FINAL INVESTIGATION

[foundationmods]

FINAL INVESTIGATION

Everyone's time is running out - but on friday, the lights return back to normal light, and the rats squeak loudly, clawing at the plastic of their little closed off areas.

Something is happening - and it seems the time has come for action.

Comments

[foundationmods]

[There's a significant number of guests who came in after those two losers, so their names are not present in the guest book. But otherwise it's the same.

Also there's nothing else really to see here right now, you got the important stuff.]

[whirlingmace]

[ Thank you. Let's motor /o/ ]

I don't notice anything else. Let's see what's behind door number two, okay!

[ She will wait until the other two come over. Once they are all ready, she's opening the door. is it kingdom hearts ]

[latebluemer]

[If this were Kingdom Hearts, they'd at least have Keyblades instead of whips. Or maybe they'd be using the glowy whips and hair to open the doors, which begs the question of whether Tsumugi can grow bioluminescent hair.

Before we get any more off-topic, Aoi is going to be right over here with her. Maybe they'll get more memories? Or maybe something else?]

It's a little weird to have a whole room just... for this. How many more are there?

[jumpedtheshark]

[The question of bio luminescent hair is question that will have to be answered another day, as Tsumugi is following Cinque and Aoi, taking up the rear again. There's a moment of hesitation, but then a mental shrug as she takes the guest book with her. She's curious to see if it can actually leave the room or not and it's evidence anyway.]

I guess it is a little weird, yeah. Do you think there's these umm... past versions of all the other rooms too?

[foundationmods]

[That is a good question, one that will be answered After a puzzle immediately because we're pushing through this a bit here ayyyyy

The door from the lobby opens up into the child daycare, interestingly enough! Even though that is on an entirely different floor normally. Memories don't have to follow real world spacial reasoning.]

This one takes place inside the child daycare. It seems a certain pair of guests have decided to make use of its padded floor for some training.

Or, well. It looks like it might be training? Both of them have stripped down to t-shirts and sweatpants, and the older man looks ready to do some physical training. Boxing, maybe wrestling, who knows. But the teenager, he’s running circles around him. He’s clearly the faster of the two, appearing to be a blur as he goes from one spot to the next. As soon as the older man tries to get to him, he blinks off to another spot, laughing as he goes.

The older man seems to be getting irritated by this, and he points at the boy in an accusing manner. “That’s cheating, I sad no powers!”

“Your whole body is a power, Reyes,” the boy says, crossing his arms in front of him - but looking amused., “Or are you saying your ‘super soldier’ enhancements aren’t that good after all?”

The man grits his teeth and goes for the boy once more. The boy simply blinks out of the way, ending up on the other side of the room.

“The point is to train YOU, not me,” the man says irritably.

“I already know how to fight,” the boy points out.

“Practice makes perfect,” the man responds.

“Then you can practice by catching me,” the boy says, grinning widely, only to move again as the man rushes at him.

Clearly frustrated, the man reaches out for the boy once more. But this time, instead of just running at him, a mixture of black smoke and shadow in the form of a clawed hand shoots out of the end of his arm, reaching out and snatching up the boy. Both the boy and the man are surprised by this, and the man immediately ‘lets go’, making the shadow disappear. Then he draws his hand close to himself like he had been burned.

The boy stands there for a moment, shocked. Then, he tentatively says, “Reyes…?”

“I’m fine,” the man says immediately, though his voice sounds a little shaky, “I just need my medicine, that’s all.”

[whirlingmace]

[ Child day care.

She then blinks... ]

Do you think he has any medicine here still?

[ Because that would probably help a lot. So there anything to explore here or should they keep moving forward? Cause if there's nada, let's keep the babe train going. Choo choo. ]

[latebluemer]

... He doesn't. He said he was out, and I think Inaba-san said it was getting worse.

[So, you know, if they do get to wherever in the brain shadow!Gabe has holed himself up, they're going to be walking into... whatever that was. It's not like she's not used to weird shadow monsters by now, but Aoi would still rather avoid them if she can, all the same.

Anyway, she's down for moving on if there's nothing else, still looking thoughtfully around.]

I don't think I've ever actually been in this room.

[jumpedtheshark]

Well not now at least, right? But...

[Tsumugi checks to see if the guest book she's taken with her is still there and not doing or turning into anything weird.]

Maybe, if we find his room while we're exploring here, we'll be able to find some?

[Even if they can't take it with them, at least they'd know what it looks like.]

[foundationmods]

[The guest book will actually disappear later, when they all get out eventually. Sorry, it's a memory item. No removing it from the brain.

But hey, it's time to move on! And this time the door on the other side of the room opens up into a long, long, long hallway. Like seriously, you guys will be walking for ten minutes, maybe longer.

But at the end of the hallway is...another door! This one has bloodstains on it.]

[whirlingmace]

[ A long hallway means she can bounce around between the two, and walk backwards and maybe even pet Moogie's hair babies? They are good babies!

Cinque just makes the ten minutes pass quickly for her whatever they let her do.

So anyways let's head to this door that's not ominous or dangerous looking at all! ]

Oh.

[ She says it quietly. She's not bothered by bloodshed but... ]

If we're seeing memories from then... then Cinquey has an idea what this might be.

[ Let's open the door. ]

[latebluemer]

[The reprieve is nice, even if it isn't needed so far -- it's been suspiciously low-key for running into a new area of the Resort, and Aoi is still expecting explosions or Cells at Work or something any second.

She spends it watching their surroundings flash and reaching out to stop Cinque from getting too far ahead.

And then there's that door, and she's looking sidelong at the other two, taking in a slow breath before nodding. Being bothered by bloodshed after all this time and all these memories they already have is... almost distant, now. It's the fact that the door is hiding something that takes up most of her attention; she can take a guess or three, but there's nowhere to go but forward.]

... All right. Let's go.

[jumpedtheshark]

[The hair babies appreciate the petting and curl in happiness at it. Tsumugi seems more focused on the bloodstain though, a frown on her face. She's still waiting for something to happen, but standing around won't do much.]

Yeah. Let's move.

[Answers won't find themselves.]

[foundationmods]

[Indeed they won't, and it's too bad that Teen Girl Squad gets this memory, because. Well.

It's quite a memory.]

[whirlingmace]

[ She remembers the bang. Remembers seeing the pair of them around, but they were just strangers sharing a space back then. She didn't notice them.

Or rather, they didn't notice them.

But now she actually knows them and knows Appy. She also is now Cinque as well, so it actually all hurts. It really, really hurts. ]

That's... Cinquey isn't okay now.

[latebluemer]

[She had to look away from their faces at most of the last part -- but that means Aoi focuses on other things, even as she instinctively pulls closer to the others at the raised voices and the sprays of blood, the gore all across the room by the end of it. Ichigo's distraction and changes in expression. What exactly pulled the trigger. The clatter of petoskey stone in the midst of skull before she squeezes her eyes shut, takes a moment or two to try and shove away the sight of someone she knows and doesn't know dying right there.

She's seen plenty of it on this mission, and if she wasn't entirely prepared for it here, that's probably her own fault. She opens her eyes at Cinque's words and then reaches out to lay a hand on her shoulder.]

... That wasn't okay. It was... We knew what Reyes-san did. [but yeah, now they get to see it in technicolor 3D and she could have lived without ever seeing any of that; her eyes narrow a little, though she's staring fixedly at Cinque rather than anywhere else] And his powers.

[Getting to the guy is going to be a shitshow, huh.]

[jumpedtheshark]

[Tsumugi's actually pretty okay with this memory. She's seen worse. This only gets a concerned look at the others and raised eyebrows. Two tendrils of hair split off to go and comfortingly pat Aoi and Cinque on whatever shoulder is closest to Tsumugi. She's quiet to try and give Cinque and Aoi time to collect themselves before speaking up.]

Umm.... are you guys ready to move on?

[Miscommunication killed Ichigo, but hopefully it won't belatedly result in Reyes' death too.]

[foundationmods]

[Hopefully it doesn't. Living is much better.

And the trio won't have much farther to go, because from that messy room are a trail of bloody footprints that leas across the room- a room that seems to stretch on and on and eventually become a hallway somehow- and right to a door labeled CONTROL CENTER.]

[whirlingmace]

[ Let's be brave for a little longer. Putting her hand over the hair baby and Aoi's hand for a moment and then nodding. She really appreciates you, Moogie and Blueski. ]

Yeah, we're ready.

[ She can cry all she wants later... let's keep going. Also Gabe, didn't you learn to clean up after yourself.

She's quiet for once, no longer bouncing or trying to keep cheer going through the hall. Just focusing on pressing forward. Once they are at the door, she'll look back at them to check if they are good to go before opening the door. ]

Hello?

[latebluemer]

... Yeah. But be careful with that door, okay?

[She does appreciate the hair babies' attempt at comfort, too -- they'll get a small pat before Aoi pulls herself almost all the way back together, loops her whip around both arms just to be prepared and... tries not to step in the bloody footprints. How long has that blood been there. Ugh.

Also, she's going to keep a hand on Cinque's shoulder to make sure she's mostly behind the door while opening it, or at least not just standing in the doorway, depending on which way the door opens.

Assuming it opens, and we aren't looking at another #doorgate at the last stretch here.]

[jumpedtheshark]

Alright.

[Tsumugi nods and stays in the back as usual, nimbly stepping her way around the bloody footprints. Her focus is more on the door though. She's figured out the pattern by now and is preparing to be bombarded by another memory.

Probably not one as educational in gun use as the last one, but, she'll take what she can get.]

CW: BUGS

[stepsinshadows]

[Actually, it's no memory this time. It's an actual person.

The man is currently shirtless, and seems a bit distracted with trying to pry a bug off of a partially-formed hole in his chest without harming said bug.

He's actually got one of his hands on the bug's tail when the door opens, and he just. Freezes and looks up.]

...

I don't know what you three are up to, but you picked a really bad time for this.

oh look he had a friend this whole time

[whirlingmace]

[ She's surprised for a moment and actually starts to move further in the room. She's relieved cause here he is! And he's still okay... as okay as he can be given the circumstances. ]

Hey hey, Outsider. How are you doing?

[latebluemer]

[Yeah, no, Aoi still has a hand on her shoulder holding her back. She kind of thought this might be the real thing and she's pretty wary of the shadow problem here?? She's not here to be dragged into the Shadow Realm. I'm never going to stop making that joke. She's peering over Cinque's shoulder mistrustfully at both Gabe and his little friend.

Also is his chest turning to shadow or did he just lose a chunk of it or what.]

Cinque. Slow down. [Hm.] Reyes-san, what is that thing?

[jumpedtheshark]

Oh!

[This turn of events actually surprises Tsumugi, who after a few moments of shock, smiles slightly at Reyes.]

It's great to meet you face to face. But... umm...

[She glances at the bug and shadows. She remembers the latter acting on their own in the memory.]

Is it safe to get near you right now?

he's had a friend for like two days

[stepsinshadows]

Let's just keep you guys over there for now. Just to be safe. This damn bug Granz put on me won't hurt you, but I can't make any promises about the shadow.

[He's going to give up on removing the bug for now though, and he sighs irritably as he grabs his shirt and hoodie and pulls those back on.]

I'm not going to ask 'how', since I'm sure the boxes weren't that much of a challenge, but why? Shoulsn't all of you be leaving?