isleofavalon | 001

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🧙 WHO: Rei Amayado & Anyone
⚔️️ WHAT: A research stint at the library, or Fear Cave Crystal Conquering
🕒 WHEN: Mid January
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot Public Library & Brave of Soul cave
⚠️ WARNINGS: none ATM. Possible later: language, vague hospital-oriented trauma mentioned (as part of the greatest fear trial)

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[Camelot's public library is pretty fancy, in keeping with the royal capital's image. Full of traditional effects like ceiling-tall book stacks and modern amenities like a little cafe, it houses resources for any kind of patron.

While not usually one to step foot in a library, Rei is currently situated at a table tucked away between some of the stacks on the main floor. Using the extant troll quest as explanation, he has commandeered two laptops from the circulation desk (and from some very grateful librarians-- that lewd-spamming troll has been making their lives pretty difficult), and is busy typing on one while the other stands by with an auto-refreshing feed of some kind.

He's also got several books pulled from the shelves and stacked in a few piles beside him. AOL: A Founding History and FaySQL Queries for Mere Mortals are probably programming-related in some capacity, but some others are more broad: Dark Magic and its Nomenclature: A Dissertation on Language, On The Origin of Magical Species, Revised Hexes: A Primer... and it looks like there's a manga volume buried in there, too. He looks like a college student during finals week (although perhaps more well-rested).

Should you pass by looking for a seat, Rei will look up with a smile (and a wink if he knows you) and scoot his stuff aside to make room.]

Oh, 'scuse me.

Brave of Soul

i. outside
[Rei has made his way to Albion's White Cliffs, intent on entering the eerie cave said to hold the mirror-required crystals. Rei looks ready enough, though his familiar, a large hou-ou with trailing tailfeathers, is perched on a branch nearby with an expression that can only be described as disdainful.

That cave is dark, partly magicless, and most of all dirty. She is NOT going in there, moral support be damned.

Tossing the flashlight in his hand idly, Rei sighs up at the bird.]

All right, princess. You stay there. But if the crystals are nice enough, I'm keeping them instead of handing 'em over.

ii. inside
[The cave IS, in fact, very dark, and the ground damp and cold with seeping seawater; it's a perfect location for a test of nerves. Rei counts himself lucky that he picked up a normal flashlight instead of a magic-powered one; it very well may have shut off once he hit the magic-damping section. Rei is TOO OLD to spend any amount of time wandering around blind in a cave.

Should he encounter someone on his way in, Rei will greet them-- though his smile may be a bit hard to see without the flashlight on it.]

If two people go in at once, do you think the illusion will show some god-awful fear combo?

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[He didn't even feel the pain of punching someone incorrectly first, too wrapped up in trying to get away from whatever the hell that was at first. It was a ghost, an apparition, except it wasn't because he had just punched it in the stomach and it said his name-]

I'M SO SORRY!!!!!
Oh god, what have I done I-

[It was by the grace of whatever god still cared about him that he didn't run into the wall headfirst, merely flopping onto it as he clutched his hand to his chest.]

That's a real person...it's really him....I'm gonna die now....

[Rei is ACTUALLY ANNOYED now. The disgrace of having to feel around for a flashlight on a soggy dirt cave floor, plus being the target of Doppo's insult-and-then-panic routine a second time (the first being their text conversation), on top of the physical discomfort from being struck, is enough to move him from his usual unflappable persona.]

Oh, come on. [His hand closes on the flashlight-- thank god-- and with a grumble he switches it back on again.] You're gonna die? I'm the one that got assaulted, here.

[Rei is also not going to die but he's making a point here ok]

Don't tell me you got impaled on a stalagmite in the dark or something.

[His hand really hurt; so much so he was afraid he actually sprained it or worse. He didn't really go around punching people, and he was afraid that Hifumi and Jakurai were just going to yell at him.

Well, it looked like Rei was going to yell at him first. That was fair. The guy was sketchy but Doppo DID keep being mean to him.]

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please I really am. I don't know why I think you're so sketchy you haven't actually done anything, I'm so sorry I panicked-

[He was just curling himself up against the wall, not actually impaled on anything. The only thing hurt was his hand because he didn't have any dignity left to lose.]

Y-you just came out of nowhere, I thought you were a ghost-

[Poor Doppo. Rei isn't even yelling, per se; his voice is at its usual even volume, though its tone is certainly unhappy. That might be scarier, though.

Rei sweeps the flashlight around the cave slowly, looking for Doppo and dearly wishing he had a cigarette on him right now. He mostly lets Doppo stammer away without comment, except--]

A ghost? Hah... don't tell me you thought I was your greatest fear illusion? [...okay, that's actually kind of funny. As much as he's still grumpy, the thought makes him snort aloud.] Well, I guess I'll take that as flattery.

[The beam of light settles on Doppo's cowering form, Rei having finally put it together that Doppo would be a lot closer to the ground than he first thought. He clicks his tongue.] There you are.

[he approaches... step by step... MENACINGLY...!!! (not menacingly)]

All right, up. Back to the entrance with you.

[he offers a hand?????]

Y'look like you're gonna get a heart attack and die down there. Like a rabbit or something.

[Doppo didn't want to say he was being pathetic and crying against a rock wall but that was kind of what he was doing. He flinched away from Rei reaching towards him half out of reflex, trying to scramble up before the guy hit him or did something worse.]

I'm-I'm fine-y-you don't need to h-help me. Really!

[He had to think! Rei had the only light, but he had to find a way out of here. And he wasn't 100% positive that Rei wasn't some sort of REALLY SOLID illusion. Would dark magic help him see in the dark? Maybe it would work further towards the entrance, but right now he was just going to inch his way along the wall in the direction the other man came from.

He'd find his way out. Eventually. Probably.]

[This guy is definitely having a panic attack or something. Rei sighs, trying to think back to his rudimentary training on the topic in the military department. God, was that really over twenty years ago now?-- and he was mostly in the lab, so-- And why of all people is he having to do this--

Doppo is scooting away.]

Wait, hold on. [That way goes to a dead end, a sharp divot in the wall Rei only just passed his flashlight over. Rei reaches for Doppo's elbow to keep him from falling into it, pressed against the wall as he is.]

You're not gonna get anywhere by--

[Suddenly the 'dead end' lights up, painfully bright. It's nearly antiseptic in its brightness, a pure white that sears the eyes with its contrast to the gloom of the cave.

As both Doppo's and Rei's eyes adjust it becomes clear that yes, actually, antiseptic is the perfect word for it. Because they're both peering into what, for all intents and purposes... is a sterile hospital hallway leading to an in-use operating theatre.]

...

[Rei curses under his breath. What a time to locate the fear challenge!]

[Doppo had instructions given to him by Jakurai on what to do for this too, but they didn't extend to being trapped in a fear cave with his mortal enemy.

The sudden lights and the hospital corridor was enough to make him stop and look up, startled at the sudden change in scenery.]

Huh? W-whats this....

[It may have given him an entirely different sense of dread, but it was something to focus on other than being trapped in the dark with a possible serial killer. (Okay, that time he was really exaggerating.) He breathed deeply, bringing up a sleeve of his jacket to wipe away moisture from his face.

The injured hand was going to be clutched tightly to his chest because he really didn't want to look at it now and see the inevitable injuries. Doppo glanced back at Rei, suddenly wanting to be reassured he wasn't completely alone.]

Is-is this you?

[Ugh.]

Hmm.

[Rei doesn't want to answer any more than that, but this scene is irritatingly familiar, even years out from last seeing it. The hallway is devastatingly clean and dead empty, coldly lit except for the red light above the set of double doors.

Rei lets go of Doppo's arm-- he was barely holding on at all, really-- and stands up properly, staring hard at the silent scene. He's quiet, for a while.

It's uncomfortable to be here, sure.... but the worst part is that THIS DUMBASS is here to see it. What if this stupid cave lets slip Rei's plans before their time? What if this Matenrou guy, of ALL PEOPLE, ends up knowing intimate details about him? Mind reading is really a crime. What kind of fucking place is Avalon to do shit like this as a side quest? Why drag them here anyway? Is this even worth the price they have to pay? And why does his old scar ache so much?]

... What a pain.

[The room is abruptly flooded with bodies, doctors and nurses in scrubs bustling through as if they hadn't just appeared out of thin air. Their faces are blurry-- not important to the illusion, apparently-- but their voices are more distinct: murmurs about patients, accidents and vitals.

Doppo and Rei stand at the edge of it, looking in. They are ignored... for now.]

[His heartbeat was hopefully starting to come down to an acceptable range even if he was left all shaky, but Doppo's mind was still running marathons in his head. Distracted from the pain momentarily by the whole hospital thing, he noticed that Rei never gave a solid answer.

That was particularly damning.

(Then again he wasn't even sure a man like Rei felt fear, maybe it was somehow his? He didn't recall any trauma involving hospitals unless it involved Hifumi getting stabbed, but that was more the incident not the location-)]

I um-maybe we should get out of here then...This is getting really creepy.

[They had no faces, and this definitely didn't look like Shinjuku General. Jakurai wasn't going to be there. Doppo turned around but it was too late; the rock wall behind them seemed impassable.]

Oh my god. Does this mean we have to go face your fear illusion?!

[Rei sighs, sounding exhausted. He wishes, again, that he had a smoke.]

Don't worry.

[He needs to throw Doppo off of the scenario, somehow. Just in case. It would be easiest to do that by seeding his response with something genuine... as much as it pains Rei to admit to even a shade of something uncomfortable.]

There's nothing to face. It's about the wait.

[Under the increasing glare of the operation light, the hospital "staff" is getting louder. More words from their conversations leak out.

I don't know what we're going to tell him.
The boy is just so young. It's unstable.
Mere millimeters from a major artery...
The other patient, Izanami....
Critical condition....
There was a code blue earlier, too.
I thought the war was over, but--

They sharply turn their heads towards the two men, voices dropping again as if caught. The doctors have no facial features, but that does nothing to erode the oppressive feeling of being watched.]

Edited (TYPO) 2021-01-24 20:38 (UTC)

[He was struck a little by how Rei actually sounded a little bit genuine in that. Doppo wasn't sure what was going on or what to believe, but it could've been he lost a loved one in this very hospital.

He was trying to scramble, think of something to say that wasn't too insensitive when he heard that name. Everything for him stopped, and his blood ran cold.]

Wait. Did they just say-Hifumi?

[There was no way he could've gotten in here. And this was supposed to be an illusion. But what if Hifumi had gotten trapped in here too? Whether Rei went to stop him or not, he tried to rush forward, grabbing at one of the figures with his good hand.]

Did you just say Izanami?! Please, is Hifumi here? Did you do something to him?!

[Doppo's hand, of course, goes right through the doctor-- it's just an illusion, with little more behind its visuals than air. Still, the illusion reacts as if he'd touched it, stepping back with discomfort.]

I'm... I'm sorry, sir. We're not authorized to share information about patients with people who aren't members of their family. If there's a patient here you're familiar with, you'll need to wait until the person themselves contacts you. But most patients in this emergency wing are currently undergoing procedures, so... excuse me...

[Rei watches silently from where he stands. The whispering of the other doctors is unbelievably loud now, blurring together like cicadas cries on a hot day. As hard as they listen, nothing useable can be heard-- only enough to know something is wrong.

It's not a flashy fear. Nothing supernatural, or even out of the ordinary. It's not a scene that would frighten children. Slasher moviemakers would sneer.

But forced inaction, the fear of the unknown... It has its own grim pull on the psyche.]

[This was stupid. This was an illusion, and it didn't even matter if Hifumi had family or not! Doppo had to know if he was there, whether it was through trial and error or not.

He didn't actually know what sort of harm these illusions could cause.]
T-that doesn't matter, I'm the only person he has! Where are you hiding him?

[He might have glanced back at Rei-like hell the man would help. This was his creation anyway; maybe he should just check some of these other doors. And that he did, regardless of whatever the illusions shouted at him.]

[The doctor illusions scatter like ghosts out of Doppo's way, their panicked words indistinct again as their importance in the scene fades. In their place, howver, every door Doppo tries warps in front of him. They twist into horrific funhouse-mirror facades of themselves, frustrating his efforts to pry them open at every turn.

Throughout it all, the red IN OPERATION sign above them glows its same silent, eerie red.]

Kannonzaka.

[Rei sounds exhausted. Not at Doppo; not at anyone, really. He's just... tired.]

I told you. We have to wait.

[His breath was getting faster, feeling the creeping tendrils of panic choking him again as he tried to find a way out to Hifumi. It was Rei's voice that brought him out, grounding him in the reality that no, he wasn't going to escape that easily.

It was the tone of his voice that got him to actually stop, wobbling back and sliding down onto the wall next to Rei. It was lonely and terrifying in here, and as much as he was scared of the other man, he didn't want to isolate either of them.

He knew a little bit of what it was like to go through these things alone.

Pondering it a bit more, it made sense that this would be someone's greatest fear; waiting, waiting, the neverending terror that whatever comes out of that door meant you were never going to see someone again. Doppo had been lucky that Hifumi only got hit on the arm that one time; it let him go home mollified, certain that Hifumi would most likely be alright.

The pain in his hand started coming back too, and now with the artificial light he looked down at it. There was some blood scabbing from split skin and his thumb looked...not great. He moved it, making a loud hiss before he cut it off with his teeth.

He looked up at Rei. So much of this man was a mystery and it made Doppo not trust him but...he really did sound tired.]

I-I am sorry. For hitting you. I don't have a....I'm not good at holding myself together when I'm scared. I h-hope you weren't hurt....

[Something about the man coming to sit on the floor next to him, plus that remorseful gaze Doppo's training on him.... reminds Rei dimly of a dog who knows it's gotten in trouble.

He huffs out a voiceless laugh. It's a welcome enough distraction while they wait for the illusion to drop-- though his tone is still tired.]

You should be worrying about yourself. [He cracks half of a grin.] 'M more bruised in the ego than the body. Guess you'll think twice about that next time we meet in a dark cave...

I've had worse....It's fine.

[Hypnosis microphone battles hurt like hell too, despite everything else that's happened. Still, he wasn't making the mistake of moving his hand again. Doppo briefly thought about maybe splinting the finger or something, but that could be dangerous if it wasn't set right. Hopefully they'd get out here alive and he could seek out Jakurai.]

I don't normally go into places like this. I wasn't really e-expecting to see you either.

[That was part of the problem, even.]

And now, just....are you-are you really okay?

Like I said-- don't worry. Just an illusion, right? There's no real threat.

[Rei looks Doppo over, thinking. He's no doctor, but all that work with Ramuda means Rei has some level of anatomical competence. He could probably stopgap whatever injury Doppo inflicted on his own hand, but....

But with the way he's pitying Rei right now, it might be better not to reveal anything else about himself, kindness or otherwise. He drops the thought, opting to let it be unless the guy starts going into shock. (Also the spot he punched is still a bit sore and, peevishly, Rei intends to let the painful lesson be Doppo's punishment.) ]

It's not like there's anyone around for it to imperil, anyway.

[The IN OPERATION light above the doors flickers off.]

[Doppo would hope he's not pathetic enough to go into shock over something as lame as a broken finger, but he had more to think about when the light switched off. He glanced up at Rei, still half wondering if all the exhaustion he heard in the man's voice was real or not, since he seemed to be doing a pretty good job of pretending this wasn't his greatest fear come to life.

The light went off and it made him scramble up with his one useable hand.]

I didn't just mean physically-I just-is that a good sign?

[Doppo was somehow expecting a jump scare, and he still didn't get his answer on what the hell Hifumi was doing here. It was an illusion, or supposed to be, but that didn't explain why Hifumi got caught up in this man's projection. He wanted to see him...just in case. But he was scared and in pain, and ended up instinctively hiding behind the much larger man as things began to happen.

[The double doors below the light swing open on their own, soundless against the hallway linoleum. Beyond, the room is completely dark. It's impossible to see what's in it. The silence that settles over them does nothing to illuminate matters, either.

Rei sighs. At least they have a clear choice to make.]

Come on, then.

[He steps forward, striding into the darkness without so much as a backwards glance at Doppo behind him.]

[Doppo certainly wasn't proud enough to stop himself from walking behind Rei, hoping to god whatever was in that room was an exit and not involving something horrible. He really didn't want to deal with that, and he was still debating on whether Rei would just leave him for dead if something happened anyway.]

Are w-we able to leave?

[Rei doesn't bother giving Doppo a reply, simply continuing forward. As soon as they both cross the threshold, though, the answer becomes obvious. The illusion behind them drops instantly, returning them to the dark cave scenery; the room they entered lights up, illuminated by a single light spirit observing them quietly.

Scattered about the ground are the crystals they'd been tasked with retrieving, their unpolished facets scattering reflected light in all directions.

The tension in Rei's posture loosens, a taut bowstring slowly unwound to avoid snapping. Thank God, he didn't have to see anything else. Thank God, he didn't have to handle Doppo seeing anything else.]

God damn.

[What a pain.]

[He couldn't even begin to describe the sheer amount of relief when he saw not only the hospital hallway faded, but they were at the cave they were meant to be in the first place. Doppo felt like crying, but that was at least on thing he refused to keep doing in front of Rei.]

Oh thank the gods....Please tell me we can just leave after getting the crystals...

[He didn't even want a crystal. He just wanted out, but unfortunately Rei looked like the only one who might have any answers.]

[Rei doesn't say anything in response-- he just stoops down with a sigh to collect their hard-won prize. The guardian light spirit is also apparently in charge of turning people out of the place-- and in a rush of wind, Doppo and Rei find themselves transported back outside.

It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust again to the light (and to the sensation of his patiently-waiting familiar landing upon his shoulder with a happy squawk-- yes, yes, he's back, hello), but Rei finally straightens up and turns back to Doppo.]

Kannonzaka-kun.

[For some reason, Doppo's dog-sized zombie whale was there too, and he really didn't want to entertain the thought of maybe it had actually been seeing if he was dead or not. He didn't want to think at all.

The sunlight was blinding and being out of the cave was making him three steps away from fully disassociating, but the pain and Rei paying attention to him was making him focus. This was bad. Now that they were out and going to be okay, it made more sense he was going to be pissed.]

I'm sorry.

[He didn't know what he was saying it for yet, but he figured it was probably best to get that out of the way first.]

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groundzeroes - 2021-02-04 01:11 (UTC) - Expand

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