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Fantasy 一一 願望𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐦. ︑𝘪𝘤

G
Created at
Index progress
Incomplete

...

























...mood
...concerned

...location
...lobby / door

...company
...n / a

...mentions
...everyone, ig?




赠人玫瑰,手有余香
...
"Uh... hyung. Are youー..."

Quiet amber eyes glazed over the sea of monochrome, small lights that were once flickering now still dots amidst a black pool. It seemed as if he closed his eyes for one moment, but during that miniscule amount of time, he'd taken a small step and somehow left the world as he knew it behind; his sights were now distilled by a dreary grey, and the only thing he could hear was the subtle ringing inside his head that came from there being no sound around him.

"... Are you there?"

His voice was soft and barely audible. Something in the back of his head told him that his calls would be to no avail, yet the words still found themselves slipping from his lips... perhaps it was more for himself, rather than the colorless husk of his precious bandmember who stood motionless before him. After all, hearing yourself is better than hearing nothing at all, right?

Truthfully, the sudden change in atmosphere was jarring. Before whatever… this was started happening, Sunmu and one of his bandmates, Woojin, were out at their seniors’ concert. Just recently, the company had managed to scrape together what they could so that the girl group could continue performing, and since this concert in particular happened to be in Tokyo, it was decided that Sunmu and Woojin would also perform (apart from their seniors). Seeing as they hadn’t made their debut yet and there were only two of them there, it mainly served as a promotional type of gig, and it would just be them duo-covering some iconic western song that everyone seemed to be excited for.

Right when the first chord of Woojin’s guitar resounded throughout the venue, everything came to a sudden halt; the music didn’t continue, the lighting turned stagnant, the crowd went mute, and all motion went frozen. Thus, which is where we are now: with Sunmu beginning to wander around, unidentifiable feelings swirling around at the pit of his stomach with nothing on his face to show for it.

It didn’t take long for him to discover that the entire area was affected, even outside of the venue. In all honestly, he felt a bit bad slipping away and leaving everyone behind, but at that point, he figured he wasn’t going to get anywhere by idly waiting around for something to happenーespecially in a world where literally nothing was happening anymore. So, he slowly made his way down the formerly-busy street, and…

Well, he just kept walking, hoping he could find answers soon.

It wasn’t until thirty minutes of nothing happening passed that one of the buildings in front of him suddenly lit up, its colors a stark contrast to the scenery around it. Normally, he would’ve spent more time dwelling on the fact that it was a hotel called ‘Mono Palace’, but he had people to get back to and a performance to continue; obviously, if anything would give him information, it’d be this place (at least, what’s what his train of thought was). Thus, albeit with hesitation, he found himself pulling on the handle of the front entrance to peek inside.

ー ♔

A cold yet assertive voice cut through the silence of the hotel’s lobby not too long after a small crowd started to form. Its owner was a tall woman in a sleek suit, braided brown locks pulled to the side and golden eyes that looked as if they could discern everything about a person with a single glance. Something about this person told Sunmu that she had a large part in whatever this situation was…

“I’m going to cut to the chase,” she started, looking over everyone who currently lingered in the hotel’s lobby. “Hello, my name’s Joker. Nice to meet you all, supposedly.”

Sunmu blinked. What’s ‘supposedly’ supposed to mean…?

“The truth is, the lot of you have something you want… or, perhaps it’d be more accurate to say ‘desperately yearn for’ーwho knows. I’ll be the one to tell you that I don’t really care. But, when all is said and done, that’s the only reason why you’ve all been pulled here...” The sound of her shoes made clicking noises as she slowly circled around the group.

“Because of those wishes, you’ve been invited to participate in a game, the end goal being to have them granted. To do that, you’ve got to come together and collect the cards you’d find in a standard playing deck by completing missions… It’s simple enough, really.”

Silence.

“... Is this all out of the blue? Probably. It’s likely that some of you are still hung up on how all of this is possible, or if this is even real. Honestly, it doesn’t mean much to me if you think you’re in some kind of dream or not, but I can tell you that if you don’t get it through your head soon, you’re going to become a burden for everyone else; and I can assure you that this is not the time nor place to be one.”

Glancing around, Sunmu tried to gauge for reactions in other people’s faces. There may not have been much in the way of his own, but, wow, that didn’t change the fact that he still found this entire thing bizarre. Assuming this was all reality like “Joker” said it was, the prospect of wishes being granted didn’t seem too farfetched… I mean, he’d already seen time stop just over half an hour ago, so at this point, he couldn’t say anything else would surprise him.

So…

Wishes could be granted, huh? Then, maybe...ー

“No questions? Great,” Joker affirmed, though the way she went about it suggested she was going to say that regardless if someone spoke up or not. “Answering those isn’t something I want to waste my time with. Anything that needs to be explained will be explained when it needs to be. So, for now, do what it is you people normally would in this situation. Mingle? Have a breakdown? Explore? …”

A few moments passed before she shook her head. “Actually, no, don’t explore too far yet. Just stay on the first floor. In about an hour from now, meet up back here in the lobby.”

And like that, she just walked away. Guess she didn’t want to stick around…

ー ♔

... Come to think of it, the door slammed shut behind the last person to enter, thought Sunmu, after a moment of being at a loss for what to do. Temporarily ignoring anything else that may have been happening around him, he attempted to pull the door open to confirm something that had been on his mind ever since the world first went grey. Is… there any way to get back?

...

“... We can’t leave,” ended up being the words uttered from his mouth in his native tongue. It wasn’t even that the door was locked or anything; heck, it opened without a hitch. The issue at hand was the fact that the world he and the others had entered the building from was just… gone, with nothing but a pitch black void as far as the eye could see. The only thing he did at that point was stare blankly at it, trying to process what could’ve possibly happened during Joker’s semi-brief explanation. Yikes.

ー ♔

ooc for the record, there's a hidden scroll where the chibi icon is. it has information. :blushu:

code by poi!
 
name
yamamura haruki

mood
frightened

location
lobby

interactions
anyone

mentions
-



As it went every day as of late, Haruki was leaving the Yamaura Tea main building only when the skies had gone dark. The building was quiet compared to the usual hustle and bustle, plagued by the buzzing hum of display monitors in the entrance hall and the few leftover chatting employees who had also stayed late. The security guard was on his usual mission to flirt with the CFO’s personal assistant. Haruki recognized the assistant due to her eldest brother being the CFO in question. Nepotism ran rampant in the ranks of the company, whether she liked to admit it or not- which she rather didn’t. Haruki lived under the ideal that everything she did, she did to earn her position, rather than to just have it handed to her. Just because her eldest brother and her older sister were in high ranking positions of the company, CFO and Financial Manager respectively, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t make her way to being CMO on her own eventually.
Haruki’s brother was twelve years older than her, having earned his current position just a year ago, and her sister, who was four years older, had gotten hers at around the same time. This left Haruki in a position of pure privilege, as she had essentially climbed the ladder as soon as she had left university with only a bachelor’s degree. Oftentimes, she would feel the glares directed at her, knowing what they thought of her- that she was a child, that she was underqualified. Even her siblings held the same glares. They had worked much longer, and Haruki’s sister held a similar position to Haruki herself despite the time each had invested in the company. Haruki had overheard them talking about her, saying that all it took for her to become Marketing Manager was to run away with some low-life.
None of it bothered Haruki, except for one thing. They could all be as jealous as they liked, it just proved that she was doing something right, but the moment they called him a low-life, Haruki’s blood began to boil. Calling the love of her life such a thing felt like an insult both to him and her. The line between Haruki’s pride and her bittersweet love for the man in question was fine, but the statement punched at the point where they both met.
Taking one last look at the main hall, Haruki exited the main doors and headed out into the evening. She made her way over to the black car that was waiting for her, where her chauffeur met her without a single word spoken. She got in and he began driving to the restaurant where Haruki’s father usually called her if he had anything to say to her. The communication between Haruki and her father was nowhere near excellent, but they somehow made it work. The car buzzed past the streetlights, making its way down the busy city. Haruki rested her head against the window, her eyes fluttering shut as her consciousness began to leave her.
The second she woke up, she was met with a chaotic scene. The car wasn't moving, but it was right on the collision course with another vehicle, which had made its way into the wrong lane. It was although they had been stopped just at the right time before someone was hurt- or worse. Upon the realization that nothing would start moving again in a while, Haruki shakily unbuckled herself and left the car, setting out to explore the area.
After a considerable while, Haruki's feet began to ache, the pressure of her high heeled shoes pressing against her feet. Just one more block, she thought, pressing on, hoping to find any sign of life. Just as luck would have it, this was the moment she stumbled upon a hotel labeled 'Mono Palace', the only thing around her that stood out. A scoff escaped her lips as she thought of the irony of the name. She pressed through the pain and made her way over, entering with falsified confidence, though her hands were visibly shaking.
She found that she wasn't the only one inside, and wasn't the last to enter either. A million thoughts raced through her head as she tried to focus on even a single person around her, but her disordered mental state at the moment wouldn't allow her to. Fortunately, she was saved by a woman's voice cutting through the room. The feeling of reality dawned on Haruki like ice water down her back once the woman had spoken.
As Joker- as she had introduced herself, although Haruki heavily doubted that such a name was real- paused, Haruki opened her mouth to speak up, but was interrupted when Joker spoke up at the very moment the first syllable began escaping Haruki's mouth- “No questions? Great,”. Normally, Haruki would have given a piece of her mind, but the strange situation kept her body frozen still as she tried to wrap her head around what was happening.
And then it was over, Joker disappeared. Don't explore too far, my ass, Haruki allowed herself to think, but decided to stick around for a moment more as she watched a younger man open the door from which they had entered. Slowly, she creeped closer, trying to figure out what was behind the door. Her eyes were met with a pitch black nothingness. Haruki's breath hitched, but she tried her best to show no sign of worry on her face. The last thing the group needed was a panicking headless chicken.
Gathering up her strength, she managed to throw out a sentence before the room could descend into the panic she assumed was coming, "The first floor is open for exploration, who wants to come with me?"

C'est la beauté du requiem
code by valen t.
 
mayumi ito.
mentions; poi poi || interactions; Lemoninny Lemoninny
Mayumi Ito didn't spend much time in the city.

She avoided it if she could help it. But, her publicist had called her about printing issues; so, she had taken the train for several hours to reach his office. She had arrived, a little frazzled, before she had been ushered into his office. She had sat there for quite some time, zoning out as he continued to drone out on with unimportant small talk. The second he had stopped talking hadn't bothered her. It was only after a long minute of silence that she looked up, brows furrowed. The grey and frozen image of the older man had her eyes widening, falling out of the chair in her surprise.

Lifting her head, she gingerly lifted her arm and waved to see if his eyes could follow her movement.

Nothing.

Taking a shaky breath, she got to her feet and glanced about her. She sent another glance at the man before she made her way to the door. Peering out into the receptionist's office, she noticed more figures stuck in place.

They were all frozen.

Mayumi felt like she was in a nightmare.

"H-hello?" She called out.

When no answer came, she nodded to herself. Deciding it was best to just leave the space, she went back into the office to collect her things before she was heading to the stairs. Practically tripping over herself, she rushed to get to the street. It was barely a surprise to find the rest of the world as still at the people inside.

Still, she flinched when she noticed just how silent it was.

How was no one in the world moving?

Starting to tremble, Mayumi forced herself to start walking. She wanted to go down to the subway. Perhaps, by a miracle, the trains would be working. However, her plan was thwarted when she spotted a figure entering a hotel just a block down. She quickened her pace, eager to interact with another moving person. How could this be happening, she wanted to ask them. However, as she entered the lobby, she was surprised to find it already filled with normal moving people.

She sighed in relief before she moved herself off to the side, content to observe the environment before she opened her mouth to ask questions.

They were all promptly answered when a figure introduced herself. And then proceeded to unload a kaleidoscope of information that seemed almost impossible to believe.

And then... she vanished.

Blinking in disbelief, Mayumi glanced around the space before wheeling around towards the exit. However, she tipped her head around the other two figures peering outside to see a vast amount of... nothing.

She bit her lip, drawing back to think.

"The first floor is open for exploration, who wants to come with me?"

Mayumi glanced up at the girl, her brows furrowed.

"S-shouldn't we be looking for another exit?" She questioned, glancing around to gauge the others' reactions. "I know the front entrance is now... empty; but, I would expect a hotel to have more than one place to leave. I mean, perhaps there's a exit that that 'Joker' woman uses. If we could find a way to use it, that might get us out of here!"
mood; unsure || location; 1st floor, lobby || outfit here


coded by weldherwings.
 
Eu7IqT8UUAMaByz

▌Jing Rui
The abrupt halt of the incessant taps of a pencil upon a notebook drew Rui’s attention away from his book to the girl seated beside him. Amber eyes briefly studied her expression, still scrunched up in an attempt to piece together which formulas suited the problem on the page. Turning towards the clock nested above the doorway, the brunette opened his mouth to dismiss his student for the day, only for the slightest of frowns to mar his features. The second hand of the clock was frozen in place, broken, or so he had assumed. As if the suspended timepiece had triggered a series of revelations, the quiet waves of murmurs typically present in the library had similarly come to a complete halt.

Colors bled away into monochrome as his eyelashes quivered, attempting to blink away nonexistent fatigue. When counting to three and opening his eyes did little to change the desaturated view greeting his gaze whichever way he turned, a rare bout of exasperation washed over him. He was seldom visited by dreams, and those that did hardly spanned more than the blink of an eye. For sleep to claim him during a tutoring session of all times was, quite frankly, unprofessional to the highest degree.

Seconds stretched into minutes of waiting with his eyes drawn shut until a small voice buzzing away in the back of his head kindly informed him that the dream wasn’t likely to conclude should he continue to refuse to be compliant. In his best attempt to entertain whatever ridiculous scenario his mind had managed to cook up, Rui headed towards the library’s exit with even strides, half-expecting to find himself locked in when he tested the door’s handle. He wasn't sure whether to be grateful or disappointed that the dreamscape had the courtesy to leave him free to roam, but the thought was promptly discarded in favor of continuing onwards to wherever his feet decided to subconsciously take him.

Stepping off campus lay between disorienting and naseauting. The moment his hands pushed past the final set of doors separating him from the outside, any semblance of familiarity had vanished without a trace. Whether it be the bus terminal or the nearby coffee shop, everything had been blurred behind some mental haze, serving as a mere backdrop for the sole building he could manage to bring his eyes to focus on: Mono Palace—a hotel, from the looks of it.

Logically, it didn’t make sense. A hotel wasn’t built in a matter of hours. However, if the name gave anything away, it was clear that the quaint building had something to do with the current situation in one way or another.

Just as Rui thought his dream had been becoming more and more lucid, an ominous creak was followed by the harsh click of the hotel’s doors being shut tight by some mysterious force. By the time he reacted in an attempt to turn around to observe the entrance, the brunette’s gaze was brought back to attention towards the crowd assembled in the room by a tall woman who introduced herself as Joker.

A game? Missions? Granting wishes (did he even have one)? Rui breathed in deeply and let out a surprisingly steady exhale. Perhaps his mind was more fragile than he had thought, fracturing under a buildup of stress that he hadn’t known he’d been bending under. That was the only explanation he could draft for a dream containing scenes as strange as the one he had just witnessed. However, something about the callous manner in which Joker delivered her warning to cease thinking that it was all just a dream ate away at the theory he had held as true from the start of this whole situation. The manner in which they had been gathered and the mysteriously locked doors weren’t very convincing, but the length of the time he had been “dreaming” as well as how clearly he could hear every sound present in the room gave the woman’s words the slightest bit of validity. At the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to heed her warnings for the time being.

That didn’t mean he was content to stay put, and it appeared that many within their congregation of misfits agreed.

Ruminating over the words of Joker and the first few to speak, Rui doubted whatever entity had brought them here had left any loopholes for them to escape from. The intent was clear. If they wished to leave, it wouldn’t happen until their supposed heart’s greatest desire was granted—or if they died trying, should the missions they be assigned be dangerous in nature. If on the off chance there was a separate exit, the likelihood of it being on the 1st floor was close to zero. Perhaps they might have a better shot of finding one on the 2nd floor, if Joker’s words and actions were anything to go by, but given the unknown circumstances, one could only imagine the consequences of trespassing on restricted grounds.

For the time being, perhaps the best course of action would be to familiarize himself with the area. “Explore,” the woman had said, but it would have been nice for her to have provided them with a map. His sarcastic thoughts were quickly bit back as he refocused himself on the situation at hand.

“You’ll find only clues at best,” Rui finally said, taking no note of whether or not the topic at hand was even still relevant to his comment or if his words would be understood. Removing his hand from where it had previously been resting on his chin, the brunette paced forward two steps, intent on going off to map out the area on his own. However, their time limit of an hour brought him to an abrupt halt.

“We should…” he trailed off. They were complete strangers, and he had little grasp over their personalities and capabilities. Rui only continued after mulling over things for a few seconds, “-split up and report any significant finds.”

Without waiting for any words of acknowledgement or agreement, Rui stalked off towards the door located on the other side of the room opposite to the entrance. Two is company while three is a crowd, and he bore no interest in mingling. As for the case in which his words went ignored, it would neither hurt nor benefit him, and that suited him just fine.


 
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Seika, Nakano.
“Oi, Nakano, we are heading out for a bit.”

Osamu’s voice called out to her, followed immediately by the sound of a door closing. It’d seem Osamu and Michi were excited to have a taste of the nightlife Tokyo had to offer, maybe its women too. Well, at least someone was having fun with this little “trip”. You see, earlier that day Nakano’s boss, Mr.Hitomu, had informed her and the previously mentioned duo that his connections over at the ICR had told him that due to a massive case of food poisoning the whale catching vessel known as the Yūshin Maru was currently severely understaffed and in desperate need of some extra hands. As a result Mr.Hitomu chose to offer the trio as substitute crewmen for the time being, a questionable decision considering how new and inexperienced the three of them were. Still, Mr.Hitomu considered this to be a perfect learning experience that would improve the quality of their work in the long-run (While also awarding him the lucrative favor of the ICR). Nakano absolutely dreaded the thought of heading into the massive hellscape that was Tokyo, however she wasn’t about to risk the one job she found somewhat bearable. Plus, at least the pay was good. And so, after some quick packing up, Nakano had to endure the arduous 2 hour trip over to the city. As they drove through streets of Tokyo the mere act of looking out the window was more than enough to both disgust and exhaust Nakano. The blinding light, the eyesoring billboards, the constant sound of debauchery taking place right outside. The whole situation was torturous, much worse than Nakano could’ve ever thought. The hotel they’d be staying in for the night was no better, as it only consisted of two relatively small rooms (A living room and a bedroom with two beds) and a single showerless bathroom. Nakano would be staying in the living room, sleeping on an old futon that was kindly provided by the hotel owner. What a sleepless night this was about to be.

Now that Osamu and Michi were gone Nakano was left pondering on what she could do. Sleeping was out of the question, the constant racket coming from outside would make even closing her eyes a herculean task. She could take the time to count the myriad of stains that covered the floor, walls and furniture, that would surely take up a huge chunk of her night. Surprisingly enough though Nakano finally opted to simply leave the hotel and head out into the streets of Tokyo. Her intentions were to get as plastered as humanly possible in order for the night to be a bit more tolerable. Her search ended up landing her in a tiny rundown bar located within Golden Gai, her choice was based on how much quieter the customers appeared to be compared to other establishments. After Nakano and the barkeep exchanged a plain greeting the girl was ready to order: “One Asahi pint, please.”

(An hour later)

Man, time sure flies when a simple hand gesture is all that you need for a refill to come your way. Nakano was currently finishing up her third pint, her sight firmly placed on the bar counter. To her right a river of people made their way through the tight streets of Golden Gai, their incessant chatter pushing Nakano to continue with her drinking in order to ease her irritation. Never before in her life had she been so far away from her home by herself, the whole experience was absolutely alien to her, and she couldn’t wait for it to be over. At that very moment the idea of sailing into the sea for a whole month seemed much more appealing than enduring another minute within that cityscape, morning couldn’t come soon enough. With the final drops of beer now completely gone Nakano signaled yet again for another refill, her eyes still firmly set on the counter. No response. “Uh hey, can I get a-” As she redirected her gaze towards the barkeeper Nakano was met with a haunting sight that cut her words before they were even able to come out of her mouth. The barkeep, the customers, even the beer that was being poured, they were all frozen in time. What sort of sick prank was this? Had she been drugged? No, those were all much more desirable alternatives at this point. Nakano felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she realized something: The crowd of people behind her, they had gone completely silent. Slowly she began turning around and thus her fears were confirmed, just like the people in the bar those outside all appeared to be petrified mid-motion. It took a whole minute of processing this whole existential nightmare before panic finally took over and Nakano’s body forced her to jump out of her seat and full-speed sprinting through the street. Someone, anybody, please just move an inch. Nakano’s eyes darted from left to right, desperately looking for any signs of normalcy. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, her heart felt like it was ready to burst out of her chest at any moment. And then she spotted it, an unrecognizable figure entering what appeared to be a nearby hotel. “HEY YOU, WAIT UP!” Mustering all the energy she had left Nakano gave chase to the mysterious individual, her body slammed against the door and...

[Insert the Joker speech here :eye1:]

Nakano1.jpgAll of Joker’s words entered through one of Nakano’s ears and exited right out of the other, her mind still attempting to get a proper grasp of the whole situation. Wishes? Game? What the hell was she blabbing about? Aaaaaaaand she was gone, great. Though even after Joker’s disappearance Nakano continued to just stand there, still at a loss for words. The one thing that snapped her back to reality was the creaking sound of a door opening behind her. The girl immediately shot a glance behind her, only to be greeted by the dark void in which the hotel seemed to reside. “...What?...” At this point Nakano was on the edge of suffering a full-blown breakdown, though thankfully the chatter from the people around her kept her sanity in check.

[Woah look at all the stuff Haruki, Mayumi and Rui had to say]

“That butler is right, surely there MUST be something that will make us understand what the fuck is going on. Hell, maybe we can find that Joker bitch again and extract some proper answers outta her. I am heading this way, should we find anything important then let's meet back up in this room.” Nakano semi-exclaimed before sprinting through the right door, leading her into the living space. This was not the time to panic, maybe if she acted fast enough there might still be a chance for her to safely leave.


Mentions: Rui. Interactions: Everyone in the lobby.
Current Location.jpg
 
name
yamamura haruki

mood
annoyed

outfit
style over comfort

location
living space

interactions
Servant Servant eyyliner eyyliner

mentions
Nano Nano

"S-shouldn't we be looking for an exit?" A pale-toned woman asked.
"Yes, we could do that, but if you have any common sense, that's implied within exploration. However, I doubt that anything with enough power to make the world stand still around us would leave us a way to get out so easily," Haruki responded to the woman at the risk of sounding very condescending, her eyes rolling out of their their own volition.
It had to be so, Haruki thought, that there would be no exits. However bizarre the situation, she couldn't deny that everything felt too tangible, too real. These people were really talking, the ground felt real underneath her feet, and that void she had just been exposed to had certainly struck a heavy blow of terror to her gut. It would be easy to chalk it all up to be a nightmare, but even if it was, it was best to play along. It was all too extreme to be a ploy from someone who'd want to hold her for ransom, no way some low-life criminal could orchestrate such a big deal. And even if it was, what of the other strange commoners? There was no logical explanation other than the madness that had presented itself being very real.
As Haruki's mind took the liberty to float off on possible variants on her current predicament, a male voice struck her thoughts back down to earth. He spoke of splitting up, and without much time given for her to speak, began to walk off.
"Wait!" Haruki exclaimed furiously, but it seemed her words fell on deaf ears.
She could physically feel the control she thought she had ripping free from her hands like tiny grains of sand slipping through her fingers. It was the first time she had felt like this since university, and it certainly didn't bring her enjoyment. Who were they to contradict someone such as her? She saw three possible options, staying in the lobby, going through the archway on her left, or through the one on the other side of the room. The lobby, however unexplored still, struck chills down Haruki's back, and the discomfort she felt from being stuck near a door which she felt as though she'd be sucked through any second made her feel less secure than the thought of the uncertainty that awaited her within any other room in the building.
Then, as if to decide for her, a crude woman spoke up. However undignified the woman's words, she was right about 'that Joker bitch' being the only one who could possibly provide answers. Just like the arrogant man before, the crude woman dashed off towards the archway in the back. Realizing that now wasn't the time to attempt to exercise her authority, Haruki decided to suck it up and get over herself and went off in pursuit of the woman that had just left.
Running didn't suit Haruki's attire. The tight, form-fitting black dress she donned was great for exuding that air of professionalism she aimed to display at work, but for chasing someone clearly much more physically trained than she was, it was a hindrance at best. Her weight still pressed on the balls of her feet, propped up by a comparatively tall pair of high heels, causing her to feel pangs of pain with every step. The reasonable thing to do would be to take them off, but no matter the absurdity of the situation, first impressions still mattered, and if Haruki wanted to be taken seriously, she could not let herself relax.
A few moments later, she caught up to the stranger in the living area, taking in the space, noticing the two other archways leading to a garden area that she knew she would have to inspect. First, however, she decided to stay where she was.
"What do you intend to look for?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms, "We don't even know where we are, and it's not too likely that someone like that Joker woman would have left anything for us to find unless it has to do with her personal plans for us. However easy it might be to panic and desperately grab for clues, I doubt that having a fit will help any of us get out. Of course, we can look and see if there is anything that would provide us some sort of context, but, as I mentioned, I doubt anything of the sort would have been left within our reach."
C'EST LA BEAUTÉ DU REQUIEM
code by valen t.
 
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Genkei Li Aoki
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The House Where No One Lives
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Mood: Panicking | Location: Lobby/Door | Mentions: [open]
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“-And thanks to everyone for joining me this stream! I’ll be seeing y’all soon, and remember, stay fruity!”
As the camera shuts off, air rushed through his lungs as a satisfied sigh, and his arms stretched above his head. For his first 5-hour long stream Genkei would say he did good. More than good considering the sudden burst of viewers. However, celebrating would have to be put on hold to clean up all his shenanigans. And from the sound his belly was making, so too would food be put aside. A warm hoodie was slipped on. A bat plushie knocked away by frightened flailing was set back in its spot. Art project saved, twice, and tablet pen velcroed into place. A fallen "Quiet Room Bear" uncomfortably stuffed back into place on a shelf. A fan's homemade bat wing blanket tossed onto the bed. With his room returned to its normal level of chaos and cellphone in hand, he dialed. It didn't take long to get an answer. His Mom never missed one of his calls.

“Why if it isn't my favorite son!”
"I'm your only son... Unless you've finally replaced me with a bunny."
"Nope. No bunnies here. So what's up Key?"
"I just finished my first 5-hour stream."
"That's amazing! I knew you could do it."
"Yeah, but I'm seriously starving. Do you and Ma want to join me for a bite?"
"Heck yeah! We got to celebrate your big milestone Key! Do you want us to swing by to pick you up?"
"Nah, I'll pick you two up, my treat. See you when I get there."
"We'll be waiting. Love you!"
"Lov-"
"Wait! Ma says she loves you too."
"Love you both, bye."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. His mothers always knew how to brighten up his day. Last week, he had been experiencing a pretty big bout of paranoia. Like something was going to happen. But he couldn't tell if it was good or not. Normal when he had an episode, he'd lock everything that could be locked, hid all his expensive stuff, and head over to his mothers to wait it out. This time Genkei couldn't manage to get the energy even to leave. The only time he had the strength was to triple-check the locks. It scared the daylights out of Mom. Ma kept him company through his bedroom door. But then it disappeared and he bounced right back into being the energetic nerd. Who immediately went "Well, I've been stuck in my apartment for a week. Let's trap myself for one more day." Oh well. He did his typical leaving routine which consisted of making sure everything lockable was locked, twice, grabbing his keys, and checking that his front door was locked, thrice. The hallway outside his apartment was clear for once. Quiet too. So was the street outside. And the cars. And the people...

"What in the 9 circles of Hell is this????"
If this wasn't the beginning of a horror movie, then Genkei had definitely wasted his life. The black and white splashed across the world like the monochrome of an old tv. The people frozen in place. A pitch-black street of living mannequins. Just midway through his stream, he had been moaning about the noise from cars. But all that was left now was his own fastening breath echoing. The hunger in his stomach had been filled with encompassing pit of fear. Sweating hands clutched at his arms like life preservers...

Genkei could only feel numb as the Joker finished her speech. Choosing to weakly to walk to a side of the lobby and sliding down the wall afterwards. The others’ decision muffled by the sound of his own blood rushing through his ears. However the intent to explore was conveyed quite well. He’ll catch up in a second. When his stomach wasn’t attempting to choke him with dry heaving. Panic attacks, you’ve got to love them.
 
Matushita Kota

The sharp ring of a bell signaled the arrival of a customer into the nearly abandoned liquor store, which was followed by what seemed to be a very heated conversation from the newcomer. "...working late tonight, I said that already! And I would've brought him with me, but the chief was there and he wouldn't have been happy to see him running around with the two new kids. The last thing I need is to have him around more, breathing down my back while I'm trying to get their training program all set up." With a swift motion, the man grabbed a basket in a single fluid motion, not even breaking his stride as he made his way to the coolers along the back wall, eyeing the bottles within as his mouth morphed into a harsh scowl. He pulled out a two packs of beer and dumped them in the basket, the sound the cans hitting each other piercing the stony silence of the store.

Moving to the aisles, he looked over bottles of shochu and sake, comparing the prices of different ones as he seemingly annoyed the feminine voice coming from the other side of the line. However, at one point, as he was putting a bottle of Tominuhouzan in his basket he perked up. "You want more?! Just because you're inconvenienced? You're out of your damn mind." there was a long pause before he threw his hand up in exasperation. "Chiba, all you have to do is walk him, feed him, and play with him! Other high school kids would lose their minds to have such a simple job, and I'm already paying you more than I probably should!" He walked up to the counter, not looking at the clerk as he stared at the floor, his nostrils flaring and the faintest hint of a vein beginning to pop on his forehead. "You want more pay? Do more than just mess around on your phone and bringing your friends there to gossip and talk behind my back. I'm paying you to take care of that dog, not sit on your ass and think about how to con me for more money...Nothing to say? Alright, then I'll be back in about twenty minutes, so go home."

He shut his phone, sliding it slowly into his pocket as he took a deep breath, and turned to the counter once more to place the basket for the clerk to scan. But the old man who usually ran the shop was nowhere to be found, prompting Kota to lean over and see if the man had collapsed behind the counter or something, but there was nothing. Not even a single clue that the man had been there anytime in the last hour at least. Stepping back, he looked around him to see if there were any other customers there, and once he saw no other soul, he pulled some bills out of his pocket and dropped them on the counter and quietly made his way out of the store.

Once outside, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the metal flask and, after popping the lid on it, took a quick drink in the entrance, feeling a bit better as the sharp flavors washed over his tongue and down his throat. He closed his eyes as he began to feel a bit warmer, but he quickly noticed something. The silence. At this hour, in Tokyo no less, anything less than the sound of taxi's honking at drunk pedestrians was unheard of. But now, as Kota opened his eyes, he saw that the entire world around him was standing still. Citizens frozen in place, in the midst of a hearty laugh or an aggressive gesture. Blinking lights now stood still, drained of all color, replaced by a muted grey.

Kota looked at it all in disbelief, then took a look at his flask, taking a quick sniff of the opening before frowning. "Huh. Didn't think this stuff was that strong."

Pocketing his prized possession, he began to wander, taking a couple moments to investigate. He tried to push a man over, but he didn't even budge, even when Kota put everything into a kick that could bust down most wooden doors. In fact, he almost reeled back in pain as the shock went up his leg, which was followed by a string of curse words that echoed into the quiet night. Once the pain began to subside, he continued to hobble through the streets, taking the occasional sip of whiskey as he went, an action he convinced himself was to deal with the building stress.

Eventually, a hotel came into view, standing out so jarringly against the monochrome world around him, and it felt like it was almost...pulling him in.

[The entirety of the intro post here]

And with that, along with the terrifying view of the vast expanse of nothingness outside the front door, everyone began to disperse, opting to do some exploring or to have mental breakdowns in the lobby. Kota just stood still, eyes squinted as he tried to process the whole situation. This whole setup was straight out of some comic, bringing together a bunch of strangers and locking them in a building they can't escape with the promise of a 'dream come true' if they complete a bunch of tasks. In all honesty, he found it incredibly tacky. The only thing that worried him was if Yasashi was okay, but he guessed he was frozen in time back before he entered the hotel, and would be for the foreseeable future, so at the very least he would be safe.

Kota let out a sigh of relief, then turned as everyone began to split up, with two women made their way through the archway to his right, and one man began to make his way towards the hallway in front of him. He looked down at the basket he was holding, and decided the best plan of action was to locate the kitchen. Beer was better cold, so he wanted to at least throw the six-packs he had in the fridge. He looked in the direction the women went, hearing them talking, and deciding it best to avoid any unsolicited conversations for the moment, he began to saunter in the direction the other man had went, avoiding looking at him so as not to draw his attention. The sooner he was out of here, the sooner he could go home. That was the dream.
 

























...mood
...anxious

...location
...f1|| library

...company
...n / a

...mentions
...omoida
... MystiicWitch MystiicWitch
...nakano
... Servant Servant
...haruki
... Lemoninny Lemoninny




とても痛い痛がりたい
...
Was this the world’s way of playing some kind of sick joke?

Now, don’t get me wrongーOmoide found it… worrying? Most definitely, but also somewhat funny. Of course the one day he did so much as even step outside from the cave that was his (parents’) home; the one day he didn’t “accidentally” forget to respond to his brothers’ texts because, as it’d turn out, that was the day he was visiting; the one day he derailed from his usual life of total monotony and did something different, something like this had to shove itself into his face and throw him off even more. Naturally, most would argue that being sent to the grocery store is mundane in itself, but all he would tell you in response is that you’re probably expecting too much out of him (and that you “have” to leave him alone).

Ignoring the fact that he was in the middle of what likely constituted as a universal crisis, a feeling of panic began to settle within the male, evident by the bead of sweat that trailed down his temple and his face losing what little color it had left. Yes, he noticed that everything around him ceased all movement, but the problem (for now) was the sheer timing of it all. Why?

Well, when it happened, his predicament was quite… awkward. Right before he could leave the cash register after checking out, the employee, for some absurd reason beyond his knowledge, decided it’d be okay to reach out and shake his hand as some kind of parting. What made it even worse was that it was one of those ugly and uncomfortable handshakes where the person used not one, but both of their hands to encase his ownーand they did not. Let. Go. Did he look like the type of person to enjoy that stuff? Jeez.

Omoide eyed the greyscale figure beaming up at him with apprehension, trying to decide if he wanted to tear his hand away and book it. On one end, the physical contact was more off-putting to him than the idea of “time stopping” (again, for now), but at the same time, what if him pulling away just flat out broke this person’s existence? First they were unfortunate enough to have to deal with this utter piece of trash, but now their fate rested in his hands... Putting such a large responsibility on his shoulders would not end well, world. Just saying.

Slowly, he broke free of the cashier’s stone-like grasp, and made a half-assed attempt to “fix” everything up. At that point, all Omoide could think was Whatever happens, happens, and rushed out of the store, bag of snacks in hand. Maybe it’d be worth mentioning that he neglected getting what his parents initially sent him out for, but that didn’t seem to matter now, did it? Score…?

ー ♚

It didn’t take long for the reality of the situation to come crashing down, especially after wandering around and seeing the normally-overwhelming city reduced to nothing but a quiet memory of its former livelihood. As expected from someone who tends to overthink things, Omoide’s mind veered into the worst scenario possible; a series of what-ifs seeming all the more plausible as time failed to go on.

... Then again, if time is just a concept, then this can’t just be chalked up as time standing still. Right? ...

Squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head, he opted to try not and think about it more than he had to. If he did, all these weird conspiracy theories would start to make more sense, and the last thing he wanted was to somehow link all of this to the justification of how the world really was flat. If that happened, his existential crisis would just intensifyーall that flat-earther propaganda he contributed to online was supposed to be for the sake of irony, dammit…!

A shaky sigh escaped his form as he unconsciously fumbled around with his phone. It was a flip phone, of course, as his family was too broke to be able to afford anything better, but honestly even this was more than what he deserved. He ended up opening it, and right away, his eyes scanned over the last thing he left it on: his message history with none other than Omoida.

red thing

Hey, I just landed.
Are you and dad almost there?
I’m at gate 12


idk i’m at the store

Oh okay
I’ll wait outside I guess


mk

See you in a bit. love you

- - -​

Maybe leaving his brother with only a read receipt wasn’t the best thing for him to do, but how was he supposed to know he’d become the only one around the area left conscious? Ugh, he knew he was a pretty terrible person, but this was just the nail in the coffin. Guess that crossed his phone off the list of things he felt like busying himself with; he hesitantly put it away.

As if on queue, one of the buildings in the far distance lit up, and Omoide’s gaze instinctively trailed over to where it was, tongue clicking in distaste. This entire series of events seemed like the beginning of some story where he was a main character… I mean, come on. He’s seen enough anime to know where this was going; with him, a (below) average guy being transported to another world…

Next thing he’d know, he’d be saving the day with his newfound OP abilities and getting a harem (laughable)ーbut all of that seemed more than what it was worth, and honestly, all Omoide wanted to do was to retreat back to “his” house and become one with the fungus that was probably taking over the underside of the kitchen sink.

Unfortunately, the logical side of him overruled that want of his; he begrudgingly made his way over, seeing as it was probably going to be the only way he’d ever get answers. Besides, as much as he’d hate to admit it to himself, something about this all piqued his curiosity.

ー ♚

Upon noticing the crowd of people already inside, Omoide’s first instinct was to direct his sights to the ground. Joker’s words were heard by him loud and clear, as much as he didn’t want to listen to anyone there. She went on to explain that everyone was there because of some wish they had, and they had the chance to have it come true by participating in a “game”. After that, she promptly disappeared, clearly not wanting to stay around…

And quite frankly, Omoide had the same feeling.

So, while the others began figuring out a plan of action and/or freaking out, the blue-haired male kept to the edge of the room and quietly slipped into what looked to be a living space, muttering incoherent nothings to himself and hugging his bag of snackies closer to his form. Escape? There’s no escape. The only way that makes sense is beating that game of her’s… Well, it’s either that or dying, probably. Maybe later I can go back and see… something, but I don’t expect anything from it… Uh, what else, what else…

He blinked. “I hate this.”

Because he didn’t exactly feel like talking with the hot-headed or judgmental-looking women (who also went that direction), he wandered into a hallway and peeked inside a door to his rightーa library? Initially he broke away from the group for the sake of being alone, but… Maybe there’s something in here with more information. Somehow, I doubt I’ll find anything, but…

Shutting the door behind him and going deeper into the room, he looked around for anything that might’ve stood out. Truth be told, before doing so, he didn’t even bother to take note of who else was roped into this mess, so he missed the presence of a particular person...

ー ♚

ooc i am pretty sure this stopped making sense at about word 100
code by poi!
 
Kidou Omoida

the dreadful day that omoida wasn’t entirely looking forward to was finally here. his body was sore beyond recognition; but that didn’t stop the redhead from packing his belongings nor did it discourage him in finally seeing his family after so long. his steps were rather light as he mustered the energy to quietly make his way to the entrance of this strangers home and spared them one last glance over his shoulder. said person was sprawled on the couch and in a deep sleep; they didn’t move an inch as omoida grabbed onto the money that was left by the table and onto his belongings.

on his way out, he didn’t bother locking the door behind him since it was relatively safe with the amount of police presence in the area. the sour feeling was beginning to settle into his stomach-- the possibility of his family being able to live in this kind of place was slim; he could only imagine how relieved his parents would feel if they didn’t have that kind of worry. but it was silly of him to dream of that… he could only hope that someday, they’d all have the chance to make it here some day.

by the time he realized that the taxi cab driver alerted him of them arriving at the airport, he released a breath he didn’t notice he was holding onto. omoida was only an hour away from home and if he wasn’t nervous earlier, he sure was now.

the process of him checking in, getting his luggage weighed, boarding the plane and being seated was a massive blurr for the redhead. his hands were hesitatingly holding onto his phone as he debated in messaging his brother or even his father; alas, it took him too long to make up his mind as the pilot in the intercom alerted them that they were now taxing away from the gate and preparing to take off. so much for that.




grabbing onto his luggage from the conveyor belt, omoida then made his way to to the waiting area that wasn’t too far from his gate. he figured now would be the best time to message his brother who was more than likely not going to reply to his text message, but it was worth a shot to at least try. scrolling through his contacts, he found the exact one he was looking for and began to go type out his message.
5rho5K2sZy0-SghQTsawVjULY6t06oOnEZUEyOSEaWBDEJljnJQ7M7yBPBxIbg-SOJIrTcIKGizv5kcBofa05oDE9XsEcZ1WW4Qt9gru1-HMprQ0kMnoBfIDRAWvqFwFaiG0F_7t



smiling at his brothers unusual response, omoida realized that he was more than likely a little happy that he finally came down after so long. he knew that he pushed it by fussing out that he loved him, but hey, at least he knows that he’s not at school overworking himself for once.

it was at this very moment that everything around him got eerily quiet; the buzzing sounds of the usual noisy airport was now replaced by his own breathing which made him look up from his phone screen to fully become aware of his surroundings. families and workers appeared to have almost frozen in place, the lights surprisingly were the only thing to appear to be working just fine, and in his daze, he dared to take the first few steps to make sure he wasn’t under whatever this was.

initially, he was under the impression that this was a dream… he must’ve been fast asleep on the plane and was about to land. that had to be it right?

wrong.

he tested the theory by trying to pinch himself awake and that clearly didn’t work as he flinched from the pain. his breathing was now beginning to pick up as he attempted to message omoide once more but was greeted with a ‘message undeliverable’ error on his screen. he clearly had no other choice other than leaving the airport and hoping that his family was waiting outside for him.

and yet again, omoida was astonished. everyone outside was also affected as he found himself weaving through the frozen mass of bodies; apologies escaping his lips every so often in case they were able to hear him. panic was now brewing in the pit of his stomach as he saw no sign of his family anywhere.



bright inviting lights drew the redhead’s attention as he had spent a good while roaming around the airport aimlessly. he felt like checking it out would be a good idea as he had nowhere else to go and maybe he’d find some answers as to what was going on. without hesitation, omoida pushed the door open and noticed that there was a handful of people inside. some turned to look at him briefly before looking back at the person that was standing not so far ahead. it was then that he learned that this person, well more like woman, was the joker and had some hand in causing whatever it was outside.

omoida then chose to ignore everything coming out of her mouth as he had spotted the one person he clearly wasn't expecting to see in the very corner. his early fears of never being able to see his family or his brother again were now in the back of his mind as he made his way around to get to omoide. but of course, the blue haired male decided to slip away and go into some room undetected to the others.

with a huff, omoida followed him into what looks like a library and closed the door quite audibly so his brother would know that he’s there now. ”ide?” both his voice and the name felt foreign in his mouth-- the stunned look on the latter’s face and the arm full of snacks confirmed that this all wasn’t a dream. ”are you okay? where are mom and dad? i tried messaging you a-” omoida cut himself off when his red irises landed on one particular item. a small smile formed on his lips, the sight of it all made him feel better, ”i thought you hated matcha kitkats?”

Location :: library Mood :: confused/relieved Interacting w/ :: poi poi mentions :: @ everyone in the lobby ig



coded by: s e v e n s e v e n

 
”Get back here! You’re under arrest!”

“Go fuck yourself!”

A man with crimson hair in a long sleeve, jeans and boots exploded through the side doors of a warehouse’s second floor, slamming against the railing of a fire escape. With only moments to spare, he clambered up on the railing and leaped to the ledge of the warehouse rooftop above, gripping it precariously and then hauling himself up over the lip with a bit of effort. Seconds later a man in a traditional police uniform burst out of the doorway and into the railing, catching himself just barely instead of tipping over it completely. A second man was already on the rooftop, green punk hair and a few piercings in his ear and nose, more than the two piercings that the crimson haired man had.

“Hurry the hell up, Kon.”

Kon looked at the green haired delinquent in jeans and a Metallica T-shirt, then got to his feet. “And here I thought we were having fun.” The two raced to the other side of the rooftop and then jumped, landing on a second nearby warehouse. Two cops were already on the way over from the first warehouse, running with everything they had, then leaping into the air. Kon and Shu, the guy with the green hair, were already running to the back end of the warehouse, leaping even as the cops regained their balance. The water was not too far of a jump from that height and they both landed in the river with a satisfying splash. As expected, neither cop came down for a swim, and they both resurfaced. “Aww! Come on boys, the water is great!” he called out to the cops just looking down at the two. They did not seem to be making any movements though.

Then he noticed it, everything had been drained of color, or most specifically the colors had been muted. “What the…” Wading in the water, he looked over at Shu who had just been floating there, but now was perfectly still in the water, and yet still floating. The two cops did not move an inch either, still peering down at them from atop the warehouse. “Shu, you good?” No response. He looked up at the two officers. “Yuan! Shiro! You two okay?!” Also, nothing from them either. Just what was going on? The sting was to be perfect. Lead Shu to the warehouse, escape the cops by jumping in the river, get picked up by a river patrol and get answers from Shu while not blowing his cover. Now this. Was this a stress induced breakdown finally? They had said it was possible when deep undercover for too long. Either way, he seemed to be able to move, so he made his way out of the river.

Thirty whole minutes of wandering, of people standing still, of a complete and utter lack of movement until he saw someone go into a hotel down the road. He had seen someone go into the hotel. “Here I thought I was the only motion in this stop motion film.” Quickly he jogged over to this hotel, the only thing with some color in the world, besides the person he saw step inside. He was sure it was a woman, but it could have been a man with long hair. Inside there were others, quite a few people, all gathered round as some woman hushed them in order to speak. No…not hushed them, she broke the silence which had been deafening. She told them of a game, told them not to wander, and how winning would grant them their heart’s desire. What a crock of s—she vanished? Kon looked around searching for anything that would logically explain how she managed to pull that off, but nothing was coming up. She really had vanished. “She could make a killing in Vegas with that act.”

Some of the guests were in favor of exploring their surroundings, others were peering tin to the endless void that rested just outside the hotel, and some were—wait, endless void?! He could barely believe his eyes as he looked out the door from his position on the left wall, staring out into pitch black nothing. Peeling his eyes away with quite a bit of effort, he decided he did not want to stay near the door to the abyss longer than he had to, instead making his own way to explore as well. He did register some guy trying to take charge, but it did not seem many really gave a damn, which was fair considering the circumstances. With a shrug, he began to make his way toward the left archway, since it was as good a place to start as any.


Mention: Nano Nano
 
Genkei Li Aoki
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hullabaloo
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mood: Curious | Location: Kitcken| Mentions: [Kota] Refaulted Refaulted
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Breathe whistled through his teeth as he finally felted composed enough not to collapse on the floor and cry. Well. At least composed enough to not eat floor. A gentle brush of his hand across his face wiped any beginning tear trails away. Okay. What did his mom and the long list of horror movies he's watched say to do in this scenario? Of course not specifically, but anyways. Let's compile what Genkei knows currently:

1. The place that they are currently in is separated from other people. That makes finding assistance from the outside impossible and finding an exit out even more so.
2. Whoever this Joker is; a God, a super billionaire with a sadistic side, whatever. She held the cards in this situation. She also claimed to know their deepest desires. Whether that was true or not, Joker must have some knowledge about them. Information she could use against them in these so-called game of hers.
3. Backgrounds didn't matter here. Only two people seemed to know one another. And if this game was requiring them to work together, morals would have to take a sidestep.
4. If everyone didn't learn how to suck it up and work together, there would be consequences. And if it was Joker dishing them out, it could go Danganronpa real quick.
Shaking the image of a pint-size teddy of Joker out of mind, Genkei decided his best course of action would be to check the kitchen. If he could rest assured that Joker wasn't going to try and pit them against each other, then the question would be if she was going to play the long game. She may have not mentioned one, but if they had limited supplies, they'd be on a time limit. With a group this size and even if something happened to one of them, a dark thought for sure, If they ran out of food before they won... It could turn very messy.

Messy the kitchen was not. It was a Gordan Ramsey's personally playground. There were machines that Key had no clue what they were. Two stoves plus ovens, each with a microwave above it. A large freezer right beside the refrigerator. Sleek, minimal design for cupboards and counters. Genkei opened a cupboard, closed it, and opened it again to see all the seasonings. At least they had options. As long as it wasn't him cooking. He could never figure out how to season anything to taste edible other than through straight salt and pepper. Baking was more of his style. The fresh basil, mint, and parsley growing in the corner of the counters was a cute touch. The last straw was when he opened the pantry.

"An American frat party hyped on drugs and alcohol for a week couldn't make even a dent in this. And I haven't seen the cooler nor the freezer!”

Then It clicked in that he wasn't the only one in the kitchen. His pale skin flushed from the neck up as he hoped the guy who made his way to put his beers in the fridge wouldn't comment on his sudden burst. He apologized in a soft tone, crossing his arms as he found an empty corner of the kitchen preferable to just standing awkwardly in the middle.
 
OIP.QMzOc_bFv0QJzV2YEvkGOQHaHZ

Kei Maeda
Location:
Lobby Mentioned: Nobody at the moment

Kei moved his chopsticks back and forth, playing with his noodles as if it were some sort of toy. "Kei, your mother made food for you. You don't want to leave for America on an empty stomach." Kei's eyes slowly settled onto his father who seemed to be eating enough noodles for two people. "I'm saving my appetite for the peanuts on the airplane, I heard they are good." Kei said telling a blatant lie. He was allergic to peanuts. "No wonder why you're so skinny, you barely eat anything." Kei's mother said, causing Kei to sigh. He filled himself with plenty of junk throughout the day, the concept of a meal has begun to become more foreign to him as his studying time slowly started to take more time of his day.

Kei collected a few strands of noodles with his chopsticks, slurping it up. The noodles were too bland for his liking but food was food and he really couldn't complain. He was so focused on his food, he almost forgot the presence of his parents. His eyes looked up from the bowl and onto his parents, his chop sticks falling from his hands as he saw the state that his parents were in. "Mom....Dad..." They seemed to be frozen in place like they were stuck in ice. He snapped his fingers in front of his dad's face, giving him a light poke in the face. Is everybody else like this? What sort of event could cause this unearthly phenomenon to occur? All this information was too hard to process. He had a plethora of questions that he wanted answers to but nobody was there to provide it to him.

The world seemed duller around him as he looked around his house to see if everything was acting the same. Feel like I'm walking on the set of the Schindler's List. Everything seems so lifeless. Kei stopped in front of a clock, both its hands stopped. How does time just stop like this or is time moving so slow that it appears that it has stopped? Einstein did say time was relative. Kei had so many thoughts flowing through his mind that he was beginning to get an headache. He stepped out the front door and the same scene continued outside. All things seemed to be frozen in place as if Mr. Freeze had payed them a visit.

What do I do now? If everybody is frozen like this, my trip to America won't be happening. Kei felt small sense of relief since the trip had been causing him an unnecessary amount of anxiety. He glanced down both streets, wondering if he should attempt to find anybody or see if he's the only person left unfrozen. His thumb found his way into his mouth as he began lightly gnawing on it. I can't be the only one unfrozen. I am not the only one who was spared from this event. He decided to begin walking down the street, his gaze scanning for any movement. The thought of being the only freely walking person was scary to Kei. He was used to being alone but to be the only person to not be stuck like glue was a different kind of loneliness, one that he feared.

Kei walked for twenty minutes with no results, every object and person looking the exact same. That was until a bunch of colors jumped out at him like he was wearing 3D glasses. It was the only place that had any bright color, almost blindingly bright.
I've never heard of Mono palace... it seems almost out of place. The building appeared to be a hotel of some sorts, one that he was unfamiliar with. He felt like a moth trying to reach a lantern as he walked to the hotel, feeling dragged in. He took a deep breath as he reached the door, slowly swinging it forward to reveal the lobby and luckily, it seemed that he was not alone.

All the faces that appeared around him were entirely foreign. They were all complete strangers and Kei didn't feel a strong urge to talk to them. He sat down quietly, gnawing on his thumb as he was slowly processing the situation before him. From that moment, he knew today was going to be one hell of a day, a never-ending one. A woman in a sleek suit caught Kei's eye, being dressed rather different from all those present. The aura she gave off was one that sent a chill down Kei's spine. He didn't know what she was going to say but he knew it was something that he should pay attention to given the situation.


[Insert whatever the "Joker" says, she's not funny]

Collect playing cards? Is this a joke? Are we really participating in this game? Kei thoughts were everywhere again after she dropped a few bombs on them. Did he have any choice to begin with? Given the situation, it's best to play along for now, even if they have no clue what their current goal is. Kei's eyes remained staring into the distance as if he were watching something spectacular. He was in his own space now and the only thing keeping him attached to reality was the gnawing he did on his thumb. He heard voices around him, some panicking, others trying to take control of the situation. The thing they needed to realize was that they have no control over the situation, everything was determined by that Joker character. She was acting as their god right now and she certainly wasn't a benevolent one. "We're all just chess pieces waiting to be played." Kei said, talking to himself. He felt the presence of others around him but paid them no heed. They didn't have any answers to his questions that he wanted answered.​
 
Asano Nagase
Asano tended the garden that once belonged to the Lady of the Estate. After her passing, the garden had fallen into a state of disarray, but fortunately, Asano knew a thing or two from his previous employers about botany and how to restore this lovely garden to its former glory. Asano pruned the rose bushes, encouraging healthy growth, and flowering, as well as trimming back the foliage, shaping it to be more attractive and complimentary towards the estate. As the Young Master sat close by, in the conservatory attending to his violin lessons. Asano continued to work tirelessly, tending to the needs of the garden’s restoration. All the while listening to the “Fauré: Berceuse” being played, listening as the Young Master filled the air with warm and smooth light tones. Asano swayed ever so slightly with the rhythm of the music, maneuvering through the garden almost in tangent as he pruned away anything that he deemed unsightly. Sadly, this pleasant atmosphere that encompassed the two was quickly shattered.

The bright vibrant colors that once filled the roses with life slowly began to bleed away leaving lifeless gray color in its wake. Asano hadn’t noticed the change, until the sea of monochrome spilled forth from the roses, consuming the rest of the garden. The sudden change in appearance caused him to shutter back, dropping the sheers in his hand to the ground. He watched in a state of shock and bewilderment as this lifeless monochrome color swept across the garden consuming everything in its hue. Trying to catch his bearings on the situation unfolding before his eyes, the once beautiful sounds of “Fauré: Berceuse”, began to turn twisted and worn, loosing its beautiful form and becoming a slow twisted version of itself as the notes become slowed down, piercing screeches that caused pain to the listener. As the mind-numbing music burrowed deeper within the mind of Asano, the monochrome colors spread further leaving his sight. Once out of visual range the music seized to exist, leaving him alone in an eerily quite place.

Asano wasted no time to recover his own fortitude as he quickened his resolve and turned towards the Young Master. To his surprise he found him still in the same position as he last saw him, holding the violin ever so carefully between his hand, as his arm was pulled a bit to the side strumming the bow against the strings. However, the situation was not as it would seem. The young master, no. The world around them seemed to be frozen in time, as if that single moment was locked down. Asano glanced about his surrounding, unsure what to make of things. After a few minutes of self-deliberation of the situation, he found it prudent to head out from the estate to seek help.

He thought it best to leave the estate on foot, hoping to find some form of normality as he transverse through the streets. However, his attention was quickly drawn to the black vehicle parked across the street. Two men resided within the vehicle with camera’s drawn towards the estate. There was no doubt in his mind they were the same men hired by the Young Master chairmen to spy on him. Taking this as an opportune moment, Asano casually strolled across the street to examine what the men were doing. Like the Young Master they two were frozen in time. He carefully examined the two and the content of their car, observing them as one would when visiting a zoo. Once he was satisfied with what he saw, he took a moment to deliver a swift jab to the face of the driver.

“Hopefully when this situation has been figured out. This keepsake, I’ve delivered on my master behalf would remind you to keep your nose out of his affairs.”

As he was departing the location his attention was pulled across the street to a strange building, one that did not belong in this location. His eyes rolled over the building examining its frame and noticing the name “Mono Palace”. This place looked alive compared to the rest of the world around him. He mulled over what was transpiring around him, “I’ve seen my fair share of horror movies to know that is not the place I want to head into.”

Adjusting his blazer, he scuffed at the idea of heading into that place and proceeded on his way into the city. It was about twenty minutes into his travel that he decided to gaze behind him, to his surprise, he had gained no distance from mysterious building. His brow raised curiously at the building as he glanced back to his front. “This is quite the conundrum. I suppose I have no choice, do I?” With a bit of reluctantness he turned around and proceeded to head into the “Mono Palace”

Heading inside he found himself greeted by lively faces, people who seemed unaffected by the events transpiring outside, like himself. Not wanting to engage with the suspected inhabitants of this place just yet, he pushed further inside the hotel, finding a location a bit away from the crowded group of people to assess the situation. As he rolled about his thoughts pondering on what was happening, a woman appeared before the group, breaking the silence between them all. She spoke of a game they were here to play, a prize that awaited the victor, and warned them from wandering too deep within the hotel. Asano absorbed the information she spoke trying to sort the information out. This seemed all to surreal and was even pointed out to be even more so as the woman vanished before their eyes.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

The others were already beginning to converse amongst themselves, debating if they should proceed forward into the facility. This idea did cross his mind as well, but his nerves still had not settled. Disregarding the other ideas, he proceeded to march down the hallway towards the direction he believed the kitchen was located. It didn’t take him too long to find the location as someone was apparently having a mental breakdown. Asano couldn’t blame the guy; this whole situation was bizarre even for a jojo standard. Asano glanced at both the men in the kitchen given them both a subtle nod as he moved towards the pantry.

“Greeting Gentlemen, I imagine your day is going as well as everyone else.” Pushing forward he began rummaging around looking for a kettle and some bag of tea. “Can I recommend some tea? It will help settle the nerves of the party.” It took him mere seconds to find his desired items, as if the place was prepared for their arrival, adoring them with all the amenities they needed.

His attention than shifted over towards the young man who was clearly more stressed than the others, “Would you prefer some Chamomile? Or maybe Mint? We seem to be very well stocked despite our current predicament and have a variety of teas to select from. ”


Inteaction:
Toivoajarakkaus Toivoajarakkaus
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Tags: Slav Slav / Anyone in Lobby | Location: Lobby

"Can I have this one too?"
Yui asked as she pointed to a pastry behind some glass. The staff behind the counter nodded and began to retrieve the sweet from the tray and put it into a medium box with a few others that she had picked out previously. After being asked if she would like a few more, she nodded eagerly "Of course! I want to make sure that box is filled!" she said happily with a smile as she picked out a tart, a cake, and some kind of doughy-lookin-thing with powdered sugar on it. Pulling out her small wallet, she paid for the pastries while the box got wrapped up with string to prevent it from opening, making it easy for carrying "Thank you so much!" after being handed the box, she walked over toward the exit, excited to eat what she had gotten from her favorite bakery These wont even last a day in my house! But that's okay, they're all mine anyway. as she giggled, she stepped out, the bell on the door ringing. Though at the same time she had heard it, time seemed to...slow down? Pausing her movement, she noticed that everyone and everything around her wasn't slowed, but rather frozen.

The smile on her face slowly vanished as her eyebrows began to furrow in confusion. What was going on? Walking up to a person, she waved her hand in front of them, but getting no response "Time's frozen...Obviously..." she muttered to herself, looking around some more as if expecting something to change. "Hello!?" she shouted, hoping to find someone else who wasn't frozen like herself, though never got a response. Her legs continued to move her forward, but the further she walked, the more it felt like she was going deeper into this problem "Why am I the only one who's not frozen?" her thoughts became verbal as her pace began to increase "Am I immune to the reaction?" at this point, the pinkish-haired female was running, continuing to ask herself questions in hopes she could answer them. Alas, she could not. They were questions that got lost within the void she stood in.

It didn't take her long to stumble upon a building that had vibrant colors, one that could catch anyone's attention from a mile away. The sign read "Mono Palace". Mono Palace? whipping her head around at her surroundings, she was wondering where this place was located. Never in her life had she seen this building, if she had, there was no way she could forget the pretty colorful lights. With a sigh, she decided to go inside. Why? It didn't look frozen like everything else did. So upon stepping inside, she spotted others standing about, but moving. They're all moving too! So I wasn't the only one! excitement and happiness swelled within her before a few more people entered the room before the doors slammed shut. Causing the female to jump slightly and look at those doors for a brief moment before a voice had spoke up.

~~~~

Our Host for this place is Joker... Apparently everyone here has something they want, which was why we were brought here. the only thing she knew that she wanted desperately, was her little brother back. Something perfectly reasonable to want, right? But we're forced into playing some kind of game? The prize being whatever wish someone wanted. Though in order to do that as well, we have to collect cards in an average playing deck by...Doing Missions? her mind was still processing, trying to comprehend everything that was not only dumped on her, but all the others within the room too. It seemed others were already beginning to split up and go different directions while she remained standing in the lobby with her box of pastries still in her hand. Right about now, she could inhale those sweets, but she refrained. Knowing if she ate them now, she would only want more and the chances of her leaving were about 0%....Yui found this out after trying to open the doors just moments ago.

"We're all just chess pieces waiting to be played." her eyes shifted over and then down to a male who was sitting on the floor with his thumb between his teeth "Then maybe we should take charge of the game." she responded as she drew in a deep breath and put her hand on her hip "I don't know about you guys, but I'm sure these missions and stuff aren't all bad! All we have to do is find some cards and get our wish or whatever!" with a shrug, she offered a smile and asked a completely out of the blue question "Anyone want a pastry?" might as well get on the right foot with everyone before enemies began to form between people.​
 
Seika, Nakano.

Finally, some well deserved peace and quiet. While originally the presence of the other participants was able to spring Nakano back from a potential mental breakdown it was only a matter of time before the panic some of them showcased would’ve gotten to her. So, what now? Idly standing by would surely do nothing but worsen the situation, but what was there to find? Unless they found themselves trapped in a 90’s point and click game then there was no way clues would just be scattered around and about. Though it seems that there was someone else with a similar train of thought:
"What do you intend to look for? We don't even know where we are, and it's not too likely that someone like that Joker woman would have left anything for us to find unless it has to do with her personal plans for us. However easy it might be to panic and desperately grab for clues, I doubt that having a fit will help any of us get out. Of course, we can look and see if there is anything that would provide us some sort of context, but, as I mentioned, I doubt anything of the sort would have been left within our reach."

__fujiwara_no_mokou_touhou_drawn_by_space_jin__64a056776ed8538fb423683395336fc2.jpg“Why are you asking me, weren’t you the one who said we should explore?” Nakano’s tone overflowed with irritated sarcasm, did she look like Sherlock Holmes? Despite how apparently hopeless the situation seemed, looking around seemed like a much better alternative compared to just sitting on the floor and crying for one's mom to come pick them up. Nakano stared at the confrontational girl that stood before her, the superficial read she got off of her was immediately off-putting. Office worker with a superiority complex, that’s who Nakano assumed she was dealing with. “Hell if I know though, but looking for ANYTHING sure beats sitting around with a thumb up your ass, waiting for things to solve themselves.” She let out an exasperated sigh, her years as a tour guide sure didn’t help her when it came to dealing with people like modern day princess over here. “I have a hunch though, if you think your heels won’t drag you down then follow me.” With those final words Nakano headed straight for her next destination: The garden.

Stepping over to the adjacent room, what first surprised Nakano was the quality of the soil. It didn’t take an expert to realize that not only was it as natural as it got, but also the fact that it seemed more than capable of handling the growth of a variety of fruits and vegetables. But how? Soil like this doesn’t just pop up out of nowhere, it requires proper light and rain. So that must mean...Looking up Nakano was left in a perplexed state at the sight of the open sky expanding before her. Somehow it ended up feeling much more bizarre than the previously witnessed void. Still, after Joker’s spiel about the game this simply seemed too good to be true. And so it was time to test it out, launching some of her loose change as a projectile Nakano witnessed the coins simply smacked away from what appeared to be an invisible roof.
“Yeah, it just wouldn’t be that simple.”

Interactions: Haruki.

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Mood
Hungry

Outfit
Fabric Prison

Location
Kitchen

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"Be the flame, not the moth."


⇡ click on header for a surprise (◕‿◕✿)!​

The muffled-humming of her phone vibrated beneath layers of fabric, stirring the sleep-deprived female awake. Her hand groped around the bed for several minutes before she found the device deep under her pillows that surrounded her. Like the sun, one eye peaked open only to narrow at the lucent light straining her vision to see who was calling 'Zen', it read. A person whom she was band mates with alongside being one of her long-time friends. Hitting the big green button, she pressed the mobile to her right ear.

“Yasu?” The deep-voice reverberated through the speaker, “Yasu.” In a more firm tone.

Barely half-awake, she answered in a low-whisper, “What?

“Where the hell are you?” Zen’s voice more urgent.

At home.

A flurry of curses came through on the other end, more in his native dialect before explaining in a more scolding tone, “Did you forget about the concert?!” He practically was there, screaming in her ear.

As if her grandfather came to life to slap her awake, Yasu shot up out of bed, “...Maybe.” Her voice had grown small.

“For the love of sweet glazed donuts, it’s starting now.” Zen informed her.

That ebbing feeling of dread crawled up her spine, “I think I’ll be able to make it in time. It’s an hour away from—

For the first time, Yasu could feel the cold shoulder. He hung up. She pulled her phone back to see the call had cut off. She could feel her ears grow hot, her heart drop into the pit of her stomach, and finally the dread. With a yell, she chucked the phone across the room to hear it smash into the wall and hit the ground with a thud. Yasu fell back onto her bed. Like everyone else, Zenkichi decided he was fed up with coddling her. Yuu was his best friend, too, but dwelling on his death wasn’t going to make anything better.

It stung. The silent tears were back again and so was the heavy heart. Yasu might as well quit the band. She was nothing but a burden to everyone.

Don’t give up.’ Yuu’s words rung in her ears, the ghost of a hand caressing her cheek as she fell back into another deep slumber.



— initial time skip brought to be the love of glazed donuts —​



Yasu woke up again in a disoriented state. She couldn’t recall where she was for a moment. Before the eternal vibration that is her phone answered it for her, this time she found it easily and could see, ‘She-Devil’ before picking it up.

“Yaaasu-chaaan.” Annoying nasally voice belonged to a whining, crying Erina, it seemed.

Erina-san.” She greeted back, “Why are you calling?” She inquired first.

Usually, Erina only called to complain about errors she found in the filming of their concerts when dancing - which Yasu normally didn’t take part in. The ‘she-devil’ went into her usual venting, Yasu pretended to listen, then resorted to hanging up on her entirely. It was no secret within the company that Yasu didn’t like Erina, she was like an unpleasant taste you couldn’t get out of your mouth. Despite the supposed she-devil going through lengths to become friends with Yasu. Yasu was having none of it. She could keep up the charade in public, but behind closed doors was another story.

If it weren’t for the angry, loud beast that is her stomach, Yasu likely would’ve slept another day away. Irritated to say the least, she finally climbed out of bed in yesterday’s clothes. Grumbling under her breath, Yasu pulled her hood up over the black-crow’s nest, sitting on her head to shove her feet into her slippers and down the flight of stairs to the first floor. Her flat wasn’t much, but it was home after the initial move only a month ago. Boxes still littered the mostly empty living and dining areas, awaiting their owner to be unpacked and to be put on display. Flicking on the light, she set about rustling through the fridge only to find spoiled rice milk and about dozen water bottles with condiments settled on the left side of the fridge.

Shopping day it is.’ She shut the door to return to her bedroom. Putting minimal effort to fix up her bedhead into a ponytail and slapping on a face mask to hide away her bare-face. Yasu was self-loathing. She packed on make-up just to hide the flaws, but when she’s in one of these depression episodes, she couldn’t give less of a shit about what she looked like. After the poor attempt to fix up her already chosen outfit she slept in, Yasu brought herself over to the foyer and put on some white foot prisons called shoes.

About thirty minutes later, she found herself in the supermarket pushing a cart as she observed the food. Most foods had gluten. She always went directly for individual ingredients she could use for a proper meal at home. Despite her current month-long depression, Yasu wasn’t so careless to accidentally off herself by gluten. ‘What a title. Bet someone died funnier.’ She picked up two packs of rice she was debating on, continuing with the list of ingredients to make another soup. It took her an hour to notice that everything turned dead silent, Yasu pulled back from looking at the listed ingredients on her phone to see everything washed in black and white – pulled into a 1930s silent film. Even the grandmother and the child next to her were still as stumps. A confused Yasu blinked several times to make sure she wasn’t in a dream.

Eventually, it turned into a real horror story to her; she was all alone. Yasu yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping- no praying that someone heard her. Silence. An icy feeling shot down her spine as she ran through the aisles, shaking any of the customers about, even waving her hand in their faces. Her vision blurred, she couldn’t explain this feeling of sudden panic rising into the pit of her stomach, she felt the cold entirely envelope her. Running from the store, Yasu was outside seeing everything the same. All that whining and yelling to be left alone and her prayers finally answered by whatever divine entities existed out there.

Yasu was alone. The thought made her pause in step. It was fruitless to continue screaming and shaking the still-people around her. In her peripheral, she could see someone running away. The numb ran in exchange for hope as she followed the blur that was threatening to disappear forever. Sweat beads formed on her temple, forcing her near-weak body to continue running, her lungs burning until her legs turned to lead. She was in front of what looked like the only place with colour on it.

!

The renewed hope alight in her eyes as she went through the doors, catching her breath still with her heart hammering in her chest. Relief washed over her to find other faces gathered in what appeared to be a lobby of a hotel. Yasu didn’t get a clear look at the hotel. However, with her worry gone soon questions cropped up. Why was she here? Why was the world in the sudden silent film era? Who were these people? A woman or rather someone who appeared to know these answers appeared, her tone blunt and clipped. Like this afternoon? Morning? Yasu was left disoriented by the Joker's sudden appearance and disappearance.

Whilst others appeared to know what to do, she was the opposite. Yasu made herself comfortable on the floor to finally catch her breath and calm her heart. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one with another individual not that far from her, having what appeared to be a mental breakdown. By the glorious world of bread, Yasu wouldn’t let herself succumb to that level, not yet at least. After taking a few more moments to calm herself, the lobby somewhat emptied and she was hungry—the beast beneath her flesh suit reminded her. She got up off her ass to head in the nearest archway, the left-side of the room.

Yasu quickly found the stairs, lifts to be on the right-hand side of the hall and rooms, presumably everyone’s, on the left-side. To find the kitchen rather quick, she pondered if it was Yuu’s doing for a split-second before finding it with others already in it. Rather than sulk on an empty stomach, Yasu entered with a soft nod in the general direction of the others who bothered to look her way. She went through the cupboards to find it filled with many options, ‘Least we won’t starve.’ Suddenly thankful for the mask, Yasu pulled up the sleeves of her hoodie to pull out the rice she saw in one of the cupboards to cleaning it and prepare it for the rice cooker. She was extremely familiar with the rice cooker, ashamed she went near a month of eating various rice recipes that were easy to prepare for a snack or dinner. Whether the others minded, Yasu was hungry enough to eat a horse at this point in time.




Yasu Sasaki


code: s e v e n s e v e n
 
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Chad Mcchadster
In comes Chad Mcchadster on his skateboard, drinking Monster as he does kickflips, "Need some help dudes? My chad sense was going off as I was riding past, this Joker lady can't stop me!" And like that, everything was unfrozen with one sip of Chad's Monster. "I also found all these playing cards, I dunno if you guys need this or not." Chad flicked this cards into the air as if he was raining money in a gentlemen's club. "I also brought an extra case of Monsters in case you all wanted to party or something. This is my first time in Japan and to be honest, the lack of Monster Energy™ is actually frightening." He finished his Monster, smashing it against his head. "Anyways, I have more people to help. Just remember guys, Epstein didn't kill himself." And just like that, Chad flew away on his skateboard as if he was Santa Claus.

The End​
 

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