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

[miseris_socios]

[He tries to pull away at first, but he feels like all of the strength has drained out of him. He's crying and he doesn't want them to see him crying, but he can't stop. He knows it's probably just going to get even worse, but that... that was a rough blow even as much as he's replayed the events in his head over and over.]

I should have saved her... I didn't get a chance to... but... mm. And no one believed me. No one wanted to listen to me. I ran away.

[hesmypuddin]

[She feels the deflation in him as he ceases to struggle in her arms and just gives himself over to crying. She smoothes a hand over his head, holding him close as anger begins to tick away deep in her chest.

Who were they to do this to them? Who were they to have taken them and dragged them into this place, beating their souls and innermost pain for all to see? It was wrong.

But right now wasn't the time to think about that; right now their concern was Ken... her concern was Ken. She soothes her ungloved hand over the small of his back, resting her cheek against the top of his head.]

Ya couldn't'a done more then ya did, Ken... [Her voice is soft, as she might use on her babies if they got worked up.] It ain't yer fault... Ya ain't responsible for those monsters... Ya've done everythin' ya can ta fight 'em... that saves people. [The anger bubbles deep down again.]

cw: patricide and matricide mentions

[hopedout]

... She's right, you know.

[ Hinata's words drop cold as his gaze shifts uncomfortable. He swallows hard, before admitting, half to himself, half to Ken as he ignores the familiar faces: ]

It doesn't sound like it could have been prevented. I... don't know what happened to my own parents. It's possible that I even killed them myself. All we can do now is move forward. Right?

[not_that_sasuke]

[The putrid smell of the paintings, the horrific scenes each one portrays... Sasuke walks past it all, his eyes carefully on the ground, his ears alert for sounds other than the voices as he falls back on time-tested strategies of blocking out anything unpleasant.

The scream of the final painting, however, breaks even his focus. He stands stunned for a moment as Ken begins to break down, a similar sense of despair eating away at his heart.

He knows this feeling.

The circumstances weren't the same. But he knows this feeling.

Memories of his own mother flicker through his mind for a moment as he turns away, unable to look at Ken head on.

Even if he, too, had lost someone so important - he doesn't know the first thing about giving any comfort. After all, his mother's death only exacerbated problems in his own family - there wasn't any comforting, only an increase in the torture his brother so gleefully doled out.

No. This isn't his place to help. He wouldn't even know where to start.]

[worldkeys]

[ Seemingly uncaring to the situation, the blood suddenly surges up the wall and into the painting, covering it in solid red. A piece of paper, also stained from the blood, will appear tacked onto the painting: It simply reads the painting's title: THE FALLEN EMPRESS. As expected, if handed to Ken, it will become another piece of his Evoker.

It slides down the wall, revealing a door knob that will take them to a set of stairs up to the next floor.

They can now continue. ]