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

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.

oh jeez

[momentbymoment]

So very shy! It would be pretty adorable... if it wasn't also kind of creepy. At first, Eva thinks her eyes might have played a trick on her, but when he comes back out from his hiding place, it becomes very clear that is is, indeed, talking to a skeleton.

Okay.

"Hello," no use abandoning her manners, "do you know where we are?"

[systematicsupport]

He steps a little bit closer, still fidgeting, still cautious. At least she's being polite, and she doesn't seem that scared by him, so that's a good sign.

Questions like that are also easy enough to answer, so after a minute, he nods slowly.

"We're in a castle. Floating in the sky. Um, it's kind of in another world... that probably sounds strange, but it's true."

[momentbymoment]

She is certainly a bit weirded out, but she's also a professional, and as such, she can keep her cool even when talking to skeletons.

"A castle in the sky, huh." Didn't she read a fairy tale about that once? She's pretty sure 'another world' means someone's memories or constructed dream or something, but she won't argue. "Are there many others here?"

[systematicsupport]

"There's lots of us. Most of us are all really nice, so you don't need to worry. So, so if you're new, we can help."

He's slowly starting to cheer up and loosen up around this strange woman. She doesn't seem like she wants to hurt anyone, either, so he's glad to have a chance to help someone else.

[momentbymoment]

His shy sincerity touches something deep and truly kind in her, and Eva's face softens into a real smile. "I'm happy to hear there's such camaraderie."

There's really only one person she ever actually wants to hurt, so no worries here. She crouches down to be closer to eye level with the... skeleton boy.

"My name's Eva."

[systematicsupport]

His smile gets a little wider at that, and he shifts a bit as she crouches in front of him. She seems so kind and pretty, like most of the adult women here. A lot like his adoptive mother, in fact, which makes him almost ignore her white coat.

"I'm called Sans-Serif Support System... Everyone just calls me S-4 though, so don't worry about that. It's nice to meet you!"

[momentbymoment]

She's pleased that he seems to be relaxing. One point more for her being able to find the most friendly and diplomatic way to deal with anyone. Take that, Neil.

It also does makes her genuinely happy to keep what she's certain is a child from panicking. She doesn't want to be someone scary.

"S to the fourth power it is then," she smiles in a way that she hopes makes it clear she's being silly, "It's nice to meet you too. Would you be so kind as to show me where I can find all these others that are here?"

[systematicsupport]

She's certainly not scary, despite S-4's earlier assumptions. She's just being polite, and maybe a little silly. The skeleton gives a bit of a grumpy frown, but he's pretty sure she won't keep calling him that, so he brightens soon after.

"Um, well, lots of people would be in their rooms. Some people might be in the kitchen or library... Sans is outside, and Dr. Watts's staying in bed."

[momentbymoment]

She catches the frown and notes that maybe she shouldn't have made that joke. At least it doesn't keep him grumpy for long, so she takes on a more serious face herself.

She nods, being an active listener, trying to focus on what he's saying... but Neil is mentioned and she misses the rest. She'd be worried enough about him without the mention of him being in bed. She tries to keep herself steady. Don't freak out, don't scare him again.

"Can you take me to Watts?"

[systematicsupport]

She isn't freaking out, but S-4 is talented enough at reading souls that he can see the way her very essence stutters at the mention of Dr. Watts. He doesn't get scared, though, just a little shocked. Whoever this is must really care about that man...

"Um, I don't know. I don't really know where he is. Sans does, but..."

But he's not really in the best condition right now.

"I-I can help you look for him, though!"

[momentbymoment]

If Eva had any idea this little skeleton boy could see right to her soul, she would be far less calm. She can't, though, and her soul continues to tremble. You don't even know the half of it, S-4.

"Ah..." His offer is truly meant, and it makes her smile. "I appreciate that. I don't exactly know my way around."

[systematicsupport]

"It's hard to know your way around, especially here... um, the castle kind of changes its shape a lot, and sometimes rooms aren't in the same place you left them before."

Which means... this tour might be a little bit misleading, but at least it's worth a try to look.

"And um..." He offers a nervous smile. "Don't be so nervous, okay? I'm not dangerous... mostly everyone here is safe."