time ticks on

[cancrymods]

TRACING A PATH

True to her word, following the fight in the Luxuria Underside, Lana shows the Executors where they can travel further down into Purgatory. From the now familiar set of stairs, though, comes something unexpected – a cold, damp breeze that chills you to the bone and makes you feel oddly sleepy. The sense of unease this generates is amplified by the reaction of the accompanying Executors – Rei seems particularly susceptable to the drowsiness inducing effect and while Birdie doesn't seem to be affected, she's nevertheless oddly quiet and a little brooding, like she has something on her mind. Either way, it seems wise to prepare for whatever may lay ahead before proceeding. Take your time to spar, train or whatever you need to do before proceeding to the next Layer...

Comments

NPC CONTACT & INVESTIGATION REQUESTS

[cancrymods]

If you plan to investigate anywhere in Purgatory, place a comment under this toplevel detailing your investigation.

You may also use this toplevel to communicate with any of the party NPCs. Currently available are Rei, Birdie and the mysterious butterfly who lead Ariel to the Superbia Underside. Be sure to mention in your comment header which NPC you want to speak to!

[emberserker]

Wolfsbane will head straight back up to Limbo. If they've missed anything, it's probably when they were much weaker and had no idea what they were doing. She'll be checking out the cinema and endless hotel to see if anything stands out now.

[twibeast]

[ For the first time since he became an Executor, Achilles “neglected” his duties and did not join the others in the Underside. He just… couldn’t summon the will to fight after that last memoria. And so he stayed behind, holding down the fort in Limbo.

Still that doesn’t mean he wasn’t consumed with worry and guilt the whole time, unable to sit still once some time had passed. Would they be okay? What if something happened and they were all hurt again?

…Though would be even be much help if they were?

So when they return he’s extremely relieved. ]

Welcome home…!

[ Once everyone’s safety is assured he can be found around the house seemingly lost in thought or taking walks around Limbo, looking at all the passing spectres as if trying to find someone. ]

[emberserker]

[So Wolfsbane mostly just hasn't been talking to Achilles at all since that fight months ago, but something's possessed her to nod at him once she gets into the house and just sit quietly in a chair. Maybe it's the adrenaline crash.]

Oh, good, everything seems in order.

[cancrymods]

Nothing much has changed! It's not been overly long since the Executors were last in Limbo so the things that are different aren't particularly new. The theater has a screening of a new movie and the endless hotel is just as endless as ever, but nothing seems off or strange in a way that isn't just... well, Limbo itself being off and strange.

The only notable thing is that occasionally in Limbo, Wolfsbane will get flashes of an odd feeling. Almost like things are... tilted? Nothing is off visually but for a few moments at a time, she'll occasionally get a sensation akin to being stood atop a tall tower that has started to lean dangerously to one side.

Other then that, nothing seems to be amiss.

[phantasmagorial]

Achilles...!

[ The instant Rei spots him, she breaks away from the rest of the group to pelt towards him at top speed. Time to HUG THAT DOG!!! ]

pre-memory dump

[schardynfreude]

As much as Luxuria has been fun, giving him that giddy feeling of higher, faster, further, to give him an opportunity to flex his abilities, the idea of finally letting it go and relaxing means Chiron finally feels something akin to exhaustion. Not helped by the sleepiness from the damp air blowing up from below.

Best to take some time between, the rest and recoup. There are people to talk to, after all. Things to take care of. Preparations to make.

He'll make his way slowly back up, stopping at every layer just to check in on things. Not long enough for any given layer's usual effects to take hold. Just to grab supplies as he sees fit. Note what has and what hasn't changed.

He's around, for any and all to bother. He might be tired from the addictive excursion, but he is, as ever, Chiron.

limbo

[emberserker]

[On a supply run, he'll come across Wolfsbane, looking worn out and staring blankly at a display of happiness-flavoured instant noodles, whatever that tastes like.]

...oh, Chiron. Supplies, I imagine.

[mementomoritz]

[Medic is the same as always, because of course she is. Nothing gets her down, not when there's science to do! And she sure is doing it- her tests with Mantle have been going so well, and she's taking copious notes on anything and everything as per usual.]

[Except...]

[While she's flitting to and fro, someone paying attention might notice that she stops, every so often. Just slows down and stares into the distance, quietly lost in thought, before shaking herself out of it.]

[She seems more hesitant around the others, too- hanging back in a doorway before coming in to join her fellow Executors, less quick to speak up or reach out.]

[But it's probably fine, isn't it? It's not like she can be hurt...]

[emberserker]

[It takes a while for Wolfsbane to recover after she wore herself out in Luxuria, which might be a reason she's not immediately demanding everything she wants. But then, she hasn't been doing well for a while, has she? Maybe it's that that makes her stop and approach Medic herself.]

What is it? Something's going on with you.

rei

[schardynfreude]

So this has been a long time coming. It simply never seemed like a good time.

Now's as bad a time as any, and it isn't going to get any better. If he's going to lose his mind, it would be nice to get whatever answers he can first before it's gone completely.

"We should speak," and there's ever so slightly a hesitation before he continues, "my dear." Somewhere safe from the both of them. That's not what he says, even if it's what he means, when he says: "Somewhere private, just the two of us."

[schardynfreude]

Mm. [So, that's probably an affirmative. He's got a crunchy plastic bag with some variously flavored goodies, at least. Whether that counts as "supplies" is up to personal interpretation.] Something like that. What happened to the pep in your step, dear? Are we not out training to be better than everyone else? Ah--did that layer take it out of you?

[mementomoritz]

[Bless your blunt honesty, Wolfsbane. Medic looks awkwardly torn between the desire to stomp her feelings down like all the adults in her afterlife have modeled for her constantly and her own total inability to convincingly lie.]

[...also she just doesn't want to be dishonest with Wolfsbane. She's her friend, it feels wrong to lie to her.]

I just remembered a... [She rubs one arm absently, looking pensive.] ...how do you know if you maybe did something bad?

[emberserker]

Do not start. [She snaps at him, knocking a package or two over as she turns.] Don't tell me you didn't also have a poor time in that hellhole.

[emberserker]

...I suppose it depends. If you thought you had to, or that it wouldn't matter anyway if you succeeded, or all manner of things, it might not mean it's good.

[She looks out at the populated living room and then back at Medic.]

We ought to take this elsewhere, don't you think?

[mementomoritz]

[Medic winces and nods.] That might be better, yes.

[She quietly leads the way into one of the less-used side hallways and sits down on a windowsill.]

The problem is that I don't know what I did, or what really happened. If what I remember hearing was right, then I did something really terrible- but if it was wrong, then something terrible still happened, and I don't know why!

[She gestures aimlessly with her hands while she talks, trying to put a shape around something too big and scary and frustrating to look directly at.]

...I'm not explaining this well, am I.

[emberserker]

Perhaps not, but I suppose you can't be blamed for that much.

[It's awkward, she's clearly not used to saying things like this, but she leans against the wall and folds her arms.]

What did it look like, then? Whether you did it or it was someone else.

[phantasmagorial]

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Rei looks a little like a deer in headlights at this – she's got the slightly surprised and slightly fearful expression of a kid whose been called to the principal's office with no idea of why.

After a moment, though, she nods. "... Mm. Alright." She doesn't seem happy about it, but she'll go along. "Where should we go?"

[schardynfreude]

[Okay. Alright. He slowly holds up his hands.] It was fun for a while. And then the fun wore off.

[schardynfreude]

"Wherever you'd like. Perhaps just to a rooftop. We can both get there easily enough." He shrugs mildly. "Somewhere the others won't have risk of overhearing us for now."

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane rolls her eyes.] It's as if Purgatory itself is invested in warping our minds so much that we'll give up or get ourselves re-killed. Or someone else is. I suppose you haven't gotten anything out of your new best friend.

[phantasmagorial]

Oh, now she looks even more upset! But she nods, even if she looks like she's rather just dissolve into the ground than actually follow along with this conversation – then she glances up, her eyes skimming the rooftops around them. Being high up doesn't bother her exactly, but...

"M–maybe the rooftop at home...?" Executorhaus seems like a nice, safe place for a tough talk. If this is indeed a tough talk. "We should be able to get up there without any problems."

[mementomoritz]

It looks like- [She's picking out the words carefully, like someone walking on a rocky shore, trying not to turn an ankle.] -sitting alone in an empty classroom, at school, the same age I look now. I'm sitting with my back to the door, eating lunch, listening to my classmates on the other side.

I don't think they knew I was there, because they were talking about me.

[Even when your school is meant to train kids with superpowers to fight monsters, there's always going to be campus gossip. It's impossible to stop.]

And about my family.

[She slowly looks up, meeting Wolfsbane's eyes.]

I think they made it here before I did. And it might be my fault.

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane's pupils shrink. She closes her eyes and shakes her head, breathes in and out. Finally, she opens her eyes again and looks back at Medic.]

They said it was you, then? And you don't remember if it was or wasn't. If they'd just made it up.

[mementomoritz]

[She nods miserably.]

I don't want to believe them- but I don't know! I can't just decide something isn't true because I don't want it to be, can I?

[She's hugging herself, fingers unconsciously gripping at her own arms hard enough to make her knuckles white, the pressure grounding her thoughts.]

Looking at just the data, the facts- what I do know... [Medic looks quietly grim.] I'm pretty sure they were right about them being dead, at least.

I've gotten plenty memories back, but not even one with my family in it after I was a little kid. I know I didn't see my parents a lot already, and sometimes er-jie would go off on her own for a while or da-jie would be really busy with school, but- I was living alone in an apartment. There was only room for one person, and the only numbers in my phone were the Indian takeout place and poison control.

[She's trying to be rational and objective about a very emotional topic, with mixed success.]

Da-jie would have called at least once in eight years... I'm almost sure...

But if they really thought I did something to them, it doesn't make sense that I'd just be there at school, either! [One hand tugs at her hair, frustrated.] I never studied law, but I'm pretty sure you go to jail for that!

Estella was a good school, they were picky about applications. Even my test scores couldn't be good enough to get them to let in a convicted- felon. [There's a heartbeat of hesitation where she very obviously flinches back from saying "murderer".]