Week 5 CYOA: Estelle, Diluc, and Sylvain

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[shinetrue]

[ he is also following after sylvain. ]

I think it best, that we stay together.

[ can they float higher in their ghost forms? diluc will call the elevator just in case. ]

[evocationary]

[diluc can call the elevator! it chugs down to them.

while they do seem like they can go through walls, they can't quite fly. they can float across the ground or walk on it, but moving up through the ceiling doesn't seem to work. too much gravity.

however - the sound does seem like it's going up and up and up. to the top of the space tower they're in. it seems to be the only thing that's really interesting around here, for now.]

[philandery]

[ an elevator ride to the top it is... sylvain will position himself to take point, though he does realize it... probably doesn't matter... given they're all ghosts right now. ]

Keep your eyes peeled.

[ he waits for the doors to open again, and will cautiously step out to search once they do... ]

[mustbepurged]

[Estelle steps into the elevator, too.]

I suppose the only way to go is up...

[At least they seem to be able to operate it? Up we go.]

[shinetrue]

[ they’re all on the elevator! no splitting up, not right now…

are they going to have to stop at each floor or is it assumed they're just going to the very top?? unless it’s going to stop when it wants…help.

well when it does, diluc will poke his head out first, then follow the others out. keeping his eyes and ears peeled for whatever was making those noises!!! ]

Stay close.

[evocationary]

[the elevator seems to have a mind of its own.

it goes up, and up, and up. floor after floor. until it's at the very top - and they step out. the scratchy noises in the walls have stopped for now, but they do find they're in a similarly circle room. there are eight doors - they can see the the names on each.

directly in front of them is Envy. And then Pride, Sloth, Despair, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, and finally, Lust.

what will they do?]

[philandery]

...Probably has something to do with our charges, right? If I'm remembering correctly, we share some, but not all.

[ they overlap in envy, pride, and despair...]

And we each have one unique to us.

[ lust, sloth, and wrath... ]

I wonder if the other two will budge at all... What do you think?

[mustbepurged]

So we should try going into the rooms that correspond with our "sins"...?

I hope they'll let us go in together...

[Splitting up seems kind of scary, especially after what Estelle just experienced. That feelings of being trapped and alone...]

... Which one should we try first?

[shinetrue]

I think you’re both correct.

[ he also thinks splitting up is bad, so if they can avoid it, great.

diluc looks at the door directly in front of them. envy. ]

We can start with Envy. It’s also one of our overlapping sins, the one you two share.

[ he looks to sylvain and estelle, before reaching to open the door. here we go?? ]

[evocationary]

[you choose the envy door.

it opens easily enough! the room is... dark, inside. and there doesn't seem to be anything in it, weirdly enough? you'd think there would be a bed or something, but it's just... a hallway. a long, cluttered hallway with bottles strewn up and down the carpet.

as you all step in - the door slams behind you. seems like you've made your choice.]

[philandery]

[ looks like they get to stay together after all...

it's just a hallway...? sylvain kneels down to inspect the bottles on the carpet. what's inside them? are they labelled?

he'll proceed slowly and cautiously towards the end of the hall. (he'll also look around for any other light sources best he can in the dark—are there any switches on the walls?) ]

Careful where you step...

[mustbepurged]

[Estelle whirls around to see that door slam closed.

Well... there's no way to go but forward. She stays close to the others, giving a curious look at the bottles but trying to proceed without stalling too much.]

[shinetrue]

[ operation: keep estelle safe. which is to say, diluc is going to make sure she’s between the two of them, as they move forward.

also throwing a curious look at the bottles, and feeling along the wall for any kind of switch or really anything that might be there. ]

Hm…

[evocationary]

[there's one switch! sylvain and diluc find it about at the same time, and they touch hands... o-oh.

no, anyway. they flick the light on! and a light turns on at the end of the hallway flicks on.

estelle accidentally kicks a bottle, and it clinks and clatters against the ground in the unnaturally silent hall. a beat of silence.

... nothing. it's very, very quiet here.]

[philandery]

[ oh ////////// (don't look, estelle)

also hate this hallway already! but their only way to proceed seems to be forward, and then a right.

sylvain walks towards the window and will walk as far as he can in one tag. ]

Anyone home...?

[mustbepurged]

[Estelle winces when she hears the bottle clatter away from her foot.]

I'm sorry...

[Against her better judgment, she peeks at the paintings along the way. What do these look like?]

[shinetrue]

[ oh he hates this, also. mmm bad!!!

diluc is going to walk towards the console, checking to see if there's anything on it! besides the lamp ofc. ]

The silence here is very...unsettling.

[evocationary]

[sylvain walks towards the window! and as he does, the window gets a little easier to see through. there's... someone standing outside of it? they're watching him, whoever it is.

... to his right is another expanse of hallway, but it's far too dark to see what's on the end of it.

estelle glances at the paintings as she walks. it's weird - they're just black scribbles. like someone took a black crayon, and went wild on a white piece of paper until it was mostly covered. does she want to try and look closer at these paintings?

diluc, on the other hand, walks down to go check out what's on the little desk thing. to his left, the console is more like a cabinet that's set in the wall. there are burn marks all over it - they look vaguely like the shape of hands, like someone burned the imprint into the wood. a thick layer of dust sits on the top of the desk, as well as on top of the old-timey phone there. and as he gets close, it immediately starts to ring.]

[philandery]

[ who's outside the window... WHOMST... ]

There's someone outside the building...

[ he's distracted by whomever it is that's watching them to pay attention to what estelle is doing (otherwise he'd dissuade her because... paintings... are bad!), but the sudden ring does startle him. ]

What the...?

[mustbepurged]

Someone outside? What do they look like...?

[Paintings are bad, and -- again, against her better judgment -- Estelle studies one to see if she can make out whether there was anything under those scribbles. She gives a start when the phone rings, however.]

[shinetrue]

Who is-

[ he was going to look at the window, after hearing sylvain say that, but then the phone is ringing...he stares at it.

looking at both of them, he sighs, then proceeds to pick it up and answer it...... ]

Hello?

[evocationary]

[there's just the slightest flash of blue and gold against the window. and then the person is gone.

estelle looks closer at the paintings, and... nothing happens? there's like. briefly, there's a little bit of red in the painting, but when she tries to focus on it, she can't quite tell what it is. anxiety curls in her chest, though. she can't quite breathe.

... something else, can, though. right against the back of her neck.

meanwhile, diluc picks up the phone! there's the sound of running, someone panting, gasping for breath. a shriek - sudden, and even more sudden, a sickening thud of an impact. a little whimper, and then footsteps... there's the sound of something huge and slimy writhing. a wheeze. and then a horrible, mangled gurgle. he hears - his name, desperately, someone familiar calling out for him to help, please help. diluc, help me!

and then it splutters to a stop and the line goes dead.]

[philandery]

[ bye... person...

sylvain may notice estelle struggling to breathe, and his attention immediately goes to her ]

Estelle? [ she's really going through it in this cyoa already...

unfortunately he probably can't hear what's going on over the phone, but if diluc's expression shifts, he'll ask what he heard. and then, ]

Maybe we should keep moving.

[ he's not a fan... ]

[mustbepurged]

[Estelle flinches, her hand flying to cover her neck as she whirls around to see if anything's there. As she does, she takes a step back -- towards Sylvain.

She shakes her head -- she can't explain what's bothering her.

If she tries, can she find her breath...?]

[shinetrue]

[ diluc tunes out everything else around him, momentarily forgetting where he is, only focus on this phone call. his face going from shock and surprise, to fear, and then anger.

he slams the phone back down onto the receiver. ]

We should.

[ he shakes his head at sylvain's question. then once he comes back to reality, he looks over at estelle, concern replacing the anger on his face. ]

Estelle...