what in the longdark spitting-pit is that

[inourhead]

This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea.

Holly runs as fast as she can but the demon's faster. She has no idea where Lightning's gotten to; maybe he found a tree to climb. She on the other hand has been diverted into a treeless hill and she's careening down a slope, trying very hard not to trip.

And the demon's gaining on her.

She's never seen anything like it and neither has Crystal; maybe Book knows what it is but Book's asleep. It's mostly mouth - it looks like a cross between a floorlength mirror of a mouth and a snake to propel the mouth along.

And Holly's not fast enough.

The mouth catches her.





But it doesn't hurt.

Where are we?

----


with Minus (kappa)

with Mark (kappa)

with Max (Benedict)

in Terraria (kappa)

with Emma (Marri)

with Erin (Rockeye)

Comments

[follow_the_leader]

Emma wasn't really sure what she was expecting when she agreed to meet Jenny in the kitchens after dinner was over. But it was a very specific sort of unsure. This is Jenny, so there will be sweets involved, and the only question was 'what kind'.

But she was very, very definitely not expecting a girl to appear out of thin air at the bottom of the staircase.

She goggles for a minute. It's not a Prime thing. She doesn't think? She's never heard of anything like this, never ever, her parents would have known, they're nuts for all the Prime gossip. And all the Primes are healthy, anyway, it's so unlikely-

She stays put just in case- you never know, with magic, she's afraid to keep going down the stairs- but she also doesn't want to just ignore this mysterious, plausibly magical person. So she calls down. "...um, hello...?"

(It's not her most eloquent, but she reserves the right to sound dumb when people magically appear in her house.)

[inourhead]

The person utters a long, alarmed string of bizarre gibberish.

[follow_the_leader]

Well, 'alarmed' is better than 'threatening'. Enough that Emma doesn't immediately bolt, at least. But she doesn't recognize the language, and that is worrying. She likes languages. She knows quite a few of them, for that matter. And not a one sounds even faintly similar to this language, in that way languages tend to blend when they're spoken near each other.

She starts making a mental list of questions, such as "who is this person" and "what language is that" and "why are they here", but it gets distressingly long and she gives up.

"Hi?" she tries again. She doesn't know why she bothers, if this girl knows no Welchin repeating words won't help and it doesn't sound like trying something like Malinquan would help at all, but she doesn't know what else to do. She sits down where she is and waves slightly, trying to smile. See? Non threatening Emma. Will not bite.

[inourhead]

The girl waves back. She produces more gibberish. She pauses, then produces a halting sentence of what might be a different language of - total gibberish.

[follow_the_leader]

Emma shakes her head, makes a sad face, and lifts her hands in what she hopes is a confused gesture. Mystery girl waved back, at least, that's something. They have some basic gestures in common.

Attempting to mime her meaning is not really her strong point, and even when practicing her languages she avoids it whenever possible, but she's not seeing much of an alternative. She points vaguely in most directions, then at the girl, and then makes a confused face/hand raise again. Hopefully this will resemble "where did you come from" closely enough for the girl to at least point? Name a country Emma might recognize?

She can hope.

[eversomuchfun]

They are in a grassy area, near a small stone building with a low peaked roof. All around them, upright stones are set into the ground, in uniform rows; most of them are shaped sort of like tiny doors, but some are larger and more elaborate. Occasionally the pattern is interrupted further by a tree or another stone building like the one next to them. A tall iron fence is visible in a few places, enclosing this mystifying arrangement.

The sky is dark, not a proper sun in sight, and speckled with a small number of tiny white dots. The most sun-like object visible is a mottled silver circle that casts dim bluish light on their surroundings.

There is a person nearby. He looks at them and says something that might be a question, in friendlyish tones, in a completely unfamiliar and indecipherable language.

[inourhead]

This is weird this is weird this is weird. The circle - is that the sky, is she in the sinkhole and that's the decorated ceiling of Hell and that silver shape the window to the surface? She doesn't have enough mice to get from the sinkhole proper to civilization even if she figures out how to fly up there to begin with -

She yelps when the person speaks to her, but he looks human, not demonic at all. She still takes a step back. And, to illustrate that she can't understand him and ask a useful question in the event that he knows Nlaaki: "Srenpuumhikuefamuilgi glu?"

[eversomuchfun]

He shrugs and says something else in his incomprehensible language. Mutual unintelligibility having been established, he regards her thoughtfully for a few moments, then beckons, indicating by gesture that he would like her to accompany him out of the stone-garden.

[inourhead]

She looks around. There's nothing else obvious to do. If there are humans in the sinkhole - or if this isn't the sinkhole - she'd rather be at civilization than not. She follows him.

[unmarred]

They are in a tiny room with grey walls and a grey floor. The room contains: a chair, and something that resembles a desk more than it resembles any other things (the chair is at it), and two weird-looking doors, and a narrow bed in a sort of alcove. Most of these things are shades of grey. Except for the chair, the furniture all merges seamlessly into the walls. It all conserves space very efficiently. Light emanates dimly from a grey panel on the grey ceiling.

There is a person on the bed, under a grey blanket. He is short, and shirtless, and sleeping.

[inourhead]

Weird.

Weird, weird, weird.

The person's sleeping (and alive) - and it doesn't look like it was an accident; he's in a bed under a blanket - so they're probably under a dreamward, but it sure doesn't look like the one they grew up in.

Holly takes a step towards the... desk... thing to have a look at it.

[unmarred]

The sleeping person ceases to be sleeping, and becomes extremely confused and alarmed instead. He curls up defensively in his little bed-nook and stares at her, hissing a question in an unfamiliar language.

[inourhead]

Holly flings up her hands. "Huatrimri! Huatrimri! Ah - srenpuumhineniuple tu - huatrimri -"

[unblinkered]

They are in a room, in a building, filled with small chairs with little hinged desk attachments. One wall is lined with windows, through which a single sun peeks. Another wall has a blackboard, empty except for some chalk symbols which they can not read (but which would read "Mr. Maxwell's 7th Grade Science- Go, Vote-For-A-Class-Names!"). The other walls are covered in various posters and diagrams, all of which are as unintelligible as the words on the chalkboard.

There is an open door leading to a darkened hallway, and in the doorway stands a man whose mouth is wide open. In addition to the doorway, the man stands in a slowly-spreading puddle of coffee, spilling from a dropped cup and pooling around his shoes. The man is staring at them.

[inourhead]

"...Slai?" says Holly, waving. "Srenpuumhikuefamuilgi glu?"

[unblinkered]

So, a girl just appeared in the middle of his classroom, like, popped into existence without moving or coming out of hiding or anything, directly in his field of vision. Max is kind of alarmed about that. This state of alarm is the sort that overrides his coffee-gripping faculties.

But he has mental defenses at the ready! Things like this are usually tricks, insofar as there are things like this. Before panic happens, the number one priority is to identify the trick! What illusion could be in play, and for what purpose?

"What- you- what did you just do?! How did you do that?!"

[inourhead]

"...srenpuumhineniuple tu," she says apologetically.

[aestrix]

It looks like a pretty ordinary forest, actually. The underbrush is a bit thin, and it's a bit empty, but there isn't anything obviously horrifying about it.

[inourhead]

Holly pants, hard, turns in place to see her surroundings.

"Lightning?" she hollers, when no demons are immediately apparent.

Nothing.

Where are we?

I don't know. It doesn't look like the inside of a demon, though, I don't think.

"Lightning!" Holly calls again, and she checks her mice. Mostly dead. Two alive. That's not going to be enough even if she doesn't get hurt.

She stalks through the forest.

[aestrix]

The forest doesn't appear to contain any demons. It does contain bunnies, though. And a few birds. The bunnies are very tame, but the birds are not. They fly away when Holly gets close.

[inourhead]

Oh, good, bunnies. Bunnies that will let her walk up to them and pet them. She doesn't have a way to carry them around with her, they're too big for the mouse compartment on the backpack, but she will go up to one and stroke it and give it her exhaustion. If they can't find a way home, or find Lightning and Book, they will have to construct some sort of bunny pen.

"Lightning!" she yells again. "Book?"

[characterquarry]

They are in a neat, attractive garden surrounded by white stone walls. But they barely have time to register this fact before someone walks into them, knocking both parties to the ground.

"Ow, ow, are you okay..." She looks at the newcomer for the first time, and her wish registers a new language. She switches to it. "Okay, that's new. Do you know why you just appeared right in front of me?"

[inourhead]

"...No," says Holly. "Or, sort of, but, not really."

[characterquarry]

"I have a communication wish, it's giving me pieces of your language, but I've never heard of it before. Whatever wish-gone-wrong brought you here, I fear you may be very far from home."

[inourhead]

"...Wish? We didn't make any wish. What are you talking about?"