WEEK 3

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 3

[Once everyone has gotten out of the elevator, those who go to look for Akira and Kurama will find that they have been put into one of their rooms, together, safely tucked into bed with a glass of milk for each of them. And - aside from the bruises of being suctioned into a death cylinder and tranquilized with some very strong drugs - they are alive and unharmed.

Naturally, this means that Akira and Kurama are the first to experience the dreams, but everyone will experience them, once they finally fall asleep, for good and ill.

Despite everything, too, the survivors will find many other new things facing them as they wake up. A new evolution for their powers, a new wing...and a new rule, updated after the execution. The profiles have also been updated, to reflect the Titled's ever-dwindling numbers.

This is going to be a long week, that's for sure.


There are ten strangers left in this place.

((OOC: Don't forget to do Activity Check along with memory regains, everyone!))

Comments

[totalbullshit]

[ This would call for a repeat of the earlier outcry, but is there even any time for that?

She's expected it to come to this, of course, but she still didn't anticipate how much fear she would feel. Her run comes to a halt, except it's not that easy to just stop when you've been going as far as you can before...

So in the end, she more stumbles, almost falls and comes to stop with only very little space left between herself and the executioner.

And she'll take this opportunity to unleash some more lightning. ]

[strangerpeople]

[The lightning is harmlessly absorbed as the creature takes a step forward.

And - for Helena anyways - speaks emotionally for the first time.]

. . .WHY.

[Its not simply angry. It’s unabashedly upset and terrified.

It’s hand shoots out to grab Helena by the collar.]

WHY DID YOU HURT CO-CHAN??!

[totalbullshit]

[ Helena expects pain and being yanked forward isn't all that surprising. It's just... the voice... the feeling... the personal attachment in it (?!) that is utterly bewildering and Helena finds herself helplessly staring. ]

I--

[ She... what? Just kill me already, what's this supposed to mean?! Make it quick!!
No, actually this is just infuriating isn't it? ]

I don't know, why do you keep us trapped in a death game? Why did you set it up so that Wake and Torri had to die? Maybe start with yourself if you're gonna ask dumb questions!

[strangerpeople]

[The creature stares at her, still upset, still everything Her voice shakes.]

CO-CHAN NEVER HURT YOU!! CO-CHAN SAID... SHE LIKED YOU!! ALL OF YOU!!...

[totalbullshit]

[ This is the worst. The utter absolute worst. Helena knows there is no way she'll be let go, no matter what kind of answers she gives. She broke the rules, if she doesn't pay the price now that just means all rules are useless forever.

So then why is she being guilted by what will be her executor? Why is she expected to e sorry when she's fending for the life of the people around her? Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. ]

Your precious Co-chan is in league with our oppressor! Just like you are! I don't want the people here to die, how hard is that to get into your head?

Aren't you about to do the same thing? Off me for your precious Co-chan?

[ She wishes that could have sounded cool and cutting. She wishes that her ever-so-cool voice wouldn't betray her and crack now of all times. ]

[strangerpeople]

. . .

EXECUTING RULE 4 VIOLATION PROTOCOL.

[Helena probably expected retribution. Something of biblical proportion. Maybe have that lightning be used against her to fry her insides. Maybe have monsters appear and rip her apart. This beast would have every right to be as cutting as Helena wanted to be.

But Helena might see it. Something in those eyes, even beyond being upset. That Helena had done something utterly terrible. Yet even so, it didn’t have it in itself to make Helena suffer even as it suffered knowing it’s friend was possibly gone.

Then. She would feel the sting in her neck, as the dart in one of the golem’s claws shot out of it. And then, she would feel very, very tired. It was the dart every other culprit had dodged; now, she would know what it did.

She wasn’t going to be killed violently. Retribution wasn’t what she would experience.

She would instead, mercifully, fall into a gentle sleep very shortly, and simply never wake up.]

[totalbullshit]

[ It doesn't feel like more than a shot at the doctors office and for a moment, Helena is relieved and for a moment, Helena can't even bring herself to be apprehensive anymore. It's hard to take this seriously after all she's braced herself for. Every horrible painful experience.

The tiredness washes over her comfortingly. Fear doesn't stand a chance against the urge to close her eyes and let it win. ]

...n-no.... I....

[ She doesn't know what she's going to say and mercifully, she's never put on the spot to finish the sentence anyway. Her body goes limp and she feels almost comfortable, which shouldn't be possible when you're held up by a giant monster.

I should struggle...

The idea doesn't feel intrinsic to her, it's just something that scratches on the surface of her mind that goes blank at alarming speed. Helena pays it no mind. She closes her eyes.

Helena "The Nasty" St. Tessero is dead. ]

OPEN TO ALL

[strangerpeople]

[With that, the golem puts Helena on a bench. She would properly get the Nasty out of there, but first.

The remaining Titled will hear loud shouting coming from 1E, no matter where they are.]

CO-CHAN!! CO-CHAN!!

[beguiledcard]

[ And it doesn't take him long at all to go sprinting in that direction. ]

[comesaround]

[ Karma's following after him in a heartbeat. That shouting really was alarming and not what he was expecting. ]

[incrediblystressedout]

[Someday, something in this mall will stop being incredibly, ineffably ominous. Today is not that day, and Joey will be running (gracefully) in the same direction as the guys shortly.]

[strangerpeople]

[Hey guys, it’s the giant hateorbs thing, crying out over The Life Coach’s unmoving form like a kid crying for a family member.

No biggie.]

HELP...HELP!! SOMEONE...

KANA-CHAN, PLEASE...!!

I am making up this spell

[scienceofmagic]

[ Croix comes rushing up finally. She'd been eating, but here she is. Dammit. Dammit...! She whips out her wand, even though she knows it won't do anything. ]

Sláinte reddo! Sláinte reddo! Sláinte reddo!

[ ...She may sound desperate the more she waves her wand. Come on, this has to work. Please. Please...! ]

[beguiledcard]

[ His eyes widen.

Kana-chan... ]

Hey...!

[ He's quickly moving over to the pair, unsteadily kneeling down by the unmoving form. ]

[incrediblystressedout]

[Kana-chan?]

[Joey's gone quiet and vaguely sad, like she did at Dio's trial. There's something wrong, but the enormity of the wrongness is secondary to her immediate instinct to do something about it.]

I don't...I can't see her, but maybe if I...

How did this happen?

[She's addressing the giant cat monster. No, this doesn't seem weird right now.]

[strangerpeople]

[She almost skitters away in...fear. But she sees Joey, and stops.]

THE NASTY...

[incrediblystressedout]

Helena.

[That would be her still form on that bench, then. Oh God.]

That's...did she use her lightning? I don't know how to treat that in an animal, let alone...whatever's going on with LC. I...

[Helena's dead. She's right over there and she must be dead. She broke a rule and here's the thing that killed her and all that "thing" cares about is LC being hurt and.]

I'm...sorry?

[beguiledcard]

[ His mind is moving way too fast; it's a lot to take in, but he doesn't hesitate to reach out and try checking for the LC's pulse.

Adrenaline has his hand just a little unsteady, but...

In the meantime, he's listening quietly to the conversation. Helena...

... Why...???? ]

[byanyother_name]

[Kurama wasn't that far behind Akira and Karma, though he takes a few moments to analyze the scene before doing anything. His choice of actions might surprise some people; he moves to the creature without hesitating and reaches to hug her.]

Nyaf-ya... I'm sorry. Do you know of anywhere here we might be able to use to help her?

[strangerpeople]

[There is no pulse.]

KANA-CHAN!! PLEASE, PLEASE...!!

[She nearly skitters back from Kurama - it's pretty clear that whatever happened, she's now terrified of the Titled. But, seeing it's Kurama, she doesn't stop him, either.]

[scienceofmagic]

Please...! If miracles exist, then let me have one spell! Just one! Let me save one life...!

[ Croix keeps going. Waving her wand, reciting those words, begging for the green light to appear. ]

Sláinte reddo!

[strangerpeople]

[The Life Coach's figure starts to seem static, unstable, as the seconds go by, and she is still not responding.

Hence.

The Life Coach...]

[beguiledcard]

[ Fuck that.

He's giving CPR a try! ]

1/2

[lifecoach]

[The Life Coach is suddenly flashing, with a light that looks very similar to the one Akira and Kurama summoned. The colors in her body wash out into this white light, though she still feels cold under Akira's hands... ]

[greatfascinations]

[Here's some sweet ass BGM.

...Then the light fades. A normal girl is there, opening her large eyes.]

Ugh... what the heck...

[It's the Life Coach's voice. It's her!

She still doesn't have a pulse tho.]