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GRAVEYARD 2.0
GRAVEYARD Well, that sucked. But no matter what your death was like—whether it was something peaceful or traumatic, you'll find yourself waking in a completely white room on the floor. Small and empty, there isn't anything else there besides an open door to walk through. But before you do that, you'll probably notice that whatever injuries you may have had, including whatever may have been the death blow, are now gone. That's exciting. Stepping out of the room, it seems that you're in a large... house? with three different floors. Everything from floor, ceiling to furniture is completely white, except for the drawings that are plastered to the walls in each room. These are all colorful, drawn in colored pencils and crayon, and resemble a child's drawing. The other notable thing are the windows. While they're present all around the building, looking out of them only shows TV static. Besides that, everything is furnished with the absolute bare minimum of each room. The first floor is all typical common areas one would find in a house. There's a kitchen, living room area, laundry room, dining room, and a main hallway where the stairs are. There are also helpful drawings in these rooms that show the rooms much more lavishly decorated than they actually are. There's a door that appears to be the way to exit the building, it's locked. The second floor consists of nothing but twenty bedrooms. Each room has one queen sized bed, an empty dresser, and an attached bathroom with only a sink, toilet, and shower. Like the first floor, each bedroom has drawn pictures that show it looking much more lavish than it actually does. Thanks for nothing, artist! The third floor only has two rooms. One appears to be a home office with nothing but a desk and two chairs, one behind it and one in front of it. While there's blank pieces of paper and crayons on the desk, the note that was previously there is gone. The other room is much larger, and it's completely empty save for the many drawings lining its walls— in fact, the walls are covered in them, much more than in any other room. On closer inspection, though, it seems like these aren't actually drawings? The papers seem to be showing scenes from the living area. Everything from inside the hotel to the areas beyond the bridge are visible here. However, when curfew hits on Thursday nights, they revert to being normal drawings! Except for the fact that they're all drawings of stick figures being murdered in various ways. Well. At least there's plenty of things to draw with, if you get bored. Also, a handy link to the previous post. |
NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories |
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They do. They always do.
[ she can't dwell on it for long, because deku-kun is coming in. the flicker confuses her for a moment, but - this is hikaru's memory, after all. ]
She might...?
[ can hikaru confirm ]
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She does. She was asking Ṁ̸̫̱̫̳̀a̴͈̖͠s̴̨̛͇͊͒a̷̟̙̭͋̍̈͠ŗ̷̩̙̗͕̒͑̂̆́ů̵̲͇̟̜͈̎͑ about it. Ummm... is your bike okay?
[Deku shoots an agonized look to Tsuyu who sticks her froggy tongue out for a second before shoving more rice in her mouth. Before he can whine further, Ochako's mother appears in the opposite doorway with her arms crossed. Tsuyu snorts and nearly gets rice up her nose, which makes Sensei quirk another smile as Deku goes to grovel with Hikaru being herded aside, gently settling down with her own rice bowl as Mom fusses.
The chatter starts to die down with an odd muteness despite the amusing moment, Hikaru handing Ochako a bowl and gesturing for her to sit down. Next to her, please! She pops some rice into her mouth, watching the scene play out with a flicker of exhausted confusion.]
Is... it weird, Ochako-chan, that this feels familiar?
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A little, but... it should be familiar, right? [ glancing over at hikaru, she adds with a smilie, ] I never had such a big family. But you did, didn't you?
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I... did?
[The scene flickers. Her eyes grow soft, some of the confusion lifting.]
Oto-san left when I was really little, to train and become a better fighter. But I... I still had...
[Her... mother, right? Hikaru's eyes turn, and Ochako's mother steps away like an actor breaking character, leaving behind a rather tired Japanese woman with jet black hair, mid-lecture to the boy that is Deku but not quite Deku with the bright reddish-auburn hair, now shimmering in and out as Hikaru struggles to remember. Out of the corner of her eye, Ochako will feel a tug, of a memory of belonging, of being supported and cared for, whether with family by blood or by friendship.]
I... was happy, I think. Like this.
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to hikaru, she nods. ]
Mm. It looks like a nice place - and they loved you a lot, didn't they?
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...Yeah. Yeah, they... they do.
[The bowl in her hands seems to vanish. Ochako will find herself kneeling, stone silent on the dojo floor, a shinai before her and her hands balls into fists against her legs. Her heart feels incredibly heavy.
She can hear D̵̛̩͕͕̣͂e̸̬̋̋̋̓k̸͚̺͑ù̷̢̞̮͍̾̈́͐̕ and Tsuyu worrying in the background, wanting to interject, dramatically wondering what happened. She can't tell them. She knows she can't.
It's her Sensei that breaks the gap, though it doesn't stay her Sensei for long, fading to someone less familiar. Like before, Hikaru mirrors her, an observer, her voice quiet as the young man reaches out to ruffle Ochako's hair with a stern gaze.
You won't say why you're sad.
The words alone will fill Ochako with a complicated, foreign mix of pain, of guilt, of regret that fuels a determination she can't quite voice.]
...Satoru.
...He's... he's my oldest brother. He's the one who helps run the dojo with Okaa-san...
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I... don't want anyone to worry.
[ she glances at hikaru with concern in her eyes. ]
Is it the same for you?
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There's some things you can only really talk about with people who will understand.
The people I love... they try to cheer me up, when I feel depressed, but... I know they feel the same, that they cry when they're alone, and that they worry about me because I'm still so young.
I have to hold something for myself.
[Satoru gently smiles at Ochako.
That's alright. I won't ask you why.
People have to make up their minds for themselves in this world, Hikaru. Stick to your decision.
Hikaru simply nods, her fisted hand lifting to her eyes to push back tears.]
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I know what you mean. Still... having that choice at all means you're pretty lucky, doesn't it?
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[Ochako's mind will flash to holding her phone after her loss, to holding back the waver in her voice, to the gentleness and pride in her father's voice over the speaker, regardless of what had happened.
Her hands stain red, and her heart will start to ache. But Tsuyu rushes up behind her, throwing her arms around Ochako's shoulders. "Satoru, leggo!" Her head pops on Ochako's shoulder, hugging her tight, even as she shifts out of view, to a man slightly younger than Satoru - eighteen, just barely an adult, a little disheveled but his hug warm. "I'm worried about her, you know."
Deku comes barreling in with a yell in a voice that isn't quite his, a face that isn't his, pushing the other boy in the face to nearly pick up Ochako on his own. He can't be much older than Ochako herself. "Hey! Hey, what about me, huh?? Dontcha think I'M worried sick about her, too???"
He then proceeds to plant his hands on her shoulders and quietly push back tears, a dramatic bravado as he tells her she can cry on him if things are really bad.]
...Masaru. And Kakeru.
[Hikaru's smile is nostalgic, pained, and she's started to cry more openly, the tears hot down her face. Her family. Her family. When did she... why did she forget? How could she lose something so dear to her?]
I'm... I'm so lucky, that my brothers care about me, Ochako-chan...
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instead, she lets the love they so obviously feel warm the ache in her heart, and she nods. ]
I think so, too, Hikaru-san. You must miss them.
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[Hikaru's orange color solidifies, coalescing into a ball of light while leaving her, whole and complete, the light itself falling into the palm of her hand as she regards it with nostalgia and a little bit of sadness.]
The Pillar has to be alone. And my family... they don't know anything about it. If I were to vanish, I don't know if they would ever know.
I think... I think that's what hurts the most, to think about. That I'd never get to see them again, just doing what I might have to do, and that they might never know where I went.
I don't want my family to suffer or be sad for my sake, Ochako-chan. I want to go home, and see them, and be happy with them.
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ochako remembers their conversation about this, only a few days before hikaru died. she remembers how sad the hikaru in her memory must have felt, but how determined she was to save that world in spite of her own feelings. and ochako... she is still sad, that hikaru may have to leave them all behind, when she loves her family so, so much.
and yet... ]
Then... you'll find a way to make it happen, won't you?
[ her voice is hesitant, as she turns to face hikaru. ]
Once we make it back, it's not over for you yet, is it? I know you have a whole world to save, but... you're strong, Hikaru-san. If anyone can find a way to do both, it'll be you.
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[The space fades further, to that similar to the Realm's village.]
I was told a story once, about a prince who pleased the gods with his unending kindness. Whenever he was given two impossible options... he would choose a third. He would make his own path. [The ghost of Xie Lian, of Hua Cheng, past both girls, like the wisps of a memory.]
I don't know what it's gonna cost, Ochako-chan, but... I don't want my heart to have to be torn apart between the people I love so much and a world that needs my prayers.
I need to remember it. All of it. And I'm gonna find a way I won't regret, with people like you by my side.
[The light in her hands sinks into her chest and fades from view as Hikaru holds out her hand.]
Would you help me, Ochako-chan? To find a future like that for ourselves... together.
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xie lian will always do everything in his power to help someone, even just one singular person, even if it means he fails. that's the kind of person that ochako wants to be. it's better to try than to do nothing at all - they'd agreed on that, hadn't they? ]
There's no way of knowing exactly what it will take until we get there.
[ she steps closer, and takes hikaru's hand in both of her own. ]
But if there is anything I can do to help, anything at all - I'll do it, Hikaru-san. If there's even a chance, it's worth trying.
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That's the kind of person I think I'd always wanna be.
[She'll feel Hikaru grip, firm in her own, a promise in its warmth.
And Ochako will find herself waking up, Hikaru left behind, to keep reaching for the end of their path to the living.
Have faith in yourself, Ochako-chan. We're almost there.]