XIX.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy had spent the day flipping through his journal -- the old one -- and reading back on everything that had happened in the past year he'd been here. And even before. It went back quite a ways, further than he could even read.

There were a lot of people he knew that weren't here anymore. People he liked, people he didn't like, people he only had one conversation with before they disappeared.

And as he went further back, the number of people whose handwriting just stopped showing up after awhile was staggering.

With a heavy sigh, he closes the book and picks up the new journal, opening it to the first blank page. It was always a blank page, wasn't it?

That's the nature of this place.]

How many people have been here longer than a year? When do most people seem to disappear?

Comments

dictated;

[gevurah]

It'll be two in July for me.

[ A beat. ]

Who knows. Maybe a year?

forever c:

[hellshaped]

Two? Jeez.

[Oh, he pauses for a beat, too.]

A year. Really?

furreverrrr

[gevurah]

Some don't make it past a month. [ Hrm. ] Some of the people I've met tend to vanish after a year. [ Tobias... Charlie was around way longer but he's also gone. ]

meow

[hellshaped]

I wonder what it is about the year mark that increases the chances.

[He pauses.]

I've been here a year today.

Hellboy ]

[interpersonally]

I passed the six month mark. My friend Lexi didn't even make it one.

Stefan

[hellshaped]

[Oh hey, haven't talked to you in awhile, bro.]

I got here a year ago today. Still don't know why it keeps some people and throws others back.

Hellboy

[interpersonally]

[ it's been some time, yo. whatchu been up to, HB? ]

I don't think there's any real reasoning behind it. But, if everything here is random -- [ why does anything matter? ] I'm having a somewhat existential night.

[ino]

I've been here way longer than that. Most people don't make a year, though -- usually not more than three or four months, honestly.

[hellshaped]

Really? [Kate said a year ...

... WAIT ...]

What do you mean, "way longer"?

[ino]

Well, this'll be my sixth year.

dictated;

[echivoc]

[ And then Cross realized his Paraversary has passed and how long he's actually been here... ]

Two years for me as of late January, if my memory serves me right.

dictated;

[hellshaped]

You didn't remember? I don't think I could forget if I tried.

dictated;

[echivoc]

I don't commit many dates to memory.

[deterrence]

[skims through the above replies...]

I am approaching two years as well. I haven't noticed a particular trend in the amount of time people spend here before leaving, but sometimes those who were close to each other seem to go at the same time.

[hellshaped]

Really? You mean close as in they know each other from home, or they developed friendships here?

[Maybe the castle is pulling everyone here to teach them the power of friendship ... no, that's dumb.]

[deterrence]

From home. [there's the sound of flicking pages as she looks in her old journal] Or so I assumed. [it's not like she keeps track of every instance someone mentions where they come from, so her main reference is the little group from Fuuka -- half of which isn't here anymore]

Have you noticed how, every once in a while, a person who knew multiple residents will inform us of their departure?

[payback]

I've been here a bit over three and a half years now.

[hellshaped]

[Three and a half, six, two ... he had no idea people had been here this long, jeezy creezy.]

I'm sorry.

[payback]

Ah, is it your fault?

[blabs]

Oh, wow, you've reminded me. [ she counts on her fingers under her breath. ] It's been more than ten months, though I guess it's been longer, if you count the time I was here before.

[hellshaped]

You were here before? [NUDGE ... NO ......]

[blabs]

Oh, yeah, for like a few months or something? [ ;u; ] I don't remember any of it though, so...

[walkinthruwalls]

I've nearly been here a year? But some people have gone before that.

[hellshaped]

Yeah, that seems to be the consensus. I guess there's no real pattern after all.

[walkinthruwalls]

Maybe it's more discrete than that?