Quiet Mounds: heart game

[flamingprick]

[So you fell asleep! It's okay, that happens. Everyone's gotta sleep, after all.

But what's important here is that, instead of waking up wherever you were, you will wake up in a rather dark hallway. There are no windows, so the only light comes from the occasional chandelier hanging down from the tall ceiling, casting long shadows that may look like they're moving if you catch them out of the corner of your eye.

Despite how long this hallway is, there are only five doors in total. Two on the left, two on the right, and one right at the end of the hallway. On the left there is a simple wooden door with '1-F' written on it, and a little further down is a sliding rice paper door. On the right there is a steel gate leading to what looks like a dark forest, and then further down is a wooden door with a cross on it. The door at the end of the hall looks like it's made of gold, and there is a bloody handprint on it.

The first four doors are unlocked, but the fifth can't be opened for the time being. You also can't go backwards down the hall, it will eventually end in a solid wall.

Where do you go?]

((OOC: the first four rooms can be explored in any order, so feel free to go about this in whatever way you want! There will be differences depending on the order in which you explore things though.))

Comments

[flamingprick]

"Fujimoto. Though I suppose 'Shiro' is fine for any friends of Rin."

[And as nice as this chat is, unfortunately Shiro can't keep up with the small talk.]

"How well do you know Rin, exactly? He always blabs about the 'half-demon' stuff, so I'm sure that's no surprise, but he never really talks about how it affects him."

[rightwingman]

Mm, not well, but we haven't known each other long... He's not the first half-demon I've met, but I don't think I can compare him to Camio.

[flamingprick]

"Probably not. Rin is one of a kind."

[Yukio makes an annoyed noise and thumps his little fist against Shiro's stomach, which draws a laugh from Shiro.]

"Fine, fine, one of 'two of a kind.' But the point is that Rin has many more problems than he lets on. And this idealistic memory? It's from a past he cannot go back to."

[Something shifts within the church as soon as he says that. The inside of the church stays the same, but the windows darken, as if it has suddenly turned to night. And something just feels 'off' about it now, like someone or something is watching them.]

[rightwingman]

[mildly, unphased by the sudden darkness]

Well yes, I assumed it was the past from Yukio's significantly smaller height.

[flamingprick]

[Those shadows moving around outside the windows probably aren't that great either. Shiro seems completely unconcerned by it, though.]

"The rest of him isn't going to be as peaceful as this place. Here-"

[Shiro pulls a pendant off from around his neck and tosses it towards Kevin.]

"You'll need that to wake him up."

[rightwingman]

[catches the pendant and puts it on himself for safe-keeping]

Thank you. I'll try to wake him up quickly— I'd like for him to have pleasant dreams.

cw: suicide

[flamingprick]

[For a moment, right when Kevin touches that pendant, the church around him changes.

The once-bright church goes dark, and the inside becomes trashed. Shiro is there, though he looks a little...well. Different.

But as soon as that memory plays through, the church goes back to how it was before. Shiro- the real Shiro- and Yukio are standing there, both looking much more serious now. The shadows are still moving around outside, but the inside of the church is back to being a safe haven.]

"Please do. I don't want him to be stuck in the past anymore."

Re: cw: suicide

[rightwingman]

[Kevin observes the memory quietly, not smiling anymore— then, after a thought, offers a cross from inside his own clothes over in exchange for the necklace]

Mm. I think I'll have to speak to him when we're both awake, too.

[flamingprick]

[Shiro is surprised by the gesture, but he takes it.]

"A gift from an angel! Now how can I say no to that?"

[He tucks it away in a pocket before finishing up the conversation.]

"Keep moving forward. That's how you'll find him. And tell him it's alright to keep moving forward too. I don't blame him for what happened, but he still blames himself."

[And then, in the blink of an eye, Kevin will be in the hallway he started in. The difference is that he has the pendant, and the door to the church is now locked.]

[rightwingman]

[hmm steps across the hall to the rice paper door]

[flamingprick]

[This door opens up to the outside, actually! Which doesn't make much sense given the structure of the hallway, but whatever. Heart games.

But yes, Kevin will find himself on the ground of an old Japanese-style complex of some sort. Unlike the last location, this one has many people coming and going, most of whom are wearing some variation of this uniform. The people do not seem to notice Kevin, though, so he is free to explore the grounds at his leisure.

There's a few places he could go: he could look around the courtyard here, he could go into the building itself, or he could follow an old stone path that weaves around the building and see where that goes.]

[rightwingman]

[he gives the more heavily armed exorcists a decidedly unimpressed look, but he stays out of people's way, heading directly for the building]

[flamingprick]

[Hey, they're armed for a reason!

The inside of the building is pretty much what you would expect from a traditional japanese building: room after room floored with tatami mats and containing various materials for day-to-day living. It's a mix of modern and traditional too, with office desks and computers placed alongside bookshelves with old texts on them.

Throughout the rooms, everyone seems to be working hard. Kevin will be able to catch mentions of 'the right eye of the impure king' and 'a traitor within the ranks' every now and then, and everyone seems stressed out.

But eventually, Kevin will be able to find a room that opens up into an area behind the building, one that has a pretty good view of the mountain behind the building. And back there, humming as he sweeps at the porch, is a middle-aged man.]

[rightwingman]

[amateurs!!!]

Oh, you're not who I was looking for.

[flamingprick]

"I should hope not, I'm far too old for you."

[He says that with a hearty laugh.]

[rightwingman]

Haha! But you're closer in age to each other than either of you are to me.

Do you know here I can find Rin?

[flamingprick]

"Further in, I would guess. That boy has a habit of turning in on himself when he's upset. He's too much like his father, that one."

[The man points to an opening in the treeline in front of him, one that looks more like a gap in the trees than an actual path.]

"You'll find part of him over there, though. Ahh, but be careful! His emotions are an open book, but the hurt runs deep, and sometimes he can end up hurting others with his pain."

[rightwingman]

That's always the risk when you're visiting someone else's mind, isn't it? But I'll be careful, thank you.

[flamingprick]

[The man gives Kevin a little nod before returning to his cleaning.

The path up ahead is barely that. It is merely a dirt trail through the trees, one which has seem much use but only by single travelers over the years. The path leads up to a dilapidated shrine, one that looks like it has seen better days but that still radiates power.

Will Kevin go in?]

[rightwingman]

[heading inside without hesitation]

[flamingprick]

[The inside of the little temple is just one large room. Despite being dark from the outside, inside there are several candles placed about on small shelves on the walls, providing some light.

In the middle of the room is a long table with five seemingly identical swords in a row, all placed in sword stands. They all seem to have been made the same, but there are minor differences between each of them.

Kevin can inspect the swords to see the differences (including touching them), or he can just pick up one of the swords. What will he do?]

[rightwingman]

[Kevin's actually going to inspect... the candles!

He's going to pinch them out one-by-one and relight them with a snap of his own magic.]

[flamingprick]

[It works just fine! The candles are normal candles, just there to provide some light. There's nothing magical about them, besides any magic from Kevin's fire.]

[rightwingman]

[It's someone else's shrine, but it's a small habit from his own churches where the tapers act as small omens, sensitive to other powers acting in the area.]

There we go.

[Satisfied with that, he'll go to look at the swords now, checking them over without picking up any one yet.]

[flamingprick]

[Fortunately Rin doesn't mind sharing his spaces, so long as nothing's being destroyed. One of the fun parts of being a twin is having to learn to share pretty much from birth.

The five swords look mostly identical, but with small changes. Going from left to right, these are the differences:

1: This sword is cold to the touch, and has a bit of condensation on all of the metal trimmings.

2: This sword is warm to the touch, with the metal parts being hot enough to sting if touched.

3: The strap on this sword has rotted through, though the handle and sheath look to be in good condition.

4: This sword will give a small electric shock whenever touched, not unlike trying to touch a doorknob after removing a sweater.

5: This sword has a thin layer of dust on it.

That is what can be observed without picking any of them up, at least.]