( SEANCE - WEEK 2, JASON )

[abhoth]

[As promised by Craftly, a faceless man waits for Emily as soon as curfew is lifted. Up the stairs they both go, down the outdoor hallway and towards the Dark Room. Craftly stands by the door, a grim look on his face as he pulls a small glass vial from his suit's pocket. Removing the lid with one tendril, he dips another into the contents. They are distinctively red.]

My apologies for this, young miss.

[And then copious amounts of blood are slathered onto the palms of Emily's hands and her forehead. The coppery scent will invade her nostrils, but not nearly as much as when she's ushered into the Dark Room. Candles light up the usually pitch black space, and she will quickly notice that alchemical symbols have been etches into the ground with chalk. In the middle of the circle is a white basin.

A tongue rests inside of it.

Emily will be instructed to sit down in front of it, facing the wall with her back towards the door. Craftly will stick around just in case his help is needed, but strangely enough? Emily won't feel any of the usual spookiness from the Dark Room. Only eerie silence, and something of a light pressure in the atmosphere.]

Speak, Emily, and the dead will answer you.

[And now it's up to her to carry this conversation. No pressure.]

Comments

yw :')

[impulsiveness]

[There's a brief moment of silence, and Emily won't be blamed for thinking that the ritual has failed. Nonetheless, though she won't be able to see him, Jason's voice comes loud and clear to her seconds after.]

—Emily?

[He sounds like he's startled, confusion clear in his tone. They didn't really speak too much while he was here, but he remembers enough to match a voice to the names on the bulletin board.]

Where are you? I can't see you.

[empireofrats]

[At first, it's a tad weird to hear Jason's voice but not see him--not see any kind of spectre. Just Jason's voice from every direction, louder and thicker near the basin.] Yes. It's me, Emily.

I'm... in the special room. The Dark Room. The Innkeeper says I can talk to people who have died. I'm sorry someone killed you.

We thought it was Hana, but we were wrong. She was a good person. Then everyone said it was the Ghost.

[impulsiveness]

I know. Hana's here, too. We... talked. About what happened after I died. It's—

[He cuts himself off here, like he was about to say something but then abruptly changed his mind. Probably because it's something a 10-year-old kid has no business hearing.]

It's not your fault, okay? You don't have anything to be sorry for. I'm just glad that everyone else is still alive.

[Though, you know, it's definitely fucked up that Hana's stuck with him. Wherever the hell they are, anyway. But 40 is better than 3.]

[empireofrats]

We're okay... [But she thinks about what happened to Hana and realizes, shit, maybe they aren't exactly okay. It's fine.] Dave, Dirk, Clementine, Violet, and I are trying to find a way to leave.

Everyone talked to Hana already. So the others said I should try to talk to you.

[impulsiveness]

[Everything is fine?? Clearly. Obviously.]

I don't know if I'll be able to help you guys.

[A confession, said uncertainly. He's been dead longer than Hana, and yet— well. It doesn't matter. Emily will hear him sigh, at least.]

But I'll give it a shot, even if I still don't get how you're talking to me. Was there anything you wanted to ask?

[empireofrats]

It's okay. You can try your best. [She is quiet for a bit, thoughtful.] Do you remember what happened when you died?

Everyone thought it was Hana because... she had scratches. She told us her role, and... that she lost her wire. So everyone thought she was lying.

Then when we found out she was a good person, everyone thought it was the Ghost. Because you weren't in the right place.

Is that what happened?

[impulsiveness]

... I don't know. [Quietly.] I was sleeping one moment, and the next thing I know — some nutbar is strangling me to death. I didn't even get to see their face or anything.

[It sounds even stupider when he says it, honestly.]

Guess that doesn't really help you guys, huh?

[empireofrats]

[Surprisingly, Emily's voice sounds reassuring when it comes through:] That's okay. [She's quiet again, thinking. It's a little nerve-wracking. She wonder if the others would be cross with her because she didn't ask the right questions. If she forgot something.

What if none of this helps at all?] Um. Did you talk to anyone that seemed like a bad person? Did anyone tell you their special role?

[impulsiveness]

Not really. Kaito and I kinda talked about it, but we never told each other our roles. [So...] I don't think it was him, though. Didn't really strike me as the serial killer kind of guy. More like the breaking and entering type of guy.

[empireofrats]

[Jason Todd, you're a lot of fucking help.]

Did you get inside any special rooms? [Tf can she ask? This is so hard for her. She isn't the Empress her mother was; she doesn't even wanna be Empress!] Did you talk to the Innkeeper alone? Like me?

What did your role do?

[impulsiveness]

[Look.... Listen........ He's trying his best???]

Nope. I didn't get to do anything. All I did was try to look for a way to get out of this place. Not that that worked, anyway.

[There's a sigh. He's sorry for not having anything good to share, Emily.]

Besides cracking nuts? Nothing. All I got was one of those freaky looking but crackers. The kind that looks like a toy soldier.

[empireofrats]

[The synopsis of Jason Todd's life: I didn't get to do anything.]

That's okay. [She looks down at her bloody hands and feels a little clammy all over. Will the others be mad at her if she didn't ask the right questions?] We'll find a way to go back home. Dave can open doors with a special key. Maybe it'll open the door to go home.

I'm... going to go now. I'm sorry.