A Game of Worlds and Chaos

The guard stepped back into the elevator and the doors screeched closed as Pel looked around at the dilapidated town. He frowned. Why did this place remind him of Kalda? The people of Kalda didn't look quite as downtrodden, for sure, but the place gave similar vibes of a declining community. Optimism and hope for a better future had no home here.

Pel stole a glance at Tempest Briar and tried his best to steady his voice. "Well... where should we go?"

Tempest Briar shrugged. "Around, I suppose. This must be some form of prison. A very strange one, I must say." He hummed. "I've never been to one like this before."

A scream rang out in the distance.

Tempest Briar frowned. "That's usually not a good sign."

"Agreed." Pel pointed towards the opposite direction from the scream. "Shall we head that way, then?" He examined the rough ground. "Make sure to watch your step. And your head-- who knows when one of the remaining houses might collapse?"

Tempest Briar sighed. "I suppose so. Nothing better to do currently."

Pel nodded and started off in that direction, ramshackle buildings on one side of the semi-path and ramshackle remnants of buildings on the other. A couple of people glanced up as he passed, but their dull gazes quickly slid right off his face and back to the ground. Pel turned to Tempest Briar with a worried frown on his face. “How do we get out of this place?”

Tempest Briar hummed. “I’m not sure yet. We just got here, so the schedule is undetermined.”

Step one of Tempest Briar’s Failsafe Way to Escape Prison: Blend in and learn the order of things. You never escape if you’re the one causing trouble.

“We need to figure out how things work here first.”

"That makes sense." Pel stepped over a murky puddle. "More information is always a good idea." He took a moment to glance around, trying to look beyond the despondent expressions and shuffling of feet. Where were these people going? How did this place work?

A little ways ahead of the pair, a couple of people were in a straggly line in front of a building. Pel glanced at the sign above the door. "Jeneral Store. Hmm, I'm assuming the 'J' is supposed to be a 'G'? Perhaps this place uses a certain dialect... those robots did have a curious accent. Well, do you suppose we can observe the people there?"

Tempest Briar shrugged. “That sounds alright to me.”

He readjusted his bag, hissing slightly in pain. Those guards were not careful enough. Hopefully there wasn’t some lasting injury. She wouldn’t be able to check for a few days, it seemed.

When he heard the hiss, Pel glanced at Tempest Briar. "Are you alright?" He immediately backtracked. "I mean, of course you're not alright. We've been kidnapped or something and stranded in this strange city thing-- um. Are you hurt?" Pel rolled his shoulders and winced. "I think I'll have a few bruises." He stepped carefully over some shattered glass.

He looked over Pel. It might be nice to have someone who knew to be a minor help if things went wrong. But, then again, there was no guarantee that could be Pel.

He shook their head. “I’m not hurt. Fresh a daisy, really. This is only the second oddest thing to have happened to me.”

Pel raised an eyebrow. "The second oddest?" Just what kind of life had this person been living? The main reason Pel wasn't completely freaking out right now was because he was still half-convinced this was all a dream.

Tempest Briar chuckled. “Yes, indeed. The most odd was-“ He paused. “-well, that’s a story for another time.”

The strangest thing was an alis birthright, and she still didn’t know how Pel, or anyone else in this town, thought of the alis. It’s best to keep cards like that close to your chest.

Pel wondered what could be even odder than getting teleported to a strange shopping mall and being forced into an elevator by two robotic guards and then ending up in a dilapidated town... but ah well. If Tempest Briar didn't want to talk about it right now, he wouldn't press for details.

Instead, Pel pointed towards where people were entering the store. "Do you think you can hunch over like them? Perhaps we ought to splash mud on our clothes as well." Pel glanced down at his feet and grimaced. "At least I'm barefoot, so I don't have to worry about ruining any shoes." He tried to ignore the probability of disease-causing bacteria being in the mud he was walking in.

Tempest Briar took a deep breath. Wings weren't exactly made for bad posture, but she'd be fine. "Yes. Mud. Mud would be good." He hunched over like the rest of the people were, ignoring the gentle ache that settled in his shoulders.

Pel bent down and scooped up a small handful of mud, holding his breath. He gingerly spread it across his shirt and pants, then wiped his hands on his legs. Then Pel joined the line outside the store.