( DEPARTURE )

[abhoth]

SURVIVORS: 42 At 6:00 PM on the dot, everyone who has died during the ritual will awaken in their respective beds. Whole and unscathed, it would be far too easy to say that everything has been nothing but a fever dream. But the truth, as always, is far different from what the heart yearns for. For the first time in five weeks, night falls over the City of Yuggoth. The sun no longer hangs over your heads, its presence dark and oppressing. Instead, a soft, blue light shines down from the sky. It's not quite the moon, no. The Unclean's avatar is still visible in the sky, after all. But it's comforting. It's the promise of new beginnings, of newly forged bonds, and pacts that neither heaven nor hell are capable of tearing down. Does this singular moment in time make everything they've been through worth it? No, probably not. But this is the end. Their journey is over. Now it's time for forty-one (41) individuals to choose their destination, while one (1) is left behind. The unmarked room between the Kitchen (still wrecked — thanks, Tsurugi) and Laundry room is now open. Faceless men will be giving away baseball caps, pens, keychains and all the splendor of Yuggoth, as well as glossy photos taken throughout the ritual... for most, it will be a photo of their dead body and the manner in which they died. Yikes. A toy machine has also been left here, with a sign that reads TELEGRAM FUND: DEPOSIT YOUR CLUE TOKENS SO EVERYONE CAN CONTACT THEIR FRIENDS. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ANDERSEN, SO DON'T ASK. - ABIGAIL. Manning the Curio Shop won't be the only duties the faceless men have been relegated to, however. They'll be hunting down everyone but the new facilitator in order to give them a bus ticket. The destination and time of departure will be blank upon initially receiving it, but as soon as one thinks of where they want to go? Both fields will be filled in, and will be adjusted accordingly if anyone has a last minute change of heart. It seems like, in the end, it's up to the residents to decide whether to return home or to catch a ride with one of their new friends. Starting from 6:00 AM on Tuesday morning (a fact only discernible thanks to the Grandfather clocks, as the sun refuses to rise again), double decker buses will roll by the motel to pick residents up. There will be several buses, each one remaining at the entrance for fifteen minutes and the next one arriving after an hour long interval. Bus tickets will refuse to change after the first bus has arrived, so try not to be too indecisive lest you wish to remain in this realm or strike a deal with the Unclean. On the bright side, there are at least two to four days before everyone has returned home. May as well get those final goodbyes over with, right? It's a wrap, everyone! Thank you for the wild ride, and don't forget to check out the Love Meme and TL;CR Meme. You can use this post to thread out those last goodbyes. ( quick navigation ) ic rulebook | locations | statuses | room assignments private conversations | ic profiles | graveyard | full navigation

Comments

[forlease]

[ It's finally here. It's finally time. Ryou bus ticket reads: Domino City, Japan. He's toting it along with some keychains and other paraphernalia from the Curio Shop, because of course he is. Having survived dying (again) and being able to go home... He's in pretty good spirits. Not the skittish, anxious kid he was just a month ago.

He's humming to himself while he waits for his bus, idly fidgeting with one of his souvenirs. ]

I hope my friends didn't miss me too much while I was gone... At least I'll be home soon.

[crushcard]

[ congrats Andersen, you're writing about a love story that has transcended 3,000 years. ]

Hn. I don't plan on returning anytime soon.

[ He's Tired. Also Done with sacrifice ritual bullshit. He won't say it, but he's actually pretty damn impressed that Andersen took the deal with the Unclean. ]

Consider it entertainment material, then. For the next batch of... people, that you have to oversee.

[ That sentence leaves such a bad taste in his mouth. ]

Even if they don't enjoy your sparkling personality, I'm fairly certain they will enjoy your writing.

[ungodly]

[ if fire is coursing through percival's body, then surely electricity was running through heather's veins. right now.. she can just be. she can exist. maybe she wasn't even heather any more, maybe not even cheryl — she had abandoned that life, wished for cheryl and harry to be happy, and now.. she was free. she could be her own person, and they could be happy together.

for some reason, she can't help but laugh. she keeps laughing and laughing and wiggling around while pulled into their hug, happy to be this close to other people after so long. to her beloved friends. she can't even say anything, because who cared about words? right now, she was sure.. for the first time in so long. she was sure that she was happy. they didn't just dull her pain. they made her feel wanted and loved.

and now, wreathed in their embrace, her only wish was to see the sun come up together. if anyone asked, she'd say she was the biggest pessimist she'd ever met, but somehow.. she just knows they'll see each other again. so she isn't worried. she just wanted to relish the time they had together.

as.. a family, maybe. ]

[restlessgods]

I knew you had that kindness in you.

[ She smiles, the gentleness in her eyes far more evident than before. ]

[restlessgods]

If that is your wish... I will respect it.

[ It's precisely for the irony, really. ]

You are one of the most real men I have met, Andersen.

[willremember]

No way, what if someone steals it? I'm not putting something like that in the hands of some psycho.

[restlessgods]

The spirit takes precedence over the vessel, I would think.

[ Is she amused? Probably. ]

[restlessgods]

Not usually, but I can make exceptions.

[ For someone who could understand her, even if it could never be complete. ]

[disinterested]

...

[None of it particularly makes Girge feel better about all this—because it's not a "good" ending, is it? not for all of them—at the same time that he knows nothing he says will matter.

And so, with his free hand not holding onto Andersen's gift (though he still can't tell what Andersen is repaying him for), he handles this how a functional human being who knows how to deal with emotions would.




He shoves Andersen.]

[fauxtetsu]

[ In turn, heroic spirits have intrigued Nagasone. They aren't too different as far he knows. But he can't imagine a sword like Andersen. The way he carries about his life... that feels uniquely him ]

We have left our marks on humans, and likewise they have done the same on us. I'm not in a place to say both of us mind too much with how we look, but you leave quite the impression.

[ The idea of Andersen the grumpy host cracks him up a little, but the reality of Andersen's new position softens the laugh. ]

In the end, I can only protect my brothers from being here. But if another sword tsukumogami ends up in your care... I hope they don't give you a headache. If you're curious, most are willing to talk though.

[ He maybe can see right through ya, buddy. ]

[crushcard]

[ WILL THEY BE ON THE SAME BUS HOME, it's a mystery.jpg

Although in all honesty, it's more likely than not, since they're both going to the same place.

He's also in the Parking Lot, and he's also idly fiddling with the tentacle beast plushie that he's picked up from the Curio Shop. ]

Yugi would have missed you, at least.

[willremember]

Nothing is permanent. And even with help, who knows how long I'll even live?

[crushcard]

[ ... It's enough to startle him again - Rachel, you have to stop catching him off guard, all that's doing is making him feel more apprehensive again. ]

... Kind is not a word I would use to describe myself.

[crushcard]

[ shut up girge he's a socially awkward gigantic card game nerd who only pretends he knows how to interact with people.

He'll shrug. ]

Evidently.

[disinterested]

[Dimly, it occurs to Girge that this is probably not how he should try communicating with his father.]

That's a loaded question, Andersen.

[He smiles wryly, extending his hand to him.]

[restlessgods]

Thank you.

[ The bottle, she takes with delicacy. She would have to think of when to use it, but first - taking off her veil, she removes the pin that had decorated it for so long. It's a small golden flower, half-bloomed. In return, she would hand it to him.

It also means that he would be able to see her face. A thin scar on the side of one cheek, marking her crippling injury - but at the same time, she looks... young. Perhaps not older than twenty-five, but there was also a strangeness to it that made age estimates difficult. ]