hearts formed by solicitude and desolation

⌈ 28 ⌋

ᏞᎾᎪᎠᏆNᏩ . . . . .

ᏞᎾᎪᎠᏆNᏩ ᏟᎾᎷᏢᏞᎬᎢᎬ !

things seemed to go by as a blur, as if time had an urgency reality lacked.

when chishiya had helped you back to your seat, yasushi came to you both to propose an idea. he would join some of the other players not within the group, and evaluate them in order to find the jack. you hesitated, but only for a moment, considering yasushi was perfectly capable of himself and would be just fine. not only that, but his presence amongst other players would help aid you in calculating who had what symbols. you had given him a smile in agreement, and his nod was the only thing left before he disappeared from the room.

silence settled, but only for a moment. similar to the previous round you could hear the faint sounds of groans slipped through one's lips as yelling followed as well. curses echoed through corridors and bounced off walls, grabbing everyone's attention. you vaguely remembered shifting uncomfortably during the predicament, as well as your gaze following the leader of your group drift towards the noises. you thought that perhaps the violence would settle down, and your theory of the lack there of would be proven wrong. yet when he returned, face bloodied and fear ghosting over his expression, you knew the poor recipient would have to endure it for the next rounds to come.

"you want to help." chishiya noted, having caught the way your eyes never seemed to leave the doorway of the room. you nodded, quietly, before fixating your attention on the hands in your lap.

"i fear something may happen the longer we let this go on." you mumbled softly. not one person participating in the game would do nothing to survive, yourself included despite how you hated to admit it. soon enough the players would grow restless, and act upon impulse in order to progress the game at a faster rate.

"many of the players here are unhinged," chishiya spoke, as if it were common sense and nothing to worry about, "i'm surprised we've gone by with only that much violence."

"i hope...." you muttered, vaguely feeling your nails pick at the skin by your thumb, "that they all find peace."

you couldn't remember anything of the next hour, no matter how much you tried to recall the memories. the only things to stick with you were the feel of chishiya's cold hands on your skin, soft and firm whilst his breath lingered on your neck. you remembered the pain that throbbed in your side, as well as the chess pieces moved and another successful round without any deaths.

the lack of casualties didn't stay for long however.

you heard it more than saw. a blood curling scream that echoed throughout the whole building. you had just been in the middle of yet another chess game, only to pause with the disruptive noise and the scramble of your group rushing out to see. unease settled deep within your gut, and you found your attention settled completely beyond the archway you could not see past.

something bad was gonna happen. something that would change the course of the game.

"chishiya-" you almost stood to get up, only to pause when his chair scraped against the floor and he walked past you to check out the commotion. it was almost like he too could feel the chaos in the near future.

hickory flickered over the scene before him, little to no indication of what was happening through his body motions and expressions. you did however, hear the screaming, followed by a small explosion.

you could guess what had occurred, if not by the vague recall of the rules of the game, then by the amusement that ghosted over chishiya's lips. more crying followed, a women screaming something about moving the bodies from the area. you found your nails digging into the fabric of your seat, anxiously tapping your foot away as different ideas of what happened whirled through your mind. each image was more gruesome than the last, until you found yourself forcing your mind to think of anything else.