[It’s a lovely day at the lake. Things don’t go wrong here; the sun exists, the water is blue and bloodless, and a small canine is running around the shoreline, yapping merrily. Aubrey is chasing it.]
Stop running! [But the dog won’t listen to her.] Give him back!
[Not that Akechi would know, but the lake’s a little different than reality. The forest beyond is just a few yards closer than it should be, claustrophobic in some corners; old toys and pinwheels are being swallowed by overgrowth. And the pier, which is supposed to stop a few feet out, now extends all the way to that tiny island with the statue, like an aisle straight to hell. Faintly, a whisper from the congregation of trees. They don’t approve of what’s happening.
[Akechi is seated on the structure’s roof. Aubrey’s sword is his; if he’d like, he can grab it like a good shovel.]
What are you doing? [It’s unclear whether Aubrey is yelling at him or the runaway. The mongrel appears safe from a distance, but there’s a wild look in its eyes, clearer up close. Something is in its mouth. A bone?
[An arm.
[The animal nearly runs past the interloper (that’d be you, Akechi), then freezes. Beady, horizontal pupils lock him in its crosshairs. Red drips from its maw. It looks ready to charge. Aubrey won’t catch up before it’s too late.]
post-event | action (dream edition)
[It’s a lovely day at the lake. Things don’t go wrong here; the sun exists, the water is blue and bloodless, and a small canine is running around the shoreline, yapping merrily. Aubrey is chasing it.]
Stop running! [But the dog won’t listen to her.] Give him back!
[Not that Akechi would know, but the lake’s a little different than reality. The forest beyond is just a few yards closer than it should be, claustrophobic in some corners; old toys and pinwheels are being swallowed by overgrowth. And the pier, which is supposed to stop a few feet out, now extends all the way to that tiny island with the statue, like an aisle straight to hell. Faintly, a whisper from the congregation of trees. They don’t approve of what’s happening.
[Akechi is seated on the structure’s roof. Aubrey’s sword is his; if he’d like, he can grab it like a good shovel.]
What are you doing? [It’s unclear whether Aubrey is yelling at him or the runaway. The mongrel appears safe from a distance, but there’s a wild look in its eyes, clearer up close. Something is in its mouth. A bone?
[An arm.
[The animal nearly runs past the interloper (that’d be you, Akechi), then freezes. Beady, horizontal pupils lock him in its crosshairs. Red drips from its maw. It looks ready to charge. Aubrey won’t catch up before it’s too late.]