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[groundzeroes]

🧙 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)

Internet Trolls

[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?

Comments

[groundzeroes]

[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.

[capitalismkills]

[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....

[groundzeroes]

[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...

[capitalismkills]

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?

[groundzeroes]

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.]

[capitalismkills]

[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.

[groundzeroes]

[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.]

[capitalismkills]

[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?

[groundzeroes]

[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.]

[capitalismkills]

[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.]

[groundzeroes]

[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.

[capitalismkills]

[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.]

[groundzeroes]

[Rei reaches for Doppo's good hand, turning it palm-up. His familiar extends her wings to balance herself on his shoulder as he does so, her feathers filtering out the sun.

Rei drops one of the crystals into his hand.]

You'll be keeping this to yourself.

[It's not a question. Not even a threat. Just a very, very inarguable statement.

Then he turns and walks away, leaving Doppo to blink in the sunlight alone.]