April 11, Part Six
Darkenning
Pervert. Also, possible world-destroying monster.
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Morgana led the two young students through the maze of twisty corridors, all alike, claiming to have plotted out the map of the area before his capture. Ann wanted to doubt that, but the maybe-not-a-cat never seemed to be at a loss for which way to go next, which suggested that he was either truthful and/or overconfident. Nevertheless, he successfully guided them past several potential encounters with the castle guards.
Worryingly, in Ann's view, Kurusu kept staring at the guards that they evaded with the same expression of homicidal intent that she'd worn while confronting Kamoshida. Even Morgana picked up on it, for the -- cartoon character, Ann decided abruptly -- eventually started giving Kurusu gestures that seemed to be saying, "Not yet." Ann would have preferred "Not at all," but under the circumstances she would take what she could get.
When they could speak more freely, Morgana continued to exposit about the nature of their environment. "Everything in here is shaped by the will of the Palace's owner," he was saying. "Those guards aren't people; they're Shadows that have been transformed to look like people. Only those who have the spirit of rebellion within them, like the two of us, can avoid that."
"Umm, there are three of us," Ann objected, frowning.
Morgana gave her an annoyed glance. "Indeed so. Perhaps you, too, have the spirit of rebellion within you."
"Well, that would be --"
"No one ever said you couldn't have it and still be an airhead," he added as he returned his gaze to what was before them.
Ann closed her mouth and glared scorchingly at the back of the cartoon cat's head. However, any retort she might have wanted to make was lost as she also saw a banner over the top of the corridor that they were about to enter, proclaiming it to be "King Kamoshida's Tender Loving Chambers of Torture."
"Oooookay," she said loudly. "I'm thinking that it might be time to reconsider our route!"
Morgana let out a noise somewhere between a mew and a sigh of frustration. "This is the quickest path to the egress!"
"I don't wanna see any bird displays, I wanna get out of here!"
"Egress means exit," Kurusu explained while Morgana just gaped in stupefaction.
"Correct, madame!" said Morgana, quickly recovering his elan. "Look, I don't really want to go through this place, either, and it's worse for me, because I've been through there before and you haven't. But I swear, with this hand on this heart --" He suited the gesture to the words. "-- that this is the fastest way to the exit from the palace."
Ann stared at him for a moment, before looking to Kurusu. "Is his heart really on that side?" she asked quietly.
Kurusu shrugged. "It would be if he were a cat, but he says that he's not, so --"
"It's the same for all the mammals, all right?!" Morgana interjected testily. "Look, just keep following me and try not to think too much about what you see or hear, all right? These aren't people, they're just Shadows shaped into looking like people. Not people."
That didn't help as much as Morgana probably -- hopefully -- intended. Even hurrying along behind him gave Ann several glimpses of what looked like people being beaten and branded, and the faces of the victims were those that she vaguely recognized. At least she could take comfort that the only ones there were the boys' team, not the girls' team, and definitely not one face out of them all. But thinking that made her stomach twist in disgust, and then a horrible thought came to her.
"Hey," she called out to Morgana. "This is all just stuff that he fantasizes about doing to people, right? Not things that he's done in, uh, real reality!"
"Yes and no," Morgana called back. "If he's abusing them like this in his palace, then he probably is being comparably cruel in the conscious world as well, so -- gack!"
Ann's face had gone incredibly pale at the cat's first response, and once she had head his elaboration, she dashed forward, passing a slightly startled looking Kurusu and catching up to Morgana, whom she promptly grabbed with both hands and brought up to her face. "Tell me that you haven't seen girls in volleyball uniforms getting treated like this," she snarled. "And you really want me to believe it!"
"I-I-I haven't!" Morgana cried, voice gone rather high. "I swear!"
She didn't really want to be convinced, but the panic the whatever was clearly feeling didn't sound like guilt to her ears, so she tossed him in Kurusu's direction. "Right. Which way to the egret? I mean egress. I mean -- ahhhh, screw it! Let's get out of here so I can get Shiho to quit volleyball!"
"So scary!" Morgana muttered as Ann ran off. A brief pause. "What are you doing?"
"Petting you," said Kurusu, who was. "Do you want me to stop?"
"… I don't recall having said so."
Worryingly, in Ann's view, Kurusu kept staring at the guards that they evaded with the same expression of homicidal intent that she'd worn while confronting Kamoshida. Even Morgana picked up on it, for the -- cartoon character, Ann decided abruptly -- eventually started giving Kurusu gestures that seemed to be saying, "Not yet." Ann would have preferred "Not at all," but under the circumstances she would take what she could get.
When they could speak more freely, Morgana continued to exposit about the nature of their environment. "Everything in here is shaped by the will of the Palace's owner," he was saying. "Those guards aren't people; they're Shadows that have been transformed to look like people. Only those who have the spirit of rebellion within them, like the two of us, can avoid that."
"Umm, there are three of us," Ann objected, frowning.
Morgana gave her an annoyed glance. "Indeed so. Perhaps you, too, have the spirit of rebellion within you."
"Well, that would be --"
"No one ever said you couldn't have it and still be an airhead," he added as he returned his gaze to what was before them.
Ann closed her mouth and glared scorchingly at the back of the cartoon cat's head. However, any retort she might have wanted to make was lost as she also saw a banner over the top of the corridor that they were about to enter, proclaiming it to be "King Kamoshida's Tender Loving Chambers of Torture."
"Oooookay," she said loudly. "I'm thinking that it might be time to reconsider our route!"
Morgana let out a noise somewhere between a mew and a sigh of frustration. "This is the quickest path to the egress!"
"I don't wanna see any bird displays, I wanna get out of here!"
"Egress means exit," Kurusu explained while Morgana just gaped in stupefaction.
"Correct, madame!" said Morgana, quickly recovering his elan. "Look, I don't really want to go through this place, either, and it's worse for me, because I've been through there before and you haven't. But I swear, with this hand on this heart --" He suited the gesture to the words. "-- that this is the fastest way to the exit from the palace."
Ann stared at him for a moment, before looking to Kurusu. "Is his heart really on that side?" she asked quietly.
Kurusu shrugged. "It would be if he were a cat, but he says that he's not, so --"
"It's the same for all the mammals, all right?!" Morgana interjected testily. "Look, just keep following me and try not to think too much about what you see or hear, all right? These aren't people, they're just Shadows shaped into looking like people. Not people."
That didn't help as much as Morgana probably -- hopefully -- intended. Even hurrying along behind him gave Ann several glimpses of what looked like people being beaten and branded, and the faces of the victims were those that she vaguely recognized. At least she could take comfort that the only ones there were the boys' team, not the girls' team, and definitely not one face out of them all. But thinking that made her stomach twist in disgust, and then a horrible thought came to her.
"Hey," she called out to Morgana. "This is all just stuff that he fantasizes about doing to people, right? Not things that he's done in, uh, real reality!"
"Yes and no," Morgana called back. "If he's abusing them like this in his palace, then he probably is being comparably cruel in the conscious world as well, so -- gack!"
Ann's face had gone incredibly pale at the cat's first response, and once she had head his elaboration, she dashed forward, passing a slightly startled looking Kurusu and catching up to Morgana, whom she promptly grabbed with both hands and brought up to her face. "Tell me that you haven't seen girls in volleyball uniforms getting treated like this," she snarled. "And you really want me to believe it!"
"I-I-I haven't!" Morgana cried, voice gone rather high. "I swear!"
She didn't really want to be convinced, but the panic the whatever was clearly feeling didn't sound like guilt to her ears, so she tossed him in Kurusu's direction. "Right. Which way to the egret? I mean egress. I mean -- ahhhh, screw it! Let's get out of here so I can get Shiho to quit volleyball!"
"So scary!" Morgana muttered as Ann ran off. A brief pause. "What are you doing?"
"Petting you," said Kurusu, who was. "Do you want me to stop?"
"… I don't recall having said so."