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tales of: colette brunel

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WHO: Colette and Zelos
WHERE: Residential floors, on the way to the bunks
WHEN: Forward dated to 2/15
WHAT: The Chosens come across something... strange... on their way to their rooms.
WARNINGS: Warnings will placed under specific tags since this is part of the event!

[Colette's the first to hear the noise.

It's because of the angel ears - while she'd never admit to it, sometimes it's painful how many sounds she can pick out in a crowd, from private conversations she's no choice but to overhear, to the subtle movement of human bodies shifting in a room.

What's she's hearing right now is neither of those things. If she had to place a name to it... mmm. A drip? So faint that she hasn't realized she's stopped walking down the hall, or that her eyes have narrowed in worried concentration.

Faintly, she recognizes how strange she must look to her fellow Chosen, and that's the only reason she tries to right herself like nothing is wrong. A dripping sound isn't anything to be upset about, she reasons - and besides, it wouldn't do to worry Zelos when he's been so nice to show her around the ship.

She turns, smiles, opens her mouth to apologize -- and then her shoulders bunch like someone's smacked her in the back, causing her mouth to snap shut with a click. She feels as if someone's drawing ice cubes down her neck.]

Um... Zelos, do you hear something?

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Hmm?

[Zelos slows his steps as he looks to Colette. He'd gotten a little quiet in their tour when he first noticed this odd feeling. It's enough to make the air feel cold, and he's been glancing behind them while they walk for a few minutes now.]

I don't hear anything. [He doesn't, at first. But he figures it must be that hearing of hers, and so as they continue down the hall, he quiets to listen more intently for the noise.

It hits, faint as it is, and Zelos' eyes flick further down the hall. It's been eerie and silent up here, for a residential hallway like this, and the lights seem dimmer up ahead. Now that he's heard it, the dripping won't leave his ears, even if their footsteps are enough to drown out the sound.]

Wait a sec, I think I hear something now. [More importantly than that, he sees something, up ahead. One hand extends towards Colette, signalling to slow her steps with him and stay a little behind as the other moves towards his sword.] What's up with that open door?

[She can see it too, right? It's pretty far down the hall, but it's clearly ajar.]

[Yes, she sees the door.

She can see it trying to close.

The girl's mouth goes dry, silencing any protests at Zelos taking the lead toward what might be danger, but she's quick to move right along with him, peeking behind his back with a rising sickness growing in her stomach. Something is on the floor (don't look), angled in such a way that the door can't completely close (don't look.)

It doesn't take her long to register what it is, and even less time to try and dart down the hallway if Zelos doesn't stop her]

It's a person! [Their arm, specifically, lying prone on the ground, the rest of them hidden inside the room. But that part doesn't matter to her - someone is hurt and the only thought in her mind is to help them.]

Hang on, Colette!

[He moves to try and grab her arm, but he's too late. Watching her bolt ahead, he hesitates like the coward he is, fists clenching at his sides as he glances back. This feeling is still there. This is a bad idea. But he can't just leave her behind.] Damn it... Why do we always have to run at this stuff?

[He takes off after her, arriving just a few short steps after she does. He opens his mouth to scold her, because she doesn't know a thing about what's behind this door, she might not want to see it. It could be a trap, or—

His eyes slide from her frozen figure to the door that hisses on the track and slides uselessly into the arm again. It's not a person.]

Oh, man... [Zelos grimaces at the sight, bringing a hand up to his mouth like that might help him stomach what he's seeing here. The arm isn't attached to anything else. Severed at the elbow, the bone is shattered, and the skin is ripped into a bloody mess. There's something black tied into a bow around the pinky finger, and upon staring for a few seconds longer, Zelos realizes it must be hair.

He remembers, suddenly, that he's not the only one here, and glances over to Colette with concern before he tries anything else. He doesn't very much want to touch it, anyway. But right now, no words come to mind to soothe her. He can't joke about this, and he can't offer any serious words, either. He's just left still and stunned.]

[She's granted a few seconds to digest the sight by the time Zelos arrives behind her. He's lucky - she's already taken a reflexive step back and so avoids a collision with him, but it's likely he'll hear her gasp, a muted sound covered over by the hands that fly to her mouth.

Don't look - her mind is yelling at her to obey as her stomach coiled in knots and the smell invades her senses until she swears she can taste the metallic tang of blood.

Her mind loops on replay: it's just an arm. No body. Someone died like this.

She's too shocked to start crying. Tears no longer suit her, anyway, and the fact that Zelos is right beside her forces her hands down to her chest. There's no hiding how her fingers clutch against each other, but hard-earned experience means she's shelved some of the horror and replaced it with a quieter sorrow.

Please, Zelos, don't mention that she's trembling; she'd prefer to ignore that.]

Who would do something like this? [There's hair wrapped around the pinky finger, but she doesn't think to grab it yet. Automatic as a machine, she turns her head for the room itself.]

What a sorry way to go...

[He notices the trembling, but he certainly won't call it out. Colette is the strongest person he knows, and just the way that she turns to face the room like she wants to know more has Zelos' heart aching. He was going to run away. He's such a coward.

Well, they're here now, and it doesn't seem like anyone's going to jump out and attack. Colette has her angel senses, she'd be able to tell, right? He sure hopes so. Stepping towards the door, he holds out his own hand so that it can't try to close again, and the lights flickering from inside make the sight even worse. There's a pool of blood right in the center of this room, and more splattered on the walls. The way the blood smears makes it clear that there was some sort of struggle here.]

Oh my god... What the hell happened in here? Somebody ripped his arm clear off! [Thanks Zelos, like that wasn't obvious. Catching himself in his reaction, though, he shoots Colette a worried look.] You probably don't wanna look at this.

[But he knows she will anyway. If she steps in, he'll move in after her, wincing as he leaves the arm in the door for the time being so that they can investigate the room. This room doesn't even look like the standard ones. There's no sheets on the bed, no belongings, nothing on the walls— Zelos still rummages through what he can to look for clues, but he's coming up short.]

[Zelos knows her very well. Colette's mind is set on the matter, and she shoots him a quick, weak smile, murmuring how she'll be fine. She couldn't live with herself if she stayed behind.

Though on her own personal continuum of "I'm okay", she's skewing pretty hard towards numbness. The other Chosen's commentary barely earns a reaction out of her while she takes in the scene, glancing at the walls that are painted in blood splatter. Unbidden, her mind tries to conjure up what might've happened, and she startles herself by biting hard on her lip. No, that won't help anything... so instead she'll put all her focus on watching Zelos comb the room]

Did you find anything? [A pause, and then with a shake of her head:] I'm sorry... I should help.

[Of course she should. It's just -- thinking, it's really hard all of the sudden. Her feet don't know where to move and even standing in the middle of the room spikes her anxiety.

But she tries, only to come up empty like Zelos.]

I don't understand... did someone take the body away? [She'd been hoping to find a face, discover a name, give the person a proper burial and moment of remembrance]

Nothing.

[Zelos frowns as he stands up straight from looking under the bed, both hands on his hips now as he eyes the bloody mess. There are smears around the pool, and this room is a mess, certainly, but—]

It doesn't make any sense! There's not even a single drop of blood in the hallway. I doubt this guy went crawling anywhere, but even if he was carried, whoever did it made it clean. This was purposefully set up.

[Moving back over to the door, Zelos crouches to investigate it further, grimacing as he holds open the door to stop it from shutting again. He'd wanted to keep it open just in case it was some sort of trap, but now it's just distasteful to leave it like this.]

Unless whoever this was liked wearing hair rings, the person who did this to them tied a bow on their pinky. Probably out of their own hair. What a sicko.

[Sorry, is he not helping Colette feel better??]

[Zelos is only saying everything she wouldn't dare to, though she stirs at his rather callous description of their murderer. But really, what other word would someone use in this type of situation? He makes a good point that this seems suspiciously staged, and it only adds another layer of alien cruelty that she can't wrap her mind around. She just... doesn't understand.

Her eyes drop to the floor. It's selfish but she-- she wishes Lloyd and the other were here.]

Um... [Her brows knit into worried thought, immediately shamed by her last wish. This is hardly the time to be thinking about that] If we bring the-- [Stopping, starting. She forces herself to keep talking through a deep breath] -- the arm to the place where they took our blood, maybe they can help us figure out who this is?

[Zelos is the smartest one in the room; Colette peers at him, subjecting her idea to his intellect] When I first arrived, they told me they had to keep samples! They must have some for them, too.

[As Colette's words come out, Zelos stares at her. That's actually really smart, but— he turns slowly back down to the arm he's holding the door back from, his grimace worsening.]

You mean... carrying this thing all the way back there? [Picking it up? His stomach twists in disgust at the idea, and at the worry that they'll be caught and accused of it themselves. But she's right. She's right, damn it, and there's no way he can just let her deal with this alone.

...Not after everything he's been planning back home. He owes her at least this much.]

Ugh. [Regardless of anything else she adds, Zelos ducks down to pick up the arm with his free hand, turning his face away near immediately. Blood oozes out a bit, and the way the torn skin flaps at the end—]

I think I'm gonna barf. [What a ladies man. A real hero. ...Alright, he's straightening, still holding the door open and looking back more seriously at Colette.] You don't have to follow me back there.

[Things have already been really rough on her, and she's just shown up.] I don't want you to have to look at this thing any longer than you have to.

[She hadn't expected him to just pick it up like that. A trail of blood snakes down the arm and her eyes blank out for a second before she shakes herself awake. Yes, this was her idea, but watching Zelos do it alone makes Colette's mouth turn in worry.]

Zelos, please - it's okay! I don't mind carrying it. [Yes, she does. She doesn't want to touch it at all. Her hands dare to shake on her as she talks, and she quickly hides them behind her back, hoping Zelos wasn't quick enough to see.

If this were Lloyd, she'd bet on a "no". With Zelos... sometimes it's hard to tell how much he actually notices]

And of course I'm coming. [A smile for that, though it quickly disappears] We found it together, right? I think we should turn it in like this.

[She might be convinced to leave the arm in Zelos' hand, but he'll get nothing but kind opposition if he tries to make her leave.]

You're not gonna carry it.

[Zelos is firm with that, at least. There's no way he's going to let a girl carry this gross thing. Especially not her... Frowning, he holds it away from himself and nods with his head for Colette to follow. They can get going, then.]

...Alright, come on. Let's hurry up before someone catches us and gets the wrong idea.

We should probably tell people about this. [He thinks about that, glancing forward as they walk.] But it might be a good idea to see what we can figure out, first.

[Mmm... then for Zelos' sake, she won't fuss anymore about who carries the arm, simply dropping her stare to trail along the floor. Occasionally she peeks at her friend - his back specifically, letting the other Chosen trail in front of her - and her eyes always seem to find themselves stuck on the dismembered arm that's already lost the rosy hue of life.

Someone's arm, she reminds herself, no matter how it makes her insides turn. Somebody died here, and lost this piece of themselves. Never forget. She won't let her mind settle on the sight like it's a prop.]

Right! Um-- but I'm not really good at using my watch yet...

[Yes, she refers to it as a watch because she can't remember all the other terms for the technology. There's a reason she's yet to broadcast her appearance on the ship. It hadn't bothered her before, but now, watching Zelos carrying the greatest burdens by himself, she can't help but feel a tinge of uselessness.]

[Zelos, meanwhile, keeps the thing at his side and tries not to think about it. He thinks about other things, instead. How the guy he had gotten closest to on the ship had vanished, how now he's hoping he won't find his arm somewhere. This isn't it. He can tell that much.

He's also thinking about that feeling of being watched from before. What's going on...

But at Colette's words, he turns to her as they move, offering a small smile. He'd better get back into his usual fully, so she can feel better.]

Oh, I'll just show you! It's not hard at all. Why don't you watch me make an announcement, and then I'll show you how to reply and everything?

[She nearly asks Zelos if he's sure, but honestly, him making the offer is soothing enough to relieve some of Colette's tension. A dose of the normalcy she's craving, because Zelos is always nice to her, and it reminds her of home, of duty and sacrifice and boys with unkept hair who always wear red--

She slams the breaks on her thought so hard she nearly trips for it, and abruptly forces herself to smile bigger, nodding along]

Okay! Thank you, Zelos. I'll try my best.

[She's holding things back again, isn't she? It's so much easier to see when they're the only two here. Zelos is reacting like a mess, in his mind, but she's completely under control. He doesn't know how she does it, and the fact that he can't match it at all has him feeling sick.

But he keeps their pace up.]

That's the spirit! Don't worry, you'll be like an expert in no time. [...] Sorry this is how you had to show up here.

No, it's okay! [Her go-to words whenever she's uncertain if she can keep the smile on her face. But this time she can make them come true, and smiles to the side.]

If I hadn't come, then you'd be here all by yourself, right?

[It hasn't been for long, but Zelos is one of her group, and has proven his loyalty in his own ways. She believes that with all her heart]

So I'm glad I'm here now.

Aww, you're so sweet, Colette!

[Her sweet nature is a perfect way to transition into his usual self, in fact. Even while he's holding this nasty arm... He can forget about that, and maybe he can help her forget just a little bit, too.]

I thought I was going to go crazy here! There are too many dudes, and I kept thinking about all of my darling hunnies back home. I'll keep you safe, so don't worry, okay?

Mm! Okay. [Hah, protect her. He really is sweet, even though he doesn't need to; Colette would never blame Zelos if he chose his own skin over hers. The Chosen prefers it, honestly, but those are words no one needs to hear. She'll bask in his smile instead, nearly forgetting back the gruesome reason they're on their way to the medbay]

And don't worry, I bet Sheena and the Professor are fine with Lloyd. Presea, too!

That just makes me more depressed.

[Why does Lloyd get to relax with all of the cute girls, while he's here suffering? Unfair!

But alright, it's down to medbay they go. It shouldn't take long at all, with them going like this.]

[Whoops. Um. That was the opposite effect she'd been hoping for, but Zelos' overblown moment of depression only earns a soft pat against his arm in apology. It'd be patronizing if it came from anyone besides Colette, but she seems honestly sad for him.

What's his favorite word again...]

I'm sure you'll meet plenty of hunnies here too, Zelos!

Haha... thanks, Colette.

[If any of the others get here and hear her saying things like this, he's going to die, too. He can feel it.]

Anyway, forget about that! Let's just get moving and get to the bottom of this, okay?

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cw: gore, graphic things like that

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