Arrival; And through timeless words in priceless pictures...

[momentbymoment]

Visiting places she's never been, walking into realities that aren't truly real, these are things Eva is used to. Maybe too used to, if the veteran agents are to be believed, but usually she enters them of her own volition. On purpose, and with the memory that she has done so.

She's altered so many people's memories over the years, with their consent and for their own happiness. Never before has she felt her own mind so tampered with.

At first, she was certain she was dreaming. Why not? A castle with a room full of candy, and seemingly endless corridors? That's the stuff of sleep and dreams. Not usually of her's, but these things aren't always predictable.

But when the dream doesn't end, no matter how she wanders or what she does, she starts to get suspicious. Everything around her is so solid, and time seems to flow fairly normally. So if she isn't dreaming... then what? Someone's memory is the most likely culprit, but she has no memory herself of a client. Did something go wrong? ... Again? After that incident with Johnny she thought she more than had her share of drama for at least a few months.

She's just starting to wonder if she should panic when she passes the lab. Like a moth to flame she's drawn in. It's more well-equipped than she expected and... feels oddly familiar. The set up of the hood, the type of tools and equipment, even the smell of it. Her eyes narrow suspiciously as the feeling of de ja vu only grows.

Then, behind her, a meow. The first indication of a living thing. She'd rather it be human, but as she turns to look at the creature, a tidal wave of emotions hits her hard. Of all the cats in the world...

She crouches down and holds out her hand for it, smiling in a tired sort of way as it moves to bump its face against her. "Now you were not what I was expecting." It meows again.

"Not a bad job, considering..." Not that she'd admit that aloud if Neil was in earshot. She can tell it's a data projection, of course. If it was a real cat she could write it off as a coincidence. Unfortunately, it isn't, and that means Neil is here, too, for better or worse.

That doesn't answer any of her questions. "Do you know where Neil is?" She asks the cat as she picks it up. It's the only company she has, and it's coming with her. She continues her investigation of the lab and the castle itself with a datacat purring in her arms.

Comments

so many of my nerds coming your way

[systematicsupport]

S-4 probably shouldn't be as paranoid as he is. He's learned here in his many months that a human is not a danger, a science experiment is not a punishment, and the people here are friends, not threats.

That said, some things will always be a little unsettling to see. A human woman, walking out of his brother's lab, still dressed in a labcoat? That's one of them. S-4's first instinct is to hide, and it's an instinct he takes.

That said, there's still a pair of eyesockets peering at her from around a nearby pillar.

oh no a sad baby

[momentbymoment]

Eva is purposefully searching for signs of life, so even though S-4 runs and hides, she does catch the sounds of his movement, and turns to look. A bit of searching and she sees the peering eye sockets.

.... Wait, what?

"Hello?"

actually definitely a baby probably isn't even a full year old yet whoops

[systematicsupport]

He's been caught. A gasp sounds from behind the pillar, and the eyesockets move out of view, before S-4 convinces himself to peer out just a little farther. She doesn't seem that dangerous. In fact, she seems pretty calm.

Slowly, he steps out from behind the pillar, fidgeting slightly.

"Hello."

...That's really all he's going to say, apparently.

[notsogrimreaper]

Goodness, newcomers are becoming more and more frequent lately. Ryoji notices the woman from the end of the hall, and even if she wasn't completely unfamiliar, her confused expression would give her away.

He starts running to catch up to her, keeping his fingers crossed she won't think he's a kidnapper like the latest Mettaton did.

"Excuse me! Slow down there! Hey!"

[momentbymoment]

Eva doesn't need much convincing. Another living speaking person is exactly what she's been looking for, after all. So when she hears a voice, she turns on her heel, making the cat cling to her, and then smiling at Ryoji. It's a controlled smile, but she is still very relieved to see him.

"Finally! I was starting to think this place was totally empty."

[notsogrimreaper]

He stops in front of her, his own grin bright and enthusiastic. The cat causes him to raise an eyebrow, but he doesn't say anything about it as of yet.

"Oh, no, of course not! There's a lot of us here, and I guess you've been the latest one to join us... uh, sorry, this is probably confusing."

He spreads his arms out.

"Well, to start, welcome to the castle! We've all been pulled here from a variety of different worlds and timelines, though none of us know exactly why."

[antitemporal]

Sans-Serif's thoughts when he first sees Eva emerge are somewhat different, from S-4's. She's a stranger, and while trying to fix Sans has led to him meeting new people, even new scientist-people, it's also very delicate work. He has to believe that Neil would at least know better than to involve a stranger at this stage, without telling him about it.

This woman is a stranger. A lot of the strangers he's met here in the castle have been kind, some are even his friends now. But almost none of them were wearing white coats.

Sans-Serif announces himself with a clattering sound, born of the bundle of kindling he'd been gathering tumbling to the floor from his startled, nerveless grip. He looks from it to Eva and back again, visibly wavering about what to do, before finally pointing aggressively at her. Eva will find herself on the receiving end of a lecture from a child-sized skeleton dressed in tattered medical scrubs.

"what were you doing in that lab? you aren't supposed to be in that lab!"

He rattles his armbones at her, as threateningly as he can manage.

[momentbymoment]

Today just keeps getting weirder and weirder. A talking, animated skeleton... is it a kid in a costume? It looks so real... is it animatronic, or just a data-memory?

Well, clearly it-he- is distressed, so might as well proceed with caution until more information can be gathered.

"Getting lost, actually," She puts the cat down so she can hold her palms out in a gesture of harmlessness. "Do you know whose lab that is?" If he knows where Neil is, or the Neil-like that must have been in that lab....

[antitemporal]

It's a recognizable gesture of harmlessness, at least. Sans-Serif lowers his arms, though he still looks wary. Instead, he turns his attention back to gathering up the kindling. "yeah. it's ours'. me and the other me's and s-4's and watts'. and we're trying to help the other sans. but it can be kind of dangerous. you shouldn't be in there."

He tucks the bundle more carefully under one arm, before walking over to Eva and holding out a hand to shake. "it's easy to get lost, though." Or so he's heard. The castle's machinations are generally kinder to Sans-Serif than to most of the inhabitants. "so that's okay."

[dustless]

A little voice comes from around a corner.

"Hi."

Frisk heard her--and Goku--before they saw her, but if she's being nice to the cat, she's probably not going to immediately try to FIGHT.

...But they can't help looking just a tad cautious once they come into view.

There's a green scarf around their neck, which might seem a little odd since it's not that chilly, but beyond that they look what one could call normal.

[momentbymoment]

They also look and sound far too young to be wandering about on their own. Eva notices how the cat squirms at the sound of the voice, and she lets Goku down so he can bound toward the child.

Odd. They must know each other. That's encouraging... even if it means Neil has been around children unsupervised.

"Hello. What's your name?"

[sansational]

Eventually, Eva will find her way to the double-doors outside. And when she first steps outside, she'll find herself faced with quite an elaborate garden setup. There are trees, flowerbeds, green grass bordering the paths. A hedge maze is visible in the distance, with a few fountains dotted around. Birds flutter from tree to tree or, in the case of the peacocks, stalk irritably through the grounds.

Though even they make a point to give a wide berth to the enormous, skeletal thing dozing peacefully around the nearest fountain. It's skeleton isn't quite recognizable as any one animal - it's the size of a particularly large polar bear, though there are also hints of horse and its skull is more like that of a dog or a wolf.

And it can feel Eva approach - it opens one eyesocket, and regards her with a bright blue glow in the eyesocket where a pupil would be on an ordinary creature.

"...hi?"

He doesn't recognize her. But that's happening with increasing frequency, these days.

[momentbymoment]

At first, Eva was pleasantly surprised to find doors to the outside at all. She was starting to feel a little trapped, and even claustrophobic despite being in a... castle. She takes a deep breath of the fresh(?) air, and smiles around at the flora.... until her eyes settle on the skeleton beastie resting near the fountain.

She starts with a quiet yelp, dropping Goku and lifting a hand to her chest, ready to find a blunt object to defend herself with... when it simply greets her.

What in the hell.

Still frozen in a pose of terrified surprise, she slowly starts to relax. ".... Hello?"

INCOMING TAG FLOOD

[lightofthestars]

At last Tauriel has finished sewing more clothing for her children. This time, it is for Estu. She has been taking in turns making their clothes, for she never wishes to let one think he is more loved than the other.

She hears someone speaking softly long before she sees them, and a frown crosses her face. The voice is familiar, though she does not know why. It is not until she rounds the corner of the hall that she understands.

Tauriel gasps; her face goes pale. The ghost has returned. That must mean--

"Ai--Neil!"

She turns to run for his room. He is still weak--if he has grown suddenly worse....

MY BODY IS READY

[momentbymoment]

In the split second when Eva first sees Tauriel, she perks up in excitement. In the second that follow, she see's Tauriel panic, and she starts to get concerned.

And then. She calls for Neil. A flash of other emotions happen, before settling quickly on determination. She breaks into a run after her. "I knew he was here! Where is Neil Watts?" And who the fuck are you, lady? Friend or foe? Where is Neil she's going to murder him for scaring her so badly.

[lostinmyway]

On her way throughout the castle, Eva is likely to run into a tall woman with aqua hair. She wears a floppy-brimmed sunhat and carries a basket with gardening supplies over her arm; her expression is dreamy until she catches sight of Eva. Then, she smiles warmly.

"Hello."

[momentbymoment]

Whatever Eva was expecting to run into here, it was, somehow, not this lady. Not that she's really complaining, after all the skeletons. No offense to them.

"Hello!" Her smile is actually genuine, and her shoulders relax a little, even as Goku starts to purr and knead her back.

Working under the assumption that Sophie's gotten an explanation for the kitty....

[lostlegacy]

"That's Neil's cat."

Or sort-of cat. She doesn't really get it, but she doesn't really care, either.

Sophie examines the lady holding the cat. She's tall and really pretty, and she's wearing a coat like Neil's, only nicer. Maybe she knows him?

WORKS FOR ME

[momentbymoment]

Blinks.

"Yes, it is. So I'm right in assuming he's around here somewhere?" She isn't sure if she wants to see him right now so she can give him a piece of her mind, or if she wants to avoid him out of spite.

She reminds herself she shouldn't be rude. So she focuses in on the girl, and smiles politely.

[mediadarling]

If Eva pokes her head into the ballroom, she'll be treated to a rather unusual sight: a robot practicing dance moves. In spite of being completely sweat-free, he has a band of deep purple velvet tied around his forehead; perhaps surprisingly, his dancing is both graceful and precise.

He's currently too distracted to notice her, and with him humming to himself, he's not likely to hear her approach, either, unless she decides to get his attention.

[momentbymoment]

A rather unusual and a rather delightful sight. Eva is first and foremost a scientist, at least as she will claim, and such an incredible robot is more than enough to catch her admiration. So well-articulated! So graceful! Who designed and built this masterpiece? Is it even real, being in this place that she's still convinced is a memory?

Either way, she's going to enjoy it while she can, so she leans in the doorway to watch.

SO LATE but here have a ridiculous legbot

[mettaton_rex]

As Eva explores the hallways, she'll hear a door crash open nearby, along with an "ohhh yes!" as another handsome robot makes his appearance. A robot who looks... exactly like the one she met in the ballroom, but more elaborately dressed. He discovered a wardrobe in one of the rooms, filled with some absolutely beautiful outfits that whoever used to live here clearly doesn't want any more. He's also still wearing his crown, of course. Can't have anyone mistaking him for that - other him.

And he's relieved to find that the person he heard passing by outside is someone he doesn't recognise. "Welcome, darling! Are you a new face here, or have I just not had the pleasure?" He's hoping she's new. That way she might not have heard about the... incident, after he arrived.

omfg im so glad

[momentbymoment]

If she thought everything else she'd run into around here so far was unexpected... well, it just keeps being unexpected, really. She has no idea what's about to happen at the sound of the voice, but when the door crashes open to reveal another fabulous robot dressed more or less like a wedding cake, she can't stop the dumbfounded expression on her face.

What in the actual fuck.

She watches with still-wide eyes as he sashays over, slowly getting her face under control again. What a way to make an entrance. "Darling" huh? Is this another of the same, or a similar model? Who is making all these incredible AIs?

"I suppose I'm a new face here. I've been wandering around a little bit, trying to get my bearings, but not for long." With a slight feeling of de ja vu, she offers a hand to shake. "I'm Eva."

snatches the lateness crown from king mettaton

[andthebat]

Investigating the castle will probably take Eva through a lot of different hallways; one of them is larger than most, with a high vaulted ceiling, crisscrossed with thick support beams. It also happens to be where the Batman is, hanging upside down from one of the ceiling beams and scribbling in a notebook.

He pauses in his work the moment he hears Eva's footsteps- probably well before Eva actually enters the hall- and silently stares down until she's well into the hall. An adult woman, wears a labcoat, appears to be unarmed, holding a cat. Seems to have no idea where she is, probably harmless, so he calls out to her:

"Lost?"

snatches it back from you

[momentbymoment]

Trying to get her bearings around the castle definitely takes her all over. She feels turned around even after the first few hallways, and she's usually decent at navigating her way around. It's frustrating, and her steps get more and more urgent, her boots clicking impatiently on the stone as she turns here, there, through that room, up those stairs...

She's only getting herself more lost in her little fit of rage. She just wants to know something about what's going on and where she is. She doesn't think to look up, so when a voice calls behind her, she whirls, looking around the floor and walls for the speaker.

"Hello? Who spoke?"