Illusion Syndrome

[Minerva]

Syndrome: noun :
A group of symptoms which consistently occur together, or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.

"We begin in the middle of things. Soon all will be explained.

Prologue: The Marble Nest

The Marble Nest is a Quarantine Zone, so named for the stone walls built around parts of it, established by Doctor Alexeyev on the ninth day. It consists of the southernmost districts of the city as well as the theater district. The military quickly set up cordons upon their arrival in the city. The Marble Nest was the only safe place, but it seemed that even that had its cracks in it...

In Which The Haruspex Ends With a Semicolon

You find yourself staring at a bright light above an operating table. Blood stains the cloth on it, and your tools are scattered. Your hands are shaking and sweaty, and your throat is dry. The scene in front of you is desolate, with hospital beds and tables scattered around. Corpses wrapped in sheets lay on several of the beds, or on the floor. Pachelbel's Canon in D hauntingly echoes through the theater-turned-hospital. Two figures sit on the floor, leaning against the wall with their heads in their hands, and their legs against their chest. Shadows depicting large bird costumes, those worn by the orderlies, danced against the upper balcony, with one figure standing ominously, watching everything below.

Nina would find herself under one of the sheets on a bed in the middle of the room. It smelled of blood and cleaner, resulting in a nauseating smell. She would be fine, save for a small cough.

Outside the peaceful, yet eerie, field hospital, you could hear gunfire and a bell tolling.

@Yun Lee @-Rose-Wood-

---

In Which The Bachelor Meets an Old Foe

You wake up in a coffin. Your head is spinning, you feel achy and tired. Your mouth and throat are parched, and you have a slight cough. The room the coffin is in is not much larger, nor does it contain much more. Apart from a window, and a door, the room was blank. A slight drizzle could be heard hitting the window, along with the sound of the wind blowing outside. An ominous figure in the uniform of an Orderly stood outside, watching. You hear discussion outside the room. Somewhere below you, someone is playing a piano, softly, slowly, and quietly.

Damir Urusov stood outside the door with a young woman wrapped in a tattered cloak. Damir himself wore the Orderly Uniform, but without the birdlike mask. Blood stained the hands of the two individuals.

@Lucky @Takumi

---

In Which The Changeling Cuts The Thread of The Fates

Things had gone to hell fairly quickly. One thing the people had in the midst of the outbreak was Faith. Whether it was the traditional belief in Boddho that The Kin had, or the Orthodox faith of the townsfolk, people flocked to their faith. However, the Cathedral wasn't for praying, and in recent days, it was even less so. The Judge of the town had ordered it sealed, and the military took over. Men with guns, sent in from the capital, stood guard, wearing gas masks and carrying rifles.

You find yourself in front of the cathedral. Your feet hurt, and you have no idea how you got here. Your breathing was ragged, and your mind racing. In front of you stood the Cathedral, sticking up like a monument to the dead. No soldiers stood in front of it now, for they had locked the door in preparation for something. Classical music came from inside, but neither soldiers, nor inquisitors, could be seen. However, in front of the doors, several curious men were performing a wordless pantomime.

Nearby, in the shadow of the cathedral, Yuri Popov was wearing the uniform of a conscript. In his hand was a shovel being used to dig holes to dump and burn corpses. Soldiers around him shouted orders at each other. One of the other conscripts wiped sweat off of his brow

@Jeremi @Capri

---

Dramatis Personae

@Takumi in the role of Damir Urusov, The Baker

@Lucky in the role of Dimitri Alexeyev, The Bachelor

@-Rose-Wood- in the role of Druganina "Nina" Marya Vladimirovna, The Innocent

@Yun Lee in the role of Kazimir Oldgerelyn Zolotov, The Haruspex

@Capri in the role of Natalya Kazimirovna Ecditova, The Changeling

@Jeremi in the role of Yuri Popov, The Handyman

​

 

[Yun Lee]

Prologue: Kazimir Odgerelyn Zolotov
"Heaven and Hell"

Death. Death. Death. Death. Death.

Everywhere. All around. In his mind. His dreams. No, not dreams. Nightmares. When he slept he saw them. Corpses, the plague. The Red Devil grinning from below with glowing evil eyes. The Grim Reaper looming over him in the moonlight. In his ears, filling his head, crying, and screaming, and death, death, death.

It was why he stopped sleeping altogether.

He was so tired, but he couldn't rest. He had to save his home, his town, his people...the more of them that died, the more of himself he lost. This wasn't home anymore. Home was nothing now. This was Hell. A Hell that he couldn't prevent. A Hell that, maybe, he could fix. Kazimir blinked, looking down to what lay before him. What was he doing again? What lay before him? Was it still alive?

@Minerva @-Rose-Wood-​

 

[Jeremi]

Syndrome: noun :
A group of symptoms which consistently occur together, or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.

"We begin in the middle of things. Soon all will be explained.

Prologue: The Marble Nest

The Marble Nest is a Quarantine Zone, so named for the stone walls built around parts of it, established by Doctor Alexeyev on the ninth day. It consists of the southernmost districts of the city as well as the theater district. The military quickly set up cordons upon their arrival in the city. The Marble Nest was the only safe place, but it seemed that even that had its cracks in it...

In Which The Haruspex Ends With a Semicolon

You find yourself staring at a bright light above an operating table. Blood stains the cloth on it, and your tools are scattered. Your hands are shaking and sweaty, and your throat is dry. The scene in front of you is desolate, with hospital beds and tables scattered around. Corpses wrapped in sheets lay on several of the beds, or on the floor. Pachelbel's Canon in D hauntingly echoes through the theater-turned-hospital. Two figures sit on the floor, leaning against the wall with their heads in their hands, and their legs against their chest. Shadows depicting large bird costumes, those worn by the orderlies, danced against the upper balcony, with one figure standing ominously, watching everything below.

Nina would find herself under one of the sheets on a bed in the middle of the room. It smelled of blood and cleaner, resulting in a nauseating smell. She would be fine, save for a small cough.

Outside the peaceful, yet eerie, field hospital, you could hear gunfire and a bell tolling.

@Yun Lee @-Rose-Wood-

---

In Which The Bachelor Meets an Old Foe

You wake up in a coffin. Your head is spinning, you feel achy and tired. Your mouth and throat are parched, and you have a slight cough. The room the coffin is in is not much larger, nor does it contain much more. Apart from a window, and a door, the room was blank. A slight drizzle could be heard hitting the window, along with the sound of the wind blowing outside. An ominous figure in the uniform of an Orderly stood outside, watching. You hear discussion outside the room. Somewhere below you, someone is playing a piano, softly, slowly, and quietly.

Damir Urusov stood outside the door with a young woman wrapped in a tattered cloak. Damir himself wore the Orderly Uniform, but without the birdlike mask. Blood stained the hands of the two individuals.

@Lucky @Takumi

---

In Which The Changeling Cuts The Thread of The Fates

Things had gone to hell fairly quickly. One thing the people had in the midst of the outbreak was Faith. Whether it was the traditional belief in Boddho that The Kin had, or the Orthodox faith of the townsfolk, people flocked to their faith. However, the Cathedral wasn't for praying, and in recent days, it was even less so. The Judge of the town had ordered it sealed, and the military took over. Men with guns, sent in from the capital, stood guard, wearing gas masks and carrying rifles.

You find yourself in front of the cathedral. Your feet hurt, and you have no idea how you got here. Your breathing was ragged, and your mind racing. In front of you stood the Cathedral, sticking up like a monument to the dead. No soldiers stood in front of it now, for they had locked the door in preparation for something. Classical music came from inside, but neither soldiers, nor inquisitors, could be seen. However, in front of the doors, several curious men were performing a wordless pantomime.

Nearby, in the shadow of the cathedral, Yuri Popov was wearing the uniform of a conscript. In his hand was a shovel being used to dig holes to dump and burn corpses. Soldiers around him shouted orders at each other. One of the other conscripts wiped sweat off of his brow

@Jeremi @Capri

---

Dramatis Personae

@Takumi in the role of Damir Urusov, The Baker

@Lucky in the role of Dimitri Alexeyev, The Bachelor

@-Rose-Wood- in the role of Druganina "Nina" Marya Vladimirovna, The Innocent

@Yun Lee in the role of Kazimir Oldgerelyn Zolotov, The Haruspex

@Capri in the role of Natalya Kazimirovna Ecditova, The Changeling

@Jeremi in the role of Yuri Popov, The Handyman

​

The usually jovial Yuri had a look of pain on his face as his shovel hit the dirt. The work itself was not the cause but why he was doing it. These poor souls...oh Yuri wished there was something he could do to fix this. That's usually why the townsfolk came to him.

There was no remedy for this ailment though, at least not any Yuri knew of. Instead, he continued his work in silence, digging holes to be filled by things that were once living.

@Minerva

 

[Capri]

NATALYA KAZIMIROVNA ECDITOVA
НАТАЛЯ КАЗИМИРОВНА ЕКДИТОВА
The Changeling

Natalya pressed her ear to the door of the cathedral. Her ears desperate to drink up every last bit of music like a parched man in an oasis.

Her mind was racing alright, who was she? Where was she?

My name is Na-
My name is Natalya Ecditova

Why was she here? She herself didn’t know. But... she could make the most of this.

She turned and watched the silent pantomime. She wanted to ask a question but she knew it was rude to interrupt. So she watched while quietly humming to the music.

@Minerva @Jeremi​

 

[Takumi]

Syndrome: noun :
A group of symptoms which consistently occur together, or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms.

"We begin in the middle of things. Soon all will be explained.

Prologue: The Marble Nest

The Marble Nest is a Quarantine Zone, so named for the stone walls built around parts of it, established by Doctor Alexeyev on the ninth day. It consists of the southernmost districts of the city as well as the theater district. The military quickly set up cordons upon their arrival in the city. The Marble Nest was the only safe place, but it seemed that even that had its cracks in it...

In Which The Haruspex Ends With a Semicolon

You find yourself staring at a bright light above an operating table. Blood stains the cloth on it, and your tools are scattered. Your hands are shaking and sweaty, and your throat is dry. The scene in front of you is desolate, with hospital beds and tables scattered around. Corpses wrapped in sheets lay on several of the beds, or on the floor. Pachelbel's Canon in D hauntingly echoes through the theater-turned-hospital. Two figures sit on the floor, leaning against the wall with their heads in their hands, and their legs against their chest. Shadows depicting large bird costumes, those worn by the orderlies, danced against the upper balcony, with one figure standing ominously, watching everything below.

Nina would find herself under one of the sheets on a bed in the middle of the room. It smelled of blood and cleaner, resulting in a nauseating smell. She would be fine, save for a small cough.

Outside the peaceful, yet eerie, field hospital, you could hear gunfire and a bell tolling.

@Yun Lee @-Rose-Wood-

---

In Which The Bachelor Meets an Old Foe

You wake up in a coffin. Your head is spinning, you feel achy and tired. Your mouth and throat are parched, and you have a slight cough. The room the coffin is in is not much larger, nor does it contain much more. Apart from a window, and a door, the room was blank. A slight drizzle could be heard hitting the window, along with the sound of the wind blowing outside. An ominous figure in the uniform of an Orderly stood outside, watching. You hear discussion outside the room. Somewhere below you, someone is playing a piano, softly, slowly, and quietly.

Damir Urusov stood outside the door with a young woman wrapped in a tattered cloak. Damir himself wore the Orderly Uniform, but without the birdlike mask. Blood stained the hands of the two individuals.

@Lucky @Takumi

---

In Which The Changeling Cuts The Thread of The Fates

Things had gone to hell fairly quickly. One thing the people had in the midst of the outbreak was Faith. Whether it was the traditional belief in Boddho that The Kin had, or the Orthodox faith of the townsfolk, people flocked to their faith. However, the Cathedral wasn't for praying, and in recent days, it was even less so. The Judge of the town had ordered it sealed, and the military took over. Men with guns, sent in from the capital, stood guard, wearing gas masks and carrying rifles.

You find yourself in front of the cathedral. Your feet hurt, and you have no idea how you got here. Your breathing was ragged, and your mind racing. In front of you stood the Cathedral, sticking up like a monument to the dead. No soldiers stood in front of it now, for they had locked the door in preparation for something. Classical music came from inside, but neither soldiers, nor inquisitors, could be seen. However, in front of the doors, several curious men were performing a wordless pantomime.

Nearby, in the shadow of the cathedral, Yuri Popov was wearing the uniform of a conscript. In his hand was a shovel being used to dig holes to dump and burn corpses. Soldiers around him shouted orders at each other. One of the other conscripts wiped sweat off of his brow

@Jeremi @Capri

---

Dramatis Personae

@Takumi in the role of Damir Urusov, The Baker

@Lucky in the role of Dimitri Alexeyev, The Bachelor

@-Rose-Wood- in the role of Druganina "Nina" Marya Vladimirovna, The Innocent

@Yun Lee in the role of Kazimir Oldgerelyn Zolotov, The Haruspex

@Capri in the role of Natalya Kazimirovna Ecditova, The Changeling

@Jeremi in the role of Yuri Popov, The Handyman

​

Blood. It was everywhere. On his hands, staining the tan sin red. It wouldn't leave him, it wouldn't come off. Why was it there? Why was he there?

He stared down at his hands. They didn't look right, they should be covered in flour not blood. Never blood. Never never never.

Brows furrowed, the man sighed through his nose heavily, his shoulders moving almost exaggeratedly from the action. He worked his jaw for a moment before clenching it, mouth turned down in a frown as his eyes remained glued to his hands, aware of the woman beside him but not sure what to say at this time.

Blood. Red. Everything was red. He didn't like it, not one bit.

@Minerva @Lucky

 

[Rose-Wood]

She woke with a start, but she didn't open her eyes. The smell, oh, it was awful. A memory flashed of the jar of kittens she saw thrown away, near the school. She didn't want to open her eyes.

Rocking back and forth she whispered

It's okay
open them
It's okay
open them
​

Then she did, the stench stung her eyes, tears formed but didn't break. a white cloth covered her. Was she dead? No, not even Hell itself would be this horrendous. She saw man in strange dress, "papa!" she didn't really know who it was yet still she called. She wanted it so bad, and she needed it. "Please, papa..."

@Minerva @Yun Lee

 

[Yun Lee]

Whispers. Voices. The dead talked to him. Was it because he was tired? Because he no longer slept? He didn't know. They told him things, called him by strange names, begged him for help, and it never ended, not once. This one was no different. Calling for a lost one...papa... He reached for his scalpel.

"Little one, I will stop your crying...you will go back to sleep..."

@-Rose-Wood- @Minerva​

 

[Rose-Wood]

Though she had called out for him, fear began to rise. This wasn't her father, whom she now remembered had passed away. This was a sick person, she thought, his motion wasn't right. She watched him grab for a strange dagger, and then she heard him.

"Little one, I will stop your crying...you will go back to sleep..."​

"No," she didn't want to, she had been tired but now fear coursed through her. "No!" she leapt out from her white covers frantically looking for an exit. However, the blood rush to her head clouded her vision and made he dizzy. She had experienced this before, and out of instinct huddled herself to the floor. It passed quickly, and soon she was back on her feet.

 

[Yun Lee]

The scalpel clattered to the ground as Kazimir stumbled back. The dead...they don't...they can't do that! What was this?! "W-Wait." She...she was alive? Alive? Living and in the land of the dead...and he was dead, too. So, so dead inside. "Wait, please..." This child, he had seen her before. "You...don't you remember me? Doctor Zolotov? I didn't mean to scare you...no one under these sheets is...I'm sorry, little one."

@-Rose-Wood- @Minerva​

 

[Rose-Wood]

She stopped at hearing the voice, she just stopped."Doc?" she saw him, she knew him, but she was still scared. Too many things were happening, she backed up a bit, but the rush of adrenaline was gone, she fell to the floor, and the tears that had built up split forward.

"What's happening?" so many emotions had past through her, too many things. She wanted to escape, she wanted to leave, she wanted to be held, she wanted and wanted. She held herself, and tapped the cold ground, hoping the rhythm would help her.

tap tap tap tap
tap tap tap tap

@Yun Lee @Minerva ​

 

[Lucky]

Dimtri Alexeyv

Prologue- "Come and Gone"

There was something deeply ironic about waking up in a coffin, but now hardly seemed like a time to dwell on irony. He knew what he felt like and Dimitri didn't want to think about that right now. Because if he was right, it had followed him here. Followed him to the small town. It had spread. The rain outside the window was the only calming thing at the moment, though he had to wonder who the figure outside the door was. He should have known, but he did not. The piano seemed fittingly to underscore the atmosphere. He couldn't just dwell here though, it would drive him mad.

On instinct, Dimtri would go to open the door. He could tell from the fact that the blood was underscoring their hands that things were not getting better. Hopefully the orderly wouldn't stop him from answering the door and helping these people.

@Takumi @Minerva

 

[Yun Lee]

Okay, good. She wasn't afraid now just...sad. Understandable. Poor thing. This was no place for a child. "It...it will be okay," he said. "There are sick people here. We...we're taking care of them." He extended his hand to her. "Let me see if I can get you home. You might get sick if you stay..."

@-Rose-Wood- @Minerva​

 

[Rose-Wood]

I looked up, his hand was extended. I felt my hand shake but it was soon steadied, and all the emotions quieted. They weren't quite gone, but now I could think again. "Yes, but where am I?"

@Yun Lee @Minerva

 

[Yun Lee]

"We're in the theatre," Kazimir replied. "A lot of people are sick, so we needed more space to put them." She hadn't been in here, then? He wondered how it was she even got inside in the first place. "You aren't sick, right?"

@-Rose-Wood- @Minerva​

 

[Rose-Wood]

"Well, I don't think as sick as them, sometimes I faint, and I started to cough a while ago." I searched through my memory and realized. "The last thing I remember is fainting, I hadn't eaten that day, I do faint but it usually only lasts a few seconds."

@Yun Lee @Minerva

 

[Takumi]

Dimtri Alexeyv

Prologue- "Come and Gone"

There was something deeply ironic about waking up in a coffin, but now hardly seemed like a time to dwell on irony. He knew what he felt like and Dimitri didn't want to think about that right now. Because if he was right, it had followed him here. Followed him to the small town. It had spread. The rain outside the window was the only calming thing at the moment, though he had to wonder who the figure outside the door was. He should have known, but he did not. The piano seemed fittingly to underscore the atmosphere. He couldn't just dwell here though, it would drive him mad.

On instinct, Dimtri would go to open the door. He could tell from the fact that the blood was underscoring their hands that things were not getting better. Hopefully the orderly wouldn't stop him from answering the door and helping these people.

@Takumi @Minerva

Someone was moving. Something was moving. Damir didn't move, still as a statue as his head was tilted down, staring at his open palms. His eyes darted up to what could of very well been a moving corpse to him.

"Where are you going?" He asked, red red hands still in place as he stared at the man thoughtfully. There was no bite in his tone. He was tired, he didn't want to deal with walking corpses and the stench of blood that clung in the air, made it almost difficult to breath without the taste of copper sticking to the back of his throat.

What he wouldn't give to sit in the bakery where it was quiet and smelled of freshly baked breads and sweets instead! Instead of the sick warm smell and the sharp coppery smell on top of it and mixing together into something foul and undesirable with a hint of rain.

@Lucky @Minerva

 

[Minerva]

NATALYA KAZIMIROVNA ECDITOVA
НАТАЛЯ КАЗИМИРОВНА ЕКДИТОВА
The Changeling

Natalya pressed her ear to the door of the cathedral. Her ears desperate to drink up every last bit of music like a parched man in an oasis.

Her mind was racing alright, who was she? Where was she?

My name is Na-
My name is Natalya Ecditova

Why was she here? She herself didn’t know. But... she could make the most of this.

She turned and watched the silent pantomime. She wanted to ask a question but she knew it was rude to interrupt. So she watched while quietly humming to the music.

@Minerva @Jeremi

The pantomime was silent, but you can telll what it is. One of the figures lays on the ground, and three surround him. One pretends to cut into him, another crouches near its head, and the third stands looking off into the distance at the Polyhedron with its arms crossed. The one on the ground began to twitch as the one cutting moved its arm slowly. Finally it stopped. The other three collapsed to the ground as well.

The music continued playing from inside, as shouting erupted. One of the Orderlies came up behind you.

"The others have abandoned their posts." He spoke. "I'm one of the few orderlies left."

Blood. It was everywhere. On his hands, staining the tan sin red. It wouldn't leave him, it wouldn't come off. Why was it there? Why was he there?

He stared down at his hands. They didn't look right, they should be covered in flour not blood. Never blood. Never never never.

Brows furrowed, the man sighed through his nose heavily, his shoulders moving almost exaggeratedly from the action. He worked his jaw for a moment before clenching it, mouth turned down in a frown as his eyes remained glued to his hands, aware of the woman beside him but not sure what to say at this time.

Blood. Red. Everything was red. He didn't like it, not one bit.

@Minerva @Lucky

Dimtri Alexeyv

Prologue- "Come and Gone"

There was something deeply ironic about waking up in a coffin, but now hardly seemed like a time to dwell on irony. He knew what he felt like and Dimitri didn't want to think about that right now. Because if he was right, it had followed him here. Followed him to the small town. It had spread. The rain outside the window was the only calming thing at the moment, though he had to wonder who the figure outside the door was. He should have known, but he did not. The piano seemed fittingly to underscore the atmosphere. He couldn't just dwell here though, it would drive him mad.

On instinct, Dimtri would go to open the door. He could tell from the fact that the blood was underscoring their hands that things were not getting better. Hopefully the orderly wouldn't stop him from answering the door and helping these people.

@Takumi @Minerva

Someone was moving. Something was moving. Damir didn't move, still as a statue as his head was tilted down, staring at his open palms. His eyes darted up to what could of very well been a moving corpse to him.

"Where are you going?" He asked, red red hands still in place as he stared at the man thoughtfully. There was no bite in his tone. He was tired, he didn't want to deal with walking corpses and the stench of blood that clung in the air, made it almost difficult to breath without the taste of copper sticking to the back of his throat.

What he wouldn't give to sit in the bakery where it was quiet and smelled of freshly baked breads and sweets instead! Instead of the sick warm smell and the sharp coppery smell on top of it and mixing together into something foul and undesirable with a hint of rain.

@Lucky @Minerva

"There's a visitor at the door." The older woman said. She rubbed her hands together. "He wishes to speak to you, good doctor. Yes, there is a visitor at the door. There was a rat in the den. One that you couldn't catch. " She was known as Aspity, and she was a member of the Kin, a member of the Steppe's indigenous people. She herself was a strange "Foul Saturday, Cruel Saturday."

The usually jovial Yuri had a look of pain on his face as his shovel hit the dirt. The work itself was not the cause but why he was doing it. These poor souls...oh Yuri wished there was something he could do to fix this. That's usually why the townsfolk came to him.

There was no remedy for this ailment though, at least not any Yuri knew of. Instead, he continued his work in silence, digging holes to be filled by things that were once living.

@Minerva

One of the other conscripts spoke up. he had a nervous laugh. He tried to lighten the air with some gallows, or rather, pit digging humor.

"A patient being wheeled through a hospital asks the nurse where they're going. Nurse says 'We're going to the morgue.' The patient responds with 'The morgue? But I haven't died yet!' to which the nurse answers, 'Of course, we haven't arrived yet.'" He says, making a dark joke. He continues digging, and several of the men nearby laugh.

A soldier steps over. "You're doing well. Just a few more feet." He says. "Then we'll need yet another one."​

 

[Yun Lee]

Fainting, a cough...under normal circumstances, he could treat that, probably. Help this child before it got too serious. But these are not normal times they're in, and this plague takes precedence over all else. This poor child will have to wait until things have calmed down...but the longer she stays in this room, the higher her chances of infection are.

"Do you want me to see if you can go home?" Kazimir asked, wincing as yet another gunshot echoed out in the distance. "I can see if someone can take you home. You will be safer there, and with your family."

@-Rose-Wood- @Minetva​

 

[Rose-Wood]

" Please, it's so cold," I felt dirty and hungry. I remembered that my aunt had made Pottage recently, I could almost smell it. I looked around, half expecting to see someone ready to take me home.

 

[Jeremi]

The pantomime was silent, but you can telll what it is. One of the figures lays on the ground, and three surround him. One pretends to cut into him, another crouches near its head, and the third stands looking off into the distance at the Polyhedron with its arms crossed. The one on the ground began to twitch as the one cutting moved its arm slowly. Finally it stopped. The other three collapsed to the ground as well.

The music continued playing from inside, as shouting erupted. One of the Orderlies came up behind you.

"The others have abandoned their posts." He spoke. "I'm one of the few orderlies left."

"There's a visitor at the door." The older woman said. She rubbed her hands together. "He wishes to speak to you, good doctor. Yes, there is a visitor at the door. There was a rat in the den. One that you couldn't catch. " She was known as Aspity, and she was a member of the Kin, a member of the Steppe's indigenous people. She herself was a strange "Foul Saturday, Cruel Saturday."



One of the other conscripts spoke up. he had a nervous laugh. He tried to lighten the air with some gallows, or rather, pit digging humor.

"A patient being wheeled through a hospital asks the nurse where they're going. Nurse says 'We're going to the morgue.' The patient responds with 'The morgue? But I haven't died yet!' to which the nurse answers, 'Of course, we haven't arrived yet.'" He says, making a dark joke. He continues digging, and several of the men nearby laugh.

A soldier steps over. "You're doing well. Just a few more feet." He says. "Then we'll need yet another one."​

Yuri gave the man a courtesy chuckle, the poor man was only trying to lighten the mood after all. You had to find something positive in all of this darkness...

The soldier coming by almost soured up his smile. "Another o-? Of course, of course. I'll hasten my speed." Perhaps if we worked faster and better than the others he could save them some of the torment at least. It didn't cross his mind to ask the soldier to grab a shovel to help either. Right now this was his burden, the soldiers no doubt had already had a lot on their platter.

@Minerva