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

;)

[noblegarnet]

[There's a noise coming from the room he laid Blake's body in, and that alone is enough to alarm him into jumping to his feet and darting over to the (slammed open with Thaumaturgy) door. If one of those monsters managed to spawn here—or worse, if this place is using her—

He freezes, wide-eyed, in the doorway. For the moment, he doesn't know whether it is her. Pale skin, dark veins, black eyes—there are a few others who've started to have the same look about them here, but he doesn't know enough to be sure. The relic has already proven to be capable of taking their bodies for its own means.

For the moment, he just stares, unsure of what to do or say. He's almost afraid that if he tries to say her name that he'll just be proven wrong.]

[gambolshroud]

[The slam of the door is startling, causing her to pale fingers to tightly grip at the bedclothes beneath her, blackened eyes snapping towards the door as she struggles to prop herself up once more— slower this time, and while her head still swims, it doesn't knock her off-balance. The face that appears is a familiar one, and she exhales slowly, forcing herself to relax as best she can— whatever that's worth in this situation.]

Ferran?

[Her voice sounds wrong, even to her. Tired and worn-thin, frayed at the edges, and she swallows hard. She doesn't know what's going on with her at the moment, why she feels the way she does, but she's grateful to have awakened to be greeted by a friend, silent though he is.]

What... happened? The last thing I remember is—

[Right. She had already started to ask about that.]

Did we get Minato back safe? There were shadows, everywhere...

[noblegarnet]

[It's her. Her voice, even if it's clearly struggling, her concerns, her expression. His shoulders fall as he floods with uncertain relief.]

Blake.

[There's no point in hesitating any further (even if it is a trick), and he strides forward in a hurry to sit down facing her on the bed. He wants to reach for her hand just to make sure, but first—his expression darkens slightly for half a second. Minato.]

He's... not fine, but alive. Recovering. You were—

[His voice is caught in his throat for moment, staring at the face that's been corrupted by the awful magic of this forest, but he gets a hold of himself enough to continue a little further.]

You and Farnese died. I didn't think you were...

[gambolshroud]

[Alive. That's about the best any of them can hope for, she thinks, and relief briefly flickers across her face before her expression darkens.

What had he just said?]

I died?

[It's happened to other people she knows well. Ryuji, Qrow, so many others— but there were some glaring differences between her situation and theirs.]

If I died, then how am I... I mean, I know the Bureau can bring people back, but we're in the middle of nowhere, and— there's no healing in Wonderland.

[She almost clips that last word as she starts to cough, wincing as she covers her mouth, black mist creeping through her fingers.

Whatever had happened, she had come back wrong somehow.]

[noblegarnet]

[That mist could be a danger later, but for now he doesn't want to think about theories or risks.]

I don't know.

[This time, when she uncovers her mouth, he does take her hand, even if it's threaded through with black branches for veins. His eyes gloss over a little, but he keeps his voice steady for the moment.]

I didn't think you were coming back. [He doesn't say that he was debating on whether to freeze her to keep her preserved for revival later; it's probably best to keep those thoughts to himself, as dark as they are. His voice lowers to a murmur when he continues, staring at her hand.]

... I'm glad you did.

[gambolshroud]

I... me, too.

[She smiles thinly as her hand drops away from her mouth, although that really should go without saying. Not dying beats dying any day, or in this case, not having it stick. She's chosen a path in life that means she'll most likely die young and in battle, but— she's not quite ready, yet.]

How long has it been? Have you been— looking after me all this time?

[She can't help but notice that they're the only ones here...]

[noblegarnet]

A couple of days.

[It was a bad couple of days. Ferran looks drained, though less because of a lack of rest and more because of a lack of energy in general.]

We didn't have any method of revival, so I figured I'd... do what I could. They needed the space for the injured...

[Not much point in keeping the morgue right next to the infirmary. The people who've gotten hurt have enough to deal with.]

... how are you feeling?

[gambolshroud]

A lot can happen in a couple of days.

[A couple of days in Wonderland, especially, could mean a whole hell of a lot.

She nods her understanding, frowning as she leans back to rest her weight on one hand, propping herself up.]

I feel... [It's hard to put her finger on it, really.] Exhausted. Everything hurts, but that doesn't quite describe it.

[She's not as worried about herself as she is others, however.]

Do you know what happened to Kaede? Shinjiro was there, too, and I think Maya was—

[She cuts herself off to cough again, quick to cover her mouth, and the darkened veins on her face seem to pulse as she does so.]

[noblegarnet]

[He guesses... if she feels as awful as she looks, that makes sense. Especially if it's related to the corruption surrounding the tree... Ferran frowns with some concern.]

I'll see if there's something that might help where they've set up the infirmary.

[He's delivered a lot of supplies, but he doesn't have the knowledge of what of that exactly would be useful or he'd just copy it right here and now. Something... less courteous than worry crosses his expression when she mentions the others, but it passes quickly enough. He pauses a moment to let her finish coughing before continuing, just to make sure nothing worse is going to happen.]

They're fine. Maya managed to carry you out of the tree, but... her leg turned to glass.

[gambolshroud]

[The shift in his expression does spark curiosity in her, and she means to press him about it, except what he says about Maya— it banishes everything else from her mind for a moment.]

What? It turned to glass?

[Most of the time, she's so certain that nothing in this world can surprise her any longer. Wonderland, somehow, managed to defy all those expectations, broad and open though they were.]

[noblegarnet]

[Poor Maya. He's grateful it was... only her leg? But it still sounds horrific to deal with.]

Yeah. I think the same happened to someone else earlier... but it looked kind of fragile.

[What the hell is it with this place and glass?]

[gambolshroud]

[Nothing about any part of a person turning to glass sounds good, really.

She frowns, her brow furrowed, and she focuses on the plight of her friends rather than her own discomfort. The pain is already nagging at her, but she knows she could be so much worse off.]

We all knew there were risks going in, but I guess... we should be grateful to be alive.

[Especially her, all things considered. She looks up at him, though her expression doesn't shift.]

I'm sorry I worried you.

[noblegarnet]

It's okay.

[He attempts a weak smile. It's got the spirit there, even if his eyes are still a bit too shiny.]

I know you wouldn't back down if you had the chance to help. I admire that about you.

[gambolshroud]

[She nods weakly, unable to deny that— and despite the state she's in, there might be just the slightest hint of a blush beneath those darkened eyes and veins, almost comically out of place.]

I don't like to just... stand back and do nothing. I used to be the kind of person who ran away when things got tough. Even if it's dangerous, I can't let myself do that anymore.

[It's not who she is. That Blake is in the past.]

[noblegarnet]

I understand.

[Ferran doesn't know that he'd do the same in every circumstance—he'd proven himself afraid to die when he took Lucretia's hand—but he felt the same back home, if in a more self-destructive way. And even in the past few days, when he's been deliberately numbing himself not to react to Blake's death, he couldn't stand the thought of sitting around doing nothing.

He conjures up a flask of cold water with his typical sparkles, setting it on the bedside table for her.]

Are you hungry?

[gambolshroud]

[The water is greatly appreciated, and she reaches for it immediately, though her hand is less than steady as she closes her fingers around it. Still, she manages, and takes a long drink before saying anything more, her brow furrowed.]

I'm... not sure. After a few days, I probably should be, but—

[She presses her lips together, shaking her head.]

Everything hurts. I can't— really feel anything beyond that.

[noblegarnet]

Right. Well, I'll make something for you later.

[It's easy to lose your appetite when you're injured or in distress, and he knows it well himself, so that shouldn't be a surprise. It's still important for her to eat, whatever it is that's happened to her...]

Agate is on her way to get something for the pain... I hope it'll help, but we can talk to the people working down there if it doesn't.

[No healing and no modern medicine sucks.]

[gambolshroud]

I'm sure whatever she brings back will be better than nothing.

[No healing, and medicine in this world isn't anywhere near as advanced as she's used to. She smiles thinly, though it doesn't last.]

I'll take what I can get.

[She exhales slowly, covering her mouth to stifle another cough as she sets the glass down on the nightstand again, swallowing hard before she lets it fall away.]

The black mist, and everything else— [She hasn't seen herself yet, but she can guess what she must look like.] It's like what was happening to some of the others, isn't it? Kaede, Ryuji...

[None of them were well. She'd been lucky enough not to stay dead, but she's not herself, either.]

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran's attention stays squarely on Blake, if just to make sure... nothing spawns from that mist. He's had a couple to deal with himself over the past couple of days, and it's not pleasant.]

Yeah... it seems like it. Just more intense.

[And with some mild bitterness:]

... Kaede seemed fine after returning, though. I guess she got lucky or something.

[gambolshroud]

[Fortunately, nothing comes of it— at least for now. She, too, is all too aware of what can result from such symptoms thanks to the time they've spent in Wonderland so far, and for a moment, her body tenses, only to relax when nothing seems to change.

Hmm. That shift in tone doesn't go unnoticed, though.]

Her symptoms went away?

[That's something, but:]

You don't sound thrilled about it. Not that any of us are thrilled about anything that's been happening here.

[noblegarnet]

[He starts seriously, more ready to confess his feelings to Blake than he is with most other people.]

I guess I...

[But he stops. Muffles his feelings, forces the frown from his face. This isn't the right time or place, lest he make another one of those creatures. And besides that, Kaede is her friend, which is why she was willing to fight—and die—to help her.]

It's nothing. The important thing is that you're back.

[He sits up. Agate is on her way back now, though it may take a few minutes. He changes the subject further.]

Just so I know for later—how do you like your fish?

[gambolshroud]

[A part of her wants to press him further, to drag the rest of it out of him— but a much larger part of her is far too tired to do so, and instead she opts to trust him, to let him tell her what he wants whenever he feels he's ready. She nods slowly, her fingers curling to grip at the bedspread beneath her as if to anchor herself.]

Right. That's— that's what matters.

[The question that follows takes her by surprise, but she does manage a faint smile in response, touched by weariness.

It's sweet of him, really.]

Any way I can get it? [Even the half-hearted laugh that follows sounds tired, but she decides to offer him a more helpful response all the same.] Baked is always good— and probably easiest.

[noblegarnet]

[It's strained, he knows, but the positivity is a good direction. He smiles a little himself, if just to keep them away from the darker things that are currently fueling Wonderland.]

Consider it done, then. It turns out it's pretty easy to get good ingredients when you can copy most of them from storage back home.

[Even if he hasn't been able to use it much for the missions themselves, being able to have some form of comfort that way—good food, comfortable blankets, clean clothing... sometimes it's good for morale. He wants to do more, but it's something for now. Speaking of.]

I can get you another pillow or something while we wait for Agate.

[gambolshroud]

[Even if it's only for the moment, it's nice— they're talking about something completely normal, rather than dwelling on what's going on around them. For just a moment, it's enough to distract Blake from wondering further about what's wrong with her.]

Yet another handy use for that power of yours. It just keeps getting more and more useful, doesn't it?

[At his other offer, she shakes her head, though slowly.]

I'm okay— this is plenty. You don't... you don't have to fuss over me. I'll be fine.

[She has to believe she'll be fine.]

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran scratches the back of his neck, the faint smile still there.]

It's good for convenience, anyway.

[It fades a little when Blake refuses his offer, if just because it brings his mind back to the... everything. He'd probably feel the same way on the other side of the equation, so he tries to think of a proper response.]

I don't mean to fuss. I just... want to do something for you, I guess.

[It's probably selfish for him to be so fixated on how useful he is or isn't, but he can't stand the thought of sitting around doing nothing to help while she's suffering.]