☆ 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

aren't ahoge protags supposed to be invincible?

[selfloving]

[She is still deeply...everything, too self-righteous and outraged to be good company for much of anyone right now, too busy cursing everybody

And she looks it. One pauses for a full moment in which she decides whether it's even worth it to pursue the conversation or if she could just keep walking, then folds her arms behind her.]

I wanted to see this place. [No admitting that the law is kept much differently where she is from.] It's new to me. And to you?

[crossingout]

Then maybe you should ask him about it. Our conversation was between us, so I have no obligation to tell you about it.

I don't plan on killing anybody myself, but I will defend this body if I have to.

[telecosmetic]

...wait, if your game is from 200 years ago, how is your room still here?

Week 3 - Tuesday - During the Meeting

[raisingproject]

[If any of the dead are sitting in on the meeting, they might see a new ghost hanging around. It's hard to tell, but her clothes look fairly normal? Something that looks like a vest, maybe? There's a skirt too...probably. Kind of hard to make out exactly what's going on here, sorry.]

Oh my god, someone found that?

[Of all the things being talked about today, that's what she focuses on, despite all the static, she sounds mortified about this. Nobody was supposed to find that. She didn't even want to find it the first time.]

[selfloving]

['Sitting in on' is a very nice way of saying 'watching the meeting out of spite in the hopes that it implodes,' but she's also still trying to hold onto some tenuous peace (or truce, at least) with Zange. One's still having difficulties adjusting to their fellow staticky dead, and so it takes her a moment to even conjure up a response, speaking slowly even though she's well aware by now that the rest of the room won't respond.]

It's yours? What is it meant for?

[raisingproject]

Because I'm not drained completely yet. [Fun facts. He rises slowly to his feet.]

Neither are they. Before you ask, we can't access them. Only the living can. As long as a door is shut, the person that room belongs to is being drained of mana.

Only in dreams or something witty like that

[raisingproject]

The place? No. I know this building pretty well.

[He climbs to his feet and looks towards the doors.] You'll be able to look around ...except for one cell in the back. We can't get at it.

Probably one of the keys is in there.

[telecosmetic]

Oh...so the keys are really important, then? And...the ones who've been totally drained don't even have their rooms around anymore?

Week 4 - Thursday (park)

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza is just sitting on a bench today, watching the people passing by. She seems pretty quiet for once, and unsure of what to do. She's learned that she can communicate with the living to some extent, but even that's kind of tough with all the interpretations and such they have to go through. And she'll need to wait until Saturday before everyone can actually receive her letter.]

[raisingproject]

Nothing, it's just a toy. When I was younger, I used to watch the show, you know? I saw it in the shop here, and bought it to...

[There's the slightest shifting in the shadows around her face. A frown perhaps.]

It doesn't really matter why I bought it, I just never thought anyone would find it. Or find their way in there.

[raisingproject]

They don't. They're dead completely. As for the keys, yeah they're important.

They can be used to destroy this world or revive everyone even us.

[selfloving]

I think I understand your motivations. [Hm. It seems difficult to stop a killer without killing them yourself, but she's always taken the more efficient and extreme solution.]

You're tired of explaining yourself by now, aren't you? So I won't ask you to waste too much of your time. What do you expect from us while we're here?

everything i know is wrong...

[selfloving]

I see. So these places are always here, but only become reachable with...progress. [Loath is she to call her own death "progress" like it's the next step on someone's video game quest.]

I suppose there's a reason we can't go near the keys.

[Ostensibly she knows that all of the ghosts must be tired of these new intrusions, but she's also a little bundle of spite and rage.]

[selfloving]

One of those fictional "magical girl" things, then. You don't have to lie if it was just sentimental.

You stop having privacy as soon as your heart stops beating. Or before then, if you're unlucky. It sounds like they found more than that in there.

[She waits a bit, wondering if the girl has an explanation for the radio or whatever else was wrapped up in that room.]

Plot shields can't save you in rp, text it

[raisingproject]

They seem like they're warded against anything spirit or spiritual. You'd have to find and talk to the ghost in the hospital. She's a tall girl in a robe. [He thinks about how to pose his reply to the earlier statement. After a moment, he adds.]

Not...exactly. Think of that barrier as a shell and everything beyond it as...death. Going past the barrier would have killed you.

[partyleader]

[She wakes up with a scream volting out of her throat.

For a long time, Nanami sits up on her bed, breathing hard. It takes a long time for her to realize that she is in her room, as well as the fact that she's no longer in pain. Her head is not smashed in and there are no broken mirror shards in her flesh. Finally, she releases a shaky sigh into her hands.

She should have expected that it would be a trap. She doesn't blame anyone involved - not for killing her the first time or the second. All of them just wanted to go home; Nanami can't blame them for that, even if they hurt her. But betrayal is still betrayal, and even if she doesn't blame or hate them, there's a relentless pain that stabs at her heart.

Eventually she'll wander out of her room. She doesn't know why she's back at the inn, but... She supposes there's no point in questioning it now. When Nanami sees some of the people she knows exiting the inn, something hopeful leaps in her chest, but it quickly sinks - no matter how she tries to call out to them, they don't hear her. And when she tries to touch Recette's arm, her hands passes through. Like she's a ghost or something.

...That is what she is now, huh?

Nanami's hands clutch her sleeves. She's... all alone now, isn't she?

All alone again.

Like before. When there were none of the friends she made here. Before her classmates. Before Yukizome. Before Hinata.

Just her and her games. And now she doesn't even have that anymore. Nothing to take away that empty feeling of not having friends.

...Being dead is worse than being killed.]

[crossingout]

[ One of the few that's still in the inn is Zange, who immediately sees Nanami as she's walking past. Most of the others are out by now, investigating, while Zange herself is... here. ]

If you want to talk a bit, my room is open for you, Nanami-san.

[ Her voice is lowered and polite; instead of calling her Chiaki-chan like she always did, she goes back to something more formal. ]

You saw my message, didn't you?

[raisingproject]

[A hand gently touches her arm. Whenever she looks to the side, Hinata is there. He looks a bit more worn, something in the eyes and his clothes aren't the suit she remembers. But it's still him.]

Hey, let's talk somewhere. ...would the park be okay?

[He takes a slow step back. Static affected shadowy ghosts pass by, staring openly at him before going on their way. One tall girl in a robe lingers before he glances her way and she took departs.]

...we can't exactly relive the past but, this is the best I can do.

[partyleader]

...Zange-san? You can see me, and hear me? [Her eyes are wide as she takes in the other girl. Nanami's surprise is still painting her features, but she'll give her head a slight shake.] You can call me Chiaki if you want to. You don't have to change now.

And... You mean the one about sending messages to... to the living? [She waves her phone a bit.] I finished it just before you came...

[crossingout]

I'm glad someone understands.

[ There is a pun to be made here, but she'll just smile it off. ]

Nothing, really. You're ghosts, after all. You can't touch the keys nor can you save yourselves. I guess I left you all an option to speak to the living once a week and you might be able to effect this "world" [ yes, quotations included ] at large, but I have reason to not expect much, if anything from any of you.

[crossingout]

[ Zange nods, quiet. ]

Follow me to my room. I don't want people thinking I'm crazy for talking to ghosts. The investigation has already started, but I want to be careful.

[partyleader]

[She looks, and- at first, Nanami tenses, but then all of it unwinds from her body. Something trembles in her chest, and she can't tell whether it feels good or bad.] Hinata... kun...? What are you doing here...?

[There's so many questions she wants to ask. So many worries and concerns, but in the end all that leaves her mouth is] The park is fine. Wherever you want to go.

I just... want to talk to you. [And that trembling has definitely turned into an ache.] I missed you.

[partyleader]

Okay. [Nanami follows after her, curious but not second guessing too much. The fact that she's here at all even though she's dead... There are already enough strange things at work here.] That investigation... It's for me, right? Someone out there will go the dollhouse and...

[Find my dead body, is what goes unsaid. Somehow going that extra mile is a little too much for her, still.]

[crossingout]

[ Zange nods, not saying anything more as she leads the way to her bedroom, unlocking it with her phone. She closes it immediately after she's inside, since Nanami can walk through the door anyway.

She then sits on the bed, crossing one leg over the other. ]

So, do you have any questions so far? I'm willing to answer as much as I can. And don't worry, Fav-san can't hear us in here.

[selfloving]

[She's resigned herself already to there being a death this week. The amount of anger and protective instinct these people have can't really be underestimate. Resignation doesn't make her calm, though, so One is antsy and frustrated. She's definitely almost stormed straight through an alive-person's day at least once, and she narrowly avoids one such (lack of) collision right in front of the bench before approaching the unusually-quiet Eliza.]

It must be difficult to know the real killer is still walking around.