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

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza has to just...lie on the ground for a while, after all that. She notices vaguely that the surroundings are not at all like the train, or even any of the places they've stopped at.]

...so, not like Town A, huh?

[She eventually gets up and starts walking around, though she'll look very confused if she sees anyone who wasn't from the train.]

Hey, um, who are you?

[icanhearscreams]

[Ah. A person on the ground. Welp.]

No idea what that is.

... Jun Ushiro. You're with this second group, huh? From the train?

[telecosmetic]

[She stares up at him.] ...yeah. Does that mean Beatrice and Proto Man are here too?

[icanhearscreams]

Yeah. There’s a bunch of us here from a previous round of murders, too.

[telecosmetic]

[She looks horrified, getting closer to see if he's dissolving or becoming staticky in form right now.] Were-were you on another train? How long ago was this?

[icanhearscreams]

[Nope, just here.]

No. Not another train. A mansion.

[telecosmetic]

Oh...was it also under the command of someone called the Empress?

[icanhearscreams]

Nope. Two stewards, who were trying to bring back their 'big sis'.

[telecosmetic]

...huh. That sounds really different from what we went through. Wonder why we're all here together then... [She finally sits up, brushing herself off slowly.] Oh, right. I'm Eliza. Eliza Owens.

[notthebreakman]

[Damn it. Eliza had been one of the more stable ones as far as Proto could tell. Having her brother with her to provide moral support must have helped...

...and now her brother is without his support. Fantastic.]

Hey, Eliza.

[telecosmetic]

[Look, if Zack had been executed, Eliza would absolutely have snapped.]

Oh...hi Proto Man. How...how is it, over here?

[awitchdidit]

Eliza? Really?

[Beatrice is honestly a bit perturbed.]

What possessed someone to kill you?

[telecosmetic]

[Sadly, she doesn't remember Kaine Parker and can't call him a coward who can't even own up to his won crime. Instead, she just blinks rapidly, looking somewhat ashamed.]

...the vote.

[awitchdidit]

Oh?

Oh.

Really?

[She laughs, a bit ruefully.]

Ahaha, of course. Who am I to doubt a young lady's determination when loved ones are on the line. I assume they were still on the line?

[telecosmetic]

They were. And not only that...those of us who were still living were told that they would be drained of their Hours-their life-if no one committed murder. And...they gave us more videos, of them being dragged away.

[She clenches a fist.] And for the first time, I saw that they had Luce there as well. My youngest brother, who has barely gone through any pain in this life. For his sake...I could become a killer. If the vote hadn't ended up swinging towards Zack...

[awitchdidit]

[Beatrice nods.]

I am many things, but I'm not a hypocrite. We're here for the same reason. And frankly, even if I'd succeeded in bluffing my way out, I'm not sure how long I could have kept my mouth shut. Sacrificing someone for someone else is bad enough, but letting someone else take responsibility for it...

cw: implied suicide

[telecosmetic]

[She's...relieved to hear that, at least.] I didn't really try to accuse anyone-I simply hoped that the clues I left to confuse people would have led them astray well enough. And...I'm not sure I'd have kept the sunglasses on during the execution, if someone else had gone in my place. [Though that's at least partly due to a fear of what the others might do or think.]

[awitchdidit]

Filling the crime scene with red herrings is a good strategy. I thought about it, but it felt a little too close to the methods in Murder on the Orient Express.

...

...I don't think I'd have chosen the Sun as a way to go out, if I had a choice, though. There are...less unpleasant ways to go.

[hexposition]

Oh! Hello.

[Emma can't sneak up on people when they sneak up on her, apparently! She turns to face Eliza with the brightest smile she can.]

My name's Emma Millstein. Are you from the train?

[telecosmetic]

Yeah...I'm Eliza Owens. [She wishes she could smile back, but with everything that's gone on...] How many of you from that mansion are there?

[hexposition]

In better circumstances, I would say it's nice to meet you, Eliza.

[She'll let her smile fade, looking up thoughtfully as she tries to count it out.]

Let's see. There's myself, Akko, Mrs. Parham, Franciscus, and Jun... that I have seen, anyway. There should be two more than that, by my understanding, but there are five in all that I know of concretely.

[telecosmetic]

I see...I hope they didn't get left behind when the rest of you escaped.

[hexposition]

...I couldn't tell you, unfortunately. I... showed up here a bit later than all of my compatriots. I don't know if that's a result of my death being outside the realm of the horrible "rules" we were set to follow, but it is what it is.

[Her wings flutter a little, nervously.]

[telecosmetic]

Oh...that sucks. [She vaguely remembers the corruption, back in Town A, and the consequences of Renji touching it.] But I'm sure they're relieved to know you're here, and not lost somewhere.

[hexposition]

Yes, certainly. And it's a relief to see them again, as well. Despite everything, there are people I consider cherished friends among us here.