The video is a little staticky at first. It wobbles and it wavers, but after a few moments the picture becomes slightly more clear, opening up to the cemetery. A lithe figure enters the area, shovel in one hand and a greasy paper bag in the other. They stop toward the back of the cemetery, setting the bag down before they begin to dig. A sizable hole is made, and they reach into the paper bag to pull out a cardboard box. The side of the box says “Filet O” but the rest is blocked by their hand as a sandwich is soon thrown into the hole. A carton of french fries is upended into the hole shortly after, and the figure pops the top of a cup of c*ke to douse the mess entirely. It’s a little unclear what’s happening, silver fog rolling in as they hold their hands out over the hole and seemingly appear to be talking to themselves…
…and soon a smaller figure appears at the edge of the hole. The first figure isn’t looking at them yet, closing their eyes as if to regain some of their strength.
“Hey,” they say, and you may recognize the voice as Aquarius’s. “You got summoned, so–” They open their eyes and soon take notice that something’s wrong. Namely, the small form is unconscious, and also tied up. There’s a startled noise as Aquarius’s concentration breaks briefly, and the figure nearly falls straight into the hole. They focus again, grabbing onto them before they turn and immediately run out of the cemetery.
The footage appears empty for a while. The hole of food looms ominously. Fast-forward, and soon the camera angle changes to a group of eight gathered around a mausoleum.
One of the tallest figures is… kneeling, actually, down by the one who was bound, hurriedly untying whatever’s holding them bound together. They immediately take that figure’s wrists and rub their thumbs into them, glancing briefly at the others, but their attention is mostly on the smaller figure. When they speak, their voice is recognizably Orion’s, and they sound relieved, at first, with a “Virgo,” and then, a little quieter, “You’re awake.”
One of the figures in the mid-range of heights is holding a knife, as though they expect a fight. When they speak, their voice is recognizable as Lepus’s. “What the fuck? Please tell me the dead just decided to go and lose it. That seems like the least worst possibility here compared to others.”
The second-shortest figure is standing near Lepus - well, leaning against Lepus, actually. They bring a hand up and it goes under their veil, as if they’re rubbing at their forehead. “It’s - what are they doing over there? Did they hurt you?” They pause, and then facepalm. “...they tied you up, that was a dumb question. Why on earth would they– What were they thinking?”
The tallest of the figures also moves to kneel down, their veil shifting to reveal a flash of pink just for a moment. If they say anything, the video feed doesn’t seem to pick up on it.
The figure recognizable as Aquarius stumbles a little, swaying on their feet before all-too-casually leaning up against the mausoleum as their hand scrubs at their face under their veil. “This is terrible. We can all agree this is really terrible, right?” They seem to notice something though and pause to slap at a tall figure’s arm before hissing. “That’s for Virgo, not you!”
One of the midrange figures seems to drop in height; a pair of wings fold into their back, recognizable as Aquila. They land beside Aquarius, immediately moving to support them towards their very casual lean onto the mausoleum, but stay standing, folding their arms and overlooking their downed comrade. Their voice seems a little smoother than usual, less gravelly, and they glance between the person stealing the fries briefly and Aquarius, and say, “It’s terrible. Eat after. What happened?”
One of the tallest figures hovers nearby for a moment, pausing in their movements to reach for some leftover fries. “Oh come on.” They relent though, and suddenly they drop like a stone, losing about five inches of their height. They immediately sit down in the dirt instead and lean back against the mausoleum, turning their attention to the smallest figure.
The smallest figure - Virgo, whose hands are being held by Orion’s - seems a little out of it. “...they - they said that someone was hurt, so I…” Slowly, they shake their head, then wince, drawing one of their hands out of Orion’s to rub at the back of their neck. “Once I got there… they knocked me out. I do not know what happened next.”
Something seems to occur to them, and they gasp, patting themselves down over their pockets… but they come up empty, and both their hands come up to cover their mouth.
“...they took the key. If they have set him loose, they will need help.” They look swiftly at Aquarius. “Please send me back. I have to do something.”
Orion sounds incredibly stressed, immediately, repeating, “Virgo.” and then looking at the others, voice grim. “... He is – a danger, yes, but…”
Lepus sounds calm, although almost deliberately so. “If they went as far as knocking you out, then frankly, it sounds like they might be able to handle things over there. I’d worry more if they were a bunch of soft-hearted idiots.”
“...wait, hold on, you’re telling me they thought it was a good idea to unlock a door that had a cannibal behind it?” Vulpecula, unlike Lepus, does not sound calm. They sound kind of disgusted, actually. “I’ll say it again - what were they thinking? And you want to go back and help them after they attacked you - what are you thinking? I don’t want to see them in trouble either, but this sounds reckless even by my standards! You’re lucky someone over here called for you when they did, or else you might be—”
Cetus presses a hand to their head, as though exasperated. It doesn’t sound as though they’re saying anything, as a momentary silence apparently ensues.
Gemini groans a little, half out of agitation and half out of uncertainty. “Okay, so…what do we even do? Can we even do something about it? A lot of them know how to fight, but…” They appear to be slightly worried about something they won’t say. “I kinda agree though. That was a bad idea.”
Aquarius seems to be sliding a little further down the side of the mausoleum, tipping slightly into Aquila. “I’m going to destroy all of them.” It’s hard to sound threatening when they mostly sound exhausted. “...I’m sorry. I don’t think I should send you back right now. They’ll have to be on their own for a little while.”
Virgo’s shoulders hunch, and they look down at their hands. “But it was my responsibility to keep them from opening that door, and I failed. If they get hurt…”
Aquila’s the one to cut that off before it gets any further, tone sharpening from where they’re supporting Aquarius. “There’s no point in mending the pen after the sheep have bolted. It was their choice, and they’re going to have to figure it out. It’s going to end up even worse if we attempt to suppress it ourselves. Lepus is correct.”
Before any of them can say another word though…all eight of them begin to hear the sound of bells being dinged and typewriters coming on. It’s recognizable as the sounds their bells at the front desk make and the ding of a typewriter as a message comes through. They share looks with one another…and in one fluid motion everything comes to life. Gemini stands, suddenly rising to be several inches taller. Cetus grows more proper in their stance, waiting for the others. Virgo mutters “fuck” under their breath, and Orion pulls away from them. All eight of them agree to regroup later as they disperse, leaving the mausoleum behind.
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mustbepurged) wrote2022-06-16 03:30 pm
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…and soon a smaller figure appears at the edge of the hole. The first figure isn’t looking at them yet, closing their eyes as if to regain some of their strength.
“Hey,” they say, and you may recognize the voice as Aquarius’s. “You got summoned, so–” They open their eyes and soon take notice that something’s wrong. Namely, the small form is unconscious, and also tied up. There’s a startled noise as Aquarius’s concentration breaks briefly, and the figure nearly falls straight into the hole. They focus again, grabbing onto them before they turn and immediately run out of the cemetery.
The footage appears empty for a while. The hole of food looms ominously. Fast-forward, and soon the camera angle changes to a group of eight gathered around a mausoleum.
One of the tallest figures is… kneeling, actually, down by the one who was bound, hurriedly untying whatever’s holding them bound together. They immediately take that figure’s wrists and rub their thumbs into them, glancing briefly at the others, but their attention is mostly on the smaller figure. When they speak, their voice is recognizably Orion’s, and they sound relieved, at first, with a “Virgo,” and then, a little quieter, “You’re awake.”
One of the figures in the mid-range of heights is holding a knife, as though they expect a fight. When they speak, their voice is recognizable as Lepus’s. “What the fuck? Please tell me the dead just decided to go and lose it. That seems like the least worst possibility here compared to others.”
The second-shortest figure is standing near Lepus - well, leaning against Lepus, actually. They bring a hand up and it goes under their veil, as if they’re rubbing at their forehead. “It’s - what are they doing over there? Did they hurt you?” They pause, and then facepalm. “...they tied you up, that was a dumb question. Why on earth would they– What were they thinking?”
The tallest of the figures also moves to kneel down, their veil shifting to reveal a flash of pink just for a moment. If they say anything, the video feed doesn’t seem to pick up on it.
The figure recognizable as Aquarius stumbles a little, swaying on their feet before all-too-casually leaning up against the mausoleum as their hand scrubs at their face under their veil. “This is terrible. We can all agree this is really terrible, right?” They seem to notice something though and pause to slap at a tall figure’s arm before hissing. “That’s for Virgo, not you!”
One of the midrange figures seems to drop in height; a pair of wings fold into their back, recognizable as Aquila. They land beside Aquarius, immediately moving to support them towards their very casual lean onto the mausoleum, but stay standing, folding their arms and overlooking their downed comrade. Their voice seems a little smoother than usual, less gravelly, and they glance between the person stealing the fries briefly and Aquarius, and say, “It’s terrible. Eat after. What happened?”
One of the tallest figures hovers nearby for a moment, pausing in their movements to reach for some leftover fries. “Oh come on.” They relent though, and suddenly they drop like a stone, losing about five inches of their height. They immediately sit down in the dirt instead and lean back against the mausoleum, turning their attention to the smallest figure.
The smallest figure - Virgo, whose hands are being held by Orion’s - seems a little out of it. “...they - they said that someone was hurt, so I…” Slowly, they shake their head, then wince, drawing one of their hands out of Orion’s to rub at the back of their neck. “Once I got there… they knocked me out. I do not know what happened next.”
Something seems to occur to them, and they gasp, patting themselves down over their pockets… but they come up empty, and both their hands come up to cover their mouth.
“...they took the key. If they have set him loose, they will need help.” They look swiftly at Aquarius. “Please send me back. I have to do something.”
Orion sounds incredibly stressed, immediately, repeating, “Virgo.” and then looking at the others, voice grim. “... He is – a danger, yes, but…”
Lepus sounds calm, although almost deliberately so. “If they went as far as knocking you out, then frankly, it sounds like they might be able to handle things over there. I’d worry more if they were a bunch of soft-hearted idiots.”
“...wait, hold on, you’re telling me they thought it was a good idea to unlock a door that had a cannibal behind it?” Vulpecula, unlike Lepus, does not sound calm. They sound kind of disgusted, actually. “I’ll say it again - what were they thinking? And you want to go back and help them after they attacked you - what are you thinking? I don’t want to see them in trouble either, but this sounds reckless even by my standards! You’re lucky someone over here called for you when they did, or else you might be—”
Cetus presses a hand to their head, as though exasperated. It doesn’t sound as though they’re saying anything, as a momentary silence apparently ensues.
Gemini groans a little, half out of agitation and half out of uncertainty. “Okay, so…what do we even do? Can we even do something about it? A lot of them know how to fight, but…” They appear to be slightly worried about something they won’t say. “I kinda agree though. That was a bad idea.”
Aquarius seems to be sliding a little further down the side of the mausoleum, tipping slightly into Aquila. “I’m going to destroy all of them.” It’s hard to sound threatening when they mostly sound exhausted. “...I’m sorry. I don’t think I should send you back right now. They’ll have to be on their own for a little while.”
Virgo’s shoulders hunch, and they look down at their hands. “But it was my responsibility to keep them from opening that door, and I failed. If they get hurt…”
Aquila’s the one to cut that off before it gets any further, tone sharpening from where they’re supporting Aquarius. “There’s no point in mending the pen after the sheep have bolted. It was their choice, and they’re going to have to figure it out. It’s going to end up even worse if we attempt to suppress it ourselves. Lepus is correct.”
Before any of them can say another word though…all eight of them begin to hear the sound of bells being dinged and typewriters coming on. It’s recognizable as the sounds their bells at the front desk make and the ding of a typewriter as a message comes through. They share looks with one another…and in one fluid motion everything comes to life. Gemini stands, suddenly rising to be several inches taller. Cetus grows more proper in their stance, waiting for the others. Virgo mutters “fuck” under their breath, and Orion pulls away from them. All eight of them agree to regroup later as they disperse, leaving the mausoleum behind.
Guests await, after all.
... and that's the end of it.]
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[he's watching this with a somewhat grim expression, observing it all with a sharp eye. taking it all in.]
...well. This is certainly- I do not know if I ought to voice my thoughts, truthfully.
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Honestly. From the sounds of it, they've truly put their feet in it-- but you should certainly ask. Mayhap they will be able to explain themselves.
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I can't imagine why they'd do that, but... there must be a reason.
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