Field Mission 5: Il Prigioniero, Part 2

[balancemod]

Once you sacrifice something here, you don't get it back. NAVIGATION Click here for the RNG thread! 1. THE MANAGER'S CHALLENGE A. MEET THE BOSS Once upon a time, there was a man, a woman, and a little boy. They were a family. They loved each other very much. Once upon a time, there was a monster, a protector, and a dreamer. They never asked to be a family. One by one, they fell under the pressures of each other. There are always layers to any story. There are at least two sides to any reality. When a man kills his wife with no consequences, what is the end of the story? Will the universe allow such an unhappy ending? Or are there forces that drag it on long past its natural span? With a single act of resistance, four Reclaimers have Remembered and thereby broken the cycle of the Night Show. But this isn't the end. This is barely the middle. Because the Wonderland you've seen so far is a layer of new pink skin over an ugly infection, one that goes deeper than anything the Bureau has seen so far. You can see what's underneath, now, as the theme park is whipped away in an implosion of void-space to show you . . . Emptiness. A space that is no space, blank and white in all directions. Free of gravity, every Reclaimer in the park — and, shockingly, Angus McDonald — is held in place with hands cupped and outstretched in front of them, all facing the same way. They cannot move. They cannot speak. They are the audience. Before them stands a man. Slim, tall, nondescript. He wears a bow-tie with a pattern of Rolands on it. And he is smiling. "Welcome to my Wonderland! My name is Adrian Morgenstern, and I am the Manager. It's a pleasure to meet you. Each and every one of you have had a very interesting effect on my Wonderland in my absence. Some more than others, and at greater cost to yourselves — but I encourage individual choice in Wonderland, and ownership of personal consequences. Suffering is a part of life. It builds character. "So, I am proud of you. So proud, in fact, that I've decided to bring you all backstage. You kept trying to see behind the curtain, didn't you? You'll really enjoy it. There is a great deal to do, so much to explore, and so many games to play. Every second you breathe in Wonderland is a game with stratospheric stakes. You're very brave to take the risk. "And to make things more interesting, I have set up a very special game for you little detectives, who so love to stick their noses into strange secret corners. I challenge you to a Scavenger Hunt. You accept, because you have no choice. Here is what you must gather: "The vacant bodies of Leonardo da Vinci, Minato Arisato, and Henrik Merryweather. The people who have been lured here after your carelessness shattered their livelihood. Have you located them all already? Or did you miss a few? Ten lost little elves, misled and apprehended. And, lastly— "My son. Bring me my son. Bring Niel to me, and I will give you the Compact." There's a crack in the facade. A literal crack; something in the structure of his face is off suddenly, like something has fractured and slid. One cheekbone higher than the other, a hairline fracture underneath his eye. You blink, and it's fixed. His smile is wide, but his face is whole. Suddenly, in each Reclaimer's outstretched hands (and in Angus's), there is a single three-sided die. On each side is written a word: BODY, MIND, or SPIRIT. "Don't lose these, now! These are your cheat codes. If you find yourself struggling with the scavenger hunt and in need of a little help, you can play a little game of chance to give Wonderland something of yours. It won't take anything that will kill you, don't worry. But it will take things that matter, and it won't give them back. "One more thing, and then I'll let you go. I've given you some cheats, but in order to keep you from finishing the game too quickly, I'm taking something away, too. Everyone, please take good care of yourselves while you're here. You're all precious cargo. And there's no healing in Wonderland." He winks. And blinks out of existence. And suddenly, the nonspace you occupied is gone, and you are Somewhere Else. Back to top 2. WONDERLAND, UNDER THE SKIN B. THE ILLUSION COMES DOWN CW: Emetophobia, body horror, reality caving in on itself For a short time after Adrian leaves, everything is as it should be. Wonderland is Wonderland, but quiet and still aside from the background music. After a few breaths, heartbeats slowing, the music warps and bends like rotting wood, going further and further off key until it grinds. Clangs once, loudly, down to your bones, and halts. The world freezes in absolute silence. Then. A sizzling noise. Burning paper. The illusion starts to die. To your left, the floor peels up like it's made of paper, mist, waving like a mirage before your eyes. Colorful red velvet floors reveal dark green and glowing violet moss and fungus. Gold tile floors give way to ebony wood, gone rock solid in atrophy. Disease. A small black vine reaches from the floor towards you, towards Life, but withers and hardens before your eyes. You need to leave. To your right, a wall bleeds. Is it actually blood? Sap? The color seems to run away from your eyes - goldredwhiteyellowblackblackblack - covered with an iridescent sheen, an oil slick, pouring out and up and towards in ways that burn your eyes and soul. You need to leave. All around you, the Wonderland you've come to know burns like shadows in sunlight, or sunlight to shadow. The ceiling and walls and everything morphs to the inside of some unfathomably large tree. Roots and branches and gouged out holes, forming paths of the most non-ecludian sort. Some... things out of sight climb up and down in the darkness, looking for purchase, escape, travel. Far too many limbs, or none at all. You need to LEAVE. Not yet. You want to help. You need to help. You grab the nearest non-reclaimer - an elf, a visitor, someone - and they are both far too light and far too heavy. Stiff like wood in your hands. Their skin is gray, ashen, black veins in porcelain skin. Eyes gone solid black, they try to say something, but all that comes out is a spew of thick black tar - leaking from their eyes, ears, nose, vomit, cracks in their joints and once-flesh. The amorphous Black they just expelled pulses, then skitters down between the wood at your feet. You look at your skin. Your veins are too dark. Visible. Present. A weight builds in your heart, The Reclaimers (and Angus) can still move, bolt for what was once a cascade of colors, lights and joy. Now it's a gaping maw, jagged edges like splintered teeth around a hole like a cavity, sap like pus seeping out of the edges. The once-elevator now-branches bring you back to Shadowdale, covered in a charcoal smog that seems to smile at you from every angle. C. THE CAVALRY ARRIVES Lucretia, after receiving Sans' text about the current state of affairs within Wonderland, is faced with a decision that only she could make. Years ago, she came upon this place and lost decades of her life, all in an attempt to stop the mechanations of this horrific landscape. Her biggest failure, a thorn in her pride, she assembled the Bureau of Balance not long after her visit in order to take down places like this. People or things who obtain a power they should not have. She doesn't know why Wonderland is the way that it is, she can only guess that the Grand Relic has corrupted the World Tree down to its core. But more than that, more than the years she put onto her life for a wager of chess, more than the meticulous, maddening obsession she has with destroying every single one of these objects that threaten the world- her Reclaimers are here. Her Reclaimers. Against the judgment of most of her advisers and Moon Base employees, she grits her teeth and holds tight to her staff. Carey, Killian, and Lucretia descend upon the forests of the Cormanthor region. It takes them far, far too long to make it through the wilds. The forest can sense when someone is coming to destroy it, and thus, sends everything it can against them. Enchantment after enchantment gets flung their way, but she knows better. She's seen Wonderland before and she reckons that no one has ever visited this place twice. Arriving in Shadowdale, she looks up to see Yggdrasil in its sad, sorry state. Clasping her staff in place, finally here, she is resplendent in her detestation of this unholy place. A few of you might be there at the base of the tree when Wonderland transforms into its hellscape, and you might see her approaching, purposeful, as if every step is one of reclamation and poise. Angus McDonald looks upon her and tilts his head, trying to figure out what exactly it is that's going on. Lucretia warmly smiles at him. "Hello, Angus. I've heard much about you." "Ma'am?" But her attention is turned to another little boy, terrified otherwise. His face is darkened, sickly colors rooting through his veins and showing up against a pale skin. Niel. Ah, she remembers him, too. Her face gives no sign of anger, of fear, or resentment. "Don't worry, Niel. We'll free you from that monster." She doesn't renege on her promises. Lucretia slams her white oak staff on the ground and in an instant, a flash of brilliant luminescence fills all of Shadowdale, expelling the darkness that lingers around the corners of the sleeping town. She erects a magic dome from the center of her origin, expanding out from her as she concentrates on her magic. Lucretia's gifted in the arcane herself, you see, and a giant Globe of Invulnerability spell now blocks entrance nor exit from this zone. And for the first time in centuries, Shadowdale sees sunlight. Carey and Killian flank her. She needs to concentrate on this spell in order to keep it active, and they're there to stop anyone who thinks about getting in her way. D. NEW RULES OF WONDERLAND It's a zero-sum game here that Adrian is wagering. Lucretia didn't bring Dr. Tank down to Shadowdale for a very specific reason; an expert chess player herself, she always thinks in terms of move by move encounters. She figures that the rules would change quickly once the Reclaimers had figured out what was behind the curtain, so to speak. There's no way that Wonderland would allow healing or restoration of a body within its confines. She aims to cut this place off from the outside world. To quarantine it away from escape and cage it inward like an animal. No, Dr. Tank would be useless here, and if anything... dangerous, to put their chief of medical staff here in the middle of the mission. And thus, no one can come in or out of the area once she's erected the barrier. Returning to base is no longer an option for the remainder of the mission, including any and all facilities provided by its administration: Bender's food, Fantasy Costco, items you may have left behind, etc. Those of you who have opted out of the horror plot for the month will most likely be spending your time in Shadowdale for the next two weeks, providing back up and support to Lucretia. The work you do out here is equally as important as the work that needs to be done on the inside. Whereas the forest was quiet and still before, it seems to have taken on a new life of its own, now that it senses the Source of its life deeply threatened. Killian takes command from here on out. Anyone not willing to go up to Wonderland needs to stay down here and stop the encroaching darkness from attacking. And she means that, literally. As you look around the outskirts of town, the dome extending well beyond the vantage point you can see, there are creatures, made of darkness, dripping a deeply red sap that sparkles in the newfound texture of light Lucretia's spell provides. One bounds forward from the edge of a building, four legs crawling and made of pure shadow, and attempts to make an attack towards the Director. Carey cuts it down as it splits into two and vanquishes into a dark dust. "What the hell are these ugly gods-damned things?!" Some of you might've noticed it before in your rolls, but in the light provided by Lucretia's spell, there's no denying it. Negativity forms a dark cloud straight from Carey's mouth, as her eyes go wide at the sight of it. The monster at her feet, now a cloud of dust, seems to feed on it as it reassembles back into its form. What the actual fuck. Back to top 3. A TASTE OF GOOD SUFFERING E. REEDS GROWING OUT OF MY FINGERTIPS The Wonderland the Reclaimers and Angus find themselves in now looks nothing like the Wonderland they left behind. The feel of it is similar, except that the creeping dread has officially crept. It's here now, fully-formed and breathing down the back of every single neck. What was whispered before is screamed now: Wonderland is here to hurt you. The fun it seeks is not for you, but fuel for something else, something you haven't found yet. Nonetheless, you're here to feed it. And so, you begin to realize, is Yggdrasil. The naturally-minded among you begin to realize it with sickening certainty: the roots, the veins, the stiffness and the ever-present tarlike substance stem from the sickness of the World Tree. Wonderland, and all of you, are within Yggdrasil's rot now — and as much as it tries to reject this magic, the insidious power of the Compact has taken over too far. The tree is dying. Inside of it as you are, you can practically feel it. The entire place is a warren, structured like the tree it's draining the life out of. From the central trunk, the central locations that used to be Squares slide off from the main body in long, twisting branches that turn in nonsensical directions before abruptly coming to a halt. Each Square exists in uncomfortable parody here — or maybe the original was the cruel joke, because the purpose of Wonderland is suffering. At any turn in your path through the channels of Wonderland, you'll be swimming through darkness creeping in on all sides. No light can penetrate past your periphery, with very few exceptions; you are a moving lantern in this blackness, functioning on faith that whatever comes at you, a mystery until the last moment, will be something you can handle. Stumble into Battle Square and find yourself face-to-face with a monster of vicious intelligence and amorphous shape, delighted to cut you to ribbons over a period of hours while telling you every secret shame you've ever harbored. In Event Square, a knot midway up the endless trunk, time goes taffy-sticky as you trip through loops of memory blasted on every wall, loud and confusing and overwhelming, going on for what seems like forever. There's more, of course — more discrete spaces than you could even see in Wonderland. Any manner of horror you can consider can be found here, as vast as Yggdrasil itself. One or two places, though, will be particularly easy to recognize — and difficult to escape. F. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU Sometimes, investigation gives us little tips and tricks for solving the next stage of the puzzle. For example: Michael found a map to the mirror maze, back in the first iteration of Wonderland. But unfortunately, sometimes the setting also cheats. Ghost Square is still here — but maps aren't going to do you any good. Enter this section of Wonderland and the door behind you doesn't exist anymore. It doesn't pop out of existence; it just isn't, like it never was, like maybe you imagined it in the first place. A hallway, apparently manmade, stretches out in front of you, dark and cold. It appears to be approximately 60 feet long. The walls are black. When you reach out to touch them, they are freezing to the touch and too smooth to be natural, not shiny enough to be polished, too hard to be plant matter. You have no idea what they are, but touching them saps the warmth out of you, so you stop. You keep walking, a halo of light around you but stretching no further than a few feet in any direction. You walk for 60 feet. The hallway keeps going. It hasn't gotten longer, but it hasn't gotten shorter, either. It keeps going. It keeps going. You continue until your feet hurt or you get sick of this bullshit, whichever comes first, and then you turn back the way you came. Maybe you think you'll see a door, or maybe you're not thinking very clearly anymore. Back the way you came, there is a staircase. It wasn't there before. You certainly didn't pass it. It spirals down into the depths. It could be a story deep or a hundred. You have no way to know. You turn back towards the direction you originally walked, and there is only a wall. It's the spiral staircase or it's nothing. You go down. As you descend, it gets colder. Colder and darker, and the darkness and cold press against you, creep under your skin and make you shake. The halo of light around you begins to dim the deeper you go. If you go deep enough, it will be hard to tell what's light and what's your imagination. Because really, honestly? The longer you stay in this place, the more you begin to think you're hearing things. Whispers just beyond your ability to decipher. A soft laugh, like that of a child or someone trying to stay quiet. And if you stop, or rest, or feel something negative — anger, frustration, sorrow, despair, it doesn't matter, because a black fog drifts out from between your lips. And in the distance, something roars. Just a little bit closer every time. Every once in a while, as you descend the staircase, you will pass a mirror with a red X taped near the top. Sometimes you'll see yourself in it. Sometimes you'll see something worse. When you get right down to it, what you get out of the world has a lot to do with what you put in — so we hope you're staying positive, or you might see something really nasty. G. THE SONG BEYOND THE SONG The aftermath of MARIA's destruction, the Area That Was Once The Night Show is a blasted husk. More than anywhere else, the walls ooze Yggdrasil's lifeblood from where something... was. Something large used to be chained here. Open gashes and empty sockets line the walls and floor. A large root knotted like a spine shoots through the very center of the room, a support pillar, entwined into the ceiling and floor and Everything of this cavern. Growths like tumors rise from the floor - what was once gambling tables look more like grasping hands. A few curl into themselves, knocked over, shattered to splinters in the wake of what was once there. Maria is gone. She is free. There is a sob. Small. Weak. Mortal. At the base of the pillar, half-absorbed into the plant matter of Yggdrasil is Stylosa. Black roots creep up through her arms, chest, face. Her tears are tinged black, but the eyes are still hers. One arm reaches out. She whispers 'please help, it hurt̷̟͂s̶͕̓ ̵̻͂ĩ̸̺t̸͔͐ ̴͙̍ḧ̷̜́ù̸̘r̶̢̓t̶́͜s̸̫͒ ̸͑ͅî̶̺Ṱ̴̿ ̵̠̃H̷̙͊U̸̻̒R̶̯͛T̸͓͠S̸̢͌`- The world goes static, right then wrong then right again, and the original Wonderland surrounds you. Silent - for a second. An explosion of color and canned applause comes from behind you. What was once a stage opens once more. There is the Henrik some of you were searching for, skin plaster, eyes matte black, a rigor mortis smile across his face. His voice booms out of speakers that aren't there. "Welcome, one and all, as we embark on this, our first night! To the new and improved Night Show, with one hundred percent more audience participation!!! Guaranteed to keep you rooted to your seats, haha!" Confetti falls from nowhere, more false cheers from an invisible audience. He bows, stiff and chipped as a wind-up toy. It gives you a chance to angle your gaze to where there used to be an exit. It is there no longer. Doors appear and disappear in wrong places. Chandeliers swap between designs. The new Show is still trying to acclimate itself. "Now, I know some of you have had a bad time here before, but please romaine calm. We-" And then Da Vinci's Body, appearing from nowhere, the same black eyes and battered smile, smacks him upside the head. A slapstick comedy in all the worst ways. "That one doesn't work! We're in an ash tree!" "No, we're in a cactus!" "Ahahaha! Oh, Henrik, you know I'm a succa for your jokes!" Both them and the invisible audience crack out into raucous laughter, doing matching poses like they're both on the cover of Vogue magazine. They whisper something to each other and 'Da Vinci' runs off stage to prepare. "Tonight, in celebration, we'll be holding our first ever... talent show!!! Our main acts are just boooring now. You know what I mean? Look at this mess-" A hand waves out, and Minato unfolds up from the floor, harp welded into his hands, painted and decorated and held in place with pipes and wire. 'Da Vinci' waves her arms, unveiling the elaborate music box. His hands play against his will, plinking out the sad notes to a certain Velvet Room theme. He gets left alone in tired silence for a bit before a note goes off key. 'Da Vinci' yanks his face into the same smile, freezing it in place. TODAY IS A JOYOUS DAY, we are all so very HAPPY, and the eyes of 'Minato' go black. The room is filled with cheers and rainbows, an excited irish jig played out by their wind-up stage musician. 'Henrik' doesn't wander the room, choosing instead to make sure the background music keeps going. The statues and paintings once lining the walls bend before your eyes - reforming into memories from your home, replays of your failures, but all done up in catchy pop-art style and played for hilarity. Rather than Marias, all newcomers are visited by a black-eyed ghoul wearing a human skin. They hand out drinks and paperwork, what would you like to participate with in our talent show? The winner not only gets a job but- One wish from the Compact. Surely that's way more interesting than trying to get out, right? Back to top 4. OOC In order to keep to our goal of providing the most personalized Wonderland experience for all of you, we're setting a limit of 1 RNG attempt per character this log. Additionally, please be aware that while some mundane rolls will have standard-level DCs, many rolls, including those with the potential to uncover plot information, will be high-risk high-reward and will have a very high DC along with steep penalties for failure. As always, we will let you know of this before we roll, and you have the option to decline any roll at any time. If you would like to gain a bonus of +2 on any given roll, those who have opted in to horror content may make the choice to sacrifice something of body, mind, or spirit. We will determine your sacrifice based on your horror homework. It is up to you whether this sacrifice is for the duration of the mission or a permanent sacrifice. As an additional reminder, there is no healing in Wonderland. To a few of you, this will be even more detrimental than usual. To those of you who went too far with your debts or your choices, who have lost your very Selves to Wonderland. A list: ○ Michael ○ Kaede Akamatsu ○ Minato Arisato ○ Akira Kurusu ○ Guido Mista ○ Ryuji Sakamoto ○ Leonardo da Vinci ○ Willard H. Wright Despite Lucretia's spell, the Light won't effect you guys. Over the course of part 2 you'll find you're slowly falling prey to what hit everyone else in wonderland. Your skin will turn pale, your veins will turn dark, you'll start vomiting viscous Abyss that occasionally comes to life, and eventually your eyes will turn black and you will Petrify. Should you as a player not want to play out the vomiting part, it can be exchanged with breathing out black mist. Whichever's cool with your school guys. The speed/intensity of this change and all of its symptoms is also up to you. There are two exceptions. Da Vinci, while she is still a Roland, will simply start going rotten, seams growing old and fur collapsing away. Constant Mending will mitigate this, but she's on a timer to get her body back now. Willard will find that as the hardening of the glass continues, it will start to lose all color and begin to crack in places. These cracks will leak the same tar infecting the other players. Minato, despite being a Music Box right now, is still in his physical body and is not an exception. On a more general note, we encourage you to make your own mini-horrorscapes in this setting! The entirety of Wonderland is available to dark-side, with the exception of what we've already laid out for Ghost & Wonder Squares. Improvise and make a mess. Just make sure to tag anything warning-worthy. Anything on the OOC post is fair game, and if there's something you'd like to try, please don't hesitate to let us know on the RNG thread. Should you have any questions, please direct them to the OOC post linked above. Back to top blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[gotyourbach]

A. shadowdale (post-minato rescue)

[Kaede isn't far from the infirmary, a half-eaten set of rations at her side showing that her break is due to having lunch, but she is somewhere a little odd for those who know her -- the roof, sitting on the edge, feet swinging carelessly over the side as she rests her weight back on gloved hands and gazes out at the tree. She hums some basic waltzes, feet swinging in time with the music, but keeps coming back to a song less a waltz than a beginner's tune. Der Flohwalzer is a really simple tune, one that used to fill her with dread, with guilt, with pain and horror.

Now it's just a song. It's kind of refreshing!

In any case, she's a far cry from the girl who was so worried and upset about Minato over the network just the day before.]

B. battle square (DRV3 spoilers)

[Kaede cuts a striking figure when she fights, especially to those who've never seen it before. Scherzos and concertos play from her cloak, whipping behind her as she keeps a rapier at the ready. Her feet aren't in perfect form, but it's clear she does actually know what she's doing, humming an accompaniment to her cloak in an attempt to use Bardic Inspiration on herself. Bardic Inspiration, and maybe Vicious Mockery, though her Vicious Mockery isn't really... all that Vicious.]

Shut up, you awful monster!

[What had been just another blob in battle square cackles, reforms into a Roland -- no. Not a Roland. This one is two-toned black-and-white, only knee high. It looks like it should be easily puntable, but several-inch long razer-sharp claws extend from its plush paws.]

You wanted to be in the Killing Game! That's why you started it, Akamatsu-san! [the bear cackles with glee, a distinctive upupupu laugh as he lunges forward.]

Aaaagh! Shut up, you lying bear!

[She whirls, spears it with her rapier, but it dissolves into so much fluff, reforming a few feet away. Upupupu.]

C. wildcard!

[ooc: plans have been made, but if you have one of your own, feel free to use this space to tag kaede! pre-minato-rescue, she'll be barfing up black shadows and searching for the new night show in an attempt to rescue him. otherwise she'll be bouncing back and forth between shadowdale and wonderland! feel free to hit me up @ jaderhade for plotting!]

FAITO

[jailed]

[ this is a disaster.

cutting through the battle square to find people he knows is damn near impossible, but he hears kaede before he sees her... or, rather, he hears the insults. the super weak insults... and, more importantly, he hears the response.

what in the hell is the killing game? barely crosses his mind before a knife slides into his palm. and he steals forward, stealthily. he is the night.

and, suddenly, a knife thwunks in between the eyes of the damn thing. it dissolves into fluff again, and akira appears at kaede's side, somewhat frustrated. ]

Need some help?

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede can't help but let out a shriek as a knife flies into her vision, too quick for her to block. Her humming changes pitch, briefly, a Shield of Faith materializing as a shimmering glow in front of her, then she jumps again as Akira appears.]

Kurusu-kun! You scared me!

[A flick of her hand, and that wavering shimmery field is in front of him instead as she transfers the Shield of Faith to protect him instead.

As for her needing help, she frowns, a flicker of nervousness crossing her face for just a second before it flutters away. Akira already knows what she did -- or, well, not this Akira. He hasn't learned it yet. But surely, surely he wouldn't hate her. Right? And the cursed die she rolled whispers that death is just something inevitable, not to be feared. Killing is sort of like that, isn't it?]

Y-Yeah. I don't know if we can kill Monokuma, but if we can distract it long enough to run-!

[The bear charges again, claws extended, and Kaede lunges forward again with her rapier. She wields it in her left hand, and if Akira takes a second to look at how she fights again, it's clear there are elements that are unquestionably similar to Akechi's method of swordplay.]

[jailed]

[ it's honestly the only good hit he's had since accidentally pissing off maria, so don't expect him to do that again. and it's clear, by how akira moves, that he's... overcorrecting a bit.

he is not his usually super smooth self. alas. but he's trying!!

akira steps backwards, stumbles, and catches himself . . . but he's not too distracted to miss the definite signs of technique. he doesn't let himself dwell on it too much, though, and akira rolls to the side (to try and make it look a bit less obvious that he almost fell on his face) to collect his knife. the world spins, a hand finds the ground to steady himself, and he pushes himself up to his feet again to back her up with a slash of his own.

distracting it. distracting it should be simple enough, with the chaos, and akira glances around to find... something. anything. the world seems to be expanding and collapsing at once, and it's hard to focus... but soon, he spots something.

it might work. it might also not. but he conjures magic hand, and the spectral hand picks up what appears to be the remnants of a potted plant, and with a confident bark of a voice: ]

Catch!

[ and he lobs it. magically. directly into this thing's ugly face. ]

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede can't help but notice that he seems a little unsteady on his feet, concern curving her lips into a definite frown. It's enough that she keeps the Shield of Faith firmly centered on him, just in case, keeping her magical concentration on that instead of falling into a spell.]

People are punished for doing crimes, Akamatsu-san!! That's, like, the most basic rule of society!! You can't escape execution forever!!

[The bear prepares to lunge again, its attack still focused on Kaede herself-- and takes the potted plant square in the face. Dirt sprays everywhere, pottery shatters, and Kaede seizes the moment along with Akira's free hand to try to tug him after her.]

C-C'mon, this way!

[She thinks. She can hear the bear forming back up behind them as she tries to run.]

deathsquad!!!

[rockymountaindie]

[ Wonderland sucks. Let's all agree that Wonderland sucks. What also sucks is a certain newfound...alienation, let's call it, that Alex has started to feel, after bringing to light the information he discovered from the Raven Queen. And, as it turns out, he's not the only one. Kaede offered her ear, to just...relax.

There's not a lot of places to just exist in Shadowdale, given the place's various issues. But there's houses, places the Reclaimers have, uh, claimed, and there's roofs. That's where Alex happens to find her, a little while after all the arguing. ]

Hey. [ The raven on his shoulder caws, offering her greeting. ] Sorry about... Well, everything got so heated.

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede heard him coming; she's always had very good ears. She doesn't know the sound of his footsteps well enough to place exactly who it is, but when he speaks, her expression brightens a touch as she looks toward him.]

Oh... you don't have to apologize for that. I'm sorry everybody else kind of freaked out.

[She gives him a smile, a little sad, then pats the roof beside her. Its angle isn't steep enough that there's much risk of falling unless someone were determined to make the effort.]

Can I pet your bird?

[She has gloves on! So even if the raven wanted to try for a chomp at her fingers, she'll be fine.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ It's not the sort of thing Alex would do, in the past? Sit on a roof, where there's even a slight chance of falling. However, this isn't the past, it's the here and now, and it's not something that worries him so much.

So, he takes the invitation, planting himself next to her. ]

What, Beaky? [ A glance at the raven, who hops over, nudging Kaede with her jagged beak in a gesture of affection. ] She does whatever she likes, so go ahead. Plus, she's a big sweetheart.

[gotyourbach]

[It's something new to Kaede, too; having Feather Fall to prevent accidents helps, of course, but there's something freeing in not being afraid of what might happen if she does fall, and can't manage to use the spell in time.

She doesn't say as much, though, offering her fingers for Beaky to inspect with a soft laugh, then trying to run two fingers gently along the top of her head.]

She's a pretty good companion, huh...? I kind of wish bards and paladins got to carry around an animal friend like that!

[She strokes the raven's head again before adding,] How're you feeling, Alex-kun...?

[rockymountaindie]

[ His mouth hangs open for a moment, as if he's contemplating just what to say. Beaky coos pleasantly, as he's considering. ]

I feel...weird. You know? Like... Something's shifted...but, in a good way. But, no one's seeing it that way.

[ He looks down on the world, one normal eye, one Enlightened. He sees how this place is Wrong. After clambering for answers for so long, he finally has something. It's freeing. Isn't it? ]

[gotyourbach]

[She hums, giving Beaky's, well, beak, a gentle pat with her fingers before drawing her hands back to rest them in her lap. She just nods as Alex speaks, tucking her hands between her knees and swinging her feet absently back and forth.]

Yeah... I get it. Wash-san and Oma-kun seemed really upset when I talked to them, but...

[She stares down at the ground, between her swinging feet.]

For the first time in... a really, really, really long time, I don't feel horrible. It's the same feeling as when you're learning a really complicated piano piece, and finally play it all the way through without any mistakes. Just... like you're finally free to move on.

[rockymountaindie]

[ Beaky nudges Kaede once more, gently, before flapping back over to Alex and settling on his knee. He sits cross-legged, listening, nodding. Slowly, he closes his eyes; though he doesn't quite connect with what she's saying in the same way, he hums lightly in agreement. ]

I know what's in store for me...and I've accepted it. I'm... I'm seeing the world clearly for the first time, ever. It's a rush.

...I know maybe it looked like I was quick to decide what has to happen. But- but I'm not the one deciding. Not a single one of them seemed to understand that.

a-ish; after blake's revival

[noblegarnet]

[When they had come back, Ferran had to shut everything down in order to keep himself from spawning more of those monsters. He'd stayed in Shadowdale, doing the work that didn't require facing any emotions. Searching for supplies, building barricades, fighting what did spawn. If he let himself react, he didn't know that he'd be able to stop.

Now Blake is... alive, in a sense, and that had come with some relief but also a great deal of other feelings that were not quite as nice. He hates that she's suffering now, and he wishes he could take that on in her stead, but he can't even convince her to rest. The more he thinks about it, the more he thinks it could have been prevented.

If not for two stupid, stupid bards.

He can't stand it, seeing Kaede so carefree when it's her fault people are suffering. So he heads up to the roof, not certain what he's going to do except yell at her.]

Kaede!

[gotyourbach]

[Like with Alex, she can hear someone coming, but not identify the footfalls. There's determination behind them, though, anger rendering them more forceful than anything else. It's not enough to make her stand up, but it does put her at the ready, eyebrows furrowed as she looks back.]

Ferran-kun?

[She flinches at the tone of his voice, plants a hand on the ground to start pushing herself to her feet.]

What's wrong?

[noblegarnet]

[He stares at her for a moment, incredulous as his rage grows further. Black mist seeps out of his mouth and nose, but he doesn't care. It'll give him something to hit later.]

"What's wrong"?

[Storming up to her, Ferran reaches to grab her by the collar with both hands.]

How can you sit here acting like nothing is wrong when Blake and Farnese are suffering because of you?!

[gotyourbach]

Wha- hey!! Let go!!

[She's not expecting an attack at all; Ferran might be kind of a jerk, especially recently, but he's still her friend. This isn't a sparring match or anything like that! So he can grab her collar easily, leaving her stumbling to catch her footing.]

What's wrong with you?! What are you talking about?!

[noblegarnet]

[His grip is white-knuckled, but at least he has no intentions of... tossing her over or anything. It's something?]

None of this would have happened if you and Minato hadn't signed a fucking contract so you could pretend your music was worth anything here.

[Blaming everything on them is a bit of a stretch—but he's too mad to worry about exaggerations. He can't help it. He stops thinking about consequences when he's angry. His voice lowers in volume, and he's shaking with something more than anger.]

Do you have any idea how much pain she's in right now?

[gotyourbach]

Wha-- you're blaming me for what happened?! Our contract didn't even have anything to do with that!

[Now she starts to struggle to get free, though she doesn't grab his wrists with her hands or anything. She just tries to take a step back, following it up with just a hint, just a touch of Vicious Mockery.]

B-back off, you arrogant weirdo!!

[noblegarnet]

Really, so the two of you didn't run in head-first into selling your souls? What did you think signing something here would do? Contracts have power!

[The magic falls short of affecting him, and he knows an enchantment spell when he sees one now. It serves to make him even more angry, shaking her once with his teeth grit, and his eyes blaze red: thaumaturgy.]

And then when the inevitable happened, Blake was the one punished for it. And you're just fine with that?!

[bu773rfly]

[Discuss, theorize, gear up, dive in, limp out, lick wounds, rinse repeat.

One way or another, this eventually ends. In one shape or another, they eventually leave. Erika's shape is "moderately sleep-deprived". It doesn't help with the crazy-making. Wonderland is, conceptually if not physically, the station returned, like a nasty bloom of fruiting mold.

Good taste in hangout spots, Kaede Ver 2.0.

Up she goes. It's almost easy now, physically. She feels light. She feels empty of words. Erika ascends, scans, locates, moves. Hovers. Deliberates.

(She gets onto the roof and just kind of stands there for a moment, and certainly Erika is always weird and frequently staring but there are many flavors of weird and staring. This one is "kind of zoned-out, but trying anyways". Then she picks her way over to Kaede and zones out a bit more.)

Settles.

(Sits down hard, zones out for another few seconds but in a focused hang-on-I'm-thinking way, then flops over onto Kaede's shoulder, clumsy but deliberate. It's practically a headbutt. Probably hurts like one.)]

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede knows Erika is there. She could hear her. She wants to turn and greet her, offer a smile, let her know that she's not a bother, but sometimes Erika really does remind her of a butterfly. Sometimes it's better to just wait and let the other girl come to her.

(Sometimes, like now, Kaede is just tired. Sometimes, she wants to be the one zoned out.)

But Erika comes closer instead of backing away, so Kaede doesn't see the need to call out to her friend. She finally does muster up that smile when Erika's head hits her shoulder, huffing a quiet laugh through her nose.]

Ow.

[She tilts her head, rests it against the top of the other girl's without any of the force, and hums quietly. Der Flohwalzer, bright in its novelty of not being something to fear.]

Do you wanna talk? [she asks eventually.] Or do you just wanna hang out quietly?

[bu773rfly]

[The knowledge that Kaede has changed somehow hangs overhead, unlike a dark cloud or a guillotine. Like a strange bird. A lone, mysterious balloon. Something peculiar and wistful and ominous.]

Mmmf, [Erika says first, not ready to launch into things. Actually, she's feeling almost like she could be starting to approach the brink of nodding off, which...objectively, she needs that, it could be nice.

She just breathes. This isn't the pleasant view of the aurora from that first, blessed mission. It's kind of shit to be honest.]

Mm. I should talk. [And it still takes a few seconds, after that.] I want to make sure you know that I'm glad you're still here.

[gotyourbach]

[Kaede closes her eyes so she doesn't have to look out over Shadowdale. She can sense Minato is still in pain no matter what, and a part of her almost wishes he'd just died so he wouldn't have to suffer like this. So she wouldn't have to suffer knowing there's nothing she can do to help.

She opens her mouth to reassure Erika that she can take her time, but before she can say anything, Erika continues.]

Huh?

[She doesn't know what to say to that, really. Eventually, she laughs, a quiet, humorless laugh, and bonks her head gently against the top of Erika's.]

I'm glad you're still here, too. This place is just... really awful, huh?

[bu773rfly]

It's hell. [Just laying that out there, in Erika's brusque way. The bonk is accepted graciously. She takes a long, deep breath in, feeling a knot of dark hatred in her chest and thinking of how to unravel it without coughing it up as a monster again.] It's the kind of place that...no. It's the relic. It's what they do.

[She sounds kind of floaty and tired, trying to keep it all at some kind of distance.]

There are...so many awful things that can happen to people. For good reasons, bad reasons, it doesn't...matter. They're just a part of life to accept so you can keep moving. And then there's these things. These things that...eat the future to feed the past.

[For a moment here it looks like she's five steps out of eight to crying. But then she doesnt. Just...frustrated. Maybe a trick of the light. She starts playing with Kaede's sleeve between her fingers, some kind of calming motion, small and repetitive.]

There's - there's a difference between not having a future because of luck, and not having a future because something cheated you out of it.

[Oh, not a trick. Back up to six.]

[gotyourbach]

Erika-san...

[Kaede lets her play with her sleeve. It's a sweeping bell sleeve edged in lace, very good for fiddling with and kept clean in spite of the fighting, the dreariness, the ashy shadows, through the magic of Prestidigitation.

But after a moment, Kaede shifts, tugging her long leather glove off that hand, tugging her sleeve out of Erika's grasp, and wiggling her fingers before offering her hand instead. She doesn't comment on the fidgeting, nor does she demand. She just offers. Kaede always feels better when she can hold someone's hand, and if Erika wants to fidget with her fingers instead, that's just fine.

She's not fully sure she understands, but she tries. For Erika's sake, she tries.]

Isn't that what we're fighting for...? Once we get the Relic out of this horrible, horrible place... it'll all be okay again. The people who are trapped here will get to move on.

[Probably not Niel. Maybe not even Henrik. The thought makes her distantly sad, but it's a price she's willing to accept. She'd die if it meant everyone else could get out of here, after all. She'd kill for it.

Kaede used to be scared of the future, deep down. Even when they defeat the Hunger, if they can restore everyone's worlds... she'll just die. She wouldn't be able to go back. But the thought of death doesn't scare her as much as it used to. Until then, every day is a new day.]