[Other OPEN] PERSONA // THE DEVIL'S GAME [M] (IC)

[seattles]

< KOZUME HIROKI >
arcana: STAR / age: 17 / year: 2​

> DAYTIME <​

The cherry blossom trees are beautiful. His gold eyes gazed at the pink petals as they flow to the ground, flying high fleetingly before they land where the wind takes them. The next term is going to start soon, he's an second year now. Surprisingly. Soon, high school will start again. Soon, he'd flounder in his grades, left behind by those who scored higher than C's. Then what else? Socialize; one of his only strengths. But of course, she was just as good as he is. Even better (or worse): She is always surrounded by people, her aura, her smile, they will flock to her because she's a mary-sue star.

He has to try again. (And again, and again.) Maybe this time, fate will turn around. His efforts will reward him, in the end because isn't that what the saying goes? 'Work hard and be rewarded'. (And again, he'll fail. And again, she'll succeed.)

How many times has he been telling himself it'll be fine? There's still hope, a desperate part of him keeps saying. She'd support him, much like the other times. With a beautiful, warming smile, she'll say comforting, encouraging words to him and he'd feel bolstered and pumped up until reality shattered his views.

(Vaguely, he recalls a weird dream but he can't seem to remember everything else. A woman appeared her eyes brighter than his and more eerie. The woman asks something, he said something back. There were people too, far away and out of reach.

It all blurred out.

It was a bizarre dream.)

"Oh hey, it's Hiroki!" A male voice exclaims, dragging him away from his cloudy thoughts. An arm slips around his shoulders as he snaps out of his spunk, blinking at the persona space invader.

"Eh? Shouichi!"

It's his classmate from another class, a boy who became his friend since months ago. The guy was more insistent than him, calling him by his first name and telling to do the same.

"Hi, what's up? You look like you're in deep thought," Shouichi says, eyeing him. "You alright?"

Hiroki blinked again then laughed, shaking his head. "Nah," he denied. "The cherry blossoms hypnotized me so that's why I was deep in thought." Hiroki explained, he did not want to confess he's been thinking of positive thoughts to combat the looming negativity.

Shouichi may be his friend; he is not a best friend nor is he someone he's close to. How can he spill his worries when he can't even do that to his family? To her?

"Thought so, you weren't acting like yourself back then," Shouichi says, patting the dark-haired teen's back once he removed his arm. "I was worried for a second you were lost! You're always so cheerful it's hard seeing you looking like that, even with your grades it doesn't stop you from smiling a lot."

A part of him – a deep, deep part – wants to say he's an idiot. Being cheerful, acting cheerful, does that mean he has no concerns, that he's taking life so carelessly? Hiroki knows his friend doesn't mean anything by it. It's just a silly voice trying to push him down.

"No way!" He remarks, smiling to make a point. "I'd never stop being myself! I'll stay happy like this forever!" Even though I want to, I want to so bad. "It's not healthy being sad all the time." It's not healthy being happy all the time either.

Shouichi grinned, "Good! We need your daily dose of energy or Rakkoken High will fall into darkness!"

"Like that will happen!" Hiroki laughed.

In the short distance, someone calls for Shouichi. "Oh right, forgot I'm with my other friends," he says, looking back to where the caller is then faced Hiroki. "I have to go, see you later!" With a jovial pat on the back, he dashes away, leaving the gold eyed male with a hasty goodbye.

"See you," Hiroki whispers in the wind.

With a last glance at the cherry blossom trees, he walked away and left his dark thoughts behind. It'd be okay, there still hope.

> NIGHT TIME < ​

"Are you excited, Hiroki?" Hitomi questions, her lips forming her usual gentle smile. "New semester is starting today; you'll be in second year!" she gushes as if it's great news. "I'm sure you'll enjoy your second year, soon you'll be in third year. You're growing up." She looks sad, like she can't bear the thought of him growing up.

"Don't worry, big sis," Hiroki reassured, grinning brightly at her to ease her worries. Already she's acting like his mother. (But that's how she's usually is when it comes to him.) "I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself. You should go back to sleep, you'll need to wake up early," he says then feigns a yawn. "I'm pretty tired myself so I'll be in my room sleeping. G'night." With that, he escapes to prolong the conversation that will, without a doubt, turn to his grades and lack of effort.

(It's not the lack of effort. He's trying so hard.)

He flopped into his bed, face hitting the pillow. He stayed there until he fell asleep. Tomorrow, it'll be like nothing happened. He'd still be the same happy kid, and he'd lie to himself and keep on saying it'll be fine as the new term loomed closer and closer.

But then he dreams of something else. Eyelids fluttering open, he blinked and looked around. Where am I? He's in a large room, an odd room and what's even odder is there are people with him. He's not alone. Some of them looks to be familiar, but where has he seen them…?

Oh. Right. At school, of course!

An woman appears, dressed in a cute maid outfit. Her eerie eyes had him remembering the dream before. The bizarre dream he faintly recalls. "Eh? Is this a play? Are we playing roles?" Hiroki asks, being half-serious, half-fooling. "It feels like we're in a supernatural show. Cool!" The dark violate-haired teenager says cheerfully and lightly.

In all honesty, he's nervous and unnerved at the mood swirling around the big mansion-like room. What are the doors for? Exits? Do they lead to different hallways? Is this another dream? It sure looks like it, otherwise this is real as it gets and isn't disturbing if it's real? How easy they took them away from their homes and dumped them here without managing to disturb them?

What's going on? Why is he here too?

 

[Jay]

​

---

Male | 18 | 3rd Year | The Hierophant

Tuesday, March 26th | The Velvet Room | 1:45 AM

​

---

It was early in the AM when Tatsuo went to sleep. He had been thinking about the dream non-stop. The girls he had met, they had shared that experience, had the others done so as well? He recognized some, others were new to him, but all were present. All had met that woman Juliette, all of them surely remembered. What could he do about that, however? As he settled into bed and rested his head on his pillow, his eyes began to droop closed. What would happen in the coming days and nights? What was this destiny that the mysterious woman spoke of?

CRACK!

​

Tatsuo nearly leaped from his bed at the sudden noise resounding around him. Large cracks were drilling through his walls at an alarming rate and the room took on an unnatural sheen as if coated with glass in an instant. "W-what?!" He attempted to stand up and out of his bed, only to find himself fully dressed, shoes and all when he hadn't been previously. In his confusion he failed to notice the surface of the floor take on a sleek and slippery texture. He promptly slipped, falling hard on his back with a loud cry of pain, followed by cracks growing along the entire surface of his room, blending together, making it hard to tell the floor from the walls from the roof.

In a panic he quickly attempted to stand, not thinking of the results of his swift actions on such an unsteady surface... and before he could even fully comprehend what was going on the entire room shattered around him and he fell into a void of black. The darkness was permeated only by blue flames as he seemed to sink further and further into a never ending void. What was going on? Where was he? How was he falling? How was any of this possible? Was this another dream?

He attempted to turn mid fall, gaze back up and see if the broken room still sat in the space behind him. His gaze widened in terror as he saw something different chasing him through the dark. Reaching out to run him through, he saw a sleek and modernized, artistic design of a Roman Centurion, upon it's back was a massive lion headed shield... and in his grip was a blade that seemed to be crafted of starlight. The strange figure grew closer and closer, Tatsuo felt the sweat drip down his brow and his glasses fall off, flying into the void behind him as he continued to fall and panic gripped his heart. He reached out desperately into the shadows, praying that he might find something to help, something to protect himself.

He felt the grip of a familiar weapon.

He pulled out the small revolver from the shadows, his father's gun he had been forbidden from holding, a memento of a life Akira had left behind. How was it that this weapon held so far from his grasp appeared now in his time of need? There was no time to question it now! He took aim, gripped the trigger, the barrel fell upon the head of the falling soldier, he had no time to waste, he had to do this now! He squeezed his finger inwards and the recoil increased his velocity.

A sickening metallic shatter and the cracking sound of a bullet shattering bone rang out through the emptiness. All went suddenly quiet as the figure whom had been reaching for him desperately went limp and simply fell above Tatsuo. He stared in shock and fear as the painfully defined hole in the pursuers metal helmet emitted small cracks, the sleek surface bending and breaking under the newfound pressure.

It broke away... and Tatsuo's froze in petrified fear and terror.

Beneath the helmet was the pale, motionless head of his own body.

His scream was cut off by the sudden impact of a floor beneath him and everything went dark.

---

​

Tatsuo awoke with a start, a cold sweat running down his back, a piercing pain perforating his forehead and beyond. What the hell was going on? The room he was sat in was lavish and laced in beautiful shades of indigo and azure. It calmed his very being to be here and the aura of the very building itself seemed to radiate a soft and relaxing radiance. As the pain in his head eased, he took the time to peer around the table to see his suspicions confirmed.

The others from the dream before were here and aware, questioning... Juliette. So tonight would it all be revealed? He heard vague whispers amidst the others, he had woken up a little late but it didn't take long to learn the name of this shared dreamscape, this place where the conscious minds of he and the others were gathered for the musings of Juliette. This was "The Velvet Room".

His eyes traced over the other "guests" present. His glasses had found their way back to his face somehow, though the gun had vanished from his grasp. Uehara-san, Ishitani-san, Miyazaki-san... yes, all those from the first dream were present here as well. With a sudden realization he actively searched the room for two individuals... and sure enough there were the girls he had met in the real world the day before. "Takino-san? Matsusheta-san? Then this truly is a continuation... from before..." His voice trailed off into a mutter.

He knew that no amount of his speculation could explain this now, he was wise enough to know when his own knowledge and input were insufficient. So now, he would wait. His gaze turned expectantly to Juliette, no longer aggressively questioning or making an effort to silence the others... for now, he would wait for the woman in purple to give her answers and explanations, as she had done the night before.

---

 

[GanguEevee]

~Velvet Prayers~
_____________________
Monday, March 25th
Afternoon (6:00 PM)
_____________________

​

Her eyes snapped open for the second time today. Oh yeah, that?s right...after she came back from the store, Yuuki just popped a piece of that gum Tatsuo gave to her and just flopped on her bed and went to sleep. That entire conversation made her feel fatigued...trying to process it all led to her brain needing a shut-down. She just slowly sighed. ?Mmm?.I?m hungry, now?.? She did buy those chips?.did she? Wait, did she left them there?! ?...Oh, for the love of God?? She goes straight towards her brown table and picks up the black cell phone that was on the table. She does know the phone number to a good fried chicken restaurant?

?I hope they can just send it here?.I rather not go there and pick it up?.? Considering her luck, that?s probably going to be the case.

_____________________
Night (11:50 PM-12:00 AM)
_____________________

​

It took way too long for her to come back from that chicken place. First off, she had to deal with an unexpectedly long line before she could get her food. Secondly, she was going on the bus, due to the restaurant being in a location that would take longer to walk to. On her trip to the place, her seat was seemingly wet from a drink or something, leading to her legs getting a bit wet and sticky (remember, she?s wearing a skirt). On her trip back home, not only did the bus drive through a puddle that was near enough to splash her when she was going on it, the bus was filled up and the only seat she was able to find was just as wet and sticky like the last one. She had to take a long bath, of course.

There was a third reason, however. She decided to stop and buy a scented candle. This candle was supposed to smell like one of those rainbow-colored candies that were usually in a small bag. There were some matches inside the kitchen, so she immediately went and took one of those out. She lit it up and went to her room. There, in the middle of the small table was the ?candy candle?, in all of its fruity red glory. She slowly walks towards it and lit it up.

After putting on her four-leaf clover patterned pajamas, she picked up the pillow on her bed and put it on the floor next to the table, and sat on it. She then closed her eyes, put her hands together, and prayed. ?Oh gods, oh gods...I pray to every single one of you tonight...religion does not matter to me, so I pray to every single one of you all...I thank you all for giving me life, food, water, and anything else I can possibly think of?? Her eyes were now half-opened, as she looked at the flaming red-orange light that has illuminated her room, while the scent of a lovely strawberry filled up her nose.

?Dear gods, I believed that the events that have transpired within the time-frame of this single day are the start of something big?Something that might break your holy rules...I have met two individuals today...But I have also met them once in a dream. I believe this shall not be the end of it...I know we will meet each other again very soon?? <...Wait.> She suddenly blinks three times. She?s...not hallucinating, right? She did see that...right? <What was that? I swear, there was an animal on top of my table?>

?...I?m sorry for the sudden pause, my lords...I?ll make this quick, then...I know I have asked for this several times now, but at this point, I need you to make this wish come true...Please, give me good luck...No, give me a guardian?.No, make me a guardian. I want to be someone that can protect others from the possible dangers that are about to occur...I know it, something is coming...I don?t want anyone close to me to die again...I don?t want anyone to abandon me again?? Tears started to come out of her eyes. She can see it. It?s right there, in front of her. It?s that thing she saw when she was deep in her thoughts in the dream. She still can?t see it clearly due to her tear-filled eyes, but it?s quite clear that it?s in her room. It?s not doing anything, just...staring at her. For some reason, she started to feel a bit more at ease while looking at it. She stopped crying and looked down at the floor.

?...I...I just want to help everyone, in any way I can...I don?t want to be bad luck anymore...These are the final words I direct to you all, as I bid you farewell?? She stands up, cleans her eyes with her hands and looks at the table again. The animal was not there anymore. ?...What the hell is going on??? She just shook her head and sighed. After picking up her pillow and putting it on the bed, she just throws herself onto the bed as well and went to a deep sleep.

This day has made her way too tired?.She was probably hallucinating that animal, anyway.

_____________________
Velvet Room
*Time Unknown*
_____________________

​

<Oh...Oshiji-san, Taki-chan...> Well, she was expecting it, but not this soon. Here she is, in yet another connected dream, in a big room within a mansion, colored in indigo blue. Everyone from the first dream is all here in this same room again, and there seem to be a few new faces here too...But they were probably in the first dream as well. She really didn?t know the names of these people, however. There was the girl who seemed to try to be the voice of the group, although it?s quite clear that nobody didn?t seem to care to listen. There was the seemingly ditzy boy, who tried to lighten up the mood by saying that it?s possible that this is just some sort of roleplay.

And then there was everyone else, including the other student she didn?t really recognize (He was pretty short?), who were all asking the exact same questions: Where are they? What the heck is the Velvet Room? Why does it have to be them? Is this yet another way for Juliette and her master to quench their boredom? All these many questions and more. The only thing they?re waiting for now is a response. Obviously, she and many others stayed quiet throughout a majority of this. Besides, why bother asking a question when somebody else is already asking it for you?

All she wanted was her prayers to come true, not to be stuck in this mess yet again...

​

 

[Fen-Fen]

---

Aiko Schroeder-Inoue

---

An Ordinary Day

After leaving the butler cafe, Aiko called up her dad to pick her up in their car. She was quite content, savoring the pleasant experience with the butler cafe and her shopping trip, all easily costing 250,000 yen. After waiting for a good while while the streets clogged up with traffic, Aiko?s father pulled over to the curb, immaculately dressed in his suit, tie and shades and driving his Mercedes-Benz G class SUV. He greeted her daughter in English, opened the trunk and helped her get all of her shopping bags into the trunk. ?Geez, this much stuff for a first day of school??

Aiko smirked. ?It?s not just for school, dad. Vacations, parties, get togethers and school.?

Her father sighed. ?You really didn?t need all of this. You?d have been just fine with a few new outfits and a few things here and there?

Defensive, Aiko whined, ?But I had so much money anyways, and all of this stuff I really needed. Can?t you cut a girl a break??

?Look, just, nevermind?.? Normally, he would have argued further, but dropped it because he had a phone call to attend to.

Aiko fiddled around with her phone, surfing the web and going on Twitter. Both of them went about talking about other things, like her friends, their parents and other mundane subjects. The spent the rest of the car ride like this and finally arrived at their house, a well located but unassuming little house. Well cared for and with a few status symbols here and there, but not gaudy and flashy. The two greeted Aiko?s mother, made some small talk and had dinner. This scene would usually not be out of place in an average Joe Schmoe family, but this had been the first time in a while it?s been like this. In fact, things have been more unsettled and tense between the three of them. The tenseness wasn?t tangible per se, but it was lurking beneath the surface, bubbling up more and more. It was not something Aiko really acknowledged, making every justifiable excuse she could muster about what was surely just a little rough patch.

With a delicious dinner down the gullet, Aiko went on to read an otome manga she picked up the other day, enjoying the corny but somehow endearing plot.

It was that dream again. Strange bluish tinted room, same strange yellow eyed maid woman and even the group of students gathered around. Just what was Aiko doing here caught up in this mess again? The air around her was ominous and eerie, putting a nagging feeling on Aiko she couldn?t describe and frustratingly couldn?t shake off. Aloud, she said, "What is up with this place? It can't be coincidence that I'm in here twice..."

 

[Strange]

[a id]text[/a id]

? [alink id=persona]Katashi Kudo[/alink id] ?

Katashi was exhausted after the day he had. He was so tired he flopped down on his bed fully clothed, even still wearing his shoes, and fell asleep almost immediately. His mind was plagued with the thoughts he had tried to push out during the day, his father's illness, his mother overworking herself, his need to fit in and have people like him, until finally his mind began to dream about an elegant room with a glass chandelier and strange paintings.

He blinked, lifting his head and noticing that this didn't exactly feel like a dream. He saw that same mysterious lady who he could vaguely remember from a previous dream. He stared at her, intent on remembering what happened in the last dream, until suddenly he realized she had been speaking, and now people were yelling out questions. He looked around suddenly, now aware that there were other people here too. Were they there last time? That must be why that short guy looked so familiar!

Katashi yawned, realizing that this really couldn't be a dream if he was tired. What's going on? Where was he? Who were they? He had so many questions, and yet he stayed silent. He was overloaded with so much he had no idea where to start. Luckily the others had covered the basic questions, and he looked hopefully to the lady for answers.

​

[a id]persona[/a id]

? [alink id=text]Narcissus[/alink id] ?

Healing and Ailment

​

 

[Dragon]

Spoiler:

"It appears that you all are settled..." Juliette began, looping upon the crowd.
The candles all suddenly went to dim. Juliet slowly approached the groups' table with a firm expression. She seemed colder than how she was before, and much more formal. Was this her true personality? Or a way for her to speak to humans?

"From your tones, you must not be smitten on seeing me again, but I assure you, this is for a good reason this time. First of all, do not worry. You're all fast asleep in your world. I used my power to summon your consciousness to this pane of dreams and reality... the Velvet Room. But you all must of known that by now."

She then clasped both of her hands together. "Now, you must heed closely to what I'm about to tell you. Are you aware of the epidemic that has been going on in your world? That is the result of the departed - those who have been causalities... of the game of devils. She snapped her fingers. There came a roar, seemingly from unidentifiable beings. Are there tigers... lions... or even dragons in this place? Or something worse...? "The devil's game is a series of trials that are cast upon your world, made from the gods. Humans with extraordinary state of consciousness gather to complete the trials for fortune... and power. Those who gain power are said to be destined to rule over the masses, and to shape the world as they wish. Naturally, not everyone can inherit this extraordinary state of consciousness - only those with resolve in their heart may wield such power."

Juliette snapped her fingers again, lighting the room up once more. "You don't need to understand this all now. However, allow me to give you a simple warning: you will soon experience a trial, where your heart will be put to the test. If you have the strength and resolve to complete the trial, you will gain a new power. But if you fail..."

"...You will die."

____________________________________________________________________________________​

Players:

Kazue Tamaka // TOWER
Tatsuo Oshijima // HEIROPHANT
Kiro Irakuza // HUNGER
Aiko Schroeder-Inoue // MOON
Katashi Kudo // LOVERS
Uehara Naoki // EMPEROR
Kouki Morimoto // HERMIT
Izumi Takino // STRENGTH
Hideki Miyazawa // MAGICIAN
Eri Takanashi // DEATH
Giichi Jo // TEMPERANCE
Satomi Taniguchi // PRIESTESS
Toshio Miyazaki // FORTUNE
Yuuki Matsusheta // HANGED MAN
Madison Page // CHARIOT
Daiki Kagawa // DEVIL
Kammi Akiyama // EMPRESS

​

 

[Dungeon Maker]

Kagawa, Daiki

M | 18 | 3rd Year | Class A

XV The Devil

She... summoned them all here? Confused, Daiki remained silent but kept a pissed expression on his face. No one was permitted to know that he was actually terrified of all this impossible bullmuk going on around him.

When she snapped her fingers, causing the room to echo with the roar of strange animals, Daiki grabbed his legs with his hands and held tight as if he were about to be thrown around. Truely... this was a nightmare.

"So what you're saying is that the Devil's Game is the cause of all those vegtable heads?" Daiki asked, almost rhetorically. He knew of people that were plagued by that illness but if supernatural bullmuk turned out to be the cause then... then... his place here in this dream.

Was he going to be next? What were those trials? Did... did this women target people to be put through this kind of muk?

"Whatever these damn Devil Games are... I won't lose." He said, breaking his mental hesitation by slamming his fist on the table. Pinching his leg with his other hand, Daiki tried to make this momement important in his brain, so that the pain would remind him later.
​

 

[jombii]

Uehara Naoki | Emperor​

Post 5: This is Some Weird Dream​

"You don't need to understand this all now. However, allow me to give you a simple warning: you will soon experience a trial, where your heart will be put to the test. If you have the strength and resolve to complete the trial, you will gain a new power. But if you fail,? the woman said with a pause. ?You will die.?

Naoki started sweating at the thought of dying. He was slightly convinced that this was just a strange dream after all but he couldn?t remove from his mind the feeling of reality. It stayed at the back of his head like an itch that he can?t scratch, partly because he?s not comfortable in moving too much.

"Whatever these damn Devil Games are... I won't lose." A face Naoki could slightly remember said. He slammed his fist on the table and, for some reason, the tinkling from the chandelier above them echoed. The surreality of the moment took hold of Naoki?s brain and mouth. Around him were just shocked faces, similar to Naoki?s.

?Why me?? he found himself saying. ?I?m still pretty sure this is a dream but why me?? Naoki asked. He felt eyes quickly switched from the woman in front of them to him. ?And what?s stopping us from just ignoring whatever this dream is. I think there?s a high chance I?m just hallucinating, you get what I?m saying?

 

[Quest]

Aiko Schroeder-Inoue & Kammi Akiyama

The Moon ||| The Empress

Call on Me - Starley​

"But if you fail ... You will die." Juliette's words resonated within Kammi. Thankfully, Juliette had answered most of their questions... Not that they were the answers anybody really wanted. The entire group was made up of special people. People destined to either become great or die trying. Kammi shuddered at the thought. Of course, she didn't mind the special part. It was the dying that made her worry, as it should.

She looked at the other teenagers around her. She could only imagine the same things were going through their minds. She focused her eyes at their newsgiver. "What do you mean we're going to die?" she said, her face scrunched up in disbelief.

After hearing the spiel about devils, gods and epidemics Aiko stared in a daze. Special? Trials? Doomed to die? Aiko exclaimed, "W-what, we're gonna die? Why the hell are we in this demonic mess? I didn't sign up for this..." She was starting to lose her composure, and not getting any better as the possibilites raced in her mind, further creeped out by the demonic noises. "God, what the hell is going on here?"

Kammi looked next to her as Aiko exclaimed. Kammi was in a state of disbelief, but Aiko had seemed to move past that already. Kammi definitely understood, and even if Aiko was the first to freak out, she likely wasn't going to be the last. Kammi huffed for a moment, setting her hand on the table as she thought. They needed to figure out exactly what these trials were and how they were to survive. In a situation like this, she needed to be calm. If she was able, she needed to keep everyone else calm as well.

Kammi put a hand on Aiko's shoulder and leaned down next to her. "Hey, Aiko, right?" she asked her, realizing this was the first conversation they've had both here in this dream and the real world. "Take a moment and breathe."

Aiko took a deep breath. "S-sorry, just, the death thing and those noises..." She shivered. "Do you really think this is true? Us being dead and being some demon pawns? It could be just a dream, but now it feels too real..." Again, the undefined feeling from before arose, sending more shivers down her spine. It was definitely linked to being here and with these people, but still couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Well..." Kammi hesitated. If she had her way, this would just be a really weird dream and nothing would ever happen because of it. That definitely wasn't the case. "We're not dead yet," she finally said, her voice reassuring. "If you watch my back, I'll watch yours. We'll figure a way to deal with this, okay?"

Kammi attempted as honest a smile as she could muster.

Aiko replied, still unsure. "Ok. I'll see what I can do, but I don't know what I can offer."

Kammi pointed at the maid. "If you're going to believe her about our possible demise, then you should believe in her thoughts of us being extraordinary people. We were apparently chosen for this." Kammi moved her hand back to Aiko's shoulder. "Something or someone believes in us to some degree, so believe in yourself as well."

The other girl said, "O-of course I believe in myself, it's just, well, I'm not sure when I'm apparently going to die. It's not exactly an easy thing to bounce back from, you know?" She laughed nervously in an attmept to make herself seem less affected than she actually was.

"She did say that we could die, not that we had to," Kammi reminded. Thankfully, Aiko made at least a slight rebound.

Just as Aiko was going to respond, she heard one boy slam his fist on the table and shout, "Whatever these damn Devil Games are...I won't lose!" Consequently, a face Aiko vaguely recognized as Naoki started flipping out, along with some others. Aiko was at least assured she wasn't the only one freaking out, and that her freakout was fairly minor. But after losing his composure, he did again bring back the possibilty that they could all ignore this dream. Would that be such a bad thing? It's not like Aiko was a super smart person or an athlete or anything like that. Maybe a fashion aficionado at best. She sighed. "Maybe he is right..."

Kammi foldeed her arms in front of her chest. "But you can tell this is different, right?" she asked Aiko, half directing her attention to Naoki as well. "If this thing is real, if we're all actually here, what makes you think we can just ignore it? Would that not be the most probable way to end up dead?" Of course, Kammi wished that this was all it was. A weird hallucination or dream that had no effect on the real world? She'd take that any day.

This lecturing is making me sound like Mom, she thought with a sigh. She loved her, but imagining them being that similar made her shudder slightly. "She mentioned the epidemic that's been going around. People don't just turn into vegetables without any warning signs beforehand. It's not natural and this 'Devil's Game' is just as good an explanation as any."

The other girl sighed again. "I guess there really is no way out of this then. But why me? My life has been fairly uneventful and good. It's not that I don't feel bad for the people going through the epidemic, but I don't get what I bring to the table to stop it."

"Do you think any of us have a clue about why we're here?" Kammi retorted. "We're all high school students. We're kids. If you take one look at all of us, do you think any of us are smart enough to find a cure or strong enough to fight some evil force? We're all in the same position."

"B-but-"

"But what? We're all here. If the choice is either winning this 'Devil's Game' or dying, wouldn't you rather win?"

"Yes. I don't want to die." Aiko was finally starting to grasp some of the situation before her. "That's what I want more than anything, really. I still have a whole life ahead, maybe I can finally..." Aiko realized she was trailing off into some weird tangent. "Never mind." She turned back to Kammi. "I will give it my all. My apologies for all of my scaredy-cat behavior."

Kammi simply gave the girl a smile. "Don't apologize. Trust me, I understand how you feel. I got your back, just make you have mine," she said holding out her hand, "okay?"

Aiko firmly grasped the hand and replied. "Okay."
​

 

[PastelPhoenix]

Kazue Tamaka
Female//16//The Tower​

​

A Blue-Stained Proposal

A laugh escaped Kazue's mouth at the seriousness of Juliet's request. Gods? The Devil? No... This charade has gone on for too long. She was tired of the games, which according to their host hasn't even begun.

"You aren't serious, are you?" She stood up, pushing her chair in with her foot. "How about no. I am not playing along with your so called game." There may not be an exit to the room, but hopefully the move was symbolic enough.

"I am sick and god-damn tired of this already." She continued her rant to the table, staring down Juliet in particular. "I don't know how you are doing this, and I don't want to know either. This is either some delusion of mine, or your some kind of cult messing with my head. I am not playing, I am not buying in. Leave me the fuck alone now!"

Slamming down her fist to emphasize her point, she turned her attention to the others. She couldn't shake the vague sense of familiarity of some of them, but trying to recall them felt like trying to find a specific grain of sand on a beach. She shouldn't give a damn about them falling for this scam artist's tricks, but she wanted to give them at least one warning before writing them all off as lost causes,

" I don't know if you all are even real or not," she said, rubbing her temple to try and stave off the coming headache, "but don't buy into this shit. She's using nice words like "special" mixed with vague threats like "death" to try and make you proud and scared. There are no special powers in the world. These games are a sham to make you trust her as some authority figure. She's probably with some cult or something, and she'll sell you salvation at the cost of everything you own and then some. She only wants to rob you blind.

"I don't know any of you, but if you believe a single word out of her mouth then I will not hesitate to call you the biggest idiot I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."
​

​

 

[GanguEevee]

~An important choice to make~
_____________________
Monday, March 25th
Velvet Room *Time Unknown*
_____________________
Die. Just the word itself and the way Juliette said it...Her spine shivered, and she was starting to sweat bullets. Her breathing started to become quicker than usual, to the point of almost hyperventilation.​

She didn't know what to say. She has heard about the rising number of people suddenly catching a strange illness that leaves the one gaining the illness nothing more than an empty shell of their former self. Supposedly, some doctors and scientists are trying their best to cure this new illness, but to no avail. But the fact that they've obtained this illness is all due to some supernatural game between certain people just made it even worst. And now here she is, being told that she and many others are a part of this 'game' as well, and possible failure will result in death.

<Death…?! No. I don't want to die...I really don't want to die...I know she doesn't want me to die either...>​

She wanted to agree with Naoki and say that this is probably a bad dream or a hallucination...But if it was like that, then why is this dream happening right after the previous one, where everyone here was also there? Meanwhile, it seems the short boy, Aiko and the other girl are fine with this...if it means to live, then they really have no choice. Kazue on the other hand...is not having any of this. After giving a few...words towards Juliette, she started to go on a little rant that was obviously pointed towards everyone else.

"I don't know if you all are even real or not, but don't buy into this ****. She's using nice words like "special" mixed with vague threats like "death" to try and make you proud and scared. There are no special powers in the world. These games are a sham to make you trust her as some authority figure. She's probably with some cult or something, and she'll sell you salvation at the cost of everything you own and then some. She only wants to rob you blind. I don't know any of you, but if you believe a single word out of her mouth then I will not hesitate to call you the biggest idiot I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."

'No special powers'...No, that's wrong. She still remembered seeing that creature before she went to sleep. She still remembered having that conversation with Tatsuo and Izumi about the previous dream. The dreams were fated to happen. The conversation was inevitable to happen, due to the dream. This felt way too real...This was absolutely not some tabloid scheme or something. This was...she didn't know a better word to describe it.

But she did know one unfortunate thing: Kazue was wrong. Very wrong. She wanted to say that she was wrong...but she knew that she would agitate her more if she said anything directly to her. But what can she say about all of this…?

<I have no choice...I'm risking it.> "...You're wrong. There is magic in this world...I just know it." She standed up and looked at Tatsuo and then Izumi. "Today, I had a conversation with these two...and it was due to that dream from before…" She looked down to her feet. "I prayed to the gods tonight...And then…I saw it. I saw an odd creature appeared while I was praying...I thought I was hallucinating...But it knew it was there. I remember seeing it before, in the previous dream, where I was deep in my thoughts in order to drown out all the commotion…" She closed her eyes and tried to roughly visualize it in her mind. "I swear it was white...and it looked like some sort of paper weasel...or some kind of ferret."

She slowly sighed, and reopened her eyes, which showed a spark of confidence within them. "The point is...I saw it...It was there. I'm not good at explanations or descriptions, but...that's all I've got."

She glared at Kazue and started to speak in a much more clearer tone than her usual slow and melancholic tone. "Look, I know what you're about to say. At this point, I'm expecting it. And I won't care. Your harsh words and opinions about what I think about this situation shall not affect what I still believe is right. I have already experienced the worst at this point, and even to this day, I am trying my damnedest to forget about it all." She was started to tear up, and was now glaring at everyone else with two obvious exceptions.

"But I'll just say it here...If any of you truly think that this is just nothing more than a dream...Then go ahead. Go right ahead and think that these dreams you had in a row are just that. Dreams. But I have seen proof. Proof that something horrible is going to happen. So, if something happens to you in the following days after you had this dream...Then that is because of you. It will not be my fault, nor anyone else's. That was because you chosen that path for yourself. Right now, this is an important choice you have to make and if you decided to possibly ignore all of this...Then that's your choice...and it may affect your perfect future to the light...or your inevitable end caused by the darkness…"

Suddenly, she started to cough a lot and was now sitting down on her chair again. After her coughing fit, it seems she was now back to her quiet self, slowly sighing with that slow and melancholic tone of hers.

"...Ugh. That rant sounded good in my head, but it sounds so poorly worded when I say it...I'm sorry if it sounded odd...But I hope my point went across to you all." It's quite clear that she was embarrassed by what she said.​

 

[seattles]

PRESENTING

Confusion still settled in his bones, gold eyes flickering to each forced participant. Questions flew but no answers came forth. Not yet, at least. Hiroki wasn't sure what to do, nerves frazzled at the sudden situation he's been subjected to; at this rate he wanted a distraction because supernatural aside, this is freaky even though it seemed a bit cool to see this kind of weird place.

Then, he noticed his seatmate to the right, light blonde hair splayed to his shoulders, body tense looking ready to use violence.

A small part of him, so small he pushed away lightly, whispered you don't wanna trigger him because he seemed ready to bolt, muscle tense and close to punching the nearest person - which is Hiroki himself. Hard.

But hey, when did that stop him? Besides, they were in the same boat, he couldn't be that bad of a person, yeah? (Or is he? His self preservation sending him mixed signals.)

"Hey," Hiroki said lightly, "you alright?" The second year wasn't sure what to say, he didn't know the other guy. First year? Third year? Or second year, he didn't know everybody in his year and he most likely couldn't remember.

The young man didn't respond to him. If he was purposefully ignoring the second-year, he seemed all too invested in it. He didn't so much as twitch a muscle in his direction or bat an eye. In fact, his eyes seemed to be staring out into the distance as if focused on something. The fake blonde wasn't entirely non-functioning though, as he continued to scrape his nails under his armrest in a steady, unsettled manner.

Hiroki eyed with him with growing concern. He could reach out and make sure he's fine but he'd be in deep trouble. Hiroki was sure his seatmate would not appreciate any physical contact.

(His dumb at studying but this? He can be smart. Can be.)

He felt as if an wild animal - dog most likely, or wolf, cats were more claws, sharp and pointly unlike a dog who sink their teeth to the skin right down to the bones - on the edge of ripping something to shreds. (Again, which most likely Hiroki himself and with how he's slowly poking the other, it looks like the first victim is undoubtedly him.)

(Was Hiroki exaggerating? Most likely not. Probably.)

He shifted slighty to face the older student by a year. Not that he knows. It is still a safe distance, not too probing. "Need an outlet for stress? You can punch the table, if you want," Hiroki said, cautious but radiating concern.

Dark eyes snapped back to his. They locked there, the blonde's stare was intense yet suppressed something greater. Immediately the raking fingers went still. When he parted his lips to speak, his mumbling voice was a low baritone with an expected edge.

"Are you mocking me?" The guy turned his head slightly to face the accused. "You want to make me look like a fool?"

Yep, Hiroki knew it the moment their eyes met, stare intense, that the light-blonde hair boy is without a doubt, on edge. He couldn't look away, heart thumping whether with fear, nervousness or exhilaration. He's not sure himself.

Well, he thinks rather cheerfully despite the tenseness, at least his fingers stopped. Now what to do with the present edge directed at him?

"Nope," Hiroki answered lightly, friendly, no mocking in sight. "I can act like I said something insulting and promptly apologize, you'd have a reason to punch the table." He hoped he came across as an relaxing guy. Although if he thought Hiroki as an oblivious fool, that'd be fine.

(It's not like he new better, he really is a fool.)

"You look like you really need an outlet, you're tense," He frowned, "Sorry for being intrusive."

After a held moment of inspecting eyes, the young man broke away to leer off to the side elsewhere. "An 'outlet'? No, I need out."

The student shut his eyes as and fell silent again, taking a deep breath as he straightened his posture. Opening his eyes again, they looked almost glazed over with wear as they passed over the table. He mumbled a word to himself, before he lowered his head in the direction of the flickering candles on the table. They were a tantalizing arm's reach away.

Under his breath, all Hiroki could catch was "... dream up in flames..."

Hiroki followed his gaze, eyes landing to where Giichi's line of sight rested. Oh, he thinks, not sure if his guess is right and hopefully it's not.

But the muttered words he heard and the way the upperclassman's eyes were drawn to the flame like a moth, he could see sparks of fire dancing in the reflection of his eyes. Hiroki slightly thinks it makes a beautiful sight.

First though - "Need a distraction?" Hiroki asked airily, acting as if he didn't come into the conclusionable reason to Giichi's sudden attention on the flames of the candles. "Because I need an distraction," he confessed, just for addition. "Besides, I don't think she's going to let us out easily until she deems us so," his eyes fleetingly flickered to Juliette. "I don't think we can wake up easily either."

Was he doing this right? Gah, his nerves were slightly tittering.

The young man didn't budge but he quickly interrupted. "... What's your name?"

Hiroki blinked in surprise, caught off guard. And here, he thinks he'd be the one doing the talking and getting brushed off in return. Probably becaue he's being bothersome.

"My name is Hiroki," he answered after a pause, the corner of his lips quirking up into a small half-smile, "Kozume Hiroki." He would have add it's nice to meet you except the mood isn't right and there's nothing nice meeting someone who's more or less in a bad mood and in a dream to boot.

"What's yours?"

"Jō Giichi," he grunted. It looked as if his muscles weren't as taut as they once were, only relaxing slightly. "If this is really some sort of ugly, lucid dream, then maybe I've seen you somewhere before. Maybe that's how my mind goes." Without warning, he reached out for the table candelabra and grabbed a candle by its stalk, entirely intent on yanking it towards him. When the candle and the fixture it sat in didn't so much as budge, a brief glimpse of astonishment crossed his Giichi's eyes, before he slowly retracted his hand back into his lap, flexing his fingers all the while like eager claws.

Hiroki relaxed, feeling like a huge hurdle has been cleared. Or so it seems. Did he succeed? "Maybe it's a fantasy dream," he said, not going to mull over Giichi's (yes! he got a name! what an accomplishment!) words and feel offended or not with the way he said it, Hiroki thinks he's being blunt and straightforward which can be a good thing! "It looks all to be re--" Hiroki stopped and eyes widen in alarm at the senior student's abrupt action. He wanted to say something but he didn't get to because wow, the candle's stuck.

"This is wicked, weird dream," he whispered. How many times has he described the dream as weird? Because it really is. There weren't much to say, when Juliette began speaking. He listened attentively, like an obedient student in class but this isn't a class and he's in a predicament right now along with others. He was in awe at the wild animals coming to life in sounds and continued to listen until she finished.

"...Yep, this is real," Hiroki spoke out loud, looking a bit blank at Juliette's ominous words. Was this really real? The cause of the sudden illnesses coming from this devil's game she's talking about? He thought of his sister all of a sudden, with each passing day, she looked so weak and pale but still manage to smile through it all that he brushed it off as not feeling well. It's not as if she's involved... right?

The others reacted, one slamming his fist on the table and another speaking out. Hiroki's eyes moved to land on Giichi's face to analyze his reaction. Don't freak out, he said telepathically, concern going up again. They were going to die if they don't succeed, that would freak anyone. He felt freaked out to but he's not going to dwell on that fact. She must be kidding, or well, he hoped she is.

Giichi, though, did not lift his eyes. He did not stir from his seat. He did not offer any signs of perception or attentiveness. He only continued to furl and unfurl his tense fingers. He appeared as though he was never compelled to care. Perhaps to him, he had no real investment as a forced participant in this entire melodramatic event.

The silence atmosphere was a bit rigid. Did it stop Hiroki though? Nope, not one bit. "Maybe this isn't real, maybe this is just a play," Hiroki mused, glancing at the others and frowning a tad bit. "Do you think this is an elaborate, planned prank?" He questioned. To majority, Hiroki appeared to be talking to himself but it was more of breaking the silence. Maybe, he was distracting Giichi or trying to make the upperclassman relax. He's not doing so well, is he.

"This is a unique start of my second year in Rakkouken," he says, "Dreaming within a dream, or dreaming a realistic dream prank." Hiroki blubbered, to fill up the silence between them. I must be a bother to him, a part of him tells himself, big sis is much better at this.

A girl spoke out, making a show of a drama character in his view. This is just nonsense, isn't it? Maybe,
they were really kidnapped when they went to sleep. But why them in particular? He doesn't even have talents that will catch a person's eye. He will always be the clown, the guy who laughs everything away and hide his doubts.

In honesty, he didn't want to get involved in this show. Maybe this is on air, live? Doubtful, considering the circumstances.

Another girl countered, sounding and looking nervous. Well, this is not going to go well, not when everybody has different opinions. "Uh, can we move forward instead and have Juliette-san explain more?" he voiced out, to try avoiding early conflict.

OPERATION FAILED

 

[(Drakath)]

Kiro Irakuza ~ Hunger XI-2​

Everyone asked similar questions that all lead the same end. The roars midway through Juliette's explanation of this end startled Kiro. He didn't think beasts resided here as well. However, that noise did not originate from anything earthborn, he was sure of it. She went on to explain 'The Devil's Game' as he continued absorbing the information, and when she finished, explaining the consequences of failure, his head lowered slightly in thought as his arm moved halfway to his chin.

The Devil's Game... So she's gone because she was weak. This understanding lead Kiro to rexamine her words and solidify his feelings on the situation. 'Those who gain power are said to be destined to rule over the masses, and to shape the world as they wish.' An evil smirk crept onto his face. The risk was well worth the reward. If I win, I gain that power. A way to sate his ever hidden Lust, fulfill his newfound Hunger. And if I lose, I get to leave... But, with the way this world is, was that really a loss? "Alright, I'll play your game." Let's see where the whims of fate may lead us... Upon mumbling that phrase under his breath, the feeling of the situation excited him, whereas it once unsettled him.

He was anxious. 'Soon.' How soon? Why not now? To Kiro, the anticipation of this 'trial' made the wait seem as if it would take forever. Though, knowing him, he'd quickly stop caring and forget about it until it was already upon him. The others' reactions took his attention away from the growing impatience. The expected freak out, someone's dramatic declaration of will to succeed, followed by another's continued denial. The Aiko's panic was calmed by another long hair girl who's name he didn't catch from his last time here. He watched and listened as Aiko was talked down before moving his attention to the others. Perhaps he was the only one taking this well. As if to reinforce that assumption, a girl he remembered quite clearly from his last visit began ranting in disapproval of the entire situation.

"I don't know if you all are even real or not,"

Now that prompted a question that Kiro considered checking. "If that's the case then why are you even freaking out..." I mean, surely you could just touch us to confirm our existence. In fact... With that idea in mind he calmly strided across the room to Juliette. He stopped and gave her a good look up and down, those eyes still bothered him. Readying an index finger, he exhaled before gently poking one of her exposed arms. The soft feeling of skin resolidified his belief of her existence. Ignoring whatever reaction might've come from her in hopes of it not being aggressive, Kiro turned to the angry girl and spoke. "Well, I can confidently say that she's at least physically real, and I've seen at least some of you in the real world. And since we're all fully aware, it's safe to say that no one is a figment of the other's imagination... Besides, even if this turns out to be a scam I'm pretty sure we'll all understand that when we get there. And part of this situation would be way more confusing than it already is... I think-" Kiro stopped and found himself cut off by a typical looking Japanese girl, previously immersed in thought, as she began to speak. Yuuki...

She vouched for the situation's credibility, using an interaction from earlier in the day as evidence. Well that explains the third person, and removed him of any doubt he may have had. She went on to almost lose him during a failed description of a creature she saw while praying. He was never really a believer in those spiritual things and briefly pegged Yuuki as a priest of some sort. Her voice cleared up as she continued speaking, only to devolve into a coughing fit and revert back when she finished.

In this momentary pause Kiro realized how close he still was to Juliette and stepped away before speaking to her, "Maybe you can do something to convince everyone that there's power in this world."

A pale, brown haired kid suggested to have Juliette continue explaining, and Kiro could only agree with that request.