sevenvirtues | (no subject)

(no subject)

You awaken to blackness. Frightening, although familiar--this is the same terrible thing you narrowly avoided during your first trip into Lebensbaum. The pain of your death is still real, echoes of the wounds you suffered appearing on your skin. Inspecting your surroundings will tell you that you've woken up inside of the cooled, empty bonfire pit....and the town as it was is nowhere to be seen.

The sky is a whirlwind of blank, dark void. What previously acted as roadblocks on either side of the town seems to have moved upward, blocking out most of the sun's light. The street is barren, filled with piles of broken concrete, shattered glass, and smoking craters where many of the buildings used to be. Old bloodstains dot the pavement, mixing in with overturned cars and crumbling brick walls. Lebensbaum is a dead town, in more ways than one.

Except for the hotel. It stands, as dusty and abandoned as it ever was, but no worse for the wear. Scorch marks can be seen on the ground around it in a clear border, as though it had a barrier protecting it from whatever destroyed the village. If you venture inside, everything is in its place, as though the outside wasn't completely obliterated.

The living can be seen walking around, going about their daily lives, and if you concentrate, you can even see the buildings as they once were--in working order, clean, and in one piece.

As of Monday on Week 10, however, there is a door, seemingly pasted into the middle of the street. As the days tick by, the doors will increase in number, one for each victim.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[following not far behind: one tiny pink force of nature just straight-up fuckin launching her entire self at this hug in progress with a shriek, because while yes we should probably handle poor fragile dead grandpa with care, Clover is made up entirely of impulse and emotional volatility even at the best of times so do you think she's thought this plan through any further than needing a group hug to occur immediately?? no

+1 crying pink child for the ghost avalanche!!!]

[Undyne's been screaming in rage ever since she saw Break's and Rhys's bodies - almost as loudly as she screamed when she saw Papyrus's - but her screams finally turn into actual words when she sees their ghosts.]

Break! What the fuck what the fuck how can it be both of you what the fuck RhysBreakwhy--

[...okay, so they're not comprehensible words. Mostly because she's screaming them while running towards them at the same time, shoving whatever unfortunate ghosts happen to be in the way aside and looking kind of like she's about to murder both of them--

But nah, she just hurls herself right into Gilbert's and Clover's sides so she can try to hug Break (and Rhys if he got trapped in the cuddlepile too) as tightly as she can as well.]

[ Really, he should expect this. He should absolutely expect this, because this trio hasn't exactly been gentle or careful at the best of times, so why would they be now. As soon as he hears his name, Break looks towards Gilbert, and there's a laugh on his breath, but it's also rather quickly replaced by horror as he sees Gilbert trip and come hurtling toward him.

He thinks to himself if only for an instant that he really didn't want to be the test subject for if a ghost could also die, thanks.

But that's quickly gone as Gilbert collapses on top of him like a dang dingus. That's enough to knock him off balance and wind him in one fell swoop, but the tight hug prevents him from regaining that breath. Then in a flurry, there's quickly another person, and then another feeling like they're squeezing the life out of him all over again. He closes his eye tightly, since the light still hurts his eye, but it's not quite hard to figure out the other two from voices alone. It's all he's had up to this point after all.

He's... actually a little overwhelmed by that. It's not strange for Gilbert to be so happy to see him, but for anyone else? It's hard for him to believe. He's didn't think himself the sort of person deserving of this kind of reception at all, and especially not when he feels that he's failed all of them. It's humbling and overwhelming all at once, but—

He also can't breathe.

Like, even a little. ]

[GIVE HIM A FEW SECONDS HERE as he just continues with the death hug, totally heedless of the fact that they've now been joined by two more goobers and even he feels like his lungs are being crushed a bit...

But eventually he'll realize, hm! That's kind of weird! Break isn't saying anything, even to shout at them and call them all morons...!

At which point two and two finally click together and he scrambles to let go but he's caught up in a hug tangle so that's a bit easier said than done, currently. He's trying. He might just end up elbowing Break in the process instead of being useful, though.]

Er— Guys, I don't think he can breathe!

[it takes a second for that to register through all of the CRYING AND EMOTIONS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, JUST, IN GENERAL, but once it does:] ...oh! Oh, shit—

[NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATHE IS NOT A FUN FEELING BEEN THERE DONE THAT, otherwise she'd probably just be like "suck it up you can't die twice" and let this happen but not wanting to inflict strangulation (by hug) on anyone else is enough to get her to wriggle away from the hug tangle so Break can breathe again. Or, like, she's trying, anyway. This is basically up to Undyne at this point.]

[wow why are we leaving anything to Undyne this is a terrible plan all around also ghosts don't need to breathe gosh]

We're ghosts, we don't need to breathe! [BUT FINE she'll start untangling herself from the hug

right after she lifts every single one of them at least a foot off the ground in one massive final group cuddle. She can canonly bench press seven children at once don't fucking question her on this.]

[ Even though Gilbert was the one to save him from a double-death, he's also the one to take the brunt of Break's annoyance here. He has seniority over Clover and Undyne, so unfortunately for him, this also means he gets the most beatings. As they start to untangle from the hug, Break gets elbowed, and his immediate response is just to sock Gilbert in the stomach right back... He may not have his cane, but he'll still beat Gilbert up.

Though once he starts to be able to breathe again, he takes a deep, rattling breath, even as he's just lifted off the goddamn ground. This is so uncomfortable. Whatever nice, shonen-esque feelings he may have been having a moment ago are being quickly replaced, because he's instead feeling the deep concern that he may have made

Friends. ]

You're all complete, total, and absolutely useless idiots!

[ He starts to yell at them just like old times, but no, he still actually is recovering from a death by lung hemorrhage, so he breaks out into coughing after his first bit. If ghosts bleed, they may be unlucky enough to get some on them, but regardless, he's also not done with his rant just yet. Even though he continues coughing through it, Break just continues to be a grumpy old man. ]

Now put me down! I just died once, so I'd really prefer not to immediately repeat that experience!

Edited 2016-04-25 04:16 (UTC)

HRFF—

[The sound Gilbert makes when Break punches him in the gut at long last... Well, after letting Undyne torpedo him into a dying old man, he probably deserves at least this much. HE'LL TAKE IT.

Even if he's also wheezing a bit now but that's fine because Break's clearly having an even worse time, and he's definitely grabbing his dumb comrade by the shoulders as soon as Undyne sets them down so he can get a better look.]

Are you hurt anywhere? Your injuries should have healed, but...

[Break is an outlier...]

[noooo why the yelling!! Clover likes Break too much to get into a yelling match with him, don't yell at her, and the peal of giggles over being hefted into the air cuts out and she looks a little like a kicked puppy. dejected pink attack chihuahua getting hollered at for chewing up the furniture.

But okay, as long as Gilbert's got the important stuff, i.e. minimizing just how dead and dying grandpa currently is, she can focus on marginally less important additions:] Um. [sniff] Ghosts can't kill each other. [she is sure of this. it has been tried. this is reassuring to know, right]

Um... [sniff sniff] ...We missed you?

[missed interactions that weren't ghost charades, anyway. you know what she means.]

[WOW WAY TO RUIN THIS TOUCHING SHOUNEN FRIENDSHIP MOMENT BREAK!! Undyne just snorts, because she's used to dealing with Emotionally Stunted Bullshitters by now.]

Yeah, yeah. Good to see you too, Break! [She slaps him on the back cheerfully, because now that he's a ghost she doesn't have to worry about his 5HP fragile grandpa state.] You totally missed us too, you're not fooling anyone!

[ It's what he does best, honestly. Though at the very least, some part of him is grateful, because having to deal with these three right away definitely gives him a lot to put his attention towards. His eyesight is finally starting to adjust, so he looks at Clover and Undyne in turn, though his expression is definitely odd. His gaze is sharper than it usually is, though it's only something that they'll notice now because of how usually indirect and wandering his gaze tends to be to obscure the fact that he can't see anything. The expression itself is as if he's seeing them for the first time, and that's especially true of Undyne. After all, it's one thing to be told that Undyne is a giant beefy fish woman, and it's another to see it for yourself.

Though he'll get to that in a moment, because Gilbert fussing over him takes a bit more priority. He catches his breath and sighs as he looks back to Gilbert, and he reaches up to place a hand on Gilbert's. He grips it gently and gives it a small squeeze, and though he doesn't say as much, there's a very quiet, gentle sentiment in it. For all his worrying these past few weeks, it's a relief to see Gilbert especially. It's not as if he doesn't care about Clover and Undyne in his way by now, but Gilbert had been his motivation to continue forward instead of giving in to despair a second time.

It's not quite that he's going to say anything about that, since it's still too soft a sentiment for Break to comfortably express, but it is something to subtly convey that he's glad to see him. However, that's also rather quickly forgotten, since as he looks Gilbert in the eyes (and really looks, which is a nuance that Gilbert might be able to pick up on), something dawns on him. That serious, softer expression is gone as quickly as it came, and it's instead replaced by one that's nothing short of incredulous. ]

You... have both arms?

[ He's speaking to Gilbert, but this also makes no sense. Yet Break says this as if there's something deeply wrong with that fact... The state of the arms has finally come. ]

Edited 2016-04-25 04:56 (UTC)

[Gilbert definitely does notice that, because he was too much of a knucklehead to realize Break had lost his sight in the first place, but he's spent enough time being dumb grandpa's eyes to recognize that the usual indirect, somewhat meandering gaze isn't there anymore. So, at about the same time Break asks his own question:]

You can see...?

[AAA IT'S A MIRACLE--

But also wait, what the heck was that.]

—What does that even mean?! What?! [WHAT. Did someone do something weird to his body when he wasn't paying attention... He's also gripping Break's shoulder probably a little too tightly in his confusion, but he totally understood the soft sentiment that came before it, at least. Even if it was immediately buried in stupid.]

[She notices the way he looks at them but doesn't actually connect it to anything until Gilbert pipes up. But they sure don't waste any time giving cause to make that "AAA WHAT IT'S A MIRACLE" expression a "aaa arms what the fuck" expression instead, huh.]

...He...does? We do? [why is it a question, clover. she's holding both her arms out in front of her and looking at them almost like she's doubting their existence right now????] We—we all have both arms? [armsgate????????] What?

[WE WERE TRYING TO HAVE A MOMENT BREAK WHY IS THERE A PROBLEM]

Uh...yeah, duh? I know you're blind Break, but geez, did you guys never hug or touch or anything? [I mean, she's not that shocked Break isn't a hugger, but she sure is that Gilbert isn't clingy as fuck!

okay bringing this back full circle though] Wait, you can see?! [BECAUSE GUYS THIS SEEMS A LITTLE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE STATE OF THE ARMS]

No, of course we didn't.

[ Despite what certain people (who aren't Undyne, actually) would think, they're not that gay... Or more accurately, even if Gilbert is clingy, he's learned to not be clingy with Break since he'll get beat up. Case in point: getting socked in the stomach a moment ago.

Break reaches out and touches Gilbert's arm as if thinks it's going to fall off any minute, but... He supposes this isn't that strange? He can see again, so maybe these kinds of injuries and damage just go away when you're dead. He can't really say for sure, since he's never done this before. ]

I— suppose it's fair enough. If I can see again, I suppose your arm could come back too.

[ He stills seems baffled, though. At least it's over both the sight and the arm... ]

[SHOOTING UNDYNE A LOOK at about the same time Break verbally refutes her totally untrue assumptions. That is 100% correct, Gilbert learned not to cling with Break because his kneecaps or gut get pummeled into oblivion otherwise and he kind of needs both.

That said, when Break reaches out to touch his arm, his expression goes from "seriously" to "why are you doing this".]

Where did it go? Did someone - do something, after I died?

[LOOK, HE DIDN'T GET TO SEE HIS OWN MUTILATED CORPSE he has no idea, maybe Break's talking about him missing an arm there?! Why is this happening. MORE IMPORTANTLY--]

—How can you see again?!

[She was absolutely trying to figure out how to subtly tell everyone else to just act like Gilbert's arm just sprouted into existence somewhere along the line and roll with it for at least a bit because she's a jerk but no, Gilbert's already asking real questions about the arm thing, plot spoiled.]

I don't know why dead people being able to see again is the weird part of this for you guys. [like. we're ghosts, guys. yes sight is weird but NOT WEIRDER THAN ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE PAST LIKE THREE MONTHS, her standard of comparison for these kinds of things has just been completely wrecked]

[Why is everyone looking at her like that she thought you two were friends. What kind of friends don't give each other hugs and noogies and wrestling matches all the time, wow!!]

...oh, Sadie did chop off your hand! Wow, I totally forgot about that. [SHE WAS A BIT PREOCCUPIED OVER THE HEAD PART OKAY...] But Clover's right, it's not that surprising that we wouldn't have old wounds when we're ghosts.

So if you can see, what do you wanna check out first, Break? The roof? One of the doors? Oh, I can take you to go meet Rahab! [BECAUSE SURELY A SKYSCRAPER SIZED SEA MONSTER IS SOMETHING EVERY PERSON WANTS TO SEE WITH THEIR OWN EYES]

...Well, yes. [ But don't get him started on that because he will go hunt down Sadie and finally stab her in the foot. Or in the neck. Keep Break away from Sadie, honestly. ] But I meant the one you gave to Raven...

[ Now granted, Break and Gilbert already had their talk about Gilbert's apparent resurgence of amnesia, but Break is fairly certain that missing an arm and not knowing why would be a bit outside of the scope of that. So, yes, it's taken these two that long to figure out that they're from different points in time instead of just attributing it to weird canon bullshit.

Break at least pulls his hand away, since that's about the extent of how much touching other people he can take in a day. He looks to Undyne instead, but his confusion and slightly flat expression aren't quite fading away yet. ]

Do I even want to know what that is?

...I gave one of my arms to Raven?

[WHAT THE FUCK BREAK, TAG YOUR SPOILERS. Also--] Sadie cut my hand off?! [WHY. No one mentioned this to him and he's Concerned.

But also, since he hasn't yet heard of Undyne's magical Rahab adventures yet:]

Who's Rahab...?!

[WHAT'S EVEN HAPPENING.]

[For just half a moment there's a look on Clover's face that implies that we really do not want to meet Rahab. Ten minutes of having sight is not adequate preparation for meeting Rahab. Save yourselves.]

Okay, well, you have all your hands and your arms now, anyway. [so what's the issue!!! still worth fighting sadie over though don't think for a minute clover won't enable this] Rahab's a giant sea monster. He and Undyne are best friends now. [JUST SO EVERYONE'S PREPARED FOR THE EXPLANATION UNDYNE'S ABOUT TO GIVE]

Well, cutting your hand off was like the least worst thing she did? So it completely slipped my mind. [Do they need to mention the record player thing too does he know about that...] And you shouldn't be giving your arms away to people, gross!

He's not my best friend. But he's super cool. I'm trying to convince him to just eat the demons already, even though they'll probably give him indigestion. [SURELY THIS CLEARS EVERYTHING UP]

[ There are a lot of things to try and focus on here, from whatever the fuck happens in pandora hearts to a giant sea monster, and Break is definitely momentarily overwhelmed by the conversation. However, his smile does turn very sharp for a moment as Gilbert asks about Sadie.

But don't mind that, really. That very worrying smile instead falls as soon as a sea monster is mentioned, and he just ends up too baffled to keep with the idea of whatever he was just thinking about. He looks to Clover first, but his gaze settles on Undyne. He does not seem impressed. ]

...Is this what you meant by "pet"?

[He sees that smile, Break. This is the reason he's going to keep him as far away from Sadie as possible in the coming days...

THAT SAID...]

You don't think something like that would actually work, do you?! ...Would it?

[no dude beat up your friend's murderer's ghost, been there done that, nothing could possibly go wrong]

I mean, trying couldn't hurt. [#yolo and we're already dead, so] He, like, talks and stuff, so I dunno if "pet" is right.