notyourutopian | First Injection [Action then Audio]

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First Injection [Action then Audio]

[One moment, Eleanor had fighting for her life through the tunnels of Inner Persephone, the dark secret prison of Rapture, her and her father fighting off her mother's twisted splicer minions. Behind them, waiting for the way to be safe, was a group of young girls, all recently freed from her mother's twisted grip, and all of them hoping to escape the city. And they were going to!]

[And then, a moment later, she was waking up to the soft sound of running water and the strange tickle of grass against her nose. For a moment she simply lay there, her mind trying to process what had happened, before the water sound really pushed its way into her consciousness. She wasn't wearing her suit and she could hear running water!]

[She shoved herself up onto her hands and knees, her eyes searching for whatever leak had to be nearby. Running water in Rapture meant a leak, and a leak meant collapsing buildings, and that meant...that...

[Rather than the twisted metal walls and massive windows of a Rapture tunnel, she found herself sitting in a field of grass, a small stream (the source of the water) bubbling nearby. Trees rose up nearby, healthy, giant trees like nothing she had ever seen, and above it...]

[She had no idea how long she sat there, staring at the sky. There was just so much of it, so blue and distant and massive, looming above her. Her fingers dug into the soft ground, as if she half expected to be dragged up into the emptiness. But she'd dreamed of seeing the sky, and there it was. It wasn't until a bird flashed across her vision (a bird! she'd never seen one outside of pictures) that she was shaken from her trance. She...she could figure out the sky later. And the trees, and the stream! But she had to find out what was going on.]

Father? [She called out, quietly, startling a nearby animal, but nothing else. No response.] Father!

[Okay. He wasn't answering. She took a quick tally of her surroundings instead. She was wearing a dress similar to the ones her mother always brought for her, flimsy and white, more nightgown than anything else, and she plucked at the fabric a few times. It wasn't quite the same. A quick search of the ground nearby found her diving suit, thank heavens, leaning up against a tree, her helmet settled on the lap, the metal framework and gear propped up nearby. If this was a trick of her mother's, some insane thing, why would she have left her her...oh. The syringe was missing. So, a suit without a weapon. Still her suit!]

[Whatever was going on, she'd feel better with the familiar weight on. So she tugged the suit loose from the tree and pulled the back open, stepping into it and tugging it up...and then letting out a startled sound of pain, sending some nearby birds scattered, as she tried to tug it up over something in her back. Something that hurt!]

[Some twisting about finally revealed the strange, white wings attached to her back, their soft color marred by blotches of reddish brown. What in...she frowned at them, and the wings fluttered as if in response. And she could feel them, now that she knew they were there, feel the ache where she'd tried to tug her suit around them, feel them shift with her breathing. She had wings. She had WINGS!]

[Had mother caught her and subjected her to another round of those injections? Was this her own first showing of the awful mutations that had destroyed Doctor Alexander? Although his had been...much worse and much less...well. She had wings. They fluttered again with her shock, the motion sending weird little shivers up her spine, and she had to close her eyes, giving herself a moment to adjust. Whatever it was, she couldn't do anything about them now.]

[So what else was different? She backed away from the tree for a moment, leaving her suit on the ground again. A quick glance around revealed a tree branch, and she held up her hand, mentally willing it to come towards her, feeling the soft shift in the back of her mind as her telekinesis responded and the branch flipped up into the air and towards her. She caught it, hefting it once, then let it drop. She lifted her hand, concentrated, and a burst of fire engulfed her fingers, blisters and burns forming immediately along her otherwise pale skin. She shook the fire and pain away quickly and watched her hand heal back over. So her plasmids still worked. Nothing felt different. She just...had wings.]

[That, and she couldn't put her suit on. So instead she gathered up her helmet and tucked it under her arm, tied the metal framework to the fabric legs of the suit, and drug it along behind her as she started quietly through the forest. Whatever mother had done to bring her here, she'd find one of the woman's splicers soon enough and get answers. Whether they wanted to give them or not.]

[Audio: Hours later]

This is Eleanor Lamb speaking. I was told that these books would allow me to communicate with other people that have been brought here as I was. I still don't quite think I believe it, but I suppose there's little point in doubting, given everything else that I've witnessed since I awoke.

[She hesitates, letting out a breath. She's talking to a book. It would've felt insane if not for the wings, and the strange people, and the sky...]

I am not certain what I am supposed to say. This is all...quite surreal to me. Am I supposed to talk about what I am thinking? That's what we did with the diaries back home, but they were personal, they weren't meant for others to hear.

Still. I guess it cannot hurt. All of this is rather overwhelming, honestly. Just a few hours ago the sky was nothing but a dream...and trees, and birds...and now it's all just...here. Rapture was a nightmare, and yet I'm not sure if I've woken up to something worse or better, or if this is all still some trick of mother's...

Heh. Maybe it's both. I don't-

[She cuts off, silent for a moment, and then makes a frustrated sound.]

This is ridiculous. I'm talking to a book.

[And the book closes with a thump.]

[ooc: Eleanor is supposed to run into Sheena first, but she can meet anyone else after that! She'll most likely be skulking around the edge of town, not quite willing to head inside yet, and be somewhat less violent once she's gotten some answers.]

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[Saleh steps out of a clearing, then stops to face her, staring curiously. He's just carrying his sack of supplies over his shoulder, and his healing staff in his hand.]

Hmm...?

[Well, he doesn't look particularly threatening...but neither had that girl, and she had been able to defend herself. Eleanor remains crouching, watching him carefully. Her wings flutter with her irritation, her new feather dress shifting as she moves closer to the tree.]

Who are you?

Saleh.

[The sage drops his name just like that.]

...You must be a new arrival.

[Saleh. Well, she's never heard a name like that before. Right. Once her side hits the tree she stands slowly, grateful for the assurance nothing is sneaking up behind her for the moment.]

That's one way to put it. Why are you out here?

[Everyone seemed to be in the town...]

I spend most of my time in the forest. Primarily to aid new arrivals, and to bond with nature.

You just stay out here. [She sounds completely skeptical to that.]

What do you care about new arrivals?

[She starts towards him as she speaks, her hand still held out towards him in what is probably a threatening manner. He's so different from anyone in Rapture...]

...For the most part. I do have a place within the village to sleep, however.

New arrivals tend to be frightened, lost, and confused, and understandably so. I cannot leave them like that.

And you just want to help. Out of the goodness of your heart.

[She seems torn between sarcastic disbelief and curious fascination. Because frankly, he sounds insane.]

That's right.

[Said gently. She sounds like someone who doesn't have much experience in a peaceful society.]

[She was silent, frowning at him, for longer than she realized, standing only a few feet away now.]

That's ridiculous. No one does that anymore, you must have some reason.

A reason? Why do I need a reason?

I can tell you that there's no reason not to help someone. The guilt would torment me if I turn my back on someone in need.

[It's an attitude she'd love to share, when she thought about it. Something her father would have approved of, in different circumstances. Maybe even in these circumstances. Her expression waves, and after a moment she finally lowers her hand to her side, just...watching him.]

You just come out here hunting for new people so that you can help them. And you expect nothing?

Most of the people I help, I know nothing about. So what can I expect from them?

No...the mere deed of helping others is a reward in itself. It satisfies me.

Right. [This is her 'I don't believe you' voice.]

Well, I don't have anything to give you, and I'm not going...down there, so I don't think you'll be much help.

...Really? Then what will you do?

[Of course he can't force her to go into the village.]

[She frowns and shrugs.]

I'll...figure something out. I can take care of myself.

I see. Very well, I'll take my leave then.

[Unless there's something else she needs, Saleh will begin to head into the village now.]

[She's quiet for a moment, watching him starting to walk away.]

Hey. Wait just a moment. [A few steps after him.]

How often do people...come out here?

Hmm. There are many people within the enclosure, but I only know a fraction of them. I know there are quite a few who come out for various reasons. So I would imagine that you can find someone out here quite often.

Hmm. [She frowns.] Have you ever heard of a woman named Sofia Lamb?

Sofia Lamb...no, I don't know anyone by that name...

[She visibly relaxes. Despite everything, it's still hard to believe this isn't some trick of her mother.]

What's it like. Down there, I mean.

[He glances over towards the village, thinking of all it has to offer.]

It's...close to the average village, despite the different technology. It has several shops, a restaurant, a bar, a school for education, a clinic for the sick and injured, and a Battle Dome to train your combat skills.

I've never seen a village. Only a city. [It looked so small compared to Rapture. Smaller than most of the individual bubbles, almost...]

A school, though? [Hmm.] Who funds it? Who funds any of this?

Is that so? Well, think of the village as a smaller version of a city. It may not have everything a city has to offer, but it's enough for us to survive.

There are no funds here. People volunteer their services freely, and we function as a community. That is how we survive.

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