F̀I҉̵N̶ÁL͘ ̵̧̀WE҉̧̀E͞K̷̨

[strangerpeople]

F̀I҉̵N̶ÁL͘ ̵̧̀WE҉̧̀E͞K̷̨

[. . .



















When everyone wakes up as the new week dawns, they will be in for a nasty surprise. After all, IT does not forget-and IT does not forgive.

There were nine strangers in this place-but six of them are suddenly missing from their homes.]

Comments

SUNDAY

[strangerpeople]

P͢͠U͏̸͢N̸͠I̸̛͡S̨Ḩ̷M̕͏EN̢͞T̛́

[strangerpeople]

[where are they where are theywhere are theywhereaRETHEY]

[comesaround]

[ It was entirely too quiet this morning.

Something was wrong, but he didn't know what. He noticed it when he headed out from his home,noting how not a single soul was out on the streets and it felt so damn empty.

Karma frowned and went up to some of the house's, knocking but not getting an answer. This wasn't good at all.

Time to go looking. Is there any possible clues to where they might be? ]

[strangerpeople]

[Only Karma’s one thoughts and memories. And deductions. The voice promised punishment. So it must mean they were taken somewhere to be held. Imprisoned. Trapped.

Where in the building would be a good place to imprison people?]

[comesaround]

[ Wait a second.

Oh. No.

There were 'holding cells' in the central building, right? That made him curse under his breath as he bolted off towards that area as fast as he could. ]

Damn it... let them be okay...

[otherworldlyking]

[ Time to follow Karma's hurrying along, don't mind him. ]

EVENING

[poorlovefool]

[It takes a long rest for Eric to recover some semblance of his mind. The punishment was awful. He doesn't think he'll be thinking straight for a while, even as he still finds himself able to get out of bed once he's slept off most of the fitful agony. What can he say - Eric has suffered a lot of abuse in his lifetime. The act of simply existing, even if in a dead daze, is something he bullheadedly continues to manage.

But.

He has kept a certain schedule during his time here, and that's getting a new outfit to add to his growing collection on Sundays. He's still stuck in this garbage hole, he might as well. Except, after spending a few moments there, he winds up leaving in the outfit he first arrived in, carrying an armful of cowboy boots and random accessories out of the dressing room.

He goes to the furnace, where he starts throwing them in. With each toss, the face as he does so is the most relieved he's been since the torture. Sparkles are even flying from his eyes again with the pride to have done something this useful so quickly. They're all so ugly... He doesn't know why he ever felt he needed to get something that wasn't gray.

Although, as they start to burn into ashes, his stomach suddenly lurches from an unrelated memory, and he spins on his heel and runs back out into the hall, pressing his back against the corridor wall and his hand to his heart. Something is wrong with him. He knows. But for a minute he thought the ticking had grown quieter... he thinks he may not rest until it does.

Anyone else out there having these problems? Maybe it would be good to talk them through over a gray meal.]

[otherworldlyking]

[ ...that sure happened.

McBurn had just sort of watched him run back into the hall, and do whatever he was doing after he came back down to the ground floor. ]

Something happen?

[ Well, he could probably smell something burning over here, but he'd ask idly anyway. ]

CW mention of cremation

[poorlovefool]

I-I burned something...

[Eric glances over his shoulder toward the furnace.]

Well those outfits were awful, but I don't know why I went that far. Burning things in a furnace, it... it reminds me of... bodies... I-I burned a body once, back in the Depths. [His voice gets more whiny here.] Then Raph made me pull out the bones again...

[He shivers. Obviously this was a really bad experience, so one could understand why he regrets doing it today.]

[otherworldlyking]

[ Eric why... ]

Then just don't do it again.

[ He could tell, seeing as that scenario sounded kind of weird. Okay actually more than weird, but he wasn't the type to get bothered by this type of thing. Though it's the pulling out the bones that became more questionable. ]

Who was Ralph?

[poorlovefool]

I guess I won't. I'll just have to stay away from the dressing room instead.

Raph, not Ralph. She had a long name, I just say that for short. Anyway, she was just another Titled who didn't want to investigate. I got stuck with it until Rubedo took over.

[katzenpfote]

[Fortunately for him, Caleb has been through horror and pain before. Not like this - nothing could be like this - but he'd felt the sting of one spell or another when he'd hesitated. He's seen blood, and he's dealt with nightmares.]

[The first thing he does when he recovers himself is spend some time in the laboratory, muttering under his breath as he makes up a batch of healing potions. He'd made a few before, but now he wants to make sure everyone has at least one each of Restore Health and Cure Disease.]

[Then he goes knocking on everyone's door, save for the ones he knows is empty, having made a small sack out of some of the dark cloth he'd acquired. If someone doesn't answer the door, he'll just gently leave one of each on the grass next to the door with a note labeling each one.]

[Finally, as it gets into the later part of night, he can be found at house number 10. He's not likely to sleep for a while, so if someone wants to drop by - or if one of his housemates needs to talk - he's available.]

door;

[otherworldlyking]

[ He'll open it, though honestly...it was a little surprise. It's not often he gets visitors. ]

Need something?

[katzenpfote]

[He nods to McBurn and pulls out one of each potion.]

This one is Restore Health, and this one is Cure Disease. Just in case

[He holds them out towards the other man.]

[otherworldlyking]

In case we get hurt in the upcoming battle? Can't say I usually need things like this.

[ But he'll reach out to take them. ]

[katzenpfote]

Of course you don’t. But just in case - and if someone goes down, you can get them up again.

[poorlovefool]

Oh, more potions...

[Eric has the potion supplies he took from Vita in his house's fridge, including the heart that he's now juuuuust unempathetic about to not mind so much that it's there. He was the potion guy in the Depths so it's a little nostalgic to get handed a bunch. Saves him the trouble, but it makes him a little nervous. If he's giving him a cure health, it sorta implies he expects him to go get hurt.]

P-Please tell me you don't want me to get into another fight already. I don't think I could do it.

[katzenpfote]

Ah, no... but it seems like things may get even more dangerous from here. I want everyone to have one of each of these, just in case. If you go down we can get you up again and pull you to safety that way.

[carryabigstick]

[It takes her a bit of time, but she does come to answer the door when Caleb comes knocking. She isn't right yet-- not at all like the Estelle they're probably used to. But she's upright and moving and doing her best.]

Oh... hey Caleb. What's... in the bag?

[katzenpfote]

Some potions. I want everyone to have one of each of these types, just in case. Things are getting very dangerous... more so than before, I think.

[He looks at her face carefully, as uncomfortable as meeting someone else's gaze is.]

... Do you want to talk to someone about it?

[carryabigstick]

Oh... cool. Thanks, that'll be a huge help.

[Preparations like that were important to consider. She's... glad at least one of them thought of it.

Caleb had gone through it too. He probably had his own things he was dealing with and was still willing to listen to her. She takes the potions so she can pack them up with her things.]

...come on in.

[necroyalty]

[ Alright. Alright.

Ambrosine stays in her house for most of the day, although anyone who wants to try to hunt her down might catch her sneaking out for food and...actually taking food, instead of the pills she usually goes for.

And then swiping an entire bottle of booze because why the fuck not.

Once she has the energy to venture beyond the house proper, there's only two places she has any real interest in.

The first is the dressing room, where she finds herself assembling various outfits that are all very, very blue. Just. So much blue. She needs all the blue in the world, okay.

Finally, she holes herself up in the library, trying to hold back tears after several hours.

In both cases, the picture she received from Akira is somewhere nearby. ]

[katzenpfote]

[Caleb knocks on her door, the sound of slight clinking coming from his bag.]

[necroyalty]

...Caleb.

[ She looks pretty frazzled, like she's had considerable trouble sleeping. ]

Well. Come on in.

[katzenpfote]

[He nods and steps inside, closing the door behind him.]

I have brought some potions. I feel as if things are going to get worse from here, so I would like everyone to have at least one of each type of healing potion...

[But he knows that look.]

... Do you need to talk about it?