T̴H͠E̶̡̢ ̴F̶̴Í̸RŞ̴͠T̵͞ ͟I̵N͟͡͝V̕͠ES̶͝T̸IG҉͝A̡͠T̡IO҉̶͢N͏

[strangerpeople]

T̷́H̸̀͢E ̵̛F҉ÌRS̷̢̧T̸͜ ͘͜I͠N͞V́E҉S̀͜T͜I͡G̸̶A͏҉T͠I̢̛Ǫ̵N͏͝

[Good morning, Strangers.

How do you all feel today? Sad? Confused? Worried? Well, that's not the Hosts' problem. You guys are the ones being stubborn and obstinate, after all. In any case, it's time for all of you to get up and start moving.

It's Friday. Maybe you'll luck out and everyone's alive. But there's only one way to find out.]

Comments

[unwittingking]

[Right, the dead kid had a boyfriend-

King hesitates for a second, but he goes to comfort Kurama. He won't hug him or anything, but he'll be putting a paw on his shoulder.]

We'll get them. I promise.

[He should only be loud enough for Kurama to hear him.]

[byanyother_name]

[It takes longer than it really should for Kurama to start breathing again. When he does, King might be the only one close enough to hear the soft, oddly canine whine that escapes him.

Before he speaks, voice a rough, deadly snarl.]

They should hope, dearly, that the executioner reaches them before I do.

[unwittingking]

[It's kind of odd, to hear a whine like that from a human, but in a moment of grief like this? He's not questioning it right now.]

Estelle and I plan on ripping their arms off. If you want, you can take the arm I was going for and I'll bite their leg.

[So long as they don't kill the murderer before the execution, they should be okay, right?]

[byanyother_name]

They won't receive such kindness from me, King. There are so many much more painful fates.

[He, um, sounds entirely serious about this. It doesn't sound like teen drama but the voice of experience.]

[unwittingking]

[Well, good for him that King was being serious as well.]

Just don't kill them, okay? Make them suffer without dying if you can.

[This may not be the best idea, but...someone went for a kid first. A kid. And then they killed someone else. Someone he was considering as a friend. And the motive wasn't even sympathetic this time around.

As far as he's concerned, this culprit can get burned at the stake and he wouldn't be too upset over it.]

[byanyother_name]

Believe me, I can.

[It's burning cold, his voice, all dry ice and fury.

He swipes his tears away roughly with his sleeve before a thought occurs to him and he goes white. He'd meant to check the Noise concentration around the houses but hadn't gotten to it. That's. More urgent now.

So his eyes go distant as he triggers his Scanning.]

[unwittingking]

[He nods. He wanted to make sure they wouldn't deal with four deaths two weeks in.

He's not sure what's going on, but he won't bother Kurama until it seems like he's done with whatever he's doing. And he won't blame him if what he's doing is grieving in some way.]

[byanyother_name]

They're still in danger...

[The souls could be out of his range, hidden, or already Erased. He doesn't know. He just knows the state of the area is dangerous.]

[unwittingking]

…you're kidding me.

[He doesn't even need to explain. There's only so many people he could talk about, and he doubts it's anyone still alive here.]

[byanyother_name]

[Kurama shakes his head slightly. Not kidding even a little bit.]

This place is swarming with Noise... so many of them, lurking in the static. More than all three of us together could hope to fight.

The Noise can Erase souls from existence.

[unwittingking]

[Noise? That sounds ridiculous, it should be insane-but King knows better. He knows much better than to think something called Noise isn't real.

So there are things here that can make them double dead. Things that can just make them no longer exist anymore.

He's trying hard to stay calm-not lose it over the genuine possibility of people just no longer existing-but some of the panic is showing on his face.]

Okay, okay, um...can they defend themselves from it, though? They-they might be fine if they're able to hold them off, even if they can't defeat them, but...if they can defend themselves...

[strangerpeople]

[He sees nothing but Noise and static.




There is no sign of any dead souls.]