[Week 2] Early morning day 320

[desperate_times_right]

[Chloe’s mental voice sounds weak and disoriented, as if she’s in shock]

Can someone come to the caves? I need help.

I think Hana’s dead.

Comments

[chalicejoker]

Then just sit tight. I'll be there soon.

[True to his word, Hajime eventually makes his way in there, armor and all.]

[desperate_times_right]

[There’s no danger at all. Chloe is sitting on the floor, in Hana’s body but with her face uncovered, staring straight ahead.]

... Hajime, is that you?

[chalicejoker]

Yeah, it's me.

[And he runs a playing card down the center of his belt, breaking transformation. The armor vanishes, leaving him there in human form.]

I'd ask if you're alright, but I know how this sort of thing goes.

[desperate_times_right]

Yeah. Sorry I kind of ... overstated the danger. My mind’s still pretty fuzzy.

[chalicejoker]

Someone died, that's dangerous enough.

[He still looks on guard for anything that might be lurking around anyway.]

You want me to get you out of here? Or do you need to hang out there until your head clears?

[desperate_times_right]

I don’t actually know where I’m gonna go. I don’t want to stay here, in case he comes back, but she lived down here.

[chalicejoker]

I've been bumming around an abandoned hole-in-the wall when I need to get back to Liminal--not that I'm trying to spend too much time there this time around. You're welcome to crash there, if you need to.

[desperate_times_right]

Okay. Thanks.

It’s weird, ‘cause there’s really no benefit in pretending to be Hana now that most people know her identity, and it’s not like I have to worry about what she thinks now but this is her body. You know?

[chalicejoker]

Yeah, everything about this is...off.

Whenever my overlays have died, it's been uncomfortable enough getting mistaken for them without actually being in their bodies.

[desperate_times_right]

This is how they used to make good citizens. Back under the Protectorate.

[chalicejoker]

...a civilization like that deserves to die, really.

[desperate_times_right]

I guess normally there was like ... a thing that controlled you, once you were empty, but it’s gone now so it woke me up instead.

[chalicejoker]

...that just makes all this sound even worse somehow.

[desperate_times_right]

Trust me, it feels even worse than that.