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[buriedstar]

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[buriedstar]

[ Nostalgia is a funny beast. A chuckle escaped Seo Dawon's lips as he secured the gloves on his hands, first left and then right. The last time he had suited up like this was for the calamitious [Tower of Command] raid. There really hadn't been an occassion to go out all since, and though using that term right now was a bit of a misnomer...it was apt enough.

He found himself offering a prayer briefly to an unnamed, unknown God, not out of sincerity but superstition. 'Forgive me Olim-noona' he thought with a snort. Really, the worst that could happen is that he would be dead in under twenty-four hours, but for him, that was just the status quo. It wasn't a scenario he considered likely, but in spite of all of his arrogance it wasn't an outcome he disregarded. A two out of three chance of success were positive odds but more importantly than that, his mind was made up. And that wasn't something he went back on, no matter who or what stood in his way.

And the "who"... the "who" were mostly of no consequence he told himself, even if briefly, a frown crossed his features. His emotions, or what was left of them, weren't something he had a grasp on since he was brought back to life in this cursed state, and he wouldn't find the answers here. Thinking about it was pointless, particularly given last week, though it went all the way back to the first. The answer was so simple then, back at their first incentive. Kill someone to save a hostage dear to you. Was dear even the right way to describe someone who's very life kept you tethered to the only threads of sanity you had left? He hadn't killed then, parts stubbornness, part disbelief and parts shear tenacity in refusing to bend a knee to yet another system and another power that was determined to see him crumble. But—he could be wrong. He was wrong before, and he never wanted to be wrong again. And maybe, he was just a bit tired and more than a little bit spiteful. There were no skills he could call on, no failsafes he could place against himself just in case. If he couldn't stop a landslide he would do his best to control it. After all, he knew himself best.

Leaving his room, dressed in all black like usual, but in cargo pants and a black fitted long-sleeve shirt unlike usual, he set his face with a smile. He was in a good mood all things considered, but it wouldn't do to let his bloodlust show just this moment. It's not like he intended to make this any messier than it needed to be.
First he would check the restaurant. Given the time of the night (hedging into day) there might be some early risers. He strode in confident as usual, visibly unarmed. Barring a select few, he was confident he could take the majority barehanded. He was a mage, but that was no excuse to neglect your physical body, or basic combat ability. And there was the matter of secondary weapons too.

Apparently his luck was good today. He called out a friendly greeting to the lone figure in the restaurant. ]

Good morning~. Or am I a bit early?

[bootyhunter]

[Despite the surly expression on his face, Dandy had started out the evening with an attempt to celebrate, to get himself revved up for the night his big finish in this dumb shithole of a sunken place. He had gotten up in the middle of the might to brush his teeth and do his hair, humming the tune to one of his favorite songs even smiling at his reflection in the mirror. Before exiting suite 4, he removes his bright yellow communicator bracelet and quietly sets it on the table, just in case Joy takes his very imminent demise too hard.

The second he stepped outside into hallway, it was all for naught. The bleak, dark emptiness of the night engulfs him immediately, and he wanders about the premises, surprised to have found no one. This is for the good of the others, he tells himself. It's so that everyone else, hopefully, is guaranteed one more week of time. They're so close to figuring things out, he thinks.

If he dies, it's likely he will wake up somewhere else. But what if this is really it?

The end of all things Space Dandy?

He decides that even if it is, it will be worth it. So that nobody else has to suffer tonight but him.

Dandy is seated in the restaurant with his injured arm draped over the back of a chair, cleaning his teeth with a toothpick. With no courtesy whatsoever, he flicks the thing in Seo Dawon's direction.

Obvious, dead-eyed piece of shit. Dandy had a feeling, somehow, that it would be him.]

Whoa, baby.

[The alien hunter's tone is entirely deadpan. There's no emotion to any of the syllables, no whimsicality, and no vocal inflections. Without that air of lightness to it, Dandy's voice is remarkably deep.]

You don't seem like the type to do the whole midnight snack thing.

Are you sure it's me wanna be talkin' to right now?

["I knew it was gonna be you."]

Whaddya want from me?

[buriedstar]

[ His nose crinkles briefly at the toothpick, but he lets it mostly go past him. Despite all his airs his tolerance in general is high, though he is the type to keep score for later. That's just who he is.

There's a blink at the stark change in tone from the norm, but it only takes him a second to adjust, to sigh and lower his smile to a placid one. ]

I'm not the type to snack in general, actually. [ Or eat, because he hasn't actually done that his entire time here. ]

This isn't about food, though it does tend to bring people together. I was hoping to find someone? Before it gets too late and well, I don't need to tell you.

Ghosts have limited powers, and given the clean-up that occurs after the weekend, I wanted someone else to see it besides me.

[ Hands at his side he turns them so they're palms up, so it's clear he's unarmed. ]

And before you say it's suspicious that I'm awake, I'm always awake at this time. Just like Hild-noona and sometimes Misfire-yah.

[bootyhunter]

[None of the muscles in Dandy's face move a centimeter- Whatever it is that the spaceman is thinking right now, it's clear that he doesn't believe a word of those pleasantly laid excuses. This guy is absolutely strapped with at least one lethal weapon on his person, and most likely, he's got multiple on him.]

I wasn't gonna say anything. Not to you.

We don't really talk.

[Not since Sunday, at least.]

So you're a ghost? Tell me, how does that work.

[Again, he asks the question with no emotion.]

[buriedstar]

[ It's a valid concern, though he really has nothing on him besides a knife in his boot. You don't strictly need a weapon if you can be a weapon. Philosophies he lives by and why his skill loadout is focused on maximum damage in max area of effect.

Seo Dawon quirks an eyebrow. ]

We talk when it's necessary, you are someone, aren't you? And I didn't say that. I know a thing or two about ghosts because I party with a necromancer back home, it's why I told Jonathan what I did on the seance.

What I meant was that I found a message our ghosts left here. And given what happens on the weekend, I didn't want that to be lost during the cleanup, or worse, made a fuss over where Fontie notices. If I'm the only one who mentions it, it's less believable too.

So, come with me? It's in that amusement park of his.

[bootyhunter]

You are dead inside, though. Right?

[Dandy ignores the offer at first, taking his time to get up and stretch both arms. He yawns in the loudest, most obnoxious way possible. Look, he knows he's getting his ass got, but that doesn't mean he can't make Seo Dawon suffer first.]

Undead. Somethin'.

Don't get all snippy with me like you always do when I bring this stuff up. And before ya say anything, I've been undead before. Yup!

[Having access to those memories is pretty damn bizarre. It's not so much the zombie thing that's kooky, it's remembering any details at all.

For Dandy, anyway.]

I was a zombie. Wasn't so bad, to be honest! You just walk really slow, can barely talk, and you're only able to shove raw meat into your piehole. Other than that, life was still pretty friggin' good!

[buriedstar]

[ His expression doesn't slip even at the bare insults. You don't rise to having the ear of the government at the age of twenty-one without knowing how these types of games are played. They're heard though, and his unfettered thoughts slip through his mind. It was almost funny that he had come across someone who was an idiot of the same class as Kim Sangyoon. The warrior could at least boast that he had a muscular physique and a following, however meager, of fans who paid to listen to him talk. The man in front of him could boast of having a boyfriend?

Honestly, Seo Dawon really didn't understand any of that melodrama. People dated all the time as adults, but this place reminded him of high school in how far it took their romantic entanglements. He had played into it in certain degrees himself because it was beneficial to do so, but that's pretty much where it stopped. ( Mostly, but he didn't have the time to sort out any inclinations he felt to the contrary. If he even could.) ]

I'm not sure if you're trying to insult me or encourage me? But you'll need to try harder either way. [ He moves from the inside of the restaurant and walks out the doorway into the hall. There's a few reasons he can think of as to why Dandy was in the restaurant at this hour, and for all of them he'll want to follow. ]

[bootyhunter]

[Seo Dawon would be right on that account, in a sense. Dandy has very little to his name, save for a spaceship and a measly amount of woolongs that keep his property from being seized by intergalactic tax collectors. He spends much of his time exploring the galaxy and unsuccessfully attempting to find the kinds of creatures that have only been seen or heard of in fairytales. He yearns for deep, emotional connection, but somehow true love always slips through his fingers. While he knows who he is and his very few loved ones are, in his home realm Dandy can barely remember what he's had for breakfast and is, in all senses of the word, a total loser.

What neither of them know is that Dandy, a seemingly purposeless buffoon, holds the key to each and every universe in his hands and legs and crazy hair. That he is being followed, pursued by two of the most powerful military empires in the galaxy, because he is the only one in existence who can be used to rule everything and anything that ever was and will be.

Hilariously enough, Dandy doesn't really give a shit. He'd rather continue playing the fool.]

You're not gonna do it here?

[Dandy's fork clinks against the plate.]

Too chicken they'll find you out?

They will, you know.

We're in a box.

[And Dandy has planted all the seeds he needed. Gaius, Zinda, Forrest.

Misfire, even.

No matter what this notorious shell of a man decides to do, he will fail.]

There's only so much you can do.

[Dandy is planning on at least dragging this out until close to morning. Mostly so that-]

Don't hurt anyone else tonight, baby.

That's all I'm askin' before I go.

[buriedstar]

[ He sighs, heavy, adjusting the plans in his mind with how things have wound up. This did resemble one of the ones he had accounted for and in the end it didn't change all that much.

His smile doesn't drop so much as it changes, since keeping up some degree of pretense doesn't seem to matter. Dandy, like many of the others was convinced that he was... what, exactly? Seo Dawon isn't entirely sure and that's what's actually irritating about the situation. He hadn't decided until last week to actually make a move, well past when their minds had been made up. Well, he'd just have to give them all a reason to hate him. ]

You really shouldn't talk to me about boxes. This might as well be an entire country, compared to what I dealt with. [ He's not answering the first set of questions and he's picked up walking to the elevator out of the hotel. He'll be the one setting the pace, words to the contrary or not. ]

But here, I'll offer you this much. I am dead, quite literally, so congratulations on being competent enough to read the profiles. You're only the second one.

cw: cancer imagery?

[bootyhunter]

[Seo's right.

Dandy looks over his shoulder at the other man, quickening his pace to keep up with tall, dark, and terrible. He feels guilty, he's gone and said yet another hurtful thing unknowingly, which Dandy has become frightening aware of in his time here. The guilt has gotten worse and worse, growing like a rapidly progressing tumor.

Dandy can now recall several instances in which each member of the Aloha Oe has died due to his own impulsive behavior. All those times, he had forgotten what happened and moved on like nothing was wrong, but now he feels wrong for doing so, and these emotions are difficult to parse.

He doesn't understand why, but something tells Dandy that QT and Meow aren't as lucky as he is. Or... Cursed, rather.

It's a perspective thing.]

Sorry. I've got the whole dang sky, so.

I guess you're right. I should probably just quit complainin'.

[Dandy sighs once more. Maybe he should play along.]

Mmmmm... What was that about the spooky boo-boo blah-blah? Uh.

The thing about the ghosts that you were sayin' earlier.

[buriedstar]

Now you're interested? [ In spite of himself and in spite of the situation, Seo Dawon chuckles a bit. He knows that the other man is playing along, he just doesn't get why after all of that.

Empathy was hard to come by when he was alive, now that's dead it's like finding a diamond in the rough. ]

Like I said, I'm dead myself. A specter if we're being specific. So I know a thing or two about summoning spirits, even if this isn't my world, the same general concept should apply. You have interest in talking to the dead, right? [ He holds the elevator door for him when they enter and exit, going through all the proper mannerisms like he's talking up a prospective client or politician. It's discordant given the situation, but to Seo Dawon how you hold yourself matters even when you're staring death in the eyes. ]

[bootyhunter]

No.

[He is. He feels bad- If there's anything Dandy despises, it's being trapped. One might be surprised to find that this alien hunter may be no good at his job, but he certainly is adaptable. As long as he's free to be roaming about as he pleases, Dandy is likely to do pretty well.

Which is why being here has taken such a drastic toll on his typically unshakeable bombasticness.]

Well, they're not talkin'.

[Dandy knows that this isn't likely to end well. He had been hoping that if one of the killers tonight was someone more like a troubled child or even a fearful adult, he'd have the ability to talk them out of it.

This guy knows what he's doing.

Dandy follows Seo through the door.]

When you're dead, is happiness the same for you?

You can still feel joy, right?

[Oh, Joy.

She's going to be so pissed at him in the morning. He left her a note and everything. It's not much, as weepy prose isn't really his style, but it's something.

"don't hate the player, hate the game, baby"

He didn't sign it, but it's written in messy handwriting and English.

She'll know who it's from.]

[lanthorns]

[ it never gets easier.

not one bit. but has he gotten used to it? "not enough" ha jinsung yells down at him, "not enough" chuckles hwa ryun, "not enough" his heart screams. the stillness after is always as vast and as empty as the darkness where he spent years of his life. in the beginning it was a fight not to drown, but practice has him already wiping off some of the blood on his face onto his sleeve.

usually his kills are cleaner (never easier) and this one was particularly messy of circumstance. his plan is a bad one, but a kill is a kill; would he have gone after someone else if he hadn't spotted their host moseying about this late at night?

viole doesn't want to answer that question. he's not sure if it will count, but he's also not sure how culpable he is at trial either way. maybe this is a loophole for an irregular like him or maybe this is him being stupidly naive like he's been his entire life. it's too late to question that now, he has to clean up and make sure he doesn't leave any traces behind besides connor's scrambled brains and blood amidst the hay.

but then he hears something and as he's been trained to do, viole goes completely still. he holds his breath even and if there were any shinsu in the air, he'd have compressed all of his into something undetectable.

he waits, hoping that whoever it is will pass by. ]

[tworo]

[Turo has been patrolling every night. It's something he should have done last week. Maybe if he had -

- well. Maybe, maybe not. Everyone says he did the right thing. But Brooklynn and Welt are still dead.

Mostly, it's been nothing. He comes across people brooding late at night, and sometimes he sits with them a while. He has no idea if any of that has been helpful. But now it's Thursday, and he can't deny that a certain anxiety has been building in the back of his mind. If something happens, it'll be tonight. It drives him out of his room late, much later than he usually goes out. Something's wrong, he's sure of it, if he can only find it then maybe -

His normal patrol routes avoid going into the corn maze. During the day, it's fine. At night, he doesn't like it. The blind corners seem dangerous in the darkness. It almost seems like an ideal spot for something bad to happen...so, of course, that's where he thinks he heard a sound. Turo winds through the maize corridors, breathing a little more quickly to cope with the rising sense of dread.]

Hello? Is someone out here?

[His foot hits something.

Turo's night vision is good. When he looks down, he can tell the dark liquid spreading across the straw for what it is.]

Oh no....

[Don't panic now. Do not panic. Shaky, head twitching a little with some nervous glitch, he crouches down to see who it is. There's been - the head is - but he recognizes the clothing after a moment.]

Connor?

[Well, as gruesome as that is, it's a bit of a relief! The shuddering in his frame goes on, but it's - it's only excess anxiety, probably. This is good. He stands again, looking around and calling out more loudly.]

Connor! Are you still here?

[lanthorns]

[ turo—he breathes out a small sigh of relief (stupid), relieved it's not nana or kabru. he'd hate to fight anyone, but the two of them-as if he wasn't condemning them to death if this harebrained plan even works. but this isn't about that and this isn't about them or even viole himself.

he listens again, waiting for turo to either leave or to meet with connor himself so he can escape. ]

[tworo]

[No response. Connor might have run off already. Turo certainly wouldn't blame him, but that still means that someone is running around here...stabbing people through the head with a pitchfork? Why? He decides to search the area a little further, and fairly quickly comes across Connor, again, this time stuffed into one of the rows of corn.]

Oh, here you are...

[He steps in, batting some stalks of corn down and crushing others underfoot until he's got enough space to examine Connor properly. He's unconscious. He doesn't usually respawn unconscious - did something happen? There's no sign of injury. The ideal first aid response is not to leave an unconscious person alone. But if you must, precluding indications of spinal injury, one should position them to keep their airways clear, so they won't asphyxiate somehow while you're gone. Sure, Connor would come back, but there's no reason to put him through anything more...Turo shifts him carefully in place, then stands and turns. He'll fetch Dr. Minazuki...

Wait. Did he just hear something else?]

...who's there?

[No. He can't just go. If Connor's attacker is still here...if someone else gets hurt tonight, someone who won't respawn, he'll never forgive himself.]

[lanthorns]

[ he wants to respond. intrinsically, viole has never been good at ignoring anyone. it's that hesitation that dooms him, that shuts the window he had at escaping without being seen.

he goes for it anyway, even if it's too late. even if the section of maze he's currently in bypasses the one turo and connor are in. he just has to bank that turo's reflexes aren't that sharp, that he's more worried about connor than the unknown.

viole runs. ]

[tworo]

Wh - wait!

[No such luck. Turo hadn't been quite sure what he'd do if he actually came across someone committing a murder, during these patrols, but now in the moment he simply acts on instinct, bolting after them. He doesn't want to h̷u̴r̷t̴

hurt them. Not yet, especially not when a fight might prove fatal. He just reaches out to try and catch them.]

[lanthorns]

[ if he was thinking clearly he could have double backed and found another way, he could have scrambled up one of the hay bales and made a leap for it, he could have made a distraction and then run down the opposite path. but viole isn't thinking clearly and besides all of that, he's a wavemaster not a lightbringer.

he skids just short of running into turo, visibly bloody from his encounter with connor, blood smeared on his face with no visible injuries. stupidly, he only has one thing to say. ]

Good evening.

1/2

[tworo]

Good evening.

[He parrots automatically, because for a moment he is entirely unsure of what to say. It immediately feels ridiculous.]

Viole... [Turo raises his hands in a conciliatory gesture, briefly glancing over his shoulder towards the twin bodies in the maze.] Listen. It is not too late. Connor is going to be alright. If we can just stop this now, there should not have to be a trial. Nobody has to die.

[If they can just have one more peaceful week, maybe everyone can settle down. Maybe they'll draw more together, and everything will be a little better. Maybe it'll be easier for next week to be peaceful too. Sure, it might mean that those futures will come to pass -

It would mean the eventual destruction of the time machine.

Turo has formed many plans to destroy it. He set that future in motion himself, he's sure of it. But he's never acted quite so directly against it before: if he stops a murder this week, he will be actively preventing it from being saved, from performing as intended. He will be posing an obstacle.

The dread that's been forming in the back of his mind, the same thing that drove him out of sleep tonight, suddenly shifts into something clearer:

This is an obstacle.]

2/2

[tworo]

[For a moment, the desperate hope falls away from his face, leaving it entirely blank.]

An obstacle is preventing the time machine from performing as intended.

[Turo lifts a hand to his mouth, then presses it against his head.]

What...what was that...?

[lanthorns]

[ while viole had assumed it to be the case, hearing confirmation that connor is still alive is a relief. he's not sure how he feels about there not being a trial solely because of the loophole he's trying to will into being, but he doesn't get a chance to sort out his thoughts because of what turo says next.

his eyes narrow, his hands in front of him in a defensive position. he hasn't had much experience with machines before this, but he remembers how turo was last week with the hallucinations. ]

That was you. [ a beat. ]

Are you okay?

[ another stupid question. ]

[tworo]

I...I don't know.

[Turo sounds immediately, immensely distracted. Something's happening. Some sort of process? He didn't initiate that. He doesn't know what it is. He can't access it. He can't shut it down. It doesn't respond to him at all, not even to identify itself.

There's only one place something like that could have come from.

He doesn't even have time to process that betrayal. Everything is happening too fast. He stumbles back several steps, head and arms jerking and twitching.]

Viole - Viole, go, NOW. D-don't let anyone -

[This time, his head and arms go entirely slack. His eyes go dark. He speaks in a bland monotone:]

AI Turo disabled. Activating Paradise Protection Protocol to remove offending obstacle.

[He twitches upright again, eyes still dark save for a blue light in the pupils - and then, with surprising speed, he lunges for Viole.]

[lanthorns]

[ his reflexes save him at least, though it's a close call. he hadn't expect turo to be that fast or attack him.

run he had said. but hadn't that window of opportunity passed? turo had seen him, so he knows. and if he ran, who would deal with him? if nothing else, this is viole's mess to clean up.

even without his shinsu, viole has faith in his abilities. his fist flies forward, as fast as a snake's tongue; an exploratory attack so he has a better idea of what he's dealing with. ]

[tworo]

[The robot makes no effort to dodge. It allows Viole to hit it, the blow doing no particular damage to its metallic body, and attempts to strike again. There's no art or technique to its attacks; it's just trying to hit him, moving as mechanically as a factory machine. But there's a lot of force behind its swings.]

I d₀n’t know wh₀ you thınk you ɑrə - [It says in a strangely distorted voice, turning to look at him with an uncharacteristic snarl.] - but | will n₀t let ɑnyonə get ın the way of ⅿy goɑls.