recolle | [open] render into ash

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WHO: Rose and YOU?!
WHERE: all around Recolle
WHEN: throughout October
WHAT: Fog and nightmares and general Bad Times.
WARNINGS: Violence and blood mostly, will update as needed.

a. now that's what i call spooky (fog)

[At this point, everyone's come to expect something bad out of the fog, right? If you're unlucky enough to be out at night in it, tonight's fog features what sounds like the disembodied laughter and crying of children, no matter how far you try to get away from it. You might even see something glowing in the distance, cutting through the fog. Actually, there's a lot of disembodied glowing smiles around, aren't there? And are they getting closer? The laughing and crying sure are getting louder...

And then there's Rose appearing through the fog, already on the run. She looks back behind her with a grimace, but when she turns back around, she scowls.]

What the hell are you doing just standing around?! Run!

[Although that might be more difficult than expected. The ground shakes, and there's a sudden warm gust of air, rank with the smell of rotting meat. Like something's breathing on them.

They've got new company.]

Are you fucking kidding me. [GIANT CREEPY DOLLS AREN'T ENOUGH, BUT A DRAGON TOO?? WHAT KIND OF HALLOWEEN JOKE IS THIS!!!]

b. idk some shit (nightmare)

[Recolle's orphanage is probably a familiar location for a lot of people. Rose herself might even be familiar, depending on when you were there. What wouldn't be familiar is the sight of her covered in blood and surrounded by bodies. Some of them are armored figures, clutching weapons and shields even in death, but some of them are just regular people, workers and caretakers from the orphanage. You might even recognize them if you grew up there.

It's jarring, of course. All these armored people look completely out of place, and all these orphanage employees are still alive and well. But that's how it is when it comes to nightmares, isn't it? It doesn't need to make sense for it to be terrifying.

Rose is still clutching a sword in the center of it all, but there's no mistaking the horror in her expression. That might be unfamiliar too, if you know her.]

I didn't do this, I didn't do this... [She mutters it to herself over and over, sounding unconvinced. There's no way she could've done something like this. If that's the case though, why does she remember doing so?]

c. wildcard

[Have something else in mind for Rose? Feel free to leave a top level or hit me up at ghostory!]

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[ Matt knows Recolle orphanage as well as Rose does for the same reason. He knows by the familiar creaks in the floors and the length of the halls and placement of doors where he is almost instantly. He almost doesn't need to bother with his cane, but then the toe of his shoe bumps into something as he passes through another doorway. He can hear a woman muttering several feet away but he can't recognize her voice from that alone. Before greeting her however, he's distracted by the suspicious feel of the object he nearly stepped or tripped on. He steps back, nudges it again with his toes and he can swear that it's not only warm but soft, like the sensation when a cat or dog leans against his feet or leg only larger and completely still and silent.

He doesn't like where this is going. Nor the smell that hits his nose when he turns towards the woman's voice. Matt hasn't been to many crime scenes the way the police and CSI he works with have but perhaps simply through human intuition, he's aware that it's the smell of blood. He grips his cane in his hand tighter. ]

Who's there?

[The sudden sound of his voice startles her out of her horrified near-trance, enough so that she drops the sword, the clang of it hitting the floor almost painfully loud. When she turns to the direction of the voice, she's surprised and confused to see Matt. At least, she thinks it's him. It's been a while since they last saw each other. She's old enough to bail herself out of trouble, after all.

Not that they've ever had trouble like this.]

I'm not— I didn't do any of this, okay? I swear! [It occurs to her of course that she should probably explain what "this" even is, but the stench of blood in the air is pretty unmistakable.]

[ Rose. Her voice is more scared than he thinks he has ever heard before but he recognizes it and the first jolt of real acknowledged fear shoots though him and makes his heart pound down to the pit of his stomach. He finds his legs stumbling forward, around the body near the doorway and hurrying in her direction, cane connecting with another body and another. He has to weave between and step over them, no idea just how bloody the scene is, only that it reeks of the scent. ]

I-I know. Rose, are you hurt? Is anyone else here still- Still with us?

[ His voice is weak with shock but he believes her. He knows she wouldn't hurt other people like this. That's why he promised he'd help her if she ever called for an attorney or just someone to defend her. ]

No, it's— It's just us.

[She knows that because she saw herself cut them all down, but that's not something she's going to mention. Because, even if she that's what she saw, that's what happened, she just can't bring herself to believe it. There's no way. There's just no way.

Despite her panic though, she maneuvers her way towards Matt too. This isn't any scene to let him struggle to make his way through.]

And I'm fine. [She takes a breath, trying to steady herself despite the metallic scent of blood. It makes her feel sick, but she's not a kid anymore. She can't just wait for someone to help her.] Just, be careful, okay? There's— There's a lot here.

[ He can hear her voice getting closer and her footsteps so he stops in place. He doesn't want to disturb the bodies any more than he already has. ]

Is this a- a bad dream you've been having? This place is just like the orphanage. I was able to walk down the halls without tapping.

It's the orphanage, yeah. [It takes her a moment longer to actually answer his question though. Even if she never really liked the workers at the orphanage, she'd never hurt them like this. She doesn't like what it says about her, that she could dream of this. What it says about whoever she apparently used to be.] Sometimes it's like this. The first time I dreamed about this though, it was somewhere else.

[Somewhere where armored knights were actually normal, but. She really just tries not to think about it. Once she reaches him though, she taps him lightly on the arm. She doesn't want to just grab his hand or something..]

Let's just leave.

[ He feels her hand at his shoulder and he turns and locates her shoulder. "Excuse me," he murmurs, hoping she won't mind it until they're out of the courtyard and away from the bodies. He reaches down the back of her upper arm and very gently holds on an inch above the elbow so he can walk beside her and behind by a step. In this position he can follow along easily. ]

Somewhere else you've lived before?

No. [a beat] I don't think so, at least.

[She's pretty sure she wouldn't kill a bunch of medieval soldiers in a weird medieval castle if she lived there? Then again, she doesn't think she'd kill anyone, and that "memory" says otherwise, so what does she know, right?]

I know there's talk about the people who own these memories actually being us but try not to take it to heart. I'm sure it's easy to carelessly accept that theory for those who haven't dreamed about being in the shoes of someone violent. And...

[ He frowns and licks his dry lips. ]

And even if it turns out to be true we know better. We have our own lives and our own choice. People counting on us to be the best we can be.

... Yeah. You're right.

[She lets out a shaky sigh. Objectively, she knows that whether or not these memories are actually real, it doesn't mean she's the person in them. It doesn't even mean she's anything like the dream-memory her. Still, if what people say is right about the memories being some kind of past life or whatever, what does it say about the kind of person she could potentially be? It's something she finds herself thinking about more often than not.]

I take it you've "remembered" some weird stuff too?

Yes. Weird is... only half of it really.

[ That shaky laugh she gives has him wondering just how many violent memories she has experienced. How intimate were they? Did it feel like she was the one attacking other people? ]

You wouldn't happen to have an idea of how a blind man can drop down the side of a building and overpower and knock out a man in an alleyway without getting a scratch on him would you?

... No, not a clue. That sounds like some movie bullshit. [After a moment though, she gives a short laughter.] But running around with a real live dragon sounds like some movie bullshit too, so you're not alone there.

A dragon? Sounds like an epic fantasy blockbuster in that case.

I dunno if it was the kinda movie that'd be making blockbuster headlines.

[Not like movies are any stranger when it comes to violence, but the sheer amount of carnage and blood was... Well. It'd almost be funny to think of how something like that could be mainstream if she didn't see herself as involved in it.]

[ Yeah, Kiryu's seen some weird shit in the fog but this seriously takes the cake. Running? That sounds like a pretty damn good idea.

It's enough to make a guy lose his cool. ]

What the hell kind of world are you from?!

[OFF THEY GO RUNNING although that's, y'know. Definitely a dragon chasing after them now. Good luck guys.....]

Fuck if I know! Isn't this just some of the weirdass shit this place has in general? [She knows that's not true since she's seen this dragon before (or at least one that was really similar), but she wants to believe, okay. Her "world" or "past life" or whatever can't really be like this!!]

[ Kiryu's like, all for dragons except when they're trying to kill him, holy shit. ]

I got attacked by tigers the other day, the same ones I remembered fighting.

[ Yeah he's calling bullshit. While running for his life. KIRYU PLS. ]

Maybe that's just you.

[WHY DO YOU HAVE TO RUIN THINGS LIKE THIS!! There's a near-deafening roar from behind them though, and the ground starts to shake more and more as the dragon makes its way closer.]

You remember anything more useful, like fighting a dragon? [Not like she expects that much from Kiryu (sorry man), but they're running out of options here.]

[ Kiryu scoffs. He's at least still running. But he is having a bad time. (Which is fun because he's normally way more calm and collected, but he normally he's not running from a dragon.) ]

Unless showing it my tattoo makes it back off, I'm pretty sure we're screwed!

[ Yeah, he's the Dragon of Dojim, but he's not literally a dragon. ]

There's no way I'm dying in some fucking haunted fog! [(Although she's curious about the tattoo, but that's a question for later, if ever. Preferably when they're not getting chased by a dragon.)

Even as they're running and she can feel how much the ground's shaking, she chances a look behind her. Maybe it'll be magically gone, just like how it magically appeared. Maybe she'll see the area clear of fog and they've literally been running all night. This night is beyond awful, she just wants things to end already, okay!!

Instead she sees the dragon stop, raising its wings and opening its mouth horrifyingly wide.

Oh. This is kind of familiar.

Shit.]

Get down! [OR GET ROASTED BY DRAGON FIRE. Although whether he does or not, she's dragging him into hiding behind a nearby tree.]

[ Well fuck, this shit is way crazier than anything he signed up for. Kiryu follows her advice and ducks down, getting pulled behind a tree to avoid the blowback from literal dragon fire, holy shit.

This would be awesome if they weren't in some serious peril. ]

You sure you don't remember this thing? Like maybe some weak spot or how to kill it?

Sorta...

[The one she remembers seeing was grayer and even bigger than this one, but there's something about this one that looks weirdly similar to the other one, even if she doesn't know what or why.]

But the one I remember was— [Helping her kill people actually, but she doesn't exactly want to talk about that.] It liked me, I think. Definitely wasn't trying to roast me alive like this.

[ Sometimes you remember committing murder, that's not so bad, right? ]

So you think this is a different one?

[ Too bad the friendly one isn't here to roast this guy. Because running doesn't seem like much of an option anymore... ]

Any chance the other one might come to help?

[One day she'll feel comfortable admitting to the mass murder she committed... One day.]

Fuck, I don't know! I'm telling you, I really don't remember any of this shit! [If all of this is really from her "past life," she has some serious questions, like why she knows multiple dragons. BUT ANYWAYS.

Those creepy glowing faces sure are a thing still, and one of them is definitely getting closer and closer.]

Maybe we can get the dragon to kill these things instead?

[ Yeah, Kiryu would probably not be super cool with it but also he forgives a dude for stabbing him, so maybe he would.....? ]

Shit. I forgot about those.

[ Yeah, okay, maybe they can leave the talking for later. ]

That sounds like a plan. Think they'll chase me if I punch 'em?

Probably. They've gotta be here to do something other than be creepy, right? [She cracks her knuckles. She's never had to throw a punch at a doll?? thing???? before but there's a first for everything.] Let's try it.

Yeah.

[ Kiryu nods. They're super creepy but they aren't coming at them the way the dragon is, so this is the best thing they've got. He runs up to one of the things and punches it lightly, not wanting to knock it back too far and also kind of because these things are freaky?? ]

Hope this works...

[It stumbles back slightly, but then it starts wailing, the sound even worse than a baby crying. Immediately, it starts toddling after them, uncanny but slow, and she almost thinks they're gonna have another chase on their hands.

Until the dragon turns its head to roar at the doll at least.]

I think that's our cue to run before it burns us with that thing.

[ Wow, okay, that was the worst sound ever but Kiryu has little time to dwell on it, what with the burning and everything else. The doll seems to have done its job though, so that's a plus. ]

Yeah, let's get the hell out of here.

[ Time to RUN ]

[BOOKING IT OUTTA HERE and mercifully they run right out of the fog and back into the normal world. No more freaky dragons.

She looks back once, just to make sure there's nothing behind them anymore, before promptly dropping onto her ass.]

When I get home, I'm not getting out of bed for the next hundred years. Fuck, I'm tired.

[ Kiryu runs for all he's worth, only stopping to look back and make sure they've left those creatures behind them. He hunches over, heaving for breath as he's finally able to slow down and breathe. Man, he might have super endurance when it comes to fighting, but running is another thing entirely. ]

Yeah, that... that was intense. [ He's still. Breathing hard. He can do this. ] Are you okay to get home?

Should be fine as long as there's no more of this shitty fog. [The adrenaline's still pumping, but she'd really rather not have to put it to use again.] You?

[ Kiryu at least manages to regain his breath. He's got super endurance to go with his super strength, so at least outside of running, he can recover. ]

I think I should be good. Once I get to my car, I'll be okay.

[ You know, hopefully. ]

I can walk you home, if you want.

[Normally she'd be loathe to take help from anyone, especially Kiryu, but she also REALLY doesn't want to end up walking into the fog alone again, so. She didn't think it'd be this bad, but that was before she had to run from a dragon of all things.]

... Sure, if you don't have anything else to do.

[ He almost didn't offer tbh, he figured her pride couldn't take it, so he's glad she actually agreed. ]

Yeah, I've got nowhere else to be.

Then let's get outta here. [The sooner the better, both for their safety and her own pride tbh.]

[ Kiryu nods, letting her lead the way. Don't worry, he won't tell anyone (besides Majima) he walked you home, Rose. Your pride is safe with him. ]

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a, a million years late but hi

no lateness could ever stand between us

ooh miss zero ooh

she'll even leave her eye flower on

gaze

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