cancry | Limbo Underside Log

LIMBO DUNGEON LOG
It's easy to lose track of time in Purgatory, but believe it or not, just over a month has passed since the initial wave of awakenings took place. There's been more since then, of course, with new Executors popping up left and right but other than that, things are mostly quiet. Until one day, you all wake up to find the fountain looks kind of... busted. Not broken precisely but something has impacted the bottom of the fountain from below, hard enough to jar it slightly out of place... and those of you who joined in the first jaunt down into Limbo's Underside can probably guess what was responsible. This seems to spook Rei. She spends most of the morning afterwards mulling this over before eventually speaking up to the group; "We can't put this off any longer... tomorrow, I think we need to go down there and fight." You have a day to prepare and ready yourselves... And then you descend into Limbo's Underside.
THE UNDERSIDE
Just as before, when Rei returns the sword to its place atop the fountain, the mechanism chugs to life and groans its way to the side, revealing the staircase underneath. Despite the battering it took, things seem to be working just fine. The steep staircase vanishes down into the darkness and as you follow it, it feels for a moment as though you're wandering blindly into the unknown... and then quite suddenly, before you're more than a few steps down the staircase, Limbo's Underside pops into view. While Limbo itself is mostly functional if a bit odd, the Underside is... a lot. The geography of the place is twisted and doubles back on itself in places and seems to warp in your vision as you observe it. From your bird's eye view as you descend the stairs, you can see that the general shape of the place mirrors that of the town above, with many of the same general landmarks. For example; The movie theater is offering a "late night fright fest" on all of its screens. If you're ~~dumb~~ brave enough to go and watch such a thing, you'll find that the description is accurate at least – all of the screens just show the attending Executors subjected to situations that play into their worst fears and anxieties. The coffee bar serves the same drink, no matter your order – a pitch black sludge that makes you feel violently ill when consumed. The pastries are fine, though. The hotel is even more maze-like than it was previously. Your hotel key won't work here. The windows won't break. The doors won't open. Wasn't the exit around this corner? What about the next? How many floors have you climbed again? How long have you been in here, anyway? The conbini is now a perfectly normal and functional convenience store. Somehow this is even more upsetting than having it become more weird. ... Among other oddities. You thought Limbo was already weird? That was baby shit. At least that horrible feeling of dizzy disorientation from last time doesn't seem to take hold again, but the ground is very much still moving around a bit. Mind your step! It goes without saying, of course, that the place is swimming with Revenants, too. No sight of the big punchy lad who had at you the first time around, but he's sure to be around. All you can do now is explore, investigate and do your duty as Executors. Good luck.

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[ the only memory Mona has is one that tells her the importance of exploring. once, when she was alive, she learnt the layout and the history of a city because it would help her to keep safe; to know where to run, where to avoid, how to get somewhere the fastest way. although the layout of the Underside is much the same as it was aboveground, that memory pushes her to explore. it's the only thing she thinks to do of her own will.

the theatre lobby is quiet, removed from whatever might be showing further inside — Mona had seen the poster and wondered, idly, whether she is capable of fear — so it's not hard to hear something amiss. Mona pauses, and then raises her gentle voice to speak to the room at large: ]

Um... Are you okay...? [ did they see the scary movies??? ] Do you need help?

[there's something about Mona's soft even tone that eases his mind a small amount. Enough for him to not scream for her to leave.

Who had a voice like that? He can't remember... Oh, but he has plenty of new voices to hear

Help. Oh yes, he needed help, and his voice is strangled and meek]

Help... please.

Edited 2020-09-08 21:51 (UTC)

[ it's hard to recognise the voice when the tone is so unfamiliar — but it doesn't matter who it is, because that small, frightened voice asked for help. she makes her way in the direction it came from, moving serenely as always, and she rounds the counter to find Lion, of all people, tucked away in a corner like a terrified child. ]

Lion...?

[ Mona isn't sure what to do here. usually, Lion is a presence she finds reassuring; he's kind, and steady, and even with his imposing frame and strong voice, he seems so gentle. whenever she's been with him, she's had a feeling of safety without question — like she could be a little bird in the palm of his hand, all fragile bones and soft feather, and trust that absolutely no harm would come to her.

but he needs help. though she isn't certain how to provide it, or whether she can, she won't ignore that plea. she doesn't want to stand over him, so she kneels down on the floor just like when she had spoken to him at the sleepover, legs tucked beneath her and the frilly skirts of her Executor uniform laid out in waves around her. there's still a few feet of distance between them; because of her own unease with touch, her first instinct right now isn't to get close. ]

What's wrong? I'll help you.

[His one eye is glazed, looking at her like he doesn't know her. Or perhaps like what he's seeing is someone or something else.]

I... can you hear them? Please, tell me I am not... that it is not just in my head-!

[His tone is pleading, but other than the general sounds of the theatre, there's nothing else to hear]

[ he's asking her, so she sincerely tries to listen for any sound out of the ordinary. she closes her eyes for a few seconds to focus on their surroundings, but— ]

... I can't hear anything. Sorry.

[ it makes her feel so useless. he's so distressed, and he asked for her help, but if she can't hear what he does then he's all alone in this. she doesn't know where it's coming from, so they can't get away from it; she doesn't know what's causing it, so she can't make it stop. the only thing she can do is talk to him. ]

If it's in your head... [ maybe it could be something about this eerie reflection of Limbo, or a Revenant. still, the most likely answer is: ] Lion, did you get a memory back...?

A...a memory...?

[he looks confused, but as he tries to actually think instead of reacting, it becomes more clear]

I... must have. The images... I was much smaller than I am now.

[His weak scared tone certainly does lend more towards a child than a grown man]

[ at least he's calmed a bit, which is the most important thing. the rest is... complicated. ]

... I'm sorry. [ she can't imagine it herself, the kind of fear and horror he was reacting to. it doesn't feel like she's capable of that much emotion. even if she can't empathise, though, she cares about Lion. ] You must have remembered something awful.

[ Mona hesitates, and she almost abandons the idea before she can go through with it — but then she nods her head once, decisively, and crawls closer to Lion, her layers of skirts rustling and trailing along the floor. she settles in front of him, not invasively close; just near enough to reach out and place a gentle, delicate hand on his knee.

she's not very good at this, she knows. now that she's touching him, she worries that she's overstepped a line, or that she's somehow doing it wrong. when His Majesty touches her, it's always comforting. she doesn't know how to recreate that sensation. she just wants Lion to feel even a little bit better. ]

If it was a long time ago, then maybe... you still had a happy life. I hope so.

[He almost flinches from her touch, even though it's so delicate... but he forces himself to still, and even though his armor he can feel it.

A soft warmth. His eye beads with the beginnings of tears]

Please... do not force yourself. You do not like touch.

[he noticed from just watching them all at the sleepover]

Edited 2020-09-12 00:30 (UTC)

[ it must be obvious to the others by now that Mona has some strange aversion to touch, and even so, she's a little surprised to hear Lion mention it, to know that he's worried. she doesn't quite smile, but her expression turns very soft. when he had flinched, she had been ready to recoil herself, seized for a moment by fear; now, she leaves her hand where it is, a little less cautious. ]

No... Actually, I think it's very nice. [ she only pauses briefly before she confesses, quiet: ] I don't know why... but I always get this strange feeling that something terrible will happen to someone if they touch me.

[ even her gloved hand on his leg strikes her as dangerous in some way. she looks at her own touch, as if waiting for it to hurt either of them. the sight seems surreal, for reasons she can't remember. ]

But I'm not forcing myself. I want to. [ that much she does know. a vague feeling of longing, even though she lacks the will or the self to act. and in this case, more than longing— ] It makes me feel warm, so... I want you to feel that way too, Lion.

Edited 2020-09-12 05:54 (UTC)

Warm... yes. It does feel... warm.

[his gaze is glassy still, but softer]

There is something... familiar about it, even though I know that is impossible.

Limbo Underside Log

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