THE THIRD INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

THE THIRD INVESTIGATION

[It is very early. Very, very early. It's still night, even. Most are probably still asleep.

They will not be asleep for long.

Not after the screaming suddenly starts coming from the voices outside their doors, if they are in the apartment car, in their rooms.]

Oh god oh god oh god-

B____R! FOOT IN MY MOUTH INDEED!

[And certainly not after the big

BOOM

That suddenly rocks the train. There is screeching, moaning, and a flash of great darkness. Everyone, for a moment, is blinded by blackness. There are shouts and screams that echo, no matter where one is. Smoke and begins to fill the hall of the apartment car.

Whatever has happened-it's bad. It's very bad.

And the darkness is starting to clear up...]

Comments

[katzenpfote]

Shut up!

[otherworldlyking]

If you want to waste a potion when it won't do anything with a wound like that, feel free.

[katzenpfote]

We have to try. We can’t give up!

[otherworldlyking]

...Then go ahead.

[charmingheroine]

[She's asking this of McBurn specifically because he's being too laconic again, but at a volume most everyone's going to hear.]

Has anyone made it upstairs yet?!

[higanbana]

[Ris came in with Mithos, so she's here to answer.]

I think we all came over to Her Highness!

[charmingheroine]

[Between that, and hearing Caleb sound too damn much like someone she loves, Charlotte's paled to damn near stark white.]

The galley down here isn't what's on fire, we need to get up there!

[eternaldivide]

I'll go.

[ Because he doesn't want to deal with all this yelling so Mithos will make his way upstairs for you all. ]

[strangerpeople]

[Unfortunately, there's no way to get upstairs right now.]

[eternaldivide]

[ Oh. Welp. Guess he'll call back to everyone about this-- why is it that they can't get up can they see why? ]

There's no way up there. We need to get away from this smoke.

[ It probably isn't a good idea if they all inhale too much of it right ]

[strangerpeople]

[Smoke is bad, but so is trying to climb a set of busted-up stairs. Great way to get splinters, or worse.

And besides that...

It's kind of horribly dark at the top. The kind of darkness that makes one think it might be a very bad idea to attempt going up there.]

Cw hints of emeto

[biddentodance]

[You know that scene early in Peter Pan, when he has yet to reattach his shadow?

There's a shadow of a boy, just likethat, flying up the wall toward upstairs--

It stops as it gets too close, falters. And tumbles backward and out of that wall, and as the Shadow leaves the wall-

It's Minato, hand to his mouth, pale and a little green.]

Bad idea.

[eternaldivide]

[ okay yeah that darkness does not look kind maybe getting away from the smoke should be the priority here.

In fact Mithos will try and stop anyone from going up there. ]

Don't

[charmingheroine]

Thank you, I'll - if she's really past help, I'll follow then.

[unwittingking]

[King’s kind of just...standing around and feeling useless right now? Hearing this will get him to perk up...but also panic a bit more.]

I’m on it!

[So, uh...can he actually get upstairs?]

[strangerpeople]

[Nope.]

[unwittingking]

Damn it!

[Rushing back to the group.]

It’s no use! The stairs are busted!

[otherworldlyking]

[ That's weird and ... Maybe not so good. ]

Any other way up?

[unwittingking]

Unless you can jump up there, I doubt it! Plus...

[He looks back to what’s up there.]

I’m not sure it’s even safe right now...

[otherworldlyking]

As far as I know, no.

Looks like the others are heading over.

[ Sorry he's like this, Charlotte!! ]

[charmingheroine]

[It's okay, he's just Hell World Quincey Morris, Pastel Goth Edition, everything is fine...]

And from the look of things they can't... damn it. Damn it, no, we have to get up there, she might not be the only one who's....

[otherworldlyking]

Might as well look and see if we can find another way up.

[charmingheroine]

[She's been running on "okay, so what would my Taller Half do... and what version of that doesn't end with me getting killed" for the past week or so now. The metaphorical lightbulb clicking on in her head is visible in the way she steps back and squares her shoulders.]

That beam's down, there might be fire above, so it'd be weakened already...

[She's looking, rather calculatingly, at the ceiling. Is there actually exposed metal on the floor in here?]

[strangerpeople]

[No exposed metal, but cracks, definitely.]

[eternaldivide]

I don't think that's a good idea... we might have to leave it for later.