sinking down, down

[facultwist]

Death is a drop into a blackness that swallows you. You feel the movement of not air but shadow across your face as you plummet, and there is no bottom. No crash.

If there is another side, you do not reach it.

It is neither the light of heaven or the fires of hell that greets you when you wake. And wake you do, to the buzz and flicker of old fluorescent lights.

You are laid out beside a full-size competitive swimming pool, half-filled with stagnant water. The doors out are blocked off by locked doors covered in caution tape. The locker rooms are long since emptied, paint peeling from the humidity. The only signs of habitation are a few pieces of scattered graffiti.

Welcome to your new home. There's no sunlight, no indication of time passing. Just you and each other and your thoughts. the stagnant water bubbles a little occasionally, but there's nothing in it.

Before long you'll realize that you no longer need to eat or drink. You might notice your hand go through something if you don't focus. You're a ghost now. What's that they say about unfinished business?

Comments

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[ Mentioning the dream has Rinne stiffen. She doesn't want to think about it. A different time, a different life, a different world where she hadn't— ]

To make it...happen again? To reset?

[bellpepperexercise]

She said she was trying to force a trial. The sedatives, the locked room, the knife--

Wait. Shit.

Romeo and Juliet.

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

...The play? What does that...?

cw suicide but in Shakespeare

[bellpepperexercise]

Juliet faked poisoning herself to make her family believe she was dead--

Oh my god, this really was a stupid gamble the whole time!

If...Hatsune is executed for murdering somebody who isn't really dead...well, it's not an execution anymore.

It's just murder!

[rosewitch]

. . . the medical textbooks. She was checking— Damnit!

[SCREAMING INTO HER HANDS AGAIN]

[sweetsynergy]

...oh godDAMMIT Hawke, did you not-

[Of course not.]

[rosewitch]

She said there wasn't enough blood to account for Satsuki bleeding out. [said in a disbelieving howl]

[sweetsynergy]

Of course she'd be able to do that.

[If this is true she is impressed and SHE HATES IT-]

[rosewitch]

[DOES SATSUKI IS HERO??????]

[bellpepperexercise]

You know what?! I hope Hatsune's stunt does reset the game! Haunting Satsuki for scaring the crap out of me with all this isn't enough!

[rosewitch]

She doesn't want to reset it, she wants to break it. And she's going to.

[GLINTY GLEAMY EYES RETURN]

[bellpepperexercise]

[It dawns on Kana: if the game breaks, where do they go?]

...do you think we're gonna have to start running from the witch soon?

[rosewitch]

Run or fight.

I'm fighting.

[. . . because vanity persuaded her to. this is a bizarro world]

[bellpepperexercise]

[Run or fight, huh? Well, if Satsuki and Hatsune were willing to pull such a crazy stunt that could have gotten them killed...who is she to not?]

...well, I did a few of my own stunts in Guardians and PPG. Maybe stage combat can be useful for something.

Strength in numbers?

[rosewitch]

Strength in numbers.

[is this Belonging? is this Partnership? is this Camaraderie? could it possibly be Trust? she can't say she minds it.]

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

...If you're going to... I would be remiss not to stand beside you.

[ Instead of behind. Instead of watching. ]

[sweetsynergy]

[You know what.]

[Fucking fine, they're probably about to double-die anyway.]

Sorry for stabbing you and fucking with your weird flirting.

[The angriest apology ever.]

[bellpepperexercise]

Rinne...

If you're with me, I think I can do it.

[Even if it's not how Rinne might hope, Kana considers her one of the most important people in her life.]

cw suicide

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[ Her heart lodges in her throat. ]

If...Satsuki-san isn't...

Then—

[ Oh. Oh, god. ]

That's the plan?! To make the Interim Headmistress break her own rules?!

[rosewitch]

That's the only plan that could work.

cw suicide kinda

[bellpepperexercise]

Exactly! Hatsune is turning the Interim Headmistress into a culprit!

She'll either have to kill herself or end the game to save her own skin!

Re: cw suicide kinda

[sweetsynergy]

They actually did it. Finding a way to not sacrifice anyone else. Damn.

[bellpepperexercise]

It's so crazy it just might work and I feel like I'm gonna pass out just thinking about it.

[Part of Kana wants to throttle Satsuki and the other part wants to kiss her on the mouth if this theory is correct and works.]

[rosewitch]

I don't think she can end the game. Maybe I'm wrong, but . . . it's bigger than her now. She doesn't control it.

Re: cw suicide kinda

[banishedfromparadise]

If they really came up with that sort of plan...

[Of course Dolor-... Hatsune would be stupid enough to risk this, and Satsuki would be smart enough to figure out a way to fake her death!]

That... insufferable, annoying, stubborn idiot...!

[/Affectionate? She actually has hope that this might work! The trial certainly has her rapt attention now!]