[On Thursday as this group approaches the locked cabin just behind the sports court, they will get the sense that there's something alluring about this place. Though the wooden door is firmly in place and a lock holds it shut, it seems as though they may be able to try and break it open?
But oh: don't mind the the muffled noises from beyond the door. Nothing to worry about.
[ well these were both completely logical actions so good job ladies! yin yu lets them both try those things, and checks for any other perimeter entrances just in case. ]
I don't suppose the camp directors would know anything about this? [ this music is bizarro. ]
Oh! I know just who to ask! [brb nyooming to ask a director, feel free to try other things back and forth for a bit and then ping me on discord when you want her to come back! this is my ic excuse for if i get busy at work] I shall be quick, I assure you!
[ he will in fact do that as requested! yin yu's got his trusty shovel and a couple other things, so he'll try to wedge it open first, and test the top and bottom cracks of the door while they wait for flayn's return.
naturally it's not working. it would be nice to have something to pick the lock with....even so, he will keep trying various different techniques to pop the lock because he's going to at least be thorough about it!!! ]
[Well, after all of that is said and done and all other methods are exhausted for the group, it's only when Flayn makes a wish that they'll hear a rustle from a nearby tree. Upon investigation, they'll find what appears to be...a screwdriver? But hm. It seems to be missing its handle so it's just the metal bar portion.
At least if they investigate the door handle they'll find that the screwdriver head fits the screws.
Too bad they'll have to undo the handle by hand and pull it apart to get the door opened.]
[ well, that's convenient!! nice job on the wishing, flayn!
anyway, he continues to be a retainer despite being told not to be a retainer. ]
Of course, Lady Lili. [ once he gets the sorta busted screwdriver, he takes his glove off to wrap it around the handle of the screwdriver, and starts using it to unscrew each one of the screws, very methodically. he'll put each screw in his pack while he's at it, too.... they should probably (?) put this handle back when they're done, so.... ]
[Thank the gods for Yin Yu because eventually after he's busy unscrewing every single screw the door sort of just. Falls over. Timbeeeer hope you all moved out of the way? Learn from Dimitri, y'all. With that said, the lights of the cabin seem to flicker on one by one, bright colors meeting their eyes as a room appears before them. There are two halls leading to the left and to the right, a receptionist's desk in the middle at the back of the waiting room. A TV hanging up in the corner seems to be the source of the sound they heard outside, and the receptionist's desk is empty though the computer is on. Fake plants dote the room along with a multitude of toys and children's books, and while there are the sounds of children crying from somewhere down one of the halls, they won't have to go very far.
Instead, as they step inside, they'll find a child sitting on the floor. A little boy with auburn hair and a part on the left side, he seems to be staring down the hall with his knees pulled up to his chest. The TV is of no interest to him, and neither are the newcomers? Hm.
[ . . . a baby? lili startles a little bit when she notices the boy and then sort of just marches in without fear. she glances back to flayn and yin yu - ]
Go see why the children are crying.
[that sounds important, even though there's a child right in front of them. she'll move to squat down in front of the little boy]
[ lili... exchanging a look with flayn, yin yu will take the lead in that direction, taking a careful peek around the corner first before going to investigate said crying children as asked in the front....]
[As Flayn and Yin Yu head in the direction of the crying children, they'll find that it seems to veer off down the left hallway. As they go, the lights begin to flicker on for them to reveal colorful walls and several examination rooms flanking either side of the hall. However, as they go, they will find themselves losing track of Lili, and slowly they will forget they accompanied her into this cabin. The entrance to the hall that they've just passed through dims, and when they look back they'll see an empty waiting room. They're only here for a check-up, aren't they? They need to go and comfort the crying children, though they have a choice to make: a pink door, or a blue door.
Lili, meanwhile, crouches in front of the child in the waiting room as he peers up at her petulantly, amber eyes blinking in surprise. Weirdly, though, his eyes seem to be filled with more knowledge and scrutiny than a young boy should have as if they belong to someone with an older soul.]
I'm waiting... [He tilts his head, and despite the introductions he doesn't seem surprised or afraid. Actually, worse, he smiles at her almost playfully like he's happy to see her.] But you came to play with us, right~?
[...there is only one person in this waiting room so who the fuck is us.]
[ . . . hm, she doesn't like that. lili blinks for a few moments and glances in the direction that yin yu and flayn went, before turning back to the child and tilting her head. he seems familiar, doesn't he? how strange. she knows that it's probably a trick of this place and yet she's - ]
I'm looking for answers - but we can play afterward. Can you help me? I'd like to catch up with the people I came with.
there's something odd about this beyond anything, but whatever illusion on this place makes it easier to believe otherwise. for the moment, it's just him and flayn in this strange hallway...she got hurt, so, maybe it's time to get that checked on? even so, with the noises, this doctor feels very...
mm. looking between the two doors, yin yu looks to flayn for confirmation, before ultimately, they choose the pink door, the soft sound of crying on the other side hard to completely ignore. even instinctually, he puts himself in front, the one to open it, if it's open. ]
[a checkup makes perfect sense, with everything that's happened so far. (it's about time for her to remove, wash, and re-wrap her bandages, anyway. ideally she'd change them, but... well, maybe that's what they're here for?)
she nods once to yin yu, drawing herself close to his side as he opens the door. she reaches for the arm he isn't using to open it, though, poised to yank him out of the way if something happens.
[Kaoru looks just past her and should Lili look over her shoulder she'll also find an empty hallway and no sign of Flayn or Yin Yu. Instead, she's left with a pouting elementary school child who continues to stare down the hallway.]
When Hikaru comes back, we'll play a game together. [He seems decided on that, but he shakes his head with regards to Lili's other question.] What's so great about them anyway?
[As Yin Yu and Flayn head through the pink door, they'll find themselves stepping out onto soft, warm sand. The sky above is a bright blue, and the scent and sound of the ocean seems to wrap them in a nice embrace. As they both enter this room, they will find their memory of the cabin itself fading away, memories of the camp and the bus going with them. The sand crunches beneath their feet as they walk, and there's a bit of a nervous energy in the air. It has been a few days since they've washed up on the shore of this island with several other strangers. No one has come to rescue them, and in order to leave 12 of their own must die. It's worrying, isn't it?
But don't fret too much. A tent sits further down on the beach near the mouth of the river, a red cross painted on it and tables with a few items out front. Come now, you need your checkup! This tropical weather may be wreaking havoc on your immune system, not to mention the dangers of dehydration. The wound in Flayn's side begins to throb again, as if it's still new, and Yin Yu will find himself feeling a bit lightheaded. Perhaps the doctor can help you. They may enter the tent if they'd like, or perhaps they wish to explore the island a bit more?]
the name manages to get her to still, and she recognizes her partner now. she thinks back at what they talked about, what they used to go through together and - she doesn't know if he'd remember it now but...]
... because someone told me they thought they knew why I was chosen to go to places like this. And it's because I have to help as many people as I can.
[but she'll move to stand then, offering a hand out to the young boy.]
So let's go help some people and then we'll go find Hikaru.
[ twelve people, sentenced to die by a god yin yu has never heard of. surrounded by people he's never seen before, there's a tenseness to his shoulders that he hasn't displayed nearly as often around flayn in weeks; every nerve in his body is on high alert, and the sudden sensation of being lightheaded doesn't help.
his feet are sure in the sand anyway, ignoring it the best that he can. mortal illnesses are the sort of thing hua chengzhu can take care of as soon as he solves whatever this place is and makes it back. he looks back to the girl behind him for a long moment, and then forward, at the tent, his eyes flicking briefly to her side. there's something nagging at the back of his head that...
....it's not relevant, probably. focus. chengzhu will have a mission for him to complete.
isn't this place supposed to be abandoned? his attention draws to the items on the table, too wary even with the lightheadedness and confusion to immediately enter the tent right away. ]
She's had worse - but it hurts, and the worst part is she really can't remember how she was injured in the first place. That's what bothers her more than anything else. Whatever this is, however they managed to wash up on this island, she's always at least been able to remember.
But she can't remember boarding the ship that she must have been on, to have washed up ashore with the people and the wreckage. And she can't remember how she hurt her side.
...the doctor might be able to help. But she's a little hesitant, too, because this isn't the infirmary at the monastery. The doctor probably won't be Professor Manuela.
Still...
Her side throbs again, and she gives the items on the table a brief glance before heading straight into the tent.]
[There's a moment's time as Kaoru looks at Lili's hand, eventually taking it and beginning to tug to lead her down the hallway to the right. Lili will find that her hands and her limbs begin to grow colder, a tingling sensation in the tips of her fingers as something familiar comes upon her again. Water begins to puddle at her feet and before she knows it she'll find Kaoru leading her out toward the ocean, but of ice clinging to her hands.]
How can you help anyone? [It's an innocent question but flat and harsh.] You have to help yourself, first.
[On the island, Yin Yu and Flayn enter the tent and find a cot set up and a young girl with dark hair seated off to the side. She doesn't appear to be very old, perhaps about 12, but since my wi-fi no longer works they will recognize her as "Neena".]
The doctor will see you now. [She declares proudly, looking at Flayn with a short little tsk.] What seems to be the trouble?
[well isn't that a terrible thing - lili startles then when she's being led to the hallway to the right, and recognizes this feeling. a sense of dread sits in her stomach, hand stiffening in kaoru's - but she tries to keep herself calm. she breathes in, and out.]
I'm - going to. I'm not going to give up this time either.
Where are we going?
[lingering in the same room won't help, right? so she has to keep going. a bit further, a bit further.]
it doesn't sit right with yin yu to let anyone just walk into dangerous situations, even if he still doesn't know them that well.... it's not going to save his own skin, either, but this island is going to be nothing but dangerous, and with the idea of murder already floating over everyone's heads, he's not going to chance it.
so. once he's checked through the outside, he follows behind flayn fairly quickly, lifting the flap of the tent and locking eyes with the girl sitting on the cot. ...she's kind of familiar, somehow... but at that age and claiming to be a doctor, maybe she's a ghost: restless spirits act like this.
his voice is quiet, just enough for flayn to hear in a normal situation. ] ...be careful.
[the girl looks a bit young to be a doctor, but who is flayn to judge someone's appearance? she could be much older than she looks. she nods to herself, thinking that Neena must be very talented to have been able to set up a tent like this on a deserted island (she doesn't seem to realize that she should be older), and opens her mouth to answer--
only for yin yu to speak up. she looks at him for a moment, briefly shocked, like she wasn't expecting him to say anything.
then she looks back to "neena". careful, huh... but her side is throbbing, and on a place like this island, if left untreated, it could be bad. there is such a thing as being too cautious.
so she gestures at the wound, indicating the bandages as she speaks softly to their doctor.]
We have to go. [Thatâs all Kaoru seems to say as he continues leading Lili into the water, a bridge of ice forming under their feet. Seemingly before her eyes, the child begins to grow taller, leaner, and older. Itâs hard to remember that he was a child at all, and if sheâs not careful she may forget that fact entirely the further they enter this room.
Itâs the sixteen year old that continues to lead her onward, and as Lili looks down several sharks swarm beneath them, white teeth glinting from the dark water.]
Wouldnât it be easier to give up on them? You donât need them. Whatâre you even doing here, Lili? [He sounds tired, and perhaps a bit bored as he glances at her.] None of them can save you here. Itâs just us.
[Having this group on two different adventures is wild, but while Liliâs over there in the other room with the ocean, Yin Yu and Flayn are in the tent with Neena. Checking the tables outside, Yin Yu will find three different canteens on the table, along with some hunting knives, coconuts, and dried-out fish. Should he pursue them, heâs free to bring them along. Regardless, Neena looks at both of them before she hops up and immediately grabs Flayn by the shoulders to steer her to the cot.]
Weâll have to fix thatâŚit could be worse if we donât treat it. Youâve lost a lot of blood, havenât you? Weâll need to replenish it and close the wound. [To that end, she looks at Yin Yu.]
Sit down and weâll begin. You want to help her, donât you?
[lili is so rarely careful, and she walks along with him, and it's only because it's kaoru that she doesn't seem to feel entirely led astray. but there's a tenseness that floods her body when her eyes glance briefly downward at what's below and she can remember it, the panic, the fear, the despair—
she looks forward again, and lets herself be angry instead.]
They don't need to save me - I'm tired of being saved. You know that.
[right? because this is her partner, and he knows her well, and her eyes flash with something determined even as her hand starts to tremble.]
I'm here to... To do what I have to! And I'm going to protect you, and I'll protect everyone that I can!
yin yu will absolutely take one of those hunting knives, strapping it to his belt where his short sword would usually be, thank you. by the time he enters the tent proper, neena is talking to flayn, and grabbing onto her like that, and it rankles his nerves even worse than before. ] -- Wait, excuse me, hold on -
[ he's quick to put himself close between the girl and the tiny, tiny girl. any sort of spirit that wants to get its hands in blood is not to be trifled with. the more that he looks, though... the dark eyes, the demeanor; it feels familiar, and he pauses at the cot, hand on the back of it. ] ...Lady Tanzawa. [ that's... that's it, isn't it? he says it a bit slowly, before he continues on. ] I didn't know that you had any medicinal training.
[ .... he doesn't think she does. he's pretty sure she doesn't. ]
It's hopeless, Lili. We were all doomed from the start. [The ice begins to thin out as they walk, closer to the water now as the sharks swim alongside their bridge.] Can you protect them? If you had to choose...would it be me, or would it be your new friends? You've heard the rules.
[That's debatable, but it's true. Winners may only pick three people.] Who would you be willing to throw to the fishes?
[And despite the fact it's dark out, there's a brief peek of the sun on the horizon, and if she squints enough Lili may see the formations of an island in the distance.
Meanwhile, on murder island, Neena simply ignores Yin Yu and Flayn's insistence, dodging out of range before forcibly seating Flayn on the bed. Despite being tiny, she appears to be stronger than before as she opens a bag and pulls out a syringe.]
Closing the wound won't be enough. All it does is keeps the poison inside. We need to remove it and displace it to replenish you. Pull away those nasty little residuals. [Hm. This no longer sounds like Neena, and yet...it makes sense, doesn't it? Perhaps they may wish to look down at their limbs, just to be sure. Those dark bumps and lumps crawling beneath their skin can't be a good sign....]
[she remembers this. she remembers when the ice bridge had no more room to go, and she remembers when it broke beneath her feet, and she remembers the desperate urge to breathe and getting nothing but seawater.
she focuses on the words.]
—no one. I can't sacrifice anyone, you know that. Or you would if you were... [really kaoru.] No one deserves that.
[but she notices the way that there's something in the distance, spots it, and then moves to tug on his hand, pulling him back so that he's no longer leading her and if he allows it, she'll move in front of him.]
Stay close to me. I'll lead us the rest of the way.
[and the ice is thinner. if anyone is going to fall first, it'd be better - if it was her. even if it's a ghost or a trick, she can't let anything happen to this person who she wants to protect more than anything else. she can't risk him like that.]
bold of you to assume there's any skin showin-no, okay. it's easy enough to see things moving underneath his sleeves. it's objectively horrifying, the sort of body horror you'd see crawling through demons lurching with too much black qi, but it's not--there's no way it's real, no matter how real it feels, looks, sounds. it can't be real.
if anything, he's good at keeping a cool head, with the danger ticking wildly up by the second. this sort of out of character as far as he knows behavior screams bad, bad news, and the minute neena, or "neena", pulls out that syringe, he almost jolts into action. lightheaded or otherwise, yin yu's going to make a grab for the pressure points of her wrist as quick as ever, in hopes to at least get this "neena" to drop the syringe before anything dangerous happens. the lumps and bumps, the language, the atmosphere, "neena's" terrifying for a twelve year old strength--it's unnatural, and it's time to go into business mode. broad back to flayn, he's trying to keep himself between them the best the he can, barking a ] Stay back! [ though whether it's for flayn or neena, who knows.
time to tussle with a twelve year old (?) that he's a hundred percent sure is just some kind of resentful energy loaded spirit. if he's got to knock her out, he will... if he can. ]
[Flayn flinches away, but isn't able to escape "Neena's" reach; she's seated on the bed, but as their so-called doctor digs into her bag for the syringe, she pulls her legs up and backs away, bringing her arms up to cover her face.
She sees the lumps and bumps moving under her skin, and shudders, plainly terrified.]
Then youâre bound to lose. [A soft, airy tone. They walk along and as they approach the island the ice becomes slippery, cracking and fracturing under their weight. A force rams into the side of the bridge, threatening to throw them both off-balance. But Kaoru holds her hand and follows, the shadows of the sharks below following. Heading toward the island provides some light, and as Lili looks down sheâll catch a glimpse of the water below. Figures float amongst the waves, bobbing gently along with the sharks. Though their features are marred, sheâll recognize Junna, Nana, and even Kazuaki. One of Emmaâs arms floats past. Shessâs hat is hooked on a sharkâs fin, and the water seeps over her feet to attempt to freeze her in place.
Meanwhile on What-the-Fuck Island, Yin Yu darts ahead to grab Neenaâs wrist. Itâs a bad idea, actually, because whatever is beneath his skin writhes and wriggles, moving quicker to paralyze him in place. The syringe itself is dropped, howeverâŚ
âŚbut it doesnât stop Flaynâs wound from splitting open a bit wider, green blood spilling and pooling over the edge of the bed and draining from her slowly. Neena doesnât change, grappling with Yin Yu and trying to fight him off. The sun begins to dip below the horizon as a roll of thunder booms over the island, Neenaâs features beginning to shift on their own to something intangible.
Theyâre alone. They can only rely on each other, but as Flayn loses her strength and Yin Yu remains rooted to the spot, the rain begins to pour and theyâll have to come up with a new plan.]
Our numbers must be met. [Neena struggles under Yin Yuâs strength, dodging before he can knock her out.] Youâre ruining everything!
[âŚdidnât Yin Yu have a knife? Huh. Wonder if that would help.]
[ - and honestly? what can she do but run? it's automatic, how the second there's a force that tries to keep lili in place, she refuses it. when the water tries to curl over her feet, she resists as soon as she can, tugging on kaoru's hand and despite her words, she automatically rejects them. she can't lose, not here. there's too much at stake.
even if she can't command her ice anymore, some part of her tries. as if just willpower enough will be enough to reach back into the magic she used to possess to reinforce the ice in front of her as she tries to make it toward the island.
there's sharks in the water, and she doesn't know if she can swim fast enough to escape them, and she doesn't know if she'll actually be able to save kaoru or any of the others she's lost but -
standing still is as good as a death sentence, and she can't have that.]
[ Meanwhile on What the Fuck Island, yeah, that about covers it!!
the sensation of being rooted to the spot, at this point, is not even remotely unfamiliar. he should have expected this cursed place to do something like this. the syringe rolls off to the ground with a clang, and the feeling of the -- whatever it is, whatever sort of black qi bullshit, is making it so his limbs feel like lead. it's getting worse by the second; his feet are pinned to the ground. rapidly starting to slow down, his hand shoots down to grab the knife at his waist, pulling it out with a bright flash of silver.
he can't move much longer. tussling with neena is impossibly harder than it looks, and he slashes outward with the knife, the imbalance of staying rooted to the spot and the force of it nearly sending him backwards into the bed, too.
he can't catch himself quite fast enough to keep from being forced downwards, more, so he's on the defensive, practically shielding flayn with his body. he can feel something wet - it has to be blood - and the sound of thunder rolling in the background, but there's no focusing on it when he's trying to stop this from escalating even worse than it already has. yin yu's only got a couple of options before he can't move entirely, and it goes like this: first, shield flayn. second, he chooses to use his strikes like he would in a fight with a stubborn demon; aiming for a pressure point at her neck with his non dominant hand while he still can, the distraction of it enough to turn the hunting knife at an angle and shove upwards towards her--its--stomach. ]
Hand-to-hand combat has never been Flayn's strength, and though she is well used to being wounded, and can breathe through the pain, the way her strength seems to seep out of her along with her blood is worrying.
Whatever is going on here, she doesn't want Yin Yu to have to fight "Neena" alone. She still doesn't really understand why they're fighting at all, but he had only acted in defense, so if this fight goes poorly, thenâ
They need to stop her.
She takes a breath, and as he grapples with her and moves to thrust his knife upwards, Flayn throws herself from the cot with the intention of grabbing Neena's legs so she can't try to dodge.
(The movement only serves to aggravate her injury, but she can deal with that later.)]
[As Lili begins to run, she may feel cuts sprout on her feet, though theyâre minor in comparison to whatâs to come. Kaoru follows along, but itâs the force of their steps that causes the ice to crack just short of the shore of the mysterious island. They plunge into the cold water, the bodies and stray limbs of their friends bumping up against her, fingers crawling to wrap around her clothes to attempt to hold her down.
The sharks come without warning, circling the two of them as their jaws open to bite down. Thereâs a yell from Kaoru as blood spills into the water and two more sharks are drawn to the scent. Best of luck, Lili.
As for Yin Yu and Flayn, Flayn is successful in grabbing Neenaâs legs, toppling over onto the floor and bleeding over her. As Yin Yu strikes with the knife, black ichor sprouts from Neenaâs wounds as her skin bubbles and shifts, the lumps beneath their own skin slithering and crawling. A loud, hiss-like sound escapes Neenaâs mouth as she rears back, a hand reaching forward to swipe and claw straight at Yin Yuâs face.
ButâŚthe knife misses just once, and Yin Yu finds resistance in the thin air, as if the blade has caught on something. As he tugs to fight back, a thin, pink string appears and begins to unravel. The tent begins to fade away and in front of them lays the shore, Lili floundering in the water and the night sky of her ocean crashing straight into the bright sunlight of their island.
They may want to incapacitate Neena though. Sheâs not done trying to fight just yet.]
[it's familiar - and unfortunately this time, she's not able to fashion a full sword out of ice. rather, she rushes, grabbing the knife from her bag and twisting it between her fingers -
there's nothing she can do for the way that a shark latches onto her shoulder, gritting her teeth instead of screaming because that'd only mean losing more oxygen, and instead driving her knife in between the shark's eyes. she tries to keep kaoru afloat and it's hard to move in the water but if there's anything she knows it's the water.
and so she tries to break the surface, gasping for breath - ]
Go! To the island!
[and she'll just continue to stab and punch at any sharks she can because dammit, she's not going to go out this way again.]
[ just like that, everything falls apart. yin yu doesn't get much of a chance to enjoy the new scenery, though, considering neena is still on his knife and still absolutely trying to attack him. narrowly dodging another swipe of those claws (are they painted like they were on the island). the dodge comes faster as his speed is returned to him, and he's not stupid enough to disengage even as the entire world is falling apart. literally.
now that he's not frozen, his arm snaps up, one to block her claws if they come flying at him again, and the other to take the hunting knife and slash across the column of her throat. it's easy to be mechanical when you're fighting monsters, and if he ends up splattered in this disgusting black blood then it's just another day at work.
at least there's some nice water to jump in? lol. either way, yin yu's a little occupied dealing with neena and keeping her from taking his face off for the moment please hold.]
[The creature that claims to be Neena swipes at Yin Yu's face, and Flayn sees red. She's barely aware of the world shifting and changing and unraveling around them, because her vision is starting to go dark at the edges (that'll be the blood loss!)]
Do not touch him!
[She grabs onto her, trying to keep her still so she can't hurt Yin Yu anymore - and so she'll make an easier target for Yin Yu's knife.
But her grip isn't strong. In fact, she's losing strength fast, and after just a moment she loses consciousness, her grip slipping off her as she slumps over.]
[And there goes Flayn. As Yin Yu slashes with his knife, the painted claws swipe and jab to attempt to take him out, aiming for his face and his eyes as best as she can. The rapid hiss-like sound continues though and as he slashes at her again, the blood flows and her limbs tremble, body collapsing bit by bit.
The shark bites at Lili's shoulder, attempting to take a chunk of her with it but it's derailed the moment she stabs it between the eyes. Kaoru struggles against the waves, pushing aside the head of Miki that floats past him.]
We'll go together! [And given that he's taller, he begins to try and pull her along as Lili punches these sharks, the sandy bottom of the sea brushing their feet as the light from murder island casts down over the darker waves. The pink thread continues to unravel, and as both Lili and Kaoru settle on the sand and Neena deflates and vanishes, the islands themselves deconstruct. The flooring beneath all of them grows wooden, the pediatrician's office no longer in sight as a more basic set-up comes to light. It's too dark to see everything, but a beam of light shines on the receptionist's desk as the rest crumbles down. It's the one portion that remains unchanged for now...
There's some recognition that this isn't real, that Kaoru isn't real, but it's all a bit fuzzy to Lili here. She stumbles onto the beach, checking on him immediately to make sure that he wasn't injured, not minding where a shark had managed to graze a bite on her leg - ]
Kaoru!
[and then to the others - ]
Yin Yu? Flayn? What the hell...?!
did you know it helps to reply to the right comment.
[ another hit with the sword, and yin yu manages to duck underneath neena's hand--her strike backwards connects, lancing across his nose as he narrowly dodges getting a painted nail in his eyes. finally, she starts to collapse downward, and he rips his knife free and shoves an elbow into the rapidly deflating thing's chest so it falls away from him.
distantly, he can hear the sound of splashing around behind them, the sound of a voice he doesn't recognize shouting, but, there's a weight at his feet that's not 'neena'. there's not much time to think, and his body moves an autopilot as that pink thread keeps pulling--he shoves the knife into his belt and ducks downward to grab flayn and scoop her into his arms, hand pressing against the wound on her side. he needs to get to lili, needs to not move flayn too much. by the time he takes a step forward towards her, the world is practically melting around them, and when he reaches out, the knife that he'd grab nearly leaps out of his belt. yin yu makes a grab for it, and it twists, stabbing downward into his hand. he barely has enough time to avoid getting pierced through, and then just like that, they're standing in a cabin. flayn's still propped in his other arm, the other person is gone, neena is gone, and -
--and, he's fine.
it takes about a second for him to switch gears, still cradling flayn. ] --Lady Lili! [ flayn is hurt, badly, and as far as he can tell, lili doesn't look great, either. ]
[As the beach rapidly fades, Kaoru sits on the sand with Lili soaking wet and a bit confused. He stares at her, and despite not being injured, he begins to fade away, too, unraveling bit by bit. But before he can go, he takes her hand in both of his own and brings it to his lips for a kiss of gratitude.]
Your choice was made, Lili. Live with it. [As he finally disappears and as Yin Yu approaches with Flayn, the three of them will see that the cabin itself is dark. It's a bit hard to see where, precisely, they are. Nothing about the area seems familiar but at the front of the room is the receptionist's desk from the pediatrician's office. Something lingers on the desktop, but Flayn may be a bigger concern here.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
WEEK ONE, THURSDAY
But oh: don't mind the the muffled noises from beyond the door. Nothing to worry about.
What will they do first?]
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"The doc is in," is it? Flayn slips past Yin Yu and Lili, closer to the door, and knocks politely.]
Excuse me, Doctor? Would you unlock this door, please?
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kick at the door like an idiot]
Open up, doc!!
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I don't suppose the camp directors would know anything about this? [ this music is bizarro. ]
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Oh! I know just who to ask! [brb nyooming to ask a director, feel free to try other things back and forth for a bit and then ping me on discord when you want her to come back!
this is my ic excuse for if i get busy at work] I shall be quick, I assure you!no subject
See if thereâs another way to budge it open.
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naturally it's not working. it would be nice to have something to pick the lock with....even so, he will keep trying various different techniques to pop the lock because he's going to at least be thorough about it!!! ]
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Oh... no luck?
[she sighs]
I wish we had a way to get inside...
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At least if they investigate the door handle they'll find that the screwdriver head fits the screws.
Too bad they'll have to undo the handle by hand and pull it apart to get the door opened.]
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Oh, like with the furniture.
[and then she'll walk back over, handing it out to yin yu]
Take care of that, please.
[at least she said please]
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anyway, he continues to be a retainer despite being told not to be a retainer. ]
Of course, Lady Lili. [ once he gets the sorta busted screwdriver, he takes his glove off to wrap it around the handle of the screwdriver, and starts using it to unscrew each one of the screws, very methodically. he'll put each screw in his pack while he's at it, too.... they should probably (?) put this handle back when they're done, so.... ]
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...you really are quite good at a lot of things. [it would have been a struggle to try and do that herself... thank the gods for yin you]
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Instead, as they step inside, they'll find a child sitting on the floor. A little boy with auburn hair and a part on the left side, he seems to be staring down the hall with his knees pulled up to his chest. The TV is of no interest to him, and neither are the newcomers? Hm.
What will you do next?]
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Go see why the children are crying.
[that sounds important, even though there's a child right in front of them. she'll move to squat down in front of the little boy]
Hello. I'm Lili. Are you lost?
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Be careful...
[That's to Lili - just in case. They don't know what sorts of things might be waiting for them in here, after all.]
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Lili, meanwhile, crouches in front of the child in the waiting room as he peers up at her petulantly, amber eyes blinking in surprise. Weirdly, though, his eyes seem to be filled with more knowledge and scrutiny than a young boy should have as if they belong to someone with an older soul.]
I'm waiting... [He tilts his head, and despite the introductions he doesn't seem surprised or afraid. Actually, worse, he smiles at her almost playfully like he's happy to see her.] But you came to play with us, right~?
[...there is only one person in this waiting room so who the fuck is us.]
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I'm looking for answers - but we can play afterward. Can you help me? I'd like to catch up with the people I came with.
Do you have friends here?
[whomst the fuck]
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there's something odd about this beyond anything, but whatever illusion on this place makes it easier to believe otherwise. for the moment, it's just him and flayn in this strange hallway...she got hurt, so, maybe it's time to get that checked on? even so, with the noises, this doctor feels very...
mm. looking between the two doors, yin yu looks to flayn for confirmation, before ultimately, they choose the pink door, the soft sound of crying on the other side hard to completely ignore. even instinctually, he puts himself in front, the one to open it, if it's open. ]
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she nods once to yin yu, drawing herself close to his side as he opens the door. she reaches for the arm he isn't using to open it, though, poised to yank him out of the way if something happens.
(lili whomst?)]
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When Hikaru comes back, we'll play a game together. [He seems decided on that, but he shakes his head with regards to Lili's other question.] What's so great about them anyway?
[As Yin Yu and Flayn head through the pink door, they'll find themselves stepping out onto soft, warm sand. The sky above is a bright blue, and the scent and sound of the ocean seems to wrap them in a nice embrace. As they both enter this room, they will find their memory of the cabin itself fading away, memories of the camp and the bus going with them. The sand crunches beneath their feet as they walk, and there's a bit of a nervous energy in the air. It has been a few days since they've washed up on the shore of this island with several other strangers. No one has come to rescue them, and in order to leave 12 of their own must die. It's worrying, isn't it?
But don't fret too much. A tent sits further down on the beach near the mouth of the river, a red cross painted on it and tables with a few items out front. Come now, you need your checkup! This tropical weather may be wreaking havoc on your immune system, not to mention the dangers of dehydration. The wound in Flayn's side begins to throb again, as if it's still new, and Yin Yu will find himself feeling a bit lightheaded. Perhaps the doctor can help you. They may enter the tent if they'd like, or perhaps they wish to explore the island a bit more?]
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the name manages to get her to still, and she recognizes her partner now. she thinks back at what they talked about, what they used to go through together and - she doesn't know if he'd remember it now but...]
... because someone told me they thought they knew why I was chosen to go to places like this. And it's because I have to help as many people as I can.
[but she'll move to stand then, offering a hand out to the young boy.]
So let's go help some people and then we'll go find Hikaru.
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his feet are sure in the sand anyway, ignoring it the best that he can. mortal illnesses are the sort of thing hua chengzhu can take care of as soon as he solves whatever this place is and makes it back. he looks back to the girl behind him for a long moment, and then forward, at the tent, his eyes flicking briefly to her side. there's something nagging at the back of his head that...
....it's not relevant, probably. focus. chengzhu will have a mission for him to complete.
isn't this place supposed to be abandoned? his attention draws to the items on the table, too wary even with the lightheadedness and confusion to immediately enter the tent right away. ]
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She's had worse - but it hurts, and the worst part is she really can't remember how she was injured in the first place. That's what bothers her more than anything else. Whatever this is, however they managed to wash up on this island, she's always at least been able to remember.
But she can't remember boarding the ship that she must have been on, to have washed up ashore with the people and the wreckage. And she can't remember how she hurt her side.
...the doctor might be able to help. But she's a little hesitant, too, because this isn't the infirmary at the monastery. The doctor probably won't be Professor Manuela.
Still...
Her side throbs again, and she gives the items on the table a brief glance before heading straight into the tent.]
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How can you help anyone? [It's an innocent question but flat and harsh.] You have to help yourself, first.
[On the island, Yin Yu and Flayn enter the tent and find a cot set up and a young girl with dark hair seated off to the side. She doesn't appear to be very old, perhaps about 12, but since my wi-fi no longer works they will recognize her as "Neena".]
The doctor will see you now. [She declares proudly, looking at Flayn with a short little tsk.] What seems to be the trouble?
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I'm - going to. I'm not going to give up this time either.
Where are we going?
[lingering in the same room won't help, right? so she has to keep going. a bit further, a bit further.]
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it doesn't sit right with yin yu to let anyone just walk into dangerous situations, even if he still doesn't know them that well.... it's not going to save his own skin, either, but this island is going to be nothing but dangerous, and with the idea of murder already floating over everyone's heads, he's not going to chance it.
so. once he's checked through the outside, he follows behind flayn fairly quickly, lifting the flap of the tent and locking eyes with the girl sitting on the cot. ...she's kind of familiar, somehow... but at that age and claiming to be a doctor, maybe she's a ghost: restless spirits act like this.
his voice is quiet, just enough for flayn to hear in a normal situation. ] ...be careful.
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only for yin yu to speak up. she looks at him for a moment, briefly shocked, like she wasn't expecting him to say anything.
then she looks back to "neena". careful, huh... but her side is throbbing, and on a place like this island, if left untreated, it could be bad. there is such a thing as being too cautious.
so she gestures at the wound, indicating the bandages as she speaks softly to their doctor.]
...I think I may have reopened an injury.
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Itâs the sixteen year old that continues to lead her onward, and as Lili looks down several sharks swarm beneath them, white teeth glinting from the dark water.]
Wouldnât it be easier to give up on them? You donât need them. Whatâre you even doing here, Lili? [He sounds tired, and perhaps a bit bored as he glances at her.] None of them can save you here. Itâs just us.
[Having this group on two different adventures is wild, but while Liliâs over there in the other room with the ocean, Yin Yu and Flayn are in the tent with Neena. Checking the tables outside, Yin Yu will find three different canteens on the table, along with some hunting knives, coconuts, and dried-out fish. Should he pursue them, heâs free to bring them along. Regardless, Neena looks at both of them before she hops up and immediately grabs Flayn by the shoulders to steer her to the cot.]
Weâll have to fix thatâŚit could be worse if we donât treat it. Youâve lost a lot of blood, havenât you? Weâll need to replenish it and close the wound. [To that end, she looks at Yin Yu.]
Sit down and weâll begin. You want to help her, donât you?
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she looks forward again, and lets herself be angry instead.]
They don't need to save me - I'm tired of being saved. You know that.
[right? because this is her partner, and he knows her well, and her eyes flash with something determined even as her hand starts to tremble.]
I'm here to... To do what I have to! And I'm going to protect you, and I'll protect everyone that I can!
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yin yu will absolutely take one of those hunting knives, strapping it to his belt where his short sword would usually be, thank you. by the time he enters the tent proper, neena is talking to flayn, and grabbing onto her like that, and it rankles his nerves even worse than before. ] -- Wait, excuse me, hold on -
[ he's quick to put himself close between the girl and the tiny, tiny girl. any sort of spirit that wants to get its hands in blood is not to be trifled with. the more that he looks, though... the dark eyes, the demeanor; it feels familiar, and he pauses at the cot, hand on the back of it. ] ...Lady Tanzawa. [ that's... that's it, isn't it? he says it a bit slowly, before he continues on. ] I didn't know that you had any medicinal training.
[ .... he doesn't think she does. he's pretty sure she doesn't. ]
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[Wait. Wait, that won't work. Flayn's brow furrows, and she peeks out at "Neena" from behind Yin Yu when he puts himself between them.
She shakes her head.]
Closing the wound will be fine. There is no one-- that is, nothing we could use here to replenish my blood.
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[That's debatable, but it's true. Winners may only pick three people.] Who would you be willing to throw to the fishes?
[And despite the fact it's dark out, there's a brief peek of the sun on the horizon, and if she squints enough Lili may see the formations of an island in the distance.
Meanwhile, on murder island, Neena simply ignores Yin Yu and Flayn's insistence, dodging out of range before forcibly seating Flayn on the bed. Despite being tiny, she appears to be stronger than before as she opens a bag and pulls out a syringe.]
Closing the wound won't be enough. All it does is keeps the poison inside. We need to remove it and displace it to replenish you. Pull away those nasty little residuals. [Hm. This no longer sounds like Neena, and yet...it makes sense, doesn't it? Perhaps they may wish to look down at their limbs, just to be sure. Those dark bumps and lumps crawling beneath their skin can't be a good sign....]
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she focuses on the words.]
—no one. I can't sacrifice anyone, you know that. Or you would if you were... [really kaoru.] No one deserves that.
[but she notices the way that there's something in the distance, spots it, and then moves to tug on his hand, pulling him back so that he's no longer leading her and if he allows it, she'll move in front of him.]
Stay close to me. I'll lead us the rest of the way.
[and the ice is thinner. if anyone is going to fall first, it'd be better - if it was her. even if it's a ghost or a trick, she can't let anything happen to this person who she wants to protect more than anything else. she can't risk him like that.]
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bold of you to assume there's any skin showin-no, okay. it's easy enough to see things moving underneath his sleeves. it's objectively horrifying, the sort of body horror you'd see crawling through demons lurching with too much black qi, but it's not--there's no way it's real, no matter how real it feels, looks, sounds. it can't be real.
if anything, he's good at keeping a cool head, with the danger ticking wildly up by the second. this sort of out of character
as far as he knowsbehavior screams bad, bad news, and the minute neena, or "neena", pulls out that syringe, he almost jolts into action. lightheaded or otherwise, yin yu's going to make a grab for the pressure points of her wrist as quick as ever, in hopes to at least get this "neena" to drop the syringe before anything dangerous happens. the lumps and bumps, the language, the atmosphere, "neena's" terrifying for a twelve year old strength--it's unnatural, and it's time to go into business mode. broad back to flayn, he's trying to keep himself between them the best the he can, barking a ] Stay back! [ though whether it's for flayn or neena, who knows.time to tussle with a twelve year old (?) that he's a hundred percent sure is just some kind of resentful energy loaded spirit. if he's got to knock her out, he will... if he can. ]
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[Flayn flinches away, but isn't able to escape "Neena's" reach; she's seated on the bed, but as their so-called doctor digs into her bag for the syringe, she pulls her legs up and backs away, bringing her arms up to cover her face.
She sees the lumps and bumps moving under her skin, and shudders, plainly terrified.]
No, no...
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Meanwhile on What-the-Fuck Island, Yin Yu darts ahead to grab Neenaâs wrist. Itâs a bad idea, actually, because whatever is beneath his skin writhes and wriggles, moving quicker to paralyze him in place. The syringe itself is dropped, howeverâŚ
âŚbut it doesnât stop Flaynâs wound from splitting open a bit wider, green blood spilling and pooling over the edge of the bed and draining from her slowly. Neena doesnât change, grappling with Yin Yu and trying to fight him off. The sun begins to dip below the horizon as a roll of thunder booms over the island, Neenaâs features beginning to shift on their own to something intangible.
Theyâre alone. They can only rely on each other, but as Flayn loses her strength and Yin Yu remains rooted to the spot, the rain begins to pour and theyâll have to come up with a new plan.]
Our numbers must be met. [Neena struggles under Yin Yuâs strength, dodging before he can knock her out.] Youâre ruining everything!
[âŚdidnât Yin Yu have a knife? Huh. Wonder if that would help.]
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No!!
[ - and honestly? what can she do but run? it's automatic, how the second there's a force that tries to keep lili in place, she refuses it. when the water tries to curl over her feet, she resists as soon as she can, tugging on kaoru's hand and despite her words, she automatically rejects them. she can't lose, not here. there's too much at stake.
even if she can't command her ice anymore, some part of her tries. as if just willpower enough will be enough to reach back into the magic she used to possess to reinforce the ice in front of her as she tries to make it toward the island.
there's sharks in the water, and she doesn't know if she can swim fast enough to escape them, and she doesn't know if she'll actually be able to save kaoru or any of the others she's lost but -
standing still is as good as a death sentence, and she can't have that.]
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the sensation of being rooted to the spot, at this point, is not even remotely unfamiliar. he should have expected this cursed place to do something like this. the syringe rolls off to the ground with a clang, and the feeling of the -- whatever it is, whatever sort of black qi bullshit, is making it so his limbs feel like lead. it's getting worse by the second; his feet are pinned to the ground. rapidly starting to slow down, his hand shoots down to grab the knife at his waist, pulling it out with a bright flash of silver.
he can't move much longer. tussling with neena is impossibly harder than it looks, and he slashes outward with the knife, the imbalance of staying rooted to the spot and the force of it nearly sending him backwards into the bed, too.
he can't catch himself quite fast enough to keep from being forced downwards, more, so he's on the defensive, practically shielding flayn with his body. he can feel something wet - it has to be blood - and the sound of thunder rolling in the background, but there's no focusing on it when he's trying to stop this from escalating even worse than it already has. yin yu's only got a couple of options before he can't move entirely, and it goes like this: first, shield flayn. second, he chooses to use his strikes like he would in a fight with a stubborn demon; aiming for a pressure point at her neck with his non dominant hand while he still can, the distraction of it enough to turn the hunting knife at an angle and shove upwards towards her--its--stomach. ]
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[What the Fuck Island, indeed.
Hand-to-hand combat has never been Flayn's strength, and though she is well used to being wounded, and can breathe through the pain, the way her strength seems to seep out of her along with her blood is worrying.
Whatever is going on here, she doesn't want Yin Yu to have to fight "Neena" alone. She still doesn't really understand why they're fighting at all, but he had only acted in defense, so if this fight goes poorly, thenâ
They need to stop her.
She takes a breath, and as he grapples with her and moves to thrust his knife upwards, Flayn throws herself from the cot with the intention of grabbing Neena's legs so she can't try to dodge.
(The movement only serves to aggravate her injury, but she can deal with that later.)]
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The sharks come without warning, circling the two of them as their jaws open to bite down. Thereâs a yell from Kaoru as blood spills into the water and two more sharks are drawn to the scent. Best of luck, Lili.
As for Yin Yu and Flayn, Flayn is successful in grabbing Neenaâs legs, toppling over onto the floor and bleeding over her. As Yin Yu strikes with the knife, black ichor sprouts from Neenaâs wounds as her skin bubbles and shifts, the lumps beneath their own skin slithering and crawling. A loud, hiss-like sound escapes Neenaâs mouth as she rears back, a hand reaching forward to swipe and claw straight at Yin Yuâs face.
ButâŚthe knife misses just once, and Yin Yu finds resistance in the thin air, as if the blade has caught on something. As he tugs to fight back, a thin, pink string appears and begins to unravel. The tent begins to fade away and in front of them lays the shore, Lili floundering in the water and the night sky of her ocean crashing straight into the bright sunlight of their island.
They may want to incapacitate Neena though. Sheâs not done trying to fight just yet.]
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there's nothing she can do for the way that a shark latches onto her shoulder, gritting her teeth instead of screaming because that'd only mean losing more oxygen, and instead driving her knife in between the shark's eyes. she tries to keep kaoru afloat and it's hard to move in the water but if there's anything she knows it's the water.
and so she tries to break the surface, gasping for breath - ]
Go! To the island!
[and she'll just continue to stab and punch at any sharks she can because dammit, she's not going to go out this way again.]
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now that he's not frozen, his arm snaps up, one to block her claws if they come flying at him again, and the other to take the hunting knife and slash across the column of her throat. it's easy to be mechanical when you're fighting monsters, and if he ends up splattered in this disgusting black blood then it's just another day at work.
at least there's some nice water to jump in? lol. either way, yin yu's a little occupied dealing with neena and keeping her from taking his face off for the moment please hold.]
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Do not touch him!
[She grabs onto her, trying to keep her still so she can't hurt Yin Yu anymore - and so she'll make an easier target for Yin Yu's knife.
But her grip isn't strong. In fact, she's losing strength fast, and after just a moment she loses consciousness, her grip slipping off her as she slumps over.]
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The shark bites at Lili's shoulder, attempting to take a chunk of her with it but it's derailed the moment she stabs it between the eyes. Kaoru struggles against the waves, pushing aside the head of Miki that floats past him.]
We'll go together! [And given that he's taller, he begins to try and pull her along as Lili punches these sharks, the sandy bottom of the sea brushing their feet as the light from murder island casts down over the darker waves. The pink thread continues to unravel, and as both Lili and Kaoru settle on the sand and Neena deflates and vanishes, the islands themselves deconstruct. The flooring beneath all of them grows wooden, the pediatrician's office no longer in sight as a more basic set-up comes to light. It's too dark to see everything, but a beam of light shines on the receptionist's desk as the rest crumbles down. It's the one portion that remains unchanged for now...
...but perhaps you should check on the girls?]
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There's some recognition that this isn't real, that Kaoru isn't real, but it's all a bit fuzzy to Lili here. She stumbles onto the beach, checking on him immediately to make sure that he wasn't injured, not minding where a shark had managed to graze a bite on her leg - ]
Kaoru!
[and then to the others - ]
Yin Yu? Flayn? What the hell...?!
did you know it helps to reply to the right comment.
distantly, he can hear the sound of splashing around behind them, the sound of a voice he doesn't recognize shouting, but, there's a weight at his feet that's not 'neena'. there's not much time to think, and his body moves an autopilot as that pink thread keeps pulling--he shoves the knife into his belt and ducks downward to grab flayn and scoop her into his arms, hand pressing against the wound on her side. he needs to get to lili, needs to not move flayn too much. by the time he takes a step forward towards her, the world is practically melting around them, and when he reaches out, the knife that he'd grab nearly leaps out of his belt. yin yu makes a grab for it, and it twists, stabbing downward into his hand. he barely has enough time to avoid getting pierced through, and then just like that, they're standing in a cabin. flayn's still propped in his other arm, the other person is gone, neena is gone, and -
--and, he's fine.
it takes about a second for him to switch gears, still cradling flayn. ] --Lady Lili! [ flayn is hurt, badly, and as far as he can tell, lili doesn't look great, either. ]
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she would be fretting over lili if she was conscious to do so, but alas, she is not.]
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Your choice was made, Lili. Live with it. [As he finally disappears and as Yin Yu approaches with Flayn, the three of them will see that the cabin itself is dark. It's a bit hard to see where, precisely, they are. Nothing about the area seems familiar but at the front of the room is the receptionist's desk from the pediatrician's office. Something lingers on the desktop, but Flayn may be a bigger concern here.
And Lili's shark bites? Ow.]