☆TRACK II: DISCORD AND RHYME

[interdimanagers]

Who: Kidnapped Pride Members
What: Corporate hazing, in the style of themepark murder clowns.
When: October 18th-19th.
Where: A large, empty carnival, apparently.
Warnings: This is basically Saw games for babies.

“Burning the ground, I break from the crowd I'm on the hunt, I'm after you. I smell like I sound, I'm lost and I'm found And I'm hungry like the wolf.” ☆DISCORD AND RHYME It’s your first free night after a particularly feverish series of performances. It’s a comparatively lazy Sunday evening - one that all of you are obligated to spent in the HQ. Things are normal, at least as normal as they ever are, are you’re free to go to bed early and for once have the luxury in sleeping in tomorrow. At least theoretically. Whether you go to bed or not, you’ll find yourself drifting off - and then the sound eerie, peculiar music...like the sound of an old music box, with a soft feminine voice singing wordlessly along. You’ll fall asleep, hard, and when you wake up you are somewhere else. "【Sad and Scary Song】"Come Out And Play"Creepy Music Box】[HD]" (Watch on YouTube) ☆THE SACRIFICES At first, you wake up in what seems like some kind of boiler room. Some parts of the floor are slick with moisture, and your hands and feet are bound, with your wrists locked to the industrial piping behind you. Regaining consciousness is slow and difficult, as if it wasn't meant to come to you quite yet. You can hear water and steam flowing through some of the pipes, and the complex is obviously still active with...whatever it's supposed to be doing. But maybe you're just too busy freaking out at your evident kidnapping to think too hard about circumstantial evidence. You aren't the only one in here. Whether they are awake or unconscious, four other Pride members are bound nearby. Around the side of some of the machinery, you can see the glow of computers, though you can't quite see the screens - there are chairs, though, and a cup of Starbucks that is still steaming. Whoever brought you here is probably still around, and there's no telling how long you have before they return. (Click here for your top level!) ☆THE CHALLENGERS You wake up sitting in what appears to be a bumper car of all things - you know, one of those little vehicles you drive around at carnivals to crash into each other? You're sitting in one, and your hand are handcuffed around the bar behind you. Your neck is definitely sore, like you've been sitting like this for a while. It only takes a moment to realize two things: 1) you actually are in a theme park of some sort, and it's still night time, and 2) you're not alone. At least a dozen other Pride members are handcuffed to the bumper cars around you, all pointed in the direction of an empty stretch of wheel worn floor - like an audience, intended to view a speaker. Whoever brought you here doesn't give you much time to be confused. They stride into the center of the "stage" like they own the place. They are wearing a hooded coat of a decidedly gothic style, with a hood that shadows their face. When they speak, they sound feminine - almost like the voice you remember putting you to sleep earlier. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," they say, "to your trial by fire." (Click here for your top level!) “Strut on a line, it's discord and rhyme I'm on the hunt, I'm after you. Mouth is alive with juices like wine And I'm hungry like the wolf.”

Comments

[campioned]

Alec was panicking, but that doesn't mean anything. His natural reaction to low and mid-level panic was to act like absolutely nothing was wrong. Which was why he woke up in a bumper car, handcuffed to a pole, and didn't scream or flail. He woke up in strange places all the time. Hasn't everyone woken up in a bumper car? It's better than a dumpster, am I right?

After all, a number of people had been chained up as well. Alec didn't bother with them, however, when the cuffs were released. He stumbled his way out of the car and the ride until he was on the smooth, flat ground of the rambling paths that wind and cross through the theme park.

He was getting out of here and going back to his room in Junkyard Carnival's penthouse, where he would have another drink and then sleep everything off. He started walking - calmly, slowly, shoulders slouched and feet scuffing - in the direction he assumed the exit should be. He's not giving the chick-monks the satisfaction of looking for them to ask what the fuck is going on. He's done, and he'd prefer to have not even begun.

[honeywithpoison]

It's a voice that comes from a way off - Richard can see the hooded figure approaching the nonchalant passer-by, and the prepared taser stick, but he's too far to do more than shout, "what out!"

He hasn't even properly recognized Alec, yet. But he's irritated enough to be willing to attract the whatever's attention to himself. Very willing indeed.

[campioned]

Alec rolled his eyes at this intrusion into his irritated solitude. So, Richard St. Vier had something to do with this evening's... festivities. He wondered if that meant all of Cosmic Indulgence was involved, having their fun at the expense of him.

He was reminded of what Luci had said, about how there was something suspicious about three members of that band taking interest in theirs. Maybe this was the sort of thing she had been trying to warn him about.

Maybe he'd rather throw himself off the Ferris wheel than admit that Luci had been right.

"Watch out for what," he asked in a droning, exasperated tone that didn't quite raise up enough to be a question. "Watch out, I'll kidnap you again and this time take you to a decrepit manor?"

[honeywithpoison]

Maybe Richard had been more than a little bitter at the rejection, even if he'd expected, even invited, it, the night of the gala. Maybe he had barely been holding back, when they were tweeting at each other, to not snap at what must have been a completely reasonable reaction to his past. But the bitterness had been there... he just did not want to show it off in public.

Yet now, with the lanky body and drawling voice right there, he couldn't hold on to it.

"Watch out, somebody's coming up from behind you with what looks like a taser. If my experience is anything to go by, they do the kidnapping while the victim's asleep, but, who knows. Just watch out!"

Nope, the figure did not turn to the side of his voice, and the last bit was called out louder, more urgently.

[campioned]

Except Alec doesn't quite consider it a rejection. Luci had cast enough doubt in his alcohol-fuzzed brain to make it seem like the rational thing to do, not showing up. The morning after, sobriety made it all seem further away than ever. He had assumed that Richard would have been as drunk as he had been.

He still ignored most of the warning, with a scoffing laugh and only the merest glance behind.

Of course, that was followed by a huge stumble followed by a tumble as his feet tangled with each other in their hurry to get away. Alec scuttled further away on the ground, towards Richard because that seemed the best way to go. If for no other reason than it allowed a 50/50 chance that the thing would chase Richard.

... except this was a prank by Cosmic Indulgence, wasn't it? Damn it.

[honeywithpoison]

Yeah, what else is it when the question was 'if you're interested, come' and ... the answer is not coming? And this is most definitely not anything set up by Cosmic Indulgence - if anything, it's a Carnival setting, for crying out loud! They'd not do it at all...

... but if they did, it'd look like nothing of this sort.

Either way, Richard's had a long night already. After Nariko has been set in the direction that seems to be the exit, he's gone against the flow, wandering around to see if anyone else needed help. (He'd promised his bandmates to come back to where they were chased away from, if nothing else. He has to try.) However, he's picked up a long pole, probably used to attach and detach the hanging parts of some stalls.

He runs the rest of the distance to Alec, waving the length of metal, with the hook facing out, over him, in the direction of the threatening figure.

"Go find somebody else. You guys kidnapped enough people to find easier catch."

Is this a good idea? Probably not at all. Still... He's got somebody he knows right there, on the ground, and he'd rather help him than anything else.

[campioned]

It made perfect sense at the time. It was the only choice that hid Alec's fear and protected his delicate ego.

Also, the carnival setting is clearly a sign that this is all designed to make Alec, and the rest of Junkyard Carnival, miserable. They are the target, because the world clearly revolves around him.

"What are you doing?" He hissed up at the man standing over him, ostensibly his 'savior.' "Is that your solution? Wave your stick at him and that will solve everything?"

[honeywithpoison]

"I don't have any knives on me," the words were faintly sulky (nowhere near Alec's own usual levels, naturally), hanging in the air for a moment before Richard jerked back, frowning.

"No idea where that came from. I don't even own a Swiss Army knife."

Somehow, that last sentence felt more wrong in his mouth than the first one. Then he shrugged and shook his head.

"Do you have a better solution? Running's an option, but I already had a teammate threatened to be burned while tied up to a ride and high in the air tonight, I'm not in a very charitable mood. And my stick is longer than the taser stick."

Because the latter detail was totally relevant.

[campioned]

"Why would you think that I would care about what you don't have on you?" Alec's words are uncharacteristically rushed, because he's finally upgraded the situation to 'dire' after hearing why running is an option and because he doesn't have that much extra air as he gets himself back up to his feet. Sorting his limbs out takes effort.

Being tied to a ride doesn't sound like much fun, and Alec doesn't even want to consider the 'high in the air' portion of it. He might be sick if he does. It sounds that unpleasant to him. The taller rides and buildings, even their record label's HQ, strike him as unnecessarily and unnaturally high.

It isn't the fun sort of unnatural high either.

"No, I don't. If I had a better solution, I wouldn't be here." Which is, not accidentally, slightly behind Richard - or rather, positioned in such a way that Richard and his stick are between Alec and the taser. It seemed prudent. "I don't run."

[honeywithpoison]

"It's complicated. If you're still curious, I'll explain it later." Or he'll try to, but, you know. He has to sound confident, in the circumstances.

And the last part makes Richard give Alec an amused, amused look. Darkly amused, but still amused. "You see my point, then."

He swishes the stick, hard, in the direction of the hooded figure. "Go away, you. I've had enough for tonight. Find somebody who wants to play." Who knows, it might even work.