001. (v1) [audio]

[snowtop]

[The audio clips on to some panicked breathing.]

I-I thought-- I--

Th-this place, it, i-it's su--s-supposed to be a s-sa-- sanctu-- safe p--place! A-And I--

F-First I ff--find a-a guy i-in the--the c-cold room, then I-- there--

Th-there's ink i-in m-- my-- my s--skin!

[Letters are crawling onto his fingers and they won't scrub out.]

Comments

[Audio]

[snowtop]

I-- think? Th-the doctor wa-- wasn't there, s-so I-- w-went to go f-find him, but I c--couldn't. When I-I went back, some--someone was a-already there, s-so, I-- I think?

[Audio]

[lightwithin]

What did he look like? The man you found, I mean

[Audio]

[snowtop]

Uh--

Tall? With b-b-- blonde hair, i-it was r--really long too, l-like... down to his w--waist...

S-Sorry.

[Audio]

[lightwithin]

Okay. Well, maybe we can go look for him and make sure he's o-

Sorry? Heh, what for?

[Audio]

[snowtop]

For-- n-not-- remembering m-more.

[What little more he does remember is that the man was covered in wounds and blood. Not descriptive and not pleasant.]

[Audio]

[lightwithin]

You don't have to be sorry for that!

Where are you? We can go and look for the freezer man. I know you'd recognize him if you saw him.

[Audio]

[snowtop]

I-- uh-- o-okay.

I'm, um, i-in my room? It's-- o-on the first f--floor.

[Audio]

[lightwithin]

Okay! Mine too. What number?

[There is the sound of a door opening and closing in the background.]

[Audio]

[snowtop]

Uh, o--one thousand a-and one.

[Xanth, too, steps out of his room. He throws a glance up and down the halls in case Kairi's somewhere close by - but what are the chances of that?]

[Audio --> Commentlog]

[lightwithin]

[The chances are very high, as luck would have it. No sooner has Kairi rounded the corner, then she spots Xanth. She pulls up short, not expecting to find him so soon.]

Oh, hello.

[Commentlog]

[snowtop]

Oh!

[Xanth flashes Kairi a quick half-smile and waves to her. He's been caught a bit off guard.]

H--Hi. I-I didn't-- uh-- we live p-pretty close, huh?

[He reaches up to scratch his cheek, but then he pulls his hand back down and curls his fingers into a lazy fist. There were letters on his fingers - how strange.]

[Commentlog]

[lightwithin]

Heh, yeah.

[Though this place is so big, she might not have noticed really.

Xanth's motion catches her eye and she glances at those ink-stained fingers.]

Have you been writing?

[Commentlog]

[snowtop]

[Xanth lets out a nervous laugh.]

N--No. It-- i-it's from-- th-the book. N-Not like-- r-rubbing off, m-more like... cr...crawling off the p-page...

[Commentlog]

[lightwithin]

[Kairi stares, wide-eyed, and then holds out her hand.]

Can I see?

[Commentlog]

[snowtop]

[Wordlessly, Xanth steps closer and places his hand in hers. It's a strange sight - they are not smudges or imprints, but fully formed letters, as if he'd written them on his own hand.]

Re: [Commentlog]

[lightwithin]

[Kairi stares.]

And they just appeared? You don't remember...?

[Commentlog]

[snowtop]

N-No, it-- it was l-like a bug, o-or something. I-I had my f--fingers o-on the page, a-and they just... sort of... c-crawled out.