yamaboshi | see right through your beautiful lies ( semi-open )

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see right through your beautiful lies ( semi-open )

[ When you awaken, you're in what seems to be an abandoned warehouse; it looks like the place hasn't been used for its original intent in ages, though the smell of copper permeates the area. The carcasses of corpses lie around here and there - some dismembered, some completely intact - along with creepy, oversized masks of rabbits.

The warehouse itself isn't that big -- there's two floors, and many doors. However, each door is locked, and the only way through is to find a key.

However, you're not alone. There's a girl who seems to be panicking nervously, fiddling with her skirt anxiously as she sits on her wheelchair, glancing every now and again at you, not all that certain as what to do. At least, that's before you awaken, which is when she gasps in sheer surprise. ]

You're-- you're finally awake.

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[Anna hears her. And she's not rude enough to completely ignore someone trying to get her attention. Though her tone betrays her slight annoyance, with just a pinch of condescension.]

Sweetie, I don't have time to play babysitter. I doubt they've left us an easy way out...

[Still, even with all her focus on their surroundings, she notices that note the girl is holding from the corner of her eye. Could it be from their captors?]

Oh? What is it you have there?

It's a note I found. I thought you would want to read it, miss.

[ She's not that young, she can definitely take care of herself. The note is a bit crumpled, but that's not because of Rei's doing. And the handwriting is definitely sloppy and rushed.

What it says, however:

"The liar must die.
If you can find where the liar sleeps, you will be set free.
The key outside of this first room is hidden in the pockets of the liar."

There's even a cute doodle underneath with rabbits surrounding a wolf on the stake, how nice... ]

'Miss Williams' will do.

[Not going to bother with first names in a situation like this. But it might be useful to give the girl a name in case there are other captives or prisoners outside this room. Now, for that note...

... It's extremely troubling to read over. She had assumed she'd been captured by someone who didn't want her to complete a mission, or wanted revenge for something she'd been hired to do in the past. Not something like this.]

A riddle, hm...? I suppose this 'liar' must be one of the bodies.

[So this is some sort of game. That changes things. Including her attitude towards the girl, who may turn out to be useful in some way after all.]

Where did you find this? And how long have you been awake? If we're going to find the key, I need to know everything.

[She's putting the pressure on a little, but as gently as possible. She's just a child, after all, she must be handled delicately.]

I'm... Hazama Rei.

[ If she's going to introduce herself, she might as well do the same. She doesn't mind giving out her full name. It's not as if anybody knows who she is, after all. ]

I found it on the table. I was awake for about... half an hour, but I can't really tell. I don't have a watch, nor are there any windows here. The only way out is through that door. There's a scanner and a key lock. I think you only need the key to go through the door, since the scanner's probably broken... it looks like.

[Suddenly, instead of disinterest or disdain, Anna quirks the slightest beginnings of a smile.]

My, aren't you observant?

[Her tone is absolutely dripping with honey, almost as if she's praising a particularly clever pet. Or flirting. Or both. It's not really clear, nor is it meant to be.]

It's too bad we don't know for sure if this key is even here. But I suppose there's no harm in playing along, for now.

[Next, she holds out the note to Rei again.]

Tell me, what do you think of this drawing?

[It could be a hint. Or it could be misdirection. While she thinks on that, she'll see what the girl's opinion is.]

I was here for a while... I had nothing else to do.

[ She could have tried to find a way out, but she doesn't like abandoning others in need. ]

There's rabbits and a wolf, right? Maybe we're supposed to find the odd one out?

Mm. It could be that simple. Maybe even something to do with those tacky masks.

[She's actually visibly a little creeped out by the rabbit masks. She might be a trained assassin, but those are just... hard to look at. The aura they lend to the environment almost makes her shudder.

So she'll focus on the bodies. There must be some way to tell which is the 'wolf', or 'liar'. All she can really say for sure right off the bat is that they're looking for someone with pockets. Is gender a factor? Uniforms? Any sort of equipment? ... Maybe it really is the masks?]

So maybe there's someone without a mask...?

[ She taps her chin inquisitively, though she's not wrong; there is someone who doesn't have a mask within their vicinity. ]

[Well, look at that. It doesn't take long for Anna to zero in on the maskless one. The clicks of her heels echo through the room as she moves to close the distance. Confidence and a complete lack of caring about being quiet or sneaky are showing in spades, but she does get a little more cautious with her movements as she draws close.]

Let's see what we have here...

[Remaining wary, in case it's a trap, she leans in a little (but not too close) to examine the body. And then gives it a prod with her foot. She's not about to just search the body until she can reasonably assume it's safe.]

[ Thankfully, the body of the young teenage male is definitely dead, no questions asked. ]

A-- are you really going to check the body?

Such a pity...

[This is actual, genuine sympathy in her voice. She may be an assassin, but she's not heartless. It honestly is a shame this boy had to meet such a gruesome end, whatever the reasons behind it. But she's not going to mourn for him much, either. Even if she were so inclined, now's not the time for sentimentality.]

Unless you'd rather do it?

[Yep, she went from genuine sympathy for the young victim here to teasing her companion in no time flat.]

If you don't want to end up the same way, you should remain focused on escape. This may be our only way out.

[And yet, she knows it must only be the first step. If she does find a key on this boy, and it does get them out of this room, that can't be all there is to this game.]

I--I don't think I can, unless you lifted him up. And I don't really want to, either.

[ She's being honest, to say the least, though there's clear disgust in her expression. She really doesn't want to deal with corpses, especially ones that have been left to rot.

There is, however, a key on the young man's pockets. ]

... So was there really a key in there?

[Anna doesn't exactly relish the idea of handling a rotting corpse, either. From her grimace, she's just as disgusted as Rei is. But it has to be done, so she carefully gets to the pockets to search...

And sure enough, there's the key! Or a key. They won't know if it's the one to the door until they try.

Straightening up, she holds up the key to examine it. Inadvertently, this means she's also holding it up where Rei can see.]

Seems so...

[There's a brief pause, before she palms the key and turns in the direction of the door.]

Well, come along. Let's try that door now.

[There's the authoritative click-click of her heels on the floor again. She's crossing over to that door like she owns the place. (And making no move to help the wheelchair-bound girl.)]

Right.

[ Rei doesn't mind not being helped as she swallows nervously, staring at the key for a moment as she holds in her food from earlier this morning (?), simply wheeling herself over.

The next area separates into two corridors, one heading to the left and one to the right. ]

[Of course, she knew this game wouldn't be over once they got out of the room. But with no information about this place, Anna gives an annoyed little 'hmph' at reaching the two branching corridors.]

How annoying.

[Suddenly, she turns to face Rei.]

You don't remember anything before that other room, do you? We must have been taken through here.

[There was only one door, after all. While waiting for Rei's answer, she looks around to see what she can discern of the two paths. Maybe one is the right way out, maybe it doesn't make a difference, but either way, they need to make a decision quickly and keep moving.]

I was drugged and then brought into that room, I believe... so yes, I don't remember anything.

[ But the answer seemed to be obvious that they were probably heading in the right direction. The paths are rather dark and long, so you'll actually have to make a decision on which way to go.

No hints here, sorry, Anna... ]

[What a time to not have any expendable soldiers to send ahead. Sending Rei is out of the question. She might need her still, and besides... she's just a child. Presumably an innocent one.

So if there are risks to be taken, Anna's the one who has to take them. She can handle that.]

Fine, then. I'm going right. You can wait here, if you'd like, but I wouldn't recommend going ahead alone.

[And she starts down her chosen path without so much as a pause to check on the girl. It's most likely safe, after all. Their captors seem to want them running their little maze without any guards interfering.]

N-- no, I'm coming. Another pair of eyes would be useful, right?

[ She says those words in an attempt to be reassuring, but she also knows that it's best not to go alone. Although Rei herself didn't mind separating, that was not a part of her plans.

But she could always change them, if she so dared to. ]

... Unless you don't want my help.

[She does pause for just a second at Rei's question.]

Precisely.

[There's that patronizing fondness in her tone again. Rei really has proven herself to be quite useful as far as observation goes. But Anna's not about to let anyone think she needs them for anything.]

And that's all up to you, sweetie.

[She makes a dismissive gesture with one hand and turns to continue down the right path.]

I told you, I'm not your babysitter. Not my job to tell you what to do.

...

[ She's silent, as if thinking about things first before nodding. If Anna doesn't care where she goes, then so be it. ]

I'll go the other direction, then.

[ There's no need to hide her intentions too much, though her voice is still unsteady, shaken. ]

[For the briefest moment, Anna seems to tense up. Rei might not be able to see it, but surprise and maybe a teensy bit of alarm flash through her eyes. She hadn't expected the girl to be so bold. Or foolish. She's not sure which.]

If you think you can handle it, suit yourself.

[She's trying to sound callous and dismissive, but it's probably obvious she was expecting Rei to just obediently follow along behind her the whole way. Unpredictability is not what she wants to be dealing with in this situation.]

We can meet back here once we've scouted ahead. Don't be too long...

[There's an almost musical, teasing note in her voice as she continues down her chosen path. Which is actually a warning. She won't wait for Rei forever, after all.]

[ She places her hands on her skirt, crumpling it in her fingers before nodding. Even though she knows that it's dangerous, it would probably be for the best, after all.

In the meanwhile, Anna will find herself in front of a broadcasting room; there's a guy in a wolf mask staring at the cameras, and behind them are rabbit masks along with tools that could be used to kill. There's more corridors ahead, three of them, in fact. ]

[Hm... another corpse? Or is he alive?

This room seems worth investigating before moving on, if only to see if any of those tools could make useful weapons for self-defense as well. That and there might be meaning behind this person being the only one with a wolf mask.

She's very, very cautious as she steps inside. Always on the alert for potential traps, or if Mr. Wolf there decides to suddenly jump up and attack her.]

[ He's very much alive. At least, for the time being. But the man in the mask? He doesn't say or do anything at all, just... emptily staring at the screens which seem to depict everyone's location.

If Anna pays really close attention, though she might notice that Rei is nowhere to be found in any of the screens. Though that might just be the angling of the cameras. ]

[Well, that's interesting. Anna could fix that little detail of him being alive quite easily, especially if he's not going to react to her presence. But what fun would that be?]

Well. You're clearly not a guard.

[An offhand comment aimed at the man without the expectation of a response. Maybe he's drugged. Whatever the case, as long as he stays unresponsive, she can study the screens. Are there other people alive in this place? Can she make out any details of the layout? ... She does notice Rei doesn't seem to be anywhere on the screens, but she assumes the girl must be steering clear of cameras somehow.]

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