15strangers | WEEK 3

Entry tags:

*round 1,
*week 3

WEEK 3

WEEK 3

[It has begun. With the death of the Spinner and the execution of the Indulgent, they remaining Titled will be plagued once more by vivid dreams. And just as last week, they are awoken by the sounds of doors creaking open.

Just like last week. But no one had died last week. Right? No one had been subjected to that...thing.

And yet the strange, cold feeling of foreboding remains. And it is certainly most worrisome to those living in rooms 3, 4, 6, and 15. Those who pass by room 7 and 8 will feel that same, worrisome feeling of foreboding as well.

What will they wake up to find? Who knows, now. If dragons are real, anything is possible.

There are thirteen strangers in this place.]

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[There is definitely a little more on the next few pages.]

[ There's something rather disconcerting about what he's able to find in those pages, finding out a couple relevant details that he could discern about the one who owned this journal. They were possibly stuck in some dimension of something like an 'Elder God', the library here held some books that came from their actual worlds and the ones in charge were clearly doing this for revenge.

At least that's what he could actually get out of it, the riddle among the pages actually ringing through his mind. ]

...What does that even mean...?

[ Shaking his head, he immediately went to see if that was the end of the entries or if there was any more to that book at all. ]

[There are several more entities.

The final entry is still fresh enough to smudge.]

[ After finishing that last entry, he reached out to see if the ink was as fresh as it looked and his eyes widened when he found it actually smudged the ink. That was alarming all on it's own, making him nearly back away from it because that most definitely was not from anyone here but it was so fresh, like someone had just barely finished writing in it.

Blinking a little, Killua carefully lifted the book and turned it over, trying to see if it had any kind of name on it or anything like that. Why did this thing appear in his room AND give him such an awful feeling when he'd woken up earlier? ]

[There's no name on the spine, or on the front of the cover. On the back of the front cover, however, there is a simple epitaph, written by the same hand as the entry writer:

L.L.

"DEALMAKER"

Oh, and if you check that last entry again...well...]

[ Huh. What an odd set of initials.

Killua flipped back to that last entry to see if he could discern something else, though soon had his eyes widening in shock because well. This isn't right. The writing had actually changed to react to what he'd done but how was that even possible? In a matter of seconds, his mind went through several ideas but he quickly went in search for the writing tool they'd all been given and took no time in writing on the page just a little bit below that last entry in clear words:

Hello? If someone is reading this, please respond. I... was the one who smudged the ink on accident.

Now all that was left was to wait. ]

[Woah woah WOAH WOAH---

The book slams shut. Then flops back open to that page after a moment. There is a long, long pause.

After some time has passed, however.]

Hi.

What is this and why are you haunting my room?

Edited 2017-05-29 08:36 (UTC)

[ The book suddenly slamming shut on him was enough to have him jumping a little, but he didn't touch it again until he was sure it wasn't going to do that again.

However, it seemed that waiting had been the right choice, as he saw an actual response back to what he'd written. Seeing this was just a little surreal because this other person claimed HE was the one haunting their room but he was the only person standing in it so who else could be here...?

Shaking his head, Killua quickly made to write a response back; as if waiting too long would mean the stranger disappeared or they wouldn't write back. ]

My name is Killua, and I should be asking YOU that. I found this book in my room... it appears we both share that title of "dealmaker" as well.

[There is a very long silence at this.

The answer, when it comes, is slow. Confused. Maybe a little worried and terrified, self reminding even, if the slight shakiness now in the handwriting is an indication.]

I'm not dead.

I have been trapped here for the past two weeks. I have never seen or been aware of your presence in my room until now.

Edited 2017-05-29 08:56 (UTC)

[ That feeling of dread is pulling at him, amidst an odd sense of fascination that he can't explain. So far this 'L.L' person was also a Dealmaker and he'd been here for two weeks... which is how long it'd been for him as well but it didn't make a lick of sense!

Biting his lip briefly, he finally writes something back. ]

Yeah, well i'm not dead either so there's that.

This is the first time i've been made aware to someone else here too, and i've been here two weeks as well. Just like you. This shouldn't even be possible.

Wait so you've been here the exact sa

This shouldn't be possible. You're right. But whatever it is it's happening, I guess.

So did you guys start with fifteen too?

Edited 2017-05-29 09:07 (UTC)

...Yeah. Fifteen strangers from different worlds and all given different powers we don't know how to properly use.

Have your captors taken away parts of your memories and powers too?

Yes.

Has anyone died?

I see. I didn't think our situations would be this similar.

Yes. One of our own... the Indulgent... he touched someone and accidentally turned him berserk and it ended with the latter guy killed. The Indulgent was so torn up over it and... when we voted for him? This really creepy dragon thing burst through and ate him up like it was nothing.

Oh, great, you guys have that thing too.

I'm sorry about that. We just lost two more people yesterday...one to...that thing.

We're down to eleven.

It's okay. Not like that thing being around is your fault or anything.

Huh? Already?? We're only down to thirteen on my side, though I doubt it's going to stay that way for long. How is everyone on your side handling everything?

Yeah. The first time was the first week we were here. She was...well, petty as it sounds, the person responsible is not missed.

[The handwriting seems to just emanate annoyance.]

Well, we're...handling it. Some of us better than others. Most of us at least have experience with traumatic events like this? Not exactly like this, but still.

Edited 2017-05-30 17:57 (UTC)

You mean that princess who killed a kid and didn't care that she'd done it?

[ Seeing as he remembered reading that from some of the first entries in this journal and all rather vividly. Especially since it was still fresh in his mind. ]

Good. It's the same on my side, too. Something you wrote in here makes me really curious though... you had stated that 'they' are asking for revenge, not justice. How did you figure that out?

Yeah. Her. She did it because Sora - the kid - she'd gotten a gold statue. She wanted it, Sora wouldn't give it to her.

[GrrrrrRRRRRRRRRR--]

The people keeping us here. They told us our loved ones were all dead, and one of the other Titled here was responsible. Showed us all some really cute art with our friends and family all dead, too!

Cute being sarcastic. It wasn't cute. It was infuriating. The only way to get justice was to initiate Order 7, according to them.

But then I went back to my favorite movie.

Edited 2017-05-31 13:19 (UTC)

...She killed a kid over a stupid gold statue? That's just pathetic AND lame.

[ That's something important to keep in mind as there was a chance that the ones in charge were going to try this very same tactic with him and the others. It definitely sounded like their captors were trying to bait them and cause doubt in each other to the point that they'd assume someone would murder another person over that.

People were hopelessly predictable and he knew that in some ways he wasn't much different in that way. ]

You're right. Calling that 'justice' is just a lie to give people reason to justify the act of killing someone else.

[ Coming from the kid who didn't technically need a reason to murder someone. Not that this person would ever get to know that tidbit of information, however. He's tempted to ask this stranger their actual name and if they could keep in contact like this. ]

Favorite movie? Did thinking of that help anything...?

[Uh oh, you did it Killua. The writing comes fast and furious now.]

Yeah. Camelot! It's a great movie. It's inspired me over the years to try and be a good person because

I mean, not that I was an immoral person or an asshole or anything like that before I saw it, or that I wouldn't have eventually figured things out without it? But seeing it was really life-changing, and it helped my understand and develop my own morals in a way I hadn't before.

The most important thing was that revenge was a worthless cause. That compassion isn't weakness. And, well, they were knight-errants and a lot of the heroes I read about and tend to review are like modern day knight-errants so they have a code, right? And that's the kind of person you want to be! A good person doing their best to do the right thing!!

Also it's a musical and Richard Harris is awesome in it. He plays King Arthur. Hopefully it exists where you come from! You're missing out if not!!

But...yeah. When I was mulling over what we were given, I thought back to Camelot. I wasn't really considering acting on it, but when I thought of that I realized that was what they were trying to do to us.

Edited 2017-05-31 15:10 (UTC)

[ As the writing starts to come in a flurry of quickly written words, Killua just blinked a bit in surprise as he didn't initially realize the kind of loaded question he'd actually asked. Though admittedly it sounded really intriguing as it was able to inspire someone like that.

There were good lessons behind it too for what he could tell, so it kind of ended up being amused by how the other seemed so enthusiastic about it. Plus it helped help them figure out what their captors were trying to do. ]

This is the first time hearing about this movie but it sounds interesting from what you've told me.

I do like how something like that did actually really help you in that place. Though I know this might sound odd... but would you be able to give me the names and titles of everyone there where you are? I want to see if anyone else might know the people who's with you.

I can ask everyone else if they're ok with this, but I'm ok with giving my name, at least.

My name's Linkara.

It's a start. Thanks. I'm not asking to be rude or anything, so hope the people you're with understand that.

...Think you'd be okay kinda keepin' in contact through this book, Linkara?

Eh, it can't do anymore than kill me, right?

Edited 2017-06-02 00:24 (UTC)

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lightnen - 2017-06-02 09:07 (UTC) - Expand

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