[ Dazai was in the first floor hallway still even after the other two have left. Both because it's hard to see and because he's trying to listen for the sounds again. Walking back up to the north corner when he nearly stumbles into Subete. ]
Hey- [ A pause as he realizes who it is. ] Oh, it's you. Getting lost again?
[He's probably just standing there with his face in his hands again, though this time it's not because he's run into a wall, at least. They have got to stop meeting this way. After a moment Subete puts down one of his hands to peer woefully at Dazai through the other...]
I was sure... I could follow them properly. I've been able to follow Ayabe-san and others around all this time. If I can't even follow people properly anymore--
[Okay, no, deep breath, now is not the time to lament his own fate. There's a lot going on here.]
Um... You know what happened, right?
[There was a lot of yelling but also Dazai is supposedly going blind and has one eye out.]
[Subeteways I wanna meet with you, and live in harm only harm only oh yeah-- this meta went off the rails. In actually related news, Subete looks confused by the thrust of the question, if only because he doesn't actually think Ayabe is dull. Maybe a bit stiff, but who isn't in this day and age and house.]
He did offer. If I don't have a navigator, it looks like even a map won't always get me where I need to go... [unsure if this is the fault of Subete, the map, or both somehow] And my roommate can't see at all, so we'd really be in trouble otherwise.
[Like, at least one of them might actually have starved!! It's a big crisis!!]
He's going to tilt his head and blink owlishly a bit more -- Dazai really is a strange sort of guy, that's about as far as he gets him right now; he gets the feeling that while he's not that much different even with a different eye looking out (or not so much looking out), it's hard to get the measure of people while they're all bumbling around. Hmm.]
Well, I didn't really ask...
[Like, for permission or anything. Gosh. As he is now it's pretty hard to parse who is in what room; he's spent more time staring at the profiles, anyway. F.]
There was also -- the smell, I don't know why it smelled like flowers or maybe something rotting. She didn't look right. Red and it looked like something bit her, too. What did she get attacked by? I really didn't see anything around that could have done that much damage.
W2 Monday: RIP everyone and sorry for the late OTL
[Gotta love the double whammy morbid mayhem of graveyard and crypt after putting two of their number six feet under over the weekend and then being told in no uncertain terms that they'll probably all be joining them eventually. Or immediately. It's hard to say at this point.
So is this a threat? Is it an existential crisis? Who knows.......
On the bright side, Subete is wandering a lot less this week -- he's at least able to explore in a straight line, or a zigzag, or whatever catches his fancy; and apparently that's the crypts today, as he can be found sitting cross-legged not far from the coffins, apparently heedless of the state of his usual fancy-ass outfit. He seems to have been writing at one point -- the tip of his pen is resting next to his notebook, but now he's just either staring into space or having a staring contest with one of the skulls. It's very quiet.
How sneaky are you, intrepid intruder?]
Re: W2 Monday: RIP everyone and sorry for the late OTL
He's been exploring the basement for a while, heading to the wine cellar before returning to the crypt again. There's something appealing to it to the suicide maniac. Maybe it's how close to death it seems to be, or the mysterious coffins there.
Or maybe because it's a prime place to to spook others out.
He spots a target sitting on the floor. It's a little curious that Subete is hanging in the crypt of all places. Maybe he's decrypting the skul? Dazai is being super sneaky, while looking pretty good in some fancy clothes. Then he'll grab him by the shoulders once he's close enough. ]
Boo.
[ The boo sounds flat but it's timed with with grab. ]
[ He will watch Subete run around for a moment or two before finally calling him over.
The emotions he'll get from Dazai are something akin to exhaustion. He's not used to feeling all these things he's been getting second and third hand. Socializing with large groups of teenagers takes a lot as well.
One would think he wouldn't call someone over for socializing after that but... ]
[Honestly he's at least figured by this point that not all of these emotions are his -- because like, this actually isn't the first time he's ended up sharing brainspace with someone, even if it's something he really didn't want to share with anyone else. So that might be why there's been some agitation throughout the week in response to the link, but really...
Less than you'd expect. For someone who seems constantly all over the place and as flighty as he acts most of the time, a lot of Subete's emotions are filler; they float over things that are more solid, starker, possibly the result of some of their endless curses but it's hard to say.
He's shoved the link to the back of his mind with some of the ease of practice, and hasn't really tried too hard to figure out whose it is. It's messy, turbulent, ridiculous and nothing like the connections he's used to; finding out the other end of it hasn't been his priority.]
Aha, I've tried that a few times. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But I feel like exercise is actually a lot better for someone like me...
[ It is surprising that there's more to Subete than what's on the surface, but it's also welcomed. Being this close as well makes it easier just to focus on what he feels just below the surface instead of the torrid of emotions from everything else. ]
If you say so.
[ He is going to lead him towards the stairs if he'll follow. ]
I see you weren't really close to anyone involved.
[ He'll probably feel a sense of apathetic calmness. ]
[For now, below the flurry of consternation and confusion and continued sleepy bitch disease (though it's way better than it was yesterday, how did any of them even collectively get anything done yesterday??), there's a vague sense of regret, some strands of curiosity and anticipation though they don't seem directed at current stairs affairs. They're not hard to follow, but they meander thoughtfully.
Subete himself meanders after Dazai on the stairs, seeming distracted but fine with following, even if he's not really sure where they're going. He doesn't change his jogging motions but slows them to pace himself, blinking at the direction of the conversation as much as at the direction of whatever they're doing.]
You don't seem like someone who meditates either? Dazai-san.
[A pause and then he shrugs as best he can while moving.]
It's kind of tough to be close to people in a situation like this, I think. You never know who's going to be next?
[ Up the stairs they go. Dazai has long legs, so at least he can keep ahead of the jogging pilot. Heading past his own room and continuing to Room 11 instead. ]
True true, but you seem much more social on the outside. [ Pausing as he turns to poke Subete in the chest, even if he's jogging in place. ]
Turns out it's pretty different on the inside though.
Ah, I thought I was going to nap for another week, but it'd be a bad idea to sleep through tomorrow. Some people have to be up, right?
[More than likely all of them will be up despite everything -- who actually keeps a regular sleep schedule in this place?? Like, you'd think Subete might, but Dazai has probably gotten hit with some stronger emotions, early morning. Sorry for waking you up if you were actually sleeping, and all that; at least they seem to get shoved easily into that darker undercurrent.
He gives Dazai's room a curious look as they pass it, and it takes him a moment to remember who's in Room 11 before there's a flash of amusement across his face and his mood; it shutters and slips into something more blank and sheepish when he's poked. Oh.
He stops for a moment and then takes a step back, maintaining distance. There's a small exhale of a laugh, much more uncomfortable than it is really amused at this point.]
Oh. Right. I was hoping it would go away before I had to bother with it -- these weekly curses are pretty inconvenient, aren't they? [another small sigh and a shrug; there's something watchful and turbulent behind it, but restrained] But it's pretty normal for a public figure to know how to mingle with society. It's important.
... I wouldn't have guessed it was you, you know? That was a lot more messy than I thought.
[I mean, he was also getting secondhand and thirdhand echoes, why this.]
As much as I don't mind making messes, they weren't actually mine.
[ There's a flicker of amusement there. The idea of giving others emotions on back would have been amusing, but... his own emotions are rather... absent for the most part. Besides the occasional flicker of amusement, interest, or boredom, it seems as if other emotions are null and void. He's not actually able to feel most things. ]
It's been a pain feeling everything from everyone else. I was also linked up to a few emotional people or those who are emotional from others.
[ He had to see Chuuya look sad because of Brilith's link. IT WAS WEIRD.
He's opening the door because some morons apparently leave it unlocked. There's a blanket fort set up in there. Dazai is just heading straight for it, leaving the door opened for the other to step in as well. ]
That explains a few things, but it also opens up at least a dozen other questions.
[Wry. So wry. He did at least manage to catch the implications, even if his curious expression suggests he's also recalculating for what effects came from Dazai and what didn't -- he's probably at least noticed the difference in... strength? Echoes? It's hard to quantify, but there's not so much difference between what there is of Dazai and other things he's experienced, once upon a time.
It's unsettlingly familiar, perhaps. There's a faint, momentary unease without aim and without boundary before he tucks it under his hat as well; listens to the elaboration with the wryness starting to overpower everything else.]
... There's a lot of emotional people here -- and it's only going to get worse from now on. It's probably a good thing we tied things up this week, or most of it. [do they really want to keep dealing with these effects, hell no] Do you know who else was involved?
[He has! Probably at least seen the blanket fort by now, so he just stands inside the door and watches in bemusement.]
[ Once he's inside of the fort, he'll look over at him. Just watching any minuscule change or feeling whatever the other is feeling and focusing on those instead of the tiny pulls of sorrow he's getting from Chuuya. He already knows it's not Chuuya that's sad, which is why hes leaving it alone. ]
I'm connected to Reito Ayabe. [ Which is probably where the anxiety and whispers of concern that Ayabe probably picked up came from. Ayabe. ] I'm linked to Chuuya, who is connected to Brilith. She's been sad or in pain this week.
[ Which has been a lot ] There's Ken, too. I'm not sure who else.
Ahh, do you usually invade Nakahara-kun's room and crawl into his bed...
[He asks this with the air of someone realizing almost immediately that he doesn't want to know the answer, actually, or that he just doesn't want to have had the experience of asking the question, which is why the whole thing kind of trails off. There's still something wry about it, blended with the curiosity of hearing who else he's been getting emotions from this week. Let's. Focus on that.
It's blended with the faintest traces of that undercurrent of unease. There's a bump or two in the curiosity at the mention of Ayabe and Chuuya, a nod and a smoothing out again of his mood at the mention of Brilith.]
--That is... definitely a lot of people. No wonder it was so hard to focus on things, huh?
[Though, apart from the white noise of confusion and irritation about having all these emotions intrude, his side of the link seems to have been going with the flow this week. He's always been, or appeared to be, the scatterbrained sort, anyway.]
It seems like all of them have been through a lot. I guess the strongest would have been Ruin-san, though, can't blame her.
[I mean. The movie theater is pretty easy to spot, and it's even easier to hear -- given the door is open, the sound of splattering and screams and whatever else is going on in the horror movie of the hour is very clear all the way down the hall and beyond. Someone already has a film playing, though it might not be anyone in the theater at the moment.
Subete must have wandered in in the middle of the film because he's not really sitting down, but he is crowded up at the very back of the theater cringing a little at what is probably S*w or some other gorier entry in a franchise while doing his best to look around for the projector room.
It's made a little harder considering he is trying not to look directly at the screen!!! Weenie.]
[ He's coming in with popcorn, looking at the screen before looking at Subete. He's easy to spot because dark walls and very light gundam pilot leaning up against them.
Lifting up the thing of popcorn to offer him some. ]
Not enough nurses on screen for you?
[ Maybe if they have silent hill, he will be appeased? ]
[He's probably wearing lighter (always fancy) clothes, too, so he's just out here glowing in the dark or something. Subete jumps about three feet in the air when Dazai speaks up, looking around wildly for a moment trying to spot him -- seriously, this isn't fair, why are you dark-haired with probably darker clothes and also short and sneaky, this is terrible??
There's a huff when he finally spots movement and registers whose voice it is; somehow it's not entirely a surprise that Dazai is out here jump-scaring him yet again in another dark and ominous corner of the building. Sigh. SIGH.
On the bright side he doesn't have to feel the amusement this week and he can barely see it, so it's easier to ignore it. Subete grumbles through his endless sighing and scoots over under the pretext of grabbing popcorn. That's the heart attack fee.]
I keep telling you that wasn't a thing. You should know by now that Master Blue has a stupid sense of humor. [what if Master Blue and Dazai share a sense of humor, he unthinks that cursed thought as soon as it appears and shakes his head] This place is part of it too! We have enough horror movies going on outside, at least let us watch something soothing.
[ He is in dark blue, which looks pretty amazing on him because it makes his eyes- or rather his eye stand out. Not pulling the popcorn away or anything. Just watching him for a moment long before he moves to lean on the wall beside him. The popcorn is buttery and there's a hint of something dark on the bottom. It looks like... chocolate candy? Looks like he dumped some on the bottom before putting the hot popcorn on top. ]
This stuff is over the top and fake.
[ He says as he looks at the screen. He means the movie. ]
Does this stuff actually bother you?
[ As in is what is he seeing on the outside actually genuine? ]
[He definitely gives the dark stuff a suspicious glance on account of source: Dazai, but a quick sniff fixes the issue -- he snags a couple of handfuls of the sweet and salty and holds them rather than keep hogging the popcorn bag because he is a decorous individual who is definitely not taking advantage of the dark to lick his fingers on the sly. Shhh.
It's also very helpful to focus on snack life instead of the life of dealing with a floor full of horror movie noises on a regular basis. He still flinches at the occasional loud noise, but not looking at it seems helpful.]
A lot of it is, yeah... But there's some parts of human nature in there too, you know? I've never really liked it. And at this point I'm just waiting for someone to get it into their heads to do a copycat murder or something...
[There's a faintly sheepish note in his answer, so this is probably real.]
A copy cat murder, huh? I'm sure there's plenty of movies for them to take inspiration from.
[ Watching the screen instead of the finger licking because that would be gay. But he'll call him out on it later if he does stick his hand back in to the container. ]
Is it part of human nature?
[ which part? Having issues with the violence or what's happening on screen? Dazai can't really tell it apart and doesn't even know what is normal. ]
That's the main theme of a lot of these movies, right? Horror... Horror genre. We pretty much are one, and all that.
[That being said, this seems to be more of an academic subject for him -- he talks about it calmly enough, though he still seems slightly twitchy because of how loud the movie theater is. Also stop slandering his name, we said he was a decorous youth who will definitely use the clean hand to do the popcorn thing??
Which he will be doing sooner rather than later. If the contents of his pockets at strip check didn't give it away, he's inordinately fond of trashy snack foods. It's an odd character trait, maybe.]
But yeah, human nature. That's pretty much what the house -- what they're using to encourage what's happening here. Giving us all these bonuses, the stories at the beginning and end of the week, the clues... One way or the other, it's the supernatural bringing out the darkness in human nature.
[Why did you encourage him being a nerd here. Maybe it helps but why!!]
[The real monsters were inside us ALL ALONG. Insert X-Files theme!!!
He pauses in the middle of snagging more popcorn and cocks his head at Dazai, feathery hair making him look more like a curious bird than not. There are a lot of darker natures on display lately: both human and not. The funny thing is -- the funny thing is that so far the human killers have been slightly more accommodating. Hmm...]
No human nature... I remember reading about something similar. I think we talked about the literature, right, Dazai-san?
[It's said lightly, a little bit of filler while he chews on things. Thinks back to the last week.]
You could say... the creatures are something darker. But they're simply fulfilling their instincts. Humans... they calculate. They decide whether they can win or lose. What the house gives us is something to plug into that equation.
I don't know if it would be in the biographies section. It was like... a novelization of Dazai Osamu's life, or a version of it.
[Is he going to have to guide Dazai to Dazai. That being said, it's hard to say if the collection is complete, because the library is truly a mess and has continued to be more of a mess every time he's dropped by. It does look like Babo Kim has moved out by now, though. Odd.]
Ahaha... Maybe you're more human than most, in a way, then? [sure, why not, let's just go there] And the house, well, if it doesn't have a mind of its own then I don't know what it is that's messing with all of us. Everything here is too...
[The odd thing is that his idle chatter seems to be fading, like the smell of the popcorn and the sounds of the theater in the distance -- instead there's a high, thin noise rather like film reels ripping along, and Dazai may feel what seem to be little static shocks hitting his muscles and all his extremities. Maybe the house is listening. Maybe--]
2/2 writes you a novel..... cw: memory alteration, experimentation on children
You are ten years old and desperate and furious and terrified and none of that matters anymore, because you're standing in front of the portal to another world. Even the miraculous gateway itself has ceased mattering, just like the shouts and murmurs of the scientists behind you. There are only two things that matter now, and one of them has stolen all your breath and soul away.
The girl who has just appeared from the ether is otherworldly, as she must be. As she was meant to be. In this moment, you allow yourself to focus solely on her: something new and miraculous and something that n̵o̸ ̷o̵n̶e̴ ̴c̵a̸n̸ ̴t̷a̶k̵e̷ ̷a̸w̷a̶y̶ ̴f̷r̷o̸m̶ ̶y̴o̸u̷.̴
There's a girl crying, somewhere. You hear it in your dreams, the impression of her tears, like the pooling of water on lashes must have made a sound. You remember chasing it, the moon through the trees, the rustle of the bushes and the branches against your knees: you were never made to run outside the way others were.
But you ran anyway. You ran anyway, and you found her all on your own. This girl that you'd never seen before, a girl with no name. It's been so long, you don't remember what you said to her, but you do remember bringing her home with you.
You were inseparable from that day forward.
Yes, that was t̴͇̖̾̐h̴̢̖̮͖͓̅̇̋͋̾͘e̸̳̤̲̪̔̓̔̾̅̚͜ ̴͉́̊̅͝f̴̪̖̘̫̤̐i̵̝͇̥̿̈́̈̓̚r̶̡̖̆s̴͓͗t̸̼́̉͊̔͠ ̷͖̈́̀̒̎̃̋͜ẗ̴̻̝́i̶͈̔̈́̾m̷̨̤̫̈͋̈́̏ë̶̖́́̂̌͌̚ ̵̨̩͉̙͇̈̽͐̊ͅý̷̰̘̳̒̓̃͜ͅơ̷̹̠̪͕͖̆͋̇͜͝û̵̪̯̹͙̔̎̿̀̒ͅ ̶̢̧͖̲̽̏͊̚m̸̧̥̗͍̲͆ē̴͎̗̄͝t̶̫͓̆̍̋̈́̈͝.̶̻̯̭̮̈̎͋̃͘͝
You run, run, run like the wind because your father has summoned you. He wants to meet you now, has a use for you, and you'll be allowed to meet her too: the girl you haven't seen since that night by the gateway -- you haven't been allowed to see her yet because, because...
You're not sure.
But it's okay. Because today -- today you run into your father's office without being stopped or turned away, and today Maia too is waiting for you. You take her hands exuberantly like this is some kind of playdate (it isn't, of course it isn't) and finally take a moment to get to know her in the light of day.
"It's been a while! Hey, remember me? I brought you into this world!"
Maia. The girl you created. The doll made with the power of Verbalism, your hopes and your father's. All together.
She stares at you like you're perfect strangers. That can't be right, even if you haven't had the chance to talk properly.
"What's wrong?"
She doesn't respond until she's pulled away, all at once: "You're yucky."
Oh. You're not sure what you've done wrong, and you still can't think of anything as you watch her march away without a backwards glance. Behind you, your father and Hayashi-san murmur knowingly, like they've seen the result to some minor experiment; you're too preoccupied to listen closely just now. Maybe it was something you did. Maybe the ritual didn't go well. Maybe you just weren't strong enough, still. What if--
Tsukigane Maia. Vessel. Replica. The doll upon which NESTA has staked its hopes. The doll upon which Nesta has staked her hopes. Someone who was never meant to exist.
Someone that ẅ̸̡̡̡̧̛̘̻̯̫̩̹̭͉̱̫̗̭̘̼̥͎̬̞̰̤́͋̑̉̒́̾̇̆̈̐̔͂̒̈̒̅͆̆͑͊̃͂͊͜͜͠a̵̢̨̟̙̪̬̼͎͍̠̘̮͓̘͐͗̊̓͒̈̓͛̆̀͛͛̽͌̽̓̋́̏͆̑̍͊̄͋̆̚͝s̶̢̢̡̧̧͍̭̪̮̘̣̣̹̯̹̬̤̼̠̯͎̳͚̲͍͈̖̗̞̙̝͗̅͑̀̉͗̋́͒́͝͝ ̴̨͓̹̬͈̝͚̽̏̽͐̈́́̊̊̍̎͂͛̃̄̿̊͌̓̂͆̑̅̓͌̋̈́̑̚̕͝á̵̛̛̞̥͎͕͉͓̪̲̝̬̟̮̫͔̏̑̾̄͌͆̈̊̋̆͌̆̆̊̈̆̐̀̍͌̿̚̚͠͝͝͠ͅͅͅl̴̨̛̠͓̜̱̦̦̟͙̥͚̣̭͓̣̲̹̩͈̻̦͙̳̑̑͆̑̈̄̊͐̈͆̔̾̔̌̋͛̔͆̆͆͊͜͜͝w̵̨̢̧̧̘̖͉̠̰̺̙͕̠͖̹͙̖͇̥̰͚͍̠̮̱̞̅̒̏͒͐̈́́͋̀͛̈́̿͋̂̿̃́̔̌̑̚̚͘͘̚͜͜͠͝a̷̡̧̢̨̡̠͙̬̫͔̬͎͓̯͙̲̙͖̥̯͔̮̗͎̼͓͙̙͕̙͌̆̀͐͋͆̊͌͋͜͜͠y̶̛̲̰͚̱̝̤̰̳͓͕͖̭̰̼͚̹̹̻̲͓͉̱̻̯͇͙̗͊̓̽̽̔̈́̔͋͑̀̆́͋̏́͌̔̈́̔̌͊͑̆̆̍͆͘̚͘ͅs̶͕̰̖̰̮̭̙̀̿̊̂̈́̿͑̑́͛̑̀̒̾̋̆̓̈̇̀͐͋̈̂̚͘̕͘͝͝ ̷̧̡̲͓̭̳͎̟̪̤̦̝̤͕̱̮̦̤̰̯̰͇̺̘̹̲̟̳͐͜ą̸̨̡̛̞̤̼͙̮͙̞͓͉̻͚̫͚̰̯̩̣̖̜͕̪̙͉̌̈̂̒͗͛̎͛̈́̋̉͌̒̿͌̈̇̉̋̈́͋͘̚͜͝ ̸̼̬̇̈́̅̈́̅̿̇̿̍̄̋̚͘r̵̡̛̛̺͕̜͍̭̺͇͒̇̌̌̀̏̋̍̀̽̃̑̓́̈́͛́̀͊̓̎͛́̓͒̿̚̕͝͠͠ȩ̵̺̳̏̋͆̈́̈̏̓̑̀̊́̽̄̈́̋́̈́̀̓̎́̍̿̔̏̽̊̏̑̕̕͘͜ṗ̵̡̢̨̢̛̜̬͓̩̩͈̖̞̭̱͕̺̜͈̬̂̾̅̃̽̈́́͐̈̂̐͐̑͑̔̑̈̇̃̿̊̅́̀̌̌͘͘̚ļ̸̨̗̝̮̗̙͖͈̖͕̼̖̩̼̗̮̼̞͎̯̙͈͎̦̲͎̠͍̈́̈͐̉̔͒͐͂͆̅̃̆͋̍͛͊̕͠ä̷̢̢̮̗͉͚̼̟̦̲̗̲͖́̏͗͂͂̋̽́͒͊̂̌̚͘ͅc̶̛͈̥̲̗͇̠̙͚̫̟̞̹̺̯̪̥̗͗̋̄̓͛̃̕͝ę̷̞̺͉̯̟̪̥̥͈̯̣̩̝̰̦̈͛m̷̢̧͇̟͉̝̗̖͂͑͜e̸̢̙͓̻̘̱̭̎͂̔͂͆̈́̎͗̽͌͐̔͋̀̔͌̌̃̓̒̈́̀̅̚͝͝͠n̸̮̪̯̺̣̺̠̳͔͙͚̉̂̽̒̐̇̍̆̈́̉̂̓͌̅̋͐̈́̈́̽̏͐̓͌͑́͘̚͘t̷̨̡̞̳̜̪̦͕̜̞͕̜̥̫̫͉̺̭̗̘̝̳̲̒̀̇̔̈́̀̓̎̆͑̓͐͊̊̐̋͘͝ͅ.̴̢͓̰͉͔̺́̅͆͊̃͊̇̂͊̏̓̔́̓̉̏̑͑̋͘̚͠
You trust your father, of course you do, but sometimes (most of the time) you don't understand the things he says and does and he has no time to explain them to you. He's a busy man, they say. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Just now your own feel a little heavier than they should -- you don't understand this machine, but Hayashi-san is always coming up with new prototypes to show you.
You don't understand why you're here, either; normally you'd be happy to be in the same space as Maia for once, but... but who is that next to you, on the other side? You don't recognize him at all. The more he yells the less you understand.
"Let me go... Let me go!"
Oh. That's right. None of you can leave the seats because you weren't meant to. You hesitate, because you trust your father, but the metal is cold and heavy across your forehead and your ears hurt from the boy's yelling and you-- "Dad! What is this?"
He won't answer, even if you recognize what he says next: "Verbalize."
The machine hums to life; the boy next to you yells about becoming a savior, yells about Maia, yells that his name is Akira, does he ever shut up? (You don't care to know his name, you think, but Maia is yelling back, so you don't have a choice.) You're still trying to make sense of things, but you weren't meant to, and then you can't think at all because it hurts. Thoughts and movement run like static shock between the three of you, brighter and brighter, until it burns all the thoughts straight out of your head.
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w0 friday: after body discovery
Hey- [ A pause as he realizes who it is. ] Oh, it's you. Getting lost again?
no subject
I was sure... I could follow them properly. I've been able to follow Ayabe-san and others around all this time. If I can't even follow people properly anymore--
[Okay, no, deep breath, now is not the time to lament his own fate. There's a lot going on here.]
Um... You know what happened, right?
[There was a lot of yelling but also Dazai is supposedly going blind and has one eye out.]
no subject
Why would you follow around Ayabe?
[ That sounds like it would be dull. ]
Yeah, I did. I could see part of it.
[ It's like looking through a pin hole ]
no subject
He did offer. If I don't have a navigator, it looks like even a map won't always get me where I need to go... [unsure if this is the fault of Subete, the map, or both somehow] And my roommate can't see at all, so we'd really be in trouble otherwise.
[Like, at least one of them might actually have starved!! It's a big crisis!!]
... Um, which part did you see...
[That's some weird phrasing my dude.]
no subject
He's about to share why he's dull, but then realizes something. After a moment he'll wave his hand. ]
Go ahead and follow him.
[ It means he's too busy mother henning over Subete instead. ]
Her falling. I think there was some foam and scratches? It was hard seeing much else.
no subject
He's going to tilt his head and blink owlishly a bit more -- Dazai really is a strange sort of guy, that's about as far as he gets him right now; he gets the feeling that while he's not that much different even with a different eye looking out (or not so much looking out), it's hard to get the measure of people while they're all bumbling around. Hmm.]
Well, I didn't really ask...
[Like, for permission or anything. Gosh. As he is now it's pretty hard to parse who is in what room; he's spent more time staring at the profiles, anyway. F.]
There was also -- the smell, I don't know why it smelled like flowers or maybe something rotting. She didn't look right. Red and it looked like something bit her, too. What did she get attacked by? I really didn't see anything around that could have done that much damage.
W2 Monday: RIP everyone and sorry for the late OTL
So is this a threat? Is it an existential crisis? Who knows.......
On the bright side, Subete is wandering a lot less this week -- he's at least able to explore in a straight line, or a zigzag, or whatever catches his fancy; and apparently that's the crypts today, as he can be found sitting cross-legged not far from the coffins, apparently heedless of the state of his usual fancy-ass outfit. He seems to have been writing at one point -- the tip of his pen is resting next to his notebook, but now he's just either staring into space or having a staring contest with one of the skulls. It's very quiet.
How sneaky are you, intrepid intruder?]
Re: W2 Monday: RIP everyone and sorry for the late OTL
He's been exploring the basement for a while, heading to the wine cellar before returning to the crypt again. There's something appealing to it to the suicide maniac. Maybe it's how close to death it seems to be, or the mysterious coffins there.
Or maybe because it's a prime place to to spook others out.
He spots a target sitting on the floor. It's a little curious that Subete is hanging in the crypt of all places. Maybe he's decrypting the skul? Dazai is being super sneaky, while looking pretty good in some fancy clothes. Then he'll grab him by the shoulders once he's close enough. ]
Boo.
[ The boo sounds flat but it's timed with with grab. ]
W 2, Saturday: Post Trial
The emotions he'll get from Dazai are something akin to exhaustion. He's not used to feeling all these things he's been getting second and third hand. Socializing with large groups of teenagers takes a lot as well.
One would think he wouldn't call someone over for socializing after that but... ]
Maybe you should try meditating.
[ He's linked up to you, Subete ]
no subject
Less than you'd expect. For someone who seems constantly all over the place and as flighty as he acts most of the time, a lot of Subete's emotions are filler; they float over things that are more solid, starker, possibly the result of some of their endless curses but it's hard to say.
He's shoved the link to the back of his mind with some of the ease of practice, and hasn't really tried too hard to figure out whose it is. It's messy, turbulent, ridiculous and nothing like the connections he's used to; finding out the other end of it hasn't been his priority.]
Aha, I've tried that a few times. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But I feel like exercise is actually a lot better for someone like me...
no subject
If you say so.
[ He is going to lead him towards the stairs if he'll follow. ]
I see you weren't really close to anyone involved.
[ He'll probably feel a sense of apathetic calmness. ]
no subject
Subete himself meanders after Dazai on the stairs, seeming distracted but fine with following, even if he's not really sure where they're going. He doesn't change his jogging motions but slows them to pace himself, blinking at the direction of the conversation as much as at the direction of whatever they're doing.]
You don't seem like someone who meditates either? Dazai-san.
[A pause and then he shrugs as best he can while moving.]
It's kind of tough to be close to people in a situation like this, I think. You never know who's going to be next?
no subject
[ Up the stairs they go. Dazai has long legs, so at least he can keep ahead of the jogging pilot. Heading past his own room and continuing to Room 11 instead. ]
True true, but you seem much more social on the outside. [ Pausing as he turns to poke Subete in the chest, even if he's jogging in place. ]
Turns out it's pretty different on the inside though.
no subject
[More than likely all of them will be up despite everything -- who actually keeps a regular sleep schedule in this place?? Like, you'd think Subete might, but Dazai has probably gotten hit with some stronger emotions, early morning. Sorry for waking you up if you were actually sleeping, and all that; at least they seem to get shoved easily into that darker undercurrent.
He gives Dazai's room a curious look as they pass it, and it takes him a moment to remember who's in Room 11 before there's a flash of amusement across his face and his mood; it shutters and slips into something more blank and sheepish when he's poked. Oh.
He stops for a moment and then takes a step back, maintaining distance. There's a small exhale of a laugh, much more uncomfortable than it is really amused at this point.]
Oh. Right. I was hoping it would go away before I had to bother with it -- these weekly curses are pretty inconvenient, aren't they? [another small sigh and a shrug; there's something watchful and turbulent behind it, but restrained] But it's pretty normal for a public figure to know how to mingle with society. It's important.
... I wouldn't have guessed it was you, you know? That was a lot more messy than I thought.
[I mean, he was also getting secondhand and thirdhand echoes, why this.]
no subject
[ There's a flicker of amusement there. The idea of giving others emotions on back would have been amusing, but... his own emotions are rather... absent for the most part. Besides the occasional flicker of amusement, interest, or boredom, it seems as if other emotions are null and void. He's not actually able to feel most things. ]
It's been a pain feeling everything from everyone else. I was also linked up to a few emotional people or those who are emotional from others.
[ He had to see Chuuya look sad because of Brilith's link. IT WAS WEIRD.
He's opening the door because some morons apparently leave it unlocked. There's a blanket fort set up in there. Dazai is just heading straight for it, leaving the door opened for the other to step in as well. ]
no subject
[Wry. So wry. He did at least manage to catch the implications, even if his curious expression suggests he's also recalculating for what effects came from Dazai and what didn't -- he's probably at least noticed the difference in... strength? Echoes? It's hard to quantify, but there's not so much difference between what there is of Dazai and other things he's experienced, once upon a time.
It's unsettlingly familiar, perhaps. There's a faint, momentary unease without aim and without boundary before he tucks it under his hat as well; listens to the elaboration with the wryness starting to overpower everything else.]
... There's a lot of emotional people here -- and it's only going to get worse from now on. It's probably a good thing we tied things up this week, or most of it. [do they really want to keep dealing with these effects, hell no] Do you know who else was involved?
[He has! Probably at least seen the blanket fort by now, so he just stands inside the door and watches in bemusement.]
no subject
I'm connected to Reito Ayabe. [ Which is probably where the anxiety and whispers of concern that Ayabe probably picked up came from. Ayabe. ] I'm linked to Chuuya, who is connected to Brilith. She's been sad or in pain this week.
[ Which has been a lot ] There's Ken, too. I'm not sure who else.
no subject
[He asks this with the air of someone realizing almost immediately that he doesn't want to know the answer, actually, or that he just doesn't want to have had the experience of asking the question, which is why the whole thing kind of trails off. There's still something wry about it, blended with the curiosity of hearing who else he's been getting emotions from this week. Let's. Focus on that.
It's blended with the faintest traces of that undercurrent of unease. There's a bump or two in the curiosity at the mention of Ayabe and Chuuya, a nod and a smoothing out again of his mood at the mention of Brilith.]
--That is... definitely a lot of people. No wonder it was so hard to focus on things, huh?
[Though, apart from the white noise of confusion and irritation about having all these emotions intrude, his side of the link seems to have been going with the flow this week. He's always been, or appeared to be, the scatterbrained sort, anyway.]
It seems like all of them have been through a lot. I guess the strongest would have been Ruin-san, though, can't blame her.
no subject
I'm used to helping myself to what's his.
I have invaded his room before. Whether or not I've invaded his bed will be a secret.
[ Giving a wink. There's the calmness back again, with just a touch of curiosity humming just under it. ]
She was choked this week and then the victim and the culprit were both close to her.
[ Lifting up his hand as he curls his finger to tell Subete to come closer. ]
W3 Mondaaaay memshare memshare wags tail
Subete must have wandered in in the middle of the film because he's not really sitting down, but he is crowded up at the very back of the theater cringing a little at what is probably S*w or some other gorier entry in a franchise while doing his best to look around for the projector room.
It's made a little harder considering he is trying not to look directly at the screen!!! Weenie.]
no subject
Lifting up the thing of popcorn to offer him some. ]
Not enough nurses on screen for you?
[ Maybe if they have silent hill, he will be appeased? ]
no subject
There's a huff when he finally spots movement and registers whose voice it is; somehow it's not entirely a surprise that Dazai is out here jump-scaring him yet again in another dark and ominous corner of the building. Sigh. SIGH.
On the bright side he doesn't have to feel the amusement this week and he can barely see it, so it's easier to ignore it. Subete grumbles through his endless sighing and scoots over under the pretext of grabbing popcorn. That's the heart attack fee.]
I keep telling you that wasn't a thing. You should know by now that Master Blue has a stupid sense of humor. [what if Master Blue and Dazai share a sense of humor, he unthinks that cursed thought as soon as it appears and shakes his head] This place is part of it too! We have enough horror movies going on outside, at least let us watch something soothing.
no subject
This stuff is over the top and fake.
[ He says as he looks at the screen. He means the movie. ]
Does this stuff actually bother you?
[ As in is what is he seeing on the outside actually genuine? ]
no subject
It's also very helpful to focus on snack life instead of the life of dealing with a floor full of horror movie noises on a regular basis. He still flinches at the occasional loud noise, but not looking at it seems helpful.]
A lot of it is, yeah... But there's some parts of human nature in there too, you know? I've never really liked it. And at this point I'm just waiting for someone to get it into their heads to do a copycat murder or something...
[There's a faintly sheepish note in his answer, so this is probably real.]
no subject
[ Watching the screen instead of the finger licking because that would be gay. But he'll call him out on it later if he does stick his hand back in to the container. ]
Is it part of human nature?
[ which part? Having issues with the violence or what's happening on screen? Dazai can't really tell it apart and doesn't even know what is normal. ]
no subject
[That being said, this seems to be more of an academic subject for him -- he talks about it calmly enough, though he still seems slightly twitchy because of how loud the movie theater is. Also stop slandering his name, we said he was a decorous youth who will definitely use the clean hand to do the popcorn thing??
Which he will be doing sooner rather than later. If the contents of his pockets at strip check didn't give it away, he's inordinately fond of trashy snack foods. It's an odd character trait, maybe.]
But yeah, human nature. That's pretty much what the house -- what they're using to encourage what's happening here. Giving us all these bonuses, the stories at the beginning and end of the week, the clues... One way or the other, it's the supernatural bringing out the darkness in human nature.
[Why did you encourage him being a nerd here. Maybe it helps but why!!]
no subject
All these murder-thriller movies with "monsters" huh. ]
That is true~ What happens if you don't have a human nature already? Will this house simply just bring something else darker out?
[ He is the darkness. He is the night... etc... ]
no subject
He pauses in the middle of snagging more popcorn and cocks his head at Dazai, feathery hair making him look more like a curious bird than not. There are a lot of darker natures on display lately: both human and not. The funny thing is -- the funny thing is that so far the human killers have been slightly more accommodating. Hmm...]
No human nature... I remember reading about something similar. I think we talked about the literature, right, Dazai-san?
[It's said lightly, a little bit of filler while he chews on things. Thinks back to the last week.]
You could say... the creatures are something darker. But they're simply fulfilling their instincts. Humans... they calculate. They decide whether they can win or lose. What the house gives us is something to plug into that equation.
Do you think it's good at math...?
no subject
[ And the library is a mess. People keep stealing books or breaking things in there. ]
When you put it like that, it sounds like I might be more human than the rest.
[ Since he calculates and thinks about things. There's a pause at the next question though. ]
You mean the house? I don't really know. Do you think it has a mind of it's own?
1/2
[Is he going to have to guide Dazai to Dazai. That being said, it's hard to say if the collection is complete, because the library is truly a mess and has continued to be more of a mess every time he's dropped by. It does look like Babo Kim has moved out by now, though. Odd.]
Ahaha... Maybe you're more human than most, in a way, then? [sure, why not, let's just go there] And the house, well, if it doesn't have a mind of its own then I don't know what it is that's messing with all of us. Everything here is too...
[The odd thing is that his idle chatter seems to be fading, like the smell of the popcorn and the sounds of the theater in the distance -- instead there's a high, thin noise rather like film reels ripping along, and Dazai may feel what seem to be little static shocks hitting his muscles and all his extremities. Maybe the house is listening. Maybe--]
2/2 writes you a novel..... cw: memory alteration, experimentation on children
You are ten years old and desperate and furious and terrified and none of that matters anymore, because you're standing in front of the portal to another world. Even the miraculous gateway itself has ceased mattering, just like the shouts and murmurs of the scientists behind you. There are only two things that matter now, and one of them has stolen all your breath and soul away.
The girl who has just appeared from the ether is otherworldly, as she must be. As she was meant to be. In this moment, you allow yourself to focus solely on her: something new and miraculous and something that n̵o̸ ̷o̵n̶e̴ ̴c̵a̸n̸ ̴t̷a̶k̵e̷ ̷a̸w̷a̶y̶ ̴f̷r̷o̸m̶ ̶y̴o̸u̷.̴
T̴̫̙̳̿̔͘ḧ̶̛̟̦̼̞́̇ï̷̡̻͕̪͛s̵̗̾ ̸̢͓͎͇͑͠i̵̲̳͚͑̌̉̈͜ş̷̗͚̓͠ ̷̱̋͘ã̶͓̼͈̕ ̶̧̠̋̍̔p̷̮͎̎́͒͝e̸̪̩͛r̸̫̱̭̓̉m̷͔͚͝a̵̗̾̃͑̿n̸̢̼̝̿ḙ̷̝͉̀͗̕ń̶̲̰̊t̶̗̥̾́ ̵̰͋͜m̵̟̀̋͐̔a̷͖̹͈͈͝r̵̛̻̈́́k̶̞̘͓͕͒͛̇ ̴̼̯̑t̸̫͍̯̂͝h̸̯͓̭̒a̷̲̻̙̟̓̚t̵̛͈̱̍͜ ̷̹͍͌̕y̸͓̹͎͕̑̐o̷̭̽̌̚ư̸̹̠͈͒'̷͍̲̺̮̉ṿ̶͌̐̃ë̴̻̼͗͆̕ ̷̞̗͍͉̃̀m̵͍͚̩̂̎̇ͅa̷̘̞͚̓̓͊͝d̶̛̪̋͛ë̵̻͈̞̱̾̅ ̶̮̇̕o̸̯͙͛n̸̨̂̈ ̵̜͒ţ̸͚̣͑̕h̴̡͍̏̅̈͝ȩ̷̙̀͂̂̎ ̶͍̮̖̠̔̈́͛w̵͎̩͉͙̔́̎õ̶͕̞̂̿̉r̴̜̅̔̄̕ľ̷̞̾͛̄d̶̙̬͉͛.̶͕͖̭̩̅
̸̹̞̈́
̶̹͕̃͛Ḭ̸̅́̈́̅ẗ̸̙́̈́̚ ̷̾̎ͅc̶͓̫̆̆͌͝ͅa̸̹̾̿͐n̴͈͇̝͌͑̈n̵̛̮̂̆͝ọ̴̮̔̑̑̑t̴͚̜́͆ ̷͖̙̝̭͗b̶͔̱̉̌̔͝e̶̱̺̦͂ ̶̯̓c̵̫̎̅̃͝ĥ̵̹̲̰̑̀ȁ̴̯͔̥͈̔͒͘n̵̤̬̮̹̕g̴͚̬̊̌͐ę̷̣͎̀͂̉̕ḑ̵̱̖̭̃͝.̸͕̺̩̱̏
̸̺̘̊̈́̕͠Ï̵̧̠͕̄̃ţ̸̛͚̟ ̸̜̞͑̿͌͘ć̷͚̪͚͙̦͖̃̊͆͗̚ă̶͉n̴̦͈̰̦̏ń̶̨̼͕̙͙̱́̽͗̃̚o̵̢̟̤̥̜̓̄͘ț̵̭̇ ̶̯̩̳̯̈͆͝ͅb̵̟̽͒e̴͍̝͛̂ ̴̹͍̤̬̙̩́͑̿t̴̀̚͜͝á̵͇́͘ͅk̸̭̦͒e̸̢̳̜̍n̶̗͍̏͂͊̍ ̴̧̛̻̩̙̭̝̂̑̀̅̕b̶̮͙͇̻̞̈́̇̕̚ȧ̷̲̼̠̈́̉c̸̛̩͉̻͇͎͒̈k̵̨͍͉̬̠̘͒̋͒̄.̵͓͖̞͍̊̕
̶̤͆̇̆̂
̴̩́Ȅ̵̠̈́v̵̤̝̦̰̼̾͋e̴̝̠̹͇̱͂̐͛̓̊ͅr̸̖̗͙̯͖͙̅y̸̰̾̏̉̈́t̶̛͓̎̕͜ḧ̷̳̠̖̞̻́̇͑̈̂i̵̛̭͗̒͛̑n̵͍̝̩̲̽̍̐g̵̬̐̋ ̵̩̞̻͎̹̬̓č̷̙͈͉h̵̳̮̃̾̂͝a̸̛̛̪̪̞͉͇͒͗͒͠n̴̖̿g̶̨̢̣̰͚̲̐̽̈̈́̔̋e̷̟̙̭̮͖̋̈́̑̏͌̀d̴̢̲̗̠̠̦̒ ̶͚͇̊͂t̷̗͒͂͝͝͝o̴̹͗̎̋̚d̶̢̢̛̺̟͓̑̇̈́̚a̵̡̜͇̯͑̆͝y̸̨̻̞͋̃͗̕̕.̵̧̘͌̾
There's a girl crying, somewhere. You hear it in your dreams, the impression of her tears, like the pooling of water on lashes must have made a sound. You remember chasing it, the moon through the trees, the rustle of the bushes and the branches against your knees: you were never made to run outside the way others were.
But you ran anyway. You ran anyway, and you found her all on your own. This girl that you'd never seen before, a girl with no name. It's been so long, you don't remember what you said to her, but you do remember bringing her home with you.
You were inseparable from that day forward.
Yes, that was t̴͇̖̾̐h̴̢̖̮͖͓̅̇̋͋̾͘e̸̳̤̲̪̔̓̔̾̅̚͜ ̴͉́̊̅͝f̴̪̖̘̫̤̐i̵̝͇̥̿̈́̈̓̚r̶̡̖̆s̴͓͗t̸̼́̉͊̔͠ ̷͖̈́̀̒̎̃̋͜ẗ̴̻̝́i̶͈̔̈́̾m̷̨̤̫̈͋̈́̏ë̶̖́́̂̌͌̚ ̵̨̩͉̙͇̈̽͐̊ͅý̷̰̘̳̒̓̃͜ͅơ̷̹̠̪͕͖̆͋̇͜͝û̵̪̯̹͙̔̎̿̀̒ͅ ̶̢̧͖̲̽̏͊̚m̸̧̥̗͍̲͆ē̴͎̗̄͝t̶̫͓̆̍̋̈́̈͝.̶̻̯̭̮̈̎͋̃͘͝
Y̶̨̧̩̗̏̋̔͗͊̾̍͗͝ò̴̦̈͂̏̏̄͊̿͋̀̍͆̋̆̓̕̚͠u̶̧̟͎̦̯͕̻̙̣͎̼̞̬̣̺̣̪͆͛̔̽ͅ ̷̧̨̡͉̣̟̗̠̤͙̬́̅͜a̸̢̧̡̛̖̞͔̙̩͕̹͕̻̺̻͖͙̰̒̀̄̏͗̅̀̀̈́̈́̄̈̕ͅǹ̵̢̛͍̺̳͕̞̣̖̦̌̄̈́͋̅͂͋̓̒͒͐͆̚͜͜͠d̸͈͕̝̟̙̠̖̫͖̟͍͕͙̘̙̪͔̋ ̸̡̢̧̩͖̜̤̬̙̫͔͍͎̮̯̓̽̊͂̏̾̓́͗͊̍̋̆̈͘̕͠͠ͅẗ̷̤̠̖̫̳͚̩̬̝̺́͌̐͑̓̔̀̐̇͐̊̄͠͠͝h̴̡̡̦͗̋̃̐͒̂ẽ̴̯͉̜̭̣͌̄́̋̓́͛͐͗̍̋̈͜͝ ̴̛̰͍̮̙͉̬̳̮̩̼̍͂͒̚̚g̵̣̻̘̭̘̹̖̒̈́̈́́̅̓͒͂̾́̔̒í̷̛͓̥̻̬̼̤͓͔̊͒̉͆̍͊͑͐͌̀̚͠͝r̴͓̝̪͉̈́͋͗̎̿̚͘̚͘̕͝l̷̰͙͔̯͆ ̶̡̨̝̺̪̤̻͇͙̲̞̍͐͊̒̍̃̎̄̌͌̃͗̂͘w̷̡̠̥̙̜͇̱͇̘͖̘͖͆̈́͛̓͝e̷̩͛̿͛̈́̉͋̎̚̕͝͝r̶̢̙̼̫̪͕͗̽̊́̈̑̈́̾̄̾͜ͅê̵̜͕͍͚͓̝͕̤͗̏́͌̃͝͝ͅ ̴̨̨̦̺͓͔̲̹̗̘̮̟̇̋̈̓͝͠f̴̝̳̝̫̣̑̈́͋̐͋͌̊̅̔̓͝͠͝a̴͕͇̰͚̰̘̫̦̝͎̣̰̱͇̣͉̻̎̀̈́̌͊̚͜͠t̸̡̢͓̲̥̮͈̞͌̅̓͌̈́͋̽̔̆̿͝ę̵̼̰͙͉̬̯͔͉̝̭͊̌́̒͑͋̚̚͝͝d̶̡̛̯͗̄͂͛̄͒̓͆̎̌̓̄̚ ̶̨̧̝̬͍̲̙̱̝̹̗͈̦̼̰̇͒̃͋̿̒̚ͅţ̸̧̨̛̫̰̳̈́̈͐͊́̐̆̀͋͛̾̚̕̚͜͜͝o̷̡̱̭̯̥̯͉͑͑̍͂̿̏̊ ̸̩̺̝̤͈́̆̄̌͆̈́̈́m̸̩͖̟͙̺͉̫̪̥̂̂̂̽͌͗̃̆̍̓͋͛͗͘͘ͅe̸̛͔͈̳̱̗̞̳̗̰̐̈́̆͋͌͒͜͜͠è̶̩̥̣͈̺̖̮̀t̸̞͇͔̘̙̩̙͍̍̈́̇̾́̏̾̒̊͒̊͂̉̋̽.̴͉̪͒̈́̃̿́̔̈́̊̚͠
T̷̡̖̰̟̜̞͍̙̰͚͚̕ḣ̶̨̜̟̙̤̰̝͆̐̐̀́͋̀̌̐̚̕͜͝i̸̘̳̊̋̑̈̆͂͌̓̌͐͌̆̿́͒̓̉́͗͝͝͝ş̴̬͎̤̩̥̬̥͈̘̲̖̞̖̥̖̞̘͎̀̀͑̓̏́̈͐̇̽͑̒̽̑͊́̌̓̂̊̆͊̅̈́́̀̀̈́͘̚̕͝͝͝͠͝͝ͅ ̷͖͓͇͓̫̩̝̥͖̗͈̈̚i̵̧̡̡̢̩͍͙̠̦̳̞̥͎͉̤͈̙̥͗̽͌̀̀̽̄̔͗̇̔̇̂͘͘̚̕͠ͅͅs̵̢̡̧̡̖̤̹̞̠̥͈͈̝̤̄͋̇̈́̀̂͆̑̊̂̄͗́́̓̄̐͆̑̎̾͐̌̀̔̀̀̐̕̕̚͝͠ ̷̢̛̝̗̗̩̤͈̯̻̬̩̠̰̥͎̖͖̜͇͔̈́͐̇̈͆̀͒̋̿̈̿̽̐͛̇̈́͒͒͌̇̚̚̕̚ͅa̷̡̨̻̰͉͔̣̮͙̪̟̗̬͖͎̫͍͖̺̜̹̗̤̘̰̘̹̼̐́͊̈́̾̈́͂̏́̈̅͐͆̔̐̎͛̍͆͆̍̽́̚͜͝ͅͅ ̶̨̨̡̡̨̛̝̺͕̣̝̱̫͈̲̠̭̥̬̗͕̯̼̜̘̯̙̼͎͍̝̜͔̺̗̳͎̠̆͑̈̉͒̎̍͗͐͂̓̃̓̐̐̈́̿̊͐͐͛̿̆̅́̚̕̕̚͘͠͠͠t̷̛̥̪͊̏̑͂̀̒͐́̿̒̽̀͊͠ŗ̶͎̙͎͚̪̻̺͇̪̗̗̠̮͔̺̻̲̪̫̤͔̣̭̭̜̼̜̙̤̽̉̈͜û̸̡̨̨̡̨͍͔̗̹͔̘̯̥͇̱͉̙͍̭̣̘̱̺͍͎̳̘̜̲̫͎̽̓̊͊̐̍̅̐̑͌͑́̀̉̄̆͑̂̏̄̿̑̑̿̽̈́̓͌͝͝ͅé̸̥͖͚̻̻͇͔͚̳̙͇̘̱͖̝̤͚̓͌͋̋͊̔̔̽͛̏́̓͒̂̈́́̌̑̈́̂̐͌̀͛͑̄̕͝ ̴̤̠̥͂͌̍s̷̢̛͇̺̩̮̖͚̫̈͌͂̀̐̊̏̈́̎͑̓̽̉̀̀̋̐́̑̍̔̕͝ţ̶̨̟̳̬̗̥͔͓͕̬̲͉͖̻̝̰̑̈́̈̽́͊̔̍̄̓̽̿͘ͅͅo̵̡̨̧̡͉͔̣͎̱̭̗̻͔͉̫̪̗͕͎̩̳̱̺͎̫͓̻̻̣̖̬̮̗̖̻͙̐͋́͜ȓ̵̨̩̣͇̤̜͚͕̻̥͎y̵̨̡̡̧̱̳̰̹̭͇͚̜̫̹͚̟̘͕͓̭͉̯̖̼͍͋́͊̈́̎̒̿͋̃̇̏̈́̊͊́͘̕͜͝ͅ.̸̨̨̢̼̞̜̮̰̩̹̠͚̦͕͍̠̪̲̗̲͇̩̥̮̹̖̥̫͇͒͐̆̅̇̎̓̎͑́̽̍̾̓̀͘͠ͅ
You run, run, run like the wind because your father has summoned you. He wants to meet you now, has a use for you, and you'll be allowed to meet her too: the girl you haven't seen since that night by the gateway -- you haven't been allowed to see her yet because, because...
You're not sure.
But it's okay. Because today -- today you run into your father's office without being stopped or turned away, and today Maia too is waiting for you. You take her hands exuberantly like this is some kind of playdate (it isn't, of course it isn't) and finally take a moment to get to know her in the light of day.
"It's been a while! Hey, remember me? I brought you into this world!"
Maia. The girl you created. The doll made with the power of Verbalism, your hopes and your father's. All together.
She stares at you like you're perfect strangers. That can't be right, even if you haven't had the chance to talk properly.
"What's wrong?"
She doesn't respond until she's pulled away, all at once: "You're yucky."
Oh. You're not sure what you've done wrong, and you still can't think of anything as you watch her march away without a backwards glance. Behind you, your father and Hayashi-san murmur knowingly, like they've seen the result to some minor experiment; you're too preoccupied to listen closely just now. Maybe it was something you did. Maybe the ritual didn't go well. Maybe you just weren't strong enough, still. What if--
What if she's just going to hate you this way?
What if--
W̶h̸a̶t̴ ̴i̷f̸-̶-̸
̶͕̬̎͌W̶͔̊̌ḥ̶̹̂a̵̖͝ṭ̸͛́ ̷̡̈́̚i̵̫̻͌f̶͕̙̾-̸̧͎̃-̴̛̙͒
̸̻̱̳̬̀̌̇̓W̴̟̬̜̺̉͛̍h̵͉̠͔̏̀a̵̡͙̬͠t̸̞̼̹͓̀ ̷̧̖͙͎̈́ï̶͙̤̆̄f̴͚̮͛-̴̯͊̈́̂-̶͖̚
Tsukigane Maia. Partner. Childhood friend. Someone who was always by your side.
Someone that ǹ̵͔́o̴̟͒́ ̵͉́o̸̻̓̅n̴̳̹̑e̴͍͐̓ ̸͙̍̄c̸̩͔͛̇ò̴̰̪u̸̦͓͌ĺ̴̳ḓ̶̵͕̎̿̕͠ p̸̨̛̦̮̭͒̈́o̶͚̯̔ş̶̡̫̳́̐̔s̴͎͕̬̔̒̒͜i̷̛̟̫̦̙̾͆̎b̶̬͖̮̙̕l̵̲̅̈̓ͅy̴̲̏̌̒̊ ̶̢͉̱̮̈́̈͘ȓ̶͚́͌ḛ̵̝̯̤̾̃͠͝p̶̹̺̱̲̌ľ̶̼a̶͕̯̘͑͛́̇c̴̬̜̦͋̓̚e̸̹͔̲͆͛͝.
Ả̶̢͖̮̱̠̞̽̋̃̈̈́̔̍̇̀́͒̕͝ͅņ̵̤̟̖̮̺͌̈́̈́̔d̸̯͉͕͆̀̇̌̇̉̕ ̷̛͕̟̻̠̜̲̠͖͊̈́̊̐̾̽̉͜͜͝͝y̸̢̡̨͚̖̝̩̺͓̮͓͕͓̤̻̹̺̘̺̑̊̅́̆͌̐̂̆̚͠͠͝ę̶͔̗͙̟͔͉̪̜̖̻̺̲̜̠͚̀̔̎̽̉͂̈́̿̂͊̚̕̕ͅt̴͈̙̠͇̦͙̩͙̹̣̮͇͚̀̐͜͝,̴̻̱̥̪̎̄̇̆̎̽ ̷̥̟̮̖̞̉̇̌̒́̈́̂̌̓̔̈̈́̅͛͜͝͝s̶̢̳̲͙͍͈̺̽̄̒̿̒̊͊̈́͋̊̽̀͘̚͜h̶̳̝̥̜̹͉͔̩̉̔͠ẹ̵̛̝̜̯̰̲̥͊͊̉̔͆́͘ ̷̯̗͕̹͇̼͖̜͊͐̀͝ẃ̵̛̲͑̓̆̆͐̅a̴̧̨̬̤̣̤̤͓̳̘͓̻̝̹͌̊͒̒̆̋̍̀̓̉̌̓̾̿̅͜͜s̴͉̩̪̑̀̌͒̈̐̾̾̓̉̔͑̐̓̊̏̾́͝ ̴̡̼̫̰̈̏̒͊̏̌̇͒̓̽̅́͝ń̵̡̧̛̘̱̟̼̭͓̗̔õ̸̢̠͇̺͇̭̭̩̜̺̭̜̤̙̰̒̒͊̿̄͌͛̔͋̌́̔́̕͜ͅt̸̢̻̃̒̏̽̊̌̋̍͗̽̒̒̀̍́̕͠͝h̶̟̬̣̺̦̀̄̂͐̉͂͌̈̿̔̕̕͜í̸̡̟̤͒̽̌̓̀̑̌̌̐̈́̆͌̑̕̕͝n̴̛͓̬͕͉̠͚̼̥̲̪͈̲̼̘̈͑͛̈́͗͋̉̾̍̃̂͂̚͜g̶͔͕̲̺̬̟̀̾͑̈͆̂͒͜ ̷̛͙̫̹̜̹͈̻͕̬͖̯͔̲͔̝̠̗̫͊͐͘͜͜b̴̠͓̟̻̼͖̻͎̝͚͈͕̱͓̣͈̂̉̓̽̆͋̾̆̓͂͒̆̃͘͘ư̸̺͇̻̖͙̖̯̻̠̙̝͈͇̂̍́͂͒̓͊̇͊͘͘̚͝t̵͚̮͍͗̀́̽̀̑̅́͒̈͌̂̈́͜ ̵̧̮͕͍̣̤̠͖̫̪̥͉̇̎̃̃͠ͅą̸̡̛̦̤̻̼̫̩̻̫͇̬̥̟͚͐̀͌̓̒̋̓̕͜͝ ̵̫͍͈̠̺̪͊͐̓̽͝d̴̯̹̦͉̱̳͚̺̓̏̈́̅͌̈́̓̿̃̿̀͘͝ô̷̭̫͔͍̱̲̅̑̿̂̓̂̓͛l̵̫͍͇̺̱̣͕̠̲̙͖̩̹̙̞͖͖̭̞̉̏͒̌̂̐͛̈͘ͅl̸̡̢̗̫̝̳̦͓̿͊͗̓͜.̴̢̮̱̰̟͙̂ͅͅ
Tsukigane Maia. Vessel. Replica. The doll upon which NESTA has staked its hopes. The doll upon which Nesta has staked her hopes. Someone who was never meant to exist.
Someone that ẅ̸̡̡̡̧̛̘̻̯̫̩̹̭͉̱̫̗̭̘̼̥͎̬̞̰̤́͋̑̉̒́̾̇̆̈̐̔͂̒̈̒̅͆̆͑͊̃͂͊͜͜͠a̵̢̨̟̙̪̬̼͎͍̠̘̮͓̘͐͗̊̓͒̈̓͛̆̀͛͛̽͌̽̓̋́̏͆̑̍͊̄͋̆̚͝s̶̢̢̡̧̧͍̭̪̮̘̣̣̹̯̹̬̤̼̠̯͎̳͚̲͍͈̖̗̞̙̝͗̅͑̀̉͗̋́͒́͝͝ ̴̨͓̹̬͈̝͚̽̏̽͐̈́́̊̊̍̎͂͛̃̄̿̊͌̓̂͆̑̅̓͌̋̈́̑̚̕͝á̵̛̛̞̥͎͕͉͓̪̲̝̬̟̮̫͔̏̑̾̄͌͆̈̊̋̆͌̆̆̊̈̆̐̀̍͌̿̚̚͠͝͝͠ͅͅͅl̴̨̛̠͓̜̱̦̦̟͙̥͚̣̭͓̣̲̹̩͈̻̦͙̳̑̑͆̑̈̄̊͐̈͆̔̾̔̌̋͛̔͆̆͆͊͜͜͝w̵̨̢̧̧̘̖͉̠̰̺̙͕̠͖̹͙̖͇̥̰͚͍̠̮̱̞̅̒̏͒͐̈́́͋̀͛̈́̿͋̂̿̃́̔̌̑̚̚͘͘̚͜͜͠͝a̷̡̧̢̨̡̠͙̬̫͔̬͎͓̯͙̲̙͖̥̯͔̮̗͎̼͓͙̙͕̙͌̆̀͐͋͆̊͌͋͜͜͠y̶̛̲̰͚̱̝̤̰̳͓͕͖̭̰̼͚̹̹̻̲͓͉̱̻̯͇͙̗͊̓̽̽̔̈́̔͋͑̀̆́͋̏́͌̔̈́̔̌͊͑̆̆̍͆͘̚͘ͅs̶͕̰̖̰̮̭̙̀̿̊̂̈́̿͑̑́͛̑̀̒̾̋̆̓̈̇̀͐͋̈̂̚͘̕͘͝͝ ̷̧̡̲͓̭̳͎̟̪̤̦̝̤͕̱̮̦̤̰̯̰͇̺̘̹̲̟̳͐͜ą̸̨̡̛̞̤̼͙̮͙̞͓͉̻͚̫͚̰̯̩̣̖̜͕̪̙͉̌̈̂̒͗͛̎͛̈́̋̉͌̒̿͌̈̇̉̋̈́͋͘̚͜͝ ̸̼̬̇̈́̅̈́̅̿̇̿̍̄̋̚͘r̵̡̛̛̺͕̜͍̭̺͇͒̇̌̌̀̏̋̍̀̽̃̑̓́̈́͛́̀͊̓̎͛́̓͒̿̚̕͝͠͠ȩ̵̺̳̏̋͆̈́̈̏̓̑̀̊́̽̄̈́̋́̈́̀̓̎́̍̿̔̏̽̊̏̑̕̕͘͜ṗ̵̡̢̨̢̛̜̬͓̩̩͈̖̞̭̱͕̺̜͈̬̂̾̅̃̽̈́́͐̈̂̐͐̑͑̔̑̈̇̃̿̊̅́̀̌̌͘͘̚ļ̸̨̗̝̮̗̙͖͈̖͕̼̖̩̼̗̮̼̞͎̯̙͈͎̦̲͎̠͍̈́̈͐̉̔͒͐͂͆̅̃̆͋̍͛͊̕͠ä̷̢̢̮̗͉͚̼̟̦̲̗̲͖́̏͗͂͂̋̽́͒͊̂̌̚͘ͅc̶̛͈̥̲̗͇̠̙͚̫̟̞̹̺̯̪̥̗͗̋̄̓͛̃̕͝ę̷̞̺͉̯̟̪̥̥͈̯̣̩̝̰̦̈͛m̷̢̧͇̟͉̝̗̖͂͑͜e̸̢̙͓̻̘̱̭̎͂̔͂͆̈́̎͗̽͌͐̔͋̀̔͌̌̃̓̒̈́̀̅̚͝͝͠n̸̮̪̯̺̣̺̠̳͔͙͚̉̂̽̒̐̇̍̆̈́̉̂̓͌̅̋͐̈́̈́̽̏͐̓͌͑́͘̚͘t̷̨̡̞̳̜̪̦͕̜̞͕̜̥̫̫͉̺̭̗̘̝̳̲̒̀̇̔̈́̀̓̎̆͑̓͐͊̊̐̋͘͝ͅ.̴̢͓̰͉͔̺́̅͆͊̃͊̇̂͊̏̓̔́̓̉̏̑͑̋͘̚͠
Ȃ̸̡̧̰̳̭̣̬̰̪́́̐́͛̎̀̌̂̌͊͐͊͐͌́̀͌̎̔̌̀̄̈́̀̾̀̔̃̇̈́̑̅̔͂̉̒̀̇͂̚͘͘͘͝͝͠n̷̢̨̨̧̢̧̠̪͔̩̰̪̙̤̞̥͉̻̪͓̩̣͖̻̲͉̯̞̻̼̻̠̱͍̟̭͕͓̘͎͙̬̥͖͖̝̞̦̣̬̟̼̣͔̰̋̾̊͊̐͆̍͛͛̈́̄̚͠͝͝͝ͅd̵̢̧̻͓͕̣͙̦̥̰̠͉̘̱̫͊͌͋̈͋͗̓͒͑͑̃͘̚͝ ̷̢̨̢̭̖̳̰̖̭̹̟̫͍̟̖͓̻͔͈̗͙͓͖̠̮̰̦̙̯̥̗͇̱͕̝͍͉͈̬̫̄́̈́͐̅̏͆́͑̌̈́́̎̿̂̍̓̕̚͝͝y̶̧̧̼͉̠̟̺̱̗͖͕̲̣̦̼̠̗̘̮̯͙͓̹͉̖̻͇̠̩͇̠̮̻͊͠ē̷̢̢̛̖͔̭̼̝̜͈͎̯͉͖̙̖̗͍̯͓͎͙̱̖͕̭͎̯̪̺̟͍̯̭̲̰̩͉͍̤̑̔͗̇̊̀̒͋̌̋̑͒̐̊̊͗̓̂̈́͘̚͝͝͝ͅͅţ̷̧̨̨̧̡̟̥̰̣͚̱̱͔͕̬͉͍̰͓̯͙͔̘̜̫̭̺̠̹̬̩̪̩̼̥̜͕̗̗̬̻̝͕̖̲͚̰̮̦͉̜̤̇̎̋̿͌̇̉͛͛̂̉̽̉͜͜ͅ ̴̨̨̧̡̧̛̛̛̯̻̱̩͉̮͉̹̼̳̳̦̯̟̦̩̣̖͍̥̲̮̤̹͇͔̰̞̤̎́͗̽̊̔̊͂͌̈́̇͋̂́̽̂̋̊̓̓́̈̌̊̿̋͗̉̎̋͒͊̓͐͗̋̒͘̚̕̕͜͠͝s̴̢̼̝̼͈̠̫͎̘̯͎̞̩͇̩̜̘̘̪͚̟̺̳͍̜͓͙̺̖̹̬͙͓̮͎̀̊͗̈̿̚͠h̶̢̛͔̮̪͕͉̬̱̬̗̏̉͆̽̈́͋̏̉̽̂̉͌̎͌̄̔̔̀͂̀̇͌̑̔̒̋̏̓̉̀̎͗͐̿͐̒͌͘̕̚͠ẽ̸̛̱̃̾̍̃̀̇̏̄́̑͑̎̽̿̇̍̒̐̔̀̒͌̂̾́̉͝ ̵̡̡̧̛̲͉͇͚͕̹͍͈͚̬̮̹̝͇̖̱͚͍̜͇̦̔̇͗͊͌͌̽̈́̈͂̒̂͋̏͆͊̅̈́̏̄̆̌́̚͘͘̕͝w̵̧̢̧̢̨̡̧̤̳̮̠̝̭̜͇̣̺̝̥͓̬̤̭͎̣̙̹̖̦̝̰̫͈̲̱͖͉͕̳̞͇̲͙̭̯̙̣͔̠̖̩̺͔̥̆͛͐̊̐̎̾̈́͒̀̎̆͌̃̀́͂́̎́̎̇͑̀̎͌͑̇̂͑͛͑͛̒̃̉̂͗̿̒̆̑͑̒͘̕̕͜͜͝͠ͅͅͅa̷̧̢̨̛͉̟̭̺̤̩̱̳̖̜̠͉̟̖̠̬̓͋̆́̒͂͋̆̔̄͊̎̐̓̆̍̏̽͌͂͗̂̽͒̐̒̋̉̂̉̊̾́̉̍͌́̅̏̓̐̄͛̋͘͘͘̚͜͠͝͝͝͝s̴̨̱̝̺̱̮͕͈͈͚͓̻͉̟̳̼̜̣̲̥̫͋̒̈́̓̐͌͒̊͂́́̉̏̋́̅̏̐͜͠ ̸̨̢̧̟͍͕̝͔͚͈̟͈̭͕͇̟͓̜̪̖̹̗̱͎̠̬͇͉̺̤̖̝̦̩̮̤͋̃̏̔͌̌̒̎̍̓͆̂̓̈́̚͜͜͜͜͠ͅͅm̷̱͇͙̺̦̫̱̝͖͉̠̣̯͔̦̘̳͍͖̖̘̹͖̩̖̱̗͍̦̟͕͉̜̖͍͇̝͙̖̂̎̇͐̃̆̍̃̾̒̅̎̊͆̔̾̽͊̾̒́͆̇̈͒́̇̀͛̄̊̍͒̇̿̈́̆͋̓͛̎͊̓̂̒̾̅̉̈̊̏͐͛̓͘͘̕̕͜͝ͅͅͅͅư̶̡̛̛̦̳̥̭̞͕̼̭̜̭̥̯͎̹͎̫̩͖͔͗̓͌͆͒͆̈̓̆͊̆̆̑́̿̓̃͛̏̎̑̀̔͘͘͠͝ç̷̢̧͍͕̳̳̹̠̥̝͎̺̤̙̮̫͖̩͔̪̘̯̳̠̬̲̯̻̫̅̇̊͛̊͛͜͝͝ͅͅͅh̴̛̛̛̛̬͇͕̭̼̠̗̤͈̪͙͍̱̩̗̅̍̀̈̔͊̽̐͌̽̑͌̑̇̅̃͐͂̐͂͛͆̿͐̎̓̽̏̄̇̕̚͘ ̶̧̢̢̨̢͚͈̰͎͔̯̼̖̰͓̙̱̟͇̠̦̰̜͚̘̥̤̞͍̭̠͎͉͉̠͈̝̜̠̜̰̩̀͂̏̓̒̉̈́͛̍̈͂̒͆̄̑̈́̀͑͜͠͠ͅm̸̡̢̢̢̪͇̩̩̠͕̰̫͉̻̜̭̭̠͓̯̜͙̪̘͍̙̣̦̼̟͎͓͎̺̣̰̯͈̫̻͇̔̍̑̉͂̕͘͠ͅơ̴̧̧̛̩̖̟̺̣͚͙̩̩̹̙̆̈́̋͒́̂̂́͗́̄̽͐͋͠͝r̶͎̫̼̜̥̘̜̣̰͖̪̩̠̀͜e̶̢̨͈̺̤̟͚̗̥̼̔̿͆̔̽̌̋͒͑͑̀̆̏̈̈́̈́̾̋̊̐͑͒̎̾͊̓̈́̔͑̋̇̓͒̉̒̂͗̂̑̔̇̆̿̇̅̾̂͐͜͝͝͝ ̶̧̧̨̛̗̱̺̭͉̣͔̦̮͈͈̦͚͙̹̞̖̖͙̠̮̹̭̦͖̖̰̭͉͓̺͓̫̙̭̫͈̫͇͙̬̩̗̟̹̜͚̱͓̔͛́̈̐̌̿̽̍͑͋̈́͌̀̿͊̀͆̑̎͊̔̄̃̍̆̊̾́̽͒͛͌̀̓͗̈̂̂̚̕͘̕͜͝͝t̴̡̰͖̼̜͖̣̖̰͈̫̦͉̜̜̂̀̐̈́̈́́̚ĥ̴̨̢̨̨̡̛̛̬̠̬̮̹̲̭͇̩͈̟̻̭͉̟͕̲̖̣̳̗̮͉̦̯̩̹͉̤͓̯̩͇͍̺̖̮̖̜̻͔̫͈̲̳̮̹̈̍͆͛͆͗̄͋̇̈̂̆̽̅̌̉̅̆̊͆̾͋̽̀̍́̈́͌͒͌͛͊͘̕͘̚͘͘͜͜͝͝ͅa̵̢̛̛̛̛̻̙͚͚̞̤̲͇̬̭̹͓̞̬̮̩͇̰͔͖̎̂͌̏̍̎̌̑̃͌̄̾́̅̿̾̂̇̃̽̌̀̎̔̀̑͐͒̈́̋͑̌̀̉̎̌̾̂͛̊̿̑̾̎̈́̐͘̕͠͝n̶̛̛̩̹̱͓̪͖̱͕̱̠̝̺̫̱̗͍̣̭̦̰̗͚̻̻̭̓̍̑͂͊̈́͑̊̄̒̓̀͊̆̈́́̓̾̐̾̂̆̈́̊̀͊̃͐͆̒̌̉͋́͂̌͒̈́̂̎̆͘̕̕͜͝͠ ̴̛̰̻̬̙̫̣̰̜̫͎͖͈̖̮̭̳̞̖̪͉͚̫͚̟̮̥͇̘͙́͋́̀͂̓̆̔̾̐͂̒̈́̎̃͗̆́͋̈́̒̄̈́̅̓͘͠͝͝͠ͅä̶̡̢̧̲͔̗͚̣̞̻̹̱̘̳̞̘̪͔̱̰̤͕͙̯̤͎̳̗̯̤̰͇̭̻̜̯̤̪̲̫̭̓̓̽̑̂̑̽͂͑͂̀͛̉͒̒̐̍̐͜͜ͅͅ ̷̧̡̢̨̨̛͖͚̣̣͖̣̪̟̦̪̜̻̟̻̬̗̜̤̘̮̳̳͉͖͚̦̖̗̭͈̅̓͊̈́̐̒͋͛̒̉̑͋͛͛̍̑̐̿̎͑̀̈́͐̓̔͒̋̒̈͋̊̀̀͌̀̈͂̕͘͜͠ḑ̸̧̧̢̛̠͇͍̤͉̦̯̗͎̝̹̫̬̤͕̖͚̪͔̘̦͖̠̰̱̹̞̗̼͔̳͉͖̗̠̘͓͉͎̣͓̫̜͍̮͊̏̉̉͊͆̈́̑̀̋̈́̏̌̉͋̈́͛̾̓́̏̉̊̚͘̕̚̚͜͠͝ͅớ̸̡̡̨̡̨̢̯͓͎͈̥̼̯͓͈̘̖̲̜̝̰͇͖̯̙̻͔͓̓̐́̂̉̏̎͒͂̈́̔̒̍̒͌͊̏̈́͆̾̇́̆̃͒̇̈́̔̈́͂͌̿͌͋͒́̉̉̅̈̿̀́̈͋̀͘͘͘̕̕̚͜͝͠͝͝ͅͅl̸̛̺̦͕̞̫̋͒̐̆̋̀͐̍͒̅̿̌̐̉̆̉͌̈́͌͂̽̒́̎̍̉̀̍́̈́̃̉̂̏̋͘͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͝͝l̵̡̧̢̨̛̖̥͕̱̰̰̳͖̲̱͕̗̟̬̯͎̤͍͉̜͈̯̪͕̠̻̼̔̉̓̒͌̆̑͌́͋̓͗̓́̅̄͂͑̐̓͌͊̓̄̀͊̅͑̊̃̆̑͊͐̍̕̕͜͠͠͝.̶̧̨̛̛̛̣͕͎̘̳̫̱̮̙̝̰̗̲̫̖̪̞͉͎͓͇͎̃͂̄̔̓͆͂̒̊̌͊̊̍̈́̈́̿̌̆̅̔̆̒̈́̏͊̇̑̔̅̈̌̇̚̕͜͠͝͝͝
You're scared.
You trust your father, of course you do, but sometimes (most of the time) you don't understand the things he says and does and he has no time to explain them to you. He's a busy man, they say. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Just now your own feel a little heavier than they should -- you don't understand this machine, but Hayashi-san is always coming up with new prototypes to show you.
You don't understand why you're here, either; normally you'd be happy to be in the same space as Maia for once, but... but who is that next to you, on the other side? You don't recognize him at all. The more he yells the less you understand.
"Let me go... Let me go!"
Oh. That's right. None of you can leave the seats because you weren't meant to. You hesitate, because you trust your father, but the metal is cold and heavy across your forehead and your ears hurt from the boy's yelling and you-- "Dad! What is this?"
He won't answer, even if you recognize what he says next: "Verbalize."
The machine hums to life; the boy next to you yells about becoming a savior, yells about Maia, yells that his name is Akira, does he ever shut up? (You don't care to know his name, you think, but Maia is yelling back, so you don't have a choice.) You're still trying to make sense of things, but you weren't meant to, and then you can't think at all because it hurts. Thoughts and movement run like static shock between the three of you, brighter and brighter, until it burns all the thoughts straight out of your head.
It hurts.
İ̸̂́͜t̷̡̠͍͉͕̹̂ ̸̳͈̜̟̽h̵̙̹͔͎̮̐̐͜ǘ̶͕̻̜̭̃͒͝͝r̵͓̘̲͇͗͠t̶͇̄̀s̸̳̼͈͔͉̦̏̐̿̔̀.̸̤̺̺̞̀͗͌̔͜͝
I̵̼̹̽͒̽͛͠ţ̵̡̡̦̟̫͍͖̟̪̪̰̜̤͒͗̈́̇͋͒̚͜͝ ̸̧̡̨̢̡̢̡̨̛̫͍̠̳̥͇͕̖̓͗̀̑̂͌̈̌̓̎̋͝͠h̶̠̺̭̜̫̒̿ṵ̵̱̮̘͍̻͖̼̘̄͐̔͒͘͠r̷̢̛̜̳̣̣̼͙̈́̉͊͆͗̕t̷̡̧̤͉̘͇̝̲̱͓̳͙̋̿s̶̜̺͔̯̼̼̖̼̘̫͇̞̩̽̌̆͊̌̐͊͌͛̈́̓̓͆͜
̸̧̧̗͕̠͈̱̬̜͇̭͓̜̮̓͊̀̈́̈́̉̉̿͌͜ͅ
̵̧̤͖͖̹͉̿͑̐̿͆͗̓̔͋̚͘̕i̸̗̺̞̗̱̲̩̱͕̦͚̬̠͕̐ṭ̸̨̩̣̮̩̤̀́ͅͅ ̴̢̜͚̤̜̠͖̖͕̝̦͚̐̀̈́̽̈́̃͒̚͜ͅh̴̛̲̗̾̒͗̅̉͒͜u̸̧̧̦̗͚̟͓͓̦̖͒̇͋̃̎̅́̈́̈́̄̂̐ͅr̵͓̬͉͕̮͂̀̽̇̇̓̃́̔͂̑̏̾̐̏͘ţ̶̟͓͈͇͖̦̰̞̫̜̜̂͑̉̑̿͛̆͑̕ͅs̸̯̗̎̈͂̍̂̄̆̌
̸̨͍̦̦̜̺͔̼̎̿̆͑̉̀͌͋̊̍̄̈́̋͘͘͜͠
̷̱̹͌̚͜í̷̧̦͉̺̤̦͚̐͊̐͂̍͆̃͊͝͝t̶͉͍͙̗͈͇̊̄͋̅̾̌͝͝͝ ̸̪̙̖͍̖́̇̄̎̃̔̌͆̔̇̋ḩ̶͉͈͖̖͇̘́̈̾̓̔͜͠u̷͔̺̥̖̙̥̹̼̩̫̎͑̉̀̐̏́̌͒̈̆̎̾r̸̥̗͈̹͓̦͈̥̬̦͔̙͚̘͙̊͗̑̓͌̕ẗ̶̡̝̠̰̩̞͎̻́̐̅̍̉̄̒͒̕ș̵͖̀͊̊͌̉̔̆͜
̵̥̳̞͔̝͍̰̱̗̣̆̌̽̀̄̍̇́i̵̢̳̟̳͎̩̟̙͋̓̎̑͊͂̇́̀͗̐̆̚͘t̴̡̡̫͎͈͎̥̝͎͙͗̓ ̴̛͇̰͇͆̅́͐̊̔͒̏͊̀́̚̕h̵̟̗̭̄̽͂̈́͝u̴̬̭͇̱͕̮̘̮̩̲̟̐̈́̈̈ṟ̷͔̬̳̙̥̥̦͋̔̀͋̈́̀͑̂͋̑̚̕ṭ̷̠̠̰̲̱͇̪͓̪̔̓͌͜͝͝ͅs̸͕̪̠̳̥̼͗̋̋͗̋͆̿͆͑̀͆͘͠
̵̹̬̈́̉̌̒́̕i̶̛̝t̸̛̪͓̙̞̗͙͂̂͗͐̃͛͊͌͆̃̑̀̃ ̵̛͚̣̼̦̣̥͔̣͈͆͊̒̔̒̀̎̔̒͐̽͜͠͠h̴͉͙͇̬͛́ư̴͍͚̤̙̬̟̭͑͆́̉͆̀͐́̄͋̈́̅͝͝ŕ̸̜̜͔̣̯̣̲͈̖̰̩̼̏̐̇͆̿̽ț̷̦̝̩̖̲͎͔̳̊̂ͅs̴̡̖͓̫̠͇͇̫̰̝̓͆̾͒́̍]