(no subject)

[oblivium]

INHUMAN COURTESY

I. PUSHING UP DAISIES

---

cw: depiction of hanahaki, mention of blood, mild body horror

The Frightful Harvest ended on a bloody, eerie note, but the Respite's most welcome interlude has proven exceptionally fruitful. The sky's darkened again, moons struggling to glow through turbulent clouds, but crops all over Stygia have grown dense and healthy, herbs and plants and flowers aplenty. Normally, it'd be a time to rejoice, even as sleet pours and winds grow bitterly cold -- and it might have been, had greens and stems and petals NOT elected to blossom inside you. Your lungs, specifically.

It's an uncommon side effect of the Harvest, affecting those who foster affection or attraction towards another, triggered only by a stray thought. Almost as if punished by Oblivium for harboring any kind of positive feelings. The worst part is that the object of your desire doesn't even have to be in the Netherworld for you to be afflicted. Over the span of three months, you'll gradually experience various degrees of the "harvest's curse", depending on the source of your feelings:

► PHYSICAL/EMOTIONAL ATTRACTION & REQUITED LOVE
It starts with an itch. Your throat tickles, an odd sensation in your lungs, slightly constricted. Allergies? Not quite. It worsens overtime, and days pass by, perhaps weeks. You cough, a little more every day, a little deeper, and then it happens: petals, stuck to your lips as you wheeze and try to empty your chest. Marigold, carnations, daisies, peonies... Thankfully, for you, it's more of an annoyance, sporadic at best and leaving you exhausted at times, but you're in no immediate danger. Unfortunately, not all Restless share the same luck.

► UNREQUITED LOVE
It doesn't matter whether it is truly unrequited; as long as you think it is, whether you're fully convinced or distantly resigned, you get the whole package. It starts the same way the lesser variation does, gradual, and with unsavory (!) additions: lilies and dark red roses. The first slowly spreads its poison in your body, inducing fevers, skin rashes, blistering in your mouth and stomach aches. The second pricks your throat bloody, making speech difficult and breathing even more so. It spreads throughout Stygia, and if most wound up meeting their end in the past, some speak of a highly hypothetical cure. It's believed that if the object of your affection confesses equally strong feelings for you, the curse should rapidly subside. If this option isn't viable, Doran promises that all Healers in Hale are working extremely hard to find a solution. In the meantime, symptoms can be partially soothed with poultices and spells that you can find in the Marketplace or in Serene. Some merchants might even take pity on you and offer them for free.

if your character has heard of similar diseases in their home world, they're absolutely welcome to share their insight on the netherwork or anywhere else
the evolution of the disease can be as gradual, as fast or as severe as you wish it to be
a mini quest to retrieve ingredients for a cure will be available in december or january
by february, all characters should be cured

II. DO NOT PASS GO

---

cw: mention of blood, torture, branding, violence, forced captivity

Full-swing investigations concerning the Harvest's murders have begun, though the mysterious rider has yet to resurface. The day is young still, but no matter; the Hierarchy firmly believes that the creature was summoned by a group of renegades, fully intent on finding and dismembering the organization. Perhaps even literally.

If you've spilled blood not your own in the previous event, the Hierarchy finds you. Do they know? It doesn't really matter; they've targeted you for reasons they won't divulge, persuaded of your involvement -- and off to the Gallows you go. Each of you receives the same greeting when you arrive, held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with the letter F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’, and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the Hierarchy's hospitality. Writhe and scream and glower as much as you want; next thing you know, something heavy hits you across the head, and you collapse.

When your vision slowly creeps back, your eyes adjust to a dimly lit stone cell. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain, and you lie in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. It's dark; the air is bloated and filled with agonizing shrieks. Dead vines scrap the walls of half-crumbled buildings, weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by withered clumps of grass. You may converse with your cellmates: the guards patrolling the Gallows couldn't care less, convinced that no one could possibly escape anyway.

► Ironically, a magical barrier around the Gallows prevents magical/spiritual abilities from functioning. However, characters who roam free still can absolutely sneak in! Be careful not to get caught, though!
► Loud disagreements might attract unwanted attention. A single guard will come, and if he finds nothing else amiss, will threaten them to be quiet. A second violation earns the offender a rap on their bare feet with a club. A third violation will cause the offender to be gagged. Note that in order to beat or gag the offender, the guard must first open the cell.
► If you share affinities with Gargoyles, incapacitating a guard in any way will draw the attention of one. It'll show you to the gates where you'll be able to escape, taking care of sentries on your way. You should probably keep a low-profile from then on, and avoid showing-off your brand.
► A secret passage may be found through a mausoleum nearby; an arrow of flaking red paint marks the entrance. Or is it blood? Inside, it's nearly pitch-black. Perhaps, if you're lucky, your vision extends as far as 30 feet in front of you, but occasionally, the darkness is broken by clinging phosphorescent fungi or crawling luminescent creatures, and from out of the silence echo sounds of dripping water. You're underground, and Abysmals can be encountered here if you're too loud. You should also watch out for cave-ins, but as you get farther away from the general region of the Gallows, your magical abilities gradually come back.
► Eventually, a long, broken staircase will lead you to Hale. If you're injured, you'll be sent to the main infirmary; characters with healing abilities or knowledge are super welcome to help!

Luckily for you, there are so many prisoners it's a difficult task for the Hierarchy to always keep track of all of them. Your brand, however, is a dead giveaway, so you might as well try and find a way to get rid of it; you might hear through the grapevines that the dead skin of Badaliscus can be used as bandages, and overtime, the brand will fully heal and disappear.


III. TO THE RESCUE

---

As you attempt to escape, or perhaps once you’ve successfully snuck in, you come across a terrifying spectacle: in front of you, impaled through the shoulder by a spear, a weary humanoid figure covered in blood. The body is being restrained by additional shackles on each arm and leg, which are linked to chains anchored within the walls. There's a guard nearby, armed to the teeth… and still you decide to free them.

The guard’s magic is just as useless as yours, and while impressive in size, dexterity definitely isn’t his main strength. He hits hard — with brass knuckles, a chain mace, and a sturdy shield — and his stamina almost seems endless, but it’s not. Keep evading, and he’ll eventually tire enough to topple over. It’s also possible to have him chase you around if you don’t go too far, which would allow someone else to grab the spear. Once he’s too exhausted to go on, you can either kill him or chain him to the wall. The keys are in his boots, and you’ll find a bottle of water as well as a small vial of ointment in a satchel on the ground, where he previously stood.

The prisoner is a young man, perhaps in his mid-20s. Once freed from his shackles, he immediately keels over, though he’s not unconscious. He thanks you with a deep and raw voice, begging for water. You can tend to his wounds if you’re able—the ointment quickly soothes—and when he finally stands again, he asks you a question: “I’m a stranger to you, and you could have died. Yet, you chose to free me, unaware of my past. Of my crimes. Of my virtues. Why?”

Regardless of your answer, he smiles, a private understanding that turns the stretch of his lips enigmatic. There’s a bubbling chuckle in his throat, very hoarse, and then he hisses, touching where you’ve helped him apply the ointment on his body. “You know what they say. If it stings...” He looks at you, deliberately pausing there and staring bold into your eyes. “... then it must be working.”

It might feel like there’s more to what he’s trying to say, though it’s pointless to ask: he bows, and then he slowly inches away from you. “Until we meet again.” White and thick tendrils of smoke envelop him, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and then just like that, he’s gone.

so you’ve chosen to free him, which in turn has generated a future plot point that’ll occur some time in february. some of you WILL see him again.
what he says to you is a clue.
you can answer his question OOCly right here. it’ll have some bearing on the way your character will be approached re: future plot point.
if you've voted no and would still like to participate, you could always allow your character to be convinced or reluctantly dragged by another!

ooc note

► As always, check out the Notice Board if you'd like additional prompts! Older quests from previous months are always available as well. You'll also find the Calendar right here.
► You'll find already answered questions just here, and if you'd like to ask new ones, ask them here!
► For fun's sake and similarly to the puck adventure, you may play it out in different groups or on your own, and still obtain the same results as everyone else whether your characters threaded together!

Comments

haruno sakura 🌺 naruto

[craters]

（ closed starters below. pm if you'd like one, or feel free to step in with a wildcard! plotting comment over yonder. ）

fukawa;

[craters]

（ the smell is oppressive — sweat and blood and human waste, the stench of rotting things and of damp, wet earth. everything is dimly lit by flickering lights, some of which are entirely burnt out, casting a sickly yellow pallor over the prison.

around the corner, she can hear two guards conversing about their prisoners, rowdy lot, can't wait to get them to —' before the conversation becomes too jumbled to track. they're walking in the opposite direction, their footsteps receding as they go. one of them calls over their shoulder that they'll bring lunch for a third, who must still be on shift.

he'll be waiting for that lunch for a long time, she thinks grimly. as soon as she's reasonably assured the other two are too far to notice a scuffle, she slips around the corner, crouched low and moving carefully. being without chakra does make her orders of magnitude less lethal, but she's still a shinobi.

she makes it to the guard and flips a poison-coated senbon into one hand, stabbing it in one smooth motion into the man's jugular. the poison's a fast-acting paralytic that she put together herself, the guard barely has time to do more than grunt in surprise before he slumps backwards into her arms.

she wants to kill him. her fury over sasuke's mistreatment means her shadow is lingering, loud in the back of her mind. a paralytic is one thing, but she could just as easily break the man's neck. she does consider it for a moment, as he stares up at her with bright, wide eyes, terrified by what she assumes is the sudden difficulty he'll have drawing breath and the fact she holds his life in her hands.

she looks at him for several heartbeats, and then: ）

I'm not going to kill you. But you should re-think your career choice.

（ and then she hefts him up over her shoulder. there's a supply closet not far from where they are, and she wants to steal his uniform. it'll be a bit big, but it'll pass scrutiny so long as it's not up close... so she gets the man to the door, shoves it open and promptly stops dead in her tracks, before she steps the rest of the way inside and pulls the door closed behind her so she can hiss — ）

Fukawa?

（ — in a combination of disbelief and annoyance. ）

[janescayre]

Don'tkillme!!

[Indeed! It is Fukawa! Hello!

After being liberated by some generous soul, she'd gotten separated from her rescuer and was left to fend for herself. Ordinarily she'd swap to Syo at the first sign of trouble, but she had been stripped of scissors along with her clothes (this rag was no better than a slutty burlap sack), and her faith in her other half is bottoming out. Who's fault was it she was imprisoned in the first place? That she probably had to abandon most of the people she'd met her, maybe move out of the apartment, exile herself in shame and rightful fear?

Oh, yeah! Fucking Syo. So much for being retired.

All this to say, when Fukawa heard footsteps coming around the corner, she'd launched herself into the first hiding spot in sight, armed herself (it's a toilet plunger), and waited for certain doom to find her.]

...S-Sakura?

[Except it's only a medic. With an inert guard over her slender shoulder.

Fukawa gapes. She lowers the plunger but does not relinquish it, lest this take a sudden and unpleasant turn.]

What? What the hell? You — did you do that?

[Alarm bells....rising...]

[craters]

（ you know, fukawa isn't the last person she wants to see down here...

second last, surely.

but in any case, she's not... immediately answering that, she just reaches out with one hand, puts it on the shaft of that toilet plunger and uses it to press fukawa out of her way so she can drop the guard against the back wall of the supply closet. it's like herding cats, really.

once he's situated, eyes darting between them, sakura crouches down in front of him and checks his pulse a final time. satisfied she's been true to her word — that he won't die — she stands up back up. ）

Let's not discuss this now. Are you alone? Come with me.

[janescayre]

[Second last...damn...

The girl is much stronger than she looks. It's like the man strung over her back is no more than a sack of laundry. Fukawa grimaces as she's urged back but is too flustered to fight it. Even more so to find that the man is still alive.

She leans closer, bewildered. He seems dazed. Is he drugged? Did she hit him with an anesthetic? A paralyzing agent? Poison? She might have access to all three, considering what she did for a living.

Or what she pretends to do. A cold prickle runs up Fukawa's spine.]

C-Come where? [She blinks at her, adjusting her grip on the plunger.] How did you even g-get in here? Are you doing this alone?

[There's noises again. Far off, but too close for comfort. Fukawa stiffens and watches the door.

And just off to the right of it, spots a cabinet. Set atop it are two pairs of surgical scissors.

Her fingers itch.]

[craters]

（ she begins stripping the guard down to nothing, pulling his clothing on over her own so the extra bulk will work in her favour. the guard is otherwise ignored — she doesn't want to give him more information than what's necessary, even if the twilight anesthetic mixed in should leave his memories of the event hazy at best.

in a soft murmur, ）

Stay behind me if there's any danger, okay? We're going to get out of here, there's a tunnel nearby that leads on to Hale.

（ wow she is really picking and choosing which questions to answer, isn't she? but still, she doesn't have time to babysit. instead, she nudges the door slightly open, and pulls a mirror out of one pocket to give her a view of the corridor, and once she's satisfied she tucks it away again and edges out into the corridor. ）

If we're stopped, you're an escaped prisoner and I'm taking you back to your cell. Understood?

Danganronpa spoilers

[janescayre]

[Even with the imminent threat of discovery, the way Sakura works is fascinating to watch. The man has his uniform shucked and stolen in seconds. Expert timing.

A perfect and practiced swap, covert infiltration. She never got to see the trick in action, but she wonders if it was just as easy for that deceptive bitch back home. Nothing more than yanking on a wig, slipping into a skirt, a little foundation on the old tattoo, and bam. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

A thought that makes her tense when Sakura draws near again, muttering instructions in a clipped tone. She didn't answer her fully either. Fukawa's eyes dart between the other girl's.]

Right. [Okay. Okay, this is a rescue. There's no real reason for her to take Fukawa out (that she knows of), so she should be safe for now. She'd targeted the guard and is compensating for the wrench Fukawa's put in her works. Her lips purse, and she nods.] F-fine. I'll be your g-good little prisoner.

[She'll have to trust her as far as the boundaries of the Gallows go. After that it's all up in the air.]

me out here like: what's a dragon romper

[craters]

（ so she puts a hand on fukawa's wrist and pulls her out of the closet, closing the guard in behind them. this would be so much easier if she could do a henge, but without it she'll have to make do. she pats down her new clothing until she comes up with a black pen, a pair of medical gloves are donned and she breaks the pen in her hand, streaking it through the pink of her hair until it's passably dark in the flickering fluorescents. it won't pass close scrutiny, but if she's close enough that someone can tell where it gets streaky, she's close enough to stab them with a paralytic. the gloves get expertly rolled up so not a drop of ink is on her, and stuffed in a pocket.

the sounds of some distant scuffle echo along the stone, and she squares her shoulders. whatever it is, it's between them and the tunnel. ）

Have you seen anyone else that's still jailed?

（ it's said in a murmur, as she pulls fukawa along. ）

dw if you never find out it can't hurt you

[janescayre]

[They're already on the way. Fukawa gasps. There's only a split second to react. As they sweep through the door she reaches for the scissors.

Only one pair comes along. The other had slid away, disturbed by the movement of the first. She hastily pulls it behind her back. Once Sakura is patting herself down and fiddling with a marker, she quietly slips it under the indecorously short hem of the prison rag and tucks it into her underwear. Inevitably the blade scrapes her hip, hard to be smooth about it with no holster, but it's still the same trick she's had to pull dozens of times. Waking up with a weapon in hand and a body nearby teaches you quick.

The hasty dye-job has her pulling a face, but she has to admit that it'd be harder to track down a dark-haired girl than one with a candy floss bob. She shakes her head no as they move ahead, whispering back.]

N-no. My cell was near the exit though, maybe further in th-there was somebody. Lots of people seem to be getting out. [Her heart won't stop thundering. What was that sound? Was someone being dragged off?] Th-the guards are all on high alert.

my ignorance is wild bliss tbh

[craters]

（ she's been mapping out the areas as she's moved through them — fukawa pinpointing her cell as being near the exit gives her a waypoint.

she marches along, stomping a bit in boots that are too big for her. it'll just make her look annoyed, which she supposes will cut down on questions. there is a flicker of a shadow up ahead, and the sound of a blow. her fingers tighten a little on fukawa's slender wrist. ）

Once I get you to the tunnel, can you make it the rest of the way on your own?

[janescayre]

[Meanwhile Fukawa's flinching her way through a march on bare feet. The floor is stone and grout and it's hardly even. There'll probably be worse terrain to come. Could they knock out another guard, maybe?

Nevermind, that's stupid. Another unnecessary risk, and if Sakura's looking like a kid in daddy's clothes she doubts there's hope for a good fit. They seemed to hire exclusively on height and ham-fists.

The shadow spooks her. She nearly gasps aloud, tucking in tighter behind the other girl. She feels the clench on her wrist and understands it both as warning and comfort.]

Wh-what does it matter? [She hisses back.] You c-came here for someone else, right? So go get them. You can worry about everyone else later.

[Secret assassin or not, she's only one girl. And Fukawa's had to navigate treacherous territory before. She shoots Sakura a firm look.

Whatever happens to her once she's in the tunnels will be her own responsibility. Sakura can't shoulder it all.]

cw: prison... violence? AGAB?

[craters]

I've already looked after that person.

（ sasuke only really needed them to get the door open. and even then, given enough time she's certain he could have managed that himself. she went a different way than naruto and sasuke on purpose. ）

So, you're my priority now. We can't get around whatever's ahead, though, so just — follow my lead, okay?

（ deep breath. then she stalks around the corner, straightens up a little (she's maybe poised on her tiptoes in those cavernous boots to accentuate it) and she barks out to the three guards present — ）

What the Hell are you three doing? Who gave you permission to have that prisoner out of their cell?

（ one of the guards is clearly having far too much fun pummelling a young man who has notably reduced himself to a ball on the floor, arms raised up to protect his head. sakura grabs the man by his elbow as he goes in for another swing, and pulls him bodily off the man. ）

We're in the middle of a goddamn prison break and this is your priority? Idiots! What are your names? I'm reporting you to Devas.

（ clearly a name she's picked up somewhere, and one of the other guards cringes at it and tries to stammer out an explanation that she immediately overrides, ）

Explain it to your superiors, I don't give a shit. Now get out of my sight, I'll deal with your prisoner.

（ and it might have worked — the trio shifts, body language ranging from guilty to petulant, and one takes several backwards steps up as if trying to distance themselves from the act, but the nearest man looks from her uniform's rank badge to her face and starts to open his mouth in protest, and sensing the gig is up sakura hammers a fist directly at the man's chin, releasing fukawa as a scuffle breaks out. ）

yes AGAB, i'm with you bbgirl (also cw: violence)

[janescayre]

[She's already busted her friend out, and she's still here?

That's if she's taking her claims at face value, which she sort of has to. Even for Fukawa, conspiracy spinner extraordinaire, it's hard to imagine Sakura taking such extreme risks lightly. Unless she was counting on a future benefit. It's possible. She's already bought so much goodwill as their local practitioner. Spearheading a rescue mission is a one-way ticket to the hearts of the public.

None of this is voiced aloud, of course. Fukawa's only tell is going from stunned to disgruntled, then back to fearful again as they confront the guards head on.

It's hard to look at the poor bastard they've been beating on. His oozing wounds make playing the meek and quailing prisoner easy as pie. None of her shivers are faked. Sakura takes charge of the situation flawlessly.

Only the impromptu costume that does her in. Fukawa screams as the first punch connects, and she launches herself clear out of the way at once. She smacks against the wall, her new scissors knock against her hip. Should she swap over? If she switches now she has to trust that Syo won't bungle her chances at escape, or further mar her reputation. Or get her killed — either by the guards or Sakura herself. After what she did to Sylvain...

Don't be a fucking coward.

She snatches the ends of her hair, ready to tickle her nose and trigger the switch.

But there's three guards. Two are tag-teaming Sakura. The third has come to whack the side of Fukawa's head so hard she sees stars. She hits the ground with a sharp cry, coiling inward instinctively. It's no use. He's snatched her by the hair and hefted her clear off the ground. She's screaming, kicking wildly, but he's now wrenching her arm back, as if to pop it out of its socket.

And he's laughing. The bastard is enjoying this.]

kokomi;

[craters]

（ it's once they get the prisoners into the tunnel that she finally gives herself room to breathe again. she falls back on disaster protocol duties — moving people along, checking on injuries as they go and maintaining a headcount. the sound of clashing swords and yelling in the labyrinth above them never seems very far away, and her jaw is set into a thin line of displeasure. logically, she knows — there are plenty capable fighters, and not near as many medical personnel to go around. but if naruto and sasuke are up there fighting, a part of her wants to be by their side.

(is she always going to wish for things to go back to how they used to be? at some point, she realizes, she'll have to start looking forward.)

she isn't worried about them. if any healing is needed, she can see to it later. it's almost impossible to fathom a world where the two of them together could be defeated. she's more useful where she is, leading people away from the danger. now that they've passed whatever barrier that was suppressing her chakra, she's more than enough to stop anyone they could send down the tunnel after them.

she's let the main bulk of their small group go on ahead of her, and she lingers at the back, looking for stragglers or anyone who might need help. when the young woman comes into view, sakura gives her a brisk. she's not dressed in a guard's uniform, but she wasn't part of the small cohort of prisoners, either, and sakura doesn't recognize her from among the restless that she knows. still — she isn't about to act outwardly suspicious. if the girl's an enemy, she'll reveal herself in due time. ）

Hey, need a hand?

felix;

[craters]

（ felix is little more than a speedy blur as she bolts past his cell.

it takes about half a second for what she'd seen to register, and by that time she'd screeched to a halt so pointed that she'd swear she left scorchmarks on the floor.

slowly, she turns.

stares.

and then, in a tone of pure, unadulterated irritation: ）

Really?

（ this?? again???

boy, how many times is she going to have to get you out of shackles??? ）

[boarwitness]

[he is simply banging his shackles against the wall of the cell when he sees sakura nyoom by, and by the time she backpedals to him, his face is lemon sour. why this. why her. why ALWAYS HER!!!]

I didn't do anything. Don't go getting ideas.

[his crime is being too cool, obviously.

but after a pause, he does

shuffle over to the front of the cell, as close as he can get his manacles, and glower silently.]

[craters]

Right now, my only idea is that you're a magnet for trouble.

（ she gives a rather... wary look behind her, and when she seems confident that no one is coming with any immediacy, she pulls a series of slender needles out of her pouch and proceeds to ... pick the lock to his door. normally, she'd just tear the damn thing apart, but given the suppression of her chakra she's only a little stronger than the average person, and that's mostly just hard work.

still. the locks are simple enough, and she's got it unlocked in less than twenty seconds, gesturing for him to back up and give her unfettered (ha) access to the manacles. ）

[boarwitness]

[she really is multitalented. he never picked up the thief class, so this lockpicking earns her a respectful glance in amidst his frowning. felix is a faceted individual with many different meaningful looks.

once she's in, he silently follows her gesture, backing up and giving her space to work—although he adjusts his sparse rags, because even if she has already seen him naked, it's not like he's keen to repeat the experience.]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're in here.

[because of course she'd throw herself at injustice and people in need of medical attention.]

[craters]

（ mentally, they are tabulated: 'felix look 001, felix look 002, felix look 003...'

maybe eventually she will add emotional nuance to them. 'slightly annoyed' versus 'deeply annoyed'. start an index. maybe she can eventually offer a manual to his poor acquaintances.

she has the cuffs unlocked in a matter of seconds. it's an old mechanism, the pins and tumblers simple beneath the press of her picks. ）

A friend of mine was taken.

（ it's not her usual banter. this is serious, and she's serious, and the next guard she comes across is going to have a perfect imprint of her fist right in his stupid face. she doesn't even care if he touched sasuke or not, she's determined not to discriminate against shitty people doing shitty jobs and endangering innocents. ）

Do you know if any of your friends are here? If you have a soulmate bond with anyone, you should be able to feel them.

（ rip to that potential person tbh??? ）

[boarwitness]

[the cuffs fall away, and he shakes his feet off, getting rid of the feeling of them. freedom. this earns a rare treasure.]

Thanks.

[again. but he also uses this as an opportunity to ignore sakura's question about soulmates or other friends.]

And? Are you on your way to your friend?

[big "don't let me get in the way" vibes right now.]

[craters]

No, they're fine. Turns out they didn't need me at all.

（ that's said lightly enough, with the pride that one takes in one's friends who are strong and capable. but it's perhaps a little on the nose, as statements go. let's not examine that too closely. ）

I think there's, um, a bin where you should be able to find your clothing and weapons and whatnot back. I'll show you where it is.

[boarwitness]

[she says it so lightly, almost pridefully so, that it sort of takes felix by surprise. isn't that the sort of thing someone would normally be embarrassed about...? especially a girl. sakura is constantly full of weird surprises.]

...Right.

[anyway, the bin.]

You don't have to show me. Just point me in the right direction. Then you can do what you want.

[craters]

（ she's loathe to leave him alone, but... at least felix knows how to defend himself.

she gives him a long, calculating look, and then sighs. a knife is produced from somewhere beneath the heavy cloak she's wearing, and she flips it once in her palm, holds it out to him hilt first. ）

Go right, take a left in three hundred meters. There's a staircase that goes down, follow it, then take the first door on the right when you emerge. Your things should be in there. Try not to kill anyone — if we have to fight this on a legal level later, they might hold any deaths against us as a collective.

[boarwitness]

[the comprehensive runthrough is so detailed, he's a little lost for words immediately. still, he supposes he shouldn't have expected any less. rather than voicing this positive impression she leaves, he just shakes his head and accepts the knife.]

Hmph. Spend much more time studying this place, and they'll make you the next jailer.

[but:]

If someone gets in my way, I'll cut through them. I'm not a part of any collective.

[craters]

（ god why is he so much like sasuke at the worst of times. sometimes, even the cadence of his voice...

but unlike sasuke, they don't have years of acquaintance that makes her reluctant or unlikely to step up and tell him no. felix gets an irritated glare. ）

Whether you think you are or not, it won't stop the Hierarchy from viewing you that way. If you're okay with your actions having consequences for others, then do what you want.

（ rude child. ）