1st seed; [Action/Voice]

[nearlychosen]

[Perhaps the journal picks up the sound of Neville's arrival as he is unceremoniously deposited on the icy southern lake sometime in the dead of night. If not that, then it might catch the dull groaning as he slowly wakes and struggles to pull himself upright. If not that, then certainly the furious squeak from sneakers lacking traction on slippery ice would catch the journal's attention, as would the dull thudding as Neville collides with some child's forgotten snowman on the westernmost bank. A sharp intake of breath, then] No wand. Bastards. [In fact, even though Neville hasn't yet noticed the presence of the book at all, he seems perfectly aware that someone is listening, even if it isn't quite who he expects.]

It's still not enough! [The words, though a bit rasped and wheezing, are spoken with the stubbornness of one who rather expected this displacement.] You think you can just Portkey me someplace and be done with it? You won't get me -- not any of us -- to back down that easily. I know you're here -- show yourselves, you bloody cowards!

[The dead silence is less than encouraging. It means that if he wasn't being watched, then he'd been sent far enough that he wouldn't need supervision. Accio wand. [The incantation is intoned softly through clenched teeth. It doesn't escape him how ironic it was that in his desperation to recover his stolen wand he's resorted to a summoning spell that usually required the use of his wand in the first place. The spell fails spectacularly, leaving Neville to suppose his captors laughed, wherever they happen to be.

Still, the place he'd been sent certainly merits some investigation. If he'd been sent here via portkey, then some other innocuous-looking thing might well be the ticket home. It might appear off for a young, underdressed, blackeyed, fairly beaten and emaciated man to be picking up small stones with a thoughtful expression, but finding an alternate portkey is simply the most plausible way back to the more important matters he'd left at home.]

Comments

[derek-bliss.livejournal.com]

Stupid book...open again...

[Derek yawns, still out of it as he answers]

It probably wasn't whoever you're yelling at; you've been kidnapped...[another yawn] Welcome t' Luceti...

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[It's not the most calming experience to start hearing voices in a strange place while one is underdressed and defenseless.]

Who's there? [Because right now, the "who" was more important than the "where" or "what".]

[derek-bliss.livejournal.com]

[And he's just started drifting off, too. Damn. There's the sound of someone sitting up. And another yawn.]

Derek Bliss. And I'm not really where you are. There should be a book on the ground somewhere near you; that's where my voice is coming from.

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

Keep talking. I'll find it. [Because talking books generally mean Big Fat Cursed Item, and he's not about to approach one unprepared.]

[derek-bliss.livejournal.com]

Guess I'll give you the run down, then.

You're in a place called Luceti. Everyone here was kidnapped from their own worlds, brought here, got wings stuck on their backs, are are apparently some sort of experimental subjects for people called the Malnosso.

We can't get out of here. If you have any special abilities, they're appearently damped down, and no I wouldn't be able to tell you why they might have decided you were a good person to kidnap for their little...thing. Whatever it is.

[voice]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

You're...looking for a wand?

[Merlin, having some experience of other wizards trapped in this place, has only begun to become familiar with the concept of a wand. Hearing it suddenly mentioned on the journals--so obviously by accident--perks his interest.]

[voice]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[However Neville, having some experience with being trapped in a place where a substantial amount of the people he doesn't know want his head on a pike outside castle grounds, isn't very pleased with talking objects taunting him about what's been stolen. So sorry Merlin.]

You know very well I am.

[voice]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[It's pretty justified paranoia. Probably. But Merlin's mostly oblivious anyway.]

There are some people here with wands. Maybe they can help you.

[voice]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[So it was to be a game, then. Neville's heard much about sphinxes; perhaps this is just one of theirs. He'll play, for now at least.]

Maybe. Where could they be found?

[voice]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure which house she lives in, but...Tonks has a wand. I saw her with it, once. Practising near the barracks.

[Pause.] Oh, wait. You're new, aren't you?

[voice]

[loyalotter.livejournal.com]

[She knows that voice... But .... wow he must have changed... A good amount of time passes before she finally records something.]

Neville... is that you?

[voice]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[There's a long pause following her voice, as Neville regards the journal carefully, flipping a few pages with a stray tree branch.]

..... Come off it. I know you haven't kidnapped Hermione. She's better than that.

[voice]

[loyalotter.livejournal.com]

[She sighs wearily.]

I wish that were true.

If you need to, ask me a question, something only I would know.

[voice]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

You have a pet. What is it, and what do you call it?

[Action, because you totally just set me up for it bb]

[hisdarkmark]

[As per usual, Draco's disobeying Hisoka's orders out and about even though it's late at night and he was out at what he'd dubbed as "his" lake when he suddenly hears something land rather hard on the ice. He jerks his head up and narrows his eyes a bit to glance out at the lake. What the hell was that...]

[Action,because it's never too early to prod "nearly drowned me in a lake" references from Harry :3]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[By then, Neville's busied himself with the journal, examining it at a cautious distance as well as he can manage in the darkness. It'll be a minute before he realizes someone else is nearby, though he does jump at the passing of most forest creatures. Even enshrouded by nightfall, he makes a skittish shape at best.]

[Action, because Draco's not happy with more Gryffindorks <3]

[hisdarkmark]

[It doesn't take Draco long to pull out his wand] Lumos. [He pauses then to scan the area, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.] Who's out there?

[Action, because Neville totally KNEW there'd be some Slytherins.]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[The light is somehow more alarming than it really ought to be, and a flare of panic makes retreat a very appealing option. But running meant there would be no answers. It also meant playing directly into their hands. He swallows hard before stepping more directly into the light from Draco's wand, stopping only long enough to brush some uncombed hair out of his unswollen eye as he strains to get a better look at the source of the light.] I think "who" is a bit less important than where "out there" happens to be.

[Voice]

[cruxofapotter.livejournal.com]

[Harry just stares at the journal for a moment. He remembered hearing a little bit about Neville and the girls's efforts to try and steal the Sword of Gryffindor, but that still sounds rougher than he would like.]

Neville, is that you?

[Voice]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[It sounded like Harry. But Harry's voice was famous enough to be easily imitable.]

That depends. [Some more hesitation before he recalls Hermione's method of identification.] In fifth year, I received a plant as a birthday gift. What was it called? [He didn't normally expect people to pay much attention to him when he went off on long plant-rambles, but Harry was his roommate, and they'd gone through the kind of stuff together that changes lives and relationships. Harry, out of all people, would be sure to remember his random self-absorbed trivia.]

[Voice]

[cruxofapotter.livejournal.com]

[It's just an illusion! It's actually a Horcrux!]

[...okay that's only partially true.] Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Didn't you get it from your great-uncle? [Harry would love to just be a wallflower, but all that fame gets in the way. But Neville's a good friend of his, and definitely the kind of person whose self-absorbed trivia is worth remembering.]

[Voice]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[At least Neville isn't troubled with having to know what a Horcrux actually is.]

[The icy terseness melts away from his voice.] Harry! Harry, it's really you! You're alive! I knew you were alive, I kept telling everyone to just wait and see and you'd be back soon enough. Have you been here the whole time, then?

[Voice] - Also horribly late. My apologies.

[onceaprisoner.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing from your reaction that you're new here.

[Voice] - Not a problem! ALL ARE WELCOME.

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

I'm becoming less new by the moment. Still, hello.

[Voice] - <3 Thanks! I'm really glad to see a Neville here too~

[onceaprisoner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it seems like everyone's really good at explaining things to new arrivals.

I'm guessing you're Harry's friend Neville. He talked about you a little, and seemed really glad to have you here.

I'm Sirius, Harry's godfather, by the way.