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recolle2018-08-26 01:55 am
openhanded) wrote in recolle2018-08-26 01:55 am
Entry tags:
[closed] take me to the hospital
WHO: Sorey and everyone who signed up for ghost hunting! (Sora, Tatsuma, Sakura, Xiaolang, Elliot, Eren, Andrew, Elda, Roji, and Suzu.)
WHERE: North of Enprise, at the site of an old sanatorium.
WHEN: Saturday, 8/25.
WHAT: GHOST HUNTERS: RECOLLE EDITION
WARNINGS: It's spooky af! Please let me know if something needs to be added.
[I.]
[After delivering the details in the earlier half of the month, all that remained was to prepare for the meeting. Sorey gets there early, meeting his charges at the designated spot. The small gravel road cuts through the woods and ends here. A chain link fence rusted and ruined by years of disrepair partially obscures the gray-white gaunt building at the summit, looking pearly and effervescent in the lingering light of early evening.
What? There are kids here and they have a curfew.
Sorey explains why he chose this location once they're all gathered.]
This is Greendale Sanatorium, home to a number of tuberculosis patients during the height of the "white plague" that swept across the nation in the twentieth century. It was built sometime around World War I, and operated until the early 70's. It was briefly converted to a nursing home and then abandoned completely more than thirty years ago, now. That makes it older than most of us here today.
Before science knew any better, it was believed that people who breathed fresh air would have a better chance of recovering than those who didn't. Unfortunately, thousands of people still died. Some of them were abandoned by their families, never to return. The disease was a slow one and extremely painful, so it's no surprise that there are a ton of stories about the spirits who linger.
We are about to enter the final resting place of many people. If you'd rather go home, I don't blame you, and I won't think any less of you.
But if you want to stay, make sure you've got a flashlight. It's gonna be dark in there.
[II. the west wing]
[After making sure they all have flashlights (and snacks, if they need them), it's time to venture inside. The moon only gives them so much light as pass through the first floor. This wing is in terrible condition, which is expected, but it's still pretty bad. Ancient beds, broken doors and windows, bathrooms cracked and exposed, rusted pipes... And there are x-ray chairs thrown over moth-eaten beds for the most critical patients. Occasionally they find a sign of a more modern visitor, like a gathering of broken beer bottles, but for the most part it's more and more dilapidated junk.
There is an eerie coldness piercing everything, like someone holding a breath and waiting for something to happen. But it never does.
They move onto another wing, cautious and slow. This appears to have been the recreational part of the hospital, containing outdoor areas to rest as well as a library. However, some kind of old flood has destroyed the majority of the books here, so they're too faded and torn to read reliably. If puzzled through, the group will notice that the books and newspapers all date between the late 1910's and the 1950's. None of them mention Retrospec. It's the everyday minutiae that one would expect from the news back then, and the fragmented novels available are dry if anything.
There's a distant sound of someone or a few someones coughing, but it's probably nothing... right?]
[III. playground and second floor]
[The other side of the first floor has the most unfortunate discovery as of yet: a nursery for diseased children. Ruined toys of cracked wood and moldy cloth lay abandoned on the floor, scattered; a broken door leads to a small and unimpressive playground with all the equipment broken or tipped over. The low swing hangs by one single rusty chain, the other broken and dragging on the ground.
Someone giggles in the silence from behind the group. Turning to look won't reveal anyone, but there's a brief glimpse of light for the ghost-sensitive, a tiny spark in the night. (Or an outline, for those who can't see ghosts.) And then it's gone.
The stairs in the center of the compound are steel and sturdy, though a bit squeaky and slippery in places. It's important to watch one's step! When they get to the second floor, though, it's worth it. The second floor has more hospital rooms and beds like the ones on the first floor, but there's also a massive hall like a sunroom-- the open air pavilion. Nowadays most of the windows are broken, but they were once propped open so that the patients could linger in the fresh air rolling in from the woods.
Those with resonance can see some of those sickly spirits laying in bed, so still that they might be part of the scenery. They stare blankly ahead and don't respond to anything. For those without the ability to see ghosts, they'll only see faint outlines... but there's definitely something there.
You are not alone.
The coldness from earlier shifts into a feeling of being watched. Maybe it's the people laying in their beds, waiting for something to take them. Or maybe it's something else?]
[IV. haunted]
[The third level is unreachable for now because of some heavy debris in the way of the door. As the group turns back, however, they can hear someone pacing. The faint image of a nurse dressed in an old-fashioned uniform shifts into existence (or an outline of her, for those without sensitivity). She paces the hall slowly, stopping before each patient's door to inspect the clipboard in front of their room, then checks something and put it back. She does this again and again, even though there's no clipboard except the ghostly one in her hand. She's just going through the motions. Sometimes she stops so that she can cough, but then she's moving again.
Trying to communicate with her won't do anything, and she's unfazed, unseeing-- trapped in the endless cycle she remembers, much like the rest of the patients in the hospital.
As the group wanders back through the pavilion, there's audible screaming from downstairs that has a strange echoing quality to it. The screams are not ones of terror, but those of pain. But the worst thing is the sudden silence afterward.
Not long after this, there's giggling again. Softly-glowing orbs like fireflies glimmer in the air around the group-- though, again, only faint outlines for those who can't see ghosts. They dance and wait, as if beckoning the group to follow... down, down the stairs they go, and the feeling of tension only grows.]
[V. the east wing]
[The orbs lead to the easternmost pavilion on the first floor, which has the carvings of a chapel and faith center for the sanatorium's patients. The orbs continue inside... and as the last visitor crosses the threshold, the doors slam shut and refuse to move under any pressure. The pews have been toppled and broken, the altar desecrated by time. However, this gives a clearer view of an old locked door beyond the altar. The orbs wiggle furiously around this door and then disappear inside of it, vanishing entirely.
It'll take some force, but they certainly have enough muscle to pry the back door open.
Breaking in reveals a small, dark room where the ashes of unclaimed patients have been interred in rusty metal cans. There are at least two hundred of them, maybe more, sitting on creaky shelves. The amount of dust suggests they have sat here forgotten for fifty years. The hand-written labels on the cans list the names of people who lived and died before 1960.
And like that, the tension drops. The entire hospital falls silent. No more creaking floors from pacing upstairs, or screaming, or the distant sickness of forever-patients. These spirits have been found and perhaps appeased by this discovery.
Moonlight streams in through a metal door in the back of the room. Jiggling the handle causes it to pop off entirely, therefore freeing the group and providing a way back outside.
It's after ten now, and certainly time to go home.]
[ooc: Sorry this is late! Feel free to make your own toplevels, etc. Lmk if you have questions, and have fun!!]
WHERE: North of Enprise, at the site of an old sanatorium.
WHEN: Saturday, 8/25.
WHAT: GHOST HUNTERS: RECOLLE EDITION
WARNINGS: It's spooky af! Please let me know if something needs to be added.
[I.]
[After delivering the details in the earlier half of the month, all that remained was to prepare for the meeting. Sorey gets there early, meeting his charges at the designated spot. The small gravel road cuts through the woods and ends here. A chain link fence rusted and ruined by years of disrepair partially obscures the gray-white gaunt building at the summit, looking pearly and effervescent in the lingering light of early evening.
What? There are kids here and they have a curfew.
Sorey explains why he chose this location once they're all gathered.]
This is Greendale Sanatorium, home to a number of tuberculosis patients during the height of the "white plague" that swept across the nation in the twentieth century. It was built sometime around World War I, and operated until the early 70's. It was briefly converted to a nursing home and then abandoned completely more than thirty years ago, now. That makes it older than most of us here today.
Before science knew any better, it was believed that people who breathed fresh air would have a better chance of recovering than those who didn't. Unfortunately, thousands of people still died. Some of them were abandoned by their families, never to return. The disease was a slow one and extremely painful, so it's no surprise that there are a ton of stories about the spirits who linger.
We are about to enter the final resting place of many people. If you'd rather go home, I don't blame you, and I won't think any less of you.
But if you want to stay, make sure you've got a flashlight. It's gonna be dark in there.
[II. the west wing]
[After making sure they all have flashlights (and snacks, if they need them), it's time to venture inside. The moon only gives them so much light as pass through the first floor. This wing is in terrible condition, which is expected, but it's still pretty bad. Ancient beds, broken doors and windows, bathrooms cracked and exposed, rusted pipes... And there are x-ray chairs thrown over moth-eaten beds for the most critical patients. Occasionally they find a sign of a more modern visitor, like a gathering of broken beer bottles, but for the most part it's more and more dilapidated junk.
There is an eerie coldness piercing everything, like someone holding a breath and waiting for something to happen. But it never does.
They move onto another wing, cautious and slow. This appears to have been the recreational part of the hospital, containing outdoor areas to rest as well as a library. However, some kind of old flood has destroyed the majority of the books here, so they're too faded and torn to read reliably. If puzzled through, the group will notice that the books and newspapers all date between the late 1910's and the 1950's. None of them mention Retrospec. It's the everyday minutiae that one would expect from the news back then, and the fragmented novels available are dry if anything.
There's a distant sound of someone or a few someones coughing, but it's probably nothing... right?]
[III. playground and second floor]
[The other side of the first floor has the most unfortunate discovery as of yet: a nursery for diseased children. Ruined toys of cracked wood and moldy cloth lay abandoned on the floor, scattered; a broken door leads to a small and unimpressive playground with all the equipment broken or tipped over. The low swing hangs by one single rusty chain, the other broken and dragging on the ground.
Someone giggles in the silence from behind the group. Turning to look won't reveal anyone, but there's a brief glimpse of light for the ghost-sensitive, a tiny spark in the night. (Or an outline, for those who can't see ghosts.) And then it's gone.
The stairs in the center of the compound are steel and sturdy, though a bit squeaky and slippery in places. It's important to watch one's step! When they get to the second floor, though, it's worth it. The second floor has more hospital rooms and beds like the ones on the first floor, but there's also a massive hall like a sunroom-- the open air pavilion. Nowadays most of the windows are broken, but they were once propped open so that the patients could linger in the fresh air rolling in from the woods.
Those with resonance can see some of those sickly spirits laying in bed, so still that they might be part of the scenery. They stare blankly ahead and don't respond to anything. For those without the ability to see ghosts, they'll only see faint outlines... but there's definitely something there.
You are not alone.
The coldness from earlier shifts into a feeling of being watched. Maybe it's the people laying in their beds, waiting for something to take them. Or maybe it's something else?]
[IV. haunted]
[The third level is unreachable for now because of some heavy debris in the way of the door. As the group turns back, however, they can hear someone pacing. The faint image of a nurse dressed in an old-fashioned uniform shifts into existence (or an outline of her, for those without sensitivity). She paces the hall slowly, stopping before each patient's door to inspect the clipboard in front of their room, then checks something and put it back. She does this again and again, even though there's no clipboard except the ghostly one in her hand. She's just going through the motions. Sometimes she stops so that she can cough, but then she's moving again.
Trying to communicate with her won't do anything, and she's unfazed, unseeing-- trapped in the endless cycle she remembers, much like the rest of the patients in the hospital.
As the group wanders back through the pavilion, there's audible screaming from downstairs that has a strange echoing quality to it. The screams are not ones of terror, but those of pain. But the worst thing is the sudden silence afterward.
Not long after this, there's giggling again. Softly-glowing orbs like fireflies glimmer in the air around the group-- though, again, only faint outlines for those who can't see ghosts. They dance and wait, as if beckoning the group to follow... down, down the stairs they go, and the feeling of tension only grows.]
[V. the east wing]
[The orbs lead to the easternmost pavilion on the first floor, which has the carvings of a chapel and faith center for the sanatorium's patients. The orbs continue inside... and as the last visitor crosses the threshold, the doors slam shut and refuse to move under any pressure. The pews have been toppled and broken, the altar desecrated by time. However, this gives a clearer view of an old locked door beyond the altar. The orbs wiggle furiously around this door and then disappear inside of it, vanishing entirely.
It'll take some force, but they certainly have enough muscle to pry the back door open.
Breaking in reveals a small, dark room where the ashes of unclaimed patients have been interred in rusty metal cans. There are at least two hundred of them, maybe more, sitting on creaky shelves. The amount of dust suggests they have sat here forgotten for fifty years. The hand-written labels on the cans list the names of people who lived and died before 1960.
And like that, the tension drops. The entire hospital falls silent. No more creaking floors from pacing upstairs, or screaming, or the distant sickness of forever-patients. These spirits have been found and perhaps appeased by this discovery.
Moonlight streams in through a metal door in the back of the room. Jiggling the handle causes it to pop off entirely, therefore freeing the group and providing a way back outside.
It's after ten now, and certainly time to go home.]
[ooc: Sorry this is late! Feel free to make your own toplevels, etc. Lmk if you have questions, and have fun!!]
no subject
[Honestly, as much as he'd probably protest the idea of ending things early just because of his and Sakura's age, he's not exactly against it, either. He can only stay up so late, and while he's more than willing to push himself for the sake of his excursion, it was better to do this when he wasn't exhausted. That, and there was the whole matter of Sakura's safety as well.
There's no small amount of wonder on his face as he takes in the sanatorium when he arrives, the older building looking like nothing he's ever seen before. Even if they weren't looking for ghosts, part of him was itching to go inside to poke into whatever remained there, to see what relics survived the test of time. He's quiet as he listens to Sorey's intro, nodding at a few places, though he sombers as the history of it fully sets in. It didn't so much scare him, but... there was a certain irony that they were visiting this place on the night of the Yulan Festival. A time of year when suffering and lonely ghosts made their way back to the living world, and this place was full of them...
... well. He wasn't one to back down from things, especially something like this. So he straightens his shoulders as they ready to head in, adjusting the backpack strapped there-- a lot larger than it really should be, honestly-- and glances at whoever is closest to him.]
Is this your first time going to one of these things too?
ii)
[Xiaolang decides to forgo his own flashlight, in the chance someone might need a spare, opting to use one of his fire talismans to help illuminate his way as they explore. The paper in his hand, despite being lit aflame, never seems to burn past a certain point, and it seems the power of the moon seems to make it brighter and much more vibrant than usual. It doesn't seem to help the chill in the air, though, and he grits his teeth against the cold, silently cursing the fact he brought a light jacket along than anything else substantial. But who'd expect it to be this chilly on an August night?
The dilapidated rooms garner little interest from him, but it's the library that draws him like a moth to the flame, eagerly picking through the few less ruined books to rift through them carefully. It's tricky to do, while balancing a slip of live flame in one of his hands, but he manages, marveling at the age of them.]
This is a first print...!
[Of course, nothing Retrospec related is disappointing, but finding old, rare books? Heck yes. Might not immediately pick up on that coughing, though...]
iii)
[Unfortunate discovery? Yeah, one would definitely say so-- especially when it's apparent that the residents of this wing were a lot younger than the kids currently in this group. The fact is not lost on Xiaolang as he observes the area, picking up some of the cracked and rickety toys with a careful, unreadable expression on his face. One might see him shift his bookbag off of his back, extracting a small disposable bowl and filling it up with a bit of candy, setting it quietly near the playground. A stick of incense follows after, lit by his talisman and letting off a soft plume of fragrant smoke as he sets it upright in the bowl. Admittedly, he hadn't done these traditions in ages, mostly going off what he remembered his mother doing back home, but hopefully it would be enough for whatever children may be lingering here.
The same process is repeated once they reach the open air pavilion, although he does stall at first thanks to the odd, twisting feeling in his stomach as he observes the room. He had seen spirits before, partially due to Sorey's help back in Respatrum, but this...
He swallows hard, fighting down the chill and unease that seemed to be dogging him since they've started exploring this place, and continues on with his offerings. These patients in particular get fruit and uncooked rice, followed by the same incense and a small prayer in their stead for a less painful passage to the other side. He wasn't even a particularly religious boy, but there was something about all of this that hurt, somehow. Hopefully the spirits here weren't too offended by the gestures.]
iv)
[The audible screaming is enough to get him to drop his talisman, getting it to flicker out in the darkness, as a chill courses down his spine. It takes all of his willpower not to chase after the source of the sound, the lack of light and keeping Sakura safe keeping him glued to the rest of the group for the time being. But once the small orbs of light resurface (looking oh so much like Sakura's Glow card, ironically enough), he doesn't hesitate to follow after, keeping his steps at a fast yet steady clip down the stairs as they lead them to the chapel.
As the door slams behind them, though, he can't help but audibly curse (it's a PG one, don't worry), pushing against it with all of his might. When that, predictably, doesn't work (you're like fourteen, Xiaolang, please--), he summons his sword from his hand, the space around him glowing blue and bright with flames and magic. With a loud 'CLANG', he strikes the door, leaving gashes on the metal of it but still refusing to budge. Biting back another curse, he turns to the rest of the group.]
We're trapped--! Does anyone have an idea how to bust through this thing?!
v)
[WILDCARD!!! come at me with any other spoopy shenanigans or explorations, bro]
III
They'll appreciate that.
[His own senses have allowed him to see for some time now, and he's gotten well acquainted with a variety of ghosts for it. The ones in this place are different from other, freer ghosts like those in the cemetary, but in many ways that just means they need more care.]
no subject
... I hope so. It's not a lot, but... it's better than fruit or rice, anyway. I just didn't think we'd come across something like... [And he gestures, to the sad state of the room and the broken toys--] ...this.
no subject
...There's usually stories like that in places like this. It's probably why their spirits are still here. [It's the unfortunate truth behind seeking out haunted places.] But... I think they'll be happy someone came to visit them.
II
He will turn his head when Xiaolang speaks up though]
What'd you find?
no subject
He glances up as the other boy addresses him, though, recognizing him from that...... brief stint in Ren's body. He has the sense to look a bit sheepish, closing the book quickly and setting it down on the nearest dry surface.]
U-Um, nothing. Just... a copy of The Little Prince, that's all. It's nothing of huge importance.
[After all, they were looking for Retrospec stuff, and nerding out over old books probably wasn't the best idea. But it was the first English translation of that novel...!]
no subject
[It looks like he embarrassed the kid by asking about it. That's a little on the cute side, and Elliot has a small smile on his face just from the break in the tension going on in this place. ]
I'm not an expert on haunted places, but maybe you can ask Sorey if it's okay to take it.
no subject
N... No, that's alright. I don't know much about haunted places myself, but it doesn't seem all that respectful to take something like this from them. Even if they can't read it now, it might have held some significance for someone else that stayed here.
no subject
Oh, good point. If they're stuck in a place like this, at the very least they should have something to make it a little better....
i
Mmm... Not really, though it's been a while. My brothers and I go on nightly explorations like this a lot. It's mostly to find cryptids or extraterrestrials, though... y'know, like Mothman. Or the chupacabra. [She smiles sheepishly.] Kuronii's really into those more than ghosts, for some reason...
no subject
He nods at her response, his expression a little too earnest than one would usually expect from that sort of answer, shouldering his bookbag some.]
Well, they're probably a little more easier to spot than ghosts, when you think about it. Spirits usually aren't visible to the naked eye, unless you have the ability to see them, like Sorey does.
[A beat, and then--]
... have you guys... ever found anything like that on of your trips, though?
[NOT THAT HE BELIEVES IN MOTHMAN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!!
okay, maybe he does like....... a little. the evidence wouldn't lie!!]no subject
However, Suzu didn't expect Xiaolang to express interest in the Kiryu trio's cryptid hunting---A pleasant surprise, really. She actually manages to smile... albeit, rather smugly.]
Heh heh... I got some photos. You wanna see? [Hopefully the glow of her phone won't be too much of a bother to others.]
iv
Okay, okay, let's-- let's take a deep breath, and put down the sword. We might not be trapped. We haven't looked around the room yet.
Something led us in here and it wants us to see something. Let's split up and look for another exit.
[Honestly, this happens in ruins and ancient magical temples all the time.]
IV
He's trying his best not to scream himself when the doors suddenly lock them in. But when he sees Xiaolong summon his sword like that, he can't help but have his mind taken off of the horror for just a moment. It's amazing.
His focus can't stay for long though, and he quickly finds himself snapping out of his amazement over Xiaolong's ability and listening to what he's saying.]
M-Maybe there's another way out? What else is in here?
[The beam from their flashlights only goes so far. Maybe there's more to this room? Granted, he's not sure he wants to know what else could be in here, considering the screams and the fact they were basically led down here...]
no subject
His head snaps over towards Roji as he speaks up, considering the idea as he lowers his sword. His first instinct had been to fight against whatever had trapped them in here, to get it to release them, but the other man brought up a good point.]
... it's possible.
[He tries to keep his voice level, but the strain is still there. Someone he cared about deeply was with them in this excursion, and he wouldn't forgive himself if he let something happen to her. His eyes squint as he tries to make out their surroundings in the dark, searching for one of his fire talismans in his pocket.]
This is... a church of some sort, isn't it? Maybe they have some sort of entrance that the priest and the other members go through?
no subject
[Well. They didn't have school the following day but even so. It was still probably better to not stay out too late in worrying her family or anything. At least, no more than they usually might from her being out at all at this hour. Let alone exploring abandoned old sanatoriums like this. Sakura follows, standing and listening when Sorey explains about the place and the history behind it.
She bites her lip, throwing up a hand out of habit from class before lowering it almost sheepishly.]
I um. I might have something that could help? With the light, I mean.
[She holds up the Glow card to show Sorey and the others.]
II.
[Sakura bites her lip, glancing around as they make their way inside. Past the beds, the bathrooms and all. Making their way to the library, where she pauses to glance at some of the books, the newspapers. Noting the dates on them. It was kind of interesting though, reading about news from before she was born.
She does thus get distracted with reading the papers. So much that Sakura doesn't even notice the coughing.]
III:
[Sakura is much quieter once they get to the nursery. It was one thing to be told this was somewhere for the ill, and that probably had -- obviously, had included children too. It's just another to see it. The toys. The playground. It's sobering. More than the rest of the place she'd seen. Thinking, knowing that these children had probably died because of their illness back then.
Her lips purse as her gaze lowers, her arms seeming to hug herself.]
I feel like I should have something to leave them. A new toy or something.
IV:
..A nurse?
[Or, that's what it seems to be? From the outline Sakura can make out. It's more difficult for her, given even though she has magic, hers is not quite related to spirits. But she does seem curious, watching the nurse before the screaming starts.]
W-what was that? Everyone's here, right?
[None of their group had been left behind, had they? Sakura is quick to glance around to try check. Before then rushing to the direction of the screaming.]
V:
[She has her staff clutched in hand, cards ready in case she needs to activate them to help somehow. She glances around the room of the chapel, unsure what the screaming was when there doesn't appear to be any immediate violence or attacks. Instead she glances to the cans, frowning before she reads one of the names.]
This is....the remains of the patients?
V
The cans tell an unpleasant story the moment he sets eyes on them, though he'll allow Sakura to go ahead. He doesn't sense anything else; if it turns out there is any danger, he trusts himself to act quickly.]
...I think it has to be.
no subject
[And well. This did seem to be where the screaming had come from. At least as far as she had managed to follow. She pauses, unsure if she should actually touch the cans, biting her lip as she glances.]
It looks like there were quite a few of them. What should we do?
no subject
[He's blunt about that much. There was a weird quality to the air, but that seems to have dropped away now that they've found these.]
...But we should still find a way to bury them properly.
iv
... except when there IS an actual scream, loud and agonizing, echoing throughout the building. The only reason why he doesn't chase after it is because Sakura is here, and he wasn't about to leave her alone to deal with some unknown threat if he can help it. He wasn't about to be reckless! He was going to stay with the group and figure out what was going on!!
... until Sakura herself bolts away from the group, towards the source of the horrifying noise, and it takes all of his willpower not to curse. This is what he was trying to have NOT happen???? Sakura???? He doesn't think twice as he bolts right after her, away from the others, reaching out to try to grab her arm before they got too far off. Not that he was entirely sure where they were now, himself, but...]
SAKURA...!!
no subject
This time was no different, it seemed. With her rushing straight towards the sound of the screams. She does pause when he grabs her arm, but only so she wouldn't trip from him pulling her back.]
We have to help! Can't you hear?
V
I...I think so.