XXXII.

[hellshaped]

There are a lot of people leaving right now. And a lot of stuff happening all at once. It seems like it's one thing after the other. Like maybe the castle's getting desperate about something. Or for something.

That other castle we found out in the Dead Zone ... the notes they left. The castle suddenly started breaking down and its magic stopped working. But what happened before that? Were there any warning signs? They seemed to like their castle. Maybe that one fed on positive emotions... and maybe it kept throwing good things at them in desperation.

We seem to have the opposite problem.

[He's still reeling from that nightmare poison thing in October...]

How long do you think it'll be until something else awful happens?'

[Speaking of that thing in October. He hesitates for a long time because he doesn't really want to do this, but it's probably better than leaving it alone.]

[Filter to Sayaka, Lucrezia, Jo, and Ammy]
[... he's going to write it, though. Because he wants to say it out loud even less.]

I guess I should say I don't really remember a lot about that nightmare. If I did anyt [scribbling that out...]

I'm sorry if I scared anyone. That's not me.

-HB
[/filter]

[And then he's going to make a new filter immediately to get his mind off that one, yeah!!!]

[Molotov]
[he writes this one too, but for different reasons.]

Are you around? You haven't been nagging me for awhile. -HB
[/filter]

Comments

[persequor]

Not long.

[hellshaped]

It's really depressing, but you're probably right.

[onlyanapple]

Well, we had the little ninja village thing, so that was something...But awful, who knows?

Christmas is coming up. [That's an awful thing ok]

HB ]

[huntersdaughter]

[If this had come at any other time she might have waited a bit before replying, but she's learned the hard way that ignoring someone might end up with them trapped in the Insolitus, so that's not gonna work.]

It's fine, there was a lot going on in those dreams -- yours wasn't the only one I ended up in.

filtered;

[heloise]

I thought so.

[campaigns]

They seemed to like their castle, but did they actually like it?

[persequor]

Does getting away from the castle help at all?

[hellshaped]

Christmas is usually just kind of awkward here. Not really that terrible.

Jo

[hellshaped]

[There's a little pause before he starts writing again, thankful for the opening to talk about something else. Even if she didn't mean it like that.]

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope nothing bad happened.

forever!

[hellshaped]

[Oh ...] That means a lot.

[hellshaped]

Hard to say. We didn't actually meet any of them, just found some notes. They were pretty complimentary.

[hellshaped]

In the town, I don't think so. In the Dead Zone ... I think it just drags us back when it starts doing something weird. I've heard of that happening.

[Except ...]

Oh, but during that nightmare thing -- I think the people in town were immune. So it's something to think about.

[campaigns]

Sure, but it could just as easily be a case of Stockholm syndrome.

[hellshaped]

I don't know. There are people here who have been prisoners for years, and none of them seem all that happy about the castle.

[campaigns]

Didn't that other castle actually act nice to them on a consistent basis?

[persequor]

It's something at least.

Hellboy

[molotov]

I am around.

[hellshaped]

Supposedly. That's what the note said, anyway.

[hellshaped]

It's really not much, when you think about it.

[Don't get too cynical in front of the kid, HB...]

How are you holding up?

[persequor]

I am well, thank you for asking.

Molotov

[hellshaped]

OK. Just checking.

Hellboy

[molotov]

Cross left.

[hellshaped]

That's good.

[and, with a small touch of amusement:] You're not just saying that to be polite, right?

[persequor]

[ While he can't see it, there's a hint of a smile in her voice. ]

Mayhaps.

[hellshaped]

[Girl.....]

You're a born politician, Arya.