One Hundred Sleepless Nights [NDE, Hard]

[Deleted]

Name: One Hundred Sleepless Nights.

Participants: Ailene Haschiro, Akira Hinosai, Arcadus, @rayleigh, @kerrigan, @minerva.

Location: An abandoned mansion in who knows where.

Difficulty Level: Hard.

Setting: NDE.

Plotline: Much like the original Get Out written by Rin, you all find yourself coming to in the Foyer of a rather large mansion, with nothing but yourself and a voice in your head telling you to explore. Those of you familiar with the original thread know what you're getting yourself into.

Estimated Enemy Strength: Enemies will be few and far between, but for record sake let's say Class 7-1.

Estimated Time Until Completion: I'm hoping this thread doesn't die, so I'd like to say probably about 6-7 pages.

Starts: After this post, with whomever decides to make the first post.

Special Conditions: Similarly to the original thread, this one has a few different conditions/rules.

Firstly, everyone is reduced to 50 in all stats, with a 0 in Energy Sensory and Healing Expertise.
Second, any reiatsu use or technique use of any kind will result in you finding that it simply just doesn't work.
Third, and much like the original thread, this is based off of Betrayal at House on the Hill. As such, here is a copy of the rules if you'd like. That said, I'll be going over all of the important information below.

• First, everyone will be given 4 stats to keep track of. Those are; Strength, Speed, Knowledge, and Sanity. These will fluctuate throughout the game. Should you drop to 0 in any of them, you will die. Each of these stats will begin at 5.
• After a certain amount of time, an event called the Haunt will begin. This will result in everyone learning the goal of the adventure, as well as the main adversary/adversaries. Every time that a crow is found in a new room, a haunt has a chance to begin. When a crow is found, a dice roll will be made, and once a dice roll is failed, the Haunt will start. More on dice rolls below.
• In everyone's first post, I'd like you to roll a few dice with this command, just to get a feel for dice rolls: {roll range="0-2"}. These will be the cornerstone of how this adventure is going to work. When you make a roll based off of a stat, you'll roll a number of dice equal to that stat.
• Only one room can be explored at a time, and you'll be able to move through a number of rooms equal to your speed at a time.

Next, regarding posting times; I'd like a response in less than a month. People do have commitments, that much is for certain, but if a reply isn't sent out in a month, after a few check-ins from myself, your turn will be skipped. This does not necessarily mean you'll be booted from the thread, though, so there's no worries there.
Finally, once we have a post order going, everyone will be given the choice to post out of order should they like, though simply for character interaction. Mechanical effects cannot and will not happen in these posts, including but not limited to trading items, moving rooms, etc.

[Ailene Haschiro]

Groggy. This would be the word that Ailene would use to describe the way she felt. Enveloped in darkness, too dark to see through until her eyes adjusted to it, she would grip her head as she came to. The floor felt cold and creaked as she rose to her feet to greet this mysterious start to the day. Everything hurt. Her back was killing her. Her head was pounding. Her neck was stiff. Everything felt as if it would twist and break at the most sudden of movements. Stretching, as stiff as a statue, Ailene blinked rapidly so that her eyes could finally adjust to the darkness. As her eyes finally became accustomed to the absence of light, she was surprised with that she saw.

First it seemed that she certainly was not alone. Littered across the floor, some with backs against the walls, Ailene would take mental notes of a group of what seemed to be three others beside her. Perhaps there were more. The Espada could not be sure. As she looked down, her robe was still covering her body. She would sigh with relief before that momentary silence became frantic panic. She began to mutter to herself quietly enough that she could not hear her own voice. "My Zanpakutou. Where did my Zanpakutou go?" It was clear that her weapon would be nowhere on her. Was it perhaps the others? Did they pry it from her like a pack of hungry vultures? No. It couldn't be. They were all knocked out themselves. Upon closer inspection, each one of them appeared unarmed.

Looking up, introspectively, the Arrancar began consider why she was here. Last she remembered, she was enjoying a lovely tea with Orobas. Visiting her after a heated sparring session to get to know one another a little better. After she had seen him out and thanked him for his presence, she suddenly passed out. Next thing she knew, she was here. A mighty sigh left her lips as she shook her head. None of this made any sense. As she looked around and her eyes became even more adjusted as the dim lighting in the room became less and less of a hassle. It appeared to be a long hallway with several doorways and long winding staircase. 

The Espada would speak once more, this time louder, but still to herself. "Well. This is quite the predicament we are in." Yet as Ailene spoke, she did not recognize her own voice. She froze in utter shock for a moment. Her voice was coarser. Rougher around the edges. Far more masculine for that matter. For the first time in a long while, Ailene demonstrated genuine panic. Looking to the side she saw it. A mirror hanging on the wall yet when her eyes met the clear reflection, she was mortified. For Ailene did not see herself in the mirror. As she walked up to try and take it all in, her mouth was agape due to her own visage. She was no longer a woman. Instead she was...a man!

Ailene blinked for a moment. Within that brief moment of silence, the Espada took a step back and simply shrieked in surprise and terror. "What the hellll!!?!" She would step closer again and get a better look at herself. Her hair was messy and jagged. Her skin was as white as bleach and her stature was far more lanky. Upon closer inspection, Ailene recongized this face. A fragmented memory of someone long ago. Her mind was ringing all kinds of alarms as she screamed internally. "B..but this cannot be. I..I look like...like Kazuna!!!" She could not move. Frozen by her own disbelief, she would likely not immediately notice others waking from their slumber either before or due to her screams of terror. 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Male Ailene}

[Deleted]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Female Shitoke}

Shitoke groaned to himself and tried to turn over in his bed. It was surprisingly cold, which was strange given Anthony normally kept the room in at a very specific temperature of 73 degrees. Not too hot, not too cold. Dang it Anthony. . . why did you turn it down? It's not like the living space needs to be a storage unit for your experiments. Truth be told though Shitoke was pretty tired as it was so he simply turned over. Onto the cold floor. Face first.

It was at this point Shitoke decided he needed to open his eyes. Last he checked Squad 12 had normal beds. Small beds with metal frames that squeaked when you laid down on them. But here he was on the floor. An oddly lavishly tiled floor at that. And that's when it hit him. He wasn't in squad 12 anymore. And worst yet he wasn't alone either. He heard Ailene scream out and immediately jump up, screamed (far higher in pitch than he remembered being able to reach), and booked it for a nearby staircase. Also incredibly lavish in nature. Once there he hid behind the right side of it and pushed himself up against the wall to ensure he wasn't easily seen.

What the heck is going on?! Did they finally take me from Squad 12? Is the Kasumoi'Oji finally coming to kill me or worse. . . enslave me again? God no. Please anything but that. I'll take a cursed nightmare than ever going back. Please don't let it be them! Fear had readily taken over Shitoke at the mere thought alone. And it wasn't getting any better as time went on. In fact he was started to get so freaked out that he grabbed his hair. . . his long. . . blue tinted hair. . .

That's. . . no I'm just freaking out. It's fine. We're fine. I've definitely not had my hair dye'd while I was asleep. Anthony wouldn't even bother doing that. That's when he finally took note of his new skin color. It too was also blue, albiet sky blue as opposed to a dark saphire that his hair currently was. He had to be losing it. There was no way one's natural skin color was blue. "It's fine. We're fine. We. Are. . . We don't have the same voice. And it's saying the same thing I'm thinking. AAAHAHHHHHHHHH!!!! Shitoke squealled and immediately jumped out of his hiding spot before returning again. From his brief moment of sight he only saw a single mirror and another man he didn't recognize was there.

He didn't dare approach. He didn't know them and he wasn't certain they didn't bring him there. He wasn't taking any chances and so he simply curled up into a ball. Very quickly realizing he had several other bodily changes in the process. A pair of breasts, sleeker legs, and some actual weight to him that he wasn't used to. He couldn't feel his ribs without pushing into them. And worse yet he had horns. Horns he hadn't realized showed off exactly where he was because they stood up half a foot from his head. I can't believe it. . . I somehow turned into even more of a freak than I was already. . How will the others ever recognize me now?

[Arcadus]

rising from his sleeping position, practically necrotic in his movements, Arcadus took note of several things. One, His hair was much longer, longer than even before he had been an espada, reaching down to his ass. Second, he felt, slimmer, more lithe than his fuller and strapping body was used to. Third, he had noticed the loss and gain of multiple things, most prominently the breasts he had developed appraently over night. As well, this was not his manor, no sound of the hum of his lab, no silk sheets that were customary to his normal bed, and the smell.

The smell was like an old forest, something that took him back... No, Oren was not making an appearance, not while he was away from his palace and there was no telling who or what was watching. Standing, he patted the new form down. Definitely fuller in different areas, slimmer in others. Still incredibly attractive, barring the clothes which now hung looser and the body glove being entirely unfitted. Large breasts, full thighs and ass, he'd need a mirror, and if he could find it a way to make a simulacrum, a female copy of himself could be exhilarating. Second would be a mirror. His nails were still painted black, though much longer now. 

Oh and his voice, even the bare murmurs of frustration and pondering were pleasant but all too uncomfortable to hear out of his own mouth. Looking around, the dingy place did have the trappings of rotting regality. Moth eaten silks and spider webs between fine molding in the corners and baseboards. "Who left a perfectly good mansion to rot, theres clearly a level of value in all of this, so why abandoned with everything intact. Nothing stolen, nothing taken, everything just left as it was, forsaken to time."  In Either case, rifling through the drawers, he found a mirror, dirty and stained, but workable none the less.  His form was.. Satisfying, full, voluptous, but very much still him. His raw charisma pulsed through, though differently through a new lenses. 


Looking around, it was probably best to start moving, sticking around would only serve to make him easier to track for anything lurking and would likely be better than simply sitting still. 

F1tv|TIf0-2


0-2

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca's body ached. It ached in places it shouldn't have, and yet it did anyway. All in all, he felt like roadkill. A pile of viscera with a twitching limb or two sticking out. All in all, it was a familiar feeling, but not one he'd ever get used to. It was like when he was first waking up after being pulled back from hollowfication. Not just like it, but pretty close. This was a lot more physical. It was his body that ached, not his head. In fact, he didn't sense the inner hollow at all. Did I fall off the couch in my sleep again? Luca tried to think back, but he didn't know. He really didn't remember. He was practicing his swordsmanship in the UE dojo, then he was heading up to the rec room...It was all so fuzzy.

Maybe I got fucking plastered...Whatever it was, it probably wasn't the inner hollow. He groaned at the possibility of having made some horrible mess he'd have to clean up. Rolling over onto his back eased the aching a little but his body still felt...wrong. He would have been fine sleeping till he felt better, but the sounds of people put a stop to that real quick. He'd have to get up. This is gonna suck. Luca wiped the drool from his face with a softer, hand. That's weird... Sure, Luca didn't have rough and hairy skin like some guys, but this definitely felt different. In the dark room he woke up in, it was hard to say, but it even looked smaller, daintier.

Luca didn't understand. Though as he sat up, a brief look down painted a much clearer picture. "GAAAAAHAHHHH!" Luca didn't even have time to breath. All the air that was in his lungs was expunged in a single scream. ohfuckohshitohfuckohshit Breasts. They were breasts. There was no mistaking that fact. They weren't prosthetics or a trick of the light. Luca didn't need to touch them to know they were real. He felt them ache slightly, as if he'd slept on them wrong. Luca couldn't keep looking at them. It was all too much. Though even the cursory glance he'd gotten confirmed they were massive. Well, anything would be massive compared to not having tits, but these? Luca had little frame of reference for how cup sizes even worked, but he could feel their weight.

Oh shit what am I gonna do? Everyone's gonna laugh at me...That's if they even recognize me! I can see Raph smirking right now... Oh shit what's Ken'ichi gonna think? Can I even ask him for help? Thinking about how others would react filled Luca with immense guilt as though he'd committed some unforgivable crime. Luca's face flushed red. His face...Her face... "Oh god what pronouns do I even use now?" Luca accidentally said out loud. Her voice was girlish. Not just higher and softer, but she...he...they sounded younger. Luca still had no idea what to do. Girls were a completely different species! Luca had no idea how to put on a bra or modern makeup. Would the girls even accept her as one of their own?

Though this new body was hard for him to look at, curiosity got the better of him and he turned around to see what became of his formerly small and bony flank...Pert, round...It was an ass. It occurred to Luca only then that she had no idea where she was...he was...whatever. Had Luca gotten so trashed he came to some old palatial estate and turned into a girl? Luca quickly stopped looking at their ass. People were moving around. That's what had woken him up, if she was to guess. People are gonna see me like this already? I wished I had some time to at least prepare! Luca examined the reddish pink racerback tanktop that adorned their chest. It certainly didn't make it hard to see how well endowed Luca had become. The brown shorts showed plenty of thigh...

Luca had to snap himself out of self-exploration. Whoever else was nearby could probably tell him more, for better or for worse. Though before walking down the hallway to the silhouette of a man, it occurred to Luca that he would be seen as a girl. That felt weird. What if they know I used to be a guy? What if they can smell it? Then they'd definitely laugh at me... Luca had to snap herself out of it. Whatever! I'll kick their asses! Once I find whoever's responsible for this I'll end them! Though Luca tried to psych themself up, walking towards the person at the end of the hallway was difficult. Even without the different center of gravity Luca had to deal with, she frequently stopped and deliberated over her next step.

Oh damn it! I haven't seen my face? Oh fuck oh shit, what do I look like? Luca raised a hand to her face. it was soft, but that didn't really tell them anything. Finally making her way to the man (and failing to notice a certain blue skinned girl) Luca tried to initiate conversation "Uh...H-hi. Funny story, but I am kinda lost, sooooo..." Luca said, sounding like a complete weirdo. On thing she immediately noticed, however was the mirror. She was gonna have to investigate the face situation soon enough, but now wasn't the time.  Once Luca knew whether this guy was a friend or foe, she could plot further. Kill whoever did this and find some way to reverse it. THEN she could look at her new face.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Female Luca}

VumN7Gaq0-2

0-2

[Deleted]

Well this doesn't seem at all right. 

Ken'ichi's eyes opened at the sense of complete wrongness. His proprioception felt, wrong somehow, and the sudden awareness of this fact had startled him awake. He did not recall falling asleep, but never the less, he found himself waking regardless.

Ken'ichi found himself in a corridor filled with many rooms. Moving to a sitting position, Ken'ichi immediately noticed several details that were awry. Firstly, his zanpakutō was absent. Secondly, his eye-level was not where it should be. Rising to his feet, Ken'ichi took stock of his immediate surroundings.

Based on the height of the doors in relation to Oneself, Ken'ichi concludes that This One's height has somehow decreased 2.6 inches, approximately. Ken'ichi's body is lighter as well. By This One's estimate, Ken'ichi has lost some 15.4% of their body mass. Most peculiar indeed. 

Taking stock of his surroundings, Ken'ichi noticed the disheveled forms of several other people as they groggily rose to their feet and likewise took stock of their situation. A blue-skinned woman with graceful curved horns. A young man with brown spikey hair. Several other figures, all of whom looked equally confused and perplexed as Ken'ichi himself was.

"GAAAAAHAHHHH! Oh god what pronouns do I even use now?"

The scream caught Ken'ichi's attention and drew his gaze. Luca was staring down at his own ass for reasons Ken'ichi could not yet fathom, and panicking in a very Luca-like way.

"Calm down Luca. Screaming will not answer any of our immediate questions. Pronouns? Does Luca wish to be addressed by different pronouns now?"

Taking closer look at his volunteer companion, Ken'ichi immediately noticed Luca's outward appearance, and his apparent change in gender.

"Do you no longer wish to be addressed as male? This One notes that you have undergone a radical change in appearance since the last time we have met. Ken'ichi wished you had told him you were undergoing what you humans call 'transition'. Ken'ichi would have been more sensitive, and would have used your true pronouns."

Without skipping a beat, Ken'ichi being Ken'ichi continued on as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, and changed topics before Luca had an opportunity to respond.

"Are these also companions of yours? Might you introduce Ken'ichi so that we can more swiftly determine the nature of our current circumstance?"  

g5JREgp80-20-20-2

(Hope I did those numbers right, as triple zero is kind of amusing).

0-2·0-2·0-2

[Ailene Haschiro]

Having seen her visage in the mirror, Ailene began to explore the rest of her body although in a far different way then her compatriots. Most would take immediate notice of their newfound sexual characteristics, but Ailene instead had two priorities. The location of both her Hollow hole and the presence of her mask fragments. The mirror revealed much about her new form. Her mask fragment was now covering her chin and rising up along her cheekbones. Her hand, meanwhile, was racing down to her stomach where she suddenly felt flesh and bone where her hollow hole formerly was. Instead, the secondary mark of a hollow could be found creating a crescent shape on the side of her thigh though naturally her robes covered it. 

Her defining characteristics were misplaced enough that even if she still had traits of an Arrancar, she could pass herself off as someone else. For now, she believed this would be necessary. After all, she needed to differentiate ally from foe. Not that she was very combative to being with. No, that was not the problem. She was in unknown waters and even the slightest misstep could spell certain doom. With that being said, Ailene turned around to come face to face with a creature that simply bedazzled her. A soothing blue coloration of the skin, her head adorned with horns. The Espada was certainly intrigued. Her inquisitive nature was hard to suppress after all. 

Yet despite that, she would not approach her. Based on her disposition and body language Ailene could tell a number of things. She was confused. Perhaps even scared. It would be dangerous to pry for answers from someone so seemingly unfit for conversation right now. That's when she heard it. A feminine voice calling out to her. Well him? Ailene was not sure what to go with. Not that it mattered. She would simply listen to her conversation partner who was clearly trying to make sense of everything. "Uh...H-hi. Funny story, but I am kinda lost, sooooo..." A rather masculine chuckle erupted from his form as Ailene closely inspected her. Even to Ailene she was certainly cute. 

Before the girl before her had a chance to really delve into anything, Ailene heard yet another voice. This time seemingly addressing the girl before her. "Calm down Luca. Screaming will not answer any of our immediate questions. Pronouns? Does Luca wish to be addressed by different pronouns now?" Yet another female voice. Looking over, the Espada would have a good look at the one who was next to wake up. Another girl. The Espada sighed as she collected her thoughts. As it all settled, she froze as she had a tiny revelation. While she was smiling, internally she was shouting and crying out for help. Could it really be that Luca?

"Wait? The Luca that I maimed..? B..but he was male? I'm sure of it. Then again. I'm male. Well. Male now. Could it be?..." A wave of guilt immediately hit Ailene as their mood immediately soured before turning far more melancholy. As Ken'ichi continued addressing Luca with a rather curious vernacular, Ailene began to make mental notes. If this really was Luca, then she could not take chances. She needed to pose as someone else. Last she heard when she with Raphael, Luca was on some grand adventure and Ailene knew all too well from literature what the desperate were willing to do. Especially after she had maimed him and left him to accept reality. 

Finally being ripped from her thoughts by the fourth of the women, Ailene listened once more. "Are these also companions of yours? Might you introduce Ken'ichi so that we can more swiftly determine the nature of our current circumstance?" Perhaps this would be a grand chance to gain some information. Assuming that Luca had little idea who any of them were, Ailene would speak up, still not used to her coarse voice. Her expression would become chilled and discomforted as she tried to make sense of all of this. She was sure of one thing, however. She could use an alias. A name long forgotten to all, but a few. She knew exactly how to introduce herself. 

She would walk forward and offer a rather feminine curtsy. Naturally, given all of their predicaments, Ailene gave away her archaic nature almost immediately. She could not help it. With a nervous chuckle, the man's hand would stretch out as he finally spoke clearly. "It is an honor to meet all of you even if the circumstances seem dire. Allow me to offer my name in good faith. Ai-" She would stop almost immediately as she considered her original plan. With renewed vigor, she would continue. "Sir Kazuna Hashiro. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Humble bookstore owner and Professor at the University of Tokyo. And who might you be? Lady Ken'ichi is it?" Her mannerisms continued to betray her archaic nature as she attempted to pass herself off as just an average joe even if the mask fragments on her chin made it clear that the man before them was an Arrancar. 

[Akira Hinosai]

ooc: this is one of those newfangled social posts, go about your business

To say Luca was embarrassed would be a massive understatement. Luca didn't know if any language could describe what he was feeling. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH His head was full of screams and his face was as hot and red as molten magma. "K-KENICHI?!?!?" Luca's voice came out as a squeak. How does anyone function with these stupid girl hormones?!? This was the worst day of Luca's life. He'd been disemboweled, nearly cut in half, developed a split personality, and none of it was as bad as this. Luca wasn't sure what was worse. That Ken'ichi thought he was trans or that he also saw Luca touching his ass. Not that there was anything wrong with being trans...just Luca totally sure as fuck wasn't. He didn't like people getting the wrong idea about him, especially Ken'ichi. It was like the worst case scenario happened, but then the badness got doubled. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Before he could plead his case to his clueless idiot friend, Ken'ichi had already started talking again. Now they're all gonna get the wrong idea! THIS IS THE END! MY SOCIAL LIFE IS OVER! "Why do you assume I know these weirdos?" Luca asked indignantly, fear and embarrassment subsiding at least a little upon knowing that Luca wasn't the only one affected. All she could do now was try and assert some coolness to the situation. There was Ken'ichi, some guy, and a blueskinned girl Luca hadn't noticed before. How come she's blue...that's awesome! I wanna be blue! Everyone else just got genderswapped, presumably, and the thought of this one being more special and turning into a tiefling was so unfair. She was already nauseated from thinking about the special attention that bitch was going to get. Luca wasn't going to fall for it.

All in all, they were a strange bunch. Luca couldn't tell any patterns in who was brought here. Before her analysis could progress, the only male in the group spoke up. "Sir Kazuna Hashiro. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Humble bookstore owner and Professor at the University of Tokyo. And who might you be? Lady Ken'ichi is it?" Luca was an actor, a professional liar. He saw through it so effortlessly, only to be terrified by the conclusion.

Luca's heart stopped. "Ailene?" Luca asked in disbelief. Maybe a little fear. He reached for his lighter but couldn't find it. "No no no, not now! Where is it?!?!?" Luca needed his lighter! His voice sounded so desperate and pathetic. Still, He had to take her out quickly to protect Ken'ichi, to avenge his past defeat! Screw it! He'd just use some air strings to shred her to pieces... Luca reached a hand out only for nothing to happen. "What?" Luca felt as though she could cry. It wasn't fair! They didn't know what was happening, but she had to do something. Having exhausted all other options, Luca would run at Ailene with the intent of fighting with her bare fists. Unless stopped Luca would try and charge at the now masculine Ailene hoping to at least beat the shit out of her before she released again. Never again. Luca wasn't going to let that happen again.

[Deleted]

As you all began to come to, and with character interactions under way, a few things can be easily made note of. For one, It's safe to say that the area you're all in, at the very least, has been very heavily dilapidated. Wallpaper has since started to peel, lights for the most part are out, save for a few candles that seem to be ever-burning, the many mirrors in the Foyer have since been covered with dust and dirt, and so on. The Foyer itself is very much like what you'd normally expect from that of an extravagant mansion in terms of size. Should anyone try the front doors, you'll find that they're seemingly locked from the outside, despite the fact that no locks are present on the doors or doorknobs to begin with. Next to the front doors is a small basket full of umbrellas; nothing noteworthy, but enough to act as a sort of improvised weapon in a pinch.

Looking into the Foyer from the front doors, a few things will stick out. Firstly, a long, red carpet leads along the hall to a grand staircase against the back wall, leading up to the second floor of the mansion. To the left and right of all of you, and along that same hall, there are four doors; two on the left, and two on the right. Each are evenly spaced from each other, and none show any sort of identifiable marks on them much at all. They all seem to be the exact same, despite the fact that small portions of the wood on each of them have long since started to peel.

As each of you make small talk, you'll all be met with a similar feeling; one similar to that of dread. One that, without words, beckons you all to begin your exploration through the house in order to find a way out. Both the doors and the staircase would likely be good places to start regarding that exploration. Not a moment later after this shared experience between the lot of you, a loud, cacophonous caw from that of what's safe to say is a crow is made audible, sounding like it's coming from both nowhere, yet everywhere all at once. It almost feels unreal; a premonition of what's likely to come from your time spent in this mansion.

---

Pushing himself off of the dusty, dirty hardwood floor, a Rogue groaned in a voice that only showed nothing but pure lethargy. Just what the hell had happened? They... they really couldn't remember. Last thing they remembered, they were fighting that Espada. Had that fight really gone that poorly for them? That couldn't've been the case, there was no way. And even then, that didn't seem to explain the whole waking up in who knows where. Letting out a deep sigh and scratching the side of their head, the Rogue quickly made note of a few voices that seemed to be echoing through the room they were in; practically right beside them, in fact.

"Calm down Luca. Screaming will not answer any of our immediate questions. Pronouns? Does Luca wish to be addressed by different pronouns now?"

...

"Are these also companions of yours? Might you introduce Ken'ichi so that we can more swiftly determine the nature of our current circumstance?"

"Sir Kazuna Hashiro. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Humble bookstore owner and Professor at the University of Tokyo. And who might you be? Lady Ken'ichi is it?"

"K-KENICHI?!?!?"

Gods, they were way too tired for this. Forcing themselves to stand, the Rogue straightened themselves out as best they could. Something about themselves felt... off. They felt taller. It also seemed that their center of balance had been shifted ever so slightly. Looking around, they made note of the five others in the room beside them. Before they had any time to really take in what was going on in the environment, their eyes locked with what seemed to be themselves in a mirror. Almost instantly they were sobered, causing them to make haste with a brisk walk over to the mirror when they saw themselves.

Confusion, frustration, and more confusion were written all over his face. He blinked a few times. His reflection followed. He waved his arms. Once again, his reflection followed. "What the fuck?" He spoke calmly, eyes immediately widening once he heard the sound of his own voice. His hands immediately went to his head as he exhaled heavily. Was this really happening? This had to be a dream. A trick; some kind of practical joke, either done by Lord Kouhai, Albin, or whoever the fuck seemed to be getting a sick kick out of messing with the poor guy. Taking a deep breath, the Rogue tried to calm himself down. At least, as much as he could.

Turning his attention back to the group of folks that were now beginning to converse; or rather, shout, the Rogue mentally ran through what had just been said. Out of everything, there were a few names that he recognized; namely Luca, as well as the last name of that Kazuna. Luca he'd remembered meeting a few months back, and Haschiro was a last name she wasn't going to forget; especially after having been bunking with Ailene during the time he'd been spending in Las Noches. A few subtle tipoffs let him to conclude a few things about Kazuna, namely about them owning a book store, and quickly came to the assumption that they were, in fact, the same person. He'd reached a similar conclusion with Luca, for more obvious reasons.

Making note of the fact that Ailene had been introducing herself through a fake name, they weren't about to blow that cover if they didn't need to. In fact, he figured it might've been fun if he did the same. Didn't hurt to use an alias, after all. Walking back over to the group, now wide awake, the Rogue went on to introduce himself to everyone there. "Hey," he said, sticking with the same generally uncaring tone they normally had, "guessing y'all are going through the same body-swapping shenanigans here, yeah? Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you all." With that said, he directed his vision toward Ailene, and did his best to give her a glare that simply said "I know" as he spoke once more. "Cameron Adaronde. Pleasure to meet ya."

"Ailene?" Welp, that confirmed that. Cami smiled, proud of their own conclusions for the short amount of time that was going to last for. That moment of happiness, however, quickly seemed to turn into more stress as it seemed that Luca was going into strike his Espada friend. Not knowing what to do, they simply froze up.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cami's Face Claim for the thread~!}

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{Stats}Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Knowledge: 5
Sanity: 5

((OOC: Glad to hear that everyone's enjoying this thread so far! A few things to note; upon choosing a room to explore, let me know the direction you'll be headed when your back would be facing the room you entered from, when we get to rooms with multiple doors. I'll be posting an update of the map every time a new room is explored, that way it's easy for everyone to keep track of as well! Also, if you could record your stats in your posts from here out like shown above, that way it's easy for everyone to reference!))

[Deleted]

Shitoke was still reeling from everything about his new body. From skin color, to being the opposite gender, to even having horns now. He reached up to get a feel for them hoping to whoever was listening that these were fake. He very quickly found out they were anything but fake and unless someone had used cement on him to attach these, he very much had these horns growing out of his skull. Oh c'mon! Who even grows horns?! I didn't even grow horns and I was the wierd one of the group! Crap. . . 


He moved himself from the ball he was curled up into so he could see from just over the stairs. There were a lot more people now. And apparently they all knew one another. I can't say I'm surprised by this. Thankfully no one was looking at him, or if they had he'd missed it and so he just listened from his hiding spot. It seemed like they were getting over the body shenanigans much more quickly than he was. Perhaps that was because they were a bit more comfortable with it given who was around. That is until Luca decided that they were going charge Ailene.

Shitoke didn't even think twice about what was going on. He immediately got up, wobbling some in the process, and started to run his way over to stop Luca. Except there were two major problems with this idea of his. 1. The man had on high heels. And not like the small high heels, no he had a pencil thin back end that was up 2-3 inches if he had to guess. And the last body feature he'd not realized was even present given everything that was going on. He had a tail. And said tail had a personal vendetta to against him for the crime of existing.

Not being used to having a tail it had wrapped around his right leg and then had flailed with him as he tried to run. Well it shot forward and he stepped right on it. Had he been a man skilled in wearing heels maybe he could have moved on with life. As a beginner in the world of Heels and their ever selective group of "women who can run in heels" he immediately fell flat on his face. Worst part? He'd only just managed to get in front of the staircase. "Oh what now?? Now I've got a tail AND I'm in heels!? I don't even know how to wear heels let alone run in them!

He slowly got up rubbing at his face to see if he'd hurt himself too much. Thankfully the tiled floor was empty there. And then there was the dread. Oh don't be mistaken. Fear, Anxiety, and Dread in general came off of Shitoke in waves. You could look at him and see it with ease. But this dread that came up out of nowhere was something supernatural. And when the ominous crow's cawing came out Shitoke quite literally jumped and tumbled/ran, really more of a speed walk, back to his spot from prior. He knew how dread worked. It came when things were going to take a turn for the worse. HE wasn't going to play this game if he could help it. He just needed to remain hidden, which was shot dead on arrival for several reasons now. And just wait this whole thing out. Surely someone in squad 12 would make it here or notice he was absent. Little did he realize his vice captain was one of the group of "strangers" and they were just as shit out of luck as he was.

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{Stats}
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Knowledge: 5
Sanity: 5

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{Clothing references}

[Arcadus]

As he walked down the halls, floor boards creaked and moaned, lending a ghostly element to the already delapidated and dirge worthy mansion. Around the corner, someone, no, multiple someones were talking, some frantic, some calm. Names flowed out to him, coming to port in his ears. The names Luca, Kenichi, Ailene Haschiro, Cameron Adaronde. The first three he remembered, Kenichi was that hollow searching shinigami who had stumbled into Los noches. They had a nice night together. Ailene, it would be good to see another espada here, someone else of inteligence to rely on in this situation. Adaronde however, where had he heard that name before. Luca... Kenichi mentioned a Luca while they talked. Potentially them, by the way the voice that responded to kenichi answered.  Cami? Cami's last name was Adaronde. Maybe she had a brother, in either case, there was potential there. The last voice, the shrieking one. He didn't know that one. 

Rounding the corner, he saw them all there. This blue skinned, heel wearing, long horned thing crying to itself. Honestly kind of pitiful, though it could be funny to watch it longer to see what it did. Brushing back his hair and taking a more dominant stance in the middle of the hall, he surveyed the rest. If he had to guess, everyone else had been genderswapped like himself. The tan and light haired girl would have to be kenichi, similarly the darkhaired and pale one was likely Ailene. The blonde was hard to tell. Similarly with the blue haired one, though if he had to guess, it was Cami. 

Stepping between the running blonde and Ailene, it was probably best to keep anyone from fighting at this very second. Using his height and size to make enough of a barrier, he tried to keep a calm but firm voice to move everyone around him, if not to action than to not beinga direct detriment. 
"Hello everyone. Its good to see familiar faces in this kind of situation. Now if we're all done fretting. Lets find what the way out is and how to reverse whats been done to us." "Its good to see you again Kenichi."

"As well, just to confirm, you're Ailene," pointed finger trailing over to the blue haired figure, "I'm going to guess your Camilla, unless she has a sister." "You, I have no idea who you are," directed at the blue mess that was barely managing to stand in heels, with the finger coming to rest pointing at the blonde. "You must be Luca, I've heard about you."

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca's charge stopped dead in its tracks. A newcomer had arrived on the scene. Luca wanted to move around them. She wanted to move through them if that's what it took. Luca wanted to stop Ailene before she hurt anyone. She wanted to avenge her previous defeat, but her body betrayed her. Amidst all the shame, fear, and anger, Luca became acutely aware how small and frail she was now. She was half a foot shorter by an optimistic guess. The blonde woman? She was massive. Taller than Luca was even as a boy. She was like a titan and she planted herself in Luca's path. Luca hated this, but he wasn't stupid. Maybe it would be smart to listen to what she had to say.

To her credit, the blonde titan brought up a moderately good point about working together. Luca didn't have to like it, but they were in the same boat. She was never going to like Ailene though. Hopefully we'll split up.  As the woman continued Luca felt on edge once again. The woman seemed to know everyone except the blue attention whore. She knew Cami too. Luca didn't notice her arrival, but she felt embarrassed all over again. "You must be Luca, I've heard about you." the woman's words brought Luca back to the present. "Yeah, lots of people have..."  Luca said, trying to sound defiant. It was hard to do that when one sounded like a stupid kid.  She quickly turned to her scientist friend "Wait, you actually know this person?" Luca's voice sounded as girlish as ever. I'm gonna kill whoever's behind this! Luca would then take a few steps closer to Ken'ichi, taking up position beside them. That made her feel safer, even if she would never admit that.

"Hey, Cami." Luca said, trying to get over the embarrassment of being seen by ANOTHER friend while genderswapped. "There, so yeah, we're all introduced." Luca said, willfully excluding the blue weirdo who apparently had high heels. Luca tried to pretend Ailene wasn't there. He couldn't get the thought out of his head, but the presence of Cami and Ken'ichi helped at least a little. Together, we outnumber the tall freak and Ailene. That's gotta count for something!  "So what, do we split up or something? Look for clues or whatever?" Luca added, hoping to steer the group in that way. That would allow him to keep his friends close and his enemies on the other side of the fucking building. NO matter what, she'd stick with Ken'ichi. As embarrassing as this all was, Luca trusted Ken'ichi and would want to work with him again.

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{stats}
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Knowledge: 5
Sanity: 5

[Ailene Haschiro]

If there was one thing that Ailene liked it was riddles. Mind games. Little challenges of critical thinking and analysis. Yet there was one skill that she was never good at. That being lying. Not for lack of ability. She was sure if she put her mind to it, she could practice. She never cared for it though. It was this lack of care that would seemingly allow Luca to see right through her guise. As she finished addressing Ken'ichi, the Espada heard Luca's immediate retort that caused her blood to freeze. "Ailene?" With a nervous chuckle soon becoming a defeated sigh, Ailene decided to not play dumb. Hopefully her past interaction with Luca was all water under the bridge.

At least, that's what the Arrancar wanted. Yet it seemed that before she had a chance to say anything, there was an immediate hostility in the air emanating from Luca. As Luca frantically looked for their lighter, Ailene sighed for a moment. Was it even a good idea to approach Luca at this point? Would they just make the attempt to assault her? Ailene was not sure. She wanted to stay on the safe side regardless. Even after the failed air string attempt, Ailene was not willing to get into a fight with Luca. Not now. They had bigger concerns on their mind. That being said, once Luca charged at Ailene with the presumed intent of pummeling her, the Espada hesitantly took a readied stance.

Before either of them had the potential to harm one another, another figure intercepted the Fullbringer. Ailene looked up for a moment at the seemingly 7' tall woman between herself and Luca. Size along made her rather imposing which seemingly made Luca back off almost immediately. As Arcadus addressed everyone in the room, Ailene chuckled for a moment. "Hello everyone. Its good to see familiar faces in this kind of situation. Now if we're all done fretting. Lets find what the way out is and how to reverse whats been done to us." "Its good to see you again Kenichi." Seems that each one of them knew each other through another. Was this coincidence? Did whatever brought them here know?

As Arcadus turned to address Ailene, she looked up at the woman. "As well, just to confirm, you're Ailene," The Septima Espada simply gave a nod of acknowledgement. It would be too much of a pain to play dumb. Besides, it wouldn't play to Ailene's strengths. As Arcadus finished addressing everyone else individually, Luca spouted what could be considered the obvious in their given situation. "So what, do we split up or something? Look for clues or whatever?" Ailene nodded as she spoke up, her coarse voice providing a slight echo through the hollow halls. Gods, she was never going to get used to this voice. Regardless, she began to respond to Luca. 

"That seems to be the most sensible course of action. Whoever or whatever clearly has otherworldly abilities. It stands to reason that they were smart enough to lock the front doors." She chuckled a bit before looking down at her hand. "Besides. It seems our captor has stripped us of both our skills and weapons." Raising her hand at the wall, she attempted to fire anything just to test it. A Cero. A bala. Just about anything. Strangely, Ailene felt that she had no command over her abilities. She sighed. "So by that token, we can't blast or brute force our way through this. Besides. There are six of us. We could divide ourselves into groups of two." 

With that, Ailene approached Luca with a slight smile. "Now as for you Luca. I understand that tension between you and myself. I fear that Raphael was unsuccessful in giving you the gift basket I had made for you." She frowned for a moment at that assumption. "Regardless, I hope that we can put it behind us. Start anew. I am not your enemy. At least, I like to think so." With that, Ailene would bow out of respect. A rather archaic practice betoken of her ancient heritage. She smiled hoping that she could appeal to Luca in any way. Pivoting on her heel, she would walk over to the blue-skinned and horned Tiefling. Ailene did so in a non-threatening way as to not scare the poor woman.

"A pleasure to meet you as well. Since it may be in our best interest to explore this strange place in groups of two, I would be honored to accompany you. If you would have me as a companion." The Espada chuckled a little as she took note of Shitoke's difficulty with walking a bit ago. She pointed at the door behind the Tiefling, one of many that decorated the walls of the Foyer. Assuming she accepted Ailene's proposal to accompany her, she would continue. "Perhaps it may be easier if we choose one of the nearby rooms instead of attempting to ascend the grand staircase almost immediately." She smiled and with a deep giggle awaited some response from Shitoke.

[Deleted]

Shitoke, try as he might, to get to the staircase and hide again from everyone was unsuccessful. Try as he might the heels alone and his prior failure made him take everything a good bit slower. He'd need a good bit to get used to these things and right now he simply needed to go as slow as possible. Especially when it came to the "genderswapbutalsoI'msomethingevenwierdedthanIwasprior" thing. He did however try to keep an ear on what Aracadus said just to ensure that he knew what, if any, gameplan was going on.

To his credit it was short, sweet, and to the point. And mildly terrifying when he was addressed by Arcadus. The woman was imposing, who could blame him for being concerned what she'd say even if it was only to acknowledge that Shitoke was known by no one in the room. Well almost everyone. Ken'ichi was the only one Shitoke could admit to "knowing" albiet vaguely given he'd actively avoided the shihoin like oil on water. He kept note of who he thought Ken'ichi was and simply kept his mouth shut. It hadn't sounded like Arcadus had wanted or expected an answer from him as to who he was but instead simply wanted to resolve what was going on currently. Which was fine, he hadn't exactly expected to join the group was is. It's one thing to be gender swapped, it's another to be something reminscient of human. Blue skin afterall wasn't a natural skin color, nor were the horns, tail, or god knows what else about him.

This general feeling of being the black sheep wasn't made any better by Luca. Shitoke may not have been the smartest of the bunch but getting glazed over did make it pretty obvious about where he stood. Ugh. . . And Anthony wonders why I wish I was like everyone else. I suppose I should be grateful they are at least leaving me alone. I couldn't blame them if they wanted to try and interrogate me about what's going on. I certainly fit the bill of "anything but normal" in this haunted mansion. Shitoke had finally managed to get to his former hiding spot, sat himself down knees to his chest.

With all this exclusion and self depreciation consuming Shitoke it made Ailene's entire approach let alone interaction catch Shitoke completely off guard. Her slow approach, polite greeting, and just willingness to team up almost made Shitoke start crying anew. Strange places were a lot easier when you had another around. It's why Anthony was such a calming presence for him despite being in a division of scientists. Ailene would no doubt have the same effect on Shtioke given a little more time. With a smile in tow Shitoke nodded at Ailene and stood up, extending his hand to her once he stood at full hieght.

"Nice to meet you as well. I think the intimidating female said you are Ailene, correct? My name's Shitoke and I'd really like to join you while we're stuck here. . . I wasn't known for being terribly good at handling stressful events before now. . And transformation aside this place is only making things that much more overwhelming. I'll do my best to be of use to you while we're here." With the greeting done he'd follow her hand to the door in question having not realized he was so close to a door. The mental facepalm was incredibly visible. Note to self, pay attention to where we're at. In a place like this I've got to be more attentive!

Getting over that revelation Shitoke simply nodded at Ailene. "That's probably a good idea. Though should we wait for someone else or will it just be the two of us? They look to have decided to group up between the 4 of them. Least I think so. . . The smaller blonde is actively seperating themself from us and taking the others with her." Shitoke would then quietly whisper to themselves one small personal comment. And if Ailene was watching him would see even his avid fear of the situation didn't stop the look of frustration mixed with resentment from showing. Though it did leave as soon as it came. "Thankfully one of them is him. That "nobleman".

[Zeich Yajuu]

From the look of things based on post order, the cause of thread death is the DM on this one, so rewards will not be given to them.

While this qualifies for about a page worth of grading, as nothing worthy of the Hard thread rating has been achieved, this will be graded based on an Easy thread rating.

Each participant will gain 100 TP. As the thread was not completed, Ryo is not granted.