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 Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 8:59 am
A feeling.
Rika had returned to the shrine on a feeling that something important was there. Approaching the shrine, she found there was indeed something important there, a goddess surrounded by snapping and hissing wires.
Without being given time to question how she'd known something had changed, a small bag with a key dangling from the end of a string was placed in front of her face. Leaning back a bit to avoid it hitting her in the face, she raised her hands up to accept the gift, prompting the goddess to instruct her to open it. Doing so, she gave what she thought would be a confused look. Why was she given an empty bag?
The goddess noticed this as well. With her instructions, she handed Rika a pair of scissors. They didn't quite make it? Who was 'they'? She would have to find out on her own, as the goddess didn't appear to be answering any questions.
Giving one last look at the smiling figure, Rika began slowly walking towards a small opening, noticing a slight thumping coming from the other side.
On the other side were three doors, each adorned with a symbol of sorts. Staring at each symbol, she wondered if she was supposed to choose one. After what felt like forever, Rika finally settled on the middle door despite the uneasy feeling it gave. The third one felt much too menacing for her taste, but maybe the middle door would give her more answers than the first door.
Placing her hand onto the middle door's symbol, the door reacted by swinging open slowly, allowing her entry into the depths that lay within.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:59 am
Kari!
The name felt odd, but warm and inviting. Closing her eyes for a moment to take in the feeling, a collage of... were they memories?... seemed to play within Rika's eyelids. A smile played on her lips as she stepped through the doorway, immediately turning to shock when the pleasant images were replaced with the morbid afterimage of shadows. Even with her eyes now open, the grim figures remained.
A loud clang behind Rika, the door closing she noticed upon turning around, certainly didn't help her unease. It didn't look like it would open again, so her only path left was forward. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she clutched the scissors and bag tightly to her chest. Not feeling any walls, Rika found it odd how the darkness seemed to swallow any sound made by her, be it footsteps or the ruffling of her clothes. the only sound that seemed to carry was a gentle thumping in the distance, the only guide she had in the darkness. Wait... was it getting louder? Picking up her pace, she jogged closer to the slowly increasing sound. This proved to be a bad choice, as a sharp pain in her knee caused her to gasp and drop her belongings in an effort to clutch the now sore appendage.
Looking up to see what had caused her pain, Rika's eyes fell on a box... a large crate.
Thud
Standing up and feeling around it proved that it was blocking her path. Is this what she's supposed to find?
Thud
Peering at the top, the crate looked to be open, possibly from the jarring collision she'd had with it earlier. She noticed something sticking out, something that didn't quite seem to fit.
Thud
Curiously, Rika reached into the crate only to be met with what felt like rough fabric. She watched in fascination as it slid between her fingers and back into the crate. Peering into the crate the fabric had retreated into, Rika found the source of the thumping, alongside a tiny yellow glow.
Thump-thump
Was this a heart? The thing she needed to retrieve?
Thump-thump
Grasping for the scissors and bag the had dropped to her side from her earlier surprise and pain, she slowly edged the scissors into the fabric and started cutting her way to the prize. Snip. One layer. Snip. Then another. Snip. A whisper plays through Rika's mind. Amelia. Who? A girl? Someone she knew? Snip. Further down she went, until strings began to block her path as well. Snip. Those too fell effortlessly away from the path of her scissors. Snip. Finally, she reached the glowing center, the heart. Setting the scissors down next to her, Rika reached into the ragged mess of fabric and string to claim the object within.
Thump-thump
Pulling the glowing yellow prize, She only had a moment to notice that the thumping had stopped before her vision became clouded.
"Hey, what are you doing over there?" A figure... girl with a long ponytail was peering around the corner, her hands on her hips. Not much else could be identified, as if a bright light was shining from her back, preventing details from being seen. "You know you're going to get in trouble if the adults find out you're here, right? Come on, let's go before we both get caught here."
Her vision clearing once more, Rika sat in front of the crate, the heart still in her hand, wondering what in the world she'd just witnessed. Staring at the heart as if hoping for it to provide an answer, she was only met with silence.
When the silence seemed to drag on, Rika reached for the bag and dropped the now silent heart into it before standing up and leaving the crate and its contents behind.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:34 am
Walking. For ages it seemed like she was doing nothing but walking. The feeling of the floor wasn't helping her tired feet. At some point, the floor had taken on a slippery consistency, causing Rika to slide around more than she was comfortable with. Water. She was slowly treading into water. It left a cold chill around her ankles. For a moment, she considered turning back, if only to avoid that cold chill. Her plans are cut short by the sound of sloshing... then footsteps.
Spinning around, Rika is only met with more darkness. Maybe turning back wasn't such a good idea.
Continuing onward, the cold sunk deeper into her as the water slowly rose. More sloshing resounded behind Rika, causing her to turn around hesitantly.
"Please give it back."
Nothing.
A small part of her mind noticed her breathing was starting to become more ragged. From cold or fear, she was unsure. She just needed to keep moving. Farther. Colder. Deeper. Finally, she got to the point where the water had reached her neck. This seemed to be the end of the line, she had to turn back.
"Please give me back my-"
Suddenly, two hand are wrapped around Rika's throat pushing her under the water. This was bad. Rika gasped for breathe, but only more water responded, causing her to flail in the grip of her attacker. This only seemed to spur her aggressor into gripping tighter and pushing down harder. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move. It hurt to exist. Deeper and deeper she sank, the reason for her pain unaffected by the surrounding water and cold.
Cracking an eye open, Rika suddenly wished she hadn't. The dead, glassy orbs of a girl with a ponytail met her own fearful ones. How those eyes could look so dead while still holding such malice was beyond her.
How could you?! I told you never to tell anyone. You said you would never tell a soul... you lied to me!
This girl... Amelia, her mind supplied in horrified realization... she was a friend... correction, had been a friend. Something had happened at some point, but Rika had the feeling this girl no longer considered her a friend. Maybe it was the hands on her neck or the look of hatred painted across her face, but it was unmistakable that this girl wanted Rika dead. This revelation caused Rika to once again resume her struggling, even as the girl opened her mouth to reveal razor-sharp teeth.
"Give me back my heart."
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:02 am
Rika's vision began to blur. Panic set in as she started to lose consciousness. She wanted to live. She couldn't die here. She still had so many questions left to answer. There had to be something... anything... to help her. Feeling the ground underneath her, the bottom of what could become her watery grave, Rika's hand brushed up against a cold metal object. The scissors she belatedly remembered dropping in the struggle.
Blindly grabbing onto them, she plunged them into her attacker, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't miss. A shriek proved that she'd hit her mark. The hands on her throat released, causing Rika to kick out in an attempt to get some distance from Amelia.
As she kicked, rather than the feeling of moving backwards, she instead fell down. Thudding into the ground, the water completely vanished, Rika gagged and gasped at the sudden feeling of air in her lungs. Turning herself over so as not to swallow the water once more, she lay on the ground coughing and shivering. A cursory look around proved that she was once again alone, the scissors nowhere to be seen... but the bag was still there. Picking herself up, she scooped up the tiny bag and held it to her chest as she gave a shudder, the encounter replaying in her mind. Her friend... Amelia... Had tried to kill her. It felt somewhat justified, if the vision that had played in her head was to be believed. Rika had wronged her in some way.
Something in the corner of her vision caught her eye. Light. What appeared to be a doorway. A way out. Stumbling forward, Rika made her way towards the light. She stopped short at the sight of Amelia's silhouette a little to her left, a pair of bloody scissors clutched in her right hand. Her eyes held the same malice seen prior. Yet she only stood there, staring, a gaping hole where her heart should have been.
Rika did a double take when, just as quickly as she'd seen the figure of her former friend, it was gone. Had she imagined it? Rika didn't want to stick around to find out. Clutching the bag close to her once more, she stepped into the light of the doorway.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:50 am
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:01 am
Walking up to the shrine in what were felt to be practiced steps, Rika stepped up to a goddess, caressing a scythe lovingly. Face her fears? eat or be eaten? what did that mean?
Without an explanation, she was handed a small dagger with a claw dangling from the end. Rika stared at it for a moment before gazing back up at the goddess. What was she supposed to do with this?
This time, she received an explanation. It sounded a bit confusing, but she figured that when the time came, she'd know what to do. Looking down at the dagger, she noticed a dark stain crawling across it.
With a wave of its scythe, the goddess sent Rika on her way, its gaze never leaving her back as the distance increased.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:32 am
Cold. It was eerily cold. When had she fallen asleep? Pulling herself up, she noticed she'd somehow fallen asleep on a metal table. She momentarily lifted her gaze only to bring it back down to the table below. It was too bright. It hurt to look at the blindingly white walls after having grown accustomed to her usual drab surroundings. Sliding off the table, Rika notices a hum filling the room. It isn't loud, but it's still painful to listen to all the same. She didn't like this room, she wanted to leave. Spying a door, Rika set out to do just that. Thankfully, it gave little resistance when she went to open it. Rika hissed at the sight of the same bright walls greeting her on the other side of the door. Squinting her eyes as best she could while still being able to see, she strode through the doorway. SLAM!Rika nearly jumped out of her skin as something swung shut behind her with great force. Looking back frantically, she stared at the still open door in confusion. Maybe she was losing her mind? Did she even have a mind to lose? Deciding she was better off not knowing, she quickly walked away from the door and its obnoxiously bright contents. The trek down the hallway seemed endless. It seemed like all she did anymore was walk, walk, and walk some more. Finally, an exit made itself visible in the distance. A way out of this horrid place. Thud.A dull sound behind Rika causes her to peer back. The only thing in view is the open door that had startled her earlier. Thud.Looking back, expecting to only see an empty hallway once more, Rika was unprepared for the black figure that stood there instead. She absently noticed that it was clutching a pair of scissors in its right hand. Thudding footsteps sounded its approach. Scrapping noises sounded its intent. Thud. Screech. Thud. Screech. Her thoughts at the moment revolved around one thing: run. And so she did.
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Myoukin rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:33 am
She had to get away. Slamming into the door, Rika tried wrenching it open to no avail. Staring at the handle for a moment, she noticed text on it under her hand. Pulling her hand away, as if the handle had burned her, she read the words 'Passcode Required'. Passcode? She couldn't just run, she had to solve a riddle too? The figure slowly advancing behind her left little room for debate. She needed a passcode. Searching around the room frantically, Rika spotted a paper lying discarded on the ground. Diving for it, a small part of her mind noted that the paper was stained in red. A C E G. What did that mean? Was that the code? Running to the door, she nearly cried when she saw that there were no letters for her to input. She needed numbers. But where?!
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Myoukin rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:43 am
Looking around for more clues, Rika's search turned up empty. Panic washed over her when everything became distorted for a moment. The figure appeared, but slowly melted into a different form. The first thing she could make out was a long ponytail. It was screaming something at her. It looked furious. Was this the reason it was chasing her? You lied to me!The words snapped her back to reality. Seeing that her nails had started digging into the paper in her hands, she loosened her grip. A thud an screech brought her back to the task at hand. She delved back inot her search for the passcode, trying to ignore the figure's garbled taunts.
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Myoukin rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:44 am
Frantically peering around the room, Rika pounced at the first sight of paper on the ground. Clutching the note greedily, she read the contents. A=0, B=1, C=2 Numbers. Just what she needed. Placing the two papers together, she quickly set to working out the code, trying not to become flustered at the thudding and scraping noises behind her. They're not close yet. As long as she kept telling herself that, she could deduce the code without falling into a panic. In what felt like ages, she finally had the passcode solved. Racing to the door, she jammed her fingers into the numbers 0, 2, 4, and 5. It swung open. She was free! Not wasting any time, she jumped through the door and away from the figure.
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Myoukin rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:11 am
She'd arrived in a sea of dead trees. Hopefully, the figure had given up and decided to leave Rika alone. Hesitantly, she looked back. No... it was still proceeding steadily towards her. Breaking out into a run, weaving between the trees, she hoped that her maneuvering would provide some much needed distance. She tried to ignore the occasional crunch of footsteps, the steady snipping of its weapon, its taunts of what it would do once it caught her. Breaking out of the trees, Rika gazed at the sight of a long bridge. While it didn't look particularly safe, staying where she was would be a death sentence. Without a second thought, helped along by the sudden snap of a twig behind her, Rika dashed across the bridge. It groaned and creaked under her weight, but it held faithfully. Making a flying leap, she crashed into the ground and ended in a crouch, safely past the bridge. Snap!Whirling around, Rika let out a sigh of relief that some of the boards between her and the figure had broken and fallen down, impeding its progress. Not wanting to waste the gift, she picked herself up and dashed away from the bridge, hoping that this would finally deter her pursuer.
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Myoukin rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:29 am
Rika's steps came to a halt as the found herself standing in the middle of a cul-de-sac. A single building loomed before her, strange shadows seeming the peer at her through the holes that she could only guess were supposed to be windows.
Staring behind her, Rika wanted to sob when the figure was once again proceeding towards her in the same lumbering fashion. Why couldn't it just leave her alone?! A bright red glow caught her eye, causing her to look away from the figure for a moment. It was the dagger, laying nearly forgotten in her trembling hand.
Face your fears. Eat or be eaten.
The words suddenly made sense. This was her fear. She was supposed to... fight? Looking back up, she squeaked at the sight of the figure, practically on top of her thanks to her momentary lapse. Tightening her grip on the dagger, she stabbed it towards her pursuer in a last ditch effort to end her terror.
"How could you?! I told you never to tell anyone. You said you would never tell a soul... you lied to me!" A girl with a long ponytail, Amelia, was screaming, venom adding bite to every word. "I-I'm sorry, I only thought-", Rika tried to stutter out, tears pouring from her eyes, before her words were drowned out once more. "Well, you thought wrong, Kari! You... I can never forgive you!" She bellowed, the expression on her face resembling a beast more than anything. Without warning, she let out a guttural scream and lunged, her hands outstretched, reaching for a target... for prey. Reaching a hand out, Rika tried to block the attack...
The feeling of warmth on Rika's hand snapped her back to reality. The dagger lay embedded in the figure... Amelia. Jerking her hand away, Amelia's figure fell back and slowly dissolved into thin air. The last thing Rika sees is the glassy orbs staring back at her in accusation before those too are gone.
Silence descended upon Rika as she tried to take in what had happened. Had she just... killed her friend? It certainly looked that way. The only thing that remained now was the dagger, glowing brightly red in its victory. Kneeling down, Rika picked the dagger up, staring at it for a moment. The sound of a door opening behind her prompted her to stand up and walk, almost in a stagger, towards the exit of what was quickly becoming her own personal monochrome hell. Had this really been worth it? As she made her escape, Rika couldn't honestly tell anymore.
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:03 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:55 pm
Approaching the next goddess, she smiled sweetly at Rika, causing her to unconsciously smile back. The goddess offered a tray of cookies, which Rika took from with a mumbled thank you, causing her smile to widen before she started in with more small talk.
Rika shook her head, the other goddesses had been fairly nice to her, even if the last one had felt a bit ominous. Rika wasn't sure how to respond to being told she was loved, and was struck speechless when asked if she loved the goddess. Especially when it had an odd tone to it.
Before she could wrap her mind around the questions, the goddess went into a happy chime about emotions, then something about a tea party. A sudden noise behind the goddess revealed an opening... a gate... had appeared behind her. At the goddess' urging, Rika stumbled through the door before she could really comprehend what was happening.
On the other side of the gate, music wafted through the air leaving a pleasant feeling in its wake. Hearing a crunch beneath her feet, Rika looked down to see she'd been leaving marks in the ground. Putting her hand into it, she noted that while it looked the same as the fog, but was a lot more solid... and cold. Lifting her hand up, she tucked it underneath her arm for warmth. A look at the sky told her that the solid white specks were coming from there.
Leaving off on the cold substance, Rika spotted a table containing two jars. Grabbing the one that was closest, she inspected the strange pink jar.
Drink Me.
Giving it a test sniff showed it to appear safe. With a small sigh, Rika downed the whole bottle. She was met with the feeling of floating. It felt warm... cozy. Rika saw various things appearing on the table, but only a small part of her mind registered the change. As the light feeling ebbed away, Rika looked at the table's new contents. Cake and cookies. After a moment, she decided on the cake. Lifting the fork up, she inspected the bite before putting it into her mouth. As soon as the cake hit her tongue, she could immediately tell how rich it was. Looking around the table, she spied two tea cups. Just the thing to wash down the sweet cake! Reaching for the closest one, Rika pulled the colorful teacup towards her and looked inside. Seeing it already had contents, she drained the small cup in one sip.
Loved. That was the only way to describe how she felt at the moment. It was so warm and inviting, she could have felt like this forever and she wouldn't have minded. All the while she got a feeling of familiarity, like this wasn't a new experience.
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:31 pm
"Are you ready to talk now?" Her mother crooned, gazing softly at the child's tear-streaked face. Wiping her face on her sleeve, Kari nodded and took an unsteady breath. "Armand was making fun of me, saying reapers were stupid and I was nothing more than a stinking human with a magic stick," she whined, tears welling up in her eyes at the memory. Her mother sighed, knowing that their appearance caused their kind a fair bit of grief. "Being great is about more than just looking intimidating. It's about what's inside you," she soothed, placing a finger on Kari's chest before continuing, "You may not be able to do much now, but when you get older, you'll be able to do great things with your staff... and there's something that you can do that Armand can't."
Kari cocked her head to the side in confusion and curiosity, "What's that, mommy?" Her mother chuckled. "You can mingle with humans. They are the source of ours, and everyone else's powers. By studying humans like your father does, we reapers are able to find new methods of obtaining fear so that everyone can maintain their way of life. Without reapers, other races would only be able to shoot in the dark as far as fear is concerned." She gave another smile as Kari's face lit up in amazement. "So next time Armand tries to make fun of you, just ignore his taunts and remember that, while reapers may not be the most physically able, they serve as an important part of Halloween Town, just like everyone else. Does that make sense?" "Yeah, Thank you mommy, I feel loads better now!" Kari cried, once more throwing herself into her mother's arms, only this time in happiness.
Stepping back, she screws up her face for a moment before her staff appears before her with a small poof. "I'm going to go practice now so I can get stronger and help everyone!" With that, she rushed out the door once more, leaving her mother sitting in her chair, still smiling at her daughter's disappearing back.
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