dropoffs | W6 🛸 PLAYER CYOA (DANAKI) : HOT RAT DAN'S BASEMENT 🚀 DION, DILUC, LUKE, SHEBA

[The Royal Guards, who are in fact notorious for being assholes and also not useful at all, are at least so useless that they don't know when to keep their mouths shut either.]

What? No. This is one of those victims from the recent slayings.

[At this point, the other Guard hisses a succinct shut it before giving Dion a frigid stare.]

I suggest you mind your business and leave these matters to us.

[You know, since they do their jobs so well and all. With little more than that, they'll turn and start heading closer to the Castle again. They're stupid, so it's possible to tail them, if Dion wants. He can also turn around and head back to the spooky glowing Institute, or he can do a different third thing, like parkour up to the tallest turret of the tallest tower for some reason.

Back with the boys, Kaeya glances up from where he's lying on the floor. Unlike Diluc, who has a few flickering images of the life he should be leading, there doesn't appear to be any recognition in his eyes. He smiles, and that doesn't reach his eyes, either.]

What, are you asking me what I'm in for?

[Scien, for his efforts, gets only a small zap. Binch. The door does not seem programmed to respond to him.]

[ Recent slayings? In my island? He furrows his brows, both curious and kind of annoyed by how rude they are, but otherwise leaving them be.

Well, he glances back toward the Institute, which is looking pretty spooky, and then...

I have no idea what tower you are referring to, but sure, let's opt to scurry up it for some reason. ]

[ there's another jarring sense of something wrong here. diluc pauses, wondering if he should even bother pursuing conversation.

he glances around the rest of the place first, carefully studying the room. what else is there to find around here? just the door that's zapping scien?

he'll eventually turn back to and question kaeya, ]

Nevermind. Do you know who they're referring to?

[ nodding to one of the inmates who'd been screaming about one of the royals. ]

[ow what the fuck

is there any other way to open the door? if he tries to open it as is, is it possible to get it open? any obvious locks that can just be smashed with diluc's giant honking sword?

scien listens to diluc's conversation, eavesdropping, but mostly he would like to know the answer to these secrets]

[well spoon you have no idea what tower i was referring to because i was mostly joking, but because it's a Castle, it does indeed have several towers. High guard towers to survey all of Arpéchéle! What do rich people love being so high up for? A moment of superiority before the French mobs come to drag them back down to earth to guillotine or defenestrate them? Damn.

Anyway he parkours right on up with surprising ease. Is this the untapped power of a white man off the string? On his way up, he'll find several small holes that cannons can be pointed through. Near the top, there's a single stone arch that leads into the tower. Should he look out over the property from this vantage point, he'll just barely make out the shape of the guards and their stretcher heading into a different part of the Castle through-- what appears to be a wall? Hm. The tower room that he's in is surprisingly dusty, like no one has been here for a while. From far below, he might pick up on the echoing sound of footsteps coming up the winding stone staircase.

Diluc's glance about the place will reveal that it's mostly barren. There's the aforementioned door Scien is being zapped by, the room of torture instruments and the door they came through, and rows of jail cells lining every wall. In the center of the room, there's a grate on the floor; presumably a drain.

Kaeya deigns to sit upright for this conversation, and in the dim lighting of the cell, Diluc may be able to catch the soft cyan glow of his pupils.]

The Royal? I do. [He sounds so confident! However, with a little half-smile:] Information isn't free here, you know.

[Scien will find the door locked if he tries to just open it, and on top of being locked, the handle also delivers another, stronger jolt of electricity up the whole of his arm that will leave it numb and a little weak for a bit. That said, while he's looking for other ways to open it, he'll notice that the metal of this door seems weaker and that the handle itself is a bit loose.

There's also a quiet voice that pipes up from one of the cells nearest him:]

...Are you trying to leave?

[ You can't give me a joke option and not expect me to take it. Who do you think you're dealing with?

Anyway, interesting. He probably should've gone to the Institute instead of straight up breaking into the castle, but oh well.

He's not too concerned about the footsteps, for some reason, even though he definitely shouldn't be here, so he'll keep his gaze on the guards, trying to ascertain where they're taking the body and if there's some kind of trick to the wall they're approaching. ]

[ he shouldn't trust kaeya, but unfortunately, old habits die hard. ]

Name your price.

[ he has a guess, and glances at the lock on the jail cell. (if scien needs help brute-forcing the other handle, diluc can maybe give it a shot after he deals with kaeya...) ]

[ow bitch

scien curses briefly under his breath as he tries to shake out his now weakened arm... he turns to go find the source of the quiet voice, raising one eyebrow]

Yes. Tell me what you know.

[ok demanding]

[You are so right be free lil jester. It's hard to see from this far away and through the cloak of night, but he'll be able to tell that there seems to be some sort of hidden entrance in the wall. There's also apparently some kind of trick to the stairs, considering those footsteps that sounded so far away just moments ago suddenly sound much closer! A voice calls out; one that might sound strangely familiar, even if Dion can't quite place his finger on it yet.]

Is someone up there?

[Old habits die hard! As Diluc had anticipated, Kaeya also looks toward the lock on his cell. It's a straightforward lock, easy enough to smash to bits if Diluc doesn't want to take the time to find the keys.]

The one thing you can get me that I can't get for myself.

[Freedom, of course!

Scien will find, in the meantime, a slip of a girl in the jail cell that he turns to like a demanding butthead. Despite her generally contained energy and demeanor, there's something steely about her, like she'd reach out and pull him in to trade places with her in a heartbeat. He might also feel some old memories stir when he lays eyes on her.]

Can you... let me out, first?

[ INTERESTING... Well, he will definitely tuck that knowledge away in his noggin for later. For now, it seems like he has company.

And he should probably (definitely) not be up here, and he does briefly contemplate jumping out the way he came, but it's definitely darker now, and jumping out a window seems a lot harder than jumping up into one.

So he is going to look around for anything he can use as a weapon. ]

I mean no harm.

[ Unless they mean harm. Then he will definitely smack them with whatever he finds. ]

[ for better or worse, diluc smashes the lock on the cell open, because he's convinced he can outpower kaeya if he tries anything stupid. and, he isn't really about wasting time when there's clearly something afoot. ]

Speak.

[uh oh.

scien is normally smarter than this. but that's the problem with having such limited favoritism, the whisper of memory that drives his actions is exactly what will make him grant miracles without question to those chosen few. it compels him to look at the lock, already making it obvious enough that he'll set her free.]

I will. [he'll grant her the best chance at life, far away from here]

Tell me what you know while I get this open.

[Please i think it would have been so funny to just kill dion immediately from a fall from the highest tower on a Castle. But he chooses to face the demons instead! As he's looking around, he'll find some sconces that he could perhaps rip from the wall, along with a pile of dusty cannonballs and a cannon. It's bludgeoning time?

Or maybe not, as yet another familiar face clears the corner. This man is dressed in the uniform of a Royal Guard and has his hand at the ready, resting on the hilt of his blade, but his overall demeanor isn't hostile. That's backed further by the fact that he doesn't immediately call for this bozo's arrest - and maybe there is a tiny spark of familiarity in his gaze?]

State your name and your purpose, sir.

[SIR??

Back in bozo town 2, both of these bozos have decided to unlock the doors to their respective lil lads and lasses. Kaeya, despite his lounging, is quick to his feet and out the door of his cell so quickly that it'd probably shock anyone but Diluc. With a wink:]

I owe you. [And he'll immediately repay that debt with some information! Yay, give and take!] Lately, more people have been coming in claiming to be innocent. Not exactly unusual down here, but they all have the same story. Some Royal coming to personally arrest them on false charges for this or that. A personal collection of prisoners just for the Royals makes you wonder what they're up to in these halls, doesn't it?

[Scien's god favoritism guides him to check the lock, and he'll find that much like Kaeya's, it's flimsy enough that it appears it could be broken with a heavy enough weapon if Scien doesn't feel like going on a key hunt. Yuri moves closer to the door, nodding and responding in turn with a simple:]

I will.

[ The way Dion would've definitely ripped a sconce off the wall to defend himself, but he doesn't even bother once he sees Terence. He might've been alive as a Reliver for fifty-two(?) years, but somehow the ten years he'd spent with Terence somehow carry an equal weight, even if the memories feel like a dream, and the emotions distant.

They're still there, and for some reason he's a little hurt at being referred to as "sir". ]

I am Dion Lesage. [ uh ] I was investigating a series of murders that occurred, which led me to this tower. Surely you have heard news of them?

[ Nevermind that Dion literally found out about them like an hour ago. ]

[ NOT THE WINK... diluc's expression pinches, but he doesn't try to stop kaeya since it seems like he's immediately down to spill the TEA. ]

...I see. Does the name 'Mariette' ring a bell, then? What other names have you heard?

Speak while I find a weapon.

[the way he's like yes i will absolutely set you free but his last 2 braincells are rubbing together to make sure he's getting something out of it.

but he will go to find a heavy enough weapon to do away with the lock after she speaks... but only after. sweet new hire]

[The name doesn't seem to ring a bell to Terence, though the mention of the murders sure do. There's a bit of surprise, and then a look of discomfort. He hesitates, like he's weighing whether or not he wants to say something. Sometimes, you're a good man existing in a rotten organization, though good men - good people in general - are hard to come by in Arpéchéle.

But apparently he comes to a decision, his posture and expression steeling.]

...You mean the heart slayings, correct? [How many serial killings are happening out there, damn.] If your search has led you here, then I fear the worst... Come with me.

[Well. He starts to head back down the stairs, but will Dion follow?

Kaeya starts looking around the room while they're talking, as if he's looking for something in specific, but he'll keep up his end of the conversation just fine.]

Mariette is always involved in everything. [Said with a scoff. Fuckin MARIETTE!!!!] Do the other names really matter when the whole Family is rotten?

[Yuri's grasping at the bars of her cell as Scien goes to find a weapon, hesitating for a second.]

...I've heard little bits of conversation when the guards come in. On nights like this, they talk about the Institute, and the people they leave with never come back. It used to be the ones slated for execution, so no one paid much mind, but that hasn't been the case lately.

[She'll wait for him to bonk the lock off after she speaks, and much like Kaeya, she's quick to dart her way out from the cell.

Also, it seems like some of the other prisoners close to you fucks have noticed a jail break is happening and they want in on it! People are starting to come to their doors, shaking the bars or sticking their hands through as though they're reaching for salvation, as though just two people can deliver it. They wail and beg for their lives, for escape. Most of them are in horrendous shape, thin and covered in festering injuries that suggest someone has a penchant for torture. It's a rising and desperate cacophony.]

[ There is an extremely high chance that this is a trap of some kind, so Dion does rip a sconce down from a wall. He trusts Terence - for some reason - but also, he's not a complete fool.

And then he follows after him. ]

How long have these murders been occurring? I had not heard of them until recently.

[ ALL MY HOMIES HATE MARIETTE!!! diluc scoffs in agreement. ]

No, I suppose it doesn't.

[ he will give eula credit (sorry to be your beard eula), however the rest of the lawrences are a miserable lot.

meanwhile, he's also eavesdropping on yuri and scien—a frown creases his features. there are innocents, here.

to scien, ] We should free them.

[ diluc will start making rounds to the cells to release the injured. by release i do mean smashing more locks, unless scien makes an attempt to stop him from doing so. ]

Do as you please.

[to free them. scien won't stop diluc - that sounds like a headache with someone who is otherwise a semi-decent ally at the moment - but he also cannot be assed to lend a helping hand to every single person who asks for it. saving individuals can be worthwhile, but scien would rather address the system.

he'll spare a glance to yuri, before nodding] Go on. Live.

[and then he'll move to use the weapon in his hands to swing at the door by the scanner. he tries to keep an ear out just in case one of these prisoners tries to get a jump on him because he truly doesn't believe they're trustworthy]

[Imagine if Terence turned around just in time to see Dion rip a sconce from the wall. He doesn't, but it would be a very funny thing for him to try and explain. Anyway, he'll lead the way back down this winding set of dark stairs, the only light coming in through the cannon holds. Why did this fool not bring a torch.

Once they're outside, he glances to the left, to the right - and then makes a shushing motion before gesturing for Dion to follow. He doesn't go through the secret wall passage taken by the other guards earlier, but rather, heads to a separate part of the Castle. There are no windows on this building, and no guards at the heavily barricaded front gate. Terence leads the way through a side gate, instead, and heads down a set of stairs.]

The Director must have sent you, right? [Maybe a fool shouldn't make assumptions, but despite saying "right", he continues like he already has the answer.] We were able to pull a few of the bodies to the side to examine.

[The staircase leads them down into a dank cellar with large, sprawling halls. Terence heads toward a door, but before he even touches the knob, an alarm starts blaring. Hm.

At the Mariette Haters Anonymous meeting, Kaeya just watches with an arched brow as Diluc moves to smash open locks one by one.] Are you sure you want to do that?

[Because hey! Some people are innocents, sure, but all of them? Diluc gets maybe three-quarters of the way through one wall of cages, freeing twenty or so people - who all scramble for freedom without so much as a thanks and then move to the door - before someone gets the bright idea to swing their now-open door at him the second they're released, yelling as they charge.]

This is a Royal!!

[Oops. Scien's right to keep a watch on these prisoners, considering the ones closer to him turn to look at him and there are some murmurs of recognition. Some of them even turn their accusatory, hateful gazes toward Yuri, who is literally just standing next to Scien waiting to see if he can get the door open. She instinctively takes a step back, bumping into the wall.

The scanner crackles with electricity; it looks like it might give if he whacks it a few more times. But at roughly the same time, the shrill sound of an alarm starts up, and several of the prisoners lunge for Scien and Yuri with the clear intent to drag them away from the door. There's a lot of resentment for the Royal Family in this room, after all. What did you think would happen?]

[ He would've explained it with all the confidence of an unfettered white man, don't worry.

In any case, he follows after Terence, keeping careful note of where they are and how different it is from where he'd seen the other guards go. It's difficult to make sense of the castle layout at night, and being in an unfamiliar area sets him on edge.

Which might be justified, when the alarm suddenly sounds.

He grabs Terence immediately, pushing him against a wall. ]

Have you lured me to a trap?

[ diluc, sowing: fuck yeah!
diluc, reaping: hell no!

assuming he's manage to avoid being totally clocked by the swinging cell door, he's going to spring right into action, using the flat and hilt of his blade to knock out whatever violent prisoners he can on his way to yuri and scien. hopefully they aren't too far away.

can't believe he has to immediately clean up the mess of his own making!!! he will try to avoid spilling blood, but if it seems necessary, he's not going to hold back either. ]

[ugh this is why scien doesn't save everyone they're all such ungrateful fucks. he rolls his eyes when they come swinging at him—up until he sees yuri get trapped. he'll immediately move to kick at the prisoners who leap for her. he's not as nice as diluc; with the weapon in his hands he'll aim right for the prisoners' heads to kill them.

speaking of diluc, scien will give one order even as he endures a hit to the shoulder, gritting his teeth against the blow:] Get the door.

[since diluc has a higher strength stat!!! and to yuri:] Run through it as soon as it's open.

[she deserves to live, more than anyone else. for some reason, he knows this to be so intrinsically true. now excuse him as he's ready to throw the hell down]

[Oh to be a generic looking lil gay white man pushed up against the wall by Dion.

Unfortunately Terence doesn't take this moment to enjoy the thinly veiled homosexuality, as he's too busy looking startled and panicked.]

What—?! No, no! I didn't set this off, this is the dungeon alarm...!

[That's probably fine! Speaking of, despite the fact that Dion hadn't seen another soul above ground, he'll hear the thundering sound of many feet heading in their general direction. Royal Guards enter from one hall, along with a cloaked figure wielding a halberd. One of the guards shouts out.]

Halt, you two!! Step away from that door, you're under arrest!

[Haha, uh oh! Well, there are still some hallways left to dart down if you don't want to try talking your way out of this one, at least.

Diluc's only clipped by the swinging jail door, and fortunately for him, these are all generally unwell and injured people so they aren't exactly in top fighting form. They're also hellaciously determined, though; he'll have to shed some blood to make it back to the door by Scien and Yuri.

Scien's just bashing brains in over where he's at in the meantime, and these weakened and weaponless prisoners are largely outmatched. Roll for injuries if you wish, but they won't have too many to worry about in this room. Yuri stands behind him, waiting for the door to be opened. Kaeya also slides on over in the chaos to join them, sensing a chance to escape the room.]

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now in the right place