(open) you're looking at me like you don't know who i am

[entreats]

Who: Ange, Ruby, Break, and anyone who knows any of them.
What: Corruption turned Ange into a true Umineko witch who decided the best way to keep the people she loves safe from this town is to drag them into a pocket dimension.
When: For a while in March.
Where: Ange and Ruby's house-turned-small-pocket-dimension.

Content Warnings: Potential violence if anyone acts particularly antagonistic. Potential talk of violence or gore. Other warnings will be added when things pop up.



Perhaps you have seen Ruby's odd network post and decided to check things out. Or maybe you're just wandering around Trench and notice that Ange and Ruby's house suddenly looks.. different.

The house has been completely overgrown by way oversized roses, big thorns growing out of all the stems, completely obscuring the structure that's supposed to be underneath it. If you get close enough to the cluster of roses, you may feel your connection to any of the three people inside suddenly pull you in. (Please note: only people who know either Ange, Ruby or Break will be able to enter the pocket dimension because of this!)

If you give in to the sensation, everything around you might go black, and when the light returns, you seem to find yourself in.. a hedge maze. A rather odd one, though. As you stumble through it, you may suddenly find yourself in random rooms, and then back out of them into the hedge maze once more. The Moss King's wild plants seem to have even invaded corners of this place, so you might want to watch out you avoid having those snap at you. Retracing your steps through the labyrinth feels impossible, like the way is changing up behind you with every step. Some rooms make perfect sense - like a neat and elaborate kitchen, or a library - and others seem to consist of nonsense with stairs leading upside down or to nowhere, or gravity not working in a specific room at all.

Flying throughout the entire maze are golden butterflies. They seem to fly with direction, and if you follow them, you might find them leading you to one of the people you were looking for..

Comments

[entreats]

So people prefer.. having something there that just takes people away from them willy-nilly.

[ She speaks slowly, like she can't really believe in that idea herself, yet is summarizing all the same.

.. and adding some of her own conclusions, let's be real, since it's not exactly what Michael is saying here. ]

Just since it also might give them a way out one day.

[eudaimonikos]

Okay, that's not exactly what I said.

[Though - well, it's not like he doesn't get the reaction. Michael kinda feels the same about it all.]

But yeah, I guess? It's something about...you know, life's finite nature giving it meaning or whatever. Lots of philosophy books about that, humans talk about it like all the time. I honestly understand the desire for challenges more than that part. That one makes total sense to me.

[entreats]

[ Ange seems to contemplate this for a moment, but then only seems able to arrive at the conclusion of: ]

People are strange.

[ .. granted, Ange is people. She's a human, technically speaking, but she's talking right now as if she isn't one.

She considers herself a full witch in this corrupted form, after all. ]

Maybe I should just make an ocean for them here then. [ That'd clearly solve it, right.

Even though it'd just be a fake ocean compared to the one in Trench. ]

[eudaimonikos]

Would it actually go anywhere, though?

[He kinda doubts it! For like, a number of reasons!]

Do you want to just sit in here forever? Like - I know Trench kinda sucks. But, really, forever?

[entreats]

.. why not?

[ Sorry, Michael.

It sure seems like the answer to that question is a resounding yes when Ange reacts like that - like the fact that he's asking that question is kind of weird in the first place. ]

I'm a witch. I don't concern myself with silly little things like.. the human desire to go into the ocean, or anything like that.

[eudaimonikos]

You're a person. We're all just people.

[He's never really understood what differentiates a witch from a human in her world - or any other ones - anyway?]

[entreats]

[ She tilts her head to the side - just slightly. ]

Do you consider yourself to be just a person?

[eudaimonikos]

Sure. I mean, no good comes of setting yourself up above everybody else. I was miserable when I did that, and I was also a huge asshole.

[entreats]

[ Ange lets out a small little 'huh' sound.

It's hard to tell whether this is something that conflicts with an idea of Michael that Ange already had as her regular self, or if it's just surprising to her because of what she is now in her corrupted form, but she sounds a little surprised all the same. ]

I didn't know you thought about it that way. I don't see it as necessarily being above anyone. [ .. well. There are more than a few people she'd say she's above.

But that has to do more with who those people are, okay. ]

It's about being different. There are some things regular humans couldn't understand by their very nature.

[eudaimonikos]

Well, sure, but everyone's different. There's plenty of stuff I don't really get about human things, even after all this time.

[entreats]

Well.. That just means I'll have to see which humans are capable of understanding that this place is the better alternative to Trench.

[ If, as Michael seems to think, most of them won't understand.

Then maybe all she can hope there's a few they do. ]

And otherwise I'll just stay here with only Ruby and Break. [ An idea that Ange honestly doesn't sound all that concerned about.. ]

[eudaimonikos]

...so what's with the eyes? You look like you're about to Beast out.

[also he's still extremely sure you are mind-controlling your wife or something but we've sort of been through that]

[entreats]

[ ... ]

What's wrong with my eyes?

[ Apparently.. Ange hasn't noticed? Though there doesn't seem to be any of the alarm there ought to be at being asked what's up with her eyes when she speaks up with this in return.

But judging by her tone, she genuinely hasn't noticed that there's anything off with the way she looks right now. Not a shocked tone, but.. a tad curious, perhaps. ]

[eudaimonikos]

[gestures vaguely]

You've got this creepy gold thing going on.

[entreats]

Oh.

[ Pause.

She's probably processing this, though she still seems a little bit too calm.. ]

I suppose that is just part of being a witch..? Now I'm a proper witch, my body probably realised I can't just keep looking like a regular human anymore. It must have tried to change something. [ Which is, you know, clearly a totally normal conclusion. ]

[eudaimonikos]

What do you mean, now that you're a proper witch? And what would that have to do with anything anyway?

[entreats]

Well, you can see it around us, right? [ Ange idly gestures with one hand at their surroundings. ] I couldn't do this sort of thing before. I guess I finally broke through the limit on my powers.

[ Or, you know, she got corrupted.

But of course Ange's corrupted mind isn't going to think of it that way. It's actively refusing to let her realise that so easily. ]

I went beyond being a human. I'm not a human and a witch anymore. I'm just a witch now, just like the witches back home. I cast off my human self.

[eudaimonikos]

...you're super corrupted right now, huh.

[It's not a question!]

[entreats]

[ Thanks, Michael.

At least he's getting to the point, even if it's a point that Ange can't see. Which is pretty obvious too, just judging by the way she raises her eyebrows. Sure, she can't look confused with her eyes since they're all glowy, but the rest of her face says enough. ]

What makes you say that?

[ Like it isn't obvious. ]

[eudaimonikos]

[oh my god. Michael removes his glasses for a moment so he can scrub his hand down his face. He's beginning to wonder if he was really the right person to come in here - sure, he's her friend, but does he have the patience for this? He should've brought backup.

Okay. Whatever. He did what he did, and now he's gotta deal.]

The suddenly throwing away your humanity to become a glowing prison warden for your friends and family?

[entreats]

We went over the prison thing.

[ Apparently in a way that was satisfying for her, huh. Like she feels like she proved that this isn't a prison after all, despite the fact that Michael clearly isn't impressed.

The girl doesn't seem offended by his exasperated reaction from a moment ago though. She's still explaining this very calmly to him, even reaching out for her teacup and taking a sip of her drink. ]

And surely I would have noticed it myself if I was corrupted. It's not a small deal. There is a huge difference between that and an expansion of my power like this.

[eudaimonikos]

We talked about the prison thing.

[We did not come to an agreement on the prison thing!]

There literally isn't. The whole thing about corruption is that people aren't great at noticing when they're getting corrupted. Half the time I grow horns and I still just go about my business like a jackass.

[entreats]

[ .. well, at least Michael doesn't have any horns right now, so Ange can at least conclude he isn't corrupted here.

On the other hand, she truly doesn't feel corrupted. Not at all. Shouldn't she at least feel it the tiniest bit if she were..? It feels like it. ]

How are you so sure this is corruption though? Shouldn't I be attacking you if that was the case? [ She shrugs. ] Right now I'm just doing my usual thing.

[ Yes, Ange.. you... just tell yourself that.. ]

Just at a higher power level than before. If I would have had access to this power earlier, I for sure would've done this earlier too.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael considers this question calmly for a moment, then drains the rest of his tea in one long sip.]

Fine. Let me get Ruby out of here and see what she thinks.

[entreats]

[ Now it seems like he's taken the effective route.

.. for better or worse, though, since Ange might not be reacting in the best of ways. But Michael does have her full attention, even as her eyes narrow and her shoulders grow more rigid while she looks at him. ]

Why would you take Ruby out of here?

[ It almost sounds more like an accusation rather than a question. ]