yogen | may missions

Entry tags:

!event

may missions

Who: Alice Yabusame, B.B. Hood, Childe, Dito, Himeko Inaba, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Nene Yashiro, Noah Ebalon, Rantarou Amami, Rio Ranger, Shin Tsukimi, Sou Hiyori
What: mission time
When: May 20, 2000
Where: various
Warnings: tba.

(ooc notes: I will state any possible content warnings in the subject line of the mod response when it comes up. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please tell me so I can back off and refocus the thread. Note that there will be references to violence and murder.

There will be no tag order, and a mod response will come after at least 4 player responses OR the next day, whichever is earlier. Please note this means that if you're absent for a day or more, the thread will move on.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ but it was not missed by midori who had the luxury of reading dito's complaints on the pda. they'll ignore it for now as he casts a gaze down at the hunting knife, and then to the pointing finger deep within the tower of where both ranger and dito have made their way inside. it's with one step, and then another, making sure that bonnie comes along with him inside, and the lovely addition of sound welcomes them, and whatever garble dito offers to ranger.

footsteps, sporadic beeping, and the sizzling echoes merge that midori offers a sigh of relief. ]

Well! That was nothing we couldn't handle, good going, team! ☆

[ there's a literally sparkle in his voice because he's happy he can hear himself, oh... he sure does love listening to his own voice, and given credit where it's due. they've advanced so he has no reason to complain (like dito) and instead inspects their surroundings.

he'll make his way over to one of the holes in the floor, curious as he slips a hand inside his suit, pulling out a folded lantern that he puffs out. aside from flicking it on so that a purple light illuminates the room in a smoky atmosphere (i'm leaving it to bunny to get the pic, i'm mobile!), he holds it low to check if it's just an endless black hole, and then holds it up towards the walls and gears inspecting if there's any hidden text or goodies around. ]

See anything worthwhile?

[ before they make their way past the cogs, but he'll keep it out just in case they happen to stumble upon something interesting that's no dito's neck flesh curling off.

meat skins, anyone? ]

[ Well, he can't say the bitching isn't warranted. Ranger's surprised that his head hasn't come clean up yet, and he supposes that must be because of his regenerative abilities. They're impressive. He didn't need an example, but it's good to know. Maybe they'll find a more constructive use for that on this little adventure. That being said, he'll glance over to Bonnie once she steps into the clock tower. ]

Mind turning that thing off? That beeping's gonna drive me crazy.

[ The beeping and everything that comes along with it, but there's no need to elaborate. He doesn't love the sound of his voice as much as his coworker, and he isn't currently sizzling, so he just talks like a normal person. Which isn't to say that he isn't grateful to be able to hear, it's like a weight off his shoulders, and he's able to breathe properly once more. The reason matters, but he assumes they can figure that one out in due time.

When Hiyori flicks the lantern on he glances around in turn before stepping over to one of the cogs separating the two sides of the room, placing his hand on his forehead and leaning forward as he looks over. ]

Hm, just some holes. It's a clock tower, so there should be a staircase or a ladder somewhere around here... Well, either that or it's just a bottomless pit down there. Whatchya think?

[ Is the collar shut off yet? It should be shut off by now. Either way, he's already asked, so he's going to instead crawl onto a cog and to the other side, adding the clang of metal into the mix of sounds. ]

[ There isn't anything of immediate interest on this side of the clock tower. There's some scratches and marks on the walls, but they seem to be from normal wear and tear rather than anything out of the ordinary. The holes in the floor are much in the same, seeming to be a natural consequence of the tower wearing down without being repaired or renovated for too long.

The hole is of more interest. It's difficult to see with the dim lighting from the lantern, and that should be enough for him to get the impression that there's a wide space beneath them. But a close inspection inspection will reveal contours in places where the light bounces off something off of structures. He probably won't be able to make out what those objects are, but it's not a bottomless pit. Please do not shove anyone down the hole to confirm this, just drop a rock or something. ]

[ good thing there's not particularly interesting, because dito's still fucking groaning about the burning around his neck — it's almost annoying he can't die easy at this point, because it doesn't feel great! he ends up angrily kicking the heel of his boot against the nearest cog. not that it will probably move much, if at all. ]

Are you really that fucking petty—

[ he trails off, finding it just the absolute worst that even though sound is back that he can't exactly find it in him to use his throat for a second, considering that it's getting burned through. he huffs a rough breath, moving a hand up but knowing he shouldn't touch it at that heat level if he doesn't want to ruin his gloves.

goddammit.

so he just looks at the ground, barely hearing anything through the rapid beat of his own heart in his ears. just because he regenerates does not make this any more fun or painless, and his eyes start to unfocus as he tries to will all of that aside right now. because he doesn't want to deal with it, thanks.

he idly hears ranger say something, and while he was utterly unfocused on that, he notices immediately when the droning beep in his ears stops. the cooling isn't immediate, and dito wrinkles his nose. if he had water nearby or something, this would be so much easier—

but he doesn't, so he just moves to hook a few of his gloved fingers between the collar and his neck again, confirming that it's stopped. he hisses between his teeth as he does so, and he can't feel it directly because of the gloves, but there's that peeling feeling of raw, burnt skin around his neck. there's probably all kinds of puss and shit from his body trying to heal itself from what should be a lethal burn, and if it were anyone but himself he'd be digging his fingers deeper into these wounds and playing around with all of it.

as it is, he's decidedly annoyed, though. his eyes suddenly turn half-lidded as he frowns, moving his hand down to wipe his own fingers on the front of his shirt. he swallows thickly, as though he's testing if he can even speak again — which isn't immediate, he confirms as he only ends up making a quiet, strained noise in his throat.

as pissed off as he is, his eyes still scan over their new surroundings better now that he isn't actively being tortured right now. they linger on the hole, and he steps over toward it as his hand starts to pull out his pda again. which he didn't think he'd need to use, but it's going to be a minute before his damn neck heals up. he taps up a quick but enthusiastic note before showing it: ]

can you guys kill yourselves instead for once

[ and then he just drops his pda into the hole. who gives a shit! there's your rock. it's multifunctional. ]

Hmmm? What do you mean?

[ Ranger's gaze is so scary! Scary enough that she's going to momentarily hide behind Midori! And naturally, use that opportunity to press the button again. Fine, Dito's no use to them passed out, and there's bigger fish to fry at the moment anyway. Bonnie's eyes trail over to the hole, then right back to Dito as he types away.

Aw, that's mean! ]

But, it's scary down there...! You can't expect a little one like me to go in there alone, can you?

[ As she says this, she instinctively slips away from Midori, instead this time idly moving towards Ranger. It's not subtle in the slightest, but one of them's more inclined to have others do the work for him, and well. She can't really say no to that. Midori's just not one for physical labor! ]

I'll go if you go too, Ranger.

[ She's putting on her best puppy dog face, looking downright terrified. ]

[ ...

...

It takes a good several seconds, but eventually they'll hear the sound of the PDA hitting something solid, followed by clattering that suggests it is continuing to bounce and fall down before silence returns.

His PDA is probably fine. Maybe. ]

[ there's a little frown at dito's accusation. midori petty? there's just no way, he's only passionate about the things he wants to do at the expense of others if need be. this was never about being petty, but bringing comfort when unsure what to do— he should be asking bonnie if her actions is being petty, but it wouldn't be. it'd only be learning that a small click of a button has the magic to burn the flesh of someone's neck, which midori stares at once the other comes over annoyed.

it'll fix itself soon, and why he's not worried about him due to his regenerative abilities.

ranger's expression is natural, but if bonnie finds it terrifying now, then he could only wonder what reaction she'd make if she knew it gets worse. for someone who's been shrouded in negativity as their first years into "life" and then a very dedicated, but intimidating woman working over his code adds to the horror that could arise at any moment. he's not the only one, everyone in here has a sinister side to them, it's all about who does what to stir it from the inside.

he stands in place as bonnie clicks the remote to free dito from his hell, and midori's hands visible as he holds the light and questions the hole in the ground, between the dropping of the pda, and bonnie shuffling over to ranger to avoid any work, midori crouches down, staring into the pit of the darkness. ]

It's not like you really needed this, and we can just get you a new, better one.

[ all dito does is smoke weed and get high to text on the network, but he relays his findings to ranger and bonnie. ]

The framework possibly, but it did hit something. I see no need to descend, [ but they should be careful when walking around unless they want to fall through the linoleum beneath. since the pda was on, can they still see the light-source from it to get an estimate on the drop, or did it shut off on the way down. these pdas like bricks you remember what 2000 computers used to be like? indestructible. ] is there anything interesting where you are?

[ He's pretty sure that Bonnie could handle herself just fine with him, but he at least has the good sense not to push it any further than that. Besides, they're making progress. They have sound, the beeping has stopped, Dito has confirmed that there is an area with a bottom beneath the floorboards, and now they can move onto more important things. That said, he suspects it's a pretty far drop. He's none too keep on that.

He'll at least address the message though. ]

Should try not to. We don't need any more distractions right now.

[ Kill themselves, or get themselves killed for that matter. None of them are a stranger to corpses, but being down a person is likely to prove to be a nuisance, if only because a body can't move itself despite being so inclined to get in the way. As for going down, well, Hiyori has that much covered for him. Still, Bonnie's right enough that a person shouldn't be going down alone if they should find one.

He rolls his shoulders before slipping his knees under him, followed by the rest of his legs, and letting them drop onto the floor on the other side of the cog with a satisfying thunk. It's the little things, like being able to hear the creak of one's own footsteps. For as flippant as he can be, Ranger is perhaps a little too focused on the task at hand at times like this - more now than he had before, given how little there seems to be at times. ]

... Well, once we find a way down that's not gonna leave 'em a splatter, I'll go down with ya... I'm guessing if there is one, it's gotta be toward the back.

[ To that end, he'll try and look around the corners to see if there's anything of interest. ]

[ Unfortunately they won't be able to see the light from the PDA, so its fate and the length off the drop will remain a mystery. Still, depending on how perceptive the group is and how close they were listening, they might be able to have gathered that it was a pretty good drop. It also seems to have hit the bottom of something, and then clattered further down, suggesting that it was bouncing and tumbling down rather than simply hitting the ground. If they were listening really closely, they might have even heard the clang of metal.

There are more holes around the back. In one corner is just behind a particularly large gear. But if one of the others decides to follow Ranger's lead in checking, they'll be the first to find in the back near the other corner, distanced safely away from the nearby gears, there is a simple hatch that can be pulled up. ]

[ dito's eyes were follow the light of the pda until it dissipates, and then he places his hands on his hips as he stares into the dark. well, it's deep, but he's not sure if the light disappearing is due to the depth or from hitting whatever it hit in there. if anything, they at least know they won't waste time since there's actually something down there. and that it's really not safe enough to jump in through the hole. not that anyone here seems to care about safety but ranger, dito notes.

he swallows thickly again, testing how his neck is faring — already much better, he notices.

dito's eyes follow ranger as the other moves away to promptly start checking out the back; that's probably the smartest move, although this time-wasting puzzle hasn't proved exciting at all thus far. dito shrugs his shoulders before following the other. he's perfectly happy to stand around for sure, but when he did that a few minutes ago it ended up being unpleasant and he's not looking for a repeat, thanks.

he lifts a knee and leans his boot against the edge of one of the gears he needs to cross, testing the surface of it before he easily ends up hopping up on top of and then over it, also hitting the ground with a dull thump. he checks the presently more lonesome corner opposite to ranger, giving a cursory sweep of everything while he moseys over there.

when he sees the hatch, he'll crouch down and actually confirm if it opens up that easily by pulling on it.

... there's a lot of dust that kicks up in the process obviously, and dito coughs a few times and fans the air in front of him with his spare hand as he checks out the hatch to see if there's a ladder or anything present.

regardless, he'll end up cocking his head back while still sitting on his haunches as he points at the newly opened hatch. ]

Got something over here. Probably.

[ there's his vocal cords again. ]

[ Fortunately, the cogs are all in good condition despite the disuse. There's no signs of corrosion or deterioration. It's a stark contrast to the rest of the clock tower, which has suffered with age, it seems to have fared well.

There is a ladder beneath the hatch! It's a step style rope ladder hanging beneath it! It's hard to tell without actually testing it, but at a glance it looks to be secured well enough, and it's still in good enough condition that it should bear weight.

There is also a lantern with an unlit candle in it hanging off the back wall, presumably meant to be grabbed when one is going down. ]

[ midori doesn't linger by the hole anymore than he should, nor is he satisfied with the unknown of whether there's an end or just a consuming black hole. at dito's call, midori follows them in the far back to check out the hatch that the other has found along with the rope ladder for them to use.

there's a descent at least, a proper way of going down which begs the question if they'll coke across dito's pda as long as they travel lower and lower. ]

Interesting... Let's see what's down it, shall we?

[ he hooks his own lantern to his waist allowing it to dangle against his side. he doesn't really need it considering his eyes see better in the darkness than normal humans, but it serves as extra help in following where midori is as he turns around, resting his foot on a thick line of rope to bounce his weight to ensure it won't snap.

once sure of that, he glances up to check with dito as the lantern illuminates what's hidden in the shadows as he goes down. one hand tight around the rope, and with his other. ]

I'll check out the bottom, if I don't come back... just assume you're next ☆

[ talking about the bottom, if he looks down, does he see anything important and a landing spot?

check if it's safe before sending down everyone else. ]

[ The ladder is sturdy enough to hold weight, and while it sways with his movements there seems to be no immediate threat of it snapping under his weight. The lantern illuminates the smooth stone walls around him. It's size is as nonsensical as its depth, the light and sound alike suggesting a space that's far too wide and far too deep to fit into the dimensions of the school. But down it goes nonetheless, and he'll see a surface some ways down.

Midori's eyes and night vision are both above that of a human, so he'll be able to make out that at the bottom off the ladder is the start of a grand winding staircase that serves as both a landing space and a way down, though how far it stretches is difficult to say. It seems that the only way to find out will be to follow them down. ]

Hm? I guess finding a way in wasn't a complete waste of time... Ahaha, there's gotta something fun waiting at the bottom if they're going this far to hide it~

[ Maybe. There isn't much reason to go through all the effort of so thoroughly hiding the entrance to whatever might be hidden beneath it just to come to a dead though, or so Ranger reasons. Once Midori has gone down far enough for the rest of them to confirm that it's not a dead end, he'll pluck the lantern off the wall so that he can flip the lid open and light the candle inside. It's pretty old fashioned, and if it falls it'll probably light the whole place up, but no sense in worrying about that.

Regardless, he's satisfied to see his coworker moving. Those of ASUNARO are meant to be proactive leaders, and it would be improper for any of them to be so idle that others start to question their worth. He holds the lantern out briefly. ]

If somebody else wants to take it, be my guest. I've got better sight than most.

[ He also has a flashlight on his phone, which might prove to be useful enough. Regardless of whether or not somebody else takes it, he'll start his way down the latter next. Downt he rabbit hole they go, and who knows what might await them at the bottom?

Even if it's nothing, it's worth it just to not have to deal with the sharp silence for the next several hours, and it's far better than standing idle in a place that offers so little entertainment for those of them who should prefer a more proactive approach to life. ]

[ dito rolls his eyes at midori's comment, but he actually keeps his mouth shut for once because he isn't going to complain about midori going down first! this is actually the best scenario, and dito will give him a wave as he stands up while the other descends.

he figures they'll all end up going down there, so long as there's nothing explicitly dangerous. as loathe as he is to admit it and how he'd rather just fancy the cruel idea of closing the hatch on midori if he doesn't come back up and walking away from all of this, he knows that it wouldn't work out. he already knows ranger wouldn't put up with that...but he also needs the other around, for various reasons. a large part being that nobody else is going to give dito what midori provides him with, and he very, very, very much likes that perk.

for now, he hums a sigh and throws his hands behind his head, wondering how long they should even wait here. he scuffs his boot idly on the dusty floor, thinking it might be fun to kick a rock in there or something. but if they had any rocks easily present, he wouldn't have tossed his pda like that.

his attention shifts when ranger starts being proactive again, already ready to go and lighting an old lantern. dito blinks at the offering before sighing through his nose. ]

Sure, whatever. I don't have freak vision.

[ these ASUNAROs...

dito grabs hold of the lantern's handle, thinking it's probably wisest anyway since bonnie already has the keys and her basket and everything. speaking of which, he's tossing his head back toward her before bothering to start descending. ]

You wanna go next? Ladies first and all.

[ you know, since he's got the light source and he doesn't really need a skirt above him. he wouldn't mind if it was like, zero, but she's not. ]

[ So far, it's been pretty lucky that there hasn't been an actual sheer drop yet. They'd probably have had to make a ladder, and with this group, that'd just be asking for danger. As much fun as B.B. was having at the others' expense, it wouldn't do for any of them to have any broken limbs. All three of them are useful, in their own warped way.

She's careful to wait for Ranger and Dito to be away from the ladder just in case, humming while she gets a good look at the winding staircase... pretty long ways to go.

When the suggestion of her taking the lead comes up, she gives an exaggerated sigh, shaking her head. ]

Gosh, I didn't expect to have to be the big brave one here. Okay okay, I'll head down.

[ Bonnie walks past the group, lightly tapping Dito on the shoulder as she starts their trek down the staircase. Watching her step, at least as far as she can with the lantern. ]

[ whatever they're doing above, he hopes that they'll come down eventually. it is all fun and games at the start, but this is only the tip of the ice berg, and they can only descend deeper down to whatever horrors lies in wait. midori stares up the ladder, seeing only a bit of light that comes and goes when someone decides to come down the ladder, and once he's confirmed that as movement of his party— he carries on forward until he hears a few tiny steps, and it's not too long until they're all back together again.

the hint of red cloth out the corner of his eye is enough to pull a response from him. ]

Miss Bonnie, may I check the keys that you have?

[ all they have is to go down various flights, and considering they're all together again, it'd be best to investigate the keys and share his findings since he wasn't allowed that luxury earlier. it's just that need to make sure he knows what they're dealing with, and if there's something special about them. ]

Who would have known all of this was beneath a clock tower, especially when attached to the school.

[ it really shouldn't encompass all this room, logically. ]

Ranger, Dito, [ he calls them to get their attention. ] as much as you two get around, have you heard anything close to this?

[ or is this their miracle finding, which is even better... to know the unknown. as long as ranger manages to inspect majority, it's information that can be reviewed at a later date which he doubts the other two would enjoy. ]

[ Ranger's grateful to Dito for taking it so he doesn't have to carry it around, though the words get a little shrug. It's better to have than not, but it's not of much importance when they all wind up crowded around on the stairs once more.

Their current situation is of far more interest. It seems far too grandiose to be attached to such a flimsy, slapped together school, but then he supposes the only thing keeping it that way is poor management. It's purgatory, so he's pretty sure that they could bring the technology and development into the modern era at any time. They could add in some more buildings, for that matter, but then maybe their limited time and energy is dedicated to forming convoluted puzzles.

Well, now's not really the time to worry about that either. ]

Right? Seems pretty out of place.

[ He leaves it at that for now before shaking his head. ]

Nope, nothing like this. Pretty sure this is the first time anyone's been able to figure out how the thing works... I can't say I expected it to be a kid's game. Anyway, the last time it was open was in January, and it didn't look anything like this. Still broken, but it was about what you'd expect from a clock tower.

[ He tilts his head in Dito and Bonnie's direction. He doesn't elaborate on the exact circumstances from January, having already gone over all the oddities of this place with Midori upon his arrival. ]

Those two would've been there for that too. But since it was supposed to be a "memory,' it's possible that it didn't exist then... Or, y'know, that the pair of idiots that caused the entire mess just didn't know it was here.

[ Judging by his tone, he suspects it to be the latter. There's no such thing as a perfect memory to start with, and it wouldn't be out of line for the individual to fill in the blanks with what would make sense. Between that and the fact that it seems to have been the other school, he suspects that such discrepancies can't be taken to mean much. ]

Edited 2022-05-23 03:25 (UTC)

[ dito's hooked the lantern over his wrist while climbing down, and he chooses to keep it there as hops down from the ladder prematurely, landing on the ground with ease as he dusts off his knees and stands up fully again.

and he whines. ]

Not more stairs... Ugh, it's like one of those secret dungeons or something.

[ god knows he's been dragged through a million of those.

while he's listening to them talk, dito loosens at the ties on the sheath at his hip so as to attach the lantern there, not really keen on carrying it on his wrist the whole way. because who knows when he'll need both of his hands.

and he has no idea what ranger's talking about, but it sounds like he got caught up in one of the weird phenomena that tends to encompass the damn tower. he tosses his newly freed hands out when he shrugs. ]

Haven't heard shit. The elevator to get here does that whole reality shift thing, I guess. But you couldn't get in here before.

[ although it was obviously put here by someone, as there's keys and a whole locking mechanism going on here, but... ]

I doubt anyone's been here in a while either, considering all the goddamn dust. Wouldn't be surprised if we find some sorry sap's skeleton at this rate.

[ Standing in place momentarily, Bonnie passes off the keys, not thinking too hard about it. With a little luck they'd unlock something extremely useful, but if Midori could come up with a theory on what's down there based on that, then he can have at it.

Other than that, she tries to piece together whatever Ranger was talking about. In her case, she clams up and nods-- thinking it's better to pretend that she knows what he's saying than outright claim that she hasn't heard anything. That kinda ignorance can work out later, if she plays her cards right.

She retakes her place in front, eyes peeled for anything ahead. ]

For a kid's game, it's not very interesting so far.

[ Puzzles and mysterious ladders aside, there's been nothing requiring her talents, which to her is kinda lacking! ]

Mmm, but still, with how messed up all of this is, who can say that we haven't strolled through to another dimension? Kind of like that void thing I keep hearing about.

[ She cups her chin in thought-- ] Gosh, wouldn't it be something if we did get spirited away and wound up walking down this staircase forever?

[ with the keys in hand to look over, he checks to see if there's anything special about them or anything written. they hadn't looked them over when dito first found them, and it's not like bonnie would think anything out of the ordinary about keys, but they could be special. there was a key in the clock that he had opened not too long ago. he wants to compare if these keys, and that key was the same, or are they completely different. ]

I wouldn't be surprised if we came across someone's bones, maybe they'll have a hint for us... ♪

[ the animated style of their hand pointing in one direction of telling them where to go, but also if they died in one spot then they should be smart about not being in the same area as them. he's sure that bonnie wouldn't lead them to their doom, probably, and as long as they don't fall off the side of the steps that go on and on and on.

endless staircase, clocks and gears, and an open space that doesn't logically fit into a normal version of the world; it's like a closed space outside of their "reality", well if anyone could call purgatory that. it's one of those instances where midori thinks about the hows and whys to draw a conclusion, and that's because he just can't settle with how he doesn't understand because he needs to. it'll reflect poorly on him if he's unable to have a concrete explanation that makes sense why everything has came to be so far.

interesting, but all it offers is that this area is different, and upon mention of the void it would be risky to try and see what's on the other side. dropping blood on the steps could cause them to disappear from under their feet, or lead them to something entirely new. he's sure that as long as someone sees the blood smear, then they can go themselves, and then quickly return afterwards, but the only two who can even offer a drop happens to be dito (who midori doubts keeps a mirror on him) and bonnie would probably want to avoid the mess. ]

Checking the void in this place could possibly offer unfortunate repercussions, so we should avoid that at all costs. That includes you, Dito, no bloodshed.

[ unless there's a monster, but he can just push them into the abyss. ]

Yep! If it's dark and spooky now, imagine how the other side must be! Betchya that there's something waiting there that'll leave you a red smear on the floor~

[ It could almost be a joke if not for the body that was found just some odd days ago. That kid was talented enough to keep himself alive, sharp enough to hold onto a mirror, and so there's no reason that he should have wound up in such a bad space when it just takes a quick snap to escape one's inevitable demise. That's without getting into the broken mirror he got dumped in front of. The whole thing was something out of a nightmare.

It could even better too. It could just be stuffed full of shadow students like that room had been. Either way, there's no need to make that their problem too.

As far as for what's on this side, it's difficult to make sense of. The elevator and the school trips seem to be the closest comparison, but neither of those are quite the same. Nor does the forest, which seems to be little more than an endless loop - to walk through it is like walking across the world and finding yourself coming out on the other side.

Space doesn't seem to mean much in this place. ]

But hey, if somebody's going through all this fuss to hide something, it must be pretty good... Maybe we'll find a hellhound, or maybe it'll be zombies again? Hate to see a repeat episode.

[ Not that he was here for the first one, but he's heard about how Ishimaru because a student council member.

One step after another, ever closer to finding the answer to that question. But despite the flippant tone, he's paying close attention to his surroundings. Aside from the lot of them, it's quiet. ]

[ The echo of footsteps, the sound of their voices, and inky black darkness are all that await the group as they move down the stairs. There's nothing but their thoughts and the sense that there is a bottom, a strong belief that it's imperative that they find it that creeps into the back of their minds.

Maybe that's because there's only darkness to look back on as much as forward, but even so, there's something that sends chills down one's spine when looking back - the sense that something is creeping in the darkness, waiting, and that should they retreat to it they'll see neither the above world nor the bottom of this place again. Maybe something cold just brushed up against the back of someone's neck, or snatched at a wrist or an ankle, or perhaps it's just gazing upon them as they move down?

But as long as they keep moving forward, it should be fine.

There's no reason the stairs should down as far as they do, though, and one might have the sense that it's just an endless loop if not for the occasional stain or scoff mark on on the steps and railing that indicate progress. That, and the little pieces of the world that the lanterns do illuminate. The walls seem to shrink and curve inward from their expansive top, as though they were moving down the trunk of a tree and heading towards its roots, and is it seconds or minutes or hours that they keep going with that creeping sense?

It doesn't matter. As long as they keep moving forward, it will be fine, and eventually the tower will begin to expand once more. They'll find themselves at the bottom of the stairs in what must be a grand hall. It's likely difficult to tell in the dim lighting without walking around some, but the hall is large enough to easily fit the entire dormitory inside of it.

On the plus side, if there's any monsters waiting to pounce them, they're still waiting on something before acting. ]

[ bonnie please don't say things like that, it sounds like a nightmare.

bones, however, are fine. it'd be nicer if it was like, an actual corpse... but that's just dito's preference. he rolls his eyes when "no bloodshed" is told to him, even though there's really nothing around to provoke that thus far. it's not like midori or ranger can even bleed, right? and he's got no reason to stab bonnie. so unless they encounter someone else down in here (unlikely), he doesn't see that happening.

which is kind of boring. boo.

at least ranger's optimistic. although dito scoffs at the joke, because he'd much rather be the one causing the red smear than the victim of said smear. he tilts his head to the side as they descend, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulder both to keep himself loose and partially in an attempt shake off the weird feeling that encompasses as they descend. he only chimes in when ranger brings up the zombies, sounding a little more piqued. ]

— Oh, I remember that. Funny as hell.

[ unfortunately he'd only been able to watch from the window at the time...! but just watching was nice enough. dito's more of a hands-on guy, though. ]

I wouldn't mind that one again, but only if they're all actually gross and rotting this time. Otherwise it's just a cop out.

[ at least thinking about that serves as a good enough distraction from bitching about how long this is taking, and how this definitely isn't structurally possible at this point but of course there's some otherworldly bullshit going on—

he's probably right on the verge of bitching again when they hit the bottom of the steps. it's almost abrupt, and that's definitely because it's too dark to even tell where everything starts and ends. ]

Man, you can't see shit...

[ dito mutters as he squints into the darkness. he's gotta move with the lantern to check anything out, so he'll at least wander in a precursory way along the right, preferring to be against or near a wall when the visibility is like this. ]

[ Quite a bit of faith Midori's putting into Bonnie's hands, though he's right. She wouldn't intentionally do anything that would hurt them as long as they could still pull their weight, and it was in her best interest to keep her meal tickets alive! Her sense of preservation trumped any kind of feelings of wanting to cause mischief, believe it or not.

So, no bloodshed, then. Meaning the knife was probably a no-go if a monster did pop out. If that was the case, then she'd have to rely on swinging her basket around, or having someone else take care of that for her. Lucifer's advice had her keep a mirror on her at all times just in case, but that still wasn't necessarily pleasant to go through! ]

Aw, but I don't want to fight a hellhound! They can be so cute!

[ Don't make her fight the puppies! Just kidding, she really couldn't care less about them. Either way, her main focus was on finding the bottom of the stairwell. Keep on moving, ignore any of the distractions, keep pressing on... ]

Ew, gross... I don't wanna get zombie on my shoes either. They're a pain in the ass to clean off.

[ More of a pain than she wants to deal with...

Though shit. She steps on the floor beneath them, grunting in surprise as her foot makes contact. It really came out of nowhere, ugh...

Grimacing, she forces herself to follow behind Dito, letting him lead for now. She hates it, but he's the one with the lantern. ]

Someone try to find a light-- a candle, something.

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