interlude snack; nothing will reach her any longer.

[selfished]

[ In this dream you might find yourself in a big church, so big that the size might just overwhelm you for a moment before you can orient yourself. The church walls are lined with neat black brick rows, and the floor paved with similar grey tiles. Beyond the big stained glass windows on the wall a red light - perhaps the setting sun - seems to burn

Comments

[digtastic]

[ There was something eerily familiar about this music, and it unsettled Rock more than he cared to admit, a shiver running down his spine as he took in the unfamiliar sight before him. He'd been to a church before obviously, and he knew what they were supposed to look like. But... something about this place just unsettled him deeply. Enough that he was having a hard time actually taking that first step toward the figure in the middle.

Still, he shook his head and forced than anxiety down, taking a step toward Kyouko... and becoming that much more anxious when he heard that same metallic footstep echo back at him. Almost as if announcing his presence. To who (or what), he didn't know. But he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. ]

... Kyouko?

[selfished]

[ She doesn't have to spin around to know who's there, since she obviously immediately recognizes the voice, but yet she does spin around to face him. Even standing in front of the statue still makes her look so tiny compared to it. There might be the briefest flash of surprise on her face, but she quickly surpresses it and gains more of a neutral look. ]

Yo. [ She says it casually, shrugging a little as if it isn't weird at all for him to appear here. ] You here too?

[digtastic]

Y-Yeah.. [ He answered absentmindedly, not really paying attention to the brief surprise in Kyouko's face or the way she was trying to casually shrug off his presence in this place. No, right now, Rock couldn't even bring himself to look anywhere but all around him, a part of him somewhat scared that looking away might mean he would've been done for. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? The place was spacious, with more than enough floor room for Rock to be able to hear anything coming at him well before it became an actual threat. So then why couldn't he shake off this foreboding feeling of dread...? ]

Kyouko, what's going on? [ He finally asked, tearing his eyes away from the surroundings to finally look straight at her. And expressing both his confusion and his anxiety. ] What is this place..?

[selfished]

Don't tell me you've never even seen a church before.

[ There's definitely something tense in her own voice though, even as she tries to act casual about it. She doesn't seem too fazed by the sense of dread hanging in the place - perhaps she doesn't even notice it, but perhaps it's just his presence here that bothers her.

She glances over her shoulder at the statue for a moment before looking back. ]

It's where people come to atone for stuff, yeah?

[ The music is starting to sound a bit louder now - perhaps at a normal level one would listen to music too rather than the soft tune from before. Or it could just be your imagination. ]

[digtastic]

[ Rock notices the escalating volume of the music, and it only serves to unsettle him even further, that foreboding feeling that just wouldn't go away getting even worse as he tried to keep from showing it. Although how successful he actually was in that left a lot to be desired. ]

I know that. [ He said, his voice having a slight tremble to it. Before he sighed to collect himself and once again kept his gaze on Kyouko. ] What I mean is... I've never seen this place before.

[ Not in Demeleier, not back home, not anywhere. And every second he stayed in here only further fueled that sense of dread within him. That sense of dread that was practically screaming at him to leave. To reach over, grab Kyouko's hand, and just leave this place right now. Yet he didn't. As always, his curiosity urged him on. And for a moment, he had to wonder if that curiosity was going to be the death of him someday. ]

[selfished]

[ She shrugs. ]

Yeah, this place is a little special. This is where--

[ She keeps talking, noticable only because her mouth keeps moving. But the actual words can't be heard, since the music swells up to a volume where it completely drowns out Kyouko's words and any other sounds. It's starting to get so loud that it almost hurts to just listen to it by now

[digtastic]

[ As nervous as Rock was about his surroundings, not even he could keep his guard up as the volume of the music continued to rise. If anything, it was starting to physically hurt, his hands coming up to his ears as he tried to muffle it out. He even opened his mouth to ask Kyouko where the music was coming from, but the words died in his mouth when he saw it.

The statue. The way it was regaining color. The way it raised its sword.

And then the wheels falling right in front of him.

It jarred him enough that he couldn't help but lose his footing and fall on his rear as it all happened, music momentarily forgotten as his wide eyes simply watched the spot where Kyouko had been standing. And for a couple of seconds, he didn't actually say anything. He just... watched. And then it started to hit him. ]

K-Ky... [ He had to gulp down the lump in his throat, his mouth suddenly feeling completely dry. ] ... Ky..ouko...?

[ And then she suddenly appeared before him. As if nothing had happened. As if that one blink of light had made

[selfished]

Huh?

[ She raises an eyebrow at him, looking genuinely curious. ]

Hey, what are you sitting around on your bum for? This isn't really a place to just go sit down quietly, y'know!

[ Considering her attitude is just as usual, it's likely she doesn't even remember what just happened. ]

[digtastic]

[ For a second, he couldn't help but simply blink at her attitude, genuinely dumbfounded by what he was hearing. Was she seriously acting like nothing had even happened? Why? Did she even realize what happened? Or did it happen too fast for her to notice? But if that was the case, then how did she come back? Or did she?

Did it even happen to begin with? Or was it all just a figment of his imagination? ... No. He wouldn't have imagined something like that. Kyouko dying like that, crushed before his very eyes... he would never have imagined something like that. ]

I-I... [ Whatever he planned to say, it died at the tip of his tongue, his mind still too jarred to actually form any sort of coherent sentence. ] ... You're.. okay?

[selfished]

I'm feeling just fine.. [ And with her tone it's easy to tell she's a bit confused by his behaviour, really. ]

What's up with you, either way? Did you hit your head or whatever? There's nothing here that would make me not okay, right?

[ The giant statue behind her looms over them, but it's still just like what it was in the beginning - just a statue, the stone cold to the touch. ]