[popdrop] H3: Touko and Raijuu

[warpweft]

[The first thing you notice is how dark it is. It’s really, really stinkin’ dark. You can’t see anything. Even if you naturally have the ability to see in the dark, well, not anymore. Which may be the second thing you notice - any powers you have, any magic is gone. Silenced. You can’t feel it, similarly to when you’re in the theme park, with an additional sense of anxiety and loss surrounding the inability to tap into it. Even a heightened sense of emotion won’t bring them back, like it might in the theme park. If you have other powers of some kind, enhanced physical capabilities or the like, they’re either gone or significantly reduced as well. You feel extremely normal and it doesn’t feel good.]

[Whether you stay still or stumble along in the dark, at least it’s not too long. You eventually catch notice of something illuminating the darkness. You find yourself drawn to it. It's a small spherical glass object. Near the edges, it's black, but bits of purple and violet appear, gradually brightening and swirling together in a spiral shape at the center. The spiral at the center is bright enough to bathe you and the surroundings in a soft violet light. As you get closer, you can feel voices coming from the sphere. You can’t tell what they’re saying, but maybe if you were closer. You feel a deep desire in your stomach to just…reach out….]

What are you doing?

[The voice, a woman’s voice, comes from behind you. You didn’t hear anybody approaching, but you’re immediately filled with an intense sense of foreboding. You turn and look, but you can’t see anything. The darkness is once again overpowering, the violet glow from the object next to you being the only thing that isn’t swallowed up by it. All you can make out in the darkness is what may be someone’s face and…two eyes. With nothing in them. Pitch-black.]

You touched the Heart…

You touched MY Heart!?

[There’s a lot of anger and it’s not making that sense of foreboding go away. The darkness and the person(?) inside it advance towards you, slowly engulfing the violet glow around you. Just when you’re thinking you’re gonna have to decide between fight or flight, here — something moves.

Towards you.

You feel something punch into your chest and before you know it, you’re on the ground, searing pain running through your upper body. A few things briefly pass through your senses. You hear a loud scream. If you tilt your head up, you can see a long black spike…embedded in your own chest. And you can taste… …yup. That’s your own blood.

That’s about as far as you get before consciousness leaves you.]

Comments

[ugly_split_ends]

B-Brilliant deduction.

I'm looking for a woman... not in that way, perv.

[voidhearts]

Is that right? Who might she be?

[ugly_split_ends]

Um... isn't that enough?

[voidhearts]

There's a lot of women here, ma'am. Little Dunwick has a population of over a thousand.

[A couple people approach you and the officer.]

"Oh, She's probably looking for Aggy and her family. Just look, they’re...unique, like her!" [They gesture at you and, apparently, your...uniqueness.] They’re at the top of the hill, dearie!”

[ugly_split_ends]

'Aggy' huh? ...Hehehehehe.

[Fukawa will remember that.]

Riiight. Thanks. I'll just go... see... Aggy.

[She walks off, hunched over all uniquely.]

[voidhearts]

[At the top of the hill, away from the rest of the houses is a simple little one-story cottage. Despite it being a beautiful day, all the windows are closed and the curtains are drawn, so you can’t see inside at all.]

[ugly_split_ends]

... [Shit, she doesn't know how to deal with this on a good day.]

...

[she'll go up to the front door and cough.]

A-hem! Aaaack-hem!!

[it slowly turns into a coughing fit]

[voidhearts]

[After a few seconds of that, the door opens a crack. A woman(?) is standing in the doorway, with a hood up over her head and sunglasses and a mask covering her face.]

Yes?

[ugly_split_ends]

Whoa, deja vu.

[...think, Fukawa!]

Are you the one with the relatives in town?

[voidhearts]

...I live here with my family, yes.

[ugly_split_ends]

R-Right! Everyone seems to know you.

S-So I thought I'd introduce myself. Since I was passing through.

[voidhearts]

...

[Eventually, she nods and backs away, leaving the door open for her to enter.]

[The inside of the house is very nicely kept. There’s a stone-top counter separating the kitchen from the living room. The living room is centered around the hearth and the fireplace in it. There’s a bookshelf next to it and a couch and a pair of easy chairs. One of the chairs has an ottoman with hinges on it. Down the hall, there’s a few doors, all of them closed. The woman pours some water into a kettle and puts it on the stove. The only light is from a small lamp and the fireplace isn’t lit. Outside, it was a beautiful Summer day, but it suddenly feels kind of. Dark and cold, in here. Despite welcoming you in, the woman doesn’t seem particularly excited about your presence, either.]

[You can explore the room or go to the kitchen or the hallway.]

Are you on your way somewhere?

[ugly_split_ends]

Uh... interview and book signing. You know how it is.

[She had no idea what to say, so she relied on that.]

--Wait, you're a tea person?

[voidhearts]

Yes.

You're an author? From some big city, I assume.

[She gets a couple cups. She hands you one.] Is this alright?

[The mug is... distinct.]

[You acquired Ghost Mug.]

[ugly_split_ends]

...Well I guess if you want to get technical, the city is big.

[The mug choice gets her a bit of the stink-eye, but she says nothing.]

... [takes a little sip, if it's cool enough.]

[voidhearts]

...it's a bit silly, isn't it.

It belongs to someone else that lives here. [She doesn't take her own tea, apparently preferring to keep her mask on.]

...I don't have much to share with someone important like you. The person who owns that mug is much more interesting than I am.

[ugly_split_ends]

...I'm not that important. But, thanks.

I'll just... you know. Hang onto this.

[...it's weird, but she probably should explore. This is obviously Hex's insecurities or something.]

...Nice place though.

[She'll walk around, poking with things. Maybe discreetly try to open that ottoman when Aggy has her back turned or is otherwise distracted.]

[voidhearts]

[There's board games inside the ottoman. When you look through them...images start to filter into your mind. Of three people, one of them might be Aggy? But everything is too blurry, too fuzzy to make out properly and they stop after a second or two.]

[The woman, Aggy, has her guard up. None of the other rooms are accessible and everything is just kind of...dark and cold.]

[Whoever owns that mug seems to be important to her. Perhaps if you bring her something that further reminds her of them...]

[ugly_split_ends]

[Well, Fukawa's confident in her Othello skills, but that's about it.]

Anyway! Thanks for the tea. Be back soon.

[she'll go back to her craft? to go EAST]

[voidhearts]

[Your craft dips into the light and a few seconds later, you're taken away to somewhere new...]