a winter labyrinth

[townmusician]

断ち切るしかないんだろ
注いだ冬は心のラビリンス
後戻りなんて出来ないから
やりきるしかないんだろ
黒い気持ちと手を繋いだって構わない
抱きしめたっていいh

I have to break free
This pouring winter is my heart's labyrinth
I can't go back anymore, so
I have to finish this
I don't care if you took my hand with dark motives
I want you to hold me close

Comments

[strawsandals]

[ Yo, Yi Sang. ]

We'll look out for one another.

[unweathered]

Right it is for me as well then. Try not to get lost.

[ Schneider waves them off. Ok Shalem, lets go!!]

[prozaic]

[He gives Schneider a nod, and flicks his tail as he turns and moves down the right path.]

[unweathered]

[There will definitely be no problems with utilities being together and fighters being together. Do they really need heals? Nah]

[townmusician]

[Continuing down the right path, Schneider and Shalem walk for quite a while, but then the ceiling of the hallway begins to raise as the path gets wider, until they find themselves inside... a church. It's a small, quaint church, well-taken care of but for a smaller community.

There is a small book of hymns on one of the pews.]

[prozaic]

[A Lateran church? Hello?? Why do people pray to The Law on Earth... There had better not be Sankta there of that would be messed up.

Well, he's going to go pick that book up.]

[unweathered]

... fucking churches, again.

[ s a l t y. She looks over]

A book of hymns?

[prozaic]

Indeed. Haruka is a musician, perhaps it contains a clue.

[But what would he see? Especially now that he's picking it up.]

[unweathered]

I swear to fucking hell, if I have to sing that shit one more time...

[ Alright let's see what hell this will unleash]

[prozaic]

Unless both of us are required to do so, I'm content with singing by myself.

[townmusician]

[Touching the book makes the world go warm and hazy, like a fond memory.

You bow politely to the pastor, who smiles brightly in return.

"Thanks for stopping by today and helping out the choir, Haru-chan."

"It's nothing!" Your voice is high and bright—you're still so young, after all. You wave goodbye to the pastor, getting ready to go home and see what your grandmother has made for lunch. You don't really get all that much from the speeches the pastor makes, but this gives you an excuse to sing and learn a bit of music.

Before you leave, though, an unfamiliar man catches your eye. You bow politely to you as well, and the man inclines his head in return. You haven't seen him around, so you wonder why he's there, but before you can ask he's speaking.

"You did well with that solo," he says, looking down at you. "Do you sing often?"

"Oh, all the time! As much as I can."

"Is that so... I thought you seemed like someone with potential." He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a card. "I train idols. Are your parents here?"

You can't help but be curious—does he mean you have the potential to be an idol? It's not something you've really thought about, even though you do enjoy singing... but more importantly than that is the mention of your parents.

"I don't have any! They died a while ago, so it's just me and my grandma, but she doesn't always like making the walk over here."

The man seems startled, in the way adults sometimes are when you mention your parents have passed, thrown for a loop, but he recovers.

"...Well, if you come with me to train, I could be your new father."

A father...?

You can't help but think of your grandmother, complaining when the roof leaks when it rains. If her no-good son hadn't died, it could have been fixed by now. You think of how tired she seems sometimes, and of the kids in your class talking about their dads.

If you had a father, then everyone would be so much happier. Right...? That's all you want, to make them happy.

The memory fades away, but a vague sense of yearning lingers a bit longer than the image of the man and the church, leaving them in a blank hall.

Schneider will find the man in that memory familiar, though the eyes she had seen him through were older.]

[prozaic]

[Well! They didn't need to sing at all... Maybe.

But Shalem shakes his head, even if he keeps clutching the book. Haruka was adopted-- he never mentioned as such. But now Shalem knows. It wouldn't change anything, but he's sure it will serve as important context soon.

But... what now?]

[unweathered]

...that man... I've seen him before.

[ She shakes her head, frowning. She already has an idea of what this 'idol' industry involves; it reminds her of the scumbag men trying to coax pretty clueless girls into becoming actresses. Hah]

[prozaic]

[He tilts his head towards her, as if to say "go on". Perhaps she'd seen a memory from when the Dream King still lived... And her expression implies it's not a good one.]

[idealitas]

[ A nod! Also we're leaving the attack types to have fun, gl. ]

Of course.

[townmusician]

[Left it is! The utilities will surely not encounter any trouble without their firepower on hand.

Going left, the hallways continues looking unremarkable. Nothing really stands out... until they reach another split.

To the left there's the faint sound of music. To the right, the sound of a storm. Or they can continue forward, which is... more silence.]

[strawsandals]

[ Hm. He hates it here. ]

....So....I can't tell if the left is leading us straight into a trap or not...

[idealitas]

[ Same! ]

I don't know him very well, but I would assume he likes music?

[ It's kinda like with Mafuyu's palace? ]

But we shouldn't split up, so I will defer to you. We can handle some danger, I'm sure.

[ Entering Meursault Mode. ]

[strawsandals]

We may as well go to the left, then.

[ Music time! Entering party leader mode awww yeah. ]

[townmusician]

[Left! Again! Yoon and Yi Sang head towards the left, and all seems well and good...

Until the floor opens up beneath them, dropping them into a spike trap! Ouch.

They should be able to climb out, if they work together.]

[strawsandals]

[ Oh, for fuck's sake!!! Yoon manages to get away with some ouchies (8) but... ]

Yi Sang! You okay?

[idealitas]

[ Old man braincell is unscathed (20)! He is powerful. ]

...I've heard the entertainment industry is surprisingly perilous.

[ Soft wheeze. Also have a Diarama, Yoon. Time to escape but uh, soft oof that roll (8). ]

[strawsandals]

Thanks...

[ He appreciates it. He'll get out pretty easily (19) and extend a hand to Yi Sang as thanks. ]

Got it?

[idealitas]

Yes, thank you.

[ See he made the right choice, Yoon is so nice and helpful
"they walked into a trap"
Yoon is SO nice and helpful!!!

So was that a no go, Shadow!Haruka DM? Where to and what do. ]

[townmusician]

[Well, with the spike trap behind them, they have no choice but to keep heading forward! The music just gets louder as they go, until they find the hallway getting darker and darker...

Until they end up on a dark city street, the light from streetlamps and nearby buildings meaning they can still see. In the distance they can see a figure running away. Will they follow it?]