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Post by Liou on Oct 29, 2017 15:57:36 GMT -5
You've been to all the houses in this street, good job! Now you can move on to the next street, as there's nothing left here but this empty lot - wait. It has a car park in it. The car park is completely empty aside from gravel, piles of dead leaves, forlorn plastic bags blowing across the ground, and a hunk of weather-beaten metal that might have been a car long ago.
There is a bunch of orange and black balloons at the entrance. On the other end of the car park is a very tall, glass-fronted building. Faded lopsided signs seem to be advertising various sales. A slightly brighter, though still lopsided orange sign above the entrance reads "Happy Halloween from the Splatter Mall". It is topped by toothy grinning pumpkins and bats and sadly drooping spiderweb garlands. There isn't a single visitor in sight.
You've never heard of such a mall in this place and it looks fairly deserted. Still, those balloons seem new, and the place seems to be celebrating Halloween. If neat treats are being handed out, you wouldn't want to miss out.
More bunches of balloons lead the way to the abandoned mall, wobbling feebly in the wind, with the remains of their burst brethren still swinging from them. The automatic sliding doors are wide open and jammed. They keep trying to slide shut, and their rhythmic, muffled slams fill the space like the ticking of a clock.
You enter the abandoned mall. Dust bunnies blow around in a welcoming dance. The floor is littered with scraps of shopping bags, dead leaves from the withered indoor plants, and flakes of paint fallen like snow. The spotlights are all off, except for one or two inexplicably blinking in the distance. The glass of the windows and the dome above you is so grimy that you can hardly tell it is glass, except where birds have disturbed it to build nests.
A jolly-looking plastic skeleton is right there to welcome you with a cauldron full of wrapped candy and a "Happy Halloween" sign. Next to it is a panel with a map of the mall that reads "Trick-or-Treat in these stores", but the map is so faded and torn that you cannot see a thing.
Various shops line the hallway that stretches in front of you, left and right.
At the end of that hallway is something round, with a very faint reflection of light that seems to indicate water. A central fountain, perhaps.
On either side are escalators to go up and down. You cannot tell which is which, as neither escalator is currently going anywhere, which means that they are actually going in both directions, come to think of it.
From the hallway to your right, you smell faint whiffs of some kind of fast food.
Where are you going?
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Post by Shinko on Oct 29, 2017 16:28:24 GMT -5
The girl in the bootlegger costume resists the urge to scratch her face where the makeup is itching a little as she ponders her options. Malls weren't her usual scene at the best of times, let alone when they were completely abandoned. After a bit of waffling, she decides to approach the central fountain, pausing as she reaches it to flick a worn looking penny from the 1920s into the water.
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 29, 2017 21:30:15 GMT -5
The hooded figure flaunts into the abandoned mall and looks around. It was a very peculiar place, to be sure. It was obviously abandoned, with no use, and yet it was decorated. And the decorations looked new too. The figure gingerly takes a piece of candy from the cauldron and places it into their bag... But what else is there to this place? The mystery is too great for them to ignore.
The glinting of the fountain catches their eye, but then they catch the whiff of food. Fast food. That is... a surprise considering how this place is supposed to be abandoned; any food left in an abandoned mall would surely have rotted by now, and not produced a smell like... that.
Their stomach growled, and they were reminded that they hadn't eaten much today. They weren't sure whether to trust the food, but their curiosity and their stomach guided them to the hallway to their right.
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Post by downrightdude on Oct 29, 2017 23:42:34 GMT -5
*tries on jewelry*  |
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Post by Liou on Oct 30, 2017 11:56:17 GMT -5
ShinkoThe fountain is surrounded by overgrown vines which have crept out of their pots. Soggy flyers float on the surface of the round pool like tatty lilypads. The grimy central statue is lifeless, apart from a steady drip-drip of water coming from its nose. There are no jacuzzi bubbles, too bad. Your penny sinks. And sinks. And sinks. Come to think of it, you can't see any other coins down there. Let alone anything at all. The penny bounces back out of the pool and falls again, spinning with small flashes of light. Something catches it. Something so large that it takes up nearly the entire width of the pool. While the enormous tentacle is balancing the penny delicately on its tip, a second tentacle crams itself through the pool and holds a magnifying glass over the coin. The suckers of the tentacles seem to blink like eyes. Then the magnifying glass is withdrawn; the second tentacle brings out a battered leather album and places the penny among a huge coin collection. The two tentacles spread out and wiggle on the sides of the pond in what seems a happy gesture. A cute orange gift set with soaps, body wash, lotion and loofah is tossed out of the fountain, then the Koin Kollekting Kraken disappears below the surface again. The central statue continues its drip-drip. There are shops to pick from on both sides, escalators, and the fast food-scented hallway. What next? GelquieYou reach the food court. It is just as empty as the rest. Some of the tables and chairs have fallen and still lie on their side, having no motivation to get back up. Somewhere, a conveyor belt buffet still tries to move in little jerks. At least, there is another cauldron of candy waiting by the entrance, to tide you over. The vaguely yummy scent is coming from behind a greasy counter. There are also rapid chopping sounds. Stepping a little closer, you see a knife moving along a chopping board; but there is no one in sight, and nothing for it to chop. Yet. "A visitor?" says a voice from behind the knife. "It's been such a long time. You must be hungry." " We certainly are," cuts another voice from a table behind you. A second knife flies from behind the counter, over your head, and lands in the wall over that table. With a yelp, the table is overturned. "Your order is ready," the first voice continues. The chopping knife ceases its chopping and points towards a circle of chairs without a table in the middle - how curious. On one of the seats is a paper plate with a beautiful slice of pie. Mmm, pie. Music begins to play. What will you do when the music stops? * Take the pie and sit on a chair
* Grab the pie and run
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Post by Celestial on Oct 30, 2017 12:18:55 GMT -5
Once the horse is left outside the mall with a small bale of hay and some water for it to drink, the lady wraps her shawl tightly around her and enters the mall. Though she is careful to walk without her footsteps leaving a sound, the swishing of her skirts and the jangling of her clothes and the many bracelets she wears render the effort moot. "I have read about something like this in a book once, about a parasitic life form that takes over worls in the form of a shopping mall. Though I doubt there is any connection, but it amuses me nevertheless to think about."
Eventually she comes to the skeleton, and attempts to read the map that it has before realising it is faded. "Hmm, I suppose I will have to trust my sight to find my way around," she remarks to herself.
With a confidence and sureness that seems to say she knows exactly where she is going, the lady picks up her skirts and walks up the escalators to whatever is on the second floor of the mall.
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Post by Shinko on Oct 30, 2017 12:34:10 GMT -5
The woman in the plaid vest watches, impressed, as the Kraken inspects the coin. Then, she gives a cry of surprise when the bath gift set flies through the air, just managing to catch it before it hits the ground.
"Thank you!" she calls to the creature, before setting her new acquisition into a goody bag hanging from her shoulder, alongside a striped doorknob and a 30% off voucher for Halloween Real Estate. After a moment of looking around and pondering, she heads towards the escalators.
"You know, in real life escalators kind of freak me out," she admits as she puts a cautious foot on one of the steps. "I'm not afraid of them, of course, but there's always somebody trying to run up the escalators to get to the top just a little bit faster, and if they fall, well." She shakes her head.
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 30, 2017 20:25:35 GMT -5
GelquieYou reach the food court. It is just as empty as the rest. Some of the tables and chairs have fallen and still lie on their side, having no motivation to get back up. Somewhere, a conveyor belt buffet still tries to move in little jerks. At least, there is another cauldron of candy waiting by the entrance, to tide you over. The vaguely yummy scent is coming from behind a greasy counter. There are also rapid chopping sounds. Stepping a little closer, you see a knife moving along a chopping board; but there is no one in sight, and nothing for it to chop. Yet. "A visitor?" says a voice from behind the knife. "It's been such a long time. You must be hungry." " We certainly are," cuts another voice from a table behind you. A second knife flies from behind the counter, over your head, and lands in the wall over that table. With a yelp, the table is overturned. "Your order is ready," the first voice continues. The chopping knife ceases its chopping and points towards a circle of chairs without a table in the middle - how curious. On one of the seats is a paper plate with a beautiful slice of pie. Mmm, pie. Music begins to play. What will you do when the music stops? * Take the pie and sit on a chair
* Grab the pie and run The hooded figure blinks at the very animate knives, of all the objects to be animated, as they speak and chop... nothing. Why bother doing chopping if there was nothing to cut? Unless it was something they couldn't see? That other voice, it sounded threatening, but... the knife seemed to stop it. Was it... safe to be here...? They look to the chair with the pie and the music being played. Musical chairs, of course. They weren't entirely certain about this place, or entirely certain that there wouldn't be anything strange about the pie. But it would probably be worse for them if they didn't take a seat, at least. And plus... they did love pie, and it smelled delicious.They grab the pie and sit upon a chair. They supposed they'd play along for now. As for the pie, well... They may eat it once they're more sure about the situation. |
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Post by Liou on Oct 31, 2017 10:19:49 GMT -5
Shinko CelestialYou start climbing the escalator. It does not move. You reach the middle of the escalator. It moves neither up, nor down. You reach the top of the escalator. It still hasn't moved. It... really doesn't do anything. You have reached the second floor. You step into - ew, a puddle of something. Paint? It seems to have oozed from the shop to your left. Yes, there are shops here. To the right is one with paw prints on what's left of the sign above its door. Hopefully they're just a printed design and they weren't left by some kind of crawling climbing creature. GelquieThe music stops, and you have found a seat. Good for you. Really good for you. You win the game, and you win the pie. Enjoy. A neat little cardboard box with orange ribbon appears around the pie in case you wish to keep it for later. Sighs are heard from all the empty chairs around you. The chopping board knife taps like a bored person drumming their fingertips. In the hallway from which you came are several shops, left and right. A faint rustling comes from the right. A buzz of static comes from the left. Above are the escalators. Further ahead is the shimmer and rheumy drip-drip of the fountain.
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Post by Celestial on Oct 31, 2017 10:45:48 GMT -5
LiouThe lady smiles at her travelling companion ( Shinko) and stops in front of them. "Let us then observe all safety protocols and do not fall. Change begins at home, after all," she remarks. So busy was she dispensing life advice that she completely neglected to watch where she was going until she shoe gave off a soft squelch. Looking down, the lady saw the paint covering its surface. A look of mild disgust crossed her face and she lifted up her skirts, carefully stepping around the puddle and doing her best to wipe the paint off with the floor. However, the footprints catch her eye. She follows them, cming to the shop on the right with the sign. "Hmm..." she enters into the shop, looking around. "Here puss-puss...at least, I think you are a puss-puss..."
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Post by Shinko on Oct 31, 2017 14:40:57 GMT -5
LiouThe girl in the bootlegger garb gives a jaunty wave to her fellow esalator conquerer ( Celestial) before turning and heading towards the room with the mysterious fluid with a conspicuously unspecified color. "Helloooo?" she calls as she steps inside. "I'm not about to get jumped by a Silent Hill 3 monster, am I? If I am, I could try to see if I have any agloaphotis in my pockets, though that'd go a lil against the theme I've got going on here." She purses her lips. "Maybe I should've dressed as one of the immortals, in hindsight, but Jacuzzi is my favorite character..."
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Post by Liou on Oct 31, 2017 19:44:59 GMT -5
Celestial You are standing among many cages. All of them are empty. All of them are wide open. Not much remains in the grimy shop. A few broken toys litter the front, their insides ripped out. Long, deep slashes have been dug into the walls. At the very back of the shop is a large, pitch dark hole. The whole place is dotted with more paw prints. You hear a clatter; one of the cages in the back sways and topples onto its side. A shadow appears behind it, no, two very tall shadows that stretch up to the ceiling. It seems that the puss-puss has heard you. From behind the cage jumps a creature with two heads, feline and caprine, and a wriggling snake for a tail. A chimera. A tiny little chimera kitten that mewls ferociously. The wee hooves of its back legs clatter like a goat kid's as it wiggles before pouncing and attacking your skirt, rolling onto its back and flailing all its paws. After this mighty display of strength, the kittymera trots away and drops a Chimera Chew Toy with jingly bells at your feet. You also find some Chimera Treats. The tiny kitten flattens its ears and gallops away, disappearing into the much larger hole at the back of the shop. * check out that hole in the wall
* leave some treats and go somewhere elseShinko The fluid turns out to have oozed from many puddles of paint in all colours of the rainbow, blending together in a paint river. They end up forming rather ugly hues in most places. The store is littered with paint flakes and scraps of paper and canvas. There are a few rumpled paintbrushes left on the shelves. In the center are a few easels. As soon as you try to step further, a voice says "Freeze! Don't disturb anything!" It's coming from the largest of a few plain busts resting on a shelf. Beneath it, on the floor, is a peculiar pool of paint shaped like a rather squashed gentleman in a suit, with a top hat on the right. Even more peculiarly, the canvas resting on an easel right above has a blank patch on it shaped just like a gentleman. A chalk outline has appeared around the humanoid puddle. On either side are two other paintings, each of them a portrait of a very elegant lady in a fine dress and dainty gloves. "You'll want your treat, won't you?" says the bust. "Here, take these crayons." You find Orange Crayons in many different hues - peach, papaya, apricot, mango, tangerine, carrot, melon... These are your treat. Why, of course you can eat crayons. Didn't you know that? "Now go away," the bust continues, "I have to figure out which of these two done pushed him off. If only I had eyeballs..." * tell the bust you think the lady on the left dunnit
* tell the bust you think the lady on the right dunnit
* leave them to it and go eat your crayons somewhere else
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Post by Shinko on Oct 31, 2017 20:01:33 GMT -5
The girl fiddles with the crayons- she's getting the impression this mall's prizes are all going to be orange colored in the spirit of Halloween. Speaking up towards the bust, she remarks, "His hat fell off to the right, which implies his momentum was going left. So he must've been pushed from the right, by the lady on the right."
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Post by Gelquie on Oct 31, 2017 20:15:14 GMT -5
GelquieThe music stops, and you have found a seat. Good for you. Really good for you. You win the game, and you win the pie. Enjoy. A neat little cardboard box with orange ribbon appears around the pie in case you wish to keep it for later. Sighs are heard from all the empty chairs around you. The chopping board knife taps like a bored person drumming their fingertips. In the hallway from which you came are several shops, left and right. A faint rustling comes from the right. A buzz of static comes from the left. Above are the escalators. Further ahead is the shimmer and rheumy drip-drip of the fountain. The figure looks down at the now boxed-in pie, in awe at how it was wrapped so quickly. They hear the sighs around them and look around rapidly, but they see no one. "Maybe next time?" the figures assures the others, getting up. "Thank you for the pie!" They decide to visit a different area, however. They decide to go left, where the rustling is (and decidedly away from the static). It was getting late, but one more look couldn't hurt... |
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Post by Celestial on Nov 1, 2017 5:42:46 GMT -5
LiouThe lady puts an arm in front of herself and her head dashes around as she looks for something to defend herself, but as soon as she sees how tiny the chimera kitten is, she immediately relaxes. "Aww, how cute," she giggles as the tiny kitten attacks her skirt. It jangles with the beads and coins strung upon it, and a few fall off, though the kitten is far too small to do any real damage. Against her better judgement, she reaches out to try to pet it but the kitten runs off before she can touch it. The lady shrugs in a gesture of amused resignation and instead picks up the treats and chew toy that the tiny beastie left behind, putting them into her voluminous pockets. Never one to let a small, cute creature get away without at least trying to pet it, the lady walks over to the hole, shaking the bag of treats. "Come out, I'm not going to hurt you," she calls gently. A thought occurs to her that it might be where the mother is too. Putting some treats on to her palm, she holds them out as a peace offering.
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