GRAVEYARD.

[guestservices]

GRAVEYARD

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today...

...to be super dead. No, did you think you were getting a funeral? Sorry.

When you wake up, no matter how you died, you'll find yourself all in one piece, inside of a fairly large box that upon further inspection may in fact be a coffin. However, throwing the lid off isn't too difficult, and as you step out of your own grave, you'll find yourself standing in a cemetery behind a large mansion, where an iron gate stands between you and the entrance. Thankfully, the moment you approach, dirty and tired as you are, the gate swings open, and you're allowed immediate entrance into the mansion.

The mansion itself is a little dusty, and the furnishings are vintage at best, but... hey, it's home. Why don't you explore a little?

★

FIRST FLOOR.

★ On the first floor is a parlor and sitting area. On one of the tables is a phone, which as of Week 3, Saturday has a dial tone and can be used to contact hotel staff. In addition to that is a kitchen stocked with food - not to mention a large wine cellar full to the bursting with every kind of wine you could imagine. Vintage!

★ Walking down a long hallway, you'll find a laundry room with a washbin and a washboard, a few closets full of dusty old clothes, a large library, and an ornate dining room with a crystal chandelier.

Of note, the dining room in particular has a very tall wall of what look like portraits to one side. If you walk closer, however, you may notice that the portraits are moving - and appear to actually be holding black and white images of your friends (and enemies?) back in the hotel, so you can monitor their activities. That's nice!

★ At the very end of the first floor hallway is another door - this one is locked with a padlock. It has a message painted on the door.... Don't dead? Anyway, it seems you can't check just stroll in there! From the looks of it it would be ill-advised to attempt to break in. Occasionally there are muffled shrieks coming from beyond the door. Hmm!


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★

SECOND FLOOR.

★ On the second floor of the mansion is a series of bedrooms. Just like the hotel, you'll find a room already booked with your name on a nameplate on the door - and a portrait of yourself, as well as your hostage, hanging just above the nameplate. The inside of the rooms are simple - a bed with red covers, a desk with a typewriter, and a small bathroom with a toilet and a clawfoot tub. Provided that you didn't give your belongings away, you'll find all of them on your bed, waiting for you upon your arrival.

★ A dumbwaiter sits at the end of the hallway of bedrooms. Inside of it is a typewriter, and a golden bell labeled as Virgo's. A small sign above the dumbwaiter says: PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT STAFF BY LEAVING A MESSAGE. VIRGO MAY ALSO BE SENT A TIP AND RUNG. PULL THE LEVER TO PRESS SEND. - STAFF

It seems you can reach out to the hotel staff by leaving a message or ringing the bell, though your options are limited for the latter. Sure enough, a lever in the wall next to the dumbwaiter is currently set to the "down" position. Push it to "up" and watch your message disappear.

★ Beside the dumbwaiter is one last bedroom. This room is marked with a plaque that says "Dream Suite", and has several familiar constellations decorating the door. Occasionally, when you ring the bell by the dumbwaiter while thinking of a member of Hotel Staff on the living side, the corresponding constellation on the door will light up, and you'll feel as though you should walk in. Inside, there is a line of comfortable beds. Lie down in one, and you'll have a dreamlike "in person" audience with the NPC you had attempted to contact.

★

OUTDOORS.

★ Outside of the mansion is a small garage. The ground here is worn down and thin, and you can almost make out what look like railroad tracks embedded in the dirt. Inside of the garage is a rattly old car that moves along those little railroad tracks, from the garage to the mansion front, and then back all the way around to the cemetery.

★ The cemetery where you first awaken is a direct copy of the cemetery outside of the hotel - right down to the placement of statues, mausoleums, and the creepy atmosphere. Your grave remains after you wake up in it, in case you want to take a dirt nap.

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N̸A̵V̴I̶G̶A̶T̴I̴O̸N̷.̷

█ LOCATIONS █ STATUSES █ PROFILES █ AUDIENCES
█ REPORTING █ PRIVATE CONVOS █ MURDER

Comments

[illomened]

[Speaking of their missing third would-be member:]

I just wanted to know why you killed, and why you chose Flayn-san.

[There's no judgment in his tone, even preemptively. Though he does sound solemn, it really does just appear to be a question of curiosity.

He has no room nor desire to judge anyone who would take a life, after all.]

[ercnerd]

[Sieghart's features straighten out. It occurs to him that the portraits must not reveal certain interactions, just as observation was limited at the daycare. Souji's tone means nothing to him: Judgment is what he deserves, but whether or not it's rendered is up to the other party.

All he can do is give answers to those in want of them.]

I didn't choose her. She was there, so I made a run for her. It could've been anyone.

As for why I did it, I have no excuse. The shadow wore down my restraint, and I acted purely on impulse.

[illomened]

[There's a flicker of something - surprise, maybe, but he nods.]

So it's something more like that, then... [Observation is limited, but Souji's capable and observant and has been through and heard enough to understand some General Truths of places like this.]

Something you wouldn't quite call "possession", but you weren't exactly in your right mind? I wonder if that was tied to the shadows that left your body.

[ercnerd]

Maybe. But possession is possession. Although it wasn't to the extent you'd usually see from demons, the shadow still exerted a certain influence on me, so it should count.

Of course, I'm not saying that to avoid responsibility. As you've said, I wasn't exactly in my right mind . . . but it was still my mind in the end. Half the reason I snapped her neck was because I wanted to end it quickly.

[In other words, he wasn't completely gone. He didn't want to make her suffer more than she had to—not that it changes the fact that he killed her in cold blood while she struggled against his hold. Sieghart swallows at the memory.]

[illomened]

If that's what it was like, then I would count it - though we don't exactly have anything like this where I'm from.

[So his opinion is that of someone who's just been introduced to the concept of this nonsense through the Various Murdergame Experiences he's had and heard of. God. EXHAUSTING.]

What a horrible thing... There was a mention at the end of your execution that if one were to take another life outside of "filming", it would guarantee the safety of their hostage, too. Already two things that might ensure blood will be shed, then.

[ercnerd]

[His brow furrows faintly at the disclosure. He hunches forward in thought.]

Was the shadow telling the truth . . . ?

[After muttering to himself, he straightens.]

. . . What I want to know is the fate of the victim's hostage.

[illomened]

Did it mention something about the safety of yours?

[Honestly his ass wouldn't even need the prompting of a possessing shadow to murder someone for the safety of his hostage, so he's just like, "fair!"

The last part has him quieting for a second, though, looking down toward his threaded fingers. Saizo bukiis with some amount of lil piggy concern, hushed by a gentle hand resting atop his head.]

...When I asked Virgo-san about the state of my own, they said, "you died, what do you think?" And when I said that death is certainly nothing so permanent as many of us initially believed and that very little exists that is unchangeable, they agreed.

[So he chooses to be hopeful about the hostages even of their dead, because frankly, if he wasn't, he would be an absolute hellish creature to be spending any time around at all.]

[ercnerd]

[The tension in his face loosens as he considers the implications of that response. For such a vague concept, it makes a remarkable amount of sense. More importantly, that hope is exactly what they'll be needing over the weeks to come.

Still, his mien isn't completely devoid of solemnity.]

When I was approached, the shadow offered to assist me in securing Mari's safety. I didn't understand what it meant by that, but now . . .

[Conflict wells in his chest. He's reluctant to believe in the promise of a dubious shadow whose identity he doesn't know. It could be a demon for all he knows. And securing the life of someone important to him at the expense of another's does little to relieve the ache in his heart.]

[illomened]

[Well.

He wouldn't have hesitated for even a second, he thinks, if he were approached with the same shady offer from some potential demon. But even if he's not privy to Sieghart's thoughts or feelings, he can get enough of a read through what he does see to understand a few things, perhaps, and there's something soft and sympathetic in his face.]

Sieghart-san... [Proper name, even!] ...It's a cruelty to everyone involved, leaving such important things hanging in the balance. We'll find Flayn-san and her hostage and set things right, and make sure that Mari-san is, too.

[AGGRESSIVE OPTIMISM!!! To prevent the alternative: Souji loses his shit and tries to tear apart reality at the seams.]

[ercnerd]

[At the call of his full surname, Sieghart refocuses on Souji with arched eyebrows. For all his experience and wisdom, he's a man who prizes the ideals born from optimism rooted in hope. Consequently, the things Souji says carry much meaning for him.

His initial response is to snort—a gentle, mirthful breath—before he raises the grilled onigiri to his lips.]

Yeah. We will. I promised everyone that I'd do everything I can to make things right. [He looks at Souji with bright eyes.] But don't forget—that includes your loved one as well.

[Then he takes a bite—and, oh, if that isn't delectable after a long day of execution that didn't go nearly as smoothly as it should've.]

[illomened]

[Oh no this is so good for his little Souji heart... He's the sort of sponge-like person that absorbs what he's around, so the appreciation of optimistic hope is only going to make him hold onto it even more tightly.]

You don't seem like the kind of person to make a promise lightly. [A bright smile right in return!] And neither am I. I promised to protect and serve Kondo-san and his dream, so as long as there's any part of me that still exists and can do something about it, I'll never stop moving forward.

[This sounds so sweet only because no one here knows he's a manic murderous yeet yet.]

[ercnerd]

[Help. Sieghart, who knows so little, gives an emphatic nod. He takes his promises seriously (sometimes), and here there's only going forward.]

If this mansion is anything like the daycare was, we'll be off to a slow start. [He thinks as he chews on another bite of onigiri.] You mentioned a strange room earlier. Do you have a key for it?

[illomened]

[Sometimes.........

But yeah here they go on their endless forward march! This is fine.]

I think the Other Side might have been similar, too, but my death didn't allow for me to see it... [binch my habit of dying at the literal last second before endgame] --But no, I don't. I was thinking of trying to pry the lock from it in some other way.

[ercnerd]

[Prying a lock for answers in a forsaken place like this doesn't strike Sieghart as illicit; however, he can't help feeling wary. Why the screams?]

Have you talked to Virgo about it?

[illomened]

[A bit sheepishly:]

I haven't. I only noticed it after Virgo-san left that first time, and after that point, I was a little distracted...

[By watching people j'acuse each other on live silent TV and then fail to die about it.]

[ercnerd]

[That's fair.

It's actually fairer when he considers Virgo's behavior on paper. Will asking even help?]

We don't know what's on the other side. Let's collect some more information before we make any moves.

[illomened]

[Just nodding! This is why Souji needs guidance and also why he knows he's a follower and not a leader, if left to his own devices he just Sakyous it.]

I'll do my best to figure out more about it too, Si-san! Anything with a lock on it is probably important in one way or another, at least, even if it's... ah, too early to stick our noses in places they don't belong, maybe.

[ercnerd]

You're right; it's too early. But we're already dead.

[Short of obliterating their souls, it cannot get that much worse for them in Sieghart's resilient mind. He continues eating.]

And I was able to share more than I expected after the trial. It won't hurt to try making waves.

[It will hurt. They just have to get over it.]

[illomened]

[Fortunately Souji will always throw himself recklessly into any situation with absolutely no regard for himself or his comfort. Even if his apparently immortal soul was at risk he'd GO FOR IT.]

Oh, that's good! In the place I was at before, communication was restricted in just about every way. Even when the dead returned from the Other Side for a bit, they couldn't speak freely. Maybe that's a good sign here, then?

[Time to make waves. TIME TO BREAK INTO THE LOCKED ROOMS AND GO TO SUPERHELL.]

[ercnerd]

[As Sieghart eats, he wonders.]

Whether it's a bad or good sign, what matters is what everyone makes of the information being passed around.

[Sometimes the truth has a way of being divisive. He hopes that won't be the case here.]

Is anyone else here from the same place as you?

[illomened]

Mm, that's true...

[He doesn't want to jinx them, though. Nor does he want to spend time thinking about COMPLICATED THINGS, so he'll just move right along, shaking his head and finally reaching for some food, himself.]

No, that doesn't seem to be the case. Ah - from my first one, anyway. I was asleep for the duration of the summer camp, but I do recall seeing a few of the people here at the end of that.

[ercnerd]

[Is it a blessing in disguise? Being here and not seeing friends from a previous tragedy inside the portraits. It's the opposite for Sieghart, who recognized and was recognized by more than a handful of guests. Who can say?]

What was the first one like?

[illomened]

[There's a little beat of silence as he considers, even though it feels like the events of that first excursion happened mere days earlier.]

Well... It took place in a castle, and we were drafted to help settle a war between a noble Dragon and a powerful Tiger. It was a battle of factions and ink and story-crafting, ultimately hinging on an equal number of people being left alive in each group. Nine survivors.

[ercnerd]

[Nine survivors. Talk about an awful system.]

Stories again? Why does it always come down to the ink?

[illomened]

[It's fine they all came back!]

Oh, dear... I'm guessing or at least hoping that yours didn't involve ending any wars, at least?