Sandbox The City of Avalon

[Gummi Bunnies]

The tension stagnated in the air, both of them refusing to move at that moment, both of them waiting for something terrible to happen at any moment. If it weren't for the passage of time, it was like those two would be standing each other down like this until something were to forcibly separate them. Almost like the entire world was only consisted of their high tensions, Lapis was the first to do something. She didn't move closer, or draw out a weapon of her own in response to Majima's knife. Rather, her mouth moved, indicating she was speaking in a low voice. Her eyes drifting from Majima's fierce glare over to where Makoto stood nearby Alice. This beckoned Majima to do the same, turning his attention over to see that Makoto was present, and then he faced Lapis once more.

❝ Alright alright, a deal's a deal. ❞ Majima grumbled in a dismissive manner, sheathing his knife and storing the weapon away. As he stepped over to Makoto, Lapis visibly let out a sigh of relief, relieved that she managed to defuse the situation before it would get out of control.

❝ Sorry 'bout the trouble, shit just happens, I guess. ❞ The one-eyed yakuza briefly apologized over to Alice for all the stuff that happened here. It just happened to be chance that Makoto was brought to this location by whoever was working with Lapis, causing these whole string of events to occur to someone who was possibly trying to live a quiet life. With that out of the way, Majima took a gentle grasp of Makoto's hand.

❝ C'mon, let's get going back home, Makoto. ❞

❝ O... Oh! Alright Majima-san. ❞ Makoto jumped a little at how sudden everything seemed to be going, but quickly calmed herself once realizing it was Majima that was with her this time. Though, it didn't take any longer than one step for Majima to realize something.

❝ Crap... I didn't think we'd get this far. Don't even know the way back to good ol' Kamurocho from here. ❞

❝ Catch! ❞ Lapis's voice immediately got Majima to turn around and instinctively catch a thrown object into his other hand: a blue crystal.

❝ Just hold onto that for a bit, and it'll guide you both home. All it takes is a little thinking on your location and it does its magic to do the rest of the work for you. ❞ Her explanation appeared to have confused Makoto given her lack of knowledge of the supernatural and the existence of different worlds, but Majima instantly knew what the other meant by this and only held on tight to the strange crystal.

❝ Got it. Now don't go and forget 'bout what you said on showing up later tonight. ❞ He nonchalantly answered, and gave the Witch of Miracles one last glare as if warning her that she shouldn't hop off of the silent deal they've made.

❝ I won't. ❞ A slight smile curled up on Lapis's face, as if accepting a challenge from the yakuza that possessed demonic powers. Before the pair could finally leave...

❝ Thank you... so much, by the way! Lapis, Alice, I hope we can meet again! ❞ Makoto beamed happily, genuinely grateful for what everyone's done for her to be safe. And with that, Majima and Makoto were gone in a blue flash, presumably back home like Lapis said the crystal would do for them.

❝ ... gh. ❞ The blue-eyed woman gasped in a light voice, flinching almost. Almost like she was holding back pain by the looks of it. She looks at Alice with eyes that conveyed to never speak of this again, then broke eye contact immediately.

❝ I should... be going now. Before I hurt myself even more. ❞ She spoke as if telling herself that she should do this. There wasn't much else she could do for the time's being, but unlike how effortless it appeared for her to assist Majima and Makoto back home, she couldn't do the same for herself. Like she was... gathering up pain for using her magic to help other people, and attempting that same magic for herself.

@Yun Lee​

 

[Yun Lee]

Alice couldn't help but smile as Makoto said goodbye. Truly, an odd pair those two were. But it was nice to see them reunited and on their way home. Being nothing more than an observer in all this, Alice really didn't know what happened, and probably never would (she honestly preferred it that way if she was being honest). Even so, to know that their troubles seemed resolved for now...it gave her a good feeling.

Though that feeling went away as this girl, Lapis, seemed troubled. Pained, even. Did that crystal being used hurt her? Alice wasn't sure, but she wasn't about to let that girl hurt herself even more. "Want something to eat before you go? Travel is no fun on an empty stomach."

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

❝ ! ❞ The ravenette glanced over in surprise toward Alice. Perhaps she misjudged the single local that got involved this entire ordeal. Lapis could've sworn that she would be able to slip away without being spoken to, but her momentary vulnerability after using her magic must've been responsible for this. For a moment, she hesitated. She turned her eyes away from the one who offered. Oh how she could've been ridiculed and teased by her fellow Witch for acting this way, especially to someone who might as well been more normal than her to begin with.

❝ Sure. ❞ Lapis finally answered, masking the conflicted feelings she stored away in her mind. She silently called herself an idiot for this. She was trying to keep others away from her, not stumble into interacting with others on a whim. Just what was she even doing at this point? The Witch readjusted her coat in an unnatural manner. She really did need to pick up a prosthetic arm if she was thinking of hiding the lack of an arm in the first place.

Lapis really was an idiotic Witch, but she continued to go along with the flow for now.

@Yun Lee​

 

[Yun Lee]

Alice nodded towards her home. "Come on in. Harvest was good this year, so I have plenty."

The little house was tiny, but decidedly cozy. "You can take a seat at the table," Alice said, walking to her bedroom. "I will be only a moment."

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

How long has it been ever since then that she's walked into a cozy lodging like this? To her, it felt almost like a distant dream, a dream that she chose to become distant to after awhile. Lapis silently surveyed the interior of the house before taking her seat at the table.

❝ ... thanks. ❞ The Witch merely responded with a one word answer to Alice's statement. It wasn't like she was as prepared as someone else who could've accepted the same offer to having a meal before leaving.

@Yun Lee​

 

[Yun Lee]

Inside her bedroom, Alice closed the door, taking a few moments to rest her forehead on it. The former assassin sighed, basking in this moment of quiet. What a day this had turned out to be...but it seemed as though it was all over now. The chaos, that is. With this Lapis girl the only one left to deal with, there would be no more giant boar monsters or one-eyed shadowmen or random burglars to deal with. Now there would just be pumpkin stew and, God willing, peace for the time being.

Within about ten minutes, Alice had changed out of her battle clothes and back into something more suited for a home: a black sweatshirt and blue jeans. She left her bedroom and looked to Lapis. "Do you have any allergies?"

@Gummi Bunnies

---

The Rust District was alive with the hustle and bustle of everyday business in Avalon, but there was one spot that didn't seem nearly as busy. A little table set up at an intersection held one young woman, while opposite her a chair sat unoccupied for the time being. Tarot cards lay face-down, inviting passerby to stop by and see their future.

If you'd been in Avalon a while, you'd certainly have heard of Chihaya Mifune. A fortune teller who had arrived here only a few months ago, she was definitely a cut above other fortune tellers, as her gift of divination was legit. Her charges were rather steep-$50 for a single reading-but you could be guaranteed to gain a new skill, earn extra money, or become closer to someone of your choice if you followed her advice. No matter what, it always worked.

"Ah, Miss Mifune!" A small voice piped up from below, and a stout little tanuki sat down at her table. "It's good to see each other again, hm?"

"Mister Nook!" Chihaya smiled cheerfully at her customer. "How've you been? It's been, what, two weeks?"

"Indeed it has! I'm afraid your prediction was right...I suffered a terrible misfortune!"

"Oh no! What happened?"

"Oh, it was awful! There was a gas leak in my home that affected both me and my boys. When I finally came to my senses, I discovered that I'd turned my basement into some sort of black market for weapons! Timmy and Tommy were both so afraid, too..."

Chihaya gasped. "W-What? That's crazy!"

"It is! But luckily everything is all fixed up, and all those guns are off my hands. I'm back to landlording, which is my true calling."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that! I wish there was more I could've done to help you avoid that fate..."

"Oh, no no! I can't resist wearing sweater vests, and paid the price! Now, could I get a reading for my nephews? I want to make this up to them...I'll even pay for each!"

"Oh goodness, you know you don't have to-"

"Nonsense! Consider it payment for missing last week, hm hm!" Nook placed the money on the table, and Chihaya started the reading.

"...so, a red gift for Timmy, and a blue for Tommy, and I think everything will work out!"

"I see! There were some model sets in a window that caught their eye...Thanks much, Miss Mifune!" He hopped down and waved goodbye.

"Goodbye! Take care!" Chihaya waved goodbye to the little tanuki. Onto the next client...

@Anyone​

 

[Macy Moretti]

The Rust District was alive with the hustle and bustle of everyday business in Avalon, but there was one spot that didn't seem nearly as busy. A little table set up at an intersection held one young woman, while opposite her a chair sat unoccupied for the time being. Tarot cards lay face-down, inviting passerby to stop by and see their future.

If you'd been in Avalon a while, you'd certainly have heard of Chihaya Mifune. A fortune teller who had arrived here only a few months ago, she was definitely a cut above other fortune tellers, as her gift of divination was legit. Her charges were rather steep-$50 for a single reading-but you could be guaranteed to gain a new skill, earn extra money, or become closer to someone of your choice if you followed her advice. No matter what, it always worked.

"Ah, Miss Mifune!" A small voice piped up from below, and a stout little tanuki sat down at her table. "It's good to see each other again, hm?"

"Mister Nook!" Chihaya smiled cheerfully at her customer. "How've you been? It's been, what, two weeks?"

"Indeed it has! I'm afraid your prediction was right...I suffered a terrible misfortune!"

"Oh no! What happened?"

"Oh, it was awful! There was a gas leak in my home that affected both me and my boys. When I finally came to my senses, I discovered that I'd turned my basement into some sort of black market for weapons! Timmy and Tommy were both so afraid, too..."

Chihaya gasped. "W-What? That's crazy!"

"It is! But luckily everything is all fixed up, and all those guns are off my hands. I'm back to landlording, which is my true calling."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that! I wish there was more I could've done to help you avoid that fate..."

"Oh, no no! I can't resist wearing sweater vests, and paid the price! Now, could I get a reading for my nephews? I want to make this up to them...I'll even pay for each!"

"Oh goodness, you know you don't have to-"

"Nonsense! Consider it payment for missing last week, hm hm!" Nook placed the money on the table, and Chihaya started the reading.

"...so, a red gift for Timmy, and a blue for Tommy, and I think everything will work out!"

"I see! There were some model sets in a window that caught their eye...Thanks much, Miss Mifune!" He hopped down and waved goodbye.

"Goodbye! Take care!" Chihaya waved goodbye to the little tanuki. Onto the next client...

@Anyone

"Could my luck even get any worse today?" Nagito Komaeda wondered aloud. He had woken up this morning in a place that definitely wasn't Hope's Peak Academy. He had no idea where he was, and all he had was a little pocket change. Usually things would work out for him in the end, but it was hard to find hope sometimes among so much misfortune.

"Perhaps knowing what lies in my fortune could at least help me act upon it." He walked up to Chihiya's table and waved hello.

"Good afternoon, miss. you seem like a very talented fortune teller. Might you tell a poor, insignificant loser like me how he can improve his luck?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out some loose coins. Altogether, it seemed to be about 500 yen. Certainly it didn't match the $50 price tag. However, as he was counting his coins, one fell out of his hand, bouncing and rolling its way by some impossible misfortune towards a sewer grate. Nagito chased after the lost coin. He was unable to grab it before it fell into the murky waters below. Sighing, turned back towards the table.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew an obstruction into his face. He grabbed at the obstruction, finding it to be a piece of paper. A green piece of paper. A green piece of paper with the number 50 on it. Perhaps his luck wasn't completely awful today. He walks back up to Chihiya's stand and places down the bill. "Would this be enough?"

@Yun Lee​

 

[dark]

Delsin Rowe

The man flew up in the skies almost worried, he used his smoke power to keep himself afloat, he didn't see Theo for the longest time and he was beginning to worry about him.

"Damnit Theo, why do you always disappear when things get good?!"

@Lucky​

 

[Lucky]

The Cheshire Cat

Though, he was floating in mid-air, a cat would suddenly appear next to him. It didn't seem to even blink twice as it waited for the man to ask a question as it only operated that why.

"Perhaps things only get good because he disappears. Once again, your boyfriend thee is in a game of high stakes, a game of murder and deceit. A living nightmare some would say." Boy, that was a little cryptic.

@dark

 

[dark]

Delsin Rowe

"What the hell did you just say, Creepy Cat? Theo would never leave me like this!"

"Even for a death game?"

Delsin felt his anger crackle and he slammed his fist on the ground, it leaves a mark where he punched.

@Lucky​

 

[Lucky]

Cheshire Cat

" The words you have heard are the same as the ones that I have spoken," he said.

" The death game choose him. He did not choose it. The blind man often doesn't see the answer that is staring him right in the face. Some choices are not ones that we make, but ones that make us."

@dark

 

[Yun Lee]

"...!"

Chihaya's eyes widened as this young man went through what had to be the strangest ordeal she had ever seen. "What do you mean improve it?" she asked. "It seems you're already really lucky!" But hey, she needed the money, so... "Tell you what. I'll do my own special Luck Reading, just for you! Let's see how we can improve your luck today..."

Chihaya dealt her deck, and read his fortune...or at least tried to. Nagito would find her staring at the table, at a complete loss. "I...oh my God, this has never happened before..." Glancing up, she gave him a smile and laughed nervously. "Heh...um...the cards aren't really giving me an answer," she explained. In fact, they were completely incomprehensible! How was she supposed to do this? Unless...she went the old way. But that wasn't really appealing. "Um..." She sighed, extending her hand. "Here. Give me your hand. I think I'm gonna have to be personal with this..."

@Alex Azure​

 

[Minerva]

Rust District

Kagero ran across the roof of several Rust District buildings. She was attempting to remain hidden and away from the busy streets below. She leapt onto the next roof before standing for a moment to catch her breath and take in the view.​

 

[Yun Lee]

"Kiki! KIKI!" Ugh, stupid monkey! Running off with an orange that wasn't even hers...and Santamu didn't even get paid until next week! Ugh...climbing up onto the roof she saw Kiki jump from last, the former Shadaloo Doll gave chase. She had been doing relatively well ever since she wound up in this place, but still, money was money! Jumping onto the next building, she caught her pet tamarin just getting ready to peel the orange.

"Aha! Gotcha!" Santamu grabbed the orange, earning an indignant screech from Kiki. "Hey, don't give me that, you dummy. We have food at home, and I'm not wasting money on oranges until payday!" Her scolding done, she realized there was someone else there. "Oh! Hello! I didn't expect to see someone else up on a roof."

@Minerva​

 

[Minerva]

"Kiki! KIKI!" Ugh, stupid monkey! Running off with an orange that wasn't even hers...and Santamu didn't even get paid until next week! Ugh...climbing up onto the roof she saw Kiki jump from last, the former Shadaloo Doll gave chase. She had been doing relatively well ever since she wound up in this place, but still, money was money! Jumping onto the next building, she caught her pet tamarin just getting ready to peel the orange.

"Aha! Gotcha!" Santamu grabbed the orange, earning an indignant screech from Kiki. "Hey, don't give me that, you dummy. We have food at home, and I'm not wasting money on oranges until payday!" Her scolding done, she realized there was someone else there. "Oh! Hello! I didn't expect to see someone else up on a roof."

@Minerva

“...“

Kagero also didn’t expect to meet someone else here. She was quite surprised to see someone else, despite the fact that her stoic demeanor didn’t show it.

“Indeed. I was just up here training in this new environment. I didn’t expect to see anyone else.” She said looking out into the skyline.​

 

[dark]

Cheshire Cat

" The words you have heard are the same as the ones that I have spoken," he said.

" The death game choose him. He did not choose it. The blind man often doesn't see the answer that is staring him right in the face. Some choices are not ones that we make, but ones that make us."

@dark

"Don't say he can't return from this death game without forgetting me, right?"

He walked up to the creepy cat and frowned "I'm not blind, pal."

"But you might if you don't find Theo soon."

@Lucky

 

[Lucky]

The Cheshire Cat


" That problem is not one he has. Trapped in a game he didn't choose, just need time... or was it love? I cannot remember."

The creepy cat just continued to smile. " You are blind to the answer in front of you."

" I can't take what has not been given to me."

@dark

 

[dark]

Delsin's own sorrow about almost losing Theo to this potential death game was worrisome. He'd spent so much time taking care of Theo, he didn't think about taking care of himself in the process. You are saying "Love is Blind", aren't you?!"

@Lucky

 

[Lucky]

Cheshire Cat and Freddy Freeman

The Cheshire cat simply smiled and disappeared, leaving Deslin with more fucking questions than answers. He would notice a man in blue spandex flying towards him. He seemed to be pointing towards where the Cheshire cat was.

View attachment 3716

"You saw that cat right? He was dropping cryptic messages to me too.... about having forgotten something... I'm.... a hero."

@dark

 

[dark]

Delsin looked up rather confused "Now who's there. But yes, I did see that cat. I'm not exactly a hero but something like that in the city I live."

@Lucky