snowblindrpg | [log] The Pit [open]

[... Actually took?]

At least you didn't try sticking anything else in, I guess.

But this room's got a hole, too.

[He could say more on that. Point out how it's probably the answer, all over again. But it won't help.]

Which is why I am stay far, far away from it, thank you.

Did you see the teeth?

... They're kinda hard to miss.

Shouldn't hurt when they start tearing you apart, though. You'd probably already be dead from the impact.

[Come on. That's just getting deeper in to what he's trying to avoid.

... Maybe changing the topic completely would help.]

So. Uh.

[After a moment, Junpei shrugs off his backpack. A distraction should work even better than just a topic change.]

You're collecting books, right? Want another? It's making my bag too heavy, so I gotta get rid of it.

[... Because of course he can't leave it at sounding like the offer's out of kindness.]

[Book!

Junpei, that is the best possible distraction anyone could possibly come up with and it clearly shows on his face because everything else seems to just... fade away, his focus now fully on the backpack.]

You found a book? What kind? Sure, I can... if it's too heavy, I'll just...

[Please, let him relieve you of this burden!]

[Victory!

Because it really is taking up space.

A few moments later, he's found said book and is handing it over.]

See for yourself.

There's a magazine in here, too, but it's just.. recipes. Kinda hard to think about food, when..

[You know. High possibility of being something else's food, if the hole in the floor keeps getting bigger.

Still, he'll pull that out as well, just in case.]

Edited 2018-02-16 18:21 (UTC)

Thanks! I'll digitize it once we're, um. [HAND GESTURE] out of the creepy suicide room.

You know. Unless we get devoured and digested in which case we'll just have to think of something else, really, maybe you can give me a summary or--

[They're both so good at this whole not talking about impending doom thing.]

Right. You were saying? Magazine? [His index fingers come up to do a little snapping dance because yes, please, let us stay on the topic of books and magazines... about... food...]

I'll take it. People are starved for [dammit] any kind of new reading material, really. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

[Pause.]

Unless we all die horribly today.

Alright,

[Then the magazine's gone, too! Finally.]

I guess they'll eat it up.

...

I mean, it's only a suicide room because nobody's taking this seriously. If they'd just--

[And back to the wrong topic.]

Is it that hard to ignore it and stay near the walls..?

[A magazine, too! Score! ... He quickly flips through the pages because maybe he can type something up by memory if... the magazine gets digested and... he's not... while it is on his body?

Alright, stuffing it into his messenger bag.]

I know, right?

... I'm finding it ridiculously hard. It shouldn't be hard, I mean, rationally, it's a pit with teeth. I mean, I know, there are supposed to be answers down there and I need to-- I want to-- I think I want to find them? But it's also a pit and it has teeth and honestly, the only thing that's keeping me over here is not wanting to get chewed to death and maybe the one or other traumatic experience of being kicked off a plane or a cliff or another ridiculously unsurvivable height without the right gear and...

[And he's babbling.]

I mean, theoretically, hypothetically, that's what I meant. Did you see the teeth? There are definitely teeth down there, right? It's not just me? Did we talk about this?

[Yes. They've talked about the teeth. Get it together, Flynn.]

... If you think about it, the pit probably doesn't have teeth. Isn't it some sort of anomaly waiting for us at the bottom?

[He's never seen one, but, wouldn't that make sense?]

Although I guess that's not any better. Maybe when we stop falling in, it'll get impatient and climb up.

[He's trying, gosh, it's not like he has a Guardian around to keep him grounded?? Just try to keep up, this works for him.]

That is semiotic nitpicking that my linguistic side might feel like engaging but my physical integrity is so not interested in right now?

[What do you mean climb up.]

Wh-- how is that better? ... Unless we can fight it. Which, if it's an anomaly, we can't, so how is that better? ... Except for, you know, not falling. Which is nice? And potentially giving it grief, which I'll take, too.

I didn't say--

... We can't fight it?

[Not that he'd know where to start if they could, but...]

W-well. Then what if the pit's getting wider so it can't get a grip on the walls?

Yes, it's in the guides. We haven't found a way to fight the anomalies.

... I mean, I haven't tried myself, but, others did and wrote about it and I read about it? [As he usually does.]

You think the pit is helping us?

[It sounds a bit like wishful thinking to him but he'll take it. Okay, okay. Try to think. Junpei is good at that too, he's proven as much, maybe they can bounce off ideas instead of annihilation scenarios.]

Or... maybe we can stop or slow the expanse somehow.

[But where are the ideas supposed to come from, if not in response to those scenarios? He's vaguely remembering something he isn't sure he's heard before, about inspiration and emergency...

... That doesn't help on its own.]

... I.. don't know. But I think if it really could climb up it would've, already. It's possible that thing is why it feels like it's the right way. It's luring us. So we just... don't fall for it.

We get against a wall-- a corner so there's more space-- and keep fighting. That's.. that's all there really is until anything changes.

[So if he's saying that again, why hasn't he tried it? He should move. He really should. And yet his feet don't want to.

But it's not just himself, in danger.

So if he grabs Flynn's arm, first, in an effort to pull him along--

There.]

C'mon.

[He'll drag him towards the closest corner, if he can.]

Right.

[He follows along but reluctantly, slowing with each step. Sometimes he stops, looking back over his shoulder like a distracted child, a yearning, curious expression on his face.]

Maybe we should... we should check. Really make sure nothing is coming up before we head to the corner...

If it is, won't we die either way?

[... Okay, but. Once the idea's there, it's hard to shake. Even if he's not going to let go, he's lost that resolve to get away. It wouldn't be difficult to bring Junpei closer.]

That's a good point.

[He hesitates. He doesn't know what to do and that's confusing and terrifying.]

... I just feel like there may be something down there that we missed. Think about it. That hole is the reason we're here, isn't it?

The.. reason?

[... There's not much certainty in his voice.]

No, that's not-- I don't know why we're here, but the only thing that hole's the reason for is why people are killing themselves right now. Why those of us who haven't are still at risk of doing the same. We can't let it get to us.

[Flynn blinks, then shakes his head as if waking from a daze at people killing themselves.]

Right. You're right. No, what was I thinking, what am I thinking? I don't know what I'm thinking, I always know what I'm thinking? We need to stay away from this thing.

... There. Now you're thinking.

[Which is probably a good thing. At least one of them needs to be on the right track, here, and Junpei's not entirely sure that it's himself, anymore.]

So, we should...

[Something...

... Move. Right. They should move.]

... Come on.

[In a brief, lucid moment, he grabs Junpei in return, pulling him further away from the pit. Maybe they can just start taking turns.]

We need to... focus. Think about something else. Get our minds off it.

R-right--

[He follows easily enough.

Now something else... Something else...

... The books had been his first attempt. But that's already over-- and they weren't even interesting.]

Sucks that the magazine wasn't porn. That would've made a good distraction.

Though, I guess then I wouldn't be giving it away...

[... Where is he even going with this.]

This is a nice change of pace actually. People send me pornography all the time. [... That came out wrong and he immediately he looks rather pained about it.]

There's a magazine in the e-library, uh. Big Booty Babes. If you're interested. [Even more pained.]

Not that we can access it right now, so...

[SO MAYBE THEY CAN TALK ABOUT LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE.]

... Just one... Between everybody...

...

You know, it's good it's all on the tablets.. And not..

... I.. wouldn't wanna touch it, at this point.

[YEP changing topics sounds better. But to what?

There has to be something, but all that keeps coming to mind is, well, the whole inevitable dying if they can't focus on anything other than the pit. And it's kind of hard to not think about something while actively trying not to think about it.

...

Huh. Maybe,]

What's up with the tablets, anyway? I'd get it if the walls were too thick and just messed up the signals. But. They don't even power on...

[Flynn pulls the biggest face. Why would you bring that up, Junpei. Why.]

Yes, well. It's all digitized and-- [he just. Cuts himself off before he can say stainless.

But the tablets are a good point, at least it's something to discuss and debate.]

Maybe we're... Could it be that we're beyond city perimeters? Outside the network?

[Look, Flynn didn't have to admit it existed. He brought that on himself.]

...

Then even though it kinda feels like that's the way out, over there... Maybe it just leads right back in.

If we keep waiting, you think we can get out? Like, out for real?

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