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

[dancingmd]

Campbell's Crossing. And how did we get here? And why?

[save_the_souls]

[Allen pauses. Looking confused. Since hey this just seemed normal to him]

...I haven't thought about it.

[It hadn't occurred to him to think about it. This just seemed...fine?]

[dancingmd]

...Nothing about this seems odd to you? You and I, suddenly sitting on an empty train platform together, with no explanation as to why we're here?

[An uncomfortable pit is forming in her stomach. This scenario is starting to feel all too familiar.]

[save_the_souls]

[Allen seems to frown a little, thinking and lowering his head a little.]

Of course it's fuckin' odd. Atroma's playing bloody head games I bet.

[It wasn't Allen who spoke. However if Beverly looks past Allen to where Timcanpy was sitting, she'll see a small boy now sitting on the bench, kicking his feet while his hands sit on his laps in shackles - one normal hand, one red disfigured hand. He's got reddish brown hair, tied back and looking nowhere near as well kept as Allen's hair now. His clothes are practically rags, and he's covered in bruises and dirt. He's got a scowl on his face and his accent is much thicker than Allen's normal accent.]

Shitheads. Whole lot of 'em

[dancingmd]

[Oh. That's - he's Allen as a little boy, isn't he? The arm, the scowl, and especially the eyes... it's definitely him. Her gaze falling upon the shackles, she feels a tightness in her chest as she wonders why he's wearing them. However, she knows she needs to focus on what he's saying.

Shitheads.

He has a point. Not exactly how she'd put it of course, and she's not entirely certain how she feels about vocabulary like that coming out of a six year old but he very much has a point.]

I think that last bit goes without saying. Head games though... you think they're messing with our augments?

[save_the_souls]

[The little kid...stares at Beverly] T' fuck should I know 'bout augments, lady? [I'M SIX]

[dancingmd]

[Hmmm... so he retains some of older Allen's knowledge, but evidently not all of it.]

You knew about Atroma, though, didn't you? Do you know who I am?

[save_the_souls]

Tch...Sum doctor lady? [He has bits and pieces of Allen's knowledge, really. Whatever is necessary for what he is, and nothing more.]

[dancingmd]

[She won't lie, that stings a little. Hardly his fault though, so she keeps her voice steady and calm.]

Yes, I'm a doctor. But I am also your friend.

[She looks down at his shackles again.]

And I want to help you.

[save_the_souls]

[The kid seems...taken aback by this. People don't usually say that they're friend and want to help, not without some cost.] [Still, he's still a six year old kid- so he doesn't immediately assume she's lying. Still. There's wariness] You do?

[dancingmd]

Of course. Friends help each other.

[She frowns with determination.]

I'm going to find a way to get you out of those, okay?

[save_the_souls]

[There's that use of the words friends again. Red's really not sure how to take it. Some part of him knows that this is one of Allen's friends. Not just friends, but a crewmate, someone he holds dear in his heart.] [But most those memories are out of Red's grasp. They belonged in another part of Allen's heart from where Red came from.] [Even so, the shackles hurt and are too heavy for him. If this woman, with her strange words were saying she was going to get him out of it...alright. He wouldn't fight it] Alright. [The shackles themselves seem easy enough to undo. Remove the center pin, and they should come undone]

[dancingmd]

[Beverly moves to squat in front of Red, studying the shackles closely. They're of an old fashioned and fairly simple design, so it doesn't take her long to figure out that the center pin is holding them together. With only a little fiddling and a couple of jiggles, she quickly removes the pin.]

Trigger Warning: Child Trafficking

[save_the_souls]

[As soon as that pin gets removed, a memory starts to play: [Vision starts to come into focus. You hear several voice speaking at once, but it's hard to make most of them out. It must be some sort of crowd. As the vision clears- the first thing you see is what looks like some sort of wooden floor that feels unsteady under you- a makeshift platform. Hands start to come into view- child like hands that are shackled. One hand is a normal hand, while the other is...red, and disfigured] [Wait. Are those your hands? The heavy shackles feel so heavy when you attempt to move them. You can't remember seeing them before- in fact now that it occurs to you, you can't seem to remember anything before this moment. Not these hands, not this platform, not this-] [Panic starts to kick in at this point and you look around, taking in the rest of the setting. You could tell you're in some kind of old large building, but- where was this place?! Did you know it?! He can see that there's other people sitting on the platform as well- all in different types of restraints. Most of them are young in age- children. Many of them have terrified looks on their faces, some are crying, some are hiding their faces. You can hear a few of them whimpering through their tears "I want to go home..."] [You don't understand. What is going on? Did you have a home? Why were you here? Why are your hands bound? Did you know these children? Why was there a crowd of people watching them like that? Why can't you answer any of your own questions?!] [All of the sudden, there's heavy footsteps approaching you. A grizzled man looks down and leers at you. Like everything else, you don't know this man. You can't remember his face or name at all. All you can tell is that you really don't like him.] Ah, look. Finally decided to join us, eh? [You have no idea what that means, but you can hear your heart now racing in your chest from panic. Nothing seems to matter to the man, he bends over and grabs you by your shirt collar- dragging you to your feet and then dragging to what looks to be a box. He yells at you to stand on it. You're too scared and too confused to try to argue, so you comply and stand on the box.] [From the box, you can see that crowd better. Many of them are men, dressed in Victorian business suits. There's women too, dressed in fancy dresses but with sharp cold looks and some have sores. All these people are looking at you. Some only briefly before they look away with disinterest. Others keep eyeing you, as if trying to examine every piece of you. You don't know what's going on, but you want to hide. You want far, far away from this box and those looks] [The man that dragged you over begins addressing the crowd] And here we hav' one of the runt of the litter. [He laughs at his own joke, you can't understand what's so funny. But you know he's talking about you like you're not even there.] No real name and the arm's no good, but he's real quiet- hasn't spoken a word since we got 'im. Seems real strong for a lil tyke too- he'll pay for himself, no doubt. So- let's start the bidding for..."Red Arm" here at 20 Guinea? [A cold realization dawns on you in those last words. That was- that was money wasn't it? The crown starts to arguing about bids. You can't make out all the different voices or the bids- you're in too much shock.] [You don't even know who you are, and they were selling you?] [Distantly, as the memory starts to fade- you hear the sound of a gavel slamming against a service and the final yell of "SOLD!" before it fades completely. Beverly will find herself back on the much sturdier train platform, with Red staring up at her. The shackles fall off his wrists and to the ground]

[dancingmd]

[Beverly comes out of the memory with a sharp gasp, like someone surfacing after a too-deep dive. The fear and confusion is overwhelming, and it takes a minute for her to regain her composure. Even when she does, her eyes are welling with tears as she looks back at Red. Her voice is barely above a whisper.]

Oh, Allen... I'm so sorry.

[save_the_souls]

[Red doesn't respond. He looks down at his now freed hands, tears forming in his eyes. Meanwhile, at some point while the memory played, the adult Allen had gotten up. He was now standing at the bulletin board, looking at a specific photograph near the top of the board. When he speaks, he sounds like he's narrating a story more than actually talking.] I still don't remember anything before that point. Later on, they told me my parents abandoned me because of my arm. No one ever came looking for me and it's not unheard of in my world to happen to children...so I don't have any reason not to believe them. [he still doesn't. He gave up the idea of his birth parents caring about him years ago.] I got sold to a ringmaster of a circus. He bought me to be part of his show- but I didn't want to be a sideshow for anyone. So he had me do odd jobs instead, any nasty little task that'd be thought would make up for the money I cost him. Sometimes even if that job was just being a punching bag for some of the crueler performers. [he rubs his left arm, self-consciously] It was Hell. I hated waking up every day, but my dreams gave me no solace because I had no other memories to let me dream of anything else. I kept asking myself over and over...why was I alive? Why was I born if this was all there was for me? The only hope I had to cling to was that maybe one day, one day I'd be strong enough to escape. I didn't know where I'd go, but I didn't care. I figured, any place would be better than this. [His voice softens a little] Then one day...I spoke with a traveling performer who was only working with the circus a short time. He was different- off, but he was kind. He comforted me over his dog that had been killed, he washed my bruises, he put his coat over me to keep me warm when I fell asleep. He even let me accompany him into the village and be an assistant in his act- not as a freak sideshow but as someone talented that people applauded. He didn't have any reason to do this, there was nothing for him to gain. I was just a kid that did odd jobs with no real name beyond "Red" that was at best ignored- but he did it anyway. [he takes that photo off the bulletin board, smiling at it. It's a photo of him as a child, hugging the waist of a man in his forties with tan skin, the starts of a dark beard and golden eyes.] When it came time for him to leave the circus, I decided to run away from that hell and go with him. He let me. He became my father and I became Allen. [There was parts of the story that were missing from Allen's tale. About the dog, about Mana's mental health, about where that name came from. But there was no part of Allen's heart interested in sharing those bits of the tale. It didn't matter that it hadn't been perfect, Mana had saved him and nothing would ever change that feeling.]

[dancingmd]

[As Beverly listens to Allen's story, she is silent, letting him speak at his own pace. However, she can't stop her tears from falling, especially not with Red crying beside her too. That people could be - can be - so cruel breaks her heart. When Allen finishes, she wipes her face with the back of her hand, for what little good that does, and walks over to get a better look at the photograph, a better look at the man who helped shape Allen into the person she knows today.

She rests one hand on Allen's shoulder, and if he looks up, he'll see there's no pity in her gaze, just compassion, pure and simple. Her voice is soft and quiet when she finally speaks.]

It's good that you found one another.

[save_the_souls]

[There's a bit of silence, before he carefully puts the photo back on the billboard- where it belongs. He then turns and smiles at her, tears in his eyes, as he tentatively gives her a one armed hug]

...Thanks you. For listening. With what Atroma's been doing...I think it's been on the back of my mind more than I'd like.

[He prefers to leave that part of his past where it belongs, in the distant past. So it was good, to get it off his chest. He knows he'd never be able to do so in the waking world]

[dancingmd]

You're welcome.

[And she's going to turn that tentative hug into a big one, as full of warmth and love and comfort as she can manage. Which, given her nature, is quite a lot.]

You can always talk to me, any time you need to.

[She pulls out of the hug, but leaves her hands on his shoulders.] What Atroma's done is unconscionable... [There's the tiniest twitch at the corner of her mouth.] "Shitheads" is probably too generous a descriptor for them. But we have each other and that's something.

[save_the_souls]

[He laughs a little at her using the term "shitheads". Yeah. That's just weird sounding out of Beverly's mouth. But he smiles]

Yeah, it's definitely a lot more than something.

[He hated Atroma, but the Blue Fish and the crew? They were his home]

[dancingmd]

[Beverly grins back, knowing full well how strange that sounded. It felt strange just saying it. She gives his shoulders a little squeeze before letting go.]

It is. You all are so important to me, I hope you know that.

[save_the_souls]

I do. You're all my precious crewmates.

[he smiles at her one more time, before he seems to start to fade away. The child on the bench does as well. Soon, it's like he's not there at all- but the rest of the calibration can be looked at if she so chooses]

[dancingmd]

[She's filled with warmth at those words, but the good feeling fades when Allen does.]

Allen!

[Taking a step forward, he reaches out for him, or rather, for the place where he was just standing.]

Allen! Come back!

[Not knowing what else to do, she runs into the station house, to see if he's somehow gone inside.]

[save_the_souls]

[As Beverly steps into the station house, it's clear that there's no one inside. It's a fairly lit building, with the windows letting in sunlight from outside. And while Allen isn't there, it looks well used and cared for- and there’s plenty of things to see. ]

[Directly in front of the entrance, there is a desk that has a traveler's log book, left open with a few pens laying next to it. To the right, there’s a box labeled “Lost & Found” that seems to have a wide assortment of items, mixed up with one another. To the left, there is a book shelf with the sign “Baggage Claim”. The shelves seem to have their own items, neatly arranged. And in the far back corner, there is a box that seems to be almost hidden away. On the lid there is the words “RESTRICTED ACCESS: R.A. A.W. ONLY” painted in white paint. There seem to be a lock on this box as well, though it’s not clear if it’s locked at a glance.]

[From here, [CHAR] can (A) check out the log book, (B) Examine the Lost & Found, (C) Examine the Baggage Claim, (D) Examine the box in the Corner, (E) Go Back, (F) Something else?! ]

B

[dancingmd]

[Allen is nowhere to be seen, and she has no idea where he went or how to find him. Surely something in here will give her a clue. "Lost & Found" seems apropos to her situation and is probably as good of a place to start as any, so that's where she looks first.

The box is a jumble of seemingly unrelated objects, none of which offer any sort of answer to her question. But... the sheet music does stand out to her, for other reasons, so she picks it up to take a closer look. Perhaps she'll recognize the song.]