BETA ROUND 1 WEEK 4: RETURNING TO THE HUB

[worldkeys]

Who: The White Rabbit and the Alices.
What: Ken's World has concluded, and everyone is probably in awful shape. Surgeries sure are fun. As are vivisections!
Where: The World Hub.
Warnings: Probably talk of what went on, potentially violence knowing this lot. A lot of broken down people, maybe.

The White Rabbit seems exceptionally cheerful once they finally return, not at all the usual picture of impatience he tends to be.

"At last, we have only three World Keys left to get. His and his, and hers," he says, motioning to Lalli, a certain General, and Harley. "This is wonderful. Would that we could only be able to retrieve them at once... alas, we must continue as we have. A shame he ended up out here, but I see it served you well."

He nods to Sasuke.

"I am confident you all can retrieve the other three and return home."

He seems completely oblivious to the suffering you all have endured, it seems.

Comments

[not_that_sasuke]

Well. That happened.

Sasuke is indeed already in the Hub when they return, hands frequently wrapping around his own wrists as though to make sure there's no lingering bonds. To be honest, he's got half a mind to double check to make sure his chest hasn't been split open again, but he wrestles that feeling down.

He just needs to keep it together. Three more Worlds. If he can last through those...

Needless to say, he won't be terribly talkative, but he's around.

[miseris_socios]

Ken is in the Hub, staring off into space. His hands grip his Evoker, knuckles white from how tightly he's holding it, but he's not saying anything. Everyone saw. Everyone saw what had happened, everyone saw him acting like him... just what was that supposed to accomplish? Nothing, that's what. He'd hurt them, he'd reached into their bodies, and not just the other Alices but people he knew. People from Animus, and... and his own mother.

What kind of a person is he now? A horrible one, obviously. But he can't even bring himself to care. Is this what Apathy Syndrome was like from the other side? He blinks slowly, now-golden eyes unfocused, not caring about the thick black goop that's dripping off of him. It seems to disappear a few moments after it hits the ground, but if he could bring himself to care he'd be horrified.

... But he can't manage to do even that.

[apatheticguide]

The White Rabbit, on the contrary, has a pasty sort of smile on his face. He will observe Ken, watching curiously.

"Oh, dear. The Alices are beginning to dwindle. You will all have to hurry. ... Such apathy. I understand, hm..."

[apatheticguide]

The White Rabbit will give Sasuke a rare smile. It seems he's... rather proud of him, for all he's done so far, if that's any indication. Still, he says nothing; Sasuke knows already what he must do.

[miseris_socios]

He turns to look at the Rabbit, the corner of his mouth twitching. When he speaks, his voice is a little dry and raspy.

"You think this is funny, don't you?"

[apatheticguide]

"No," The White Rabbit replies, his smile dwindling. "I think it is tragic."

He places a hand to his chin.

"... I cannot do much. The World is affecting you. You must leave quickly, Alice. All of you are beginning to lose yourselves to The World. You. The one with two minds. You will all suffer if you remain here, you know. To be tortured by your own heart... it's grueling. That is why I cast mine aside years ago. Is apathy not better than experiencing pain and misery?"

[miseris_socios]

"... Maybe. But we..." They fought to try to leave behind apathy and despair, didn't they? In the Tower and at home... he'd struggled to keep hope alive. Isn't that what he'd promised to do? But here... he'd been shown just how futile it was. He had to keep others hoping, but that didn't mean the lesson stuck with him.

He had to keep the others moving. Whatever happened to him... this place was just going to make him start feeling worse and worse. "... They can push through it." As for him? He'd been trying to for years. Maybe he should just take on all of those things for other people, let them smile and be happy. He could deal with the unpleasant things.

[apatheticguide]

"Oh, Alice. For all your strength, you fail to see what you are turning into, do you not?"

... Rabbit finds this interesting. His good ear twitches, and his frown is firmly set back in place.

"Apathy is not so bad. You will become accustomed to it with time. If you want to stay here, I suppose I can take care of you. Unless you truly are going to go in like that?"

[miseris_socios]

"... Justice, not strength." The corner of his mouth twitches again, this time in amusement. Haha. Tarot jokes.

But there's more important things. "I'll... go with them. They've seen... what's in my Heart. I have a Persona. If there's things to fight... they'll need someone to help." It doesn't matter if he's like this. It just matters that he helps those who can't help themselves.

[miseris_socios]

Ken walks over to Sasuke, but he doesn't say anything. Not yet. The black goop drips down from him, hitting the ground and disappearing, and his gold eyes stare at him.

... But he doesn't say anything. Sasuke's alive, but... he wouldn't blame him if he hated Ken now.

[hopedout]

Of course we'll get the other three.

[ Hinata's voice remains even, regardless of the fact that just happened, and he couldn't stop it. And for better and for worse, he's not. . . as disturbed as he'd like to be. Maybe he's too used to death. Although he can't help but be disgusted about the whole vivisection and just ripping things apart. All the murders back on the island were somewhat clean, after all. They never opened a body like that in the slightest bit.

But maybe it's the Kamukura side that's getting to him. ] Is there a reason why we wouldn't?

[not_that_sasuke]

He catches the look, frowning slightly before he turns away again.

This has to be the right path...

[not_that_sasuke]

There's something special about seeing the person who just vivisected you while you were perfectly conscious up until death. Although his body is tense, it's not actually that much of a change from the way he normally carries himself, has adapted to since he came to this place.

The whole place has him on the defensive constantly. As a result, his expression doesn't even flicker with Ken's approach.

He has nothing to say himself. But after a short pause, he reaches out and places a gentle hand on Ken's head.

He doesn't blame him. He had, quite literally, asked for it.

[miseris_socios]

Ken flinches, ready for an attack, but one doesn't come. He's not being yelled at, he's not getting attacks flung at him, it's just... nothing. Acceptance? Comfort? He's not sure.

"... Why?" Why is he offering comfort, why is he seemingly okay with this, why is he letting Ken near him? It hurts to say more, a wad of emotions caught in his chest with no way out. And maybe they shouldn't come out. Maybe they should, but they can't either way.

[not_that_sasuke]

His hand rests there for a moment before he draws it back once again.

His answer is simple:

"I volunteered." His own voice is quiet, and a bit rough - it took a lot to squeeze reactions to pain out of him, but a vivisection was certainly that.

[miseris_socios]

He volunteered. It's just that simple, huh? It's funny. It's funny, and part of him is laughing, his chest rising and falling in silent laughter, but if it's so funny why is he starting to cry? Why is he looking back towards the door where his Heart was?

"So did I." A while ago, in that place... he volunteered and they still got hurt, they still got experimented on, they were still dying. He couldn't save them and he'd just piled on extra pain because of it, watching them react to his surgery and his pain.

[miseris_socios]

[Ken looks over at him. Hinata... Kamakura? Whichever. Both. It doesn't matter. So full of hope... and then despair. And now both at the same time, right?]

[He blinks slowly, watching him.]

Because they're not sure how hard we'll break. But even if we do, we don't have a choice.

[hesmypuddin]

[Harley will look just a touch different when she emerges from Ken's Heart, and while the changes are still slight they are present all the same. Her hair, once a solid blonde, seems to have a strange bit of coloring going on; one half red and the over half black. Though the colors aren't as if they've been newly dyed, instead looking faded and unkempt. Her costume seems to have changed a bit as well, no longer the black and red body suit, but a shorter jester uniform that cuts low into her cleavage and is held closed only by a few buckles. It appears she is either wearing just black panties, or something similar enough beneath the costume.

Different, but the same. Did a difference in her costume really mean so much?

Yes.

She'd worn this one during some of the darkest years she'd ever know. Had she been through those years yet? Were they still in her future? We're they even real? She had a daughter then... one she'd hidden from the Joker... Or did she?

She's leaning against the wall, gloved hands hovering over her stomach and brows drawn together tightly.

There had been stitches there... heavy staples holding her abdomen closed... she'd been semi-conscious during the operation, but it was seeing what they'd done ... what Ken had done... during the surgery... what they'd taken.

Had there ever been a baby?

Her brows draw together beneath the black mask around her eyes, a shaky breath slipping past her lips as she leans her head back against the wall.]

Dunno what's real anymore...

[Who knows if she's even talking to anyone or just to herself, but for certain, one Harley Quinn seems to have grown far more serious than any here had yet seen her.]

[miseris_socios]

[Harley... hurting her had hurt, on a vague level, even if they all knew that it had to be done. Ken looks up at her, at the black mask and the distressed expression,]

[He'd been afraid, when it had been his turn. He'd fought, but it didn't help. Was it better or worse to be on the operating side? He'd never asked Jin, when he snapped out of it. He'd thought it better not to. Even now he's not sure of the answer, though operating had seemed much more dull, the fear more blunt than sharp.]

[He tries to meet her eyes, tries to keep going even as the goop falls from him.]

... We're real.

[Just hold on to that, if nothing else. Even in this madness... they're real.]

[hesmypuddin]

[Her gaze lifts from where she'd been staring at her nearly bare midriff, the bells of her costume jingling slightly as she shifts.

Where her blue eyes had been full and vibrant, they had dulled to match her faded hair and clothes and seemed faraway and unfocused as she looks at Ken.]

Are we? How can ya be sure?

[She doesn't seem to argue his words, so much as seek reassurance. You wouldn't know, to hear her, that she was more than 10 years his senior.

Her hands hover over the phantom wound... a wound far more symbolic and personal than any surgery Ken could have ever put her through.

Her head tilts slightly to one side after a beat and she offers a faint smile, though it doesn't come close to reaching her eyes.]

It wasn't yer fault... don't want ya ta blame yerself, ya know?

[miseris_socios]

[He reaches out to push her gently, eyes narrowing in a little bit of a challenge.]

Because... if we weren't, I couldn't do that.

[But he shakes his head, hunching his shoulders slightly, the challenge disappearing from his face.]

It was my Heart. Of course it's my fault.

[hopedout]

We don't. Even so, we have to keep going. It's the only way out.

[not_that_sasuke]

The crying is what gets him worried the most, although he has no idea how to stop it even if wanted to. He's useless when it comes to that sort of thing - as with quite a few things, really.

So instead, he tries to continue the conversation. Maybe talking will help?

"You volunteered... back there?" In the real one?

[miseris_socios]

Yes. ... It doesn't matter what happens. We have to move on.

[Maybe the worst is over for him. He's not sure. He wavers there, dripping black goop, his shoulders sagging. He doesn't feel like he can move on... but there's no choice.]

[miseris_socios]

"Yes." It hurts, the memory, and he hugs his arms to his chest, trying to make the pain go away. The goop doesn't matter - it'll disappear in a few seconds. But the pain...

"The others in Strega. I asked Jason to take me instead of them the next time he was going to experiment on them. And he took me, and gave me what he was going to give them, and then afterwards experimented on them anyway. So... so it didn't really matter that I... tried to save them. I couldn't. I can't..."

He falls to his knees, palms slamming against the brick as the tears keep flowing. "I couldn't save them. I can't save anyone."