[CONTINUE] ROUND 6 - INTRO

[foundationmods]

[After so long a trip, you're all finally here. Taken through a hidden passage inside of the very mountain itself, you find yourself standing in front of a field of flowers, growing well due to the open roof above it. If you look up, you can just make out the shimmering colors off of the barrier - looking almost like the shine off of a soap bubble.

Try not to trample on the flowers as you approach the open, purple gate, where it looks as if someone is waiting for all of you just inside. And remember to wear your masks, now that you're here!

...Still, the sight of the yellow flowers waving in the wind....such a cheery sight fills you with determination for what's to come.

Welcome to the Underground.

You have the -

wait.

Haven't you done this before? No, you have. There was the murder, the trial, the ending and the Darkness -

Any abilities or powers you might have had are now totally off, as if they were never there.

...Someone who was dead is alive again. And someone else....

...

What was his name? You've forgotten it.]

Comments

[dereban]

I don't know if they mentioned it, but -

Well. A while back, I was on a mission, at a Hotel. I was killed there by someone who was possessed by a Jorogumo. Yoshi and Atsushi were there, so they know about it.

[ugly_split_ends]

...Ew.

[dereban]

"Ew" is an understatement.

He ate me.

[ugly_split_ends]

...Whole, or in bites?

[dereban]

It was more like my body was sucked dry from my recollection?

Thankfully, I don't recall the experience of being eaten.

[Since Reangumo was nice.]

[ugly_split_ends]

I see... so getting shot and stabbed was practically normal in comparison.

[Fukawa makes an irritated little sound.]

This is getting weird. Really weird. Are we sure you're alive right now? You don't feel like a zombie? What about your 'nullify' powers? Is it possible you just nullified the entire world?

[dereban]

It fucking hurt, you know. ...the gunshot, anyway. I was dead after that.

[It was a quick, clean murder. Although getting stabbed is not good. And honestly - she hates the fact that it was a gun of all things. Because of course it was.]

You want to check my pulse? [She'll put her arm out for her to double check.] My nullification powers are gone. Like... I don't feel the switch anymore.

[Because that's what it's like for her, a light switch in her head.]

I don't think I nullified the whole world, because then we wouldn't be having these erasure problems... not to mention that a timeloop doesn't fit the characteristics of my SOUL color.

[ugly_split_ends]

A-Are you suggesting I'm looking for a reason to touch you?? I'm not that perverted!

[dereban]

What? No.

I thought you were more of the type that would prefer 'seeing is believing' when it comes to hard evidence... and checking my pulse would be enough proof that I'm not a zombie, right?

[ugly_split_ends]

...That was a test. You were supposed to say: "Oh, I know you're not perverted at all."

[An exaggerated sigh.]

I'll believe you're not a zombie. I mean, it's obvious because you're walking around and talking to me.

[dereban]

If I said that, I'd be a liar.

[She heard your fantasies with Togami, she can't say that and be honest!]

Well, yeah - although I suppose most zombies are depicted as people who don't have much thinking.

1/2

[ugly_split_ends]

S-Sometimes it's nice to lie to someone! There's things that are true that don't need to be said!

2/2

[ugly_split_ends]

Hm... [She trails off for a moment.]

Though, I can imagine some other solutions. Can we prove you're not a clone?

[dereban]

I prefer being honest.

[She doesn't mind lying as much as the next person...]

I'm not like Ren, who has a bunch of different iterations of himself. But if you want to ask me anything to prove that I'm the real Inaba, go for it. We're around the others, so they can confirm or deny anything I say if I lie.

[ugly_split_ends]

...It wouldn't be the first time I had to face an impostor, now that I think about it.

[There's a genuine chill that runs up Touko's spine as she says it, and she starts biting her fingers.]

O-Okay, fine. What was the advice I gave you, when we first hiked here?

[dereban]

...

[She won't say more on that front.] Well, Cinque could probably become my imposter, but she'd never do that sort of thing without my permission. Or unless it was important.

You said that the first thing to remember when it comes to writing is to first realize that anything you write is garbage - completely and utterly worthless, and that it always will be and never have any value no matter what, and that all of it is a waste of time until you show that piece of work to someone and that person tells you that they like it.

... Should I go on?

[ugly_split_ends]

...

[She gets a sad look on her face.]

Yeah, that's what I said. And I was being completely serious. And I definitely believe it... and yet, somehow, hearing you say it back to me... it just fills me with this feeling of disappointment and disgust. Like it should be wrong, somehow.

...This is why I do better with the written word.

[dereban]

[She sighs heavily.]

It's times like this where I'm glad for my reliable memory...

[Makes her be more 'fitting' as a robot, to be honest.]

Well - I could have said it with the same intonation and all that, but that probably would have made things worse.

Written word comes off a little differently than spoken, that's for sure. There's a lot of differences. In spoken word, you can hear the intonation and emotion in their voices. You can see the minor tics they have.

Written word is definitely more reliant on a lot of other factors. Like if you were writing a letter for instance, it's a lot more reliant on the dialogue and how much someone can convey the feelings that way...

Each have their own merit, though.

[ugly_split_ends]

I see. So that's your real talent? A photographic memory?

Uggggh... or you could have just summarized what I said and shown you were assimilating the most useful part of the message. Are you a parrot, or a human being? There's no pop quiz at the end of Fukawa's lesson, so you have no excuse.

[dereban]

Near photographic.

[She frowns a little.]

I'm human, thank you very much. [Those words are spoken immediately with frustration.] And you were asking me to prove myself as someone that wasn't a clone? I wanted to be as detailed as possible.

[ugly_split_ends]

I'm going to be extra careful about what I say to you, from now on!

[She gets a small grin.]

I suppose we can rule out you being a clone... unless you were a clone created with the exact memories of Inaka up until death. We could cut you a little. See if you bleed red blood.

[dereban]

I would like to not be cut?!

I just died recently, please have mercy?

[ugly_split_ends]

[r-recoils!]

H-Hey, calm down! I was just kidding!

[dereban]

[Puffs her cheeks a little bit.]

It wasn't a very good joke...

[ugly_split_ends]

... Neither was you dying.