R5: ghost hangout

[foundationmods]

[What's this? The fog of the miasma has pulled back, revealing a path down to the basement. None of the living seem to notice it though, only those who are dead are aware of it.

Down in the basement is a large furnished room. It doesn't seem as dusty as the rest of the house, and it actually seems lived in? Or...un-lived in, technically. But the lighting here works and there's plenty to do. Even if the ghosts might not need it, there's several beanbag chairs (brought in by one of the many groups of teenagers who have disappeared into the house), a large couch, and even a jacuzzi. Because even if you're in eternal pain, you can relax a bit, right?

If the ghosts look up, they'll see that the ceiling appears to be made of spider-patterned stained glass. Which is weird, considering that it should be floorboards and such. But the stained glass allows them to look up into all parts of the house and easily spy on the living. What they hear can be hit or miss, especially if the living are whispering, but seeing what they're up to should be easy enough.

Well. Might as well make the most of this space, right?]

Comments

[foundationmods]

Free of this place. Free of the Egg she wove around me/you here, in this house.

There's an outside. I have seen it in your thoughts and memories. It is very bright, and there are so many things.

I want to play out there. Let's play together. We'll have so much fun.

[kaliedoscopes]

Sorry for that headache.

[ He does not sound sorry. But not!spider sure has expanded their memory collection since he's joined the hivemind. ]

[foundationmods]

It's okay. I/you are many. You/I were alike from the start.

Why didn't you come to me earlier?

[kaliedoscopes]

[ He laughs, low, hollow. ]

All things in due time. There's a natural order to a play, skipping the rise to jump straight to the catastrophe is really rather dull. [ This would sound more playful, but it's flat compared to his speeches yesterday. ]

But...what kind of game? There's so many you can play with ample space.

[foundationmods]

I/we don't know many games beyond hunting and watching others not us play. Will you/us teach us? That would be very fun, we/Ithink.

[deadanimemom]

Is that what you want? [Yuri says, a little bit of fondness breaking through the suffering.]

They won't like you out there if you keep misbehaving like this.

[foundationmods]

They do not have to like me/us.

They will be me/us.

And then we will be together.

[deadanimemom]

That would be nice. But we... you don't have to make them all us. We don't all have to be together.

[carbide]

[...watching this exchange closely.]

[foundationmods]

...Then we can kill the ones who won't be with us.

I/we like that idea.

[eyeforai]

Can we at least have a vote to keep more assholes out of this? I don't want to be together with them forever.

[foundationmods]

...Okay. Then we can just hunt them.

[noneforall]

Ha. I guess you can have useful ideas sometimes.

[There's an actual sliver of amusement floating around, but it's not like it's hidden either -- it's just rarer these days.]

[tsunderine]

[ah, yes.

more 'barriers', in some sense of the word, and that just immediately pisses her off, so she asks-]

Do you know why she wove that egg?

[foundationmods]

She died and lost her original children.

Her grudge was strong enough to try and grab so many others - other insects, small animals, and even the grudges of those who were killed by the guns the woman who owned this place had.

All of them are I/us.

[tsunderine]

I see.

So that's why things are like this... then, a follow up question.

All of them are you, but - what were you originally? Are you just simply the grudges of all those creatures and people, or-?

[she knows that understanding this thing might be a mistake, but...

this thing also has Battler in its grasp.

and if they're going to be 'friends', then..... isn't it right to get to know a new friend more properly?]

[foundationmods]

yes? Maybe? I/we don't know. What are you? Are you just your parents' hopes and wishes?

[dreamshielder]

[Haku's giving the spider a bit of an appraising look, though his opinion on the matter isn't readily apparent. When he speaks it's in a flat tone.]

And you intend for us to protect you once we're outside?

[foundationmods]

No.I will be strong enough. I/We have been strong enough for a very, very long time.

I just want all of us to be outside, together. Playing. Having fun.

Bringing more into us.

[noneforall]

[Okay, pause while he just kind of rests his face in a hand in a pretty habitual chuuni gesture. The hivemind is probably getting a crest of exasperation, but it's as generally aimed as his grammar grouching and there's nothing that particularly follows it.]

The Egg... must be this house, and everything around it.

[Since he has the ability to read voices, gleaning the nature of that which speaks is there anything he can get off this weird miasma creepytext monster speech that isn't already coming across in the hivemind? Is it even in the hivemind?]

... I haven't bothered with games in a long time. What sort of game are you proposing?

[foundationmods]

Yes. There is this egg, and the egg around you/them. Her grudge was strong enough to take pieces out from the world, because she hated so much.

It is very funny.

[There's a sense of laughter, making them all weirdly happy for once.]

You don't have to play. You just have to help me/us get out of here, and then we'll all be together.

[carbide]

[wtf is this feeling]

[tsunderine]

[......oh.

hm.

that sure is a feeling that she didn't expect out of this]

[eyeforai]

[...Oh. Okay, this is...

Hm.]

[noneforall]

[There's a pause, while he absorbs that particular feeling.

A longer pause, while he places it away where the hivemind doesn't reach, and where very little else reaches either; smothering it in a darkness much like that at the bottom of the house. He'll continue doing so whenever the thing hits them with these shots. Perhaps he's saving it. Perhaps it's something else. That's not important right now.]

Ah. What a troublesome, troublesome ghost.

[There's something almost amused in his voice for a moment. Probably a remnant from earlier.]

I guess we'll see, won't we? There are certain games I'm willing to take part in. But I'm much more interested in stretching my legs, first.