[Rosamund pulls out her own blaster. It's not the weapon she's familiar with, but she's not confident bows and arrows could pierce whatever that tombstone thing is, or any number of these monsters. And Almathea's words still ring in her head. The right shot could collapse part of this mansion. If that's what it comes to, then so be it.
But Yuri isn't gun shy. Yuri's shaking loose of the illusion. She can see it all now, and the poor girl is a fountain of tears. Rosamund flinches as she takes her shot.
It wasn't wrong for either to live.]
Yuri!
[But call her selfish: one girl deserved it more than the other.]
[ nodd has seen horrors, but these veer beyond what he was built to comprehend. the wires, the glowing, the blasters. he finds himself turning his back toward rosamund, eying the growing hoard of anomalies. already figuring out what he might need to do in order to create a pathway--
he turns his head when yuri screams. wordless. the pain must be so immense, to have to choose oneself and admit to it.
the candelabra gets chucked at the tombstone thing. a blind attack. his eyes remain on yuri. ]
[ That's right. Branch D-02 is crumbling, collapsing, and they can hear the building giving way. Parts of the ceiling falls while the walls shudder as a threat. It's more darkness with horrors crawling with elongated limbs and multiple eyes crawling out of every hole and crack made. Their fangs bare, but perhaps that isn't the most disturbing. It's the ones that look innocent with their round eyes that draw people in, like a lure. Sweet yet full of insatiable hunger.
Rosamund uses her blaster to shoot and her aim strikes true, leaving a gnarly hole in one abnormality. It winds back its hooks and lines to let out a shrill shriek that knifes through the air, but it prepares its next attack. Its limbs spider out to anchor itself. For Nodd, his blind attack works on the tombstone... It's not as mobile as the other abnormalities, so it groans in pain and suffers pitifully. It does, however, try to reach out for him aflame, threatening to scald him. The path does open more thanks to his efforts.
... But they can see it's an infestation ahead.
Yuri, she shoots Alex. It would be comforting that she wore the clay headpiece, but the blaster is powerful. It turns her head into nothing in a millisecond with the pieces scattered and splattered. Remnants of her paint Rosamund, Nodd, and most of all Yuri crimson.
The blood painted across their faces, drenched into their clothes, it's warm. This is the will to survive.
Yuri has chosen her answer, but what about the other two? Do they believe they deserve to live? As this question enters their mind, the corpses splayed below them take the shape of people they know and love. Would they choose themselves...? The exit beyond opens to shine a bright light through the dust and dark. Is that wrong? They and Yuri can run. They can abandoned all these people to survive. They don't need to be sacrificed.
They hear—no, they sense these questions being asked of them. From where, they do not know. Perhaps it's from the nest of tragedy, this very manor. ]
[ Yuri catches herself hyperventilating, but tries to stifle it. She puts the blaster on her back (however it's being carried when it's not in her hands) and dashes towards Rosamund and Nodd to grab their hands and runs to where the exit is so that they can get out of this crumbling fantasy.
Into the light that they go. Yuri will not allow the other two to stay, even for a brief moment. ]
[They're surrounded. Even if it's only phantoms Rosamund's pulse pounds to panic. Yuri shoots and the blood slaps them all with the brand of murderers, of cowards.
It's not always cowardly to choose yourself.
She sees Timothy's body, crumpled and smaller than it should be. Ylfa next to him, her red cloak soaked, wolfen eyes glazed and gazing at nothing.
Then Yuri has her hand. Yuri pulls her though. It's not real, but even if it were?
There's roaring, snapping, the crackle of fire, the collapse of a building.
The dead can't be risen here. And the living should live.]
[ the infestation swarms, too many monstrous bodies clustered in the hall for nodd to have a chance without his keys--and them working, no less. it takes movement, both of the ladies with him turning away, to remind him there are choices at all. the sensations ringing through him offer unkind questions--ones he would rather ignore and has built himself for the avoidance thereof.
deserving--why did he ever use that word? since when has he gotten what he deserved? it's down that hall. in those mouths--
but they're leaving. ]
Some other time.
[ he leaves with them, less of his preference for life but rather acceptance of yuri's. ]
[ They're away from the chaos--the Abnormalities, the corpses that littered the halls... Yuri takes the time and finally lets go of both hands, but the two would be able to feel that her hands were shaking the whole time. She uses her sleeve to wipe the blood off her face. ]
... I'm sorry for dragging you two into it and not being careful enough.
No. [Rosamund shakes her head, taking the other girl's shoulder in on hand as she cups her cheek with the other.]
Yuri, none of that was your fault. Okay? You didn't do anything to hurt us, and whatever happened before...that was bigger than any one person can take credit for.
[ yuri's trembling fingers slip from his own. poor girl--not a girl, a woman. a fighter. but sort of, compared to nodd, a kid. carrying so much she surely hasn't earned. ]
It isn't your fault--any of it, but especially not right now. We're in the storm-mansion.
[ he should maybe leave the full comforting piece to rosie, but it feels awful to offer nothing. yuuuuurrrriiii. ]
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But Yuri isn't gun shy. Yuri's shaking loose of the illusion. She can see it all now, and the poor girl is a fountain of tears. Rosamund flinches as she takes her shot.
It wasn't wrong for either to live.]
Yuri!
[But call her selfish: one girl deserved it more than the other.]
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he turns his head when yuri screams. wordless. the pain must be so immense, to have to choose oneself and admit to it.
the candelabra gets chucked at the tombstone thing. a blind attack. his eyes remain on yuri. ]
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Rosamund uses her blaster to shoot and her aim strikes true, leaving a gnarly hole in one abnormality. It winds back its hooks and lines to let out a shrill shriek that knifes through the air, but it prepares its next attack. Its limbs spider out to anchor itself. For Nodd, his blind attack works on the tombstone... It's not as mobile as the other abnormalities, so it groans in pain and suffers pitifully. It does, however, try to reach out for him aflame, threatening to scald him. The path does open more thanks to his efforts.
... But they can see it's an infestation ahead.
Yuri, she shoots Alex. It would be comforting that she wore the clay headpiece, but the blaster is powerful. It turns her head into nothing in a millisecond with the pieces scattered and splattered. Remnants of her paint Rosamund, Nodd, and most of all Yuri crimson.
The blood painted across their faces, drenched into their clothes, it's warm. This is the will to survive.
Yuri has chosen her answer, but what about the other two? Do they believe they deserve to live? As this question enters their mind, the corpses splayed below them take the shape of people they know and love. Would they choose themselves...? The exit beyond opens to shine a bright light through the dust and dark. Is that wrong? They and Yuri can run. They can abandoned all these people to survive. They don't need to be sacrificed.
They hear—no, they sense these questions being asked of them. From where, they do not know. Perhaps it's from the nest of tragedy, this very manor. ]
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Into the light that they go. Yuri will not allow the other two to stay, even for a brief moment. ]
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It's not always cowardly to choose yourself.
She sees Timothy's body, crumpled and smaller than it should be. Ylfa next to him, her red cloak soaked, wolfen eyes glazed and gazing at nothing.
Then Yuri has her hand. Yuri pulls her though. It's not real, but even if it were?
There's roaring, snapping, the crackle of fire, the collapse of a building.
The dead can't be risen here. And the living should live.]
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deserving--why did he ever use that word? since when has he gotten what he deserved? it's down that hall. in those mouths--
but they're leaving. ]
Some other time.
[ he leaves with them, less of his preference for life but rather acceptance of yuri's. ]
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... I'm sorry for dragging you two into it and not being careful enough.
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Yuri, none of that was your fault. Okay? You didn't do anything to hurt us, and whatever happened before...that was bigger than any one person can take credit for.
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It isn't your fault--any of it, but especially not right now. We're in the storm-mansion.
[ he should maybe leave the full comforting piece to rosie, but it feels awful to offer nothing. yuuuuurrrriiii. ]
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