Marco's Heart

[peccatore]

You find yourself in a bright white, circular room. It's nearly empty; too bare, almost clinically so. But the bareness of it means that what is visible here stands out:

A podium in the center, where a familiar figure sits, head buried in his hands. Three paths running from the podium to three different spots near the edges of the room - not corners; circles don't have corners - where three doors leading seemingly nowhere stand with no regard for their complete lack of structural support.

It doesn't take you long to figure out where you are, does it? You only have to decide where to start.

Comments

THE PODIUM

[peccatore]

Marco sits on a small platform in the center of the room, curled in on himself. Whatever he's saying - sobbing? - is muffled, swallowed up by his own knees. It doesn't seem like he's noticed you yet.

[eudaimoniac]

[oh i get what's happening

. . . steps forward]

Marco? Darling?

[mindmills]

-- Marco? What's going on? Are you okay?

[ Mark S is faintly staticy around the edges himself. His outie might make an appearance here later on. ]

Re: THE PODIUM

[turntoash]

[Ashwyn softly approaches Marco.]

Hey, hey Marco... you okay?

[dumb question.]

What's going on?

[voidofhearts]

[Where is she... is this... another dream? She dreams so rarely, it always catches her off guard.]

[She steps up to the podium, tilting her head]

Marco...? You...

...You doing okay?

Re: THE PODIUM

[too_cleverfox]

Well this is slightly disturbing.

Marco?

[he approaches the platform.]

[sangwhine]

[Well, this is Ambrose's first heart so he certainly has no damn clue what's going on here. He looks about, frowning, before approaching the figure on the platform.]

Marco? What in the hells is going on here?

[rescentful]

[Naoki comes and crouches in front of him]

Marco, hey...

[queenamongrooks]

Oh hell. Today will really never end won't it.

[Mal takes a steps up onto the platform and puts a hand on Marco's shoulder.]

Marco? Tell me what's on your mind.

[want_not]

. . .

[takes this in for a bit. then quietly walks up and just. touches Marco's shoulder.]

[turnonmycharm]

[approaching uneasily. in a mindscape like this, Tristan looks—a bit different. horns, tail, slit pupils. still mostly Tristan though.]

. . . hey . . .

Re: THE PODIUM

[nevercaught]

[Jarlaxle approaches the platform and gingerly puts a hand on Marco's shoulder.]

Marco? I think we are in your dream.

[pyrrhicviktory]

... Marco?

[ Viktor seems to almost float over, his hair white and body somewhat incorporeal, colours constantly shifting. ]

Am I interrupting?

[reddenedgalaxy]

[Mordi knows exactly what she's going on as soon as she awakens here.]

Marco...

...I can help.

Re: THE PODIUM

[oneknightsstand]

[muttering to himself] The fuck? A dream?

[but on noticing Marco, he heads over there and tries to slide in next to him] Hey, buddy.

THE DOOR OF THE ANCIENT CHILD

[peccatore]

It's only when you're within a few steps of this door that a figure manifests into view.



She's quite small, maybe 4'5", and her face is certainly that of a child, but when she speaks -

"Please, come this way. Do not listen to the others."

- everything from her posture to her tone to the cold, stern look in her eyes is reminiscent of someone much older. Older than you, more likely than not.

[voidofhearts]

[Definitely older than her, though Void is a little confused how exactly she's so sure of that. She takes a few hesitant steps towards the child(?) while she waves]

Okay well... if you insist?

[queenamongrooks]

Agnes, right? I think I'll trust the woman who taught Marco to read more than these other characters...

[mindmills]

[ well Mark S never met a command he didn't like so -

He drifts towards her. ]

Who are you?

[reddenedgalaxy]

What... others?

Re: THE DOOR OF THE ANCIENT CHILD

[turntoash]

[And Ashwyn is now here, approaching this door. Her countenance is... grim. But she's not letting stones go unturned, or memories go untouched.]

[eudaimoniac]

[when he arrives here, he relaxes a llllittle]

No, I haven't.

[want_not]

[heading over here with Marco, exchanging a glance with him]

. . .

Agnes . . .?

THE DOOR OF THE ORIGINAL SIN

[peccatore]

You are barely halfway to this door when you start to hear them, and two thirds of the way when they come into view.



Try as you might, you can't make out their features any better than this. The light and shadow of this room are incongruent with the light and shadow that hit and bounce off of them, and they don't seem to move when you're looking at them. Despite this, you get the distinct sense that they are looking at you.

"Here comes one of his friends."
"Is it a friend? Let me see, my love."

[eudaimoniac]

[. . . he bows to them]

THE DOOR OF THE DIABOLICAL TORMENTOR

[peccatore]

Before you can reach this door, the figure that materialises in front of it closes the distance between it and you first.



"Well, well, well, who do we have here? You need an introduction, or does my fame precede me?"

Something isn't quite right with the way it moves - there's something uncanny, perhaps spidery about it. At least, that's the immediate impression that you get; if you get used to it, if you let down your guard, you might just find there's nothing unusual about it at all.

Re: THE DOOR OF THE DIABOLICAL TORMENTOR

[turntoash]

[This is where Ashwyn starts. She doesn't like people telling her what to do, so the first door is out, and a flip of a coin led her to this one.]

[She keeps her eyes fixated on this figure. She's not the type to let down her guard.]

Seeing as I got no idea who the hell you are, can't be too famous.