Week 5

[airlockedmods]

[Five weeks in, and suddenly your numbers have been reduced by a lot. All evidence of Oda's methodical slaughter has been wiped away by the robots, but getting rid of the memories isn't going to be so easy. Not to mention the emotional scars.

Again on Sunday morning, you'll find yourselves with some new memories and some new items. Today, however, there are no new rooms.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday


(( ooc: Don't forget to turn in your AC for Week 4, submit your memory regains, and put in your Benefactor threads! ))

Comments

HEY FUKAWA

[toomanybaseballs]

[... That doesn't sound like it helped at all.]

[Crap.]

[Sorry, pal, Leon's gonna go find your girlfriend and tell her everything. You clearly need help.]

[induality]

[She was trying to pick herself up a little, taking some extra paper from the closet to maybe do some writing. Seeing nearly everyone in a terrible state like this-- she felt like she should try to be strong.

To bad it's not destined to last.]

What's the matter with you?!

[She talked to him earlier and he was fine. Why does he look like he's in a panic now?!]

[toomanybaseballs]

GAH!

[Okay, calm down! You'll only rile her up more!]

[Not that the news is gonna be very good.]

Oh- Uh... Hey, have you checked on Soma lately?

[induality]

EEK!

[Why are we yelling?!


...


That's not even real news and her stomach drops. It was just... it hadn't even been a day since she saw him. No... no. Noooooo no no no.]

What are you talking about? What's going on?! Out with it now!!

[Sorry she. Doesn't want this dragged out.]

[toomanybaseballs]

[Oh crap she's panicking! HOW DOES HE EXPLAIN THIS!]

Uh...!!!

It's- Well!

... Soma's turning into a vampire.

[induality]

[Shit. Fuck. Dammit, not now... Not just after... Urghhhh...

She has to...

Do.

Something.]

...where is he?!

[toomanybaseballs]

In his room. I put some protective charms under the door but I don't know if it's helping.

[Leon, they're not really helping at all.]

You might wanna be careful. He's not taking it well.

[He can lead you to the vampire's lair if you're feeling like Mina Harker today, Touko.]

[induality]

[Guess who's not stopping to listen to your warnings, Leon? This girl. As soon as he tells her where she takes off running.

...


FEEL LIKE FOLLOWING SO SHE MAYBE DOESN'T GET HERSELF KILLED?]

[toomanybaseballs]

[Why not?]

Hey! Wait!

[Ultimate Baseball Star should be able to catch up with Literary Prodigy, but given the girl's been running around a lot lately...]

[induality]

Hurry up!

[She won't run too far ahead, but she's still totally focused on the hallway until she reaches Soma's door, which stands out extra well now with the charms on it.

But then she... freezes.

What is she supposed to do? What can she do?]

[power_of_dominance]

[Maybe the sound of very quiet sobbing, punctuated now and then by what sounds like weak, unsteady chuckles, might be enough of a motivator?

Investigate?]

[toomanybaseballs]

[Leon is in front of the door now and... He looks really nervous now.]

[Kind of standing behind Touko, since she's the one with the split personality that can defend herself.]

Seriously... Be careful going in there...

[induality]

[Urgugugughghgh. Fukawa smacks her cheeks a few times, snapping herself out of it. If she doesn't do something this could... this could be a disaster.

If... worst came to worst she could handle it better than most. If she needed to, she could use her.]

...don't worry. I'll be fine.

[Deep breath and then-- loud enough for Soma to hear her...]

I'm coming in whether you like it or not. So... just open the door.

[power_of_dominance]

[The sobbing inside the cell cuts off with a choked gasp at the sound of Fukawa's voice. There's a couple seconds of silence, followed by a soft whisper.]

... Fukawa, I-- I don't... want you to see....

[toomanybaseballs]

[What? He didn't get all that. Too scary and whispery.]

[Then again he isn't sure what to do here.]

[induality]

...stay here Leon. If anything happens-- keep the door closed. Don't let get him out.

[Which... means she's telling you to keep her in too, but-- oops.]

I told you it doesn't matter. I don't care what you look like.

[power_of_dominance]

... it's not locked....

[When Fukawa opens the door, all she'll see is a bundle of blankets wrapped around a huddled form, part of the fabric pulled up into a makeshift hood. From the shadows within that hood are two dim, crimson lights.

Eyes. There are red glowing eyes watching her.

The room smells faintly of blood.]

[induality]

Ugh. Fine then. I'll do it myself.

[Making a fucking lady open her own damn door. God. Well... admittedly she is scared a little. And she's not without her scissors. However, it doesn't stop her from closing the door and sitting on her legs in front of him.]

...are you doing that because you have to or to try and hide?

[Because if it's the latter, it's stupid.]

[power_of_dominance]

[The lights shutter, go out. He's closed his eyes.]

I didn't... want anyone to see me... especially not you.

[He sounds ashamed, afraid.]

Leon's wrong. I... I'm not turning into a vampire. Kiss-Shot didn't do this. I... forgot what I am. Who I am.

[induality]

...so you weren't in that castle because you got dragged in. It was your castle.

[It makes the most sense, based on what he told her before.]

And? Even if I'm right... so what?

[No really. Tell her.]

That doesn't change who you are. It's just... more of who you are.

[power_of_dominance]

[He laughs, low and slow and bitter. At least he stops whispering, though his voice is still quiet.]

At least now my profile makes sense. The question mark after "human." My crimes....

[Attempted genocide (of the human race). Blasphemy (against God). He's a monster. Nine hundred years of hatred, rage, darkness. He never asked to be this.]

If I'm... him? Then does "Soma" even really exist? The person who made friends here, who hurt when others died? The one who promised to help you? What if he's just a... fading illusion? The sheepskin hiding the wolf?

[induality]

Of course he's real. "People" can't be made up.

[Fukawa lifts her black skirt a few inches and there... there are a number of scars, organized like... they were taking numbers.]

These are all the people I've killed. People I can't remember talking to. People who's last moments I don't remember. If they cried for help, if they pleaded... I can't tell you. Because I don't know. There's a hole in my memory that belongs to someone else.

[She lowers it again, hands clutched in her lap.]

But it happened at my hands. I'm still responsible for that.

[...]

She's not me... but she's a part of me. We're... the same.

[power_of_dominance]

[Those red lights watch the reveal of her scars. Any other time, Soma would be mortified by how high up they are, but now he's transfixed by what they mean.

Toko and her other half.

Soma and Dracula.

Toko and Soma.

They really are the same, aren't they? Each two sides of the same coin, both coins minted of the same metal and stamped with the same blighted marks. She can understand. She can accept him.

Pale hands emerge from the blanket, slide the sheltering hood off his head. The hellish light in his irises turns his long pewter lashes into filaments of flame. Even then, there's nothing in those eyes but sadness and longing.]

You really should be afraid of me. Even though we're the same.

[He reaches down, taking her hands and pulling her up so they're more eye to eye. And then he leans forward, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes again.]

But... I'm glad you're not.

[induality]

[He seems to be calming down. Thank goodness. It seems she got through to him. She doesn't flinch and let's the contact be made.

The sadness in his eyes-- in his heart... it resonates with her. She's known so much of it. Only recently did she realize that she was starting to let it go. Move on. She wanted to see him do the same for himself.]

I never said I wasn't scared. I'm still scared of myself.

[She smiles a little.]

But you can't hurt me.

[Well... she doesn't know that. It's not like she knows how Syo would fare in a fight against him. But she's confidant enough that she could get away if she had to. Defend herself long enough.]

[toomanybaseballs]

But-

[Too late. She's in. All he can do is listen to the conversation on the other side of the door.]