Reassured by her confidence, Huaisang nods, glad to believe anyone who tells him it'll all be all right. "I hope so. It must be an awful fate to be trapped like that."

Sucking on his lip briefly, Huaisang draws himself up and fluffs his skirt to bolster his own courage. "Shall we go inside? I can tell you more of what I know. I've been here since December, technically, but I have memories of October before that. Whoever runs this place has the ability to alter reality itself, and to manipulate our perception of it."