Garden of Eve: The 9th Rose

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It was safe to say that she was bored, very bored. Her mind had began to wander as she stared in a façade of interest at the dull art that lay before her. All the different swirls of colour had started blending together into an incoherent mess that threatened to make her head spin if she was forced to stare at it any longer.

The girl sighed in slight relief as her 'observation' of the gallery was interrupted by the tour guides. One of whom seemed very pleasant. She was draped in a soft white garment, which seemed to amplify that sweet aura she had about her. Still, she wasn't particularly impressing in anyway, unless enthusiasm was taken into consideration, because she seemed to have buckets full of it. Then again, one would need an abundance of such a thing to work in this dreary place all the time, repeating the same processes continuously until you eventually drop dead.

Krowley, on the other hand, appeared to be the polar opposite of this. One could tell at a glance. Neither his expression nor his dress code generated an exceedingly welcoming aura, nor did he possess any enthusiasm whatsoever. It was more like he was reciting lines for a play that he had no desire to be partaking in, and frankly, she couldn't blame him. Yet not even the almost ridiculous contrast between the two tour guides really held her interest for long. She wasn't even listening to him as he explained the museum's history and other details. Not like extraneous details such as that concerned her in anyway.

"It's not like any of this concerns me."




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【OOC: N/A】​

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While Krowley gave his usual tour, Annalynne listened cheerfully. She was always genuinely interested in the history behind the pieces--and gallery itself, and the tour never bored her ... though she would often forget most of what was told. She stayed near the back as Krowley led with at the front. This was routine, and this way she could make sure no one wandered off--though they never did. Again, she was surprised at how many interesting and contrasting personalities there were in the group. She found her attention drifting away from Krowley's voice and directed more towards the mutters and whispers of the group before her. ​

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Most of the group for today seemed positive. ...Well, positive enough not to frighten her as Krowley used to, but there were a few personalities that she found intimidating. The girl in purple, for example. She didn't seem as venomous as she did as irritable. The girl in green also set off a few alarms. What was she so jumpy for? It was making Annalynne nervous. The rest were okay from what she could tell ...though she wouldn't be able to tell much from just a few minutes with them all.​

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As they approached the elevator, the small girl took a deep breath. The elevator door was this large, steel thing with dark silver patterns carved on the outside. The door sat perfectly below a row of neatly placed numbers--going all of the way up to the eight floor--that lit up respectively (the shaft was currently descending from floor 5). Being that the exhibit was still fairly new, the buttons on the outside were still pristine and shining and as the doors started to part open, the faint scent of new (royal red) carpet wafted towards the group. Even so, elevators--and heights in general--made Annalynne nervous. She would always have to suppress any discomfort in order to remain professional.​

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"Here we go," Her voice was melodious and full of energy as she waited for Krowley and the others to step into the elevator. She stepped in herself at the end, and placed herself near the controls. "up to floor number two."​

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For some reason, she couldn't help but glance over to Krowley for confirmation that that was where they were going -- even though it was and it never changed. She was never too sure of herself, though she subconsciously attempted not to come across that way. Her finger reached out to press the big, round '2' button. ​

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Spoiler

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...That was weird and didn't usually happen. She was about to apologize before she felt something strange. It was like the feeling you get right before plummeting to your (possible) doom from the top of a roller-coaster track. It made her feel dizzy and disoriented, even though it didn't seem like they were moving at all. Actually, it felt like they were stuck in between something. ...And then that changed. ​

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Spoiler

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Before anyone could really register that initial weightlessness, the elevator jolted and a loud scraping noise was heard from above...or below. Actually, Annalynne couldn't really place it. She just winced and stumbled back--hoping she wouldn't hit any of the visitors. The motionless feeling of before was long gone. The elevator jolted, and Annalynne felt nauseous. She stayed close to the ground as the elevator shaft seemed to shoot upwards. She wasn't much of a screamer, but she found herself curling up into a ball and inching herself close to one of the back corners. She could feel herself trembling, but she only buried her face deeper into her knees.​

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"Oh dear...K-Krowley?" She had no idea what he could possibly do about it, but it was reflex to consult him (however mean he was) when things went wrong. She had been so quiet and mousy that she wasn't sure he would hear her.​

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OOC: For Jaaaaaayn! /inb4shecomestoslicemyheadoff

​Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by that stubborn elevator. Why wouldn't it go to the second floor? How come the guides were unaware of a potential catastrophe??? These were minor thoughts that crossed the yellow-shirted boy's mind, but most importantly, Why were his ungodly playing cards scattered all over the floor?!?!

There's a funny story behind this. When Felix was younger, he devised his first original card trick. It involved separating a deck into three piles and having the volunteer choose a card. Ultimately, he'd pretend his trick had failed, only to reveal the chosen card in a much flashier way, by springing the entire pack into the air, keeping only one card in his hand--the correct one, to everyone's awe and amusement. Long story short, the worst part of this trick was fetching all the others that fell into the ground after the spring. It annoyed our beloved magician to some extent, but it was nothing those rewarding smiles couldn't compensate.

This time, there were 54 cards on the floor and no one smiling.

 

♦ OOC: I was going to reply yesterday...but I got really picky with ^this^ and decided to edit it some, and then I got too stressed out to RP and...yeah. ♦

As the doors of the elevator shut, the girl noticed that one of the tour guides, the one clothed in white, had been giving her curious looks for quite some time now, like one would give a three headed dog. At this, her first thought was to give her a venomous rebuttal, but she held her tongue. She knew it wasn't worth the trouble of an argument, and the guide herself didn't look particularly tough in any regards, completely incapable of handling herself in a fight of any kind, whether it be physical or verbal, and instead imagined that she was admiring her outstanding beauty and charm. Of course, that was what she should have been doing in the first place.

Her thoughts, however, were intercepted by the elevator itself, as it seemed to be groaning in protest to the tour guide's demands to go to the second floor. For whatever reason, it seemed to be malfunctioning.

"Pathetic." she sneered impatiently, turning to face the girl, "I thought that you would at least have this working for us. Honestly, can't you people do anything rig-"

Again, her train of thought was disrupted by the faulty elevator, as it lurched downwards, then upwards and jolted here and there uncontrollably for a few seconds, knocking her clean off her feet. A loud thud accompanied her impact with the hard floor, and pain shot through her left leg as she attempted to straighten it.

"Ooh, wait until my lawyer hears about this you uncouth-" she winced in pain as she spoke, caressing her injured leg gently as to not make matter worse.

 

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Lucy smiled at the girl supportively, "Okay, I'm good thanks", the girl still looked pretty nervous but didn't seem as bad and she didn't want to pressure her. She just wanted to help the girl and show her this wasn't so bad. What could be scary about an art gallery? "I'm sure this is going to be-" She was about to say fun but she stopped as she suddenly felt a little dizzy.

"Huh?" She muttered to herself as her hand steadied herself on the elevator walls. Her forehead began to crease, that was odd, she was normally fine in elevators. But before she could do anything, the lift jerked, throwing her momentarily off balance before the life seemed to fire off upwards. She could feel the resistance against the acceleration pushing her down though she somehow managed to remain upright. She clenched her teeth and pushed her hands hard against the walls. She hated rollercoasters and that feeling of sudden acceleration, it made her feel sick.

Even when it stopped it took Lucy a moment to react, she just stared into space and breathed heavily. She was pretty certain, if only from the reaction of the guides, that that wasn't supposed to happed. She knew she should try and stay calm, if she happened to panic then the others were more likely to. Still she was freaked out and just wanted to know what was going on, "Um, seriously guys, what just happened?"
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It had been some time since the group gathered into the elevator, which thankfully wasn't all that cramped. Sophia quickly noted that some of the others began talking to each other. Oh, how she wished that she too could partake in socializing, but . . . atrocious things always befell anyone with whom she became acquainted with, and for it, she was horribly sad. It was the reason she had no friends to speak of.

Regardless of the repercussions it may bring, still Sophia wanted someone to talk to - she had been very withdrawn from the world by her own doing, but it wasn't a pleasant thing at all.

Before any other of her thoughts could be completed, she felt butterflies completely fill up her stomach, making it feel as if she were going to fall. Her head began to swirl and her vision blurred just a bit, although she hadn't really thought they were moving in such a manner to put her in such a state, she tried to grab onto the wall, but to no success.

No sooner had she gained herself back than the elevator jerked violently and there was much pressure from the speedy ascension that Sophia nearly slammed to the ground, but was barely able to manage keeping her bent composure. She forced her back to press onto the wall and slid to the ground as calmly as she could, completely believing that if they were to all die, it would most certainly be her fault.

 

►Occ; ELEVATOR. IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE ANOTHER. Prepare for a crappy post, guys.◄



Bree listened to the girl politely. She only seemed to be doing this out of pity. A mousy girl with timid eyes, how could anybody resist giving a supportive smile? Maybe she was just thinking negatively again. Maybe. Bree looked beyond the girl, watching the girl in white press the elevator buttons. Strange. Nothing happened.

"I'm sure this is going to be-" No, everything was not going to be okay. The elevator jerked from side to side, violently. Bree knocked into the others, bouncing off them at some speed, she desperately tried to reach out and grab something to steady herself but no avail. She hit the floor, landing next to the girl in purple. Bree slowly shuffled to the side, careful not to anger the girl further. Every event is a jigsaw puzzle. So many pieces. Assembly them right, everything makes sense. Surely this was one of those events. Everything would make sense in the end. At least Bree hoped so. ​

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Carl had blanked out again. He had been thinking, actually. About why he was here. And for all the stars in the sky, he didn't know why he was here. He remembered waking up, kind of, because his bed was too hot. And then... breakfast? He rubbed his temples. The yellow boy was chatting with him, and he would reciprocate with nods and smiles. But he just didn't understand. He leaned against a rain lazily, and then-

The elevator lurched, and lurched again. Once more, and then it was finished. He had slid quickly to the floor, thumping his head on th elevator wall. Colors swam, and he slowly saw the weird fact that they were all completely different clearer than before. Then a 5 of Hearts hit him in the face. He unsteadily stood up. It was a weird, quiet commotion. He rubbed the growing knt on the back of his head, and then he waded to Purple, oblivious to her rage.

He reached her and offered a hand."Need a lift?" He asked, smiling uncomfortably wide. God, his head hurt. What's going on?

 

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As Sophia kept her head in between her knees, trying not to completely break down, she observed that the whole elevator was in a disastrous state, all of the others were panicking. The black-haired girl did her best to breath, but she couldn't help but feel that they were now all going to die - it would all be her fault.

The girl in white, Annalynne, called out to her partner, Krowley, and he replied harshly back, saying that he was working on it.

Sophia didn't know how long they were sitting there in a panic, but it felt like forever, and she found, as the time passed and they continued to speed up, that she was calming down monumentally, and there were a few of the others who weren't as broken down as they all were just a little while ago.

In a start, the girl looked up when she heard a fist bang into the metal of the sidebar, commanding the rampant machine to stop. At first, she had thought the exclamation was pointless, that he was wasting his time, but when the elevator jolted to a stop and then slowly halted, her blue eyes lit in surprise. The doors flew open and everything was quiet, so very silent. Everyone was gone - and it seemed as if night had come upon them, how strange . . .

She watched as Krowley then stumbled out with as much composure as he could muster and then turned to them, "Everyone, get out." he said darkly, "NOW!" And Sophia was so quickly on her feet that her head spun and she almost fell backwards, making a mess of her trying to get out of the elevator and falling to lean towards a wall.

 

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【OOC: Lawl, thanks Judge. ;P (and everyone) 】​

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She was a bit shocked, to say the least, but Krowley's thundering voice shook her from that. She blinked rapidly and ran slender fingers through her hair. Her eyebrows furrowed, lips in a thin line. Something was off, but she didn't have the time to register what exactly it could be. She was still crouched feebly on the stainless, carpeted floor and before she knew it, someone else had joined her. She offered the dark haired, blue-eyed girl a small smile. That's right...I'm a guide. It's my duty to stay strong and confident for them, I think. Her subconscious chimed in optimistically, as usual, and she picked herself off of the floor--forgetting all about Krowley's sour mood and taking a deep, rejuvenating breath. ​

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"Here." She offered softly, reaching out a hand to help the girl up. ​

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Fingers outstretched, her gaze diverted briefly towards the now-open elevator doors. Everything was terribly quiet. Besides the occasional shift of position or breath from them, it was dead silent. She knew they were on the first floor of the building, but it didn't feel familiar, despite all of the time she had spent working there. She pinched her bottom lip between her teeth, lost in thought for a few moments before returning her gaze to the girl on the ground. ​

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"It will be alright. We're really sorry about this. I'm sure--err...Well, I...Um," She paused, trying to think of an explanation. What on earth could have happened that would send everyone home and cause the sun to set? She could feel her heart thumping erratically in her chest, though she didn't notice the trembling of her hand. Maybe there had been an alien invasion? Or ... The Rapture, perhaps? "...It will be alright. Let's get out of the elevator, yeah?" She flashed a cheerful and half-false smile. ​

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As it finally stopped and the doors finally opened a sense of relief swept over Lucy but she still wasn't exactly comfortable with this. "Is everyone alright? Nobody hurt?" She asked, looking around at everyone before staggering out of the lift. She seemed to be fine except a little disorientated and unsteady. She'd never even heard of a lift doing that before and right now, she was no hurry to go back in. She'd be taking the stairs for a while, at least that'd help her get fit.

"So after all that we didn't even get up one floor, we're back where we started." She commented, taking in her surroundings before frowning and her forehead creasing. "Wait, wasn't this place full of people a moment ago when we got into the lift? Where's everyone gone?" She asked, there wasn't a soul in sight, surely they couldn't of all gone in the short time they were in the lift. Then she saw the window. "This isn't possible. Is this a joke of some kind? Would someone mind explaining what's going on?" From the reactions of everyone else, it seemed they were as clueless as she was but she still had to ask. There was a chance that someone might have an idea what had happened. It was dark yet when they stepped into the elevator it had still been morning. How long had they been in there? It seemed only minutes but now it looked like hours had past. Had they been drugged? She did not like this one bit. And more than that, she had people depending on her, what would they have done when she failed to return on time? However she looked at it and whatever the explanation was, she could only see it as a bad thing. ​

 

OOC: I should be nominated for Best RP Thread Bumper, if there even is such a category.

The machine came to a halt. It left them all in shock and disorientarion, so much as to making everyone talk simultaneously, with no responses whatsoever, oblivious of each other. Blank-face was the one to break their trance, with a loud "get out, now!" order. Felix began to interject; "But I have to get my--", but he stopped.

Seeing as how little that mattered, and how indifferent the guide would be to his objection, he sighed and helped himself out of that wretched contraption. Still dazed, he pointed across his shoulder to the elevator and said jokingly; "That was a fine pack of cards. You owe me two bucks", only to be ignored.

The young magician then grabbed his trusty pack of plastic cards from the other pocket. Whenever he feels anxious or wants to concentrate, Felix likes to spring them from one hand to the other. He did so, observing the dark and silent surroundings. "Have you any idea as to where we are, mister guide?"

 

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The thundering voice of Krowley had startled her. The sudden haste and anger of the command caused her to bite her tongue out of fright. Bree leapt to her feet and hurried out; not wanting to anger the tour guide further. Everything was silent. No! It was like a hush instead. Like everything suddenly shut up and was listening, like all the paintings on the wall took a breath and held it in. She scurried over to the wall and touched it to steady herself. Bree tasted blood in her mouth, the rust and the thickness of it. Swirling around. I didn’t bite that hard, did I?

She listened to Lucy and the boys in yellow asked questions, she noticed how Krowley really paid no mind to them. She looked down the hall, darkness. Shadows; the flickering lights setting an uncomfortable atmosphere. Like something out a cheesy black and white horror movie. Tuesday 19th November 1992, two teens ran into an flickering bar to get out of the rain..

Sometimes it felt physical, as if the walls were moving slowly towards her. The strange panic in her brain seized her once again. Oh sweet fear. She felt as if she’d self-combust at any moment if somebody didn’t calm her down or at the very least, distract her.

"We apologize for the delay and confusion. We are just as confused as the rest of you, but do not be alarmed. If you will all just turn your attention to Analynne, she will keep you entertained while I go see what we can do about the power."

The little speech had brought her back, she was glad. Bree stepped away from the wall and towards the small pile of complaining and obviously worried people. She almost wanted to wave off Krowley, bravely wondering into the unknown. At least, it seemed like the unknown. The floor was a lot more creepy without people.

 

♦ OOC: lol late reply is late ♦

The girl gave the boy next to her a look of utter disgust as he offered a hand out to help her. What on earth was he thinking? She most certainly did not want to mingle with the likes of him, and to touch his hand when she had no idea what filth might lay on it- inconceivable.

"What are you doing?!" she cried, slapping his hand away with the sleeve of her arm as to not actually come into contact with it, "It's bad enough that I'm stuck in this filthy elevator with you useless people. I'd rather not catch anything off of you!"

As she said this, the elevator suddenly began to decelerate, and seconds later the doors slid open to reveal a very familiar looking room.
The room they had just left.

Except something wasn’t the same. Gone were the bustling crowds of simpletons being herded through the many exhibits on display like cattle. In their place, was nothing. All signs of life had vanished. The once warm, bright (though tiresome) atmosphere had been replaced by an uneasy imposter.

There was nothing, just silence.

"W-What? Is this some kind of joke?!" the girl exclaimed, wincing slightly as she slowly got to her feet without aid, "Do you mean to say that we were put through that ridiculous charade for-"

Krowley’s harsh order to get out of the elevator froze her tongue in place, as if the coldness in his strict tone had attacked her mid-sentence, cutting her short. Clearly something was bothering him. Either that or he just enjoyed being a total jerk. Regardless, she was more than happy to leave the death trap of an elevator behind. Never again would she dare set foot in one of them of her own volition, lest she be plagued by the chance of being trapped with mongrels, liable to infect her person with something undesirable.

 

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{OOC : Ahahah, late reply, late reply}​

"Here," at the sound of someone else's voice, Sophia looked up and saw that the girl in white was offering her hand with a smile to accompany it. Sophia reached for it, but immediately thought the better of it, thinking it may be a bad thing to get too involved with any of the people here, aside from the occasional conversation.

She shakily stood on her own and dusted off her dark blue skirt and straightened out her nearly black long-sleeved shirt, "Th-thank you," she said, "but I'm okay." After quickly turning away from their dressed-in-white guide, Sophia averted her eyes to the group's surroundings. It seemed just like a normal gallery floor, but by the reactions of both guides, she knew something was wrong, and that they might be lost . . . The boy in yellow asked Krowley, the one in black, where they were.

"We apologize for the delay and confusion. We are just as confused as the rest of you, but do not be alarmed. If you will all just turn your attention to Analynne, she will keep you entertained while I go see what we can do about the power." She watched as he tried to smile, but failed fantastically, and then pulled Annalynne to the side, whispering something. Shortly after, he left the group.

Sophia had never in her life felt more uncomfortable. She was never one to speak first, to break the silence, but she couldn't help herself, "E-excuse me, ma'am, but . . . what do we do now?"

 

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【OOC: ... 】​

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"S-Stall?" Her face flushed and her stomach churned. He was leaving her alone? She didn't know any more than he did about the situation. At least if he were there with her, she could use him for moral support or...something. Now it was just her and the curious (some angry) faces peering out at her. She took a deep breath and dropped her hand, pleasantly registering the girl's rejection. ​

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What was she supposed to do? Her eyes darted from the group of people to the floor, and her feet. She could sing? Or dance, maybe?--No, that was stupid. This was hardly the setting for a performance. A typical way to pass the time would be a tour, wouldn't it?

She could show them around the gallery again, maybe? It would be stupid, and clearly a distraction, but it was all she could think to do. Maybe she should pretend that this was apart of the tour and that they were on an alternate level of the first one--no, that would be stupid too, and she'd be lying. She didn't like lying.

Her shoulders slouched. She felt defeated. She crossed her arms and tilted her chin back up, chewing at her bottom lip before shaking her head.

"I...Don't know what to do," Annalynne finally murmured. Her voice was quiet. She felt tears pricking at her eyes, but she didn't care. She cried often, even in front of others. "I don't know what Krowley has in mind, but I'm sure he'll figure something out. In the meantime, please, try and stay calm. I'm really sorry."

She turned into the direction Krowley had walked off in, hoping he would be returning soon with an answer.​

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Cynthia

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The teenager stood to the side of the elevator, quiet as a mouse and seemingly unnoticed. She tempted herself to speak up several times, but always decided it would be best for herself to keep a closed mouth and open eyes. Though she loved being the center of attention, the girl restrained herself, finding it best to find her target before going in for the kill. Her cocoa eyes scanned the box, singling out her next victim.
Almost everybody in the elevator the girl found attractive, except that bratty girl in the purple and the man in black. Scouting out the perfect person, the one above the rest, she found her target: the boy in the yellow. She overheard him many times over the course of her time in the museum, but quite frankly, who couldn't? He was loud, obnoxious, bothersome... yet he was peppy, playful, so full of life. It felt nice to see someone as cheerful as him, an emotion she herself hadn't experienced in quite some years. I think he needs to rub some of it off on... Krowley, was it? She always had trouble remembering names, let alone those she met an hour or so ago. She puckered her lips and blew a kiss to the boy, even though she knew he wouldn't see it. Cynthia smiled as her eyes then continued to scan the elevator, her next target already forming in her sixteen year old mind.

Suddenly, Cynthia lunged forward, smashing into the wall of the elevator. Surprised, her emotions couldn't compute fast enough. They crashed into one another, colliding and bleeding into other feelings. She slid to the floor, cradling her head in her hands. Then the pain registered. The teenager screamed rather loudly as her eyes filled with tears. With clouded vision, she saw drops of red plunge onto the floor. Curious, she felt her nose, then screamed again. Her nose was bleeding. It was definitely fractured, but worst case scenario, it was broken. Closing her eyes and crying loudly, Cynthia attempted to stand up. Her legs felt weak and wobbled, then the elevator dropped. She slammed into the floor, this time on her side. A sharp pain ripped across her body. Once the elevator seemed to stop, the girl nervously attempted to stand up again. Successful, a slight smile formed on her face as her sniffles and tears soon dissipated.

Ding! The elevator door slid open. "Is it... finally over?" She asked herself as she noticed the others begin to get up. She gulped as she followed the crowd onto the floor. That was strange. "Wasn't this the floor we were just on?" Cynthia asked loudly. No, that's impossible. Everything's... darker, and there's not a sign of life anywhere. She paused, thinking deeply. How can three hundred or so museum-goers just disappear in two minutes? She was afraid to answer the question, a dark omen lurking over the group. The girl looked to the others as she saw Krowley storm off and Anna-Annalynne, yes- chase after him. Turning around, Cynthia looked to the remainder of the group and locked her eyes on the boy in yellow.

 

OOC: This is virtually the only place I post on, heh. Also, welcome, Andrew.

A plausible response, that of Krowley, given the situation's unordinary chain of events. Even so, it was far from reassuring, to be honest. A scenario that not even the guides were capable of handling, how can that inspire confidence or optimism? Well, actually, to Felix that was a piece of cake, though his case is a different one.

Anyway, since Annalynne was unsure of how to divert their worries and attention, Felix was compelled to intervene. "Hold your horses, now, miss! Or tears, rather. 'Entertain' is my middle name! I'll be more than happy to assist us all in this troubling matter", he said, approaching the small group. He put away his cards, saying; "Who's up for a joke? Okay, there's this elephant on a rose field--no, wait, that's not how it goes......"

The fact was, Felix didn't plan on working that day, if you can say that is really "working". Don't get him wrong, it was no big of a deal nor too difficult, only unexpected. The nervous and exclusively feminine crowd wasn't helping, either. Alas, he resorted to a task that was less prone to his current sloppiness--juggling.

"Allow me to try something else, then". The performer pulled out five small rubber balls out of his sleeves [OOC: derp, haters gonna hate] and commenced his routine, hoping it would help in providing enough time for the guide to encounter a solution.