i will burn my dread

[miseris_socios]

Who: Everyone!
What: Welcome to the Dark Hour!
Where: In the Strega warehouse.
Warnings: Possible blood and gore, Persona 3/general SMT-level disturbing topics, possible violence (knowing this group). Will edit if needed.


[When he first wakes up, Ken finds himself lying on a bed. That in itself isn't so unfamiliar, but this one has dents where it should, the shape of a small body pressed into it over weeks and months, and the sheets are soft and scratchy in just the right places and -]

[Oh no. He sits up and pulls himself out of bed, reaching almost automatically for Koromaru but... he's not there. Of course not. He'd been expecting the Tower, but this is worse, because they're not here because this is his Heart, not theirs, and because -]

[No. He has to think of what to do. He grabs the dangpa that Shinjiro made him and the copy of Gae Buidhe that Diarmuid gave him, strapping them onto his back. He needs to stay defended in this place, no matter what - the last Heart taught him that much.]

[The familiar pressure of the Dark Hour doesn't bother him, but it's worrying. It should be gone now. They won. It's over. Even in his Heart, it shouldn't be around. But it is, and there's a brief flare of panic before -]

[No. He needs to get going. The puzzles aren't going to find themselves.]

Comments

[soloactor]

[Wandering may not be any job for a warrior of Liao's caliber, but it suits Lalli much better. However, it seems that this maze is slowly starting to wear on him. Not because of the voices -- they're easy enough to ignore, since no one important was speaking them -- but because of the difficulty he was having in mapping this damned place. Lalli doesn't even look up when he rounds the corner that leads to Liao's hallway; he's too busy scowling at the mess he's made of these notes.]

[If Liao doesn't stop him, Lalli will honestly bump right into him.]

[800isenough]

[Lalli's not the only one with the grace of the cat. Liao easily side-steps him, avoiding a collision between them.]

Scout. [He greets Lalli politely. After their last scuffle, Liao's made it a point to avoid Lalli unless Lalli came to him. Liao's already found it difficult to work together with others; it'll be even harder with someone that doesn't want to cooperate with him in the first place.]

[soloactor]

[YEAH... sorry about that...]

[Honestly, though. Part of him is pleased, because finally everyone is leaving him alone, but there's also this mysterious stabbing pain that he gets whenever he thinks about it. He was actually kind of tentatively starting to get a tiny bit attached to some of you people. So for quite possibly the first time ever, people choosing to ignore him actually kind of stings.]

...Sir?

[And at this very moment, that stabbing pain is happening again.]

[800isenough]

I am not your commanding officer so there is no need for such formalities.

[Lalli's...not looking too good is he? Although Lalli would probably not appreciate any advice coming from him, the well-being of the entire group was crucial if they were to work through the rest of the Hearts.]

What troubles you?

[soloactor]

[He's had better days.]

...

[Lalli is silent, but not because he's being cagey about anything. He stares at Liao as if that's a question no one has ever asked him before, and he's clueless about how to even approach responding to it.]

[Which is pretty much how it is.]

[800isenough]

[...well, that's a pretty awkward silence. Zhang Liao's just...going to try again, because at least Lalli doesn't seem angered by the question.]

If you need to rest your mind and soul, do so. It's unwise to wander the Hearts if there is too much doubt and unease burdening you.

[soloactor]

[The scout considers this, and then shrugs.]

I rest plenty.

[Physically, sure. But mentally? ...Not so much.]

That stuff's there forever until you get it off, no matter what.