Week 3

[airlockedmods]

Week 3

[Two weeks in, and all at once four people are dead. Chitose, Miki, Lucina, and Tsurugi - whatever the circumstances, however any of you may feel, their rooms are just as empty at the end of the week. If you check your P.I.P.s, you'll find that their pictures on the profile page have gone monochrome.

C.E.C.E.'s morning announcement comes like clockwork on Sunday. This time, though, there's an addendum to her usual message:]

Congratulations, Champions! By surviving your first trial, you have unlocked the second floor of the ship. A new mini map has been added to your P.I.P.! To access the second floor please stand on the teleporter and select the floor you wish to be teleported to.

[In addition to the new floor, the Champions will find that they've gained another memory this week.]


Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday



(( Welcome to Week 3! Don't forget to check in and submit your memory regains! Turn in your benefactor threads for sweet loot, too! ))

Comments

iii

[karappo]

[Karamatsu doesn't actively seek his brother out during the day. He actually sort of just...happens upon him while exploring, and he hates the sinking feeling he gets when he sees him floating up there near the ceiling.

So. What is he to do? The only thing he can think to without directly confronting him.

He lets himself be swept up by the anti-gravity. He just...starts to float, his legs and arms dangling beneath him as he rises up to where Osomatsu is. He ends up colliding with him as he's on his way back down, though not roughly.

Karamatsu is here.]

[titularly]

[Osomatsu had his eyes closed, when he floated down back to the floor. Just relaxing, mostly, after such a hectic day yesterday. So when someone knocks into him, pushing him back up towards the ceiling his eyes open and he starts to turn to see who did such a thing.]

Hey, watch where you're.....

[And he sees Karamatsu beneath him, which has him going almost completely silent.]


...oh.

[karappo]

[Oh.

Karamatsu isn't sure what to take of that reaction, but he's not sure it's an entirely good one. But he can't keep floating upwards...Osomatsu is blocking him from moving any further. So he just remains suspended in space, Osomatsu pretty much back to back with him. He doesn't say anything yet.]

[titularly]

[Osomatsu kind of just.. stays there, his back pressed up against his brother's. He waits, because he had a feeling that Karamatsu came over to him for a reason but.. as time ticks by, both of them are completely silent.

It doesn't take too long for the tension in the room to get suffocating, so after that point, Osomatsu clears his throat and tries to think of something to say.]


So.... zero gravity, huh? How about that?

[karappo]

It is...ah. ...there is no gravity, yes.

[Hence the. Zero.]

[titularly]

Cool.

[........]

[karappo]

[......]

I am sorry I left without saying anything, this morning. I did not sleep very well.

[titularly]

[......]

It's fine. You had stuff to do this morning.. I was just gonna sleep in anyway.

[karappo]

I...well. ...yeah.

[He had nothing to do, but. Yeah.]

Did you sleep alright?

[After the whole...trial, and all.]

[titularly]

No.

[Said plainly as that.]

How could I? We watched two people explode...

[karappo]

...Yeah, I. I guess you wouldn't.

[Karamatsu frowns, shifting a little, but not enough to disrupt the weird equilibrium keeping Osomatsu from sinking and Karamatsu from rising.]

I had some bad dreams, myself.

[titularly]

Mm, really?

[Osomatsu says that almost disinterestedly, and he reaches up to play with his bangs a little bit.]

What about?

[karappo]

About...

[...]

Us. All of us, back home.

[titularly]

Not surprised.

[He continues to play with his hair.]

you nyoomed with those icons dang

[karappo]

[Karamatsu grunts, and for a moment it seems like that's all he's going to say. But...he knows he can't leave it there.]

It felt very real. Like...it was something I had forgotten.

Look

[titularly]

[Well Osomatsu really doesn't say anything in reply, himself. He's not sure what exactly to say to that, honestly, but he looks over his shoulder a little bit at his brother and waits for him to continue since he knows that Karamatsu won't just leave it there.]

[karappo]

...Choromatsu, he...he had found work.

[The words leave him like acid on his tongue, and he almost stops there. It doesn't sound real.]

And...he moved out into his own apartment.

[titularly]

[That.. somehow, he was almost expecting it with the way that Karamatsu had been acting and yet hearing it from him knocks the wind right out of Osomatsu's lungs. If they both had the same dream.. that probably meant it was real, right? Even though he heard word of them being memories, he didn't want to believe it when he woke up this morning. He really didn't... but now it's confirmed, and it feels. Awful. Just fucking awful.]

Oh.

[And that's all Osomatsu can manage to say, as he moves his arms to hug around his stomach and closes his eyes, just wishing he was anywhere but here right now.

He's already messed up most of his relationships with everyone else here.. he's absolutely terrified that dream has messed up his relationship with Karamatsu, too.]

[karappo]

[He can feel Osomatsu's shoulders tense against his own, and that pretty much confirms what he thinks might be going on, here.

Carefully, he straightens up a little and shifts to the side so he'll float up past Osomatsu, looking down at him once they're face to face.]

Brother. Perhaps we should...go back to our room.

[Unless he'd rather talk in here, but they could be walked in on.]

[titularly]

[With Karamatsu now moved away from his back, it has Osomatsu starting to float slowly back down to the floor and he can't help but keep his eyes closed with that question. He has a feeling Karamatsu's staring at him now, and he can't bear to look at him.]


...mm.

[But he gives a little noise of affirmation and a nod. It is kind of weird to be having a serious conversation just.. while you're floating mid air.]

[karappo]

[Okay...

Karamatsu doesn't say anything. Instead, he waits until he's floated up to the ceiling before bracing his feet against it, pushing himself off and back towards the floor. He grabs Osomatsu's sleeve on the way down, pulling him along until he reaches one of the ladders near the floor so they can get themselves out of here.

He leads the way from there. Thanks to the new floor being opened up, the first floor is relatively empty. No one bothers them.]

[titularly]

[Osomatsu allows his sleeve to be pulled, and he follows Karamatsu along the hallways silently.

His head is bowed as they walk, as he feels shameful. Less like someone being brought to talk something out, and more like he's about to be scolded -- or punched, for something he did wrong.

And it sucks, because after that spectacle at the trial he really does feel like he only has Karamatsu, right now. He knows it'll probably blow over if the couple people coming to apologize during the day had anything to say about it, but he still can't help feeling this way and he can't help imagining Karamatsu's pissed expression again.. he doesn't want to deal with this.

Not now, not ever.]

[karappo]

[Well, it's happening whether Osomatsu wants it to or not, because before he knows it they're in their room again with the door closed.

Karamatsu doesn't move to sit down. He just stands there facing Osomatsu, quiet at first.]

Osomatsu. ...did you dream anything last night?

[titularly]

[Osomatsu doesn't move at first, either. He stands with his back against the door, staring at the floor as if he wished it would just open up and take him somewhere away from here.

And he's quiet for a noticeable amount of time, before giving his brother a small nod.]

...Choromatsu got a job. And he moved out.

[The tone of his voice is flat, and he clenches his fists at his side tightly as he says them.]

[karappo]

[...So he did dream the same thing. He has a brief moment of wondering whether Osomatsu is just fucking with him or not, but why would he be, about something like this? Osomatsu doesn't act this strange and somber for no reason.

So that's. Not good.

Karamatsu's expression becomes unreadable as he glances down for a moment, his eyes hidden by his shades.]

We all did.

[But he says that with a certain inflection, one that doesn't include Osomatsu in that collective "we". He's not happy about it, though.]

Osomatsu, we...we do not know if that really happened.