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BORN OF THE DESIRE
EVOLUTION
Robin rubbed her eyes, clearing away the remaining tears from earlier as she stepped out of the elevator, Pikachu waddling besides her mimicking her actions. Between the two of them, the only difference was Pikachu yawning. Robin turned towards the small creature and drew an equally small smile, her eyes blinking softly.
"I'm not sure where to go from here. Maybe we should return to the classrooms?" Her question was shortly answered as a familiar voice sounded just down the stage from them, a head drooping as smoke puffed upwards slowly.
"The gate leading to the upstairs portion of the entryway's been opened," Falcon replied. He sat on the edge of the stage, his arms resting across his legs, the small butt of a cigarette in his hand. "Follow the hallway down to the lobby, it'll be a big open room with several doors. I'm pretty sure one of them's a cafeteria. Besides that, the immediate door to your right as you enter the lobby will be the dormitory."
"Oh, I see," Robin replied, her voice still appearing rattled. She held on tightly to one arm and stood briefly, her eyes wandering the stage, ignoring the body in front of her now rising. "And as for each room..."
"There'll be name plates on the doors," Falcon replied. "You should go get some rest, it's been a long day."
Robin nodded her head slowly, still clutching her arm. Pikachu looked towards her and began to nudge her softly, attempting to somehow revitalize the worn body. Its attempts seemed to keep coming short as she would begin to move forward, only to stop immediately, as if a large anchor was chained to her leg. Before long, her voice broke through the minutes of silence, Falcon still standing idly by the stage edge.
"Do... you hate me?" Her words seemed to have a spell on them as Falcon's body jumped slightly, his head turning to glance over towards her now, he himself unable to answer immediately as she continued. "Do you? You can't even bear to face me."
"You need to get some sleep kiddo," he replied, his head still slightly turned behind him but his gaze now pulling away from her.
"Is it true then? You despise me?"
"I really do think you should-"
"If you say you do I won't be upset. I just-" Before she could even continue, Falcon replied, this time the calm aura surrounding him gone as now rage fueled his words, the cigarette butt falling to the ground.
"Just shut up!" His words echoed against the dim walls of the auditorium, silence flooding the room, following his words as if to throw a blanket over them. He gripped his forehead as his helmet laid in his other hand, his brown hair exposed to the world before them. His body remained tensed for moments before releasing that stress, sighing. His hand clenched tightly, but stopped shortly as the calming aura from before reappeared. His helmet dropped to the ground, banging and clanking as he pulled another cigarette out from his pocket, the sound of fire flickering briefly following. His blue eyes darted from one corner of the auditorium to the other, his lips wrapped around the yellow end, smoke escaping through the gaps. Minutes drew on as Falcon cleared his throat, his feet tapping against the ground.
"I didn't mean to come off so... so aggressive. I'm sorry. But... I've gotta ask you something," His words were much gentler now, his face still turned away from Robin. "Were you going to place the murder on me? To save his life?" Another eon passed between them as she remained silent, but much to his surprise, a response came, one that caused his freshly lit cigarette to fall to the ground, his mouth held agape as his mind processed the answer, his eyes swelling with water. He briefly pondered if he should've kept it to himself, but that phased away quickly as his head drooped down, fighting back the pain his body held on to.
As silence gripped the room, Robin's footsteps broke it in beats, passing the other beaten body, heading off the stage and towards the entryway door. Pikachu followed closely, shooting glances back at the other, its own face full of sorrow. Falcon assured his face stayed turned away from her as she reached the door now, the sound of it opening and then shutting covering the sounds of pit-pattering against the wooden floor, dripping as if rain were welcoming itself inside their prison.
Robin rubbed her eyes, the brown pupils surrounded by red stains. Exhaustion filled both her body and mind, the temptation of sleep weighing heavily on her as she trudged along towards the location mentioned by Falcon. Was I too forward with him? The thought entertained her mind as different scenarios played out, each of them starting with a different response. It almost appeared to her though that no matter what she would reply with, she would have no other way to avoid his question without being honest. Honesty... it's the only thing I can follow if I want to gain their trust again. They have no reason to believe in me..
"Pika?" Robin turned to face Pikachu who was pushing a small flap in a door, Robin noticing the name on the center of it belonging to the very same creature. While it still had a door handle and frame and height of a normal door, the only difference was that small flap allowing for it to crawl in and out.
"This must be your room," she said, smiling weakly. "Good thing it doesn't require you to actually open it, hah.." Pikachu blinked several times, frowning slightly as it nudged against Robin briefly, rubbing its head softly on her leg. She knelt down and rubbed its head, her mind floating away from this place and to somewhere completely different now, one that was accompanied by a soft breeze and people she could call her own...
A breeze coasted past the grassy field, long, wild pink hair waving in the wind after the surge. Brown eyes watched the lake far ahead, the water glistening with different kinds of sparkles, almost having the appearance of emeralds, the pine trees surrounding it giving it that very glow. The rock beneath her was warm from both the sun and her own body sitting there for quite some time now as she continued to watch the small ripples break over the lake as the breeze escaped past her. Even as footsteps began to approach her, she didn't pull away, her gaze fixated on the scene ahead of her, mouth slightly agape and eyes lost by the trance of the water.
After minutes passed of this intruder stepping next to her, sound returned as she realized a voice calling after her. She turned and saw a stoic face gazing ahead now along with her, his blue weary eyes locked on the lake ahead of them as well. His blue hair, while not as long as her own, swayed with the wind, giving it an even more messy look, as if he needed help with that. His silver shoulder pad shone brightly against the sun, the glare nearly blinding her had a cloud not covered the sun in time. As she blinked several times over, she noticed his eyes now looking back towards her, his tired face smiling at her.
"And what are you doing all the way out here, away from camp?" he asked, his voice as gruff as his appearance.
She turned back towards the lake, smiling softly, raising her head up towards the sky. "I was waiting for you."
"How would you know I'd come out this way?"
"Back at camp, Kellam mentioned you would come out here on patrol before heading to the main roads." Her voice sounded serious now as the man realized this as well, pulling himself up and straightening his back as he cleared his throat, ready to respond.
"Kellam? Who.. ah, nevermind that. You should know I'm only coming out here just to patrol the immediate surrounding area," he replied, scratching his head, but avoiding her gaze all the same. "And before you even say it, yes, I understand that it's too risky and that I need to be more careful. Yes, thank you mother." That last sneer must've caught on to something as she tensed briefly, he suddenly realizing his mistake all too late. As he gritted his teeth, expecting a harsh beating to follow, he was surprised to see her still seated and facing the sky.
"I don't say these things to nag you. As your tactician, it's my job to assure our victory by calculating any and all circumstances, planning for any possible course of action that would happen." She paused briefly, a finger twirling her pink hair around gently. Her eyes shut as she felt the wind press along her face, the cold balancing around the sun's beam on to it. "Even still, I can't seem to understand how if you already know about what I'm going to say to you, why-"
"Look," he responded, adjusting his body as he did. "I understand. Enemies could be lying in wait to try and assassinate me... But there could also be others who need my help! Many of the men in our army were passbyers or villagers that were under attack by bandits and outlaws! Had I not helped them, we wouldn't be where we are today. There's a war going on, and people are suffering. I can't... I can't ignore them. I won't."
"If that's the case, why not send your men to search for these hapless innocents?!" She stood now, marching away a few feet from him as tension drew thick between them. He doesn't understand the importance of his life... of his heritage! If we lose him.. if I...
"Because."
That simple response caught her off guard as she paused, turning to face him as she curiously raised an eyebrow, expecting more to follow his words. When she realized he was finished, she shook her head, frowning.
"Because?"
More time passed between them as she waited for what felt like an eternity. Now he faced the sky above, his eyes shut, his mind searching for the appropriate answer. The anger that had previously filled her subsided as she felt calmer, the breeze soothing her mind. The sound of the wind carrying along the blades of grass filled her head with its melody, almost capturing her in it. Shadows of the clouds above passed over the two of them again and again, making evident the amount of time elapsing before a response escaped his lips.
"Because of you." He stood facing her now, his gruff face meeting her soft, younger face. His blue eyes rested on her brown eyes, both of them locked in each other's gaze. "If I hadn't been there- if Frederick alone had found you- would we have ever met?"
Chrom... She was lost from those words, unable to think of something to reply with, her mind racing for any possible solution. You're right.. "Probably not..." Those were all the words she could muster as her knees felt weak, the thought of their meeting never happening churning in her stomach, souring her mood. It was one situation that she had no desire to ever happen, one that as a tactician, she wouldn't even know how to remedy.
"You see? And it's not just you. It's everyone like you. I know going out there exposes me to danger, and I haven't always been careful. But it's a risk I'm willing to take in order to connect with these people. To forge bonds. To gain... their trust." Trust. The one thing so hard to gain but so easy to lose... she thought to herself, looking away from him. He approached her and grabbed her hands gently, caressing them as he lowered his head. "These bonds between the villagers we've met, the world we've seen... Between me and the others... Between us."
"Chrom, I-"
"These bonds are the true strength of this army. Without them, we're lost." His words hit her harshly, but she didn't back away from them. Instead, she accepted them, and with it, she faced him, her eyes once more locked on his own. He shook his head, pulling away from her as she stood there stunned, confused at his actions. Before she could speak, he continued on. "This wasn't ever your war to fight. I dragged you into this mess. I.. I owe you an apology."
"I chose to fight it," she replied, moving towards him as his back remained turned from her. "You didn't make me do anything I wouldn't have done otherwise."
"It's just... all I've been thinking about is stopping Gangrel, no matter the cost. Even my own life would not have been too high a price to pay," he paused as he moved his hand to his face, rubbing his forehead. "It's been on my mind a lot lately. I've just been thinking about so many things."
"Don't claim to throw your life away so easily," she replied quickly. "You say it wouldn't have been too high of a price? For us it would be! Why would you not consider our feelings just after telling me how important these bonds are to you!" He remained silent even after her attacks, her face frowning as she stood, awaiting his response.
"I never want to let you go," he replied, her eyes widening as his words caught her off guard. "Does that make me selfish?" He chuckled softly as she remained frozen, unsure of what to say. He turned back towards her, his face smiling, brightened ever so more by the sun as the clouds escaped the sky, leaving only the two of them standing before one another in the grassy field. Her pink hair swayed in the wind, and her arms dropped to her sides, unable to act as she struggled to find any words to say to him, only after several minutes passing able to say anything.
"Let me be selfish, too. I would be with you, always."
Chrom..
Robin's eyes widen as she gasped, flinging herself backwards. The mouse skittered briefly before rushing to her side, Robin now rubbing her head. W-What was that... those memories... where did those come from!? How did I.. recognize that face...! Between her panting and gasping, she didn't notice footsteps running up towards her, seeing Lucina now at her side, her face worried.
"Robin! Are you okay?!" she cried out, kneeling beside her. Robin's body shook altogether, a chill overcoming her as she turned to face the other.
"Y-Yes, I think so... Lucina," she paused briefly, weighing the options before her as she continued on, "do you remember anything from your past?"
The blue haired duelist cocked her head sideways, shaking it. "Besides the little bits I told earlier, not really. Did you remember something?"
"I remembered a little bit, but it doesn't have anything to do with why we're here.. I think at least," Robin replied. Surely it doesn't. That seemed to be a more.. intimate memory that I'd like to keep to myself. But, why did seeing her face... shock me? Lucina frowned, crossing her arms as she began to ponder to herself as well. Robin waved her hand dismissively towards Lucina, smiling. "I think it was just an odd case, nothing more. I'm going to head to my room now."
"Very well then. When you do return, there are a list of.. 'rules' that the headmaster left for us on our desks," Lucina began to walk away, turning back once more. "Oh, Pit mentioned we all should meet up in the dining room in the morning!"
Robin nodded her head, waving goodbye to her. They've all probably gotten a good look around this floor while I was down there. I'll have to check it out tomorrow morning. For now... Robin looked around the large, circular room, noticing a first and second floor. The door leading into the dormitory was a type of mosaic glass, and starting from the right of it she noted names of the others. Each room seemed to alternate boy/girl, and turning back to her door she noted both Dark Pit to the left and then Falco to the right. Opposite of the door to the main lobby was another glass door, but with it being so dark, she couldn't see what was outside. Instead, she turned back towards her door.
Opening her door, she noticed that it wasn't locked at all, but her attention turned towards the interior of the room. While it was fairly simple, it was broken down as such: the first wall had only the door and a monitor screen above it. This would be the west wall. Left of it, the north wall, had a desk against it with a small indent going into the wall, several cloths matching Robin's own hanging inside it. The east wall had another door and next to that was a bed, one that was screaming for Robin to come rest on it. But not now. The south wall was only a nightstand and trash bin, a small clock with the time 03:54 on it.
It's already four A.M.. Robin realized. As exhaustion overcame her, she fought against it as she moved towards the desk, noticing the note Lucina informed her about. She grabbed it and looked over it's contents, familiarizing herself with it:
Academy Rules
-Rule #1- Attempting to exit through the main doors in the entryway will cause the bracelet on that person to react accordingly. To remove the bracelet, you must either find a key hidden away somewhere, have your heart stop beating, or graduate and walk.
-Rule #2- "Nighttime" is officially designated as the hours between 10:00 pm and 8:00 am. During this time, certain areas are off-limits, so please exercise caution.
-Rule #3- With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore the campus at your discretion.
-Rule #4- When a murder is committed in the academy, a class trial will be conducted. Room location will be marked on your bracelets, and a time limit will follow afterwards. Participation in this trial is mandatory for all surviving students.
-Rule #5- If the killer (hereinafter referred to as "the blackened") is correctly identified during the class trial, only the blackened will be punished for their crime.
-Rule #6- If the blackened is not exposed, they alone will graduate and walk, and all remaining students will be punished.
-Rule #7- If innocent students (hereinafter referred to as "the spotless") continue to survive class trials, the game will continue until only two students remain.
-Rule #8- Attempting to break into locked rooms is strictly prohibited.
-Rule #9- Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.
Until only two students remain? That specific line caught Robin off guard as she reviewed it again and again, almost expecting the words to change form after some time. We're stuck in here until we're either dead or two of us are left.. She glanced around the room once more and noticed a small camera positioned above the closet on the north wall. The fact that our doors don't lock either is troubling. He's practically enticing us to commit murder on one another. But more specifically, why are we being referred to as students?
Robin plopped down on to her bed and set the note down beside her, her eyes glued to the ceiling. While she wanted to immediately work on solving their circumstances, her body said otherwise as it sank into the mattress. So much has happened today... We had no time to breath, but now we have to trust in one another and work towards finding a way out. Trust... She once again thought about that memory that had come back to her, and her mind stayed on that familiar face, her eyes eventually closing slowly, taking her to a deep slumber...
Her head shot upwards immediately, glancing around the room. Her chest still panting, she pulled herself off the bed and looked towards the clock, seeing it now say 8:57. She shook her head as she realized she had fallen asleep, but something was still bugging her. I heard somebody in here... Somebody was watching me. She pushed her clothes aside and examined the closet thoroughly, making her way towards the door on the east wall. She took a deep breath and swung it open, noticing a bathroom inside. She stepped forward slowly, examining all corners and sides. I can't keep my guard down even while I'm asleep..
As she noticed nothing seemed out of the ordinary, she sighed, her body relaxing slightly. She turned the sink on and pulled her robe off, revealing a tan-white blouse underneath. Removing her gloves as well, she dipped her hands into the sink and splashed the cold water against her tired face, rejuvenating her mind and body alike. As she turned the faucet off, she paused momentarily, staring at her reflection in the mirror in front of her, water dripping off her nose and chin. Dark bags sat underneath her eyes and her hair was slightly a mess, Robin moving a hand towards one side and slowly running her fingers across her hair.
I need to go meet up with the others in the cafeteria. After minutes of brushing her hair, she grabbed a towel and dried off her face. Placing her gloves and robe back on, she returned to her room and looked around once more. Nothing seems to have been taken or moved. Strange... Maybe I was just imagining it. She took one last look at her bed before brushing her hair back once more, exiting her room. Almost as if he was waiting on her, Dark Pit stood right outside her door, his arms crossed, an eyebrow cocked. Robin jumped back slightly, unsure as to why he would be there, but more importantly...
"Did you come into my room earlier?" she asked, her voice impatient. Dark Pit shook his head, his face scowling as if he were upset.
"No. I seriously hope you don't think I'd stoop that low," he replied. "I thought I'd let you know they're all having breakfast right now."
"You didn't join them?" Robin replied, observing his body now, as if she were expecting to find some kind of tell. "Or are you trying to play off as the reclusive one in our group?" Following that statement was a laugh from Dark Pit, who was grinning at her now, maliciousness covering his face almost.
"If you're trying to read me, have fun with that," he said casually, waving a hand in the air as he now turned around. "If you're trying to find the reclusive one, you should go check with Samus. She's the one giving us all the cold shoulder." As he left, Robin stood briefly, thinking to herself. Even if he was the one to have been watching me, why..? She shrugged it off and followed the same route, exiting the dormitory and entering the main lobby room. She didn't pay much attention to the layout earlier as she was just wanting to reach her bed as soon as possible. She took note of the sign hanging near the entrance leading back to the entryway, reading LIVING QUARTERS.
As she looked around, she saw other rooms, each of them labeled, respectively, TRASH, STORAGE, LAUNDRY, and finally DINING. Obviously the room labeled dining should be where they're all at right now, Robin thought to herself, making a mental note to visit the other rooms later on. As she opened the doors leading into the dining room, a loud noise and welcoming sight greeted her: Bowser and Wario stood on top of one of the dining tables, both of them making growling sounds at one another. Peach and Corrin stood on the side of the table, waving their hands frantically and shouting at them, with everyone else standing a ways off from them, some of them watching and others cheering on the violence.
"P-Please stop this you two!" Peach cried out, ducking as various objects were launched off the table by the two of them.
"Yes, please stop!" Corrin joined in, following the same actions as Peach. "Mr. Bowser, Mr. Wario, if you wish to battle each other to the death, there's a dojo down the hall! That seems more suitable for something like this-" Her words were cut off as Peach smacked Corrin, her face puffed up and pouting.
"Don't encourage them!" she retorted, turning back towards the two of them, once again ducking from the various items flying off.
Robin approached Lucina who was standing near the entrance, confused at what she was witnessing. "What's going on..?"
"Oh, Robin!" Lucina piped up cheerfully, glancing back at the two before responding. "It seems that Bowser took Wario's plate of food, and now Wario can't see straight and one thing lead to another and..." A loud CRASH sounded as the two of them quickly turned back towards the center of the room, witnessing the dining table now split in two as Wario laid on top of Bowser, appearing to have slammed him down into it.
"WA-HAHAHA!" Wario cried out, his arms flexing, standing triumphantly on top of Bowser. "Wario doesn't-a mess around-a, big goblin!" Zelda came running out of a door on the opposite side of the room, a plate of food in her hands, but as she entered, she realized the fighting was already over. She frowned and shook her head, approaching the two.
"I asked you to give me a few minutes to prepare another plate for you, Wario," Zelda said, her voice obviously upset. She had a plate of fries and a large, double stacked burger, all of it drenched with ketchup. Wario turned and snatched it up immediately, cackling as he downed the food and plate whole, Zelda appearing disturbed now.
"A victory prize-a for Wario!" He licked his fingers and placed a hand on his belly, a visible cloud shooting out of his mouth as he sighed in relief. "Wario gotta say, for someone who'sa never cooked this stuff before, you're-a pretty damn good at it!"
Zelda shook her head in response. "It was fairly simple. The kitchen back there has several hundreds of supplies and all kinds of equipment suited for culinary use, as well as a giant book with all kinds of recipes, which is where I pulled your meal from." She paused briefly, frowning now. "I really do wish you would have waited for me to return instead of resorting to violence."
"Kept the rest of us occupied at least," Falcon replied, sitting back on a chair. "I've gonna agree with ole food gobbler though, you're cookin' is pretty phenomenal!"
Robin examined the rest of the room, watching Peach now tend to the downed Bowser in the middle of the table, Corrin, Lucas, and Pikachu all working on cleaning up the mess around them. She turned back towards Lucina, a smile on her face. "It's good to see everyone so lively at least, especially after the day we had yesterday."
Lucina didn't turn towards her, her response less enthusiastic than Robin's. "We're trying to forget what happened yesterday. Most of us still realize the reality of our situation, but moments like these do help with trying to move forward." Pit moved up towards the two of them, his face attempting to smile at them after what just occurred.
"That was something, huh," he remarked, his gaze mostly on Lucina, almost as if he was trying to ignore Robin who immediately noticed. "Hopefully we can get back to eating. Oh, hey Robin..." Pit waved weakly at her before turning away, walking back towards the center table. He turned once more towards Lucina, waving for her. Lucina turned towards Robin and smiled, Robin shrugging her shoulders as Lucina left. I suppose it'll take a bit more effort to move on for some of us...
Not feeling an appetite, Robin left the dining room and entered the main lobby once more, glancing around. Corrin mentioned a dojo... there must be a hallway somewhere? Not longer after, Robin noticed the very said hallway, venturing down into it. On the other end was another lobby, this one not as large. Only two doors sat opposite one another, a Dojo and Basement, with a staircase between the two, a metal gate over it though. Wait, the basement? Aren't we on the second floor?
"The same thought came over my head when I saw it," a voice called out, Robin turning hurriedly to greet it. She saw Falcon now approaching her and she turned back towards the door, pondering to herself. "So? Gonna open it?"
"Look, about last night," Robin began before being cut off by Falcon.
"Don't start with that again. I'm not upset over any of it and I don't want you to be either," he replied, reaching her side now. "If we hold grudges against one another, it's gonna make surviving this game all that much harder."
He's right. If we expect to find a way out of here, we have to work together... "Have you been down there yet?" Robin asked.
"I have, and it's just a staircase that'll take us all the way to the bottom floor. There, we'll find our basement and more likely than not, one of our friends," Falcon replied, with Robin staring at him curiously. "Come on." Falcon moved forward and opened the door, and sure enough a long stair way awaited them. They descended down and after a few minutes, they finally reached another door, the sound of metal banging against one another appearing on the other side. Falcon opened that door as well and they walked in, a smaller figure jumping up and shrieking.
"AHH!" Luigi cried out, dropping his tools as he jumped backwards into more tools, those also falling over. Falcon shook his head as he tried to calm him down, with Robin looking around the room. She noticed two other doors, one labeled ENTRYWAY and the other labeled BOILER. The hallway opposite the one to the classrooms must lead to here, she thought to herself. Besides the single hanging light above, the room was dim, with several dusty crates lining the corners, and then several gadgets and tools surrounding the center of the room. As she stepped forward, the wooden boards of the floor creaked and moaned, almost as if the planks have been there for quite some time.
"Luigi here made this place his workshop," Falcon said, pulling him up at the same time. "Mentioned his room was too small to work in, so he needed to find someplace else."
"S-Samus found-a this room for me," Luigi replied, grabbing his fallen equipment. "It'sa perfect! Won't cause-a too much noise and bother the others-a, and there was already a whole lotta stuff to work with." Robin looked at the nearest crate next to Luigi and spotted several bits and pieces of scrap metal along with a glass jar full of some type of powder. Her train of thought was broken as Luigi stuffed other pieces of scrap into that same crate, and she turned towards him now, smiling.
"What were you working on?" Robin asked curiously.
"Ah, nothing too-a big yet," Luigi replied. "Mostly trying to-a see what I can do with these things. Like make a way-a out for us!" A slight hurrah followed his statement as he fist bumped the air, immediately retreating as he shyly wrapped both hands behind his back, kicking his leg slightly. "A-Ah, of course it'sa gonna take some time."
"So long as there's a solution in the works, I'm not worried," Falcon replied nonchalantly, a grin on his face. "Looking at how lively everyone was in the dining hall gave me hope, ya know?"
"Hope?" Robin asked.
Falcon nodded his head, and Luigi too turned to face him now as he continued. "Hope in all of us! We won't let this asshole beat us! We just don't have to play his game."
"Assuming all of us are on board," Robin replied quickly. Falcon crossed his arms and frowned, Luigi looking away from both of them now. "Dark Pit made it sound like Samus is keeping her distance from everyone else." And Dark Pit himself is of suspicion as well. What is he planning?
"S-She's definitely being-a cold to the rest-a us, but she's trying to-a help as well!" Luigi replied, almost with confidence behind his words.
"She's scouting the floors for us and creating a map that we can use," Falcon chimed in. "I think it's more so Dark Pit is trying to divert our attention from his own actions."
"Then we'll keep an eye on both of them, just to be certain," Robin replied, making her way towards the entryway door. "I'm going to return to my room." She waved to the both of them, entering through the door and into a hallway lined with stairs. This one was much shorter than the previous one, and after only a few moments, she emerged out into a much larger hallway, immediately recognizing it to be the entryway. Confirming the layout, she walked outwards and once more noted the door leading to the boiler room at the end of the hall, observing the same mosaic glass used on the dormitory door.
With nothing more of interest, Robin returned upstairs and into the main lobby, seeing Lucas, Corrin, and Pikachu all standing outside the dining, each of them looking worn down. Robin approached them and was immediately greeted by Corrin, with Pikachu running up to her and nuzzling her leg. Lucas waved his hand weakly, smiling.
"Hello Ms. Robin!" Corrin exclaimed, panting between words it seemed.
"Was it tiring getting the mess cleaned up in there?" Robin asked, smiling. All three of them immediately nodded their heads, frowning, to which Robin replied with a soft giggle. "I'm sorry that I didn't help out at all. I had some things I needed to check out."
"That's fine.. probably would have just gotten in the way..." Lucas muttered, with Corrin smacking his back, replying with a sheepish grin on her face and a fake laugh. Robin tried to ignore the boy's statement, but his words cut into her just as Pit's did earlier. She knew many of them still held grudges for what happened the other day.
"He does not mean that of course!" Corrin replied hurriedly. "He is just worn out by the day's work, just like the two of us, right Pikachu?" Pikachu replied by nodding its head several times. "What were you observing anyways, Ms. Robin?"
"I wanted to get my eyes on the rest of the building available to us," Robin replied. She brought a finger up to her head and tapped the side of it. "Knowledge is a powerful tool, especially in our circumstances. I figured most of you had already gone exploring last night."
"Ah, not quite," Corrin replied, a finger on her lip now, her head slightly cocked sideways. "Several doors would have words floating in front of them that read 'CLOSED', so we were unable to actually go inside of them."
"Were they locked though?" Robin asked. Corrin paused for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders.
"I am actually unsure. We did not attempt to open any of the doors, as I did not know if we could reach past those... floating.. magical words." Corrin tried to mimic the letters by drawing them in the air with her fingers, but all that happened instead was Robin giggling slightly at her act, to which Corrin stopped and then giggled herself.
"No worries," Robin said, clearing her throat, "one of the rules stated certain areas were off-limits during nighttime anyways, so I assume that any of them reading 'closed' would be such."
"Good point!" Corrin exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "Lucas and I are going to explore a little bit more, in case you wished to accompany us."
Robin glanced over at Lucas who's face was still frowning, and she smiled softly, shaking her head. "I'm actually a bit tired still, I didn't sleep all that well last night. You guys go on ahead and I'll meet up with you later."
"Very well then, Ms. Robin," Corrin bowed her head slightly and turned towards Lucas, smiling. The two of them began to walk off, and Pikachu paused, glancing between the two. Robin waved her hand and looked towards the two of them, with Pikachu nodding its own head, following after them. Robin stretched her arms out, a yawn escaping her mouth. I wasn't lying... I am fairly exhausted still. I should probably try and talk to the others, but I don't think there's any rush at the moment. After that thought, Robin returned to the dormitory, oblivious to a pair of eyes watching her from a distance.
Inside the dormitory, Robin immediately noticed Peach, Lucina, and Pit on the opposite side of her, the former exchanging words with the latter two before entering a room. Robin tried to ignore them and walk directly towards her room, but was stopped as she heard her name being called out, turning to face Lucina running after her. She stopped and smiled at the blue haired girl as she approached her, Pit following behind but keeping a slight distance.
"Good to see you again Robin!" Lucina chimed, grinning. "Have you figured anything out about those memories that were bugging you yesterday?"
"Not a clue, unfortunately," Robin replied, her arms crossed. "I'm still tired, so I was planning to get a bit more sleep." As she began to try and step away, Lucina grabbed her arm, and Robin turned back towards her, Lucina's face entirely serious now.
"If anything's bothering you, feel free to come and talk with us," Lucina said, her voice calm and reassuring almost. "We've got to work together if we're going to survive, and that means not shying away from one another, right Pit?"
As if on cue, Lucina elbowed Pit, who jolted up, nodding his head. "A-Ah, right! Of course! And about earlier, sorry for acting weird towards you. I'm just still a bit rattled from yesterday, ya know?"
Robin nodded her head, smiling. "I understand. I'll be in my room for a while." They said their goodbyes and Robin entered her room, a sigh of relief escaping her mouth, her body plopping onto her mattress. Within seconds, her eyes shut, and darkness enveloped her mind, taking her away from the sunless room. Ticking from the clock above sounded over and over, and several minutes turned into hours as Robin remained in a deep slumber.
Day Three, 21XX
A beeping noise, followed by a clicking sound filled the room, Robin slowly opening her eyes. She groaned, turning her attention to the monitor screen above the door, noticing the headmaster's face on it. Forcing herself up, she pulled her body against the wall beside the bed, one eye cocked opened and observing the screen.
"Good morning students. It is day three, and with that I hope you all enjoyed yesterday. It was amusing watching each of you act along with one another, almost sad, really. Regardless, you had been given time to acclimate, and thus we must resume our game." Robin's eyes lowered and scornfully watched the screen, anger rising through her body. Just one day, all we had was one day before we'd have to deal with you again...
"Many of you told one another that you had no intention to kill your fellow classmates, and I thought it was quite motivating. In fact, I would like to give each and every one of you a bit more motivation! Atop each desk will be a tablet that will play a certain video. I highly encourage you all to view them." Robin glanced over at her desk and noticed the very said item, hopping over and grabbing it. On it was a blank screen, with one button on the side, Robin curiously staring at it.
"With that said, I will leave you all to the rest of your wonderful day. After today, you can expect my morning announcements at 8:00 am, with a warning announcement notifying the time at 10:00 pm. Goodbye." The screen clicked off, and Robin glanced back down at the device in front of her, her hands running along its edge. She finally pressed the button jutting out from the side, and the screen came to life, nearly causing her to jump backwards.
"Robin..." Her face froze as her eyes, widening in disbelief, locked onto the face shown on it. She immediately pressed the same button and shut the screen off, panting. Her body remained frozen for several minutes, unable to face what she had just witnessed on the screen. I-It's impossible..! What the hell is this?! She threw the tablet against the wall, the device crashing and falling to the floor. Her chest continued to rise and fall, her eyes still wide, but now with rage. "What's the meaning of this?!" she cried out, her fists clenched tightly.
Her head turned towards her door as she heard a knock, the door flying open just moments afterwards. Lucina came bursting into the room, her own face in disbelief. She shook her head and ran up towards Robin, who now began to fall towards the floor, her head feeling light. Lucina caught her and held her up, her arms wrapped around Robin tightly.
"Robin, are you okay?!" Lucina cried out. "Who did you see?"
Who...? "How do you know I saw a person?" Robin asked, her voice weak.
"Several.. Several of them did." Lucina replied, lowering Robin to the ground now. "As soon as the announcement concluded, I left my room as I didn't know what item the headmaster was referring to. But it wasn't long before others came out, and each of them furious. Some of them still had those things in their hands, and some of the others revealed what they saw.. They all said a name of a person. Somebody-"
"Close to us..." Robin replied. "I didn't realize what that memory was the other day, but now, after seeing that face... I remember who he was, and why he was so important to me."
"I'm sorry Robin.. I'm sure whatever magic the headmaster used, it was only to deceive us! To get us to feel angry towards one another!" Lucina exclaimed, her fists clenched now.
Robin pulled herself back up, sitting back on her bed, her head lowered. "You said you didn't watch the video yet, correct?" Lucina nodded her head, Robin sighing in relief. "Good, don't. You're correct, their purpose is simply to motivate us to kill one another and try to escape. Whoever you see on that screen, it's only to make you feel distrust towards the rest of us."
"How could I, after the day we had yesterday," Lucina replied, her gaze turned away now. "It felt nice, acting as friends towards one another. Was... was it all really just an act we were putting on?"
"His words are poison. His only goal is to watch us flounder and fall," Robin said reassuringly. "Whatever happens, we need to stay united. He's going to try any and everything to break us apart and get us to start this killing game over and over."
"So everyone feels that killing is wrong," a voice said from the doorway, both Robin and Lucina turning to face Dark Pit now. "But why is that?"
"W-When did you decide to-" Lucina began to say before Dark Pit cut her off.
"I'm right next door to Robin, and after hearing you two shout, I thought I'd come over and investigate. After all, wouldn't it have been amazing to walk into a crime scene?" His words were vicious and he had a mischievous grin on his face. "But back to my question, why is killing wrong?"
"What?!" Lucina shouted back, shaking her head. Robin simply watched, her eyes locked on Dark Pit.
"Of course I know it to be against various culture's laws. But laws are simply rules people decide upon," he continued. "This is a space removed from those rules. Therefore, we've no need to follow them."
"It's just wrong!" Lucina retorted, stomping towards him. "Taking another person's life? What kind of cruel mind must you have to begin to think it's okay?!"
"Even if it is to survive?" Dark Pit turned away and opened the door. "Somebody I once knew remarked on how much they enjoyed observing the beauty of humanity and the depths of its sins... I thought it was some kind of junk to give her an excuse for her actions, but now I'm starting to see what she meant." He exited the room and left Lucina and Robin alone once more. Lucina sighed loudly, tapping her foot repeatedly on the floor.
"That jerk! What the heck does he mean by that?!" Lucina exclaimed, shaking her head. "I'm going to go check on the others."
"I'll be here for a bit longer. I've got some things I want to mull over," Robin replied. Lucina nodded her head and left the room, Robin now sighing as well. He's not completely wrong. I've taken several lives in battles, and judging Lucina's attire, she must have as well. What's the difference between a nameless face and somebody we've known only for a recent while? Robin paused, thinking over what she said, blinking several times over. How did I.. remember this? The battles I've fought in... why is this coming back to me now?
An idea popped into her head, and determined to see this out, Robin stood and exited her room, searching for the others. She immediately bumped into Pit, who too seemed to be scrambling around, his face solemn. He blinked several times, turning towards Robin. "Oh, hi Robin.."
"Everything okay?" she replied, concern in her words.
"I.. I don't really know what to think right now. Seeing Lady Palutena made me realize I'm wasting so much time in here! I've got to-"
"Don't fall for his trap," Robin said, cutting him off. Her words bounced around in Pit's mind briefly before he snapped back to reality, color coming back to his face as well as Robin continued. "His goal was to motivate us to continue his game. Destroy your tablet, let the others know the same thing!" Pit nodded his head and ran off, with Robin thinking to herself. This must've triggered some kind of memory in each of them to make them remember exactly why that person is so important to them.. important enough to encourage them to kill somebody else to escape.
The rest of the day involved each and every one of them becoming weary of one another, avoiding as many interactions as possible. Distrust filled their minds, and slowly that very bond they tried to build back up slowly broke apart as each day drew on..
Day Five, 21XX
Robin was the first to arrive outside the dining room, noticing the 'CLOSED' words floating in front of the door, the very same words Lucina had mentioned the other day. Remembering the time stating 7:50 before she left her room, she waited with anticipation for the morning announcement to begin, along with the hope that others would join her here soon. Hopefully they'll arrive shortly. We can't let him get to us.. Surprisingly, she heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to face somebody unexpected.
"Samus?" Robin said, blinking her eyes several times over as the blonde woman walked towards her, a large, rolled up paper in her hand.
"Yeah?" She replied coolly, cocking her head sideways. "Something wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. I just haven't seen you for a few days now," Robin replied, smiling. "I heard you were working on a project?"
"Right, this," Samus handed the paper over to Robin, who grabbed it and opened it up immediately. Inside, a large diagram covered the sheet, detailing each floor, each room, and the directions for each location as well. Robin marveled over it, impressed, and noted the locked icons on two sets on stairs, one set more than she had noticed before.
"This is incredible work," Robin said, looking over each room in great detail.
"Thanks, glad to hear. You should hang on to it and get a feel for the building," Samus replied, waving a hand now. "You're our brains, after all. If something happens, it'd be helpful for you to know the layout of what we're working with." Before Robin could reply, Samus had already left, returning to the dormitory now. That's probably the first time I've seen Samus head towards her room. I didn't even think she was using it at all...
Following that thought, the monitor screen began to beep, and a clicking sound turned it on, the headmaster's face once again appearing. "Good morning students. It is 8:00 am, and nighttime is officially over." Another short announcement then, Robin thought to herself, the screen clicking back off. He must be biding his time, waiting for one of us to fall into his trap. Which speaking of, I didn't even think to ask Samus if she's seen her video yet...
Footsteps sounded outside the dormitory doors, and Robin turned and greeted several familiar faces: Pit, Lucina, Corrin, Lucas, Pikachu, and Zelda all entered the main lobby, with Lucina waving towards Robin. As they entered the dining room, Peach and Wario now left the dormitory, following suit. Robin waited a few more moments, hoping more would follow, but it seemed that was it for now. While slightly upset, she shook her head, entering the dining room as well.
After breakfast, Robin made it her priority to check up on the others. She first headed out towards the basement, remembering that's where Luigi set up his new workshop. Perhaps he's been busy at work on some kind of project of his own, she told herself. Descending the steps, she knocked once on the basement door before entering, seeing the green hatted man hard at work. He paused and looked up at her, bags underneath his eyes as he greeted her softly.
"Luigi, have you been here all this time?" Robin asked worriedly. Luigi nodded his head, turning back to his work.
"I gotta," he replied weakly. "If I can't-a help myself or the-a princess, my brother... he's.." He paused, his hands hovering, unable to move. Robin looked at his hands and noticed the device underneath them, a strange grey colored item, rectangle in shape, with several small black squares on one end, one of the squares red however. A clear case sat in the middle of the device, and a dotted square piece sat on the topside of it. She turned her attention back towards him as he continued on.
"If I can't-a get us outta here, we're doomed!" He grabbed the device and tossed it into the crate behind him, standing up, the creaking of the wooden planks groaning beneath him. "Too many times-a I've relied on him to rescue us! If I keep-a waiting now, the princess is going to-a be in grave danger!"
"We're going to prevent that," Robin replied, trying to calm him down. "If we work together, we can stop anything terrible from happening."
"I know, that'sa why I've been working on something," he told her, digging back through his crate. He pulled out a small egg shaped item, with Robin curiously looking at it. "This will-a help us escape for sure!"
"What exactly is that?" Robin asked curiously. Luigi pulled it back and set it back inside the crate, facing away from Robin.
"It's nearly ready, and when-a it is, I'll-a come and get you all!" His words had so much hope behind them, and Robin couldn't bear to break that hope. She smiled and began to walk away, turning back once more.
"Peach is worried about you, just so you know. Come upstairs and grab something to eat, I'm sure everybody else would be relieved to see you as well." As Robin left, Luigi paused, waiting as he heard her footsteps lead her out and through the door. As the door shut, tears began to drop off his eyes, falling into his bushy mustache. He fell backwards and sat down, his hands covering his eyes as he shook his head.
"I'm-a so weak..." He said aloud, tears falling onto the wooden boards as well. "I don't think I can-a do this..." Oblivious to him, another person stood in the corner of the room, eyes watching from the shadows silently.
Day Six, 21XX
"Good morning students. It is 8:00 am, and nighttime is officially over."
Robin tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the announcement to end, not realizing somebody else was behind her. As the monitor clicked off and the words disappeared from the dining room door, she reached for the handle, only to stop as a voice called out from behind her.
"Robin, how is he?" Peach asked worriedly, Robin jumping up slightly. She turned back towards her and frowned, Peach rubbing her head in response, laughing awkwardly. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you..."
"You're fine," Robin replied, smiling back. "And for Luigi, he's really putting the pressure on himself right now. He's determine to find a way out for us. I tried to find you yesterday so we could go meet with him again."
"Ah, I was busy tending to Bowser still. He's convinced himself that he's been terribly injured by Wario, but I think he's just trying to guilt me into serving his food," Peach replied, giggling. "Which makes me think, how about we skip eating with the others and bring Luigi a plate of food?"
Robin immediately nodded her head in response. "I think that'd be a great idea. Perhaps seeing you calm and collected would help bring him back to reality." The two of them entered the dining room and passed into the kitchen, both of them working hard and preparing a great big breakfast for the younger brother. Zelda eventually entered the kitchen, surprised by the two of them. She went to work on Wario's meal of french fries, ketchup and hamburger first before preparing everyone else's meals, while Peach and Robin finished on their end. Satisfied, they left the dining room and made their way towards the basement.
As they approached the door, Robin was first to grab the handle, but seemed puzzled as she yanked on it and it refused to open. She set her plate down and placed both hands on the handle, yanking it hard before stepping back a few feet. Chanting to herself, a blaze of fire shot from her hands and struck the doorknob, but to no avail, as the fire magic seemed to disperse upon impact. Is there some kind of spell preventing my magic from working?
"W-What's wrong Robin?! Why won't the door open?!" Peach cried out, Robin tugging on the handle once more.
"It's locked! That can't be..." Robin replied, her words flustered as she pulled as hard as she could on the doorknob. She eventually stopped and thought for a moment, thinking of an alternate way in. "We've got to get down to the first floor, hurry!"
As Robin took off, Peach shouted after her. "What about the food?!"
"No time! Luigi might be in trouble!" Robin replied. Peach dropped the plate down as well, chasing after Robin. The two of them dashed past the main lobby and sprinted down the steps of the entryway, with Robin turning around at the base. She ran for the basement door on the first floor, and upon reaching, tried to repeat her previous actions, realizing this door wouldn't open either. What the hell is going on?! As Peach arrived out of breath, she tried to speak up, but both of them froze as they heard somebody crying out.
"HELP-A ME! SOMEBODY, PLEASE-A SAVE ME!"
"N-NO!" Peach cried out, panicking, turning around wildly. "That's Luigi! Where is he?!"
"HELP-A ME! SOMEBODY, PLEASE-A SAVE ME!"
Robin listened in and realized where the voice was coming from, twisting around and heading towards the front of the hallway. Peach followed after her, and as they turned the corner, Robin could briefly see the color green pressed up against the glass mosaic of the boiler room door. Robin shouted back, assuring him they were on their way, but before they could reach it, the worst thing that could have happened, happened.
A loud, piercing noise sounded off, and the floor shook briefly, both Robin and Peach catching themselves from falling over. An.. an explosion?! Dazed, Robin slowly moved her head back towards the boiler room door, which was now flung wide open. Smoke billowed out, and red stains shot across the floor in front of it. Still unable to grasp what was happening, Robin slowly moved forward, ignoring Peach's cries, reaching the door now as she looked inside, her eyes opening wide, horrified.
Luigi laid facing down, his mangled body motionless. His back was ruptured and exposed, with blood pouring out and several metal shards pierced into it. Robin blinked several times, over and over, unable to bring herself to acknowledge what she was seeing, before finally, that horrendous beeping sound chirped from her bracelet. Three beeps... Three beeps played out, followed by the words BOILER ROOM, and then finally, a timer counting down from 59:59.
Luigi was dead.
