R1 DEADLAND

[lockdownmods]

[it’s strange, for the people who were already dead, the shift in scenery is sudden and complete. For those who have just arrived? It’s like you’re back where you left?

How strange.

But if you ever need her, you can always reach out to the guardian of this place.]

LOCATIONS
Note: locations lag a week behind the living counterparts

Comments

[curseoclock]

[...And here he'd been kind of relieved. It seemed like the hallucinations had stopped. He hadn't immediately seen more visions around, so it seemed like he was in the clear.

Except, that's definitely Yoosung's voice. And when he glances over, yep, that sure is him, there.]

Oh, we're still doing this. [And apparently, it's getting more and more realistic. He looks back at the head and continues idly poking it.] Maaaaan, this is getting super old!

[starswink]

[Yoosung has no idea what he means by that. You can practically see the question mark flying over his head. But he quickly decides he's referring to the obvious decomposition going on here. This is so scary. His voice takes on a distinct whine.]

I-it's not just old, it's rotting... why do you even have a head? Did you ... did you kill him with dark magic? Is that why his ghost isn't here?

[curseoclock]

Psh, if his ghost showed up, we'd have some serious problems.

[He pauses poking.]

...Wait, dang it. Now I'm answering again. [Poke.] I blame you for this one, Granny.

[starswink]

G-Granny... [He'll have to remember that one. But what was that??]

Wait, are you ignoring me?

[curseoclock]

I mean, you're making it kind of hard right now.

[starswink]

Oh. [Yoosung doesn't get it.]

I thought you'd be surprised to see me again, but not really like that....

[He freezes. Wait. Henry said all of his roommates died, and he was used to it. Maybe that's why he's trying to ignore him. His self-esteem has broken, somewhat, since the last time they spoke.]

... S-Sorry. I should go, right?

[curseoclock]

...

Wait, huh?

[Wait. That doesn't track, at all. Even when the hallucinations got talkative, they sure never really acknowledged anything he said all that much. And they certainly never once offered to just leave.]

What do you mean, go?

[starswink]

I'm making it hard for you, right? So I... I should just leave you and G-Grantaire's severed head alone.... That smell's gonna make me dizzy anyway, so.

[DO HALLUCINATIONS HAVE A SENSE OF SMELL. Because Yoosung's hand has still been over his face this entire time.

But man, this sucks. Henry's apparently dead and he doesn't even want to see him. He should have known better! He's turning around now, about to run off the way he came from.]

[curseoclock]

Whoa, whoa. Wait a sec!

[Henry promptly lets the head drop to the floor, because what does he care, and actually starts to approach, before Yoosung can just up and leave.

He reaches out...]

Since when the heck was that even an opt--

[...and grabs Yoosung's arm.

And then promptly freezes.]

[starswink]

[The hand on his arm makes him flinch, but stops him from taking off - though he hopes to god it wasn't the same one the head was in... Yoosung turns to look at his face. His shocked face. He doesn't think he's ever seen Henry make a face like that.]

...What?

1/2

[curseoclock]

Uh.

[Well. This is happening.]

That's not supposed to... I mean, shouldn't I be passing through you and stuff? You're not supposed to be all... you know, solid? And...

[Real.]




...Oh.

2/2

[curseoclock]

Ooooooh.

[Oh.

He thinks he's starting to understand what happened.]

Wow, I hit the floor a lot harder than I thought...

[starswink]

The floor? [??? HOW COULD HENRY GET KILLED BY A FLOOR. DID HE TRIP ON HIS FREAKING BEDSHEET CAPE. And why is he acting like he knows how it works and he's ghosting through people? Is that how this works? Can the living see them but they can't? What a ripoff! He's so confused.]

W-What is even happening right now...

[curseoclock]

Well, uh.

I kinda thought you were a hallucination? But... I guess you're actually real? [Ha ha, welp.] So that's gotta mean that I'm dead, I guess.

[starswink]

... My bad. I thought you knew.

[This is uncharacteristically dry for Yoosung but talking to Henry about death just seems like it should be this way.]

[curseoclock]

Well, I kinda blacked out immediately and I've been seeing you for several days now, so I didn't really have any reason to think... I...

[...]

Aw, man, that was such a boring way to die!

[starswink]

Boring - how the heck? Did you really just trip? [NO CAPES, HENRY!!]

A-And I didn't see you, you know? I'm not haunting anyone... I'm not even sure I could.

[curseoclock]

What, no, come on. I'm not that dumb. [GEEZ.] Viral tackled me.

[Damn it. That's so anticlimactic. He didn't even know it happened!]

No, no, I mean... It wasn't real or anything. None of it was real. They were making us see stuff that wasn't there all week. Or, um. People, specifically.

Hallucinations, you know. As our newest "motivation".

[starswink]

Viral? But - [Yoosung is in shock. First his neighbor to the left kills him, then his neighbor to the right kills his former roommate? What's wrong with this class?]

I'm sorry they tried to use me against you. That's really... really terrible.

[It's frustrating, but his anger is subdued. If Henry was seeing him, does that mean he became important to him? ...Somehow, he feels like he doesn't deserve that, but he tries to bat away that thought.]

Killing someone to make a hallucination stop, that's no different than what they did to us in the entrance exam. Didn't they all know better?

[curseoclock]

I don't actually think he was trying to kill me. He was kinda trying to stop me, I guess.

[He thinks about that, for a second. Yeah, Viral was definitely trying to stop him. And he actually frowns at that.]

...Which, honestly, I think is way worse. It's not like it helped any.

[starswink]

...What were you trying to do?

[He glances back at the head. Something with that? It really raises so many questions.]

[curseoclock]

Oh.

I was trying to kill Oswald.

[starswink]

[Ah. There's Henry's usual casualness about murder, although when it comes to Oswald, it's not like it's a surprise. He practically promised him he'd try to do that, and... although he's uncertain of if it's the right solution to the problem or not, in retrospect Yoosung can't remember a single time he's told him that at least he shouldn't do that. Yeah, deep down, he'd be happier if that guy died too... though something inside of him must have died a long time ago, for him to accept that so easily. But Henry was seeing specters of Yoosung... perhaps he simply remembered that in the last conversation they had, he wished they would stop Todd. And if Viral hadn't interfered.... well, who knows what could have happened. After a moment, Yoosung just puts his face in his palm.]

Viral, you stupid jerk.

[curseoclock]

Right?

[He's so glad that Yoosung sees it his way. Not that he would've been swayed if that wasn't the case, because there's not really anything anyone could do to convince him that maybe Todd did not deserve to die.

Because obviously, he super did.]

I think I had a pretty good shot! I mean, I had one of those... uh... [goddammit he's from medieval fantasy land give him a moment...] ...the little handheld zappy things? I don't know what they're called.

But I think I could've done it, maybe.

[Maybe. At least the chance of accomplishing something is better than the certainty of accomplishing nothing.]

I mean, it wasn't one of my top ten plans for murdering him, but I was kinda impatient.

[starswink]

You mean a taser!?

[Where did he even get one...?]

I can't believe you actually did get a shot at him.... I mean, you were hallucinating and everything. Wouldn't that make it hard to focus on stalking someone?