paradisa | ☁ 002

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april ludgate

☁ 002 | dictated

I guess everybody always asks if they can change their loss, and the answer is always no. So I'm not going to ask that. I'm going to say my loss is literally headache-inducing and it makes me want to die.

I'm not totally sure how it works, either. It should be written down somewhere, because if I'm going to get punished for not doing something the Castle should have the decency to tell me I have to do it first. Right? I'm not being unreasonable here.

This place is ridiculous; I wanna form a support group or something. But I don't know if I'd want any of you to actually come, so maybe it would be a "me alone in the bar" kind of support group. I'm still deciding.

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[And he thought he had it bad.]

The second one sounds less depressing.

Drinking alone sounds less depressing than a real support group?

[...]

I think so too.

More productive, probably.

[If he can't, someone should -- Wait, how old was she...]

In moderation.

I'm a college student; I don't know what that word means.

[There's the sound of a door opening and closing, then footsteps.]

[It did sound weird when he said it.]

I think it's French.

Edited 2014-08-21 09:51 (UTC)

Moderation.

[She says, in a really shitty French accent.]

-- Look, does this place feel weird today?

[See? Definitely French.]

Aside from the decoration?

It feels creepy.

[...Oh. So she really didn't want to be alone.]

More than usual?

It doesn't usually feel creepy.

I guess you get used to nice things.

So you think it's my imagination.

Not exactly.

Good, because I think there's something lurking behind every corner. Like in a horror movie.

Did you see that they put a bunch of guns in the lobby?

...That is less subtle than normal.

[This should be the part where he reassures her, but he can't pretend that that's a good sign. When was the last time the castle left guns?]

I don't want to shoot a gun.

[She doesn't even know how to shoot a gun.]

I wanna hire a bodyguard.

[What are they teaching kids these days? But now he's thinking about it. What else is he really doing right now...]

I can't blame you there.

Do you want to hire one too? We can advertise.

They may be in short supply.

[Walking alone, April may feel a slight breeze ruffling her hair. Beings that meld with the shadows themselves stalk her down the dark hallways of the castle, watching her... waiting to strike.

The thing controlling them is strong willed, and far more malicious even than the last master they served. It wants pain and it longs for suffering, and she has made the fatal mistake of wandering into their bloodthirsty path.

It's when she passes in front of a window, casting a shadow of her own outlined in moonlight, that the shadow demons descend. A sharp set of claws strikes from behind, though the first blow isn't meant to be fatal. That would be too kind.]

[She tries to ignore it at first, and distract herself with the journal. It's just her imagination. Sure, the Castle looks a little creepier, but that doesn't mean it's turned into a bona fide haunted house.

... Or maybe that's exactly what it means.

By the time she comes to the conclusion that she'd rather not take chances, it's too late. She's just about to turn around when the claws hit, and she shrieks in pain and surprise.]

[The strikes come quickly after the first one, and the attack grows more and more vicious with each swipe, slicing deeper. A second shadow starts in on hers from the front, and she will feel every inch of the jagged fingers that puncture her chest as blood sprays out from the wounds.

She's caught in a sadistic, drawn out tug-of-war only visible in the shadows, and the last thing she'll see is the twisted puppet theater of her own demise.]

Edited 2014-08-21 05:22 (UTC)

[Mercifully, she blacks out before it's all over. Unmercifully, it doesn't happen right away, and she's awake for a good chunk of this.]

[Bit by bit, the shadow demons rip apart the body, tossing it around like a ragdoll. April quite literally becomes the newest decoration to grace the walls of the castle, and there's nothing remotely subtle about the very deliberate display of power. All the same, Paradisa has plans for its new pets, and doesn't want them discovered just yet. Keeping to the shadows, they slink off to the forest to hide out until they are summoned again, though not before they sense a familiar presence - an inferior one that dared to bind them previously. It's enough to make them resist for a moment, but to no avail. Soon they're lost to the shadows of the trees, awaiting orders once again.]

Have you tried testing it to see what's causing it?

Obviously, yeah.

I think it wants me to clean my room.

Why? Did you feel better after you cleaned?

I spilled some beer and forgot I could just wish it cleaned up, so I did it myself. It was only a small headache, but it went away after that.

I don't think I've ever heard of a loss like that, but then again, people don't always talk about their losses in general.

Maybe you could get someone to spill a bunch of stuff and then you can just clean up after them. See what that does.

But if it's not my loss I don't want to clean for nothing.

It's only a little cleaning.

I hate cleaning. At home, I clean by throwing ice cubes on the floor and letting them melt.

[She couldn't help but laugh at utter absurdity of that idea]

Well, I'll give you points for originality, at least.

You have a loss that punishes you for not doing something...?

[This is a new one for Rise. And she's been here a while. Of course, it's not like most people talk about their losses. ... Or can even remember what they lost, in some cases.]

How does that work? I mean, is there anything you do know? Maybe you just need a little help figuring it out.

I'm supposed to clean my room. Or just... clean stuff.

Maybe it wants me to be its maid.

And that's your loss? Weird...

I mean, it turned me into a maid once, but that was only for like, a day or two! I don't really remember it that well, either...

It's a magic castle; it should clean itself.

[That gets a giggle. Incoming perkiness in 3... 2... 1...]

It should! I think it does most of the time... I never really paid attention.

[There's a brief pause, and in a calmer voice:]

Oh, I'm Rise, by the way! How long have you been here?

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☁ 002 | dictated

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how weird that this comedy show has no "excruciating amounts of pain" scenes to make icons from

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