trustfell | Week 2.

Week 2.

WEEK 2
Two people are dead. Ken Kaneki has been murdered, Reaver has been executed - and perhaps most uncomfortably, the Conductor is proud of you all for adhering to due process.

(As always, by which he means that there is a process, and you all are certainly doing it.)

Saturday is given to regrouping and sleep; come Sunday morning, the clock chimes the hour at seven o'clock and there are no dead bodies to be found, so it can be assumed that all of you are safe for the time being. That said, you'll be feeling a little groggy when you wake up; it seems you've regained something that you didn't realize you'd lost...

However, once you've shaken that off, there are new things to be looked at; the previously closed-off area near the kitchen has been unlocked, and there's a new floor to be explored - consider it your reward for a job well done.

PARTICIPANTS REMAINING: 27

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[OOC: Welcome to week two of Trustfell! Save your threads for coins and the coming week's activity check; don't forget to check in to this week's activity check and submit your memory regains as well!

The Letters and Switchboard posts are still active, for the sake of contacting the jerk who's keeping you here, to be used at your leisure!]

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[Well, "oh no no no" isn't a sound that happy people make, so Hibiki finally connects the dots...in more ways than one. She looks to the doll she almost grabbed and back to Ashley, a few wheels turning ~~for once~~. If she squints, she'd say the doll almost...maybe...

No, more important than that is talking to Ashley. She places a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to look right at her.]

H-hey...it's just a dollhouse, alright? The vending machine gave it to me! There's nothin' dangerous about it.

[Thankfully she grabs the right shoulder, one that's not currently rubbed down with ointment. It gets Ashley to look to Hibiki...and right to the doll in her hand. Her voice cracks with surprise:] Chris?

[Little glasses, stupid faux-hawk hair... Definitely him.]

It- but it was set up like this, right?

[Oh, oops, yeah. Good thing. She looks down at the doll in her hand for a moment, failing to make the proper connections here...there's a lot of context she's missing, it's not entirely her fault.]

Mm! It came just like this, I carried it right over. Um, Ashley...do you know...this doll? You called him Chris just now.

[She'll pull her hand back. Hibiki looks more confused than comforting, but...wait a sec.]

Are you sayin' this is yours? Like how I got my photo?

No, I mean- I know who it has to be based on, if this is all what I think it is, but- this isn't mine, I've never seen it before!

[The bewilderment on Hibiki's face is so evident, she really should explain but how can she, really? She's already bare-bones'd it to Logan with proper worse context, and she's not in the mood for rehashing it again, but-]

Who did this? The Conductor? B-but how...does he know everything that... [She slowly sits down.] I- sorry, I need a moment.

It'd have to be him, right? I mean, he's the one who put it into the vending machine...

[Her voice trails off, because she's answering that question but she can't tell if she's saying the right thing or making it worse. She turns back to the dollhouse and puts Chris back where she found him, right in the room with the other male(?) doll. It's hard to tell.]

Take all the time you need, okay? Do you need water? I can go get ya some, it'll just take a sec.

[Her line of sight follows the Chris-doll placed in the upper room and...oh. Josh.

Ashley is honestly really sick of this, of freaking out and panicking and crying and thinking about his sliced up body and the feel of his blood. In a profoundly strange moment, she shakes her head without making a big fuss.]

I don't think I can drink anything right now. I... I didn't realize he'd set up something s-...so absolutely twisted. Why does he- want me to see this...?

[It is strange, at least to Hibiki, because she still has no idea what the context of all of this is. This dollhouse. She knows the people inside, one might be her, and it's...upsetting. She doesn't like seeing one of her friends so upset, but there's nothing she can say about this, is there?

She feels so helpless, but what's more important is how Ashley feels. So, Hibiki is going to start to shut it. That'll help calm her down, right? It's not like she's hiding it from a pet, it's still there, now Ashley just isn't forced to look at it.]

I don't know that. I didn't even know it was yours, if I'd known it was this bad, I would've...done somethin' else with it.

[Something clicks into place as Hibiki starts to close up the dollhouse, like Ashley's really realizing she doesn't understand just what this means, as she automatically starts to shake her head and words form in her mouth.]

I would've wanted to find out about it. Knowing what he knows is better than... [She sighs and puts a hand to her forehead.] This is...this is kind of a...look back on a very bad night for me, okay?

[The Conductor. He's messing with people again. He's hurt Ashley, and he used herself to do it. That's unforgivable on two counts. Scowling at the dollhouse as pieces both start to make sense and stop being important altogether, Ashley's discomfort clearly the only fact Hibiki needs, she pushes away from the table and stands up.]

I don't know what's goin' on, but you need to tell me. Do you never want to see this dollhouse again?

I... [Now that's a funny question. Because yes, of course, she doesn't want to see it ever again but at the same time, and this feels silly and stupid-] ...can I have the weirdo dolls? They're...they're supposed to be my friends.

[Her face burns, but...well, she'd been wanting something to remember Josh by. Even if this is messed up beyond belief.]

Of course you can! I'd never say no to that, but...

[She's going to open it back up, but she gets the dolls out for Ashley instead of letting her do it for herself. Ashley is welcome to stop her, but there's something about the house that bothers her, so Hibiki thinks it's best to carefully and quickly set the dolls out on the table.

But while she works, she has one thing to add.]

I'm not gonna let him get away with botherin' you with this.

[There's Chris, there's Josh, there's Jess... One after the other, those creepy dolls that she's probably going to hold on to until she dies because this is her fucking life now, but-]

Wh-what are you gonna do?

[Her eyes find Hibiki.]

You're not going to provoke him, are you?

I don't know what I'm gonna do yet.

[But there's all of them, and she's going to shut the house.]

Maybe I'll just keep it where you can't see it. Or...or maybe we should burn it! Show him we're not afraid of him. But I'm not gonna sit around and leave this thing out where it can hurt you!

Burn-- no!

[She stands and actually puts a hand on the house, as if that'd stop...whatever she thinks is going to happen.]

No. No, wait. Okay? I- I don't know why- or how the Conductor...b-but without everything all set up, it's... it's just a dollhouse. It can't mess with me, and if we destroy it- maybe there's some...some kind of answer in it, Hibiki.

[An answer for what? Well, that's a good question.

Almost distantly:] None of this makes much sense to you, does it? I...sorry.

Do you really think there's an answer in there?!

[Hibiki is easily distracted by that. Her intentions were pure, at least, wanting to remove that thing so Ashley couldn't see it anymore, but she backs off pretty quickly.]

You don't have to apologize or anything, I just wanted to get rid of it if it upset you that much, y'know?

[What a good kid. She wonders if Hibiki had taken note of the camera in Matt's hands, or how they were all placed, what it looked like...

It makes her sick. She deserves to be upset, but all she wants is to forget-

Her hand finds the little Josh doll. She holds it. In some sick way, it helps. This is beyond fucked up, isn't it?]

I think...we shouldn't destroy anything that comes out of the machine. What he chose to- to fuck with us. Maybe it'll a missing piece of the puzzle.

[Beyond fucked up.]

I can just- keep it in my room. Put a blanket over it.

[She didn't notice, mostly because she was kind of disturbed all the dolls were naked.]

If...if you're sure, but if you don't want it anymore, you can come and tell me, okay? I'll hide it in my room instead. I don't want that bastard to hurt ya any more than he already has.

[If there's one thing Hibiki is good at, it's watching out for her friends, okay? Even if she kind of gets carried away with her stubbornness at times.]

I wish he'd given ya somethin' nice. All I got from him was that photo I showed ya.

Ha. Yeah. Something nice. That would've... God, how I'd want that.

[Something from Josh.]

Alright. You take the house, I'll...take the dolls. And- I- ...thank you for not- ...asking about...all this.

[About what happened.]

[Something nice.

Hibiki's going to remember that. Even in a time like this, maybe there's something she can do to help. She'll think on it.]

I'll take care of it! I'll put it right next to my trunk, so if anyone ever needs it, it'll be right there.

[But that last part. Hibiki's a little worried there's still some piece of this that she's missing, but you know what? That isn't important at all.]

And it's no problem! Everyone has things they don't like. But if you ever do wanna talk...about anything...you let me know, okay?

[Her hand tightens around the doll of Josh. She gathers the others up, right after. Ah... What kind of person would Hibiki see when she looked at her, then?

She swallows her bitter guilt; she swallows everything down into her gut and smiles, thin and uneven.]

I will. Thank you. Both for the house, and...yeah.

You're welcome. Just take of yourself, alright? I'll keep an eye on this house until you need it again!

[She's still smiling, but. She'll reach out and pat Ashley on the same shoulder again, the one that isn't hurt.]

Just hang in there, alright? Remember, nankurunaisa! We'll get there.

[Gosh, does Ashley ever try to make her own smile look a bit less strained.]

Right. Nankur...uh, sa.

[...She tried. She really, really did.]

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Week 2.

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