idolpro | Eclipse's Heart Game ☉ Session #4

You drift like you're floating in water. It's almost relaxing, actually. As long as you don't think too hard that what you're floating in may be bottomless, because under you lies only a deep darkness that only the ocean can provide.

Then something grabs you and drags you deeper, down, down, down into the abyssal depths. You can't breathe, but that's not on the forefront of your mind now, is it?

There is a mounting sense of anxiety and dread.

Who do you want to become? Will you even get to see tomorrow? What if all roads lead to ████████? Can you still stay '███'? If people see the ████ you, will they think less of you? Will they feel cheated?

You want to live. Even if it's a ███, even if your hands must be covered in █████, you want to live. You want to be '███'.

Finally, a voice pierces through the darkness. It's a woman's voice.

"My, how unfortunate. Your journey ends before it even begins."

"... Just kidding. That would be terribly boring! I suppose I can do the boy a favour just this once."

You feel someone grab your arm and pull you up to the surface.

...

When you come to, you are standing somewhere else.

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Then it sounds like a place I wouldn't mind hanging around at all.

Would you mind telling me a little more about this place?

"Down here, he keeps away..." His voice trails off as he tries to figure out how to best describe what he means. "The stuff he considers real traumatic, and such. All the details that he can't just forget. They'll be more or less like how he experienced them."

"'Course, it's not like he wants you guys to maybe die just 'cause you decide to run around in here, so I've got something for that if that's what you wanna do. And some things here ain't so much 'traumatic' as they are 'unhappy', but that's 'cause Conviction is down here, too."

Conviction... sounds like more than just a concept?

"Oh, yeah. She's like me, we kinda just represent...things for him. The lady you all met upstairs is 'Hope and Anxiety'. I'm Resilience."

[ Looking him over then nodding. ]

You do look like you'd be sturdy. Conviction an okay person to meet?

"You ever seen his best friend in his memories before?"

I usually avoid other people's memories myself...

"Oh. Well, she takes after her, so she's pretty rough 'round the edges. But she's also the part of him that still gives a damn about other people, in a way, so she ain't bad to talk to if you don't mind her bein' rude as hell."

Rude as hell sounds like plenty of fun. Ahhh, but you're so much fun to talk to too, how could I pick!

"Haha, well. You're gonna have to pick eventually. Besides me, her, and all the memories, there ain't much else down here."

Well then, you should give this humble boy a tour! If there's memories he'd rather not share, who else could know better when to shield my virgin eyes.

"Ahaha, nice try, but I'm just a gatekeeper. If you wanna go in, you're gonna to have to do it alone or someone else who came down here."

"They're things he'd rather not share because...well, who normally likes to just leave their trauma out in the open?"

Edited 2021-01-30 07:56 (UTC)

Eeeh, and they said flirting with the gatekeeper is always worth it...

"You know, since I'm also sorta kinda a part of him, you're flirtin' with him too?"

... If I imagine it as the older version of him...

Now that gets a laugh out of him.

"He only has eyes for one fella, anyway." You would know, Sho. "So, are you goin' in, or...?"

I know, I know, but it's fun flirting with your friends every now and then. It shows your rabu!

[ He gives a wide, flourishing bow. ]

I'll make my way in then, Sir Gatekeeper! Thank you for the fun conversation!

"Oh, wait a moment. Gotta give you something important."

He takes a yellow lantern from the cart and hands it over to Sho.

"This is the thing standin' between you and, uh. Bodily harm and death, in case you run into the really bad shit."

[ Stares at the lantern for a moment but keeps it in hand. ]

Got it... thanks for the help.

"So it's probably kinda obvious you shouldn't lose it, either. Most of the stuff in there ain't fatal, but lotta it is...well, a bad time. And one of them is --" He pulls down the badanna, just enough for Sho to see a huge ring of scars that seem to go around his neck. "-- What caused this."

It seems he's saying this just to make it clear what sort of risk is involved.

"... If ya want to bail, just call for me and I'll come get you."

Haah... figured it wouldn't be fun and games down here, but I don't mind this side of him. It makes him feel all the more real to me.

What name should I call, or is Resilence-kun the name you use?

He smiles, again. He seems pretty pleased with his response.

"'Resilience' is fine. Safe journeys to you, Sho."

When he's ready to go, the alleyways await.

Edited (I forgot the link,) 2021-01-30 08:54 (UTC)

Eclipse's Heart Game ☉ Session #4

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