[centre][color=00aeef][h1][i][b]Arthur Seymour[/b][/i][/h1][/color]
[h2]Lounge[/h2]
[@wolverbells][@Utrax][@HecateProxy][@Ornatur][@Poi][@CyanideSweetie][@ghastlyinc][@SheriffLlama][@KimmiNinja][/centre]

[color=00aeef]"That's the spirit."[/color] [color=Gray]Arthur grinned as Sienna accepted the glass although he raised an eyebrow when she downed the strong liquor in one gulp; if he wasn't so impressed he might have had something to say about wasting a good, proper whiskey by drinking it in such fashion.  Athena soon joined them and talked to Sienna at the door briefly before the latter woman rushed across the room to save the carpet from Eli's sudden illness.  

Watching from the doorway, Arthur suddenly wondered how on earth such a varied and, apparently, random assortment of people could have been collected.  Of course, he like the others had thought so before but the scene in front of him was so fragmented, so utterly bizarre with people from all over with little to connect them besides their age range, brought the thoughts winging back home to him.  It was a puzzle and if there was one thing Arthur liked, it was answering riddles and solving mysteries.

He had no time, however, to dwell on such thoughts as, after a long period of noticeable absence, there was a buzzing sound announcing that the Administrators finally had something to say to them again. As always, it was the same research lady who had first spoken to them, chipper as always and sounding more like they were at a theme park than in a facility with, apparently, potentially fatal illnesses.[/color]

"Good evening everyone!  My, what excitement we've had today - it looks like you've almost all awoken your abilities.  We're making good progress then! What?" [color=Gray]There was some muttering through the system, too quiet for them to hear but audible enough for them to know that she was talking to someone else.[/color] "Ah yes, I almost forgot!  Tonight you'll be allowed to make a call to family or friends or whatever.  Just one for now, the instructions are all on your TV.  I'm afraid it's a bit like [i]Skype [/i]rather than [i]FaceTime [/i]but we ran out of budget, what can I say?" [color=Gray]She laughed loudly, and at length, at her joke before finishing off, slightly breathless from her giggling fit.[/color] "No curfew tonight but it's the same start time tomorrow so get plenty of sleep.  Rest is key to progressing your well being!  Ciao and goodnight!"

[color=Gray]Silence lay in the wake of her announcement.  It looked like, the same as Arthur, the others had forgotten that they were going to be allowed to call out of the facility.  No one moved for a bit but the atmosphere was getting awkward, none willing to make the first move but all desperate to rush to their rooms without looking so.  Eventually, Arthur finished the last of his drink quickly and put his glass and the bottle onto the bar counter resolutely.

[color=00aeef]"Well, I'll catch you all for some tea in a bit then."[/color]  He tried to sound off-hand as he strode from the room, suppressing the urge to run to his room.  The white halls were already becoming eerily familiar, the brightness of the lightning less off-putting than it had been at first but he was too eager to get back to this room to notice how unsettling that sensation was.  Nearly throwing the door open as he entered, he grabbed the TV remote off the desk and switched it on, kicking the door shut behind him before sitting down on the bed nervously.

The TV booted up as before, showing numerous different apps.  He cycled through them until he got to the end where a new one sat, displaying a generic black video camera symbol on a white background. With some trepidation he opened it and a list of people sprang up, all of them those he knew.  Under normal circumstances he would have found it creepy that they had generated such a list but he was finding it harder to be surprised by how much the Administrators knew about them all, and so was merely grateful for the choice.

Which presented its own conundrum.  Who, out of that long list, did he call? [/color] 'Just one for now' [color=Gray]she had said, which suggested to Arthur that in future they would be able to make further, and perhaps more frequent, calls out to people.  So for now he chose who he felt was the most important, or at least, the one who would be most concerned about him and the most eager for news, and scrolled down the list to find his mother.  

The screen went black with a dull phone ringing sound effect in the background while the connection was being made.  As he waited, Arthur began to wonder what would happen if the call wasn't picked up - would they be allowed another or would that one, failed, attempt be all they got?  He didn't get his answer as, after half a dozen chimes, the call was picked up by his mother.  From the angle of the camera he assumed she was taking the call on her phone in the living room, the dark window behind her suggested that it was night time although not too late as she was still in day clothes.[/color]

"Arthur? Oh, they said you'd be calling but I wasn't sure... I'm so glad to see you!  How are you feeling?"

[color=Gray]Her expression was filled with worry but it was no more than that of someone concerned for another's help.  Like him, she had taken it in stride about the unusual situation and accepted that what had to be done was being done; focusing on getting better was the most important.  Once again, he was struck by how like his mother in personality he was.  He forced a smile, trying to keep calm and not let all of the little, niggling concerns that were in the back of his mind show on his face.

[color=00aeef]"Fine, thanks mum.  All a bit peculiar but... can't say I don't understand it all now."[/color]  He wondered how much they were allowed to tell others, no announcement had been made about that and he distinctly remembered them saying that those around them had been told a little about their condition.  How much would his mother know, in that case?  Deciding to keep it simple, in the realms of a normal illness, he shrugged his shoulders and instead went on at length about the facility, stressing how extensive it seemed their care would be.

They chatted for some time before Arthur finally clocked onto something unusual.  His mother was still sitting in the living room but it was dark outside despite which meant it was late in England.  Observing her more closely he saw signs of stress and concern, a slight turning down of the lips at the edge of her mouth and a dullness in her eyes, which he had assumed were connected to his temporary incarceration.  Finally, he broke the chain of their conversation and brought up what she had clearly been avoiding.

[color=00aeef]"Mum, where's Dad?"[/color]

All colour drained from his mother's face and the barely hidden signs of stress showed more clearly on her face.  For a moment they sat in silence before she spoke.[/color]

"I don't know.  Arthur-"

[Color=Gray]The image froze, moving incredibly slowly with garbled and nonsensical sound jarring out of the speakers.  After half a minute the signal cut out and an error message showed on the screen.

"Signal Lost."[/color]