Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dorms - Pyry's Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain
A couple of minutes later, both Pyry and Hisa found themselves in the former's room. Ru had been asked to relocate for a moment, and he had gone off to join Gradient and To-Totesh in Hisa's room. For some reason he had gotten a bit excited when he heard that the latter was working on those mechanical familiars of hers. Still, this meant that the two now had some privacy. Pyry, as if to buy himself some time, cleaned up some of the stuff he had laying around - all in silence. Then, wordlessly, he gestured for Hisa to sit down on the bed.
The boy himself walked over to the window and pulled the curtains aside, watching the scenery outside - the rain and the grey clouds and the wet earth - as if to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on them.
"... You asked me if I ran into someone. Well... not exactly. I ran into a smell. Smell I recognize very well," Pyry started, his voice sounding surprisingly serious. "... You remember what I told you yesterday? About calling me the Third Son of Jukola? Well... it's related to that. As well as that past that the me from... last week... talked to you about. You see, the smell I recognized at the dorms today, it was... the smell of Jukola - the magical research institute that created me."
Just by mentioning that name, Pyry's expression seemed to harden. The memories he had of that place... they must have been tough ones.
"At first I thought I'd caught the smell of some former Jukola-member or a spy that they sent after me. But no... I followed that smell all the way to the girls' floor, and it led me to the door of, well... Prushka," Pyry continued, his voice monotone. "In her room, that smell was excessive - overbearing. The owner of it had been definitely there, and not too long ago. So I accosted Prushka about it, and... what she told me ended up being quite serious."
Pyry let out a sigh and turned around, closing the curtains as he did. He locked his eyes with Hisa, staring deep into hers.
"... Back over a year ago, me and Angelica destroyed Jukola. That place... there was nothing good about it. It was a place of heretical mages that kidnapped children and teens to transform them into weapons - stealing those with aptitude for their experiments. I'd escaped on my own, after hearing what happened to the two created before me. For a while, I managed to live on my own. But after they nearly torched the town I lived in, I told Angelica about all of this and we hatched a plan. She... I'm not sure how she did it, she only said it involved her eyes, but she was able to pin-point the location of their base," Pyry explained. "Nine-Lock Brass Mountain - the impenetrable fortress of the Grand Sorceress Louhi that still remains from the mythic times, where the World Pillar Sampo was once stored, rooted into earth. Well... at the end of the day, it was a copy of that location - or just a tiny part that had fragmented, but it was still a hell of a hiding place."
Through the mental connection between the dolls, Hisa could practically see it.
A mountain so cold, so repulsive, that it beget the mind.
A mountain with an evil ego of its own, and a will to act upon it.
A mountain that had practically enslaved those working with its folds.
"Well, long story short, we trashed the place, destroyed the equipment, and made the mages flee, but... it looks like that wasn't enough," Pyry muttered, bitter look in his eyes. "From what Prushka told me, they're still around, and they're still conducting their experiments. They're still creating wretched creatures like me - artificial humans forced into the nature, shape and mold of their choosing. And one of those poor bastards is here now... and from what I get, he's after me."
Pyry clenched his hands into fists, some sort of burning determination slowly smoldering within his heart.
"... If I had to take a guess, they have him under suggestion - brainwashing, basically. A subconscious order to hunt me down after what I did to their place. So chances are, we'll be running each other eventually... perhaps even soon. And even if he wasn't brainwashed, the chances are... we'd still come to blows. That's just how the Sons of Jukola are - how the Brother Models are. But the thing is..."
For just a moment, confusion broke through Pyry's stoic eyes.
"... I don't get it. I'm sure we destroyed all of their equipment, and yet they were able to rebuild and create another model in a year? That's just... it sounds practically crazy," he spoke, putting his doubts into words. "From what I checked, it can't be Model 1 or Model 2. They were gone long before I came around, and if Prushka had met with those, she - and all of us - would be in much bigger trouble than this time-loop. So who is this guy and where did he come from... that I don't understand."
With a sigh, the boy walked over to the bed and sat down next to Hisa, leaning his arms onto his elbows and staring darkly at the floor.
"--- Still. Now that we're conscious of each other, there'll come an ending to things... one way or another," he said. "It might sound crazy to you, insanity that we don't have time for right now, danger and a risk that's not worth taking... but that's just how it is. It's, in a way, just like my compulsive need to protect everyone around me that I see."
For a moment, a dry smile wavered on his lips.
"Maybe you'd understand if I told you about the Seven Brothers
Seitsemän Veljestä
Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Mercedes's Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain
"Ah~, I see~"
There was something teasing about Sakura's smile, but at least the maid wasn't pushing Lucille's buttons now. Despite all that, she certainly looked like she was having fun, watching Lucille laze about in the starlet's bed.
"Well, I simply came looking for you, since I wanted to ask if its alright that I head out for the evening?" She asked. "Hisa Momoi asked my help with something, something that requires a bit of stealth, and I promised I'd take it into consideration."
Mercedes cocked an eyebrow at that.
"What, Nancy Drew is at it again," she asked, before chuckling a bit. "Like, that girl is unstoppable when she gets hungry for knowledge or whatevah, huh?"
Sakura put her hands on her hips, and shrugged with her shoulders.
"She's certainly a curious and a driven one. That being said, I didn't want to commit to anything before I talked about it with you, milady," she said, turning back to Lucille. "So... what do you think? Can you survive a nap on your own, or should I be here to read you something? Maybe check the closet for boogeymen? Prep some warm milk?"
Ah, here comes the teasing.
... Perhaps even a bit of a forced one, as if she was trying hard to make Lucille smile at least a little bit.
The latest reveals had been quite... dramatic, after all.
Elaine Winters
Location - Pinefall High - Principal's Office
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain
Surprisingly enough, Oceandrop shook his head.
"While you may take a lot after your father, I wouldn't go as far as to say that you're the same. His secrecy affected a lot, and at the end of the day, I think John is afraid of letting people too close to him. His memories have made him jaded to the point that he tries to shoulder all the responsibilities on his own," the principal said. "And while you have a hint of that, at least from where I'm standing your eyes aren't nearly as jaded. Perhaps your mother's influence, perhaps something of your very own, but all the same, I think there's hope for you yet."
With a big swig, the man emptied his mug and slammed it against the table. What he served afterwards was a big, refreshed grin.
"And if nothing else, you know how a life lived like that can end up in - a live role model to help you choose a better path! And just in case you need another one, take it from another fool like John - there's nothing good about ending up as rotten adults like us," the man spoke. "Well, that's the philosophy we shared, at least. We might both be a bunch of awkward old men, but in our eyes, our duty is to teach the next generation to do better than us."
Having said that, Mr. Oceandrop grabbed his jacket from the coatrack and threw it on. As he glanced at the rain outside, he also grabbed a hat and a raincoat, and started switching his dress shoes to actual hiking boots - ones that looked like they had seen lot of use lately. They still had hint of mud on them.
"And speaking of which, I think it's time! Since nobody else is coming, you'll get the dubious glory of being the only participant of Mr. Oceandrop's Detention Hike!" The man proclaimed, striking his chest with his fist. "A brisk walk to the Ghostwood Overlook and back. And, if we time it right, I think you'll see something quite wondrous - enough to make you believe your eyes are fooling you."
The near-boyish grin had returned, and there was a twinkle in the eyes of the principal.
"A front-row seat to one of the mysteries of Road's End," he said while trying to sound like Rod Sterling. "Interested...?"
Colt Davin & Liana Skye
Location: Canseliet Clinic
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain
"O-oh? Change, is it? V-very well, I shalt do my best!"
With that, poor Cathie was finally released from the death grip. The redhead staggered backwards, slumping into one of the chairs while wheezing heavily, trying to catch her breath and holding her ribs. It was painful-looking enough that Dr. Canseliet had to actually check on the girl, but as luck would have it, she had been saved from any injuries (if not counting for wounded pride). Thus, after she had recovered a bit, she accepted the tea that had been brought with a relieved face, looking like she would think twice before getting close to Tris in an emotional state again.
That being said, Liana may have wished upon a monkey's paw when she asked to be the recipient instead...
"----Hnn!"
After all, when Tris first caught a hold of her, she felt almost like her eyes were ready to pop out of her sockets. This girl's strength... it was ridiculous. Unreal. Way too unreal, considering what lithe arms she had. Whatever the source, it couldn't have anything to do with her actual muscles. This was bona fide supernatural strength, something belonging to the denizens of the Turnside. And right now it was squeezing all the air out of her lungs, all because of the friendly warmth of the girl sitting on the hospital bed.
Still, Liana could also feel how fluttering the heartbeat of Tris was. She was both excited and still little afraid, yet the atmosphere of the room was certainly helping out a lot.
As were all the people around her.
"... That girl is even more dangerous as a friend..." Cathie muttered, sipping on her tea while eyeing the ongoing fiasco warily. "Where did you even find her...?"
Another set of spoons clinking against the tea cup joined the soundscape as Doctor Canseliet finally returned around the bed, apparently feeling safe enough now that Liana had taken the place of the sacrificial lamb. The good doctor had regained her mysterious smile, and calmly sipped on her beverage while listening to Colt's words. And as she did, that smile seemed to grow... but at the same time, it got somehow worrisome.
It was at that point Colt realized that human mouths should not have been capable of producing such wide, devious smiles.
And neither were their eyes usually glowing in such a manner.
... Just what was this woman?
"Reimbursement? Oh, we'll be certainly talking about that," Dorothy replied, chuckling quietly. "This is a proper clinic, after all. I'll heal anyone I can as long as I get my reward - but only if I get my reward. After alll, I can inflict maladies in just the same way as I can take them away. In fact, I have a couple of hundred of them bottled up in the storage, if you want to see..."
For some reason, Liana had a troubling flashback to last night and carrying many brown, old-looking bottles with mysterious contents and even more mysterious labels.
... Just what had she been cleaning up!?
"... That being said, I'm a bit troubled right now," Dr. Canseliet continued, putting her oversized sleeve against her cheek. "You see, usually dealing with people is easy. Everybody loves money after all, and it is important to them. However, you, Child of Man..."
Suddenly.
Colt felt a chill.
The eyes of the doctor were upon him now, and they locked him in place.
"... To you, money is just trash, is it not? You have no emotional attachment to it," the good doctor spoke in a quiet, yet clear, manner. "So instead, what sort of precious thing am I supposed to take away from you...?"
The chill grew, like a hand creeping up Colt's spine.
Vier Wolff
Location: McLampet Saw Mill
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain
The journey hadn't been easy.
First, Vier had to make her way to the other side of the town in pouring rain. Then, afterwards, she had to walk through a forest with no proper paths, soaking her clothes with water and mud in the process. While in that forest, she had to orienteer herself so that she found the landmarks that would eventually lead her to the area she was looking for. As it turned out, finding the Star Lakes was surprisingly hard when there was no proper elevation, so the girl ended up wasting a bit of time.
However, hours after she had left, Vier finally got it within her line of sight.
... The almost ruin-like remains of the McLampet Saw Mill.
The old, dead, shriveled up heart of this ghost town.
It stood there like a mausoleum of some sort, braving the pouring rain but only by a hair's breadth. If the building collapsed any more, it would probably just shatter upon itself, or at the very least the roof would give away. And at that point the constant rains and storms would get inside and ruin whatever working equipment possibly still laid there.
Judging by the look of it, the saw mill had two floors, with most of the space in the larger building taken up by where the saws would have been. Whatever office space remained must have been on the upper floors, hidden at the sides, or connected to the small train depot and a loading dock that was the grey building at the side. Indeed, Vier could still see the half-buried railroad tracks that led deeper into the forest, heading out somewhere to the east - somewhere far, far away from Road's End...
... Of course, those tracks didn't actually lead anywhere at this point. Whatever was there, with the exception of the old train station perhaps, had long since fallen to ruin just like this place. And the tracks were most likely not connected to the ones further to the east, meaning that even with them, Road's End was as isolated as ever.
Still... Vier and her new companion had arrived.
And all around them reigned absolute silence.
John Dove
Location: Avery's Diner
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain
"Woooow~! Guys, did'cha hear? Johnnie here acknowledges that I have sexy legs~!"
Of course, the first thing they (Ubon) would latch onto was one of the irrelevant things that John had said in order to demonstrate his own mentality. And the girl must have known better, because there was no blush of an embarrassed maiden (?) on her face. Instead there was just a teasing grin, and an elbow digging itself into John's ribs. At the same time Ubon lifted up one of her legs and wiggled it around, showing both a remarkable dexterity and total lack of common sense - as per usual.
However, that did get a good round of laughter from the people at the table.
"Wow indeed. I wish I had the gall to say something like that with straight face," Caleb joked, sipping on his coffe and cocking an eyebrow at John. "Remind me to never play poker with you, man - at least for actual money. I get the feeling you'd sweep the table."
Aleen, who had taken her compliment in a bit of a different way, was still blushing quite heavily and playing with a lock of her hair, twirling it around her finger.
"W-well, irrelevant or not, it says something that you can still hold s-such opinions, right?" the girl asked, sneaking a glance at the emotionless boy. "E-especially if they happen to be true!"
This caused Inacio to raise eyebrow in turn, and the musician leaned over the table to look at the bluehead.
"Oh? Opinions can be true?" He asked, chuckling to himself. "And here I thought they were purely subjective, and in no way objective."
Aleen threw her hair back and snorted, pointing her nose firmly towards the ceiling.
"They can so be! I-I mean, I'm hella cute, after all!" she retorted. "Nothing wrong with John recognizing that! Just... well... eh, how do I explain this... I mean, if John can h-have an opinion like that, or something else, it doesn't matter if they feel irrelevant to him, right? That's a good start. I mean... I always thought you were just a dull block of wood, no offense, but hearing that, it doesn't seem to be the case. Someone like that wouldn't be able to hold opinions like that in the first place, yeah? So it means you've got something slowly growing in that soil at the garden of your mind."
... It was a bit surprising, but as it turned out, even Aleen King was capable of being somewhat introspective.
A fact that Ubon seemed to agree with, as she put her leg back under the table and nodded.
"Yeppers! Johnnie here's been trying really hard lately!" She said and patted the boy on the back - hard. "Makes me all proud of him, for realsies! I mean, it's hard to recognize your own problems, much less try to fix them. So the fact that he can, it's... it's kinda amazing!"
Inacio, upon hearing that, also gave an agreeing nod.
"Mhm, it's quite something. Like John said, we all came here for a reason - because of our pasts. And I don't think they were the happiest of pasts. But since, out of all the people in the world, we were given a chance to try out a place like this... At least I think we should try our best as well. Try to face whatever's brought us to this point. And honestly, with the help of people who are going through similar things... I think it's possible," the Lusitanian spoke. "I-I suppose in that sense, I agree with Mr. Oceandrop's goals. Though it does make me wonder why us exactly were chosen..."
Caleb, on the other hand, had leaned back in his seat and was sipping on his coffee with a bit of a troubled look.
"Oh, right... the movie night. Well, it was an idea that came to me yesterday, after I met up with Vier and Aleen here," he explained, pointing his thumb towards the bluehead. "I wanted to... well, I guess I wanted to make up for screwing up royally that one night."
Immediately, the atmosphere shivered around the booth.
Nobody liked to be reminded of that night.
"So I figured we'd try to get a movie night going. You know, popcorn, old movies, maybe some Twilight Zone, the whole nine yards..." he started, before heaving a heavy sigh. "... But the atmosphere at the dorms isn't exactly good for that right. Everyone looks like they're on a mission, doing something important, and honestly drifting apart further and further. It's like they don't think they have time for something like that."
--- In a way, Caleb was probably right about that.
Originally Posted by Lucille
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