Sweet dreams are made of these...

[thespaceopera]

[ Calibration Rooms ]
( for A-M characters )

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ROOMS BY CHARACTER

A Abigail Hobbs Aiya/Gray Nightingale Adrasteius Anor'thalion Ahsoka Tano Alex Russo Allen Walker Anders Anthony Crowley Asteffiel Axel

B - D Belthazar Spellscry Beverly Crusher Bran Stark Caesar Zeppeli Cayde-6 Cheese Sandwich Clay Terran Coil Cole Davesprite Duke Pantarei

E - I Elecman.exe Elena Gilbert Elize Lutus Felix Harrowgate Fenris Finrod Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus Imperator Furiosa Isabela Issac Lahey

J - M Jade Harley James Barnes/Jim James Barnes/Winter Joseph Joestar Katara Katniss Everdeen/Nova Kirito/Kazuto Kirigaya Kurt Wagner Leanne Loki Maladict(a) Max Caulfield Megaman Mordin Solus

Comments

C

[save_the_souls]

A restaurant? Now this was his kind of dream. When he realizes where he is at first, he bounces a little on the balls of his feet. It's only after the initial hopefulness that maybe he'll get to eat this dream, does he notice how unnervingly quiet this place is.

"Hello?"

Oh no, was this place closed? He really hoped it wasn't. He steps in, walking up to the counter to see if anyone was in- the light seemed to be on in the backroom so maybe-

Except, when he notices the blood? Hunger gives way to worry. Shit. That was definitely fresh blood. What would that be doing here?

With no regard for the fact that he's not supposed to behind the counter as a customer, he hops over it with ease. He pulls off his left glove to ready his weapon if he might need it, before heading into the kitchen.

[delincuente]

The kitchen is small and cold, covered in green tile and industrial metal and seemingly devoid of any actual food or cooking instruments. The shelves are stripped bare, and the cabinets are hanging open, but most of that is beneath Allen's narrow focus right now. He'll see that the trail of blood disappears underneath a large metal door marked "FREEZER". It's open just an inch, but there's no cold emanating from it. Instead, behind the door is a brick stairway, winding downwards. A pale, blue light flickers against the walls, illuminating them just enough to show a smudged handprint.

A. Continue
B. Turn back

A

[save_the_souls]

Allen steps slowly and quietly, trying to make sure his presence isn't know by whatever could be lurking. He follows the blood trail until it reaches the door, slowly opening it from the side just in case. When he sees it's a stairwell...he takes a moment to be confused. Why would this be here? And was that a blooded handprint?

Well. There was only one way of finding out. Slowly, he'll start to descend the winding staircase.

[delincuente]

A dim, brick room comes into view, lit by the flicker of a television screen on the far wall - it seems to be channel flipping, snowy around the edges like the signal is shaky. There's a single overstuffed chair in front of the TV, but otherwise the small room is bare. Rich wood bookshelves sit empty, and across from the stairs is an asymmetrical glass-paned door. There's nothing but darkness on the other side, and a few panes are cracked or missing. On another wall, to the left, there's a black panel that's hanging slightly open. In stately white lettering are the words "Wizard Power Panel".

But it's the overstuffed chair that the blood trail seems to be leading to, and from where he's standing Allen can see a familiar dark head of hair and one hand dangling over the side. If he chooses to move in this direction, he may notice the low, soft noise of a heartbeat, seeming to come from both nowhere and everywhere.

A. Go to the door
B. Go to the panel
C. Check on Alex ((cw: light gore, character death))

C

[save_the_souls]

Well this is sure getting more and more unsettling. He glances around the room, taking it in. But it's the blood trail that interests him the most. And so he'll follow that, picking up his pace when he sees the dark head of hair and the hand, moving to get a better view.

God...what was going on?

[delincuente]

She looks younger than he's ever seen her, with longer hair and a rounder face, and she's all bundled up in a fluffy purple bathrobe. Her eyes are open, looking up at the large TV screen, but something is drastically wrong. There's a splash of blood half hidden under her robe, right over her heart, and she's not moving. She's not breathing, or blinking, and that should be as much of a clue as anyone needs, without having to look closer.

A. Examine further
B. Look elsewhere in the room
C. Leave the room

A

[save_the_souls]

"Alex!"

It doesn't matter to him if she's looking younger or what. He's quickly kneeling down besides her, trying to figure out what happened. He tries to grab her wrist, to check for a pulse. Maybe if she's still alive he can still help her....

[delincuente]

The moment his hand touches her wrist, the television emits a static buzz. The rapid channel-flipping stops, and this nightmare fuel pops up on screen. But there's still a flicker to the screen, overlaying a snowy image - a familiar castle hallway, lit up orange from the setting sun, and jostling slightly, as if being filmed by someone walking rapidly.

Congratulations, Allen. You've unlocked your first memory.

The only sound at first is the click of high heels - the attack comes silently and swiftly, with only flashes of grinning faces and glinting silver. There's the sound of one heel being stamped against the floor in panic. The sound of something tearing. The sound of something awful, something cracking and squelching and-

Quiet. The picture goes back to the poem, and Alex still hasn't blinked. Over on the far wall, the panel gives a rusty creak.

A. Poke her again
B. Investigate the panel
C. Investigate the door
D. Go back upstairs

B

[save_the_souls]

This whole sight was eerie enough, but the television turning on and showing that? Its enough to make him fall back onto the floor in shock. What...what the hell was that?! He recognized the castle halls sure enough, but- who were those guys? And- oh God, that sound. Between his work as an Exorcist and a medic, he knows exactly what would be happening to make this sound. Just- oh God.

He glances back at Alex's body, equally horrified as he tried to put two and two what was going on, but it wasn't coming. When was this? How-

Just then- he hears the rusty creak from the panel. After that program, its enough to make him feel a cold drench of fear.

But he wasn't someone who was going to curl up. So..he forces himself to back to his feet, stepping closer to that panel to investigate what that sound was.

[delincuente]

Behind the panel he'll see a wide metal lever, and beside it a cracked, green, unlit lightbulb. There are no markings or instructions, other than the "Wizard Power Panel" on the outside of the rusted door. In fact... is it rustier now than it was before? The room seems to have aged a bit while Allen was paying attention to the deceased occupant.

A. Pull the lever
B. Do something else

[save_the_souls]

Well, that beats a demonic monster like he was expecting, he'll admit. But he's still shaken up by what he just saw- trying to make heads or tails about what was going on besides Alex was dead in this...was this room this rusty before? He can't recall.

But he's really not sure what to do- there's no one around he can scream to. And since this made a sound, and there seemed to be a door- maybe something will help him out here. Or figure out what to do.

And so cautiously, he'll pull that lever.

[delincuente]

The lights are the first to change. In a moment the room is filled with warm, orange light, and as Allen turns around it seems to fill itself up. Thick books and strange, metallic instruments slide across the shelves, tumbling into place, and a rug unrolls across the floor. The strange door glows blue, and from the staircase there's the soft sound of voices.

But one voice in particular is most remarkable.

"Did you leave the lair door open?"

Alex is lounging across the chair with a magazine, and it's a completely opposite picture from before. She still doesn't look quite like herself, as Allen knows her, but she's no longer wide-eyed and pajama'd, nor is her chest ripped open beneath her clothes. Instead, something about her seems uncharacteristically together, almost too normal. There's nothing somber or angry or defeated.

"If a mortal gets in it's on you, Walker." She pops her chewing gum and turns a page.

[save_the_souls]

Oh well this is-

"W-WHAT?!"

Excuse Allen as he's totally trying to figure out WHAT IS GOING ON. Because Alex you were dead outside, dead!!

[delincuente]

"The door." She points up the stairs leading back to the kitchen, and when she sees the utter confusion on Allen's face she just sighs dramatically, putting down her magazine. "And what's with the face, dude?"

[save_the_souls]

"What?"

He stares bewildered at her. He just saw her dead body, and she was worried about a door and reading a magazine. And oh, she better be talking about his expression.

"What's going on? I just saw you dead in the other room! How is that possible?!"

[delincuente]

It takes a second to hit her, and then a look of understanding passes over her face. Dead? That was ages ago, back when she lived in Paradisa. But that part of her life is long in the past. Why would Allen be bringing it up now?

"You must be seeing shit. I haven't been dead in years." She gives a little laugh at her own joke, before flipping some more pages. A magazine ad for a new season of Drift Fleet comes and goes.

[save_the_souls]

"But I just-"

He just saw it! Right outside! It was downright terrifying, watching all that. Was she really saying that it happened years ago?

And then it sinks it. Right. This was a dream. He had forgotten that in the following of the blood trails. He'd never been to this place before, and last he remembered, he was back on the Marsiva.

Atroma...what were you trying to pull? He takes some deep breathes in.

"...I see. What are you reading?"

[delincuente]

Alex seems to forget the weird expression on Allen's face just moments before. She closes the magazine to show him the cover. The issue is from March 2010 - an insignificant date to Allen, but it's one she won't ever forget. It's the last month she spent here in New York before being dragged to Paradisa.

"Just an art mag. They're pretty much all I'll read, unless menus count." She smiles up at him. "And even then I just point at the pictures."

[save_the_souls]

"I see..."

He frowns at the cover, trying to make out if there's supposed to be some kind of meaning to it. It sort of looks like...

"Is it supposed to be a clown?"

[delincuente]

"No, just a face." She laughs, pointing out the different parts of it. "It's an Alexander Calder. He was a contemporary sculptor."

She likes being able to tell someone something they don't know. It makes her feel useful.

[save_the_souls]

"Oh...it looked like clown make up."

Art. It really wasn't his strong suit, and thus he never really looked into it himself.

"I've never heard of him."

[delincuente]

"He was 1940s. You'll get there eventually."

She puts the magazine down on the coffee table and stands up. At her full height, the differences in her appearance are more noticeable. She's wearing high heels and makeup, and her hair is full and wavy to her elbows. She's clearly no longer sixteen.

"C'mon, let's go back upstairs."

[save_the_souls]

No he wouldn't, a thought ran across his mind. But those dark thoughts are chased away when he sees Alex stand up. Wow...she looked really beautiful all grown up. Not that she didn't look so now but-

Ngh. He shakes head. It was a real pain in the arse that these dreams were the only place where they could be their actual ages. But still, seeing this made him smile.

"Alright. Lead the way."

[delincuente]

She doesn't grab his hand like she did Stefan's, though she does give him a pat on the shoulder as she passes him, heading for the brick staircase. As they climb back up into the kitchen, it's clear that something has changed. The light is warm, and there's chatter coming from the dining room. The kitchen itself is clean and stocked, with sandwich fixings scattered about across the prep counter. In the service window, several small pieces of paper are clipped to a string, as well as the polaroids the were scattered across the counter earlier.

"Be right back, I'm gonna go check on drinks."

Alex gives him a little salute and backs her way out of the orange door.

[save_the_souls]

Okay, now this was how a kitchen was supposed to look. Just seeing all the stock and sandwich fixings make his mouth water. Ahhh, he always wanted to eat at Alex's diner after she told him about it.

"Okay!"

He'll take the chance to look around the area, seeing what kind of food there was to offcer. Though he'll notices the pieces of paper clipped, and be drawn to those after a moment. Huh, were those like orders? He's seen that in the movies, that's cool.