Site Event 1 - Middle Deck

[Lucy]

The group that decided to take to the stairwells spilled out into the uppermost floor of the middle deck, peering at the low, dimly lit ceilings and walls, finding that the average man could graze his fingers along the smooth surface overhead with his feet flat on the floor, and some did. The taller ones could press their palms flat as they walked along, inspecting the great corridor, finding not only more stairwells but doors up and down the walls.

A murmur passed through the moderate crowd, the team obviously growing restless, quarreling in quiet voices among themselves. With Morgan accompanying a team to the bridge and Jeb pouting on the main deck they were without an official leader, without guidance. The powerplay died down abruptly at the first 'swoop' of a door opening, rolling quickly to the left, smoothly vanishing into its frame. Again and again until every room stood open, the same faint, fresh breeze audibly sighing into the uppermost deck as each door slid away. Those gifted with sharp ears could perhaps make out the same 'swoop' and sigh combination on the level below, indicating that not only were there cabins on the next level (and likely the next) but that a trigger had been tripped or that they were being invited in - for better or for worse.

Anderson clan members shuffled and shied towards the center of the room, belligerently bickering about the queerness of it all, one or another hefting a weapon up to threaten a Beverly clan or more unnaturally inclined Anderson member into remaining nearby not for their own safety, but for the comfort of a group. "Trap! It's a trap!" Hissed the more cautious adventurers, glowering into the well lit rooms and the crowd of faces flickering in uncertainty.

The silence broke and the group began to separate. While some remained posted outside of the rooms more still grouped up to explore the cabins, inspecting the strange assortment of personal items, the alien concept of crisp linens and manufactured mattresses.

--

Cabins in the middle deck are open, sick bay and white hall are restricted for now.

[Ingrid]

A gnawing feeling lingered at the back of Ingrid's mind as she made her way out of the stairwell and into the middle deck. It was the familiar notion that something was not right... and while her notions had served her well in the past, she pushed this one aside. Curiosity won this battle long before she had ever made it to the ship. Not that it would be possible to back out now, anyhow. She did, however, begin to doubt her choice of exploration when she saw the rest of the group that had made their way to the same area. No strong presence here to guide the majority would mean bickering and disputes... an every-man-for-themselves scenario. Normally, that would be protocol, but at this particular moment it seemed a better notion to make a group effort. If the ship was still habitated, chances are they wouldn't take kindly to trespassers or looters, and Ingrid happened to be both.
The woman idly ran her fingers over the smooth wall to her right whilst watching the folk about her grow nervous. It was an emotion that hung thick in the atmosphere, as though the feeling was there before the people. Perhaps the ship was just as nervous about having visitors as the crew was to explore it. But that was a silly notion. There was no life in this ship...

-swoop-

Ingrid jumped. Oh, that didn't help matters any. One by one all the doors opened with a sigh, as though the ship was responding to their presence. She couldn't help but feel a bit claustrophobic, despite the area opening up, as all the folk grew more agitated about her. Ingrid didn't relish the thought of going into one of these rooms, but it certainly seemed a better alternative than sticking around for another potential trampling.
"Trap! It's a trap!", someone murmured as she made her way towards an open doorway, but she ignored the sound advice and entered anyhow. She quickly searched the well-lit room, making sure no one was lying in wait, and began to examine some of the unusual knickknacks. Strange... they appeared to be a more recent addition to the area, as though carefully set out by someone, just for them...
That gnawing feeling was becoming more persistent, putting her on edge. Just then, she felt another presence enter the room behind her. She bolted up to see who or what it might be..

[Cyd Anae]

Cyd hissed and drew back, cringing away but not quite leaving the room as the stranger bolted up. "S-sorry." For a awkward moment Cyd stared blankly at her 'opponent', sizing her up, flexing a fist absently before dropping the trance-like mannerisms and posturing. Sniffing she looked away, drifting around the small cabin, fingers trailing along the walls and shelving. Her fingers lingered on a small elephant figurine, first upsetting it's true heading of east to west before finally picking it up, stroking the dark, carved wood wrinkles of the creature's neck.

"Anything good?" She finally asked, inspecting the queer, alien creature. Holding it up to the light she puffed at a pale scrape, rubbing it against the fine woven hemp cloth across her belly, brow furrowing. Holding the elephant up again she puzzled over the species, snorting and holding it out to the other woman as she sat at the edge of the bed. "What's this? Besides the obv'ous, of course." The obvious, of course, being a hunk of polished wood, one would hope as the concept of an elephant was likely distant and unnatural in now modern North America. She gave a moment to answer before cutting the other woman off with an abrupt 'Err!'. "Elephant, big leathery thing from... from..." Pausing she set the creature down, shouldering off her bag. "From some place..." Shrugging she huffed. "Doesn't matter, it doesn't exist anymore."

Picking the elephant up again she picked at it's hide, pulling her feet up. "Actually, this, this uh... It's comfortable. Sit." Eying the stranger she glanced down at the bed. "You don't look like an Anderson woman, you don't look like a Beverly woman, who y' taggin' with?" One brow raised she eased back some only to jerk up again at the sudden hiss of the door streaking shut with a sound strike of metal hitting home.

The room brightened and filled with a number of voices, all different dialects and accents effectively demanding the same thing of the two women: "Put it back!" Cyd snatched the elephant out of sight, tucking it to her chest as the door rattled some and the demand continued, irritable and rude. "Put it back. Back, put it back." The fire in the feminine tone rose as English became the primary language of choice.

[Ingrid]

Ah, a familiar face! Ing had seen Cyd around before, in passing, though she could not recall from where exactly. While she didn't know enough about the woman to feel completely comfortable with her presence, it was more than enough of a relief to not be face-to-face with the unknown. She straightened up to introduce herself, but Cyd had already started bemusing over one of the trinkets lining the walls. Slow on the draw, Ingrid only managed to respond to the woman's questions with a slack jaw. Upon invitation, she sat on the bed next to her, looking curiously at the chunk of wood. She'd never seen such a creature before. She began to imagine the tiny thing trying to slink behind blades of grass to stalk unknown prey... no wonder there weren't any more around, they didn't seem like much of a threat.

"....who y' taggin' with?" the woman's words snapped Ing back to reality..


Her mouth had barely parted to let her answer slip through as the door slid quickly shut. She jolted backward but found nothing but cold wall behind her. Bright lights and stern otherworldly voices assaulted the room, causing Ingrid to cower in the corner in a moment of paranoia. Eventually she managed to pick out some recognizable words amongst the gibberish. Did it just say put it back? Ingrid eyed the woman sitting across from her, clutching her prize to her chest, wondering how anyone knew of their actions.

"Hey, maybe we ought to do as the voice asks, dontcha think?" Almost as a response, the whole room began to vibrate, "It doesn't seem to be looking to compromise at this point!"

Not willing to wait for the situation to become any more volatile, Ingrid reached out to snatch the... what was it? Elephant!... away from Cyd's grasp, only to find herself thrust forward by the rooms rumbling, causing both her and her new acquaintance to spill onto the floor. The tiny wooden creature tumbled freely across the room, wedging itself into one of the floors grates, dangling just over the edge before it fell in with a disappointing clunk. The area around the two suddenly grew still. Ingrid traded a panicked look with Cyd, neither willing to make any sudden movements, as the light around them turned a menacing shade of red...