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

[not_that_sasuke]

I'll do it.

[He'll grab the syringe, assuming there's no protest from Harley, and go to Lalli to administer it. He tilts his head a bit questioningly, silently asking if he's okay with this arrangement and, you know, if he'll go ahead and expose his arm please.

There's definitely some urgency to his expression, though. That rattling's getting hard to ignore.]

[soloactor]

[It sure is getting hard to ignore, and with a dark scowl, he rolls up one sleeve (as he saw Harley do to Liao) and sticks out his arm.]

Rrrr.

[He squeezes his eyes shut, as if that will really do anything to make this operation less scary.]

[not_that_sasuke]

Shh.

[He makes the quiet, calming sound mostly out of habit. Kurou did much the same whenever he was agitated - though Sasuke isn't about to try giving Lalli a pat on the head, no matter how similar the sound.

He lacks a lot of Harley's know how, but he quickly swabs Lalli's arm with the disinfectant to make way for the needle, slipping it under the skin and into a vein to inject the blue liquid. The moment it's empty, he pulls it out, setting it aside on a nearby counter.]

That should do it, right?

[soloactor]

[Lalli shudders involuntarily when the needle goes in. With his free arm, he reaches back for his hood and tugs it over his forehead; after the deed is done, he pulls down the sleeve and folds his arms tightly against his chest.]

[After a moment:]

...Now what?

[If they did all this for nothing...]

[hopedout]

Let's just hope it worked. If it didn't, I'll provide a distraction while you guys escape.

[ If he has to, he'll pour all the talent back into his mind and temporarily become Kamukura. It's a last ditch attempt, but if it means he can protect everyone, then it's something he has to risk. ]

[worldkeys]

[ The noise is increasing. Scraping sounds can be heard on the steps. If everyone has their shots administered, the block on the floor will open up, leading to a set of stairs. They can now continue. The puzzle (though, was it much of one?) has apparently been "solved". They can now advance, though they may not like what awaits them. ]

[miseris_socios]

Let's keep going. The Reaper's going to show up here soon.

[He stands up, pulling out his spear again, and gestures for everyone to follow him up the stairs.]

[soloactor]

[Yeah, Lalli's noping right the fuck up those stairs.]

[hesmypuddin]

[You know how much convincing Harley needs? None. She's going to hustle up those levels, because there's an art gallery waiting!]