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

ryuji | ota

[ryuji]

1. the dating game

[He doesn't know how he wound up here. That's about as terrifying as actually knowing the course of events that unwound, preceding it, but the last thing Ryuji can remember was working for the Ghost Hotel here. Why? Something about arguing with management. Something about finding a decapitated head in a fake haunted house. His gem had glown darker than garnet, and the worst thing about any of this was that... it wasn't unfamiliar.

Losing spaces of time, not having recollection of where he was or what he was doing. He's sitting down in a chair, and his feet can't seem to move. He's gained darkvision since taking up the Ranger's cape, and that's not doing him much at all. There's something in the outline that he can almost make out. A crowd of people, maybe?

He's been here before. He looks down at his arms and they're darkened with an inky substance filling him, and for one, truly fucking horrified moment, he catches his breath and nearly loses it. Loses everything. All of this wasn't real. He's been on the station ever since, and everything that happened in Faerun was a wild fever dream. Once before, he had looked down at his body as it began to decay, and here he is again. Right where he started. Doomed to complete the same cycle over and over again. He died up there, didn't he?Ryuji doesn't want to believe it-- he struggles in place to get out of here, to take the people he loves and just. Get anywhere but here.

And the lights turn on; he's on stage.

A curtain between him and presumably three other chairs.

"Ryuji Sakamoto, you're the next contestant on... THE DATING GAME!"

What?

You're either on the other side of that curtain, or somewhere in the audience. Ryuji has this gut-wrenching reaction that he's supposed to play this right. Compelled to, even. His body perks up without him wanting it to. He's excited! Except, he's not excited at all. The audience cheers loudly.

2. battle theme intensifies (cw: emeto, body horror)

[Making it further away... or further into Wonderland, Ryuji can't really quite tell, eventually he'll find himself on a road. While still within Yggdrasil, he knows that this isn't quite right, but what can he do? He's walking, trying to figure out how to get to the elevator that'll get him out of here, but he has a hunch that with a gem this dark and this much debt, that he's not going to be able to make it out of here without the fight of his life.

Hands in his pockets, he continues down further, eventually stopping at a lamppost. There's a bench here, and as far as he's gone, it's the only thing that he's actually seen in what has to be miles.

A brief look into the light burns against sensitive retinas.

He could've sworn there was someone near him just hours ago. Something about a game show. Something other than this? What happened to them? Everything is so hard to figure out, and Ryuji has a moment where he thinks he felt the same way when he traveled along the Astral Plane for what felt like years. No, that's not quite right.

Or is it?

He takes a seat, resting his weary feet for a moment, and cups his hand under his chin. He just wants to go home. The light flickers, pulsating, and he figures he's about to get round two of whatever this is supposed to be. Except, there's something wet around his lips, and as he brings the back of his palm to his mouth, he wipes away a black sap.

It keeps coming, as he tries to breath inwards and only more of the liquid appears.]

HELP!

SOMEONE?

ANYONE!

3. la torture par l'espérance

[He rubs his eyes.

There are mirrors everywhere, long halls, and then suddenly, a black cat.

A familiar looking black cat, and even though they've never gotten along on the best of terms, seeing a teammate right now, illusion or not, is a welcome feeling.]

M...Mona?

[Seeming to notice him, he continues to lick his paw before scurrying off into the distance.

Some say a black cat crossing your path is bad luck. Ryuji chases anyway, and eventually lands into something hard. A person, your mirror, a world reflected and owned by your own universal truth, maybe. Or maybe his own. Somehow, something tells him that deep within, getting to the center of the maze will cure him. Who knows if that's the case? But hope is all he has right now.]

Shit, sorry- I didn't mean to. Hey, are you like... are you really here or is it just my mind playin' tricks again?

4. etc

[He's pretty cursed right now with how red in debt he is. Someone probably needs to help him find his body or his senses in general, because otherwise he'll be chilling in tropey horror scene after horror scene. If you have an idea to throw my way, let's do it! I'm down for anything.]

[closed prompts]

[ryuji]

[TBA!]

1

[ribticklers]

[So, Ryuji doesn't look super great right now. Also, Sans has no idea how he ended up in this audience. He has the worst urge to cheer for this situation. Anchoring event, anchoring event--Sans thinks about making Papyrus's costume with him. He'd been so happy about it.

Okay. Okay, that's helping. Not completely--this place is the worst firsthand experience of the power of the relics--but enough for him to stand up and start carefully making his way forward toward the stage.

It's kind of a slow process, unfortunately. He doesn't want to attract attention, and teleporting is out of the question in Wonderland.]

Re: 1

[ryuji]

[It entirely goes to say that Ryuji has no freaking clue what an anchoring event is supposed to look like. This place just kind of sucks, in general, and that's a vast understatement of the traumatic experiences everyone's been having so far.

He just wants to go home.

And, of course, to kick whoever made this place right square in the nads.

"Ryuji Sakamoto, we have three eligible bachelors behind the screen who are ready to meet you. And heeeeere they are!"

He can't make out who the host is supposed to be, like every time he takes a glance over, it's just a blurry sort of figure. From the other side of the curtain dividing him and the contestants, he doesn't see it- but they're all mannequins. And the entire crowd is cheering them on just like they're real, living beings.]

This is bullshit!

[Thick black fog emanates out from his mouth and is absorbed somewhere nebulously elsewhere.

And yet, he sees Sans, slowly making his way towards the stage.

Thank god.]

[ribticklers]

[Huh, mannequins. They're not attacking--or doing anything at all--right now, which is better than Sans expected. Still, Sans is pretty sure that if he interrupts the show, things are going to get complicated. But maybe not if he's entertaining.

Well, time to see if this works or if this turns into a fight.

Sans hops onto the stage with an unnecessary amount of flourish and, with a little help from thaumaturgy, his own cheering and applause. He doesn't have a magical microphone, so he's going to have to project his voice the old-fashioned way.]

You guys sure sound excited! But y'know, an old-fashioned dating game just isn't good enough for a place as wonderful as Wonderland. I've got some ideas to make this show--[Sans's eyes sparkle like they're made of glitter. In fact, there's an audible, glittery SHING.]--absolutely fabulous.

[Thanks thaumaturgy and also Mettaton.]

[ryuji]

[Wait, is this actually happening? Ryuji feels like his face should sweat, anxiety creeping in because this sounds like cheating in the great Fuck-All terms of Wonderland, in general, but he keeps stalwart for both of their low-hp asses.

"A new contestant!? A lucky day!"]

Dude, you're totally my type seein' as you're a skull and all, but, uh.

[He should probably keep his mouth shut if he's going to be saved, right?]

Wait, what are you doing?

3, pre-death.

[gambolshroud]

[Sometimes, a black cat crossing your path can be a very good thing, if the circumstances are right— though who's to say whether they are or not, this time around? She's not sure how long she's been here, to be honest. The mirrors go on forever in every direction; she's sure she's turned herself around more than once already, and she's become afraid to face her own reflection— something that's near-impossible to avoid in this place, and the fact that it's a fear of the mirrors showing her the truth of herself makes it that much worse.

While Ryuji feels driven to find the center, she wants more than anything to find her way out, except she's no longer sure which way that is, and the mounting feeling of dread and paranoia aren't helping her to keep her head clear and find her focus. In fact, she's wound so tightly that she doesn't even notice when the mirrors show more than just her, or that there's anyone else here at all until she and Ryuji collide bodily with one another.

She screams, and even as the situation forces her to focus on the figure in front of her, she sees someone else entirely for half a moment before she recognizes Ryuji.

Oh.]

Ryuji, I—

[She's pale, but she exhales slowly to try and center herself.]

I'm really— I'm here. [But—] Are you real?

[ryuji]

[The pitch in sound that Ryuji feels, deep down in his stomach, at the acknowledgement of a girl screaming rattles him straight down to the core. Even in his trapped state, he still feels the need to protect everyone other than himself. He holds out on the idea that if he gets to the center of the maze, this place will let him back into his actual self and not this weird, barely corporeal form that he knows isn't his real body.

Something's keeping him here, and he just... he just wants to get out. But even as he has those thoughts, Wonderland whispers doubts into his heart, that no matter how far he tries to wriggle free, he's still going to be here.

It's like wandering the Astral plane again.]

Blake! Shit, I.

Yeah, man, it's really me. God, I'm so.

[He looks like he might actually cry at any moment.]

I'm so happy to see you.

Wait, you're real too, right? Prove it. What's that song we sang in the desert?

[The one they both agreed

Never Happened.]

[gambolshroud]

[She hates that they even need to ask one another such a question, but this place— it's given them every reason to doubt not only each other, but themselves. Nothing here can be trusted, regardless of how badly she wants to be able to trust in her friends.]

It's me. As much as any of us are ourselves here.

[It really is relative in its own way, isn't it?

But he asks for proof— and as much as it pains her to recall, she knows that's the best way for both of them to confirm. They hadn't breathed a word of it to anyone, and while she doesn't doubt this place could pull whatever it wanted from their memories, she exhales slowly.

Probably the best way to be sure.]

I don't— know the name of it, [what's Grease] but it was about being the one that I— you know.

[You Know.]

[ryuji]

[He knows.

And although this is a reunion worth fanfare and happiness, it dawns upon him the second advent of Grease, the calamitous sequel that should have never transpired. Well, actually, to be fair, there are probably a ton of people out there who sincerely enjoyed Grease 2. Ryuji doesn't have any conscious weigh-ins here, he's just simply okay with the fact that this is, probably, the one and only Blake.

Which is more than enough for now.

Excuse him for being emotional, but he's an emotional boy who doesn't know how to properly work with the set of feelings that strike him when it does but he breaks punk stance long enough to reach over and give her a big old embrace. Maybe not warranted nor wanted, but god, just to actually see someone in here was. Hm.

Hope?]

Dude, I've been stuck in here forever. I was on this dumb goddamn dating show game with a buncha mannequins for hot bachelors and then was walkin' around for god knows how long on this neverending road, and now just an entire shit canal of mirrors, and, shit, Blake this sucks so much.

[Shit canal of mirrors.]

[gambolshroud]

[The hug doesn't surprise her as much as it might have from anyone else— Ryuji has never been one to hide his emotions. The fact that he was so open about them was one of the things that had endeared him to her from the start, and so as she, too, decides that the proof they do have is good enough for now, she throws her arms around him in turn, letting out an exhale of relief.

This is far from over, but at least neither of them is alone.]

I'm not sure how long it's been for me, it's like— time doesn't mean anything?

[She frowns as she pulls back, studying his face.

Yeah. Shit canal of mirrors.]

We'll get out of here. If we're together, we won't get turned around as easily. Am I— the first person you've come across in here?

[Was it possible that there were several of them wandering lost, but never managing to cross paths?]

2!!!!!

[gotyourbach]

Sakamoto-kun?

[She heard a voice, she's certain of it. It feels like she's been walking for miles and miles and miles in almost certain darkness. Even trying to conjure a few sparks for a flame with Prestidigitation hadn't worked.

So she hums. She hums, and she walks more quickly. She can hear him. That's definitely someone's voice. Kaede breaks into a run, and winces as she rounds a corner she hadn't realized was there and squints in the sudden light.]

Sakamoto-kun, what is it?! What's wrong?

[She runs, grabs his shoulders, shakes him. She might not be afraid of death, but that doesn't mean she's willing to let someone die in front of her, either!]

[ryuji]

[There's something just wrong about all of this, about this place, about how he ended up lost on a road that leads to nowhere, and yet, Wonderland took a look into his head and put him here. It knew how much Ryuji needed some form of guidance in his life, some shred of hope to cling onto that there's a better tomorrow or a direction, or a locale that him and his friends can head to where there's an end in sight. And it perverted that thought. This road stretches for millions of miles, and even Jack Kerouac would feel nauseated looking at this.

Speaking of nauseated, Ryuji is startled to see Kaede, but it's a vile feeling that pits deep in his stomach as his negativity starts to bubble forward from deep within him. That feeling that she's here isn't one of happiness- no, it's actually terror.

He knows that whatever's happening might hurt her and that?

That's worse than the black liquid oozing from his lips.]

Sh--- Kaede, ste...urgh... Get away from me!

[His stomach feels on fire as he starts clearing out the contents of all the darkness inside him, literally. He clutches his stomach and bends, white eyes clenching shut as that black sap expels outward from him.]

[gotyourbach]

Ew, ew, ew, ew!

[One would think she'd be used to it after all the shadows she and the others had fought in their attempt to free Minato. Even if her own tar had mostly boiled out during that fight, watching it bubble out of someone else when there's nothing else to distract her is still really, really gross.]

D-Don't worry! We can fight it together!

[She draws her rapier, settles into the fighting stance Akechi taught her, and starts to hum. If she can't do anything else, she can at least try to use her bard skills to Inspire Ryuji to fight back.]

As long as we work together, it'll be okay!

[ryuji]

[Spirited and hopeful as ever, Ryuji can't deny that her indomitable will would probably be enough to move a mountain. But at this point in time, he's being completely disgusting and keeled over, spewing forth a substance not native to him- not by a long shot, as it starts to puddle and well into a shape.

His hands are shaking too much to grab onto anything, and with the loss of a traditional corporeal form, he's more or less left without an actual weapon to fight back against these things. Not to mention, his persona's been long out of commission since he crossed the border into Shadowdale. That should've been the first sign that something was wrong. Ryuji Sakamoto, on the other hand, does NOT read signs.]

Urgh... shit, you sure? Maybe we should--- UR... I mean, like. Run the hell outta here or somethin'?

[Worse, the figure is taking the shape of something humanoid, something shorter than Ryuji in general, which says something because Ryuji stands at a brisk 5'9", and this thing has all the features of a womanly figure. As it starts to form more clearly, she has a bob for a haircut and looks like the silhouetted figure of someone who might actually know Ryuji.

Of course she does, because even though Ryuji can process mentally that this is a shadow monster, born from the negativity in his soul, his vision is cut short by the weird, confounding realization that.

Well.

She looks exactly like his mom. Kaede probably doesn't see it the same way he does, though. Or maybe she does? Either way, it's kind of fucked up, and Ryuji's eyes go wider than two heliocentric suns caught in a crash collision course with an entire other galaxy of emotions.]

[gotyourbach]

[She doesn't see it the same way at all. To her, it's closer to Ryuji's height, and build, a slender boy with way too many piercings in his ears. Her heart lurches into her throat, her grip slackening on her rapier. During the fight with Minato, Blake, and the others, she'd fought so, so many of those things, tried to cut them down before they could become shapes.

Ryuji's hesitation makes her hesitate, too. While Ryuji still sees his mom, Kaede sees Rantaro Amami.]

...Aaarggghh!!

[Her grip firms back up on her rapier, and she lunges forward to spear it. Who cares what it looks like?! She's killed Rantaro before, and if this place is going to keep throwing his face at her, she'll kill him again! As many times as it takes.]

Come on, Sakamoto-kun, it isn't real!

[ryuji]

[All visages of actually normal, logical thought would tell Ryuji that this is the farthest thing from the real truth right now, that the figure in front of them is absolutely not his mother, but that doesn't stop the jarring pit in his stomach that...

God, he missed her so much.

It hurts more than actually dying hurts.

And then, not knowing that Kaede is seeing someone else, has to go through the second pain of watching her... do that.]

What're--- NO!!!

[Oh god, oh god, oh god???]

THAT'S MY MOM!

[Tears well up in his clouded eyes as he watches her plunge, aptly, right into the shadow monster.]

Stop! Shit, please, stop!

[He should pull himself together, but as he tries to stop Kaede, the distance is way too noticeably far for him to do so.]

[gotyourbach]

Sakamoto-kun! Don't talk about your mom like that!

[There's nothing but darkness. How did he get so far away? It looks like the darkness is getting deeper and wider, yanking them apart.]

This awful, gross, useless, horrible monster is nothing like her! [she yells, using all the vicious mockery she can think of to try to end this shadowy creature before it can take another face. She ducks a claw, cries out as another shadowy tendril latches onto her arm and slices through the cloth above her gloves.]

It's not real! C'mon, we have to work together to fight! Sakamoto-kun, fight back!

[ryuji]

[She's absolutely and completely valid- this is an awful, gross, useless, horrible monster, but there's this pall that still rattles Ryuji from his insides that can't quite reconcile the fact that the form of his mother is, by means of syllogism, the same as this shadow creature that he created from... his own darkness vomit.

Shit's fucking wild, man.

He hasn't seen hide nor hair of her in.

God, it's been two years. It's fine. It's okay. He'll just have to put her to rest. He feels awful, but everyone feels awful here; he's not special and never has been. A deep breath, his eyes watery, he clenches onto his baseball batgun and takes aim.]

Okay! Okay. Shit, okay.

[He'd be more eloquent if he wasn't shaking.

Actually, scratch that, he'd never be eloquent.

Inaction could hurt Kaede. He needs to focus on that.]

Let's kill it. Let's kill my mom.

Shit.

[When the going gets rough, as they say. Time to pull. that. trigger.]

[gotyourbach]

You can do it, Sakamoto-kun!

[Normally she might try to say something more encouraging, like reminding him that it's not his mom, not really. But at this point, when this thing is out to kill them both, does it really matter who it is or what it looks like?

She positions herself out of the way as the monster reels back, rapier at the ready in one hand, a Shield of Faith prepared in the other to hurl in front of Ryuji if she has to. He created this monster, he has to kill it. That's how it seems to her, anyway.]

[ryuji]

[Let's talk about how mentally and emotionally scarring this is going to be at a later date, because she's right. He has to mow her down.

Kaede creates an opening and he shoots, blasting a full shotgun round straight into the demon he created from his own loneliness.

And of course, it's a gooey piece of shit and splits right down from where Ryuji had taken aim. Ryuji's eyes go wide- c'mon, seriously?]

Uh--- uh, it's pullin' itself together! I can probably pikachu shock it, but I'm gonna need a min to power my battery up!

[For someone who's seen a whole lot of battle in his life, he still...

Yeah.]

[gotyourbach]

Whoa!

[One would think after all the time she spent with Qrow and Akechi, she wouldn't be surprised by bat-that's-also-a-gun. But the report is loud in her ears, and she has to fight the reflexive urge to cover them. They're in combat right now. She can heal her ears when they get back to the base, when this is all over.]

Oh my God! [Watching it knit itself back up is absolutely disgusting. She can't help but give him an incredulous look -- what's this about batteries?! -- but she gets the gist of it. Without further hesitation, she steps in front of him, sword at the ready as the music swells from her cloak. It's very anime.]

Okay. I'll hold it off until then, okay? So just... stay behind me.

[A gesture, and Shield of Faith forms in front of him. She's not the strongest fighter of the Reclaimers, she knows that better than anyone. But if she can delay this thing long enough for Ryuji to shock it enough that they can run, that's for the best.

Or she'll just die. That would probably distract the monster enough, too.]

3

[bu773rfly]

[There he fucking is.

This dive doesn't have to be a rescue mission. It doesn't have to be a rescue mission. Eyes on the goal. Eyes on the goal. She is really, seriously testing the definition of 30 feet right now, but Wonderland is testing the definition of existence, so it's fair play. Huizi lands on Ryuji's shoulder like a hand, and in the mirror, the familiar is the patron is the warlock and she's fucking pissed.

But not at him.]

No and no. It's the best I can do right now. Sorry. [She hops a little to reach and throws an arm around his shoulders and squeezes, eyes shut and brows furrowed. It would probably be very cozy if it were actually, physically happening.] You are not an easy man to find, Sa-

-Ryuji.

[ryuji]

[Oh god, at least she's not pissed at him. He just up and disappeared from god's creation when Wonderland went belly up straight into Horrorland with how deeply red his gem had become. It's his fault, it's always his fault. He doesn't want to get too emotional, but it's hard not to want to just break down and give up for a little while.

He died last mission and spent a few weeks in the realm of the dead, floating around like a lost wisp of light in a sea of other lights, in an eternity that felt unbelievably longer than it actually was.

He closes his eyes, trying to make sense of Erika being here and, well, not being here. He knows it's really her and not some apparition made to torture him, like everyone else the mirrors wanted to throw at him. There's a hallmark mannerism to her that doesn't scream "hey, dumbass, this is what you think someone should act like, so that's why they're here and saying the things they're saying."]

What's going on? Do you know how to get outta here? Where's...

[bu773rfly]

[Oh, she hates Wonderland. It's a place where she can't even focus on hating Wonderland. Redirect it, transmute it; she hates Wonderland because she loves Ryuji. He's a survivor like her, maybe beating her at the game with the stories she's heard, who's earned his happy ending and won't get it because the world doesn't work that way. It's not fair is a very delicate feeling to balance, one side of the thin plate dripping with tar and one humming with light.]

It's Hell, basically. Hell is just a gross theme park. We're working on the how. [Like that helps him. The Erika in the mirror lets go and drops the few inches back to the ground, making eye contact. Her gaze is flinty, tired and resigned but stubborn. It's the way she looked back on the station, but a little older somehow.] Tell me what happened to you.