Week 4 - HEARTS

[foundfate]

[In the evening on Monday, Watanuki will send a letter (by magic, not bird, since the cockatiels are still healing) inviting Ann to his room. By the time she's arrived, she will find that he has set up a little table with two chairs at it. Space for them to work at, basically. There is also tea set up, so that they can have a bit before beginning this.]

Thank you for coming, Ann-san. I apologize for the rush, but I feel like this is urgent and should be addressed right away.

Comments

[foundfate]

[Maybe! If she looks closer, she will notice that the blue is a familiar shade, since she speaks to Watanuki regularly. The orange is new, though.

The door is a rice paper one, as is the majority of doors and walls in this house. On the frame is a blue handprint. Will she open it?]

[fullbodied]

[she will!

but also upon closer inspection, she does realize that the blue... feels very familiar. she's not planning on commenting out loud, not yet.]

[foundfate]

[Inside the room, a much smaller Watanuki sits, reading a book. The only difference, besides the fact that he's now 8 years old, is that both of his eyes are blue.

Oh, and the shadow he casts by sitting is full of ghosts, spirits, and other spooky things. Things that only exist in the shadow he casts, not the rest of the room. Not even in the other shadows in the room.]

[fullbodied]

[ghosts....

ann pauses, and steps into the room.]

Watanuki-kun...?

[foundfate]

[The boy glances up from his book. Where his shadow moves, it reveals more and more of the ghosts, but the boy there seems unaware of it.]

"Yeah? Who are you?"

[fullbodied]

[She straightens up, and folds her hands behind her.]

You can call me Panther. I came to check on you, since your heart is changing! Or might be... Have you noticed anything strange?

[foundfate]

"My heart is changing?"

[Confused, the younger Watanuki looks down at his chest as he puts his hand to it. When he pulls it back, it's covered in an orange substance that has the consistency of blood. This child seems unconcerned about the amount of orange-blood on him though.]

"Oh...I guess it is..."

[fullbodied]

You're not worried?

[she steps forward, a little concerned about that orange.]

What if your desires and treasures are being corrupted...?

[foundfate]

[The orange is dripping down from his hand now, in a quantity much larger than should be possible, forming a pool of orange all over the floor that is quickly spreading.]

"I forgot my treasures a long, long time ago. Maybe...maybe this is why I'm changing. I don't remember how to be 'me' anymore."

[fullbodied]

[she reaches out to him, ignoring the orange.

Even if he's not worried, she is. And she made a promise.]

Or maybe your treasure is being corrupted. Maybe you need to be reminded of why it's your treasure in the first place.

[foundfate]

[As soon as she touches him, he shatters like a mirror, pieces falling to the ground like broken glass. But even though he's basically a pile of broken now, she can still hear his words:]

"How can I be reminded when nobody knows what it is?"

[And then she'll be in the room by herself, no evidence of Watanuki, orange blood, or ghosts lingering.]

[fullbodied]

[she jumps back at first, and puts a hand up just in case-- but...]

Nobody knows what it is... But your heart does. You just have to listen to it.

[is there anything else in the room, before she steps out?]

And if you don't think I won't send you a calling card, Watanuki-kun, you have another thing coming.

[foundfate]

[Nope! The room is empty except for her.

The footsteps will leave the room and go back into the hall, though, and there is more orange in them now.

The footprints carry on for a long, long time too. Far longer than should be possible for how big the shop looked, but that's not unusual in the metaverse is it?

This time, though, the footprints split off into twin sets, one blue and one orange. The blue ones go to a door on the left, and the orange ones go to a door on the right.

Which way does she go?]

[fullbodied]

[she wants to follow the blue, but she knows that Watanuki is concerned about the orange.

At least, that's her assumption.

And so, she's following the orange.]

cw: mention of abuse

[foundfate]

[As soon as she opens the door to the orange room, she will see Watanuki and a young-looking woman sitting together in what appears to be a sitting room of some sort. They are drinking wine, and they are discussing something rather interesting, which Ann will be able to eavesdrop on for a bit.]

[fullbodied]

["The difference will only grow."

"I've only managed it for a few years."

Ann pauses, trying to recalibrate her memories, all the things they've discussed. This feels-- a little like a distant memory.]

Even if humans only age and die... You don't think you'll be able to connect with them? That they're really all that similar?

[foundfate]

[When Ann says that, both Watanuki and the woman look up to her. The woman looks a touch disgruntled, like Ann is intruding on something Very Private and she doesn't like it.

Watanuki, meanwhile, regards Ann with a faint sense of interest. And after regarding her for a moment, he smiles what appears to be a tired smile.]

How many of your schoolmates from elementary school do you remember, Ann-san? Outside of your personal friends, I mean.

[fullbodied]

Not many, but that's evading what I asked.

[she's firm]

Asking how many people I remember, who I didn't connect with, versus the people I did?

[foundfate]

It is evading nothing, Ann-san. As people grow older, those that they do not connect to fade to the background and become mere shadows of a memory. It is neither good, not bad, but rather a fact of life. A fact that becomes more pronounced the older you get.

I connect with the people I remember, and I remember the people I connect with. But I helps everyone, regardless of if I remember them or not.

[fullbodied]

But does that really mean the distance will grow? That you'll become less like us?

[foundfate]

...

[Watanuki glances to the woman at his side, who sits there pouting slightly. Then he looks back to Ann, and he looks a bit lost.]

Are those the only two choices? Become more of a Witch, or remain a Human?

[fullbodied]

... I'll help most people that ask me for help, even if I forget their face the next day. Being forgotten isn't the worst thing that could happen to anyone, especially for superficial connections like that. But I'll hold my friends close, because they're what anchors me.

[a pause]

All of this to say... There's always a third option, if you want to take it, Kimihiro-kun. You just have to find it. Neither of these things has to conflict with each other.

[foundfate]

...a third option...

[There is a long stretch of silence, and Watanuki looks down at his glass as he contemplates this point. Everything else about the room- the setting, the woman, and even the house itself- melt away to nothing. It leaves Ann and Watanuki is a sea of black nothingness.

Then, a flickering flame appears. It contains both blue and orange, though it appears to be about 70% orange currently. Watanuki does not seem to notice the flame, but Ann will be able to see it clear as day.]

...I don't want to forget 'it'.

[The flame gains a bit more more blue.]

But...it's hard. It's hard to live like this, standing right at that door without going in.

[The flame becomes slightly more orange again, canceling out the change from before.]

It's hard. Living like this is hard, and nobody understands.

[But Ann might have the chance to. Because suddenly both Watanuki and the fire disappear, and she is back in that hall, facing one final door, one covered in strips of tape that say "WARNING: DO NOT OPEN". Merely being near this door will make her feel anxious. Something is on the other side of that door, something Watanuki doesn't want others to see. ]

[fullbodied]

[oh. oh no, this is not a pleasant feeling.

But she's going to approach the door. She's going to force herself to reach out to it, stating,]

You asked me to come here. I'm going to find out what's wrong. I'm not going to hurt you.

[a normal Palace wouldn't need that, but Ann knows this isn't normal.

She's got Hecate encouraging her, and easy access to the paper he gave her.

She pushes the door open.]

[foundfate]

[As she opens that door, she will see darkness. Utter, unending darkness. It is a deep, lonely void, and whispers of despair and regret can be heard coming out of it. As much as being near the closed door was troubling, this one feels oppressive. Ann will get the distinct feeling that she should not be there, that she is staring into an abyss that she might not be able to handle.

And then dozens of long, ghostly hands reach out to grab her and try to drag her right into that room.]