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She wonders if Coin would be late to fewer things if she gave her a teleportation power.
She's saying so, to Sherlock.
And then instead of the ruins of flooded Europe she's in a featureless white room facing some grumpy person in a blue robe, wearing everything she was wearing, less her coin bandolier but including her crown, and something's wrong, her thoughts are slow and won't speed up, her memory's as slippery as it ever was before she met Stella, and how did she get here, why doesn't the brainphone work, where's Sherlock?
Where are her coins? Where's her magic? She can't teleport either, not even across the room - she bites her lip just a little and she can't even remember how moving pain left to right is a thing and it goes right on stinging without regenerating -
Where is she?
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arenaria
"You didn't make a mess," the soft voice says approvingly. "Good. It's time for your bath."
And Shell Bell gets out of the box.
And Shell Bell gets out of the box.
arenaria
Shell Bell can't see. She can't control how she's moving.
There's really very little reason for her mind to be involved here.
She drifts away as best she can.
There's really very little reason for her mind to be involved here.
She drifts away as best she can.
She walks into another room, takes off her clothes, and folds them neatly on top of something that might be a chair. There is a brief pause.
The door closes behind her without her intervention.
Her eyes open, and she regains control of her body, although she will find she cannot use it to leave the bathroom.
The door closes behind her without her intervention.
Her eyes open, and she regains control of her body, although she will find she cannot use it to leave the bathroom.
arenaria
Maybe she will be allowed a long bath. It'll probably be more comfortable than trying anything else. (She does look in the cabinets after starting the water running to cover the sound. Just in case there's something useful.)
Extras of things like shampoo and toilet paper and toothpaste and soap. Nothing especially weaponlike.
The mysterious torturer leaves her alone for an hour.
The mysterious torturer leaves her alone for an hour.
arenaria
Shell Bell is sitting in cooling bathwater at that time. All scrubbed and pink and retreating into fantasy again.
She hasn't been hurt yet. Maybe she's just going to be like this person's oversized doll, maybe they don't actually feel like torturing her per se. Not good. Not at all the worst thing.
She hasn't been hurt yet. Maybe she's just going to be like this person's oversized doll, maybe they don't actually feel like torturing her per se. Not good. Not at all the worst thing.
As usual, Shell Bell is made to close her eyes, and the torturer doesn't touch her.
She puts on something that might be a bathrobe - the fabric is very soft against her skin - and ties her hair back, and leaves the bathroom. From there she walks around a little, never bumping into anything or tripping, and finally sits down in a comfortable armchair.
Once settled, she is free again, except that she cannot open her eyes or get up out of the chair.
She puts on something that might be a bathrobe - the fabric is very soft against her skin - and ties her hair back, and leaves the bathroom. From there she walks around a little, never bumping into anything or tripping, and finally sits down in a comfortable armchair.
Once settled, she is free again, except that she cannot open her eyes or get up out of the chair.
arenaria
Bell tucks her feet under herself and leans on the wing of the chair. "What do you want?" she murmurs.
"Well, isn't that a question," says the voice. "The truth is, I'm very lonely."
arenaria
Maybe she's lucky, as these things go. Maybe this torturer really does mean to make a pet of her and not a pincushion.
"You could've just said hi to me. I would've talked to you. I'm new here, I don't have many friends, you didn't have to kidnap me to get company."
"You could've just said hi to me. I would've talked to you. I'm new here, I don't have many friends, you didn't have to kidnap me to get company."
"You would have looked at me," says the voice. It sounds very sad. "People say they won't, sometimes. But I don't believe them anymore."
arenaria
"You could've closed my eyes and I would've been freaked out but you could've explained, you could've blindfolded me and had a moment to take my eyelids again if I turned out to insist on it," Shell Bell says. "You didn't have to put me in a box to get me not to look at you."
"Is that so?" the voice murmurs. "But you could just be saying that too."
arenaria
"I am not making up the fact that if you blindfolded me you'd be able to reassume control of my body before I could get the blindfold off. I'm not fast, or sneaky, or anything else I'd need to be to win a contest like that."
"Hmmmm," says the voice, and then falls quiet.
arenaria
"Why don't you want people to look at you?"
Anything she can do at this point relies on the fact that she is being allowed to talk. If she is going to get out through something other than the torturer spontaneously losing interest, it will be because she talks her way out, and doing that will rely on knowing who, exactly, she is dealing with.
Anything she can do at this point relies on the fact that she is being allowed to talk. If she is going to get out through something other than the torturer spontaneously losing interest, it will be because she talks her way out, and doing that will rely on knowing who, exactly, she is dealing with.
"I just don't like it."
"Keep you for a while," the voice says unconcernedly. "Until I let you go."
"I don't think so."
"Why would I tell you that?"
arenaria
"If it was something you wanted that I could give you that you'd rather not wait for me to guess. I know I can't make you let me go."
"I want you to stay," says the voice.