Welcome.

[trustfelling]

You don't remember how you got here. It may be one of the first things to occur to you when you wake up, that you don't know when you got here, what you were doing involved nothing like this; granted, it's also possible that it doesn't matter – that whatever circumstances you last remember have nothing on the fact that this bed is really comfortable and the room around you is gently-lit. It's warm, but it's nowhere near where you're supposed to be. Whatever you think of it, the fact is that you can't stay there forever; there's a silver key resting on that trunk near your bed, and you might want to take it on the way out. It's no big deal if you don't, exactly – it won't lock automatically after you close the door, that has to be done manually – but it'll probably become clear that privacy is a commodity in a place like this. After all, you aren't alone; the hallway is likely quick to become populated with other people that are just as confused as you are. Go ahead and talk to them if you'd like; none of you will know exactly how you got to the building with the wooden walls and the odd windows that no one can see through, but that doesn't mean you can't get to know each other on the way to...wherever it is that you're going. Wander long enough and you may hear the chiming of a clock nearby. It's hard to tell whether it's telling you it's very early or very late at night, but checking out the room it's in eventually might be a good idea regardless; it's large and open, designed to accommodate social gatherings from the look of it, with the clock in question mounted against the western wall. It isn't the only thing here, though – there's a large frame set into the wall nearby, and it contains some information that might be relevant to your interests... Or perhaps your attention is drawn instead to the other framed information nearby; don't worry if you miss it in here, though. It's posted in every other room in the building. There's also the matter of the large double-doors at the end of the room; they aren't going to open, regardless of what you do. Looks like you're trapped here for the time being. Might as well see who's here with you, right?

Comments

[notaccurate]

[If the look on his face is anything to go by, that is definitely enough for Luca to get the picture.

He immediately looks to the rules, reading through them for the first time. Some of them seem normal, but those last few, those are the worrying ones.]

They can't be serious, can they?

[flagitate]

They wouldn't be the first.

[notaccurate]

[Jesus, just where does Katniss come from that her outlook on life is so bleak? Maybe she's from Valence, it's been in a lot of turmoil ever since the war.]

Maybe they mean for it to be a game? They can't possibly be serious about killing, that sort of thing isn't allowed in this country.

[He doesn't seem too sure of his words, though, and he is nervously fidgeting with his hair, tucking a loose clump of it back behind his ear.]

[flagitate]

That's funny, because in my country, kids are chosen every year to die. To kill each other. For entertainment.

[ Yikes. ]

[notaccurate]

[Yikes indeed.

Either she is far away from home, or he is. And based on the rules listed here, he is thinking the latter.]

What country would that be?

[flagitate]

Panem.

[ Has he never heard of it? Weird. ]

[notaccurate]

[It's similar to the name of a far away country in Luca's world, but that country is literally an ocean away. And Katniss looks far more likely to be from somewhere close to where Luca is from, too.]

No, I can't say that it sounds familiar, unless a country decided to change it's name recently. But this should be Warassa, that is where I was yesterday.

[flagitate]

I've never heard of Warassa.

[ It sounds made up, but then again, so do most of the names in the Capitol. ]

What's it like?

[notaccurate]

Very...grey, if that makes sense. It's rainy most days, and there isn't much color on the buildings.

[His home country is far better, in his mind.]

If you haven't heard of it, then perhaps you have heard of Sevallia? Or Valence?

[flagitate]

Just the Capitol and the districts.

[notaccurate]

[So she isn't well traveled. That's alright, they can make due.]

And this capitol...you say this sounds normal for them?

[flagitate]

Yeah.

They broadcast it so all of Panem can see it. They bet on their favorites, [ bitterly: ] and cry when they die.

[notaccurate]

[TVs aren't a thing in Luca's world, but the theater is. He is imagining this as a giant play.]

And you're sure it's not all an act, for a show?

[flagitate]

No. They really die. I watch it every year.

[notaccurate]

[That is...actually pretty unsettling, and Luca doesn't even try to hide how disturbing that is to him. He looks away and rubs at his neck awkwardly for a moment, like he is trying to think of what to say, before finally settling on something.]

Well, your country and my country sound very different, and we have just as much of a chance of being somewhere else entirely. So, let's look around and hope for the best?

[And hopefully nobody will be actually dying.]

[flagitate]

[ ... She can't argue with that. ]

Right. So. Where should we start?

[notaccurate]

The front door, maybe?

[Luca fully intends on walking out of the building, finding a corner store, and asking some questions.]

[flagitate]

Like that'll help us. It's not gonna be that easy.

[notaccurate]

Breaking them down may not be easy, true. But getting a key, that might be a bit more manageable.

[He remembers seeing a key in his room, maybe that is the key out?]

Did you happen to find a key anywhere?

[flagitate]

[ She pulls her key from her pocket. ]

Just this one in the room I woke up in.

[notaccurate]

I got one of those too. It doesn't look like the right kind for this door, either.

[So there must be another key somewhere else.]

And it looks like the windows may not actually be windows, too. You saw them, yes?

[flagitate]

It's hard to call it a window if you can't see through it.

[notaccurate]

I suppose it could be...ah...partially see-through? In one direction?

[He knows what a one-way mirror is, but he's not sure of the English word for it.]

[flagitate]

[ ... creepy. ]

Anyone could be watching us.

[ LET'S BREAK THE WINDOWS, LUCA. ]

[notaccurate]

[NOT A BAD IDEA TBH]

True. But-

[His face scrunches up in thought for a moment.]

-If I'm remembering correctly, that kind of glass works by having the lights off on the side that can see into the other side. So if we turn off the lights near a window, we might be able to see in the glass the other way.