[you're awake. you had the dream again, the frightening dream where you were pushed and nearly fell to your death.
but you blink your eyes open and you find that you're sitting in front of a shimmering purple mirror. it's beautiful, but hard to look at, and you need to look away from it.
you remember you name is koharu, and you remember the snippets of that dream, and that despite how you were shoved aside, you were taken somewhere safe, taken in. and you remember feelings. the last moments, how you'd been too weak to stand up for yourself or push back, how you were used for your blood, how you were destroyed because you'd given someone the benefit of the doubt and tried to trust rather than saving yourself. you don't remember the specific events, but the feelings stick.
but you don't remember anything else, any details about your life. there's a woman standing above you, though she's wearing a hooded robe and a mask, so you can't see what she looks like. but there's a gauntlet covered hand on your shoulder. it's almost a comforting gesture? or maybe one of control.
you're led away from the mirror and into a room. and there's a person in that room, with their arms bound and tied to a chair. there's a bag over their head, so you can't see who it is.]
[the bag is pulled off the person's head. there's a girl there, tied to the chair. she's obviously in bad shape. not beaten or anything, just maybe held prisoner for a while, deprived sleep and starved. she seems groggy and uncertain where she is.
you don't know her. (though maybe you do? there's maybe a glimmer of some recognition, a ghost of whatever feelings you might have had in another life. faint, not enough to be sure.)
but it's pretty obvious what you're meant to do. there are medical implements - pliers, scissors, a bonesaw, knives - all sort of rusty and unsanitary.]
Don't apologize. Let this heretic be sorry. Prove yourself.
Not that Koharu gets to linger on these thoughts for long. Her eyes grow wide as she looks between the surgical tools and over her shoulder to the woman. ]
[the voice is firm, brokering no argument. you can choose to obey or defy the orders, but there's not room for arguing with them.
the girl is starting to blink awake. she's obviously afraid, though she's trying to keep a brave face on, not let it show. but she's also staring at koharu as though trying to put together a few pieces that just don't fit, trying to understand something.]
[she is! she is. she's waiting. she does not seem concerned by the plan to escape happening in front of her, like there is simply no doubt in her mind that there is no cause for concern.]
Are you going to do as you're told, Koharu? It's time to decide.
[koharu will feel disapproval from the woman. maybe anger, too, but principally, disapproval. she will feel herself freeze in place, as though by magic; she can't move or struggle. the woman selects a knife, the metal heated hot enough to burn, and then she drives it into koharu's back, between the shoulder blades.
she can't even move to flinch from the pain. kanna is screaming now.]
She can't jerk away, try as she might, and so there's little choice but to withstand the full force of the pain, as unbearable as it is. Needless to say, Koharu isn't being brave about this at all. ]
[she doesn't have any sense that anyone other than the girl in the chair cares about her screaming. to everyone else, she's weak, an inconvenience, a failure. her being punished like this is not worth even pity. she could save herself the pain if only she'd toughen up even a little.
someone else will take over from her, with kanna, and she'll hear that girl's shouts and screams as well, but she won't see, as she's being dragged away, back through the temple, where there will be more pain and punishment waiting. she'll be hurt and thrown into an isolated cell until she regrets not obeying.
she wakes up, gazing at a cloudy purple mirror. she doesn't remember anything. she doesn't even recall a name. only snippets of a dream where she was in danger, where she was falling to her death before she was saved. but it feels that she has been here for some time.
she feels as though she hasn't eaten recently, she's weak with exhaustion, and she's in pain. there are bruises and scars on her body from wounds that seem to have been healed with magic but still burn. there's also a black, circle-like wound on the back of her hand.
just as before, the memories are gone, but the feelings remain behind. how was she feeling about things, as the last scene ended?]
[she is led back to the same room as before. the same girl is still in there. the situation is a little more permanent now; she has an altar, a round, flat, stone disc, that she's been chained to with chains made with magic. and she's been through it, beaten, hurt, tortured. by someone other than you. (or maybe it was you, and you don't remember? how would you know?) otherwise, same situation, same tools. same person in a hood and mask.
...not that koharu knows, because she doesn't remember that, either. she also does not know this person. there is not a flicker of recognition.]
You hesitated too much last time, but I know you'll do better this time.
This girl needs to be punished. Don't kill her, but make her repent. Cut her open, cut off her fingers, gouge out her eyes. Whatever is enough.
[the girl is still asleep on the table. koharu doesn't remember but what is hard to shake is the feeling from before, the amount of pain she felt from being punished for failing. even now, that wound at the back of her neck pulses, just a light jolt, reminding her.]
[ Thank you for the warning. It's very generous of you to have even a little bit of faith that Koharu would ever have the willpower to like, torture a random stranger, let alone give them a papercut. So. ]
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holyspirits) wrote2025-02-23 02:30 pm
koharu
but you blink your eyes open and you find that you're sitting in front of a shimmering purple mirror. it's beautiful, but hard to look at, and you need to look away from it.
you remember you name is koharu, and you remember the snippets of that dream, and that despite how you were shoved aside, you were taken somewhere safe, taken in. and you remember feelings. the last moments, how you'd been too weak to stand up for yourself or push back, how you were used for your blood, how you were destroyed because you'd given someone the benefit of the doubt and tried to trust rather than saving yourself. you don't remember the specific events, but the feelings stick.
but you don't remember anything else, any details about your life. there's a woman standing above you, though she's wearing a hooded robe and a mask, so you can't see what she looks like. but there's a gauntlet covered hand on your shoulder. it's almost a comforting gesture? or maybe one of control.
you're led away from the mirror and into a room. and there's a person in that room, with their arms bound and tied to a chair. there's a bag over their head, so you can't see who it is.]
We'll teach you to do better next time.
[you need someone to help you.]
no subject
[ Her stomach feels as though it's twisting in on itself, and she couldn't even wholly explain why. Koharu can't even manage to lift her head. ]
What did I— I'm sorry. I don't know why...
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you don't know her. (though maybe you do? there's maybe a glimmer of some recognition, a ghost of whatever feelings you might have had in another life. faint, not enough to be sure.)
but it's pretty obvious what you're meant to do. there are medical implements - pliers, scissors, a bonesaw, knives - all sort of rusty and unsanitary.]
Don't apologize. Let this heretic be sorry. Prove yourself.
[so... what do you want to do?]
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Not that Koharu gets to linger on these thoughts for long. Her eyes grow wide as she looks between the surgical tools and over her shoulder to the woman. ]
What do you mean? You can't really want me to...
[ Do that. ]
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[the voice is firm, brokering no argument. you can choose to obey or defy the orders, but there's not room for arguing with them.
the girl is starting to blink awake. she's obviously afraid, though she's trying to keep a brave face on, not let it show. but she's also staring at koharu as though trying to put together a few pieces that just don't fit, trying to understand something.]
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[ Koharu shrinks in on herself, hands rubbing nervously together. ]
I can't— I can't do that.
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[the meaning is clear - would you prefer to be the one in that chair?
meanwhile, the girl in the chair is looking at you.]
Koharu. What's happening? Who are these people?
[she knows your name? but you really, definitely do not know her.]
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[ Koharu's head snaps back up, eyes wide. ]
How do you know my name...?
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[the girl seems more alarmed by this than anything else that's happened.]
You recognize me. Of course you do.
[she struggles against the bindings holding her, finding some reserve of strength despite her weakness, but she can't get away.]
Sorry, but I think you're going to have to be the one to get us out of this.
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[ Who even is she? This has to be some trick, right...?
Koharu looks around, but uh. Is mystery lady still here... ]
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Are you going to do as you're told, Koharu? It's time to decide.
[now, is the unspoken command.]
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I can't. I can't! I'm not going to hurt her!
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[koharu will feel disapproval from the woman. maybe anger, too, but principally, disapproval. she will feel herself freeze in place, as though by magic; she can't move or struggle. the woman selects a knife, the metal heated hot enough to burn, and then she drives it into koharu's back, between the shoulder blades.
she can't even move to flinch from the pain. kanna is screaming now.]
no subject
She can't jerk away, try as she might, and so there's little choice but to withstand the full force of the pain, as unbearable as it is. Needless to say, Koharu isn't being brave about this at all. ]
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someone else will take over from her, with kanna, and she'll hear that girl's shouts and screams as well, but she won't see, as she's being dragged away, back through the temple, where there will be more pain and punishment waiting. she'll be hurt and thrown into an isolated cell until she regrets not obeying.
she wakes up, gazing at a cloudy purple mirror. she doesn't remember anything. she doesn't even recall a name. only snippets of a dream where she was in danger, where she was falling to her death before she was saved. but it feels that she has been here for some time.
she feels as though she hasn't eaten recently, she's weak with exhaustion, and she's in pain. there are bruises and scars on her body from wounds that seem to have been healed with magic but still burn. there's also a black, circle-like wound on the back of her hand.
just as before, the memories are gone, but the feelings remain behind. how was she feeling about things, as the last scene ended?]
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Doing what again?
She wants to be, but she can't do it. Why? ]
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...not that koharu knows, because she doesn't remember that, either. she also does not know this person. there is not a flicker of recognition.]
You hesitated too much last time, but I know you'll do better this time.
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[ What last time? What didn't she do? ]
... What do you want from me?
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[the girl is still asleep on the table. koharu doesn't remember but what is hard to shake is the feeling from before, the amount of pain she felt from being punished for failing. even now, that wound at the back of her neck pulses, just a light jolt, reminding her.]
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W- why? What did she do?
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[is she still hesitating?]
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... So I have to do this? To her?
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[she has one tag to do something...]
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B- but I... I can't...
[ Thank you for the warning. It's very generous of you to have even a little bit of faith that Koharu would ever have the willpower to like, torture a random stranger, let alone give them a papercut. So. ]
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