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.

[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]

[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?

[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.]

[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]

[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]

[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]

[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]

[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]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

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

[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]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

["Tonks" is setting off all kinds of recognition for him, though his voice is still tight and controlled upon reply.]

Rather new, yes.

[voice]

[loyalotter.livejournal.com]

Crookshanks. He's half-cat and half-Kneazle and I got him during third year after he chased Scabbers around the menagerie at Diagon Alley. I've had him ever since and once in third year, Ron thought Crookshanks ate Scabbers. It was a mess.

...Now it's my turn. [Because she was too shocked earlier to come up with something.] In first year, at the very end of term, what were Harry, Ron, and I trying to do, what did you try to do in response, and how did I react?

[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]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[He's quiet while she speaks. So they do have Hermione too, trapped away... wherever this place is.]

....You lot were trying to sneak out again, after you'd been told not to. We'd already gotten ourselves in heaps of trouble. I couldn't get people to look me in the eye, and there you were about to do it again and make sure Gryffindor came in last place. Ron said something nasty, and I was about to have a row with him and shut him up in the only way I figured he knew how to be shut up when you caught me in a body-bind. [Though he hastily amends] But I wasn't mad about it. Not after I found out what it was you were running off to do.

[voice]

[loyalotter.livejournal.com]

[and it's her turn to be quiet for a while. It really is Neville.]

I am sorry for doing that, Neville, but we really did have to get by.

[She hesitates for a mere moment.]

Are you all right? Can you give me an idea of where you are so I can come find you?

[voice]

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

I'm fine. They took my wand, though. I'll probably have to duel someone for a new one. Don't suppose they've got some Slytherins hiding out here as well? [He's working on his humor-in-the-face-of-darkness. It's not good humor, but it's there nonetheless.]

I'm near a sheet of ice -- looks like a lake. There's a small clearing, with a bunch of trees surrounding it.

[voice] - want to action a rescue XD?

[loyalotter.livejournal.com]

Yours might also show up here. And yes... there are a few. [She's noticing. Blimey, this is strange.]

A lake? All right. Stay where you are. I'll find you.

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[And while Darek's giving him a noise to follow, he manages to uncover the journal in question, grabbing a bit of dead wood to prod at it since he's presently lacking protective gloves of any kind. He's wishing the moon was a bit brighter to give him a better look at any obvious enchantments on the book.]

Any idea why might they have decided you were a good person to kidnap, while we're on the subject?

[voice/action] - I would love one -- though I'll probably poof off in a few minutes for work. ;;

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

Come quickly. [He doesn't like the idea of waiting around in an open space where anything could just show up and attack him while it was still dark enough for visibility to be an issue.]

[derek-bliss.livejournal.com]

Not really.

Personally, I think it was a pretty dumb move on their part, but they don't seem to have much concern or preference for what they grab. They just...take people.

[action] - that's okaaay. It'll move along whenever we can make it \o\ ♥

[loyalotter.livejournal.com]

[She closes her journal and Apparates out to one lake. And then sends out her Patronus with a message, hoping to catch him here... but Terri promptly darts off in the entirely wrong direction. Wouldn't you know she'd pick the wrong lake to try first? So she Apparates again and sends Terri out a second time.

Neville will likely receive two Patronus messengers that both say something along the line of Neville, are you here?

And then, once she's sure that's him across the way, she'll Apparate kind of close, but not too close just so she doesn't startle him.]

Neville?

[action] - It'll be the little RP engine that Could.

[nearlychosen.livejournal.com]

[Quite frankly, the patronus is needed. He'd been shivering from the cold despite his best efforts, and his eyes light up at the familiar sight of Hermione's otters. He gives them an affectionate pat, calmed enough by the warmth and cheer radiating from the spell that he grins broadly at the sound of Hermione's voice.] Hermione! You're a welcome sight in an unwelcome situation! [He runs to hug her, and up close she might feel the thinness in his arms or get a better look at the puffy swollen patch around his blackened eye.]