(open) — have you seen a little girl?

[rosae]

<sup>Who: Rose Da Silva / horrormom + you!
What: Catchall — includes general & event prompts.
When: Throughout the month of November.
Where: Various places around Trench, The Tower, etc.

Content Warnings: distressed mothers / themes of missing children / religious themes & imagery / fanatical cultists (from Rose's canon as well as Trench) / event-related warnings in later prompts (sleeper farm, imprisonment, bodies, etc.) / blood</sup>

---

MOM ON A MISSION

( Rose Da Silva is somewhere strange and frightening — alien in ways, like some place frozen in a time that's not hers — and her little girl isn't beside her anymore.

Rose has lived this before. And like last time, there's only one single purpose driving her: to find her daughter. The difference is that this time, there are seemingly no clues to follow, no little puzzle pieces left behind. Something within Silent Hill had called to her, guided her through its monsters and nightmares, showed her where to go. Here (wherever here even is; she's heard the name Trench but Rose thinks it must be some extension of that otherworldly place, of Silent Hill) she's all on her own. And so she keeps looking.

Through November, it's what she does: wandering the streets and shops of this place, seeking out information, searching. Like last time, she won't stop. )

^{ooc ➤ Throughout the month, Rose can be stumbled upon just about anywhere throughout Trench. Feel free to wildcard your character encountering her roaming around your district, near your home or business, etc. I've listed some specific scenarios below, but I'm 100% flexible. The titles of each section below link back to the game info about them, for easy reference!}

i. WILLFUL MACHINE
( Rose soon enough finds her way to a hub of activity, stunned by how lively it is in comparison to Silent Hill. No townspeople scrounging through the dust of abandoned buildings for scraps of food, no deadly-quiet spaces in which time seems to hang heavy and tense, before those sirens wail to unleash a nightmare.

It almost seems... like a normal place, here in Willful Machine. The smell of fresh things cooking, the bustle of civilians buying and selling from various stalls and shops. And yet, with that comes a new type of dread in Rose: this place is huge and there are many more people here. It would be much easier for a tiny little girl to stay lost.

Well, she certainly isn't shy about asking questions. You might see her — a well-kept woman in a long tan overcoat and knee-high boots, approaching various stall owners, asking to speak to whomever's in charge. No one really seems able to give her a straight answer on that, but she's not giving up; of course she isn't. Rose keeps looking around, keeps asking. Maybe she winds up at your business, or approaches you on the street as you're browsing. Her questions generally cycle between:

'Excuse me, can you tell me who's in charge around here?'
'Sorry to bother you, but have you seen a little girl? Long, black hair? She's only nine.'
'Hey, do you know where I can get a charger for this? Like an electronics place, or a pharmacy or something?', in which case she'll be holding up the cell phone that's hanging from her neck by a strap. ...This was a Prime Mom Cell Phone in 2006, okay. )

ii. DARCMOUTH
( This place feels more familiar. With its dreary haze, the fog that seems to be a permanent fixture. Like a dream — just on the cusp of becoming a nightmare. Rose makes her way through Trench's fishing district wide-eyed and alert, a perpetual chill down her spine as though in anticipation of some monstrous thing to come crawling out of the fog her way. No monsters come and no siren sounds, but she can't relax, hands shoved into the pockets of her coat, shoulders hunched upwards against the November chill, even more nippy out here by the sea. It bites her cheeks and nose, leaving them flushed red.

She wanders the docks, listening to the deep creak and groan of boats slowly moving up and down in the water, trying to ignore the heavy stench of fish and brine. On occasion she has to tuck her nose into the crook of her elbow, swallowing down a gag. If, for some reason, you are also at the gloomy district, you might see the woman who looks severely out of place yet purposeful — searching nooks and crannies, stepping lightly over a mound of fish entrails to peer into the frosted-over windows of a rundown old warehouse, its entrance locked. She's dragging her nails against a window, and then crouching to find a dusty brick, which she starts hitting the window with — though its glass is extremely thick and doesn't immediately bust. Rose doesn't stop, however, because she is absolutely determined to break in and doesn't seem to have any real concern for who might hear her doing so.

Or maybe you hear her doing something else — shouting, running — after someone, the glint of something large and shiny held in their hand (a locket with the Virgin Mary on the front). Maybe you can help stop the thief from taking off with what is clearly very precious to the woman. Rose is pretty fast, but the person who stole her locket knows the ins and outs of this place, taking turns through alleys, around trade stalls, and she has no way of stopping them. No weapon, no powers; all she can do is run.

Eventually, Rose also finds her way to the shoreline, the place she remembers coming up from. Something here... feels different, somehow; it's some awareness she can't quite explain. As though within her spirit something is stroked so gently that it's barely a touch at all, and something inside of her shudders gently in response. She won't turn away from it, no. Rose slowly makes her way down that soft black sand, eyes narrowed and teary against the sharp sea breeze. By now, she's... tired, and she aches in a way she's beginning to grow used to aching.

She doesn't know how long she walks, but at some point she comes across something lying there where ocean meets shore, waves lapping up against where it's wedged into the sand. The woman slows almost to a halt, feeling as though the breath has been knocked out of her. Then she's approaching the item she already knows she recognises, crouching to gently lift it up out of the sand.

Rose gasps, falling down onto the sand, legs tangled beneath her as something racks through her very frame; it's a reaction that physically hurts. She presses the item to her chest (it's soaked through, cold and limp against her), and wails loudly out to the ocean — a name, Sharon.

If you get close enough to see, you'll realise that what she's holding is a brown teddy bear. )

iii. CRENSHAW
( When she hears about an orphanage in this city, Rose immediately finds her way to it through word of mouth, some desperate hope still remaining in her. It's all she has, that desperation, that hope: the two mingled together into an almost tangible presence up under her sternum.

Her daughter isn't there. She looks for her amongst every single lost child currently inhabiting the orphanage — calling for Sharon and then Alessa — but her little girl isn't there.

She might show up there, though. God, she might. Maybe if someone finds her and brings her somewhere safe... And though Rose can't possibly keep watch every day, she does end up visiting the orphanage very often, perched on the cold stone steps outside of it, the bag that washed ashore with her tucked close to her feet. On her lap, she holds a couple of drawings, and she keeps looking over them — one a cheerful, child's depiction of sunflowers, the other a... much more horrific sight. The woman's frowning deeply as she examines them, brushing the pad of her thumb gently over the crayon art, seeming to be searching for something within. Some hidden clue that maybe she missed.

Beside her, a white dove sits, docile and calm, occasionally fluttering her wings and giving soft sounds as she keeps a look out. )

THE SLEEPER FARM ➤CW: EVENT WARNINGS APPLY; SPECIFICS WILL BE IN SUBJECT HEADERS

( She sees what they do — how they take people, and though Rose doesn't know where that may be or why, she knows she has to follow.

She's trembling to her core as she quickly trails the horrible thing that was maybe once a person into the black hole it creates, but she's faced horrible things before, and she will never back down from facing them again. Not if there's a possibility that her daughter is threatened.

She never sees the attack coming, but it must have caught her in the act. She wouldn't have tried to evade it anyway, wouldn't have tried to escape. She has to end up wherever this thing is taking people; there is no other option for her. And so Rose is knocked out in an instant, a willing captive. )

i. THE STALLS

( When Rose comes to again, it takes her a few long moments to try and pull herself from her thick, stunned haze. She keeps her eyes closed, though her other senses begin to pick up on the things around her, and she knows that she's been taken to a nightmare.

The sounds of machinery whir and thud and grind somewhere not far away; the potent (familiar) smells of oil and must and what she recognises as blood greet her as though she'd never left. Rose slowly peels her eyes open and stares at the room she's currently in — not so much a room at all, but a sort of stall, like what an animal would be contained in. Her heart skips a beat so hard that she gives a shaky, pained sound.

The Darkness, she immediately thinks. What those in Silent Hill had run from, hidden from in their Church, tried to keep at bay with their beliefs. Their faith..... their ugly, twisted, monstrous faith. Their fear, their cruelty. She'd helped destroy them and their Church, watched Alessa rip them apart as they screamed.

But it isn't over, she thinks. Those deformed creatures that take people here... they could be connected to The Brethren, maybe working for them. Some of those cultist people could have survived the massacre back in Silent Hill. They could have taken her Sharon again.

It's then that Rose realises she's not alone in the stall. There's someone else — and she calls out to you, her wrists bound together behind her back, shackled. Fuck, if that's not familiar, too. )

Hey! Hey, you awake?

ii. STORAGE

( Or maybe you encounter her after you've escaped from your holding pen and are making your way through the industrial, bleeding labyrinth. By then, Rose has gotten out of her own shackles and grabbed a large wrench she found lying around, holding it to her chest. There's some blood smeared across her jumpsuit and staining the soft blonde of her hair, smudged against a cheek; it's not her own blood, but she's been exploring and brushed across a hanging body or two (or three or four, it's endless, the mutilated bodies in this horrible place are endless.)

If you've had the misfortune of being hung up and are clearly alive, Rose will rush over to you; she'll help you, won't leave you behind. Or maybe you're safely on the ground and happen across the woman exploring one of the countless rooms. Quiet and barefoot, tracking blood-stained footprints across the cold ground, Rose doesn't seem to be searching for a way out. No, she's not trying to escape. Not just yet. First, she has to see if Sharon is here and she's not fucking leaving until she searches every single room.

So she explores dark storage spaces filled with tools or piles of bodies in bags, the wrench held tightly in her hands. She's afraid, of course she's afraid, but something other than fear is what drives her. She's done this before, not so long ago at all; she'd gotten her daughter back no matter what it took. At the time, it felt like it took everything, every single thing, but oh— there's more left in her; she feels it now, a certain anger she's grown to rely on rising up from the well deep within her. And she'll use it to protect anyone who needs protecting, and to kill whatever stands in her way now. )

---

WILDCARD / ETC

^{ooc ➤ Hit me up on plurk (skeletals) / discord (large bat#2354) / pm / Rose's plot post
Respond in prose if that's your preference, and I'll gladly follow suit!}

Comments

[rosae]

( This place certainly seems... unforgiving. It's strange out here, less like a city than the other places she's been wandering. She's frightened, but it doesn't stop her from exploring this place, too. Sharon could be here, and Rose has searched places that are much worse.

The woman moves through the tall, wild grass that brushes up all the way to her thighs, wading it like it's a shallow ocean. She's uneasy, tense, and it's perhaps that tension that saves her life. When she sees the flash of yellow eyes, she's already prepped to run, body tight and coiled like a spring.

She's running as fast as she can, towards those trees stretching up near the property that comes into view. Rose hears the roar and screams loudly, running faster, faster, heart hammering in her throat. She finds a tree and scrambles upwards, boots pushing her up its trunk and branches as fast as she can. More screams are released, as she climbs higher, finding a spot on a large branch and grabbing ahold of the trunk. )

Go the fuck away! ( She screams at the top of her lungs, grabbing for a smaller branch and flinging it downwards at the beast. )

[survivalthroughhate]

[Malice snarls and snaps, leaping up in the air with her jaws only a few inches away from Rose’s feet. But she’s just out of reach and so Malice can’t touch her, instead growling and roaring as she keeps attempting to get to her prey.]

Malice!

[The loud voice slices through the air like the crack of a whip. Malice stops what she’s doing and turns to look at Maul coming across the yard, hood up over his face to help keep him warm as the weather has begun to turn colder. He heard the commotion and came out to see what was the matter. His voice goes back down to its quieter tone as he comes near to the tree.]

What did you find creeping around now? Is it one of the monsters in this place? Or something new? Or is it--?

[When he reaches the tree, Maul looks up, and is quite surprised to find a terrified blonde woman staring back at him. Malice paws at the tree with her claws, grumbling in the back of her throat, clearly unhappy with being able to reach her prey. Maul pats her on the side.]

You did a good job. But I think she’s no threat.

[Malice’s yellow eyes narrow and she growls menacingly again, not willing to abandon her prey. Maul’s hand moves to her forehead and he focuses for a moment on the Force, calling upon it to help connect to her mind. He calms her down and sends her into a placid state. Her teeth are no longer bared and she looks much more serene.]

Go on. I’ll take care of this.

[With one last lash of her whiplike tail, Malice trots off to go see if she can find anything else on the property to tear into shreds. Maul looks up at Rose and his alien features are clearly seen between his Sith yellow eyes, red-and-black skin, and the barest glimpse of horns still hidden beneath the hood.]

My apologies. Malice can be vicious with anyone she feels is intruding upon her territory.

[rosae]

( Rose screams again as the creature jumps closer to the bottom of her boot, hanging onto the tree as tightly as she can. But there's an anger in her, one that flares up just as quickly as the fear and panic. She kicks her foot downwards at the thing, never actually making contact because of those few inches separating them, but she's trying to. She'll go out fighting, even if it's while screaming, too.

Suddenly there's a voice, so loud that Rose gasps. She's whipping her head around in the direction of the commanding tone, to see.... someone approaching. Tall and hooded, and Rose feels her stomach dropping, ice seeping downwards into her guts. Her initial, kneejerk thought is that the figure reminds her of one of The Brethren from back in Silent Hill. She'd never seen them robed and chanting; they looked like normal people, their work all the more horrific for that — but she could almost imagine them dressing like this deep down in the dark. Praying to their god. Laying a child out to sacrifice.

Even though she's terrified, that anger doesn't lessen. Rose's eyes are hard and severe and she prepares herself to fight as hard as she can. This person could have her daughter.

But the man... calls off what's clearly his companion, or.... pet? Rose is staring down at him with a tight jaw when he addresses her, eyes widening when she meets the man's gaze. Catches a glimpse of what's under his hood. It's frightening, but she's seen many frightening things by now, and it's the thought of her daughter that steels her resolve, as it always does. And when he addresses her it's cordially, but so had the cultists of Silent Hill, before they'd learned who she was. The "mother" of "the witch".

The next thing they'd done was burn her friend alive.

The smart thing to do here would be to slowly gather information about him, what he knows. But Rose can't waste any time, so she just outright asks it — demands it. If he knows the names, she'll be able to tell by his face. The cultists had been too resolute in their beliefs to play dumb. )

Do you have Sharon? Alessa?

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul looks upwards, his head tilting in confusion. He clearly has no idea what the significance of those names and what they represent to the woman. It shows on his face, for while Maul can tell many kinds of lies, one like this isn't easy for him to use off-the-cuff.]

Who are they?

[He steps back a few feet from the tree as he continues to look up at the woman. He huddles into his cloak, clearly still feeling the cold as it bites through him.]

Come. Let us speak of this somewhere else instead of keeping you up there.

[rosae]

( She's watching him carefully for any sign of recognition, and she knows if it was there, it'd be strong. The Brethren hated Alessa — and her daughter as a result. They abhorred her with a passion so intense it was palpable.

There's no hate in this man's features at the moment, just... confusion. Rose does note that, chest rising and falling as she's still breathing heavily. )

...My daughter. ( She answers, hesitantly but honestly. She's still staring at him for any gauge of a reaction underneath the confusion, but... there is none.

Then there's the offer, and though it's probably dangerous to go with him, whomever and whatever he is, Rose hasn't given up on the idea that he might have some information that could be useful to her. So after a long moment, she starts climbing back down, boots carefully maneuvering their way down the branches until she's on the ground.

Brushing herself off with one hand, Rose stares up at him. Now that she's down here, she's painfully aware how tall he is — how small she seems in comparison. But she lifts her head, jaw still set. )

I'd like that. To talk. I have a lot of questions, and maybe you can help me.

[survivalthroughhate]

[She seems tough, Maul can see that right away. There's no crying or hysterics from her. Sure, she'd been screaming when confronted by Malice, but who wouldn't when faced with an angry beast that wanted to tear them limb from limb? She'll do well here, he decides, if she can learn more about the place.]

Daughters? [Maul asks in a confused tone. She'd asked about two names initially but only mentioned one daughter. He's thinking that perhaps he just misheard her and she meant to use the plural form.

He nods at her request to ask questions. But better to do it inside instead of out in the middle of the yard. Anything could attack them and only four of the creatures around here were ones that Maul could call off.]

Come. It is time for tea.

[Maul turns and heads back towards the house. It's honestly looking much better these days, quite a bit of the rundown nature finally exchanged for a homey look through the efforts of Maul and to a less extent Savage. Off in the grass closer to the house, there is what appears to be a small curved boulder curled up there...until it stretched out and changes positions before going back to sleep. This is Slicer the hyena-like warg, the other half of Maul's security system. Since Rose is with his master, he sees no need to get up and see if there is any alarm. Maul pays no attention to the creature which is far bigger than a horse and goes inside.]

[rosae]

( Rose pauses at the question. It's.... one she's not even altogether sure how to answer. Though it had been explained to her back in that other place, there's so much she still doesn't quite understand. At the time, understanding hadn't been so important; all that mattered was saving her daughter. But now that some time has passed.... there's much to think about. Much to try to figure out.

What exactly is Sharon? Is she... human? How much of her is Alessa? Rose doesn't know. )

Just one. But she— has different names. ( She frowns for a moment, before giving him another nod. Again, maybe this is dangerous — following him into his home. Into who knows what.

But she doesn't even think about it as a choice. If there's the slightest possibility he could offer something to help her, she'll take it. She's walked right into Hell before, after all.

Her eyes are wide as she takes in the strange creature there; so he has more than one. And speaking of Hell.... the animals he has do remind her of something that might be depicted in a painting of a hellscape itself, and Rose watches this one warily as she follows the man. )

Do you live here alone? Apart from your pets, I mean.

[survivalthroughhate]

Ah.

[Maul's not sure what else to say to that. Perhaps it is simply the way of things in their culture to have different names for different occasions or depending on how close a person was. Or maybe there was something he didn't understand going on here yet.

He leads her into the house, the porch squeaking terribly in places, though that's more to do with the amount of weight being put on it due to Maul's prosthetics than anything else. Once inside, it looks a little better, and the kitchen is nearly completely renovated at this point which makes it one of the best-looking rooms in the house.

Maul pulls out some various tea boxes and sets them on the large dining room table.]

Which would you like? [Then he answers the question.] No. My brother Savage stays here with me and occasionally there are others who stay for a day or two.

[While it didn't completely make him seem less intimidating, it at least gave the indication that there were others who were comfortable enough with him and trusted him to be alright staying in the house overnight.

He fills the kettle with water and sets it on the stove. With a wave of his hand, the stove turns on by itself without Maul ever getting near to it. Then he sits down at the table.]

My name is Darth Maul. And you are...?

[rosae]

( Rose follows him in, looking around at everything before drawing closer to the table. That he's offering something so mundane and normal as tea... strikes her off-guard for a moment. She hasn't had tea in what feels like ages. )

I'll just take whatever you're having. ( She gives a little nod in attempt to be nonchalant, but there's a tension still coiled in her. She's cautious to drink something offered from a stranger, and figures it'd be safer to have whatever he decides on. Maybe it's being paranoid, but she has no idea what he might try.

Rose settles into a chair, sitting down a little stiffly. Savage.....? And Darth Maul. What names, indeed. She swallows a bit nervously, hands coming together on the table as she watches him at the stove, eyes widening when she witnesses the display of abilities.

Alessa... could do things like that. Move objects with her mind, control things. Rose's focus shifts to an intense one as she stares at the man, still afraid but also.... intrigued. )

I'm Rose. Rose Da Silva. ( She does try to be cordial, at least, tone polite. )

Pardon me for asking, but... have you always been able to do that? Control things without touching them...?

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul pauses for a moment, looking over the selection before selecting a ginger and lemon flavored one. Something to calm the nerves while keeping the senses aware of what was going on around them. He lets the water continue to heat up as he watches the woman, taking note of her body language to see what she's not saying in addition to what she is.

He takes note of her name. Rose. Maul is more than aware that humans oftentimes don't give names that have such overt meanings as the ones in his culture but he does wonder in this case if the name might not have merit. A rose is beautiful but you must watch out for the thorns, as his own immortal flower showed. Perhaps this woman was the same? He is sure he'll find out in time.

He nods at the question, expecting the curiosity. Even those from other worlds usually had questions about his powers when they first see them.]

Yes. Ever since I was a small child, I've been able to use the Dark Side of the Force. [And before she can ask the usual follow-up question of "What is the Force?" Maul clarifies.] The Force is a living energy field that surrounds and moves through all living things. There are two sides to it, Light and Dark, which are not the same thing as good and evil. Those who are sensitive to it can use it to do things like move objects, read minds, and enhance physical abilities.

[rosae]

( Rose's intense focus simply hones more in as he explains, her eyes fixed right on him as he talks, widening a bit at the words.

Light and Dark.... an energy field. It all certainly sounds similar to what she'd witnessed in Silent Hill, even if there may be some differences, too — but she'd only just scratched the surface of what Alessa's abilities were. And what Sharon's might be, in turn. )

Where you're from... do people target those who have abilities like that? Are they... considered dangerous? A threat?

( He's using his in plain view, clearly very comfortable with them. But she doesn't know if that would hold true back in his world, or if he, and others with such powers, might be threatened the way Alessa was in her world. Targeted. Called a witch, a demon. )

[survivalthroughhate]

To an extent, yes. The ability is rare in the galaxy as a whole but those who have it can become powerful enough to rule over millions of planets. Those on the Light Side are often seen as good and helpful, compassionate, wise, and always willing to put others before themselves. Those who follow the Dark Side, as I do, are often considered to be "evil", and while that is true for many at its core the Dark Side is not evil, merely one half of a whole.

[He's beginning to pick up on why Rose might be asking these questions. She's searching for her little girl, which already puts her in Maul's good books. His own mother was exactly the same way. She had done all sorts of things to get her son back after he'd been taken from her as a small boy, and even her last moments had been spent protecting him, giving her life so he would live. This is why Maul has been so friendly to Rose thus far. He thinks any woman that would search Trench all over despite the dangers for her daughter has a spine of steel.]

Does your daughter have similar powers?

[rosae]

( Rose hesitates with giving information so willingly — tongue pressed behind her teeth for a moment, looking unsure. But again, the thought pushes against her mind that there really isn't any good in hiding the truth. Not by this point. She'll have to be honest if she's to find her daughter, won't she? And... perhaps this man could help her in more than one way. )

The truth is, I'm not sure exactly. Her whole life, I thought Sharon was... just a usual little girl. But then I found out she's actually... part of another person. Someone who does have powers.

( Rose looks down at her hands for a moment, voice softening. )

I don't know where the blend is, or what it.. means for her, exactly. I was brought here before I could find out more. But that other little girl — Alessa — she did have powers like that. She could move things with her mind, and... alter them.

( A flash of upset and anger suddenly ripples through her like a wave. Rose's light blue eyes steel, losing their warmth. )

The people who tormented her called her dark. Evil. Something to be... purified. It sounds to me like people on the 'Light' side are usually just disillusioned. A way to justify their cruelty.

[survivalthroughhate]

How very strange.

[Maul's heard some weird stuff in his time here and back in Deerington but he's never heard of a person able to split part of themselves off into an entirely different person. That's a new one even for him.

His eyes are full of the same sort of anger as Rose's are. He nods.]

You would not be wrong. In my galaxy, they are corrupt and arrogant, hypocrites who use their powers as they see fit but then condemn those on the Dark Side for doing the exact same thing. They follow old rituals but have forgotten why those rituals were supposed to be done in the first place. The cracks have been shown in their façade and there are those who are exploiting them.

[The idea of this young girl Sharon intrigues Maul quite a bit. He'll have to keep an eye out for such a child ending up here.]

If I do see your daughter at any point, I will return her to you as soon as I can.