damedana | [UMINEKO SPOILERS] Heart (Unscored)

For a moment, it's dark. You can't see anything around you but you know that you are in a room. A room with four walls, a ceiling, and a firm floor you stand atop. The sounds of a lock being thrown, of chains rustling through the space are really the only things that give you any hint as to how big the space is before a cold metal locks firmly around your throat. Reaching up to your neck, however, reveals nothing is actually there. You can't feel it with your hands, just by the weight of it settled right against the skin when you breathe or swallow. Only once that weight's in place does the room illuminate--

It's a bedroom. Or rather, a guestroom. A western styled guestroom with two beds, a nightstand, and wardrobe sitting out on the floor. There are windows on one of the walls, doors on two other walls. One leads to a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and tub with shower head. The other is the exit, locked as evident by the chain lock firmly in place on the door.

You know instinctively: <in order to get to your goal, you must find a way out of this room>.

Fortunately, it's a pretty comfortable room. The sun is streaming in through the window, illuminating it in a pretty cheerful atmosphere--if not for the ominous clouds in the distance. And the purple thorny vines pressing into the room through the cracks of the window's framing. But the room's so comfortable, surely there's no real problem or need to rush…

The moment the chain lock is removed, the door swings open without issue. The lights flicker. The sound of chains moving echo in the room again, and you can feel the weight on your throat get heavier, the pressure tightening. Reaching up to your neck still reveals nothing is physically there.

You exit the room. Whether you intend to just now or not, there's not really an option. There's a pull against your neck, the invisible collar attached to an invisible leash. The sound of chains is so loud as you're dragged forward--you made this choice to continue, you chose to go further and deeper, and it's getting difficult to breathe.

The lights go off again. You can't see anything. But you know you're now in another room.

[ she'll maybe notice all of that stuff in like ~20 minutes or so

because the moment she feels any kind of touch around her throat, especially one she can't immediately yank away from, she just. straight up has a violent panic attack. it's cool. it's fun.

... but when she's (kinda) worked her way through the hyperventilation and (mostly) doesn't feel like she's at risk of up-chucking or fainting, she stumbles up to her feet and goes to examine the chain in more detail. ]

It's a chain lock in gold plating. It's slid into place to keep the door securely locked.

[ Window next! What's out there? ]

It looks to be a view out onto a lovely rose garden. There seems to a forest not too far away, and there are, just barely, hints of a beach down a trail beyond the rose garden. The windows are firmly locked, but upon touching the windows, you get a feeling of optimism. You should be at the beach with the others right now while the weather's nice, but you're still stuck in this room... hm...

You also have the strong feeling you can usurp this truth with your own red or blue truth.

You instinctively know that a red truth is objective and undeniable.

You instinctively know that a blue truth is more malleable, theoretical but must operate within the boundaries set by red truths.

Edited 2023-02-20 17:06 (UTC)

[ nani ]

Are you seriously expecting me to work out a logic puzzle escape room after giving me a panic attack? Jesus.

[ a panic attack she's still low-key buzzing with. buzzing will continue until collar is removed. ]

[ ... Does the window open. She's going to try. ]

[ahaha.wav]

Almost as if in answer to your question, the laughter echoes in the room.

The window does not open! It's nice and firmly shut.

The windows are purposefully locked to keep people from climbing out a second story window and hurting themselves.

Stating for the record that I strongly dislike this! Who do you think I am? Kaitou Kid?

[ grumbles ]

The window is locked, but glass is always breakable. [ Picks up that nightstand :|a

YEETS IT AT THE WINDOW ]

The nightstand seems like it could be strong enough--

Oh, no, wait. It just bounces off the window ineffectively and clatters to the floor still in one piece.

[ahaha.wav]

The Game Master guarantees that the window cannot be broken.
This room is perfectly sturdy with no damage, and there is only one exit.

Rude. That's rude.

[ Rubs her throat, cringing at the feeling of the collar -

... Oh. Her pendant. Maybe ...

She doesn't need to be able to open a door or window if she can see where she wants to be. She WANTS to be down in that garden. AND SO - she attempts to teleport. ]

... see, the problem with doing that in a heart of a person who magic has trouble locking onto... is that you can tell that the teleportation device wants to yeet you somewhere, but ultimately just kind of slams you up against the wall.

The Game Master guarantees there is only one exit from this room.

[ OW

maybe she'll just lay here for a minute. ow.

ow.

ok. up again. back to the door, squinting at it. ]

Seems like a normal sturdy door! And a simple golden chain lock.

[ blinks at it

squints at it ]

[ slides the chain up ]

Just unlock the chain lock, 4head.

It's a bedroom. Or rather, a guestroom. A western styled guestroom with two beds, a nightstand, and wardrobe sitting out on the floor. There are windows on one of the walls, doors on two other walls. One leads to a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and tub with shower head. The other is the exit, locked as evident by the chain lock firmly in place on the door.

You know instinctively: <in order to get to your goal, you must find a way out of this room>

Unlike the previous room, however, there seems to be a growing clutter of objects strewn around the room, as if quickly stashed into the space without real thought to their places. A pile of casserole dishes that seems to have claimed a corner, some swords propped against a wall, a lute next to the first bed, a sharpened stick with a wet tip on the floor, a notebook with a feather quill left on the nightstand, some tarot cards left strewn underneath the notebook, a flower crown dangling on the curtains' rod, a dragon plush that seems to be staring at you ready to spring to life at a moment's notice half under second bed, with a bird-like monster with a witch hat laying right next to it.

Probably there are more things under the beds but you might be distracted by what's on them, instead: a collar hanging on the bedframe of the first bed, a red dress crumpled and thrown carelessly onto the first bed, a gun's holster that's half on the nightstand and half falling onto a pillow of the second bed.

Fortunately, the room is still… fairly comfortable. The sun has been swallowed up by the dark clouds rolling in. Outside, the wind is picking up, causing trees and flowers to sway harshly in its grip. The low rumbles of thunder in the distance signals the arrival of the storm, reverberating throughout the room, bringing some unease and foreboding to the heart.

The purple thorny vines pressing into the room through the cracks of the window's framing have spread even further, creeping along the walls. You want to think everything will be fine, you'll fix things and get out of this intact and with no one the wiser that there was ever a problem, but steadily, the doubt creeps in…

[ TUCKS INTO A BALLED UP CROUCH ON THE FLOOR AND HYPERVENTILATES ]

[ When she eventually comes back out of it ???? amount of time later, there's blood on her fingers. her neck.

her shirt.

hm. bad.

breathes. breathes. uncurls. breathes. kneels on her hands to keep them still, keep them down. breathes. shh. you're okay. you're okay. you're okay. ]

B- [ coughs. wheezes. tries again. ] Battler-senpai, this is you, right? In the last room, you laughed.

If you can tell me -

I want to know why.

For a long while, it might seem like there won't be a response...

A witch's delight is being the one putting people through the torment for once.

[ Starts to scrub her face.

Pauses, swallowing thickly (don't think about it don't think about it DO NOT) when she realises that, EUGH, she just smeared blood over herself. Gross. ]

... Not to be reductive, but that sounds like an awful, lonely, painful cycle.

[ahaha.wav] - laughter echoing in the room again.

I mean, she's not wrong. That's why it's funny.

Edited 2023-02-20 19:24 (UTC)

[ mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmk

okay okay okay okay okay okayokay ]

If this... all of this, is what happened to you, Senpai, it wasn't okay. I hope you know that.

[ Finally pushes herself up to stand, shakily. ]

It wasn't okay, but Ushiromiya Battler deserved and asked for it.

[ curls her hands tight over the back of her neck, closing her eyes ]

Why? Why did he "deserve" it? That's bullshit.

Ushiromiya Battler has a sin.

People make mistakes. People do hurtful, harmful things. The way forward isn't through suffering, it's through listening and learning and trying to do, to be, better.

Edited 2023-02-20 20:07 (UTC)

Please hold there's a pause as if something's processing...

Ushiromiya Battler made a mistake.
Ushiromiya Battler hurt someone terribly.
Ushiromiya Battler could not realize this was the case until after he was made to suffer.

Could not? I doubt it. There are better ways to help someone understand.

Ushiromiya Battler did not realize this was the case until after he was made to suffer.
Choco Korone assumes that different situations are comparable.

The chains and collar were not intended to target Choco Korone.
Ushiromiya Battler has done Choco Korone harm.
Both are true, and the first truth doesn't negate the second.
You can stay in this room where it is safe, if you like.
It won't get better.

That still doesn't mean the suffering was justified. And - whether or not our situations are or were comparable, it's fair for me to offer another perspective.

[ Augh. She wouldn't be great at this even if she HADN'T just had that super great fun time. It's still a struggle to focus. ]

There's a non-zero chance that things could get better. I choose to have hope, and to strive for the best possible end.

... And, for the record: Choco Korone does not and will not hold this against Ushiromiya Battler. You didn't mean to hurt me, Battler-senpai, and intention means a lot in my book. If it helps to hear the words ... Choco Korone forgives Ushiromiya Battler.

Please hold while something processes...

There's a non-zero chance that things could get better... as long as the chance is not zero, it should be tried for, but... it will take time.

[ lets out a breath. she can't quite smile, not with ALL OF THIS, but her shoulders briefly lose some of their tension. ]

Yeah. That's better. Take your time and do the best you can with what you have, Battler-senpai. Your friends and loved ones will be there for you. Even if they, we, can't necessarily be physically by your side all the time, I want you to remember that it's okay to reach out.

For me, personally ... [ gives her hands a few hard shakes, just to get some of the jitters out. ] ... I'm not very good at pretending I'm okay. "Poker face," Kaito always calls it. [ haaaaa ... ] But I struggle with letting people in, too. It's a pain in the butt, 'cuz I know that I need people. I wouldn't have made it without them.

So I really, really hope you have people you can lean on, and - I hope that maybe I can grow to be one of those people, too, if you want.

A witch's Truth hurts them the most.
Witches are sad, pathetic, lonely things who can't communicate despite wanting understanding.

Witches are people, too, and it's valid to have feelings. Being sad, feeling lonely, those things don't make anybody pathetic.

... Even if it's hard to convince yourself otherwise. You have to try to be kind to yourself, Senpai. My therapist always scolds me when I start with the negative self-talk. Ah, well, maybe scolds isn't the right word … Well, anyway.

[ahaha.wav]

Something about the echoing laugh this time gives the feeling that laughing isn't really the correct way to communicate whatever feeling is occurring.

Explore room or keep chilling with disembodied colored texts?

That one sounded a little ... [ hm ]

[ are witches like cats? except instead of yelling in various pitches to communicate it's ahaha.wav'ing?? ]

[ but. okay. okay. OKAY. she's finally pushing herself up and taking a proper look around. which reveals ] - ehh, Uriel-san's casserole dishes? And a lute, that looks like something of Venti-san's ... Battler-senpai, are these your team feelings? [ the first step is tentative, to make sure she can take a step without embarrassing herself. the second comes easier. she goes to examine the feather first. ]

It's a memory! Probably familiar, but from Battler's side.

Ushiromiya Battler enjoys bullying Korone and awaits her bullying.

[UMINEKO SPOILERS] Heart (Unscored) - Korone

A Room

1st Exit

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