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.

[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!"

[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.

[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.

[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.

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....

[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."

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?

[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.

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.

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?"