open ☆ how can you see into my eyes like open doors

[promisedyou]

WHO: Mio Sonozaki and you, fellow dreamwalkers!
WHERE: Mio's dreamscapes
WHEN: August 20th
WHAT: You're stuck in Mio's dreams. Try not to get too lost in it.
WARNINGS: Blanket content warnings for torture, and potential warnings for suicide, murder, and hallucinations. If anything else comes up, let me know and I'll add it to the list.



[ You find yourself outside. The sun is shining brightly and you can hear the cries of the evening cicadas out there — the higurashi. In front of you is a large door that seems to be almost closed tight; there's the strange feeling you get that you shouldn't open it because there's something terrifying behind the door. Like there's fear seeping right through it.

The words come out of nowhere, but the voice is distinct: to those who know her, it seems to be Mio's own voice. But the inflection is a little different than normal. Like she's trying to be someone else. Her tone is firm, but filled with concern for the person behind the door, giving an obvious warning: ]

"You can still go back now. I don't know what kind of impression you have of me, but... it will surely change... once you go in."

[ However, if you make the decision to turn around and walk away, you're greeted by the large expanse of darkness. Of absolute nothingness. It seems that in spite of these words, you aren't given much of a choice but to open the door and enter.

If you do, you're greeted by dark stone steps that seem to lead down into what seems to be almost endless... but in fact, actually isn't. It takes a while, but eventually you find yourself in what seems to be an underground cavern. In the center of the room, there's a place that seems like a person can lie down on it. But with how eerie everything is here and the fact that there seems to be straps on the areas where wrists and feet can be, you can only describe it as a place where someone was to be tortured.

This isn't just an underground cavern.

This is a torture chamber.

In the back of the chamber, there seems to be prison cells, not to mention that there's an area to the side where there might be something more. It's only when your feet manage to reach the bottom step that the owner of the voice shows up. However, there's something different about her. For those who saw her recently, the girl in front of you has her hair long and tied up in a ponytail, not to mention that she's wearing what seems to be a white kimono. There's darkness in her eyes, but is otherwise unbothered by the situation as she looks at you - the visitor. She wears no expression at all as she decides to greet you. ]

"Welcome." [ The words are spoken politely with a bow deep from the waist down. ] "While I am surprised you did not heed my warning, I am pleased to welcome you otherwise. My name is Sonozaki Mion, heir of the Sonozaki family. You are free to look around as you please, but if you have any questions-- well, perhaps I don't mind answering one or two."

[ OOC: As always, feel free to tell me your limits in terms of how comfortable you are with the content warnings given above and I'll match it! I can go as heavy as you'd like, just let me know. And if you have any questions, just ask me either via PM or at endlesseight. ]

Comments

[nachetanya]

I wanted to see their face!

[ And with a giggle and a flick of her wrist? The blade flies super fast and with a surprising accuracy into the point of the oni mask that she's pretty sure she can slice it in half. Even if she can't the blade's not nearly big enough to do more than maybe make a small cut into the imprisoned person there. ]

[promisedyou]

...

[ Well, "Mion" isn't going to stop her in the slightest bit. Instead, she just watches carefully like an observer would. The mask, on the other hand does shatter, leaving the person unharmed and lo and behold... the fact of the person behind the mask is the same as the one who had responded just seconds ago. ]

[nachetanya]

[ That's... she's surprised for a moment before she ends up laughing just a little bit. A hand comes up to run over her face and she shakes her head, the blade fading as she does. And she looks between the two before she says, with her tone almost sounding amused. ]

I really should have seen that coming.

[ She sort of did too, but...

If she was going to have a space like this, her own might look like this. ]

[promisedyou]

"You seem like you're having fun."

[ Not that "Mion" is entirely bothered by that in the slightest bit, which is obvious by the smile that plays upon her lips in a mischievous manner. The girl who's had her mask broken, however, seems to be making the attempt to grab it and put it back together and cover her face with it, looking almost frantic as she says, ]

Don't look at me!

[nachetanya]

If I was someone else, I think I'd be loving this, actually!

[ If she were someone else... but who is she? It's the stress that makes her laugh a little, being in a weird torture chamber like this, juggling now three memories all told with those dreams over the last two months - well, she shrugs a little and crouches down to get level with the now unmasked girl, ]

Is it going to be bad if I do?

[promisedyou]

[ The girl with the mask is trying to cover her face, to say the least, not wanting to be seen. Although "Mion" seems to eye Natalia with curiosity when she actually laughs. ]

No, it's just... I don't want anyone to. I'm a terrible person, after all.

ignore that misfire oops

[nachetanya]

[ . . . A terrible person. ]

And that's why you're here?

[ The manic energy Nat had been feeling does seem to calm down as she crosses her hands in front of her. ]

it's cool

[promisedyou]

[ The girl doesn't say anything -- instead she just simply nods in response to the question. ]

[nachetanya]

[ Natalia glances around as best she can in the dungeon here. She need to access a few things: First, is there anyone else here besides her, Mion, and this girl? In any of the other cages or restraints? Second, does this girl look like she had been tortured before now? Both of those seem important, and she can't decide how to respond without it.

Instead, she just glances, biting her lip and weighing her options.

... This is Mio's brain, isn't it? ]

[promisedyou]

[ To answer your questions: there are other people in the cells further down-- there's more of what seems to be the same person wearing various outfits but the same masks until you reach the cell all the way down at the end of the hall, which seems to hold... someone completely different, if she makes that trip!

Second of all: she seems unharmed in spite of her clothes looking worn out and tattered. ]

[nachetanya]

[ So a bunch of these green haired people... perfect. Natalia sighs and stands now, looking back at Mion with a shrug before looking back down at the girl whose mask she tore open as she asks, ]

Why do you say that?

[ About the being terrible thing. Her tone is... well it's soft. She tries to make it gentle. ]

[promisedyou]

Because I'm a murderer.

[ The answer comes out rather easily to her as she doesn't even dare hesitate in the slightest to say it. ]

[nachetanya]

[ Not expecting that answer, Natalia's red eyes widen just a little bit to hear it. That's... honestly, it's something that she knew about herself, though herself of a previous life. Or at least, she could guess - she had the intent. And she had killed fiends, but -

Well, no, this moment was more important. breathe, Fairweather, focus. ]

This isn't the normal sort of prison that people would go to for that, but I see.

[promisedyou]

No, it isn't. But this is the prison that I remember.

[ Even though her voice is a little shaky, she manages to say those words, looking a little forlorn as her eyes can't meet Natalia's. ]

It's where I belong.

[nachetanya]

You remember?

[ So this is ... Huh. A prison of her memories? Or somewhere she actually was? Natalia stands, stretching a bit as she keeps her eyes on the formerly masked girl even as she walks a little further down the hall to glance at the other people there. ]

[promisedyou]

[ The girl nods before "Mion" decides to follow Natalia down the hall, quiet ]

"Everyone in here remembers. It wasn't something of this life... but the last. Well, no. That's not exactly true. There's someone here who doesn't remember that. Besides you, of course. It's the person I keep at the end of the hall."

[nachetanya]

Why are there so many though?

[ Numerous past lives? Split personality? She'll keep walking, glancing at the others as the go here, trying to take in if there's any significant differences as they head towards the end of the hall. Different masks or hair or levels of injury, perhaps. ]

[promisedyou]

"Because there's many aspects that are hidden, after all."

[ In terms of the differences: none of them seem to be injured, their masks are all the same, but there is one who has a different hair length -- one that seems to be shorter than the rest of them. ]

[nachetanya]

[ Humans are meant to recognize patterns and so...

She crouches in front of that one. ]

Huh. That sounds like there's a lot of lies involved, then.

[promisedyou]

"I suppose you could say that. But not all of them are bad. Only some are extremely terrible."

[nachetanya]

[ Natalia nods. The fact is, she knows what that's like. Or at least, she thinks she does. She knows what she has locked within her own memories - in this and the other life. And as a result, she licks her lips and then once more flicks her wrist to summon another blade.

Does the short haired girl have a mask? If so, she's getting it split too. ]

[promisedyou]

[ She does, indeed!

Of course, what happens is the exact same. The face is the same, too. ]

"Do you really like doing that?"

[nachetanya]

It seems like an efficient way to do it, at least.

[ A beat and... ]

... And I'm showing off, a little. Does it work, for you?

[promisedyou]

"Efficient?"

[ Well, perhaps it is-- but she just simply shrugs her shoulders. ]

"It doesn't really do anything for me. As for them, they don't exactly like having their masks shattered. It terrifies them."

[nachetanya]

Mmm. Because to face everything without a mask is a problem. It's something much more rough, isn't it...?

[ Natalia tilts her head, looking to Mion for a moment before she crouches down to the short-haired person and puts a hand into the bars, offering it to them. ]

So, how about we leave?