but sasazuka nods, and will move so he can... lift whoever. he will be on the bottom of this jenga which is probably a bad idea considering he was stabbed by plate pieces earlier, but who even cares at this point. in theory, it would probably be sheila next and then vira? ]
[ great. well, if it comes down to fighting this monster, then so be it. she's not sure she can get the greatest footing when they have to stack up, and also the pain of her injuries is starting to border on unbearable, but she'll have time to cry about it later. it's time for adrenaline and nothing else right now.
at least the plan is pretty easily communicated between them. with no time to waste, vira nods, gripping the knife-sword and climbing up this horrible jenga tower once more. on the bright side, one-handed blades are her thing— ]
Hrahhh—!
[ on the other, she is going to have to try and drive the blade as deep as she can into this thing's disgusting, clammy flesh, and then bodily shove the blade to the side in an attempt to spill its guts, throwing all her weight behind it.
the jenga tower may topple with the violent motion. at least if she falls the blade will keep traveling through this monster? presuming she managed to cut into it at all? ]
[She can't exactly see what's going on out there, but she can hear Vira's Hrahhh. Good, but next time maybe do a speech, Vira. It's better.
She. . . does feel for Jingle. She reaches with her non dagger hand for a second, putting it on his back.]
Never fear. We won't lose to this thing.
[And then, as the eyeball starts to grow and expand toward her, she's just going to. Plant her less injured foot on its forehead to push off, grab the expanding eyeball with both hands, and yank. Free eyeball.]
they manage to jenga! it's unsteady and horrible, but vira knows how to wield a knife sword well enough that it goes right through the thing's disgusting, clammy flesh. she rips the monster's torso open from stomach to whatever junk this thing may or may not have, and all three of them are immediately beefed by a second gore waterfall of guts.
the monster makes a gurgling sound and drops to its knees. the neck kind of... slurps back? you know how vacuum cleaners have that cool function where the cord zips back into place when you hit the dial? that's what happens, but with this thing's neck instead. except for the eyeball. harrow... has the eyeball. in the vent. congratulations.
the monster doesn't move! you appear to have killed it. and the vent is now clear, if a lot bigger than it used to be.
jingle just crouches and does the stressedbunny emote.]
We did it! Look at us, monster slayers! [Gesticulating, sticking out a leggy.] Boom!
[Please stop opening your mouth immediately after getting showered in gore, Sheila. There is so much chunky salsa everywhere.
Anyway— She would high five the team but both of them are extremely injured? So she's just going to jump up to her feet and lend Vira a hand if she needs it. Takeru can help himself. He did not kill a monster? Once that is done, she will follow the group wherever they decide to go next.]
[ this is all incredibly rank, and vira definitely has to spit out a mouthful of blood. she still manages to look very briefly and faintly amused by sheila's excitement—enjoy your first monster murder—but is absolutely dead-eyed by the time she helps her stumble towards the piano to jenga yet again.
[up they go, onto the piano - jingle scrambles down to help the rest of them up and tries to make sure they don't aggravate their injuries too horribly. hisoka judges them from afar.
but once they're all up in the vent, jingle rattles in relief, making grabby hands again. baby chain. everybody is alive and safe for now, but the baby seems insistent on moving on.]
[She waggles her free eyeball haughtily at Sasazuka.]
Was it reckless? I drew it into a position where it would be vulnerable, so we were all able to attack from relative safety.
[So back off, bitch. But she'll tuck her eyeball and dagger into her corset, and then take Sheila and baby's hands. A little less haughtily, she'll add - ]
Besides, it was my condition that caused us so many difficulties, before. The balance of my contributions to our survival was in need of correction.
[the chain seems to help with your aches and pains! you feel warmer, too. baby rattles at the four of you, and tugs harrow off and the rest of the chain down the vent. they're on a mission.
it's just that... once you start walking, you're struck by that vicious hunger again. this time, it's painful. this time, you double over from it, gasping, until it momentarily subsides into something more gnawing.
[ this has been such a bad time, and still being so hungry after literally everything they witnessed kind of just makes it even more disgusting. is it bad that he is now not really noticing that he is covered in guts because of everything else? probably.
but at sheila's voice, he looks over at the child. ]
[ she tries to focus and breathe through the hunger pains, but it only makes her more aware of everything that aches, and the stench of blood and flesh that's still splattered across them all.
when it passes, she wobbles up to her feet, intent on getting out of here. she looks at their little eldritch child. knowing their name means getting attached, but... ]
I wonder if they can't tell us. Or if they don't have one.
[She grits her teeth - she's never felt hunger like this before, hasn't felt hunger at all for months now. But it's something unnatural, and though she can't help the physical reaction that doubles her over, her brain puts it in perspective.
Listen, she cares about Jingle too, and grips his hand still, but his name doesn't seem that important right now.]
. . . The hunger. I wonder why. I thought it was to tempt us to join the table, but it's stronger here.
[If it's being artificially induced in them, does it have something to do with the place? Or is it like what happened before, when Sasazuka held Jingle's hand. Is there a transference of feeling? She'll talk first to the group - ]
If something is offered to us ahead, no matter what it might be, eat nothing.
[And to Jingle - ]
Do you feel it, too? That hunger? Is it something about this place?
[jingle crouches down, watching all of them through their paper bag hat. they glance at sheila, and then at harrow. in the distance, there's the sound of groaning metal, crackling flames.
for a moment, jingle just stares, and then it rattles, but this time, it sounds like static. mostly. a very tinny, high pitched voice can be heard through that static, and it almost makes the inside of your head itch. it's just one word: mercy.
and then they stand back up and start tugging at harrow's hand, trying to get all of them to stand up. have to go.]
[ the noise fills her skull, like cotton scratching inside it. alarming, but it doesn't change the reality of their situation: if they go back, they're just going back to whatever monster tries to eat them next. she already has to give takeru her wrist instead of her hand, and even that aches—if she loses her other hand, they have little means of defending themselves besides jingle's... mercy, aptly. ]
We'll just have to hold out. Let's hurry and try to keep our wits about us.
[Mercy. That - could be a name. But it sounds a little terrifying. Jingle has shown them a lot of it, so far. But they have also depended on them far too much.
She squeezes the hand, following along.]
If there's something we can do to help you, find a way to tell us. Until then, let's carry on.
[jingle doesn't say anything else, just leads them carefully through the vent.
it's a short walk, and it's a slope, though it's not steep. you head down, and down, and the longer you do, the hungrier you get. it comes in waves, overwhelming and horrible. your vision blurs, just a little. your stomach growls, loudly, grinding painfully.
jingle leads them out of the vent, to a small, dark room. there's nothing here but rusty metal and a dead end. jingle lets go of harrow, disconnects from the chain, and wraps their arms around themselves, crouching and watching. instantly, a horrible cold grips each one of you by the heart.
that same word, mercy, echoes from everywhere. from inside your heads, from the walls, from the floor, from inside of the paper bag itself. the hunger intensifies, and you can't escape it, it's overwhelming, you have to eat something. something, anything, desperately. your vision blacks in and out.
there's nothing in this room but the child in front of you.]
She knows she any awards for sanctity, but this is — not an option. She squeezes her eyes shut, shoving several gore covered fingers in her mouth. Nipping at her own skin. Why can't the extra chunky salsa be helpful? It's been dripping into their mouths all day. Fuck.
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but sasazuka nods, and will move so he can... lift whoever. he will be on the bottom of this jenga which is probably a bad idea considering he was stabbed by plate pieces earlier, but who even cares at this point. in theory, it would probably be sheila next and then vira? ]
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at least the plan is pretty easily communicated between them. with no time to waste, vira nods, gripping the knife-sword and climbing up this horrible jenga tower once more. on the bright side, one-handed blades are her thing— ]
Hrahhh—!
[ on the other, she is going to have to try and drive the blade as deep as she can into this thing's disgusting, clammy flesh, and then bodily shove the blade to the side in an attempt to spill its guts, throwing all her weight behind it.
the jenga tower may topple with the violent motion. at least if she falls the blade will keep traveling through this monster? presuming she managed to cut into it at all? ]
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She. . . does feel for Jingle. She reaches with her non dagger hand for a second, putting it on his back.]
Never fear. We won't lose to this thing.
[And then, as the eyeball starts to grow and expand toward her, she's just going to. Plant her less injured foot on its forehead to push off, grab the expanding eyeball with both hands, and yank. Free eyeball.]
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they manage to jenga! it's unsteady and horrible, but vira knows how to wield a knife sword well enough that it goes right through the thing's disgusting, clammy flesh. she rips the monster's torso open from stomach to whatever junk this thing may or may not have, and all three of them are immediately beefed by a second gore waterfall of guts.
the monster makes a gurgling sound and drops to its knees. the neck kind of... slurps back? you know how vacuum cleaners have that cool function where the cord zips back into place when you hit the dial? that's what happens, but with this thing's neck instead. except for the eyeball. harrow... has the eyeball. in the vent. congratulations.
the monster doesn't move! you appear to have killed it. and the vent is now clear, if a lot bigger than it used to be.
jingle just crouches and does the stressedbunny emote.]
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and then, shouty whispering:]
We did it! Look at us, monster slayers! [Gesticulating, sticking out a leggy.] Boom!
[Please stop opening your mouth immediately after getting showered in gore, Sheila. There is so much chunky salsa everywhere.
Anyway— She would high five the team but both of them are extremely injured? So she's just going to jump up to her feet and lend Vira a hand if she needs it. Takeru can help himself. He did not kill a monster? Once that is done, she will follow the group wherever they decide to go next.]
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but, okay. they have to keep going. he gets up to his feet and just starts walking back to the piano. ]
Come on. We need to catch up with the other two.
[ time to jenga once again up the piano ]
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also, she glares at hisoka as they pass him. ]
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Hurry!
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but once they're all up in the vent, jingle rattles in relief, making grabby hands again. baby chain. everybody is alive and safe for now, but the baby seems insistent on moving on.]
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Are you two okay?
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That was extremely reckless of you.
[ it doesn't sound mad, just like he's stating a fact that needs to be said. ]
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Still, if she hadn't, we may have died.
[ it'd been a close call either way. how much longer can they manage like this? ]
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Was it reckless? I drew it into a position where it would be vulnerable, so we were all able to attack from relative safety.
[So back off, bitch. But she'll tuck her eyeball and dagger into her corset, and then take Sheila and baby's hands. A little less haughtily, she'll add - ]
Besides, it was my condition that caused us so many difficulties, before. The balance of my contributions to our survival was in need of correction.
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it's just that... once you start walking, you're struck by that vicious hunger again. this time, it's painful. this time, you double over from it, gasping, until it momentarily subsides into something more gnawing.
jingle stops, waiting for you to recover.]
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Sheila just stays on the floor for a little longer than the rest. This is her home now. Go on without her. It's for the good of everyone.]
You know, I just realized something... We never asked for your name. [Ma'am, u good?] God, there are so many ways you can fuck up as a parent.
[Everything is fine.]
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but at sheila's voice, he looks over at the child. ]
I'm not sure if they can talk.
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when it passes, she wobbles up to her feet, intent on getting out of here. she looks at their little eldritch child. knowing their name means getting attached, but... ]
I wonder if they can't tell us. Or if they don't have one.
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Listen, she cares about Jingle too, and grips his hand still, but his name doesn't seem that important right now.]
. . . The hunger. I wonder why. I thought it was to tempt us to join the table, but it's stronger here.
[If it's being artificially induced in them, does it have something to do with the place? Or is it like what happened before, when Sasazuka held Jingle's hand. Is there a transference of feeling? She'll talk first to the group - ]
If something is offered to us ahead, no matter what it might be, eat nothing.
[And to Jingle - ]
Do you feel it, too? That hunger? Is it something about this place?
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for a moment, jingle just stares, and then it rattles, but this time, it sounds like static. mostly. a very tinny, high pitched voice can be heard through that static, and it almost makes the inside of your head itch. it's just one word: mercy.
and then they stand back up and start tugging at harrow's hand, trying to get all of them to stand up. have to go.]
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Sheila is silent for a moment, and then, softly:]
... Well, Mercy's cute.
[They are now Mercy "Chuck" Jingle. Just gonna pretend that was an answer to her question and not a totally ominous response to Harrow. It's fine.
Is there anything of note in their surroundings as they baby chain down this tunnel?]
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yeah, that was concerning. but they will continue this baby chain down this vent and he'll also keep a look out. ]
... I wonder if it is that we're just getting hungrier the longer we're here, or if it's as we get closer to something?
[ it's impossible to tell! but. one is worse than the other, he thinks. ]
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We'll just have to hold out. Let's hurry and try to keep our wits about us.
[ no eating anything weird. ]
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She squeezes the hand, following along.]
If there's something we can do to help you, find a way to tell us. Until then, let's carry on.
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it's a short walk, and it's a slope, though it's not steep. you head down, and down, and the longer you do, the hungrier you get. it comes in waves, overwhelming and horrible. your vision blurs, just a little. your stomach growls, loudly, grinding painfully.
jingle leads them out of the vent, to a small, dark room. there's nothing here but rusty metal and a dead end. jingle lets go of harrow, disconnects from the chain, and wraps their arms around themselves, crouching and watching. instantly, a horrible cold grips each one of you by the heart.
that same word, mercy, echoes from everywhere. from inside your heads, from the walls, from the floor, from inside of the paper bag itself. the hunger intensifies, and you can't escape it, it's overwhelming, you have to eat something. something, anything, desperately. your vision blacks in and out.
there's nothing in this room but the child in front of you.]
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No, no, no.
She knows she any awards for sanctity, but this is — not an option. She squeezes her eyes shut, shoving several gore covered fingers in her mouth. Nipping at her own skin. Why can't the extra chunky salsa be helpful? It's been dripping into their mouths all day. Fuck.
Muffled by her own hand:]
I'm seriously hungry, but...
[They are not going to eat this child. Stop.]
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