WEEK 3 INVESTIGATION

[foundationmods]

Three weeks had gone by, and even with the other Witch being revealed, Friday came.

Waking up on this day began to feel like the prelude to something horrible.

To a horrible sight...and some kind of deep betrayal, knowing that one of them had ended the lives of someone they'd been speaking and laughing with just the day before...🗈

...But, they had no choice. This was the game, and it had to be played - set in motion by the pair of Witches.

No matter how they felt, they had to search, to gaze upon cruel death in it's many forms.

No matter....how dear the person once was to them, today...they would be nothing but a corpse to gleam clues from, in preparation for the trial.

And so...they had to push forward. Forward...to find a terrible truth.

Comments

[chaoscontrol]

[as Erhard starts to stir, Shadow sits up]

Doctor. How are you feeling?

[cryosurgeon]

My face is throbbing. I was running, and I blacked out....

[Suddenly he's trying to sit up, panicked.]

No, I have to tell the others! Watanuki, I saw him... he's... ngh....

[He groans and clutches his head as pain shoots through his skull.]

[chaoscontrol]

Woah, hold on, Doctor. Whatever it is, it can wait. You took a nasty spill and you need to take it easy.

[Though... Watanuki? Shadow looks over to the still sleeping witch.

He blips out of existence and returns a few second later with an ice pack, a glass of water, and some aspirin]

[cryosurgeon]

[Erhard hasn't moved in those few instants, though he looks absolutely haunted.]

Shadow... it's Friday, isn't it? Who is it? Who's dead?

[chaoscontrol]

[Shadow lowers his head]

... Two were taken last night. Akira and Ryuuji. Mr. Holmes is already out there collecting evidence.

[cryosurgeon]

[Two. Two died.

And one of them is Akira.

Erhard's shoulders tremble and his fingers curl into the arms of the chair. With his head down, it might be difficult to see, but there's wetness gathering on his lashes.]

[chaoscontrol]

[It hurts him to see them like this, and not able to do anything except offer cold comfort. He hands Erhard a box of tissues from nearby]

I'm sorry.

[cryosurgeon]

[Erhard looks up, and despite the devastation (both physical and emotional) in his eyes, he doesn't seem to understand why Shadow is offering him tissues. Indeed, a tear runs down his cheek, and he makes no move to wipe it away.]

I was going to teach him. He asked me to teach him medicine.

[chaoscontrol]

[Here. Shadow will just. Do that for him, then]

.... I don't know what to say, Doctor. There's... still a chance Watanuki may be able to make him his Furniture, and he'll be ok. I admit I don't know how it works.

[cryosurgeon]

[Erhard shudders and shakes his head.]

I don't know if we can trust him anymore. Not after what I saw.

[chaoscontrol]

.... What? [Shadow suddenly seems serious] What... exactly, did you see?

[cryosurgeon]

I don't know if it was a premonition or a warning of something that's already happened. I'm not the best person for this kind of thing.

[Erhard shifts the ice pack over his swelling cheekbones, wincing.]

There was a flame in my room, floating like a ghost. It led me to Watanuki, who was sleeping on the couch, and disappeared into him. When I touched him, I... I saw him swallow some of Nirrti's black flames, and it changed him. Not physically, but I think it twisted his mind, or maybe even his soul. That was not the smile of a benevolent witch.

[He knows there's more to it, but he's struggling to think clearly past his shock and grief.]

[chaoscontrol]

[As Shadow listens to Erhard's description of the vision, his expression turns from one of confusion to fury]

Is that so.

[Shadow gets up from his seat, walks over to Watanuki...

And bounces on his chest]

WAKE! UP! YOU! FUCK!!

[foundfate]

[So kids, who wants to hear Watanuki shout 'what the fuck'?

Because he sure fukken is, as he goes from 'asleep' to 'awake' very, very quickly.]

[chaoscontrol]

[Shadow grabs Watanuki by the collar of his yukata]

WHAT ARE YOU DOING.

[foundfate]

YELLING AT YOU NOW I GUESS!

[Yep, that sure is the noodle. He's easily dragged up, but he's scrambling to try and sit and support himself instead of being held. These kimonos are all slightly too large for him, and he might actually fall out of them if lifted in the wrong way.]

[chaoscontrol]

[good thing he's just sitting on your chest yelling at you then]

I just heard something VERY interesting from the Doctor! He said he had a vision, with you in it! Doctor! [Shadow points to Erhard] Tell him what you saw!

[cryosurgeon]

[Erhard tries to fix his attention on Watanuki, but his vision is still rather blurry from his injury.]

I saw you swallow Nirrti's black flames, to "contain" them. But you changed. You reminded me of her... that cruel smile....

[goldenmaniac]

[Once Shadow stops jumping on him]

Watanuki-san... why were you sleeping on the couch? Are you okay?

[foundfate]

I'm not hurt, it's-

[He. Actually has to stop there and frown for a moment, as he realizes something.]

...it used to happen a lot more when I was a teenager, but it still happens sometimes. In order to use one of my powers, I have to be unconscious. Normally I can control when I use it, but sometimes it happens randomly too.

[goldenmaniac]

Do you think that's how Docter Erhard saw what he saw?

[He's just gonna do what his mom would do and puts the back of his wrist against his head like he might have a fever.

...he has no idea what to actually check for, it just seemed like the thing to do]

[foundfate]

[...Takumi what the hell.

His forehead feels normal? But he is very ??? over all of this.]

I've taken people 'along with me' before, but they always had powers of their own. Any power Erhard-sensei has should be turned off.

[fullbodied]

Watanuki-kun.

[she pissed. and a fuckin' mess from all her crying today.]

I need to talk to you.

[foundfate]

[Ah.

His cool exterior actually falters a bit there, and he looks regretful before he covers it up.]

Right, okay. Here, or in private?

[fullbodied]

... Both.

You brought us here as pieces, but don't you ever actually fall into the trap of treating us as one! Then you'll be just as bad as...

[give her a moment. she's going to mcfuckin' lose it. and she's trying not to.]