WEEK THREE: EXECUTION

[cluedin]

WEEK THREE: EXECUTION

Some of you may have slept well knowing you did the right thing. Other of you may have tossed and turned, struggling with feelings of guilt and unease. Regardless of which group you fit into, it doesn't change the fact that on Sunday morning all guests will find themselves compelled to head to the front door. When all have gathered, the door will swing open and allow the group to witness a scene on the front lawn.

Dazai has been set out in his metal cage, isolated from the rest of the group. It isn't long before Peach, Plum and Pumpkin appear from another part of the yard wheeling a large box. Stopping in front of the cage, the trio begins to speak.

"We gather here today to say goodbye to our dear friend, Osamu Dazai.

Osamu Dazai was a decent guy
But he did some things and you may ask why
He awoke one night and changed his voice
And left a friend with no other choice
He lied and ran and was very clever
But didn't wear shoes? Well, whatever.
Dazai taught us you can't trust what you see
So now it's time that we set him free."

Three pairs of eyes turn and lock on a face in the crowd.

"Ayabe, would you do the honors?"

It seems as though Ayabe doesn't have a choice. The moment the girls summon the chosen party, they will find themselves walking forward against their best judgment. All other guests will be unable to step past the threshold, but nothing's stopping them from leaving either.

Comments

[cluedin]

[Once Ayabe approaches the girls, they unlock three latches to unhinge the box and reveal the contents inside. Though the group of spectators cannot see inside this box, Ayabe will recognize various shapes.

Once he has selected an item, the girls close the box and wheel it out of the way. It's Peach who turns to speak to Ayabe then.]

Be careful. [The girls step off to the side...and Dazai's cage slowly swings open.]

[kazokun]

[ This isn't—

he doesn't want to-

his feet trudge forward despite himself, but they're only part that he can't help, he keeps turning back to the mansion, searching people's faces, silently begging them to- to do something. To give him something. To help Dazai in some way. An antidote. A miracle. Something.

There is no answer from the crowd. No hope left aside from the box in front of him that he's compelled to open. He looks down into the box, bends forward, and pulls out a sword, flakes of rust and dust falling off the blade held with a shaking hand. ]

[shortfornow]

[ The cage door swings open and Dazai surges forward. He lands on his hands and knees, growling low. There's the sound of bones cracking and shifting as dark fur starts to cover his body. The one tail is soon joined by two, three... nine tails. His mouth and nose grows into a snout as ears stretch and turn furry. The whole transformation is complete in a matter of seconds, and the only thing left that's recognizable is just the color of his eyes.

The fox's head turns to study the crowed in a calculating way, before finally settling on the shaking boy that's between them and freedom. Unfortunately for Ayabe Reito, the fox has full access to Dazai's mind and memories.

Smoke envelopes the fox and soon there's another form standing there instead. It's a little girl with large eyes, looking like she's about to cry. ]

Onii-chan.

[kazokun]

[ He nearly drops the sword. It hangs loose in his grip, even as the name escapes him. ]

-—Kosue.

[ He wants to run to her, to pull her to him, to take her back and keep her safe and all the while his mind is screaming at him that this isn't Kosue. He saw the transformation. He knows who it is.

He doesn't care.

He takes a step back. ]

Don't...

PEANUT GALLERY

[burningrescue]

[Well, as this is happening! From where they're watching, he's banging his fist against the barrier and shouting.]

Snap out of it, Ayabe! It isn't her!

[madburnout]

[KILL THAT LITTLE GIRL, AYABE. No, just yelling too? Is this helpful? Is this distracting? Who knows.]

AYABE, DON'T LET IT FOOL YOU.

[recrypt]

[ maybe she should just do all the mercy kills from now on, jfc, but-- ]

It isn't even Dazai. Your real sister will be waiting for you to come home-- think about her.

[brokethefirst]

[Beau is SCREAMING off to the side for Ayabe to just do it!!

Luna, meanwhile:]

Reito! Reito, please, she isn't here with you! She isn't trapped here!

[gitalong]

Ayabe...

[ he just sounds sad. yeah, that's his big contribution ]

[shortforever]

[At first he's not shouting anything, because he's still silently hoping for a miracle. That someone, anyone, will have a cure. But as the fight goes on, that hope dwindles and dwindles.

When he finally does speak, it's with a rather loud shout. ]

AYABE! He hates pain, make it as quick as you can!

[That's his attempt at helping. There's only small mercies left to give. ]

[unanswering]

[well this looks absolutely fucking awful. it's easy to see through for them, but not as easy to be faced with-- he's probably leaning on beau, watching all of this worriedly.

enough of the others are yelling already, but you know, he gets Sibling Trauma. ayabe you'd better survive this.]

[oathic]

[...

agni doesn't say anything, instead watching grimly.]

[ 336 years of memory later ]

[wakizashis]

[ watching Ayabe makes him think of It, and perhaps it’s too no surprise that the memory surges to the forefront of his mind again, dragging everyone down into the cold and dark with him.

hori staring up at the fading sky as it slides farther and farther away. Only the sound of rushing bubbles surrounds him as he falls until there’s only the darkness of the ocean left. even the clang of metal striking ground is muffled and both Horikawa Kunihiro the blade and spirit lay forgotten in deep water unable to move, unable to speak, unable to scream for someone, anyone. there’s no way to tell the passing of time this far down except the slow rot of metal, as he fades away little by little. who knows how long it's been since he's seen daylight and felt the warmth of his master wielding him. who knows how long it'll be as he rusts, each passing moment agony as he dies a slow silent death.

ah......kanesan, if only he could see you once more- ]

[brokethefirst]

[oh my god not this again]

[miscakes]

[oh.

don't like that.]

[recrypt]

[ oh.

for a moment she doesn't even realize it's not her own memory, because

for what seems to be a long time, it's dark. there's faint surprise at being whole, but that makes sense, when you think about it. it's a dream, is what it is, of sinking endlessly beneath a skyless ocean, a place that doesn't exist, completely paralyzed. fragments of light rush up from behind you, recognizable as bubbles-representations of memories, fragmented and disorganized. an indeterminable amount of time passes, but eventually you hit the bottom.

but the voice that greets you there--

it should be impossible for you to see this person again. ]

[[if you click the link the memory ends at 16:50]]

[madburnout]

[i made this joke in chat but

being at the bottom of the ocean for 300 years thinking about himbos is a real ass mood though]

[goldpeony]

[He pushes his way to the front, mortified, and then angry.]

Ayabe! You were going home, you stupid idiot! There’s nothing to forgive because you didn’t do anything wrong! Remember?! Get it together! You can’t get back if you’re dead!

Re: PEANUT GALLERY

[survivaltricks]

[as soon as Ayabe's blood is spilled, Akira is shouting, hand gripping his crutch tightly]

AYABE! Trust what you already know, not what you see in front of you!!

[ if people want to see Ayabe's cute little family u_u ]

[kazokun]

[ It's the briefest flash of a memory, but here they are. He's a bad onii-chan but he loves them all a lot. ]

[disreguarded]

[ beau is losing her mind hahaha

if anybody wants this memory of beau watching one of her friends get stabbed in the chest JUST like this, have fun with that. flurry isn't home and there's chaos but u know

trauma ]

it's a memshare bonanza

[inaudibly]

[It's a dark night, but the form of Daniel Monroe is unmistakable. The revered, kind head of the Monroe family. The man who'd taken in him and Worick and doted on them as if they were his own sons. He was standing there, looking down at them with such cold contempt, with their enemies, the ones who had been hunting down the Twilights he'd always sworn to protect. Nic can't follow what's going on, his head is spinning and his vision is going blurry.

The memory is vague and uncertain, but he can focus on one singular thought. Daniel Monroe isn't the man he claimed to be. All those years, those kind words, reassuring gestures, fatherly smiles. It had all been fake. He hadn't cared. He leaps up, swinging his sword to take the man's head.

But instead he's shot, his sword broken, and he collapses on the ground. He can barely see anymore, barely move, but he reaches out for the man's foot, blood streaking, growling out the man's name as he loses consciousness.]

Y'all are really making him walk, huh.

[kazokun]

[ He tries to hold on— just a little while longer, as long as he can, reluctant to have Dazai taken from him but the three girls take him from Ayabe and leaves him on the ground, face streaked with tears, hands and back covered in blood.

Again, for as long as he can, he tries to stay, doesn't want to move, much less return back to that mansion. But he staggers onto his feet, painfully slow. Step. By step. By step. Each one he takes, leaving a pool of blood behind him until he reaches the front doors.

If the effects hadn't disappeared, I would have had him slam into an invisible barrier, but they're gone now, so he simply collapses onto the ground the moment his feet cross the threshold. ]

[infire]

[ using the staff to unceremoniously shove everyone out of her way the second ayabe has crossed the threshold. she digs in her purse for just a moment, then kneeling to hold the last senzu bean out to him. ]

Take it. Now.

[kazokun]

[ Take it how........ Is he supposed to eat this or is she supposed to shove it into his spine, how do beans work

He just stares blankly at her, though, like he has no idea what this is. Or maybe the blank stare is the trauma, idk. ]