Stranded discussion

A clearing with a stone house in the middle, smoke rising from the chimney, a sign that the hearth fire is still blazing strong.

((For Guardian/#003))

Fifteen's day had been... well he wasn't sure he knew a word that summed up how this day had gone. Bizarre, surreal, confusing, somehow they all seemed to sell the day short. He'd woken up submerged and half-drowned, clawing to get out of the contraption intent on killing him, and miraculously managed to make it out of the room or whatever that place was, even though he had to pause several times to cough up water and vomit.
It hadn't been until he'd reached the beach with the girl he'd helped get out that he realized he didn't know who or where he was. Neither did the girl. Both of them were wearing almost identical outfits, the only differences being the sizes and the numbers printed on them. His was #015, and hers was #016. So, at least they had something to call each other, because he really didn't want to resort to calling her blondie.
Since they had no clue who they were or if they were supposed to be doing something, they decided they might as well look around a little. The interior appealed to both of them, and they trekked away from the beach into the forest. There was a vague sensation bothering him, like a thought he couldn't grasp tickling the back of his brain. He didn't know this place, not one inch of it. Something about it bothered him though, and he had no idea how or why.
Eventually, they reached a small clearing in the forest. So far it was the only sign they had seen that someone or something else was or had ever inhabited this place, whatever it was. "Guess I shouldn't have been worried we'd get lonely here, huh?" He grinned, inspecting the exterior of the house. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for or if he was looking for anything at all. Mostly just wondering about the craftsmanship, he supposed.
Sixteen 'tsched' at his comment. She hadn't said much so far, and he didn't know if she ever would talk more once the shock had worn off. If nothing else, at least it seemed like she found him funny.
"Well, I guess we'd better knock then?" Fifteen asked, though he wasn't expecting a response, at least not a verbal one. Seeing Sixteen nod albeit uncertainly, he rapped his knuckles on the door. "Hello in there?" He called, addressing whomever was in the house if there was anyone in there at all.

#003 had been working the forge to the side, her mind focusing on the craft she had known so well that even now it was ingrained in her muscle memory. Hearing the knock, she puts down the hammer, and wipes the sweat off of her forehead. Yelling out because she had told #225 where she would be, “You know the door’s unlocked, #225! If you want to talk just meet me by the forge.” Not hearing a reply she runs up to the front of the house, appearing around the corner and skidding to a stop, her braid swinging behind her as comes to a stop. “Ah, you’re not #225, so I guess you’re people off the station. Come on back if you want me to make you something or head if you want.” She whistles a tiny melody, and suddenly a three tailed fox appears on her shoulders. “And if you see this beauty around here, do make sure to treat her with the respect appropriate to mystical creatures.” She scratches the kitsune’s chin before wiping her forehead off again. In her other hand, she fidgets with a hilt of metal, like one you would find on a traditional katana.

Fifteen's knock was immediately answered by what sounded like a woman's voice off to the side somewhere. He glanced back at Sixteen, though he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like she knew what was going on anymore than he did, at least as far as he could tell. That'd be awfully gnarly if she did and just wasn't saying anything. It would also be callous, so the cons of that might outweigh the pros if he sat and thought about it long enough.
225? It was another number, and he could infer that it belonged to some other person, whom they were obviously being mistaken for by the mystery voice. Other than that, he hadn't the slightest idea what was going on, but that was sort of the theme of the day, he supposed. Lucky it didn't faze him as much as it seemed to perturb Sixteen.
Just as he figured he might as well walk towards where the voice had come from, a woman dashed to the front of the house, coming to an abrupt stop. When she spoke again, he recognized her voice as the same one from just moments before. "The station?" He furrowed his brow, wondering what she was referring to. Oh, wait. "Is that where we were when we woke up?" Or came to life? He had no idea if he had a life before waking up in that strange contraption or not. If not, that would certainly explain why he didn't know who he was and didn't remember anything. Funny, I don't remember seeing her there, but I guess I was focused on getting out more than anything else.
The rest of what the woman said only half-registered as he didn't have the necessary context to understand what she was talking about. He didn't know who she was or what she meant by 'make something' or where they were expected to 'head off to,' and since he was still high on adrenaline from his near brush with death, his mind filtered out the distracting information automatically.
The kitsune caught his attention. Admittedly, it was rather hard to miss, especially when the woman pointed it out. Mystical? He had no idea what that meant and didn't really care. The animal was pretty and seemed at ease in the woman's presence, so that meant something, probably. He had no intentions of bothering the kitsune. Why would he? But something in him despised being told what to do, was irritated with the lack of awareness and compassion with which this woman was treating them. He didn't even know why. It didn't matter that much because he could just be on his merry way and figure things out as he went. But he could tell it was making Sixteen uneasy, and although he didn't understand it, that put him on the defensive.
"Well, I'm Fifteen, and this is Sixteen." He introduced the two of them, gesturing to Sixteen, who waved shyly at the woman. "Shockingly obvious, I know." He couldn't help tacking on a sarcastic comment, motioning to the numbers printed on their clothes. "What should we call you? And where are we?" He asked, making sure to keep Sixteen within his peripheral vision as she seemed the spacey type, prone to wandering off.

Sixteen was content to let Fifteen do most of the talking. The day so far had been overwhelming, and she was lucky she'd run into someone who seemed to have it more together than she did. If she had been left on her own... she held in a shudder at the thought. Perhaps it was better not to dwell on such things until she found somewhere safer, if there was even anywhere safe to be found around here. She really was not doing a great job at calming her nerves. That would have to change before too long.
Most of what the woman said didn't make much sense to her. The station? Where there others like them then? Maybe there was someone who could explain what had happened to them. There was so much disconnected information at the moment that it was hurting her head. She felt overloaded, unable to take anything else in.
The appearance of the kitsune was a more than welcome distraction. She hadn't the faintest what it was or what it meant, but she admired it all the same, tuning out her other surroundings to watch the animal's movements. How pretty... At least there's one good thing about this place, even though I don't know where I am. I wonder if it has a name... The ghost of a smile appeared on her face while she was lost in thought.
When Fifteen introduced her, she waved at the woman, unsure what to say or if she should say anything at all. It had been easier when they were hiking through the woods. At least it had felt more natural in a way she didn't know how to describe. Some sense of being at peace? She wasn't sure she understood what the feeling was.
The motion of the woman's hand messing with an object she didn't recognize caught her eye. Although she didn't know what the thing was or what it could do, it raised her anxiety. She could feel her pulse thrumming in her ears and her temples. Could anyone else hear it too? It felt so strong and loud that she wouldn't have been surprised if everyone else could hear it too. She tore her eyes away from the item in the woman's hands and forced herself too look elsewhere, anywhere else. The kitsune, the house, the trees she had walked through on her way to the clearing, anything that might provide a distraction. Although she did not know it, her mind had identified a piece that belonged to a weapon, and it was screaming at her to get away, flooding her system with alerts of nearby danger. The kitsune and nature at least provided calming distractions to think about, so she was able to manage, though not indefinitely.

((The struggle to refer to my characters by their numbers and not their names is so real lol.))

“Ah, You can call me three. I’m actually an inhabitant of this world, though you all are not, you came from the giant wreckage, yes? That would be the station, it got hit in its thrusters and came crashing down. As for #225, he and two others arrived here with me, you can most likely find them in their respective directions. 225 is in the swamp, I’m in the forest, 666 is in the mountains, no idea why he chose that number, and 738 is over in the plains. Do be careful in the plains though, I’m not sure she has the dragons under control yet.” Three puts away the hilt and steps up to a side door, hidden behind a hedge, she ducks into the house and runs up to the front door to open it. “Come in!” Three backs away, letting the duo enter if they want and leaving the door open if they want to leave. Her mind was racing, unsure about what to say to these people who had just woken up from suspended animation. “Do you want me to tell you what we’ve figured out so far?” Her mind tumbles over the words but she is able to get them out without messing up. Subconsciously, she already started creating a connection to these two, as they actually appreciated her new friend. She takes off the mask she was wearing, pulling up the sleeves of her jumper after doing so. She ends up revealing a few scars crisscrossing her face, and four long scars running the length of her arms and legs. Subconsciously, she tries to hide the ones on her arms, but she can’t do anything about the ones on her face. She nods to Sixteen, understanding her aversion to the hilt.

((Bump??))