estoria | « 001 ⇢ OVERFLOW.EXE »

original top-level here!

[ keigo was all but ready to follow yusuke's direction... until the one he gave was utterly uncertain. keigo blinked, following yusuke's gesture with his eyes, glancing back at him after he got a good look. ]

What? No, that's--

[ ...more puppets? keigo tensed and yelled, jumping forward and nearly knocking right into yusuke. he stumbled to one side and hit the wall, eyes wide and breath coming in short, rapid bursts. ]

Goddamnit! These shitty things...!

[ it was all semantics, as far as keigo was concerned. he had never heard of such an ability before and had little to go off of. no one back home, not even the shinigami, could do such a thing.

but when giorno transformed the rock into a damn frog, keigo's blood ran cold. seeing it in action was entirely more jarring than merely imagining it. he stared at the little frog as it moved of its own accord, hopping along the dusty floor like it was nothing.

with an unsettled look on his face, keigo glanced up at giorno once more. ]

...I... see...

[ Sorry...Keigo. Giorno's going to be rather blase about what he did. He did say that he creates life, didn't he? However, Keigo's reaction reminds him of something someone else told him—how it might not be well received by certain others.

Something along the lines of "playing God". ]

It has it's limitations. [ He just doesn't know what those are but he's almost without a doubt sure that there will be things that he will not (should not) be able to do. But then Giorno's still learning the insides and outs of his Stand so maybe that wall might be a lot farther out than he suspects it might be. ]

I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable.

[ keigo couldn't really pinpoint what about his ability really unnerved him the most. "playing god" couldn't quite encapsulate how he felt, but it came close. maybe it was simply because it was so far out of the realm of keigo's understanding, even after all he'd experienced, that it fell into that category of disbelief. just when he thought he'd seen everything, something like that had to happen.

still, it wasn't as though this guy was doing it ... maliciously. keigo sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. he willed himself to calm down. even though he didn't know him, he couldn't be rude. ]

N-no, it's okay. It's your ability. It's not something you should be ashamed of.

[ he even offered up a lop-sided smile. for someone like keigo to say something like that was ironic, really, considering how he felt about his own abilities. but this guy didn't need his judgment. ]

Just uh. Don't make my clothes come alive or something and we'll be just fine.

[ keigo was really the source of his own demise; he hyped himself up far too easily to the point of any little thing being more than enough to set him off. funnily enough, the same was true for his temper...

but at any rate, he regained his posture and balance easily enough (call it practice) and clenched his hand to his chest, like he was about to faint or something... he wasn't, thankfully... ]

I-I'm sorry, it just scared me! Wh-what... what is that...

[ keigo stared at the marionette, utterly displeased that such a ...cutesy looking thing could have startled him so badly. ]

[Kashuu, in the meantime, hovers like he's getting ready to help Keigo out if he tumbles over. JUST IN CASE. One can never be too careful with humans who jump as soon as puppets pop out of the abyss at them...]

Um...

[That's a good question, though. He's used to everything in Cerealia trying to kill them, so he approaches its lifeless puppet body with an air of Great Caution... and prods it with the toe of his boot. HM.]

...I think it's just a puppet? It doesn't even seem alive or anything.

[As if he was expecting it to be?!]

[ keigo appreciated the concern... or would have if he noticed it. as it was, he was too focused on the evil puppet that was laying on the ground... mockingly. keigo scowled at the stupid thing, but that was short-lived; kashuu was touching it! ]

D-don't--!

[ impulsively, keigo reached forward and, with surprising strength, tugged on kashuu's arm, trying to get him away from the clearly evil and demonic puppet. it was just trying to psyche them out! lull them into a false sense of security! ]

It might come alive or something! It might latch to your face, like in Alien!!

[ ...really, keigo. ]

[He has no idea what a face-latching alien is or why Keigo is so worked up over it, but he's pulled away successfully, at least! And now he's a little reflexively panicked, if only because panic in general is somewhat contagious.]

What's that even mean?! Besides, it's not alive--!

[...But can he say for sure that it'll stay not-alive?? No, no he can't. He casts the puppet a wary glance, but doesn't make any move to go investigating a second time.]

Geez... Well, whatever. Let's just keep going.

[ keigo would be all too happy to explain the intricacies of the facehugger lore... but perhaps another time. with the stupid suspicious puppet so close to them, he couldn't risk getting distracted! ]

G-good idea!

[ he breathed deeply, trying to will himself to relax... everything was okay!! the puppet wasn't moving and they were leaving its demonic presence!!

oh. he should probably let go of kashuu's arm. ]

[He'll even cast a few backwards glances as they go just to make sure they aren't being followed! Not that he's worried or anything... But the puppet lies where it had fallen and doesn't suddenly gain little legs to start chasing after them with. Once they turn the corner, he just figures they're out of the woods.

Keigo will also have to be the one to let go since Kashuu sure doesn't mind and isn't about to reprimand him for clinging. Good work, team.]

What a pain... This level's pretty creepy. Not the worst or anything, but I don't like it.

[ ah... what a pair. keigo certainly didn't really notice his own actions as being intrusive, especially not when kashuu wasn't scolding him for it. holding onto someone helped calm him down, at least! he stayed close as they walked along, keigo feeling his heart slowly, but surely, slow down.

keigo breathed out, looking around for any other... surprises. so far, so good? the lights were flickering again, though... he grimaced. ]

T-there's been something worse than this??

[ he looked at kashuu like he'd grown another head... he couldn't imagine anything worse than this... ]

[The calmer, the better! Or at least the calmer, the less likely to go diving off the deep end in a fit of panic the next time something unexpected pops up...]

Oh, definitely. Way worse! [Not to be the bearer of bad news or anything?!] People've died in some of these levels before, so you really gotta keep your guard up. Even if we come back, it still really hurts, you know? And most of the time if you die in ViViD, you get sent to a stupid punishment game.

[He was stuck playing at a shooter booth for way too long... He still remembers it.

Though for now, his attention seems more focused on the flickering light than on the frankly concerning tales he's recounting.]

[ as kashuu explained, keigo's expression went from shocked to disgusted to terrified. all the while, his fingers were tightening around his arm, as if in time with the shifting of his expression. that... definitely sounded like the matrix... or worse... he was not a happy camper! ]

A-ah... I see...

[ keigo tried to play it off, forcing himself to laugh a little, but it came out louder and shakier than he'd wanted it to be. at least the shift in focus gave him something else to worry about. ]

W-what's over there? Do you see something?

[HE CAN SMELL FEAR--

Okay, not literally, but he can definitely tell that he's spooked Keigo. He reaches out with the arm that isn't having the life squeezed out of it, patting Keigo's shoulder.]

I won't let anything happen to you while we're here, so don't worry about it, okay? But you need to keep your guard up 'cause that's the kind of stuff that happens.

[Being on one's toes is the best way to combat potential death...!

As for the lighted area--] It's a little hard to see with the light flickering like that, since it doesn't give my eyes time to adjust, but I don't see anything. Should be okay... Oh! I think I see a door up there, actually.

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You're right! People were accusing me of something like that!

[ now he looked rather troubled. ]

I guess that was all one of these ViViD levels, then, huh?

[She nods firmly--] Yes! I was accused, briefly. But the other didn't take it seriously.

But yes...we can find a way out. Although I never know why one of them is always strangely glitchy like that one in the mansion. It's not like I remember everything.

[ while yosuke did the dutiful task of examining the bag in front of him, keigo took to looking around them, just in case something decided to sneak up on them... all was pretty quiet, aside from the ambient sounds of the lights fizzling out and snapping back on further down the hall...

keigo returned his attention to the body bag and yosuke's little poking session... no movement... dead body, then. keigo's eyes narrowed. ]

...dead, then...

[ ...which was a little unsettling, considering there were no spirits around. it was a game, he'd have to tell himself over and over again. why would they code ghosts into the game? most people didn't believe in them, anyway. keigo sure didn't, long ago...

he stepped closer behind yosuke, hands coiled around his makeshift weapon, ready for anything...

...except more gregs... ]

...W-what? Another Greg?

[ ...well that was a weird coincidence. ]

Is that a really common English name, or something?

[ like john or james... greg??? ]

[ Okay, it's a little creepy. Yosuke makes a face and let's go of the tag, standing back up. He's already feeling kind of done with this, but he's got to find Naoto if she's even in here. ]

...Y-Yeah. I mean, it's gotta be, right? Like "Taro" or "Hanako"...

[ Yosuke clears his throat and checks the next back--

--nope. Nope, standing up and taking a few steps back. ]

Okay, now this is getting weird.

[ keigo frowned, looking at yosuke and trying to gauge just how freaked out he was... going by that, he could determine just how freaked out he should be... if the guy with experience was starting to freak out, that probably wasn't a good sign, after all. ]

Y-yeah...

[ he was a little startled by yosuke's sudden jerky movement backward, though; enough that he jumped a little himself. ]

W-what? What is it?

[ Okay, so maybe it isn't any freakier than a room full of supposed dead bodies waiting to be discovered. That's pretty weird in and of itself. But... ]

...This guy's name is also "Greg".

[ keigo blinked at his explanation and... quite frankly, looked a little Done with the situation as a whole. so much so that he started walking backwards, completely deadpanned. ]

Nope.

Keigo gave her a nod before starting in what he hoped was the proper direction. He wouldn't move too quickly, so he wouldn't lose her, but he was determined to keep her behind him, at the very least. Having a protective streak was difficult to get used to...

He gave a sort of sheepish laugh at her question, looking straight ahead rather than towards her. It was a little embarrassing to admit to a cute girl... Most guys like him (tall, good-looking, loaded...) didn't spend their time playing video games.

"Aah, well... I play a lot of video games at home..." he admitted, carefully stepping around a cracked spot in the flooring. "And a lot of them have puzzles like this, so if these people program their VR levels anything like the games back home, they might fall into certain patterns that I might be able to pick up on..."

Keigo's abilities were still in the fledgling stages, in all honesty. Though he could pinpoint reiatsu to an impressively accurate degree, he lacked a great deal of confidence to speak up about it, unless the situation was dire. Right now, it might have been unsettling, but it was far from dire. He was simply having a difficult time of not sensing... well... anything of note in that area. It just didn't feel right and he couldn't convey that in a way that wouldn't make him sound needlessly paranoid.

He was actually quite interested in what Sasuke described, if only because he couldn't recall the last time he was in an area where electricity was a luxury. Sending messages and letters by animal sounded downright absurd. He quirked a brow, uncertain of how to really take the information loaded on him. "This place must have come as a real shock to you, then..."

"To be honest, I hate this place." It's said bluntly, with the same casual inflection as one would use while talking about the weather. He's never really cared for Cerealia or CERES, but he's managed well enough. It just took some getting used to. The CereVice is still a thing he'd prefer to avoid carrying, though. Even now, he still forgets to take it with him half the time.

He pauses for a moment to kick aside some scattered debris, listening for any other signs of life or movement, before resuming the path down long hallways. Talking to Keigo is almost a chore, but there's something about this place that creeps him out -and having spent how long living with Orochimaru, that's saying something. "Everything is either too new-looking or it's decrepit, and I don't understand the need for relying on technology for everything."

« 001 ⇢ OVERFLOW.EXE »

ASANO KEIGO; OVERFLOW

yusuke;

giorno;

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kashuu;

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vietnam;

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yosuke;

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felicia;

sasuke;

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