Expedition to Autunno Keep [PLOT] Day ? - End of Autunno

''N-No... I-I didn't... L-Look, I didn't mean to... I couldn't do anything else. It burned... The thought of you being his slave... That there was always a thing that could pull you away... Do you understand how it hurts!?'' Aphelion cried out, hands falling limply as they went numb from blood loss, ''A-And she said it was okay... S-She understood what I felt...''

Viola can't help but snort at the question, though the closeness and grip were equally as irritating as the question. "I feel that being caught would require attempting to carry out an action. And the only time I've ever been caught is a story that only one person besides me knows... at least for the time being. So no. I don't have memories of being caught, at least not ones that were forced upon me by this stupid place."

Yin's Hell...
Perhaps it was the frustration caused by the walking corpse kicking reason to the curb and punting the last Titan through space. Perhaps it was Res Fractae's snarky comments. Perhaps the Dagger had a sense of humor.

It honored Yin's request, as a copy appeared before the naked young man, holding his swords. He, however, was dressed. In festive greens, with curled pointed toed shoes, and long earrings dangling from his pointed ears. He said nothing, munching on a cookie, but tilted his head at Yin. When he finished, the copy chuckled. "You want a fight, Keeb? Alright."

For as ridiculously dressed as he was, Elf Yin was fast, immediately appearing behind the half-faunus and delivering three quick, shallow cuts to his back.


Aoife's Hell...
"What are you... Aoife Knight...?" Leonius, still unseen, chuckled. Melissa's sobbing could be clearly audible, but she whimpered as Aoife could hear motion... and soft whispers for mercy.

Whispers that became another scream, a ragged cry of agony accompanied by the snap of electricity.

"... Or is that... even your name..?" Leonius chuckled again, as the level of sewage Aoife found herself trapped in rose slightly. "Tell me your name... Aoife Knight... or Aoife Minimi Corda..."


Aphelion's Hell...
"An evil woman understands an evil man..." Aoife dug her nails in deeper, as she started to heat up. "But of course it was about you... That you might lose your fiery little @&#$toy... Not how I felt about the situation. Typical."

Aoife suddenly grew very cold, and Aph's aura began to drain. Something Aoife lacked pressed against his back, as Fayza giggled.

"... But then... even after you forced yourself on me... your thoughts weren't on her..." Fayza pulled her fingernails out, but slowly dragged them down Aph's chest. "... It was on me... and what we could do..."

She leaned in, biting his ear and giggling again before her head jerked away and she tore a chunk out.

Still, the upperclassman whispered into it. "... You're not a good person. You're just good at lying to yourself..."


Viola and Leo's Hell...
"Technically... one can be caught when they confess something... to another... and a third party overhears..."

Leo closed his eye, growing still.

"... You confessed to Aoife... that you were sent to kill me... not knowing she was a Servus... contracted to me... I overheard... and..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "... Yvaine, in the furthest point any of my... divergent selves have reached... temporally... is dead... Your arm has not... finished healing after I broke it... And the right hand of my father... Nonus Decimi Anguis... still seeks to torture and kill you... None of that... is of importance... One of the greatest geniuses... on the continent of Vytal... is undergoing massive collaboration with himself... to upgrade Sum Sine Sceleri's operating system and components... I will kill Nonus for defying my will... This is merely... exposition for the sake... of ensuring you are up to speed..."

Leonius tilted his head.

"... Does any of this... ring any bells..?"

He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. Hugging the only person in recent history who had managed to hurt him.

"... I am... sorry... that we did not... learn to communicate..."

Widening her eyes in slight surprise at his apology, Viola tries to keep her natural reflexes from acting to worm her way out of his grasp. There wasn't really anything she could respond with... Leonius was correct in his statements, but the apology was... unexpected. There was no real reason for him to be the one apologizing, considering he had been more than merciful towards her... if the events were bound to happen, at least. Of course, his mercy was misplaced considering she had no desire to remain alive... but that was irrelevant in this matter. But... she couldn't bring herself to say anything. So she sat in silence, closing her eyes to try to work on filtering some of her own thoughts.

"I don't mean to hurt people... I don't want to... B-But I can't take it... all the pain... I'm never thought of... it's always about what others want... I give up my happiness to help others but if I want something... I'm threatened with execution if I want to practice religion how I want to... If I get a girlfriend she **** someone else and becomes a slave... why do I never get what I want!?" he roared, turning to swing at Fayza.

Yelping as she was thrown to the ground, Isabelle would only lay there, not bothering to attempt movement or speech.  Doing so would most likely be a wasted effort, anyway.  She knew deep down that all of this was fake, only an illusion.  But it sure as hell felt real.  The worst part wasn't the physical pain, however.  No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get them out of her mind, the faces of her so called "friends".  Her trust issues had always boiled down to the fact that she could never get close to anyone without being betrayed.  And it had always been that way.  Even if this was an illusion, why would reality be any different?

"... You can die out there... or you can come to me... and be protected... at a cost..."

While death had only been a passing thought before, Isabelle couldn't tell which was supposed to be the better deal at this point.  She would continue to lay still on the ground, waiting for him to do something, or perhaps for death itself.

Somewhere deep in her heart, Chiu felt the pain as metal tips bit into her flesh. That was nothing compared to the sense of betrayal she felt whenever she heard Viola's voice. Or at least heard the... whatever it was, speak with Viola's voice. Logically she still knew this wasn't real, knew this was just another construct of the entity that had been plauging the party since they had entered this damnable place, but she could no longer find the will to fight back.

She was tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of hurting. Tired of caring. What was the point? In any of it? What did the war against the Grimm matter when things like this place existed? Mankind was doomed. Merely lambs ready for slaughter. Fighting would only draw out the inevitable. And for what? The possibility of a future with a girl she barely knew? It would only hurt that much more when she lost that too. This was better. At least this way she couldn't hurt the people she loved. Even if the people she loved were just the voices in her head.