Beware the Wolf

#in combat #reply #apollo #jericho #round 4 #haunted ground

ultimatebloodsport:

bibliotheca-apollonis:

jerichovanhalenofficial:

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!”

Okay, he could deal with Matthias. With a stifled sigh he acknowledges his presence. It’s nothing personal; he’s just feeling fed up in general right now. “My apologies for, er, ditching you,” he says, “Once this is done I think I will go to sleep.” Sleeping forever sounded nice. In his nice, single room. If he could just sleep through the next round of whatever bullshit the scientists had prepped for him, even better.

Apollo shakes his head. “Never mind. Going over it would be the smart thing to do.” Not the fun thing, but you make sacrifices. “Right here in the hallway, or would you prefer to sit down, at least?” He runs a hand through the dry curls of hair - harder to do, now that there are horns in the way.

He inhales to speak again, but finds himself cut off by the absolute last person he’d like to see. He coughs out a rough, audible sigh, makes it no secret that he’s not actually interested in whatever sewage is about to pour from the actor’s mouth.

“Oh, perfect,” he spits, turning on Jericho, “Mister Wolfram might be more accommodating but I am not interested in whatever vapid, irrelevant noise you have to contribute. You’ve always been a waste of my time, and I do not see why now should suddenly be any different.”

Harsh, but he’s not interested in playing nice today. He moves to push past Jericho and continue down the hall, and pauses to see if Matthias is coming with him. He should really start paying attention to that weird psychic sense again; it helped him avoid Jericho, so it was worth it.

He opens his mouth to give a reply to Apollo, to say it’s fine and to get everything information-wise out into the open...

And then that person appears.

“Y’know, I ain’t feelin’ much in the way of accomodatin’ either.”

More accommodating... if anything, Matthias was willing to bet he was even less accommodating than even Apollo. There was an instinctual feeling of just ‘no’ when Jericho entered his field of view. This person, who treated everything like a joke, who treated the tragedies and lives of others as playthings was alien to him. Matthias felt that sort of behaviour should be alien to everyone but Mayumi and their callous indifference probably accepted it. Maybe even appreciated it. Their take on all this felt just as abnormal. He was wondering at this point if he wasn’t the abnormal one here.

He fixes his furious eyes on the actor and folds his arms. There’s no sign of actual aggression... yet... but his stance speaks loud and clear. You, Jericho van Halen, are not welcome here. Perhaps just moving on ahead, following Apollo is the smart play but there’s no this gremlin wouldn’t just tag-along. Maybe if he’s intimidating enough, clear enough, they’ll get the idea.

“Someone who lies n’ plays with the truth to spice things up ain’t welcome here. Not one bit.“

The sentence is a little broken, fitted with ill-chosen words and phrases that don’t quite belong but it is clear enough in his eyes. Hell, he’s never been good at speaking right.

“D’you really have any intent of helpin’ out ‘cause from where I’m sittin’ you pull this crap again n’ again. And for some reason, no one’s had the good sense to beat it outta you yet.”

Not that’s he volunteering for that part. With his temper being as spitfire as it has been for the last few days, weeks maybe, he’s been making a concerted effort to keep himself in check. Still, why someone else hasn’t or at least yelled some common sense into this person yet is a mystery to him. Just another mystery in this facility, one supposes.

Round.8 ✖ Research Review ✖ Open

#in combat #reply #riley #round 4 #research review

designedinterior:

She was still a little bit bitter about the useless note. Why bother scribbling on a paper if you can’t be bothered to write legibly?

But the news of a room that had actually contained something interesting held her attention. If nothing else, it would be something she could take a look at later, but the chemicals that Matthias was describing seemed… strange.

“Death as a side effect,” she repeated, flatly. No one ever paid attention to the side effects. Side effects were usually only inconveniences in comparison to a medicine’s intended purpose - effects that could be severe in rare cases, but instant death? That was ridiculous. And if it was only a side effect, it couldn’t have been developed as a poison… More to think about. Later.

“I wouldn’t doubt that bad things have happened here in the past.” She didn’t believe in omens, but… “The scale of the facility is too large to have been reasonably built for a single group. Too elaborate. And… the subject numbers are too high.” From what she recalled of Leroy’s announcements, some of them numbered in the hundreds. Scientists had a wonderful, terrifying habit of numbering things in order.

It was scary to think that they weren’t the first. Made everything too big. Out of control.

But she was here with Matthias right now, and they were both alive, and those were both good things. Small, good things. It was enough.

“That’s good. Let me know if that changes.” A smile creeps onto her face, and she doesn’t even care. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’m okay too, About as well as could be expected. What was it that you were thinking about?”

When she repeats it back at him it sounds like a joke. The punchline was that a taking a medicine to presumably help your condition instead totalled it. What was that for, to make sure people could read it? Terribly childish if true but Leroy’s proven time and time again to a be a pedant and sick-humoured narcissist.

“Mm. I checked it out with Apollo... think he found some stuff in there too but I didn’t get much of a look at it. If ya wanna twist your mind round somethin’ I’ll take ya there sometime. But for now I’d say let your head rest. It’s a nasty room. Ain’t no good rooms here mind you but it just gives me a real cold feeling.”

Perhaps because it didn’t quite confirm anything real but it introduced the idea of many more awful things happening. Things he could only speculate about inviting dread back in over could bes and maybes. This heavy feeling is perhaps the downside to a bleeding heart.

“Yeah... I mean, we’ve been here for a while but when you think about it... we still don’t know much more than we did in the beginnin’, really. Now that you mention it... some real crazy high numbers pop up, huh? That’s... that ain’t right if it’s true.”

But it not being right didn’t change anything. You could wish for bad things to vanish all you wanted but wishing was akin to counting stars. Every time you’d finish a cloud would shift revealing more. Eventually you’d lose your place in the big sky.

“Good. I’m glad.”

He returns the smile.

“I guess just... everything. I ain’t much good at the whole bigger picture thing but lately I’ve been thinkin’ what if there’s some way to get Leroy-- to end it? Feels like... feels like people are okay with the others dying, killing, and I can’t stomach that, y’know?

... Who knows, maybe I’ve just been trying to remember stuff ‘bout them in general. My memory’s real bad but when I think ‘bout those kids that got condemned n’ taken out with everyone just movin’ on.... I feel a burnin’ in my head. Like it ain’t right.”

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.

#in combat #reply #apollo #round 4 #haunted ground

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?”

Round.8 ✖ Research Review ✖ Open

Had she been looking for Matthias? No. She’d just been left with nothing to do but aimlessly wander the halls, not hungry enough to eat, not tired enough to sleep, too worked up by the fruitless riddle hunt to sit down and read a book in the abysmally lit library, so she’d walked through the facility room by room, opening each door to find each space exactly as she remembered. There was nothing to do and too much to think about and she was overwhelmed by an urge that had never been a problem in her life before this disastrous program, the overwhelming need to just talk to someone –

…Yes, she had been looking for Matthias.

She didn’t even bother to suppress the sigh of relief when she shoved the door open and saw him sitting there, because she liked talking to him, which was more than she could say about… almost everyone she’d ever known. She felt more comfortable around him than she did in a room by herself. He took things seriously and thought of others before himself and after their conversation at the pool she was certain he wouldn’t kill her – which was a strange qualification, but it still counted, and christ if she’d known in advance that having a friend would make her thoughts this sappy she might’ve tried a little harder not to trust him.

She took a seat on the rock next to him and looked up at the nest, halfheartedly wondering if she’d ever be able to fly. The riddles were more relevant, but she didn’t have much to share in that regard.

“Yes,” she said, absently. “My key led to an operating room. The note was illegible gibberish. Useless. Waste of time. And you?”

It would be nice to fly, she decided. It wouldn’t make up for anything that had happened, but it would be nice. But she could die tomorrow and never get the chance. There was no point in dreaming about such an uncertain future. With a sigh, she shook her head and shifted on the rock to face Matthias properly.

“How have you been?”

#in combat #reply #riley #research review #round 4

Matthias doesn’t bother hiding the huge sigh of relief as Riley enters. A mutual gesture, one supposes. It’s not like she’s the only one he tolerates; there’s Ayumu and Apollo... but he definitely trusts her the most.

The blunt answer of ‘yes’ does throw him for a loop - he blinks, but, hm, that is true of Riley, isn’t it? She’s never been the type to keep her thoughts to herself nor soften her words. She was what she was. She said what she thought. That simple. He had grown to appreciate that even if not everyone here did.

“Gibberish, huh... geez... don’t that beat all.”

He scratches the back of his neck and then stews over his own answer. In a way, what he’d gotten was gibberish too. But he doubted it was the useless kind, just the sort that was rather hard for a guy like Matthias to parse.

“Not quite a waste of time on my end. Don’t reckon, anyway. There were some bottles, y’see, chemicals and that. Some of them were drained to the drip. Lotta the labels got torn off so I don’t really know what they’re all about but... there are symptoms. Side-effects too. One of those was ‘instant death’... I mean, pretty serious side effect, ain’t it?”

There’s something oddly amusing about that, it forces a chuckle, but he’s not quite sure how sincere it is. Afterwhich the look on his face becomes gradually more serious as he turns to her. When he thinks about it, some of the stuff there really was concerning.

“But that whole room was some kinda terrible... smelled like death. I get horrible stuff’s happenin’ all around us n’ all but I think these awful things been happenin’ for a while somehow, y’know? It’s a real bad thing - bad omen.”

Finally, his mind gets cast back to her question. ‘How are you’... he glances down at his hands. He hasn’t lost it in a while so that’s at least some progress. And talking to, getting along with Apollo for the first time in years despite all the history was still amazing, still helping so much. In a weird way, despite everything, he was doing... alright.

“Certainly had worse days. Haven’t been damagin’ myself as much,” he shows off his hands and seems, in some capacity, proud of that. “I’m honestly better now that you’re here. My head’s a mess. How ‘bout you? Doin’ alright?”

Round.8 ✖ Research Review ✖ Open

The chemicals are stuck in his brain, nagging at him. He’d been dumped with a whole lot of information and honestly he wasn’t sure how much he could make of it on his own. Memorization had never been his strong suit and big ole complicated words entered his head and then left it in no time at all. Instant death? Replaceable limbs? Some of this sounded downright medieval and real graphic. Sure, he was punched in the head more times than he could count but reading it and dealing with it were two different things. Especially since he didn’t feel it anyway.

He’d opted to hang out in one of the environmental rooms as it seemed as good a place as any to think things through. There’s a part of him that wants to talk it over with someone, maybe it’ll help make sense of things. But his feelings, while not quite the blazing anger they were, have barely cooled. The lava of his emotions may have solidified but that bitter taste in his mouth prevented him from forgiving some of them anytime soon.

Some of them.

Despite what he’d expected, he wasn’t alone here. Friends was a frightening word but... maybe he considered using it for real.

Rather than fishing for deep thoughts, Matthias was content to sit on the rocks, glancing vaguely up at that bird’s nest. For what purposes were these rooms made? Maybe it was to give them a taste of whatever their home was. As he recalled there were only ten of them, though... maybe they shared. Ahh, whatever. Screw it all! He could focus on other stuff but right now his mind was fizzling with too much data. With a rough hand, he ruffles the side of his hair before noticing the door open. He gazes upon the intruder with a dose of suspicion.

Truthfully he hadn’t expected the company. He wasn’t opposed in principle, but... well, one had to be careful, for a variety of reasons.

“... Wha-- were you lookin’ for me?”

#in combat #ONOPEN #round 4 #research review

Round.7 ✖ SOS ✖ Open

Riley has never been fond of people. There was always something she could find to dislike about anyone, and she’d never really taken the time to understand why people were the way they were. It usually didn’t seem worth the effort to try.

Usually.

“It’s stifling. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. They don’t want us to be happy, here. Happy people don’t kill. The games… ” Think of it like a science experiment. “Socialization. Interaction. Make friends, make enemies.” The dodgeball game. Apollo nailing Jericho with one ball, her own electric vaporization of another. “Competition brings out the worst in everyone.”

As Matthias speaks, she remains completely silent. Listening, as she said she would. Watching. Thinking. What he says… makes sense. Makes him make sense, in a way. Once he’s finished, she’s still quiet for a few seconds. Can’t come up with the right words, so she doesn’t say anything at all. …Seconds later, still nothing. The silence was stretching on for too long.

“…It sounds like you’ve been alone for a while.” Maybe not literally, but with people seeing him as something he isn’t, having his identity marred like that… “People are stupid. You’re not unjustified, but the others here haven’t been through what you have. The witch hunt seems like the only option, and it’s easier to hate than…” She sighs and shakes her head. “Emotions aren’t my strong suit. But you’re right. Good people are dying, and it isn’t fair. None of them would have killed if we weren’t trapped here. No one would’ve died.”

It’s not the best way she could have responded, but she wasn’t good at this type of thing. She always tried to give answers, find solutions, be right. It didn’t work for everything.

Still. “Hurting yourself doesn’t bring justice to the dead. Doesn’t help the living. Can you even say that it helps you? At all?”

And… of course. Her end of the deal. He talks, she talks. It seemed even less important in light of what Matthias had just shared with her, but it wouldn’t be fair to shut down now.

“…Fine. I’ll tell you what’s been on my mind.” A lot of things have been on her mind. “I am a very independent person, Matthias, you know that. But in a place like this, I haven’t been able to deal with things the way I always have. I drive myself insane. Nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one is safe.” She shakes her head. “It’s… different now. It’s stupid, and dangerous, and I would really rather not, but I trust you.”

She sighs, sharply. There. Matthias is the one person in the whole, God-forsaken facility that she’d have no reservations about turning her back to. Just one person. It’s enough. There’s really no point in telling him that. But he’d asked.

“…I didn’t realize until the last time we talked – I asked whether you trusted me, and you said no. That’s fine. It really is. It’s the smart thing to do.” Another, drawn out sigh, mostly directed at herself. “It bothered me. It’s been bothering me. And I don’t usually get this way about things – about people – so it’s been just… stupid.”

She pinches the bridge of her nose and squeezes her eyes shut for a moment. Deep breath. In, out. The air reeks of chlorine, and the mild annoyance makes it easier to let go and start talking again, staring out over the pool’s surface.

“Don’t take this as me asking you to change your mind. It’s not anything. Just thoughts.”

#in combat #reply #:'))))))#i'm just waiting for something terrible #riley #round 4 #sos

There isn’t much to say to that... it’s similar thoughts to his own, echoed through a different voice. So instead, he just opts to nod his agreement and then sigh at the truth of it.

“Well... it is what it is, right? We’re in a facility and those guys are scientists. ‘Course it’d be some kinda messed up experiment. The entire thing gets so tirin’, though.”

He’s hardly looking for agreement there. It’s more just, again, words they both know repeated out loud for posterity’s sake. Saying it out loud makes it more real but whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing... no, it’s a good thing after all. Better to confront what is than live in denial.

Alone for a while huh... well... she’s not wrong. In some ways, you could say it was beautiful, the life of an adventurer with no responsibility, no care. Well, for Matthias that wasn’t true, he’d always had his dedications - his goal, even... but still, you could find some romance in the idea of traveling town to town. Indeed, on some days that life suited him fine. But deep down... maybe it had weighed down on him. Maybe he never wanted that after all.

“Yeah... no, you’re right. My personal baggage ain’t anythin’ to with what’s goin’ on in here. I guess I was just thinkin’... maybe this is my chance. To make those friends and to have a home. I mean, it was in the beginning. Know better now, y’see.”

He gives her a wry grin.

“For someone who ain’t good at emotin’ you’re sure better than most. S’alright. You ain’t gotta put into words. Maybe you don’t care like other people but you care. That’s enough, I reckon. Besides, you waste your time with a guy like me. If that don’t make you carin’, I don’t know what does. The hurtin’ certainly don’t help me but... I dunno. It makes me feel like I’m still here. Maybe that I still got some power to do something. It’s like you said. No one would’ve died... it’s true. In a different place, a different time... we coulda been happy. But those kids are so desperate to keep smiling that they’d step on the heads of others. Even if I do get it... I can’t get behind that. Maybe I’m a misery-case, some hopeless pessimist but it ain’t right, no matter what, ‘cause we ain’t seein’ these people for who they are. Ain’t hardly nobody who deserves that kinda fate.”

If there are people that deserve that fate, they are far and few between. And they are likely not teenagers. It’s so easy to forget the simplest of details in the heat of the moment. They were children. They had parents, some of them, in any case. And siblings. Some may have had friends, clubs they situated and perhaps even significant others. How could Caadia deserve this? How could Takara? How were their feelings less than the rest of them? Because they had cracked under undue pressure? For ‘monsters’ why is it that they suffered more and more for being human?

There’s irony to it all.

But that’s irrelevant. Especially after what Riley just said. The surprise registers quite clearly on his face. Belief... trust... such simple things in concept but so unfamiliar to him. Apollo... had believed him. And now Riley... trusted him. These two had given him more than his father ever had. Than his hometown childhood friends.

“Ha... hahaha... you’re really... unbelievable, you know that?”

The laugh turns into something more as he puts his hand over his eyes... still, that doesn’t quite shield his face nor the tears now coming down.

“If you’re stupid, what the hell does that make me? I said all that but in the end I... ended up trustin’ you too. After the trial... after all this... how could I not? You’re always sayin’ the right thing, doin’ your best... and you never gave up on me, even when you see me at my worst. Even though I keep gettin’ betrayed by everybody I still believe in you. It’s not like you had to ask to change it... that just... happened... it’s true what they say, y’know? I really am stupid. Riley... thank you. Really, thank you. Thank you so much... you really are incredible, you know that?”

He can’t help but laugh again. And he finally removes his hand, after wiping his face, so he can show her a smile. The first real one he’s been able to show off in a while. It feels like it’s been an age. He’s not alone. That’s what this means, right?

bibliotheca-apollonis-blog

Lair of the Beast | Open

Following the trial, Apollo had done exactly as he had said he would: he went back to his bedroom and promptly fell asleep, as if he hadn’t just witnessed four gruesome deaths in rapid succession. Maybe he was getting used to it. A scary thought. Or maybe he had been used to it from the beginning. Whatever it was, he didn’t lose any sleep over it, and woke again a few hours later.

With the lights now turned on he took a look around the room and noticed all of those wrappers mentioned earlier. He frowned. Takara. She was dead. She could have been a friend, maybe. And then she had died. He stood there, staring at the wastebasket full of the wrappers, for longer than he would have liked to admit, a mess of emotion in his gut. And then, he took the basket to the main room next door, threw the wrappers away, and then threw the wastebasket across the room. And then he walked away again, leaving it there, both it and the wall marred by a rather large dent.

Okay, so maybe he was more upset than he would like to admit, but he would get over it. Always did. Sure, some of the recently deceased were people he had actually known, rather than just coexisted with, but he didn’t care. Life was like that. You lost things. You moved on. Or you stayed bitter for two years and developed a near-obsessive grudge. Either or.

He took refuge in the library once more. He didn’t care about the arcade, and what was he going to do in a swimming pool? He could barely make it up the stairs without winding himself. This place continued to be awful and unfriendly toward him. The library was the only place in which he felt even remotely comfortable. Buried away in his books. That had been his life for years now, so why should he change that now? He was probably going to die here. He might as well be comfortable while it lasted.

He knew that someone was approaching him, of course. Both a curse and a blessing. He couldn’t even see them, but he knew they were close and that they could see him. “For weeks,” he muttered, making sure he could be heard, “I have worked in this library, usually the only one of us to do so. Have you not yet learned not to disturb me while I am here?” Venom in his voice. Raw nerves sounding through his voice, a warning to the other person to tread carefully. The library was Apollo’s domain, and he did not welcome intruders.

#in combat #reply #apollo #round 4 #lair of the beast

... Well. Someone’s in a mood.

Not that he can blame the guy, he supposes. It’s not like he empathises with Apollo in any specific way, in claiming the library or disliking most of the areas or whatever but he does get being angry. Besides, if Apollo’s angry at him well... he does have a bit of a reason to be given his meltdown.

“Yell at me if you want but I’m disturbin’ on purpose. Gotta talk to you ‘bout something.”

The words are almost muttered back, each sound with meaning, not a word wasted, almost as if he’s in a rush to get to something. Well, not almost, that’s exactly what it is. He runs a tired hand through his hair as his eyes seek out anything that isn’t Apollo. Unfortunately all he sees are books and shelves and honestly if he’s going to say this it should be to the guy’s face. The entire situation just feels so surreal. A few days ago he couldn’t even stand seeing the guy’s face. For years this had been the enemy. And now... and now he has this to say.

“... Thank...s.”

It really is quiet. And it’s said to a book case to the right. Goodness, hopefully the books appreciated the sentiment. The words repeat in his head ‘Get yourself together, Matthias’ or if not the words, the feeling does. Slapping both hands over his face and sighing deeply he finally looks at Apollo properly and speaks in a clearer voice.

“It’s real obvious I was outta line back there. I... was being stupid. I was angry. But I didn’t do anything bad because of you n’ Riley. So I had to say thanks, I guess.”

Wait, maybe that’s... not really useful. Yeah, maybe Apollo would look down on him for the gesture. He wasn’t sure. Honestly the guy was a bit of an enigma to him. Sure, he knew of him but Matthias had mostly just hated him blind, hated all of them. In regards to what he felt and why... he’d hardly asked. In retrospect, that seemed so silly.

“’Course, I still don’t agree with that girl but I shouldn’t have... lost it like that. I gotta keep myself in check. Can’t go until that guy... ‘till I found out who it was. N’ why.“

That doesn’t need clarification. Apollo knows.

Round.7 ✖ SOS ✖ Open

Even with the new areas, there really wasn’t much to do in this place. Idle chatter was usually a fruitless endeavor. Thinking only makes her angry. The longer she spends in this place, the more she wants to tear the building down, piece by piece, and personally end the lives of everyone responsible for their current situation. …She would have never been able to hold her own in any kind of fight before this, so maybe it was just the blasé confidence that came from knowing she could throw around lightning at will that made bringing an end to it all by brute force seem like a halfway desirable option. There was really no point in entertaining fantasies like this, though. Not when it would only get her killed.

She couldn’t quite place what it was that made Matthias less exhausting to talk to than the others. He can be loud and violent and emotional, but he’s also… hm. Something. Honest, genuine. Human, maybe. It’s enough.

“You need to find a different outlet, Matthias. Hurting yourself doesn’t help anyone.” She almost continuously projects an aura of mild disapproval on a good day, so directing it in his general direction isn’t an issue. Claiming a spot on the wall beside him to lean against, she looks up at him. “So talk. I’ll listen.”

The fact that he hadn’t actually gone over and given Xue the punch in the face that she was practically asking for during the trial was evidence enough that he was still trying. The least she could do is show some sort of support. Barring a magical wand that could solve all of his problems, an offer to listen was all she could really offer at this point.

It’s true that she’d wanted to talk about something else, but it really didn’t seem all that important anymore. Almost silly, really.

“Mm. Nothing of grave importance. It can wait.”

#in combat #IT'S HERE #it was hinted at of course but now it's in the open #i'm so happy #Riley #round 4 #sos

The words she says, well... what can he say? It’s true, of course it is. Riley’s always been the champion of common sense, the advocate for telling it like it is and getting shit down. And really, if he had any common sense left himself he’ll just agree and stop. Only it’s not quite that simple. If why he did it could explain in words, stopped in simple actions, well, that’d just be grand. The truth of it is that he doesn’t even know why he does it himself. When pushed to a point where he can’t think... he chases something, some kind feeling maybe. Only the pain that’s supposed to come never does making it all the more desirable. It’s funny how the lack of something can make you want it. Maybe that’s why his mind consumes itself with justice, too.

“Probably... no, I mean, you’re right, ‘course. I just... I dunno what to do in this place. Feels like I can’t breathe sometimes, y’see. I know it’s not the answer but... guess I’m still tryin’ to find out what is. Though I’m guessin’ give or take a few days those bright eggs will go n’ find some new stupid game for us to play. Hide n’ seek or tag or somethin’.”

Which was becoming more and more of a headache for him personally. Oh hey, are all your friends dying? Why not simmer down with a game of beach volleyball and pretend like your life isn’t a complete misery? As if he could do that... as if anyone could. Well, no, maybe that wasn’t fair. Given how Mayumi and Jericho had reacted they could probably play until their own hearts stopped.

He takes this moment to stop advertising his bad decision making and throws his shirt back on as he thinks over Riley’s words. He’ll talk, she’ll hear out... it’s good... of course. And it’s a relief but... something about that doesn’t seem quite right.

“You remember the dodgeball too.”

It seems like a question but it’s just a statement. A fact. To the point.

“So you remember me sayin’ I’d hear you out too. If you came to speak to me, it ain’t unimportant, y’know? ‘Sides, you’ve been good to me. I’d like to be a little good back. Tell you what. I’ll talk... I’ll... come clean to you ‘bout why I’ve been...” He waves a dismissive hand, unable to find a suitable word. “But after that; you tell me what you were gonna say, alright?”

Matthias holds his stare for a bit and then nods, as if doing so is a way of getting her to agree. Rather than wasting time with a reply, he goes on to his story and as he does so, his voice becomes a bit more distant.

“... It bugged me from the start, y’know? The way people ‘round here acted... like they can point the finger n’ condemn a guy without no care. I know a thing or two ‘bout that see. ‘Cause I’m a murderer myself.”

A pause.

“Least... that’s what people who knew me would tell ya. A whole bunch of evidence pointed my way... never got convicted or nothin’, never enough for that but it was enough to destroy me. I got motive, I got the time and place so why not? Ha... people picked apart every lil thing in my life. Every mistake. Every time I’d raise my voice or a fist. I was livin’ in a world where the kindly grandma who ran the corner shop looked at me like I was... well, what I am, I guess. A monster. I didn’t murder nobody... ‘course not. But that didn’t matter. And if... when I catch the guy who did... the real sad part is it still won’t. It’s too late. Once people think you can do somethin’ like that, they never look at you the same way. My own old man can’t look me in the eye. When your flesh and blood thinks you’re guilty, thinks you’re capable of that kinda thing... well, what do you have left? ...Even though you’re the one that’s been wronged. So, I end up thinkin’ ‘bout that, ‘bout the people I called friends n’ brothers and then I think about this place and... it’s scary how it all happens in front of me. It’s so easy to stick the nails in somebody’s coffin and call it a day, like you ain’t done a thing wrong. So even if I get thought of as a brute or an idiot or whatever... I’ll fight it. I ain’t gonna stop fightin’ for somethin’ better. This place ain’t fair by all means but if I give up and let people die, hell, feel good people are dyin’ then who’s gonna fight for the condemned? ‘Face your actions’, ‘I won’t miss you’... how can people say that kinda thing? ... I don’t... encourage people to go ‘round bashin’ people upside the skull and yeah, it’s real fucked up, but... I can’t get behind the witch hunt. Not one bit. I’m real sorry if that makes me stupid or what have you. But... I won’t ever go sayin’ someone’s guilty unless I damn well know they are. With all my heart. I’ll never abandon someone like that. Cause I know what that does to a man. I guess you kinda do now, too. Well, you’ve heard it from me, anyways.”

Speaking for so long isn’t like him... or perhaps, speaking for long on this subject isn’t like him. He flexes his finger out and curls them in a kind of calm rhythmic fashion as he shuts his eyes. Memory as tattered as it is certain things stick there. The good things rarely do. After a brief pause his eyes flick back open and find Riley.

“That’s why I go off like that, I guess. Just want things to be better. N’ make more sense. So...”

God, how do you even speak after a long story like that? He scratches the back of his neck and gets back on track.

“But that’s enough ‘bout that. What’d you come here for? And don’t say somethin’ like it ain’t important or it can wait.”

Round.7 ✖ SOS ✖ Open

Four more dead. One pair an accident, the other almost justified. Almost. There was a justification. Takara had justified it in her own mind. To herself. Nearly to everyone else, too. And Caadia. She’d lost control, thought herself a monster for it. She was, and she wasn’t. People didn’t seem to understand that there were different kinds of monsters. Toubei and Loic. One of them hadn’t deserved it.

But the trial was over now, and all of them were dead. Back into the calm between storms. This wasn’t over yet. More people would die before it would end. They weren’t in control of this, she couldn’t control any of it, and it was… it was what it was. She couldn’t change the past. There was nothing that could be done, and she needed to suck it up and deal with it. On the current path, people would keep dying. That was the pattern. Patterns were nice, even if their implications weren’t.

But patterns were everywhere, if she looked too hard. Kids with feathers kept getting killed. It didn’t mean anything, other than that she was thinking too much. That last trial had just doubled the death toll, and the lack of decent sleep was already giving her a headache. She knew how to deal with heavy workloads. She knew how to deal with stress. But her strategies for both of those involved eliminating the source, and the inability to do anything was starting to eat away at her. Grabbing a drink from the snack room hardly helped, but it was something.

Maybe this would keep going until there was no one left, until the scientists watching them got bored and eliminated them all. Maybe not. But if there was any chance of living through this, there were certain people she did not want to see die, if it could be avoided.

She was looking for Matthias. The new area is nothing special – just locked, loud, and wet. The only reason at all she walks through the entrance to the pool at all is because she finally spots him across the room. Shirtless, apparently, but people rarely jumped into pools fully clothed, so she doesn’t think much of it until she gets closer. She slows as she nears him, and stops a few feet away.

“Some of those are new. What have you been doing.”

It comes out flatter than she intended, but those clearly weren’t the work of a vengeful tree. She crosses her arms, uncrosses them, and starts pulling at one of her pigtails with a sigh.

“…End of the dodgeball game. Does that offer still stand?”

The more he thought about it, the more he worried. Matthias had been the worst of his negative traits. He’d always known about his darker aspects, how could he not? He wasn’t oblivious. Short-tempered, stubborn, dogged, obsessive, emotional and... desperate for an answer even when there isn’t one. He’s been desperate for a while now - for justice. For something to be right and to make sense. It’s a low bar he would’ve thought but it isn’t just this place; the world has always disappointed him there. Still he thinks on his actions and mentally kicks himself. Every time they go into a trial he messes it all up and yells at people. He could write them all off - they’re strangers. It shouldn’t matter. But it does matter. Even if he could ignore the budding friendships and the strange new feelings they brought on it just grated on his core belief system. So the killer gets executed. How is that justice? And why is it that, rather than fight this system or at least think it horrible, people choose to celebrate the gore? Isn’t this exactly what the scientists want? A horrifying game. The lack of forgiveness... empathy... and justice... it’s more than he can handle sometimes.

His eyes flick to Riley as she enters and before he even realises it, he heaves a sigh of relief. She’s the one that jumps to his head when he worries. Burning bridges is nothing new but he’d rather not have her see him as brutish as he’s been acting. As bad. She’s... blunt. That might bug some people but it’s always been fine with him. But what’s more, she cares. Maybe not about people but about this situation - about what’s right and what they can do. Maybe it’s just that this girl inspires him to try a bit harder.

“Not much you’d approve of, I reckon. Part of it was testin’ these effects n’ whatever out... the other part’s... well... better to keep the violence to myself than risk hurtin’ anyone else, y’see.”

And yet he was so willing to hurt Xue. Again. He was actually so ready to act on it that it scared him. He shouldn’t be this way. He wasn’t before. Sure, he was short-tempered but it’d never been this bad, the desire to act out so strong. Perhaps part of it was also this feeling of being cramped. The lack of fresh air and grass... it was probably messing with his head. Those crappy little rooms obviously weren’t a good enough substitute. It all felt... mechanical. And cold. All of it did.

He turns to her with a serious look and after a handful of seconds, he slowly nods.

“... Yeah, ‘course. What’s on your mind?”

#in combat #reply #riley #round 4 #sos

Round.7 ✖ SOS ✖ Open

calico-blackwood-blog

“Eh? Scared…?”

Certainly, there’s a lot of things that Calico is scared of. This place has shoved half of those things directly in his face, and he can’t say he’s particularly dealt with all of them well. He doesn’t want to deal with some of it– becoming apathetic and numb could be considered a fear in itself. Still, he’s trying to make himself stronger, and he realizes that overcoming fears is an important step. But Matthias… he can’t say he was ever really afraid of the fighter to begin with. He’d been so kind when they’d first met, and sure, he was shaken up by all of this, with his friends dying, but aren’t all of them? Strenuous circumstances, that kind of thing. Besides, rather than a threat, right now…

“Um, not really… Actually, right now, you look kinda like… a wounded animal? Ah! Er, not that I’m sayin’ your an animal, or lookin’ down on you or anythin’! Uh, I actually think that you’re pretty darn strong… I mean, this is a lot to deal with, right? And you’re still keepin’ your morals an’ all…!”

He trails off before he can accidentally say something to offend the other boy. He makes his way closer, trying not to seem too cautious. He feels that he can trust Matthias, at least right now.

“Huh…? Can’t feel nothin’? Hmm… I guess you gotta take stress an’ anger out on somethin’, y’know? It’s not messed up or anythin’. Though… it’s much safer to do that with things like carvin’. Well, that’s what works for me, at least… I guess it’s not for everyone, huh. Um, but if you wanna feel somethin’… why not huggin’? I could hug you if you want! Er, or, is that kinda weird to ask…? I mean, that kinda comfort tends to work for me. But I guess sometimes you gotta punch somethin’… though, I usually just pick a pillow for that, eheh.”

He lets out a sigh, fatigue suddenly weighing down on him. He slumps down against the wall near Matthias, listening to what he says with deep thought.

“Mm… I… know what you’re sayin’. I really… hate this place, what it’s doin’ to us. I feel like… everyone is tryin’ to cope, in their own way. I’m, uh, not the best at readin’ emotions, but… I think for some people, that kinda thing is what they need. After all, I’m pretty sure none of us’ve ever dealt with somethin’ like this before. I think… some kinda passin’ of the blame is necessary, but in the end, it’s really the people who put us here we should be angry at, huh? I can’t say… that I can completely forgive, or even understand why some people here have… killed another. But… I know that in this kinda circumstance… it’s hard. Everyone is confused and scared… heh, I’m prob’ly the biggest scaredy cat, actually. I’m tryin’ to have hope, but… I’m always afraid of what’s gonna come next, of what kinda motive they’re gonna throw at us, maybe somethin’ that might make me actually want to h-hurt someone… but… I wouldn’t. Cause I’m too afraid of that, too, y’know? I’ve never wanted to hurt anythin’, and I never imagined I’d even consider this kinda situation where it’s k-kill or be killed, and hopes of escape are… constantly gettin’ further away…”

He takes a deep, shuddering breath, blinking back the tears that are starting to pool up in his eyes. Geez, he went and worked himself up. He draws his knees to his chest, staring at the branches that cross when he wraps his arms around them.

“You’re right. It doesn’ matter if we’re human or monster, or whatever. Because… we’re still us, right? That’s one thing they can’t take away from us. It doesn’ matter what form we’re in. We’re… still us.”

He pulls out the carving he’s been working on. It’s half finished, but the shape of Marta Okeum has started forming. He clutches it in a slightly shaking hand.

“I already… finished the first three. I… won’t let a-anyone be forgotten.”

A wounded animal, huh? That feels somehow more accurate than one would’ve thought. Huh... so Calico really doesn’t fear him. Maybe he’s just assumed the worst due to his recent actions but he genuinely didn’t expect that. Not that Matthias could call it a bad surprise... it really just did catch him off-guard. Especially since Calico seemed to be on rather good terms with the people Matthias liked the least (save Leroy) meaning Sousuke, Squids and the others. He keeps his eyes on Calico for a few seconds before letting loose a casual but almost dusty laugh in how rough it sounds.

“Hahaha... nah, I’m thinkin’ you ain’t too far off. To keep your morals n’ what you believe is no easy task, you’re right. I’m not sure I’ve always kept to that myself. But I try, y’see. And I guess it’s workin’ out for me. I’m tryin’ anyway. I got a real good reason to keep tryin’.”

He allows that statement to fade into silence as he glances at Calico who goes on to get a lot off his chest. Or no, rather than that, it’s more that he’s speaking his mind. Vocalizing thoughts that he’s perhaps held for awhile. Matthias curls in his fingers in and then curls them out in an almost rhythmic fashion.

“That’s not like a phrase or nothing though, mind, it’s true. I got congealed amnesia... or it’s somethin’ like that. The nerves are dead or somethin’. Either way I don’t feel stuff most people do. S’been kinda a blessing in this place, I guess.”

A hug, huh... it sounds ridiculous. Well, for him to want one anyway, it’s just not in his nature. It sounds so welcoming and childish and he’s lost that aspect of himself a long time ago. If he had a hug from someone he might even consider it more patronising than relieving. Why was it he opted for violence? ... Ah, right, that. Even before all this he had reasons to be angry; good reasons. In being aggressive it was almost as if he remembered that. He could tap into that driving force and know he could still keep going. That wasn’t an easy thing to explain though.

“... I get that it’s human to judge n’ fuck up and all but... even so. All these kids got are their memories. What they leave behind. When they die they’re already dying with their hauntin’ thoughts, regrets n’ they’re leavin’ behind everything they cared about here. You weren’t so far off Cal, we’re not used to this. But that should be more of a reason to stick together. We should be better than Leroy n’ Ellen but sometimes I end up feelin’ we ain’t that far off. Hell, I’ve lost my temper more times than I should’ve. I’ve proven just how much of a mosnter I am. But still, I gotta say... what if one day we get it all wrong, huh? We condemn the wrong guy during these witch trials n’ we burn someone real good? Don’t matter if they live or die. From that point on, they’re screwed. That sort of thing doesn’t go away, no matter how sorry you are.”

He takes a moment to stop speaking and to just hear out and observe Calico properly. A boy who’s trying to be brave despite the world landing on his shoulders. Meek and babyish and yet, in wanting to try harder, isn’t all that meek or babyish at all. No, quite the opposite. A person trying as hard as he is would be considered strong. It’s kind of impressive. Matthias reaches out to pat him on the shoulder. He looks like he could do with that.

“You’re workin’ hard. I respect that. I like to think that solves things, y’see. If you just do your best n’ work real hard, it’ll end up okay. Can’t predict what those guys are gonna do. Or if you’re never gonna kill people. It’s easy sayin’ you won’t but you never truly know. Not until you’re there in that moment. But you got that hope things’ll get better and I think that’s the important thing, y’know? Scaredy cat or not, tryin’ your best is somethin’ to be complimented. Don’t give up on yourself or the way out. I’m not sure all of us are gonna make it but I wanna believe the best of us can tough it out. I guess I really am a guy of faith.”

Matthias may not be able to feel physical pain but the second he sees that carved figure he feels like he’s taken a punch to the gut. For a second the words just won’t come. It’s not like he’s choked up; he didn’t even know her that well. Certainly not well enough for her to trust him, anyway. And maybe vice-versa. But still... she did mean something to him. He still wasn’t sure what specifically. But it wasn’t something he could easily put in words. Not that he was good with those anyway. At first he’d wanted to say ‘she would’ve been happy’ but... honestly, he didn’t know. He didn’t know how to make her happy or if being remembered would help. Hell, that had been the problem in the first place. Still, he managed a smile.

“What you’re doing here is... really nice. History shouldn’t be repeated and... people shouldn’t be forgotten. Ain’t nobody who deserves that kinda fate. Don’t reckon.”

#in combat #reply #calico #round 4 #sos

Round.7 ✖ SOS ✖ Open

calico-blackwood-blog

After taking some anger in his own form of rebellion, Calico was tired.

He went back to his room and tried to sleep, but he couldn’t. The faces of everyone who’d died, Leroy’s words, his own thoughts all kept swirling around in his head and the branches growing from his arms seemed to get in his way more than ever. The more he lay there, the more restless and uncomfortable he grew, and eventually he gave up on sleep altogether.

Tired and sad, he tried to work on his carvings, but found he didn’t even have the energy for that. Maybe it would help him clear his head if he went to check out the new areas. Shoving the carving he was working on in his pocket, just in case he got the motivation to carve, he set out…

And there he is now. He wonders just how big this building is. How much more can they unlock or close off? He remembers Leroy saying something about “carrot and stick” motivation, letting them taste a little freedom by giving them more space to roam… but for Calico, all it does is make him feel more trapped. There’s nothing but walls, no matter where they go.

When he gets to the pool, he doesn’t see Matthias right away. The smell of chlorine makes him scrunch his nose, and he’s suddenly reminded of the game of capture the flag where he promised Sousuke he’d teach him how to swim. Ha, things had still been relatively light-hearted then, hadn’t they? At least compared to this. Maybe they could still go through with those swimming lessons– it would be a good distraction, and a good skill to learn. Though, with all the bodily changes, he wonders if it might be too difficult or painful…

He suddenly spots Matthias near the corner, nearly startling himself. He’s usually more observant than this… his fatigue must be getting to him. Calico offers the boy a feeble wave and a tired attempt at a friendly smile. It’s then that he notices all the injuries on Matthias’ body, and the half-hearted smile turns into a more concerned frown. His voice is soft, but not as meek as usual.

“Um, sorry for interruptin’ you… but, are… you okay? Uh, are you hurt or anything?”

He recalls a similar conversation, back when they first got here, before they all knew the terrifying truth of their situation. It actually manages to bring a short, tired laugh out of him.

“Heh… I asked you somethin’ like that before, didn’t I? Guess some things haven’t changed, after all…”

#in combat #onopen #round 4 #sos

This kid’s always been a concern. Somehow Matthias always figured... he’d just crack or something one of these days. He seemed so gentle and kind, surely all this would be weighing on him. And indeed, on some days he seemed particularly distraught. But right now he seemed... fine, perhaps a bit stronger than usual.

“Not scared of me?”

It is, technically, a question, but it’s more of a surprised utterance than it is something to be answered. When he realises he’s said it and not thought it he just shrugs it off. Calico really is an interesting one, huh. As Matthias recalls... he’s never been one to condemn the dead. Not like the majority. He feels their regrets and pain... and he doesn’t want to take part in this. For that, he’s always carved away a little respect for the guy even if they don’t talk much. Eventually Matthias’s expression softens a little as he glances down at his own old wounds, a wistful smile appearing on his face, like a dying man reminiscing in his last moments.

“Ha... yeah, I remember. Nah. I’m just fine. I’m always just fine, y’know? Guess I was just... thinkin’.”

For a second, he stares into space as if he’s holding his look, fixing it, on something or someone that can’t be seen before clenching and unclenching his fists.

“I’m a fighter so I’m always gettin’ beat on. I do some beatin’ too. No one gets too hurt. Least I don’t think so. I never know if I’m really in trouble. Y’know, it’s weird. I sometimes go n’ punch on things to feel something, to feel alive n’ real, y’see. But I always forget I can’t feel nothin’ and it’s misery. But I’m still chasin’ that kinda thought. That’s really messed up, huh?”

He’s mostly been looking into space as he speaks but he finally takes the time to look at Calico properly, a more serious expression on his face.

“... But what I was really thinkin’ ‘bout was... when it’s enough. That Xue... she was cryin’ n’ feelin’ real bad ‘bout Caadia, y’see. But to Takara, nothing... anger... spite. Are we losin’ our feelings so badly we can’t even give these doomed kids some kinda compassion? Monster or human don’t matter. That’s real messed up. I dunno, I’ve just been... praying. Not sure if the guy up there hears me. Maybe I went too astray or somethin’, y’know? Hell, it worries me something bad these days ‘cause I can’t remember their faces too well no more.”

And at that point, a truly sorrowful expression appears on his face. And it’s true and it bothers him to his core. Why does Florian’s face look so faded in his memory? Marta’s, even? She’d mattered so much and yet he couldn’t place the features so well. Having a bad memory and a messed up head was one thing but this was just cruel. Although it seems like he’s opening up to Calico it’s more just ramblings from his tired unguarded mind. He doesn’t want to fight anyone right now. It’s all too tiring.

He really is tired.

#in combat #reply #calico #round 4 #sos

Round.7 ✖ SOS ✖ Open

He’s always known but that last trial really did confirm it. The sheer double standards. They’re evil and don’t deserve sympathy... until I say I do. Men were not supposed to play god, to judge who does and doesn’t deserve sympathy or a second chance. Sousuke’s words in particular repeat in his head.

“Life says, 'Face the facts and your actions'”.

When it’s Sousuke’s time to mess it all up, will he remember those words? Will the others? Will they turn their backs on him like they did the others? She’d... begged them not to go through the usual ‘filthy murderer’ speech. Caadia had made a terrible mistake that’d clearly destroyed her. Takara’s pursuit for vengeance had, when you think about, saved them all. And yet they are to be hated and forgotten in that order just like the rest of them. Maybe he’s the one who’s messed up... maybe that’s the logical conclusion. He’d almost attacked Xue again, after all.

Matthias sighs, overwhelmed with frustration. The anger’s passed but part of him is still angry at even being so angry. He can’t keep losing it like this. It was strange, sure, he’d had issues before but he’d never felt this uninhibited before. It’s... frightening. But he can’t expect understanding or sympathy from the others. He’s burned too many bridges at this point and to the few he still cares somewhat about... well... he doesn’t want to appear any more pathetic than he already does. What a conundrum.

After the trial he’d decided to keep to himself. Part of him just figured he knew what’d happen if he bumped into people. The judgement, the scolding, the scorn in general... it was tiring to even consider. But maybe being here in his room was worse. It was still all there. Like Marta had never left. It wasn’t just Marta that was gone now. Caadia and Takara, Loic and Toubei. All gone. Takara had been a friend. And just like that, now she was gone. Staring at the other side of the room didn’t just bring back memories of Marta, it brought back memories of all of them. And their executions. And how, in his mind, he just couldn’t see them deserving that. He felt sick. This room... no good. He couldn’t stay here. Anywhere but here. Hell, he’d risk running into someone if it meant he could get out of here.

He’d been wandering in a bit of a stupor when he arrived at the swimming pool area. This seemed... ultimately too merry a place given everything. Though this smell was... unfamiliar and factory-esque. Ultimately cold to him. Matthias had no intention of taking a swim, he just wanted to take in the scenery. This place was weird but it had a calming affect on his mind. Maybe this is also a good time to examine the damage he’s caused.

Leaning on a wall near the corner, he removes his scarf and shirt and glances down at some of the fresh wounds. Some of them he doesn’t even remember getting but he’s been a mess lately. He’s always gotten bruises and scrapes without realising it but these days he’s been angrier and in an effort to not take it out elsewhere he takes it out alone on the furniture and on himself. It’s probably not a big surprise but seeing the damage up close really makes it real. God... he should really sort this out. Well, that’s what part of him thinks. The other part thinks why even bother>

He heaves a huge sigh and then notices he has company though he hasn’t really turned to see who it is. He’s more focused on his hands right now. Perhaps he should be embarrassed but well, not really, he’s a fighter this is hardly anything. Though maybe all the scars on him are a bit horrifying to people who aren’t used to them.

“Oh... hey.”

It’s mostly a mumble, as if he’s deep in thought.

Search.3 ✖ Lullabye ✖ Matthias, Takara and Kerry

“…. ♪ ♫ Fine, fine. I’m sorry, I dont mean to snap. My head hurts a riot, though, and… ♪ ♫ “ She jsut trails off, instead of stating the obvious reason for her sour mood. She lets Matti take the lead this time and steps a bit closer to him as they get to the game room.

For once a bit tentative, when Matti stops to look around, she again slides into the room properly. She cant just peek in, after all- pushing her way to the front lines was the only way to prove she wasnt being useless.

“ ♪ ♫ Trying to… get away, I’d imagine, after they thought they’d gottne the best of me. Hmph! Well I’ll track you down one way or another, you filthy scoundrel! There’s no such thing as a perfect crime- there’s got to be something left behind–”

Before long, her nose picks up that awful stench, and before she can process things, her cane touches against something soft and cold. She taps the literal corpse a few times, then straightens and barely manages to choke back a scream as Leroy’s voice calls over the speaker.

The whole time he talks, though, she drops down to her knees and starts touching over the corpse, feeling out for wounds and anything in Toubei’s pockets or clothes. Her actions arent very calculated, and for once, fear shows on her face.

“ ♪ ♫ Wh- What’s the meaning of this?! ♪ ♫ “

#in combat #reply #kerry #takara #round 3 #investigation 3 #lullabye

What’s the meaning of this is right on the money. Matthias’s eyes widen but his reaction doesn’t become verbal. Well, not in the form of a shout or a scream, anyway. More of a bitter grumble.

“Goddammit...”

He slams his hand on a neighbouring wall and mutters a curse in Belanche. He never thought he’d think this but damn, he’s glad Takara’s blind around now. This is quite some sight and he’s a fighter whose seen some pretty serious injuries before. Things he wished he could unsee sometimes. And he’s a guy with an iron stomach. At a time like this, what’s he supposed to say to Takara? Wilful ignorance or prettying up words at a time like this is no help at all. And well... honestly... he’s not even sure he can be subtle on a good day.

“Well don’t this just beat all... this ain’t ordinary damage, y’see. Looks pretty damn brutal, Takara. Whatever happened... it took this poor kid by shock. And let me tell you, lotta his limbs aren’t goin’ the right way, y’know? This is just... goddamn overkill.”

He glances at the writing on the wall and approaches it. That colour... it’s alarmingly red... maybe that’s some of the paint from the art room. Or maybe it’s something more ominous, entirely. He touches it with one scraggly finger, glancing down at the substance before turning away once more to stare down at the corpse for a bit more. Takara’s looking at the body so maybe he should keep out of her way. Look around a bit more generally. He checks the room in more detail before focusing in on the paper near Toubei’s hand and the area around the body.

Search.3 ✖ Lullabye ✖ Matthias, Takara and Kerry

Takara frowns, not looking happy by Matthias’s attempts to calm her down. She knew he was just a cold sort of guy to these things, but there was a lot going on in her head at the moment and it was hard to keep in for his sake. She clenched her hand around her cane and stepped forward to go after Matthias before he even calls for her, leaving her helpful friend behind unless she chooses to follow along.

“I am plenty capable of taking my own lead, thank you.” She mumbles, before sighing as she follows him anyway. It is easier. As she gets to the edge of the art room door, she scoots past Matti and steps inside the art room, tapping around the floor and sniffing.

“ ♪ ♫ …..someone’s been in here? What’s the meaning of this?? ♪ ♫ ” She frowns and moves her way carefully through the supplies until she gets to the cupboards and swings them all open, rummaging inside with her hands rather chaotically, dropping things everywhere and aggressively making a mess.

“ ♪ ♫ A mess is a mess, I can’t ignore this. Matti, tell me, are there footprints?? ♪ ♫ “

#in combat #reply #kerry #takara #round 3 #investigation 3 #lullabye

She can be as unhappy as she likes. Hell, she can be pissed at him, if it helps speed things along and stops her from potentially knocking herself over or something.

“It ain’t some peckin’ order, you know that, right? S’bout justice, y’see. Workin’ together’s an easy way of gettin’ that. Not pride n’ bickerin’ n’ whatever. Let’s just do what we can n’ stop arguin, yeah?”

He sighs, finished with talking about that and moves onto to the room itself. Which... well, it’s a mess... he glances around the area, his head whipping around in very direction. Matthias takes a while to reply to Takara because he’s still stalking the area but, what’s there to see? It’s just a mess.

“Oi, calm down. Yeah, it’s a mess, but I don’t think much else is in here. But I guess... someone definitely came in here n’ caused a scene. There was paint out there in the hall too... n’ footsteps, as you say. But not in here.“

Matthias peeks his head outside the door to have a brief look at the footprints. Maybe those are the breadcrumbs to be followed.

“Whoever went in here probably went a-trekkin’, y’see. Let’s go ahead n’ see where these prints take us.”

He steps outside the art room and instead opts to follow the painted footprints best he can. Maybe examine them a bit further. Who knows if only one person walked this road, after all. Arriving at the Game Room, he then has a cursory look inside there.

Search.3 ✖ Lullabye ✖ Matthias, Takara and Kerry

There’s probably a way to ease her into the news but Matthias sure as hell can’t think of it. Loic’s dead. No amount of wringing your hands and pretending Leroy’s lying this time is going to change that.

“… Sorry. We’ll get who did it, though.”

Justice will be served, in other words. How strange that he and Loic both valued justice… just in such different ways. He wanted to say more but not much was coming to him. He hadn’t been as talkative as he once was in general but in the regards to emotional matters… that was even trickier. Either that or Riley and Apollo were rubbing off on him. Matthias turns away briefly to inspect the room they’re in properly. There may be some blood or clues on the floor or something if she was attacked here.

Upon Kerry’s entrance, Matthias gives her a nod back and secretly thanks the stars someone else is here. Quite a useful person as well, given Takara’s injury. He’s pacing around the room, eyes wandering. Somehow this confined space doesn’t suit him much.

“Takara got attacked n’ her partner got rubbed out. Doesn’t sound like a coincidence.”

It’s partly an answer to Kerry despite the question being directed at Takara. But mostly it’s a thought spoken aloud.

“ ♪ ♫ Hey, eyes off, who said you could gawk at me when I barely know who’s looking at me?! ♪ ♫ “ She says, rather sour for once as she sticks a hand in Kerry’s face. She pouts soon after, though, clearly regretting snapping so grumpily, but far too stubborn to apologize for it.

“ ♪ ♫ …it just hurts. I hit it hard- perhaps on the ground? I don’t remember what happened, I just fell here, in this spot. ♪ ♫ “ She taps the floor of the hallway as she slowly circles around to scrape her cane on the floor. As she feels the slick of the blood leading to room 7, she wrinkles her nose. She takes this moment to pause, though, and collect herself as she considers the real question.

“ ♪ ♫ …it was late, I was worried. Levesque hadn’t come by to meet me. I went out to go find him, and right around here… I heard noises- clattering, struggling- Hhhhkh- ♪ ♫ “ She draws in a sharp breath but then furrows her brows sharply downwards, as if forcing the feeling away from impacting her speech further. With all the clean cut words (sung though they were) of the championship title she earned, she continued on.

“ ♪ ♫ I had to be brave, and so I called out, but instead of answers, I don’t know- WHAM- I blacked out. ♪ ♫ ”

With that out of the way, she turned sharply from them to tap her way after Matthias, scraping her cane along the floor for any sign of dropped items. She shrugged Kerry’s attempts to look further off, expecting her to either follow or stop invading her space.

#in combat #reply #takara #kerry #round 3 #lullabye #investigation 3

He’s doing his best to focus on the investigation. There’s a certain nervousness he has in regards to interacting with people. In dealing with the emotional aspect of all this. Besides, it was hard to say he ever liked Loic. Sure, maybe that didn’t make this any better, maybe it was just a justification but it still provided some reason he didn’t have to care. Though he was worried about Takara. Well, the only thing he could do was work as best as he could on it.

“I get you’re upset but I wouldn’t go refusin’ help. If he were alive he wouldn’t want you actin’ so reckless. Don’t go n’ get yourself hurt doin’ somethin’ all bull-headed, y’know?”

Bit preachy. Maybe. But nobody wants another body and if she pushes herself, hell, who knows what’ll happen? It’s not something to bother risking something over.

“You say hadn’t come to meet ya though... you two have plans or somethin’? Don’t recall you bein’ in the same room or nothing. If that’s the case, maybe somebody else knew you had plans. Or maybe your pal was just unlucky. Victim of circumstance n’ all.”

As Matthias glances into the hall between the Environmental Rooms he notices quite a few rooms should probably be checked out. He bobs his head at Takara before remembering that’s an entirely useless gesture.

“Takara, here, follow my lead.”

Once he’s alerted her of his intent, he heads off to the Art Room and scopes the area for clues or anomalies.

Search.3 ✖ Lullabye ✖ Matthias, Takara and Kerry

Takara doesn’t offer much resistance as she feels Matthias move her, pawing his callousey hands all over her damp head- sure, carefully, but uninvited all the same. She shifts, anticlimactically really, once she realizes who these meaty hands belong to- its so obvious- and distinguishable on her sticky, sweaty face, are two thin lines of tears, not drying, with how wet she already is.

Matti’s voice is what finally gets her to turn her head, having not moved since Leroy’s announcement echoed down the hall. She clears her throat and shifts herself away from him a bit, as if quietly telling him it hurts.

“ ♪ ♫…So he’s- he’s really dead? ♪ ♫“ She rumbles out, quiet and from deep within her chest, like a held breath finally releasing itself into these softly song words.

“ ♪ ♫ I’m fine. Of course I can stand. I…. that criminal- b-beat my head, pushed me down! ♪ ♫ “ Her voice sang out in a nearly musical rhythm now, just by habit, despite the jarring lack of any attempted rhyme in her voice, and the hoarse way that it scratched.

She taps her cane against the wall, then around the immediate hallway, for any sign of a clue or another person hiding from her. It doesnt seem very calculated, really, just a desperate attempt to look like she’s on top of things and ‘fine’.

everyday-kerry-blog

A banging at her door woke her up- Apollo. Not really her first choice for an alarm bell, but someone needed medical attention. Had someone been attacked? For a moment, Kerry weighed her options. This might be a trap… But no, she was the only one she knew of with pertinent medical training. And this was Apollo, after all. He was too smart to pick her for prey. Kerry loaded a yellow backpack up with some makeshift medical supplies and made her way to the scene.

An announcement came on as she made her way through the halls- Oh, god. Was she too late? No, Loic, he said it was, not Takara. That wouldn’t help matters… She’d have to put any investigation on hold, for now, though. As she rounded the corner to the newest found wing of the facility, she saw a few people already starting to gather at ER7- 5 was her destination, though.

She entered the featureless room, making a beeline for the injured debater. “I’m here, I’m here…” She nodded curtly at Matthias and knelt down beside Takara. Kerry gave her head a one-over, squinting. It was definitely bloody, albeit with oddly-colored blood as all theirs had been. It was damp, too, possibly chalked up to Takara’s afflictions. But… she didn’t see anything indicating any kind of injury she’d seen. “Takara… What happened, exactly? I’m having trouble finding a wound…”