The Official Blog of Jericho van Halen

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s p a c e || open

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

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The wariness was mutual. Riley didn’t know what Jericho could be capable of. Appearances could be deceiving, and she had no intention of trusting someone who led a successful career revolving around pretending to be someone they’re not.

But. Maybe the coldness was unwarranted. They weren’t supposed to be enemies. People deserved second chances. Or maybe she was still bitter about the actor’s apparent inability to take anything seriously. Hiding evidence was not funny, no matter what they said. That trial had been awful. Every trial had been awful. And the dodgeball game – she couldn’t even recall exactly what it was that they had said at the end that had made her so angry, but she remembered that they wouldn’t stop talking.

No longer piloted, the recently respawned Galaga ship exploded again in a burst of pixels. Her anger vanished along with it – what was the point? - and she was just. so. tired.

“I don’t take naps.” Old habit. Sleeping during the day had always messed up her sleep cycle. Or at least that had been the case the last time she’d taken a nap, which was around… eight or so years ago? “Wrong kind of tired, anyway.”

She shook her head and pointed at one of the smashed arcade machines, reverting to her usual businesslike tone. “Key eight was over there. Illegible note. Opened an operating room, cabinets were locked, nothing useful. You?”

Jericho bounces on their heels, seemingly incorrigible as ever, though they don’t bounce quite as high, or as often, or as quickly, at the moment, at least. Maybe the riddle game took more out of them than they would admit. Maybe. 

They can feel the... not hostility, not really, not yet, but there is definitely tension, more so on Riley’s part than theirs, they might add! Sure, Riley could strike them dead at any time, but would she do it? ... Maybe! Who knows, they don’t know her that well. But a van Halen shaped smudge on the ground would be pretty damning on her part, huh? So probably not! Probably.

The actor watches idly as the spaceship dies, or... whatever. Did she lose a life? Was that how it worked? If only it were so easy to keep going here, huh. Though... judging by some of the files they’d found, wasn’t that what Leroy, and Ellen, and whatever other scientists had done? Matti’s mother hadn’t worked out, so they took him. Apollo’s sister, Calico’s brother... extras. Like in a movie. They almost frown at the thought. Almost. 

“Well, it’s not a bad time to start! Our rooms are one of the few places here we’re safe, you know!” Pause. “Unless you have a roommate, I suppose. Who’s yours? Or was, perhaps. I don’t know!” They just sort of, stop, falling still. “Ah, tired as in ‘fed up’, I see! Hm. I’m, aha, really sorry. Really.”

They perk up slightly at the question, however. “Well! Well, well, well! I have to say, my searches were much more fruitful! Searches, I might add! ... ... I stole Ayumu’s riddle, aha. But! Miss Kerry and myself ran off and... well, I don’t remember the exact room or keys, exactly, but it doesn’t matter!! What we found was... shocking, really!” Their face actually shifts into a serious expression. “Records. Of experimentation. On our... ah... biological relatives. And adopted, in some cases! But... I don’t recall seeing your name, if that’s any comfort? Well, there was one that may have been yours, but... I don’t know! I don’t have them on me. We can go look if you’d like, but they were quite gruesome! ... Quite.”

The reiteration is deliberate. “And what Miss Xue and I found in the other room was... well, even worse, somehow! Clawmarks into the metal, blood, everywhere! A rainbow of it, in fact. There was something written on the walls as well, something along the lines of ‘she said she was on our side but she just watched. she’s not one of us’. I wonder who ‘she’ is, but more importantly, I may have evidence...!” They whip out a photograph, exceedingly blurry, of something that has glowing eyes, fur, and fangs. “I found this by a preserved brain,” they inform her glibly. 

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s p a c e || open

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

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Riley didn’t like arcades. She hadn’t stepped foot in the place until she’d been given a reason to.

There were only a few things within the facility that could offhandedly be described as “out of order,” as her clue had read – toilets, vending machines, and arcade games. Toilets were connected to individual bedrooms and would have been a terrible choice to hide something that was meant to be found. She couldn’t recall ever seeing a vending machine during her time here, so the only choice left had been the arcade.

The brief satisfaction of being the first to solve a riddle had been quickly washed away by the fact that the key and accompanying note had been completely and utterly useless. She could barely even manage to be annoyed at Leroy for the waste of time, at this point; it had been something to break the monotony, after all. If anything, it had ended too quickly – once again, they were all left with nothing to do. She was bored. As bored as she could be with the history and ongoing threat of death hanging over the facility and the new feathers that kept showing up every day as a reminder that neither she nor anyone else here was truly human. Whoopee.

So despite the dissonant cacophony of sound and the obnoxious carpeting that she found personally offensive, she returned to the arcade shortly after it became apparent that she had nothing more to gain from the riddle hunt, picked a machine at random, and was fully engrossed in a game of Galaga by the time someone else entered the room.

She still looked up from the game to watch them approach, because regardless of whether she was planning to lose herself in mindless video games until she was tired enough to sleep and think about things tomorrow, she did not intend to let her guard down – and she frowned as the machine beeped out a sound effect indicating that the distraction had sent her spaceship right into one of the alien bug bullet… things.

“I’m tired,” she said flatly, without taking her eyes off of them. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Truth be told, Jericho had never been to an arcade! Nor were they particularly a video game playing person. They simply just didn’t have time to. If they wanted to keep up with the latest vidya, they’d simply ask Lazarus! Or at least they would, if they weren’t trapped in here. And if Lazarus weren’t more than likely dead. And if Lazarus had been into arcade games in the first place. Well, that train of thought had crashed down a particularly morbid track. Hm.

It’s with their likely-deceased twin sibling on their mind that they decide to head on over to the arcade. What would they find there? Who knows! That was the exciting part, or something. 

They weren’t really sure if they were expecting anyone to be in there or not, but surprise! There sure is. That beat playing video games in the flashing lights that somewhat reminded them of paparazzi cameras. Ah, a simpler time, when they weren’t apparently a horrendous monster. Though, they didn’t really feel like one? All that had happened was that they kept getting shorter, which, while extremely annoying, was tame compared to feathers and fur and lightning and breathing fire. Theoretically, they could still be an actor. Imagine, the world’s first famous cryptid actor! 

Maybe they were jumping the shark a bit. 

They don’t hone in on any one particular arcade cabinet as they walk in, because they’re too busy honing in on who is probably the sole person in the arcade: Riley Stanton. They have to admit! They’re wary of her. Nearly being electrocuted during a friendly game of dodgeball would do that to a person!

“Then take a nap!” they reply jauntily, though maybe, if you squint, their tone is just a bit gentler than normal. They just kinda shrug at her hostility. “Things do get boring around here, don’t they? I guess the riddle hunt was some change, but... Hm! It was certainly something. What did you think of it?”

[bibliotheca-apollonis-blog]

haunted ground | open

Well, Apollo had certainly learned a lot, but most of that was stuff he didn’t care about. The biological relatives of some of the other folks around here were dead, and presumably being tested by the facility. But what did he care? His biological monster family didn’t mean anything to him. His family, the only family that mattered, was a smoking, broken wreck. 

But it did imply that, whatever was going on here, the twenty or so people who’d been taken and forced to kill each other were part of something much larger. And that was interesting. Had they been running the same experiment, or different ones? Why? Lots of questions, but no answers, and no real way to answer them.

He figured he should share his findings with the others, but he was feeling pretty pissed off by being forced to traipse all over this stupid place for the sake of a dumbass riddle. He’d leave the doors open, they could go read the files themselves, if they cared. He just felt like burying himself in a book and ignoring everything for a while. Maybe with a nice cup of tea.

Not that he’d get the chance. Someone else was here, in the hallway leading toward the canteen. He held his tongue; hopefully they’d just pass him by.

He kept his eyes forward, barely offering a glance in their direction. Might as well not even exist to him. If Apollo’s distracted and thoughtful aura were any indication, it might be interesting to ask him what he found, but his face and posture only conveyed irritation, so maybe not.

[ultimatebloodsport]

When had Apollo left exactly? Matthias couldn’t quite figure that one out. No, more accurately, he simply couldn’t remember. He’d been so involved in having a look and then taking a breather the more frail of the two had simply vanished off to do his own thing. But it was worth talking to him. Not just over these findings - if for no other reason to make sure he was holding up okay. Their dynamic had become… rather peculiar in these times.

It should be warming feeling of friendship, relief, and to an extent, it is. Matthias truly is relieved that someone the world thought he’d wronged does not believe the same. But at the same time years of resentment were hard to place elsewhere. Especially when he felt so… tightly-wound and attached to them. This need to hate, to get justice had been in his heart for so long. Certainly, he wasn’t really that angry at Apollo, no, but whenever he saw the boy’s face the feelings surged up. Who’s the one to blame? When can they face justice? And the sad part was, in this place, this hell, they might never. Matthias needed to be out there to find them. But he wasn’t about to play by these sick rules to do so.

He couldn’t disappoint Apollo. Nor Riley.

“Hey, must’ve missed you leavin’. Sorry.”

The way he approaches is not unlike a suspicious child or guilty dog, a careful walking around rather than simply striding in. There’s still weirdness on his end but he wants to talk to Apollo so he’ll have to work through that.

“I was thinkin’ like… we should go over the stuff we found. Y;know?”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Wow. That was really all Jericho had to say, about what they’d found. The documents were so interesting! Even though they hadn’t found their own name or number among the listed ones, two in particular caught their eye. Though, honestly, they’re almost disappointed they hadn’t found anything about themselves. They did wonder about the state of their family, but judging by what they’d found... the prognosis was not good. Hmm. 

What they had to share, though!! Should they go seek out the people they’d seen mentioned on the list? Who was that? Matthias, Apollo, Sousuke, Ikura, Calico, and two they hadn’t quite been able to make out. Should they tell them? Well! They would certainly want to know if they were in the others’ situation, so make that a yes! 

But first... Jeez there’s a lot of blood in this room huh. They step forward regardless, however, examining the brain curiously. That sure is a brain alright. They could take it with them, but what would they even do with it? Use it as a macabre snow globe? They certainly could do that but they have a feeling it wouldn’t go over well. So they turn their attention to the photograph. They’re, well, not entirely sure what it is! Whatever it is is blurry as all heck. Confirmed. Staring Xue straight in the eyes, they take the photograph with them as they return to the hallway and the rest of the facility.

Still mulling over what they’d learned, they take off toward the kitchen, because they hadn’t realized just how hungry they were. They turn the corner into the hallway there just in time to hear one Matthias Wolfram say that they (who was they? Jericho wasn’t sure, but they were about to find out!) should go over what they’d found.

“Excellent idea!” they exclaim as they bound forward to see that Matti is talking to none other than Apollo Brandt. Hmm. Hmm!! “Hello, Matti, Apollo! If we’re sharing, then goodness, I have some news!”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

La Piscine [Apollo]

[bibliotheca-apollonis-blog]

It really helped that Apollo was taller than Jericho, and it also helped that Apollo had a perfect stern, disapproving expression, and had a tendency to look down upon people like a fearsome professor. His eyes dropped to the hand he held in his own, and rather than answering immediately, he turned the hand around, as if inspecting it.

“I could snap your little wrist like a twig, you know,” he muttered contemplatively. “It would be so easy… just like this-” He tightened his grip and jerked the hand, but let off before doing any damage. “But you’re not worth the effort, you disgusting little creep.” He let go now, and then inspected the palm of his glove as if expecting filth to have rubbed off.

“I was not going to swim, if you must know,” he said, “I was simply bored, and decided that I might as well have a look at the new rooms. And then you came along and made things more unpleasant than they had to be.” Looked up at the actor again, and gave a half sneer at the sight of them nearby.

Now, really, what had Jericho actually done to Apollo? Besides try to pummel him during that farce of a game a week or two ago? Not all that much. But he had a very, very bad feeling about them. The evidence-stealing thing didn’t help, certainly, but it went deeper than that. A gut feeling warning him not to even begin to trust Jericho van Halen.

“Now,” he said, straightening himself, “Did you come all this way just to push me into the pool, or did you have something actually constructive to do?”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

In normal circumstances, they would be, well, not exactly towering over the classicist, but would still have a good bit of height on him, and oh, weren’t those the days? But here, nothing was normal, and SOME PEOPLE were apparently taking advantage of that. How rude.

The smile drops from their face, just for a moment dipping down into a scowl, as Apollo so ponderingly mulls over their hand, but it perks right back up after a second. “Is that so?” they ask almost conversationally, meeting Apollo’s eyes inquisitively, and as the other snaps their hand to the side (though not enough to break it), Jericho does not break eye contact, or even react other than a sharp intake of breath. Their grin only widens as Apollo quips wittily at them and releases them.

“Not worth the effort? Oh, no, I assure you that I would quite be worth the effort! ...if you weren’t a coward.” This is delivered as if the actor were simply speaking about the weather. “But, oh well, right? Jericho van Halen is always worth the effort, it’s your loss that you don’t see that. At any rate, I hope you’re quite done trying to show me how big and strong and tough you are, because we both know that if you and I weren’t stuck here and undergoing horrific metamorphosis, you wouldn’t be able to do anything. So you reverting back to whatever you are is a blessing in disguise, hmm?”

Perhaps wisely, they spring out of the way, almost dancing away in a taunting manner, that way if Apollo does try to go after them, they’ll have a head start. Hopefully. “Oh, wow, me too!” they reply. “Except you’re the one sucking the fun out of it, hmph!” 

They take another step back toward the entrance of the pool room, you know, just in case. “Just looking around, wondering who was about. Say, Apollo, would you care to join me in the arcade? Other than one of those hammer strength games--do you think they even have them? Hmm--I’m positive I could beat you in a rousing game of... whatever, really! I’m not really that big on video games--that’s Lazarus, perhaps you’ve heard of him? Or maybe not, you don’t seem to be the video game type, huh? Regardless! I cordially invite you to the arcade with me! Is that how they do it in Belanc?”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

La Piscine [Apollo]

[bibliotheca-apollonis-blog]

Apollo had approximately zero interest in pools. He used to be able to swim, but now he couldn’t, and it served as yet another reminder of everything that had happened to him. He used to swim in the wide river that ran through Rixheillé, for his estate had backed onto it, and he and his siblings used to throw themselves off the docks in the summertime.

Now, though, he could barely hold himself above water. Didn’t have the strength or stamina to swim, couldn’t fight the river currents. So he didn’t swim in the river anymore. And pools were just a mockery of the whole thing. How could he swim in a chlorine-saturated cube of water when the memory of the warm river was still in his mind?

So, no, he had not come here to swim. There was never anything to do in this facility besides get killed. So he figured he had five minutes to stick his head into the pool room and see what he was avoiding.

Not that he could get any goddamn peace and quiet around here. He felt presence behind him. Thought they were being sneaky, but Apollo could tell they were coming even from before they came into the room. Because he was mean, though, he waited until they were up close. Thought they’d be able to push him safely into the drink. He scowled despite himself.

Right as the presence was about to make its move, Apollo turned, lashed out, grabbed one hand with his own. His grip was surprisingly strong. It helped to be perpetually pissed off. “Van Halen,” he spat, “What a pleasant surprise.”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Oh jeez. Okay, perhaps, given everything, they maybe should have expected this. They already knew Apollo had freakish strength, so him having esp or whatever shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Speaking of that strength though, ooogh it sure was showing itself now. If he wasn’t careful, Apollo might break their wrist... Not that the snob would care. Talk about disproportionate retaliation. So what the actor had tried to shove him into the pool! It’s not like he was going to drown in five feet of water or anything. Why wouldn’t he just let go... 

They smile up at the classicist, though it’s strained, just a little. “Apollo!” they reply in return, their voice a bit strangled. “I know, right? Always pleasant, you sure know me!” They wink. “But yes, good, ah, afternoon? Evening? Does it really matter here? I digress, though, aha. Tell me, were you planning on going swimming? Ah, without my help, I mean.” They titter, because honestly? They still think their attempted prank was going to be hilarious. “Just curious! I know i wouldn’t swim in a pool to save my life--well, okay, maybe if I was on fire, maybe--but I suppose you could very well be different! Clean and supposedly sterile. Is that what you’re fond of, Apollo?”

Jericho winces at the pressure on their wrist. Wow, haha, Apollo didn’t seem close to letting go any time soon. “Now, myself, I’m fond of the sea! When I was younger, my family would often go to the N--the sea and we would play and play! We’d even go out on a boat, though, well, that certainly decreased in the aftermath of my sibling’s accident.” A pause. “Are you going to let go of me any time soon, Apollo? If you’re trying to show what a big strong man you are, you’ve proven your point. Or tried to, at any rate.” Their last few sentences carry a weight that the rest of their spiel had lacked. They stare almost sternly up at Apollo, waiting.

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Have A Nice Day [Xue]

The inspiration for this particular prank came to them on the way back from the trial. While a wholly inappropriate time and place to consider such things, they simply couldn’t let this one go. It was just too good. But they didn’t show their hand immediately, oh no. They waited, and they planned, and stood watching for the right time. Which wasn’t too long after the trial, honestly. Their timing is either impeccable or completely atrocious, though which this is is left up to interpretation.

This prank is one that’s going to leave no doubt as to who did it, but hey, sneakiness isn’t everything, you know? Sometimes the satisfaction of the prank is enough, and in this case, they certainly feel it will be.

They’d raided the snack room well in advance, keeping their goods in the safest, driest place they could think of: their hair. Hey, whatever worked, right? And it had worked before. Except, you know, when they were in the shower. They’d hidden them elsewhere for that time. From there, they’d bided their time until what they’d seen as the perfect moment, one night when they arrived to their room before Xue.

Aha! Ahaha! Moderately damp was preferable to absolutely soaked, and so they’d swooped right in, quickly removing the cookies from their hair and then from the bag (did you think they’d just put crumbly cookies directly into their hair?), eyeing one of them contemplatively before throwing back the covers on Xue’s part of the bunk bed.They deposit the cookies there, spreading them out evenly. Xue seems to head into everything recklessly, so this will probably be the same?

They’re pulling the blankets back  up, just like they were, when they hear footsteps approaching the door to their room. But, like the true prankmaster they are, their heart doesn’t skip a beat. Instead, they scramble up to the top bunk and stretch out, as if they’d been there all along. What were they doing? Well. That doesn’t matter. With bated breath they wait for Xue to enter the room.

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

La Piscine [Apollo]

Jericho van Halen hates pools. Absolutely despises them. They’re no germaphobe, but pools are disgusting? Swimming in the ocean, despite the dangers, was much more preferable than crowding in chlorinated water. Even a private pool at their own home would cause them to wrinkle their nose in distaste. So despite how pristinely it was taken care of (or... not. They wouldn’t put it past Leroy and Ellen to leave things less that perfect, given the two’s hatred of all of them), they still find themselves in disgust when they come upon the pool in the new area.

But that’s not the only thing they stumble upon.

They wouldn’t have expected it, not at all, but standing in the pool area is one Apollo Brandt. They raise their eyebrows; they wouldn’t have thought the other a swimmer, not at all! Goodness, a slight current would sweep him away, no problem! Plus, surely he couldn’t even hold his breath that long...! But, they supposed, that was why he was standing by the pool instead of in it.

A devious smile spreads across their face. Why, it’s the perfect crime!

They pride themselves on being sneaky; you kinda have to be in order to prank people, oftentimes! And they’re relying on that now as they creep up behind Apollo, their intentions quite obvious...

[bibliotheca-apollonis-blog]

Noises in the Night || Jericho, Riley, Apollo

[bibliotheca-apollonis-blog]

Apollo really needed to practice his new psychic sense, whatever it was. He could tell that someone else was approaching him and Riley, but he didn’t get a sense of who it was immediately, and he was too tired to provide the focus needed to find out. Would that he had, though - Jericho van Halen was the last face he wanted to see at stupid o’clock in the morning. He coldly regarded the actor, didn’t deign to respond, and then turned back to the task at hand. 

“I’ve got him,” he muttered as his hand connected to waterlogged fabric. Bracing himself against the doorway he reached and got a better grip, and then pulled him forward, right up to the threshold. Possibly with Riley’s help, he pulled the corpse of his roommate out of the drink and laid it out on the hallway floor.

“He’s bleeding from the mouth,” Apollo said, taking stock of what he saw. He was tired, and narrating this to himself was the only thing keeping him in focus right now. “Poison?” He nodded. That was likely. He then checked the body for any other signs of damage.

“If it was poison,” he said, turning now to Riley, “I can’t imagine Levesque died here. The real crime scene is somewhere else; the murderer dumped his body in the water.” He glanced down at the dead prosecutor. “I have no idea why, though.”

He frowned. People got dumped in rivers so that the current would carry evidence away. No current in the survival room. The killer was trying to hide the location of the actual murder. That would be important, then. Maybe they were also trying to destroy evidence? He gave Loic a patdown, and checked his pockets for any clues. Any paper in his pockets was probably long gone.

[designedinterior-blog]

Riley glanced back to find that the one with the novel of a name was here, too. Wasn’t that just wonderful? That was exactly what this morning needed, an evidence stealing actor who thought murder trials were the appropriate place for pranks.

“Don’t touch anything,” she said by way of greeting, then turned back to the task at hand. She helped to drag the body out of the water, though her efforts weren’t really much help. Noodle arms and all that. Apollo was right - with a lack of any obvious external injuries, poison did seem like the most likely cause of death.

“Yes, underwater is not the most ideal place to murder someone. But, if it’s poison…” she frowned, looking down into the water for anything that might have sunk to the bottom. “…Hm. I wonder where it could have come from. Do you think-”

Whatever she was about to ask was interrupted by the new announcement, and she quickly stood up.  Was Leroy seriously making bird puns at a time like this? Oh, who was she kidding. She didn’t have nearly enough respect for the man to expect any better.

“Two – another one?” Only the name was given, not how, not when - but the files should be up by now. She closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head. “I… I’m going to go check the theater. I’ll be right back.”

She quickly went over to the theater to look around and check the information provided, then returned to the environmental rooms.

“Toubei was killed first, a little less than four hours before Loic. Death from blood loss. He’s in the game room. And you were correct about poison killing Loic,” she added, nodding at Apollo.

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Oh, trust them, they’re not going to get involved, don’t worry! Just look at their stature! Apollo and Riley are much more suited for this! They stay well enough away from the door, giving the two plenty of room to work, and sure enough, Riley and Apollo do manage to heft the body out of the water. “Hey!” they cry at Riley’s jab, frowning exaggeratedly. “I resent that remark, Miss Riley! It was one time, and I fessed up in the end, didn’t I? Hmph!” They turn away, arms crossed, but only remain like that for a few seconds. Gosh, aren’t they a good actor?

Jericho turns around with something pithy to say on the tip of their tongue, but stops when the announcement blares over them. “Ooooh, so that’s what that was,” they say knowingly, nodding, though the smile has faded a little bit. That’s unexpected. “You do you, Miss Riley,” they add, looking toward Apollo as the other goes. “Say, Polly, good job on hauling that out of there! Quite impressive! Loic's being a bit more of deadweight than he usually is, so good on you!" 

They just sort of bounce between the heel and ball of their foot until Riley returns, and when she confirms Loic’s cause of death, they gasp. “Oh! Well, I stopped by the theater before coming here, if you wanted to know how Loic died, why didn’t you just say something? I’m here to help, you know!” 

They pause, resting a finger on their chin. “Oh, by the way, speaking of the game room, I passed by there on my way over here as well! Terrible mess, same with the art room? I sure hope someone’s going to clean that up, because that’s a large chunk of our living space, just unusable, right now! But yes, should we investigate there as well?” they ask.

In the meantime, they examine each of the other environmental rooms in turn, excluding the one Loic was found in.

[bibliotheca-apollonis-blog]

Noises in the Night || Jericho, Riley, Apollo

The first thing Apollo noticed, as he was so strangely pulled from sleep in the dead of night, with the laboratory quiet and dimmed, was that he was alone. He could tell that much, in the dark room and through his sleep-hazed mind. Lonesomeness had a certain feel to it.

A moment later he heard screams. It must have woken him up. And then it clicked - screaming, an empty room - was Loïc dead? Dying? No time to think about that. His brain jumped like it had gotten a hit from jumper cables. He pulled his coat on over his pajamas against the chill of the empty room and grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk, then headed out into the hall, perhaps his better judgement. 

Not that he needed to be worried about this one. Matthias, from nowhere, went past him, toward the person on the floor. Takara. Only one voice like that in the laboratory. In the world. Get help? He could do that. Did that. Help was on its way. And as he went, he heard the PA system crackle to life in the middle of the goddamn night and the idiot scientist was in his ears, informing Apollo that his roommate was dead. The roommate that, just a short while earlier, he had told Takara he would hurt if Loïc got in his way. He groaned softly, ran a hand through his dry curls of hair. Ungloved hands, skin thick with spiderweb scar tissue. Hands that always shook slightly, but, right now, shook a lot.

He glanced back down the hallway toward where Takara lay. Her screaming had stopped. He held his breath, but the idiot scientist didn’t speak again. She wasn’t dead. Apollo hesitated there. He should go back, he should… … … no, nobody wanted Apollo Brandt around, especially not with a bleeding head. He didn’t have any illusions about that. He’d do more harm than good. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and stalked off to the crime scene, concentrating on the little flickers of light around the laboratory, feeling souls drift toward Takara and toward Loïc. Moths to flames, one still flickering, and one little more than rising wisps of smoke.

He was the first to arrive, but he felt other souls approach before he saw them. With his coat pulled around him, the legs below clad in black cotton pants, and his burned feet bare and cold against the floor, he stared down at the corpse floating in the water, a corpse that had been his roommate a short while ago.

Without turning around to actually look at the people who had just arrived, he said, “Help me pull him out.” He crouched down and reached forward, making a grab for whichever body part was closest. He wasn’t really looking forward to this, but it needed to be done, of course. He’d never be used to this. Death had been a constant companion for years, and even more so in the last few weeks, but investigating a waterlogged stiff was not how he wanted to spend the dark hours of the morning.

[designedinterior-blog]

The announcement didn’t come as a surprise. Whether someone would crack, whether someone would die – it had been a matter of who and when, never if. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the ‘when’ turned out to be in the early hours of the morning. Groggily stumbling around on only a few hours of sleep was not the best state to solve a murder in, but there was nothing that could be done about that.

Another murder meant another investigation, another trial. Might as well take the time to put on her regular clothes. The incident in the hallway seemed to have already been well under control by the time she emerged from her room, and she only stopped and watched long enough to confirm that Takara was unlikely to become a second corpse in the near future before passing the group by. She was in good hands. Adding herself to the mix would only complicate things.

Leroy’s announcement had not been so helpful as to include the location of the corpse, but there were others who seemed to have some idea of where to go. She followed to find that Loic Levesque, as Leroy had said, was dead in the water. …It was hard to get worked up about another death right now. Not when it was the fifth. It was a tragedy, yes. But not a shock.

Without saying a word, she kneeled down by the water to lend her meager assistance in dragging the corpse onto solid ground. Might as well get this over with.

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Quite honestly, they’re a little annoyed at having been dragged out of such a restful sleep. Sleeping whilst incredibly moist isn’t an easy feat, you know!! But they’d been doing such a good job tonight... As they turn over to go back to sleep, that’s when the announcement hits, and they slowly sit up, eyebrows raised. Loic? Loic Levesque? The hotshot lawyer? Dead? Hm...

They clamber down from the top bunk, cursing the fact that they’d offered to take it in the first place. Well, certainly they wouldn’t have if they’d known this buffoonery was going to happen! Considering how few choices of clothing they have left, they opt to stay in Miss Xue’s pajamas, as... damp as they were. There’s some sort of commotion in the hallway, but they pay it no mind; plenty of people are heading toward it, and too many cooks spoil the broth. Or too many monsters... something something. Instead, remembering the previous trials, they hop over to the cinema first, quickly gleaning the location of the body (giving the area a onceover before leaving) and... well, not running over there, not by any means, but powerwalking, maybe, looking at things on that path as they went. 

They arrive just in time to see Apollo and Riley attempting to haul the corpse out of the water. Oh, dear... Loic... sure is dead alright. They’re tempted to help, but goodness! This is their only pair of pajamas, and the clothes don’t even belong to them! They couldn’t sully them like this, simply couldn’t do that to Miss Xue! Repaying her kindness with... that. So, instead, they wave cheerily at the duo when eventually noticed, and wait patiently for the two to get his body out of the water. In the meantime, they examine the door, and the area in the hallway near the door, as well as the other nearby doors.

[ultimatebloodsport]

Round.5 ✖ Bad Moon Rising ✖ Open

[ultimatebloodsport]

The fairytale Sleeping Beauty is a cute one. Sweet in nature, even. A girl wakes up thanks to True Love’s Kiss. It’s a similar feeling in some sick sense here. It’s no kiss but it sure is a wake-up call. But perhaps Matthias didn’t need to wake up quite like that. His body moves long before his mind does, each movement slick and vicious like a mountain cat after blood. It’s a good thing she’s right by a tree, her imitation of him just making appear all the more childish. He works quickly, slamming her into the tree by her shoulder, all with one hand. There’s a fury in his eyes that Xue has likely never seen before; not in him, nor anyone.

“… Had no idea you wanted to talk so badly. Wanna talk? Let’s talk. Tell me, star kid, how much pain have you been through in your life? Call me stupid but not much, I’d say. You pity that runner gal? That it? You wanna feel like she did?”

And without warning, he throws his hand around her throat, one hand holding her on the tree, on her throat. With his sheer physical prowess and height holding her so easily comes so naturally to him.

“Just like Squids, right! Poor Squids! Poor kid, right? How’s it feel? This is what he was gonna do to Arielle. But no, you’re right… it’s Marta’s fault right. ALL MARTA’S FAULT! You want to act like you know EVERYTHING, Y’KNOW?! YOU’RE THE MORAL FUCKIN’ COMPASS, RIGHT?! MARTA’S THE VILLAIN, HUH? MAKES YOU FEEL REAL GOOD TO MAKE PEOPLE INTO MOCKERIES, Y’SEE! HOW ‘BOUT ME, XUE? AM I BAD GUY?”

He slams her head back into the tree and finally lets go of her throat but his body is by no means calm. Matthias could strike again at any point and it shows. Every action is without any kind of mercy.

“Dirty snitch… haha… ha! The one person I fuckin’ trust, give my heart to gets murdered in front of me and you come in here and you WALK ALL OVER HER MEMORY. Who does that?! How the FUCK can you justify that?! But no, ‘course I’m the bad guy here. The Big Bad Fuckin’ Wolf, huh? And she’s the bad guy. Because she had no one in her whole life who cared about her. Yeah, sure, being set on fire sure seems appropriate.”

He takes a deep breath and slams his fist right by her face, missing it just by a hair or so. That’s intentional. Matthias looks her in the eye to make sure she knows just how intentional it was. And how lucky she is it was. Although his tone had quieted the fury in it had not faded.

“Marta didn’t betray me, y’see. She was ‘sorry’. Which is more than I’ve ever had before. Not that your fucked up spoiled little mind can comprehend that, y’see. Always surrounded by people who dote on ya, huh? Ha, even that little fucker didn’t go through with his plan… and yet, Marta’s the one who’s called the betrayer… it makes her the bad guy here, ‘pparently. And as for you… ha… yeah, congrats, your opinion mattered. I heard it, alright. I hope it was damn worth it. You want to ignore me? Y’know, given all this. I’d say that’s a damn good idea. Because if you ever come back here again and say shit about Marta again… you will leave in pieces. See,”

And he laughs a dangerous deep laugh.

“I don’t feel much of nothin’, y’know? So you can come at me with a knife and whatever. You can set me on fire. But y’know, I’m not gonna stop. ‘Cause it don’t mean a damn thing to me. So if I ever decide I want you dead… believe me, you’ll be dead. And there is nothing you or anyone here can do to stop me. There y’ go. You heard my problem.”

He takes a step back from the tree, hands now at his sides, as he continues to watch her.

[shslcelestial-blog]

It all happens too quick.

Xue, who never expected someone like Matthias to attack her, Xue, who stepped too far past the line. Xue, who was trying to catch her breath due to the shock of being slammed against a tree, a hand on a shoulder enough to push her back completely. She dares to look him straight in the eyes, she can’t cry, that mean she gave in to Matthias. Though, her words from earlier are gone as all she responds with are whimpers to his questions. She breathes out, taking words out from her thoughts. Scrambled out, they don’t make sense.

“Can’t– It hurts–” Then, a hand around her throat causes her to freeze up completely. There’s a look of pure terror in her eyes now, and both of her hands reach up to scratch at his own hand. Her dainty body, never meant for fights, her perfectly cut and painted nails, reaching and digging into his hand. 

“Matti–” That’s the first time she’s called him like that. “I can’t– breathe– Matti– I don’t–” Her head is slammed into the tree, and a squeak escapes from the back of her throat. Tears escape from her eyes, all she can do is look at him. Does she pity him?

“Matthias, I don’t want to die.” Her voice, is a whisper. Her voice, was always soft and like a whisper. Is she begging for mercy? No.

She’s telling him only the facts.

Xue collapses to the ground once he lets go, wheezing out. Her body backs up against the tree, her hands scramble towards her own throat and chest as she struggles for air. Air that’s already there, air she’s wheezing out. She’s not sobbing, but tears continue to fall. She seems to have more trouble breathing due to shock than crying, and her hand continue to rub at her neck. With one final hit next to her, she wheezes out and looks him in the eye again. What does he see, in her?

Not guilt. Not regret.

She looks confused. She looks upset.

Xue flinches when he laughs and lets her head fall forward when he backs away from her. She knows his eyes are on her.

Thus, she yanks off her choker, throwing it at his feet. She looks up, hair in her eye as she spits at his feet, her own spit landing next to the choker.

“..<Eat shit.> You are a very bad man, Matthias Wolfram. I recall you saying something in the previous trial, I believe it was you saying we hope we burn? We all burn, yes?” Her voice cracks, and if he makes a move or even breathes, she flinches. 

“I hope you burn down, with us. It is what you deserve.” 

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Well, well, well! The trial had certainly been interesting, hadn’t it? Honestly, they’re still salty that absolutely no one had thought their prank funny, which was really, really disappointing. They were hilarious, and the fact that no one else thought so apparently was... unfortunate. For them. Hey, it was their loss! At least they themselves thought it was funny.

At first, they’d headed back to their room, expecting to run into Xue and hopefully try to make her see their point of view on their prank, but... no dice! Well, shoot! They hang around for a bit and then... oho! Y’know, they didn’t do much of exploring this time, but... well, today’s a new day! And a new area to explore.

They head off to the new area, poking their head into the band room first. Ooooh, this’ll be fun! They make a mental note to snag a pair of cymbals and maybe a trumpet later before heading in the opposite direction, toward the amalgamation of small rooms, and... oh? What’s this~? If they’re not mistaken, they hear voices--angry voices--from one of the rooms, so naturally that’s the place they make a beeline to. 

Jericho pokes their head in the room just in time to see one Matthias Wolfram lift their roommate, poor defenseless Miss Xue, up by her throat and pin her to a tree, straight up snarling in her face. Jericho hoo hoos quietly to themselves, entering the room but not interfering. They watch, an almost eager expression on their face as it culminates in Xue telling Matthias... something in Chinese, presumably. 

“Well!” they say loudly, stepping forward to make themselves known... but they don’t get any further than that before they follow it up with a shriek being ripped from their throat as they drop to their knees. Oh jeez oh god oh hell not again-- The pain is worse than anything they’ve ever felt before (they vaguely wonder if Lazarus had felt pain like this when--), or at least since the last time, and all of this for shrinking, god, heck... Their eyes are screwed shut, and they scream again, and once more, it feels like their head is going to explode-- and then it peaks, slowing back down, and they exhale shakily. “Ha...haha...” At last, they open their eyes and look down at their hands, slowly unfurling... 

...or, rather, they would, if they could see them. Okay, that’s not... entirely true, but their skin is nearly translucent now, in a way that reminds them of flickering lights. They gasp softly, torn between enthrallment and rage; how dare they do this to their skin--?! 

But, they suppose, there’s time for that later. They slowly get to their feet, a weird sort of half-smirk on their face. “Ow... b-but hey, pain is beauty, you know? I am still gorgeous, so that must be true...” 

There’s a pause as they recover themselves, and then they start in earnest. “Oh, oh, Miss Xue! I for one would neeeeeeeeever have thought your oh so zany antics would ever have gotten you into trouble! Perish the thought! I mean, you must have done something to provoke him, Ol Matti is more like a tired old mutt than a vicious wolf, you know? Can’t you leave him alone? Goodness! Miss Marta, the only person he has, has died! It’s so tragic, like something out of a movie... That’s incredibly rude of you, Miss Xue. Hasn’t he burned enough? Or, rather, the people close to him?”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Dial M For Murder [Jericho/Loic/Takara]

[primafaciegirl-blog]

Another murder, just weeks after the last one. Sickening, it was all sickening! Takara knew they were all under pressure, sure! She’d been slippery and speaking in showtunes for this whole week, but no one saw her running amok and suffocating people over it!  In fact, as far as she could tell, everyone was being dramatically childish over this situation! So what if a few people were aggressive or itchy or blind or whatever?! 

Now, those voices, on the other hand… they were a bit unsettling. Hearing her sister of all people calling out for her like that- it wasn’t something she could think about right now! Time is money, baby, and maybe with enough money she could buy her way out of this shithole…. or at lease purchase some more absorbent towels. 

After nearly stomping on Jericho, she stopped, but put on a weakly confident grin to air out her usual cheer. Tilting her head up, where she only assumes the tall Jericho stood, she chuckled at the star.

“Wonderful team indeed! My glasses, my glasses!” She walked her way between some of the seats, reaching her hands around exaggeratedly as if she couldnt see, or something, for the full Velma effect. In the process, she managed to fumble right into the corpse, pawing her hands over it. 

“Eugh- oops- warn a girl wont you. Anyway, sure thing, Jerry Berry. You were tons more useful to me than this amateur sleuth’s ever been!” She said, an overwhelmingly teasing tone to her voice that was far from aggressive. She seemed to be pointing behind her, at Loic. Let’s hope that’s where he is.

Now that she’d already touched the body, she figured she may as well do some more searching. Without a wrinkle to her nose, she dug her hands through Arielle’s pockets, clothes, and anywhere else she can reach, looking for wounds or other evidence. 

“A seeing eye actor is always what I wanted. Though, I suppose time for jokes is well past. It’s a damn shame this had to happen again- and by a damn shame, I mean I’m disgusted that another of our classmates has proven to be so vile as that flowery motherfucker. Those audio snippits were disturbing- I’d hate to lose yet another sibling, believe me- but sacrificing a life for the safety- no- safemindedness that your loved ones may not already be tortured-  its just not just!” 

With a firm nod, she had the image of someone pure and confident in her ideals. Even as she touched over an apparent prior loss, she didnt falter. 

“I’d like to think I can trust the two of you.” She said, a bitter sort of twinge to the stressed word as she turned between her estimations of Loic and Jericho’s locations. “We’re friends, after all, with a certain history for both of us at this point. Now if either of you has done something you regret I suggest you confess and repent now to redeem any ounce of my respect for you.” She loomed darkly over the corpse as she spoke, touching up around her neck to feel out any patterns or abrasions left in her skin.  She also sticks her fingers in the victims mouth, to check for a gag or anything else. 

“Also, if there’s any weird blue blood or decapitations lingering around that I havent noticed, please let me know.”  She added, not wanting to miss an important detail until the trial again.

[balanceofprobabilities-blog]

It was hard to do much investigating when your fingers ended in nails reaching maybe two inches in length. Loïc did his best to pretend nothing was wrong as he made his way to the theatre. Instead of just finding the death file, though, he was welcomed with the body of Arielle, as well as the investigating gremlins- he means peers- Jericho and Takara. With a small sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to stab himself in the arm with his own fingernails. 

Quietly, he reevaluated the past week to himself, yes, some people might have become monstrous in rather obvious ways, though was this really a reason to be so riled up about things? Yes, perhaps the screaming of a large number of people would be unsettling, but did that have to lead to the death of an innocent? At least, she was innocent from what he saw. 

Just the thought of someone resorting to suffocating a girl with already broken arms was rather disgusting in his opinion. And all of this because of a couple of screams? Was it even for sure that the voices were still alive at this point? He thought not. The motive in itself was beyond illegal (more kidnapping, hostage-holding, who knows what else), but the thought of someone committing first-degree murder over it in the hopes that someone important to them would be safe was absolutely disgusting. The mock lawyer narrowed his eyes in distaste, eyebrows pulled together as he expressed his displeasure, probably one of the few emotions this asshole had in the first place. 

“I take quite a lot of offence to that, Mme. Ito. I’m not a sleuth, I’m a lawyer. My job is not to investigate the scene so much as it is to investigate the connections between the evidence found at the scene afterward in an attempt to prove that the accused is, without a doubt, guilty of the crimes placed forward. And, not to mention, the entire… trial process here is… less than sub-par. I’m not exactly pleased with this form of… collaborative efforts without that of a levelheaded judge around.

“And, anyways, speaking of levelheadedness, I do not think someone would be as levelheaded as I am if they were to have committed such an unsavoury act of murder. I am confident when I say you can trust I’ve done nothing here, Mme. Ito. And I’m sure Mx. van Halen can feel safe around me as well. Though, if the lot of you are finished crawling around and putting your grubby fingers all over a dead body as disrespectful as it is, we should probably spread our investigation out further. Perhaps look for a murder weapon to work on determining the profile of the guilty party, oui?” 

It is only then that he lifts his hands, one horribly clawed finger pointing toward the theatre doors. “Surely everyone will end up investigating here, as this is where the information is presented in the first place. And, although the body is an important part of the case, we must begin narrowing down our suspects instead.”

And so, after six paragraphs of Loïc Lévesque doing nothing but complaining, all he does is suggest moving away. And this goes to show how useful Chase is in investigations.

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

At first, they don’t understand why Takara is looking up after they spoke to her; their voice is coming from beneath her, after all! But then it hits them, that the debater assumes that, as an actor, they would be tall. They understand, and though Tom Cruise exists, they once again find themselves ruing their height. But! This isn’t about them, it’s about poor Arielle, and so they shrug it off, getting to their feet and dusting off their... err, Xue’s clothing.

“See! See!” They insist as Takara agrees with their comparison, though Loic seems, as usual, unamused. Though, they themselves are decidedly less amused when Takara, in her imitation of the character they said she would be, stumbles right into the corpse. “Oh! Goodness, Miss Takara--!” They start forward to try and help her, perhaps, but then they realize it might be a bit rude. And the whole “much shorter than her now” thing. 

“Jerry Berry!” they exclaim, repeating the nickname. “How darling! Thank you so much for the nickname! I’ll be sure to cherish it! And I’m so glad I could be of assistance! You know, most people assume that because I’m an actor from a famous family, I’m absolutely useless in things other than acting, but I’ll have you know that isn’t true, not at all! I can be plenty useful, as I proved in the investigation last time. An awful circumstance, dreadful, really, but a great opportunity for me, honestly. And oh, Loic, don’t be so glum! Sure, it’s not what you’re used to, and I get that, I really do! This is a far cry from our house in Los Angeles, after all. But! Just because it isn’t ‘traditional’ doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. We did root out Florian, after all, in the end!”

They bounce about slightly, from the balls of their feet backward, and forward again. But they come to a stop at Takara’s words, gasping gently. “Miss Takara! I would never! But... thank you for trusting me. I will try my hardest to live up to that. And Loic, yes! I’ve no problem with you, not at all! We’re all friends here, right? Or something similar.” They beam, completely no-selling Loic bringing up the fact they had just been crawling all over the floor.

“Oh...! Why, Loic, you’re absolutely right! Come, let’s go!” Taking the lead, the march out of the theater with their investigation team in tow. Once outside, they pause, scratching their chin for a moment, before perking off and taking off at a brisk pace. The trio ends up outside the changing rooms. “Okay, listen, hear me out: what if the murderer changed their clothes? It think it’s plausible!” Without another word, they barge in, poking their head into a few changing rooms.

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Dial M For Murder [Jericho/Loic/Takara]

To be honest, this was embarrassing. This whole... thing. Sure, at least what they’d gotten wasn’t grotesque, like most of the other students, they guessed they were lucky in that regard, but still. They’d went from being fairly tall to probably the shortest person there, or one of the shortest people at the very least. And c’mon. They’d been tall and handsome and... not five feet tall. 

They had to admit their pride was a little wounded, but hey. They could be dead, like Arielle.

They hadn’t really talked to her pointy-eared self, but... still. This was... jeez, okay, if you had to kill someone, which you, y’know, shouldn’t, you could maybe refrain from desecrating a theater. For just a second they find themselves a smidge more mad about the whole theater thing than another murder, before shaking their head, just slightly, to bring themselves back. Anyway.

At least they were used to walking around this way now... admittedly, in their roommate’s clothes; their own much more fashionable wardrobe (sorry Xue) no longer fit them. Obviously. But, for now, they might as well investigate. Find the murderer and all that. Already, it seems kind of... worn. Almost cliche, if this weren’t real (?) life and their lives weren’t probably on the line.

Jericho begins by circling the theater, examining the floor and a lot of the chairs, before getting down on their hands and knees and crawling underneath of them, looking for evidence. Hey, might as well use their new height to their advantage! Their very, very few advantages. 

As they wriggle out back into the aisle, a foot very nearly steps on them, and they glance up to see...

“Ah, Miss Takara, Loic, nice to s--!” WAIT. No, no, not again. They were an actor, they wouldn’t allow for this kind of faux pas to happen. “ssurprisingly run into you here!” they finish, absolutely beaming. “I mean, goodness, what are the chances of us crossing paths again?” Greater than they thought, probably, given that everyone had likely been drawn to the body, and starting to investigate there seemed like as good a place as any to start. 

“But! I digress. Miss Takara, I believe that the last time this unfortunate mess happened, we were a wonderful team! Why, we scoured the area for clues, along with Miss Kerry and Apollo, like a regular Scooby Doo gang! You know, I never really did figure out if I was Daphne or Fred? I could see myself as both, really! Fashionable and in charge, or simply fashionable! Goodness, I-- Well, I suppose now that Loic would be Freddie, hmm? Making me Daphne! I can certainly deal with this. And you, Miss Takara, would be Velma! We could find ourselves a Shaggy and Scooby--there are some wonderful candidates for that role, after all--but I think that, perhaps, the three of us could be a wonderful team to search out clues?”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Mission Impossible [Open]

Well, they’ve already said it a million times, but this is just like a movie, and now they don’t mean it in the sense of a bemused person trying in vain to negate their current situation, but in the sense of that what was going on was absolutely bat shit insane.

They have to admit, the whole event thing wasn’t really their scene; they’re not a sportsperson, at all, really! That distinction in their family would have to go to their sister, Gryffin, an accomplished equestrian. They much preferred to watch people play sports than play them themselves, so that’s what they’d done. Simple enough! Until everything had gone to shit. A bunch of things had started happening all around them, but they hadn’t paid much attention because that was when things started happening to them too. A searing pain had spread through their entire body, flooring them and causing them to scream in agony. Thank god it hadn’t lasted very long, but... 

Groaning under their breath, Jericho sits up, head a little woozy. “Ah... h-ha.. ha... th-that was... something, wasn’t it?” They rub at their head, sitting there just for a moment to observe their surroundings, and... Hoo Boy. Were those... horns? Tails? Feathers, scales, glowing eyes? What in the hell was going on? They look down at themselves, expecting something weird and seeing... nothing. No weird things! Well then! Problem solved. Looks like whatever the others had simply hadn’t hit them as hard. Nope, absolutely nothing wrong here, no abnormally large clothing or anything! Man, had they gotten lucky! 

They stand up and immediately stagger, as if they’d imbibed a decent amount of alcohol, which was something they most certainly had not done. Then, they trip over a combination of their now-too big shoes and the too-long pants and go sprawling. Something was wrong. Is--is their center of gravity off? What in the-- It isn’t until then that they notice that every single article of their clothing is suddenly Too Big, and, gee, don’t their friends suddenly seem a lot taller? “Oh... my god. OH! MY GOD!” Okay, sure, a couple of inches could’ve been a fluke, something that could be explained, probably. But this? What in the world? 

It takes them a bit to finagle things so they can actually WALK without falling about like a drunk, and they steadily make their way over to where the others are, moving slowly as to not trip in their now several sizes too large shoes. They approach the closest person, looking up at them worriedly, for more than one reason. Good lord, how much height had they lost? “Hey--uh, hey there! I know this might possibly be a bad time, I understand that entirely, I’m having a pretty bad time myself, as you can quite plainly see, but I’m kind of freaking out here and it would be quite nice to talk to someone! H-ha... I, ah, I see that you have had your own changes happen as well! Are you feeling okay? Is--is everything alright? What does this even mean?”

[shslcelestial-blog]

veggie time/ moon time/ kerry time

[bibliotheca-apollonis-blog]

Sacrifice | Kerry + Takara + Jericho + Apollo

Apollo stepped forward. The crowd had dissipated, gone onward to find the keys to this mystery. Clues were likely scattered all over the facility, the footprints of a careless murderer. However, it seemed as though most of those people would rather search for clues away from the kitchen. That is, away from the corpse that used to be Lacey Butler.

And so, he stepped forward toward the body and crouched down beside it, or her. Turned up his nose at the stench of blood wafting up. He didn’t care about being around dead things. Corpses were just things, not people anymore. He was scared of dying, couldn’t help but see daggers in the shadows, and had no intention of dying anytime soon - but once it had happened, and once you were dead, where were you? Not in the body, that was for sure. And so it was an object.

He reached one gloved hand forward and gingerly lifted the game board off of her face. He wasn’t sure if he should be trying to preserve the integrity of the scene. Didn’t they do that on crime shows; take photos of the scene? But he didn’t have a camera, or the time.

Anyway, he lifted the game board from her face, simultaneously checking the face for injuries or significant clues, and also looking over the back of the board itself. Tsked at getting a little smear of blood on his very expensive leather gloves. What a pain. He wiped it off on the nun’s shirt.

“I can hear you behind me,” Apollo muttered, referring to the two or three people hovering around the body just out of view, “I can hear you breathing and moving - unlike this poor thing. Are you going to help me or must I do all of the work myself?”

[primafaciegirl-blog]

Finally, everyone seemed to be funneling out to do their own business. With a little bit of breathing room, Takara could finally feel at ease approaching the body. There were still a choice few left, judging by the sniffs and steps she heard here and there, and when Apollo’s voice rang out near the poor victim she tapped right over to the two with a grin on her face.

“I can hear you too, you know. Sheesh, would it kill you to be a little patient? People are grieving, shocked, at the will of their strength of stomach!! You can’t just expect everyone to be revving to touch a dead classmate just so you won’t have to be the only guy doing it.” 

She didn’t seem all too critical despite her words, reaching Apollo’s spot next to Lacey and dropping to her knees. For someone who had arguably the least knowledge about the scene in front of her, she was rather willing to delve into it! She reached out quickly to touch over Lacey’s body, patting her down rather thoroughly to get a good grasp on where she was hurt, and what was on her person.  She checks her pockets as she finds them, but stops for a moment when she feels something wet.

“Eugh, couldn’t give a girl some warning?? What is this, blood? Or am I sweating again..??”

Hand covered in the blue goop, whatever it may be, she sniffs the substance with all the intent of someone who’s about to taste it too, so long as it isnt obviously blood. 

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

This was no prank.

Sure, at first they had thought it was; geez, who wouldn’t, the scene was ridiculous! Blue... stuff everywhere, a boardgame over her face. Lacey was a nun, for crying out loud! Who would kill a nun? Certainly you’d go to hell...? Yeah, okay, there was the possibility that the killer didn’t believe in hell in the first place which was... fair, they guessed, but... still! 

Despite only having dealt with gore of the made-up kind, the body surprisingly doesn’t bother them. Maybe it’s the lack of blood, or... well, the smell sort of hints toward that blue stuff being blood, but... that’s ridiculous, right? As ridiculous as... what they’d went through? Okay, maybe not so weird... At any rate, the unusual color of the blood (??) is maybe what makes the scene deal-with-able to them. 

But they’re not the only one who’d remained. Their contemplativeness is interrupted by a scathing voice, and Jericho jumps slightly when Apollo addresses them, along with the other people who’d remained behind. They whip their head about, seeing that they’re being accompanied by Takara and Kerry. “Ah... Well, I mean... I’m an actor but--” They’re cut off by the Canadian, who joins in rather eagerly. “...I can still try, I suppose! I’ve never really worked on any murder mysteries, myself, but they’re very interesting, you know? And I’ve watched CSI, of course, who hasn’t really? Though, I’ve heard that it’s not really that accurate? That makes sense, I guess, I mean, goodness, who hasn’t taken artistic license with a movie? Even with Rise of the Sea Monsters we--” 

Their monologue is thankfully cut short, because while talking they’d moved closer to the body, watching Takara and Apollo curiously. And it seems that Takara had found something. “A... note?” they muse, bending down next to her (murmuring a quick, “It’s me, Jericho,” to assuage any potential confusion). Reaching past her, they take the note, scanning it first before reading it out loud to their companions. 

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Innerspace [Ikura]

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

shslfisherboy:

“Hmm! Really? What do you mean by that?”

It must be a pretty big deal if it was enough for them to bother someone else about it. Er, not that they’re bothering him! He’s just a bit hungry. He squints at their food, humming quietly. A beat later, he gasps dramatically, hands darting up to cover his mouth.

“U-Uwah!! You’re van Halen-san! S-Sorry, I just noticed! I-I’ll do my best to h-help…!”

The person whom they catch (seemingly in the act, as if they were trying to sneak in unnoticed in order to... no! They can’t think like that, no matter what that Leroy had said...) coming into the kitchen all sneaky-like is so... tiny! “Yes! You! Hello there!” they call out almost excitedly, absolutely thrilled to have someone to help them out. The smile on their face only widens as their new friend literally skips over to them. How adorable!

The look of horror that flounders across the young boy’s face is lost on Jericho, whose gaze returns to the offending water bottle, the smile seguing into a more somber expression. “Well... you see, I happened to get not one, but two water bottles with my dinner!! -- Which, by the way, is absolutely scrumptious! I’m not sure exactly who this Leroy character is, but he sure can cook! Or, rather, his machines can, at least. Anyway! I was given the two water bottles, which, given our simply tyrannical restrictions on when we can eat, is quite fortunate, wouldn’t you say? --But again, I digress!-- The bottles were vended from the machine when I scanned my tattoo, and I took them, along with the rest of my meal. Now, when I got to the table, I opened one of the water bottles, but before I could take a drink, something struck me as off about it. But! Upon opening the other bottle, I had no such problem! I’m going to open this weird bottle, and--oh!”

Ikura’s exclamation finally jolts them out of their yammering, and it takes them but a second to realize what’s going on. The super serious face is completely gone, replaced by a dazzling grin. After so many, a surprising number, in fact, of people here not knowing them, being recognized was definitely a good feeling. “Yes! That’s me: Jericho Erasmus Raiden Iolo Charlemagne Hieronymous Orion van Halen! Movie star and actor extraordinaire, winner of one (1) Oscar award. You’re a fan, then, I presume? Great, wonderful even! It’s quite good to meet you too... ah... goodness, I haven’t even gotten your name! I couldn’t request help from a nameless stranger! Pray tell, who are you?”

[jerichovanhalenofficial-blog]

Innerspace [Open]

Despite what people on the internet might think, there is definitely such a thing as watching too much Space Jam. And Jaws, The Wizard Of Oz, and the rest. Before, perhaps, they probably would’ve agreed that there was no such thing as seeing your favorite movie (or, in particular, one of their own), but now... As the end credits roll once again for Dead Poets’ Society, Jericho gives a big, long sigh, stretching out in the seat. During the time they’d spent here in the last week, they’d become accustomed to the darkness, for the most part. Sometimes, when the screen fades to black during a scene, or at the end of the movie, they feel themselves tense up, their breath catching in their throat. But then the next scene comes, or the beginning of the next movie, and they’re okay again. They... admittedly aren’t sure why they’re torturing themselves like this, but... it isn’t like there’s much else to do. 

A thought hits them, and they rise. It might wound them grievously, but they think they can live without seeing Jaws for the fiftieth time. Their destination is the kitchen, and almost as soon as they leave the movie theater, that thought creeps back into their mind. Changes, Leroy had said. It was... weird, really. They didn’t think much was going on with them. Though... they had had to roll their pants legs up into a decidedly unfashionable cuff. That... isn’t normal. They’d heard of pants shrinking in the wash, but growing? Unless... They shake their head. Nah. That’s like something out of a movie, and while they’ve said that before, about this entire situation, this just seems... even more fantastic. Like sure, okay, they guessed that they HAD all been put into this facility for research, but this?

As much as it nags at them, their mind switches focus once they get to the kitchen. They scan their barcode, and what pops out brings a smile to their face, at least: two small to medium sized pan-seared lemon-pepper tilapia fillets coupled with parmesan pasta, a slice of lemon meringue pie, and... two bottles of water. They’re not sure what they were expecting drink-wise, honestly, but everything else looks pretty darn good! 

They set down to eat, but as they do, something strikes them. They side eye one of the water bottles, even as they start eating. It’s only when someone comes in, as they’re in the middle of a bite of fish, that they take action. Once they swallow the bite, they speak up genially.

“Hey, could you come look at this for me? Something looks... off.”