shitglasses (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shitglasses) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bridgescribble2023-01-05 11:26 am
shitglasses) wrote in bridgescribble2023-01-05 11:26 am
Entry tags:
don't be afraid,
COMPROMISE OR DIE
CIRCLE is a 2015 film about 50 people waking up in a room with no memory of how they got there. Slowly they realize they have to choose who lives and who dies if anyone is to escape. Only one can walk away.
Fifty people is too many for a thread, so how about two?
SUDDENLY, you wake up in a strange dark room with another person. Maybe you know them; maybe they're a total stranger. There's no way to escape and only one way to survive. You find nothing of use, no doors and no windows, just a note etched into the wall: DECIDE WHO LIVES. IF NO DECISION CAN BE MADE, BOTH DIE. YOU HAVE ONE HOUR.
Ready, set, go.
[he is SO COOL, it was like a movie~]
The cowardly ringleader seemed like he might try, yet again, to escape, but just as Snowy was about to freeze him again, he heard that terrible silence and knew his gunmen were defeated. He crumpled to the ground in despair, giving up hope of escape.
Snowy froze his legs together again, just in case, then his arms to the floor for good measure, and cried out to Shota, a happy, little triumphant sound. She used another Aurora Veil for herself and Lillie.
Lillie stirred a bit, but hadn’t recovered yet.
Snowy sniffed around, then, padded carefully out, pointedly avoiding a patch or two of earth on the way (were there some hidden traps outside too?), to approach Shota.
She sniffed at the crumpled, broken gunmen, searched their pockets, looking distressed by some of the things they carried (sleeping pills, for one thing, although Snowy wasn’t sure of the purpose, it reminded her of Faba in a bad way), but tried to keep searching… until she found an old-fashioned cell phone with no GPS.
She could vaguely tell it was some kind of gadget, maybe a communicator, and barked up at Shota.
Haha, I am glad it wasn't too self-indulgent thanks!
Watching Snowy approach - avoiding a few spots he noted - he crouched down to see what she unearthed from the gunmen's pockets. Frowning at the items, too, none of them surprising for an operation like this, he breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the phone.
"Good work." Picking it up, he paused and added, "Thanks for your help before. I wouldn't have made it without it."
Switching on the phone, a quick check confirmed it would be no help in finding out where they were. With the wealth behind the operation, there was a chance some members of the local authorities were involved or turning a blind eye, meaning he couldn't rely solely on them.
Dialling one of the only numbers he remembered, he didn't give whoever at UA picked up a chance to speak. "This is Eraserhead. I've been kidnapped. I have a young girl named Lillie with me; she was also taken. I need someone to trace this signal and send a team of heroes to accompany emergency services to the location. I'll update when I have more information."
He dropped the still-connected phone into his pocket and looked back down at Snowy, tilting his head towards where Lillie and their captive waited. "Let's go check on them." And see if the ringleader was willing to reveal where they were or if he was going to be difficult.
[not at all, I think it perfectly fit the situation!! I can't do action scenes, so I'm impressed!!]
Snowy nodded and bounded back inside, deftly avoiding the possible-traps.
Lillie continued to lay as if sleeping. The ringleader no longer looked as panicked and terrified and instead, took on a very cold and severe expression, scowling into the distance. He didn't look like he might cooperate, but at least, he no longer looked inclined to run. His hopelessness has overtaken his fear, at this point.
I always enjoy the chance to write some action so I'm glad!
The pain from where the bullet had clipped him was setting in, jumpsuit sticking to his skin around the wound. The injury was minor enough for him to ignore, so he followed after Snowy, avoiding the same spots. He stopped by Lillie first, checking on her and assuring himself that she was still unharmed.
Then he turned to face the ringleader. His expression cold, he stalked over and planted his boot against one of the man's frozen arms. "Where are we?"
[^^ yup! I think Lillie could help treat his injuries when she wakes too and it'll wrap up!]
Lillie was unharmed, but stirred again when he began to check over her. She may wake soon... Snowy nuzzled her, otherwise trying to watch over Shota in case she needed to intervene.
The ringleader finally gave in and stated the location, but briefly interrupted to speak again:
"You know that just stopping me won't end this, right? As long as there's a demand for something, someone else will take the chance to provide it. Maybe they'll be worse than me. It'll be your fault. You only found me because you were brought here."
Was he seriously trying to blame Shota for this now? Or just looking for some kind of distraction... whatever the case may be, he's clearly already lost and is grasping at straws.
sounds good to me! I am also reminded of all the pokemon that started as humans now...
Fortunately, the man had some sense and gave their location without a fight. Shota stepped away from him and was reaching for the phone when he spoke again. Turning back slowly, Shota glared at him, lips peeling back from his teeth in a furious snarl. He stalked back to loom over the man, dragging him up by the front of his expensive suit and growling in his face.
"I'll hunt down the next one too. I know about your sick operation now, do you think I won't be watching for someone trying to take over after you? You were happy to see a child killed! Do you think I won't stomp people like you out as many times as it takes?"
It took more self-control than he cared to admit not to assault the prisoner, but Shota forced himself to drop the man and turn away again. Pulling out the phone, he relayed their location and ended the call, ignoring the attempt to keep him on the line.
Breathing out slowly, he reined his temper in and looked back over at Snowy and Lillie.
[yep, the Japanese version of DPPt also said humans and Pokemon used to marry in ancient times!]
“… good luck.”
He didn’t think he’d be able to do it, but also, he had entirely given up hope, so he reacted with utter apathy, hardly reacting when dropped to the floor.
“… um… mister?” Lillie asked, now sitting up, Snowy by her side, as Lillie rubbed at her eyes. “You’re hurt.”
For a moment, she didn’t realize where she was or who the people around her were, but upon seeing the restrained men and the battered ringleader with limbs frozen, her eyes widened with recognition. She might not remember all of it, but it was enough: the words on the wall, the scarf they used to track the current to the source, the scarf now restrainibg their captors… pleading men and a sick and hollow feeling in her stomach, although she’d forgotten the words.
“Is… it over?”
After the dazed little question, Lillie looked serious.
“I have medicine in my bag,” Lillie announced, but had to search a bit for it first. She didn’t carry much else with her, only a change of clothes and a well-loved Poke Doll.
She brought the antiseptic spray to Shota, eager to help. “May I see your arm?”
still not the weirdest/creepiest thing in the franchise ha
They were doubts the captive wouldn't be hearing.
Turning his back on the man, Shota's attention was on Lillie as soon as she spoke. He hurried over to her side. "Almost. People I trust are coming for us."
He crouched beside her, watching her dig in her bag. "Don't worry about me. How do you feel?"
He'd suffered far worse injuries and not let them stop him, and while he'd have to do something about the bleeding eventually, that wasn't right this instant. But she was eager to help, and it would be easier if he didn't have to waste the paramedic's time when they arrived.
Glancing at the spray, Shota offered his arm for her as he waited for an answer, the dark material doing a good job of hiding how much bleeding there was.
[well, they are *monsters* that vary from animal-like to human-like or even youkai-like~]
At being asked how she was, Lillie continued to smile and Snowy waved her tails.
“We’re alright, thank you for asking.”
“It might sting… a lot, but it stops the bleeding, too, usually.”
Lillie sprayed on the antiseptic. It should do a good job of stymying the blood flow, closing up the smaller parts of the wound entirely, but as for the more damaged points, well… that was best to leave for the professionals.
Lillie frowned a bit after applying it. “With smaller cuts, they usually disappear in seconds… ah, I have clean clothes here, so…”
She took out a fine nightgown, made of pure silk, to use as a bandage.
“Silk is supposed to be very good for skin, so I think this should do, until you get to the hospital, mister.”
She isn’t very good at wrapping bandages, it isn’t her forte at all (it’s much more Brock’s, who went to medical school!), but she did her best.
“Is the person coming for us, um, Present Mic?”
She was too shy to tell Shota she’d forgotten his name, but the importance of contacting Present Mic, should something happen, seemed to have kept it afloat over the other memories, lost in the fog.
point!
He blinked at her as she wrapped the silk around his arm, blood immediately staining the material. Shota didn't know much about fashion or luxury items, but he could tell the nightgown would be expensive. And she had been carrying it around and used it for a bandage like it was nothing. Meaning she came from money and most likely had people looking for her. It would make it easier to reunite her with her family and meant there would undoubtedly be a lot of attention from the media when they learned about her abduction. At least that might help with shutting down the whole operation.
Shaking off the surprise, he huffed quietly at her question. "Yeah. He'll probably be one of them."
Once his friend heard that he'd gotten into trouble, he'd insist on coming to see that Shota was still in one piece. It was unnecessary, but he would. Thankfully Lillie didn't need to follow through on what he'd asked her, and Mic would never need to know what he'd considered.
"Once we get out of here, I'll make sure you get home safely." He could come back to help with the investigation once she was back with her family.
[if you prefer to keep their universes separate, ask, and she can just teleport away o/
It was either very foolish to abduct her or very worrying—those behind it might wield even more power and wealth.
At hearing Shota’s suggestion, Lillie looked mortified.
“Home?! Oh, please just take me back to Alola—ah, um, since you didn’t know Pokemon, I think you’d know it as Hawaii…? Please don’t go all the way to our home, mother will make such a fuss.”
It might’ve been the most childish thing out of Lillie’s mouth thus far, but she really did seem embarrassed by the idea and stubbornly opposed. Little did she know that “making a fuss” was exactly the conclusion Shota was hoping for!
it's good thanks, I enjoy a good canon mash-up
Even if she thought nothing of being away from her family, he couldn't leave her alone like that. The promised 'fuss' was just further motivation to return her home. Besides which, if she had been in Hawaii - Alola, whatever one called it - that was where she'd been abducted from. Returning her there would put her at risk again, whereas her family could almost certainly afford good security to keep her safe from further attempts.
[sorry for the loooong delay, Ramadan just ended here, aha]
"... do you know exactly where we are now? It might be possible for mother and father could come here, or send a plane for me, unless it's still unsafe?"
The more she thought about it and looked back at the captured men...
"Never mind, silly question. Alright..." Lillie sighed again. "Our home is in Hau'oli City on Melemele Island, but my family also owns Aether Paradise—a sort of artifical island and reserve— and my mother works most of the time, so she's usually found there..."
no worries at all! happy Eid(?)
"We're near Shizuoka prefecture." Shota hesitated, searching his memories, then, "Kanto region, I think you'd call it."
Before he could argue against a plane being sent - which cemented her wealth, if there had been any doubt - she looked at their captives and relented. And further demonstrated the family she came from. Shota was not looking forward to encountering her mother. As much as he wanted her family stirring up trouble, he was sure it was also going to be troublesome for him, one way or another. But if it meant putting a stop to the group, he'd handle whatever response they had.
"Alright. When my colleagues get here, I'll talk to them about organising a flight home for you. I'll come with you." Lillie might not appreciate the economy class flight he anticipated, but the important thing was getting her home safely.
[thank you very much, yes, you're right, it was just 'Eid! ^^ Lillie flying economy is hilarious!]
"All there is to do now is wait, I suppose..."
Snowy padded around, watching and waiting, staying alert for allies or enemies.
haha, I'm sure it would be something! did you want to wrap there or jump ahead?
"While we wait, you can tell me about your friend and how you met." Between him and Snowy, they'd be able to pick up on anyone approaching, and the distraction should help Lillie from focusing on all that had happened.
[oh, I was fine with it ending earlier, but jumping to meeting her folks’d b something!!]
Telling stories certainly helps! Ash seemed to be the catalyst of many things, from inspiring the creation of an Alolan league, to helping Lillie overcome her fear of touching Pokemon, which would later help her complete a forgotten project of her father’s and find out where he is.
(It seemed her broken family has only very recently been reunited, so, yes, the fuss over what nearly destroyed it once more will be much more than Shota would want to deal with! It also seemed being abducted and nearly killed or nearly having all her memories erased is… a recurring theme in Lillie’s life, whether by creatures from other dimensions or by a shady man from her mother’s workplace… but she’s overcome many of her fears!)
haha, excellent! not sure if you want to skip the flight or not so here we go
Said friends arrived with the emergency services as he'd demanded, keeping an eye on the local police while they arrested the culprits and began investigating the facility for leads. Lillie's presence thankfully stopped them from making too much fuss over the fact he'd been kidnapped, and it wasn't long till the pair of them were packed into a car and being driven to the nearest police station to give statements. From there, they were allowed a short break, but there was pressure to get Lillie home quickly, so it wasn't long till they were being driven to the airport.
Shota had at least had time to change into a clean hero suit, and Lillie's ruined nightgown had been replaced with a few neat stitches and a proper bandage, so he wasn't facing the almost eight-hour flight wearing bloody clothes. But as they boarded the plane with Lillie, he wasn't looking forward to being crammed in the tiny seats and surrounded by other passengers for such a long time. Hopefully, they could both sleep through most of the trip.
[it'd be funny/cute, so I did!]
She wasn't going to complain, though. But all the little things kept confusing and surprising her. No fresh fruit juice? (Lillie declined any drink, looking dubious of the quality.) No hot towelettes?
It was all so strange, Lillie couldn't sleep, because everything was so strange. There isn't, of course, an in-flight movie. She's just going to sit and see what else might happen, feeling like it's a very surreal little adventure, until she eventually did get tired enough to doze off.
I love it! And yes I did google what is served on Hawaiian Airlines flights...
He came back to alertness when the attendants came around to get himself a black coffee that tasted awful, as expected, but he wasn't drinking it for the taste. Lillie got a brief glance at her refusal of all the offerings, but he wasn't going to prod her over it yet. It would be worse when the meals came. He knew she would have been offered something to eat at the police station before they left, but presumably it had been the same cheap take-out the officers had given him, and whether or not she would have accepted that was the question.
Regardless, she didn't seem distressed, so he left her to occupy herself and dozed off again, a featureless ball of black fabric and hair, until several hours into the flight when the attendants came around again, handing out meals. Uncurling himself, Shota accepted the trays, handing Lillie hers and nudging her awake if needed. Peeling open his own to reveal what the menu claimed was Hawaiian loco moco, Shota wordlessly began to eat, keeping half an eye on Lillie in case she turned up her nose at it. He didn't know when she'd last eaten, so no matter what she thought of the offering, she needed to eat at least some of it.
[this is so cute!! I just looked up the length earlier, fff]
She was cold and quickly falling ill. A downside of a delicate constitution, certainly.
She didn’t protest at being given a meal, but certainly went very, very still as she stared at the ugliest, flattest sunny side-up she’d ever seen. It was a rather insulting locomoco. At least the vegetables looked good. But when she reached for her utensils, she looked sickened and started to tear up a little.
She lifted the egg to see meat patty and quietly pushed the food away, Snowy questioning, sniffing at her food, then nuzzling her.
Pokemon trainers generally didn’t eat meat! Perhaps always being around very sentient creatures put many off of the idea of eating other creatures…
ha, yeah not a fun flight especially in economy!
That wasn't the only problem, it seemed. He didn't let her push the food far, nudging back with a quiet admonishment. "You need to eat something. We've got another five hours before we land. Unless you're allergic, you need to have some of it to keep your strength up."
With how quickly everything had been organised, there hadn't been an opportunity to ask for special dietary requirements, so he was hoping that she wasn't actually allergic and just didn't care for the look of it.
[no doubt about that!]
It was hard to say anything, because she didn't want to sound ungrateful, but she couldn't bear to eat meat! She did eat the salad, though, and realized after she'd begun eating, how hungry she really was!
no subject
The rest of the meal would hopefully be fine once the meat was gone, but he put his tub of salad on her tray as well, just in case. Going hungry wasn't such a concern for him. There was one other member of their group whose diet also hadn't been considered though.
Gesturing at Snowy, he asked, "Or will she eat it?" The fox-like creature certainly looked like she should be carnivorous or omnivorous like a fox.
(no subject)
(no subject)
[after they disembark, they’ll be just a phonecall away~]
I'm sure this will go just fine...
[1/2; things for Shota to come across during his reading--with perhaps too much detail, sorry!]
[2/2; things for Shota to come across during his reading--with perhaps too much detail, sorry!]
(no subject)
[enter Lusamine, self-absorbed childwoman, but!!! Genuinely loving mother trying her best now]
ha, alas I don't know he'll have too much patience for her but maybe we'll get there
[Lusamine can be a bit more serious when it calls for it!]
and she cares about her kids so that counts for a lot!
(no subject)
(no subject)
[... yet another, MUCH longer delay, sorry!]
[well, they are *monsters* that vary from animal-like to human-like or even youkai-like~]
At being asked how she was, Lillie continued to smile and Snowy waved her tails.
“We’re alright, thank you for asking.”
“It might sting… a lot, but it stops the bleeding, too, usually.”
Lillie sprayed on the antiseptic. It should do a good job of stymying the blood flow, closing up the smaller parts of the wound entirely, but as for the more damaged points, well… that was best to leave for the professionals.
Lillie frowned a bit after applying it. “With smaller cuts, they usually disappear in seconds… ah, I have clean clothes here, so…”
She took out a fine nightgown, made of pure silk, to use as a bandage.
“Silk is supposed to be very good for skin, so I think this should do, until you get to the hospital, mister.”
She isn’t very good at wrapping bandages, it isn’t her forte at all (it’s much more Brock’s, who went to medical school!), but she did her best.
“Is the person coming for us, um, Present Mic?”
She was too shy to tell Shota she’d forgotten his name, but the importance of contacting Present Mic, should something happen, seemed to have kept it afloat over the other memories, lost in the fog.