[color=bfbfbf][sub][table= //////= POST DESIGN v1 HD=\\\\\\][row][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/M8EGjO3.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/0CjgLhA.png[/img][/sup]

[color=2e2c2c]_______________________________[sub].. . . . . .[/sub][/color]
[/cell][cell][color=white][center][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img]https://i.imgur.com/DHKvx27.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][center][color=2e2c2c]???   ·   |@Exit] & |@KillamriX88] Collaboration[/color]???   ·   [@Exit] & [@KillamriX88] Collaboration[/center][/sub][/center][/color][quote][color=2e2c2c]______________________________________________________________________________[sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub]..... . . . . . . . . . .[/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/color]
[color=9f9f9f][sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Chae-Won was confused. Either this was a dream, or everything else had been a nightmare. The cynic, however, told her this was all real and someone was fucking with her. Somehow.

Things just didn’t add up.

She moved to the side of the bed and picked up a slipper, shaking it and tentatively reaching inside. Nothing. No tacks or needles. OK, so it wasn’t something like [i]that[/i]... so far. Being far too petty, she abandoned the slippers there and went to the dresser next.

Her goal was the potted plant of all things. She picked it up, put it under her arm, and… wait a minute. She stopped and held the plant out in front of her. Something felt wrong.

If she was being spied on, she figured they already knew what she could do, so there was no reason not to try. She tried to bend the soil in the pot.

[i]Nothing[/i]

[color=white]“OK. What the [i]fuck?[/i]”[/color]

She scowled angrily at the pot, but took it with her anyway. She could still smash it over someone’s head if she had to. So, silly as she might look, she carried the potted plant in hand like an impromptu companion.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
To her right, a darker hallway led to a door that was slightly ajar. There was a sound she could hear coming from that direction resembling cracking wood. The pops were soft and muted through the walls and there was no smell of burning material typical of a large scale fire. It was gentle, not unlike a fireplace.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Chae gripped the pot by its rim in one hand and carefully pushed the door open with her other, carefully peering inside to see what, or who, awaited her.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Through the door, the room opened up. A tall ceiling embedded with lights brightened the space beyond where a comfortable looking gray couch waited. It faced away from Chae toward a set of floor to ceiling windows overlooking trees standing too close together. It was impossible to see through the thick foliage to what was on the other side, especially considering the light layer of fog surrounding them.

The floor around the couch was made of concrete and seems cold to the touch, but the fireplace set in the wall to the left invited warmth. On the center of the couch was a head of short black hair. It bobbed side to side but remained facing forward and hadn't noticed anything was amiss. Chae narrowed her eyes and stepped into the room.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
There wasn’t much use in avoiding a confrontation here. She hefted the potted plant as she approached the couch.

[color=white]“OK, you have five seconds to convince me not to throw this at your head. Where the hell am I?”[/color] she asked the individual on the couch.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Hu- WHA! HEY!”[/color]

From the other side of the couch, a small boy swung around to face Chae, his green eyes staring up at her in surprise. He scrambled back along the couch, but even as he began to retreat from her, the fear that had started to creep across his face turned to anger. [color=white]”WHUAT DA HECK, LADY?! Yuh got a few screws loose er whut?![/color]

He was wearing a plain white shirt over white shorts and had on white slip one shoes. Besides that a skin that seemed slightly pale, little else stood out besides the emerald irises.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
She had a moment of self doubt. What was a kid doing here? That said, she wasn’t about to start questioning herself just yet.

[color=white]“Maybe I do! Now answer the question! Where the hell am I? I wasn’t here when I…”[/color] Saying she’d “gone to sleep” didn’t quite fit. [color=white]“When I was last awake…”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”I dun know! Dun hit me cause [i]YoURR[/i] da one confoosed!”[/color] He picked up a pillow and tossed it at her, aiming for her head. The throw was weak. [color=white]”Didn’t yuh see da paypa’?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
As the pillow landed at her feet after bouncing harmlessly off her, she pondered his response. Paper? Newspaper? No, but there had been something with a label on it. Dusty Hotel? That didn’t seem right. 

[color=white]“Dust… uh… Duster? Duster Hotel?”[/color] She blinked. [color=white]“OK, great, that’s a name. What-?”[/color] She took a breath and sighed. This was going nowhere. She put the plant down, starting to feel really silly at this point, and instead put her hands on her hips. [color=white]“Look, is there anyone else here? Someone clearly brought me here and I wanna know who. And why.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
The boy's eyes snapped to the left and the right of the room, still wide with surprise. [color=white]”Uh. Nope. Juss us here, crazy lady.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Chae-Won pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. This was absurd. [color=white]“Are you always alone? Did you even know I was here before now?”[/color] The hell kind of hotel was this?!
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”I wusn’t always alone, but isss been a while…”[/color] The boy seemed to relax some, his wide eyes beginning to squint at Chae-Won as if he were studying her. [color=white]”Yurr actually da furst in a while.”[/color] His eyes slowly turned to confusion and his face twisted up at her. [color=white]”Why [i]are[/i] yuh here?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Chae-Won was beginning to get a very weird feeling about this place, but she couldn’t explain it. Something was very… wrong? Unusual? She couldn’t pick the word that fit best. Nothing quite sat right.

[color=white]“I… lost a fight against some very bad people. I thought they’d taken me here. They must have, but then… that doesn’t make any sense. Um, my name is Chae-Won. Sorry I scared you. What’s your name, kid?”[/color] she asked him. Either something had happened while she was out, or this was a very elaborate prank and they had a fucked up sense of humor.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Chaaaaay woooaaan.”[/color] The kid nodded his head. [color=white]”Nice tuh meet yuh, Chaywon. Thanks fuh not killin’ me with da plant. I’m…”[/color] He suddenly paused, his brow furrowing and his eyes drifting off momentarily as if he seemed lost or had forgotten what he wanted to say. Then he blinked and his eyes returned to Chae’s. [color=white]”Peng! Heh… almost forgot.”[/color]

[color=white]”Yuh hungry? Yuh was out fuh a while.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
He’d almost forgotten his own name? What the hell was going on here? With everything that had happened, she couldn’t help but be on edge. Every little thing felt like a warning bell.

[color=white]“Nah, I’m, uh, good for now…”[/color] she told him. [color=white]“Hey, how about you give me a tour of the place, huh? Since I’m here, I might as well have a look around if that’s all right.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Sure!”[/color] Peng stood up and walked around the couch. He then spread his arms wide and did a spin. [color=white]”Da main room! Yuh can sit here and relax. Sumtimes they play movies.”[/color] He pointed toward the ceiling in front of the window where a small crease was visible. [color=white]”Da screen drops outta there… And ova here.”[/color] Peng began walking away from that side of the room, back in the direction of the door that led to the bedroom Chae had been in. Across from that door was a space that was very obviously a kitchen. There was a faucet and a basin sitting in a dark wood countertop with nothing else around it. The space above the counter was limited as well since the wall jutted out at an angle before climbing steeply toward the ceiling. A person of average height would have to bend down to place their head within the space. The design was slightly awkward. On either side of this sink were what looked to be cabinets. However, on closer inspection, these cabinets were sealed shut. In front of the sink was an island of similar wood make and in the center of the island was a rectangular depression.

[color=white]”This da kitchen! Yuh can wash yur hands here…”[/color] He pointed at the faucet. [color=white]”...And yuh can get some food here.”[/color] He pointed at the depression in the island.

Walking around the island, he moved toward the hall. Along the left wall were a series of doors, five in total, all of them similar to each other and each one closed save for Chae’s. At the far end of the hall was a door that was different from the others. It was solid black and there was no obvious knob or handle. On the right, a long window that stretched the length of the wall to where the hall turned into the kitchen provided soft light to the more enclosed space.

[color=white]”These are da rooms. This one is yurs now. Dat one next tuh it is mine.”[/color] He stepped in front of it and blocked it with his body. [color=white]”[i]Yur[/i]... not allowed inside. The others are empty but are always locked. Trust meh, I’ve tried tuh get inside.”[/color]

[color=white]”Anyways… that’sssss it! Any questions, Chaeyun?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Chae-Won didn’t answer. She’d finally figured it out. She just wandered back into the main room and fell onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. Hotel her ass.

This was a prison.

She took a deep breath, letting her hands drop, folding them together between her knees. 

[color=white]“Hey, kid. Peng.”[/color] She almost didn’t want to ask. Maybe if she didn’t, she could try to live in denial. [color=white]“How did you end up here?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Peng followed Chae back toward the couch and eventually found a spot a few cushions away from the woman. [color=white]”Well… uh…”[/color] Again, the same lost look from before found the boy again. His eyes wandered to the windows. [color=white]”I… dun really remember. It’s been so long now. So long… so long…”[/color] He turned to Chae. [color=white]”Yuh said you were fightin’ some bad people? Why?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
He didn’t look that old, but she supposed that to a child that young even a few months might feel like a long time, and who knew how long he’d been in this place.

[color=white]“There are people known as benders…”[/color] she said. For all she knew, this kid was one too. [color=white]“Something happened, and it forced a lot of them out of hiding. Some of them didn’t even know they were one. Benders or not, they’re still just people, but the ones I was fighting… they say that’s wrong. They were willing to hurt people just because of that, including someone I care about. I didn’t let them, but it meant I couldn’t follow him. I had to stay behind, and then they got me,”[/color] she gave him the simplest version she could manage. [color=white]“If I had to guess, there’s a similar story behind why you’re here.”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Is he safe now?”[/color]
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
Well now that was the question wasn’t it? She was mostly certain he’d made it away, and that they’d had no method to follow him, but now what?

[color=white]“I… don’t know,”[/color] she said, sounding distant.

He wasn’t ready.

[color=white]“I was supposed to take care of him.”[/color]

A meek, mute boy with two personalities; they’d drop him the second they could get rid of him.

[color=white]“He… needs me…”[/color] Her hands clutched tightly at her knees. [color=white]“He won’t know… what to do out there…”[/color] 

Had she really protected him at all?

[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[color=white]”Well at least [i]yur[/i] ina safe place.”[/color] Peng said, his voice slowly becoming warped. Suddenly, Chae began to feel sleepy.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=f1c231]KillamriX88   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
She hadn’t eaten anything, drank anything, and Peng seemed fine, so she had no idea how or why. There was nothing she could do about it.

If anything, maybe it meant she’d get more answers soon.

[color=white]“I… wouldn’t be so sure about that.”[/color] She just let her eyes close and… waited.
[sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub]
[h1][/h1]
[h1][/h1]
After a moment, another unfamiliar voice pierced the silence. [color=bca346]"Thanks for coming."[/color] Nelu said.[color=bca346]"You can open your eyes now."[/color]
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