And I have no plans on letting you get hurt. [ ever, despite their unfinished argument. ever, because of what he's done before. ] I'm perfectly capable of dealing with the situation, but it would be safer for you to return for now.
[ this is the part where he begins to walk over towards the nearby door. august leans his head closer to the door — no sound. he tests the handle to see if it's locked. it isn't. he lets the door open up and it reveals a dark hallway. ]
You must go. Now. Surely you have a shortcut here that leads back...
[See her not moving? Because she isn’t. And she won’t. He’ll have to push her, force her to go.]
Not saying you aren’t capable. I just - I don’t even know where we are. Or what we’re truly stuck here with. You really think splitting up is a good idea?
[It’s not. It never is. She used to run those scenarios all the time. Force the kids to split. Divide and conquer for maximum suffering.
She’s shaking her head, muttering to herself, trying to keep herself together as she fishes her phone out and starts tapping.]
I’ll look. But you’re coming with me. Don’t even try saying no. [A brief glance up at him while he checks the door, her expression deadly serious. This is her putting her foot down.]
[ immediately he bites his tongue. this isn't the time to argue when all he wants her is to be safe. her work, he notices, tends to provide entrances and exits and safety because they're supposed to be immune to trials and what other shenanigans go on in the fog, right? so there should be one available wherever they are. the thought of no exit for employees doesn't come to mind as he looks back towards her.
in addition to that, he almost slips and raises his voice and he doesn't want to yell at her at all. august lets out a sigh. ]
I know your place of work is safe from all this nonsense. That's why I want you to go back.
[That is not what? Her hip pops, her free hand placed on it. She fidgets with her phone. Her jaw is set, and she sucks on her teeth some. There’s the annoyance, the slow but steady loss of patience.
It’s a good thing he decides not to finish that thought. And that he gets his tone and volume under control. Because if he’s gonna yell? She’s gonna yell right back. And they really don’t need to give away their presence or location right now. That would be extremely careless of them wouldn’t it?]
Would be great if there was one. We’d have to keep looking. There really isn’t much in the files - everything’s redacted for some reason. [He sighs, she huffs, her posture relaxes. Where August’s file had plenty of fields marked N/A when she managed to pull it up (it took far too much digging only to be rewarded with absolutely nothing), the write-up for this place is just… blocks of black. All over. Barely readable. And she doesn’t have the clearance.]
[ "Everything's redacted" — so this place is a classified area of sorts. a realm that the eldritch being brings to life yet everything found here is a secret. already his danger senses go wild as he thinks about it the more they're in this place. what's here to the point that her workplace — the place that should be facilitating everything about the fog — keeps certain things classified? ]
Redacted. Wonder if that means there's something dangerous in this world. [ close to her because he's going to push her in the moment he see's it — anything to keep her safe. ] And no exits yet...
[ he leads her through the dark corridor — a window reveals the outside which rains like mad, the barking of wolves still there — and they eventually end up in a small room with a birdcage, stairs, and... a dead body on the ground. immediately he points the lady grey smg at its head and sprays all the bullets in his magazine until his gun is left smoking and the head is obliterated. it's quick, his reload.
there's a key in the birdcage that he doesn't spot along with groans of the undead coming from the second floor. there are two. ]
[Lots of frantic scrolling and tapping from her while they talk. There’s gotta be something useful here - but so far? No luck.]
Your guess is as good as mine. Whatever info she provides to us is finely curated. You don’t even wanna know how far I dug to even get your name. [She freezes up. Shit. Shouldn’t have said that. But it’s too late now.
She holds her pointer finger up as she keeps looking through her phone, correcting him about the exit situation:] None besides the way we came in. Maybe.
[Creepy dark corridor? She really doesn’t want to go down there. But she has to. And she uses the light from her phone screen to illuminate the floor along the way.
As soon as she spots the body she comes to an abrupt stop. Is it moving? Doesn’t seem like—-
He’s shooting at it and she nearly screams from surprise, both hands over her mouth and nearly dropping her phone. Get it together!! Jeez…
But at least it’s not getting up, right? Right.
Just gonna… pretend that embarrassment didn’t happen just now. And take a look around the small room.]
[ as long as the head is in pieces that should be the end of it, right?
though he hears what she says — how far did she dig to find his name? — he's more occupied with the other strange sounds coming from the upstairs. already he sees the sources with how one zombie tumbles down the stairs: thud, thud, thud it goes before it slowly begins to stand again. the other takes slow steps down the stairs by comparison, but august knows its one goal in mind already.
there's no shyness with the way he whips his weapon towards the closer undead first, spraying all the bullets in his magazine until it drops on the floor. august pops the magazine out and replaces it with a fresh one before doing the same to the other, which drops on the stairs. empty. reload. ]
We'll have to wait for the storm to stop then, it seems. The weather does change in these places, don't they?
[ august kicks the fallen zombie to see if it moves. it does not.
Is that a birdcage? With no bird. Wendy’s close to opening it and checking inside but there’s another jumpscare. Two, actually. In quick succession.
He wastes no time disposing of them. She keeps a safe distance behind him, momentarily glancing around to check if they’re being sneaked up on. They aren’t. Thank goodness. Just the two that are now in heaps.
He doesn’t seem bothered by this? All cool and collected… Almost like he always is. Curious. Her heart’s well on its way to returning to her chest cavity, her breathing under control.
In this moment she is beyond grateful for his uncatalogued weapon. They would be sunk without it, and it would be all her fault for separating him from it. (Just how much ammunition does he have anyway? He never seems to run out. Always reloading without a problem.)
…Oh, wait. There’s a key? She plucks it from the cage for a closer look.]
Yeah it should. Not like we have a radar or anything so who knows what’s going to happen out there. [She sounds distracted while she talks. But then she’s approaching him and holding up what she’s found.] What’s this to, y’think? Door, cabinet…?
[ no more sounds from up above, whether they be footsteps or the pained moans of the dead — nothing. good, then they're safe for now. he doesn't pocket his weapon into the holster for safety. what other surprises are in store after they climb and enter a room? that's for them to find out. he can break them down, or — ]
Hmm... I'm not certain. [ a key, out in the open? someone must have left it around. he's not the only one with sharp eyes it seems. ] We'll have to figure it out with every locked door we see if you're that curious. Feels like a puzzle, this.
[ a haunted house with a puzzle. almost like it's straight out of a novel — like zombies, for instance. ]
We have to keep moving to look for a better room. [ he returns the key to her before he begins going up the stairs. ] Hopefully none of them are as small as a closet, wherever this one leads.
[ by the time he reaches the second floor, it leads to a singular door. he opens it, and they're on the second floor of the dining room with the fireplace. there's a statue across them holding something that sparkles in the light, and another set of groans. ]
[She’s already on it before he makes the suggestion. Wendy scouring every inch of their current location, slipping the key into his coat pocket for safekeeping once he gives it back. This place is dark - she doesn’t want to chance dropping and losing it somewhere. If she spots a keyhole, she’ll try it.]
I don’t even wanna know how many rooms this place could have… she can alter things however she sees fit. Could be a never-ending maze. Could just be two floors. Anything in between. [A downer as always - but she’s sharing what she knows based on previous experience and the things she’s witnessed herself. Anything could happen, even if this realm is truly abandoned. The Entity is everywhere all at once. This could be nothing or a stupid trap.
Ah - nope. Wait! Wait for her. Wendy hurries herself to the stairs, not wanting to be too far. And she meets him at the top. She squints, as if doing so will make her hear better.]
[ before august answers, he whips out his other weapon. a handgun with a unique design by comparison to those of the past. it doesn't take long for him to pull the trigger towards the zombie across from them. initially his bollet goes flying completely off direction, as if heading straight for a wall. instead it pauses in midair, and then gracefully aims for the zombie's head.
it drops, and august lowers the whistler. ]
No more of them, you mean.
[ another shot is sent out however. one where the bullet redirects towards the state, and whatever shiny object it had on the top of its head topples down onto the first floor table. he returns the whistler and begins to walk around until he sees part of the railing broken. perfect, an exit. there's another door at the end of the hall that he walks over to first and opens it without problem before he shuts it.
Leads back to where we started.
[ fine. he'll go see what he found instead, to which he walks over towards the broken railing and jumps down. from there he keeps his weapons and extends his arms wide while looking at wendy. ]
She also has a headache. These things are most likely unrelated but who knows.]
That’s helpful. [Going back to the beginning. Only not. The exasperated sarcasm in her voice says it all.
Jump? Oh uh. She gets close to the broken railing, but not too close, and sorta cranes her neck to estimate just how high of a jump he’s talking about here. Regardless of how high - she doesn’t like that. And she’s going to be a baby about it.]
N-No it’s okay. [And she leaves it at that. What ever happened to not splitting up, Wendy? It’s not that she doesn’t trust him or anything… She sorta paces by the spot like a nervous animal.
If you're scared that you're going to end up on the ground, don't be. I'm not going to let you hit the floor, dear.
[ his arms are still extended, ready to catch her anytime. his brow raises as there's the slightest shrug of his shoulders as though he's saying the decision he makes is the right one. therefore, he waits. ]
[ Finally, august thinks briefly before watching her finally take the plunge.
his thoughts immediately disappear upon contact when he catches her with strong arms because there's a slight stumble with his footing to make sure she lands with as much comfort as he can give her. what he doesn't do, however, is place her on the ground immediately.
the way he notices too late that their faces are so close, how he holds onto her tight to make sure she doesn't accidentally slip while he carries her like a princess, the magnetism that draws him to her face that lasts for a few seconds before he finally lets her feet hit the floor. ]
[Yeah no her eyes are shut and he’s going to catch her and there’s that briefest moment of panic where she forces herself not to flail. Flailing is bad. She might hit him or make him drop her or something. But she lands in his arms with a soft oof and she automatically throws her arms around him. A few moments of stillness, of steadying her breath, and then she deems it safe enough to open her eyes.
He’s really close. She doesn’t move, doesn’t say a word, just smiles a little, then looks away after catching herself looking into his eyes for a bit. It’s quiet save for the thudding of her heart. She’s probably breathing too loud? Seems that way. Dizzy. Her arms remain around his neck until she feels herself shift and her feet touch the floor. And then she can finally breathe.]
Not bad at all. [A shaky little laugh.] Nice catch.
I told you I wasn't going to let you fall. Trust me when it comes to these things, won't you?
[ even when, back in the day, he was a rather selfish man who went forward without thinking of others. the consequences of his actions is what makes him the man today. sometimes he becomes greedy again but remembers to keep his team in mind more often — how he has to be more patient and wait. it results in his squad living longer despite a target getting away with a sliver of their life left.
this applies to wendy, his new found patience. ]
Shall we continue then? I believe I saw two more doors back in the first hallway.
[ to which he guides her back to the first door that leads back to the two dead bodies. she has the key and there are other places they have yet to check. by the time he steps inside however a new zombie shows up from the opposite side of the hall. quickly dispatching it with the whistler, he pockets his smart gun before it hits the ground. ]
I’m trying. [She mumbles this, tucks a bit of hair behind her ear. Huff. Having someone else be right all the time - yeah it’s taking some getting used to on her part. She knows everything, remember? Enough, anyway. (Clearly she doesn’t. And it makes her feel dumb. Thank you, anxiety.)
She nods and follows him back to the hallway and her hand ends up gripping onto his shirt along the way. She doesn’t want to hold him back or trip him up, but she wants the contact. It helps her feel better, a bit more at ease despite the heavy atmosphere.
The dead bodies are still there - that’s a plus, right? They haven’t moved. No reanimation there. But there’s also a new friend and she takes a step back from August to let him do his thing. He makes it look so easy.
Her hand slips into her pocket and she pulls the key out for him, holding it out in her palm.]
It better work… [Yeah it still sounds like it’s storming outside, but the longer she stays here the worse she feels - present company aside.]
[ door number one: he puts the key in and tries to turn it. no luck — he lets out a disappointed hum — as he removes it from the slot. as august shakes his head. ]
Not for this one. [ he says, and then heads for the next door. key in, turn impossible. ] And neither for this...
[ glancing at the key, he heads down the hall opposite of where they initially go. the key spins between his fingers as they turn a corner. no surprise to attack them with undead hands and teeth like the first, but he does spot a locked elevator shaft with no elevator. from there he goes down a small staircase only lit by one bulb, the end being another door. august checks the handle and it's locked, and when he tries the key it's not successful. ]
Perhaps this is meant for something else entirely. I noticed certain symbols like armor and swords on the door... this has armor on it, but it doesn't open. Curiouser and curiouser...
[ this is the part where he hands the key back to wendy. ]
We might have to check the otherside of the mansion.
[She sticks with him, following him from spot to spot like his little shadow. Frowns when the first door doesn’t work. Sighs when the second doesn’t.]
Is everything in this place locked? How are we supposed to find more keys if we can’t get anywhere to look.
[Her arms end up crossing over her chest. She’s dried off for the most part but the mere idea of being stuck in such a place gives her the chills.]
So matching the symbols doesn’t do anything. Unless that doesn’t matter at all and it’s just a red herring entirely… [When she reaches out to take the key back, their fingers brush. Accidental. Time and a place. Not here, not now. The key goes back into her pocket.]
I’m trying to remember if anyone from S.T.A.R.S. had anything pertinent in their files. Nothing comes to mind.
Perhaps like the information you found it wasn't shared with you.
[ august remembers the hierarchy she tells him before. how she needs to stay on top of things least chaos occurs. whoever her bosses are must have access to it, right? or if not her immediate superior it may be the next. what depths and details do they have within the eldritch being's lair? his thoughts are erased the moment their fingers come in contact for the briefest moment — she's soft even with the smallest touch. ]
I'd shoot it open if it didn't draw attention — well, aside from when I already used it. Best to keep things quiet from now on, yes?
[ he makes a small hand gesture as if to say follow him back up. they're going to the opposite wing of the mansion. ]
Super convenient, huh? [Totally useful for their current situation. She’s ecstatic about it (no she isn’t). Keeping her bitterness to herself, but still sucking her teeth in annoyance - that’s her.]
Could do that. [Her head moves from side to side, like she’s mentally weighing the options here.] Could just keep shooting things open. Both work…
[Wait! She scurries after him, grabbing hold of his hand in a rather bold move to get him to wait up for her.]
[ before he's able to reply, there's her hand against his. there's no skinship due to his gloves that are slowly drying up but it's the fact that they're holding hands in the first place... it can't be helped when august gives into spontaneous actions and gives her a squeeze, not letting go at all. ]
If it's any of the usual, I'll just rip their head off. Simple.
[ which requires letting go of her, but for now he allows it as they venture back to the main hall. ]
Tell me about these S.T.A.R.S. fellows. Sounds like you've studied them before.
[Wendy just wanted him to wait up, not to - oh. His hand gives hers a squeeze and her mouth twitches into the faintest smile. A part of her wants to pull away - but he isn’t, so she doesn’t. The awkwardness is fleeting.]
Simple for you maybe. [There’s a pointed nod from her, and her tone is playful. She’s smiling a bit more.]
Uh - don’t know much. Gonna go out on a limb and say this particular spot is for them. That’s how it is here - every location has a purpose. They’re linked to people’s memories. A personal sort of purgatory maybe? [Oh - that realization hits different right now.
Moving on.]
I’m going to assume these zombies are manmade? I remember something about viruses. Those are always fun.
Purgatory to some, hell to others — to encounter certain one makes it the latter, surely. [ he lets out a soft hum as they walk down the hall, and back through the door that leads to the dining room. ] And then truly live it...
[ definitely hell over purgatory especially with no way to escape. there's the campfire he's told about for survivors and killers — most of them — have their own place. he's seen creatures from the unknown crawl around while he keeps himself silent and men with large swords on the hunt. always the viewer and never the encounter. sometimes he's tempted to for a challenge but this isn't the arenas. this is for survival. ]
Haven't seen any of mine dancing around. I suppose I'm lucky to be in the position I'm in, hm?
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[ this is the part where he begins to walk over towards the nearby door. august leans his head closer to the door — no sound. he tests the handle to see if it's locked. it isn't. he lets the door open up and it reveals a dark hallway. ]
You must go. Now. Surely you have a shortcut here that leads back...
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[See her not moving? Because she isn’t. And she won’t. He’ll have to push her, force her to go.]
Not saying you aren’t capable. I just - I don’t even know where we are. Or what we’re truly stuck here with. You really think splitting up is a good idea?
[It’s not. It never is. She used to run those scenarios all the time. Force the kids to split. Divide and conquer for maximum suffering.
She’s shaking her head, muttering to herself, trying to keep herself together as she fishes her phone out and starts tapping.]
I’ll look. But you’re coming with me. Don’t even try saying no. [A brief glance up at him while he checks the door, her expression deadly serious. This is her putting her foot down.]
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[ immediately he bites his tongue. this isn't the time to argue when all he wants her is to be safe. her work, he notices, tends to provide entrances and exits and safety because they're supposed to be immune to trials and what other shenanigans go on in the fog, right? so there should be one available wherever they are. the thought of no exit for employees doesn't come to mind as he looks back towards her.
in addition to that, he almost slips and raises his voice and he doesn't want to yell at her at all. august lets out a sigh. ]
I know your place of work is safe from all this nonsense. That's why I want you to go back.
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It’s a good thing he decides not to finish that thought. And that he gets his tone and volume under control. Because if he’s gonna yell? She’s gonna yell right back. And they really don’t need to give away their presence or location right now. That would be extremely careless of them wouldn’t it?]
Would be great if there was one. We’d have to keep looking. There really isn’t much in the files - everything’s redacted for some reason. [He sighs, she huffs, her posture relaxes. Where August’s file had plenty of fields marked N/A when she managed to pull it up (it took far too much digging only to be rewarded with absolutely nothing), the write-up for this place is just… blocks of black. All over. Barely readable. And she doesn’t have the clearance.]
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Redacted. Wonder if that means there's something dangerous in this world. [ close to her because he's going to push her in the moment he see's it — anything to keep her safe. ] And no exits yet...
[ he leads her through the dark corridor — a window reveals the outside which rains like mad, the barking of wolves still there — and they eventually end up in a small room with a birdcage, stairs, and... a dead body on the ground. immediately he points the lady grey smg at its head and sprays all the bullets in his magazine until his gun is left smoking and the head is obliterated. it's quick, his reload.
there's a key in the birdcage that he doesn't spot along with groans of the undead coming from the second floor. there are two. ]
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Your guess is as good as mine. Whatever info she provides to us is finely curated. You don’t even wanna know how far I dug to even get your name. [She freezes up. Shit. Shouldn’t have said that. But it’s too late now.
She holds her pointer finger up as she keeps looking through her phone, correcting him about the exit situation:] None besides the way we came in. Maybe.
[Creepy dark corridor? She really doesn’t want to go down there. But she has to. And she uses the light from her phone screen to illuminate the floor along the way.
As soon as she spots the body she comes to an abrupt stop. Is it moving? Doesn’t seem like—-
He’s shooting at it and she nearly screams from surprise, both hands over her mouth and nearly dropping her phone. Get it together!! Jeez…
But at least it’s not getting up, right? Right.
Just gonna… pretend that embarrassment didn’t happen just now. And take a look around the small room.]
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though he hears what she says — how far did she dig to find his name? — he's more occupied with the other strange sounds coming from the upstairs. already he sees the sources with how one zombie tumbles down the stairs: thud, thud, thud it goes before it slowly begins to stand again. the other takes slow steps down the stairs by comparison, but august knows its one goal in mind already.
there's no shyness with the way he whips his weapon towards the closer undead first, spraying all the bullets in his magazine until it drops on the floor. august pops the magazine out and replaces it with a fresh one before doing the same to the other, which drops on the stairs. empty. reload. ]
We'll have to wait for the storm to stop then, it seems. The weather does change in these places, don't they?
[ august kicks the fallen zombie to see if it moves. it does not.
(it will, eventually.) ]
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Anyway.
Is that a birdcage? With no bird. Wendy’s close to opening it and checking inside but there’s another jumpscare. Two, actually. In quick succession.
He wastes no time disposing of them. She keeps a safe distance behind him, momentarily glancing around to check if they’re being sneaked up on. They aren’t. Thank goodness. Just the two that are now in heaps.
He doesn’t seem bothered by this? All cool and collected… Almost like he always is. Curious. Her heart’s well on its way to returning to her chest cavity, her breathing under control.
In this moment she is beyond grateful for his uncatalogued weapon. They would be sunk without it, and it would be all her fault for separating him from it. (Just how much ammunition does he have anyway? He never seems to run out. Always reloading without a problem.)
…Oh, wait. There’s a key? She plucks it from the cage for a closer look.]
Yeah it should. Not like we have a radar or anything so who knows what’s going to happen out there. [She sounds distracted while she talks. But then she’s approaching him and holding up what she’s found.] What’s this to, y’think? Door, cabinet…?
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Hmm... I'm not certain. [ a key, out in the open? someone must have left it around. he's not the only one with sharp eyes it seems. ] We'll have to figure it out with every locked door we see if you're that curious. Feels like a puzzle, this.
[ a haunted house with a puzzle. almost like it's straight out of a novel — like zombies, for instance. ]
We have to keep moving to look for a better room. [ he returns the key to her before he begins going up the stairs. ] Hopefully none of them are as small as a closet, wherever this one leads.
[ by the time he reaches the second floor, it leads to a singular door. he opens it, and they're on the second floor of the dining room with the fireplace. there's a statue across them holding something that sparkles in the light, and another set of groans. ]
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I don’t even wanna know how many rooms this place could have… she can alter things however she sees fit. Could be a never-ending maze. Could just be two floors. Anything in between. [A downer as always - but she’s sharing what she knows based on previous experience and the things she’s witnessed herself. Anything could happen, even if this realm is truly abandoned. The Entity is everywhere all at once. This could be nothing or a stupid trap.
Ah - nope. Wait! Wait for her. Wendy hurries herself to the stairs, not wanting to be too far. And she meets him at the top. She squints, as if doing so will make her hear better.]
More of them?
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it drops, and august lowers the whistler. ]
No more of them, you mean.
[ another shot is sent out however. one where the bullet redirects towards the state, and whatever shiny object it had on the top of its head topples down onto the first floor table. he returns the whistler and begins to walk around until he sees part of the railing broken. perfect, an exit. there's another door at the end of the hall that he walks over to first and opens it without problem before he shuts it.
Leads back to where we started.
[ fine. he'll go see what he found instead, to which he walks over towards the broken railing and jumps down. from there he keeps his weapons and extends his arms wide while looking at wendy. ]
Jump. I'll catch you.
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She also has a headache. These things are most likely unrelated but who knows.]
That’s helpful. [Going back to the beginning. Only not. The exasperated sarcasm in her voice says it all.
Jump? Oh uh. She gets close to the broken railing, but not too close, and sorta cranes her neck to estimate just how high of a jump he’s talking about here. Regardless of how high - she doesn’t like that. And she’s going to be a baby about it.]
N-No it’s okay. [And she leaves it at that. What ever happened to not splitting up, Wendy? It’s not that she doesn’t trust him or anything… She sorta paces by the spot like a nervous animal.
Please go get her.]
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[ his arms are still extended, ready to catch her anytime. his brow raises as there's the slightest shrug of his shoulders as though he's saying the decision he makes is the right one. therefore, he waits. ]
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[She mumbles that last part, quickly looking away from him while doing so. As if it weren’t obvious already.
She doesn’t move, just crosses her arms over her chest. A silent protest.
Until it seems like the silence awkwardly goes on for way too long (it doesn’t) and she takes a few more baby steps towards the edge and him.
She hates this. This is dumb. But she’s actually nervous - no thanks to this entire situation they’ve found themselves stuck in.
The look of utter disdain on her face should speak volumes. But she does what he insists and finally jumps and he better fucking catch her or else.]
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his thoughts immediately disappear upon contact when he catches her with strong arms because there's a slight stumble with his footing to make sure she lands with as much comfort as he can give her. what he doesn't do, however, is place her on the ground immediately.
the way he notices too late that their faces are so close, how he holds onto her tight to make sure she doesn't accidentally slip while he carries her like a princess, the magnetism that draws him to her face that lasts for a few seconds before he finally lets her feet hit the floor. ]
There. Not so bad when you have me around, yes?
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He’s really close. She doesn’t move, doesn’t say a word, just smiles a little, then looks away after catching herself looking into his eyes for a bit. It’s quiet save for the thudding of her heart. She’s probably breathing too loud? Seems that way. Dizzy. Her arms remain around his neck until she feels herself shift and her feet touch the floor. And then she can finally breathe.]
Not bad at all. [A shaky little laugh.] Nice catch.
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[ even when, back in the day, he was a rather selfish man who went forward without thinking of others. the consequences of his actions is what makes him the man today. sometimes he becomes greedy again but remembers to keep his team in mind more often — how he has to be more patient and wait. it results in his squad living longer despite a target getting away with a sliver of their life left.
this applies to wendy, his new found patience. ]
Shall we continue then? I believe I saw two more doors back in the first hallway.
[ to which he guides her back to the first door that leads back to the two dead bodies. she has the key and there are other places they have yet to check. by the time he steps inside however a new zombie shows up from the opposite side of the hall. quickly dispatching it with the whistler, he pockets his smart gun before it hits the ground. ]
The key, please.
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She nods and follows him back to the hallway and her hand ends up gripping onto his shirt along the way. She doesn’t want to hold him back or trip him up, but she wants the contact. It helps her feel better, a bit more at ease despite the heavy atmosphere.
The dead bodies are still there - that’s a plus, right? They haven’t moved. No reanimation there. But there’s also a new friend and she takes a step back from August to let him do his thing. He makes it look so easy.
Her hand slips into her pocket and she pulls the key out for him, holding it out in her palm.]
It better work… [Yeah it still sounds like it’s storming outside, but the longer she stays here the worse she feels - present company aside.]
warning lower the volume
Not for this one. [ he says, and then heads for the next door. key in, turn impossible. ] And neither for this...
[ glancing at the key, he heads down the hall opposite of where they initially go. the key spins between his fingers as they turn a corner. no surprise to attack them with undead hands and teeth like the first, but he does spot a locked elevator shaft with no elevator. from there he goes down a small staircase only lit by one bulb, the end being another door. august checks the handle and it's locked, and when he tries the key it's not successful. ]
Perhaps this is meant for something else entirely. I noticed certain symbols like armor and swords on the door... this has armor on it, but it doesn't open. Curiouser and curiouser...
[ this is the part where he hands the key back to wendy. ]
We might have to check the otherside of the mansion.
what if i don’t tho
Is everything in this place locked? How are we supposed to find more keys if we can’t get anywhere to look.
[Her arms end up crossing over her chest. She’s dried off for the most part but the mere idea of being stuck in such a place gives her the chills.]
So matching the symbols doesn’t do anything. Unless that doesn’t matter at all and it’s just a red herring entirely… [When she reaches out to take the key back, their fingers brush. Accidental. Time and a place. Not here, not now. The key goes back into her pocket.]
I’m trying to remember if anyone from S.T.A.R.S. had anything pertinent in their files. Nothing comes to mind.
but ur ears??
[ august remembers the hierarchy she tells him before. how she needs to stay on top of things least chaos occurs. whoever her bosses are must have access to it, right? or if not her immediate superior it may be the next. what depths and details do they have within the eldritch being's lair? his thoughts are erased the moment their fingers come in contact for the briefest moment — she's soft even with the smallest touch. ]
I'd shoot it open if it didn't draw attention — well, aside from when I already used it. Best to keep things quiet from now on, yes?
[ he makes a small hand gesture as if to say follow him back up. they're going to the opposite wing of the mansion. ]
no :)
Could do that. [Her head moves from side to side, like she’s mentally weighing the options here.] Could just keep shooting things open. Both work…
[Wait! She scurries after him, grabbing hold of his hand in a rather bold move to get him to wait up for her.]
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If it's any of the usual, I'll just rip their head off. Simple.
[ which requires letting go of her, but for now he allows it as they venture back to the main hall. ]
Tell me about these S.T.A.R.S. fellows. Sounds like you've studied them before.
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Simple for you maybe. [There’s a pointed nod from her, and her tone is playful. She’s smiling a bit more.]
Uh - don’t know much. Gonna go out on a limb and say this particular spot is for them. That’s how it is here - every location has a purpose. They’re linked to people’s memories. A personal sort of purgatory maybe? [Oh - that realization hits different right now.
Moving on.]
I’m going to assume these zombies are manmade? I remember something about viruses. Those are always fun.
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[ definitely hell over purgatory especially with no way to escape. there's the campfire he's told about for survivors and killers — most of them — have their own place. he's seen creatures from the unknown crawl around while he keeps himself silent and men with large swords on the hunt. always the viewer and never the encounter. sometimes he's tempted to for a challenge but this isn't the arenas. this is for survival. ]
Haven't seen any of mine dancing around. I suppose I'm lucky to be in the position I'm in, hm?
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supposed to sleep now but
u sneak
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