Week 5.

[trustfellowship]

WEEK 5 Another week has passed; another two people have died. Tsubasa Hanekawa and Nachetanya Loei Piena Augustra have joined the ranks of the deceased. Whatever you may have thought about them in the end, one thing hovers heavy over the group: the fact that neither their compassion nor their ambition was enough to keep them alive in here. Is yours? 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... And of course, with another successful trial comes a new addition to the building, another corridor opening up on the west side of the building. The doors leading to it branch off of the hallways leading to the second and fourth sections of the building; have those doors always been there? You can't remember... It's a new week. Of course, that means you've been here for over a month, and your stay doesn't seem to be coming to a close yet. PATIENTS REMAINING: 22

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week five 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!]

Comments

[imaginex]

[Despite knowing she probably doesn't need to lead him to the pool - Lovecraft likely has that path memorized - she thinks it's better safe than sorry. An occasional glance behind her seems to suggest his mind isn't split between two different places, at least]

... May I ask you something?

[cthulwho]

[He does. Or at the very least, he should. But something he will not admit right now is that he...has been trying to find the pool for a while, so being led there is appreciated. His sense of direction is hella fucked right now, apparently.]

Of course. What is it?

[imaginex]

[Bruh. If Sakura could read brackets, she'd be giving this poor man a map.

Though as for her question, she takes her time with voicing it, now that she's been granted permission -- and admittedly, it's going to sound strange.]

Do you dream when you're sleeping underwater?

[cthulwho]

[Lovecraft is able to answer that rather easily.]

Yes. I dream for the majority of my time asleep. However, I wouldn't say that they are quite as vivid as the ones here...

[imaginex]

[She blinks, somewhat surprised by the swiftness of that answer, but settles into a hum after that]

Is that why you love sleeping so much? For the dreams?

[cthulwho]

Not exactly, though they are an added benefit.

[...]

I am simply tired. There is no grand reasoning for it. Being out and about, interacting with others, using my abilities... It greatly exhausts me.

[imaginex]

Aa... That makes sense. It would be a consistent drain on your mana.

[A pause, and she quickly amends]

Not that your world follows the same rules as mine.

[cthulwho]

I am familiar with the term, at the very least... It may not be quite the same as mana, but it is a stamina of some sort.

[Underwater super-powerful creature stamina...!

But since Sakura brought it up-]

I would be interested in hearing more about your...ability, sometime.

[He's not exactly sure how to refer to magic. Using magic would be kind of similar to having an Ability, so he goes with that for now.]

[imaginex]

[Ha. If this were someone else, Sakura would steer the conversation to the moon rather than admit anything about her powers. They don't exactly encourage the warm fuzzies.

But she's in an odd mood - and fair is fair, at any rate. And it's Lovecraft. There are parts of her that are curious as to what he'd make of the Matou lineage's excuse for magecraft]

It might be easiest to explain how mana works where I'm from, first.

[In a calm manner:]

All organic life has mana in them, but mages tap into that power and use it for their magecraft. It's because we're born with Magic Circuits. It's like a system that helps to convert mana into a type of energy we can use.

The type and number of magic circuits a mage has can determine the... potency of their abilities, I guess. [Mmm, she might be getting too technical. Switching gears then:] But in any case, families pass down their findings to one of their children, so that the next generation can build on the secrets of the previous.

Those are known as magic crests. It allows a mage to pull off spells they haven't technically learned yet, by carving the spell into the body.

[Mages have zero chill, is what she's saying]

[cthulwho]

[It's quite a bit to take in, especially in his current state, but he manages to follow along with Sakura's explanation.

So, the ability to use magic isn't one that everyone possesses. Indeed, it really does remind him of the Abilities that those in the Guild and the enemy factions possess. That seems to be where the similarities end, but it's still rather interesting that they have a similarity in the first place.]

I see... Did you receive any, yourself?

[Is this the "that's hell you're walking into" question-]

[imaginex]

[...]

In a sense.

[Sakura's body language doesn't shift. In fact, all effort goes into making her seem as natural as possible, but that's precisely the problem. Everything from how she holds her head to the poise of her stride has abruptly turned artificial.

It's not quite hell they're walking into, but they're approaching the first gate]

My crest is all over my body - wrapped around my nerves, you could say.

[cthulwho]

[And Sakura just mentioned that these crests are carved onto the body.

...

The rigidity of her movement comes into focus as he considers that.]

Is there a specific ability tied to it?

[LET'S NOT ASK HOW THAT WAS CARVED FOR NOW.]

[imaginex]

[EXCELLENT SAVE, LOVECRAFT.

Sadly this means they're walking down tunnel #2, All of Sakura's Issues With Her Fuckin Magic]

The Matou family specializes in ... absorption.

[Lovecraft is a fighter. She doesn't think she needs to spell out how an ability like hers isn't geared toward creation. Not like Rin's.

Absorption is theft and destruction]

[cthulwho]

["You really suck people dry, don't you?"

No, she doesn't. He doesn't seem to have an issue with it, either.]

Ah... Used offensively, I take it?

[imaginex]

If I'm forced to use it. Then yes.

[...]

Under most circumstances, I can't use magecraft at all. The crest doesn't--

[She stops, and starts again. Her words are carefully picked]

It requires mana to maintain, you see. Whatever is left over I use to keep functioning.

[cthulwho]

[He frowns when the word "forced" is brought into the mix. And then it just continues to bother him. The wording...]

But you have to maintain it to be able to use that ability...

[He's guessing, at least.

He doesn't like the implications.]

[imaginex]

[Something of a dark, loathing smile creeps on her face, but she pushes it down quick. No, Lovecraft, you're probably on the right track]

So long as I don't tap into the mana that my crest requires, there aren't any complications. I can't use spells, but... I can live.

But should a problem arise... If someone attacks me, for instance, and I have to draw on that mana, then I must replace it quickly.

[A pause, because to her realization, this is easier to talk about than it should be. She's irritated because of it, and then all the more when she keeps talking]

I dislike fighting... no, I should say I'm not really trained for it. So my crest will take matters into its own, and force me to take mana from the nearest or largest source.

[cthulwho]

[He nods, understanding the process...along with what she means by "nearest or largest source" of mana.

A sort of vicious cycle...]

Are you caught in such situations often?

[If the crest was put on her in the first place, he has to imagine it was intended to be used...]

[imaginex]

[Ah, they're nearing hell after all]

... In a sense.

[A pause]

When I--

When Grandfather, he--

[Deep breaths. They're almost at the pool, anyway, and Sakura is thinking she might beat Lovecraft to the bottom if this keeps up]

If Grandfather requires me to train, my mana fluctuates sometimes.

[cthulwho]

[Oh...

This is the first time Sakura has brought up a grandfather, and from that reaction... He can't help but look worried, despite everything.]

So far too often.

[He doesn't seem to be prompting Sakura to explain further if she doesn't want to.]

[imaginex]

[A nod -- and at this point, she's running on autopilot, face blank as she walks. She'd run into something if they weren't walking down the hall]

Once or twice a week now.

Sometimes three.

[cthulwho]

[...

Carefully, though with an edge in his tone that was not there before:]

And to what end? Does he wish for you to fight?

[imaginex]

[...]

Most likely, yes.

At the moment I'm most useful to him.

[cthulwho]

[He draws in sharp breath, clenching his fists.

Lovecraft's title is Unfettered for a good reason- he is typically far-removed from affairs such as these, possessing a level of indifference that has no doubt alienated him from many throughout his years. But he has always found it irritating to be viewed as a tool by those seeking a contract with him. Learning of Sakura's own hardship with being used for her magic strikes a chord, especially observing her reaction upon speaking about it.]

I... I see. I'm...sorry.

[There's more he wants to say, but he just doesn't know how to put it into words.]

[imaginex]

[... It's odd, in some ways. Sakura used to have daydreams during the times when she still had hope - that someone would learn the truth and offer her a word of sympathy. If she couldn't be saved, she wanted to at least be recognized as a casualty of fate. It wasn't as if she asked to be invisible to a world that wouldn't look at her.

Lovecraft offers that to her now, but it's her own reaction that surprises her. The girl blinks, then rounds her shoulders back into place, in that way that has always baffled her Grandfather. He's put so many cracks in her she can hardly be called a mirror, but something holds her in place.]

Thank you... but it's alright. [No it's not, but...] My body's used to the training. And besides, I don't have an interest in following his orders from here on out.

[Though there's only one outcome for disobedience; if nothing else, this hospital has given her a chance to make peace with it]