Disclaimer: Me no own Ib... -tries not to cry- but I do own any poems or songs unless stated otherwise.
The music theme for the cavern is Alice Madness Returns: Therapy (Extended Edition).
Note: There are some OCs, 'cause the Ib cast is very small.
"Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing.
Making your unknown known is the important thing."
-Georgia O'Keeffe
Deep, dark abysmal shadows dance in time to the procession of macabre, jostling gaunt limbs of only the blackest bone. They spin in circles outside the circular void, bright yellow and limited in range. When exposed they freeze, revealing their true faces behind the masks. Upon escaping the void they meld back into the dance of dizzying movements, eaten by the crowd. Cast in the golden void were merely three, refusing the dance in submission. The crowd separated for them with the flick of a light, not wanting the nightmare to end. They spun this for themselves, a dream of being one, of living for a purpose to fulfill.
Amelia cast the torchlight down, revealing uneven ground that they would have to tread carefully over. Ib and Luno gingerly made it across, carefully avoiding any parts that looked uneven, before waiting for Amelia to cross after them. The wheat-haired girl made it across and they continued on for awhile longer.
Water droplets hitting the ground echoed throughout the cavern and their own footsteps resounded back to them. Ib couldn't remember how long that they'd been searching for a way out, she just knew it had been a very long time. Her feet were starting to ache from the constant climbing and walking they were doing, but she didn't complain.
Amelia tripped then. She hit the ground, wincing as she felt herself land on some small pointy rocks, but held tightly to the flashlight. Ib was at her side instantly, helping her to sit up. Luno also came over and took the flashlight to examine the damages. Amelia had scraped her left knee and had some minor cuts on her stomach and arms. A single green rose petal drifted to the floor, causing both Ib and Luno to frown.
Amelia waved them off and stood up, assuring them she was fine before taking the flashlight back ushering them to continue on. Ib ended up having to sidestep a rather sketchy part of the floor, and was horrified when she heard the ground crack behind her. She whirled around and saw the two there, but then they were gone. Panic filled her and Ib was frozen in shock.
After what felt like forever, Ib grabbed the discarded flashlight and shakily held it so that it casted light into the hole. Fear coursed through her body when she didn't see them, "Amelia, Luno."
Her voice was dry, small, and shaky. She tried again, but never received any responses. The possibilities washed over her and hot tears rose to her eyes, but she tried to keep them at bay. She refused to believe that they were dead, seriously injured maybe, but not dead. She reasoned the fall must have made them pass out, that's all...
Ib took a few deep breaths. She needed to get down there to make sure they were okay. Jumping was obviously out of the question so she would have to look for supplies or for another solution. If they were seriously injured they would need medicine but where could she find that?
Water drops echoed further off and Ib's eyes widened. The water here had special properties; maybe there was a vase nearby! She had accidently healed Garry's rose when the water had dripped off her hair. Yes, that's what she needed.
Ib stood up and went to search for the source of the water. She wasn't fully paying attention to the ground and ended up tripping a few times, but numbly got back up and continued on. She had to hurry! What if they were slowly dying or were already dead? What if they were bleeding to death and if she had only been a bit faster than they could have been saved?
Ib didn't realize she was panicking, only that she was terrified of letting either Amelia or Luno die in this place. It would be all her fault! Luno and Amelia had followed her and Garry into this place that was hellbent on killing them. She couldn't live with that, not seeing them or hearing them anymore. It...Ib didn't want to be alone, she'd rather it be her instead. Since she was small, she had always felt like she had lost something, something important and the feeling only doubled since she was nine.
Ib tripped again, skinning her knee, before rising back to her feet. A few tears threatened to fall, but Ib wiped them away. She had to find that water...to save them...so she wouldn't lose something important to her, again.
The thunderous sound of droplets crashing to the cavern floor led her towards a small walkway that radiated blue light. She stepped into the narrow passageway, squeezing her way to the other end. She tested the water with her own rose, overjoyed when it was restored. Now, just how was she to get the water back to Luno and Amelia? She didn't have anything to put the water in...
Ib came to the realization she needed and submerged herself in the water before quickly pulling out and leaving. The cold air inside the cavern was intensified as it ran along her wet clothing, chilling her. Goosebumps rose along her arms, but Ib ignored the sensation in favor of trying to find her way back.
She fumbled along for a few minutes before Luno's thread glinted in the light. She followed the path back to the hole and began to climb down. Her nails dug into the dirt and she kicked into the wall for foot placements, the flashlight was held between her teeth, and she could feel herself run out of placements. Taking a deep breath, Ib let go and hit the ground, her back protested when she sat up, but Ib was merely thankful the hole was just twelve feet tall so the impact wasn't as bad.
She stood and shone the light around as trepidation swept through her, the light slid off corners and Ib could clearly see rose petals in lavender and green peppering the floor. Her stomach tightened painfully and she wanted to throw up. There were too many petals...
She traced the petals, leading her up to the back wall where she could make out Amelia and Luno resting against it. She ran over to them, stopping just mere feet from them as more panic crashed over her followed by a cold realization. She could see the stems of their roses.
All the petals were gone.
"A-Amelia, Lun-no," Ib whispered, her hand out stretched towards them as she inched closer. She called for them again and again, each time louder than the previous. She slid to her knees right before them, bowing her head. Ib didn't care if Amelia sent her to the nurse every morning, talked too loudly, wouldn't get up, spit in her food (though she never had or would), talked about food constantly, hit Garry, or even hated her! Ib didn't know Luno too well, but she wanted to be friends with him, even if he hated her or ever forgot her.
Ib wanted them to live.
She would give anything to just see them smile or have them bicker! Take her arm, a leg, or even her sight! She just wanted them back!
She wrung her hair out over the roses, even doing the same with her shirt, skirt, socks, and emptying out her shoes to try and get any water at all, but it all seemed to dry up. She took the stems and held them close, but it was all gone. She tucked them in with her own inside her shirt and attempted to scale the wall. If she couldn't bring the water, then she would take the flowers to the water.
Her first twenty attempts were in vain as she was too short to reach her previous stepping stools. She looked around and started gathering up stones to try and use. The pile was horribly irregular and shaky, but Ib didn't much care. She took a running start and jumped, one hand latching on while the rocks gave way under her feet. Ib dragged herself up, her arms protesting and threatening to let go, but she kept trying until she managed to reach the top after the fortieth attempt.
Her arms pulsated and her legs protested as she followed the thread back the way she came, looking for the small opening. She prayed it would still be there as she advanced towards the area, relief flooding her once she saw the blue lights. She squeezed back into the small space and held all three flowers out into the stream. She was momentarily blinded as the two bloomed to life, her own simply being revived, again.
She hurried back, fear and hope surging through her as she ran. Upon reaching the end of the thread, the hole had vanished and Ib's heart dropped. The flashlight showed her the truth of the situation and the two were nowhere in sight. Ib remained there, frozen. She had been too late.
"Ib!? Is that you?"
Aforementioned girl whirled around, the light showing her Amelia and Luno. Large tears rose to her eyes as she took them in, praying this wasn't some sort of joke. Her legs moved before her brain had processed what she was doing, and she threw herself onto them, hot tears of anxiety, fear, and relief all mixed into salty droplets cascading down her face.
To say Luno and Amelia were surprised would be an understatement. They knew that all their petals had fallen off, which probably scared Ib, but they hadn't expected anything like this. The two held the crying girl, Amelia joining in as she too had been terrified. She had taken what Garry told her seriously, but she couldn't stop herself from being scared. Luno hugged both of them, knowing how they all were feeling. He had been close to death and, while terrifying, he had feared being alone and leaving his sister behind, along with all the things he still had to do.
"It's alright, Ib. We're okay, somehow," Amelia cooed softly, rocking them soothingly. Ib slightly pulled away from the two of them and took out their roses to give them. They took them back, instantly noticing everything off about Ib. Amelia smashed Ib to her, hugging her and promising to never do it again. Luno seconded this, stating he would keep on living so she shouldn't worry about them.
"I-I..It just felt like I was losing something important again," Ib whispered, wiping away the remaining tears on her face. Her face was bright red and puffy from crying, causing Amelia to lighten the mood by gushing over how cute she was. Ib pouted, not seeing how crying made anyone cute.
"Amelia's a masochist~" Luno sang, turning away. Ib laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood, which worked on Amelia as she started denying being one and went off on a random subject. It was then that Ib diffused the previous scenes by inquiring on a simple observation, "Amelia, why are you wearing Luno's shirt?"
Amelia turned bright red, "It's not what you think!" Ib blinked curiously, unsure of what Amelia had thought she had assumed.
"You see, when I fell my shirt was torn up and Luno let me borrow his!" Amelia flailed as she talked, making indications between Luno and herself. Ib just nodded and remarked, "That was very kind of him."
"I always wear undershirts anyway," Luno commented. Ib found it strange that he was only in a pale blue beater, but only because she was used to seeing him in the school uniform.
They discussed finding the way out before deciding that they had no leads so they should go check out the water Ib had found. She led them to the passageway and explained about the water properties. The two were bewildered, but accepted it. They stayed there awhile, trying to figure out just what to do when Amelia jumped up and ran over to the passageway, "I just saw a huge fish!"
"Really?" Luno asked, formulating an idea.
"Yeah, it was bigger than my arm!"
"Do you both know what this means?"
"Uhmm, we won't go hungry?" Amelia guessed, already imagining fishsticks...now all they needed was a fire.
Luno sighed, "No, it means the way out may be right in front of us. None of us have seen a fish till now, meaning that either this is a simple passage route that may lead out, or it's not normally used. I believe that it is the former and will lead us out of here."
"Oh, well, sounds more legit than anything else at the moment, right, Ib?"
The brunette nodded, but wasn't too sure about Luno's hypothesis. However, she really was getting sick of the cavern. They held onto each other as they slid in, the fast current pushing them along. They were harshly sucked into a large box at the end of the passage and then thrown from the aquarius terrain. They landed in a heap on the floor with Luno on the bottom and Amelia on top.
"Whoa, it worked!" Amelia cheered as she got up. She laughed giddily, helping Ib and then Luno to their feet.
"Great, now just where are we-" Luno's question was unanswered as the room's lights started flickering on and off. "What in the?"
Amelia screamed, making the other two jump, as she stared at the corner. The two followed her gaze and held in a breath once they saw the large creature slowly rising onto its multiple legs. A scream died halfway in Ib's throat once it's head snapped towards them, it sniffed the air and let out a large ear-shattering cry. The cry broke the light fixture above them, plummeting the room into darkness.
Ib felt cold air brush past her followed by a grotesque smell. She heard Amelia scream next to her and blindly reached out, her hand coming into contact with nothing. Amelia kept yelling and struggling, Luno trying to help her by fending the thing off. Ib stood still, trying to calm down. She needed to think about this. She was standing right next to Amelia and it even looked at her, so why had it attacked Amelia?
Think. Think. Think! Ib screamed inwardly, trying to produce a plausible explanation. If she didn't hurry then Amelia might just die, again. Only, maybe for good this time. Crashes sounded further off and Ib shook, trying to see where they were. Why does it have to be so dark?
Ib stopped, feeling like an idiot, before flicking on the flashlight and shining it at the creature. It froze up and stopped stalking Luno and Amelia, opting to scream in Ib's direction and move away from the light. Ib put a finger to her lips and indicated for them to hurry over as she backed up towards the door. She kept the light directed at the creature as they fumbled to open the door and escape after closing the door behind them.
Amelia collapsed onto Ib and Luno, thanking both of them for their help. "I totally wouldn't make good monster food."
Luno gave her a half smile, "Yeah, I'm sure it doesn't like indigestion or just bone."
Amelia laughed before giving a retort. Ib smiled at them, noticing something different in the way they joked around with each other. It was like how her parents would. It was simple and fun, not insulting. Ib blinked at her own speculations. In truth, she'd noticed how Dmitri's insulting seemed to make Amelia uncomfortable and how Luno's was just more playful. It was almost amazing how different it was.
"Neh, Ib, what'cha thinkin' 'bout?" Amelia slurred, setting her head atop Ib's. Ib shook her head, "Nothing, just how you guys banter with one another."
"I-is it weird?" Amelia awkwardly asked and Luno also awaited the answer, never before wondering what it may look like to others.
"No, you guys just seem to be close friends. You don't seem to make the other uncomfortable or upset." Ib explained.
"Ya know, you seem that way with Garry," Amelia pointed out, "When I saw you guys interact, I thought you'd known each other for years. Well, I guess some people just hit it off, huh?"
Luno shrugged and Ib nodded. They turned their attention back to the present matter at hand; finding Garry. They started down the hallway and, much like any adventure, found themselves in countless rooms going through puzzles such as minor cactus mazes to finding dates for artworks and entering them in as passwords for locks. Nothing too eventful happened besides them finding out Luno really likes watching TV (soap operas), but dislikes the cold.
"Are you cold right now?" Amelia asked worriedly. Ib knew that he knew what Amelia was likely thinking and was happy when he shook his head. "The constant movement is keeping me warm. Besides, do you really want your bra on display for all the world to see?"
Amelia turned bright red and smacked his arm. He pretended to be in pain before rolling his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time had passed they arrived at the spiral staircase Ib and Garry had used to leave on their last visit. "When we meet up with Garry, do you think we should leave or continue searching for Kate?"
They all looked at each other quietly, each having their own opinions. Surprisingly, they were all in accordance with the fact that they needed a clear plan of action and the chance to recover, especially Luno and Amelia.
"I think I might retake up morning jogs if I'm going to be doing this much running," Amelia stated aloud as she plopped onto the first step to take a break, "My feet are murdering me!"
Ib sent her a sharp look, which she laughed off sheepishly and amended that she hadn't meant it that way. Ib sat next to Amelia and looked at the two, "Is it alright if I voice one of my displeasures?"
They blinked at the awkwardly formal request and told her to go for it.
"I am really hungry," Ib blushed when she said it, hiding her face in her hands.
Luno and Amelia, mainly the latter, burst out laughing. Amelia clapped her on the back, agreeing that she too was famished and in need of food. "Man, I hope we aren't too late for lunch."
"I'm rather thirsty more so than hungry," Luno remarked, "but, after today, I may actually be crazy enough to try one of your combinations."
Amelia was delighted, "Macaroni-burgers! Ib, you have to try it too! They're really good! You get a hamburger bun and stuff it with mac n' cheese. If daring, you can also add chicken patty, rice, or mashed potatoes!"
Ib gave her a smile and slowly agreed after Luno stated that just plain macaroni in a burger shouldn't be too bad. Now, they just had to convince Garry to eat it too.
"So, should we go look for him or just stay here?" Amelia questioned.
Ib frowned, unsure of what to do. She didn't like the idea of Garry being by himself out in this place, but she also didn't want for them to just miss each other by mere minutes. It was a conundrum that she didn't know how to solve. However, waiting around wasn't going to do anything. If she had to chose, she would look for him.
"We should look for him," Ib stated as she got to her feet. Luno and Amelia followed her example and they started off down another hallway, but they didn't go far before Ib was literally run over. She toppled onto the floor and felt her lungs struggle for oxygen.
"Ib!" Mary tackled Ib for a hug, "I'm so happy you're okay!"
"Oh, are you Mary?" The blonde turned her attention to Amelia and nodded, "Ah, you look exactly like Ib said you would!"
"Really? How did she describe me? Huh?" Mary excitedly asked, going over to Amelia to hear.
"A pretty girl dressed in a green dress, has blonde hair and blue eyes, and young."
Ib stood up and dusted herself off before noticing movement to her left. She looked down the hallway and saw Garry hurrying towards them. She met him halfway and hugged him, taking him off guard. Amelia and Mary giggled at the look on his face while Luno promised to inform him on what happened later.
"Are you okay, Ib?" Garry asked quietly as they walked side-by-side. Ib nodded, "I am now."
They arrived back at the stairs and said their goodbyes to Mary. "We'll be back soon," Ib said after hugging the blonde. "Yup! I think a week will suffice and then we'll be back to kick some ass!" Amelia claimed.
The others thought about this.
"A week would give us time for the concert and some pre-planning." Luno reasoned.
Ib and Garry agreed, promising Mary to meet up with her in a week's time. She smiled at them, feeling tears rise to her eyes as they promised to see her in a week and then left. She wiped them away, hoping that this time things would be different.
"My, my, Mary, I thought you knew how to behave."
Mary tensed and remained very still, not saying a word. She really hated him. She wanted to just yell and scream, but he had power here, though none of his influence ever really affected her or made her stop wanting him gone. She also didn't like the other one, the one who goes to play in the outside world.
Mary felt almost sick, what if the other one attacked Ib or the others? Those two may be working together, but that doesn't mean he's in charge of what they do on the outside. That space is far beyond his reach.
"I guess I need to teach you a lesson again."
Mary didn't protest when she felt the statues grab her, she could feel them sending her their apologies for what they were doing, or when they started dragging her away. She simply closed her eyes and pretended a week was already over and they had come back.
All four of them shuffled uncomfortably in the dark, fumbling around for a light switch or door knob. Unfortunately, having four people in a tiny cramped space is never a smart idea, especially when the lights are off.
"Ow, watch my foot!" Amelia exclaimed, pressing herself into the shelves.
A splash was heard as Garry gave an exasperated sigh, "Well, we're probably in a janitor's closet, again."
"No one move, I think I found the door knob," Luno stated as he turned what he thought to be a door knob.
They all toppled onto the floor in an ungraceful manner and scrambled to get up, embarrassed to find other students pointing at them and whispering. Amelia coughed loudly, drawing their attention and announced, "Macaroni-burgers for everyone!" before ushering them all into the cafeteria and then into the food line. They received quite a few stares from others and one of them even turned around to ask them why their uniforms were in disarray.
"Classified information," Luno stated blankly and the girl backed off.
They progressed through the lines, nearly giving the lunch workers heart attacks when they all requested macaroni-burgers, though Amelia's was loaded with chicken patty, a small amount of mashed potatoes, and gravy. They each grabbed a beverage and sat down at their usual table, only Lumi wasn't there waiting for them.
"She must have over time for the concert this week," Amelia deduced before digging into her food. The others joined in, rather surprised that it wasn't all that bad. If anything, Garry just didn't like the texture, but the taste was sufficient. They entertained themselves with commenting on how all of Amelia's combinations aren't so bad, jokes, and about the upcoming concert. They also filled each other in on what had happened to each of them, which sent Garry for a loop at the prospect that Luno and Amelia had almost died. It helped to explain the large hug Ib gave him, having been scared of losing them.
The others were more surprised at what Garry had told them. There were many things that they needed to discuss and plan for, but at the top of it all was the knowledge that they now knew where Kate was. "I'll drink to that!" Amelia cheered, taking a large sip of her milk. The others joined in, looking on the bright side of at least one thing that had happened.
Garry wasn't too sure why, but he had a feeling Ib could feel it too. Both of them had never really spoken to Luno, but after just one trip through the Gallery they all felt closer. Looking at it as a cause and effect, the experience of having to trust one another has pushed them closer together. Garry hadn't even known Luno had followed them in after Amelia until he saw him with the others, but he still felt closer to him.
Garry looked up and spotted Lumi coming towards them, her face curious but also disbelieving. She grabbed her lunch and plopped down, asking how they were. They each pretended to be nonchalant about it, shrugging or going on about a class or two to make it seem like they weren't trying to hide something.
"Okay, I'm going to address the elephant under the table," Lumi stated, causing Amelia to laugh at the misspoken phrase, to which Luno and Lumi stated that they had always thought the elephant was under the table. "Why wouldn't it be under the table?"
The awkward question was successfully avoided as Amelia and Garry kept Lumi entranced by her incorrect wording before Ib stated a simple explanation at the very end of lunch, "Elephants don't fit under tables." After, they all got up and left. Lumi went off to another class, claiming she was already a few minutes late, which left the four all by themselves again.
They walked to their classes together, each splitting up when needed to until only Ib and Garry were left. They talked quietly with one another about earlier topics, such as how Amelia asked everyone on what types of things they liked to do. Apparently they all liked eating so they agreed to meet up tomorrow afternoon to try the cafe that was on campus. Ib and Garry had never been there, Amelia wanted to have hot cider, and Luno was just being dragged along because he had the same lunch and because they were coming out with a new latte.
"Are you doing anything this weekend?" Garry asked.
Ib nodded, "Some classmates invited me to watch a series with them on Saturday. I've nothing planned for Sunday."
"Well, why don't we hang out then? There's supposed to be this festival in town and it sounds pretty interesting," Garry asked before adding, "We can make it a group thing too."
Ib thought about it, "Alright."
"Really?"
"Yes," Ib stated as she turned away to go into her classroom, "I'll see you at dinner?"
"Yeah, see you then."
Once the door was closed Garry blushed, he felt like he'd been asking her out on a date rather than as friends, but...maybe that's what he wanted? He tried not to think about it too deeply as he headed to his own class.
Garry and Ib met up in the hallway and headed towards the cafeteria, grouping with Amelia and Luno by coincidence since Luno had been let out early for once. Amelia tried to convince them to try another combination, successfully roping Luno and Garry into it while Ib simply stated she liked the school's pasta just fine the way it was. They went through the whole food process and sat down at the table, noting that Lumi was busy with more concert stuff and wouldn't be joining them.
Gillian greeted them as they sat down, expecting some answers to all the things she'd been hearing. Soaru arrived in the middle of Gillian squealing and nearly just left then, but Ib had already spotted him and was waving politely at him. He sat down next to Luno and then noticed something more off than the fact that he wasn't wearing his uniform top, "Your hair is uneven. How did that happen?"
Luno froze as everyone closely examined his hair, realizing that Soaru was correct. His hair was horribly uneven. He shared a look with Amelia, Ib, and Garry before shrugging. "Well, I'm not shabby with a pair of scissors so I can cut your hair, if you want." Amelia offered, Luno sighed again until Garry brought up that he also could cut hair and would be there to supervise. Luno settled on that, explaining to Amelia that just last week she cut herself with a refrigerator magnet and the idea of giving her scissors made him nervous.
Her retort: "It was a sharp magnet!"
"Obviously sharper than you are," Dmitri stated as he plopped into an available chair and started eating.
Ib watched Amelia furrow her brow, "Like anyone asked for your opinion."
"Because some people just like lying to themselves, Zhirny."
"I hope you get hit by a flying shovel!" Amelia exclaimed.
"Go fall in a hole," Dmitri stated, but suddenly felt very cold. He-along with everyone-looked to find the source, which just so happened to be from Ib. Damn, he never thought she could be scary, "Uhmm, I mean a relatively small one that causes little self harm?"
Ib returned to eating, satisfied with the situation. Amelia gushed over how adorable Ib was for standing up for her. "With a look like that you could over power Luno!"
Ib stuck to eating her pasta. She hadn't meant to glare at anyone; the phrase just bothered her now as Amelia and Luno really had fallen in a large hole and just about died. The memory was enough to make anxiety pool into her stomach and her eyes overflow with hot tears. Ib would never wish such a thing on anyone, so why do people tell others to go fall in holes? Don't they realize how life threatening it can be? Yeah, Ib felt somewhat melodramatic but the whole incident was still relatively fresh in her mind.
Amelia, Garry, and Luno looked rather worriedly at Ib, which provoked Amelia to use the power of comic relief to ask Garry a very personal question, "Prove to me your hair isn't dyed!"
Soaru nearly choked on his hotdog (then discarded the thing altogether)while Gillian giggled. Luno gave a tiny amused smile, Dmitri rolled his eyes, and Ib was curious on how one would prove such a thing.
They teased him for a few minutes before Ib finally asked, "How do you prove that?"
Luno covered Ib's ears (Hey, he was doing her a favor) and promised to tell her when she was older, like eighty-seven. Garry hid his face in his hands, bright red from the whole thing. The only reason he wasn't too upset was because he knew Amelia was just trying to distract Ib, but did she really need to pick on his hair colour?
After finishing dinner, Amelia, Luno, and Garry left to go cut the blonde's hair. Ib stayed behind to finish and possibly find her one art teacher to ask about a project.
"Hey, Ib, what's up with everyone today, da?" Dmitri asked, "I've been hearing some weird rumors about you guys falling out of a closet, but that can't be true."
"Really? I heard it too," Gillian voiced and Soaru nodded, saying something about the student council being complained to by the janitor for someone stepping in some bucket and spilling it.
Ib's reply was both cunning and slick, followed up by a small bite of pasta, "It happened."
The other three stopped talking as they didn't know if she was kidding or not. Apparently, she wasn't.
"What were you all doing in the janitor's closet?" Soaru asked, hoping there would be a plausible excuse.
Ib wasn't good at lying, but she didn't know how to get out of this, "It's a secret."
Before they could ask any more questions she stood up, exchanged departing phrases, and zoomed off to throw out her trash and find her teacher. She felt bad for doing something like that, but she couldn't just tell them about the Gallery and the like. Amelia and Luno were dragged into it so they were now a part of it, but the others shouldn't have to know or even worry about it.
Ib stepped into her second period class and glanced around for her teacher, finding her sitting at her desk grading projects. Ib walked over and waited to be acknowledged, which only took until the end of the stack, "Yes, Ib?"
Just as Ib was going to respond another teacher walked through the door. Ib's teacher diverted her attention, "Mr. Raizel, if you would please give me a moment."
"I can wait, if needed," Ib offered, to which the teacher nodded gratefully.
"Are the sets finished?" Mr. Raizel inquired blankly.
As they talked Ib took the chance to study Mr. Raizel. He was quite tall, even taller than Garry, and had slightly narrow shaped blue eyes which were a sharp contrast to his dark slick-backed hair. He stood with poise and his voice was rich and deep. Ib concluded that he nearly carried the same air as Lumi and because he was speaking about sets, he probably was from the theatre department.
Once their conversation ended, Ib spoke with her teacher and then left. She had just made it inside the dorm when Amelia dragged her upstairs to show off Luno's new hairstyle. It came to about the end of his neck and was parted on the left, a stubborn strand hanging in his face to complete it.
"I nearly look like Neah," and yes, Luno was pouting.
"No, his is more spiky and bed-head like!" Amelia assured.
"I like it. There's more of a resemblance to Lumi and your face looks edged." Garry supplied.
"Masculine." Ib stated, nodding her head. She liked it both long and short, but short seemed to be better for his face shape...maybe that's why Lumi's kept hers short?
"Gee, thanks," Luno responded sarcastically. Ib frowned, "I don't see the problem. Whether long or short you are still you."
"Awe, check out my baby being corny and working it!" Amelia giggled, snuggling Ib. Ib didn't know what this corny thing was, but she had a feeling it was some sort of pun.
Luno gave a crooked half-smile, "At least now Amelia has to look up new jokes about my hair."
Amelia, just realizing all her research was for not, dramatically dropped to the floor and yelled, "No!"
Luno now smirked, "Well, I've been optimistic at least once today, I can now check that off my to-do list."
Amelia laughed, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Ib and Garry sat next to each other on the bed while Luno stayed in the desk chair, content with checking his hair in the mirror. "Damn, I hope it doesn't look weird." he mumbled, piquing their interest.
"What doesn't look weird?" Garry asked.
Luno paused, debating if he should tell them. "You can't tell anyone else this, but I wear glasses. I swapped to contacts so I only wear them during shows and concerts so I can see from a distance."
"Put them on! Put them on!" Amelia cheered, refusing to budge unless he complied. He eventually gave up and put on the square black glasses and was surprised to hear Amelia squeal and shake his shoulders, "You look so adorable!"
"Don't you wear contacts?" Luno asked, trying to change the topic, "I want to see you in your glasses also, since we're sharing."
Amelia backed away, "Well, I don't even know where they are and-"
"Here they are," Ib gave the case to Amelia, who pretended to be heartbroken at the unexpected betrayal. She eventually put them on after much provoking. While Luno's were subtle, Amelia's were loud and bright green. However, they fit her face well enough and looked rather cute, in their own opinions.
"See, they're hideous!" Amelia stated, "Besides, it's harder to look through the camera with them on."
"So that's the sole purpose behind contacts then, for photography?" Luno deduced.
Amelia nodded, "Yup! I get really bad glare with my glasses on and then my eyes hurt from straining them. I only wear them at home when I don't need to put in contacts or when they start to agitate me."
"They look nice on you," Luno complemented.
"I think they're cute, on both of you." Ib voiced, looking back and forth between them.
Amelia's face lit up, "You really think so?"
Ib nodded, practically used to Amelia hugging her now. She even hugged back, which shocked Amelia, but melted away as she deemed it cute. "I love cute things, which is why I love all of you, even seaweed head over there!"
Garry just sighed at the nickname, but shared a look with Luno as they shrugged in a sorta what-can-you-do? gesture. They finalized their plans for lunch the following day and told one another they would see them at breakfast before splitting up. Just as Ib was leaving Amelia called out to her, "Uhm, Ib, I forgot to give Luno back his shirt. I want to wash it and give it back, but I hate going to the basement by myself, could you go with me?"
Amelia was highly embarrassed and Ib found it...cute? "Sure, I don't mind."
Amelia grabbed her laundry while Ib decided just to get hers done while at it, and walked down the steps to the basement. The room was long and wide, packed back to back walls of washers and dryers. They chose a station close to the stairs and set about the process of washing soiled clothes using technology. Now, they waited for it to be over so they could throw the clothes in the dryer.
"Say, Ib, what do you think about Garry?" Amelia asked suddenly.
"He's very tall," Ib stated, causing Amelia to deadpan.
"No, what I meant is do you like him?"
"Yes, I like all of you."
"No, I mean like how your mom and dad like each other. You know, like when he walks into the room you can't help but be happy or you feel funny here," Amelia pointed to her chest.
Ib thought about it. She was always content whenever the table spoke with her and accepted her, she liked all of them. Garry though, sometimes she felt different, such as if he were to stop sitting with them she would be highly upset. She also liked it when Amelia hugged her, but when she hugged Garry she was overjoyed and she always wanted to walk to class with him if he wasn't in a hurry. She expressed this to Amelia and the girl sighed, leaning against the washer.
"I guess Luno was right, you both are kinda dense."
Ib wanted to switch topics as she started feeling embarrassed, "What about you?"
"About Garry? I think he's interesting and helpful, he really cares and he's genuine. He's also a seaweed head."
"Do you like anyone?" Ib asked, trying to keep up the conversation.
Amelia blushed and leaned in closer, "Kinda, but he'll probably never like me back."
Ib felt her eyes widen. Amelia was highly likable, so at least there was a high possibility of friendship before the next leap. When she told Amelia this she nervously laughed, "We kinda already are, but he's sorta out of my reach. Don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, not even Garry, ok?"
Ib promised.
"I sorta have this issue with my family and my father doesn't really like the whole idea of me being a photographer. The only reason I'm allowed to attend is because of how prestigious it is and I've never had really awesome grades. So, I get a bit upset when people flat out insult my intelligence because-" Amelia started to choke up and Ib decided she would have to instigate the hug and offer condolences, because she knew.
"It's alright; I think I understand a little bit." Ib stated.
"How?" Amelia asked, not to be mean but because she wanted to make sure she wasn't just hearing pretty words.
"I don't like my eyes. People stare at them and try to avoid me unless forced to interact with me. It made me feel weird, because I didn't know what was wrong with me. I wanted to become like everyone else so I wouldn't have to be alone, but I couldn't. People often look at me and guess that I wear colour contacts or they avoid looking me in the eye, so I don't like meeting many people because I have to watch their reactions."
Ib felt that this was all getting too touchy-feely, but decided that letting someone else know about her own insecurities wasn't bad. In fact, she felt rather relieved to get it off her chest. She really appreciated all her current friends, like Amelia and Garry, who weren't put off by her eye colour and accepted her for her.
"Awe, I feel appreciated for some reason!" Amelia replied, "Thanks, Ib, for not just saying nice words to me. I think I found someone who kinda gets it."
They continued light-heartedly chattering until all the laundry was done, Luno's shirt folded neatly on top. They walked up the stairs and parted ways, both feeling more relaxed and content than they had previously. They exchanged phrases and went to their own rooms.
Ib changed and crawled into bed, ready to fall asleep. She dozed for sometime until waking up at around three in the morning. Ib tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but something felt off. She sat up and slowly swept the room with her eyes, not seeing anything out of place. Ib laid back down to try and go back to sleep when a loud thud from next door made her jump. Tiredly, she pulled a pillow over her head to block out the noise, but it didn't work. The racket started to come in regular rhythms, exasperating the brunette who was trying to sleep.
She stood up and went next door and knocked. From past experiences, no one was going to answer and then the noises would mysteriously stop sometime after. The noises continued for awhile and Ib turned to walk away, but as she neared her own door she heard the other slowly open.
Now, Ib didn't lack much common sense and she had seen enough horror movies to know where this was going, but she wanted to know what was making all the racket almost every single night. She approached the door and slowly opened it up wider while peering inside.
The room was clean, but barren, which made it obvious that no one had lived in the room for quite some time. Ib walked further inside, glancing around for anything that could make the loud noises she'd heard. She looked under the bed closest to the wall and gave pause before dragging out a large frame. Inside the canvas was a nearly finished piece that depicted a girl no older than herself stuck inside a small cage with two locks, one of which wasn't finished.
There was something horribly strange about this painting, something that she would have to have the others check out with her just to make sure it wasn't her nerves. Ib placed the painting back under the bed and went back to her own room to fall asleep. The girl's eyes stared at her from the cage inside her own dreamscape until sleep finally soothed her, pulling her away from reality's cruel games.
AN: Finished the same day as chapter 12. Yeah, being sick but functional does this to me. I only wrote two chapters and it seriously took me ALL DAY! From 8:00AM-ish until 8:32PM...I'm either very slow or highly distracted.
Half of this chapter should be credited to Ib's Theme, memory, the Ib soundtrack, Fatal Frame 3 soundtrack, and Mad father (Shudder, Aya's Theme fandub (Which is really good)), and some of The Witch's House osts. Inuyasha's lullaby played a big part for Ib in this chapter and I replayed it multiple times to write that scene.
Note: Extra long chapter is long! I just got sick of looking at it after awhile and have decided to hell with it! I wasn't sure if I should have them wait just a week to go back or a bit longer, and it may be susceptible to change depending on how things play out from here.
Also, someone did review chapter eleven, thank you! Also, a gigantic thank you to all who reviewed, favorited/followed, and messaged me!
Please review.