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

[worldkeys]

[ The Cell 8 Door doesn't open from brute force; however, they can look inside a bit closer. It's rather dirty. There are quite a few stains on the floor. A bloody towel can also be spotted on the gurney. A smaller, second table can be seen just on the other side.

It looks like someone had a very bad time in this cell recently.

In Cell 1, the only clue left over is a blotted out piece of paper. It reads: Thank you for everything you all did for me. I'm really sorry you're still going through this. But from what I could find out, there were problems in individual Worlds beyond them being destroyed. Watch your dreams carefully, okay? I've done what I can to make this area safe for now, but who knows what'll happen once you open the Cell. Think really carefully about what you're doing. I definitely can't help you anymore, except to give you this. Make sure it gets to Ken!

The scrawl seems vaguely childish. Perhaps they should look in the other Cells for hints? ]

[miseris_socios]

[Upon further inspection, Ken goes even paler. He's not surprised. He's really not, but the confirmation of his fears makes him feel even sicker. There's nothing they can do here now, so he moves to cell seven to take a look at it. Hopefully there's something in here that can help them.]

Stupid bastard, stupid annoying bastard...

[He keeps muttering along that line as he's searching the cell.]

[not_that_sasuke]

[In that case, Sasuke will go ahead and begin exploring cell number six, though his eyes flick back to the others every so often, gauging their reactions to their finds.]

[hesmypuddin]

[ Harley stops fighting with the door when it becomes apparent that it's not meant to open and that there doesn't appear to be a key anywhere. Ken and Sasuke both move to investigate other cells and Harley moves off to cell #5. ]

sorry for the delay on my part!

[hopedout]

[ Once Hinata's done checking out the first cell, he decides to take the scrap of paper before heading out of said cell before yelling out, ]

Oi, Ken-- this is for you.

it's fine!

[miseris_socios]

[Ken looks up from his searching, and stares at the paper. Who is...]

... Zo?

[Not the person he would have expected, but... that's kind of nice that he's still with him, somehow.]