The Inevitable Morning

Charlotte had known it would happen sooner or later. She would wake up one day and find herself without Dimitri, alone, or even worse, with a bad person. There had been rumors of bad roommates going around, and even if she had never been roomed with anyone like that in the past, that did not make her feel like she had less reason to worry.
She opened her eye slowly just to get a glimpse of the room and her possible roommate. She noticed a tall, muscular man lying on the floor not far from her. She flinched immidiatly.
He was so big and scary-looking, her heart started beating faster.
If this was one of those bad roommates, she'd rather not get his attention.
As she noticed he was beginning to wake up as well, she quickly closed her eye and pretended to be asleep.

[Ooc, this made me laugh poor Charlotte, but Shang is a softie underneath all those muscles XDD]

[ooc: Can't wait to rp with ya Charlotte! ]

Shang shook himself and made his way to the bathroom, taking note of the sleeping blonde nearby. He shut the door when he got in and let out a deep breath.

"I....I love you." (~Snow~ Room 7's "TTW with Room 8")

No woman outside of his family has ever said that to him and actually meant it. He slapped his forehead and groaned. What is wrong with me? I just left her hanging there. He splashed water on his face and buried it in his hands. She's going to hate me. I shouldn't have done that to her. He dried his face and stepped out the bathroom.

[OOC: Me neither! Though Charlotte isn't quite as excited... xD]

As he walked into the bathroom she managed to sit up and listen for any suspicious noises.
It didn't seem like he did anything out of the ordinary, but it hit her how stupid she was to think that way. In a place like this he couldn't have done anything out of the ordinary even if he wanted to.
As she heard the doorhandle being pulled down, she quickly lied down on the ground again, closing her eyes.
The coldness of the floor made her body shiver and she hoped it wouldn't reveal that she was in actuality awake.

Shang stopped for a moment as he scanned the room a second time, seeing there wasn't any mattresses like the last two rooms he was in and the blood all over the walls were a worse sight than the puddle in the last room he was in with Snow. Snow... He was about to go back to the wall and sort out his feelings with her when he noticed his new roommate still on the floor. He approached her, quietly kneeling and placing two fingers on her neck.

She jumped higher than ever at his approach and hit the wall, making her hurt her back badly.
The pain in her back however was nothing compared to the fear and panic in her eyes. She would have screamed if it weren't for the shock and the hyperventilation.
She did nothing but stare at him with wide eyes, though when it became obvious that he was not there to hurt her, her breathing slowly slowed down.
Her eyes, however, were still showing the panic she felt inside.

Shang grimaced at the collision between her and wall. "Well, it's good to know I don't have a dead roommate." He stood firm but looked away from her. Her fear and panic was getting to him. "I'm Shang and I come in peace." He smiled a little and bowed.

She was still pretty terrified, but she couldn't help but giggle at his greeting. Of course she had been silly, though she could never be too careful in a place like this.
She wasn't really as afraid of him anymore as she was just having a heard time snapping out of the shock and panic. When she finally managed to slide herself up the wall despite her pains and shook the panic, she smiled at him.
"I-I'm Charlotte. Sorry about that..." she said and looked away ashamed.

Shang shook his and smiled. "Don't be. It's good to be cautious of people, especially in this kind of situation." He held out his hand to help her up. "You're actually the first person I've met who has acted this way. Have you just been kidnapped, too?"

"Uhmm.." she hesitated as to think how long she had been here.
"I wouldn't say I'd just been kidnapped... but I think most people have been here longer than me... How about you?" she asked. From the looks of it he had either been here for a short amount of time or he had been extremely lucky. His body showed no signs of scars or wounds, and he looked perfectly healthy.
This just reminded her of how badly Dimitri had looked last time she saw him. Even worse, she had just left him in a horrible condition... he was better, yes, but far from ok. She wanted nothing more than to be with him again just so she could take care of him and make sure he was ok. Even if he had rejected her.

He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well I'm not sure how long its been exactly but I'm certain I've been here longer than 2 weeks. Its kind of hard to tell time or day and night for that matter." He looked at the camera and then, to the wall where he last talked with Snow. She loves me... What if that's the last thing I hear from her? Do I really want the last thing she hears from me to be I had to use the bathroom?! His frown deepened.

She looked down shyly as his mind seemed to be distracted. She really didn't know what to say, and she was just generally awkward in moments like these. Or in any moment. She couldn't help but blush either, which didn't make the situation better.
"That's not long.." she muttered. She didn't like how new he was. It meant someone must have been replaced by him. Meaning someone must have died recently...

He looked at her and decided ask her what has been on his mind. "Charlotte, right? What would a woman think when they tell a man they love them and he doesn't say it back?" He stared at her, trying to hide his concern.

"Ehmm" she was suddenly taken aback as she thought about Dimitri.
She pulled herself together as she realized this question was based on his own personal experience. She figured she'd have to answer the question honestly.
"Well.. me for once would assume my feelings were one-sided... that he didn't love me back..."
She swallowed a clump in her throat as she thought back to how Dimitri had rejected her.
"I assume it's the same for most women.."

Shang sighed. It was just as he thought and worse he left her. "Alright... no its not alright." He looked to Charlotte and let out a small chuckle. "That's not the answer I had hoped to hear but thank you. I... guess.." He sat against the wall and sighed again. "I really do love her. I just... I guess I just got nervous." He glanced at Charlotte and saw her slight discomfort. "Are you okay?"

She smiled at him and sat down beside him. The pain in her back made her flinch and let out a small cry, but she was quick to regain control of herself.
She wondered if he would have preffered it if she lied to him... but he had asked, and she was always honest about these things. Was that just another bad quality of hers?
"Do you want to talk about it...?" she asked hesitant.
She was slightly scared that she wouldn't be able to comfort him like he wanted her to.
"I'm sure she knows that you love her.. and if not, you could always tell her next time you see her," she smiled gently.
"You said yourself, she told you she loved you. I'm sure she'll forgive some foolish nerves."
She giggled a little, feeling slightly jealous of the girl they were talking about. She had love. True love, she guessed by the expression on Shang's face. She was lucky.

ooc: D'awh I'm blushing at your post! xD

"Well we haven't known each other long and I do have feelings for her but if I tell her I love her, I wouldn't want to be saying it because of this dangerous situation we're in..." He frowned when he saw her flinch and remembered how hard she had hit the wall. He stood up, took off his cape, and bundled it up into a small cushion. "Here. Put this behind you. It might not be much help but its the best I got." He smiled at her. "Thanks again."

She looked at him in bewilderment. No one had ever offered her anything like that. It took her a time to react with anything but an open mouth and a blank face.
She blushed and took the bundle hesitating.
"Thank you," she said softly.
She put it behind her back. Just stretching hurt her, but she tried her best not to flinch again. She didn't want to look weak in front of him. When the bundle was nicely placed behind her back she instantly felt much better.
She looked in his direction again.
"Well.. do you love her?"

Shang bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling. "Honestly, I don't know what this feeling is. I love her but on the same level I love my family, which is a lot. But I don't see her as a sister. I mean, I want her!" His face went red as he looked down at his hands and gulped. I just told a stranger I want to have sex with Snow!!! In a place like this!! What's wrong with me?!

She couldn't help but giggle as he went red. She would never have expected him to blush. He looked way to manly and tough to blush. Yet, here they were.
"Well, I can't help you there... I always thought that when you loved someone... really, truely loved someone... you just knew," she said softly and smiled at him.
"So I guess you just have to listen to what your heart wants.."
She didn't care if it sounded cheesy, it was the truth after all.

[OOC: This will be my last post for today. Have to go to bed now ^^ I'll reply to you in the morning, I promise. 'Night ^^]

[Ooc, o///o Shang wants to have sex with Snow? *is shocked* XDD not really though ^^ and YAY!]

ooc: @Snow: I know right? Totally not his normal self but well he is a man and Snow is just so deluctable! xDD
@Charlotte: Okay no rush though. I'm very patient when it comes to replies. Anyways, Good Niiiight!

"Yea... Thanks for the advice, Charlotte. It helped a lot." But listening to your heart is not as easy as it sounds. He frowned and leaned back against the wall in thought as he drifted off to sleep.

She could tell he was drifting off to sleep, which she found weird considering they had just woken up. Maybe the effects of the sleepgass hadn't worn completely off yet. Either way, she was wide awake and now she was alone in a place with nothing to do.
Great, she thought and sighed.
The least she could do now was take a bath. She hadn't taken one in a while and she felt a bit dirty anyway.
She walked over to the bathroom and tried to decide on how to lock the door, as there was no lock. Finally, she accepted that he was fast asleep and wouldn't wake up in a while before she stripped down until she was completely naked.
She lied her clothes on the toilet seat and started pouring the water into the bathtub.
When it was done she slowly sank her naked body down into the bathtub and enjoyed the warmth.
To be extra comfy she put one leg over the edge of the tub and laid her head back against the edge. All in all it was a very sexual pose, but she couldn't care less, it was comfortable.
She was in there for what must have felt like an hour when she finally got up and out of the bathtub. She wished she had a towel, like in her last room, but there was nothing but stone here. She stood up and shook her hair, waiting for her to dry enough so that she could put her clothes back on without soaking them.

Shang opened his eyes and jumped to his feet, immediately, almost forgetting where he was. He looked around and sighed, rubbing his eyes. He looked at the camera and asked, "Why do you have us here, exactly, John?" After another deep sigh, Shang got down and began to do some push-ups.

Charlotte had just gotten her clothes back on when she heard him mumble something in the other room.
She opened the door even if her hair was still a mess and was about to ask him if he had had a nice sleep when she saw what he was doing on the floor.
The sight of the muscular man made her blush bright red.
"Oh-uhmm... eh.. sorry.." she said and looked away quickly.
It wasn't exactly that she wanted him, she didn't. But she was far from used to talking to muscular men, or men at all, and the sight of him flexing his muscles became too much.

Shang looked around to see Charlotte and got up. "For what?" He smiled but when he notice her reddened face, he rubbed the back of his head. "Right, so um how's your back, Charlotte?"

ooc: awkward moments ftw!

"It's getting a lot better, thank you," she said softly and smiled, though she still didn't look his way. The cape she had borrowed was still by the wall.
"How was your nap?" she asked in a desperate attempt to get past the awkward moment.

"Sure thing. Well, I would say this was one of the best naps I've had in a while. I had a dream I was with my family. Although," He rolled his head around on his shoulders. "I feel as stiff as a board. Waking up wasn't a nice reminder." He laughed and stretched his arms out.
"So, tell me about yourself, Charlotte. Why do you think you were abducted by John?" He sat down and stared up at her.

"John?" she asked. She had never really thought of his name. She might have heard the other visitors, as the name rang a slight bell at the back of her mind. Still, she had never thought of him as a person before.
"I don't.. I don't really know..." she mumbled after thinking about it for a while.
"Any ideas?"

Shang looked at Charlotte for a moment. "Well, I have heard he's gone even more out of control by a certain key being stolen from him. But that's as much as I know. What I want to find out is who stole it and what is it for..." He cracked his knuckles and stared over at the camera. "What's the last thing you remember hearing John say... or do?"

"I havn't really heard or seen anything from him..." she said slowly. Why? Was it normal for him to interact with people? Then why has she been left alone for so long?
"Have you seen him?" she asked curiously. She wondered what he was like.

"No I haven't met him," He continued to stare into the camera. "And if we did ever come face to face, I would want him to know that I would do what I can to help him find this key if he goes easy on the prisoners. Things will only get worse when he's caught."

Shang's gaze finally left the camera as he shifted to Charlotte. "Look, don't worry. Consider it a good thing you haven't heard from the captor. In our training, it means they have no plans for you and, at the moment, you're safe."

"That... or useless and easily disposed of..." she mumbled quietly to herself, though loud enough for Shang to hear it.
She sat down against the floor and stared into the open air. Her mind was completely blank. This is what happened when she got emotionally and mentally tired. She just didn't want to think about anything anymore. She just wanted it to go away.

Shang scooted next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Charlotte, I'm not one to lie to you or give you a false sense of security. But considering what I have learned about hostage situations and this one only dealing with one abductor, I'm pretty sure we're safe for the time being. It's when you start hearing from him that you should get concerned."

He looked up toward the bathroom, remembering the first room he was in and his talk with the first person he met in this place. "Do you a woman name Cinderella?"

His hand made her blush, but the comfort felt nice. It made her feel almost safe, even in a place like this.
"No.." she said and shook her head. She did it slightly hesitating, as she was trying to think if she had heard the name anywhere before, but the name didn't ring a bell.
"Why? Is she a friend of yours?"

"I wouldn't say we're close or anything but she has helped me out, filling me in with events of what's been happening. I think she could use a friend, though and I do worry for her mental and physical health..." Shang brought one of his legs up and rested his chin on his knee. "We have to find a way out of here. If only I could get in contact with my lieutenant," He whispered, sighing. "I've never felt so useless, before, Charlotte."

Lieutenant? So he was a military man... She couldn't say she approved or liked it. In her mind an army man was a man with innocent blood on his hand. A man who solved his arguments with violence. A man who could kill.
He seemed nice, but however much she tried, she could not prevent herself from slowly growing fearful of Shang again. Still, he did not seem the tiniest bit angry, so she guessed he was ok for now.
At his last words, she couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him. Still, she didn't know what to tell him. She didn't know what would help. She settled for scooting closer to him and laying a hand on his shoulder as a sign of comfort.
"I'm sorry.." she said softly.

He looked at her and smiled, "Thanks. I just wish I could see Snow again..." He hung his head and silenced his mind in a short mediation.

Snow? What a funny name. Who names their kid Snow?
She smiled to herself at the funny thought, but coughed and straightened her face as she realized how silly it was to think of such a thing at a moment like this.
"She's a lucky girl," she said and smiled again.

"We're both lucky to have met each other. Although, I think us ended up in this predicament is unlucky," Shang laughed and looked at her. "You have a pretty smile, Charlotte. I know its a terrible situation we're in but freaking out and stressing will only make decrease your health more. You should think of some positive memories and smile more." He smiled at her.

She had a pretty smile? It was a long time since anyone had given her a compliment like that, and then it had been from her father. She couldn't help but blush a lot.
"Ehh-thank you!" she said and giggled like a little girl. She didn't exactly know how to take compliments.

Shang laughed and faced her. He was glad to see her happy if just for a moment. "So what kind of life do you plan to have when you get out of here, Charlotte?"

She turned from him and gazed upon the wall at the other side of the room, as if she could see her future life in the cold stone. As if she could already imagine it.
"I want to settle down with someone..." she said quietly, almost too soft to hear.
"I want to get married and have kids and have someone that I can love every day..."
She smiled to herself dreamily before she shrugged and looked back at Shang.
"But nothing ever go quite the way we plan them to do they?" she said and smiled bitterly thinking of Dimitri.

Shang leaned back against the wall and exhaled quietly. He hadn't realized how uneasy and tensed he'd been since his abduction. But Charlotte's soft whisper was as loud as an echo to him and he was almost picturing himself bringing Snow home to his family, as she spoke.
"No, they don't but sometimes even unplanned events could bring about happy moments. You have a nice and simple vision, though." He noticed her smile become bitter and his expression grew sad. "Is there someone in particular that you would love to settle down with?"

Her smile disappeared as she looked away again, at the wall, but this time she could no longer see happy images reflected in the cold stone surface. She only saw a face. Dimitri.
Her eyes grew watery, but for a long time, something that must have been at least 10 seconds, she said nothing.
Dimitri? Would she really want to marry him now? There was a time when she would say yes without hesitating. Without even blinking. But now...
What was the point in settling down with someone who didn't want you? What was the point if they were only there because they were trapped, and not because they loved you back.
"No," she answered him while swallowing the lump in her troath.
"No one." Her voice was unusually cold for her.

The saddness Shang felt for Charlotte grew as he watched her struggle to answer his question. When she finally responded, the look in her eyes made him tense up. Anything worse than a crazed kidnapper is an insane prisoner and he feared that's where Charlotte was heading. "Who was it, Charlotte? Was he murdered?" He took a cautious approach with her.

She laughed softly realizing how cold and serious she must have looked to Shang. She quickly blinked her tears away before she smiled again.
"No, don't worry. Nothing like that.."
She said it softly as to make him feel better after her drastic change of mood only a second earlier.

He was still concerned for and he also noticed how she avoided answering his first question. His gaze shifted to the camera. It must be someone in here if she's keeping it quiet.
"Do you want to play a game?" He smiled at her.

"Sure," she smiled bright. She loved games, she would always be a kid at heart. The sudden excitement almost made her forget about Dimitri. Almost. But not quite.
The smile disappeared and was replaced by the sillyest of confused faces.
She looked around before turning to Shang again and cocking her head to the side.
"What kind of game can we play in here?"

Shang beamed. He was glad to see her happy again. Nothing like a game to ease the mind. "Well, when I was a cadet in the army, we made up a game and called it Disoriented Blindness. Basically, its a timed game where one person is blind-folded and they have to get from one destination to another in a set time. The best of us would use this game as a way to test our memory and skill in the training field. You can spin the blind-folded person to confuse them and make it challenging. So, does it sound interesting? You can add whatever rules you want to it too."