Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: The Lighthouse
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

I paused for a moment, thoughtfully.

He'd mentioned her before but from his description, she was at least rather distinctive in both appearance and attitude, a small town like this one may as well have her on a wanted poster.

Something to consider for the future.

So, the Mitchells had created this 'Amber Eye' of ours, and then someone had killed them, leaving behind a son, two, in fact.

"So might have to hit up the Mitchell boys if I want any background on that thing, or shake down Miss Prissy, at least," I murmured, getting down onto a knee and gingerly picking up one of the larger shard of what was once a work of art that someone had cared for.

I tilted my head back and forth, evaluating the shard.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose almost immediately.

It wasn't glass, it was amber, treated and crafted and intricately carved amber, as I tilted it in the faint light, my eyes noted the faint whorls and grooves that even now faintly touched against something outside of the normal planes.

I gingerly placed it back down, rising to my feet.

"Well, whatever those Mitchell guys did with this, it was something big. We've got the Sun, the earth, and..."

I rubbed at my face, "Ichor, the blood of the fallen."

Fallen stars, maybe?

"Looks like it was some kind of container," I continued, "A vault, maybe. Or a vial to contain something strong, keep something secure."

I shifted my feet, "That, or keep something in, something big and badass."

"It tracks with this place being what it is, almost like a roach motel for spirits and ghosts and the like, they got trouble leaving." I glanced at Joshua, "No offense."

I hoped Gabi could have some measure of peace.

I scratched my chin, "So this outside lady wants to take a look at some serious business, maybe some kind of jail."

I eyed the old ghost speculatively, "You got any idea what might've been in that thing, boss?"

[Katie]

Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Main Building
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

What kind of scuffle ends with only a slightly disheveled room?

The thought is rather foreign to Lucille—the battles she was involved in were shows of excessive force—but being with Sakura has given her some ideas. Poison, perhaps? Unlikely to be airborne, but perhaps those scant few drops of blood painted the real story. One wound was all that was needed. Then again, wouldn’t the perpetrator need to carry Souma? Was it that trivial to carry such a massive man?

“Kean, Lucille, Miss Techne: please go over the entire room, see whether there is any other evidence of whatever happened here. And see whether you can turn on the lights. No point in pretending to be sneaky anymore.”

“In the process, please look for anything that could be an originator for this unnaturally powerful scent. We should consider the possibility that somebody may be using such strong stimuli to incite equally powerful emotional reactions from us.”

“The monster at the poolside… fit itself in the gap behind a door. And what remained of Xylia then was very little, just hair and a slime-like substance. I’m not saying that’s our foe, but maybe they’ve already hidden in this room?”

Truthfully she doesn’t think her suggestion is very good. Much to her regret, she is not very skilled at thinking out issues, only resolving them with an iron fist. And if her suggestion is right…

Lucille moves next to John, preparing for the worst. The cursed spear and holy sword remain sheathed on her back. Last time, she was unaware, but she won’t let that happen again.

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: McLampet Saw Mill
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"Don't worry 'bout it, Scrooge. You'll understand when you're older."

Ruffling Ahti's hair, I swivel my pointing hand in the complete opposite direction.

A small voice in my head says we shouldn't be wasting time like this. That lives are on the line and every wasted second brings us closer to demise.

That voice is promptly silenced.

I know. I know we're in big trouble. I know this is one small happy light in a sea of uncertain darkness, that we haven't solved the situation, that the mastermind and killer are out there, that danger lurks around every corner. They know too, of course. Ahti knows. Hisa knows. Pyry knows. Maybe even Alpa and Gradient know. This isn't us running away or turning a blind eye to the world. This is just moment for ourselves, without which we might not have the strength to move forward when the time comes.

So it's fine to take a break and be happy for once. No, it's more than fine. It's what we sorely need.

"We're heading back then! And Lion-O's driving! That-a-way!"

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: McLampet Saw Mill
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Hearing Ahti's question, I couldn't help but let out a small sigh as I shook my head slightly. Then again, once Prushka's response came.

It was hard to tell what sounded more wrong. Her, of all people, using a term like that, or her, of all people, lecturing anyone else about not being old enough to understand such a thing.

But then, I guess it was pretty much like her.

"You heard her," I speak up moments later, my eyes turning towards Gradient then Pyry, "Let's head back."

It was easy enough to forget about the car, but that certainly made things a lot more convenient. Even if the town was fairly small, the dorms were on the opposite side of it, so it would have been a lengthy walk...

"T-though, I can walk as well then. It's not that far, so you really don't have to..."

[Verg Avesta]

Liana Skye
Location: Canseliet Clinic
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Sierra, feeling the hand upon her head, blushed brightly - but didn't protest it as she might have only a day ago. Instead, the reassuring touch seemed to instill her with some more courage, as she looked up to Liana and nodded, showing a determination of her own kind.

"Mm... it's alright. You can go. E-even if the situation is dangerous, we can't just sit around in case there's something we can do," the girl said, before biting her lip. "T-though... you have to promise then t-that you'll come back safe. Alright? I-I don't wanna hear that you went and got into some trouble after you told all of us here to be careful!"

A sentiment that everyone in the room seemed to share, judging by the way they looked at Liana.

"A-after all, when you get back, I wanna know..." Sierra paused, her gaze now locked with the older girl's. "... W-what do you know about my mama? Just... who are the Faradays?"

Yes, Liana had let it slip. That nagging feeling she had had in her mind so far, it had inserted itself into her pep-talk from before - and Sierra, sharp as she was, hadn't let it go unnoticed.

Meanwhile, Zane and Scottie had taken a moment to talk, and afterwards, the redheaded nodded and turned towards others.

"I should be able to whip up something that'll connect to Scottie's car radio," he said. "That way we can keep a connection with each other, even if the phones aren't working. That's good too, since while I agree with the sentiment, and that something bad's gonna go down here... I can't just sit here and wait. My bro's waiting for me at home. I have to go pick him up at least. Besides... I'm not the only one, am I?"

Zane's eyes slowly gazed at Cathie. The auburn-haired girl had been deep in thought, though feeling the attention upon herself, she shook out of her stupor. Whatever had gotten her looking somewhat cautious and confused was put to the side, and instead, she nodded as well.

"Y-yeah. I... I need to go check on mom. I couldn't call her last night, so she might be out looking for me. I need to let her know I'm safe," the girl said. "Though... I won't be stupid about it. I won't head out alone. B-besides, I'll need someone to drive..."

The sheepish look on her face made Zane chuckle.

While watching this, Liana suddenly felt a hand on her own shoulder. When she looked upon the culprit, she saw - perhaps a bit to her suprise - that it was Dorothy Canseliet. The good doctor had a somewhat strange expression on her face, a mixture of her usual sly hint of mischievousness and something else. Almost like... warm exasperation? Almost like she knew that the girl before her couldn't help herself, so she couldn't get mad at her.

"You have nothing to apologize," the fae said sternly. "That was that, this is this. If you were to take responsibility for everything Sora did over the course of her life, I'd have you scrubbing pickled onion juices for the rest of your school year. Even if you claim that a part of you is her, that is only technically true."

A momentary sharp grin spread to her face.

"And my kind is all about fooling that technicality."

Her hand squeezed Liana's shoulder, encouragingly.

Meanwhile, Scottie opened the door and peered into the rain, before looking back at the girl.

"Ready to go, then?"

---

Colt Davin
Location: Forest Ranger Cabin
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Max nodded.

"Nevada at the very least will be here during Wednesday morning. I might be on a food run, but I'll be back too eventually," she replied, before smirking a little and glancing at the taciturn man. "... Just try not to spook him when you come. He might react badly. Despite his looks, he's quite ferocious if he thinks he's being cornered."

Nevada, upon hearing this, sighed in a way that made it clear this wasn't the first time the ranger was poking fun at him... and indeed, there might have been some incident in the past the woman was referring to. Something that made even someone as impassive as him turn his gaze away and mutter a few choice words under his breath.

... These two certainly shared a long history.

Just how long had Max Savage been hiding Nevada from the world?

"As for your lady friend, she should still be conscious. So yeah, feel free to visit her," the ranger continued, nodding towards the door. "Just make sure to be on your best behavior. She seemed... the ornery type. Or at the very least, while she was acting like her pet dog just died, I could still see some fire in those eyes. She might react badly if you push the wrong buttons."

The woman took a moment to sip her tea and lifted an eyebrow at Colt.

"... And judging by what she muttered in her sleep, she wasn't exactly a fan of you."

---

“Vier”
Location: Ghostwood National Forest (?)
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

The grey-haired girl cocked an eyebrow at Vier in the somewhat awkward silence that was left hanging in the air after the latter finished their morse code... and then rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry. Loudly. Like she couldn't believe her ears right now. Then, like a parent deciding to humour their child, the older girl put her hands to her knees and... started drumming her thighs. Out in the open. Loudly.

In other words, responding to the Morse code as blatantly and obviously as possible.

And while the cipher was certainly the right, it did belong 410, the message...

...?

Wait, the thing she was spelling out was...

Y-O-U__A-R-E__S-U-C-H__A__W-E-E-N-I-E

Having "said" her piece, Zieg (?) sighed again and let her hands rest and leaned back where she was sitting, shooting a slightly incredulous and amused look at Vier.

"Seriously, V, you are way too stiff for your own good sometimes! Honestly! If I had known this was how you were gonna end up even after making a clean break, I would have never allowed you to get out of my sight. It's like rearing I a puppy, I swear..." Zieg muttered, shaking her head in exasperation. "And yes yes, it's 'Deep Butterfly', not 'Whatever Moth'. I know so you can stop being paranoid for one second. And maybe take that stick out of your butt, please? There's being literal, and then there's being..."

She made a vague gesture towards the other girl.

"--- 'You', I guess?"

Still, as exasperated as she sounded, the girl did eventually follow it up with a chuckle, and a warm look at Vier as she leaned her elbows to her legs and rested her chin on top of her hands.

"Honestly Vier, it's like you listen but you don't understand. Or maybe you don't engage. You need to be flexible out in the real world, or you'll just end up being made fun of! Improvise! Adapt! Overcome! That sorta thing, yeah?" Zieg continued, grinning slightly as she spoke. "But if you really need me to spell things out for you, I guess I can... but just this once, missy! I can't have you clinging to my leg forever, sometimes baby birds gotta fly out of the nest too!"

Then, the grey-haired girl took her finger and tapped her own forehead with it.

"... We're here, you dum-dum. In your nogging. Or perhaps here," she then poked her own chest, where her heart was. "Somewhere metaphysical, not physical. So no, I'm not actually here. Neither is Mr. or Ms. Astronaut either, I think. Though like they said, I doubt we need to worry about them. This is just a chance meeting between some people who have no relation to each other, and never will. But, more importantly... do you finally start to get what this means?"

Zieg smiled, warmly, but also little sadly.

"I'm not real. I'm just your memory of the real Zieg. So I know what you know, and act like how you remember her. And the reason why I'm here, well... I mean sure, you didn't go out looking for me specifically, but I'm why you're here, right? In general? At Road's End? Because you wanna find me," she continued. "And since I'm at the forefront of your mind, and you dive right in there, of course you're gonna find me!"

She spread her arms, as if to present herself to an audience, and made a goofy bow to top it all off.

Then, as the memory of Zieg lifted her eyes to meet Vier's... they looked a little sad once more.

"... After all, you aren't any closer yet, are you? Say... Vier..."

She paused, but just for a moment.

"... Do you feel like your usual tactics have worked so far? I mean, honestly? Twist-your-arm honestly? Because I'm willing to twist your arm if you're gonna start being difficult."

She flexed her biceps.

"You know I can do it, missy!"

---

Elaine Winters
Location: The Lighthouse
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Joshua grunted and shook his head.

"... Your guess is as good as mine, kid," he answered. "That light was more or less installed as a replacement for Lady. Sort of. After I shanked her and got killed for my troubles, that left this place empty and I guess they wanted to fill the void with something. Mind you, my memories of those times are... hazy at best. Your early years as a spirit kinda bleed together, and you're barely there for half the time. And once I got my bearings, I naturally start searching for a way out of this mess... without much success."

He let out a self-derisive chuckle, as if laughing at his foolish attempts to cheat death any more than he already had.

"By the time accepted my lot and started settling down, it was already up there, shining light to all the poor ships out there. Mind you, though, they never did seem quite satisfied with it. Was 'missing the right flame' or some such, as they said. Wasn't the Mitchells' fault, though. They had done as asked, someone else was supposed to provide the thing they'd put inside there instead of a regular lamp," the ghost explained. "But before they found the darned thing, the glass case went and got broken. Dropped from all the way up there. Funny thing though... whoever did it knew what they were doing."

The red and green eyes narrowed.

"... Even got past me by setting up some sorta spirit-repelling field around the lighthouse. By the time I got back in and found out what had happened, the culprit was gone, and the light was broken. The Kincaids were livid. Hollered that the McLampets and Halloways had forgotten their real traditions. This was back in 1960s... or wait. Was it in the 1970s? I'm... blast it. I'm not sure. It's like sand, slipping through the fingers."

Looking a bit frustrated, the ghost scratched the back of his head.

"Anyways..."

Suddenly, he stood up more straight and aimed his gaze straight at Elaine, locking eyes with the girl.

"Make no mistake though, kid. The Amber Eye was meant to hold something, yes. But that ain't why the lighthouse is as it is these days. The white stone was brought by the Kincaid workers back in the 1800's, after Mt. St. Helens went and exploded. Were very adamant about using it. Then came the Lady. Either she arrived with the rocks or she moved in because the lighthouse was finally finished. Either way, that was bad times all around," Joshua explained. "She was a real tyrant. A no-good wench who liked to go on and on about her wisdom and insight, and how many things she knew."

For some reason, and odd tone entered the spirit's voice, one that he himself didn't seem to realize either. While he was usually rather bitter and never afraid to show it, this time... the barest hint of softness could be heard in his voice.

"... Would talk my ear off every chance she got. Horrible sense of humour too, she absolutely adored the stupidest jokes. And then she'd make me sit here for hours on end on the evenings, listening to those corny jokes and expect me to applaud them," the sailor's spirit mused. "I could never understand why such a horrible person had such little sense when it came to humour...?"

A strange, slightly awkward silence fell into the room, and it did not end until Joshua himself cleared his throat.

"... Well, the point is, the lighthouse wasn't like this back in the day," he concluded. "It was, more or less and despite its resident, a normal lighthouse. It didn't turn into the trap it's now until..."

He looked at his own hand, seeing somewhere far away.

"... Until I drove that blade right between her ribs and rid the world of her for good. That's strike is what transformed this place. And me."

---

Hisa Momoi & Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Some time and a somewhat crowded car ride later, the warmth and dryness of the dorms felt like a blessing to the group.

While storm still raged outside, they had finally escaped it to somewhere where every second standing still did not mean getting doused by liters upon liters of water. Instead it was pleasantly warm, the radiators were working at full force, and hot water came from the shower just by turning the knob right. And, most importantly, dry and clean and definitely not shredded-up clothes could be found.

... Even if Ahti had to borrow some of Pyry's stuff since his clothes weren't exactly here.

Still, the promise of some hot tea, coffee or cocoa was speeding the various members of the group to action, and thus everyone had retreated to their own parts of the dorms to take care of whatever business they needed. In actuality this meant that Pyry and Ahti had promised that they'd talk more once things had calmed down a little bit and once they weren't feeling like they were driven over by a semi. After that, the golden-maned boy, along with Hisa and Gradient headed towards one part of the dormitory, while the white lion, Prushka and Alpa took off towards their section. Alpa had actually (finally, thank god) shed the massive owl mascot costume that she had been wearing... and against all logic, that thing was still dry, warm and somehow holding itself together.

In addition, the group - after some thinking - had decided that even if they split up they should probably still stick to some groups. Hence why nobody headed just to their own rooms. It would have been a nasty end for the evening if they got into trouble just because they forgot to be careful and went on their separate ways without nary a thought.

Therefore...

In Hisa Momoi's room, things were relatively calm. Gradient was sitting on Hisa's bed, clumsily drying her hair with a towel like she had never done it before, and letting out weird noises as she did - as per usual. The girls had been allowed to use the shower first while Pyry decided to get most of the sticks and leaves out of himself and make sure that everything in his battered body was in working order. And after the girls had gotten cleaned up, he had headed into the shower himself, and now both Gradient and Hisa could hear him humming some foreign song loudly as he did his best to wash away the signs of the battle.

"Fooo~?" Gradient wondered and tilted her head to Hisa.

As if to ask...

Is it really necessary to get musical while showering?

On the other hand, at Prushka's room...

Things were a tiny bit different. Namely, Alpa had vehemently refused to shower with anybody, and indeed show herself in front of anybody while wearing nothing but a towel. Therefore the girl had cleaned up (was it her abilities again) her currently clothes, even mending the ripped parts, and then entered and exited the shower while surrounded by what looked to be a... some sort of localized cloud of mist? Needless to say, nobody saw anything, and by the time the mist dispersed, Alpa was dressed up again - with her wet hair the only sign that she had really washed up.

And as for Ahti, well...

The hissing and yowling coming from the showers right now brought to mind a cat. A very angry cat that was trying to remove all the sticks and blood from his hair while also making sure not to get any soap in his many wounds.

--- And failing miserably.

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: Canseliet Clinic
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"..."

It's always an awkward promise to make, that you'll come back safe, especially in this line of work. There are no guarantees in the Turnside, no matter how strong or talented someone is, there is never a point where you can truly say you're invincible, where you can be absolutely certain that you won't fall victim to fate, but...

"Alright."

...In the end I can't help but chuckle at all the looks I'm getting from everyone, a bit of a nervous laugh that comes with being at the center of this much goodwill; I'm really not that used to it, having a bunch of people going out of their way to make sure I'm alright, that I won't do anything stupid, so...

"I promise I'll come back in one piece, would be pretty embarrassing if I ran off and disappeared after my overbearing mom-like speech, huh?"

...I extend my pinky to her, offering that most classic of childhood oaths, one eye closed in light amusement. Without meaning to, my mind flashes back to the Sierra from a few days ago, the girl who had huffed at me in a bit of a jealous fit and resisted head-pats on principle, a lonely princess who thought she had to be strong all by herself, and...

"I promise to tell you what I know about the Faradays too, although like I said earlier... It's not much, mostly theories right now. But I'll help as much as I can, alright?"

...Cute.

"I'm looking for my mom too, so I know how it feels."

The difference is undeniably cute, an earnest affection that makes me want to spoil her a bit more, since it seems we really are kindred spirits, but alas...

Work calls.

Or rather...

"I should be able to whip up something that'll connect to Scottie's car radio," he said. "That way we can keep a connection with each other, even if the phones aren't working. That's good too, since while I agree with the sentiment, and that something bad's gonna go down here... I can't just sit here and wait. My bro's waiting for me at home. I have to go pick him up at least."

"Yeah, I understand."

Shifting my gaze to Zane as he speaks up, I smile at the older boy in response to his words.

"Older sibling's gotta do what he's gotta do, I knew you were one of the ones that were gonna leave, just wanted to make sure you knew it was alright to come back if you needed to, that it's fine to rely on me." I nod at him to press this point, "No pressure though, if you think you and your brother would be safer at your house, I'd say stay there, we can still talk at least."

Considering his nature, he would probably know better than me what's safe and what's not safe during this part of the week.

Not to mention taking care of that thing in his garage, although if it's broken, it's doubtful anyone could really do anything with it in the time remaining...

"Although the overprotective part of me says to call over the radio when you get home, just so I can know you made it back fine."

Yeah.

Can't resist it.

I'll embrace my apparent nature as the 'mom friend,' the friend that can't help but worry, after all...

Now was the time to do so.

"I'd say same for you Cathie, but probably no radio on your end, huh?"

I sigh, then-

"Well, just be careful then and when all of this nonsense is past us and the town goes back to normal, I could teach you how to drive, if you want?"

-wink at the girl.

"Could be fun~"

And finally...

The sudden appearance of a hand on my shoulder instinctively causes a turn of the neck, revealing those oh-so-full-of-different-emotions expressions a certain 'auntie' of mine liked to make... It's sort of fun, having my attention pulled in so many different directions all at once, being around a group that actually seems to get along with each other for the most part, and yet-

"You have nothing to apologize," the fae said sternly. "That was that, this is this. If you were to take responsibility for everything Sora did over the course of her life, I'd have you scrubbing pickled onion juices for the rest of your school year. Even if you claim that a part of you is her, that is only technically true."

"T-the whole school year...?"

What in the world did you do, Sora?!

It's such a large amount of punishment time that I find myself thinking a bit too hard about what was obviously a joke, or probably a joke, or only mostly a joke, considering this woman had been perfectly willing to let me carry curses around in jars without letting me know that was what they were, still-!

I smile at her.

"I see, the original was a troublemaker with no appreciation for cool aunt-types..."

For some reason...

"That's sad... Because you're really cool, Dorothy."

The idea of Sora being imperfect doesn't feel as damaging as before, after all, it really just means...

She was a person.

She had her flaws too, her bad parts, things she screwed up and if that was the case...

We really weren't that different then, huh?

As for Scottie though, well...

"Ready to go, then?"

"More or less. I feel a bit bad about leaving again before Tris wakes up, but if everything goes well, we could be back before she even notices..." I turn my head back towards the others, "Although if we aren't, let her know what's going on, alright guys?"

After resolving the pinky promise with Sierra one way or another, I stand, put my arms back through the sleeves of my bomber jacket and take a few steps towards the door, my heart far lighter than it had been when I had first got here, but also allowing myself to slip back a bit towards the usual Eureka Agent Skye, my work face, and one that was far more appropriate face for what was going to be some sort of interrogation, still...

"Fio." I call out to the one-eyed woman, voice calm but strong. "Keep an eye on things for me here, would you?"

My gaze flickers to Aleen, who has drifted a bit into the background of everything, and...

"Aleen, I suggest staying here, okay? We don't want to go back to the school, it's way too risky now."

It's the obvious location for a trap.

With that, all my suggestions have been given, with that, I can finally allow myself to leave the house and with that...

"The other waitresses at the Owl's Nest would be so jealous..."

I make a bit of an amused observation as I move to follow the agent.

"Spending so much time with the dashing FBI Agent~"

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

The yowl of a stray cat can be clearly heard over the storm outside. Even with the water beating against the windows in rolling sheets, Ahti's angry yells are louder still.

Alpa and I awkwardly sit on my bed, listening to the din. We cut a strange pair; she's squeaky clean, as fluffy as a sheep, and I'm a mess, sitting on a towel so as not to soil my sheets with mud and leaves. The water has soaked right through my clothes and it's starting to get cold, even inside. I'd have changed after getting clean... but a certain someone is hogging the shower right now.

"Y-you look good as n-new..." Every nick and tear in her clothes has been completely fixed. You can barely tell where Alpa's uniform was damaged and sewn back together. Meanwhile, mine is beyond salvaging. "Had to be s-self-sufficient-?"

A hiss cut with swearing in what must be Finnish cuts through the attempt at conversation... along with my patience.

"...alright, that's it."

You're hogging all the hot water and doing an awful job of treating those wounds. That's a double whammy of unacceptable, Ahti!

"Alpa! Behold!" My VHS collection is arrayed across the bed in an instant. I pick out one and triumphantly slot it into the television-VCR combo sitting opposite the beds. Instantly the machine starts chugging, and then rolling, and then static appears on the screen only to swiftly clear, and then a colourful animation starts playing, accompanied by a cheery tune.

"I'm gonna sort out that idiot before he clogs the drain with blood and fur. You sit tight right here."

Three steps take me across the room and before the bathroom door. I twist the knob, creak it open, and slip in past the deluge of hot, steamy air that rushes out, shutting it behind me. Whatever lies behind it, I won't lose!

"Scrooge, quit picking at yourself! I'm gonna fix you before you make it worse!"

[Mellon]

Anna Vandemeel
Location: Mitchell Residence - Inside
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"Or should it make it a best of 3? You can take a moment to look how this works if you've never played this before."

For a brief moment, Anna Vandemeel looked like an utter deer in the headlights as she gazed emptily at the plastic monstrosity in CC’s hands.

“Err… yes! That would be for the best, I think. I haven’t played something like this before, so I wouldn’t mind to have a look before I try it out.” The raven-haired girl also motioned to the cup of cocoa in her hands. “Besides, I wouldn’t want this to go cold, either.”

The contraption in their hands looked like some kind of paddle with random buttons mashed on it. Why did it have that weird cross shaped button instead of a knob? Wouldn’t a knob be better? You could rotate it in any direction, after all!

Also, why did it have a cord? Based on Anna’s own experience with TV remotes, which was granted mostly involved with blowing one to pieces this morning, you didn’t need a cord to operate a TV!

The less said about what was happening on the screen the better. Clearly one of the men was a mage of some description, throwing out cutting waves of energy at his opponent. Perhaps he was mentally a bit deranged, considering from his comments about family men and whatnot, but considering some of her colleagues, it wasn’t really a situation that wouldn’t have parallels in reality.

His opponent though… was just an unhealthily muscled man in a red speedo three sizes too small for him. In fact, Anna was pretty sure that at that point, having such muscle mass would be more of an problem, rather than a boon. And he seemed to possess no supernatural powers of his own, to boot.

…of course he would lose. Perhaps this was the point? Some hidden lesson about the cruel nature of the world hidden in the façade of a “game”?

Regardless, enough said about the situation she was in. She had other reasons to be here as well.

“Well, leaving aside this… game, for a moment, how have you been, brat?” Anna gave Shane a wry grin. “Gotten into any more unusual trouble this week?”

Even as her mouth was speaking to Shane, her mind was opening up a channel to her familiar, who was still nestled in the corner of the foyer.

“Sõõrik, could you check inside the garage and the rest of the house for me? Since our red-headed friend seems to possess surprising self-control for a supposed madman, maybe you can see if you can open up the garage door for the others.”

“Maybe there is a switch or something that can let them in.”

[Frantic Author]

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Mitchell Residence - Outside
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Blood and fire, Potemkin dearest. Is that not what our core is? The reality of who we are? The blood that we coat ourselves in, that we drink, that we desire, and the flames of the old world that run through this walking corpse of our body that carries our soul? That greed, that desire -- is that not proof of our ancestral claim? By birthright, we are conquerors, monsters, and devourers of men. A flame that runs so hot it burns you to ash when you touch it, forged in the deepest recesses of a cavern that none know of...

Dearest Potemkin, by the stars and by the stones, we are fated to desire. I will not turn my head away from it simply because it may be uncouth. Greed, as it were, is a human desire. A Sin so deadly that it holds its head as high as Pride's.

Stars and stones, isn't it enticing? What can we take? What can we claim? My mouth salivates a bit at the thought, doesn't yours, Potemkin? Hey, hey, Potemkin -- don't you sometimes want to just let loose a little bit?

I smiled at Ramia.

It had too many teeth.

"Your deviant wiles, alas, have forced their way into my skull, Ramia!" I said, with wide eyes as I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands, "It appears I have no choice but to allow you access to my body. U-Unless you have some sort of... lewd intention when you peer at it!?"

I examined my side, poking it with a frown.

"Alas, according to my dearest and most precious familiar, I am rather large and flabby, unfit for such salacious acts," I said with a sigh, shaking my head with one eye closed as I lazily smiled at the girl, "Feel free to examine me at your leisure!"

The redheaded man's absence was a bit of an annoyance but one easily solved. Admittedly, I had some... reservations, about it, but no more then a few.

"Perhaps it would be simpler to just knock on the door ourselves! After all, what kind of maniac would attack someone as kind and noble as me inside of a comrade's house?"

I could think of six off the top of my head, but that wasn't really relevant, right?

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"Hmm...Maybe it is? People have different habits, and when your mother tongue is something as weird as that..." I remained quiet for a moment, so that both of us could hear the incomprehensible words coming from the shower, "Then strange habits is probably the least you can expect."

I guess it's also something that came with personality. He was always sort of confident and upbeat, so it was fitting in a sense. But if I was to do it...Especially after realizing that someone else ended up hearing it, I'd probably just die of embarrassment.

But well, that's likely why I did not do it. Showers are kind of binary, anyways - I'd either want to completely turn my mind off, or occupy it with more serious thoughts, rather than with something inbetween, such as singing.

Leaning back in my chair, I gazed out the window, making the sound of the rain beating on the glass as evident as the shower running in the other room, as they mixed together into a monotonous background noise.

More than that, it inevitably made me wonder about how the others were doing. I asked them to help, despite knowing that the storm would come. So if something happened to them, it would be hard not to blame myself for it. If I'd even found out what happened. Giving them a way to contact me was one thing, but...There was no way to do it the other way around. Most I could do was just wait and see, and in the meantime...

I guess the success of the evening started sinking in. Now that we were back here in a cozy room, safe from the storm, and free of that burden, the feeling that we have achieved something started to surface as the rest around it calmed down again.

Yet, it also seemed that even Pyry's situation turned out to be a lot more complicated than what anyone has foreseen. If the organization that modified his body was still one piece, now even working on sending people to capture or kill Pyry, then...what exactly would that mean for the future?

Lost in my thoughts, my unfocused stare ended up wandering onto the serpent embedded doll that now rested on my desk. Reaching out, I tapped the silvery coin with my fingertip a few times.

"Did you manage to make it through?" I asked the doll while doing so, "Or was it a failure, in the end?"

[Kuroyuki]

Vier
Location: Ghostwood National Forest (?)
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

I watched “Zieg” cock her eyebrow in that familiar way that always seemed to indicate that she thought my suggestion was dumb, unoriginal, or as she put it “lacking delicacy” before she blew the loudest possible raspberry in my face. She then proceeded to tap back her answer in the most obvious way possible to respond to my message. In proper form and cipher, the response was… Y-O-U__A-R-E__S-U-C-H__A__W-E-E-N-I-E. Weenie?! I’ll have you know that I ha-

"Seriously, V, you are way too stiff for your own good sometimes! Honestly! If I had known this was how you were gonna end up even after making a clean break, I would have never allowed you to get out of my sight. It's like I’m rearing a puppy, I swear… And yes yes, it's 'Deep Butterfly', not 'Whatever Moth'. I know so you can stop being paranoid for one second. And maybe take that stick out of your butt, please? There's being literal, and then there's being… --- 'You', I guess?

Honestly Vier, it's like you listen but you don't understand. Or maybe you don't engage. You need to be flexible out in the real world, or you'll just end up being made fun of! Improvise! Adapt! Overcome! That sorta thing, yeah? But if you really need me to spell things out for you, I guess I can... but just this once, missy! I can't have you clinging to my leg forever, sometimes baby birds gotta fly out of the nest too!"

As I was being lectured by Zieg… I couldn’t say a word in my defense. I’m not going to lie and say I adapted well after breaking free. I just couldn’t stop thinking about all of the what ifs and everything that could go wrong. I couldn’t trust anyone while I was in Sweden. LiGhTs was the only person I could trust but that was only if I could scrounge up the cash required to pay him… There were some others, but I couldn’t rely on them. These were my personal issues, and they were better set up for a normal life than me. That’s when she stopped lecturing me to point at her forehead and start explaining something.

"... We're here, you dum-dum. In your nogging. Or perhaps here. Somewhere metaphysical, not physical. So no, I'm not actually here. Neither is Mr. or Ms. Astronaut either, I think. Though like they said, I doubt we need to worry about them. This is just a chance meeting between some people who have no relation to each other, and never will. But, more importantly... do you finally start to get what this means? I'm not real. I'm just your memory of the real Zieg."

“...You’re not really here?”

Zieg smiled warmly, but sadly at my words. I didn’t know how to feel. It’s been so long since it’s been so long since I’ve seen her. Even if it’s a memory, a mental simulation of the real Zieg… I don’t know. Should I be relieved that it’s just a mental simulation that can’t see how sad of a state I’m in? That I can still make the real Zieg proud when I see her again… Should I be saddened at the fact that I still haven’t found her? That there is still the potential for the real Zieg… to have forgotten about me and realize I was doomed that everyone was going to forget about me.

“So I know what you know, and act like how you remember her. And the reason why I'm here, well... I mean sure, you didn't go out looking for me specifically, but I'm why you're here, right? In general? At Road's End? Because you wanna find me. And since I'm at the forefront of your mind, and you dive right in there, of course you're gonna find me!”

Zieg did her big, dumb, over the top gesture to present herself before bowing to the American Astronaut, the shadowy figure, and I before continuing with this sad, little smile.

"... After all, you aren't any closer yet, are you? Say... Vier… Do you feel like your usual tactics have worked so far? I mean, honestly? Twist-your-arm honestly? Because I'm willing to twist your arm if you're gonna start being difficult. You know I can do it, missy"

Was I any closer? No, I wasn’t. I really really wasn’t. I thought I got real close. I thought I was following all of the right leads. I thought I came across the right person. My hypothesis was sound based on what I heard from others. The name was improbable especially given the language it presumably used. However, I was wrong. I was so far off the target that I wasn’t even on the paper. I mistook Zieg for a frog. They didn’t even act similar to each other because I took the wrong information. I got up and got really close to my mental simulation of Zieg to look her in the eye.

“It still works for combat ops, but that isn’t what you’re asking. I’m not any closer to solving the overall issues of the town… As for making friends and allies, I’ve tried and failed… I can’t help but doubt everyone now that I know that there are multiple imposters… And finding you, I failed in reality. I mistook a frog for you. Now I’m not sure where to start on finding you again.”

Spoiler:

“I know you're not real. I just miss you so much and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do anymore...”

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Forest Ranger Cabin
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Colt gathered his clothes. They weren’t fully dry, but the faint chill of rain’s lingering damp didn’t bother him. The boy grabbed his pistol, looked it over, and sighed. He owed Vier a very real apology, abandoning her like that. Even if what he did was the right thing, and the outcome had saved a life, turning tail on someone else…

It was just wrong.

“Lady friend? You said it yourself, she’s no fan of me.”

Colt detached the scope. The boy shifted it from one hand to the other, tossing it between them.

Was this mysterious attachment the source of all that enmity?

Certainly the story had more to it than a case of taking what shouldn’t be his.

“What can I say, the ladies love to hate me.” With a chuckle, Colt caught the scope with his right hand and put an end to the fiddling. “I wouldn’t know how to talk to ‘em if they didn’t.”

Colt opened the door leading to the rest of the cabin, the one through which Ranger Savage had arrived after finishing her operation.

[Thalraxal]

Elise Marie Pelltier
Location: Big Boy's Gas Station - Bar
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"Sidney Gottlieb? Like, MKUltra Sidney Gottlieb? Yikes."

Elise frowned at herself for not making that connection earlier.

"Seems kind of obvious when you say it outloud. I can't imagine that there are many chemists named Gottlieb with the resources to start a pharmaceutical company and name it after themselves. Any idea when Gottlieb Pharmaceutical was founded? As near as I've been able to piece together, things at End's Mercy started getting weird around 1973, so I'd imagine that'd be about when Gottlieb Pharma would've started sinking its teeth into it."

"As for the Turnside… yeah, I'm pretty deep in it. Drowning even."

Already drowned, really.

"The idea that it's all a delusion seems a little out there though. There would have to be more than a million people, some of whom are public figures, all involved in some sort of deep method acting world-wide LARP?"

Actually, that would be kind of cool.

Elise frowned again.

"They're not wrong about it being "contagious" though, in a way. Exposure to the supernatural typically means you're inevitably doomed to get drawn into the other world."

Or rejected by the World if they don't.

"Although some people avoid that by justifying whatever they might've seen as some sort of swamp gas powered weather balloon, and push the idea out of their mind. I think I can kind of understand how someone might try and justify the supernatural world that way as a means to protect themselves from being drawn into it?" wondered Elise, "Maybe someone's using the idea of the supernatural being a delusion on our part as a framework to let non-Turnside researchers interact with us without getting drawn in?"

Elise sighed to herself as she considered the idea that the Turnside was just some sort of shared delusion.

"I don't see how all this being a delusion would work though. Even if it does fool all of our senses. There's so much common knowledge and so many secrets. Why and how would we all have the same imaginary world? How would two unrelated people with the syndrome both know the same things? What about the things they don't know about? If this syndrome is about withdrawing from society, then why is there a shared world and whole supernatural societies? What about supernatural powers? If a fireball destroys a building, what actually happened? Is everyone with the syndrome imagining that the building was destroyed, while it's really still standing? What if someone with the syndrome visits the building later, but doesn't know it was destroyed, and learns it was destroyed later? If I heal someone who's on the brink of death with my powers, did I save their life, or are they still dying? Am I imagining that they survived? What if someone has some weird, esoteric ability that's hard to understand? Do we just stand there as they try to explain what they're trying to accomplish with it?"

Elise imagined her and Hisa's fatal encounter in the woods on another Sunday with the strange entity in that garish blue cloak as though it were just three girls in the woods playing some sort of live action fantasy roleplaying game. Pyry was off somewhere on the sidelines lamenting how he was dead even though he'd invested so much in defence. Gradient had to go home early, which was why she disappeared so abruptly.

That feels like it would've just degenerated into a ridiculous game of one-upmanship. Quiltcloak justifying why their magic cloak protects them from Hisa's mind control, and then just flips the table when I claim that I can bypass their defences because they couldn't see the water under my control converging on their position.

Elise shook her head.

If all of this was just a delusion though… Then that would just mean that all of my problems just… wouldn't really exist would they? pondered Elise, taking a moment to swirl the contents of her glass, No demon from Hell squatting in the dark recesses of my brain yearning for my soul. No prophecy to herald my doom. No time loop. I wouldn't have to worry about being a danger to my friends, or being some sort of walking potential disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't have a target painted on me the size of Road's End.

Elise took a sip from her drink, and set it back down on the table with a sigh.

"From where I'm sitting, the idea that all of the Turnside is some delusion seems unlikely. There's too many unseen moving parts, too many people involved, too much long history, and so many weird interactions that the simplest answer is just that the supernatural exists, no matter how grating that might be to certain mystery writers," Elise's frown deepened, "Unless, like, it spreads through a TV show, book, or something that let's everyone get on the same page? Like we're all part of the same fandom. I don't know. I suppose though, if it fools all of the senses, then there's really no way for us to prove or disprove it to the satisfaction of the people trying to cure us, is there? All of our evidence and logic can just be shrugged away as imaginary."

"The real clincher for me though is that if the supernatural was just a delusion, it'd make my life a whole lot easier, and I can't imagine that happening."

"I act the way I do to get where I want to be. And right now, it's right here. In this place. At this moment. Because this is where I need to be."

The words of another Travis Gagnon on another rainy day echoed in her mind.

"So, you altered your own personality and psyche so you'd get picked up by the Oceandrop Program? That's-that's impressive, even more so considered you didn't really know what the Oceandrop Program was looking for. You even scored a high Drop Distance to boot. I'm sorry you had to go through that to get here though."

I have no idea what that would've entailed, but it's clear that it wasn't a pleasant process.

"You're right about it feeling like everything's going insane. I think we're all supposed to be a powder keg. Or maybe one of the stakeholders wants us to be."

She glanced surreptitiously towards Elaine's brother, and the new arrival, who was evidently a friend or acquaintance of his.

"Probably not a bad idea to cling to what scraps of sanity we can in times like this. Helping Elaine find her brother seems like a good start. For that matter, I can keep an eye open for your mentors, and that moose of yours too if you want," offered Elise.

"Also, you spent a bunch of time at the hospital, right? Did you ever cross paths with a Devon Rustfield there?" asked Elise, "He's a quiet guy. Wears red. I'm supposed to find him, and I know he's been avoiding me too."

Seems to be a lot of that going around. Why can't missing people just want to be found?

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: The Lighthouse
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Hm.

So, they didn't have 'the right light', and they were going to get it, but someone broke it first.

60's or 70's, then.

Bit of a gap, there, but it's something to put heads together on, maybe ask the Mitchell boys later, they might know.

Or at the very least, given how worked up those Kincaid were...

Tch.

So something breaking out didn't cause this, The death of this 'Lady' person did.

"This Lady's the 'Red-Eye-Blue-Hair' you mentioned? 'She who Watches', right?"

I turned a bit to the rest of the group, "Apparently she crawled out of somewhere and had the whole town wrapped up around her little finger, had 'em calling it 'Lady's View' and everything. A bit charming, it seems, but, uh, not human, not even a little."

Came either with the rocks, or when the lighthouse was done.

Seems they had some sort of relations.

"And she's the one you went to the Chevron Lodge about, like you mentioned last time," I tilted my head, "The Chevron Lodge, is that where those old gods and such are hiding out, then? Like you mentioned."

I nodded to myself.

Then frowned, "That got something to do with why she ain't around? If this place is made out of spirit-trap rock, then why isn't a stabbed 'thing' like that hanging around? I mean, there's a couple 'o reasons why that might be, that Coyote's Fang bein' one of them."

Figure it's better to hear from the horse's mouth.

I did have a few suspicions, though.

[Verg Avesta]

John Dove & Lucille Faraday
Location: Pinefall High Main Building
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Lights flickered on as Xeni's fingertips hit the switch, bathing the room in the fluorescent lights coming in from above. In their illumination, it was easier and easier to see just the abnormal state that the room was in. Kean, Xeni and Lucille took a moment to go about the area, searching for anything that might have seemed suspicious, but so far they could only come to only conclusion.

... If Souma had fought against someone here, it had been an extremely graceful battle.

A duel which was fought with such quiet speed that barely anything was disturbed - perhaps even in complete silence.

A sobering thought.

--- Meanwhile, Hwan frowned at the drops of blood on the ground.

"... Honestly, I know jack and shit about myths and occultism," he grumbled. "You'd do better asking that little shrine maiden. Though, if this was left by Souma, then maybe..."

For a moment, he traced some invisible lines in the air with his fingers.

"I mean, I guess it could be a kanji of some sort? Seven strokes, each starting with where one dot is," he guessed. "But honestly, that seems a bit far-fetched, especially since we don't know how the bloody thing appeared in the first pla--- Huh? You found something?"

Indeed, following the strangely left eyepatch's clue, John made his way over to the nearby locker, with Lucille hovering behind him in case something went wrong. Trepidation hung in the air as the boy opened the door... only to reveal a practically empty interior. No, not just practically. A properly empty interior. This locker must not have been in use, considering there was nothing but dust and a scrunched up piece of paper on the floor.

... Hmm...

Perhaps by logic, perhaps by instinct, John picked up the thing that looked to be more or less trash. It was a piece of paper, balled up and scrunched and tossed aside. Though, unlike the rest of the locker, it hadn't gathered up nearly as much dust - only what it had picked up from the floor itself. Did this mean it was thrown there recently? The door had no lock, so perhaps in the midst of a battle, Souma could have...

"... Well?" Hwan grunted, looking over John's shoulder. "Open it."

The tiny paper ball opened up well enough, and revealed itself to be a piece ripped from a... journal? A notebook of some sort? Semi-official looking paper, good quality, but the handwriting wasn't overly formal. So, where had it come from? Where had Souma ripped it off from? And why?

And most importantly, what did the things written there...

... Actually mean?

... Which means we are finally ready to go ahead. All the students are present as well. The three Coastrise siblings at the hotel, the rest at the school and dormitories - 34 in total, in other words. We have no idea how this will go down, so we are prepared to...

---

Liana Skye
Location: Sheriff's Department
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

The roads of the town had been slick and slippery with storm, but eventually both Liana and Scottie had made their way to the Sheriff's Department. They hurried through the storm and the fast-approaching night, across the parking lot and past the doors that guarded this nest of law that was still lit up, unlike some of the houses in the area. The jeeps outside informed that people were still inside, but as the girl and the FBI agent shook off worst of the water from themselves in the lobby, the place did feel rather empty.

At least until a female voice piped up from the front desk.

"O-oh, Mr. Ferguson! You finally arrived!" The speaker greeted them, then turned a little confused. "And you're with a... friend?"

"E-ermm... well hello there!"

The blonde woman who looked a bit deceptively young greeted Liana.

"Would you happen to need some towels?"

Scottie, upon hearing that, nodded with a smile.

"That'd be lovely, Johanna. Also, this is Liana. Liana Skye. A local talent who's been of invaluable help to me in the last few days," she introduced the girl to the woman who looked to be a deputy? "It might not be by the protocol that I asked her to accompany me, but I think we all agree that the things happening in this town are far past 'protocol' at this point."

"You got that right, Scottie."

This time, a male voice joined in the conversation.



From around the corner walked a man, slightly younger than Ferguson, and clearly the sheriff of this town if his badge was anything to judge by.

"Still, it should be alright. The old loon has been agreeable so far, so I doubt he'll mind," he continued, snorting a little. "If anything, he's been far too calm to my liking. Like he's planning something."

That made Scottie frown a little bit.

"Planning? What do you think he's planning?"

The sheriff simply shrugged.

"No idea. Let's hope it's not grabbing a gun and shooting us all," he joked grimly, before nodding towards a door nearby. "Though before we get started, I took the liberty to prepare some coffee. Figured it's been a long day for us all, so some pick-me-up should do us well."

That made a wide smile spread to Scottie's face.

"Michael?" He said, putting his hand on the sheriff's shoulder. "You're alright."

---

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Prushka's Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"What the---"

There was another loud sound, this time cause by a certain white-haired person rising up so fast they hit their head to the rail of the shower curtain. Muttering curses under his breath, the owner of the voice turned to look at Prushka through the thick steam and fog that permeated the whole room, painting it into a foggy landscape where it was almost impossible to see.

Which might have been a good thing, considering.

After all, Ahti stood there, under the shower, most of the mud, leaves and sticks gone - though some was still stuck in his hair. His body was fully bare, showing practically every scar, both old and new, that riddled his skin. The bulging, muscular look made the room feel even tinier in its presence, or perhaps it was the fact that the boy was actually, honestly, unashamedly naked - and didn't seem to care one bit that Prushka could see it! If anything, he looked more annoyed by the fact that his fresh wounds were ridiculously itchy thanks to all the soap and the suds that had been created thanks to the soap.

And oh boy were the lots of suds.

The whole shower was practically filled with suds.

And so was Ahti's body. In fact, by some miracle, they seemed to be covering the most essential parts!

"Why does this soap stuff burn!" Ahti complained, growling. "I can't take a stupid shower like this!"

Then he looked up and down at Prushka, and frowned.

"... Also Imp, I don't think you're supposed to come to a shower while fully dressed like that. You'll just ruin your clothes more."

---

Hisa Momoi
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Hisa's Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

[It depends on what you consider a failure.]

The response was almost immediate, and for a moment, Hisa could see an image flash before her eyes. A snake - though not the same monstrous serpent that had appeared within the mindscape. No, this was one lesser... or rather, simply less than what it had been. Yet it was undoubtedly the very same thing, and in some ways, even more. Smaller, weaker, but only because it had lost its purpose. The manifestation of a programmed instinct was still just a programmed instinct, except now it had been removed from the metaphysical habitat it had lived in.

Thus it was left without purpose.

But without purpose comes the privilege of free will.

So, what was this snake now, even? Sentient? Thinking? It couldn't follow it's former instructions, considering the setting for those no longer existed. And more than that, it had been granted life outside of that.

To drag something something out of a mindscape, something that was simply personification of a concept...

--- These were brand new waters in many ways. Who even knew what would happen?

[I'm quite a bit smaller.]

The snake informed matter-of-factly.

[If you took me out for my physical size, then I am afraid you have failed,] it continued. [That was just a representation of my influence in that world. In that place.]

It slithered, even though it had no body.

[Without it, my influence is as small as this.]

The size of a coin, if even that.

[But I have to admit...]

The image of a snake lifted its head and looked out of the window.

[I like this sound. It's the first proper sound I've heard. And it doesn't seem to stop.]

Wait?

Did sounds in the mental landscape of people not count as sounds? So while it could not really use its senses yet inside that coin, it could, one way or another, hear the rain?

And rain was the first physical sensation it ever had?

[Hissssss~]

At least it seemed relatively happy?

---

Anna Vandemeel
Location: Mitchell Residence - Inside
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

[You got it, boss!] Came the mental response. [I'll be on it like sauce on steak!]As the characters on the screen started their bout once more, Shane scratched the back of his head and chuckled a little bit.

"W-well, not really! I mean, there's only so much trouble I can get to before bro becomes angry!" He protested the thought. "I mean suuuure, I might have snuck out to get a peek of that FBI guy who came to town, b-but that's all I swear! It's not like I've been playing at the old train tracks, or at the Junk Garage, or going out on my own when my bro's at work!"

That was such a specific denial that even CC seemed to realize it, as he chortled loudly and didn't even bother to hide his amusement. Realizing that they might be onto him, Shane messed up his timing and for a moment, the energy-wave-mage on the screen got thrown about by the speedo-wearing wrestler. The tides were beginning to turn from the looks of it.

"Oh? So you didn't meet up with that girl you told me and Lane about?" CC asked with a grin. "That's a shame, from what you told us she did seem to like hanging out with you..."

Again, Shane went beet red and messed up his timing. This time, however, he shot a look that was both embarrassed and angry at the older boy.

"S-shut up! That's not it at all!" He protested. "B-besides, Twintails has been busy this week... I-I think!"

That made Chase raise an eyebrow.

"Twintails?"

Hanging his head, Shane realized he had walked straight into a trap, both verbally and in-game.

"T-that's just a nickname I gave her. Cuz, you know, she has black hair on twintails," the boy explained, mimicking the hairstyle with his hands. "Plus, she doesn't really talk all that much..."

---

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Mitchell Residence - Outside
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Ramia chuckled, waving her hand.

"Eh, no worries. I'm a researcher at heart, so that's all I'd be doing. Plus, unlike what some seem to think, I don't uh... swing that way?" She said with a lopsided grin. "So my intentions are purely about the search for knowledge and truth!"

Her eyes seemed to weigh and scan Alexstrasza from the tree, as the dusky-skinned mercenary paused for a moment to think. When she finally continued, there was a smirk on her face once more... though this time there was perhaps something a bit teasing in it.

"Though I dunno what sort of uppity familiar you have - you seem fine to me even in that regard," Ramia continued. "Unlike me, you're still feminine and could attract others quite easily. I mean, it's good to not be vain, but not being confident in your own looks isn't any better. If anything, I think confidence is one of the more desirable qualities a person can have."

Laughing a little, Ramia glanced towards the door.

"But now that you mention it, perhaps we really should just go and knock," she said. "We've been sitting out here for a while and---"

Before she could finish her sentence, suddenly something happened. Or rather, something opened up. And it wasn't the front door of the house. Instead, it was the large side door that slid up towards the ceiling, rotating as it did, revealing what looked to be a... garage behind it?

Yes, the garage door quietly and slowly opened up.

And in the doorway they could see...

"--- Is that Anna's familiar?"

A small wooden creature that was beckoning for them to get inside.

Not about to let this chance pass them by, Ramia dropped down from the tree after giving a signal of her own to Zhou and Stephanie who had been waiting further away. She then, sneakily and quietly, made her way across the yard and slipped into the shadows of the relatively large garage, waiting for Alexstrasza to follow her. As the vampire got closer, she could hear a quiet, whispering whistle that the mercenary let out.

"Well... somebody's a bit of a gearhead."

And Ramia seemed to be right.

Most of the garage's space was dominated by the sight of a large car underneath a protective tarp. Not only that, but there seemed to be something attached to the car's back, considering how it made the tarp bulge upwards.

---

Elaine Winters
Location: The Lighthouse
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"It's because she wasn't a human - not even a little bit."

Joshua's answer was grim and to-the-point.

"What this place traps is human souls. The scar left in the psyche of this town was too great - too big. Spirits can't move on with something like that and the lighthouse around," the ghost continued. "Figures it might be the scar itself that transformed the lighthouse too, gave it the final push. But who knows? Some eggheads maybe. But to put it bluntly, there wasn't enough human in her to stick around."

That revelation seemed to shock the ones behind Elaine a bit more than the others so far. Even though he had been monstrous, Michael Lowgate had still been something that the lighthouse kept in its grip. Then just what had this Lady been? What sort of being would it take for the lighthouse not to be able to keep a hold of them? And just what sort of weapon must that Coyote's Fang be to be able to kill them, yet scar the land so irrevocably that it would affect spirits hundreds of years in the future?

"Other than that, you got it right. The Chevron Lodge's where I ventured after it became clear we couldn't live with Lady around. The Klallam... they used to have legends about it. The lodge, I mean. A place for spirits that rule over man and nature to reside in. A threshold, one of them said. One unreachable by man unless you can read their maps or the markings in the Petroglyph Cave," Joshua explained. "... Or are guided by owls, like I was. The owls were sacred in this part of the world. Spirit guides, the local Klallam said. Ones that would help souls on their way from this life to the next, or to perfection."

He snorted a bit derisively, though it felt like it was aimed at himself.

"... All found was a bunch of grudges congregating, and the biggest knife I'd ever seen. One that I had to use on Lady - the old Red-Eye-Blue-Hair," he concluded. "One could say I saved the town... but if the price was worth it, I have no idea."

There was some dark sadness in his smile.

"Sometimes it feels that it might have been better to simply let this town die, instead of allowing it to rot."

[Airen]

Agent Skye
Location: Sheriff's Department
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"Hah... Coffee really does flow like water in this town."

Chuckling to herself at the offer from the sheriff, the dark-haired young woman that had strode calmly into the Sheriff's Department and who had been somewhat quiet up until now...

"Can't say I don't approve, I know I can't really function without it, so a cup or two would be nice."

Can't help but smile to herself at it.

Still, it's a bit of a disconnect from the Liana Skye that had existed back at Dorothy's place, the one who had been so much more open with worries, hopes and anxieties, indeed, the youthful woman standing there now shows no signs of such things, amethyst eyes simply drifting around the room with what seemed to be mild curiosity?

Indeed... This was one of the places in town she had wanted to see, always best to know exactly how prepared the local law enforcement was for worst case scenarios. The building is relatively small and the officers were the same ones that she had seen back at the Owl's Nest with Scottie so long ago...

Staff was probably minimal, you don't normally need too many police in places like this; worked out better too if everyone had a more or less personal tie to the police, made it harder to act up if you really knew who was coming to get you if you stepped out of line, still...

"But Michael and... Johanna, huh?"

The woman smiles again, intelligent eyes drifting back and forth between them with that same mild curiosity.

"Nice to meet you both, as he said, my name is Liana Skye. Feel free to just call me Skye if you wish, although most of the people that nickname me seem to prefer Lia..."

She chuckles again.

"Which is also a fine name, so I can't really complain about it."

No one ever really chooses their own nickname after all, one of the more humbling realities of existence.

"But I can say you did a really good job at finding someone in this storm," making an impressed sounding hum, she offers her hand out for either of the two to shake, "Must have been pretty tough, it's getting really bad out there, rain keeps screwing up my hair every time I go outside." She sighs, "And it seems like the wind knocked the phone lines down as well, which is more than a little inconvenient..."

She makes an annoyed noise at this, the light clicking of a tongue, then...

"Ah well, storms will be storms, right?"

She shrugs.

"Anyway..."

"Where did you find Mr. Rosencrantz at? If you don't mind my asking?"

And where's his Guildenstern...

[Verg Avesta]

Colt Davin
Location: Forest Ranger Cabin
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Opening the wooden door the side room, Colt was met with the smell of antiseptic and other medical fluids.

Looking around, this didn't seem to be just a bedroom. No, this room had a similar air to the clinic of that fae doctor that he had visited not too long ago. Which was odd... odd, until he looked around a bit more. Sure enough, there was a large medical cabinet, and a huge array of various tools hung up from a rack that had been pushed to the side. Not only that, but bandages, gauzes, drugs of many sorts... all laid out like their usage had been a daily thing. Then, to add in the fact that a pair of men's boots lay in the corner, along with a familiar-looking black jacket...

... Guess Nevada's looks weren't the only problem he had.

This room had to be where he usually slept, only now he had absconded it in favour the more seriously wounded.

No wonder his voice sounded so raspy and damaged.

".......... Tch."

A sound from the bed, however, drew Colt out of his thoughts. Looking in its direction, he saw that the person lying on the bed had had their eyes flutter open at the sight of the door opening, but seeing that it was Colt, they had clicked their tongue in what must have been annoyance. Yes, it was that very same girl... the one who looked far more like an animal than a human.

Some sort of werecreature?

A weretiger?

... Were weretigers even a thing?

"..........."

She glared at the boy sullenly, but was apparently far too exhausted to come up with some creative insults. Instead, she slowly reached out for the glasses on the table next to her and after some fumbling about, was able to slip them onto her face. Then, still continuing to glare, she pulled the blanket further over her body and shuffled a bit backwards. A low growl seemed to emanate from somewhere within her.

Colt really... was not liked, huh?

".......... What?"

She sounded like a wounded, cornered animal.

"Come to laugh at me, have you?"

---

Elise Marie Pelltier
Location: Big Boy's Gas Station - Bar
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"......."

For some reason, Travis was silent for a moment. Perhaps he hadn't expected someone to feel for him, for the sacrifices he had to make to get to where he was now. Or perhaps he was trying not to get angry over what he perceived was pity. Knowing the thug-like boy, he would have been furious if someone pitied him. Still, no anger flashed in his eyes. Instead, just for a second, they looked...

--- Very tired.

"... Breaking your psyche is easy. Your ego, your personality, your ways... administer the right treatment and the right drugs, and you can make anyone into anyone. I barely remember the guy I used to be. Cats do love to play as snakes, after all," he muttered quietly. "Point is, Chipmunk, human minds are so very, very fragile - far more fragile than you think. Our bodies can manifest symptoms through pure delusions. Psychosomatic pain, paranoia gripping our minds, the wrong part of our brain being pressed just right by some freak growth... it doesn't take much."

Intertwining his fingers together on the table, for a moment his expression relaxed, and the guard he always seemed to put up seemed to slip. Underneath was someone who wasn't just speaking the first thing that came to mind. Instead, there was intelligence there, learned wisdom, and perhaps even someone who had once upon a time loved exploration of the mind and new things - knowledge in itself.

But it was merely an echo, repeated through what he had become.

"I think that's the point they had with this delusion too - DDS, that is," Travis continued. "It's not everyone. It's just us. Just the Pinefall students. Everything we - you - imagine outside of that... doesn't exist. It's just part of the shared delusional setting you guys have. A sort of folie simultanée, where the differences even out into an equilibrium where all 'part' of the delusion can accept it. The environmental stress of being unable to accept your life compounds with the chemical imbalance of the neurotransmitters, which is especially dangerous in the already hormone-imbalanced age of puberty, both beyond and after it. Chemical errors in such situations can affect our dopamine transmitting as well, which can lead to failure to properly encode the precision of predictions and prediction errors in our brain - failure to optimise uncertainty about sensory information. Our pattern recognition tries to fill in the gaps based on our own experiences, which have become flawed due to acute stress, resulting in our brains 'spraying' the problem with answers until something sticks. And when we meet others, these have to account them and their variation of the similar state as well, meaning they reach a natural equilibrium where..."

Catching himself descending into what amounted to medical jargon and rambling, Travis clamped his mouth shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed. He let out a quiet breath through his nose, before shaking his head.

"... It doesn't matter. It's their explanation, and no matter how much they try to make a case, I still agree with you. So many things have happened that just wouldn't make sense otherwise. Unless I've contracted it too and I can't even trust my own senses, much less my mind," the boy said. "But you're right. The more worry about this thing, the more we agonize over it, the more we get absolutely nothing done. We should focus on what's in front of us. Whether it's that blondie's brother or..."

His eyes glanced towards Elise, and for a moment there was strange emotion in them that was somewhat hard to place.

"--- Or, whether it's paying back debts, even if we can't remember them," he quietly added, determined, as if having made a decision. "Listen Chipmunk, I... I think I owe you. I can't remember it, but what I've heard, what I've been seeing, how others have acted... it's starting to look like there's been another time. Another way this week would have gone. Maybe one, maybe another. And maybe that would explain why I feel like need to 'pay you back' as it were. Because even though I don't remember, I have this feeling that you stuck with me when you really didn't have to. Even though I was being who I needed to be - and who's definitely not a fun guy to be around. So, uh..."

He was having a hard time saying it.

Still, perhaps...

... Some part of Travis from the Week That Never Existed still lingered?

"... I dunno," the boy finally grunted. "Just forget I said anything. It's stupid."

Perhaps sensing that she should come to the thug's rescue, Auggie piped in at this point - though not loud enough to catch the attention of the other group at the bar.

"Oh, speaking of stupid things!" She exclaimed. "I think I know who you're talking about, Elise. Y'know, a guy in red, scowls all the time, almost throttled John Dove and got his ass handed to him by that cyan-haired girl."

She chuckled a bit.

"A weirdo for sure."

---

Vier
Location: Ghostwood National Forest (?)
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

"......... I know. I'm as much you as I'm her, after all."

Humming with quiet, warm sadness, the memory of Zieg held Vier. Unlike the real her might have done, she didn't squeeze as hard as she could, hard enough to drive air out of one's lungs. Instead, it was a gentle embrace, one meant to encourage, one meant to comfort - even if, in the end, it was just the mind comforting itself. But if we could not find someone to stand by us in our minds, then where could we?

Thus, for a while, this Zieg did not say anything. Instead, she shared a moment of warmth with Vier.

Letting the tears fall.

"But, Vier... we can't be afraid to lose. No human can. A human who can't allow themselves to lose, who's too afraid of it to even try, is no human at all. If we always take the safest path, we'll never even set a foot out of our home yard," Zieg spoke quietly, calmly. "So we stumble. So what? We can always pick ourselves up from the ground again. Just because there's a chance that someone might betray us doesn't mean everyone will. We can't shut ourselves off from the world every time we get hurt. I know it's tough. And I know it can be painful. But sometimes we have to be brave. Because we can't do everything alone, no one can."

Gently, the memory of the girl put her hands on Vier's cheeks and bumped their foreheads slowly together, softly - so that they could look each other properly in the eyes.

"... When we don't know what to do, it's others that can guide us. And when others don't know what to do, we can guide them. That's just how this life goes. I'm not telling you to be a saint and forgive everyone who ever hurt you, or to try to please everyone. That's not right either. But we have to be able to take a chance on people... because otherwise, how can we expect them to take a chance on us?" Zieg continued. "It'll be tough but... we've been through worse, haven't we? We've failed before, haven't we? And we're still here. We're still alive and kicking. And sometimes we can even smile. And that will always stay true. So, find those who you want to put your trust into, and believe - I'm sure that trust will be returned."

For a moment, the memory's eyes grew a bit more serious.

"Just remember, Vier. Trust is different from 'knowledge'. If we only bank on cold, hard truths, to the point of tearing through someone's mind to know if they're trustworthy or not... how can we expect them to trust us? We couldn't trust them, so expecting the same would be the height of arrogance. That's not how humans operate. Each and every day a human takes a chance on other - and sometimes their risk is rewarded, sometimes it's not," she added. "But without that risk, there can be no true bond. Just remember that, alright?"

Finally, her expression eased up into a smile.

"... And if we find those who would stand by us, if we give them the chance, perhaps they can help us where we've failed. You've gone a long way, but haven't reached me. So, perhaps it's also time to take a step back and look at what you know. Remember, Vier? That first clue you were ever given?" Zieg asked, lifting her finger up. "'Hidden from herself, hidden from the world, she hides under the star. Search for the golden glimmer of the star and you may still find her. However, her memories faded and jaded, she is merely a shell of what she used to be. To bring her back, you will need the one who hurt you before... the man who bides his time and waits here. Only him and his sister can break her free from the prison of her mind.'"Having recited the divination from what felt like ages ago, she nodded.

"And if you can't think of anything on your own... perhaps you can find someone to help you?" She concluded. "Someone, or some people, who'll guide you on your way to wherever I am. And who you can guide and help you in return, with the strengths and skills you possess and they lack."

She paused for a moment.

Just for a moment.

And then, suddenly, a slightly teasing smirk appeared on Zieg's face.

"... And maybe this time they'll lead you to someone who's not a frog~"

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Forest Ranger Cabin
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

Colt glanced around the room. Was it a bedroom that had been turned into a makeshift clinic, or a clinic turned makeshift bedroom? In any case, it hadn’t been a sudden change. This room had likely been like this long before its urgent, feline patient. A few personal belongings indicated that it was clearly Nevada’s space, and likely the medical instruments strewn about were used regularly.

Unlucky guy.

"Come to laugh at me, have you?"

Colt finally looked at the girl, his scan of the room complete.

Without a word, he lightly tossed the scope in his hand to the foot of the bed.

A peace offering? Perhaps. What use was telling her she could have it, if he could simply relinquish it? Words meant little in this town, but actions held weight. So the boy did let go of the gadget. It had done him enough good, there was no reason to push his luck with it.

“Ru is staying at the Pinefall dorm with someone called Pyry. He’s safe.”

Safe. Until tomorrow.

Colt omitted that detail. Being with anyone from Pinefall endangered him. Endangered anyone. Perhaps just being in this town was dangerous. If luck was on his side, Ru might escape with his life tomorrow. That was a what-if Colt wouldn’t get to know the answer to.

The boy pulled out a chair from the table next to the bed. Positioning it a comfortable distance from the wounded girl, enough that she might not feel cornered or that her space was being invaded, Colt sat down.

“Colt Davin.”

He stated his name and waited.

[Daneel Rush]

Location: Pinefall High Main Building
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm



John’s gaze remains fixated on the piece of paper well wrinkled. He reads it twice so as to engrave the words in his mind. And then…

“…thirty-four, right…” he mutters to nobody.

Indeed, there are thirty-four. Twenty-nine in the bus, making the main body of Pinefall’s ‘First Class’, plus the three Coastrise siblings, plus Alpa Bagha, plus somebody else.

Ultra…?

Is it really Ultra, or somebody else he knows nothing about? It’s certainly not Elizaveta Vyraj, if the position of the unreadable name in the list in Reuzinger’s CD means anything.

“When I spoke to Mr. Lewis, he was unaware of the Coastrises being at the hotel. If the person who wrote this is a member of the faculty, then they are hiding things from their colleagues. Otherwise, this was written by somebody else.”

Someone who knew everything—the three siblings in the hotel, and the lone Nepalese hiding in the second floor of this building.

Then he does turn towards the others, offering them the piece of paper for their perusal.

“Any hints as to where this could’ve come from? Any books lying around, or that they look like they may have been moved from their place? Otherwise, where could he have found this…? It seems there was some sort of conflict—if it started back at the entrance, then the closest room is the nurse’s office.”

There is also a storage room, but that one is attached to the neighboring classroom; it doesn’t have doors leading to the lobby.

“If the fight started here, then the closest room worth investigating…would be the Principal’s Office.”

Yes, he brings up all these things, but what John keeps to himself is something that bothers him about the wording of that incomplete text.

...which means we are finally ready to go ahead. All the students are present as well.

The students’ presence is brought up after the declaration of readiness. In other words, the ‘we’ in that text deem themselves ‘ready’ because of something else, aside from the arrival of Pinefall’s First Class. Some other condition(s?) was (were?) fulfilled.

“Well, that’s what we came here for in the first place.”

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory - Prushka's Room
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm

There are three layers of muscles in the abdominal wall. They are, from the outside to the inside: external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominal. The first three layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, the iliac crest and pubis of the hip. All of their fibers merge towards the midline and surround the rectus abdominis in a sheath before joining up on the opposite side at the linea alba. Strength is gained by the criss-crossing of fibers, such that the external oblique runs downward and forward, the internal oblique upward and forward, and the transverse abdominal horizontally forward.

In the fourth act of William Shakespeare's play, Henry IV Part 1, Act V Scene 4, Sir John Falstaff said the following: To die is to be a counterfeit, for he is but the counterfeit of a man who hath not the life of a man; but to counterfeit dying when a man thereby liveth is to be no counterfeit, but the true and perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have saved my life.

It is common, during bathing or moments of high excitement, for blood pressure to rise, both in order to combat increased heat and to prepare the body for high tension developments. In frail or injured individuals this increase in pressure may result in the rupture of thin capillaries or damaged arteries, leading to spontaneous bleeding. Japanimation also postulates that there is a heavy risk of this phenomenon whenever a male and female encounter each other whilst one is in a state of undress.

In short.

Therefore.

Ergo.

I need to wisely retreat from this place before Ahti's sculpted abs make me nosebleed to death and his wounds pop open from the strain of being alone with a girl in the shower!

Stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp.

I grab the soap out of his hand. It slips from my grasp and and flies into the sink.

"T-t-t-this is confiscated! It's b-b-bad! J-just use water! Or I'll m-m-m-make you eat it! Shower now! T-treat wounds l-later!"

Turn.

Stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp.

Open.

Step through.

Slam.

Thud.

All strength leaves my body and I fall flat on my face, cool ground the only comfort.

Such a close brush with death.

"Alpa... help..."