Welcome.

[trustfellowship]

The last thing you remember hearing is static. There were words in there, perhaps, quiet whispers like the rustling of leaves, like the crinkling of paper, like rust being scraped off a knife. The words aren't anything you'll remember, but they're there, and there are a lot of them washing over you, and it might be concerning if it weren't so warm where you're lying. You wake feeling disoriented, like you've been asleep for a long time. Of course, it's probably odd that you're waking up just now - perhaps you were in the middle of something important, perhaps you were waiting for something, or maybe you were just going about your day, but even before the whispering came you can clearly remember doing something back home. Can't you? Something else. Something that wasn't looking around the room you've found yourself in. It's not your room, either. Not the one you're used to. The room here is grey and white and tile; even if the bed is nice (and the bed is nice, it feels like it's been designed to cater just to you, maybe if you keep your eyes closed you can pretend it's a favor), the room itself is spartan and oppressing. The walls are cracked and the floors are in disrepair, but despite that there's not enough noise - it's silent, the quietness of it pressing in on you, and even if you can't see any cameras you get the distinct feeling that for good or ill, someone is watching over you as you get up. That might be enough to make you move, to make you not want to stay there. But even if you stick around for a while to look around in there, the walls hold firm despite their decrepit state and the pervasive silence isn't going away - if anyone's in the rooms near you, you can't hear them. If you want answers, you're going to have to leave. Be sure you grab the key sitting on your desk on the way out. Once you step out of the room into the hallway you'll most likely find yourself face-to-face with other confused people who feel as though they don't belong here either. Maybe you'll find something if you explore together; maybe it's safer in numbers. Wherever you end up going - and there are several places to go - you might want to check the large room toward the center of the communal area of the building. A subdivided foyer is here; at first glance, it even seems to offer you a look at the outside. Of course, once you've gotten over that particular disappointment, you might want to check out the walls, where you'll find some very interesting information about yourselves hanging on the walls. There's some other framed information that you'll most likely want to get a look at as well, seeing as how it could be the key to escaping this place. Although, speaking of keys... Despite your best efforts, you won't find any doors. The windows you find here and there are far more durable than they should be as well, and any attempts to break out won't work. It seems you're stuck here for the time being. Maybe your fellow captives have some thoughts on all of this. Welcome to Beacon General Hospital.

Comments

[nachetanya]

[ Souls...? She looks at him somewhat skeptically for a moment, and, ]

So monsters are magical beings to begin with, right down to their souls?

[journalname]

Exactly!

[Asgore beams; she's got it in one!]

Our bodies are primarily composed of magic as well, so I am not very familiar with human hospitals...such as this. [Though he sounds pretty doubtful that this is one at all.]

[nachetanya]

Oh, then... could you show me some of that magic now? Or does it not work like that?

[ She asked with a smile!!

She would clap her hands together - and actually starts a motion to - until. Oh, right, one arm. ]

[journalname]

Certainly! I can make a small...

[He holds out a paw, palm-up, as he speaks. And then stops speaking abruptly, staring down at it with a furrowed brow.]

...that is. Very odd. [He flicks his hand off to the side, away from Nachetanya, as if trying something else. Nothing happens that time either.]

[nachetanya]

[ She narrows her eyes, and ... ah.

But she quickly corrects herself and looks a little concerned- ]

Is something the matter?

[journalname]

A monster's magic is tied to both our body and soul. If it were to vanish somehow, we would almost certainly die...

[And yet, it appears to not be working. Is it time for some kind of existential crisis?]

[nachetanya]

So shouldn't it work regardless of anything else... basically?

[ After all, he seems alive! Seemingly concerned, she takes a step closer to put a hand towards his chest to feel for a heartbeat. ]

[journalname]

It should...

[He'll allow the touch, though no heartbeat can be detected. Perhaps it's just because of the armor he's wearing?]

Nothing can live without a soul, but most especially monsters. I do not understand how this can be.

[nachetanya]

You don't have a pulse I can feel, Asgore. Is that normal?

[journalname]

Why, yes! Monsters' bodies are made mostly of magic, not physical matter, so there is no need for us to have internal organs. That is...more obvious with some monsters than myself.

[He smiles good-naturedly; he knows he looks very much like a physical being, a human or animal or something.]

Monsterkind is very diverse! Some of us look like living flames, or humanoid skeletons.

[nachetanya]

Oh, that does sound most diverse!

[ She smiles, running her hand along his chest some more, over and around the armor, as if getting a feel for it before retracting it. She then holds out her hand to take. ]

Does that mean that your "core" could be said to be the soul? But souls aren't physical, are they...? So how does that work.

[journalname]

Essentially. Our soul is the core of our being - our magic comes from our soul, and that is what forms our bodies. But monster souls are fragile. When we die, they turn to dust along with our bodies.

Human souls are different, of course. We do not understand them nearly as well, but they can linger even after a human's death.

[nachetanya]

Oh no, that sounds bad! I hope that souls themselves aren't vulnerable, that sounds dreadful≥

[ Human souls... huh.

Is he allowed it, is his hand warm. ]

[journalname]

[Oh yes, absolutely! His hand is warm and furry.]

They can be. But as a boss monster, I am less vulnerable than some might be.

[nachetanya]

Oh, that's fortunate. I would be worried if you had a special vulnerability.

[ She squeezes his hand-paw-thing ]

[journalname]

[He smiles, squeezing back very gently and patting her hand lightly with his other one.]

Thank you. It is very kind of you to be concerned, but I shall be all right. Please, though, feel free to come to me should you ever need anything.

[She's the one who most needs looking after, here. She's only a child, and while plenty of monsters get by with various numbers of limbs, he knows that humans are meant to have two arms.]

[nachetanya]

That's... very kind of you to offer. I actually don't know how to respond...

[ What a warm offer, and so quickly... Wow... Her hand remains in his, and she sort of keeps closer to him, leaning up to his hand. ... Notably this means he'll be able to tell the bunny ears are a head piece. Not actually ears. ]

[journalname]

Do not worry about it.

[He beams, gives her hand a last squeeze, and releases it.]

We are all trapped here together, are we not? We must look out for one another.

[nachetanya]

[ . . . Hahaa. She exhales a little, taking her one hand back to herself, closing the fist and then smiling, shaking her head ]

You're very kind, aren't you, Asgore? Yes, I think so as well.

[journalname]

I think we cannot possibly be trapped here for a very long time. Someone must be looking for us, don't you think? But it could be dangerous in the meantime...

[Mostly due to each other, it seems.]

[nachetanya]

I would hope so! After all, if we came here, others could come here too.

[ A nod! ]

I was disarmed [ she means weapons but. You know. Also her missing left arm. ] too, so it's worrisome you don't have magic either.

[journalname]

[He sort of assumed the missing arm was an old injury, given that it doesn't look to be hurt now.]

It is...we would have a harder time of it, if anything were to happen. [He frowns slightly; she seems young to be regularly fighting with weapons.] What weaponry do you normally use?

[nachetanya]

I've used a rapier for many years, both as a swordsman and in my capacity as a saint.

[ She speaks with some pride about this. It's been such a part of her life for so long, to hide that seems silly. She makes a little motion with her arm, as if thrusting the sword at a wall. A phantom sword, of course. ]

[journalname]

...gosh, I think I must have misunderstood what a saint is. Is it not some human religious figure?

[Those don't normally involve violence, do they?]

[nachetanya]

Oh no, that's not wrong! [ Okay: ] Saints are women who have inherited a part of the gods' powers, each one having a different power. There's a Saint of Ice and Saint of Salt as well, for example. There's actually seventy-eight in all.