vivarium | CALHOUN HOUR

When characters begin to wake up, instead of finding themselves in the usual warehouse, they will instead find themselves in an a very unfamiliar area. Maybe they'll wake up alone, or maybe they'll wake up with someone else. Either way, the biggest point is that they're in God-knows-where and it's the start of a new Calhoun Hour.

Within seconds later, a familiar voice booms throughout the loud speakers.

"Ahem, testing, testing! Hello, can you all hear me?"

It's, without a doubt, your favourite robotic mouse, Calhoun. As usual, he sounds a cheery as ever.

"Wow, isn't this familiar? It's almost like the first time we've met, you know. Test subject in a new location, maybe alone or maybe with someone else, my charming voice rings throughout the room, trying to drown you all in an elevator. Good times!"

"Well, anyway, welcome to your new Calhoun Hour! You can see that I've taken the liberty to move you all to a more suitable location. You may not know it, with how small your brains are, but you're all stuck in a maze! I've had my fair share of running around in mazes, you know, being a mouse and all, so I want to return to favour to you humans! So, you know the drill: explore, look around, try to escape, blah blah blah, I don't need to explain all this! Just get to it! Who knows, maybe the exit here is an exit out to the real world. I might be generous like that, if you manage to find it. If not, well, I guess you can all starve here!"

He snickers, then pauses. Suddenly, a loud gunshot-like sound rings throughout the speakers, and Calhoun screams again.

"Let's get started!"

BASIC INFO ✖ ESCAPE ✖ POST-EVENT MINGLE ✖ TURN-IN

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[Eventually Hershel manages to find his way back to where he started, and boy isn't he happy about it. He sighs, rubbing his neck as he defeatedly regards the cryptic words on the wall again.]

This is nonsense... [He mutters, turning to look at the door to the doll room, on he hadn't gone through yet. Little would he know if a ninja was lurking about in the shadows, ready to strike when his poor british heart least expected it...]

[If it makes him feel any better, the little ninja isn't trying to give him a heart attack. It's just kind of a thing that happens, much like random makeout sessions with various other individuals in the warehouse.

But hey, running into the others is nice. He hasn't found everyone so far; it's kind of concerning, knowing they're all scattered and potentially walking straight into traps down here.]

Hershel?

[Just be thankful you haven't been part of that number, Sasuke. Hershel jumped at his name, turning around and relaxing visibly.]

Ah, Sasuke- I'm glad to see you, are you alright? Haven't been hurt, have you? [Surprised to motherhen in 2 seconds, new record probably. The traps though, not great. He was worried.]

I'm fine.

[Like he'd answer anything else. He does look half-drenched, and he'd managed to get himself gassed, but nothing hurts so obviously he is totally okay.]

What about you? Are you okay?

You look a little damp. [At least that was all. No stab wounds were always good. And he nods.] I'm quite alright, been lucky so far, really.

[He turns to regard the doors they could go through, gesturing to one.] I haven't been there yet, shall we give it a go?

There was a water trap.

[That's all he's going to say on the subject, however.]

...Might as well give it a try. [Maybe this is the mysterious exi- hahaha yeah right. Oh well.]

Ah... [Is all he has to answer, assuming it was like their fun party time elevators. Good talk, kids.

Entering the room there is no mysterious exit, but! Something so much better.]

... are these dolls? [Hershel sounds completely perplexed as he walks over to one of the shelves, looking at probably some pretty tea party whatever sort of deal.] Do you think they have any traps attached to them?

[Sasuke steps inside cautiously. There's a reason he hasn't been maimed yet.]

They could be. Try to be careful.

[This is practically his catchphrase now. The dolls are... interesting, but none of them seem to be all that useful--

...That cone hat. Is that supposed to be a Wirt doll? He pauses in front of it, but it may take Hershel a bit to notice given he remains quiet as ever.]

[Hershel was busy for a few moments being creeped out by a doll with no eyes staring blankly ahead. After an uncomfortable moment he turns to see what Sasuke is up to, probably something more pleasant but-]

Is that... Wirt? [He heads over once he sees what Sasuke is looking at- yeah, that had to be, look at that hat. He glances down the line and well. okay. this was kind of weird. Taking a step over to a different doll he sounds somewhere between amused despite himself and a little creeped out.] I think I found you too.

[He turns in spite of himself, morbidly curious to see.

...Wow, somehow his doll manages to have an even blanker stare than the rest. Does... does he really look like that?]

...There's probably dolls for everyone in here.

Yours looks rather sad, doesn't it? [He muses, poor, blank eyed Sasuke doll. He glanced at the others nearby, unable to keep some amusement out of his tone.]

Jake's looks appropriately annoyed at least- why does Calhoun bother with such strange things like this? Oh- [He reaches out, hesitantly and carefully picking up another doll.] So it's everyone who's been here, this is Mr. Kaguragi. I suppose it's just meant to be unsettling...

[There's one covered up by a cloth, which attracts some attention. Might as well see who it--

...Oh. There's... Akiko, apparently. Um. Maybe if he replaces the fabric quickly Hershel won't notice...?]

[He places poor Mr. Kaguragi away after regarding it for a moment, apparently deep in thought over the people who had vanished for some time now. Looking at not vanished people was more fun, and he has to sigh when he finds his doll.]

Honestly, my hair's not that ridiculous. [He muttered as he picked it up to look it and it's ridiculous mop of hair over, glancing at Sasuke once he had properly shown it his silent displeasure.] What do you have over there? Scraps? [Uh oh.]

[Welp. He doesn't move from where he is, making it a bit difficult to see much of it, but he won't exactly stop Hershel from coming over to investigate either.]

...It's Akiko's.

[Hershel really shouldn't have been surprised by that, and honestly he wasn't. This was just the sort of terrible thing Calhoun and Zero did regularly. He did put his doll down, walking over to regard the scraps a moment.]

Let's put them away somewhere. The others don't need to see this. [He says, because yeah, the last thing everyone needed was another reminder of that.]

I think someone already tried to hide it.

[He makes a small gesture to the cloth that previously hid it.]

...I could take it with me and get rid of it afterwards. [He's not too optimistic about there being an actual exit here. It's far more likely Calhoun will simply let them run around for a while until it's time to take them back to the main area.]

Did they? [People here were cool. He huffs a small sigh, rubbing the side of his neck.] I think that will be for the best.

[And he turns to Sasuke fully, pretty much thinking along the same lines.] We'll probably be here for a while, maybe a day like that robot nonsense. I've been thinking- [He reaches into his bag and.... ta-da, a small roll of cut up cloth bandages, everyone's favorite gift. He holds it out to Sasuke.] Here, just in case. We'll probably get separated eventually.

[He nods and accepts the bandages, putting them in his bag. The remains of the Akiko doll go into one of his pockets, so he'll remember to get rid of them once he gets the chance. Although it does give him a pause... Each one of them appeared to have a doll scattered about somewhere in a room full of the things. Was it really just to surprise them, or...]

...There are dolls for each of us... but none of the others are torn up... are they?

[His voice is even quieter, more musing to himself than actually speaking to Hershel. Was it related to the blood? Or was he jumping to conclusions?]

CALHOUN HOUR - ESCAPE

J3-D6 area

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