#c. yui.

[fogsnatched]

"You made... documentaries, right?"

Back in the real world, that is. Yui thinks that's right. Sometimes, it's too painful to talk about their lives before - before being pulled into the Entity's Realm, to be toyed with and tormented endlessly without even knowing if the world they came from even still exists.

But lately, Yui's found herself drawn back to her memories of that old life. It brings with it a cruel kind of longing, stuck deep in her chest, but she doesn't want to forget those times nonetheless... Yui never met Zarina back then, and likely never would've done, but she's heard a bit about the kind of things she used to do now. She has more than one reason for asking about it, though.

"Did you feel like you were making a difference, back then? ...I don't know. I guess- do you think it mattered?"

@offrecordz ( starter for zarina! )

[fogsnatched]

Yui still remembers when she was the new face around the campfire - when she didn't know what was going on; where she was, and how she'd been the most overwhelmed she'd ever felt in her life. She's sure everyone here does - to most, it's a memory that never fades away. So she's not the only one who tries to welcome newcomers into the Realm as kindly as possible - though maybe kindly isn't the right word.

There can't be any true kindness in the words that condemn you to your fate, after all. The words that make you realize, no matter how slowly, that there's nothing you can do - you're going to die, and it's going to hurt, and whatever ideas you can think of to get out of it have all been tried and failed before. Truth be told, Yui hates doing it. Having to break the news to a new survivor and seeing the truth slowly set in makes her sick. It might even be worse than watching their first breakdown, when they've been sacrificed so much that they're sure they can't take it anymore.

The woman that she faces now is another new face she doesn't recognize, but that doesn't tell her how long she's been here. She could've stumbled into the fog mere minutes ago, or maybe she's been here for a while, and someone else has already explained everything to her. It's impossible to be sure.

"Hey." Yui starts, keeping her voice level enough so as not to startle the other woman. "Do you know where you are? You're looking a little worse for wear, there."

@prvtocol ( starter ! )

[fogsnatched]

Despite the fact it feels like she's been in this realm for an eternity, Yui doesn't feel like she knows Claudette particularly well. There's a lot of them here, after all, and when she'd first arrived, Yui was more the type to keep to herself - only opening up gradually to a select number of people over time.

That's not to say that they can't work together, though. In fact, it's easy to work alongside almost all of the survivors here in the fog - maybe because they have a shared understanding; of what it means to be here and what they need to do... not to mention their shared knowledge of the pain and fear that comes with being sacrificed.

Claudette, too, is someone Yui feels connected to. Even without having had the chance to learn about who she was before coming here, it's easy to be in her presence, and there's never anything uncomfortable about the time they spend together. Right now, though, Yui does feel a bit more awkward than usual, if only because she doesn't know how to put in words what it is she wants to say.

"I know I said it already, but... thanks for saving me back there." It's not like she thanks someone every time they help her out - with the inherent nature of the trials, it happens so often that there's not much point in the repetition. Still, Yui's performance today had been so poor that she feels Claudette deserves the extra gratitude. Even if she wants to grind her teeth thinking about her own failure.

"I really do appreciate it. Especially when you've been here so long... hell, longer than most of us, I bet. It... means a lot."

@urf4vbutch ( starter for claudette! )

[fogsnatched]

Yui's reaching her limit, and she knows it. It's obvious even to an outsider - the bags under her eyes, the weight she's lost and even the way she carries herself all making her look like a shell of the person she once was. Her friends have commented on it, and so have her enemies - in concern or in mockery, but either way, it all comes down to the same thing.

What's driving her crazy, though, is that she doesn't know what's causing it. This downward spiral. And it feels like she should - like there's something on the tip of her tongue, just out of reach, that'd explain everything, but she just can't figure it out. The only thing worse than drowning in a sea of anxiety is not knowing how one got there... and, because of that, not having even the slightest clue how to escape it.

How would her father react if he saw her now? Probably, he'd act like he saw this coming all along. The thought sparks a flicker of fury in her, but it's not enough, muffled and small - not nearly enough to kick her out of her funk.

After saying goodbye to Misato, all Yui wants to do is go back home and sleep. Instead, she finds herself wondering the streets aimlessly. The one thing that helps her feel better sometimes is the feeling of fresh air on her face, getting out and appreciating the outside world - somehow, it feels like she's been taking it for granted until now.

"Sorry. Hope this seat isn't taken." When she sits next to a stranger on a nearby wall, Yui doesn't pay him much attention or think much of it at first - but when she gets a good look at his face, she suddenly does a double take. Wait, what? What's with this sudden gut-clenching anxiety?

"Uh- actually. Have we met before?"

@deadlykitefight ( starter! )

[fogsnatched]

They've both done this song and dance before. It's a familiar, old routine - though to be fair, one that never quite goes the same way twice.

Ghostface is one of Yui's least favorites of the killers that roam this fog. The way he sneaks around and plays dirty, stalking from the shadows like a devil lurking just out of sight... not only does it force her to adjust her strategies to a style she's not used to, it feels cheap as well - and maybe a little too familiar at times.

Being stalked, being watched, being hunted - it brings back memories of the past that she'd thought she'd long since gotten over. And to be fair, what she experienced back then is almost nothing in comparison to what she experiences every day now... but the feeling of eyes on her skin, and the crawling sense of dread that follows the sight of a figure in a place they shouldn't be - they're always going to turn her stomach the wrong way.

Still. Yui's long since decided it's best to treat every encounter here as something new, without being lulled into the sense of security that comes with expectations. Even so, she can't help but speak under her breath, letting bitterness soak into the words as she catches sight of him again-

"Creeps like you are the type I hate the most."

@noctiium ( starter for danny! )

[fogsnatched]

Yui's always been the competitive type. From when she was a little kid playing games with her family at the dinner table to when she tore into the street racing scene as a young adult and set the world ablaze - the fire burning within Yui has never faded. There's nothing like adrenaline to get your blood pumping; to get you excited, so present in the moment that you forget everything else.

In many ways, fear is the flipside to excitement. The sensations aren't so different, yet they still feel worlds apart - because fear is unpleasant, nauseating, and fills you with an urge to escape it more than anything else. And in this place... fear rules all. But even here, Yui is determined not to lose. She turns every match into a competition, forging terror into determination and putting everything she has into getting that win - no matter what it takes.

In some ways, it's the time between the trials that's the hardest. That's when she has time to think, and she's forced to face over and over the fact that she might not ever get away. She always remembers the losses most, and the more time passes, the more dread builds up as she feels like the next match might end up the same way - filled with pain unimaginable and ending with a broken spirit. But more than anything else, she fears that one day she'll lose the drive that keeps her going. She's already well aware that every win is hollow. When it gets to the point when she starts to burn out, and still can't escape no matter how much she can't take it... what will she do then?

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" she mutters to herself as she watches Julie from a distance. Those nagging thoughts may still be on her mind, but she shuts them out to focus on the moment. "Well, I wouldn't have it any other way."

@maskdrawn ( starter! )