thank you for your concern, little one.”

It was beginning to dawn on the young singer just how… odd this situation was. In her relief of being rescued, she hadn’t yet stopped to think how this small, frail-looking girl had managed to move a boulder almost three times her size, and was silent for a moment, pondering this.

IA also realized, though, that this girl, freakish superpowers or not, was much too young to be wandering around be herself, and her expression became one of concern.

“Have you lost your parents? Do you want me to help you find them…?”

noble—nightray:

The first thing Elliot did was blinking a few times as he looked at the female who had approached him, and who now was seemingly terrified. He honestly wouldn’t have thought that the footsteps had been from a human. He more likely had expected another one of those zombies. Not that he was complaining about that, but…

“Ah-” Maybe pointing the sword at her hadn’t been such a good idea. On the other side though, it wasn’t completely his fault. How was he to know that a person would come out of nowhere? And while he knew that he had been the one to startle her, Elliot had to hold back his temper at what she said. Did he really looked like someone who would just kill a person like that? He probably did in this moment though.

Trying his best to stay calm, he lowered the sword and spoke. “I.. I am sorry.”

“It wasn’t my intention to-” he gave a sigh, as if not knowing how to properly continue his sentence. No, apologizing wasn’t his strength at all, and without Leo punching him telling him to do it, he was most likely to not say sorry at all. But according the situation, and the fact that he was aware that it had been his fault (even though he still told himself that it wasn’t his fault alone), he assumed it would be the best to just get it over with. Not that he wasn’t sorry; He was, but he was too proud to just admit his mistake. “I thought you where something else.” the noble said, eyes looking to the side as if trying to glance over his shoulder at the mess that laid there. Then again, according to her previous reaction, maybe he shouldn’t let her see that… thing. That one scream of hers had already gone on his nerves a little, and he didn’t felt like having her do it again.

Placing his weapon on the ground, like he was trying to reassure her that he really didn’t mean any harm, Elliot took a few steps forward, altough he still keept some distance to the girl, just in case so that she wouldn’t think he was going to attack her or something. Extending his hand, he spoke again. “Here, let me help you up.”

Because despite his attitude, Elliot did have manners. Even if he barely used them, and the way he said it may hadn’t been the proper one.

There wasn’t a response for a few seconds after IA had cowered to the floor, however, she looked up in slight surprise when, in fact, she found that this man wasn’t trying to kill her, even apologizing to her. She immediately felt bad for having such a negative reaction, despite it being mostly Elliot’s fault for being so quick to jump the gun.

He began to speak again, but cut off his sentence awkwardly, as if he was unsure how to proceed, making the young singer feel even worse. She felt better, though, when at last the man said something she could adequately reply to. Sitting up slightly, she looked brightly at Elliot now that she wasn’t terrified out of her wits.

“Ah, i-it’s alright! I certainly don’t blame you for being defensive.” IA noticed the man glancing over his shoulder, but saved herself from having to ask why when he distracted her attention from the matter entirely, putting his sword on the ground politely as he extended a hand towards her. This prompted a smile from the young woman as she gladly accepted his help, using his support to get her up off the ground, dusting off her skirt for a second absentmindedly.

“Thank you very much, sir.” Now that they stood on equal ground, she began to feel a bit embarrassed; she had never known how to deal with kindness, especially from the opposite sex, fanboys or otherwise. Color slightly filling her cheeks, she looked away shyly. “I-I… appreciate your help…”

IA let out a triumphant sigh as she made her way out of the fog. It had been a particularly unfruitful day, having looked in the foggy disaster area as she always did for food and supplies until her legs felt like dropping off, and even then, she had found absolutely nothing. The young singer was beginning to fear that she would have to start looking in much more dangerous places for necessities of her survival.

However, she saw another human being in the distance, and her heart swelled up with hope. Maybe they would have something to share with her!

As she approached closer and closer, though, IA couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity—that short, brown hair, those distinctively red clothes… the singer didn’t want to be rude, though, in case this person wasn’t who she thought they were, so as IA got close, all she did was tap this person on the shoulder politely, shifting a bit on her feet.

“U-Um… e-excuse me…?”

imnotamoron:

IA’s reaction caught Wheatley off guard. He had become so adjusted to being attacked that he did not anticipate her to flee from him. He noted the scattered water bottles, which the girl had so clumsily dropped. Immediately, Wheatley assumed that the girl thought that he was going to rob her of her water.

“No need to panic! I don’t want your water,” Wheatley assured, “In fact, I’m pretty sure the water would kill me…not certain, just a guess.”

He noticed her glancing over from behind a nearby wall with a panicked expression on her face. The last time that Wheatley had dealt with a frightened human was back in the Aperture Laboratories, when he worked in the Extended Relaxation Center. He tried to recall the steps that were taken when handling an upset test subject, and slowly began to remember bits and pieces of various protocols.

“Alright, stay calm. The only thing I want is help, which is really hard to find around these parts,” he added. “And management rails. Those are hard to find, too.”

The last thing IA was expecting in her panic was a completely calm, slightly robotic-toned voice telling her not to worry. Fairly sure this wasn’t just a ruse—none of the monsters she had encountered had been capable of anything other than grunts and low moans—she slowly crawled out from behind the building, looking more curious than frightened now.

As the young woman approached the bright blue light that cut cleanly through the fog, she began to see Wheatley’s shape more clearly, until she was standing right in front of him. He was definitely a robot, but unlike any she had ever imagined. The familiar image of a robot—blocky and usually clumsy—was challenged in her imagination by Wheatley, a small, spherical who was made of smooth white-and-blue parts, and had a single projected eye.

A tiny smile spread across IA’s face. What a cute little robot…!! Now resembling an awed child rather than a frightened animal, she reached out and touched Wheatley’s side, feeling the cold, slightly dusty metal under her fingers.

“I’m sorry, you frightened me a little bit. Did you say you needed help?”

(( finally got all my replies done awww ye

bedtime now \o/ ))

imnotamoron:

For most of the day, Wheatley had remained stationary, snuggled against a pile of debris. Due to his size, he remained out of the sight of most creatures. The fog assisted him in hiding as well, since his white hue blended well with the material. Whenever the sphere saw a figure in the distance, he would call out for help, in hope of finding some sympathetic soul.

So far, Wheatley had only met the cruel hands of the Walkers. If he attracted the attention of one of these beasts, they would knock him around for a bit, some of them even throwing him. Luckily for him, he was made out of a durable enough material to take these beatings.

Out of defense, Wheatley would put himself in hibernate mode; this allowed him to appear unconscious. Though he could not see while in hibernation, he could still hear all that occurred around him. Once Wheatley was in hibernation, the Walker usually lost interest and scampered off to find something else to attack. Without this function, the sphere would surely be destroyed at this point.

Wheatley noticed yet another figure in the distance. However, this one was different from the previous ones that he had seen. It was standing upright, not showing any beast-like habits that he had seen in the Walkers. More importantly, it appeared to be human.  Regaining confidence, his shutters flew wide open, allowing his glowing blue eye to pierce through the fog like a beacon.

“Hello, over there,” he hollered at the figure, beckoning to it with a swift movement of his eye. “Could you come over here? No need to hurry, I’ll be here all day.”

IA was on her way to her makeshift home, a small bundle of bottled water in her arms. She was now a frequent visitor of this part of the yellow zone, because though it was the most infested with monsters (which she had learned to avoid, through careful navigation of the fog,) it was also the most rich in materials she needed and was gathering in a little, half-destroyed but tolerable shack.

She was nearly out of the fog when she saw a bright azure-colored light cut through the fog, aimed straight at her.

”!!!!”

Assuming the worst, that an enemy spotlight of some sort had been placed on her, IA made a small shriek of terror and dove behind the nearest cover—the remains of a building—the sound of her water bottles dropping to the floor unintentionally drowning out Wheatley’s plea for help. Terrified, the young singer peeked her head from around her cover, once she was sure that nothing was coming after her… yet.

“W-What do you want with me!?”

noble—nightray:

A sound of annoyance escaped the young noble as he looked down at his feet, eyes fixated on the bloody mess that lied before him, holding his sword at his side as blood dripped from it onto the ground. Just what was going on? First, he wakes up under a pile of dirt and what seemed to be remains of a wall, and then, after walking around for what feeled like days straight, he got attacked by some … thing that, despite resembling a human, was nothing more than a mere monster.

Still not letting his guard down, the boy hit it with the blunt side of his sword a few times, to check if it was really dead or not. Reciving no reaction whatsoever, he let out a small sign of relive and looked around. There didn’t seemed to be more of those creatures around, however he would remain cautious, especially since he wasn’t able to look very far ahead do to the unnatural thick fog that seemed to have engulfed the area he was in. Fixing his glance on the corpse again, Elliot tried to get a better look it.

It indeed looked human, but the way it acted, and how unnatural long it took him to kill it, even by hitting several vital spots multiple times… It was more like a Zombie than anything else. “Just what…” stopping mid-sentence, the noble closed his eyes as they started to twitch in an annoyed manner, and clenched his sword even harder before he rose his voice again, this time though louder (and far more annoyed) than before, “What the hell is going on here?!”

It didn’t made sense to him. He shouldn’t be here, he shouldn’t be alive, and yet he was, and it confused him greatly. He was exhausted from walking and fighting, confused as of what was going on and where he was, and it annoyed him so much that he was close to lose his already very short temper even sooner.

He was just about to walk away from the mess, when he noticed something that sounded like footsteps behind him. He immidiately turned around, pointing the still blood-stained sword in the direction the noice came from. However, all he could see was a shadow some distance away. This damn fog…! “Who’s there?!”

It came out louder and somewhat more aggressive than he wanted it too, but Elliot honestly didn’t gave a shit about that now. He was pissed at the whole situation, so why bother.

IA was beginning to think that she should have never ventured out of the house she had initially appeared in, as wrecked as it was. In attempt to find some food—the basement she had found herself in was the only place that wasn’t completely destroyed, the kitchen included—the young woman wandered out into the wrecked city, quickly finding herself chased by a humanoid creature, to which she reacted by running blindly into an area with such thick fog that her assailant quickly lost her in it.

Panting from exhaustion, IA stumbled blindly around in the fog, occasionally catching herself on nearby buildings, or remains of them. Her vision was starting to fog a bit; she was tired, she was dehydrated and, most of all, mentally exhausted by this completely new environment, the constant strange noises, sometimes human-sounding, putting her on edge.

The young singer was about to reach the end of her resolve, and began to think of stopping to rest against a nearby building when she saw it—a human figure amidst the fog. She immediately tensed, assuming it to another monster not unlike the one that has chased her, but relaxed as she realized that it was standing completely still, appearing to be looking at something. The woman shuffled towards it as fast as she could manage, so relieved at the prospect of seeing another human face for the first time she had been rescued…

The first thing she saw when she was close enough to see through the fog was a bloody sword being pointed straight at her.

IA shrieked in terror, stepping back so fast that she lost her footing on the rough, debris-littered ground, holding her arms in front of her defensively and beginning to tremble in fear.

“P-P-Please! D-Don’t kill me!”

wasoncealice:

How had she gotten here and where was she going? —

These were the questions that plagued her mind as she moved about an unknown zone. From what she could remember upon arriving, she was told of safe zones, danger zones with their corresponding colors. However thinking back, Marianne couldn’t quite remember which were which! How unfortunate for the curious girl, frail hands to her chest as she took gradual step after step amid a foggy scene.

Slowly she moved arms before her, as if to see what her eyes could not through the hindering cover of the haze. Truth be told, she thought this all to be a dream, but even if it were, she felt that caution was the best taken route. Why did she feel so nervous? So…scared?

Her heart was practically pounding in her ears, becoming louder and more prominent with each daunting footfall. It felt as if her weak body could practically give out at any moment and in a place such as this — ! There was more than enough reason to feel fear. Yet she remained frugal and steeled herself as much as she was able before she exclaimed in surprise, hearing movement behind her.

“Is someone there?” Her voice called out through the fog, hoping to hear an answer — wishing that she would no longer be alone. Hadn’t her little brother warned her about this? — Traveling alone wasn’t safe because someone could kill you! Is what he had warned her about, and here Marianne had been so naive up until this erratic moment. Her heart practically skipped beat after beat, cautious as she tilted her head and dared to call out once again, “Ah..hello? Oh my, I really do hope someone is there..!”

IA was beginning to get accustomed to walking in the thick fog, having wandered here several times now, either from accident or on purpose. This time, she was simply looking for any spare materials she could find, nothing in specific. She only wanted things to make this strange new life more manageable until she could create a solid gameplan on how to live a full life once again.

The young singer was on her way to a building she had identified last time, using a fire extinguisher as her landmark. She had found good food there last time, so she assumed there would be leftovers, at the very least. However, this time, she was distracted by a distinct figure in the fog; from where she stood, it looked like a mesh of bright blues and yellows.

“…?”

Looking around out of instinct for possible danger, IA diverted her course to the brightly-colored figure. She wasn’t walking for two seconds before it called out to no one in particular, confirming her suspicions; it was a human!

She quickened her pace towards the girl, as she assumed from the distinctly female voice, thrilled to discover that the shape became more and more humanoid the more she could see through the fog. As she got close enough to possibly see her face, the girl called out again, causing IA to take just a couple more steps towards her, just enough so that this mysterious person could see that she was human, as well.

“Hello! I heard you calling, I mean no harm…!”

pinchings:

[ She pulled in a gasp and took a couple steps back, knife hovering in front of her in defense. Someone— or something, had stirred behind those heavy rocks. Madotsuki quickly composed herself after realizing whatever was inside could not get out. ]

Hello? I’m stuck, p-please… please help!

[ A clear plea for help. The brunette swiveled her head and scanned her surroundings, searching for something to aid her in helping this… person. Nothing but dust and dirty debris met her eyes and Madotsuki looked back towards the enclosure, studying every angle in search of a possible weak area or starting point.

An attempt all in vain. The environment would be of no use, obviously, and her own strength couldn’t even begin to cover what was needed to move these stones. Madotsuki wracked her brain; could one of her effects be useful? ]

[ An idea slowly drifted through her mind. It would be a little out there, but perhaps it would help… She got close to the mess and said in a quiet voice ] Hold on. [ Then Madotsuki inhaled quickly and deeply. A faint red mist appeared to spin around her head as she let the air escape. In a matter of seconds what was once the girl’s twin-braided face had been replaced with a large and grotesquely wriggling palm. The fingers stretched upwards and forwards as the hand’s eye blinked slowly, staring at the job ahead. ]

[ Within moments the giant hand’s fingers had wrapped themselves around one of the large protruding stones that sealed the exit. Tighter and tighter they clung, pulling with all of their might so that beads of sweat began to eventually ride down the girl’s bulging neck. Her own two hands set themselves upon the barrier, steadying her body so that she could strain harder and harder and pull and tug until a light shuffle of stone echoed in the corner.

Another hard tug and Madotsuki was hurled backwards and forcibly laid supine. Her head had instantly transformed back to normal upon the collision. A light brush to her cheek would reveal a tiny river of blood trickling from a cut near her eye. But there was no time to waste with that and the girl swiftly but shakily rose to her feet and strode towards the crumbling enclosure. ]

Hello…?

[ Rocks had been sprawled and cracked across the ground, and a panic began to well up within the girl’s throat. The person inside— were they okay? ]

IA’s heart was in her throat for the few seconds it took for the person on the other side to respond, and when she did, the young singer nearly collapsed from sheer relief.

“Oh, thank you!”

The blonde could hear stirring from outside; the sound was similar to that of a large bird taking flight, the beating of the strong winds kicking up forceful air. Her hands were still on the large boulder that lay on the small staircase, blocking her way from the smaller but still decently-sized pieces of debris. Head perking up, IA began to hear something else—the light trembling of the rock that had lodged itself right where the door used to be, small pieces of gravel moving beneath it as it made its slow journey out of where it was protruding. I’m saved! I’m saved! she thought, unable to do anything but look from where she stood. 

IA winced at the loud, reverberating sound as the rock was pulled free at last, but welcomed the light that streamed through the opening, driving the fact home that she was free at last. However, the sharp, sudden movement caused the rocks around it to slip slightly from their places, creating a brief rockslide. The young singer cried out from surprise, darting to the side to let it all fall. Fortunately, she remained unharmed.

After a few moments of waiting to see if any more potentially harmful rockslides would occur, IA began to walk towards the light, stepping shakily up the ruined and crumbling stairs. The further up the went, the more clearly you could see her—her clothes covered in a thin layer of dust, her legs coated in bits of gravel, her wide blue eyes straining with the force of holding back purely emotional tears. The young woman saw the pink-clad girl, and immediately noticed the line of red across her otherwise pale face, and kneeled shakily down to her level, her protective instincts kicking everything else aside for the moment.

“Ah—are you alright?”

pinchings:

[ Rubble to your left, decrepit piles of dust to your right, and everywhere you looked you could swear you saw a shadow move just a little bit. Madotsuki walked slowly through the grim atmosphere, eyelids open just enough for her to observe her surroundings.

Part of her wasn’t flustered the least bit. There had always been surprises in her dreams, doors that would transport her to entirely new areas. Sometimes she would wind up in complete claustrophobia, walls and ceiling barely far enough away to let her turn her head. When that happened all Madotsuki had to do was calmly pinch her cheek and she’d wake up. ]

…

[ At this thought a hand rose subconsciously to lightly rub against the callouses that had formed on her face from one-too-many attempts at waking up. It was stupid, she knew there would be no waking up this time, a permanent sleep that she had brought upon herself, there would be no going back the moment her feet leapt of— ]

—!

[ A noise had ripped the sleepy girl from her wandering thoughts and caused an acute chill to rush up her spine. Instinctively the girl’s fingers curled around the knife that swung idly by her thigh and her eyes darted. The noise quickly registered in her mind as a beautiful, but muted, melody. Where it was coming from she could not say— there was no one around for miles that she had seen… right?

Curiosity lead her to a large pile of destructed concrete that hardly represented the building it once had been. This is where Madotsuki noticed the song becoming stronger, words became clearer and more distinct but still not enough to decipher. There was obviously someone in there, albeit buried deep inside. Madotsuki stepped back, unsure of how or where to start or if she should even care at all…

A deep inhale filled her lungs and her knuckles coiled tighter around the blade’s wooden handle. She wasn’t very akin to using her voice, but at this point it seemed to be the only way to confirm her suspicions. After a few moments in which her heart pounded within her ears Madotsuki opened her mouth to let out a clear, but soft ]

Who’s there?

[ Let me hear your voice

and call my name

I’ll stay by your side

I’ll keep my promise, then… ~♪ ]

The song was beginning to wind down, and IA started to feel the pinprick of tears at the corner of her eyes. Each song she sung was like a deep personal journey, and when that journey began to wind down and end, it became a heartbreaking experience for the young singer.

Just when she told herself that it was okay to let go, that the song was now over and that no one was here to see her cry, she heard a voice from the other side of the wall of rubble.

”!!!”

Springing her feet, IA put her hands up against the rocks that separated her and her potential salvation, for a moment resembling a cat pawing at a closed door. When she called back to the voice she had heard, her voice was strained from holding back tears of sheer relief.

“Hello? I’m stuck, p-please… please help!”

IA didn’t remember falling asleep on a concrete floor. 

The singer’s limbs felt weak, as if deprived of oxygen, making her slightly sluggish as she got to her feet, feeling slightly dizzy; it was as if she fell from someplace and landed in an unkempt heap.

Coming to her senses, IA immediately began to feel panicked. This place was a complete wreck, the walls caved in on all sides as if hit by a massive wrecking ball, leaving only a small enclosed space for her to be trapped in. The concrete floor was littered with rubble. Judging from the material of the flooring, she seemed to be in the remains of a downstairs garage, or a basement.

The young woman’s head spun. How did she get here? Last she recalled, she had fallen asleep in her own bed after an especially tiring day in the recording studio. How in the world did she end up in this foreign place!?

Now fully intent on finding a way out, IA raced the part of her enclosure where the rock seemed the weakest, where she could see the top of a door at the top of what seemed to be a flight of stairs (if there were any stairs, they were buried under the destruction.) She began to grab at the rocks, trying to force them aside to reveal the stairs and eventually the door, to no avail.

The young singer collapsed to her hands and knees. She was stuck. She was stuck, and she was in an unfamiliar place possibly very far away from home, and she began to shake with the weight of this paranoia. This triggered an instantaneous reaction in her head; find a way to calm yourself, calm yourself, calm…

Slowly, IA lifted herself to a sitting position and, voice shaking with emotion, began to sing.

[ Let me hear your voice

and call my name

stay by my side

we made the promise then… ~♪ ]

The woman’s voice was strained from panic, but nowhere near out of tune. Part of her hoped someone would hear and come rescue her, but the rest of her was all in the song, channelling raw emotion into a beautiful tune, as she had done her whole life. It was her only hope of survival through this terrifying situation, so continued to sing, not prepared to stop anytime soon.