theafflicted | 00

00 - prologue

PROLOGUE

It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing – something strange begins to happen. There's a sudden burning sensation that wraps around your right wrist and part of your forearm. If you glance at the affected area, you'll find that it's...glowing. The glow is pale blue, and it's so bright that it hurts to look at. The burn itself isn't so painful that you feel like keeling over just yet, but it does hurt nevertheless.

But before you have time to try to soothe the pain, you start to feel lightheaded, dizzy. Perhaps some of you may attribute this to any injuries you may currently be sustaining. For those who were previously unscathed, however, there's quite possibly no explanation for this other than the sudden appearance of the mysterious burn on your arm.

There is no time to mull it over, though, because it is the last thing that you see before the world suddenly fades to black.

-----

When you regain your senses, your vision is blurry; but when it starts to even out and you survey your surroundings, you find yourself sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair. Looking around you’ll see rows and rows of chairs, all facing the same way towards a desk, a podium, and an empty wall. A projector hangs from the ceiling and the lighting is bright and artificial... For some of you, it might be reminiscent of a college lecture hall. For others, you might have never seen anything like this before.

Your wrist, by the way, feels perfectly fine...though there’s now some kind of strange marking on it. It looks like a scar of some sort, and if you choose to touch it, it doesn’t feel inflamed or damaged in any way...but that doesn’t mean you don’t experience any pain. Perhaps the last thing some of you remember is a hard-fought battle, and the aches from your injuries still linger; some of you might not even remember getting hurt, and yet, your body aches like it has; for the lucky ones who feel fine, well. Pray that it lasts for a little while longer.

Because the moment someone gets hurt – emotionally or physically – there’s a small chance you’ll feel it, too. Where and who and what it’s coming from, though, is on you to figure out.

In front of you on the desk is some kind of device – a tablet, for those of you who are familiar. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be capable of doing much of anything right now, other than take photos and videos with the Camera app. There's also a translating app for those of you who need help reading some of the text around campus, as it is all in English. (Verbally, however, you can understand everyone in your own language. Tablets are also in characters' native languages.) It seems to be incredibly durable and hard to break, but you may want to be careful with it regardless.

Something shifts in your pocket (or...in your socks/shoe/what have you, if pockets aren't a thing) as you move around. Should you reach in and feel for it, you’ll find some kind of card – those who are familiar with modern technology will recognize that this is some kind of card you need to swipe. It has your name and a photo of you on one side, and the back of the card has the word "KEYCARD" on it.

There are also other people here, scattered throughout this mysterious classroom you’re in. In fact, there’re a bunch of you — 29 others, to be exact.

And now... you’re free to do whatever you want. Mostly anything, at least, given that once you step outside and explore, you’ll notice an ominous fog behind the various buildings within view. Still, this is a good time to get your bearings, check on what you have - and don’t have - and talk to the people around you until orientation starts.

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( OOC: Welcome to your Intro Log! The partner system is in effect for the Intro Log, meaning that yes, pain share is happening! For some notes regarding the partner system, your character will not know who their partner is upon arrival. It’s entirely possible that they find out now if their partner gets or is already injured, or if they can pick up on their mood. Otherwise, they’ll find out later today...!

Anyone who tries to leave campus grounds will have to enter through the fog, but no matter what, they will mysteriously wind up back onto campus grounds. And for clarification, the keycards are what characters need to gain access to their dorms!

Finally, we will have an NPC Reveal at 6pm EST today! )

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ well.

this isn't how he wanted things to go and uh. hm. there's something about that simple statement that makes him so furious he wants to wreck hell and destroy all the chairs nearby then put a hole through the wall and then maybe feel like it would be enough. yet he also feels so sad that he wants to wail and scream his throat hoarse like a lost, frightened child. ultimately, he just clenches his fist by his side. ]

Is that what you were thinking of?

[ a question spoken softly. ]

...were those your last thoughts?

[ that question is so jarring, it hits him to the core. that's something so personal. something he shouldn't be saying to a stranger. he looks down at the desk in front of him, a very distant look on his face. it's obvious this man has put two and two together about the execution from his words. ]

...No. They weren't. I died... happy.

[ fulfilled. he had his life-long answer. but it's not like there wasn't pain and sadness along with it. but he doesn't elaborate on this happiness. it's not like he's going to open up things kept deep inside.

but maybe this guy will think he's crazy saying he died. who knows. maybe he's like that, too. ]

[ doesn't that answer just make something inside of sabo just snap like a thread finally being stretched too far. the metaphorical thread that snaps with the real life counterpart being sabo slamming both of his fists on the desk in front of him denting the surface slightly. but it's not enough, and he grabs a hold of one of the desks and nearly rips it off of its hinges. (let's be real he only doesn't because of power nerfs.) it's still not enough but his hands are sore and knuckles bruised so then he kicks in one of the chairs. ]

Were you really happy?! [ the calmness and collectiveness of his voice and demeanor cracking and falling apart at the seams as he tries to resolve things but ultimately can't because it's so infuriating. it's too heartbreaking. ] Are you just saying those words to make me feel better?

You died Ace. They killed you. [ the whole ordeal broadcasted for the world to see as some sort twisted show of power by the marines and the government. the original message never making it across but it didn't matter. it was there and sabo found out about it all too late. ] All of the things that you said you wanted to do...

[ ...with that he will just slowly deflates onto the ground. if there are tears in his eyes then there's no use in hiding them after that whole scene and a half. ]

[ the first thing he notices when sabo snaps and goes wild on the desk is that his own hands hurt at the same time. but this thought is very fleeting because this whole scene is... confusing.

everything about this feels so personal. that his death was so incredibly personal to the person in front of him. and then he says the last part and his body tenses up. there's no way. none of this makes sense. sabo died years before any of this happened, so he shouldn't know. he shouldn't look like this. he stumbles toward sabo before dropping to his knees in front of him. ]

...Sabo? [ the name is soft, even a little hesitant. ] It... It can't be. Can... it...?

[ hearing his name said by ace makes him flinch. how familiar it is yet also foreign sounding given that they're no longer children.

though, now he's suddenly feel extremely self-conscious about the scene that he made of himself as ace drops down in front of him. it's still hopeless to hide his tears but he still tries by looking at the damage he caused. he wasn't the one to have violent, emotional outbursts. he was always the calmer one of the three of them; there to make up for ace running headstrong into things. ]

It is.

[ now it's his turn to brace for whatever is to come. ]

[ there's a part of him that's angry that sabo didn't tell him who he was right away. would he have believed him? maybe not right away, but it would have been easy enough to prove who he was.

but the larger part of him is relieved and confused. ]

How...? Didn't you die?

[ he's tempted to reach out to him, but not yet. there's so many feelings mixed up inside of him. ]

[ but then sabo's earlier words echo in his head and he feels a bit of anger flare up.

one finger reaches out to poke sabo in the forehead and try to force him to look up and face him instead of hiding his face. he's lucky he's not completely pissed off. ]

Do you really think I'd lie about how I felt at my death?! Wouldn't that just make things worse? It'd be like spitting on what Luffy did for me.

Edited 2022-05-23 06:34 (UTC)

[ given the fact that sabo is used to having someone yank on his cheek to get his attention, the poke is by far more startling and he does look over at ace's face. he doesn't any special feedback to tell him that ace's angry, but not as angry as he thought ace would have been. he expected ace to be angrier with him and yet.

...and yet. "spitting on what luffy did for him", was it? ]

He cried while he apologized to me for not being able to save you. [ even if it was sabo who should be the one to apologize. ] Our baby brother is still a crybaby even after all of these years.

[ sometimes you just gotta say words. these particular words just falling out of his mouth dumbly. ]

And, so, if you were hoping to find me again after—

[ the idea of it settles on him all wrong with how it makes him happy but also it's wrong because it would mean that luffy would really be without either of his brothers. also wow. where did his elegance with his words go?

what the fuck is he even saying anymore? everything suddenly feels surreal and he has gone through too many emotions too quickly in such a short period of time where he just takes a moment to let out a long exhale before continuing. ]

Long time no see, Ace.

Of course he is. But he's not as weak as he used to be. Makes a brother proud.

[ of course luffy would cry. of course. the fact that he'd apologize for not being able to save him... that makes ace ache so deep inside.

that his life was really worth that much. it's still very overwhelming to have that answer. he accepts it, but it's also something that's strange to think after the countless years of feeling something completely different. ]

Long time no see, Sabo. [ and then he flicks his forehead. ] I'll make sure to pay you back for not telling me who you were right away. I can see that part about you hasn't changed.

[ how dare he keep secrets! in face, ace is reaching out and pulling both of sabo's cheeks fairly hard, feeling the sting in his own cheeks before he finally lets go.

honestly, he's having a hard time keeping it together in more ways than one, but bullying sabo a little helps keep him grounded. he'd prefer not to break down here in front of everyone, especially after they've made a scene. he's done enough crying in front of people already at home. ]

No, he definitely isn't. He's going to show us both up if we're not careful.

[ you mean he can try to flick sabo in the forehead, he'll gracefully dodge out of the way of that but the face pulling is something that he lets ace get away with. the pain causing him to laugh more than to wince at it clearly shown as he just rubs his face before his next quip. ]

Oh? Will you now?

[ if ace thinks he can get away with bullying him without retaliation then he should honestly know better because sabo is going to be quick on the uptake. he'll waste no time getting up to his feet and holding a hand out to ace, if he wants it. ]

If that ends up being the case then maybe we should go somewhere else. I don't think it would be good manners if we made a bigger mess of things.

[ who is "we" sabo. it's just you. ]

Edited 2022-05-23 07:43 (UTC)

[ he laughs a little at the comments about luffy. he wonders how much he's going to grow after his death. it makes him a little sad knowing he won't see him growing up even more. that they can't sail the same seas still. ]

Of course. Don't think you're going to get that lucky to get away with all that.

[ it's fine that sabo had dodged the first part, as long as he still got to harass him. he debates the hand for a moment before reaching out to take it. his eyes fix on sabo's as his hand tightens and pulls himself up.

only problem, there still is pain from his miraculously healed injuries and he can't help the wince as he gets up. he idly wonders how long his insides are going to hurt after all that.

but going somewhere else is probably a good idea. which. have fun carrying ace as he stumbles forward and just casually zonks out against sabo. zzzz. great timing, buddy. ]

[ you know what? this might as well happen.

these however many minutes have been so many emotions all at once so why not have ace suddenly fall asleep on him like he did when they were younger? why not. the only thing that he really has to kick himself for (if there was anything) was that he doesn't immediately adjust to having ace slump against him. twelve years would do that...

but since they were mentioning about moving elsewhere—probably a bit better where it can just be the two of them away from most others... if this was a school then maybe there would be dorms. or...something like that. right? he remembers something like that being a thing. insert appropriately long time-lapse of sabo carrying ace out of the lecture hall to the dormitories then struggling to figure out the whole keycard situation on his own.

at least his room also has ace's name on it?? which is great. no idea what that actually means because WOW. he has his hands full of ace. he is now the older brother birthdays be damned. so, you know, whenever ace decides to want to wake up, he'll find himself in their room and resting on one of the beds as sabo will be sitting at the desk next to it reading a book casually with a bag of chips open in front of him. ]

[ technically, birthdays don't matter anymore. sabo does have two years on him because timelines are a thing. but he doesn't know that. he doesn't know a lot of things.

eventually, he does wake up out of his sleep and starts to shift to sit up on the bed. instead of telling sabo that he's awake, he shifts to grab the pillow behind him and chucks it in sabo's direction. if it hits or not, that will depend on how well sabo is paying attention.

either way, the dull ache that he had returns, but it's not as bad as when he first woke up. thank goodness. ]

Where'd you bring me?

[ BITCH WHY THE HELL DID YOU THROW A PILLOW AT HIM? HERE HE IS DOING SOMETHING NICE AND YOU GONNA BE LIKE THAT?? but the pillow doesn't hit him but it does get his attention. ]

Is throwing pillows at the other people in the room with you a new habit you picked up?

[ casually stated as he motions to close the book he was reading and focuses his attention solely on ace. ]

I brought you to our room, apparently.

[ BECAUSE SABO REFRAINED FROM TELLING HIM WHO HE WAS EARLIER. this is just the tip of the iceberg, sir. besides, something about being around sabo makes him feel a bit like a kid again. imagine that. ]

No, this one was specifically for you.

[ he does stretch out, though, groaning as he does so. ]

"Our" room? [ the "apparently" part tips off that it might not be sabo's choice that they're staying in this room. ]

[ okay fine, if it's gonna be like that when sabo fetches the pillow it will now be his pillow. an extra for his bed and one less for ace. see who is winning this battle. ]

I feel so special.

[ with some humor but moving things right along. ]

Yes, our room. It has our names written on the outside and we're the only ones with the key to access this room. Well, we should be the only ones with the key, anyway.

[ don't expect him to just accept that later. but that's for later ace to deal with. for now, he's just going to enjoy talking to sabo after all these years. ]

Huh. Well, I won't complain about that part. They gave me a pretty good roommate to live with.

[ whoever "they" might be. ]

[ future sabo and future ace have a lot that they can deal with later, okay? right now there is only this present and the present is extremely fragile in how "good" it is. ]

Pretty good?

[ a laugh as he will also acknowledge "they" in his own way. ]

I wonder if I get to say the same. The last time we shared a room you kicked me in your sleep.

[ there is a lot to unpack. what sabo's been up to all the years. ace and his entire execution and thoughts. it's something they should talk about. things that they should address. emotions they should face of missing one another for all that time.

and yet, here they are, tiptoeing the line and having a casual conversation like none of that happened. like the earlier emotional scene in the lecture hall didn't exist. two old friends seeing each other again. clearly no baggage. ]

Maybe I take that back. I have a roommate that's gonna complain about me. Do you expect me to get up while I'm sleeping and crawl into bed with you or something? I'm not Luffy, my legs aren't that stretchy.

[ and he motions at the space between the beds dramatically. so much room there, buddy!!! ]

[ oh, it's not a matter of if but a matter of when because even though a conversation like this can carry on for a time. sabo is still sabo and he won't let ace run away from things as much as he realizes that he can't keep avoiding the truth either.

for now, he'll keep gently ribbing his best friend and sworn brother. well. ""gently"". ]

Who said anything about complaining? There's still time for you to prove me wrong unless you plan on doing things to make me complain. [ now as for the bed comment— ] It's not that far of distance to travel between our beds—if you even make it to bed in the first place.

[ re. see sabo already have modified some of the furniture in the room compared to how it was laid out by default. there would have been something so strange about having both desks right next to one another like that. so. now it's bed, desk, bed, desk.... ]

[ ace can run away from talking about things if he wants. he already told sabo he was happy when he died. that's enough, right? clearly the matter is settled and he doesn't need to talk about why or anything else.

and of course sabo would rearrange things. not that ace would know, he was passed out, so he has no idea how the room looked before. ]

I made it to the bed this time! [ not on his own, but he did make it to bed with sabo's help. it still counts, right?! ] You complained about the kicks when we were younger. That's still complaining.

[ but now he gets up from his bed and walks over toward sabo. and just. casually drapes over him and looks at the book that he was reading. don't mind him. it's fine. ]

Whatcha got there?

[ hm. yes.... let's see how far that gets him. if there was any human being who fully accepted and came to understood ace then then it was the one who he is currently draping himself over which sabo immediately and casually raises a hand to shove his head to one side.

it's fine if ace wants to rest on him but no head stacking. ace can rest his head on his shoulder like some sort of...shoulder gremlin. there's a soft exasperation of fondness in his voice as he reopens the book and flips to a random page. hello weird jargon. ]

It's call a book; I hope you've managed to look in a few of these after setting sail. Makino would be so upset if all of her lessons were wasted on you.

[ he casually settles in with his chin resting on sabo's shoulder. it's comfortable. almost too comfortable. maybe this is some kind of long, dying dream. a strange and foreign place... an alternate world of what could have been.

though, the comment does make him knock his head against sabo's a bit. not too incredibly hard, but enough as a response. ]

I know what a book is! I meant, what is it about?

Edited 2022-05-24 02:46 (UTC)

[ well if ace wanted to get sabo to laugh at his own joke then he succeeds but if he wanted sabo to feel remorse then he doesn't. not for a moment about that joke. ]

I wouldn't be able to tell you. [ flipping to another page full of even more foreign shapes to him. ] I've never seen this language before and I don't have anything I could use as a codex to get myself started on understanding it.

[ because someone hasn't spent enough time messing with their tablet yet to figure out the language function. in due time, though, in due time... ]

But I bet something like this isn't that interesting to you.

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