#d8plot

[dangan-infinity]

The Great Chicago Fire - Chapter 1 Execution

Darkness was all there was at first. Then a spotlight on the killer, Ms. Fenna Van Daalen. She stared straight ahead into the shadows, where the barest edge of light caught something or someone standing there--

"Mother?"

For a split second, Fenna believed it. That distant silhouette with its curly hair and limber frame, and that voice... But it couldn't be, right? She'd f-cked it all up. She'd killed a woman. The train was just mocking her now. And yet...

The lights came on.

She was in her club, the Sunflower Lounge, and it was quickly apparent to the spectators how it had gotten its name. Though the lights and the dance floor were modern, the décor was a quaint mix of the decades this building had endured, and the carpet up the stairs was covered with the yellow blooms.

In the distance, framed by the entryway, was a solid black cardboard cutout. A crude facsimile of her son, for whom she'd done the unthinkable, just to see him one more time. How did they know his voice? She laughed, but her own voice rasped with pain.

"I shoulda f-ckin' guessed, huh?"

She turned away and found herself at the bar, bottles and glasses strewn about after a long night's work for other people's play. The motion was automatic-- a relatively clean glass appeared in her hand, a bottle of wine in the other, and she poured. She watched silently as the dark liquid swirled and the earthy aroma filled the air. As good a last supper as any.

There was a spark, then a flicker, then a blaze. The shadow of her son lit up like a torch, and became the tinder that would soon engulf the room in flame.

She had regretted everything, of course, from the moment she'd pulled the trigger. Even without realizing that escape would bring punishment upon everyone else, well, it was still murder. Atsuko was a person like the rest of them, and Fenna had no right to decide her fate. The only winning move was not to play... and that wasn't much of a victory if she could never leave, when her son was in danger. Not that it mattered now.

The fire was raging now-- it had spread so quickly that the fire extinguisher behind the bar wouldn't have made a dent. Fenna would die, and the killing game would continue. All for naught in the end, like so many things in her life.

One last act of defiance remained to her.

Sweat dripping down her face, she raised her glass to the survivors. A toast to the living, with all their myriad problems and budding friendships-- may they get over their bullsh-t, end this terrible killing game, and escape the Infinity Train. She downed the beverage in record time and poured another. A toast to the dead, to a little match girl and a smiley-faced loner... and a washed-up bartender that would soon join them.

The flames drew closer all the while, disintegrating the sunflower carpet, feasting on turn-of-the-century wood and alcohol. Fenna Van Daalen raised her glass one last time, facing death with a smile...

All of her bravado evaporated in a second as she truly caught on fire. She burned like her victim, and her home burned with her, leaving nothing but a scorched husk of a building and the echoes of her screams.

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[dangan-infinity]

The Convening - Chapter 1 Trial Outcomes

It was hard to know who and what you could trust at this point, but after the confessions at least some of you could only come to the conclusion that you'd made a very wrong defendant nomination. Had Neko-Neko really expected you to single out the killer with only a third of the evidence available? The odds had been violently stacked against you, yet you'd be the ones to pay the price... or would you?

"THE DEBATE DRAWS TO A CLOSE... AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOU BELIEVE THE KILLER OF ATSUKO SAMUKURA IS NOT AMONG THE DEFENDANTS."

"I CANNOT CHANGE THE NUMBER OF DEFENDANTS THIS FAR ALONG INTO THE TRIAL. IF YOU WISH TO REPLACE ONE OF THEM, HOWEVER, YOU MAY CONDUCT A MAJORITY VOTE AND SUBMIT AN APPEAL."

Aha! Neko-Neko's threat for failing to find the killer could still be null and void, then. And they'd said they had paperwork for every eventuality, hadn't they?

"Of course! I'll get started on the paperwork right away, Your Honor."

Exactly how they managed to procure a few sheets, and from where, you weren't sure. But they placed them on the nearest bench and took a pen... Which they couldn't quite seem to get a good grip on.

"U-um, this might be a little tricky..."

"No thumbs and all. Tch."

"HMM... MUST I ASSIST THE COUNSEL?"

Happily accepting, Neko-Neko carried their things over to the judge with some difficulty. It was then that they ran into the hurdle of their paperwork-filler-outer being blind, but they did their best to guide her. Precisely how they'd managed to fill out the initial paperwork without her you couldn't be sure...

The odd duo (trio?) made it about halfway through the first page before one of Neko-Neko's heads cranked around to look at the jury.

"Say, remember what we said about makin' things more fun for us if ya made us jump through more hoops?"

"We'll be cashin' that in now. While we're busy over here, we're gonna have each of you get out your notebook and write down which of the current defendants ya like the least."

"We'll come around later to look at your votes and tally 'em up. What happens to the grand winner?"

"Well, you'll just have to see, won'tcha? Nyahahaha!"

With that last evil cackle, they turned back to resume fussing over the court paperwork. You had a little while until they managed to finish that up, you presumed... But it was hard not to open a blank page of your notebook and feel a little trepidation. What exactly were you voting on here? The killer was supposed to be executed if you identified them, but the least popular defendant? There weren't any rules in here about that. Just what were you condemning someone to?

Whatever their fate, you had to choose someone. At the very least, given the criteria, some of you wouldn't have to debate the rightful winner too much.

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[dangan-infinity]

The Beachside Bonfire - Chapter 1 Body Drop

Though some of you may have noticed sooner than others, a little bit of smoke drifting up into the air wasn't the greatest concern. But when you caught a glimpse of searingly bright flames, you couldn't help but be concerned. If that was in the forest, this whole place could burn down.

And then there was screaming.

At whatever speeds, you all made your way over, but neither of the people already present seemed to be in any danger, even if Matsukaze was clearly having a bad time and R.N.A. almost sounded like they were crying. The fire was more or less safely constrained to the beach—a single palm tree, even. It was already beginning to run out of fuel, but... wasn't there something unusual about the shape of the ashes...?

Oh, that was much more than a pile of ash. A person, too badly burnt for any clothing to clue you in to their identity. Only upon rolling them over to see their face, protected by the sand, could you tell it was Atsuko. Perhaps you should have expected it to be her, given the situation—but hadn't she made it quite clear she knew how to keep herself safe from fires? Could this really have been an accident?

The blood that hadn't burnt away made you feel otherwise.

But as you looked further, you could have sworn there was something in the water that looked like blood, too. Yet Atsuko wasn't close enough to the shoreline for it to be hers. But if it wasn't hers... You paused in trepidation for some version of a head count, only to find one of the taller ones missing.

Where was Fenna?

Not everyone was eager to follow the trail "upstream," and not everyone had noticed it in the first place—but once the first found its source, they easily made enough noise to get the others' attention.

...That wasn't Fenna.

Were you allowed to be relieved? After all, someone still lay there dead, even if that someone wasn't exactly a friend. They weren't... necessarily a foe, either, at least not compared to the one running this sick "game." Surely they didn't deserve to meet their end like this.

No other bodies were stretched along this shore, at least, but you couldn't step away to look for the last member of your party before Neko-Neko appeared.

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[dangan-infinity]

The Mail Sorter - Chapter 1 Post

At last, you moved along. The door opened out to the same scene as before—the wasteland rushing past, the massive train wheels churning, and the single walkway to the next door. What awaited you in the next car? Nothing gave you the slightest hint, Neko-Neko included.

So then, only one way to find out.

The door opened the same as all the others, and you moved inside before the worrisome rumble and creak of the train could threaten to pitch you aside.

The air smelled of ink and old books with the faintest tinge of wood. Though not as expansive as the first cars, the room still stretched out wide: large cloth bins, desks, smaller baskets, walls of cubbyholes. It was hard to get a clear idea of the flooring at a glance—despite all the organizers, the room was filled with so many letters no surface was safe. More seemed to blink into existence anytime you looked away.

While Neko-Neko seemed content to let the room speak for itself, they weren't the only Denizen in sight. Though he'd looked up from his work when you all walked in, he seemed too taken aback by the size of your party to do anything but blink. He eventually shook it off.

"Ah, um... Hello. My name is Mahavir."

He continued to sort the letters in his hands as he spoke.

"Please make yourselves at home, as far as you can." He coughed into his shoulder. "It's impossible not to step on a few letters as you go along, so I only ask that you try not to damage any. If any are addressed to you, of course you're free to take or open those. It, ah... saves me a trip?"

Something made you feel like he's trying to joke around, but his delivery was terrible. He stifled another cough, the flame of his hair sputtering a bit.

"But don't worry about adding to it, either. That is, if you'd like to write a letter of your own, I have the supplies necessary."

"Oh, but I ought to tell you—if you open the letter addressed to you here, you won't be able to send one, and vise versa. But you'll have to do one or the other if you'd like to leave this car."

"It's... a complicated place. I'm afraid I understand little of it myself, but—" cough—"please let me know if I can be of assistance."

He dipped his head and hurried a few steps over to wrangle a newly-minted pile of old letters on the floor.

Well... At least he seemed more cooperative? And if you could send out some kind of request for help...

It was hard to know what to hope for anymore. But you probably ought to start looking around, at least.

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[dangan-infinity]

The Stationmaster - Prologue End

You'd all done your part to retrieve the parts, and once together, they were simple enough to assemble—in fact, they near about assembled themselves. You could have guessed you were dealing with some sort of cat, but it was sort of cute… At least, halfway cute.

A train whistle in the distance. Though you could feel the beginnings of a rumble in your bones, there was no vehicle in sight yet. No wonder, with the way the tracks wound through the trees.

As you waited, the supposed stationmaster began to click. It shifted slightly, as if orienting itself… before streeetching out as much as you'd expect a bipedal sort of cat to. It took a moment to groom itself, then stopped rather abruptly to take you in with a tilt of its head.

"So you all will be my passengers…"

After a few more clicks, it hopped over to the boarding section of the station. The train in the distance was visible now, just barely.

"First, I'd like to thank you all for putting me together! It's a little hard to do what I need to otherwise."

"Gotta get you onto the real ride now! Nyaha!"

Perhaps you should have expected the change in voice, but it was still a little disorienting watching the head-halves dip back and forth.

"But now, let me introduce myself! My name is Neko-Neko, and I'll be guiding you from here on out! This place we're in, the Infinity Train—it's awfully confusing, isn't it? I can't imagine just leaving so many Passengers to try to fend for themselves."

The chugging was louder now, and a breeze stirred the chilly air. A train whistle blew.

"So, all aboard, and we'll get this explained to you in excruciating detail."

Though it was hard not to have reservations about this strange cat-fellow(s?) you'd put together, you didn't have all that much choice in the matter. The more normal-sized train pulled up on the tracks and came to a stop, but rather than a normal sliding entrance door, another of those red doors with the odd golden handles stood before you.

Unlike some train doors, it also didn’t open automatically. Neko-Neko fidgeted, seeming a little embarrassed.

"Well, I say all aboard, but you'll have to open the door yourselves. We'd love to help, but, y'know." They waved their paws. "No thumbs."

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[dangan-infinity]

The Smell of Antiseptic - Chapter 2 Post

With the dinner party in utter shambles, you feared the door may never open for you. But once you'd survived whatever length of time this was meant to last, you found the handle giving way.

And none too soon. Several Denizens' bodies littered the floor, but the rest weren't exactly happy with you. If anyone was going to tend to Abel, it wouldn't be here. It likely wouldn't be on the platform over the wasteland rushing below, either. Nor the bridge—

Which was rescinding, anyway. The handrails folded over and the bridge tucked away into the next car... What were you to do? Jump? Impossible. But Neko-Neko seemed more curious than perturbed, so presumably this didn't wreck their killing game plans.

In a flash, another car, rolling along the top of the ones ahead, lowered into the gap. Another bridge extended, the handrails snapping back into place as if nothing had happened.

"Well, that doesn't happen every day! How exciting!"

"Yeah, it's not that special. Get going."

You had little choice but to obey.

Though one look inside the next set of doors was enough to make several of you have second thoughts, there was no turning back. And if you made some attempt to go over or around the whole car, you were sure to fail, before or after suffering horrible injury—which would only make going inside all the more necessary.

So you stepped inside, begrudgingly or otherwise. You only had a moment to observe the half-curtained-off hospital beds, the IV stands, the bustling sets of scrubs, before something felt... wrong. With you. Was the sheer atmosphere just making you feel unwell? Or...

A pair of spectacles with cartoonish eyes behind them swooped over, ducking and bobbing as if to scrutinize all of you. "Oh dear, oh dear," came a mutter, though no mouth suddenly appeared to give it. "All right, if you could all wait here for just a moment, we'll have your rooms ready momentarily."

It was a nice idea, to actually get a room to yourself for once... but given the place (and the thrumming in your head), it was hard to be too excited. At least Abel could be seen to?

Whether you followed instructions exactly or not, you eventually found yourself guided to one of the hospital beds (they called this a room?). With a promise that a nurse would be in to see you soon, the pair of glasses somehow pulled the separating curtains shut to leave you alone. A draft stirred, but despite the apparent window you couldn't see anything outside but light. Presumably it was enough for the little plastic-potted ivy in the sill, but it did nothing to detract from the stuffy, sterile air of the place. Did you really need to just sit here? Surely it was wiser to at least figure out where the exit door was.

But you were so tired...

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[dangan-infinity]

The Mask That Grins and Lies - Chapter 2 Post

Finally you managed to fill the recess with mirror pieces, and the door opened. Despite your exhaustion, there wasn't much hesitation to move on.

There could have been another collapse, after all.

You next stepped into a sunlit room swirling with dust motes, an ornate wooden door set into each of its ten short walls, not counting the single hallway stretching into darkness. Aside from dated but lush green carpet, there was nothing else to shed light on the situation but a dusty tome resting on a podium. The cover was far more ornamental than descriptive, but flipping through the thin leaves showed you a plethora of mind-numbingly worded advice on dinner etiquette and dancing.

That certainly seemed an ill omen for most of you, and there was very little time to make sense of the instructions before the doors flew open in unison. Amorphous shapes, only visible from the way they distorted the details behind them, swept out into the room, making a number of concerned and pitying noises as they inspected the group as a whole. They were more prone to murmurs than anything, but they spoke in full agreement on one point:

"This simply won't do."

Whether you cooperated or not, you were swiftly pushed through one of the doors and locked in. The space seemed a bit cramped for a room, but it was luxurious for a simple changing stall. You felt a few odd prods and pokes as your measurements were taken with invisible tapes, then the door opened and shut before you could possibly slip through. After a few moments of not being entirely sure whether your assigned Denizen had left or not, they surged back inside with fine formalwear draped in their hands(?). While it at least wouldn't be any gendered clothing you were uncomfortable with, the formality level was much higher than most of you were used to. Did you have to?

The Denizen hung the clothes as needed but didn't leave the room. Though you only had the haziest sense of where their eyes might be, you could still somehow feel them boring into you with earnest.

"You must do everything you can to hide your identity here—dress nicely, speak courteously, step lightly, blend in. The Denizens here have been hurt badly by Passengers before and will broker no mercy if they realize that's what you are. Bodily, they aren't all so different from you, but the eyes..."

They retrieved an ornate masquerade mask from the formalwear and presented it to you.

"This will disguise you perfectly as long as you wear it. Value it with your life. I'm only able to provide one, so if anything should happen to threaten it... Please, be careful."

So... On threat of your life, you had to dress up fancy, wear a mask, and survive some kind of upper crust social event without revealing you didn't belong here? 

All of you?

Oh dear.

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[dangan-infinity]

The Loss of Support - Chapter 2 Post

The occasional clang still echoed down the tunnels as you wearily searched for another vein of "ore". How were you even supposed to figure out the best locations, logically? This was not, you were pretty darn sure, how mirrors were actually made in the real world.

All you could do was investigate the walls and conserve whatever energy you could afford to. The lack of food was really wearing on you now. But with the lot of you split up among the different tunnels, surely someone would find what you needed. Whether it was someone in condition to mine it out, well. One step at a time.

Clang, drip, your own tired footsteps... Every sound seemed to wear you down further.

At least, until the cacophony of falling rocks. When you took from nature, you should not have been surprised when it decided to take something back.

Jolted more awake, it still took you a panicked second to determine it wasn't happening around you. But was it coming this way? Had you heard a yell, or was it just someone's startled reaction? No matter your rationale, you found yourself hurrying back to the mine's center chamber. Between you and the others that had gathered, it didn't take long for someone to point out the clattering of rocks down another tunnel. You followed, though you weren't sure you wanted to go too far in here...

“Oh, f-ck–!”

Though one soul had ventured too far. Maybe by chance. Maybe by fate. Maybe by some other design, Viper had made her way in too deep. The rocks rushed to meet her, but some other force, moving faster than you could think, had made its move first, pushing her harshly. She was sent flying, away from danger. Away from the rocks that wished to get up close and personal. She let out a yelp as she skidded across rock, hitting the floor hard. Whether you thought the sight of her on the ground was karmic, or amusing, or just relieving, the rocks tumbled down, down, down… away from her.

Wide-eyed and certainly terrified, she could only watch as the rocks fell. As the place where she had stood just moments earlier was crushed by the falling boulders. If it had just been a moment later...

Splinters of a supporting frame lay scattered among the dislodged rock. A large silvery gleam made you think someone had at least struck it rich here before the collapse—until you realized what it actually was.

Or who it actually was.

Pinned handily beneath the slowly crushing weight of stone was R.N.A. Surely as the largest among you they had some hope of strong-arming their way out—but it wasn't looking hopeful. 

“I… I appear to be stuck…” The robot said, tone still calm and soft, even in a situation seeming so dire. “I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean… To worry you all.”

There were those of you already surging forward to help before they'd finished speaking. The other supports seemed perfectly stable, so if you could just move one rock out of the way at a time... If R.N.A. could just hang in there until enough of the weight was off of them...

But you were all weary enough to begin with, and so few of you had the strength to contribute without even accounting for injuries. Even with the rockfall stopped, your progress was nonexistent. 

“Stop… You have to… get back. It might… there might be a second falling… you might get buried.” There was the sound of the robot shuffling. “I think… I think I can get… out if I just…” There was the futile struggling of a robot who had been bested. Metal scissors that could not beat rock. You could hear some of the rocks shuffling… shifting.

You heard a creak of metal.

“In truth… I’m… scared… I feel… human… right now… But I don’t know why… Is… Is Viper okay… I can’t see. I can’t see her… But I got her… out of the way. Because I want… my friends… to get off the train. All of you… I know there has to… be a better way off the train. A way… away from killing… Even… Jack could have. The train doesn’t… make him happy… it just lets him… forget how sad he is.”

Maybe that was rude. But R.N.A believed everyone could escape. That there was salvation and a way back to life for them all.

“I’m safe–” There’s a weak, wavering reply from behind those who had rushed forward to try and help, as Viper tried to wobble to her feet, her gaze fixed on the robot being crushed beneath the stone prison.

“...I don’t… I don’t know if I can escape… I have… one more idea…”

Just enough chips of rock sprinkled down from above that even the most desperately striving among you finally backed away. R.N.A.'s metal joints groaned under the pressure. A few more rocks hit. A crack split their digital face, and the light sputtered out.

They didn't speak again.

The ensuing shocked silence was only broken by a faint echoing drip from some other tunnel. Then some of you finally heard a mechanical whir—but R.N.A. hadn't moved. Your hope evaporated all over again as Neko-Neko strode up to the rock pile.

"Are... Are they all right?"

The cat rapped a not-so-soft paw on the side of R.N.A.'s head. The resulting clang made a few of you flinch.

"Nothin' but an empty shell here."

They turned on the rest of you.

"We'd be happy to congratulate the murderer on a job well done, if we had one!"

"Please at least play the game, nya... Even if we lose Passengers, I can't guide anyone back home if you aren't following the rules."

With a shake of their head(s), they left R.N.A.'s lifeless face display behind.

First Jack, now this? You were hoping this horrible game would end... but not from everyone just dying off of their own accords first. And how safe were you? If you had just been in this tunnel instead of a different one...

Maybe killing to go home wasn't that terrible an idea after all.

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[dangan-infinity]

The Sixteenth Ton - Chapter 2 Post

You stepped into darkness. Something dripped in the distance, and your footfalls echoed far away. Your eyes couldn't adjust before one of you stumbled into something solid with a wooden thunk. Between that and the tracks that threatened to trip you up, you finally started to piece together your newest location.

Neko-Neko climbed inside the large minecart and gestured for you to join them in some mockery of a lucky cat. Whether you cooperated right away or only after a slow attempt to cross the rocky ground on foot, you all managed to fit in the vehicle just as it started to pick up speed.

Lanterns passed along the tunnel walls, getting a little less dingy as you went in further. This area felt abandoned, though, with only dull, stripped rock passing you by. But eventually the cart slowed and stopped in a slightly more open cavern. The ceilings were low enough to feel uncomfortable, but even the tallest of you could exit the cart without ducking. A few tunnels split off from here, most aglow with lantern light, but the cart tracks went no further. Up ahead you could just barely see light glinting off the occasional chip of something silvery in the walls.

The exit door was in plain sight in this chamber, but of course it wasn't opening yet. A shallow recess stretched some ways in front of it, but there were no labels. No guides other than Neko-Neko, whose eye glowed all the more ominously in this place. But considering the environment and the mining equipment available, maybe you wouldn't have to ask them for advice. At least the way to start the "puzzle" in this car was clear enough, if exhausting to even think about.

And from there... you supposed you'd just have to see.

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[dangan-infinity]

The Final Volume - Chapter 2 Post

Whether it was harder to find a book that called to you or run from it, you all eventually managed to complete your task. Where the shelves had spun off into infinity before, a familiar red door appeared in one of the aisles. Word spread quickly, and soon you'd all assembled before it. Time to move on, as always.

The handle turned without resistance, and the churning wasteland stretched out before you. Another bridge, another car ahead. Maybe that one would give you some way to end Neko-Neko's game. Was that what you were hoping for? Were you hoping for much of anything, at this point?

Either way, you found yourself passing through without hindrance, the air outside the Train a little warmer on your face. 

At least, most of you.

With a faint sound only vaguely reminiscent of slamming into a wall, Jack marched straight into something that bounced him and only him back into the library. He stumbled but stayed on his feet and tried again, a little faster—but the result was the same.

Perhaps it’s Viper’s guilt at burning the checkout register, perhaps it’s something else entirely, but hearing Jac—no, Jagal, trying his hardest to take the books, she knew she had to try and do something. Maybe she didn't know why keeping these books was so important to him—but she could hazard a guess, after they’d snooped so much into his life. His mother, his father, his sister especially… it had to be hard for him. To be forced to think about them again. And once again, she’d messed up someone’s chance at healing. 

“Hey—” He bounced back from the door, and she reached forward, just lightly gripping onto his bag. “Jagal—” Maybe he’d listen if she talked to him. The true him, not… Jack. Worm her way in there, she knew it could go very badly. Very, very badly. But equally, she wanted him to understand that she wasn’t out to hurt him. Not at this stage.

Jack warily tugged his bag out of Viper's grip. How did she know his name? Had she—

"...."

No. Absolutely not. It must've just come up somewhere else, at some point. Not like it was his most tightly-guarded secret.

“I don’t think they’ll let ya take ‘em wit’ ya—I-I can ask. But ya prob ain’t gonna be able t’.”

Jimithy stepped up, as unamused as ever.

"Already told both of you, you can't check out a book that doesn't have a register. A real one."

"And you can't leave with a book you haven't checked out. Put it back." He grimaced. "Or on a return cart, fine. But you're not leaving with that. Don't waste any more of our time."

Viper picked at a thread on the end of her glove. “It’s… prob best ya leave ‘em here anyway. I dunno if ya’d want ‘em ta get hurt… damaged…’n all.” Viper raised her gaze to him—having tilted it to the floor. “Look, I’unno if I’ll get anywhere. An’ I know ya gonna try’n act like ya rejectin’ every bit’a niceness. But I wanna know ya. An’ I don’t care how much ya try’n stop me.”

Tag-teamed, huh? It was true, Jack didn't have any registers, and the train out there couldn't be safe for a book unless he never tried to open it. Would being damaged hurt them? Surely not, if they were already dead, but...

"....."

"Fine."

He withdrew a slim volume from under his hoodie and set it gently on the floor. Not even the return cart, huh.

"Not like I'm much 'f a reader, anyway."

He stepped through the door, this time without any kickback—apparently that was the only one he'd had. Those of you who hadn't made it past before all the ruckus followed him out.

Even after all that, it was just back to the usual march. Everyone onto the bridge, onto another door...

Everyone. Right?

The fastest walker had already laid hands on the next door by the time you realized your head count was down one. It didn't take long after, though, to find Jack back at the library doors, propping them open with one hand. He swept a look across you all, hesitating briefly at Viper. But only briefly. With a swift step, he was back on the carpet.

"I'm not leaving her again."

The doors slammed shut before anyone could even think about getting in the way. The handle spun with a ratcheting noise and locked back into place again. Anyone trying to turn it wouldn't succeed.

...Ah. Well.

Considering the party involved, it was hard to feel bad about leaving him behind. A relief, if anything. Though you couldn't be sure exactly how this place worked, if he could still come after you later... Maybe it would have been more of a relief if you were sure he'd die in there. 

Not... not that you wanted a person to die! But, well, if it had to be anyone...

"Jack? The game isn't over yet...! I-I can't guide you home if you're not here, nya..."

"Eh, it'd be too obvious if he did the next murder, anyway."

"We're sure the rest of ya can do better by yourselves!"

"B-but there isn't any food or water in that car! As his Stationmaster..."

"That's his own problem. We don't gotta call every single death a murder if it ain't one."

"We've wasted enough time here, don'tcha think? Onward!"

"........"

Despite the particularly split personality at play, Neko-Neko still gestured expectantly at the next car. No more dilly-dallying on your part.

No reason to, anyway. Whether it had locked automatically or Jack was manually blocking it, the library door wasn't about to open. Was it even your business to keep trying? If none of you would be blamed for him choosing this fate, why try to save him? He certainly would've done no such thing for you.

Something still felt rotten in your stomach as you moved forward.

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The Home of Tomes - Chapter 2 Post

Somehow you made it through the literal daycare with less violence than usual. In the end, it was more bittersweet than you expected to leave your sleeping flourchild behind, even though Sister had assured you this was the right path. With the exit door unlocked, it was hard to argue otherwise.

Perhaps you could have stayed with her, even if your flourchild would vanish. It was apparently viable, after all, for a Passenger to simply stay in one spot, and there was food and water... But Sister had no intention of going home. If you did, then following in her footsteps couldn't have been wise.

So you followed Neko-Neko's instead, across the next bridge and to yet another car, identical to all the rest on the outside.

After the rushing air and clanking wheels, the sudden quiet stillness made your skin prickle. The air smelled faintly of dust and parchment, and the slightest chill gripped your shoulders. Rows of polished wooden shelves from floor to ceiling stretched away farther than you could see the end of—if there was any end. Every shelf was well-stocked with books of all styles pressed neatly side by side. 

Closer to where you entered, a curved wooden counter with an "INFORMATION" sign hanging overhead separated you from a goatboy of some kind. Eyeing your group, he managed to look utterly bored and judgmental at the same time.

"Great. You look like you won't make any noise."

"We'll all try to be quiet...!"

"We make no promises."

The goatboy's lip curled even further.

"Right. Well. Welcome or something. You're in a library. Go read a book."

He gestured at himself—"Jimithy—" at the doorway behind him—"Timothy. We're here if you need us."

"......."

"Don't need us. Thanks."

He leaned back in his seat—one of the only ones this place seemed to have—and put in some earbuds. Ah. Very helpful.

But at least this place didn't seem particularly dangerous, in and of itself? Though it didn't present a clear exit, either. Hmm.

Time to read a book, you guessed.

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The Scent of Fresh Lemon - Chapter 2 Post

With the claustrophobia of the flower shop and the many things it brought up that you didn’t want to talk about, moving onto the next car seemed like a swell idea. It was more naturally peaceful here, perhaps, but what difference did that make with this group, anyway?

Whether you kept any flowery souvenirs or not, you crossed along the bridge to the next door.

Inside was a more normal-looking, if quite colorful, setup. In one corner a clean cluster of elementary school desks with chairs waited, rows and rows of bright cubbies behind them with various supplies. More eye-catching was the large play area with all manner of slides and swings and the like atop a colorful patchwork of bright foamy tiles.

And unlike some of the cars that felt lively but empty, quite a few Denizens seemed to be running about. A collection of children's toys on the larger side seemed to be doing their best to entertain and otherwise corral a number of... What exactly? They certainly chittered and ran and looked like young children at the barest glance. But upon further examination, there was an origami-like quality to them—or maybe more like... flour bags?

"Oh, this looks like such a fun car, don't you think? Or if you don't, you know the easiest way to get out!"

"Just remember, killing a Denizen doesn't count for our game!"

Neko-Neko, the only solid-metal-spiky sort of thing in sight, strolled over to the desks, seeming to contemplate their value as a scratching post. They didn't elaborate on why they thought the distinction was necessary here. Did they really expect you to kill... toys and children? Or how could you mistake any of those as one of your group "eligible" for killing?

"...What is this about killing?" A voice chimes in from another corner of the car. For all of its unfamiliar warmth, it seems hauntingly familiar.

You turn in the direction of the voice, only to be greeted by a sight that sends a chill down your spine and a burst of cold through your blood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfkoK-h23dg

"...Whatever the case is, I wager you can get through this car just fine. Although there's certainly plenty of children to keep us busy..."

Standing before you is a woman in a nun's outfit, smiling warmly and serenely. But something feels... off. It's her face, it's those eyes... No, it couldn't possibly be—right?

"...You can call me Sister. I'll be doing my best to help you handle the children. Hopefully without resorting to any... killing." Sister scowls at the word, like even just saying it has spread a pungent taste throughout her mouth.

A silence hangs over the you all for a moment, which Sister breaks, smiling at you nervously.

"...Why are you looking at me like you've seen a ghost?"

But looking out at the children wasn't any better—some of them seemed rather familiar, too...

In ways you maybe didn't care for.

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The Gentle Flitter - Chapter 2 Post

Plart's mall was somehow even more chaotic than you'd anticipated—but everyone survived. Not everyone was thriving, certainly, but eventually you'd all stolen or caught what or whom you needed.

As if ready to get you all off his turf, Plart offered his congratulations tersely and guided you back to the Segway station to dismount for the last time. Phew. You could certainly hope the next car wouldn't pit you against each other so much—but you were almost certain you wouldn't have to wrestle those things again.

But you did still have to follow Neko-Neko, out onto the rushing wasteland and across to the next car. It was hard to feel much of anything but trepidation at this point, but maybe, maybe, a more helpful Denizen would be here.

You stepped into what must have been the smallest car yet, though that may have been saying fairly little. This time you were constrained to some kind of little florist shop with pleasant lighting. Tasteful floral arrangements and bonsai took up most of one wall, while another held looser flowers—were some of those translucent? Par for the course, perhaps, but still odd enough to notice.

Also a little odd was the lack of Denizens greeting you. Would anyone tell you how to get the far door to unlock? Were you supposed to depend on Neko-Neko for that? With your luck, they'd just tell you to kill somebody to see if it might work. Then again, after Comedy's claims, maybe you didn't want to trust every native Denizen wholeheartedly, either...

Ten outstanding bouquets had odd little hand-painted pictograph tags hanging from their vases. Each had a lovely-looking unique combination of flowers centered on multicolored roses, but something seemed to be missing.

As you finally passed through to the end of the store, you found the car wasn't quite as small as it had seemed. A zen garden spread out before you with trees, stones, a curved bridge, sand, and a few benches. Though peaceful, all of it was oddly drained of color. You weren't sure it needed fixing, per se, but it was still noticeable.

A flitter tickled the edge of your vision. You turned to look, but by then the only sign of... whatever that had been was a quiver in some of the flower shop's petals.

Hmm. Maybe the helpful Denizens weren't missing after all.

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The Long Arm of the Law - Chapter 2 Start

After an extended soapy ride that was only remotely soothing to one group, you all somehow made it out alive. The final Denizen puffed a little extra air your way in goodbye as Neko-Neko led you to the nearby door and a freshly-laundered creature followed along. Your thumbless stationmaster still needed help getting the thing open, but what choice did you have? After all the chaos, you weren't sure keeping everyone in a smaller space than necessary was such a great idea.

Of course, jumping off the rails into the wasteland wouldn't be a much better idea, so onto the next car you went.

What appeared to be a small, two-floor shopping mall stretched out in front of you—though you couldn't get a good look from the entrance before nearly tripping on a large charging station. At least a dozen Segways stood pristine in their almost-stalls, seeming to beckon to you...

But even more noticeable than that was the fact that you were no longer in whatever you were wearing upon entering. Though you certainly hadn't changed yourself, you now wore a perfectly-fitting uniform of some sort, and so did the others beside you—everyone but Neko-Neko. Half of you now wore what appeared to be knockoff police uniforms, while the other half was decked out in in obscuring black, ski masks included. Considering the apparent theme, you really didn't feel like the lot of you got the costume you were supposed to...

If you had complaints, the bright blue bouncyball now approaching you seemed to hold himself with the authority to broker them—if not the desire to. With no facial features but a moustache and a large pair of sunglasses with no eyes to cover, it was a bit hard to guess at any expressions here. But he still had no trouble speaking.

"Welcome, recruits!" He seemed to scan those in ski masks. "And... volunteers." He made a throat-clearing noise and straightened up, however that worked for a bouncyball. "I am your instructor, Plart, but you'd best refer to me as Sir. As of today, you will be receiving training in the art of mall policing—or acting as those we must police against. If you aren't happy with the role you've been given..." He faced away in thought before suddenly spinning back—"then too bad! I will not tolerate slacking on either side. Without a little conflict, you'll never learn what you have to."

He pulled away a bit, nodding at the Segways. "Each of you, choose your steed. They'll serve you well—if you serve them." Whatever that meant. "Mastering your steed is a critical part of mall policing, and we'll have a course for you to prove yourself. Of course, the real test will be how well you can stop or execute a robbery... But you'd best acclimate yourselves to your roles before you go jumping into the final exam."

He gave the distinct impression of someone crossing his arms. "You can find me anytime if you require further instruction—I'll be making the rounds to ensure you're all doing your part, but I'll be stationed in front of the Mall Prison just as often. If there are no questions, you are dismissed."

Oh, there were questions—but how many of them would this guy answer? Switching sides apparently wasn't an option, and you had the feeling even an imposing bouncyball mall cop couldn't overthrow Neko-Neko so easily. There didn't seem to be much to do but choose your "steed" and explore the mall—whether that be as a cop or a robber.

Plart hopped onto a Segway and, with no physical explanation for being able to successfully operate it, wheeled away into the halls.

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The Funeral Procession - Chapter 1 End

Nemesis turned to the rest of you. With no other events to distract you, it was much clearer now that the exit door was visible again along all with the gridlines. She didn't move to block your path this time.

"CONSUMMATUM EST," she said, sweeping an arm out towards the door. "THE JUDGMENT HAS FINISHED. ONTO THE NEXT CAR WITH THE REST OF YOU."

"I'M SURE WE'LL ALL MEET AGAIN. UNLESS YOU CAN STAY OUT OF TROUBLE..." She clearly didn't think you capable of that.

Neko-Neko, leading the way, waved cutely at her.

"Until next time!"

"We're sure it'll be just as much fun, nyaha!"

Nemesis half-waved back before moving toward the other wooden door. But she was still watching. You had a feeling hanging around much longer wouldn't bode well.

The exit door opened without struggle, onto the same wasteland as always. The bridge to the next car stretched out ahead, as always. And, as always, you moved along and through the next door.

Funny how anything stayed the same when your party had been changed so irreparably.

Within the new car, the candy-powder scent of cleansers mixed with faint exhaust hit you first, and you had little time to process the cars lined up before getting shooed into one yourself alongside a few others. As you debated whether you ought to be buckling up or hopping right back out, you pieced together more of the scene. A hearse in front, and a handful of cars besides your own with their hazard lights flashing. A parallel set of conveyor belts matching up with the tires. Archways of nozzles and an array of brightly colored soft things gallivanting about the well-lit tunnel. None of it seemed threatening, at least.

Or perhaps you were just too exhausted to care, as your ride shifted into neutral on its own and began gently lurching along the car wash track. Not much for you to do now but sit and wait—or talk, if you were still on speaking terms with your co-riders.

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The Lady of Justice - Chapter 1 Trial Start

After all the strange things you've seen thus far, it's some kind of cruel irony that you should wind up exactly where you expected.

A large, antiquated courtroom sprawled before you, spartanly decorated with simple benches and dour wood trim. Fourteen chairs sat in the jury's box—each bore a metal plate labeled with your chosen names. There was no sign of a defense or prosecution at the empty benches (except... was that a scrap of fabric on the floor?) At the head of the room, though, just below where the courtroom seal should be, stood an enormous statue of Lady Justice.

Neko-Neko strutted in before you, gesturing at the seats before marching straight ahead to the body of the courthouse. If any of you tried to follow them, you'd find some strange invisible barrier preventing you from leaving the jury area—a box indeed. But even if you escaped there, the only other (wooden) door you could see was blocked off by a different statue.

Neko-Neko cleared their throat, however that may have worked for a robotic cat.

With an echoing creak of stone against stone, the statue of Lady Justice moved.

"FIAT IUSTITIA RUAT CAELUM. WHAT MANNER OF CRIME STANDS BEFORE US TODAY?"

"The cold-blooded murder of a Passenger, Atsuko Samukura, Your Honor."

She grimaced as the cat-halves spoke.

"THIS IS... UNORTHODOX. WHO ARE YOU...?"

"Neko-Neko, Your Honor, here to press charges against the defendants for this heinous crime."

"And I'm, um, The Conductor! To... help defend the innocent?"

The white half looked at the other as if asking for their next line, but none was provided.

"I mean, at least one of them must be, nya..."

"And we've got a few other Passengers here to contribute, yeah?"

They looked over to the jury box, silent in case anyone felt the need to comment.

"I HEAR... A DEFENSE AND PROSECUTION? AND A JURY..."

It was hard to read her expression with half of her face missing, but she looked a little... lost, as though she only half understood what was happening around her. She held a massive hand up to silence the Passengers.

"SPEAK ONLY OF THE CASE AT HAND, FOR I AM UNWHOLE. WITHOUT PRUDENCE, I CANNOT SEE. WITHOUT VENGEANCE, I CANNOT ACT. THERE IS NAUGHT I CAN DO BUT RENDER A VERDICT... FORGIVE ME."

She struck the tip of her sword against the floor with a resonant clang.

"SIC INFIT. COURT IS NOW IN SESSION."

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