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]

[Lovecraft has got it in one on all counts; there's only one reason Sakura isn't on the floor, a broken heap of tears]

Yes... b-but that's why the bandages are there. It's like a seal to keep the mana away from Senpai's body.

As long as he doesn't take off the bandages, he'll be fine...

[She says, both convicted to this claim and looking nervously at the screen, now that she's said it]

[cthulwho]

[He doesn't speak what his immediate follow-up thought is.

Hopefully he remembers not to do that. Curiosity is a powerful and destructive thing.

...Indeed, some gut reactions are best left unsaid.]

There is a chance that it might not do anything, in the event that the bandages get removed somehow. Abilities seem to be rather limited, here...and I imagine they are just as limited there.

[imaginex]

[Admittedly, that wasn't a point she'd considered at all. She's shocked before she's relieved on all fronts, nodding in agreement]

Yes. Perhaps the mana flow won't go anywhere.

[Humming a little]

I can still feel my own, but I can't access it. It's like it's sitting inside me... [Mentioned with something of a frown, in fact]

[cthulwho]

That is exactly how I would describe my current state as well...

[He'll even heave a sigh to express his displeasure with that whole situation.]

I've considered asking the Transmitter about it, but...I don't know. I expect a vague answer that isn't actually an answer.

[imaginex]

Lovecraft-san, you can't even fit inside the building...

[she's just saying, okay? His full form probably wouldn't be comfortable in this place, so what would he even do with all that mana?]

... And to be honest, I never considered just asking her. It seemed too good to be true.

[cthulwho]

[Okay fair. He'll make a noise in response, which could best be described as a reluctant admittance that Sakura's not wrong.]

Too good to be true...? Oh. The crest?

[She said something about her crest sometimes taking matters into its own...not-hands. He's not sure if that's what she's talking about but it's where his train of thought went.]

[imaginex]

[It'd be really impolite to laugh at that noise. Sakura is trying her hardest here... though nothing sucks the fun out of everything like her crest (quite literally), so she sombers up quickly and tilts her head]

My crest...? Oh-- well... the thing is...

[Her brows knit again]

Ever since coming here, I haven't been in any pain, so I'm not sure what happened to it. Transmitter-san doesn't really answer my questions when I ask, either.

[cthulwho]

It...causes you pain?

[Why is the Matou family like this. But he'll digress this point if Sakura would rather not explain.]

I suppose I shouldn't be entirely surprised that she didn't give a straight answer... But I don't see why it would be so bad to just tell you why.

[imaginex]

[... Did she really not explain the constant dose of daily pain? Yikes. Well thankfully it's partly a mage thing, which she feels less awkward describing]

All crests are painful, I'm afraid. Without a very specific kind of medicine, some mages will rip off the appendage the crest is attached to. [She is not even joking a little. Mages are a special brand of humanity]

And I think Transmitter-san is afraid of confusing us further... We weren't supposed to lose our memories, according to her, but it ended up happening by accident.

Giving us details might have unforeseen consequences in her eyes.

[cthulwho]

I...see.

[Just. This face for a second. He's definitely coming to notice this fact the more Sakura and Rin tell him about mage things.]

Oh, that...says a lot, when you think about it. The Transmitter makes it sound like it is connected to your memories. I...thought they might have done something.

["They" being the Risen.]

[imaginex]

[She's trying not to laugh at that face and probably... fails. At least one giggle escapes. Honestly, she's secretly happy someone finds the mage culture as ridiculous as it is]

No, Transmitter-san promised nothing was done to our bodies. So my assumption is our abilities are present... we just can't reach them.

[cthulwho]

[The laugh gets a look of curiosity from Lovecraft. Apparently he didn't realize what he did with his face.]

You are most likely right. I suppose I never considered what I do to be an "ability".

[imaginex]

You mean... transforming? [Is that even correct? Wouldn't this human form then be the actual ability? She seems to sink on that thought for a moment before replying]

We have a lot of people who'd be able to wipe everyone out if they didn't have some kind of handicap... it's likely to ensure this experiment doesn't end prematurely.

[cthulwho]

Yes. There are such things as "Abilities" in my world. In most cases, they work similarly to your magic, [...] But I don't possess something like that. I am simply...myself.

[Something entirely different, unbound to the rules that Abilities have.

That said...]

Wipe everyone out... Hm. I did consider that as well. Then again, they themselves have their own way of doing just that, should things end prematurely in a trial.

[imaginex]

Mmm... perhaps it's to make sure we don't have the power to fight back against them, then.

[... A head tilt]

Though Lovecraft-san, why do you appear human? Wouldn't it be easier to always be as you are in the ocean? [A hum] Or can you appear as anything, and just prefer looking like this for convenience?

[She's just saying. The human form being the only one she's familiar with, of course Sakura is fond of this tall man who looks like he needs a nap at all times, but it seems more a hassle in the long run]

[cthulwho]

Well...I am legitimately stuck like this for the time being, but I typically use this form when I am out and about anyway. It makes carrying out my work easier. I...cannot move as easily, otherwise.

[So...a bit of both convenience and necessity.]

As you guessed before, my true form is only used on land for dire circumstances. But usually I can get away with just a partial transformation...

[imaginex]

[Please hold, Sakura is looking slightly above Lovecraft's head as she imagines him transforming into a cat with tiny little tentacle whiskers.

... It's cuter than it has any right to be. Drawing projects.]

Eh...? Oh-- yes! Like... half your body, you mean?

[cthulwho]

[Oh my god.

A tentacle pet to rival Cerberus, clearly.]

Mm. My arms, mainly. [He glances down at them rather glumly.] I was hoping I could use them to break the window in the foyer. That idea...was shut down rather quickly as soon as I discovered I couldn't even transform.

[imaginex]

[Tentacle... arms...

Sakura is just learning all sorts of interesting information today. She glances at Lovecraft's face, then his arms, and after that gives a curious hum.]

... Does it rip your shirt when you transform?

[She's really curious about this entire process, alright? How much does Lovecraft have to pay a tailor?]

[cthulwho]

Oh... Um.

[He fiddles with a cuff of his coat. It's shredded on the ends, but not as much as you would expect to account for the times he has transformed.]

It does, but...it regenerates, when I revert my arm back.

[However the hell that works.]

[imaginex]

[...]

C-could you take your coat off for a second?

[cthulwho]

I...suppose?

[And so he will! Even though he's not sure why she wants him to.

His dress shirt looks entirely normal, with only a little bit of fraying at the cuffs of the sleeves. If anything, even his tie looks more weathered than his shirt really ought to.]

[imaginex]

[Honestly she should question why Lovecraft chose such a well-groomed outfit as his default. Nothing wrong with it... just seems like more work than she'd expect he'd care for? Jeez, this dude is making her overthink everything.

But no, her interest lies in the coat. She'll take it into her hands for a moment if he'll let her, looking increasingly more uncertain as she does. The coat regenerates... but he can remove it... so it's not serving as a "skin" of sorts. Is it a magic tied to Lovecraft then? If she set it on fire, would he feel pain (god no she would never). But if he had access to his mana, and she ripped the sleeves while wearing it herself, would the cloth still regenera--

Y'know what? Mysteries, all of it. Maybe she deserved the Sixth Magic by accident. Either way, she's handing him back his coat]

... It's a very nice coat. [S U R E]

[cthulwho]

[For what it's worth, the coat is in much worse shape. It's entirely shredded at the bottom, though again, not where one would expect it to be. Why did he style it this way if he can apparently regenerate it? Indeed, who the hell even knows.

He holds onto it when it's handed back to him, like he's thinking about something until he slips it back on.]

...Thanks. [??? This whole exchange is odd to him.] I did my best to choose something that seemed normal enough. Something to allow me to blend in.

[He ended up with a Goth Aesthetic, as Madison put it. But he tried.]

[imaginex]

[... Oh no he was trying to blend in. Bless his soul, Sakura has to fight back a smile (and fails)]

If it helps, I had no idea what you were when we first met. No one can tell at a first glance.

[Or a second glance... unless he's chilling underwater. That last habit tends to ring a few bells.]

Though you did admittedly go for something very... business-like...

[She cares a lot about Lovecraft but he does not have the presence or appearance of a dude you'd want to meet in a dark alleyway.]