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

Trial Talkback

[trustheart]

With full reign of everything, there's nothing stopping the ghosts from following the survivors down to the trial room. And that's exactly what they do.

Chris gasps when she sees who's missing, before turning to Rinne. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry, Rinne..."

She's conflicted about Dorothy, but Kana is foremost on her mind, for Rinne's sake.

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[ Rinne's noticed. From the moment they start to follow the others, she's noticed a particularly bright hair color missing.

Of course she's noticed. She was always watching.

And now, she looks...stunned. Like the unnecessary-air has been knocked out of her. Her eyes keep darting from classmate to classmate, as if Kana will show up.

Rinne says nothing. Her eyes brim with tears. She seems in shock. ]

[trustheart]

...

[ Chris walks over and stands by her. She doesn't hug her. She just stands by her. Silently. Just. Providing support, quietly, in whatever way she can. ]

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[ She doesn't express it. Nor does it show on her face, as she just stands there, wrapping her arms around herself.

But it's appreciated.

She'll remember this. ]

[eternalfuture]

Rinne-chan...

[Do you want an Usagi hug? Don't answer that, because Usagi is just going to give her the warmest hug she can.]

cw dissociation

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[ Rinne trembles in it. She doesn't return the hug. She's not...good at this kind of thing. It may be a little ambiguous if she's even aware, really.

But she doesn't pull away. In fact, she kind of bows her head into Usagi's shoulder. ]

Re: cw dissociation

[eternalfuture]

[Usagi is not going to say that it will be okay. She knows better than that. She will just gently rub Rinne's back. She's not going to let go unless Rinne says to.]

[thatsplato]

[Thankfully, Misty’s too busy side-eyeing Lottie at mention of martyrdom to run her mouth about Kana.]

[protomartyr]

[ Okay but who hasn't been a little bit of a martyr before? Honestly, Lottie has to respect the crown of roses. That's a nice touch. ]

[sweetsynergy]

[Vanity is here, keeping to the side for obvious reasons.]

[At this exchange she looks for a second like she's about to say something, then by some miracle changes her mind.]

...if someone's hiding an animal bite at least maybe this will be over quick.

[thatsplato]

I don’t know, it took everyone a while to figure out what was up with me.

[sweetsynergy]

Wow, you're right, we should have leapt immediately to getting in each others' space and inhaling deeply.

[oh god is misty the only one willing to talk to her now]

[truly this is hell]

[thatsplato]

It was a little drawn out.

[trustheart]

It stops the motive? Does anyone know what the fuck the motive the headmistress gave everyone this week was?

[thatsplato]

They got a picture each, and the people in them were threatened.

Hawke had her sister. [This is not a fact that Misty should know but she says it very matter of factly.] I’m guessing it’s similar for the others.

[sweetsynergy]

Shit.

[trustheart]

…Oh, now you have fucking standards.

[thatsplato]

She’ll be fine. [Just like Chris, she’s quick to defend Hawke. But Misty sounds resolute.]

It’s hard, because it’s Bethany, but she’s okay.

[trustheart]

[ Softly. ] Shit.

That fucking bitch. Holding people hostage like that. I bet after seeing what that bitch could do to me they were terrified for their loved ones…

[protomartyr]

[ At Anthy's flinch, Lottie leans forward, drawing one knee up towards her chest and resting her chin on it. Locking in. ]

[trustheart]

[ The girls are fighting agai-oh what's all this then? Chris stops in mid-grapple, turning at what Lottie and Vanity are seeing, eyes widening as Anthy reveals her blood soaked bandage. ]

Well. Fuck...

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[ Rinne, who has...honestly barely been able to follow along, for the first time since she realized who was missing, hisses— ]

Anthy.

[ ...she sure does seem angrier than about getting murdered herself. 😔 ]

[protomartyr]

[ Lottie leans back. She seems...weirdly satisfied? ]

Mm. Well, you know what they say about stones and glass houses.

[ To this date Lottie has no idea the weird serial killer apology note was from Anthy she thought a ghost did that or something ]

Re: Trial Talkback

[trustheart]

[ Kohaku and Anthy are dead.

But we nauseating as that is, Chris is focused on what else she sees that the living don’t. ]

Did anyone fucking see that?! The two shadows?! Behind each of them!

cw: gendered insult

[sweetsynergy]

That fiery bitch-

[she is still sore from the fucking seance-]