yogen | may missions

[ The world seems to be slipping more and more as time goes on, the barriers becoming thinner. Those who wander too close to mirrors have found themselves grabbed by ghostly hands, pulled against them, but up until now they've been easy enough to shake off. If not that, then one can at least make an effor to avoid them.

But it's impossible to avoid them forever, and at some point during the day Himeko Inaba, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Rantarou Amami, and Shin Tsukimi will all make the mistake of passing by one. Perhaps it'll be because the reflection catches their eye, showing some time and place that nonetheless seems familiar and nostalgic, or perhaps it's an effort to another place. One might even be brave enough to try and investigate them.

Why it happens doesn't matter, but the moment they stop for even an instant they'll find those hands reaching out and grabbing them. The grip is too tight now, impossible to break, and the movements too quick to possibly break free from. They'll be pulled against it, pulled against it, and there's the feeling of being pulled underwater as they're pulled through it.

Where they arrive is a room decorated in gray and silver, what they are greeted by is the sight of themselves reflected an infinite number of times in the surfaces of the room. The room might pass as a mirror image of the counselor's room, if not for the fact that the furniture, walls, ceiling, doors, and even the floor are all themselves mirrors.

Time marches on. ]

Edited 2022-05-13 22:51 (UTC)

[Something's been up with the mirrors... At this point it's clear it's just going to get worse if something isn't done, but reacting just in time to dodge a spectral hand hit the limit of Shin's willingness to investigate in that direction.

They're easy to avoid in some senses, and difficult in others, especially given Shin's penchant for cleanliness. It was only for a moment, stopping at a flash of spring green out the corner of his eyes, an unfamiliar empty room with the edge of someone leaving it and a crumbling ceiling... he blinks, and that's too much time. Cold hands below a familiar silhouette reach out and have him by the arm, the scarf, and he's as incapable of fighting the pull as he was against Maple, getting sucked in and drowned with a cry.

He doesn't know why that feels familiar, if off, as well. The sense of disorientation lingers when his feet once more settle on floor, not helped by the myriad reflections of himself scattered across every available surface, like he was smashed apart on landing here.

He shivers, drawing his scarf up to his face and hunching in. It's so cold, it feels like it's gone down into his bones and stuck his teeth together.]

T-this again...

[High-alert stress fights up against the pressing urge to find somewhere to curl up and sleep. Is there a smell of vanilla?]

( amami is brave (read: stupid) enough to investigate them, and frankly, being dragged into one is probably about what he deserves. it isn't like he didn't see the signs coming — antagonism building over time as the reflections continued to twist and alter, and at least once he's found himself with his back pressed against the mirror as he struggles to shake off whatever it is that's tried to pull him in now. so there's a habit now of not turning his back on them, but even so, a moment's hesitation is all the time that's needed for him to stumble face-first instead when an icy grip wraps around his arm.

so he makes his way into the room with a stumble, bristling like a cat and quick to straighten himself out once his balance realigns.

sharp eyes sweep over the area, taking in countless reflections as he searches for the figures that are casting them. he pauses in recognition when they look over shin, sizing him up and down, and it might not be immediately apparent that his intention is to check that the other isn't injured when it comes to the impassive expression he wears. doesn't look like it though, so he'll let himself continue on. whether it's shin who answers, or someone else, it's probably important to establish first: )

You're not hurt, are you?

( he's not, so like, he's hoping they aren't. )

[After his experience with the mirrors last month, Ishimaru had been trying his best to avoid them when he could. The only things they were bringing him were bad, both physically and mentally.

But today, when he tried to stride past a mirror, he made the mistake of glancing at it. It had shown a reflection that seemed to contain a familiar sauna, billowing with manly stream. It drew him closer, made him hesitate just long enough to be grabbed and pulled right through!

Within the mirror room, Ishimaru grunts softly and rubs at his arm as he tries to process his new surroundings.]

Ah... [And he sees the familiar faces surrounding him, including a pair of green heads.] I- I am unharmed. What of the rest of you...? What... is going on...?

[Sometimes it's a blink and you'll miss it sort of thing; at least, that's what it was like for Inaba, who only saw heartache through the mirrors: empty, familiar places that could only remind her of her hometown of Yokohama and the upset of seeing it so barren.

She had to constantly remind herself that it wasn't real--and even if it was, it wasn't her Yokohama.

It wasn't her home.

It wasn't the place where she had learned that there was more to life than seeing things in black and white.

It wasn't the place where she has professed her love--

So on and so forth.

But of course, as someone who considers herself normal, having hands grab at you certainly was not expected, nor was it something that she could think could happen to her.

And yet, here she is, in this predicament. Of course, the natural course of things is to look herself over--both physically first (making sure that her tallies are still the same as when she last saw them) and mentally (by checking to see if her phone even works in a place like this to use as a light, too) before groaning and collecting herself.

She also brings her hand to reach towards her magatama pendant, trying to clasp her hand around it as if it were a lifeline.

Breathe in, breath out. You're not alone, Inaba Himeko!]

Could be better. [To put it bluntly.] Could be a hell of a lot worse. It's just us four?

[ Fortunately, no harm seems to have been done to any of them. The group has the same amount of tallies that they started with, and there's no immediate danger present. If one ignores how unsettling it might be for some to see their reflection on so many surfaces at once and the chill in the air, it could pass for a normal room. There's no smell of vanilla, nor does the room seem to have any particular scent at to it.

There is, however, a red light reflecting off of the surfaces. It's faint, but visible. Once the group has gathered their bearings, they can try to locate the source if they'd like. ]

[Rantaro's searching, suspicious gaze... Shin can't meet it with his own. There's a unique soul-twisting horror to re-meeting someone you know you didn't leave a good impression on... who saw a side of you you didn't want even yourself to see. He responds after Ishimaru does, in answer to both.]

Just a little cold, ahaha...

[Passing through the mirror was like an ice shock for him, but the chill in the room is making it hard to warm up. He notices Inaba clutching the pendant around her neck, attention drawn by the flash of the phone light, a flicker of knowing.]

Looks like... There were four of us last time, too. We're in some kind of mirror dimension...

[This is all his confidence in the mental comparison he's drawn speaking. If this is like then, then 'a lot worse' is possible later. He's slamming the thought of less making it out in a mental drawer, keeping it as a hitched tightness underneath his diaphragm. He pauses, pensively staring at the very shiny counselor's desk, and then starts digging in his pocket.]

Those of us who have phones... Should we swap numbers, in case we're split up?

[He's making an effort to pull together, despite the crawling mortification and creeping fear. He still has Rantaro's old one, but he hasn't sent anything to it after his death, oscillating between scrolling back through it searching for any sign of what he was thinking or it being too painful to look at upon coming across it... more the latter, lately. He doesn't know if Ishimaru has one.]

Edited (actually answering ishimaru's question) 2022-05-14 07:47 (UTC)

You have mine, but let's try to avoid that if we can, shall we?

( unfamiliar, supernatural territory — this isn't his idea of somewhere that he'd want to leave the rest of them by themselves in. his attention returns to linger on shin again at the clarification of where, exactly, he supposes they might be, but that alone doesn't offer much to work with. more questions, but the only one of any immediate concern is voiced once he decides he's satisfied with the shaken, but seemingly unharmed group that's landed in here. )

I suppose that means we can't expect to get out the same way we came in though.

( which is more of an observation for confirmation than a question; if they could be split up, then the mirrors they came through must be one-way entrances.

he'll let the others decide if they'd like to swap numbers, since his is already in the mix. instead, he takes the opportunity to better sense of the situation overall. with a few steps towards the mirror he's pretty sure he'd been pulled through, amami leans towards it to inspect the reflection for anything that stands out: making sure that his own reflection looks back at him, for one, and trying to identify where each mirror in the room begins and ends. if he can locate a general direction for the red light, great! if not, at least he might be able to pin down the context he needs to compare this room to the counselor's.

experimentally, he taps a knuckle against the surface. knock knock, is whatever pulled him in here home? )

[Ishimaru rubs his arms as he feels a little chill. It's a strange and eerie situation, but at the very lease, he's glad that none of them are worse for the wear. Now he just has to make sure it stays that way! He has his kendo stick with him, though he hopes that he does not have to use it.

He frowns thoughtfully as he looks around.]

'Last time'... Ah, you mean that time in the past when students were taken away to work on certain issues...? [He asks to confirm what he is referring to. And then he shakes his head softly as he answers the question.]

I do not own any phone of my own. All I have is my PDA. But I agree with Amami-kun. Let us stick together and do our very best!

Mirror dimension, huh...

[Those words are murmured to herself as she notices her breath and feels the slight chill--the fact that she's just in the base uniform means that if it somehow gets any colder, there might be some problems, even if she might be used to that sort of weather thanks to being born and raised in a port city.

For the time being, she's going to preserve as much phone battery as she can -- although she's definitely going to be wary of touching things any more than she has to.

She's learned her lesson from the last time anything strange has happened.

But she keeps the mental note of "there were four of us last time" as well and can't help but wonder, mentally: was that the limit of whoever - or whatever was out there?

And while the red light is definitely a pressing matter and curiosity does take over, she doesn't like it. She doesn't like the way it seems to feel like a lure.]

I don't mind sharing mine, either. While I'd prefer not to split up in a situation like this, it's better to prepare for the worst.

[She's already weighed the pros and cons in her mind and decides that's for the best.]

And since we'll probably be stuck here for a while -- it's probably for the best to watch each other's backs...

[And it's here when she pauses; hesitates for a moment. Should she really be the one saying this? It's a terrifying thought to admit, but--

...

She closes her eyes, takes a breath in, then out. Then speaks again, neutrally:]

Make up for any weaknesses. We don't know what's going to be out there, and circumstances may have changed from last time. I'd like for all of us to stay as safe as possible, and that includes how we move and proceed from here.

Edited (words ) 2022-05-14 15:20 (UTC)

[ There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary in terms of reflections. The mirrors work as they should and while there's no way out, nothing seems to be trying to work its way in either. It might take some effort, if only because it's like navigating a maze in here, but if Amami is persistent, he'll be able to trace the red light back to a bookcase. It seems that there's something hidden behind it. ]

Right... Wouldn't be good...

[He'd thought he'd been blocked or deleted, in all honesty... So it's somewhat of a complicated relief that channel is still there. He shifts his scarf up a little as Rantaro's attention returns... that's right, familiarity with the situation would be a bit suspicious, wouldn't it? It's the sort of thing Shin would have suspected himself, in swift hindsight. Thankfully, Ishimaru rescues him here, to much less complicated relief.]

Exactly! Sidney and I ended up here... Ah, I don't need to tell you to be careful if your reflection moves without you.

[He watches tensely as Rantaro raps his knuckles against his own reflection... but nothing happens.]

We weren't able to get out the way we came... but we could travel elsewhere through reflective surfaces back then. Something's different for sure.

[Inaba's right in that they're kind of venturing into the unknown already, with it's attendant unnervingness... I'm going to abstract out the process of their swapping numbers to save a little time, Shin's phone returning to his pocket.]

Miss Inaba has the right of it. We just need to work together... that gives us our best chance.

[He's not Sara, he's not going to wax platitudes about how they'll all be fine and there's no way anything bad will happen; he can't even tell himself that believably. But... putting trust aside, it does help sometimes. It's... worked before.

...]

Guess the first thing is to check the room, ahaha. If we've been brought here for a reason there's probably some kind of trick to it.

[Work on certain issues... that's not a way he'd been thinking about it before. But he's highly tuned towards environments turned into puzzles and "games" by this point. Looks like Rantaro's already started on that... There's a safe here but he'd prefer not to have to brute force it off the bat... Shin himself heads over to the other side of the desk and starts looking through the drawers, though from the movement of his head he's spotted the red gleam scattered about, if not traced it's source yet.]

( inaba... amami catches her name in the exchange and pockets it for now. in return, he'll offer up a proper introduction to match his, since it looks like they may be stuck together for a bit here — at least until they can find the way out. turning from the mirror, he pockets a hand, offering an absent wave with the other as his eyes land on inaba. )

Right... I don't think we've met, but I'm Rantarou Amami.

( his expression is tinged with caution moreso than any sense of worry, but lightens up faintly when his attention shifts to ishimaru. really, this is the only familiar face in the room for him — it's almost a relief, even if he feels bad for the guy. for now, he nods his head towards the bookcase, and that hand he's still got held in the air makes a c'mere kind of gesture. )

Ishimaru-kun, you wanna give me a hand with this?

( 'cause he's already trotting over to see if he can get a better look at the source of the red light, wondering if maybe they'll have to move the bookcase. )

[Ishimaru takes in Sou's confirmation and advice. He does look a bit uneasy at the mention of reflections moving around them... but he supposes that sort of thing is to be expected in a place like this. In any case, it certainly sounds different from that past experience if the mirrors are working differently. So they don't have that much precedent to work off of, after all.

But they do have each other, at least! The others' words are good at stirring his spirits, and he smiles lightly.]

I agree with the sentiment of cooperation wholeheartedly! Let us all do our best, and everything should turn out fine! We shall make it through this!

[He folds his arms and nods firmly with confidence in their odds. His hope has been reforming in recent times, after all!

As Rantaro gestures to him, Ishimaru approaches and nods.]

Of course. [He joins him by the bookcase - and he'll put his muscles to use helping to push it!]

[Hearing the self introduction from Rantaro is... well, it's interesting. Then again, people not having any recollection when they return from death is -- well, she wouldn't call it normal, but she would call it consistent.

At least for some people.

It feels like a coin toss.

A part of her wishes that she'd brought a marker to at least mark things just in case, but she does also keep in mind what's going on.

While the boys are trying to push the bookcase, she's actually going to take a glance at the bookshelf itself: is there anything in it, does it house any books?

Also taking a glance around to see if there is anything else--on the floor, the walls, the ceiling, on top of any potential tables or cabinets, etc. No touching anything just yet; she's playing it safe.]

[ The room is a perfect replication of the counselor's office. It has everything from the different types of chairs in a semi-circle around the desk, a safe toward the back, and bookshelves with several books on them. Unfortunately, as with the door toward the front, the books themselves seem to be purely decorative. They're mirrored surfaces. The titles are embossed on the cover and spines, but they all seem to match what would be found in the normal version of the room.

These facts will be confirmed as the boys move the bookshelf, causing them to shake and fall to the ground. This is noisy, but harmless, and their efforts are otherwise rewarded in the form of revealing the source of that red light. A section of the wall behind the bookcase dark red color. It has a faint red glow to it and, despite its color, it shows the reflections of those standing around it as well as any mirror might. It has a faint red glow to it. This portion of the wall is a good several feet above the floor, and the size and position are suggestive of a window. ]

[This probably means the drawers or the safe dial don't actually move either, rip Shin. With the red window uncovered, he lopes over to it with the rest.]

Something's behind this...?

[The 'windows' in the death game were fake... Still, it matches his motion when he lifts his hand, so there's clearly something more supernatural going on.]

Thanks — appreciate it.

( the gratitude is the first thing he offers when the other comes over to help out with the shelf, even if, oops... didn't mean to be so noisy with that. it's fine. more important things to worry about — amami offers a smile to the other for his assistance and, folding his arms over his chest, takes the chance to get a good luck at this red panel they've uncovered.

suspicious... but he spares another glance around the room. it's all mirror, and he knows they can't get out the way they came in. this, though, this is different for some reason; could it be something that will help them escape? he'll give a moment, but then reach out to experimentally tap the tips of his fingers against the surface of the red "window". )

[Ishimaru winces as the 'books' fall.]

I apologize! I did not mean to cause such noise or a mess...

[But tending to a fake mess doesn't seem too be a high priority right now. With the bookcase moved, he stares at the red glowing panel.]

Now what is this... [He's alarmed as Amami starts tapping it.] Ah! Is - is that safe to touch?!

You don't need to apologize, it's not as if anybody's going to care about such a mess in a world like this. Especially in a world like this. Just pretend it's an escape room or something like that -- the workers will clean up the mess.

[It's a bit of a joke, but it might be hard to tell given just how serious-noted she sounded while saying it.]

But now I'm wondering if there's a space like this on the other side, too. Do you think we'll have to break into the counselor's office again at some point...?

[Because yeah, she's been in there, so she has some sense of recognition and everything. But she'll keep the ball in the boys' court for now, keeping caution.

And more importantly, while making sure that the reflections caused by the light don't do anything odd.]

[ not how i forgot to include the details about the drawer, pretend he didn't get to the last one yet... The drawers do open, and most of them contain normal office supplies (albeit reflective ones.) There is one, however, that has a gold mirror frame tucked within. There is no mirror in it, but maybe that's a relief in a room where every surface reflects one's movements. But at the very least they seem to be harmless for the moment, acting as reflections should.

Meanwhile, Ishimaru and Amami's commotion has had one bonus. It takes a few more books falling off of the shelves for it to show itself, but hidden behind them Ishimaru might be able to catch sight of one more normal object: A white notebook with cherry blossoms framing it. If flipped through, they'll find that it is currently blank.

Hopefully they make quick work of sorting out these discoveries, because the red window ripples where Amami's fingertips brush against it, and if he chooses to reach in a little further he'll be able to determine that there's cool air and a light breeze on the other side. Unfortunately, that's as far as he'll get before a gloved hand reaches out, grabs his wrist, and starts pulling. Here's hoping that he doesn't tumble in headfirst. ]

Edited 2022-05-17 05:08 (UTC)

( moment of silence for amami who cannot hear these discoveries going on and really is a little bit preoccupied here for a moment.

for his part, he actually lights up a little when he feels the cool air. in fact, he's about to take his arm back so he can stick his head in there to get a look at what's on the other side. doesn't get the chance, though, and ends up pretty alarmed when the hand comes through the mirror to grab his again. bro what the fuck...

but he rolled well, so amami's going to actually try to pull back against the hand that's pulling him. tug-of-war, with his fingers wrapping around the other arm too. with that, he'll try to press his foot against the frame of the panel to try and get some more full-body leverage to pull as well, though it's in the air if he actually manages to pull them into the room like he's trying to, or if he just ends up yanked off balance while he's still lifting his foot here. )

[ Unfortunately, he is not successful in pulling the person on the other side in! But he'll notice that the hand isn't quite like those that have been creeping out of the mirror as of late. It's a hand that's covered by a soft fabric glove, warm to the touch, and its grip is only firm enough to hang onto him.

The person on the other side must not have meant any harm either, as they let go once it becomes apparent that they've made a miscalculation. The hand lifts for a moment, fingers curling, before it disappears back into the window.

Unfortunately, Amami was pulling pretty hard so he'll be knocked off balance and probably hit his head on the nearest piece of furniture. ]

[Heck yeah sweet loot. It's a bit too big to pocket so Shin's going to stuff it up his jacket like I'm realizing he must have done with the laptop that one time. This time less out of an instinct to hide it and more convenient storage on his trip over to the rest, having winced at the crash a little.]

Ahaha... Doubt we'll be coming back here, in any case...

['The workers will clean up the mess' is much less comforting when you're the one mopping the konbini floor, he will say. But also... when it comes to involuntary escape rooms, he finds he's far more concerned with whoever is responsible for them doling out arbitrary punishments for breaking stuff than them having to deal with broken things in itself.

He's never been in the Counselor's office (as far as he remembers... maybe the place feels unsettlingly familiar in a way he can't put his finger on, itself an unsettling thing), so Inaba's statement is the first hint he has they're related... He opens his mouth to suggest maybe there's an entrance to the crawlspaces there.

Then something yanks at Rantaro.]

Q-quick! Grab him...!

[Not to pull him out, but to ensure they all go through... it was initially a hypothetical, but the idea of being split up has been slowly metastasizing from that spot in his brain. He hesitates, shifting one arm under the mirror in his jacket... and in the space of that delay, Rantaro pulls himself free. There's a shot of relief, underneath that area of Shin's brain now committed to follow-through, which leads him to reach in after the retreating hand and grab and pull it.]

( bang crack the sound of amami's head bouncing off the nearest presumably mirrored surface in the room. there's an audible "oof" kind of sound, but even if he's trying to push himself back up immediately, he's still a little dazed and winded from the sudden impact. he's got one hand reaching up to hold his head... ouch... give him a minute here and he'll re-enter the fray. )

mirrors - amami, inaba, ishimaru, shin

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mise said i had to reroll so this time it's 18 :)

roll: 19

roll: 20 despite all reason

roll: 3 rip amami