samurai / mind

i'll move forward...! and i'll end this death game!! { affiliated // sara chidouin / your turn to die survived by sin }

[steelhope]

ai-of-wadjet​

“Excuse me! Miss!” Aiba plodded over, bare feet against the earth that lay before the Blackwood Grove. 

“You are headed in, correct? To procure the supplies the Princess requested on the cellular device? I am as well– or at least I WOULD be, if my frien– er, work college bothered to show up on time…  So! How would you like to join forces instead?”

“There’s a lot of items that need procuring…” she brings up her world-issued phone, navigates way too many note files before opening one regarding the current circumstance. "It would be more beneficial to work as a group. What do you think?”

It takes a moment for her to recognize that the voice calling out is addressing her— she pauses to locate the source, curiously observing the girl that approaches her. No shoes? She’s not judging her choices, it just seems like a painful one when going into a forest. 

There’s a nod of acknowledgement in response to question posed of her as Sara listens, a hum of agreement to her words. Even if only as a pair, it’s beneficial to work with someone else— like she said, there’s a lot of items that are being requested. Besides benefits, she seems like a good person, so she doesn’t really have a reason to turn down her offer. “Sure. I was hoping to find someone to work with, actually, so...thanks. Did you have a place you wanted to start with?” Smile accents her words, brief moment of pause before she thinks to introduce herself. Good priorities. “I’m Sara, by the way.”

[steelhope]

@flamepledge​ ♡’d for a starter

“...Is it just me, or did you hear something?” It’s probably not just her imagination, given that in theory, animals should be living in the forest, and they’re probably far from being the only ones out here: and yet, Sara cannot help but be a little uneasy by the distant rustling of leaves. Depending on what exactly was the source of the noise...uh, she doesn’t really want to continue that thought. Some part of you thinks used to this and she puts all of that baggage aside for another night.

...They aren’t exactly a person of many words, are they? Understandable enough, she’s not going to hold that against them or anything. It just...lets Sara’s mind wander for a moment, before she refocuses on the fact that as long as they’re in the forest, they’re still technically in danger. “What do you figure we should do?” It’s not entirely like her to defer, when she’s taken charge many times before— maybe you’re just a little tired of having choices placed upon your shoulders. Maybe it’s because they seem like a reliable adult and this is a bad situation when she can barely pass for being able to ‘defend’ herself. 

[steelhope]

@wrathbred​ ♡’d for a starter

This is...a bit of a predicament, certainly. After all, it’s not exactly an entirely easy task that they have on their hands— in theory, one that should be made easier with someone else to work with ( but Sara is not sure if she will be finding much help here ). Once, she might’ve found that to be daunting; but if her past experiences have taught her anything, it’s that you can endure what is thrown at her. He might be testing her patience a little, as off-putting as he is, but right now, what is best is to not try and challenge that.

Are her actions entirely kind or not, with that type of stubbornness? Debatable. Though she might have some choice words for him later if he doesn’t...stop that attitude. Being unable to get along at a time like this would definitely get them hurt, at the very least. It’s probably a good thing that they’re just following a trail, definitely not something that could be potentially dangerous. “If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you out here, anyways?” Sara doesn’t mean to seem like she’s trying to provoke him, if that’s the way he takes it; if it is not obvious, she is grateful to have company at a time like this, even if this is an arrangement of convenience. Particularly since he strikes her as the type to prefer being alone. “...Hey, is it just me, or do these tracks look weird?” An odd shine to it...maybe a slime?

[steelhope]

@heartdetector​​ ♡’d for a starter

Even at a time like this, she can’t help seek out clues. A logical approach to thinking about things is naturally fitting— for Sara, at least, it’s the most rational. Rather just blindly walk headfirst into what might be danger, it’d be better to try and gather a better sense of the forest. And okay, admittedly, she’s a little wary to trust everything that they’ve been told, even if you think that the people here have ( mostly ) good intentions, or believe in that much at least. In any case, she figures the best way that she can help is by doing some kind of investigation to figure out where to start looking.

She is admittedly aware that she’s not the best fighter, so it’s reassuring to have someone else to look around with. That said though...she might be reading into things too much maybe, it’s only natural to hide things from strangers, but— she’d be lying if she didn’t get the feeling that there was something else to him that he wasn’t letting on. Or maybe you’re just paranoid. It’s not relevant to the task at hand, however, so Sara keeps her observations to herself ( no real reason to pursue such a topic, anyhow ). “It’s a shame that it’s so dark out...it makes it harder to find things out here.” A comment half-murmured to herself before she pauses, thoughtful consideration in her expression. “I wonder if our cellphones could provide enough light...?” It should have some kind of camera light on it, right? Better question would be if she remembered to bring said phone with her or not.

[steelhope]

hello hello is it miss sara’s turn to die today? let’s see! uhhhhhh so i thought i already posted a call on her so now i’m throwing one in last minute. she’s not much of a fighter, strength wise, but she’ll be happy to accompany you in whatever you’re trying to do. and if that means fighting she’ll deal with it. do you think a toaster will be suffice to bludgeon something with? i’ll cap this at three!

[steelhope]

greek-pyre‌

The darkness was unsettling, having floated around for what felt like an eternity until she showed up in Terra. Her hair was pulled back in her signature ponytail, finding it to be less cumbersome than keeping it down. Emerald eyes scan the darkness for anything or anyone around them. 

Just because she fell off, didn’t mean her senses dulled. 

Extending her hand, Pyrrha offers a small smile. Reminding herself that this was her fresh start, so if she wanted to make friendships, this would be a great place to start. Having forged many of her own friendships in times of peril, you would think she would be used to this. 

“It is not a problem, just as long as you are okay.” She speaks slowly at first, looking ahead of them. “Do you think anyone else has ventured out far? I haven’t noticed many people coming through this way in particular.” 

Friendship. She’d forged a number of bonds during the killing game— even if at times, she’d thought to distance herself. Like she couldn’t bear it after watching, not being able to do a thing to save— Less painful, perhaps, but...it was those bonds that made her strong at that time. It’d keep her strong if she could make some friends here, and not just allies ( baby steps though, first...first she wants to do what she can to make sure people are all right here ). And ideally, maybe she can get a better idea of people ( and this place ) while she’s at it.

“...Yeah, I’m fine now. Thanks.” She speaks with more conviction this time around, for both of their sakes. It’d do no good to get distracted at a time like this. This isn’t exactly a matter of being weak of strong, rather...you want to help people, be useful. She can’t do that if she starts dwelling on less pleasant thoughts that this atmosphere. “Well...it doesn’t look like it. But it’s hard to say, if someone got curious...or lost.” The latter is moreso the one she’s concerned about, given how dark it is; it seems like that might be easier, though she hadn’t really observed anything out of place to suggest that’s true ( again, Sara’s concerned there might be something she’s missed with the lack of lighting ). “Do you think we should keep going, or try somewhere else? Both seem equally important.”

[steelhope]

detective-killjoy‌

Steel-blue eyes darted towards the girl’s voice as they started to move away from the bookshelf, stopping in their tracks. “Important?” They look back up at the book, squinting to attempt to reread the title. “I do, but I don’t believe there’s a stepladder for us to use. I’m sure we’ll find something in this aisle that could be a fitting substitute, or just one that’s closer to us.”

They nod their head. Sara was correct–the two of them had been searching for a while, but it certainly paid off… even if it wasn’t the exact information that was needed.

“The title is something to do with mysterious beasts, I know that for certain. However, as I’ve stated, there’s no way either of us can reach it without a stepladder. Frankly, I’d rather not disturb the librarian, either.” They tap their foot as they started to think of another solution… though, it could take a few minutes before they thought up of something.

She awaits for the other to give their judgement— while she might have a pretty keen eye and fairly decent observational skills, Sara’s pretty sure her judgement is still lacking at times, and would rather defer to a second opinion. Not entirely taking charge, as one might say. “Are there no step stools either?” She feels like, between the two of them, they probably would’ve noticed something like that: all the same it seems unlikely that a library would be lacking in such basics ( but this place is also full of magic, so maybe such wasn’t necessary for many people? Hm. ) 

“Should we split up and search the nearby aisles, then?” It would be a shame if their search turned up for naught, after all; and worst comes to worst, she supposes they could make do with some kind of substitute...if it came to that. “Mysterious beasts, hm? I hope it’s not some kind of fantasy fiction book— a title like that certainly makes it sound like one.” Then again, their current settings feels like a fantasy fiction series, so maybe it’s just par for the course. After another moment of thought, she opts to address Naoto. 

“Let’s start with double-checking our surroundings, okay? That’s definitely the least disruptive solution for now. If we really can’t find anything, then we’ll just have to make a ladder for ourselves.” They definitely have a few options here, so it’s just a matter of narrowing them down first.

[steelhope]

hadplans‌

If you were, in this moment, to ask them if they believed in the absolute ability of creation that came along with something like magic, Netzach would likely say no. There are explanations for everything, every good and every terrible thing in the world to ever happen to someone, you can figure out at least sort of how it happened. Not knowing in their reality is the equivalent of admitting failure. The pursuit of knowledge had plenty of blood on its hands to boot, Netzach left disillusioned with the entire idea. 

“I mean, if you don’t know, that’s perfectly fine.” Their voice is low and soft, with little effort to project. It’s not inaudible, per se, just a bit mumbled. “I didn’t exactly assume you were from here.” Something about her had stood out just a bit from everyone else. Maybe it was the posture. Netzach had (unfortunately) developed a talent for reading people in subtle ways. Practice in such would do that to anyone. 

Glancing down to the other, Netzach offers their best version of a smile, this half curled thing that thankfully manages to reach their eyes. “I don’t really get it either, though. So we’re in the same boat.” Cool things, they can talk about cool things, even if the world is weird and nothing makes sense anymore. 

“So uh, what do you know about it so far?” 

It’s...fine? Such simple words, spoken softly enough to be missed; and yet it seems like that is enough to relieve Sara of something: it is a sorely old habit to have some kind of expectations on her shoulders, that she has already put that burden on herself without any prompting. She doesn’t visibly relax any ( given your current circumstances, that seems like a bit much ), but she seems eased nonetheless. Right, it’s fine... that’s why people depend on each other to figure out the things they don’t know. Right. “So you really don’t know much about it either.” More of a murmured observation to herself than a comment directed towards them— not that she’d really doubted that much, given the question, but...she’d be lying if she said it was easy giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, at times. Not after what lengths she’d seen people go to for information and their own survival ( and what losses came with it ).

“I see. I guess it’d be asking a bit much to expect people to understand everything right away, hm?” Which, if anything, is even more of a reason why she has such a need to try and understand— maybe that just speaks to the kind of person she is though. Even if some people might not consider that expression a smile, she certainly can tell that was their intention— for someone like herself that comes off a little too serious at times, she sympathizes a bit. Even if the topic at hand is as odd as the situation they’re in, in this strange world they’ve found themselves in; it’s at least a comfort to know they have that much in common, so she returns that gesture with her own tentative smile. “My name is Sara, by the way. You mentioned earlier that you’re not from around here either, right?”

That said, she’s still a little caught off guard by the question posed towards her— more than she probably should be, since it’s far from the first ( and likely, last ) time that someone wants her input on their current situation. She just wishes that she had a bit more to go off of right now. “Again, not much. I was looking for information on the sages, since they’re the source of the magic around here...well, technically speaking, that’s not true. I believe the power comes from the goddess of this land, just the sages are like stand ins, I suppose. Anyways, I figured it’d be a pretty good starting point, since that’s one of the few things I’d known coming here, but I’m beginning to wonder if it would’ve been more informative to visit one of the temples instead.” A moment’s pause as she gathers her thoughts a bit better. “I believe there are twelve of them, in total. Many people are granted magic by them, but not everyone. I was hoping to figure out more than that, but so far my search has been pretty unsuccessful.”

[steelhope]

Ah. So it’s that time of year already, huh? Well, while she does prefer celebrating her birthday outside of the death game...it’s a little lonely here, hm?

...No, she’s not sad, what are you talking about? Her eyes just hurt a little bit.

[steelhope]

@heartdanced​ ♡’d for a starter

“Erm.” It’s with the most awkward pauses that she speaks up in the midst of all this; ever tentatively so does she speak towards the other. He seems rather confidently enthusiastic, however...she’d rather not see him get tripped up over this, as much as Sara hates to be the one to have to break it to him. “As much as I admire your enthusiasm, I...don’t think this sword will cut it.” Unintended pun aside— she doesn’t really look that helpless, right? Whatever’s lurking in the shadows has been rather, uh, relentless in going after people as far as she’s aware, and it’d make her feel better if they weren’t next. “Let’s find shelter for now, okay? I’m sure we’re not the only ones out here, anyways.”

[steelhope]

@occultreign​ ♡’d for a starter

There’s a moment of silence on her part, brows raised a little bit uncertainly— maybe she’s just trying to lighten the mood? That’s not exactly a subject that she thinks is one they should be joking about at a time like this, but maybe she’s just being too serious herself? Hm. “Well..I mean,  I’m sure we could consider it, but I don’t think this is anything supernatural at work.” Or so she is hoping this is not the work of the occult— or maybe that’d be a blessing, all things considered. Regardless, it seems like it might be in her best interest to at least humor the thought.

“...Do you have any thoughts on what specifically we might want to keep an eye out for, then?”

[steelhope]

@greek-pyre ♡’d for a starter

It’s hard for her to remember, at times, how to keep a level head. A darkness like this is overwhelming almost, a reminder of less pleasant times. Like she expects to see some familiar face in the peripheral of her view— Sara has shook off some of her fears and holds her head up steady, and yet...naturally, she cannot help but be fearful of a relapse here— it’s much easier to throw herself into the motions of something close to a familiar routine. Investigate the strange tunnels, keep an eye out for any stragglers, and so forth. Easy to almost feel like she’s back there.

Having someone else there with her at least helps keep her mind focused- on keeping her mind from straying too much, at least. Prryha is a good reminder that she doesn’t need to put so much on her own shoulders ( but that is still a hard lesson to be learned nonetheless ). “Thank you.” It’s a bit of a soft murmur that passes through her lips as she takes the hand offered out to her and pulls herself back onto her feet. “Sorry, I just...lost footing there fore a moment. Let’s keep going.”

[steelhope]

and another small event starter call for miss sara!! she likes to poke her nose into matters and is probably going to investigate weird things....if nothing else, she’s very good for keeping people calm! capping at three!

[steelhope]

lovemoir‌

       oh, how embarrassing ! she’s not used to wearing such a long scarf anymore, but she figured it was in her apartment for a reason so she took to wearing it ! but to think ayano would be bested by a mere piece of clothing ! thank god none of her siblings nor friends were around to see it. ❝ uuu… ❞ once freed, ayano lets out the quietest of whimpers, looking very much so like the quick to tears girl she had been in her youth. however, instead of crying, she grasps sara’s hands, the troubled expression becoming one of gratitude. 

    ❝ sara-chan… ! thank you for saving me ! ❞ saving seems dramatic, but how else was she to describe it ? ayano glances around for a moment, cheeks dusted red and ah. there’s that worried look again as her voice drops in volume. ❝ d… did anyone see that… ? o-or take pictures… ? ❞

For a moment, it is not a dark haired girl that stands before Sara, reminded a little of someone else that lives only in her memories now— but, ah, she does not let her thoughts go there for too long, lest her expression start to go somber. He’d...want her to face things with a smile, so she will: or so she will try to do, at least. Your words come far more easily than the actions themselves, however.

It is easy enough to not get too hung up on those kind of thoughts when she has company this lively, though— it’s easy enough to get swept up in such infectious energy. An energy like that is something that put a small smile on Sara’s face as her hands are held onto. “Of course. It’d be mean to leave you like that.” Well, maybe only mean if she’d teased Ayano a bit on the subject first, but she puts that thought aside. Besides, it might seem a little dramatic, but she can empathize with her ( yes, even someone as serious as you can understand that kind of embarrassment ). “I didn’t see anyone else notice yet, I think you’re safe.” Presuming no one else had noticed before she had, at least, but she’s trying to be reassuring here. Her response might be almost too serious for the situation, but she’s simply just matching the mood.

[steelhope]

hadplans‌

Feeling a bit more confidence, Netzach makes the decision to explore. It’s a lot of trial and error, wandering into places that they don’t quite understand, and frequently being disturbed by their presence. After being shooed out of one, then another area, Netzach finds their way into a busy in a different way sort of place, the magic square. 

They’re most definitely out of place here. There’s a mysterious sort of science to the corporation, an explanation for all of the unusual events. At least, as far as Netzach knows. If there’s not one of those explanations, everyone seems to shrug their shoulders and continues to live in awe and just a bit of fear. 

This place invokes a similar reaction, and Netzach sits and stews on the idea of magic for awhile. Eventually though, unwilling to sit and theorize alone, Netzach begins looking for someone else with a similar level of brooding about the whole matter.

“Hey,” this person looks contemplative, at least. They hope they remember that type of expression correctly. “You do uh, know much about this stuff? It’s kinda cool, huh?” 

Magic is an odd thought, not quite a thing she wants to accept as real— but coming from a world where highly specific killing games and lifelike dolls could pass as humans: where logical explanations did not always fit. With those experiences saddling her, being able to conjure spells don’t feel like the oddest reality to Sara. It’s within the wheelhouse of acceptable, at least, maybe it reassures her that things can be different here. Logic may not agree entirely with that reasoning, but you have opted to chase emotions for now. If nothing else though, a lack of knowledge on the subject means she should do her part to properly educate herself on some level at least.

It’s odd to not have someone to bounce her thoughts off of— even if that had not been consistent during the death game, it was something she’d grown used to enough that otherwise is almost unusual. The jury is still out on whether or not it is comforting to know that she’d at least somewhat adjusted to that way of life. 

If nothing else, she more than welcomes an invitation for conversation; turns from her musings on the magical elements of this place to properly acknowledge the other person. Although she, admittedly doesn’t really have much offer to the conversation subject, but perhaps their shared lack in knowledge might help forge something that resembles conversation. “Erm, not much. Sorry if you’d been hoping to find someone with more of a reference point to speak to.” Cool? Well, that’s not the first thought that comes to mind, but.. “It’s...a little odd to wrap my head around, honestly. I figured immersing myself in it a little more might help with understanding. It is pretty cool though, yeah.” She might sound a little childish for making such an admittance, but...you don’t always need to be so serious, right?

[steelhope]

insignificancy‌

No doubt about it, that is definitely her. Keiji’s eyes widen momentarily, though they shortly go back to his usual gaze. He does this half-jog over toward her, catching up to the young girl in a mere matter of seconds. That’s Sara, alright. How curious.

What on earth is she doing here, or better yet… what is he doing here? They were in the middle of that game. The death game by majority vote… hm. Maybe it’s better to not even question that? Maybe it’s best to just accept that they’re here now, and he’s clearly not the only one transported to this place?

No, impossible. Keiji can’t wrap his brain around it.

At any rate, the blond male steps up to Sara stealthily. “…Boo.” He stands behind her, bending his knees a tad. “Hiya, Sara. Funny running into you here…” He smirks as he tilts his head somewhat, giving her a stare that is both suspicious and yet… glad to have a familiar face in his presence.

Something feels off, there’s some underlying notion of unease that has her tensed up today. Perhaps it should be given, being pulled into a new place the way that they’d all found themselves here ( but given her prior circumstances, is this a blessing or a curse? Sara isn’t quite sure ). Being here alone is definitely a guilty feeling, regardless of how she feels, one way or another. She shouldn’t stew in those feelings for long, but she doesn’t think it’d be right to ignore them either.

( Emotions? Logic? She didn’t think either was entirely right to decide things by— but she can admit that her heart leads more than her head does on some days )

It’s not quite a feeling of paranoia that plagues her either, not like the way she’d thought she’d been stalked, all that time ago— but, no. It must be your imagination. Yeah, that’s it. That’s harmless, at least, compared to the...no, she can’t let her thoughts linger on that. She might’ve been freed from those chains, but who is to say she won’t relapse? Even if she’s out of that game for now: and only now, she’s not getting her hopes up that it stays that way ( and should she be able to, she’d like to go back, if not at least to be assured of the fate of the rest of her companions...that sounds worse than she means it to ). Nonetheless, it’s probably healthy to exercise some precaution. She doesn’t quite have a shoulder to lean on for now.

“Eyaaaaah?!” The sudden voice that cuts into her thoughts catches her off guard, head whips around to stare— oh, Sara knows this smug expression. She can’t tell if the familiarity makes this more or less embarrassing ( well, at least she hadn’t accidentally struck him in her surprise, that definitely would’ve made her face go red ). “Jeez, you startled me. I thought you would be nicer to a familiar face.” No, considering the exact person she’s talking to, she’s not surprised at all about this. That is to say, she certainly wouldn’t expect anything less ( or different ) from Keiji. If she’s noted the way he’s looking at her, she’s ignoring it for now. It’s natural for the ( ex ) policeman to be suspicious, that’s normal; or at least, she tries to reason with herself. “Same here. I...thought I was the only one here.” By the sounds of it, he hasn’t seen anyone else from the death game, which is...at least a little bit concerning to you, but she’s not sure that’s the first thought she’d like to voice at the moment.

“Have you been here long…?” It certainly seems like a a good idea to figure out a timeline of sorts for her to keep things straight in her head; it’s as good any place to start this conversation.

[steelhope]

@detective-killjoy​ ♡’d for a starter

“Wait, hold on— don’t you think that might be important?” Voice barely travels in the silence of the library, just enough to catch her companion’s attention. Library is rather sizable, unsurprisingly, and even organized as it is, it seems like a little bit of a daunting task to go at alone. Or maybe she’s just used to having someone at her side, these days, even if Sara has a nasty habit of trying to do everything on her own. 

Eyes flutter shut for a brief moment; easy now. Inhale, exhale. No point in lingering on those moments at a time like this. Besides, she’s gotten her partner’s attention now, so lone finger points up towards a shelf out of their reach. “I...don’t think I can read the title of that entirely from here, but this section is close to what we wanted.” Or so she thinks, at least, but she’d hate to sound any less certain than she already does, so she keeps that to herself.