Be brave enough to burn

[notsogreedy]

Who: All the Alices (and Ankh, his name is Ankh)
What: Just a mysterious castle built on top of a restaurant. What could possibly go wrong?
Where: World Two – Wings to the Sky
Warnings: Who even knows? Will update as necessary.



Ankh wakes up at the edge of the water, his arm draped over a rock and his face cushioned by a bed of sand and seaweed as the edges of waves wash over his body. The first thing he notices upon waking is that it's uncomfortable. The second, upon lifting his head and starting to pull himself out of the water is that it's familiar. Awareness dawning, he scrambles to his feet and looks around wide-eyed half expecting Eiji to be there somewhere. Of course he isn't.

But this... this is his last memory. For a moment he wonders if somehow this whole thing came to an end and he wound up back home, but that's wishful thinking. No, this is just his world. His heart, as the guides like to call it. It's only more obvious that this isn't real as he scans the horizon and finds Cous Coussier where it shouldn't be. And then on top of it... that's-

His eyes widen, and then narrow. He's not sure what to expect out of this other than nothing good.

But, after wringing the water out of his clothes as best he can, he makes his way to the restaurant and curiously to the freezer, where he finds the ice pops he expects to be there. Pulling one out, he gives it a skeptical look for a moment—does he dare assume it's really the same or even safe to eat?--but ultimately pops it into his mouth and discovers it tastes exactly like he expects. That much is something he can appreciate. But as for the rest of this...

With popsicle in hand, he continues exploring.

Comments

Because new silly information

[notsogreedy]

The restaurant portion of the building is as he remembers it, complete with a bizarre theme to the decorations for the day. What isn't so normal is... well, the theme. He's used to Chiyoko coming up with anything from history or fantasy or other countries, but this...

Right now, there is underwear all over the walls. Extemely colorful, glaringly bright underwear. Hung up in neat frames on proud display. Ankh recognises it. In fact, it's all so familiar, it's disgusting. What is Eiji's underwear doing in something that's supposed to be his heart?

"What the hell?"

[dolosa]

Okay that's pretty hilarious.

[ And she's been through strip searches. Don't mind that she's laughing here... ]

[notsogreedy]

It's disgusting.

[He doesn't really want to be reminded of Eiji at all, much less his ridiculous underwear obsession.]

[dolosa]

It could be worse, you know. There could be blood all over them.

[notsogreedy]

[Who's blood? Eiji's? In some deeply hidden part of him, he finds that a disturbing thought, but he squashes that feeling quickly. The last time he saw Eiji, they were trying to kill each other. As far as he can tell, Eiji succeeded, and now Ankh is here being forced to stare at his underwear. His expression gets a dark tinge.]

I might prefer it that way.

[dolosa]

Really? That's kind of gross, even for me.

[notsogreedy]

You don't know who they belong to.

[dolosa]

Then... I'm assuming you do?

[mearry]

Wow. [ C-ta is definitely snickering quietly. ] I believe that this is what some people would call a fixation.

[notsogreedy]

It is one, but not mine.

[The next words are under his breath.]

What are his stupid pants doing here?

[mearry]

[ He may not have heard that, but C-ta can still come up with his own conclusions quite splendidly. ]

Ah, then I suppose we will have to find out whose world this is. I'm sure they'll want to answer us.

[notsogreedy]

[Ankh glances at him, frustrated. He can't deny that this is his own world, but he's not sure he wants to advertise it, or to explain what the stupid underwear is about.]

Tch.

[And with that, he's actually just going to walk away.]

[mearry]

[ Well, there's no doubt about whose world it is now. He'll be chuckling quietly as Ankh walks away. ]

[frozentear]

After looking through the rest of the building... there's only one person left out of the windows, just like how the only person without a clock for a heart in the last heart was Alice. It seems like a pretty safe guess that this heart belongs to Ankh.

"...I see. So this is what your heart is like."

...There are worse things to say to someone who basically admitted he'd shoot you again, right?

[notsogreedy]

He's pulled from staring wide-eyed in disgust by the sound of someone else approaching and making... that comment. Of course Sebastian had to come in here and get the wrong idea. And you know what? Ankh may not have been so violent in that last heart, but he is absolutely not opposed to punching someone in the gut over an insult. Enjoy the consequences of your annoyingness, Sebastian. Ankh has a pretty solid punch.

"I didn't ask for this."

[frozentear]

Well, that's a yes. A very painful yes. Sebastian doubles over, the air knocked out of him. He probably deserved that. On the other hand, that really is an amazing amount of framed colorful underwear up on display. Once he recovers, he backs out of Ankh's reach, over to near the back door of the castle.

"None of us asked for this, but here we are."

[notsogreedy]

Well, that was satisfying. He's not quite so irritated, having watched Sebastian double over and cower away, even if it's a bit disturbing that he himself didn't feel that at all. For a moment, he just looks at his hand, then almost too quickly puts it back down at his side.

[frozentear]

That was an... interesting movement. Anyway, as long as he doesn't say anything stupid he's safe, right?

"Do you have any idea what we're supposed to do? I thought I did, but I can't seem to remember now."

[notsogreedy]

He knew, but he doesn't now. Ankh has heard that before. It's either that or knowing but not being able to say. Though this is the first time he's heard it sound so completely clueless.

"Did you forget? Or have you not found the windows with pictures of you on them yet?"

[zinit]

Ah. Uh. Alright, so that's a thing.

Qilby's hit with a flash of embarrassment - secondhand or not, he's not sure, but he's never been too comfortable with displays like this - before the humor of it hits him, and he's left laughing with his forehead in his hand.

"If your lover's underwear are that important to you, aah..." He's not quite saying it to Ankh, but rather to the air around him.

[notsogreedy]

Is this the second answer he's heard that he thinks deserves a punch in the gut? Why yes it is.

"He's not my lover." Thoroughly giving away whose heart this is if it isn't already obvious by now, but some people have already figured it out independently so it's not like he cares.

[zinit]

Don't punch this clearly defenseless old man in the gut! That'd be awful.

"Maybe not your lover now, but he's important to you in some way, clearly. Though I can't imagine--" He suppresses another burst of laughter. "Sorry, it's just... You understand."

(He's not sorry at all.)

[notsogreedy]

Ankh really doesn't care if it's awful or not, but he at least doesn't have the same history from the last heart here that he did with Sebastian. That said, laugh one more time and Qilby is definitely getting punched.

"He's my enemy." And he practically growls that. Not a lover. Not a friend. Not even an ally. Someone he was using for a while, who he underestimated, and who destroyed him. Or so he assumes. "I don't know what the hell his stupid underwear is doing here." Mocking him, clearly.

[zinit]

Qilby resists the urge to roll his eyes. It is this young man's heart, after all; if someone's underwear are hung on the walls, it implies some sort of intimacy. Furthermore, the fact that he knows whose they are implies some sort of intimacy.

Some kinky enemy that must be, he thinks, with a hint of amusement.

"A puzzle, perhaps?" Goddess, he's having trouble containing the smirk. "Are we meant to figure out why this... Display is here?"

[notsogreedy]

It happens when you have an uneasy alliance and end up living in the same space for a year with someone who doesn't think twice about walking around wearing these eyesores. That's probably why they're here to begin with; he couldn't forget these obnoxious things if he was trying.

He can hear the amusement still in Qilby's voice and gives him a glare. Though the point is valid enough. Maybe there's some sort of key hidden in it, or clues. He doubts it, though. The only lock he's found is clearly tied to the stained glass, and he's prettymuch figured out how that works by now. But ripping all the underwear off the walls might be satisfying regardless. On the other hand, he'd also rather not touch any of it with a ten foot pole. "Who knows?"