QUIET MOUNDS - STEF HEART

[abardacttofollow]

You find yourself in a stone room that looks like some sort of medieval dungeon. There are (thankfully), no torture instruments, but there is a man strung up here. One large manacle is around his neck, chaining him stiffly to the door. His hands are free, but each foot is manacled to the matching bottom corner of the doorframe. There is a visible lock on each of the three manacles.

It's Stefen, and there's a knife in his chest. Despite that, he's alive, apparently alert, and doesn't look to be in pain, perhaps due to the lulling, sense-dulling music that seems to be coming from nowhere at all—in fact, if you were in pain before you entered, it's gone here. His wound is bleeding, but only a little, and he smiles his usual bright smile at you.

Behind him, but in front of the closed door he's bound to, you can see three double sets of strings running vertically. Where they meet the floor, they are fastened, and then each runs across the floor to the three doors on the opposite wall, then under them.

There is nothing else in this room.

((OOC: Here's how this will work! Since we're doing individual runs, rather than me putting up individual top levels for areas, just jump the post itself, and I'll run everything for you within your one thread. If you're wanting to do a run with someone else, just stay in the same thread together.))

Comments

[abardacttofollow]

He stops singing—it's a song you've probably heard Stef playing around as he makes up, but it's not Stef's voice. It's a soft tenor that's unfamiliar to you.

"Oh, hello. Ah, you ended up lost in here too, right, McCree?"

[splashofbourbon]

Depends on who's asking. The guard sent me down here.

[abardacttofollow]

"Oh, right... well, I guess that's a logical step for him. I can make you wake up from this heart. Would you like to do that now?"

[splashofbourbon]

You gonna tell me who you are and how you know my name first?

[abardacttofollow]

"I'm part of Stefen's heart, of course. The seed at the core of him. Stefen knows you, so I do too."

[splashofbourbon]

You sure don't sound like him.

[abardacttofollow]

"That's true, but you know you're in his heart, right? I'm the True Heart... you could say?"

[splashofbourbon]

You ain't talking sense.

[abardacttofollow]

"Um... that I don't sound like Stef doesn't mean anything because you're in his heart and everything in here is him. Nothing in here can't be him. I'm the True Heart, the seed of everything Stef is made out of."

[splashofbourbon]

But that's like saying everything he's made of is something that ain't really him.

[abardacttofollow]

"Er, well, I can't do much about how you feel about it, but I'm telling you the truth. I'm Stefen, Stefen is me, but the true heart won't always be exactly the same as the person you know on the outside.

Regardless, one way or another, isn't it better to get you out of here? "

[splashofbourbon]

Yeah--fine. Lemme outta here.

[abardacttofollow]

"All right. Deep breath, and—"

[Whoopsie]