70. [DREAM/DREAM/DREAM/DREAM]

[foolishwren]

[So while the rest of Johto alternately panics, cries, or rushes around trying to capture as many of the soulstealing insects as possible, there are dozens of souls floating around in that dream limbo, drifting in and out of each other's slumbering thoughts and visions. Whether it's nightmarish flashbacks or just those dreams where you're at school

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[bakaitoukid]

[A grate. A grate, blocking his escape at the worst possible moment. Kaito lets out a few more surprised and panicked curses as he skids to a stop, nearly crashing into the metal barrier in the process. He reaches out with his free hand to grab the cool bars and give them a good, hard shake, and when it doesn't budge, he whips around to face his pursuers again, sweat already beginning to run down his temple.

... they were still approaching, like a hoard of hungry predators, and if he stood here, he probably wasn't going to be living through this dream much longer. His heart is pounding in his throat, blood and adrenaline rushing through his ears. There had to be a way out of this, there just had to be. This couldn't be the end, he refused to go out like this, attacked by a mob of disgusting, naked things --

And as though it was a beacon of light in the middle of a dark alleyway, his gaze is drawn toward the tunnel across the water, suddenly and inexplicably. He thinks it's large enough for him to pass through, but he'd have to get

[bakaitoukid]

[Kaito stops short once the water reaches his waist, and he stares in the direction that the voice seems to be coming from with a contemplative expression. Something seemed... off about this entire situation, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it]

Me? Er... [His hesitation was brief] Kaito. 'M Kaito Kuroba.

Who, exactly, trapped you here?

[foolishwren]

... Kuroba?

[The voice sounds surprised.]

... A foreigner, eh? ... But why would they send...

[A pause, as though the speaker is shaking his head.]

I suppose it doesn't matter. Perhaps things have changed since I was...

[A heavy sigh follows.]

My ... delusional daughter. Somehow, somewhere, I made a grave mistake while raising her... her ego grew too great, and she thought she could speak for God and claim to know Her will. I found out about and opposed the foolish plan she was hatching, and in retaliation, she had me sent here... out of her way.

[The voice had dipped once again into a growl.]

And then, when I thought I had found an ally... my trust only resulted in being chained down here even more thoroughly than before... left to rot. Well, I hope the traitor is happy... probably joined my daughter in her foolish mission...

[bakaitoukid]

[... that honestly just makes Kaito more wary, but after another hesitation, he wades forward again, following the sound of this man's voice]

So you were betrayed by the person who was gonna help you-- uh. Keep your daughter from doing something... bad?

[His wariness is evident in his voice. This man is speaking vaguely, and he's not sure what to make of it]

[foolishwren]

[Trust your instincts c'mon man, the guy's been chained in a sewer for god only knows how long... of course he sounds a little nuts! It's incredible he's sane enough to even string two words together, at this point...]

[He does sound like he's getting more frustrated, though.]

Enough... enough!

I don't want to answer any more questions... I need to see light again. I need to get OUT of this place!

The chain is over there-- attached to the side of the wall! Do you see it?

[If Kaito does look (instead of possibly wading back in the direction that he came), sure enough... a length of chain, covered in weeds and sewer sludge, rises from the water over in the very corner of the chamber-- dangerously close to where the threshing machines whir. It's attached to the sewer wall.]

[bakaitoukid]

[... well on the bright side, his hostile reaction to his questions makes him less inclined to remove that chain 8T He searches the dark room for said restraint, noticing it connected to the wall close to those whirring machines. That chain is... suspiciously large. Almost too large for a normal human male.

He doesn't move toward it, though. But he doesn't move away either]

I see it.

[A beat, and despite the man specifically saying he didn't want to answer any more questions, Kaito shoots him another one. There is something not right about this situation, and he isn't going to do anything until he has all of the information he needs.]

What's the first thing you're gonna do when you get out of here?

[foolishwren]

[There's a sort of silence from the unseen man, and when he speaks again, there's a definite coldness. He seems to at least realize that he's at the mercy of the 'foreigner', though.]

I am losing patience...

But...

Water. Fresh water.

I've been trapped in this filth for so long I can hardly remember the taste.

[bakaitoukid]

[... all right, that's an answer. Slowly, he starts wading his way to the chain, careful not to get too close to those whirring machines]

[foolishwren]

[The chain is thick, old, and worn... but the stone around the place where it attaches to the wall with a ring is slightly crumbled. If he digs and scrapes around its edges a bit, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to remove the chunk entirely.]

[Perhaps it's looped through something under the water down there on the other side, which could explain why the mystery speaker hadn't been able to reach this side and break it off the wall himself...]

[bakaitoukid]

[Kaito reaches out to take the chain in his hands, frowning at how weak the chain link seems to be. It almost looks as though the captive should have been able to break through this himself...

With the chain in his hands, he glances up, searching through the darkness in an attempt to find the man connected to this restraint]

[foolishwren]

[The chain has some give, but then it snags with a hard CHNK somewhere under the water (which, if Kaito should choose to follow it ... will eventually come up to his chin the closer he gets...)-- followed by a grunt of pain.]

What are you doing over there--?!

[... seriously though where IS this guy.]

[bakaitoukid]

Hang on--

[... all right, he is going to follow the chain instead of just releasing it. He wants to at least know who this guy is]

Where are you?

[foolishwren]

[The further he follows that chain... the deeper and deeper he goes into the water. It comes up to his chin... then his ears.]

[The voice sounds bewildered, and a little outraged. But there's also something frantic in it.]

Does it MATTER?! I cannot MOVE until the chain is broken! Just BREAK it, and then we can both leave this place!

[bakaitoukid]

[... looks like he's not getting to the end of this. Soaked to the bone and shivering, he pulls back, reaching out to place his palm against the point where the chain meets the wall again]

Are you under water?

[foolishwren]

It is attached at multiple points-- please. Stop wasting TIME!

[... Well, he DOES sound desperate, even if it's a pissed-off kind of desperate. There's even a gurgle-- maybe he is underwater? Or maybe the chain ends in one of those shadowy corners and is tight enough that he's only just above water-level enough to breathe....]

[bakaitoukid]

. . .

[Letting out a breath and responding in a snappish tone himself]

I'm not wasting time, idiot! You're the one whose purposely being vague! I don't even have your name!