(semi-open)

[debtor]

Date & Time: January 15th, or whenever
Location: somewhere in the creepy castle/hotel/museum
Characters: Allen Walker, Howard Link, Rosette Christopher, Chrono, and anyone else in the castle who feels like dropping by at any point.
Summary: SOUL SHENANIGANS and whatever else your heart desires. Open to castle antics.
Warnings: ALLEN WALKER IS FINE

[Allen sure is super unconscious suddenly.

And gray. For some reason.]



[And you may have heard someone screaming "I'M FINE" repeatedly at themselves near the castle grounds a short while ago, strangely.]

Comments

[debtor]

[The boy stands tense at the edge of the cage and peers out, looking for the Ringmaster and his lackeys.

The boy gasps, when he spots them. There's the three of them, laid out on the ground - dead, or... no, they're still breathing.

When he mutters, it's half to the strange girl from out of nowhere, half to himself,] They've been knocked out...

[soul_sister]

[The strange girl says something even stranger, perhaps even nonsensical to him.]

Should we go an help them?

[debtor]

[He turns and gives her a look; one that clearly indicates that no, he doesn't particularly think they should go help them.]

They're gonna kill me.

[And not in a metaphorical sense.

Shouldn't he get out of here while he still has the chance? He grips a cage bar in his working hand and steps, unsteady, outside.]

[soul_sister]

[That was all the answer she needed. She nods and follows him out, attention snapping in each direction. There was at least a chance that the floating teethball did them another favor... but there was no guarantee that what took them out was friendly either.]

Stay close, I'll go with you.

[debtor]

[He glances up at her, brow knit. He thought he told her to go away, what is she still doing here?]

Why-

[As it happens, the thing that took the men out appears right at their side in that moment. He, rather. A man dressed in the black robes of a priest.

He's a very tall fellow, with very very deep red hair, pulled back in a ponytail. His right eye is hidden behind a stark white mask - his left eye is the color of blood. Rosette may have even seen this man around Exsilium proper at one point or another.

And Rosette will probably sense it before the boy does; the man isn't friendly at all. He's livid. He's more than livid. The way he carries himself, the way his red eye glints at the child, there's rage bubbling up to the surface, about to burst. He's downright murderous. Forget the Ringmaster, this man is serious.

Within a second, Cross Marian is pulling his fist back as he screams, you filthy brat!, and swings.]

[soul_sister]

[WHAT DID THIS KID GET INTO!? DID HE RUN UP AGAINST THE MOB OR WHAT?! Rosette hardly processes the uniform of the half-masked man, just shoves the kid's shoulder, hoping that there's enough time and height distance to make it.]

What's your deal!?

[debtor]

[It's worse than that.

He punched a clown.

And congratulations! The kid hits the ground with a yelp, rolling over and pulling himself to his knees.]

Why are you doing this?!

[It's aimed at them both, but the boy's eyes are on Rosette.

But the memory of Cross doesn't care that his fist didn't connect with its mark. He's not so easily deterred. He's pulled out a gun.

And she'll find it now pointed at her, in place of the kid, as the priest hisses something meaningless to her but which is apparently worth killing a child over, I told you not to get close to Mana, didn't I?

His finger's on the trigger-]

[soul_sister]

[Her whole body tenses, ready to move. She doesn't look at Allen, she doesn't dare. Watching the man's arm, looking for any signs of tightening, any signs he's going to move left or right.. which way she needs to dodge.

She inches just a bit to the right, to see if his gun stayed trained on her.]

Because you're important to me. I wouldn't be here otherwise.

[debtor]

[He doesn't understand what's going on. It's too much, too much has happened too fast and he's so lost, he doesn't understand. The boy yells at her, on the verge of tears,] I-I don't know you-! [ he. he doesn't, does he? ] I told you to go away!

[Fortunately, however, she hadn't even needed to move. Before Cross can fire in any direction, he's promptly whacked in the head with a chunk of metal bar.

Thrown by none other than the yellow winged thing.]

[soul_sister]

[There is a terrible feeling of knowing you're only alive because of a series of chances. And then correcting yourself... that your friend is only alive because of a series of chances.

She breathes out deeply, and then sits down heavily, heart racing.]

... Hey Toothy. I'm starting to like you.

[debtor]

[Your friend is only alive because Timcanpy is the true hero.

Cross takes the hit, and jerks 'round to glare at Toothy. "Tim! Ch..." But when he turns his glower to the two on the ground, he holsters his weapon this time - Tim did his job, evidently.

"I'm out of bullets."

'Allen' is stiff at her side, unable to make himself move, even though he knows he should get out of here. It's not the end of it. Cross's bloodthirst may have dissipated, but his anger hasn't abated, and he's reaching down, grabbing for her collar. "Don't forget. This is all your fault."]

[soul_sister]

[FUTURE ALLEN. SHE'S NOT SURE WHAT KIND OF TERMS YOU ARE ON WITH THIS MOOK. But she's going to stomp on his foot so hard. SO HARD. When they get back.

In the mean time though, the memory being real enough for her to affect, means that it can certainly affect her. She's jerked back by the collar of her frock and grits her teeth. This much? Wasn't worth interfering.]

What is?

[debtor]

[Cross lifts her up, only slightly, and doesn't answer the question. He just gives her a look nothing short of contemptuous.

"Disappear."

He drops her, and along with Tim, stalks off into the shadows.

Leaving her in the snow with a rather badly shaken child, curled in on himself, staring hard at the ground before him.

TODAY. WASN'T A GOOD DAY...]

Idiot...

[soul_sister]

Why I ought to...

[She lets out her breath in a large huff and picks herself back up. She approaches miniAllen again, this time crouching to put a hand on his shoulder.]

Come on... I know it's hard, but lets find somewhere safe.

[debtor]

[There are tears in his eyes. He wipes at them furiously, trying to hide it, and flinches away from her touch.

'There's nowhere safe', he wants to say. She doesn't know what she's talking about.]

Sh-shut up.

I have t'go. But... that clown...

[soul_sister]

Then we'll go together.

[She sits down, pulls up her knees and wraps her arms around them.]

What happened to him?

[debtor]

[He finds himself talking, despite himself. His voice is thick and uneven. Back then, he had no one to talk to, but here, somehow, he does, and it all comes rushing out,]

Is he okay...?

I hit 'im. I didn't mean to. He got in the way, that idiot, I didn't mean... I didn't-! [ he stops, sniffs.

his thin shoulders shake. ]

Not Mana. I wanted to hit that bastard... that bastard who killed Allen!

[soul_sister]

[If he'll let her, she tries a touch again, lightly on the shoulder, the slow, gentle approach you would a feral dog.

But then... What did he just say?]

Killed... Allen?

[debtor]

[He doesn't flinch this time, though his shoulders tense under her palm. Glancing up, finally making eye contact. Allen's death is clearly upsetting to. Allen.

He misunderstands her confusion.]

Did you know 'im? M-Mana said Allen was very lonely, but after I met him... [ he wasn't, anymore... ]

[soul_sister]

I... [Her mind raced with the possibilities ... spirit death, split minds... even maybe a brother or best friend he took up the name of...]

The Allen I know is a good friend... Loyal, sweet. ... Maybe a bit lonely, yes. ........ kinda stubborn.

[debtor]

[Nope, nope, nope, aaaand... closer, but nope.

He wipes his eyes, blinking at her. And then glances away, fresh tears running down his cheeks. He can't seem to make them stop. Was Allen all of those things, too?]

Th-they treated him like a burden 'ere. [ they treated him like a burden too, Allen was just like him. lonely, unloved. but for a time, they had each other. ] But he kept me company...

He was Mana's...

[soul_sister]

It sounds like you had each other, at least.

[Though as the child trails off, she prompts him, gently.]

Mana's...?

[debtor]

[He crosses his arms.]

His partner. Mana an' his dog, they were the best act here.

[With that, the memory of the child fades away, and her surroundings shift -


she's back within the circus she started in, although a different location. The big-top isn't visible here, she's surrounded by smaller tents on all sides, each with an entrance.

A man stands between two of them. Without his makeup on, it's hard to recognize the clown from before. He's wearing old clothes and a battered top hat and he could use a shave, but his expression is warm and his smile is comforting this time. He watches her from a distance, but says nothing.]

[soul_sister]

[He'll have to wait just a moment. Because ... it's not that she's PROCESSING what she just heard.]

[soul_sister]

[It's just that it's REALLY hard to believe.]

WHO WOULD DO THAT?!