trustfelled | Week 3.

Week 3.

WEEK 3
Grace and Doug are dead. It seems that there isn't anything more to do but mourn your losses and try to move forward. The Transmitter's rules still hang in every room, a reminder of the only means of escaping this place.

But surely no one else will give into them, right?

Saturday is given to regrouping and rest; the static blares out early on Sunday, but at least there are no bodies to find today - it seems you're safe for now. The night before wasn't necessarily a peaceful one, however; you'll probably feel a bit groggy when you wake up, and it seems you've regained something that you didn't realize you'd lost...

Once again, however, it seems your efforts won't go unrewarded; another set of corridors have opened up, much in the same fashion as the other new area did last week. With them come new rooms to explore; maybe some of them will be to your liking.

Or perhaps it's better to say that hopefully some of them will; after all, if the Transmitter gets her way, you may be here for a very, very long time.

PATIENTS REMAINING: 26

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week three of Trustfell! Feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend. Don't forget to save those threads for coins and the activity check!

If you'd like to get in contact with the Transmitter, you can do so through text or the phone in your room!]

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Let's hope they last longer than that.

[They should last 10, but who knows...

Though his other items. He hasn't exactly hidden the trident or the broken guns (among other things). Also the weird mask and the creepy worm plushie.]

As for things I like, well, it seems we've got some weapons and some other weird things.

[He's totally hidden the poison in his pocket by now...]

... You got weapons.

[Yeah, that trident sure does look like something no one should have in a murder hospital. Hence the reason for why Sakura's brows knit in disapproval, but she can't say anything more. Her eyes have already moved on to the other items.

... Okay to be honest, she thinks that mask is sorta cool. Weird, but cool. That half-formed though is what encourages her to lean forward for a better look--]

[-- only for her to recoil back a few paces, hands flying to her chest and her face contorted by fear and shock.

And perhaps more damning, recognition]

-- Wh-why is that--

[No no no no what is that, who put that here, why is Grandfather's--]

[Well, yeah he got weapons, but at first he's not sure why she's reacting so adversely. A little too adversely to his pile.

He sees the sight of her recognizing something and tries to trace her gaze. Is it the weird plush?]

Do you know anything about that?

[He goes to pick up the horrifying worm plush. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if it gave her nightmares.]

[She doesn't hear the question. There's movement from the corner of her eye and it's enough to spur her into panic, diving to grab it before Kogami can]

N-- Don't touch it--!!

[There's nothing kind or gentle in that order. Even if she fails, she'll just try and yank it away from him]

Don't!

[Seeing her reaction and the way she practically screams at him actually causes him to drop it.]

It's... just a plush.

[Though that's definitely not a reaction from someone who thinks it's 'just a plush'.]

However, I'm guessing there's a story behind this.

[It's already ripped off the ground and clenched in her hands by the time she pays any mind to what Kogami says, and by then, it's a little too late to hide her naked shock for a second time. She stares down at the plush, expression slowly morphing into confusion.

It's dangerous, her mind insists. Only one thing in the world looks like this. And it's common sense that Kogami isn't one of the two people allowed to touch them unscathed.

But... ]

... It's a toy. [blankly]

[And that's definitely not a reaction someone has to something that's 'just a toy'. He's seen that blank expression before, but this time it looked almost something like a trigger-- kind of like last week when he went off when he got his picture. There's a story behind this.]

Is this something you would like to talk about? That's not a normal reaction to have to something that's a toy.

[Kogami receives no reply. It's not that Sakura doesn't hear him - she's always aware of who is close to her - but his voice comes through a muffler for all she comprehends his offer. She's still staring at the thing instead, turning it between her trembling hands.

It's a toy. No magic, not that she can sense, and the size is too big besides. Much too big. So perhaps it has nothing to do with Grandfather. Just a plush for children, made from one of her greatest torments.]

Ah... I overreacted.

[Trying to rouse herself, but it isn't working] I'm sorry. I thought it was something else.

No... no you didn't think it was something else.

[That wasn't an overreaction, he continues to think to himself. That was definitely a trigger. How cruel this place is.

Well, without warning, Kogami's going to leave. Specifically, he's going to the incinerator so he can burn the thing. If she's having such an awful reaction, there's no reason to keep it around at all.

So there we are, lighting up a match and sending it to hell where it belongs.]

[His sudden absence has a more profound effect on her than his words did, and she startles miserably, quickly following after. For the first time since arriving, she feels the phantom crawl of things along her nerves, her mind attempting to convince the body of pain that might not actually be there.

... She isn't sure why she's so surprised to find them by the incinerator. It wasn't as if Kogami would take that thing back to his room. Some emotion climbs into her features as she watches the plush toy set to fire, but that's nothing compared to the onslaught of shame.

Grandfather would be chuckling in the basement of their mansion.]

I'm sorry. [Sounding more like herself, if nothing else. Just very tired now.] It's-- I didn't mean to startle you. I wasn't sure if it was alive, so I...

[She panicked.]

[If there's one thing that Kogami stinks at, it's comforting others. Yet there's the kind and protective side that's Sakura's capable of bringing out. Something of an older brother figure that he can be to her. So he reaches out and places a gentle hand on her head, ruffling her hair a bit. Something a teasing, but kind brother would do in comfort.]

It's fine. Find something you can do to calm down. I think your archery helped when I watched you before.

[The archery room is her salvation and her prison. All it does is prolong the inevitable. But that's fine - back home, that's exactly what Sakura wants, because that's all she can expect to get.

It's being here that's the problem, and her chest fills with disgust at her own inability to cope. Everyone here cares too much, and Kogami of all people shouldn't be touching her - only innocent children pick up worms off the street.

She's terrible. Instead of asking him to stop, she stands there with her head bowed and unspilled tears scratching at her retinas. Her voice is small and defeated when she asks:]

Will you come with me?

[She's breaking, he can tell. Little by little, that mask she wears is breaking. Maybe he's partially the cause since there's no doubt he's been chipping at it. Then again, Kogami is someone, that while he's insanely stoic, he's also insanely sincere. He has no secrets. What he wishes and wants to do are laid bare.

A simple man.]

If that's what you want, then I'll follow.

[A very, very simple man.]

[Don't phrase it like that; no one has ever asked Sakura what she wanted in life.]

... Okay.

[She walks more like a prisoner to the guillotine than someone who enjoys archery, fighting for some semblance of control, and she likes to think she has it by the time they enter the room. Her face is clear, all traces of the previous breakdown vanished.

The problem are her thoughts. The moment she picks up a bow, Sakura sees the future and knows how poorly this will go.]

I won't be able to hit the targets.

I'm not here to make sure you hit the targets. This is your outlet-- use it like one.

[It's like Kogami and working out-- if he can get that energy out, then he's good. He'll calm down and start to think clearly. It's why he was beating the shit out of a mattress last week. It's why he's trying to swim everyday. The dojo isn't quite to his liking, but whatever.

Sakura has her outlet, and he's going to make sure she uses it.]

[But that's not the point of archery, she wants to argue. You empty your mind, you focus only on the spot you wish to hit, and then you turn that wish into reality.

For the masters, it isn't even a wish - simply an expectation they haven't yet utilized.

It's why she knows she won't hit anything, though she obeys Kogami's order. Her mind can't focus enough on the wish to hit the target, let alone pulling back the string. She's useless.

... So without a word, she disregards the bow all together, and grabs one of the crossbows. Loads it, takes aim, pulls the trigger--

It hits. Not the center, but it hits. Sakura barely seems to notice as she grabs another arrow from the quiver and loads it, eyes dark.]

[Is she that out of it that she can't even use her bow and arrow? He supposes that makes sense. The amount of concentration it must take to use one would be quite incredible. However, he's glad to see she's practicing with a crossbow. Something she should learn to use in this place in case someone chooses to betray the group once more.

Self-defense. Everyone has a right to it. As much as everyone has a right to act on a motive...

So you know what? Kogami joins her. He grabs a crossbow himself and loads it. It's different than the Dominator, however, it's around the same function, right? So aim and fire. It hits his target, but not the bullseye. Of course, he'll need practice himself.]

[Her mind is invaded by the immediate, bitter thought that Kogami must be tired of watching her, he's going to leave (like he should've done a week ago). It makes the surprise all the more palatable when he takes up position on her left, aiming at his own target. Her arms dip as she watches him shoot.]

... Would you like to have a competition, Shinya-san?

[The words come from her like somebody else is using her for a mouthpiece, but Sakura... oddly steady as she talks. She draws a finger over the barrel]

You're good with guns, and I prefer bows. We should be evenly matched.

[Competitions are what Kogami is all about, so there's a bit of a smirk that appears on his face.]

Sure, why not? It will probably be a good way to pass the time, anyway.

[And hopefully get Sakura's mind off of everything. That's still the ultimate goal.]

And good practice.

[Well, time to get some bolts for the both of them so they can have their competition.]

How many shots are we firing? Five? Ten?

Ten is fine.

[She's still uncertain as to why she decided a competition was what this dour mood needed, but she takes the offered bolts without complaint and loads another onto the crossbow.

Shooting it is a different experience now. Her face is clouded with subtle emotion as always, but it's not a result of sadness; the girl almost looks angry, and as if she's trying to bite it back. The bolt still doesn't hit dead center yellow, but the red. Her aim is drastically improving.

Kogami isn't the only competitive person in the room.]

[Kogami loads his own bolt into his crossbow, then proceeds to aim and shoot. His bolt also hits into the red, close to the yellow center. It could be a fluke or it could be the result of using a weapon similar that uses a trigger. Though it's definitely different from what he's used to. Still, he's focused and calm. He doesn't play easy just because his opponent is a teenage girl.

Nine to go, they suppose.]

[The second, third, fourth, and fifth shots follow much like the first shot for Sakura - either deathly close to the yellow, or hovering well within the red. She can't seem to make her bullseye yet. Irritations crawl like sins on her back but those can wait their turn for now. She looks over to see Kogami's progress]

[There's a point where it's difficult to keep that predatory smile off Kogami's face. It starts off as rather subtle, however, after the third, fourth, then fifth bolt, it's clear he's in his zone. The bolts are becoming dangerously accurate, one hitting within the yellow circle. His head is clear and his aim is good. It's obvious that the more stress he feels under, the better he actually performs.

It's why he has the job he has, because he can perform well under the highest forms of stress, even if it makes him look and partially go insane.]

[...She'll lose at this rate, she recognizes. That much it obvious even without sneaking a look at Kogami's face. There's an amused sort of comfort in knowing he'd run her down like a rabbit in a game, though it won't sooth her growing sense of dread. Her brain has tied losing to something worse.

I want to hit the yellow target, she tells herself, and readies her sixth shot, trying to empty every other thought to make it happen.

But she can't, because all she sees are worms squirming along the ground, along their feet, and her hand wavers at the moment she lets the arrow fly. She hits the ground instead of the board.

It would've eaten him, she thinks distantly. One that big, there'd be nothing left, not even bones.]

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Week 3.

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cw: slight parasite worm mention