A Reckoning...

[strangerpeople]

[You are dead.

Where you awaken is not of your cabin on the train but rather firm earth, the skies above you being nothing but an inky blackness as for as you can see. And yet throughout the darkness, you are surrounded by soft lighting and peculiar music playing all around you. When your senses become less muddled, you will notice that the music playing is upbeat and joyful almost. But let's face it, you are probably thinking this is some sort of creepy hell that you got yourself into after biting the bullet.

It all depends if you find circuses to be such a place because that is where you find yourself. The setting feels more antique than what you may assume a circus to look like, more Victorian themed than what one can be called. First the sound picks up and then you can smell something delectable in the air, catching popped corn and fried sweets and maybe something to drink? It's more than likely here.

Going down the main way, you can see some classic carnival games such as skee ball, ring toss, balloon popping if you are inclined to try and take your mind of the fact that you didn't have a choice in coming here. But despite the joyous air of the circus, there are not many people here that can help you out...or are there?


Lost souls just like yourself who met with the same horrible fate...perhaps an accord can be struck. After all, it looks like you will be here for awhile.]


((OOC: Map for reference.))

Comments

[whitemoontiger]

[ It's in waking with a start that Atsushi stopped short, not entirely realizing what happened for a moment before it comes back to him. ]

...I really hope she was able to save her brother...

[ He then gets up and looks around, instantly seeming to deflate even as he placed a hand against his chest. Grimacing just a little since the memory of his death is still fresh on his mind. ]

I die and end up at a circus...? Not... really what I pictured when it comes to the afterlife...

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza is looking at one of the games, glancing around as if trying to figure out whether she can just grab a doll and run. However, she notices Atsushi approaching, and freezes.]

...hi.

[whitemoontiger]

[ Upon hearing her voice, Atsushi looked up and instantaneously went pale. He wasn't mad at her for what had happened, but there was also a LOT of emotions he was feeling right now regarding his death. Not to mention he was still trying to process everything and what it meant for her to be here with him after he'd been killed. ]

...Eliza...

[ The thing she might note is that Atsushi really doesn't look angry as he took a couple steps forwards just then. On the one side, if she'd died then it meant the others had figured out who had really killed him but this also meant that she hadn't been able to save her brother, either. ]

I didn't think I'd see you here.

[ Mostly cause a small part of him had selfishly hoped she'd succeed and get to spare her brother. Having someone innocent sacrificed wouldn't have been much better, but this was all a messy situation to start with. ]

[telecosmetic]

[She doesn't really expect anger, considering what his last words were. Still, seeing him postmortem is different from hearing it from his dying gasp. She lowers her head, hands clenched into fists as tears trickle down her cheeks.]

They...they started accusing Zack, and I couldn't sacrifice one of my siblings for the other. So...I gave them the full evidence they needed. They would probably have voted for him, otherwise.

At...at least the Conductor said everyone'd be spared the Midnight Cells. [She'd been relieved to hear that, to know that no matter what Luce wouldn't suffer the pain of forced aging.]

[whitemoontiger]

[ Suddenly everything makes a lot more sense with how things had went up there. Not in a bad way, but that put a new perspective on all of it. ]

I... can't say I blame you. If I were in your place, I would have done the same.

[ Then there was that being said and Atsushi looked a little relieved, his shoulders relaxing just a touch from how they'd been before now. ]

That's good. I was worried something would happen to those I cared about once I died. [ He seriously can't express how happy that does make him feel honestly knowing that. At least for now they'd be left alone now that he was gone, even if it was a bit of a bitter and unpleasant thought at the same time. ] B-Besides that, how are you feeling? Are you going to be okay?

[ It goes without saying that they ARE dead so that's something but he can at least ask all the same. ]

[telecosmetic]

[She sighs a little when she hears that. There's really a way to push almost anyone to kill, isn't there? Secrets, wishes, loved ones...at least that means they're not going to chafe against each other the whole time they're here.]

I...I think so. I don't feel stiff or anything. [Not like Minato...]

[whitemoontiger]

[ Everyone has that one thing that would make them get pushed over the edge and even he is no exception. ]

That's good. I'm glad.

[ Seriously. Considering the way Beatrice died at the last vote, he had to see if there was no added side effects of that whole mess. ]

I... just have to ask. H-How did everyone take it? My... My death.

[icanhearscreams]

None of us really pictured this option. We were on a different island at first.

['Sup.]

[whitemoontiger]

[ Going to just jump a little because he wasn't expecting someone else to actually be here with him. Let alone someone he's never really seen before now. ]

Y-You were? So you just ended up here after being somewhere else initially??

[icanhearscreams]

That's right. We went through a similar thing with people being killed and tried for it. We were in a mansion, then ended up on an island with a crashed plane when we died. Then everything started breaking down and we had to escape.

[whitemoontiger]

I see. It doesn't seem like things on this side were really much better, by the sounds of it.

[ An island with a crashed plane that broke down and ended up with them ending up on some weird circus island or something instead. ]

Ours was... on a train that traveled to these different places for about a week at a time. The last was this weird... space prison populated with tourists, a sort of odd petting zoo and criminals who actually made the effort to come back to be locked up again.

[ He deflates a bit as everything starts sinking in. ]

I thought we were the only ones who had to go through that kind of sick 'game' because of the Empress. Didn't know there had been others before that didn't even take place under similar circumstances.

[icanhearscreams]

I'd have preferred a change in scenery, honestly. Victorian Gothic doesn't do it for me. Space prison, though? I'd say that sounds insane, but I can throw things with my mind even while dead and piloted a giant robot that killed me before that so I don't think sanity exists here.

[whitemoontiger]

Yeah... I can imagine that's really not something many would enjoy.

[ There's just a second where he processes everything Jun just told him, followed by something of a shaky laugh. ]

At least your power sounds useful. What I could do before showing up back there was infinitely better and I kind of miss it now.

[notthebreakman]

[Oh no. Proto knew this was bound to happen again, but...]

...Atsushi?

[whitemoontiger]

[ He had started walking forwards, but stopped short when he heard that voice. Immediately looking over to see Proto before his eyes widened slightly. ]

P-Proto... I...

[ There's a LOT of emotions he's dealing with right now and they're all coming back to him at this point. He deflates a bit, sadness crossing his face. ]

So this really is the afterlife... I was hoping that maybe it wasn't, but... [ Atsushi opened and closed his mouth for a second, trying to find the words to say but everything was hitting him. His death, and what he left behind when it happened. ] I-I'm sorry...

[notthebreakman]

[Oh no. Proto is doing his best not to show it, but he's internally flailing because help, how does he deal with this? Atsushi is clearly hurting and he has no idea what to do.]

Wh-what are you apologizing for?

[whitemoontiger]

I tried to do what I could to keep going. Even when it hurt and they continued to threaten my friends, I knew I had to be strong and did my best to help Minato and Mithos when they were feeling down after your death...

[ God why is he breaking down now? He'd kept himself together so well during this past week and some, and now he just wasn't able to do it. ]

I did my best to fight and then... I failed. Said i'd be there to help them through this and was strong for them because someone needed to be and I couldn't let myself break like I did that first week after motive. I wanted to honor the strength you gave me when you helped pick me back up, but what if me saying what I had to keep them going ends up just hurting them now that i'm gone too...?

[ So maybe there's a bit of anxiety and hurt showing itself now. ]

[notthebreakman]

Atsushi, this isn't your fault. None of this is...

[But the words ring hollow no matter how much Proto wants to believe in them. After all, look where that kind of talk got them in the end.]

You didn't deserve this. You... you did everything you could...

[Oh god, did Proto cause a cascade effect of misery with his words? Is that all his efforts led to?

Now they're both starting to break.]

[whitemoontiger]

I... I know, but... what if they... what if Mithos closes himself off from people now? Minato's probably blamed himself for this. I didn't want anyone else to be upset...

[ Look where that's gotten him.

If he were at home, he could stand tall and fight anyday but this was 100% different because there was no way to fight back against this. Especially now that he was weakened by his body being altered to what it was. ]

I did. I tried my best to encourage the others and now it... feels like I left a burden with them.

[ By now he can tell he's having an effect on Proto as well, so he straightens up a bit as he looks at him firmly. ]

I do owe you. If it hadn't been for you that night, helping me stand up and remember how to fight again? I'd be probably be much worse off than I am now.

[awitchdidit]

What, you weren't expecting your final destination to be as much of a circus as the journey?

[Hey it's Beatrice. She's in a mood.]

Welcome to Clown Purgatory, I guess.

[whitemoontiger]

[ Well if his surroundings hadn't immediately alerted him to this being the afterlife, it was cemented the second he saw Beatrice. He'd seen her get executed, even if he now wishes he hadn't since it was kind of... awful. ]

I was certainly imagining something else other than this but... considering everything, maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

[ There's a slow blink here. Then another. ]

Clown... Purgatory?

[awitchdidit]

Have you got a better name for an afterlife carnival?

[whitemoontiger]

A-Actually you putting it that way just now works just fine...

[ Doesn't matter what one calls it as they're all stuck here from what he could tell. ]

[hexposition]

Ahaha... your compatriots felt similarly.

[Here's Emma, sneaking up on newbie ghosts again! Sorry for your everything, Atsushi.]

But here we are, regardless. Such as it is, welcome.

[whitemoontiger]

[ Yeaaaah.

Don't mind that sort of strangled noise that escapes him at being startled there, Emma. Same with how he'd visibly jumped a little before turning to face her and trying to put on something of a smile despite his overall unease of this place and the situation. ]

A-Ah... t-thank you. I didn't actually think anyone was going to be here except me s-so this is surprising.

[ Though much better in retrospect because being alone in a creepy afterlife carnival sounds like something out of a nightmare. ]