songerein | { Saving Oz }

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{ Saving Oz }

SAVING OZ

After a month of increasingly windy weather, it all comes to a head when a giant book appears right above the town of Reverein. It opens its pages facing the town and a large tornado emerges, descending down to cover the entire town. Miraculously, no buildings are destroyed, but the entire population is sucked up into the air and into the pages of the book. It's a wild, twisting ride until everyone crash lands into a strange city all in emerald green. The tapirs make their usual rare appearance and look around before gasping, "Oh! It's the Emerald City from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Looks like a mess though… And so do you!"

As pointed out, everyone will find themselves dressed or transformed into some semblance of one of the five main characters: Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman (Tinman), and the Cowardly Lion. They could be wearing authentic costumes, have an almost complete appearance change, partial transformation, and anywhere in-between. While they are mostly stuck in whichever "role" they've been initially cast in, they can temporarily change if a different role would work better. They gain additional abilities fitting of the character, such as the Scarecrow unable to bleed as they are now made of straw, the Tinman always wearing or made of some kind of metallic armor, the Lion have wind blasting roars and the strength of a real lion, Toto able to become a real dog, and Dorothy has their charisma stat shot up through the roof. Everyone will be able to use their dreamotion and original abilities as well, so they can be even more creative. While there are no complete personality changes, some may feel some "adjustments" to fit their role at times. Some roles will be more effective for certain tasks and objectives, and they will receive additional buff bonuses to help clear it.

With the help of local citizens who have formed their own rebel force, everyone must now help push back the nightmare force that has taken over this story and lure out the mysterious new "Wizard" that is the source of all this chaos. If they can fill a giant emerald with positive dreams and launch it at the "Wizard," then it'll be a mission success.

For any questions, refer to the Game Notes and comment there.

I. HELPING THE CITY

Emerald City is a mess, but not lost. The rebel force has a base set up to help direct everyone and serves as the main camp for aid and rest. There's plenty to do, and now that they have "Dorothy and her friends" again, they may be able to win back their proud city. Oh, if only they could find the Princess Ozma...

A. Porcelain Rubble. Aside from the usual physical destruction, large portions of the city have turned into porcelain and broken apart. A special glue is available and becomes more potent with dreamotion infused into it, and as soon as pieces are glued back together the structure will return to its original form. However, there is a risk of someone turning into porcelain the longer they remain in the area and will need to be glued back together if broken (fortunately no one can die, just lie helplessly in pieces). Perhaps those who are cast as Toto can help sniff out trapped individuals, while the Scarecrow's straw would make for excellent padding for those broken pieces.

B. Statued. Many citizens have been turned into statues, scattered all over the city and outside the walls. They need to be moved to safety first before a cure can be used as it takes time to fully work. Special sleighs fashioned after the Gump are available to help carry any statued citizen to safety; just be careful when driving it as they are very unpredictable. Once in a safe spot, a few drops of the potion will start the curing process. The many witches that cursed everyone to begin with are still out and about, ready to turn anyone unaware into statues. Strangely, the spell bounces off metal, so those cast as the Tinman will be great in offering support and could even try and reflect the spell back onto the witches to turn them to statues instead.

C. Into the Poppy Field. The dangerous poppy field known for its ability to lull any who are flesh and blood to sleep until their dying days has been inching closer towards the city, perhaps drawn by the nightmare energy flowing out from it. To make matters worse, they now can move their roots and leaves to try and ensnare people. A special plant killer diffuser has been developed, but it requires anyone cast as Dorothy, the Lion, or Toto to take the diffuser and run into the field as deep as they can before they succumb to the pollen, which will activate the diffuser. Either the Tinman or the Scarecrow must then make their way through to fetch them. Those who volunteered to run in can use their ability to dreamwalk and appear as a little wisp to help guide their would be rescuer to their slumbering body, even give them some help with the snares. (Mod: for threading purposes, characters can either partner up as the sleeper and rescuer, or both can be rescuing an NPC that served as the role of sleeper instead).

D. First Aid. For any who prefer to stay out of combat and help the wounded and scared, the base camp is stocked with medical supplies, food, and other necessities to help weather out the attack. They do need to be resupplied, however, so those more daring to venture either into the city or outside the walls to get items should take someone capable of defending just in case. Some places include an orchard of lunch pail trees that grow fully stocked lunch pails filled with various foods. Lions will be great at climbing them while Scarecrows can shoo away annoying crows. Another is gathering wood in a cursed forest where the trees have become Fighting Trees. The Tinman's ax is lethal against them and will chop through them easily.

E. Yellow Brick Road. The famous golden yellow brick road has been broken apart and needs to be repaired so additional support from neighboring areas can come in. Because it's a magical road, it needs to be fixed in a magical way—which is reliving the whimsical, iconic, song and dance of Dorothy and her friends. The Munchkins have created special silver shoes that anyone of the cast can wear and it has the magic to inform the wearer how the musical rendition goes. It will also "help" their movements to skip and dance along the broken spaces. Should they be successful, the broken and missing bricks will be repaired and the road will start to shine. So partner up, link arms, and belt out those vocal chords because they're off to see the Wizard!

II. FIGHTING FOES

There are numerous enemies attacking the city, but while some are original to the story, many are abnormal creations or noctasers, the unholy union of noctaere and the Story Eater's minions, Erasers. Of course the Story Eater would have a hand in this! But with the advantages gained by the roles, they can be defeated.

A. Wheeling Monkeys. The Wheelers and the Winged Monkeys have been ensorceled and are creating havoc within the city. However, instead of violence their actions are more…goofy. They're throwing rotten eggs, colored water balloons, creamed pies, and other strange pranks to hinder everyone's movements. They're relatively easy to capture and even prank back. The more aggressive ones, however, are actually noctasers and will need to be destroyed via dreamotion. Those cast as Dorothy will be able to distinguish those who are original to the book and the disguised noctasers as well as inflict extra damage to weaken the noctasers. Everyone in the cast is strong against noctasers.

» BONUS: THE GOLDEN CAP. The Winged Monkeys were once free but after the Golden Cap was ripped apart to steal its magic and now many are once again enslaved. Dorothy can convince the originals to join their side, if they have some Golden Cap fragments that appear when a noctaser is defeated. The more noctasers defeated, the more fragments collected and the more Wheelers and Winged Monkeys will join their side!

B. Meeeelllttiiiinng! Those witches are causing the most problems, and they are abnormal creations that need to go. Because they were fashioned after the Wicked Witch, they are weak to water, especially dreamotion infused water. The trick is actually getting to them as they are often found flying high above. There are numerous small hot air balloons that can be used to fly up and to either hose the witches or dump giant buckets of water, both tools already attached to the balloon basket. Just be careful because it just takes one giant tear to pop the balloon and send everyone into a crazy spinning crash to the ground. Having a Tinman to help deflect spells off their armor will be a great help.

III. SWEET DREAMS

The Projector of Dreams has been set up and several beds with the magical headsets are available to those who wish to volunteer and produce positive dreams that will be used against the Wizard. These dreams will be funneled into a giant emerald that will be launched from a cannon at the Wizard once lured out.

A. Positive Dreams. To help the Projector, positive dreams are needed. These dreams will briefly be projected onto the emerald so those nearby monitoring things may catch a glimpse of the dream. Perhaps those who are dreaming will have theirs be more interactive to try and get others in and create a stronger positive experience.

B. Luring out the Wizard. The Wizard is holed up in the Throne Room of the castle and needs to be lured out before the dream infused emerald can be hurtled into it. The methods to do so might seem a bit unorthodox, but it will work and may give a hint on who the "Wizard" really is. Everyone is told to play various children's games within the Emerald City's castle. Tea parties, hide and seek, tag, games—whatever they can think of. As they play, a strange shadow that looks like a young princess will emerge to either watch or join in. Players can either incorporate the shadow playing or just focus on their characters, but the shadow will always be happy and laughing. The goal is to produce happy, positive fun feelings, so there are no dangers. Unless someone wants to throw in a noctaser or something to spice things up.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Her hands droop, her head tilts. Has Susato forgotten? Well, it's not like she really told her everything. That was part of the plan, you know: secrecy is a very political decision to make, if you ask her. She nods once, confusion coloring her expression. When Aerith speaks, it's with a heavy sprinkling of disbelief. ]

Not if we get a say in it! [ Fists on either side of her, she leans a little closer, and then gestures. ] Go on! I'll be right behind you. I promise.

[ Secrets are overrated, bestie. The look Aerith is giving her is not helping jog her memory, either. There's a heavy London fog in her brain that makes it feel like she herself was tossed by someone, but there is a sense of urgency in Aerith's voice that feels like a fire lit beneath her feet. ]

H, Huh? Inside? But--

[ Will she even fit in? Is that why she's dressed like this? There's definitely a heavy feeling that she doesn't belong. She shakes her head. ]

No, of course. This is for Tifa, so I will. But why don't I remember?

[ Sometime ago, Susato had asked how Aerith and Tifa met. She doesn't realize it, but this is the backstory to that tale— Aerith quirks a brow as the memory jostles in her brain, a strange sensation. It's like pulling a particularly interesting rock out of a pond while swimming: You know it had to have been there for a while, but you have no idea when it rolled to the bottom of the pond.

A beat of silence rolls over them. ]

Cloud...?

[ No, that's not the name of the person in front of her. ]

S...Susato?

[ That's it, right? Her brows knit together. It has to be. ]

[ Susato blinks, head tilting automatically towards the night sky. It's a clear night... but very quickly, she's realizing that's not what Aerith meant. An image of a spiky head of blonde hair appears, wielding an unnaturally large blade, and there's the chittering of rats in her ear. This is joined by a distant, yet familiar howl of a hound.

Then Susato shakes her head, and it's all gone, leaving only her name trailing off Aerith's lips. ]

Oh. Yes. Sorry, I'm ready.

[ Let's do this.

What are we doing? Inside. Right. ]

...I think.

[ There is a lot going on right now in either of their brains, but Aerith has the mind for the moment. She moves behind Susato, heels clicking and star-themed jewelry glimmering, then starts pushing her through the door. ]

In... you go!

[ The red velvet curtain parts, opening up into the lobby of the Honeybee Inn. A concierge notices Susato, and smiles politely. With his customer service voice, he speaks sweetly. ]

Look at you, all dressed up and ready to go. Do you have an appointment?

[ From behind her, Aerith speaks up. ] She's here for Andrea.

[ Smiling, Aerith gestures for Susato to confirm. Go on, now! C'mon! ]

[ Appointment?

You'd think Aerith was pushing right on the stage, but no. Susato finds that isn't the case. This is a performance though, isn't it? Susato can feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach. A nervous noise escapes her lips like a whimper as her eyes go wide, but she quickly straightens her back, coughing to regain her composure.

She smooths out the skirt of her dress, then fidgets with her watch and bracelets as her hands desperately seek something to do. ]

Yes, Andrea Rhodea. I... [ She looks at Aerith. Her eyes stop moving quite so much. ] We don't have an appointment. [ Do we? ]

[ The receptionist blinks, brows raised and concern spilling out of his expression despite how tightly he wears his smile. What is she so nervous for? ] First time? [ That must be it, he deduces. Waving Susato through to the back, he gestures for her to go on. ] On the contrary, young miss, Andrea has made a special exception for this evening. Penciled you right here, in fact! You're free to go through.

[ Aerith's touch comes to rest on the small of Susato's back. A bit awkward, but they've got this, don't they! The two of them will have Tifa back in no time. She goes ahead, looking at the girl over her shoulder, and motions for her to go first. ]

You're too worried. Relax. We've got this.

[ Beyond the curtain to the back of the house is a ... domed room. It's big, and wide, with another reception desk in the center, a number of doors scattered around and women in costumes flitting about. It's clear what the theme is of this place, and Aerith's looking around with a widen gaze, smiling. She's awed, completely charmed by the open honesty of the place.

The only question is, which door? There's one with a trio of women in costumes outside it, a cracked door, and yet more fully close. ]

Edited 2022-08-21 18:48 (UTC)

[ Susato visibly eases at the receptionist's words, pushing down the feelings that threatened to well out from her one day as Ryutaro. Perhaps she'd been expecting more of a fight. For some reason, she just knows, like something of a distant legend: people wait years for an appointment with Andrea Rhodea. Whatever magic Aerith had spun to make it happen... she truly thought of everything.

There's a smile as she walks past Aerith, holding her head a little higher than before as she gives the receptionist her thanks. Had he even asked their names...? No matter. Susato doesn't question it, drinking in the scene within the huge domed room.

Her gaze zips around, much like a honeybee, before settling on the trio hanging around outside a door. ]

I can see why they call it the Honeybee Inn... [ There's a pause. She turns around to make sure she hasn't wandered too far from Aerith. ] Have you been here before?

[ Susato has no way to know this, but it had been Cloud's prowess that got him this favor. As such, in Aerith's mind, it's not at all doubtful that Susato, too, has worked to get this appointment on her own terms. Perhaps they dominated at the coliseum like Aerith and Cloud had, or perhaps some other ordeal had fallen into her lap in this dream. It doesn't matter much, in the end, but Aerith's trust and belief in Susato fills in the blanks in her mind.

Aerith isn't too far behind, chatting up the other receptionist while watching Susato out of the corner of her eye. What are they talking about? It's hard to say. If pressed, she wouldn't recall. Instead, she only remembers Susato's voice. ]

It's just wonderful, isn't it? [ The elegance could feel like a horrible sort of decadence, but it avoids that, somehow. It's firmly beautiful, with wooden walls in a shade of deep mahogany. They're polished, and the red carpet placed perfectly over the tiling adds a sense of homeliness she didn't think she could find out in Wall Market.

The trio is beckoning her over, giggling as they ogle her, like three elder sisters preparing to dote on the youngest of them all. ]

Oh, you already found them, I guess...?

[ The tallest, a blonde, speaks in a cheerful, eager tone. ] Are you Susato? Look at how cute you are! Andrea made a special request for you tonight. Come on, come with us!

[ Aerith nods. It's fine, go on! ]

[ What had they been talking about, indeed? Susato watches curiously, having turned when she found her question unanswered, but she supposes it's not that important. She does tilt her head though, as if to silently ask--but she can't deny it. Something about Aerith's presence puts her at ease, and in a word, it is... wonderful.

Susato is distracted, but then hears an excited giggling aimed at her. Found who? But little does she know, her feet had taken her in the right direction. She tries to match the tall blonde's excitement, nodding as she makes to follow them. ]

Yes, I--

[ Yes, she is Susato. Yes, this dress is extremely cute. She turns however, saying none of this. Her hand had automatically reached for Aerith's. ]

Can't she come with me?

[ The whole situation unfolds like this: The concierge behind the desk looks at Susato with raised brows and an open mouth. The women dressed in honeybee costumes go quiet, looking at one another with a hand to their mouth. No one seems quite sure of what to say, or how to deliver the news. Perhaps it's quite simple— maybe no one has ever asked them that. After all, if you're getting called out by Andrea, there's only one person you should be concerned with.

Aerith steps forward, taking Susato's hands in her's with a reassuring, tight grip. ]

Andrea wants to see you. [ She shakes her head, and smiles. Would if she could, but that's not how her memory plays out, and so staunchly set upon saving Tifa as she is, she doesn't want to mess this up. ] This is for Tifa, not me.

[ Is... it? She wonders. Something feels wrong. Was Susato even... here? ]

Don't worry. You're going to be just fine. Everything will be alright.

. . .

[ Susato stares at Aerith, glancing down at herself at that word, "you." What is it about her that's caught this Andrea's attention? She can almost hear the distant applause and cheering of a crowd, just out of her reach, but it doesn't feel earned. She shakes her and, and finally she flips her hands over so that they're holding Aerith's, and she squeezes back. ]

You're right. For Tifa.

[ There's a smile, and she turns to the Honeybee women. ]

My apologies... Will you please show me the way?

[ After that, everything unfolds easily. Susato is whisked away, shuffled into the performance room by the three women who giggle and tease her the whole way about how adorable she is. At length, she's brought to a little booth, where they all three crowd Susato as a performance plays out with a dazzling light show, and people in costumes move to the beat with precise, perfect moves.

It all comes to a head when Susato is ushered on stage, a flower bud unfurling at the center of it... The illustrious Andrea Rhodea arrives in envious style, flanked by beautiful women and men, their presence announced with a flurry of honey-golden lights. Andrea wastes no time in greeting her— he saunters over, hips swinging and movements beautifully graceful. "Welcome to the Honeybee Inn... Susato." Here, the dream acts out the situation as if Susato were in place of Cloud: No matter what she does, she'll be unable to move from the stage, pulled back by employees every time. There's no escape.

"You seek my approval, don't you?" Andrea encircles her, though not in the way a predator might. It seems more like, perhaps, a seamster checking his work over, taking in the image, deciding on the changes that must be made to his newest masterpiece. "I understand," he says, and walks back to the center of the stage, whereupon he strikes a pose as he continues, cheerfully but with finality, "But those who seek my favor must first prove they know how to move." The beat goes on as Andrea dances, and beckons Susato to join him.

Meanwhile, Aerith has pushed her way into the room finally, and she moves forward, taking the spot where Susato had sat in the booth. Surrounded by the trio of Honeybee Inn girls, she's watching eagerly, placing all her trust in Susato to make this happen. Should she look over and catch Aerith's eye, the flower girl only smiles, cheers, and shakes a move in her seat.

The crowd's watching. ]

[ . . . Well, at the very least, Susato will not be nearly as grumpy as Cloud. She is startled to be pushed onto the stage. There is no way she is practiced enough to do what any of the other bees are doing, but every time there's a subtle attempt to leave, she is pulled back into the sequence. She can hear the giggles as she tries to grasp the rhythm, the lyrics to the song sinking in.

Stand up and cast your fears aside.
Stand up and bare your soul with pride.

She only freezes for a moment, staring in awe when Andrea takes the stage, hips swaying in a way she's never seen. It's his favor they seek, is it...?

Susato mimics him, making the beat her own. Any response she may have given him is swallowed up by the music. ]

[ "Think you can follow my lead?"

Suddenly the music shifts. In that moment, she does catch Aerith's eye for a moment in the crowd, but that reminder that there is a lead to follow, and she's been doing it already--well, that might be all that she needs. After all, she's the best assistant in the world!

When she spins, the skirt of her dress flares. She sways with Andrea, allowing him to get up close and personal, more so than she'd allow most men.

The dance ends with a pose, which Susato seems to hold longer than Andrea does. She sweats, and her heart practically beats out of her chest as she soaks up the explosive applause. ]

[ The crowd loves it. Every moment of it. From Susato's honest display of skills, sweetness and determination, it's abundantly clear that she can, in fact, move. Aerith is seated in that booth still, not once moving from her spot, but she rambunctiously wiggles and dances, arms flapping back and forth with the beat. She cannot, in a manner of speaking, contain herself, but she does give Susato a standing ovation, hands held high overhead as she claps enthusiastically. ]

Great job! I love it! Nice moves, Susato!

[ Meanwhile, Andrea, too, has been charmed. He flashes Susato a heart, made with his hands, "Honey, I'm in love," he says, and a flurry of action happens as he goes on to explain he'll transform her into a vision of beauty. Her favor thoroughly won, he decides to reward her. A throne is plucked from off stage, placed in the center. A makeup artist approaches, observing Susato's features as she's pushed into the chair; around them, the Honeybee Inn girls are using giant feather fans to cover up the reveal. Listen close enough and you'll hear Aerith practically wheezing with excitement.

A lot of commotion happens; Susato's dress is refreshed, her jewelry added to, make up gently placed upon her face to accentuate the natural beauty she possesses, and trinkets are added to her shoes to make them fancier; you don't walk into Corneo's mansion without pulling out the whole nine yards.

When all is said and done: the fans are moved so the crowd gets to see, and the platform rises, so even the people furthest back can get a peek. Aerith, in the crowd, is positively over the moon, excited and wrapped up in the moment. Andrea leads Susato back down, so she can leave, but not before giving her a speech about how true beauty is genderless— and that she should never be afraid to let her inner beauty show.

Really, it's quite the show, all things considered: no one in the crowd is unmoved. ]

[ In love...... he says those words so easily.

She feels like a statue, frozen and helpless, even as Andrea leaves her with those encouraging words. She doesn't know if her voice would carry through, even if she could find it in her to respond, so she just... waits, having stood to admire (and show off) her new wardrobe. She looks down at herself for what feels like too long, inspecting everything from the trinkets on her shoes, the fabric of her darker dress--even her face feels numb with the new makeup applied.

With this, she feels like they got what they came for. The applause is dying down, replaced with chatter among the guests as Susato finally sneaks off stage. A part of her wishes she could thank Andrea. It feels like she missed her chance to do now, but the only thing now is finding Aerith, and getting to the mansion.

She's too polite to push people too hard, but eventually she makes her way through the crowd, and quite literally bumps into... ]

A, Aerith! [ Oh thank god. ] I...... I did it...

[ She can be found easily, waiting for Susato at the back of the stage even if she has this twisting feeling that this isn't quite right. Something is still off, something is still giving the impression of not fitting. Like trying to fit a square peg into a circular hole; it isn't an unpleasant feeling, something about to go wrong, but rather like knowing you forgot something at home.

So Susato finds her mulling over this, and even though her expression is one of thoughtfulness, it's wiped away easily. Replacing that frown quickly with a smile, Aerith greets her by grabbing her hand to hold. ]

You did it, and perfectly. They love you out here.

[ The crowd's still going crazy, buzzing with energy, like a stadium full of people cheering for her. ]

[ Her hand fits easily into Aerith's. Susato wonders what Aerith might have been thinking about just now, her head tilting in silent question, but she's jostled by someone passing through in the crowd and she grips Aerith's hand tighter to keep her balance.

After a moment, she pulls them both a little closer to the wall and out of the way, chuckling. ] ]

Most importantly, Mr Andrea Rhodea loved me. So... now we can proceed.

[ To the palace. Don Corneo's palace...

They'll need disguises, won't they? ]

[ A moment of playful silence passes. The lights dazzle, flashing cool purple, then pink, and Aerith takes Susato by the hand, leading her. They leave, leaving nothing but stories behind, and it's onto the streets of Wall Market, where wafts of pleasant aromas pass them by. Pastries, fried foods, but perfumes, too, a dance of memories that all bleed together in a light show that blurs and mixes together like water color paints, or neon lights that leave long, burning stripes of color as you run past the, too fast for your eyes to catch up. ]

We've got this. [ She speaks, long brown hair trailing in waves as the pair of them cut through the crowds, throngs of people with no discernable or memorable features, all before they come up to a great, big castle with reds and golds in ostentatious designs covering the French doors. ]

You scared?

[ Susato follows Aerith easily through the streets. There's hardly any time to stop and take in any sights, but perhaps that's for the best. The pastries and fried foods call her name in particular, calling to her mind another world, but just as quickly as she is reminded of it, the memory fades like a part of the light show.

She stands in front of those ornate French doors with the castle threatening to swallow them up, and she glances towards Aerith at her question. ]

Terrified, actually, thank you for asking. But if you are worried I won't see this through, don't be.

[ At Susato’s remark, Aerith laughs, and gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. Susato’s hands are warm and sweat-slick in her grip, and she’s sure that her own palms are wet in the same way. The rush of Wall Market does something to your body, and running around no doubt has been hard. ]

Don’t worry. You’re having fun, aren’t you?

[ Looking aside, she speaks with her eyes only. Keep having fun with it, Aerith encourages, and enters a brief discussion with the bouncer. He seems to not believe them, even with letters of recommendation from Madam M and Andrea Rhodea— Aerith easily replies with, “Is there a problem?” only for the man at the door to quip, while moving aside for them, “I hope you know what you’re in for.” ]

Oh, we’ll be fine.

[ The doors open. They move inside, where orange lighting casts a rich glaze over everything in the foyer. There’s stacks of expensive things, baubles and statues and pieces of art, against the wall in a way that looks both at once decorated and destructive, like someone with no taste had decided it just goes there. The room is cleared out, however, the ground floor is easy to walk around in— golden shades of all sorts line the floor and walls with deep, velvety tones of wood. One of Corneo’s lackeys shouts out that they’re to go to the second floor, to the last door, and comments that it’s “their room”. Aerith doesn’t seem the least bit concerned about this.

So the question is: explore downstairs, or go up? ]

[ Maybe there's a part of her that is having fun, but she knows she shouldn't be. They still haven't completed the mission, and until they have, this is always going to feel more like business than pleasure.

Susato, having already had her fifteen minutes of fame, easily falls into the background when it comes to the man at the door. She immediately notes how young he looks; not much older than Susato herself, surely, but it's a passing thought at best as they continue on. His ominous words seem to hang in the air, weighing on Susato like a dull ache. Just what are they in for...?

We'll be fine, Susato repeats to herself.

And her eyes automatically trail up those garish steps, because she is nothing if not obedient. ]

If that is "our" room, which one is Tifa's?

[ Though it’s a very understandable question, it’s not one Aerith has a question for. With Susato more interested in the stairs, they start climbing them in a rush. Aerith leads the way, though a few doors along the way are rather tempting— Corneo’s lackeys don’t let them dawdle long enough to inspect them. Each door they even slightly halt at gets them a remark that urges them to go all the way down the balcony, to the very last door.

Aerith approaches the last door, and without asking, pushes it open. ]

Tifa’s room is probably… below us?

[ The door closes behind them, and simultaneously…

A sweet, overwhelming begins to fill the room— a gas of some kind that lingers heavily over them both, slowly knocking both of them out. ]

[ While Susato isn't exactly trying to linger, Corneo's lackeys "rushing" them goes against everything she knows as an investigator. In a moment of immaturity, she might have stuck her tongue out as one of them as they pass, but continues being as subservient and obedient as ever.

Just a little longer. Just until they find Tifa. Aerith is opens the door to their "room," and when she answers the question, it's the first time she's felt like she's made a mistake. ]

Below us? But...

[ There's a pause. She trails off, catching that sweet scent. ]

What is that? My head feels h, heav...... [ Her legs give out from under her, and she collapses onto the floor as she clings to consciousness. ]

{ Saving Oz }

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