☆ WELCOME TO HELL, YE POOR SOULS.

[raisingproject]

Magical Girl Raising Project

Graveyard

The last thing you remember is dying. Whether it's by murder or execution, that's was all it. But surprisingly enough, you wake up in the hotel room that you were assigned in, as if you had never died to begin with. However, once you walk right outside, you'll start noticing that while this is the Town A you remember, there are some slight differences that you notice.

The first thing is the fact that while you can see those who are still alive, they simply cannot see you. In fact, they pass through you, as if you were a ghost. And spoilers: you kind of are one, now. The second thing is that sometimes, if you look at a building for too long or too closely, you'll notice that it fizzles a bit, almost glitchy.

But that's completely fine, isn't it? There is, however, one more thing to keep in mind: there are voices of other people, mumuring. Of course, these other people, unlike you, don't have a complete shape; they're just a silhouette of themselves, looking like static.

However: it wouldn't be Town A without an announcement, would it? Of course not. Hence why upon rearriving, there will be a message, typed out:

Welcome to the afterlife, everyone. This is a greeting message to introduce you to how exactly this works. You have the ability to send one message to the living a week, so choose your words wisely. Of course, there are limitations to what you can say! You cannot reveal the mastermind's true identity, even if you know it. You cannot reveal a culprit or a victim, even if you know it.

Also, all messages will be sent to all players during the trials. If there is no trial, the message shall be sent on Saturday. You may investigate as you wish. If you have any questions to ask of me, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

---

Comments

[breakingthrough]

[Edna stiffens immediately, even though she knows there are people who should be able to see her. As far as she knew, none of them were this person.]

...who me? I'm just a supporting character.

[She says it so casually, shrugging, but she's still on guard. Call it a habit after the ugly mess of watching this week unfold and then meeting her untimely demise.]

So. Did they hack you up too?

[theotherother]

[Of course she's not going to say, he wishes she would. Sure it'd just further his pity party, but he's spent weeks bracing for people to call him all sorts of horrible things, and it never really happened.]

If that person's important to you, it's not wasteful.

[He looks away again, not out of guilt, okay, maybe out of that, but just because he's definitely made stupid decisions to protect people. This wasn't a new thing, just one in a long line of things.]

I don't think she considers trying to save her friend a waste. And I...look, what I did was stupid, shortsighted, and any other word you want to throw in there. And it's on the long list of terrible decisions I've made, and I'll probably regret things happening the way they did for as long as I'm stuck in...whatever the fuck this is. So forever, probably.

[As far as he knows, anyway.]

But...

[There is just the longest drawn out sigh here because he's kind of done with his pity party. What comes out next is part anger, mostly at the whole situation, but more just kind of acceptance.]

I don't regret trying to help someone I care about. Like I said, she doesn't have anybody else. Doesn't make it right, and it sure as hell doesn't make it okay, but I knew it wasn't when I decided to kill someone.

[He's always known, and yet, he does it anyway.]

So if this ends with you punching me in the face or somehow killing me as a ghost or whatever, can we skip to that? You're probably tired of hearing me talk anyway.

[Humor is probably a bad idea, and yet he still went for that lame attempt to lighten the mood.

As it's probably been made clear, he's not a bright man.]

[crossingout]

No. This body will die with Hakua's mind.
I am just an intruder, someone who helps and protects her.

If this body dies, both of us will become spirits. However, my soul can possess others due to my nature. I will use what's left of it to possess a doll.

Border Patrol! (Thursday)

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza finally remembers what she planned to do last week. So even with all the death happening around her...they'd better get to it. She promised in her letter, after all. So, she'll send out a mass text to the ghosts.]

Hey everyone! I promised to look for the locations for the ritual in my last letter, and even though everything's kind of messed up now I thought I should get started on that! I'll be at the steel tower if anyone wants to join me!

[She will be waiting there for a while, first for anyone who responds to the text and then for about ten minutes after that.]

[crossingout]

Sorry about that, I'm still alive.

[She says that with dripping sarcasm, arms folded around her chest.]

I'd rather not have the Magical Girl Hunter chop this body up into pieces, thank you very much.

[crossingout]

You'll see me or Hakua at the border. Feel free to ask either of us anything, although I can't promise answers.

[She might as well say that much.]

[breakingthrough]

[She'd trusted Zange, and with her death, had hoped that Zange would be the one to help keep everyone together. They were such a mismatched bunch. That's why this is so irritating-- this sudden feeling like she can't trust the person who's looking at her from the other side of death's gate.]

...And why is that? Goddess or devil... A body or five shouldn't be any problem for you, right?

[breakingthrough]

[...well she'd wanted to do something to help, so this is probably her best opportunity. So Edna goes to the steel tower to join Eliza for patrolling duty.]

Yo.

[It's... been a while since she's seen Eliza. But Edna's managing with this situation the best she can anyway. Which means throwing herself right into the fray.]

[hawthorned]

Ah, fancy that. Satisfying resolutions can happen here...

[She'll scoff at that after a moment because that sounds too convenient somehow.]

You'll have to explain this in greater detail for me, Miss One. What's known about this outside force?

[She'll hold off on talking about the ritual for now because she's heard from Hinata before and she's honestly still kinda eyerolling at the idea of it.]

[crossingout]

Because I don't like dying again. Especially in a borrowed body. Just because I'm a goddess who can stand being next to dead bodies, decapitated or otherwise, doesn't mean I enjoy them.

[There is definitely genuine disgust that sits in her tone.]

thursday evening; a conversation. ( closed )

[dereban]

Oi, Hinata.

[It's late, but it's not late enough that Inaba wants to go to sleep. Rather, she can't. Well... technically she can still sleep like a normal human person can, but it's hard. Too hard.]

You've been pushing yourself too hard, haven't you? [She can tell way too easily.]

[breakingthrough]

Why even bother with one? After all... you could say that beings like us were meant to be unseen by humans.

[Well that's something, for what it's worth.]

And even if they can, it doesn't mean something good will come of it.

[hawthorned]

[Odd. So the transformation wasn't intended as a threat then. So was the sole purpose to just modulate his expressions and tone? She notes it, but decides not to bother with a frivolous line of thought. Keeping roughly arm's length away from Hinata, she follows him along the bridge.]

Actually prior to all this talk of rituals and traitors, I was under the impression that the only way to end the game was to destroy the master console, which would in turn destroy Fav.

[Or at least, that was what Snow had indicated on the network all those weeks ago. The museum seemed to agree with that as well.]

But I suppose you're about to tell me that's incorrect, too.

thursday evening; a conversation. ( closed )

[raisingproject]

[Standing at the edge of the barrier Hinata doesn't respond. He walks along the still safe portion. He knows what to look for. He will have to make it known later.

Right now...He finally turns to regard her with his red eyes.] We have little time.

[dereban]

Just because we don't have time doesn't mean you have to do something as crazy as this, you idiot.

[Her voice is clipped, even frustrated. She's angry. The anger isn't directed at him but she takes a few steps forward, closer to him.]

Don't you care what happens to you? What you're doing is suicidal.

[crossingout]

Because I was doing Hakua a favor.

[It was one of her duties as a goddess, after all; to listen to the people.]

[selfloving]

That's just the hope, for now. [Don't get carried away, Dahlia.

She's more keen on the ritual, at least, because the ghosts and Zange do not always seem to see eye-to-eye on solutions. There are some of those tensions that don't seem like they can be faked, like the chafing between her and her sisters that made their family connection seem truer than anything else.]

Do you actually care to hear the details?

That girl [Zange] appears threatened by the vigilante's presence. From what I gleaned, the killer is from outside, like the arcade games and television equipment. It seems Fav was not lying when it said the world is kept intact by mana and that the supply is declining.

How fortunate that some of us found the time to dance and throw food before the shortage became clear.

[breakingthrough]

Even though theoretically she's just as likely to die as one of us?

[Assuming--]

Or maybe she likes this kind of thing.

[Her words aren't accusatory. They're rather light. At least until now.]

So. What exactly is your plan with us? What are you after?

[raisingproject]

[He watches her approach. She won't go away. He can easily predict that. She will get an answer one way or another.]

I'm tired. [It says so much without saying all the details. But she'll understand.]

[raisingproject]

No. That is correct. [He continues over the bridge but pauses to direct her attention to as much of the town as she can see.]

But the Ritual of Revival should be preformed first. When the console is destroyed, Fav and this town will also be destroyed.

[dereban]

And that's why I said you're an idiot!

[Now his anger is directed at him. And even though her form doesn't exist, there seems to be something that comes out of her eyes regardless of that. Are those tears? It's hard to tell.]

If you're tired of pulling all the work, of doing all of this, then you don't have to do it anymore. You're not alone. You do know that, right? You don't have to push the burden on yourself... you can rely on us too! You can't-- [She digs her nails into her static skin, almost enough to bleed. If she could.] Please don't do this anymore.

Stop forcing yourself to try so hard.

[crossingout]

She's nothing like that. She just offered her body to me.

[She won't allow anybody talking shit about Hakua. Never.]

My plan? It's to end this game. That's what I was always after.

[hawthorned]

[She'll indulge him at look at the Town, sure, but she does it with a look of disdain. At least this one's not directed at him in particular? Or at least not initially. He finishes his sentence, and she looks at him with a raised eyebrow.]

So you'd have us revived and then immediately perish along with the town.

[She'll let that hang in the air for a moment. Despite everything, she knows Hinata can't be a complete idiot, so she'll add.] But judging from the general tone you're taking on this, we all get to go home before the apocalypse.

[raisingproject]

[He takes a step closer and starts. He reaches up to his own face and touches his cheek. It comes back wet. He swallows, looking away. As he does his form reverts.]

...But we need to get this done. I. I just don't want to deal with any of this anymore! I don't want to be involved! It isn't... [He puts a hand over his face as all of his frustration, his guilt, and sorrow come racing out and pouring down his face.] ...

All I want to do is sleep. I know that won't get what needs to be done done. I want these killings to stop. After what they did to Nanami...

[He wraps his arms about himself with a shaky inhale of breath.] ...and how Zange is...

[He laughs but it only sounds hollow.] I'm so tired.

[raisingproject]

Your last conclusion is what we plan. If it fails none of us will have long to deal with the failure. [He steps off the bridge without a backward glance.]