William
For as ugly as it presently appears on the outside, the inside of the Mancini Inn upon entry is *Strangely* Well-preserved. Electricity and a live fireplace mark a neatly designed lobby built from humble wood and logs, almost as if it were disproportionate to what the exterior of the motel looked like. A receptionist desk that was obviously empty, clean floors, appliable seating and an upstairs section, presumably for the rooms now vacant with the exception of. . . Rotting corpses, perhaps. Plenty of room to look for clues, yet no indication of reason as to why anyone else who showed up here couldn't return.

Yet, something was off, if not suspected already. One entering may start to slowly feel a gradual sensation that robs them of their very sense of existence. . . In the most literal, physical sense. A weakness in the muscles and slowness in general movement that is somewhat unnatural persists, but not enough to completely deter mobility. Furthermore, it certainly smells like an unattended murder scene for as clean as it looks to the eye. An omen of what's happened— or what's to come, worst case scenario. They weren't here to appreciate the modest architecture.
Lorraine
The Starborn was quick to make it into main lobby with eagerness for this new experience after he made his presence entering the building known.
He made it in gleefully, following along with a joyful twirl, before Starbi lost his footing for a moment from a disorientating sensation phasing through him, as well as the smell of rot hitting his nose. The starborn nearly fell onto the floor, but luckily kept his footing and remained standing.

He let out a small sigh of relief, as Starbi then had his eyes focused on the interior design. Despite its distant feeling of dread, Starbi liked the way the lobby looked as he walked around the lobby, his shoes making a clanking sound against the wooden floorboard with the soles of his shoes. 

With the aeshtetic of the interior, it was as if he wasn't in the gloomy blues of the Caritas, seeing as it looked very well-kept in contrast to the impression Starbi got from the outside, even with the smell, which he tried to ignore.
Kendra
Seeing Starbi almost fall by their lack of balance and the sudden scent of the rotting corpses, he stepped forward ready to catch the Starborn, but spotting Starbi regain their footing he began walking deeper inside the Inn soon walking past his companion with no clear emotion or concern visible on his face, the smell of corpses having no effect on the old soldier. "Starbi, you're with me. We're gonna clear the bottom and then make our way up." He said with the same tone as a soldier would speak, but a voice spoke in his head, *His* **Soul**. **You should be nicer to Starbi. They treat us better than what we deserve, especially given our past. We saw the wars, and the life it gave us wasn't fair, but don't take it out on the kid. Remember what Mama would tell us? "Always be kind, even when you want to cry."** His soul spoke with the sound of Fire and Brimstone but same with a tone of concern and care. William looked back towards Starbi, "...." From the look on his face clearly debating what his own soul said to him. "Starbi... Clear the bottom floor with me after we will make our way up and search there. If you see something out of place, tell me or Athena, please." His tone changed to a soft, more gentle voice mixed with his Spanish accent. He gave a soft smile, and his eyes squinted with it, but hidden behind was just pain and sorrow. He turned back around and began his search of the bottom area, starting with the receptionist desk
Lorraine
Starbi turned his head to the side as he saw William walk past him. A smile forming on his face to see a friend of his before it turned into an expression of curiosity. Starbi noticed that William seemed a bit... Distant, it was when William requested... Or well ordered Starbi to follow his lead that William began to seem a bit stoic, specifically towards Starbi. Did he do something wrong? 

```Starbi, you're with me. We're gonna clear the bottom and then make our way up.```
William spoke in a dead tone; it was the same tone as before. It was a detail Starbi had picked up but didn't really think of much.

"Yeah, sure! Of course, William! Whatever you say." Starbi responded with a nod, understanding what he was being asked. However, after responding, Starbi began to think for a moment about William. Maybe Starbi actually did do something, but he couldn't recall what he did which may have upset him. It was then that silence struck the room after Starbi's response, tilting his head as he kept looking at William, maybe he was thinking about something? Maybe he was just focused on the mission, Starbi could understand that, given the context of the mission.

```Starbi... Clear the bottom floor with me after we will make our way up and search there. If you see something out of place, tell me or Athena, please.```
This time, William spoke in a softer tone with a Spanish accent. Starbi picked up on the smile on his face, which eased Starbi's mind, and also made him happy to see that his friend was okay.

"I heard you the first time, William! Whatever happens, I'll do what I can to help." Starbi spoke with a reassuring smile, with a trail of laughter. But as William then began to investigate the receptionist desk, Starbi noticed that even though William was smiling, it wasn't a real smile, he couldn't really sense much joy in that smile. But maybe Starbi should just trust William, he was probably focused on the mission.
Gail
Athena felt a little frusterated having been ignored by Berta pretty much entirely, thinking to herself:

```
The nerve of people these days, wanting help but not giving anything at all to go on, or anything to help at all. Kind of Ironic.
```

And with a resigned sigh, she closed her journal, sliding the pencil neatly into its spine. Her gaze shifted towards the staircase looming ahead.

```
"So it begins."
```
She whispered to herself, steeling her resolve for the task at hand. She then looks towards William and Starbi.

```
"I'ma head upstairs and look for anything of use"
```
She declared, her voice projecting a sense of purpose. She then looks away back towards the stairs as if returning to a state of deep thought:

```
I should really bring up that document i found a couple weeks ago with William, since it is about him. Maybe he is more willing to open up to people if someone else brings it up. Summoning my birds would also be quite wise as i would have more eyes on the case, and to watch my back for if anyone tries anything.
```

...

```
"Oh hey William, when you two are done searching the downstairs, come find me. There is something i want to talk to you about, you can also join Starbi, since there are other matters i want to attend to"
```
She says loudly, She then summons her incarnation

```
Duality
```

A Crow mostly black with yellow eyes and few blue feathers appears on her left shoulder and A Dove mostly white with green eyes and few blue feathers appears on her right shoulder.

```
"Survey the area as we go, tell me anything that looks out of place or of note."
```
She commands to her birds, her voice authoritative and unwavering.

With her avian companions poised to assist, Athena ascends the stairs with purpose, undeterred by the unsettling stench and creeping sense of dread that permeated the air. Her experience in solving murder cases had hardened her resolve, and she remained determined to push forward, no matter the obstacles she might encounter.
Mary
The white-haired woman's hair sways as she shifts from exterior to interior, arms still folded and tucked beneath her chest as she took long, flowing, and buoyant strides into the wooden interior of the inn. Immediately, her heightened senses were assaulted — her brow twitched as the subtle permeation of the rot that subtly gave odor to the building's exterior now grew into a noxious scent. Yet her gut does not churn; her nose is merely turned at the scent, for it is something she is quite familiar with, as unpleasant as it was.

Her expression does not change. Something still lingers on her mind.

The passing visages—the changing expressions. Introductions without introductions, and clarifications of objectives brought about by Arlet's own incitation. Her light-blue irises opened lightly following Athena's earlier reply and further honed with the understated tension building in William's visage, yet despite what slight-yet-sharp intrigue was demonstrated in her honed gaze, she did not speak a further reply. Perhaps it was merely the change-of-pace as predicated by Alexis' arrival. Or perhaps it was due to some reservation she held with the former's statement itself; either way, Arlet's expression offered little insight into her actual thoughts. She remained quiet, her eyes closing, as she continued forward with a lightness in her gait, swinging lightly with each step.

The cold clinging to her body clashes against the semblance of warmth she puts on.

Pacing briefly around the interior of the lobby, Arlet attempts to acclimate herself with the new environment, scanning briefly over what small details cross pass her gaze. Briefly peeking behind the receptionist desk, she places a hand to her chin, briefly contemplating playing the role of the receptionist, yet literally waves the thought off, amusedly grinning to herself.
_ _

```fix
"It's much easier on the eyes than I thought."```

Simple observations were stated amidst a more elaborate search. Amidst the wretched scents and small commotion of the detectives' entries, Arlet honed in on the sound and scent of the smoke of the fire, the subtle hum of the electricity, and the soft creak of the boards beneath her feet. Yet what stood out to her most and most immediately of all was that familiar sense of *Weakening.* It was something so alarmingly akin to something she felt every day — the subtle, extra weight on her own body, the slight limpness of her limbs in their motion, and the cold, bloodless sensation at her fingertips — that she initially thought little of it besides a small sense of grievance. But as it grew ever-more-sensitively-intense, she quickly took mental note of the phenomenon.

*`Annoying.`*

...Brushing it off as something nothing more than a minor inconvenience. All-the-while, her instincts and greater sense of judgment continued to warn her against her pride to take caution.

```fix
"Well, then. I'll be headed up if anyone needs me!"
"Try not to die without at least hollering for help first, mm?" ——she grinned lightly.
"Oh — and... Starbi. Starbi-Starbi-Starbi, right?"
"𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬."```

Her tone was cheery, and quite removed from her surrounding environment. Yet the last of her statements came with a shifted glare and a different smile; both honed, her eyes then slightly opening from a close-eyed grin; the latter lightened, and it altogether showed a distinctive sense of intensity that Arlet had been earlier withholding. She lifted a thumbs-up over her shoulder as she pivoted on a heel, quickly raising pace to the staircase, now grinning fully again.
 
```fix
"Up we go."```

She took quick strides up the stairs, following behind Athena and swiftly matching pace with her, slowing as she reached a side-by-side climb with the detective up the stairs.
Lori
Frowning sadly as he watched Roberta leave, he'd then, however, waste no time following the others into the strangely well-lit lobby.

The place looked very cozy, as you'd expect from any good inn, but aside from the lights, something felt... Off, it certainly felt as though some dark magic was at work, but of what, he could not ascertain.

The rot had hit him too but it did not affect him much, he had, unfortunately, seen and *Smelled* His fair share, in the past.

As William accompanied Starbi more inwards, Shiro decided he too would start there, going further in, then up.

*Most of these people seem rather upbeat for being at the scene of a crime*, he thought ruefully, before he too set off.

No better place for him, he set off first towards the fireplace, looking around its area for any clues.
Lorraine
Starbi walked around as he left William to do his investigation. He was pretty much walking aimlessly without little to no idea what to investigate exactly, or how to investigate professionally. He wasn't exactly a professional like Athena or William, but he could see why William would invite him in the first place. 

Starbi then turned around to see Athena walk in, a smile forming on his face as she spoke. It seemed that she had something to talk about, but it sounded like it was meant for William more than for Starbi. 
"Alright, Athena! We'll see you when we see you!" Starbi spoke with a smile, waving to her as she went upstairs.

Starbi then turned his eyes to see Artlet, one of the people he had seen before, and the person he waved to outside the Inn out of friendliness. She spoke, saying that she should be called for if danger were to appear.

```"Oh — and... Starbi. Starbi-Starbi-Starbi, right?"
"𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬."```
Starbi tilted his head out of curiosity, his smile replaced with an expression of curiosity. She wished him good luck, to him specifically. Starbi's expression turned to that of a friendly smile when she began to go upstairs with Athena.
"Okay, thanks!!" Starbi thanked her as he waved her goodbye.

Next came Shiro, the person he got the strange feeling before, Starbi had his eyes on him walking towards the fireplace to seemingly investigate, and that left Starbi to be the only one not investigating. He then looked around to look for something to investigate.
"Hmmm..." The Starborn hummed to himself, he looked at the stairs Artlet and Athena used to go upstairs for a moment, before looking at some of the appliable seating near the entrance of the lobby, it was probably the best thing to start investigating first.
Renee
The horrible sound of angry chanting mixed with beating rain faded away as they stepped inside.
Peaceful. Aside from the creeping sense of foreboding.
But that was nothing Alexis was unfamiliar with, in fact horrible senses of dread and foreboding were quite typical for these kind of investigations.
Stepping off to the side she located the coat rack, and slowly undid the buttons on her trench coat, hanging it up with a hefty heave.
Underneath she was wearing a yellow dress shirt and a pair of high waisted brown dress pants that were tucked neatly into her laced riding boots.
She sighed, her hair was still soaked, she should have brought that umbrella.
Turning back toward the rest of the room she would find most of her companions already departed, fools, the lobby was unassuming on the surface, but this was an arcane mystery.
Cracking her knuckles, one by one, she slowly opened her third eye, gazing around the lobby, taking note of all that was invisible to the naked eye, analysing the ambient arcane radiation, looking for specific enchantments, but most importantly trying to find a proverbial scent to follow.
Christine
Tom made his way through the Inn door that had been left open, having entered whilst everyone else was engaged on their own investigations. He decided, naturally, that the best course of action was to lazily toss his umbrella to the floor— as opposed to hanging it up properly— and find himself a comfortable seat. Indeed, it was odd that the place looked like this well off on the inside when comparing it to the exterior, but that's stating the obvious. Obvious doesn't help him.

Thomas removed his coat and cap, aimlessly tossing it onto a centered table. He plopped himself down, feeling the comfort the seat, quite literally kicking his feet up onto said table, and reached over to grab a magazine from a now unorganized mess of a pile. The cover was a tanned woman with a bikini, which was remarkably unsavory and offputting to have in a Christian establishment like this. Must be an import, or a cruel prank that was never fixed. In theory, it *Could* Be a clue, and therefore justified this— . . .Well, not really, but he didn't care anyway. Everyone else was doing what he was brought here to do, why bother? His only obligation was to be here so long as the case was solved, and it'd just be wasting his energy to look too. . . Although that assumed they looked well enough, which also assumed they were competent and capable of doing so, a typically slippery slope. In any case, he opened it, and tuned out everything else, including the group's eventual discovery. Anything bad happens, and he's here.

_ _
Tom lowered the magazine for a moment as to extend his arm once again, this time digging around his own jacket in a bent position until he found it— his metallic flask. He then returned to a more comfortable position, and continued. Introducing oneself is what a decent person would at the very least do in this situation, let alone actually help or do his job. Being decent sucks. Plus, he'd be interrupting their. . . Good work, so to speak. He was hoping they didn't notice he was there.
William
It was a less then intriguing search that wouldn't last very long at all, nor prove to be especially fruitful for anyone excluding William or Arlet. Besides old trinkets and lobby-related appliances or objects— books, papers, old IDs and utensils— there was very little to observe upon closer inspection of the compact reception area of the Inn. Curiously, the same could be said for the second floor, where most of the rooms, numbered as '1-A' and thereon, were barricaded with wooden planks. Of course, one had the agency to knock those down if they so felt inclined, but that decision would not reward them with anymore information— even if broken into, the rooms were barren and seemingly, much like the lobby itself, undisturbed or changed despite the murderous circumstances that loomed. There were eight rooms; 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E, 1-F, 1-G, 1-H, and 1-I, of which only 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C was left completely open. Yet, they *Too* Looked like the rest with a severe lack of clues, tells or differences. A small bed, a lamp, a closet and cabinet in the coziest, modest sense of the imagination. There was the question of who barricaded them, why they would, and when they did so that was something to be considered.

Arlet, Athena and company would find nothing concrete upstairs. Shiro's inclination to the fireplace proved to be useless, and the seating, as did the entrance of the lobby was similarly devoid of valuable information as checked by Starbi. Alexis's analysis of the magical proponents of the Inn only served to prove that powerful mana forces were at work, but revealed little about its source or its specific nature. Yet, it was William's straightforward decision to begin with receptionist desk that was the simplest, yet most eventful lead. Hidden between old stacks of paper that possessed names and filings of those who had checked in throughout the years tucked within the wooden desk was a petite, strange looking. . . Device, of sorts, albeit not excessively abnormal when given a closer look.

It was a small, black circle, but it had audible holes as to indicate something that resembled a speaker, seen on radio transmitters or naked headphones. Furthermore, it was accompanied by a tinier, round button that could be pressed. In other words, it was a peculiarly designed recording device that was left there for reasons unclear. Compared to what could be reached as 'evidence' elsewhere in the lobby, this seemed to possess the most legitimacy as something actually useful based on how different it was from everything else admissible, seeming entirely out of place. It was interesting, though, that it was left *Here*, because it was almost like that was done on purpose for it to be in the most obvious, non-discrete place possible. There existed reason to believe that someone wanted it to be found. Frankly, it wouldn't take too long for either William or Arlet to notice it.

_ _
If the button was pressed, a short audio recording would play from the small device. A straight through recorded file, but it was filled with static and. . . Labored breathing. It was the voice of an adult man, neutral accented with a low, panicked tone, whispering into, presumably, the device itself. There didn't seem to be an obvious 'record' button on the device, though. It sounded like he was running. More huffs and puffs, before the stranger was able to emit discernable meaning into his words— depending on who between William or Arlet obtained it, either one could decide whether they wanted to press the button and have the rest converge on their position in order to listen in as a collective.

*"Okay. . . Okay. I don't have time to tell you my name, but just know this— anyone who's hearing this. . . Okay, listen. This place is not what it seems like, and I know you probably know that, but think of it even worse then what you believe— everythings all fucked up. If you're. . . If you can hear this, do this. Behind one of the bookshelves in the back corner, the left, move it. . . Theres a switch, a fucking lever. Pull that. It'll change up the rooms upstairs. . . You'll see when its pulled."*

*"After that— shit!"* A distinctly loud noise is audible in the recording. The man begins to move again. "*". . .After, you'll have three options. Pick 1-B. Don't pick A or C, pick the middle door. The other two will— ERCK—"* A sudden interruption followed by a grotesque, uncomfortable and unnatural shifting. Screams that were muffled and the uncertain sounds of physical limbs. . . Contorting, and twisting. There were departing words to be added:

*"H t iv- u c'ttolo intt ounryeo' so dooec'nre tamkonis l 1 pcr."* A collective of nonsensical consonants and vowels, followed by much, much clearer intonation. *"Fidati solo della porta centrale! Confía sólo en la puerta central!-"* To those knowledgeable, it was Italian, and then Spanish, albeit in a higher pitched voice then the man's original tone. The recording would abruptly end at the tip of the last sentence— meanwhile, the aforementioned bookshelf was indeed within the back left corner of the Inn as suggested, across from another that looked virtually identical aside from the texts. Time was of the essence, and they had what seemed to be instructions.
Kendra
Searching the reception desk, he could only see old piles of paper of the old residents of the Inn. That was until he moved them around to read who was present during the murder was when he spotted it, a black object inside the desk. Seeing that it was a type of speaker and must have recordings he began to think to himself, *Whoever left this is most likely gone. Probably killed while making this, alright. I gotta call everyone down to hear this. Hopefully, it has something that can help us.* He reached down towards the speaker and the button to play it but stopped before he could press it, "Athena! Come down here and make something of yourself!" He yelled loud enough for the people upstairs to hear his voice, a tone of a soldier. He looks towards Starbi and Shiro but then spotted an odd looking man sitting reading a paper. * Who the hell is that? If he got into here, that means he's a detective too, from the looks of it he is. Ain't my problem for now.* He thought to himself, "Starbi, come here." He made a hand gesture motioning the comrade to come closer, "I don't much like the look of this place. Remember, stay close. If you see something out of place, get me and Athena." He said once again, wanting to have the starborn nearby in case something bad happened. From the tone of his voice, it sounded like he was concerned for the well-being of his comrade, but the look on his face gave a sense of hardness. He begins to wait for the others to gather around the reception desk
Renee
A strong magic was afoot throughout the building, it was all encompassing with no specific source, paired with the lingering sense of foreboding; a signal from the subconscious mind that something is not right, Alexis deduced there was likely an illusion in place over the inn.
As her gaze swept around the room, it would eventually fall onto Mr Brandt.
Her brow furrowed as she stared daggers through him, his SOUL was not visible, either he didn't have one, and was instead some form of construct, or he had something significant that made it worth investing time into HIDING it.

```
[0;40;34m "If you're going to be completely useless can you atleast do us the courtesy of not tainting the room with your presence" 
```
Her third eye twitched in a rather grotesque and erratic manner as the magazine he held tore in half as the rest of the magazines still on the table swept away and scattered across the floor.
Her third eye shut, and she turned away paying him no more mind, as she approached the reception, standing beside William and leaning back against the desk with her hands in her pockets.

```
[0;40;34m "I believe there may be an illusion on the Inn" 
```
She eyed the device in his hand, clearly waiting for him to do something with it.
Gail
Athena searching the upstairs would take note of the 3 open rooms labeled A-C all starting in 1, along with the rest of the oddly boarded up rooms.

```
"Hmm, that's peculiar."
```
She murmured under her breath, her voice barely audible in the stillness.

```
Why would rooms be boarded up, and why are 3 of them wide open. I Don't trust this, and shouldn't there also be caution tape or body outlines somewhere. Its sloppy, almost like the police are absolute amateurs. Can't get anything done if there is nothing to go off of.
```
She Thinks to herself, Shaking her head at the thought of the police doing a sloppy job, as they are more likely amateurs. That's when Athena hears William yell for her to come down and make something of herself.

```
He probally found something of use for the investigation... But he is so getting hit for that statement of making use of myself.
```
She thought. Athena then looks towards Arlet, Grinning as she says:

```
"I'll go see what he found, do what you want. Just dont get yourself killed, or do. Could make the case easier"
```
She quipped, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

```
If they do get themselves killed, it would leave a fresh body and possibly fresh prints if the killer is not careful. It would also leave one less untrustworthy person to look after.
```
Athena thinks to herself as she proceeds downstairs, Then yelling to William:

```
"Yea, I'll be right there!"
```

Once Athena gets downstairs, She would go meet up with William at the Receptionist's desk.

```
 "Upstairs was a dead end, quite literally."
```
 she remarked dryly, her tone laced with frustration

```
"Nine doors, six boarded up, three wide open. One-A, One-B and One-C. Didn't get far before you beckoned me down here. And as for your charming comment about making use of myself..."
```
Without missing a beat, she delivered a playful punch to his stomach, a smirk dancing on her lips. Straightening up, she continued, her curiosity piqued.

```
"So, what did you find?"
```
Lori
Seeing as his search proved unfruitful, Shiro decided to head towards the others. Perhaps he'd try the reception area next.

.....And when he turned, he saw a man, not there before, just sitting in one of the many armchairs, reading a ....Risque magazine.

```
"Pardon me, sir. Who are you? Are you here to investigate as well?"

```
He'd say, his gaze leveled at the man. By the man's demeanor, he doubted that he was here for any noble purpose. Best to keep an eye on him.

He noticed the others gathering behind him at the very area he was trying to get to.

```
"I'll come back to you later."

```

He'd say curtly to the stranger who had made his presence, well, not known per se...

As he walked to the others.

```
"What have you unearthed there, Starbi?" 

```

His questioning aimed at the person who had shouted out first.
Lorraine
Starbi hadn't really been doing much in his own personal investigation. To him, he didn't know what to exactly look for, as everything seemed normal, nothing that one would consider out of the ordinary. So he thought that William and Shiro would have better results. So Starbi just stood still as he then looked around again, first to William by the receptionist desk, then to Shiro by the fireplace. 

Starbi blinked as he heard the sound of something falling, he turned around to see a rather tall man had made it to the Inn, Starbi tilted his head as he just watched the man dropping what seemed to be an umbrella on the floor, the man seemingly making himself at home while he just sat on a seat with a magazine. Starbi kept his eyes on him, not sensing any sort of joy from him, the Starborn tilted his head as he was wondered who this person was, most likely a detective to investigate as well. Starbi wondered why he was just sitting down and relaxing, maybe that was his strategy in investigation.

Starbi's words trailed off as he turned his head to see William calling out for Athena to make it downstairs, it the same tone from before. 

```"Starbi, come here. I don't much like the look of this place. Remember, stay close. If you see something out of place, get me and Athena."```
Familiar words he had heard of before, despite his serious expression, Starbi didn't take that into account as he knew that William had good intentions.

"On it!!" Starbi spoke with a smile as he walked over towards William and apparently Shiro. Starbi turned his head to Shiro who had asked him about his results in his investigation. 
"Oh! Hmmm..." Starbi turned his head back to the space he was investigating. He then turned his head back to Shiro.
"Nothing so far! Don't think I could really find much here." He responded as he smiled at Shiro out of optimism, Joyful Aura wavering over the lobby when Starbi smiled. 
"By the way, I wanted to ask you! Are you-"

** **
The Starborn's words were cut off as he saw Athena walk over explaining what she had found upstairs with Artlet, seemingly distracted from, if not forgotten what he wanted to ask Shiro. Athena and Artlet had supposedly found nine doors, six of them boarded up with three wide open and titled "One-A, One-B, One-C" Respectively as described by the detective.

"That's great Athena. Glad you and that lady found something up there!" 
Starbi congratulated, Joyful Aura keeping its looming presence in the lobby. Starbi then saw Athena playfully punch William in the stomach for what he had said, Starbi letting out a small laugh from his mouth as a result.

Athena asked William he had found, Starbi turning his head as he looked to William.

"But yeah, William. What did you find?"
The Starborn asked with a curious smile, his eyes looking over to Alexis who was speaking to the new person sitting down, before Starbi's eyes looked back to William.
Mary
```fix
"Coming in~"```

***`CRACK`***

With hardly what acceleration would seem necessary to do so, Arlet flicked her wrist into one of the boards barricading the room 1-D, impacting it like a sledge and dislodging it from where it remained nailed. Once, twice, then thrice she repeated this action, breaking apart the barricade board-by-board, until she was left with only the open door and the frame around it.

```fix
"..."```

She scanned, her gaze piercing; curious. But soon there came a sort of laziness upon them as they glossed over what ordinary and agreeing items decorated the interior of the room: its regularity was, frankly, very boring to her. With the full, underlying expectation that something more unusual, perhaps — or something simply more interesting than nothing — would occur or stand out the moment she took a more direct approach towards the investigation, she entered, and her notion was only met by an increasing sense of disappointment filling her chest as she haphazardly pulled the room apart. 
_ _

Arlet started with the blanket, plucking it from where it rest upon the bed and tossed it over her shoulder; then the pillow, the bedsheet, and even the mattress in likewise manner, the latter of which she simply and briefly lifted from the frame with a single dispassionate tug. She sank low to check beneath the frame, then quickly swung her head back up with a light roll of her eyes, only to twirl immediately to step toward the cabinet and to discharge it of each of its drawers by lifting it off the ground and tipping the thing upside-down. The wardrobe was granted a similarly coarse treatment, as she thrust open each of its doors, peeked in, and softly (with all the force of a chisel driven into stone) pressed against their back- and under-sides with two fingers in search of a hidden compartment, cracking the grain of the wood in the process. That would be before she pulled the thing from the wall and let it — ***SLAM!*** — crash against the floor, hardly bothering to check whether there was anything behind it, as she then stepped with heavy strides and arms folded beneath her chest from the room.

```fix
"Not even worth my time..."```

Though it did give her a bit of time to think about something. She lightly clasped her chin, her eyes lifted to the ceiling.

```fix
"Mm..."
"...I should've grilled that woman a little, myself..."```

Her eyes descended back down to Athena, at this time responding. She grinned with a lightness that disregarded the weight of what she had, herself, just said; and similarly, she shrugged.

```fix
"I'm coming with you."
"I don't think I caught your name," She lied, motioning towards Athena as they now both descended the stairs.```

It was... *Easier,* To do it this way.
_ _

```fix
"What's your angle on her?"
"Roberta, our friend. Ahmm...⸺Berta, rather?```

A hand on her hip, Arlet arrived back in the main lobby with the rest, a lightly questioning expression on her visage. Truth-be-told — and in similar fashion to how she had earlier lied to Athena — she was, in most parts, already understanding of what had transpired downstairs. Her hearing was sharp, and incredibly so: enough that murmurs could be heard as audible sentences, and reverberations echoing through the foundation could give her a clear enough understanding of where everyone else was situated in reference to herself.

```fix
"...Hm?"```

Yeah, it would be a bit easier to pretend to be elucidated for a moment. In any case, from the upstairs, she couldn't catch every word coming from the speaker; a little rehash would be nice.
Christine
It seems misery truly does love company, and he suddenly now has to talk to people— multiple people, in fact, not that any was more pleasant then another, interrupting his quality time with Romana Bigtits. First came about Shrio, who ever directly asked who he was and why he was here. Gee, how right was he earlier? The *Exact* Two inquiries that he said he did not *Care* To answer to himself, but would *Have* To, apparently, came to pass. The great misfortune of being a genius is that you're always right, even when you don't want to be. A tragic artform, with shortcomings related to knowing too much for their own good. Like a Shakespearian tragedy.

``"Health inspector. Checking for media literacy."`` Tom replied to Shiro with a sarcastic remark and a nod that he somewhat expected to go over his head, specifically the second part. In any case, he could still deflect questions as he so choose, although this wouldn't last for long and was more of him just wanting whoever spoke to him to go away. Shiro would do so, converging with the rest of the group— they had discovered something, it seemed. It was now that this cast of characters were becoming more clear to him, unwillingly so, but his crave of knowledge and information overtook his callousness. Deeper analysis was on the menu, accompanied by a splash of alcohol. He had held the magazine in his left grasp, and with his right, skillfully worked to uncork the cap of his flask in short order using his index finger, as if he'd done so many times before. It fell upon successful removal, but he caught by maneuvering the same hand fast enough to catch it in his palms. Now, holding it against the base of the flask itself, he lifted it to his gums, allowing a waterfall of bourbon to drown his esophagus, as he made his initial joke literal, to an extent.

_ _
There stands a cowboy, stoically faced and dressed like he was straight out of a bad midwestern film. Chick with 3 eyes, chick who didn't have 3 eyes, Albino chick from outside, and— my *God*, that voice was grating as hell. Starbi's inflection almost immediately agitated Tom, for it was, without hyperbole, the most unsavory thing he had ever heard in his life up to this point, then and there. That *Positive* Intonation— eugh, who sounds like that? Who talks like that? Why would you talk like that, ever? If he was cursed to be as uplifting as Starbi sounded, he would blow his brains out before getting a full sentence out. Also, what's with the hair? They a hipster or something? It was all so irksome, but he was distracted. He'd have more time to get proper reads on them later.

Alexis seemed to be the most disturbed by his behavior. Guy can't look at some knockers these days, can't he? Tom was fairly certain why she was *Really* Bothered, how it went beyond his mere actions— more on that later, though, and for now he'd just reject she-knows-what absent of consequence. He was, in all honesty, actually trying to determine why the lewd magazine was here in the first place by examining it, but that would be cut short as Alexis made an irritated comment, which would be followed by the magazine in his hands promptly being torn to shreds, alongside the rest of them on the table being tossed to the floor via non-tangible means. Tom was not visibly surprised nor angered, however, at first looking to the shredded paper, and then to the magazines on the floor. His glare turned to Alexis, but it wasn't a vexed one as opposed to a curious squint held in silence for several seconds, observing from his different colored irises, the steel blue and serpent yellow. His crossed legs remained in place, as did his laze posture. Believe it or not, but he was not nearly as lazy as he was portraying himself to be at the moment. Conversely, he was more disrespectful then they knew.

_ _
``". . .I'll say, it's a commendable thing to put in hours whilst ovulating. I couldn't do it— y'know, literally."`` Tom said this after some unrelated thoughts about Alexis kept to himself, having turned her attention away from him. Essentially, he was calling her a woman on her period, otherwise bitchy, if that wasn't clear. It didn't take him that long to come up with that, and his silence was a product of unrelated thoughts he'd keep to himself. He also figured that his quip wouldn't do much of anything to the 3-eyed ketchup peel given her general inclination, if not just outright ignoring him, but who knows? Maybe he'd be wrong. How great would that be? Throwing insults at each other like schoolchildren— wouldn't that spice things up? It'd also prove him right as far as his insult went. 

Anyhow, Tom skimmed his right hand down his pants, and felt his phone in his unobvious trouser pocket, still keeping his gaze around the room. Thing probably had service, too, but this was entertainment enough; he found it intriguing, for example, that nobody gave a damn about the rancid smell as far as he could tell. Oh, and something about a voice recording and a bookshelf. Might be interesting, or they might need his help. He took another long sip from his flask, remaining watchful in the background. So long as things weren't boring, it was easier for him to, at the least, listen a little. Like he said earlier, he was only around in case things went south, and nothing more. Not that they'd believe or expect it of him, but he was perfectly willing to conduct his own search and deductions once everyone reached their conclusions as compensation for their probable defectiveness, especially when combined. That's pretty much his job most of the time.
Kendra
Making a grunt due to the impact of Athena playfully punching him in the stomach for his comment of her making something of herself, a soft smile could be seen on his face but it quickly faded as the others arrived and surrounded the reception desk. He looked at Arlet, who came down the stairs and began to wonder, *She don't look very disturbed, or like a regular detective would look. She knows something, maybe something about the case... Nows not the time to be picking fights.* He thought to himself and without missing a beat pressed the play button of the speaker. Hearing the tape, he thought to himself once again, *Shit. I knew it, Starbi don't need to hear this.* The words echoed in his mind as he reached into his coat pocket to retrieve his hand warmers, knowing that the knitted wool would dampen the noise heard, he walked over to Starbi and covered their ears. This act of care and compassion was a clear contrast from his usual grumpy and moody demeanor. As the recording came to an end and the sound of the man dying and his final words came, William relaxed his posture and placed his hand warmers back into his pocket, walking past Starbi the expression on his face being one of thought, *This don't sound good. Starbi doesn't carry any weapons that I can see of or seen them use... I'm probably gonna regret this but we need all help we can get.* He finishes his thought by reaching into the shoulder holster hidden underneath his coat and pulls out the Star Model BM pistol, with his back still turned to Starbi, he removes the magazine noting that it only held 8 rounds and checked to see that one was in the chamber. In total 9 shots. He turns back to face Starbi and preforms a railroad agent spin in order to give Starbi the gun by the grip, he spoke once again

"Don't make me regret this Starbi." A clear hint of distrust in his voice before continuing, "You only have 9 shots, use it when only necessary. Aim at the chest and focus on the front sight. When you pull the trigger make sure you mean it because believe me, no matter how much you want to take it back you can't. Every shot is permanent never forget that. I'll teach you to shoot properly when we have time but not now." He says with a hint of sadness but also seriousness. He turns towards Athena, "Your call, boss. What do you want to do? In the recording, he said,'trust only the central door.' You said that there were barred doors? Anything off about them?" He spoke once again in the professional tone he spoke in before waiting for her response before proceeding in any more investigation.
Lori
Among the others, Shiro listened perhaps the most intently to the recording that played before them.

The place was magical, that they knew and as such he had surmised, but clues still the recording held, and terror more as screams rang out and flesh seemed to shift into something ghastly.

The man had then spoken in a mix of both Spanish and Italian, two languages both Shiro and his brother had been taught amongst many other earthern dialects before being sent here.

The central door, the middle door... Behind a bookshelf.

Perhaps before the others could, might they still be taking in the device's contents, Shiro strode over to the mentioned bookshelf.

Moving it aside, he wrenched the lever behind it and waited.
Gail
Athena would respond to Arlet's question from earlier stating in a serious tone:

```
"My name is Athena, and as of my thoughts on Berta. Well, I don't have any strong opinions currently. To me, She is not a friend but more of another suspect on a list."
```

She then eyes the newcomer just sitting near the entrance. Before saying anything she thinks about the newcomer:

```
God, another one? Hmmm... Unlike the rest though, this one seems quite useless as he seems like they are just relaxing. I guess that adds something good about all these people here, except him of course.
```

When the stranger introduced themselves as a Health Inspector, Athena scoffs at the remark thinking

```
Health inspector... Classic government bullshit, there is no reason for a health inspector to be here until the job is solved or scrapped and when the place is ready for inspection before the opening... Oh yea, my incarnation is still out as well.
```

Athena DE-manifests her Birds, Then William plays the recording. She listens closely to everything in the recording, Dissecting it for anything of use. Reflecting silently on the recording:

```
Poor guy, had such a horrible fate.
```

After the recording ends, Athena then turns her attention to the group and proposes a plan:

```
"We should look for this lever they mentioned, though im not sure i trust any of this one bit so be careful, Something seems off. We should stay in groups of three and since Mr. Health Inspector doesn't seem like they are going to help or be of any use, He can sit there and look stupid or something. Anyways I think the groups should be Me, William and Starbi. Then the rest of yall can group up. Any objections?"
```

Saying "Mr. Health Inspector" In a obviously sarcastic tone, She then looks to Starbi and William and says in a now more serious tone:

```
"Before we all split up though, i have matters to attend to with the both of you. We could do this here or in a seperate room. Up to you two."
```

She then turns around to see Shiro pulling a lever

```
Shit, why was he so quick to pull the lever. Damn Fool
```
Athena thought to herself, before saying in a tone of seriousness:

```
"Welp, Since the lever was pulled yall can start heading upstairs. Arlet should know which door. Also you should be more careful, something bad could have happened, You fool"
```
The last sentence clearly directed towards Shiro, having a little hint of anger in her tone. Athena then looks at Tom, Her eyes narrowing as she says in a angry and serious tone:

```
"You can join them if you're capable, but If you are just gonna sit there and look ugly, you should leave and let the professionals who are actually helping do their work. Right now."
```

She thinks to herself after her statement:

```
Hopefully they leave, This one I dislike and distrust the most out of everyone here. Something about him and his comments. Don't want people who are going to hinder our progress here anyways, There is a serious job to do afterall.
```
Lorraine
Starbi watched with a patient smile as William pressed the button for the speaker to begin functioning. The speaker being a recording of that of a man speaking for whoever found this recording.

It was nothing dangerous yet. It was apparently a clue regarding a lever in the main lobby behind the bookshelves. To which Starbi's eyes looked over to the one described by the speaker with a curious expression which followed with a tilted head, the man saying that the rooms upstairs discovered by Athena and Artlet will change. Starbi turned his head back to the speaker which played a loud sound with the sounds of running. The man then warned about the doors upstairs, that door 1-B should be picked out of the three.

The man was then going to provide reason as to why, but the man was interrupted with the sound of grotesque and unnatural shifting, followed along with muffled screams. Starbi slightly flinched to the grotesque sounds before the sounds of the speaker began to muffle out. Starbi blinked to see that his ears had been covered with warm fabric by his friend, William. Starbi was distracted as he focused on William, as his eyes glanced back at the speaker for a few seconds. Then, the muffled sounds of faint speaking ended, as Starbi's ears were met with a chill as William let go of his ears. Starbi saw as William walked past him, as Starbi looked to the floor to think for a moment, then back to the speaker. Starbi perked up to hear the sounds of clicking and clacking, turning his head to see William's back.

** **
```"Don't make me regret this Starbi."```
William then turned around with a gun in his hands, offering it to Starbi.

Starbi's eyes focused and hazed as he stared at the gun. He felt tense, however kept it behind his polite yet curious expression which one could see past with Starbi's eyes shaking ever so slightly. As he accepted into his hands with it in his right hand, staring at the gun with an unusual blank expression. As William was speaking, Starbi wasn't paying attention as his focus was completely on the gun in his hands, a ringing noise in his ear to tune out everything around him, a tense shiver going through his body with a faint itch growing in Starbi's stomach. 
"..."
But Starbi then regained his focus, as Starbi heard William finished his talk regarding the gun. He needed to relax; it wasn't even that bad, he had nothing to worry about. Starbi became visibly calmer as he looked at the gun, a calm smile forming on his face with a very small sigh of relief escaping through his nose, everything was okay now, he was just being irrational.

Starbi looked at William with his ordinary smile.
"Got it, thanks William! I'll do my best to be careful with it, I promise!!" 
The Starborn assured with ease, Joyful Aura returning to loom over the lobby. He was happy to see that William trusted him enough to give him a weapon.

** **
Starbi then turned his head to see Athena speaking. When she mentioned "Mr. Health Inspector" In a different tone, Starbi glanced at Thomas for a moment. Starbi formed a small smile on his face as he gestured a small wave at him. Starbi then turned to Athena proposing people split up; with Starbi, Athena and William as a group of three.
"Yeah! I'd be fine with that!!" Starbi agreed without a doubt, with the sound of something moving in the background to which Starbi glanced to see Shiro pushing the bookshelf as what the man on the recording mentioned. He then turned his head Athena mentioning something to discuss with William and Starbi. Starbi figured it was what Athena mentioned earlier, he didn't have a problem with it. 

"That's okay! I'm down with- hm?" Starbi's words then got cut off as he turned his head to the sound of Shiro pulling down the lever, Starbi's feeling of familiarity from before returning before it quickly disappeared as Starbi turned his head to hear Athena speak to Shiro, advising him to be careful.
"Don't worry Athena! I'm sure things are gonna be fine!" Starbi assured without a doubt with his cheerful smile, he was sure that Shiro knew what he was doing.
Mary
The white-haired woman, despite her characteristic caprice, held her peace as conversation was exchanged. She clasped her opposite arm's elbow with one hand, stretching both, all-the-while stepping toward the center of the lobby with a light gait and closed eyes. As she cracked her knuckles, a slight grin emerged on her face, swaying in a single motion as she thinly opened her eyes, glaring with a small, amused exhale as Athena voiced her mind — putting down the so-called "Health inspector" And calling the tall guy a fool in a single stroke; how *Classy!* — before quickly retreating back to her motions, stretching both arms behind her back, the tight fibers of her uncannily-dense musculature giving a quiet, but audible groan in doing so. Each turn in the conversation came with a subtle perking of her head — heard, understood clearly, and duly noted or disregarded — and yet she continued stretching, untroubled; lackadaisical.

```fix
"Counter-offer!"```

Arlet, still in the process of rolling her neck, spoke up without letting a tempo pass following Athena's statement. Her left hand lingered on her own neck as she cracked it, her eyes opening, aglow and sharp with the chill-blue mana of her soul, glaring up at an angle around at the group as she lifted her index, pointed up at her side.
_ _

```fix
"Groups and their head should be decided by 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩," She suggested, one hand on her hip and the other motioning at her side.
"The weaker of you... 𝘮𝘮," She tilted her head back, scanning across each of them, as though slightly condescending, "Would be better alongside the more capable."```

Her intuition honed, sharply. What animalistic instincts buried deep within her physiology surfaced — her pupils shrinking to a dot — as she physiologically sounded out the bloodlust innate within each member of the group.

```fix
"Incidentally, that would put me and the 'health inspector' at the head of our flocks!"```

Arlet breathed a laugh as she closed her eyes, shrugging lightly.
_ _

**```fix
"Any objections?"```**

_ _
Her eyes then immediately opened, her laughing ceased, and her glare sharpened as she starkly sharpened her tone, all without sacrificing the small smile on her face.
Renee
By the time that Mr Brandt had gotten around to forming his rebuttal, Alexis had already stopped caring, her attention focused on the recording and so it fell on deaf ears, not that it was a very clever response.

The revelation that the rooms upstairs had turned up completely normal and empty when only days earlier the police had discovered multiple maimed and dismembered bodies sealed within the walls only gave more evidence to her theory of an illusion, the lever behind the bookshelf then would likely be connected to it in someway, possibly pulling it would reveal the truth.

Some sort of danger was lying within 2 of the 3 rooms, likely it was related to the highly unusual deaths, perhaps it was the cause or was trying to stop them from uncovering the truth, it was evident now more than ever that there was a conspiracy centred around this inn and the murders that had occurred within, but with little evidence it was hard to point fingers.

She would listen to the rest of the conversation with little enthusiasm or input of her own, most of the people here seemed more concerned with their own personal relations than actually solving the case, at least until Arlet spoke.

``` "Any objections?"```
In a completely uncharacteristic display of emotion and energy, Alexis let out a compulsive snort at the line, followed by a hearty laugh which went on for about 10 seconds before slowly petering off into a chuckle.

```
[0;40;34m "That is just- wow- that's rich" 
```
She gave another short snicker and a slow clap with an uncharacteristic grin.

```
[0;40;34m "Honestly, thank you, I havn't laughed that hard in months" 
```
Her expression slowly fell into its usual scowl, as she leant back against the desk, placing her hands back into her pockets.

```
[0;40;34m "If we are going by strength there is no way in hell you're in charge, by my calculations you're what the, third? Strongest person in this room at most. I know for a fact that I'm stronger than you, and as for Mr 'no soul' in the corner, I'm willing to place bets."
```
She lazily brushed her hand in the vague direction of Brandt as she said 'no soul' indicating who she was referring to.
Lori
Right. He had at times not seen to take leave of his quickness to action. If anything was to happen by pulling that lever though, he surmised he'd be the best off as he held in him a well of strength that none near likely had yet to take of note.

Yet still, it was in his interest to remain cordial and fair, things he at times too struggled with, and so to Athena, he replied:


```
"My sincere apologies, detective, and the rest of you. If I may though, were something to happen to me by the actions I just took, it would not be a most grievous error against what may have befallen the rest of our company. In any case, the lever has been pulled and nothing will change that.

Be that as it may, as a show of good will, I shall follow instead of lead, this time."



```


At the comments behind them, uttered by a claimed "Inspector of health" Who himself did not seem to care that much about it, he spoke with a touch more anger regarding especially his crude commentary.

```
"As for you, "Health inspector", keep your foul mouth shut save for to relay its usefulness, else begone. Your pleasantries are better spent on tolerant company."


```


At Arlet, though he was still cautious of her due to her airs around them, as well as the implicit pretentiousness of her statement of their group ranking, he simply nodded and said a "Very well", his statement of not leading still holding its integrity.

As Alexis laughed off the woman and her attempts at trying to spearhead the company, Shiro, perhaps against himself, did not think to say anything to break the tension, and instead he would wait for them to get a move on.
Kendra
Placing his hand onto the desk he observes Alexis and Arlet arguing about who's strongest and the rash actions of Shiro by pulling the lever prematurely before any plan could be made, an expression of annoyance can be seen on his face. *None of these dumbasses know what they're doing. Athena wants a plan, but those two are arguing about who should lead. That Shiro guy pulled the lever before we could make a proper plan, and Starbi clearly isn't comfortable with the gun, too. They were shaking... Damnit why do I care. "His thoughts echoed in his mind and, without knowing a smell of sulfur, began to fill the air surrounding William... "Can you all shut up? It doesn't matter who's the strongest or the best option for this case. We're here, so we do our job." He says in an annoyed tone the smell of sulfur becoming stronger and a faint heat grow on the palm that is placed on the desk, he continues speaking, "Jesus not even McMasters-" He abruptly stops and flame burst from his hand burning the wood on the desk. He quickly pulls his hand away, and the fire dies down only being left with a charred spot..."Starbi, Athena. I'll be upstairs." He says in a dead tone clearly something else on his mind. His right hand reaches down and grips the six shooter on his hip and pulls out of the leather holster. He makes his way upstairs with his gun in hand.
Christine
As the arrogant inspector sat there laxly, legs fixed against the small, brown table, having downed yet another swig from his flask, and lowering it only slightly from his face once swallowed, he gradually studied those around him in the midst of their fuss. Tom made mental note of the recording, but of course, he wasn't one to cower or pity at the sounds of brutality, nor to abandon skepticism. It's a fairly normal thing for him to hear, which also appears to be the case for a few others here based on their reactions, or lack thereof, rather. Did that chick even bother to hear the thing? She seemed more fixed on her strange little proposition— that'll be revisited shortly. Whole room seemingly had their panties in a bunch, and they hadn't even got anywhere yet. That does not inspire confidence, not that he had any to begin with. All *He* Wanted to do was look at some boobs.

When Athena approached Tom, he. . . Could not take her words seriously, even if he tried, staring at her blankly. To him, her attempts at insults in "Look stupid" And "Look ugly" Back to back was horrifically embarrassing— not even he, between his own array of childlike remarks, would utter something like that. He'd add more to it. ``"Ugly and stupid. I gotta know, which one is it? If it's both, I'd have to consider that an accomplishment."`` He shrugged, disregarding her command to leave. It was interesting to him that she was vocal about her suspicions regarding the recording, as was her anger at Shrio for pulling the lever prematurely, something nobody else did.

_ _
Tom also noted William's interactions with the shaken Starbi and Athena. Evidently, they knew each other based on Athena's insistence to work with them and how they spoke to one another. Perhaps a little detective squadron, solving cases like superhero's save the day, Batman and Robin-esque, plus a lady for feminism. How terribly useless. He found the concept trivial, but their interactions seemed to reveal things. The abomination had tried to wave at him, and he ignored them flat out. This was unrelated, but he *Just* Began to notice the oddness of the air within the Inn itself, and how it slightly depleted movement. Because of his abnormal composition, he had temporarily resistance the affects, and still hardly noticed them when active on his body— the moment he swapped the cap of his flask to his unoccupied hand, however, he realized it; hadn't he been someone with a means of identifying attention to detail, it would've went over his head.

Then, returning to the source of disharmony comes Arlet, who for some reason insisted that groups have leaders decided off her unsaid definition of 'strength', and that she alongside himself were primary candidates. There was something off about woman, her very nature— the way she smiles and shrugs felt, to him, almost synthetic, or perhaps. . . Tilted, certainly less concerned with the recording then others. Her body language was contradictory, pupils dilated, and as for her counter-off presumably to Athena, of which the ovulating 20/20/20 visioned woman belly laughed in response to the notion, he wasn't very interested in what it entailed. People are responsible for themselves. The weak may or may not live, the strong may or may not die. It's not a game of absolutes— incidentally, being referred to as 'no soul' was nearly as comically bad as being called stupid and ugly. She gotta's be halfway through her cycle, no?

_ _
``"No. Leadership is an excuse to absorb uneccesary blame for people who aren't as good as you. You'll give triclops period cramps talking like that."`` Tom spoke directly to Arlet in what was, at first, a statement unburdened by the weight of sarcasm, unwilling to be responsible for others who came here by their own wits, as he motioned his flask towards them simultaneously. Groups are by committee, even if the committee consists of *Idiots*— and he'd made up his mind on this subject. He didn't care for Alexis's bet proclamation.

Moving on, Shiro had pulled the lever behind the bookshelf, and then made some responding comments in that awfully Shakespearian slang of his, to which Tom could not help but point out, yet again ignoring general demands for his silence and/or to leave promptly in the process, as his serpent-like eye kept track of William heading upstairs in anger. Cowboy's mad, and he was right. ``"Christ, what are you, Macbeth? Gonna write me a eulogy?—"``
William
When Shiro pulled the lever, it took several moments for anything to change, thus allowing the group to entangle themselves in the web of their turbulent interaction. However, after nearly thirty seconds, the faint, yet noticeable sound of metal *Wiring* Was present. It didn't take long for it to become more prevalent to the ears, increasing its volume by the seconds— and not too surprisingly, the noise seemed to descend from upstairs near the doors specifically mentioned in the voice recording. There wasn't a place to look as to identify where the actual metal was, though, and the doors had somehow closed on themselves in silence. Considering the nature of this debacle was magically inclined as far as everyone knew, the involvement of such presumed material seemed strange.

Before long, mid-way through yet another one of Brandt's inappropriate comments, that mechanical, machine-like wiring sound came top a sudden stop— only to subsequently causing an incredibly *Loud* Slamming of the three doors, 1-A, B, and C, against the upstairs wall of the Inn, reopening suddenly. The impact was strong enough to knock several object over from downstairs, if not causing those standing to stumble or even fall over depending on their constitution— William made the unfortunate choice of heading upstairs at the worst time, putting himself at risk of falling down the steps entirely— but within the doorways revealed a commonality; in each path seated next to each, with the middle door, 1-B, as it should've been, had cobblestone stairs leading downward into darkness. Simple, yet they had in short order *Completely* Replaced the rooms that were once behind the doors. To make matters worse, mere moments after the grinding metal halted, the light in the room, *Including* The fireplace that was not electricity based, strangely went out. The power was gone, leaving the room in black with a severe lack of light from the outside world in spite of windows surrounding them. The recording did not cover this information, but was right no less about the doors.

What was more was that the *Entrance* To the Inn, the front, had *Also* Shut at the same time as the three doors above, as if to suggest they had to move forward, albeit not nearly slamming with the same force as those upstairs. It appears the time was now for them to get a move on, lest they had things to settle amongst themselves. The instructions as before started 1-B was the proper path, and that 1-A and 1-C would lead them to somewhere unideal, if not their dooms based on elementary inference. The rest of the room doors upstairs remained barricaded as they were before. There was, seemingly, only one way place to go from here.
Gail
Athena would react to Arlet's and Alexis's comments by scoffing then saying in a calm tone:

```
"Children, Calm down there's no need to bicker about who the strongest is and who should lead. Besides i was going for my idea purely because i have matters to attend to with William and Starbi, and we would more likely catch back up since its a single room we are going to."
```

She then looks to Shiro saying in the same tone as before:

```
"Apology accepted, like i said just be more careful"
```

She then hears William tell them all to shut up and say something about Mcmasters...

```
So he does know something about it... He seems upset by it though, bringing it up may not be a good idea. I should follow him to make sure he is okay.
```

She thought to herself, worried about him. Before she could head up to go see William, She hears Tom's response to her.

```
You are both and how about we add incompetent, utterly useless and an egotistical bastard, Shall we?... Also would you want a reward for being such a fucking prick, I'm sure we can arrange a ceremony after the job is complete. Also I don't take lightly towards insults made to my friends, so Keep those insults to yourself or i'll shut you up personally.
```

She says in a still calm but now also angry tone, Saying the last sentence with a bit a sarcasm laced in it. All while she glares daggers at him. Not minding the mechanical sounds. When the door shuts and all the lights disappear. She pulls out her phone, turning it on and enabling the flashlight, First seeing the door being closed.

```
"Damn it, looks like we are stuck here. At least i brought my phone this time... Speaking of which."
```

She says in a calm tone, the sarcasm completely gone and the anger reduced a bit. She then looks around and seeing Starbi, walks towards him.

```
"Hey Starbi, we should have each others numbers since we are friends and all, plus if anything happens you have another person you can call. Plus I really dont trust any of these guys, especially the Supposed Health Inspector. Also after this, we should go check up on William right after this, so lets make it quick."
```

She says in a quite tone in hopes only Starbi could hear as she pulls up her contacts list, preparing to add Starbi to the list, Noticing she also doesn't have service.

```
Shit... Welp, there goes me calling Dioscuri if i need info on something... Oh well, I'm sure we will manage.
```

She thinks to herself, before returning her attention to Starbi, Saying in a tone that sounds a little guilty, but caring at the same time:

```
"Actually, Wanna also help with something while i check up on William. Ya know get more work done?"
```
-
```
If William has a mental breakdown, It can get ugly, and well I don't want Starbi to have to witness that but that also means not checking up on him instantly, i should think of something for Starbi to do while i check up on him... I could have him attempt to call Dioscuri.
```

She thinks to herself
-
Renee
This whole situation was ridiculous, every moment she spent in the company of these people was driving her mad, maybe that was the real conspiracy, someone had perfectly orchestrated that all these people would be in this one building so that they would all drive one another insane.
How desperately she wished that she was working with other members of The Society right now, professional, efficient, bearable. She wasn't entirely without blame, she lost her cool, Arlet's words struck a very particular chord, it made her think of her time in the Académie, always being talked down to by her "Superiors", at least they reached their positions through time and experience rather than a self absorbed sense of superiority.

```
[0;40;34m "There wont be any 'leaders' because we are not children and we are not affiliated with one another, you look after yourself and I'll look after mine" 
```
Just then the lights went out, to Alexis this was only a slight inconvenience, her third eye could see beyond the typical level of visual light, allowing her a form of night vision, though it would still be no substitute for real light, it would do.
Without another word or care for what the others would rebut, she stood up straight and departed from the lobby, making her way upstairs, according to the recording the middle door was the one to take, however it all seemed a bit too convenient for her liking, they found the recording just sitting out in the open in a room the police had already swept, it had been planted there likely after the initial investigation, perhaps even by the police themselves, if the man in the recording had died he could not have planted it himself, and they had no reason to believe his words in the first place, whatever action they took next would be a complete shot in the dark, figuratively and literally.
She swept the room with her true sight one last time to see if there was anything they had missed, invisible to the naked eye, taking particular time and c

Are with the 3 doors that had magically shifted and altered after the lever had been pulled.
Lori
Ignoring Brandt's remarks, Shiro listened intently as the sound of metal wiring filled the air before abruptly stopping, leading to a loud slam and resulting shockwave of sorts to emanate outwards.

The lights at last, went out, even ones that relied on their own power rather than that of the inn.

A slam too came from the front. This was most certainly a trap now, that much was assured, but that is why they had come, was it not?

A flame flickered in his palm to help illuminate the way forward, he'd wait, as he said, for them to proceed.
Lorraine
Starbi's head then turned to Artlet's voice, Artlet proposing a sort of proposal when it came to the investigation. As she spoke, Starbi remembered Artlet wishing him specifically good luck before she had left upstairs a while ago. That memory was then drowned out by the faint sound of a Vocaloid song in the back of his mind. Artlet brought up the idea of groups having leaders that would be decided by one's strength, Starbi thought about it for a moment. Before he spoke;
 
 "Yeah!" Starbi chimed with a smile, Joyful Aura's effectiveness suddenly increasing vastly for a short moment, intruding in the tense atmosphere. "I think it's a great idea! I don't see why not." Starbi added, agreeing with Artlet with a smile. Starbi thought it made sense. So a sort of order may be needed for the investigation! While Artlet spoke, he thought that Dioscuri would have been a great candidate without a doubt, but he wasn't here. Starbi believed Artlet to be a good candidate to lead a group given her impression, however didn't think that Tom would be another candidate, however, he didn't know what he was capable of. With his friends, William and Athena, Starbi didn't know who to put as the leader. However, he wondered if he could've been considered a leader if he was the same before he made it to Unity, but even so, he would probably give the role of leader to someone else.

 Starbi's ears then picked up the snort which followed the sound of laughter of someone in the room, turning to Alexis who seemed to have been laughing. Starbi's initial smile turned into a slightly confused expression, seemingly against the idea Artlet brought up, or maybe more so against the idea of Artlet and Thomas being the strongest. It was then that Starbi took notice of the sounds of metal wiring in the background, not exactly focused on the tense dialogue at hand or William leaving before Starbi jolted at the sound of the door to the lobby shutting, as everything suddenly went pitch black.

While knowing that he was still in the lobby, it felt a bit more tense, as if now something was looming in the void of darkness that engulfed the group. Everything felt slightly less tense as the room was weakly illuminated by Shiro's flame and Athena's phone light. Starbi just stood there, not necessarily thinking much, just drawing a blank as he then turned his head to Athena approaching him;
 ```" Hey Starbi, we should have each other's numbers since we are friends and all. Plus, if anything happens you have another person you can call."``` 
Starbi's neutral expression turned to one of a signature smile of his, mainly due to him, hearing Athena refer to the two as friends. It made him happy to know for sure that they were friends.

 "Oh, yeah of course!" Starbi spoke out loud in contrast to Athena's whispering, beaming with a smile on his face, it almost felt like his smile was enough to cast another form of light source in the darkness.
 Starbi then took out his phone accompanied by a yellow case, it consisted of colorful stickers, and a colorful keychain of a moon and a shark by the top right corner of his phone. The phone had an extra button at the top right corner of Starbi's phone which was slightly under the connecting piece of the keychain and his phone. Starbi quickly accessed through his phone, humming a song to himself as he first switched on his phone torch, and next to the contacts app of his phone.

 Starbi lifted his head to see Athena seemingly changing her mind, a confused expression forming on Starbi's face. She offered that Starbi would instead do something while Athena go to check up on William.
 "Uh.." Starbi looked over in the direction of where the stairs would've been.
 "Yeah, sure! I'll stay here and maybe talk with some of the people here! " Starbi spoke, turning his head to Athena with a nod, a smile returning on his face, it was probably for the best.
Mary
*```fix
"Hmmm..."```*

*`It wouldn't be very hard, would it?`*

Arlet's chin rested on the back of her hand as she tilted her head, her eyes lightly glossing over the group set out before her. As Alexis' laughter continued, Arlet mentally counted the number of steps between the two — without moving, she felt out the distance stretched before her, the gap and its totality captured within her spatial awareness.

*`Mmm, not worth it.`*

Her head tilted back.

*`...Not yet, at least.`*

Her grin returning, Arlet would spare not a word to the group as they continued on after her proposition. Disinterested in wasting her breath on a futile endeavor, she simply lowered her arm to her hip with her eyes closed and her mana softened from its earlier, frigid intensity. Yet her senses did not dull in the slightest; her ears were still open and advertent, her nose keen to divide between the fetid stench of the inn and those within it, and her tactility ever-agitated by the subtle reverberations she felt echoing through the floor beneath her. Yet more than all these things, what was impressed upon her senses-so-greatly-sharpened, was that continuing sensation of *Weakening* — like the light of hers and of all those around her slowly dwindling away — and the familiar, uncomfortable significance that it suggested.
_ _

It felt like something was gnawing at her core.
Her smile fades.

```fix
"Fine, fine," She spoke up as members began to leave the room, shrugging dismissively as she let out a small puff of air.
"Have it your own way."
"But none of you get what I mean⸺"```

Arlet took a step forward, interrupting herself as she shifted stances preemptively; an instinctive and immediately response to the sound of wires, shifting and furling taut around her. The slamming then following, the room growing dark, and the stark rumbling of the room were only natural to follow, and thus Arlet's widened stance became quite justified as she wholly resisted its shifting effects on her body, firm and upright by way of her reaction and physiology.

*```fix
"⸺Ha..."
"Case in point."```*

She laughed shortly, her eyes shifting invisibly through the darkness. 

```fix
"Like I was saying:"
"Right now, being a 'head' isn't about leadership."
"More directly..."```

The sound of their breathing, the scent of their sweat, and the faint glimmers of their eyes as they reflected dim light in the darkness: these things the warrior tracked with as much care as she did the sound of grinding metal, and the persisting echo of past motion beneath her feet — the type of reverberation she had grown so accustomed to sensing. Even before Shiro's fire relit the room, Arlet quickly reclaimed her orientation in the darkness, as well as the relative positions of the other detectives within it.

*```fix
"...It means ensuring the lesser don't die."```*

*`Simple pack tactics,`* She thought, releasing a chilled exhale. *`Right now, strength is...`*
*`...Numbers?`*

...No, that wasn't right. Was it? 

*`...In the face of a mystery, what exactly is "Strength"?`*
*`To boil it down to something so simple⸺`* Her eyes flickered up the stairs. *`⸺lacks the proper nuance to call it a real "Understanding",`* She thought, imperceptibly perplexed. 
_ _

```fix
"Go as you please!" ——she announced, cutting through the tension of both her thoughts and former statement with a single, breezy statement.
"And die as you please." ——she said in a likewise manner, though whispered, following with slowed steps up the stairs.```

*`Numbers are definitely a form of strength. One of the strengths at my disposal.`*
*`If they run along, I lose this form of strength. If they die beyond my supervision, I'll also probably learn nothing...`*

She folded her arms behind her head, lackadaisical in demeanor as she ascended, though persistently and wholly aware of her surroundings in each passing step. Her unconscious instinct against danger and subconscious caution as a warrior worked greatly to preserve her as she maintained her veneer of carelessness.

*`...But, do I really need them?`*

Arlet rolled her eyes.
_ _

*```fix
"Come up."```*

_ _
She stared over her shoulder, motioning to the starborn. Her eyes remained upon him fixed, though she continued similarly to motion to Shiro — whom she had assumed was waiting for a cue to continue — and Athena to do likewise.
Kendra
Walking up the stairs with pistol in hand, everything began to remind William of a failed mission back in 1916. A memory of war, a memory of pain, and death were echos in his mind He was half way up the stairs when the mechanical wiring sound came and slamming came, taking him by surprise he stumbled down the stairs by two steps and stood there with his back pressed against the wall and pistol aimed towards the top of the stairs. The mechanical wiring sounded like a machine gun fire to him with the slamming of doors and turning off of lights reminding him of bombs in the night air. His breathing grew heavy, and his left hand began to shake. His body grew tense, and the smell of sulfur became ever so present around him. That was when he overheard Alexis speak saying, "There won't be any 'leaders' because we are not children" Being followed by Arlet saying "It means ensuring the lesser don't die" All of this made William grow more agitated by the company he found himself in. He controlled his breathing and lowered his pistol, turning his attention to Arlet and Alexis he spoke, "Being a leader isn't about ensuring the lesser die. We fight as one or die alone, and when the people under your command die by your orders, it's a kind of scar you never wish to carry. Believe me when I say that it'll haunt you for the rest of your lives. Whether you like it or not, by the look of that door, we're all here together in the same situation, so quit acting like this is one of those picture shows because it's not. There are consequences, so quit acting like there isn't." His voice being carried with anger and agitation.

*None of these people know what they're doing. That so-called health inspector definitely knows more than they lead on. That woman who went up stairs with Athena has her own plans, and this lady can't work in a simple team when it's needed. I can only count on Athena, starbi is yet unsure and that Shiro guy is too rash and quick to act without properly thinking.* His thoughts echoed in his head, but william knew he wasn't fit for this job either. *These nightmares are getting worse, after this I need a drink.* He thought to himself as he used his fire magic once again to light the way back up the stairs still keeping his gun trained at the top.

If one had a keen eye they could notice that William still had his left hand tensed and shaking, a clear memory of war still lingering on his mind
Christine
Tom himself was least subject to the rumblings and shakings of the room due to simple virtue of being seated, nor would he react strongly enough to not mentally document what the sound of mechanisms and closed doors indicated— alongside a few interesting implications based on the reactions and mannerisms of others in the group following the triggered sequence— but most unfortunately, he lost grip on the flask bottle in his right hand, having been focused on other, generally more important element. It fell and spilled all over his affluent yellow dress shirt, leaving a moderate smudge of Bourbon on his torso, before releasing a good chunk of the remaining liquid onto the floor. It wasn't that he couldn't react in time to prevent this, but he was distracted, not to mention the peculiar weight of the room and its affect on his body's own sensation.

*``". . .Oh, great."``* He muttered to himself, scoffing and making an irritated glare through the darkness. Tom does not buy his own clothes, nor does he care so greatly about keeping it in pristine condition— however, he *Despises* The feeling of wet clothes on his body, and the person who bought this for him, as she does all his clothes, would certainly annoy him about it, especially because it was brand new, apparently purchased for this mundane occasion specifically. There was also the issue that he had very little booze left based on his flask laid out on the floor, like a murder victim. To him, there was no more exceptional tragedy then spilled mead, and he even managed to hold onto its cap, yet not its body. A profound loss, indeed. He almost contemplated having a funeral for it then and there.

_ _
Thomas was unequivocally vexed by this as opposed to being outwardly bothered by the actions or words of anyone else here. He'd argue he was being remarkably patient with their incompetence, useless intuition and pointless suggestions that purely served to waste time— in any case, the moment was now. Back to the attention of others, William and Alexis had made their ways upstairs— the former had stumbled a bit— ready to get moving. Starbi and Athena would probably group up in their little Musketeer assembly, and Arlet intends to do who knows what. Something about that one. . . It inclined him to provide a response. ``". . .Little spoiler, everyone dies. The lesser die faster, or learn to adapt. Something called the life cycle, which I'm guessing you didn't learn about in elementary school."`` This was his reply, with parts of his tonally nasty sentence stopping and finishing between him trying to rub and pull his wet dress shirt in an attempt to dry it off. And now she's ordering them around.

*'Ensuring the lesser don't die'.* What a bunch of crap. Lesser people die because they *Exactly* That, lesser. Alexis, much as she was an incredulously bitchy detriment, was correct in her assessment, and William was about half-right hadn't he tied it together with some sentimental B.S. About the horrific scars of leadership. He's gotta be a cosplayer, or something. Also, no power, no cell service, though that wasn't to suggest that phones couldn't be useful at all— a flashlight, for example. Of course, a few of them had their own methods of illumination, and that included the health inspector himself, but he'd leave that for the passing moment. He found it comical that Shrio was just standing there after being the one to idiotically pull the lever without thinking. Incidentally, if there was anything Tom would stoop as low as to pray in regards to, it would be for Starbi to not say words anymore. Ever.

``"Assuming you all understand what the word 'caution' means, I'd use that."`` He said this aloud, directing it to the group as he finally stood himself up from the chair, removing his crossed legs from the table. He took a small step over to his coat left on the magazine-less table, not bothering to pick up his emptied out flask, and his hands explored its pockets, trying to gauge his arsenal for this affair within the darkness. The cowboy *Was* Right about one thing in particular,; he *Does* Know more.
William
Alexis would find little to scout and deduce in yet another magically powered analysis of the room, her intuition proving to be seemingly useless as far as providing conclusive reasoning for her suspicion. All that was left was three doors, and a specific set of instructions to enter one of them. It wasn't an immensely complicated process, yet it was one that had left out key details, such as the power shutting off, or the nature of the room and its mechanical shifting— albeit one could argue it was due to his looming demise, or whatever it was that happened before the recording stopped. William wouldn't have any more trouble as the rumbling had completely faded, and the rest were free to do as they pleased. 

Attempting to contact outside sources would be futile, as no electricity meant no service— it seemed to be a long time coming given that the owners were dead, nor did the daughter provide a sensible explanation— and cell data wasn't an option, either. A detriment in these modern times, but everyone here was forced to rely on either each other, or themselves. A few of them had personal methods of illumination, but any attempt to use it on the doors themselves, the staircases that lead into darkness would be futile, revealing virtually nothing about what was deeper inside. It'd literally be walking blindly into pits of a place where four had been confirmed dead, and a large group of people had gone missing. Not a good omen, in other words, but did they have another choice? Were the barricaded rooms *Really* Still the same?

Nothing seemed to be missing nor out of place as far as the eye could tell. Something new *Did* Happen, however; suddenly, and following another faint sequence of mechanical wiring not unsimilar to what they heard before, sounded the ticking of what was a clock. The room was pitch black, but using their light sources would reveal a maroon, still forming antique-like clock, using roman numerals instead of numbers as to show its datedness, displaying the accurate time of 9:04PM— about 30 minutes had passed since they'd went inside. What was odd was that it was, by no accounts, present *Prior* To the previous search, and it seemed strange that it would suddenly appear several moments after the lever was pulled. It was almost as if it was a *Literal* Reminder to the group that the clock was, in fact, ticking on what was at stake, but that seemed all too convenient, akin to how other things did in respect to Alexis's earlier thought process. Perhaps it was also a metaphysical statement that half an hour had passed, and they were still in the same room, arguing about nothing.

The wiring stopped shortly after the clock had fully formed. Again, the use of *Metal*, not magics— that could explain, for example, the lack of extensive magical detection earlier. Yet, the reasoning was unapparent, and frankly, there was only way to find that out, unless, of course, they had anything else to look into, or wanted to stay behind. Nobody could leave, but they could surely remain in the lobby, right? There was no identifiable risk associated with that based on what they knew.
Lori
As the others advanced, so too did Shiro, following shortly thereafter William.

He would not follow Arlet. He found that people this overconfident, boasting about things they actually know nothing about, tend to make poor "Heads", to use her wording. He'd follow the people who were careful. William's words about leadership seemed not only wise, but... Experienced. If there was anyone Shiro would follow or who he'd back, it would be the two detectives.

Noticing William's left hand shaking, Shiro commented gently.

```
"Detective Rojas, you have a hold of yourself there? You appear troubled. If you are afraid, I assure you, I will do my utmost to ensure that nothing bad befalls any of us. Save those that think themselves the betters of their flock. Lead the way, if you'd please." 

```


That last comment was pointedly at Arlet, though his gaze didn't fall from William, as he spoke to the detective once more.

```
"As for those earlier words of yours pertaining to leadership. Very wise by the way." 

```


He heard the clock, but did not think it abnormal, probably part of the place.
Lorraine
Starbi looked down to the side, as darkness on the floor that hadn't been graced with the sources of light by those here, thinking for a moment regarding the situation as he focused on something. He felt like he had forgotten something, he wondered what he had forgotten, but couldn't figure out what exactly. It felt like it was something a few minutes ago, it felt so close yet so far. 

Starbi's eyes then lit up, he remembered, it was about Shiro, he needed to ask him-
 
```"Go as you please!"```
 Starbi turned to the announcement of Artlet's voice.

``` "And die as you please."```
Artlet spoke, seemingly making a sort of exit toward the stairs to which William had tumbled down earlier, the looming tension cut through, causing an effect of calm erasing the looming tension.
Starbi tilted his head out of curiosity as he focused his eyes on her, as well as remembering the words she gave to him before the lights went out.

```"Come up."```
Starbi noticed her stare, her gesture giving the impression that she was insisting some of the people here, including Starbi, follow her up the stairs.

Starbi stared at her, but then looked around to the others, from the spot William was when he fell, then to Shiro with a blank, calm stare for a good three seconds, thinking about something for a moment, he wondered for a moment. Starbi then turned to him; 
"By the way," Starbi spoke,
"I need to talk to you about something later. I'll see if I can talk to you once I'm done with her upstairs. I hope I can talk with you soon!" Starbi spoke to Shiro, his words following along with a smile, Joyful Aura looming over for a strong 5 seconds. As Starbi turned over to Artlet with an optimistic smile, he then thought about William for a moment. Before he then began walking towards her without a doubt, if anything, one could say Starbi went with the idea of Artlet being a leader of the group, he wasn't against it initially, and it might even make her smile.
Mary
The white-haired woman had already returned to her lackadaisical veneer. Her hands remained folded behind her head as she tapped lightly up the steps, and likewise landing with such a silence and springiness that she seemed as weightless as her countenance might suggest. As each of the group's statements brought about a succession of others, all as equally as fruitless as the first made, Arlet had determined that the conversation was worth less than the breath that would be spent on it, redoubling her initial judgment. To cling to what strengths could be found in the presence of others would be futile — or so it seemed, especially if they continued at this level of dissonance with one-another.

*`What a pain in the ass.`*

Arlet's eyes were closed as she climbed the stairs with such speed that defied her appearance of inurgency. Each step she took was somewhat lazy, and so too was her gaze — listless, her eyes almost closed — and yet she found herself at the top of the stairwell within seconds, each bound of her foot enough to carry her up two or more steps. There she came upon the form of the three main doorways, 1-A, **1-B**, and 1-C, as well as all the barricaded encompassing, including 1-D — good, it was still unbarricaded, and its contents seemed... The same, from what she could tell.
_ _

She would allow the group a moment to settle in, to arrive, and to gather round, looking upon each of the impromptu-detectives and their reactions, attempting through sight and understanding to surmise what they, perhaps, were thinking. Arlet had already come upon the idea that some of them were more attentive than they appeared, and thus attributed some small amount of weight to what they said and how they reacted.

```fix
"Mm... Hmmm!"```

...But no more weight than necessary. She tilted her head, placing a hand to her chin, and nodded, grinning to herself as she hummed; all lackadaisical, and all as though she was merely acting on some amusing thought that then came to mind. It seemed she had completely put aside the notion of taking the matter seriously alongside her attempts to ensure the group did not break into fragments lacking constitutions properly balanced-by-strength. 

In a quick successive motion, the woman stepped intently round-and-beside Starbi, patting him once on the back before pointing toward the set of the doors, leaned in slightly such that she was at even head-level with the starborn.

```fix
"Here's an idea."
"Why don't we descend there, and," She said, motioning toward 1-A, "See what happens if we go where we're not supposed to?"
"1-B is the way to go, sure. But why not experiment a little, hmm? You can't say you aren't curious about what happens," She grinned widely.
"About what 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 to the ones who recorded the message."```
_ _

Arlet gave an amused exhale as her pointed finger toward the door 1-A became an outstretched hand, all as she still maintained her closeness to Starbi and her hand's contact on his back. Her smile persisted as an air of goading swirled throughout both her eyes and her tone, her stance shifting lightly as she brought herself back upright. She lingered thusly for a moment, silent, staring with her same expression and yet a blank glare, as though waiting, then finally—

```fix
"𝘗𝘧𝘧𝘧𝘵."```

—she broke that silence with a small laugh, though she was no longer smiling.

```fix
"I'm joking! Just 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨."```

Then swiftly she pulled her arm back and away from Starbi, walking beyond him, and immediately striding into the darkness, descending through the stairwell of **1-B**, waving over her shoulder without waiting for a moment of further confirmation or even a response to her dubious suggestion. She tucked her hands into her pocket, eyes fixed ahead, as she began her descent.
Gail
Athena knowing full well that there was no service would still say:

```
"Starbi, Could you attempt to contact Dioscuri and ask him about magic, and maybe even about the paranormal."
```

Then she would look towards the stairs, seeing everyone start to head up. One by one, she thinks to herself:

```
welp, looks like everyone is heading up now...
```

She then looks towards Tom, still thinking:

```
[2;33hm, as much as i don't want Starbi to see William having a mental breakdown, if he is having one... I also trust Tom the least here. Who knows maybe Starbi can somehow calm William, People almost always seem happy and joyful around him afterall.
```

She would then reply to Tom's comment about the life cycle by saying:

```
"As to your comment about the life cycle, I'm very aware of what it is, and how everyone dies at some point, no matter who or what they are, living or not.."
```

She then heads towards the stairs, before heading up she looks at Starbi and says

```
"Hey Starbi, if you want to, you should come up while you try to contact Dioscuri, We could check up on William while you do that. Also do you need his number?""
```
Kendra
Walking up the stairs, using the light from the fire in his hand to see the steps and the area ahead. He heard Shiro ask if he was okay and that it was alright if he was scared. William stopped and looked back at Shiro, taking a moment to reflect. "..." He looked back up the last few steps ahead of him and turned back to Shiro. "I ain't scared. The last time I was scared was when I killed my first man. I bashed his head open with a branding iron. But that's not what's getting to me... It's just an old memory, that's all. And those words I said about leadership, the only reason I know them is because I had people under my command. They would have followed me to hell and back... And all of them did, but most didn't come back." He said with a hint of a somber tone in his voice as he looked back up the stairs and continued on. He cocked the hammer on his revolver back, lifted his pistol, and aimed at the hallway ahead of him, taking point and waiting for the rest to follow behind.
Christine
Wowza, this thing got boring fast. Shiro was practically wiping his mouth off and performing tricks in his sudden attachment to the repetitive, garden variety thousand yard stare performance that William was attempting to pawn on everyone, al a Clint Eastwood. That abominable creation for whatever reason decided that Arlet, the crazy chick spewing verbatim about animalistic tendencies and electing leadership by strength as if human evolution hadn't progressed past Neanderthals and the Stone Age, was the person to follow after. What's more was that strange suggestion Arlet made based in fundamental curiosity— the morbid sort, in all likelihood— only to turn back in an even odder formation and waltz toward 1-B. Athena somehow determined that Tom was speaking to her, and had intention to make a phone call in a place with no cell service. ``"Glad to confirm you're intellectually on par with a 5th grader."`` He sharply responded without returning eye contact, even though she wasn't his initial target. Oh, and Alexis was literally doing nothing as far as he could tell, which. . . Actually, was interesting here, a sudden rarity. She must've had the same notion he had, and he was pretty sure she went up first. Now that's some girl power! Men should suffer and die! *For crying outloud. . .*

_ _
Regardless, what was happening around him mostly comprised of nonsensical, once again useless chatter barring anything he identified personally, and thus, Tom focused on putting together his current arsenal. Roughly fishing through his lint-filled coat pockets, he discovered what looked to be his typical loadout, with very little to no adjustments; a 2028 Model 1911 and 3 mags, generous curtsey of those losers at W&F, a taser, baton, cuffs and a small knife. He thought blades were pretty tacky, uneccesary and rarely carried them on his person, but *Someone* Had asked for one to be included today of all days. Unfortunately, and once again, he knew exactly who. Most of the equipment was stuffed and divided between the pockets of his overcoat— which was unprofessional for operatives to do, and his outwear was typically customed tailored to have multiple fabric compartments in light of his habit of refusing to carry utility mediums. That being said, however, there was a brown, belt-like strap folded on itself within one of said pockets that he could use for that express purpose. *Another* Alteration, it seems. He wasn't a fan of that, and he furthermore found an expensive, golden watch buried beneath everything else that he was apparently supposed to put on. Whoops.

_ _
Fine. Tom took out the tacky ass belt, unfolding and glared drily at its incompetence, before beginning to seamlessly wrap it around his waist just underneath the yellow, stained dress shirt, despite never having used one, as well as the accompanying darkness of the room, which didn't seem to bother him. He recognized it as an A.I.C. Standard issue, but damn, it was ugly— and uncomfortable, too, undoubtedly being the bigger issue he had with it. How was this remotely practical? Was this was not tested prior to being issued? Tight near the crotch, much. And— wait. What's this? Something else was in here? He had already strapped and attached the bulk of his equipment onto the belt, but when he pulled his pistol out, another item that he didn't notice beforehand fell out, next to his deceased flask that gave him no time to mourn. He holstered his pistol in the appropriate place, swiftly checking its clip to ensure it was loaded moments before that, and then bent down to see what the object was. . .

_ _
. . .Oh. It's a stain remover bottle. . . Especially designed for alcohol, as it says on the back labeling. How did she. . .? And there was a post-it note hanging off its side, too.
**``"For those annoying little stains I know you secretly hate! Have fun! Love, Sis."``**

Fuck off. Whatever, anyway— and. . . He'd use it later, but— *Anyway*, ignoring his incomprehensible frustration at her annoyingly accurate prediction, he was armed, prepared and *Dangerous* For those who cared to find out. He straightened his posture and turned to face the group as to see what on earth it was they had moronically decided to do. And— . . . What was *That*? Behind him? Was. . . Oh, that's something. For now, he'll keep quiet.
Lori
At William's clarification, Shiro simply nodded, despite all of his experience he was still terribly bad at any sort of comfort. It was good to know however that William was experienced, he surmised.

All of this was very turmoil-driven; the arguing, the despair, the very place they were in. 

No matter what though, he was here only to solve this mystery and do his part.

He would keep following after William until they'd either find something significant or would not.
Lorraine
As Starbi ascended the stairs to the Inn's first floor, albeit a little slow due to Artlet's trivial pace of steps. Starbi didn't really have much to say while walking up, Starbi looked past Athena at Artlet. As he looked at her, he got an itching curiosity about her. Like Starbi, she also seemed rather upbeat about the situation given her demeanor and behavior up until now. Starbi thought of getting to know more about her, she seemed like an interesting and cheerful individual, to him at least! A smile formed on his face as Joyful Aura's presence remained.

As Starbi had made it to the first floor of the inn, Starbi took a few steps, looking around. Starbi noticed the doors that had been mentioned by the others along with the man from the speaker, but the Starborn had an idea in mind already. Earlier, Starbi was instructed by Athena to try and contact Endeven, Starbi looked through his phone, a bit unaware of his surroundings, noticing that he had no service here, as expected. So Starbi went into his notes app to try and prepare a message, but then he realised that Starbi didn't have Dioscuri's number. Starbi thought of dialing every number sequentially and finding Dioscuri that way, but it probably would be best for him to ask Athena.

It was then that Starbi felt the hand of someone lay against his back, as he noticed someone pointing towards the set of doors. As Starbi realized that Artlet was speaking to him;

** **

``"Here's an idea."`` She proposed.
``"Why don't we descend there, and see what happens if we go where we're not supposed to?"`` Starbi looked at the door to which Artlet was motioning to, which happened to be Door 1-A.
``"1-B is the way to go, sure. But why not experiment a little, hmm? You can't say you aren't curious about what happens,"`` As she spoke, Starbi sensed a form of joy from Artlet.
``"About what 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 to the ones who recorded the message.``

Silence was between the two, accompanied by the feeling of joy sensed by Starbi staring at the door that Artlet talked about. Starbi thought for a moment about her proposal. And then responded quickly;
"Well, I think it may be a good idea. Before the recording stopped, the guy didn't specify what'll happen. And maybe it may not be as bad as we think, depending on what we can do-"
Starbi's words were then interrupted,
``"𝘗𝘧𝘧𝘧𝘵. I'm joking! Just 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨."``

Artlet then removed her hand from Starbi's back, as she then descended into Door 1-B. 
"Oh, heh- nice." Starbi spoke in response with the faint sense of compulsion.
Starbi stared at her descending as he tilted his head, a sense of mystery washing over him when it regarded Artlet. But he took it that she found Starbi entertaining at least. So, he didn't really mind the joke she made. For a moment, Starbi took a glance at Door 1-A, the one Artlet motioned to before, Starbi wondered that it might be an interesting idea for him to choose that door instead, after all, it's possible that it may not be difficult. Before he turned, if there was Athena, he'd ask;
"Hey Athena, do you have Dioscuri's number? I think it'd be better than just dialing every number sequentially and finding Dioscuri that way."
Starbi asked, motioning to his phone.
Renee
Alexis sighed, it seemed all anyone really wanted to do was idly chat, she considered chastising the group for a moment, but decided that wouldn't be very productive, and that there had been enough of that already.
In front of her stood 3 paths, and a few likely options.
The first; the man in the recording was truthful, in this case the path forward is obvious.
The second; he is not, in which case it becomes more complicated.
Perhaps none of them were trapped, or perhaps they all were, perhaps they all lead to different places or perhaps they lead to the same place, there was no real way to know.
She could stand there and contemplate for hours, but that wouldn't get anything done, and seeing as no one else was jumping at the bit to take some initiative she stood up, and without a word to the rest entered the second door.
The darkness was trans mundane in nature and it seemed even her *True Sight* Failed to pierce the veil, not content to traverse the staircase in complete darkness, she lifted from the floor, trailing her hand along the wall for guidance, and began her gradual descent.
Lucas
And she is the moment
Arthur
Idk what that means
Lucas
YOU CANNOT SILENCE ME /J
Gail
Athena would blink and when her eyes opened Starbi would be gone

```
"Shit, i must be more tired then i thought."
```
She said quietly to herself. She would then look to tom.

```
"Don't underestimate my intelligence, and seeing as the front door is closed and more likely locked. I would advise coming upstairs and helping with the investigation, ya know do your job. Inspect stuff, if you really are what you claim to be."
```

She would then grin before continuing her sentence, having the same mischievous glint in her eyes from earlier:

```
"Or Unless you are too much of a pussy to"
```

Without waiting for a response She would then turn back towards the stairs heading up, chuckling to herself a bit as she did. As she headed up the stairs, she would hear bits and pieces of conversations and sentences, not enough to piece together any sentences though, not that she was paying much attention, still hung up on being more tired then she originally thought. Upon seeing Starbi, Athena would walk up and say:

```
"I should give you Dioscuri's number, cant call him without it afterall..."
```

She then looks around, before looking back at Starbi and saying quietly

```
"You are the real one, and not a hallucination of tiredness right?"
```

While she awaits a response she look towards the three doors.

```
We were advised to go through the middle one, though i am curious. Maybe i should experiment.
```

She thought to herself. She then puts her hand in her pocket, grabbing her earbud case.

```
Lets see what happens if i throw a inanimate object in, maybe something will happen if not i could possibly test using my incarnation, though it could be riskier.
...
Nevermind, no time to test. There is a job to be done.
```

She thinks to herself. She then takes note of everyone else.

```
The absence of Ubersich and Arlet, who more likely started to descend the staircase, William who seems on edge and ready to shoot at anything that comes their way and Shiro who seems intent on just following William around. Hmmm, best to be cautious. Never know what could happen.
```

Then addressing the group of everyone there

```
"Im guessing the other two went and descended down the stairs already?
...
Without caution or some sort of basic plan, like fools with a death wish." 
```
William
As Arlet (

***``wwwRRRRKK!—``***
From above her, originating from the unending, infinitely wide darkness of the ceiling, a lengthy, silver-colored and thin metallic *Claw* Abruptly launched and stuck onto the skin of the white-haired woman, specifically moving past her head and contorting as to grab onto her torso. It subsequently pushed her against the left-side narrow wall of the stairwell with *Incredible* Suspending force— if it weren't for the fact that Arlet had immense physical durability compared to the average physique, any normally situated human would've probably suffered a few fractured ribs and broken bones at a minimum, albeit bruises were still likely even so. The claw continued to pressure her body against said wall for several not unpainful seconds by applying a firm, unrelenting grip even for its intended target, amplifying a feeling of suffocation— before promptly ascending back up into the darkness that it came from, maintaining its hold on the woman as it lifted her alongside itself at rapid velocity. Just like *That* She was gone, although wasn't to say she couldn't try and fight back whatsoever.

Rest assured, the encounter was far from over. Alexis (

***``cchHKTT!-``***
This unintentional error effectively spared, at least for a few seconds, Alexis from sharing the same fate as Arlet. Unfortunately for someone *Else*, there were other factors at play. That modestly sized *Clock* That had suddenly mechanically constructed behind them, completely unannounced? It seemed it was also in cohorts with whatever engineered forces that presented themselves within the otherwise modest Inn. The antique timepiece began to. . . *Shift*, within its relative position onto the wall. As a matter of fact, it was adjusting itself because it was trying to *Aim*— yes, aim— at something, or rather someone. Once it discovered its target, the clock slowly detached itself from the makings of the humble Inn walls, albeit doing so in a much *Quieter* Fashion compared to the pair of claws, before *Propelling* Itself at incredulous speed toward a specific individual.

_ _
Starbi (

It was then, almost and plausibly as if this was an organized attack, because the original claw that was previously blocking its counter-part had *Finally* Made its way all the way up into whatever the ceiling entailed. As Starbi would find themselves within reach of the second claw, the door of 1-B *Shut*, closing itself off to the rest of the group. Predictably, isolated and alone in darkness, the claw would quickly latch onto Starbi's torso in much similar fashion to Arlet, before entering its own ascent akin to its counter-part with a powerful grip on the Star Born. Alexis, though not grabbed, was also locked into the stairwell. Just like that, *Again*, but like with Arlet, fighting back wasn't out of the question.

***``ssrrRK. . .``***
For the group that was left behind, there was more. Apparently, the gun-ho clock did *Not* Travel alongside Starbi into 1-B, and had rather fallen flat onto the ground after making contact with their body next to the now shut closed door. Yet of course, it couldn't just let everyone else off the hook, could it? As opposed to become obsolete, the clock entered *Another* Immediate shift— but this time, it was rather evident that it was. . . *Splitting* Itself apart, most likely. Between it's wooden frame and moderate center, it'd divide itself into *Five* Deliberate pieces, separating from one another piece by piece. That itself wasn't an issue, but rather the fact that these individuals pieces began to. . . Grow something at their lengths ends, steadily. More specifically, sharp, pointed *Ends* At about 35 cms (total measurement) that were certainly enough to pierce through muscle tissue upon contact. Once fully formed— and it didn't take long— these four large pieces of the now deconstructed clock decided to honor the theme of the situation and *Rocket* Themselves at the four who had been spared the cruelty of 1-B's trap.

William, Shiro, Athena and Tom (
Lori
Chaos sprang forth.

As whirring and slams filled the air from around him, Shiro was quick to ready himself, unsheathing his axe.

Hopefully the others in the directions those noises came from would be fine in the end, but they had bigger issues to worry about.

As the blades of the clock flew towards them, Shiro reacted, dodging out of the way at the one aimed for him, and then he would throw a small fireball in the direction of the one aimed for William, hoping to knock it off-course, he couldn't do anything for the others as their pieces probably would have reached them by the time he could have moved to try, but he'd prepare for whatever assault would perhaps come next, if any.
Gail
Athena would witness first hand Starbi, getting clocked (pun unintended) in the shoulder, getting knocked into the doorway of 1-B and the door close, blocking her and the rest of the group's way into the stairwell. She would yell in a tone of panic:

```
"Starbi!"
```

Witnessing the clock fall onto the floor, Athena would stare at it, Examining it and as it breaks apart and one shoots towards her. Just barely in time, she jumps to the side out of the way of the attack. Unsheathing Sasori, ready for combat. Athena decided now was a good time as ever to take lead.

```
"Stick together, splitting off could be our downfall. Stay alert and on guard, ready to fight anyone and anything that attempts to attack us. Show no mercy, hollar if something shows up. We cant afford losing any more people, our numbers are as thin as it is. Four of them, Four of Us... If you include tom who doesn't seem to have shown himself, that makes this an even fight."
```

Athena commanded, her voice resonant with authority. Internally, Athena strategized further, considering every advantage they could leverage,

```
I think I know how to Turn the odds more into our favor, or just evening them depending on if Tom shows or not. I could also use Ensnared Sentinel to try to break the door down, After we deal with these pests. Hopefully Starbi is ok. Maybe, William's incarnation could also help attempt to break the door down, and aid in out combat situation.
```

 Then summoning her Ensnared Sentinel. A bulky, 8 foot tall knight like shape of water formed, with 2 glistening chains wrapped around the torso, It's Chains and Eyes crackling with electricity. It would take less strain on Athena and form faster this time as she had been practicing in her free time, during the 3 months before the event.

```
"Ensnared Sentinel"
```

Seeing as Shiro attempted to help William with the piece flying at him, whether it worked or not, Athena would send her incarnation to go and attempt to smash the piece that flew by Shiro, as long as the blade was within 45 feet of her.

```
"William, You think you can summon that demon incarnation you got without putting strain on yourself, ... Or injuring yourself?"
```

She asked, recalling the formidable power she had witnessed during the Margo Aeternitatis at the Festival of Convergence. His demonic incarnation could be pivotal in breaking through the door or overwhelming their mechanical assailants.
Kendra
Everything happened suddenly.
Seeing everything triggered something inside William. The fire he held within his hand became unstable and erratic. It burned brighter than before, and sulfur filled the air. Within the blink of an eye, he shifted his position into a one-handed weaver stance. A shot rang out, one of a gunslinger.
**BANG**
Fire snaked around his person into his firearm, and as the shot rang true, out came flame and lead, striking and destroying the blade that came at him. But something else changed. As the fire snaked and burned, so did his clothes. What looked to be a lieutenant's rank burned on the shoulder of his jacket, and his boots changed to his original stovepipe boots. Within the flame, what sounded like screams and gunfire was heard. "*Captain!......Ambush!.........Emilio is dead!*" These were the voices that were heard in the flame. He walked forward without listening to Athena, and the sound of spurs jingled with each step. He spoke, "Athena, move up, clear the room. Shiro, watch our back." His voice sounded cold and experienced, but so was war and death.
Renee
Seemed like her suspicions were in fact correct, she didn't have much time to concoct plan, the door behind her shut and was more than likely locked, the claw would probably be back to drag her into the unknown any moment.
The solution seemed obvious, she could stay there and get dragged upwards, or she could make her way up on her own volition. Whatever the case two of her companions had been dragged up there and even though they had their rough patches, a good teammate should probably help their comrades.
She sighed, and rose up in the direction the claws had dragged her companions, hopefully fast enough to avoid any more surprise grabbing attempts from the mystery claws.
Mary
```fix
"?!"```

Every hair on her body began to stand on-end as she descended further into the void that was the stairwell. Her body itself cried out a warning as the metal contraption pulled closer, even invisible in the darkness as it was — her instincts were as sensitive as a beast's, and she could as much sense impending danger as a wolf could sense the coming of rain.

*`From above?`*
*`No——`*
*`——the kid, first?!`*

Before her eyes had even caught a glimpse of what twisted in the dark, she had already sensed the oncoming attack, her feet shifting unconsciously as the claw descended upon her from above. The clock, aimed and launched at Starbi, was her most immediate conscious concern — she had sought to immediately step in to shatter the thing with her bare hands before it made impact, and yet it was already too late. Neither her nor the Starborn had the physical ability to move so fast on such a short notice, and with Arlet herself preoccupied with dodging the descent of the claw, it would be impossible for her to intercept.

***`TFP`***
_ _

Her foot springs off the ground with incredible force, as she leapt forward and leftward, descending further down the stairs, Elevated a few feet above the next step down, she slammed her leg into the wall, the arch of her boot pressing firm as it generated her friction enough to leave her suspended in her verticality. In turn, having missed its first grab at Arlet, the claw continued to unnaturally slice through the dark toward her. Her eyes now kept track of the unusual mechanism while it pursued her relentlessly, her irises flickering light-blue as mana crackled through her body.

**`Internal Transfiguration.`**

All the muscles in her body went taut, as her strength nearly doubled. She kicked off of the wall, only just now beginning to descend due to the added friction of her boot. Twice she repeated this, bounding off the left wall and back onto the right, before beginning to freefall back down the stairs with the claw in pursuit; she was as vigorously attempting to dodge it as it was attempting to pursue her.
_ _

*`What the hell is this thing trying to do?`*
﻿
Her legs curl in as she makes impact with the stairs again. The claw slams almost immediately down to attempt to grab her again, yet she fully leaps backward as she begins to enhance her descent down the stairs, flipping head-behind-heels, the mechanism, in turn, shooting to grab her mid-air. In succession to succeeding its restrainment of Arlet, the white-haired woman is slammed into the wall, her arm instinctively cushioning the back of her head as she made impact.
﻿
```fix
"Tch."```
﻿
Her eyes fixed on the mechanism of the claw as it entrapped her in-place.
﻿
*`Now what?`*
﻿
The mechanism begins to lift, and just like that, Arlet is gone, lifted into darkness.
Christine
``"And—"`` Tom would hardly so much as get a word out before shit began to hit the fan, and in this specific scenario, Starbi and Arlet. Call it divine intervention as it pertains to the former, although his viewpoint of the show wasn't *Quite* As good because he was still coming up the stairs, fixing that nice watch on his left wrist. His eyes sharply peered up at the suddenness of the wiring noise, and his unoccupied, non-dominant hand nigh instinctively pulled his 1911 from the tight belt's holster, grasping it firmly with both hands, directing it towards the middle door in a highly concise, trained fashion. His watch fell off his wrist during the motion, but he swiftly caught it with his left foot as to prevent it from landing onto the ground. (adjusted to that funky ass gravity quickly, didn't he?) On his guard, gun prepped, and it was time to get actually serious. Yippie!

_ _
Shits going *Down*, or in this case, up. Said shit, however, was not easy to track, even for the likes of him, which obviously meant that nobody else here could keep up, either. The sudden appearance of those claws straight out of a scummy arcade machine turned fun-sized, dragging, grabbing, suffocating and pulling away the carefree, highly stupid Arlet into the ceiling's abyss within the blink of an eye, or several in this case. Alexis being briefly spared despite following after Arlet and ignoring her better judgement, only to get pushed into the stairwell due to the haunted door promptly shutting on itself. Starbi was successfully targeted by a *Flying* Clock, of all things— and for the record, that was *Not* What he thought to be interesting behind him, nor did he expect the clock to do anything of that nature. A rogue gunshot, formed flames of a fireball in the corner of his eye, Athena's panic and subsequent callouts that was further subsequent to a giant ass. . . What *Is* That? *Who* Is that? Some sort of water creature? 

It was hard to tell what really happening at all based on how fast it all went down, no matter how precisely his eyes attempted to follow the back and forth, flipping vehemently between directions with his pistol trained, unable to match up with how quick things were moving. He certainly couldn't have anticipated that, although it wasn't to suggest he had lost his composure. Observation is the backbone of his work, and he wasn't able to do that right now, not effectively. It was both interesting *And* Vexing. He didn't know what to feel at this point, honestly. Should he had been upset because he didn't know something on the tip of his nose, or intrigued because of that very notion? Who cares if some people died or whatever, this was *New*. This was a *Real* Case, and it actually excited him, endlessly bitter of a man as he was. So much to think about. . .

_ _
For some time now, he was very well certain that 1-B was a trap of some sort, and he wasn't the only one based on what Athena said right before they went in, or Alexis's general demeanor. A place where trained vigilantes go missing has an incredibly convenient voice recording telling them *Exactly* What to do, and some of these idiots thought that *Wasn't* Suspicious, not even a little bit? People are morons, but they're also sheep, and mathematically speaking, *Someone* Followed directions at some point, meaning that the directions themselves therefore had to be faulty, perhaps intentionally so. However, the nature of this encounter had still escaped his immediate understanding. Why the hell is a place surrounded in cursed magical energy— yes, he did notice it contrary to his lack of comment on the matter— operating and functioning with these purely mechanical machines of death? Correct, he essentially let Arlet and elselike enter 1-B without offering any insight on his concerns on account of wanting to see what it was that happened assuming they waltzed in— if they *Died* That's useful information, and gets rid of overall deficiencies, or weaklings as Arlet would say— but this didn't make any damn sense. None of this does, and maybe. . . That's the point. 
``Deception is the key.``

_ _
Unfortunately, his on-the-fly analysis was then shortly interrupted, because now this apparently sentient clock had *Divided* Itself into four little tiny pieces, of which were armed with blades as to attack those remaining in the room— real innovative, by the way— and now, one of them was coming towards him. They most evidently weren't close to as fast as the claws or the clock in its original formation based on the fact that he could *See* Them move, and it was as simple as him ducking down cleanly before the blade could even sniff him. It sort of felt like everyone else was. . . Overcompensating as far as counters went, and he really didn't see the point in wasting ammunition regardless of how tense the situation became. Again, he was calm and collected, not to suggest that others weren't entirely. For what it was worth, they seemed like they could fight, at least. It was something.

*``". . .This is different."``* Tom muttered, yet still intent on keeping his guard up. Since things were looking actually worth his time, he may as well focus up moving forward. And there was still that *Thing* Behind him, wasn't there?
William
All four of their counters-attacks were highly successful, quite easily handling the sharpened pieces of the clock that targeted their necks. The impact of the flame from William's pistol, Shiro's protective fireball and maneuvering, Athena's Ensnared Sentinel, and Tom's simple duck— all effective responses from a tactical standpoint, including the outright destruction of the pieces from the attacks of William, Shiro and Athena. The blade that attacked Thomas simply flew by him and stuck itself into the Inn wall, rendering itself obsolete. The onslaught was over as far as it concerned the clock and its whims It did have small bits and pieces remaining, but obviously lacked the overall material to reconstruct itself in any capacity. It was totally subdued, but nothing could be entirely ruled out just yet.

**``THUD.``**

Naturally, that was hardly the end of the things— it was hardly the beginning, actually. Suddenly, through the previously closed door of 1-B came crashing two human bodies, rolling onto the hallway floor and making impact with the stairwell fence. Blood that was still relatively flesh smeared onto the floor, and fairly large *Maggots* Came scrambling out of what were two evident corpses of those who had gone through the doorway. They were disfigured, but it was still clear that it wasn't Arlet or Starbi to those paying attention. One had an O.S.A. Tag on his body, and the other a small button that indicated him a member of Astra Cantum. People from two different worlds, and yet they rot together.

One had his arm gnawed off, and the other, his eyes completely removed. One could see the horror in their final expressions, too. The maggots were of no harm as they exited the body, albeit did take up a good amount of space of the hallway from the sheer amount of them. The stench was *Overwhelming* On top of the horrid sight, but for some, they'd seen worse. The obvious point was the essential warning and prospect of this fate happening to Arlet and Starbi, two people that may or may not have mattered to the group. However, before any action could be taken, the door of 1-B quickly *Shut* Itself once again. Trying to pry it open was always an option, in theory.

What now? The coast was clear, aside from the horrid sights and smell. 1-B obviously wasn't the designated door, but were 1-A and 1-C really safe? Would it be the same path as the middle door, or something better— and did they have any basis for a line of reasoning as far as this went? Doing nothing was certainly not an option, given they couldn't just leave. Either they were stuck here forever, or they moved on, not to mention that indeed, time was still running out. With the clock gone, keeping track of it wasn't so easy. A woman's life was on the line, but clearly, she wasn't the only one. How much was her living worth at this point? All this death? They still didn't even know the half of it, unlike Arlet and company.
Lori
As the others near him evaded the assaults on their persons; William and Athena both springing into action, Shiro wouldn't need William's order, as he was already attempting to watch out for further sieges upon them by the Inn itself.

...Instead what came next was to be considered *Far* Worse.

Bodies spilled forth from one of the doors, luckily not of Shiro's far-off companions, but mutilated they were, and a forewarning of what was to come, certainly.

The stench itself was not a problem, at least to him, nor were the maggots except to be in their way.

His axe still somewhat limp in one hand, he lit a small flame in his other, enough hopefully to part the maggots as they passed.

```
"We should press on, not just in hopes of discovering the others, but it is clear we are not safe, least of all here."

```

An obvious statement, but he felt as though he had to say something, anything.
Lorraine
Starbi responded to Athena's remark with a small laugh.
"Ehe, yeah, I was even considering just dialing random numbers. You never know how lucky you can be the first few times!" Starbi responded, his smile glowing like a speck of hope against the imminent danger he was in.

```"You are the real one, and not a hallucination of tiredness, right?"```
Starbi's smile turned to one of confusion, his head tilted slightly.

"Oh, yeah! It's me, the one and only Starbi! Here to help anyway I can!" 
Starbi stated before Athena spoke to the rest.
"Yeah, the girl with blonde hair went down, so did the other girl. She actually brought up going to one of the other doors, but she said she was joking. I'm sure the two know what the-"

Starbi's words were then brought to a halt from the unsuspecting sounds of the the metal wiring had returned once more. Starbi then turned around to the door of 1-B, noticing that all of a sudden- a claw descended from the ceiling immediately Artlet to the wall of the stairway, as it then took her away up to the stairway's ceiling of darkness.

Starbi shifted back from another claw trying to reach out to whomever was outside door 1-B, his hand which consisted the gun given by William from before angling towards the claw.

It was then that during this, Starbi had the sudden feeling about something, something was wrong, a chill from nowhere was sent down his spine. He felt the need to turn around, trying to do so only rewarded him with the violent push of something against his back, this left him to unintentionally stumbling onto the stairs, luckily keeping his stance and grip on the gun.
** **

Starbi then turned to see door 1-B shut behind him. Turning around, he approached the door, it was then that another claw then grabbed Starbi, Starbi letting out a grunt from the pressure applied onto his body,
"What the-?!"
Starbi yelled out, as he was then swung upwards to what one could assume to be where Artlet was being brought to, letting out an echoing scream that faded out to those on the other side of door 1-B.
Kendra
Walking forward William took notice of the bodies and blood, "Vayan con Dios." He muttered under his breath as he took a knee to examine the bodies. *This isn't the place for it. This isn't back in the trenches or mountains, this is a case. Keep in under control, this is a case not war.* His own thoughts echoed in his head as the fire died down but still present along with the smell of sulfur. He reached behind his back, gripping the handle of his knife and pulling the steel blade out, he used the tip of the blade to retrieve the O.S.A. Tags and button of the Astra Cantum to further examine them. "Athena what do you make of this? You know I ain't fully understanding of this modern lingo." He said as he lifted up the two objects showing them and then placing them into his coat pocket. The smell of the rotting corpses having no clear effect on the veteran given his time in trenches. He turned his head towards Shiro to address him, "I reckon you right about that but I've lost a lot of good men, I ain't about to lose another. That feller that got took is here by my asking, so if you don't mind. My first priority now is to find him." His voice sounded clear but also regretful, why did he care for Starni exactly? Nonetheless his voice carried professionalism and experience, "I'll see if I can follow that contraption to where it took them, stick with Athena, she's stronger than I." His head turned back towards Athena, "Don't worry about me none. I've dueled with the devil before, Bonney ain't ready to see me yet." His last few words sounded in a near joking manner. He lifted his pistol and aimed at the door handle embuing his shot with fire and squeezed his trigger.
**BANG**
He soon followed by kicking in the door and stepping inside.
Lori
At William's war-weary and guilty words, Shiro was ever reassured that he was following the right man. The others were here for their own reasons, ones he may never know, but he could feel no ill intent from either William nor Athena, and he would ensure they would fall only when he too did, for as long as he could muster.

```
"Very well, but I have my own honor to uphold, and it will not allow me to let you venture inside alone. You have my power alongside you until we are done here, one way or another."

```

And so as William kicked in the door, Shiro would follow behind him, axe at the ready.
Gail
Athena look around, at the bodies still on the floor, then to the door of 1-B that William has just kicked down.

```
"...Fuck it, lets go"
```

She would sheathe her katana and follow William and Shiro into 1-B, having her incarnation follow close behind her. As she follows them in she would think to herself.

```
its totally a deathtrap, but I have to protect my friends, and the others here... No matter the cost. They are my friends and it is my duty after all.
```
William
Unfortunately, no matter how vigorous or admirable their intentions were, door 1-B simply refused to budge or pry open after closing on itself again. Their advances and any means of brute force or finesse used in effort to get through would all be ultimately unsuccessful— pushing, pulling, striking or slamming would all be met by the same, immovably stubborn result. It was stuck, and it wouldn't be as easy as running arms bared into the endless void of a death trap in an attempt to save their friends, as well as others. Perhaps there was still time, but they'd need to find another way, and quickly.

However, door 1-A and 1-C *Were* Still open and technically accessible, providing no resistance to entry provided someone was inclined. The voice recording clearly instructed that those two doors were not viable options, but naturally that judgment was now more then questionable. That said, could one actually believe that the latter two doors were safe, merely because the middle one was not? There was no evidence to suggest that any of them were clear to go through, but of course, and again, they *Had* To go somewhere at some point, didn't they? It was entirely plausible, however, that another claw would come from their heads the second they stepped into the other stairwells. Endless risks and uncertainty at nearly every step outside the lobby itself. It was no wonder that so many aspiring independents went M.I.A. Here, ignorant of the dangers involved. 

There *Was* Something else to do, though. True, the room was totally disarmed of any real danger— but there was, with awfully convenient timing, a familiar yet unaccounted noise that came from behind them, down the brief steps within the main section of the lobby. It came mostly obviously from one of the bookshelves in the back, but *Not* The one that Shiro had moved in order to pull the lever. Rather, it was the second bookshelf directly across from it that was ever slightly moved— enough to *Fit* Someone behind it— and the source of the noise was several books that were otherwise neatly placed fallen onto the floor. It wasn't loud or nearly as alarming as what else had happened in here, but it did precede what sounded like. . . A small *Gasp*, a human one, as if someone had made a mistake regarding their own indiscretion after concealing themselves behind a shelf. Given how presently baseless their situation was, perhaps it could offer some insight. If nothing else, it was highly suspicious to suggest someone else was around unaccounted for. Perhaps a rogue civilian who wandered in?Or another trap, conversely? It could've also just been nothing, but someone or something audibly shrieking didn't *Sound* Like nothing.
Christine
``"If you guys wanna get yourselves killed, at least do it in a more interesting then they did. Maybe just ask the door nicely? Then you'll die beaming with politeness."`` In came the unconcerned, sharply sarcastic remarks of Tom who made no effort to help them fail at opening the door, his expression genuinely irritated at their painful attempts of heroism as he came up the staircase, holstering his 1911 into the belt and kicking his watch up from his Oxford formals into his unoccupied palm. Why would he *Willingly*— and by that extension, why would *Anyone*- try to breach a death trap after witnessing what just happened? He knew they were all stupid, but damn, seriously? Even if they were alive, and they had no reason to believe that of course, trying to save them by blindly going down the *Exact* Same path they did to get themselves in trouble was entirely irrational. An emotionally, courageously charged moralistic crusade with no hope of success. It was the kind of thing he detested as a trait in people, not that he liked them otherwise. They should've been focusing on the task at hand, because time was running out for someone who actually had a chance to live. Or, maybe not, based on who was trying to save her.

_ _
``"Your jobs are to prove some ancient chick isn't a priest killer. 'Course, you're free to be as noble and therefore useless as you want instead."`` Tom was perhaps too harshly ridiculing them on behalf of his irritation toward their human decency, but he also had a point. The Mancini Inn had a deadly combination of deception and built-in defenses that could seamlessly prey on those both incautious and self-servingly inclined to help others. Granted, he had no real interest in working alongside them nor their well-being's, but he couldn't help to not comment. Plus, it's possible that their stupidity had real advantages. They're certainly the types to sacrifice themselves, aren't they? Run into danger with no plan whatsoever, so that he doesn't have, and can think of something? Leveraging idiocy is a fine art. 

After taking a moment to buckle his watch onto his right wrist, Tom stepped forward and took a knee next to the two bodies, undeterred by the fatty maggots crawling against the ground of the upstairs floor, nor their attempts to crawl onto his trousers, swatting them away. He didn't usually deal with corpses this post-mortem, but that didn't mean he was uneducated. The sudden arrival of the corpses themselves did catch him briefly off-guard, but more-so to do with the nature of their descent— literally falling out of the ceiling— as opposed to the actual gruesomeness or stench. He'd seen much worse on LiveLeak, and smelled much worse at a select few motels he'd stay at. Motel bathrooms are one of a kind.

Hunting agency and Astra Cantum joined together in death, huh? Honestly, he found that hilarious. Despite being severely decomposed, there was still plenty of serviceable analysis in his unhumble opinion to be had, of which, however, was interrupted by the sound of a shifting bookshelf, specifically the non-Shiro affected one. It was what he had made note of earlier, but. . . Something was off, yet again. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme.
Kendra
Turning his attention from the door towards Tom, the flame grew brighter, clearly showing his agitation. "God, do you ever learn to shut up?" His voice sounded angry, he began to make his way downstairs while still addressing Tom, "All you've done is be nothing but a pain to us all, now we got two people missing and here you are being no help. And here I know you're an agent of some kind. I would know, I was one myself." He spoke tossing the O.S.A. Agent tags towards Tom. Now, on the ground floor, William took notice of the opening and then looked at Tom clear anger in his eyes. "One of those fellers is here under my orders. I'm not losing another. You know more than you lead on. You're an agent just like that dead feller upstairs, so if you have something to add, then let's hear it. I'm not asking." His voice sounded more angry than before, his stance shifted, and given that his gun was already out, he would be a far quicker draw than Tom. "Ain't no point in hiding now, so what's your name? Because if you won't speak, then make yourself useful." The sergeant stripes reappeared on his shoulder, but they began to shift and change towards his true rank, *Captain*. "Athena! Get down here!" He shouted his voice clear with anger, he began walking towards the bookshelf and observed it trying to see if he spotted anything out of ordinary. *Jesus, this night can't get any worse. I need a fucking drink.* He thought to himself before turning back to Tom, "Stay where i can see you. Dont need you go jumping for your gun." He said waiting for his friend.
Lori
As power and force refused to budge the door they came upon (Shiro even tried an axe strike), they were to do nothing but attempt to reassess their stratagem and go elsewhere.

Perhaps to the rooms deemed forbidden by their "Guide" From the message? It was certainly risky, and they *Were* Forewarned, but what else were they to do?

The irritating voice of the man, Brandt filled Shiro's ears, his mocking them from behind. Childish fool.

But there was another noise, from the Inn itself, coming from another of the bookshelves.

It sounded... Human? A gasp, a whisper. 

Perhaps one of their companions.

Perhaps something else.

Getting rather fed up with the lack of help from the patronizing man behind them, other than him, at last stating the obvious, Shiro would whirl around.

```
"If you dislike our current course of action, why don't you stop shadowing us like a beggar from the streets and actually *Do* Something, or if you really feel like being bothersome; you are an inspector of health. Are you not? Go bother the bloodstains or the cobwebs, or otherwise stay out of the way."

```

After William finished his own comments, even somewhat threatening the man himself, Shiro would follow him to the bookshelf, not taking initiative this time.

Having his axe out just in case someone unfriendly was to jump out from the shadows at them, Shiro would stand ready.
William
As the three of William, Athena and Shiro approached the bookshelf, they would be met with no obvious threat to them. No sudden indicator of metallic wiring followed by rapid, unavoidable attacks or inanimate objects dramatically coming to life to expressly target them. Each step they took until reaching the right-wing shelf that was slightly rotated from the wall was unusually peaceful. Of course, given the nature of previous events, it was still wise to remain on guard. It'd been proven at this rate that anything could happen at any moment to anyone, especially those careless, inattentive or outright unlucky. 

There was nothing too peculiar about the shelf overall. Just like its counter-part, a myriad of Italian literatures and magazines that were relatively basic, alongside holy scriptures. It had a wooden frame much like the construction of the Inn, and was both 12 inches long and 30 inches wide, otherwise a standard structure for a shelf. It was slightly odd that a waiting room of a motel had an entire bookcase as opposed to a simple magazine rack, but this was Caeli Noctis, a place where enlightenment and philosophical literature was emphasized. It was also all the more strange that those lewd magazines that a certain someone was reading managed to be in here. 

William's flames and their provided illumination would indeed reveal the presence of another, but not a foe, albeit that wasn't immediately obvious. As the three of them approached and closed in on the nearing angle of the bookshelf, William, being first in line, would be met with having a book tossed at his face. The throw had almost zero impact despite it being a hardcover, and the accompanying female, panicked grunt insinuated that the culprit suffered physical strain from doing so. Two more were weakly tossed at Shiro and Athena, but they only managed to reach their stomachs and legs respectively provided minimal, inferior velocity. However, it was then that the person in doing so became apparent to the group, as they quickly realized their mistake. It was a friend, it turns out.
Florence
*```
"—Oh! I'm so sorry, I thought you were all— someone. . . Bad?"
```*
 In comes the apology of the familiar face that once greeted the entire group outside the Inn, as lighting would reveal that the young girl in the red poncho, with faded black marker scribbled across its surface and adamantly opposing daughter of the accused had found herself inside the main lobby, somehow, at a point unclear. Roberta straightened her posture, put her hands together and then bowed slightly as to signify her remorse for thinking that the group intended to bring harm to her and subsequently making an awfully pathetic attempt to defend herself. In her defense, it was really dark, and she couldn't identify their voices so easily during to how grating that metal wiring was.

However, Roberta now had to answer the ultimate question: why the *Hell* Was she in here? How the hell did she get in here? The door *Locked* On itself, and the only way she could've snuck in was if she had already been inside, or somehow managed to sneak past them when they were all searching. She must've had a hidden talent for stealth, if that was the case. 

*```
". . .I uhm. . . Wanted to help, so. . . Yes. Where is everyone else? Did they go far?"
```*
She awkwardly laughed at first, scratching the back of her brown locks, and then transitioning into curiosity. There was hope in her eyes that perhaps they'd gotten somewhere, naturally. She certainly didn't recognize the amount of danger she was now in, not yet anyway.
Christine
*``Man, this guy's real committed. Woualda fit right into one of those musty ass costume conventions instead of a murder case. Loser.``*
``"Uh-huh. Right, yeah, John Wayne's great. . ."``
 
Tom took a page out of the presumably deceased Alexis's book and almost entirely ignored William's enraged tangent and Shiro's subsequent comment, clearly focused on analyzing the two corpses beneath him based on his dismissive, uninterested response. He didn't get why he was so mad, anyway. Everything Tom said was the truth, and while this notion that Tom 'knew more' was true from a general standpoint— *As always*— it's not his job to give them the answers. In the game of life or death, there are no freebies. Aside from those particular set of words, he tuned him out. Guy can pout all he wants, not his problem.

_ _
Anyway, the bodies. For one, the maggots were abnormally large. The sheer number of them would've already completely eaten *Every* Single piece of flesh that these once-live humans had, and yet, their size to remaining flesh was considerably disproportionate. They were obese essentially— maybe these guys were the A1 steaks of dead bodies, or something? Also, the insects had red eyes, which maggots do not have. Actually, their eyes are *Literally* In the back of their head. Based on the presumed origin of the biting. . . They did *Not* Start from the face, and that was, again, odd behavior. Given that a clock was largely responsible for the likely death of that abomination, it wasn't a stretch to say that these little crawlers could be viable threats, as well. They have the advantage of already being alive. Oh, and how they'd get in here? He hadn't seen any flies, and the place was locked up. Even the way the bugs maneuvered were. . . Off, and this wasn't even Tom's field. A missed oppertunity it was not to actually look closer at the bodies— for everyone else, naturally.

Tom did not have the necessary tools at his disposal to conclusively deduce cause of death or anything medically relevant. Both guys were pretty scrawny and physically weak, but probably had some kind of magic powers or whatever. He could note that both of their throats seemed gutted, but that could've been caused by anything. There wasn't a ton he could do with this information currently, but it was better then what—
. . .A familiarly *Annoying* Voice becomes apparent, as he notices something— someone, unfortunately— in the corner of his eye.

*``You're joking.``*
 ``"You complete moron."``

_ _
Tom's vexed intonation made his fairly juvenile insult strike twice as hard, as he sharply stood up from his kneeled position and directed his gaze at said moron, Berta. *Why?* Why can't people who he was actually *Responsible* For just listen to him? Now he was feeling just like William did. ``"Didn't I specifically tell you to stay outside? What, you want your grave to be right next to mom and dad? Take a nice family portrait at the local cemetery—?"`` His tone was as adamant and infuriated as it'd been since he'd gotten here. This was just *Brilliant*. An even more useless, weak and stupid—

*``Wait.``*
*``Weak. . .``*

Tom paused before he could continue, the anger on his expression being replaced by puzzlement. He turned to face the door directly behind him, door 1-C, and seemingly, there was a moment of clarity. A revelation, of sorts, found in his exasperation. *Weakness.* That's it. That's the answer. Just like how the bodies were weak from a physical standpoint, and how Berta was weaker then everyone else here. Weak. Weak. *Weak. . .*

``". . Get her up here. Or don't, and stay here forever."`` Thomas says, in a calm, firm and non-satire manner. There was also something unrelated that he just now realized, but that was a bit less important then this. Still, it affected his overall perspective.
Lori
Shiro's reacted as best he could to the sudden book-flinging, knocking the one tossed at him aside, but his guard would drop upon seeing the lady they met before who had let them in appear.

She would answer his question before it even left his lips; so she wanted to help, noble but still...

And then in came the irritating voice of Brandt again from above, except he seemed... Angrily concerned?

..........

"Mom and Dad"? 

The two of them *Knew* Each other?

But then he'd turn suddenly, to door 1-C, and stride away, willing them to bring Roberta up with them. 

Fool, if he wanted her safety assured, why *Bring* Her closer to the danger.

And yet... Did they have a choice? None of them could leave at this moment, the Inn had made sure of that.

Snapping out of his thoughts and turning to Berta with a puzzled expression of his own, he'd speak.

```
"Miss, you know that guy? He was who you were referring to before when you were waiting for someone?"

```

Shaking his head suddenly— big picture, focus. — he'd quickly change to matching her question.

```
"The others are above us somewhere; we were separated and attacked and I fear some of our party might yet be in trouble."

```

Turning to William and Athena, he had his own concerns and questions, and in a whisper so neither party next to or above them heard, he'd speak them.

```
"Do you trust the man, Brandt? That aside even, you think it wise to bring Roberta further in, knowing what we know of the dangers so far? I can remain to guard her if that is what you wish. It is your choice, Detectives, but I would advise us against risking more lives."

```
Gail
The doubt about taking this job, and her worry for Starbi and the others was starting to get to her, Athena kicks the bookshelf with quite a bit of force, feeling a little angry at herself, before saying in a soft but harsh tone:

```
"Fuck"
```

Now standing motionless.

```
I was right there next to them. Why didn't I act? I could have, no, I should have done something to prevent this. On top of all that, we are still pratically at square one in this investigation, having found pretty much nothing of use.
```

She thought, her mind replaying the moments leading up to Starbi being snatched by what she guessed was more likely a lethal trap behind Door 1-B, she continues to think.

```
On top of all that, we are still pratically at square one in this investigation, having found pretty much nothing of use.
```

Suddenly, Berta's voice cut through the silence, pulling Athena from her thoughts. She turned toward Berta

```
"..."
```

Athena then looks over at Berta, her eyes drifting off a bit towards the floor, as she says in a first puzzled, then somber tone:

```
"I could have sworn that door was locked, then again i don't think i checked it. Either way, as for the whereabouts of the others."

"..."

"They are as good as dead, i'd say. Locked in that deathtrap of Stairway 1-B"
```

She then looks towards where Tom would be, her expression shifted to one of mostly irritation mixed with a bit of confusion. She then responds to his comments:

```
"Who are you to command others what to do, so far you have done pretty much nothing but sit on your ass. So unless you care to share with the group and help out more, i don't think you should be giving orders of any kind."
```

She then looks to Shiro as he speaks, she then wait a bit before responding, thinking of what to say. She then continues to respond in a calm tone:

```
"...No. Brandt, is not one I trust. They seem lazy, like a total asshat and uncaring for anyone and anything besides themself, to say the least. As for bringing Berta further in, i think not. Brandt has no command over us, seeing as he has so far done nothing but insult us and sit on his ass, as you might have guessed from my earlier statement towards them."
```

She then looks towards William, and says keeping the calm tone:

```
"However i want to hear your thoughts on this, as well."
```
Kendra
Vel:Stepping out the way of the book, William lifted his revolver and aimed at the person who threw it, but upon realizing that it was a woman who appeared to need help. William lowered his revolver and let the flames die down while placing his revolver back into it's holster, "Ma'am I'm gonna need you to step forward with your hands high-" Turning his attention towards Tom for his John Wayne comment, "Who the fuck is John Wayne? Anyways, ma'am, do not make any quick movements or reach for anything. Come to me and my associates slowly." His voice sounded calm, professional, but it also sounded caring, something William isn't very known for. He still kept his hand firmly on his revolver, ready to draw in case of any threat, but his free left hand was held out to Roberta, giving a kind gesture of aid. Turning his attention towards Shiro and Athena, *It seems this lady and the so called Health inspector know each other. I gotta question her about this.* He thought to himself before deciding to speak low for only the pair to hear, "No, I don't trust him. I find him agitating. He's definitely an agent of some kind of what I'm not sure. I also don't think it's wise to cut down our group more, if me and Athena go with Tom, we don't know if he'll watch our backs." A hint of concern could be heard in his voice, but he continued, "But we also can't bring the lady with us. She can be a liability. Now Shiro I doubt I'm any stronger than you, you can be a great asset to the search but we also need someone here to question her of what she knows and to keep her safe of any more threats. If you hang back and watch her, I won't hate you for it. Just know that. Your choice, boss." The last comment clearly directed towards Athena, turning his attention back towards Roberta, he spoke with the same professional tone of before, "Now ma'am I'm gonna need to know your involvement with that man who went upstairs. I'm also gonna need to know any information you can share with us."

William was calm despite his earlier PTSD attack and his want of finding Starbi as quick as possible, something was eerie with him. Like a *Hate* Burning in his heart.
Florence
```
". . .Oh. I see. . . That is unfortunate. Very much. . . Unfortunate."
```
Roberta frowned, especially at the bluntness of Athena's assessment in comparison to Shiro. They were dead, weren't they? Just like. . . Everyone else, that'd came here? That had to explain the rancid smell. And now, because of her rashness, she'd be included. She had to do *Something*, right? Her mother's life was on the line, why shouldn't she put hers, as well? Isn't that justified? Is she. . . Justified? The three of them seemed genuine and concerned for her well-being, which was very kind— but she was uncertain if she deserved nor wanted such a fate. There was this implication that'd they wanted her to say behind, although she couldn't fully gauge their quieted whispers. Not only did that limit their ability to discover what she still hoped was the truth, but it'd all be a waste. Even though it was impulsive, she didn't sneak in here to contribute nothing. How could anyone feel good about that in this situation? Right— more questions to answer.

```
"Ah, yes. Well, signore Brandt is a stranger, but I cal—"
```
—Before the Mancini daughter could finish her explanation, a small shriek followed by an expression of horror appeared on a face as she stumbled backwards, nearly falling over due to the books left all over the ground. She put her hand over her mouth, her eyes, appalled as could be, fixated on where Tom should've been standing. And he was, but. . .
Christine
*``Plop.``*
``"So, know this guy?"``

Thomas had already predetermined that his simple demand would be reluctantly debated if not outright refused by the Talentless Trinity downstairs. Irritating, of course, because he *Knew* He was right, but he nonetheless figured ahead of time that he'd just have to convince Berta himself, which wouldn't be too difficult considering what his idea was. It wasn't exactly his desired intent to interrupt her explanation, but to be honest, he didn't want to give William the satisfaction of knowing who his employers were. It was times like this he wished that the rest of the world was more like China in the early 1980s and implemented the one-child only policy to prevent mistakes like them from existing. Anyway, what does he do now? Well, he first rolls his eyes and sighs in exasperation. After that, however, he pivots. New strategy.

_ _
The self-proclaimed health inspector had rather casually grabbed what appeared to be one of the two corpses that fell from the height of door 1-B. This Astra Cantum sorcerer would probably hit closer to home, henceforth being his selection as opposed to the O.S.A. Nitwit— and so, holding up the scrawny, lightweight corpse by its shoulders with ease, he carelessly lifted it over the railing of the lobby staircase allowing it to essentially dangle its limp, lifeless feet for all those downstairs to see. Doing so is what made that nasty 'plop' noise, like cold meat being tossed into a fridge. Maggots crawled all over his arms, spilling out the pores of the body, but he didn't care. He'd seen and done nastier than this, and for much weaker reasons. This actually served a necessary purpose.

``"Guy was one of the many losers who came in here trying to prove your mommy isn't actually a psycho killer. Didn't get far, did he? Let's ask him."`` Tom leans his the side of his head closer to the rotting, disheveled and half-eaten face of the departed, putting his hand over his hear as to insinuate he was trying to listen to something. It was a beyond disrespectful showing. In his defense, what better way to pick on someone's buried guilt then to throw it right in her face, literally? There was hardly a better argument out there as of this moment, and he'd be an idiot not to take advantage. Tactically speaking, it was the right move— not so much ethically, but who cares about that?
Florence
```
". . .What are you. . .? Please, stop—"
```
Christine
``"Huh? What's that? You didn't? I mean, that's pretty awful, but at least you're being honest about it. Takes a special guy to admit their shortcomings. Shame you died a horrible, agonizing death, but don't worry! Berta feels really bad about it. That's all that matters, right?"`` His tone and expression laced with cruel sarcasm and mockery— a sardonic chuckle at the end of his second sentence to amplify his immoral performance— Tom figured his point had been made. He took occasional glances at Berta while he did so, and that was for a specific reason. Judging her mannerisms and body language under these particular conditions was vital, if not essential.

*``Thud.``*
Tom releases his grasp on the shoulders of the corpse, letting it fall onto the receptionist table, making a sudden, displeasuring noise as it displaces the contents on said table. The body spills onto the floor, now a few inches away from Berta, a witness to its exposed brain matter and missing ligaments. His gaze, reforming to its serious nature, focused itself towards where the Mancini daughter was standing. His subsequent words would purely be based off the logical observations made from her reactions. Solely that.

_ _
``". . .You're overwhelmed with guilt. Drowning in it, crawling all over your flesh like. . . Maggots. You think you lead these people to die. You hide your emotions, but you're both angry and scared at the same time. Staying strong makes you miserable. Being vulnerable hurts too. Both options suck."`` Casually pushing maggots off his sleeves as he spoke, Tom pauses, and then clamps his hands onto the railing, bending over slightly to narrow his eyes at her furthermore. It was as if he was peering into her very core essence of being, but there was no magic involved here. Just analysis.
Florence
```
". . ."
```
Roberta seemed as if she wanted to say something, her mouth opening slightly, but failing to get the words out. She looked at Shiro, William and Athena. Three people who seemed concerned about her, and that man up there. . . Wasn't. He probably wasn't concerned about anyone or anything bu t himself. True, she was warned that he'd be this way, but she sorely underestimated how truly awful he was. To flail a dead man's corpse around. . . And to live with himself afterwards, like it was nothing? To laugh at and mock them? It was disgusting, deplorable. To imagine seeing someone you loved like this. . . .

. . .But was he right? Berta certainly didn't want to believe he was in light of what he'd done just. Yet, his assessment of her condition was thorough, and she had no rebuttal. There were a couple times beforehand where she bit her tongue at his tone, but challenging her beliefs directly was normally something she'd reply toward, respectfully in an ideal world. She could say nothing. Was. . . That why she came in here? *Guilt?* But. . . It wasn't her fault what happened to them. She only wanted to be in here— and it was stupid of her, admittedly— to help save her mother, given that time was running low. That was the reason, right? Right?

. . .No. Perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps she was just lying to herself this entire time.
Christine
*``No response from her, huh?``*
``"Stay here and die, or fight for a shot to get out of here. Only one of those scenarios doesn't include hating yourself. Only one includes trying to save your mom. There is a right answer."`` He held himself in place, awaiting an answer from her. Unrelated, but. . . He only realized now that he hadn't questioned how Berta got in here whatsoever. It was something he'd typically see as *Awfully* Suspicious, but it was as if he. . . Didn't have the urge, abnormally so. It was another thing that had somehow slipped his mind, twice now. *Why was that. . .?*

Well, anyway. It doesn't matter. That was his bid at what one would call advanced persuasion tactics. If she does say no, and/or if they attempt to restrain her, he had other ways to go about this. That said, he was pretty confident in his scheme. He was also confident that they didn't have any— incidentally, he managed to go multiple sentences without insulting the three of them. That showed incredible restraint on his part, frankly.
Florence
Berta clenched her knuckles, looking down at the floor. She couldn't avoid the stench nor the corner view of the body. It was inescapable, this feeling. She wanted to leave. She wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, as far as she could, and curl up into a ball and wilt away. She wanted to not think about all the death she may or may not have caused, the suffering that those endured. She just wanted her mother to *Live*, and for someone to prove her innocent like she knew she was. To give the truth an honest chance. But. . . That hadn't happened yet, had it? It wasn't that simple. 15 hours from now. . . And not soon afterwards, she'd look just like that. Unrecognizable.

. . .Fine. *Fine.* The Mancini Daughter took a deep breathe, rubbing her faces with her hands. She turned to the third and gave them another bow, as well as an apologetic look much similar to when she was throwing books at their faces, yet with more emphasis. It was fairly easy to understand what she was trying to convey, even absent of the words; she *Had* To go. Her expression told that story. She had to fight, or she couldn't live with herself. However, she would not entirely disregard or ignore the opinions of others who were obviously concerned about her. It was not in her nature to do so, whatever that was at this point. 

```
"I feel I must go. You. . . Must understand. He is not a nice man, but I believe he is right."
```
Kendra
William remained still, listening to both Berta and Tom speak, but the name Brandt caught his attention, it was a name he *Recognized.* Now with his attention fully secured, William turned to look towards Tom as he moved the body around and pretended that it spoke. He waited for the two to stop talking before William spoke up, "Lady, you're gonna stay here until we sort this out. Shiro, if she tries to run, kill her." His voice sounded cold but also genuine. He then turned towards Tom and spoke towards him. "She said your name is Brandt, I knew that name a long time ago. Wealthy oil men who used ruthless means to get secure their wealth. I would know, they had me do their dirty work." The tone of his voice grew angry and violent as he recounted the actions of the Brandt family. "If your name truly is Brandt and you're part of the Brandt family, I don't have any hope that any of us are walking out alive." His hand shifted towards his revolver, given the different styles the two carried their guns, William would still be a faster draw if Tom decided to attempt anything. Still staring at Tom, he addressed Athena, "Boss, we need to find this case. We can't afford to waste any time. And you, Brandt, if you don't believe what I say about your family. I'll bring you to the same well that they had me dump bodies in. Or should I show you the family who's skulls were cracked open by agents all because they wanted a better pay and working conditions?" His tone filled with anger as the smell of sulfur filled the air, but William relaxed his hand and the smell soon went away as he made his way towards the bookshelf, observing if it held anything usual, if not then he would make his back to the speaker and see where the wires connected and went towards.
Lori
What was happening?

It seemed all very fast; Brandt's rant and tossing of one of the corpses at Berta, and now William had become seemingly wrathful as well, raving about past atrocities.

*Enough was enough*.

A far stronger smell of sulfur and smoke would fill the air as Shiro's temper boiled over. The red of his eyes grew far sharper and those nearest him would feel the extreme heat that radiated from him, as he cast outwards his fury at volume above human levels.

```
"ENOUGH. I AM NOT SOME MERCENARY TO BE ORDERED AROUND, DETECTIVE ROJAS. YOU WILL NOT DO WELL TO ASSUME I AM ONE. IF THERE IS AN EXECUTION TO BE CONDUCTED, THEN CARRY IT OUT YOURSELF IF YOU FEEL SO HAUNTED. YOUR PAST CONCERN THE PRESENT NOT, AND IT WOULD BEHOOVE YOU TO FOCUS ON THE NOW INSTEAD."

```

His expression would become far more desolate at Brandt, to whom the most of his scorn focused.

```
"AND YOU, "BRANDT". IF ALL YOU HAVE COME TO DO IS DEFILE, TORMENT, AND MOCK, THEN I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU ARE DEFILED LIKE THESE MEN WHO'S CORPSES YOU PARADE!" 

"I HAVE NOT COME HERE TO DEAL WITH A BELLIGERENT SNAKE WHO WOULD HIDE FEIGNED "CONCERN" BEHIND SNIDE AND CRUELTY! ALL YOU HAVE DONE IS SHADOW, FOLLOWING OUR BOOT-HEELS INTO DANGER BUT NOT BOTHERING TO PUT YOURSELF FORWARD. COWARD!"

```

Finally, the smell and heat would die down much, to a more pleasant air, as Shiro spoke, his voice again a measured calm, last to Berta.

```
"I know not what your past actions were or were not, but if what has been said is true in any way, your punishment at my hand shall not be death unless I see further proof that you are as wicked as claimed.
You can run, and I will not pursue you mercilessly, but I would think you wish to redeem yourself if dreadful were you once."



```

He'd turn at last to the bookshelf, not addressing anyone else further, inspecting it as well.
Gail
Athena would stand there watching Tom torment Berta by parading corpses as Shiro put it. While everyone was talking, an Idea came to mind. After everyone was done speaking, she would stay silent as she walked over to where Tom was, having her Ensnaring Sentinel follow her. She would have it attempt to grab him. Either way, if it succeeded or not, she would start by putting her own two cents into the bucket:

```
"First of all we are all in this together so we all need to learn that. Now second of all Mr.Brandt, You absolutely disgust me parading corpses around like they are some toys to be played with. They more likely put there lives on the line to solve this case and save this place, giving them more courage then you could even dream of mustering up you lazy bitch. They have, and always will have more honor then you as well, And even if they didn't they deserve to be respected as anyone else, living or dead. Also stop tormenting people, all you are making yourself out to be is a bad omen, and a scared little boy from a bad family, who decides to bully people to make himself feel better about his shitty fucking life. Get over it."
```
Her words very loud, harsh and sharp, the eyes of the Ensnaring Sentinel crackling with electricity more frequently and in larger quantities as she sneered at Tom. She then turned her attention to Berta, and yelled down, not in a tone of anger but more a questioning tone.

```
"Third of all, Berta. I have a question, thats been on my mind since you showed up in here. I'm pretty sure the front door was locked... So how did you get in."
```

She then pulls out her Lockpicking Kit and turned to door 1-B, Ready to Start her plan.

```
"William, Shiro, I think you two need a breather, go take a sit, take some breaths and clear your minds. I have an idea i wanna try before attempting any of the other doors. Oh and make sure, Tom and Berta don't try anything, will you?"
```

She walks over to the door, and attempts to lockpick it. She says in a quite tone, one meant for only her to hear:

```
"We have a case to solve, people and friends to save. Time is ticking down at the millisecond. We need to hurry up."
```
Kendra
Standing still, he listened to what Shiro and Athena had to say, his stature seeming to relax. Turning toward the two, William began to speak, "You're right, Shiro. I shouldn't have suggested you as a gun for hire, and as for the past, it's much harder to leave behind. Believe me, I'm trying, but that's no excuse. I apologize." His voice sounded genuine, but then he turned toward Athena. "Boss, we did things differently. Right now, we can't afford breathers. I'll get a drink after the case." He said, his voice calm, but he still didn't trust Brandt, given his family name or what that family had made him do. For everyone else, this had happened over 100 years ago, but not for William; to him, it was a blink away. It's hard to move away from the past when you know nothing of the world anymore. He continued his search of the bookshelf and later the speaker.
Christine
Tom kept himself in place, hands remaining attached the wooden railing of the lobby staircase with no sudden movement aside from turning his head at each of the three when they spoke, his posture slightly slanted forward. His cold gaze had morphed into a confused, heavy squinting of the eyes so as to indicate deep thought, but he did not address their comments aloud, let alone say anything whatsoever; a rare moment of silence, indeed. 

On one hand, that piece the Cowboy said. . . That is *Troubling*, isn't it? Perhaps it even struck a nerve long buried into the annals of his life, and yet he preferred not to approach the subject just yet for an unemotionally involved reason. As for the other two, he had a natural inclination to mock Shiro and Athena— the former for feigning loyalty to a man that threatened to kill an innocent women and then walking back on it, whereas the latter for trying to unlock the self-locking door *Again*, albeit at least she having a sense of urgency— but decided against doing so momentarily for the simple reason that clearly, his original idea wasn't going to work provided their lack of cooperation and incessant self-righteousness, which was starting to sound like a broken recorrd. An adjustment was needed before those and other concerns could be evaluated further. In lesser terms, it was due time to get the hell out of here.

_ _
*`. . .Okay. Plan B.`* 
Thomas directed his gaze at Berta, locking eyes with her, the exchanges of emerald irises, an oceanic blue and sickly yellow from across the two floors of the Inns main lobby. He nudged his head slightly left, as if attempting to instruct her to move in that direction. She was startled, and rightfully so, because William threatened to kill her for no apparent reason other then mild untrustworthiness. Bringing it up twice meant that it actually *Bothered* Him, but not for reasons that align with ethical dilemma or empathy. 

In any case, it was time to test his theory, one of which would have to be conducted by mild force. What better a convincing argument then a live demonstration, even if it required some level of physical manipulation? They weren't gonna listen to him— which to be fair, it's not like he wanted to talk to them anyway— meaning that this was the only effective way. The simple reason he'd be informing them now was for his own satisfaction of being right. Accounting for resistance was a no-brainer regardless of what he did at this rate, and of course, he also had a Plan C. After that, maybe not.
Florence
It took her a moment, but Berta seemed to interpret his directive signal, albeit not fully understanding why. Regardless, she did as he asked, and took two steps left—
Christine
**``PRESNCE: ENABLED.``**
**``AUTOMATIC RETALIATION: ENABLED.``**

The split-second after Berta took those two steps, a sudden projectile flew past her her shoulder, traveling up towards Brandt's position. As it turns out, the single remaining piece of the subdued murderous* Clock*— the piece that attacked Tom, to be specific— that had somehow *Reactivated* Despite its source and counter-parts being dormant, if not destroyed. Unlike the rest of them, his method of contesting the airborne blade-mechanism was to simply avoid it, leaving it stuck in the wall previously. Yet, that failed to explain things: *Why* Was it active again, trying to randomly attack Tom specifically? What changed? Berta yelped loudly once again, but it seemed to signify pain rather then fear or shock unlike before.

A strange, abnormal presence within the room made itself known. It was unusual and exuded a certain sense of *Sinisterness* Even to those less-versed with the concept. A near total change in the atmosphere, culminated in the sensed arrival of something overwhelmingly malevolent, It did not come from the Inn, however, and seemingly came from. . . Thomas himself. Such is the intended purpose of Presence as an ability, but he wasn't seeking to exude such a disturbing, powerful aura for conventional reasoning. Considering their nature, it was fathomable if not likely that it wouldn't affect the others at all. They also might just shoot him, especially if they recognized the SOUL type it descended from.

_ _
As the reinvigorated flying blade approached at speeds no more faster then the mild, something *Else* Trailed right next to it at a similar pace. It seemed to be a kite-shaped, floating *Shield*, composed of an extremely dark-colored construction. Automatic Retaliation only enables in reaction the *Strongest* Attack of another force, but in the case of the sentient object, it only had *One* Manner of offensive pursuit, therefore it triggering by default. Moreover, it was not there to *Stop* The projectible, but rather to protect it from the likes of William, Athena and Shiro who may've well decided to whack it out of thin air instinctually. Any attack they released would be taken on by the shield itself, capable of handling multiple attacks provided they weren't excessively powerful.

Tom releases his grasp from railing, standing straight up as he calmly awaited the blade to approach absent of concern. Under the assumption it wasn't destroyed by the group, the shield maneuvered and easily *Absorbed* What would've been a possible hit just before it could reach Tom— hence his assurance— situating itself directly in front of him so as to prevent contact. It possessed durability similar to steel, as the weaponized clock-projectile weakly fell to the floor upon impact in a very anticlimactic fashion. That wasn't as cool as he thought it'd be, but whatever. 

``"Let's make a deal, Cowboy."`` Tom bent down and picked up the again subdued blade. A very small look of satisfaction appeared on his face in reaction to noticing a distinct piece of *Flesh* Attached to the tip of its point. It wasn't his, obviously— but it was *Berta*'s, because it had inadvertently done so in its attack. It's why he told her to move left, and also why she yelled in pain subsequently. Obviously, his words were directed towards William.

_ _
``"If I'm wrong about this, you can put a bullet between my eyes. Clean shot."`` The self-proclaimed health inspector stands up, pointing the flesh-laden, presently lifeless blade at William himself, his tone confident— enough to literally put his life on it— having snidely obtained the oppertunity to prove himself correct. Perhaps the unsettling presence that now beamed off his shoulders alone was incentive for that suggestion, but it wasn't to say his demeanor was particularly different from what it was before. Regardless, he turns around, and waltzes over to Door 1-A lacking any level of clarity as to what his intentions were. He wanted Berta in her *Entirety* For this, but just a little piece of her would do.
**``PRESENCE: DISABLED.``**
Lori
The tension in the room was palpable, and Shiro had probably not done much to make it any better admittedly, but *Someone* Had to try and get cooler heads to prevail.

He grunted in response to William's apology, and listened as they began to try to move forward. Perhaps taking a breather wasn't a ba—

His calm broke once more as there was a whizzing going past him... And towards Brandt. Despite everything, he had been about to warn the man when all of a sudden the blade piece seemed to stop right in front of the him as he spoke, picking up the abruptly stopped blade and addressed William about "Being right about something".

*What was he planning?*

As well as this, he had felt a sudden unease from Thomas that was not there before, and it troubled him, though he took no actions of aggression towards the man. They were all in this together after all.

Without the others and their prompting, he'd head up after Brandt, hoping the others would follow. 

If this was a trick or trap, he'd make sure the man was rend to ashes.
Kendra
Standing and watching Tom, William heard Shiro's grunt in response to his apology for calling him a hired gun. In truth, William couldn't care less what Shiro thought of him or whether he forgave him for his comment. His focus didn't change from Tom, even when the object came flying. He just watched, his eyes shifting and expressing no emotion but thought. He continued watching, no words spoken, only thoughts. It was then that Tom suggested that if he was wrong, William had permission to put a bullet through his head. This made a small smirk appear on his face, his hand reached for the handle of his revolver and he softly took it out, inspecting his service gun as he spoke, "You know, your family tried doing that to me before. They wanted to tie up loose ends, almost got me too." He said as he motioned with his free hand to his left side before continuing, "They couldn't get me though. I'll take you up on that little bet of yours." His voice sounded cold as he spoke. It was clear he was reverting back into his younger self, his tone, stance, and mentality shifting back into his pinkerton past. He then unlatched the cylinder of his revolver and checked his ammo, making sure he had a full cylinder. He closed it. The click of the latch is the only sound that could be heard from his person. He then walked towards the opening, pistol in hand.
Gail
While lock picking, Athena would listen to everything going on then proceed to say in a apologetic yet absent towards berta:

```
"Sorry about my friend threatening to kill you earlier. That was uncalled For even if i don't trust you. You also never answered my question... How did you get in here."
```

Eventually she would stop lockpicking seeing that it wouldn't work. She would look around and see the two open doors.

```
five of us, and two doors. We have to split up. I'll listen to everyone elses ideas before suggesting however.
```

She would then proceed to say:

```
"So what's the plan, if there is one."

```
Christine
``"It was staring us in the face. Or rather, laying dead in front of us, literally."`` Tom swiftly turns around with the flesh-riddled blade in hand, narrowly walking over to door 1-A possessing intention to continue his explanatory tangent. He particularly made sure to hold out the clock piece in front of him, stretching his arm outwards and keeping the dulled weapon ahead of his movement. This served a vital purpose provided he was right, as he kept himself in place for a moment just across the door in order to clearly elaborate on his statement.

``"I'm gonna talk a bunch, so I'd hope you listen if you wanna live. Think of this place as a high-society museum, like a Paris exhibit showing all the antiques we pretend to not have colonized and stole from the Natives. The arcade death-machine claws and psycho clock are it's super advanced security systems for the real valuable stuff you find the deeper you go. Both systems function fundamentally by discerning and eliminating any possible threats to the Inn itself, which presents the core issue. Then it hit me."``

_ _
***``eerRKKTT—``***

Not long after, the overly-familiar sound of the metal wiring belonging to the claws that lurked throughout the Inn quickly become deafeningly audible. From the prevailing darkness above 1-A's stairwell, nearly identical to 1-B and probably 1-C in all likelihood, came in a claw that rampantly approached Thomas about two or three steps downwards. With powerful force and incredible speed much like beforehand, it—

*Stopped.* Not dead on, because the claw shock rather violently in place as if trying to break free, but it physically refused to go any lower so as to attack or grab Tom whatsoever. It continued to do, amplifying the sound of the grinding metal, and yet it remained stuck in place. It was physically incapable of going any further, and eventually, after several loud moments, it stopped moving altogether. He stands still, staring at the dormant claw, and then alas continuing after the noisiness cleared up. Bingo.

_ _
Tom finds his way back from the bottoming darkness of the stairwell, revealing himself to the group with the blade in hand. The previously still claw begins to move, but shoots back upwards into the ceiling rather then to imitate an attack from the distance it was at. He goes on. ``"The clock and the claws work together, but contradict one another. One sacrifices deterrence for detection, and the other, detection for deterrence. Claws are way tougher, but also less effective at discerning threats. It'll prioritize the first thing that comes in its range, unlike the clock, that prioritized a brand new, shiny boy-threat and tries its very best to get its attention like a new crush at school. Had to turn her down for that smoking hot cheerleader, Miranda."`` He remarks with a joke at the end, and then turns to Shiro, holding out the blade to him. Just seemed like the right guy for the job— of the three of them, he was probably the most reliable. William might shoot it thinking it was a Vietcong soldier, and Athena would try to unlock it or something. Actually, he still doesn't know their names, does he? Thank goodness for that.

_ _
Assuming Shiro accepted the item, Tom would breeze past the three towards the third doorway, his goals set on being in separate groups. Obviously, he didn't need to take a piece of her flesh because he could bring the real thing. One may think that it'd be ill-advised to risk her life in such a way, but clearly, she had more uses then to be a sitting duck here. Besides, she wanted to join this investigation, why should he deny her the chance? Chances are she had value here, and it was his civil duty to die for her anyhow. On an unrelated note: that crazy chick from earlier was *Actually* Sort of right. Who woulda thought? Too bad she's probably dead as a doorknob, alongside the other one. Or was it two? ``"Use the blade to get through 1-A. Me and Berta will go through 1-C, because I don't trust the Cowboy to not shoot her, and she's an innocent civilian under my watch, per this investigation. He so cleverly deduced I worked for an agency, so I'm sure you know I'm not lying."``

_ _
That said, there was something he needed to get off his chest in relation to the group. A disconnected understanding existed between them, and he sought to rectify that bluntly. Sure, they were idiots, but they deserved to know. He soon turned back around, stopping near 1-C to say his piece. ``"Let's get one thing straight. I don't care what happens to you, and I expect you to reciprocate that notion, because I'm a stranger. I am not part of your investigation, and you are not part of mine. Our actions and well-beings do not belong to one another. That girl downstairs, however, is my responsibility according my job's code of adherence, and therefore I am professionally obligated to put my life on the line for her. Those guys before weren't. That's how this works, and you should really try being more selfish. We're made that way."`` 

*And then* There was that, with what William said. He couldn't not address it. ``"And you. I don't buy your story, but let's say it's true for a moment. If you were really doing slug jobs for my relatives back then, you're twice the bastard I am. And I gotta know your skincare routine, because you're old as hell. But who knows? If you manage to live through this, I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about. Share some made-up war stories, why don't ya?"`` Despite his remarks, there was a hint of increased anger and resentment in his tone that wasn't exactly akin to his typically composed annoyance. He was wholeheartedly pissed off that it was brought up. Really, any discussion about what corrupt elites in his family before him did or didn't do was irritating. The good thing about working in Pacifica was that not a soul knew a thing about the Brandt Family, usually. He worked hard to keep his expression somewhat neutral.

_ _
The moment Tom turned around, he looked straight to the ground, sharply burrowing his head downwards. He was concealing the contorted look on his face, because exhibiting that expression outwardly was indicative of losing composure at work in a high pressure situation. Can't have that, won't have that, no matter how much old business is is brought up and fails to leave him alone. The fact that this bothered him implied it was a continued weakness, an exploitable fault, because in truth, he wasn't prepared for the discussion. He lowly growls, and then looks over past the railing— motioning with his hand for Berta to come upstairs, who had said nothing during the exchange it seems. It was time to get going.
William
It was high time for the group to leave the main lobby to wherever their hearts desired between the two options they had. With the loophole discovered, they could continue through each doorway. What 1-A or 1-C held beyond the claws that guarded them was uncertain, but it was more then sticking around here. The five of them could decide if they had any unfinished business if they so choose. If not, entry awaited. There were still numerous threats to be handled in the near future considering they hadn't even gotten to the essential portion of the Inn or mystery just yet, and ensuring that they were armed and prepped for what was next would be wise. There was no going back now.
Kendra
Before continuing on, he stopped to listen to what Tom was speaking about, his face showed no emotion as he listened to the so called Health inspector speak but that was until the mention of the fake war stories and being called old. His face showed an expression that was between a smirk and anger, he turned his head towards Tom and spoke, voice clear but smokey, "Damn right I'm more of a bastard than you, why do you think they hired me? But that's what happens when you're a Pinkerton. You become a hired gun for the highest bidder, but I didn't have any say in it. It was either do the job or get sent back to prison for a crime I didn't commit" This final sentence had a tone of guilt in his voice, but he took a moment before continuing, "You call my stories fake, that's fine but go say that to the men buried in México, in the fields of Europe. I know I'm a bad man, but your family, Brandt, they were worse. They supplied us with guns, and they sold those same guns to the same men who we fought. They knew about faults in the mine but didn't fix it, that cost the lives of 48 miners, each one had a family. They only cared for money, and they didn't care who it killed, and I was forced to be their killer. That was until the end of my life, and now I'm here, working for her." He said, nudging his head towards Athena, "I'm still a bad man but your family. Hell, they were the devil."

His voice was calm and collected, his stance allowed a fast draw, and if Tom or anyone else decided to make a move against him or Athena, then William would make quick work of them. "Y'all might get me in a rush, but not before I blow your shit for brains across that wall. And about me being old? Well, i was born in 1894, but I'm only 33." His voice shifted to a jokingly tone and a small smirk tugging at the edge of his lips, he turned to continue his way, making way to the 1-A door, he nudged Athena with his boot, a clear invitation for her to join him. "Oh, by the way, Brandt. If you think you're faster than me, well you ain't. Others went for fame and fortune but me. Well, there's a reason it took an entire police force and multiple agents to finally cut me down." A clear nod to his so-called death in 1927, but it was also clear he took notice of Tom's reaction to the mention of his family. Maybe he could use it against him if he tried anything. He stepped out of way of the claws and made his way into the room.
Lori
With some reservations, Shiro stood resolute as Brandt turned and began addressing those who followed him, a lot of the references went over his head, but Shiro had to acquiesce in that his logic was sound, even if a bit crude.

He'd step forward, more for their mutual safety than suspicion, as Brandt did the same. Shiro readied himself as the sound of metal echoed from above and his axe was nearly upon the nearest claw to him before they suddenly stopped abruptly as had the clockpiece before. They shook, clearly wanting to be free and attack, but they'd eventually cease.

Shiro listened as Brandt continued, mentally eyerolling as the man bemoaned their lack of faith in him, but even still his logic about the Inn's threat assessment kept proving sound, 

More crude jokes, but then Brandt would do something unexpected... In handing the blade directly to him.

Giving it to him for... Protective purposes? Seemed beneath Brandt in how Shiro had read him so far, but perhaps... He was too quick to judge.

The man was crass, and what the people of this world would probably call "An asshole", but he was tactical, logical, even if he was somewhat brutal and sharp about it.

Accepting the blade, Shiro would begin to ask about how *Brandt* Planned to stay safe, when he explained he'd take Berta with him to Room C. Shiro felt a bit of unease at this given the hurling of insults he slew at the woman earlier, but it would subside. The man had his head on straight and Shiro felt that he wouldn't throw her to the metaphorical wolves.

Then, again unexpectedly, Brandt would make his feeling concerning them clear. Ones Shiro had already deduced.

Brandt's assessment of them and what they should do and act didn't sit well with Shiro, but the man could think what he wished so long as he kept Berta safe and furthered their mission.

He would mostly ignore Brandt and William's back-and-forth, a past he had no interest in learning more about, at least for the current moment.

Instead as Brandt and Roberta went off, Shiro would follow Detective Rojas into 1-A, brandishing the piece as he did so.

```
"Take care to heed caution, this clock piece may stop the claws but there may be other dangers lurking in the dark."

```

He said this not particularly to anyone, and those with him likely already knew this, but he felt he had to break the silence.


Or the tension at least.

He'd prepare his fire magic in case of an attack, and his axe was always quick to draw.
William
With matters settled, Shiro, William and Athena could indeed enter 1-A without issue. A similar sequence of a rogue claw lowering, only to abruptly stop once Shiro set foot and eventually stop moving altogether transpired much like what was demonstrated earlier. The descending staircase and accompanying darkness once past the doorway could finally be conquered by the three, whereas Thomas and Berta joined together at 1-C for their own route. Alas, after about an hour or so enduring surprise attack, opposing conclusions and general disharmony amongst one another (largely thanks to one person in particular, granted), they could move on from the main lobby, having free rein to traverse into the unlighted mystery that was the rest of the Inn. It wasn't nearly as small as its exterior implied to be, not at all, but such is the nature of this magically accursed endeavor.
Christine
Thomas waited until there were no longer any other footsteps in the main lobby other then Roberta, who was making her way back upstairs. When he looked back up, that abnormal expression he was seemingly trying to conceal was quickly gone. Something else, however, was on his mind, and it was much more problematic then what the Cowboy just brought up, even if it was surprising. Something that could be a long term issue within the context of this investigation, and has been since close to the second he walked in. He had a deeply puzzled look.

Tom did not care this deeply about what his family did or didn't do in the past. He hasn't in years, because that's essentially what he spent his youth doing— getting over it, among other things. Maybe ten, fifteen years ago, what was said by the Cowboy would've really grinded his gears, but not now. The main and important distinction between them and him was that he was a lot better at his job, probably because he has no ulterior motive associated with political agenda or financial gain. Boring stuff, but that was enough for him on top of the fact that everyone is kind of evil anyway or should be, citing his ideology. Some more, some less, doesn't matter. Verbatim. The only shocking aspect was that someone in Pacifica knew about it, and that William's story, for as insane as he sounded, could be. . . True, despite what he said. That's a topic for another day.

_ _
So, what gives? Why did he react like *That*? Putting himself in a vulnerable, compromised position within a professional setting? That Cowboy has been itching to pull the trigger, and that was something he could use against him seemingly, except that it *Shouldn't* Be. In any normal situation, that wouldn't have happened, and this hasn't been the only time. Earlier, Tom didn't notice the clock forming on the wall. Put Berta in harms way to prove something, even if minimal. He let those three idiots get caught when the fact of the matter is that while he really doesn't care for their well-being, odds of his *Own* Survival and solving the case would've increased had they been alive. Hell, they could still be meat shields for all he cared at some point, but not just *Yet*. Or was he just being too critical? He did say to 'use caution', after all. 

Tom ignored the voice recording when there could've very well been something to it, and forgot about Berta hiding behind the bookshelf. Even his digs and jokes at Alexis were unfunny, for that sake. All highly uncharacteristic. . . And something was off with him. No, not just him. His *Mind*. Something in here was messing with his thinking, targeting it directly. He could sense it. It was supposed to be impenetrable, like his body.

His mind is the backbone of his work. It is the key to his success, instrumental to his value as an agent. Doesn't matter how many gunshots to the chest you can take if you can't figure out a way to get back at the gunmen. If he can't process and discern information properly, that's a significant hurdle. The only other person he can rely on in that sense is Berta, and she's probably crappy at it all things considered. In a place like this, nobody can afford poor judgement regardless of how strong they are. There *Had* To be something doing this to him. A spell? An affinity? Some kind of affect similar to what was happening with his movement just now triggering? Something, *Something. . .*

_ _
Well, he can't just think it through, can he? That's probably not gonna work out, no matter how self-aware he tries to be. Leaving isn't an option, obviously, and it would be hard for him to do so even if it was. The only thing he can do right now is keep pushing forward and have Roberta check his logic when needed. That really didn't add a lot of security, but that was the best possible thing he could do right now. On one hand, this case was proving to be increasingly interesting— yet on the other, he dreaded the idea of having a non-lucid mind. It's not about being some cunning genius or the smartest in the room, regardless of the fact that he entirely believed those things. It was about effectiveness. Being in control, unless it was caused by. . . That. He didn't want to think of the possibility, but it was entirely viable. The worst case scenario at the worst possible time.
Florence
*". . .Are you alright?"* Interrupting his vexing conundrum was the voice of the Mancini daughter, who had made her way back upstairs as he requested. She removed her poncho, revealing a gray long-sleeve shirt underneath.

She had a slight cut on her right arm based on the blood stain observable through said shirt, but didn't look to make a fuss about it given that it served a purpose favorable to her. It was to help save her mother, and for that, she had no reason to complain about a tiny wound. Instead, Berta was more worried about Tom's condition considering everything that went on with William, even with her mother's life in the balance. She had some thoughts about it, and was sympathetic in a unique way.
Christine
``". . .Something in here is causing me to slip up. Make poor decisions, illogical assessments. I don't know what, how or why, but I need you from this point forward to cross-examine every single judgement I make. Everything. Nothing goes unchecked. I can't save your mom if I'm wrong."`` Tom turned to Berta, his tone lacking that typical snark or quick-witted edge. There was a contrasting dullness and firm-adjective, but the main thing was that he was relaying a considerable amount of faith in a civilian. Regardless of how capable or intelligent she was, this was the best thing he could do. It isn't to say he wouldn't also think twice before doing things, though.

``"I would've said something about the blade, but I was kind of in a pickle. Feel free to take a stab at me, if you can do it without hurting yourself. Andiamo— and stay behind me."`` Andiamo, a common way to say 'lets get going' in Italian. Speaking of that, before his maneuver, he considered instructing Roberta in her native language, but chose against doing so feeling it would give the group too much time to react. A good example of a poor idea that he was able to reject, which was some evidence that he could endure whatever was screwing with his head. Incidentally, his second statement quickly readopted his usual intonation.
Florence
The Mancini daughter quickly nodded, and began to approach door 1-C. She understood that *She* Was needed to progress through the Inn, or her flesh, but hadn't the faintest idea why. The man's comments earlier about her uselessness. . . Well, he did say his mind was compromised. Perhaps it was merely in the heat of the moment, as was the conversation surrounding his family. If he didn't wish to speak of it, she perfectly understood that. She somewhat questioned why he not just leave her here and take another piece of her body, but then again, would oppose that idea. She couldn't just wait here and do nothing. He made her realize that, after all. She did not understand the joke.

Roberta took a few steps into the stairwell of 1-C, descending into its darkness. Then, suddenly, a *Claw* Emerged from the ceiling, which caught her off-guard despite the fact that this was supposed to happen. However, nearly identical to the situation in 1-A, it came to a slow, gradual stoppage. She put her hand on her chest, sighing, and continued to progress downstairs. She felt a hand on her shoulder— which was Tom maneuvering so as to get in front of her. Like he said, stay behind, and make sure to help on his decisions.