(no subject)

[puzzlers]

Who: pep!pep!
Where: pep!pep!
When: Day 66, afternoon

[ there's a new kid on the block. ]

Comments

[puzzlers]

[ if he wasn't the slightest bit aware of what a hellscape imeeji was slowly becoming king's profound sense of confidence might have very well done something to tilt the scales towards the positive, but right now yugi is letting his worry and concern chip away at his usual chipper attitude. this being the first hour he's been here hasn't helped either. ]

When [ not if. ] this is all over promise you'll stop by again, so we... can... [ do something. anything. ]

[puzzlekeeper]

I will. There are... some things we should probably discuss.

[ Like how he's a ghost who may be possessing you against your will




Yeah, that especially......... ]

[puzzlers]

Now's probably not the time, but... but if they're weighing heavy on your heart [ which it kind of sort of seems like they are. ] we can discuss them now.

But maybe... somewhere else. [ somewhere a bit more private. ]

1/2

[puzzlekeeper]

[ On the one hand, it's probably terrible to leave Yugi hanging. On the other, this conversation might suck, and also he's on a ticking time limit right now.

But what if he goes off and gets himself killed? Will it be better or worse if Yugi doesn't know? And then remembers it himself later anyway?

??

?????? ]

......

[puzzlekeeper]

[ ........ well,

There is literally no time like the present. ]

I don't have long. I should get back to my team. [ Not that he's actually going back to his team, buuuut... ] We can find somewhere in the city to talk - just for a bit.

[puzzlers]

[ he gets the sinking feeling that the conversation they’re about to have is going to be some sort of beautiful disaster. call it a hunch. it doesn’t help that king’s been considering this for what feels like forever. ] I- I know, and we have to be extra careful because of the plague, but- [ a smile. ] Just for a bit. That’s fine. It’s all we need right now. [ he takes king’s hand, because what is giving a shit, and he tugs him towards the elevator. he doesn’t know where he’s going, but it doesn’t matter… secluded is secluded. ]

[ aaaand here. he finally releases his hand, an awkward laugh following as he hadn’t really even realized he’d taken it and dragged him halfway across the city. ] So what’s on your mind, King?

[puzzlekeeper]

[ King makes sure they're good and far down a secluded street before he starts talking. The design of this place already lends itself enough to airing his dirty laundry without adding this on top of it.

Also carefully ignoring what clearly looks like impending apocalypse in the sky and every building around them, because showing clear alarm over it will no doubt alarm Yugi in turn. ]

So...

[ How do you even start with this? ]

I haven't remembered very much yet, but... we're not brothers, or "twins," or anything like that. It's - much more complicated than that, I think.

[puzzlers]

[ at this point in time he’s doing his best to ignore it too. it’s happening and it doesn’t seem like there’s much can be done to stop it from happening. ] … [ so. ] If it’s not either or, then it might be a bit more complicated. Do you… have any ideas kicking around in that head of yours? [ he tries to lighten the mood, because, frankly, it’s suffocating. or maybe that’s all the gray. ] Are we the same person or something?

[puzzlekeeper]

I don't- ... Maybe? Um...

[ please understand ]

... I think I'm a ghost living in a necklace that you have.



[ JUST GONNA WAIT AND LET THAT PART HIT HOME FIRST ]

1 / ?

[puzzlers]

It’s alright. I guess it doesn’t really matter as long as- [ aaaand bombshell deployed. ]

2 /

[puzzlers]

3 /

[puzzlers]

A ghost… living in a… necklace I have… [ uhhuh. so king is a… genie??? ] But I don’t have a necklace and… [ king looks very much alive to him. ]

[puzzlers]

[ as if he wasn’t confused enough! now he’s got to try to make sense of this. ] A ghost? [ hope king doesn't mind getting pinched, because what. seriously though... what. ]

[puzzlekeeper]

[ Well this is going better than he expected so f- hey!!! ]

Ow- I'm obviously real right now!

[ PLEASE ]

[puzzlers]

Just making sure! [ he lifts his hands up and laughs. ] I mean, c'mon, that's a lot to swallow. [ but he's got no reason to believe he's being lied to. ]

Right now. [ how did he die though? could he have... ] I didn't do anything, right, [ concern shakes his voice. ] I'm not the reason you... you... [ died. ]

[puzzlekeeper]

... What?

[ He looks momentarily aghast that Yugi's mind even went there. ]

No! Of course not!

[puzzlers]

[ he's just making sure, ok!!! why else would he have a necklace that's got a ghost in it unless he was being haunted or something! ]

Do you know where the necklace came from? Or why I had it? [ and most importantly... where the heck was it now? was it gone because king was here, in the flesh? he's got so many questions. ]

[puzzlekeeper]

No, unfortunately... I don't know how you came by it. The Millennium Puzzle - that's what it's called - seems to be one of seven items like it.

They come from Ancient Egypt... so I would have been sealed in the Puzzle thousands of years before you were even born.

[puzzlers]

[ that's a lot more information than he thought king was going to have... not that he's complaining! ] That's not that strange. [ at least compared to what he's experienced here thus far. ] I somehow got a hold of an ancient Egyptian artifact that had you trapped inside and I managed to set you free? [ genie. ]

[ that still doesn't explain the resemblance, but he's not too concerned about that. ] I'm glad that the powers that be gave you your own body. [ so he can't hate them entirely. ] I wonder if the other items have people trapped in them too.

[puzzlekeeper]

[ Grimly, ]

I hope not.

[ Yugi's taking this... strangely well... so there's that. But King hasn't even gotten to the really concerning part yet, which is... ]

The thing is... I'm pretty sure the only way for me to interact with the world while I'm in the Puzzle is... using your body.

[puzzlers]

... [ a strange answer to a strange question, he supposes. ]

[ it's not the hardest thing to swallow at the moment. if the apocalypse hadn't kicked it into high gear he'd probably be significantly more skeptical... but if people can become greyscale, forget their memories, and then vanish into thin air... then it's likely he found a ghost puzzle. ]

[ using my... body... ] You mean just, like, influencing me to do things, right, by implanting the idea into my mind or something so I... so I followed through with it? [ like a helpful nudge! ] ... [ or does he mean full blown possession? he pales at the thought, because it's hard to imagine how! j- just how! ] Why, [ it's all he can manage for the time being. his mind is buzzing with thoughts and as they continue piling up he feels his head start to hurt. ] You needed me, no, my body to do... what?

[puzzlekeeper]

[ kill him where he stands ]

I- I don't know. I mean... I have an idea, but...

[ He's floundering, SOS!!! After a pause where he can't think of a single fucking way to follow that up, he pulls out his phone. ]

Maybe it would be easier to just show you.

[puzzlers]

[ no, we're in this hell together. ]

And what's that? [ he's got a right to know. ]

... [ he watches in silence as king pulls out his phone and, tbh, he's kind of afraid of what his memories are going to reveal to him. does he want to know the intimate details of their other worldly relationship or... ]

It might help. [ he offers a meek smile. ] King. [ he bunches his hands in his skirt. ] It's not you, it's... me. [ it's not hard to tell his confusion is lending to king's concern. ] It's a lot to take in and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around how it was even... [ realizing he's rambling he trails off. ] ... [ he'll shutup and let him play the memory. ]

[puzzlekeeper]

[ EXCEPT NOW YOU DERAILED HIM. ]

No... Yu- Corona, you have the right to be uncomfortable with what I just told you.

[ He seems to summon up some of his waned courage, standing a little straighter, phone still in hand. ]

I wanted to tell you this before anything else because - because I don't know what our relationship was back home, exactly. I don't know how we were brought together or what our agreement was. And if it wasn't good... then I...

[ Then he doesn't want to lie by omission in letting him run headlong into an ill-fated friendship. ]

[puzzlers]

[ oops. ]

[ yugi. that's who he is. was. it's so hard to be sure. ]

[ if king's memories haven't been able to tell him that much, then... ] I don't want to see. [ he sets his hands atop the screen of king's phone. ] It doesn't matter what our relationship was back home. Good. [ ... ] Bad. We have bits and pieces and who knows what it looks like out of context. I... I want to wait. Please.

[ he goes from just covering the phone to squeezing king's hands. ] I've been here, what, an hour and though that's not a ton of time I- I think I have a decent feel for you. [ he did rush over to the pep!pep! dorms in spite of the plague going on just to see him. ] I'll admit, [ a halfhearted laugh. ] being possessed kind of sounds like a bad time, but... but we don't know that for sure...