[ sqq, now armed with a very fancy box of popcorn (POPCORN!!! IT'S BEEN SO LONG) and a pot of tea, seems to have found peace in the midst of shenanigans because he sure looks for all sense of the word, Incredibly Content. whatever fire is about to occur can wait until after ryan lives his best life and he's finished with all these munchies ]
Now then.... it seems we may have quite the short wait.
Well, if it helps, um-- I think Zhongli probably isn't very dangerous? I haven't known him that long, but he's seemed like an upstanding sort of guy.
[he sounds slightly distracted, though. sorry, zhongli, he's trying to help but he's also out here living his best life! a lot of his focus is going into this, thanks, he doesn't want to mess it up.]
We can still make sure nothing happens, though. And, um, I do appreciate you coming with me, for the record, this is-- I've never been to a party like this before? It's pretty nice.
[but this is a britt cyoa so i, personally, feel fear even if ryan is just happy to be here.]
[As soon as Zhongli makes his choice, Katarina's entire face lights up, and she grabs his hand to drag him over to the spread of food. Hi, Shen Qingqiu! Hi, Maria!]
Ooh, this all looks delicious! [She's now shoveling little desserts into her mouth.] Sorry, wait, did you ask a question earlier? The party's going on, right? Is there something else? I didn't notice anything else...
[Maria is now relaxing and can't help but smile at the fact that Katarina is 1. enjoying herself and 2. not getting hit on by Zhongli. Whew. She seems to be easy to pacify, at least... Though the two princes (and Keith) are still looking over here.
Keith, at least, is only glancing over occasionally. The rest of the time, he's dancing with Ryan, who seems to be saying just the right things to calm him down, too. It helps that Ryan made a good impression on him earlier.]
...really? I guess I don't need to be too concerned, then. [Whew... he'll give Ryan a little twirl. Graceful.] I wouldn't have guessed that this was your first party. You're doing well.
[He gets a small smile! With their activities chosen, their surroundings take on a dull, almost dreamlike quality, and a dialogue box appears in front of Zhongli, Shen Qingqiu, and Ryan.]
The party continues peacefully enough, with the concerns over Lady Katarina's escort being laid to rest. The princes participate in the combat tournament and win first and second place, respectively; mahjong is a smashing hit, and is sure to become quite popular among nobles.
Halfway through the evening, however, there is the sound of screaming from outside... although no one but the three volunteers seems to hear it.
[A menu appears again:
1. IGNORE the screams. 2. INVESTIGATE the screams.]
[well. . . so much for hoping Katerina knew what was going on :/ Zhongli shakes his head and declines to answer her question as she helps herself to the food, and he'll even pick a little bit at the snacks himself! SQQ, being nearby, gets a nod and a very confused--]
Have you any idea what's going on? I'm finding it rather difficult to understand. . .
[though the jury's out on whether SQQ gets to answer before TIME SKIPS FORWARD and a new dialogue box pops up. Zhongli kind of DEAD EYES THE DIALOGUE BOX, before the screams suddenly shove him back into high alert, shoulders squared]
[he moves to place a hand on his spear, ready to jump into action and investigate the screams, but-- then he remembers]
[AND CHOOSES THE "INVESTIGATE THE SCREAMS" OPTION]
[ sometime later sqq will vaguely wonder if he accidentally just introduced gambling to the otome. OH WELL, NOT HIS PROBLEM. ]
It’s quite difficult to explain but when this is done-
[ that’s if the scenario finishes any time soon. hey!! he was enjoying his peaceful tea time!!! who knows if sqq got to finish his sentence before or after the next quest marker pops but he’s sure getting up out of his seat while absently making sure 2 is chosen. ]
Am I-? I guess you're a pretty skilled teacher then, right?
[compliments... his biggest weakness. his face is definitely very flushed as he's twirled. this is the best time he's had in actual years, being able to be surrounded by people without being completely afraid of it; maybe he should get a vr setup himself if it really helps this much...
but then there's the shift in their surroundings and the dialogue box.
he wants to know what's up with the screams, he really, really super wants to know, but-- but. zhongli is going, shen qingqiu is going, he's having a good time and also katarina's escort just bailed and he thinks someone might need to deal with that situation? that person is him. he will gladly be the martyr in this scenario who bravely holds himself back from investigating and stays here. with hot sir keith.
he hits IGNORE and mouths shout if you need me to the other two, trusting that if sqq knew what was up here he will understand the gesture of miming holding a phone to his ear for a second. bye! scream again but more urgently if you have issues!]
[Katarina's escort is bailing, but that leaves her in the company of Maria, who seems happy as a clam to have her undivided attention. Okay, it's not really undivided. She's paying more attention to the food, actually.
But it's fine. The princes even stop glaring entirely after Zhongli bails! They'll head over to the food table and now three of them are just watching while Katarina stuffs her face. I'm going to be real you guys dodged a bullet there. Catch me after we finish this CYOA for deets.
Keith, oblivious to why they're leaving (and really just grateful that now he only has to deal with the devil he knows, and also that Alan and Maria are nearby to keep Jeord in check), turns his attention back to Ryan. They're just having a nice time now.]
You're good at turning a compliment around on someone, aren't you?
[He seems amused! But now they're just chatting as they dance. Ryan, the only one who is playing along with the storyline the characters from this otome game seem to be acknowledging.
As for Zhongli and Shen Qingqiu...
...they pass through the door, and they don't find themselves outside.
They're inside, actually. It's the same room that they were in before. But it's different, too. There's the heavy stench of blood in the air, and it mingles almost unpleasantly with the stench of peppermint. Most of the room is shrouded in darkness - the lanterns Zhongli proposed decorating with have been slashed.
Also, all of the party guests have been brutally murdered. Including Ryan, who is bleeding from several stab wounds on his sides! (The Ryan who is dancing with Keith is just fine, though.)
There's a horned, shadowy figure scrawling something on the far wall - it's jagged letters, written in blood, just barely illuminated with an eerie red glow:]
[. . . the sight is, quite unfortunately, rather familiar to Zhongli, who spares a glance towards Ryan's corpse, his amber gaze narrowing. he has his spear drawn now, the weapon held at his side, pointed end facing the floor. but even so. . . he looks ready to launch into battle any second now]
[ Hello?? Ryan?? Oh shit did we abandon our boy??? He’s sweating real bullets now-
BUT YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THESE TYPES OF THINGS AND HAVE THE DOOR VANISH? WHAT KIND OF USELESS THREAT IS THIS?
he’s not even prepared for this type of thing!! his qi is completely blocked and xiu ya isn’t even with him!! but it’s fine zhongli has it under control, probably. he can cheerlead from the back, yeah!
[but he says it with a slight laugh, albeit a sort of awkward one. please, he's bad at taking compliments gracefully, let him live!
ryan is entirely oblivious to what's going on with the others, he Will continue to just vibe here. he's not the best dancer by any stretch, honestly, but he is trying.]
And it looks like there wasn't anything to worry about with him after all, right? Think that means you get a little more time to just- enjoy yourself, if you don't have to spend quite as much keeping an eye out?
[the horned figure glances toward zhongli and sqq. they'll catch a glimpse of glowing red eyes, and then hear the sound of bell-like laughter -
and then the figure vanishes without answering their question. very rude of it. the ominous bloody message, however, stays behind.
also, the corpses stay behind.
meanwhile, back at the nice party, keith chuckles.]
I suppose so. [that's in response to both the exchanging compliments remark, and the nothing to worry about remark...] It's been a while since I've been able to simply relax.
[time to dip ryan! very suavely, as befits a character from an otome game.]
[NO!!! HE DESERVES A FIGHT, DAMN IT!!! as soon as the laughter echoes throughout the destroyed ball room, Zhongli rushes forward, weapon in hand, to strike. . . but he's too late. the figure vanishes into thin air, and all he can do is let out an angry tch as he skids to a hald]
[. . .]
[he then straightens and, without putting down his weapon, turns towards SQQ]
That must be the monster responsible for bringing us here. We should track it down.
[ryan screams internally at that suave dip. this will never, ever happen to him in real life, he has to make the most of it now.]
Well-- this is as good a time as any then. We already put in the work, and people seem to like it, so there's nothing left but to have a good time, yeah?
[the fact that the food is being enjoyed is also extremely satisfying? even if the actual work was timeskipped but look, he put a lot of thought into this party menu, thank you.
he does not wonder how zhongli or sqq are doing. there's been no more screaming so they must be fine.]
[with the immediate threat gone, Zhongli straps his polearm onto his back again (jostling his wound a little bit, though he doesn't flinch) and stoically approaches Ryan's corpse]
. . .
I don't understand how this could have happened so quickly. One moment, we were in the ballroom at a bustling party. And the next. . .
[either way, he kneels down next to Ryan and reaches out to place a hand against his forehead :(]
with gentle care (since he, is after all, wearing all white. f.) he checks Maria and the others, frowning at the grisly scene. it’s only been like 20 minutes since they met but he’s still Displeased by being unable to protect. ]
It may be an illusion. We may need to find our way out.
[ which- huh that’s right. where did their door go? do they have to knock down a wall or smash through a convenient window?? ]
[i just keep laughing every time i try to tag this. anyway.
ryan's forehead is cold under zhongli's fingers, as one would expect a corpse to be.
maria seems to just have a snapped neck - her death seems the cleanest of all of them so far. but as shen qingqiu is examining her body, he'll feel something close around his ankle.
it's a hand. a bloody hand. it's attached to jeord, whose eyes are now glowing red and who is dragging himself toward him with a single-minded intensity despite the fact that he's definitely riddled with a bunch of fatal wounds. he snarls:]
[the garbled noise of dead Jerod's zombie cries draws Zhongli's gaze snapping upwards. he has been genre clueless this entire CYOA up until now. FINALLY!!! HE KNOWS SOMETHING!!!]
-- zombies!
[and. . . feral ones, at that. he knows that zombies-- such as Qiqi, at Bubu Pharmacy-- can be calmed and even live normal-ish lives. but. . . he also knows from experience that, more often than not, they're dangeros and volatile. and so, with speed becoming of a seasoned warrior, he once again grabs his polearm from his back and literally throws the weapon like a javelin, aiming for Jerod's back in an attempt to pin him to the ground]
THIS IS THE WRONG GENRE FOR OTOMES, WHAT THE FUCK-
his foot snaps out at least, trying to dislodge said zombie from his ankle. away with you! ]
Be alert of the others!
[ since he doesn’t have his sword or frankly anything to fight with except his bare hands, it might be time to improvise? today, peak lord shen qingqiu fights with a table leg. or a chair? whatever’s more studier he guesses ]
[still blissfully unaware of Zombie Time, ryan's smile brightens along with keith's agreement. yes, a success...]
Let's go, then. We don't have to be gone too long-- if there's anywhere you particularly like, I'll let you lead? I haven't gotten to see very much of the place yet.
[jeord's zombie is pinned to the ground with an unholy screech. (unfortunately, the dice say ryan is too busy with hot sir keith to hear this going on.) the zombie writhes and tries to snatch at shen qingqiu's foot again, but is not able to break free.
sqq is very smart, honestly, because the other corpses are starting to move. katarina is sitting up, and her jaw unhinges like she just wants to eat everything in front of her. alan, who has a huge hole in his chest, lurches forward to try and get his hands around zhongli's polearm. don't worry about the fact that he's kind of stabbing jeord a little more. maria sits slowly up, and her snapped neck falls to one side. she makes a little face. keith lets go of ryan's hand and lunges at zhongli.
ryan stays dead. hm.
meanwhile, the living keith gives ryan one last final twirl and leads him toward a door leading out to the gardens. it's not the same door that zhongli and shen qingqiu went through. it's in the opposite direction, actually.]
The gardens are nice. There's a corner of them that's particularly well-tended.
[OH NO YOU DON'T, SIR!!! Zhongli immediately bolts forward with as surprising amount of speed and aims an agile sweeping kick at PRINCE ALAN'S HEAD in an attempt to shove him away from his polearm]
Shen Qingqiu! Look for an exit! If the door is locked, shatter the windows!
[they need to get out of here ASAP, just like the creepy red-eyed monster told them to do like ten comments ago]
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[HE HATES WHATEVER IS HAPPENING!!!]
[with a slightly curt sigh, Zhongli reaches out and chooses EAT FOOD, because he knows Katerina well enough to understand she likes food the best]
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Now then.... it seems we may have quite the short wait.
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[he sounds slightly distracted, though. sorry, zhongli, he's trying to help but he's also out here living his best life! a lot of his focus is going into this, thanks, he doesn't want to mess it up.]
We can still make sure nothing happens, though. And, um, I do appreciate you coming with me, for the record, this is-- I've never been to a party like this before? It's pretty nice.
[but this is a britt cyoa so i, personally, feel fear even if ryan is just happy to be here.]
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Ooh, this all looks delicious! [She's now shoveling little desserts into her mouth.] Sorry, wait, did you ask a question earlier? The party's going on, right? Is there something else? I didn't notice anything else...
[Maria is now relaxing and can't help but smile at the fact that Katarina is 1. enjoying herself and 2. not getting hit on by Zhongli. Whew. She seems to be easy to pacify, at least... Though the two princes (and Keith) are still looking over here.
Keith, at least, is only glancing over occasionally. The rest of the time, he's dancing with Ryan, who seems to be saying just the right things to calm him down, too. It helps that Ryan made a good impression on him earlier.]
...really? I guess I don't need to be too concerned, then. [Whew... he'll give Ryan a little twirl. Graceful.] I wouldn't have guessed that this was your first party. You're doing well.
[He gets a small smile! With their activities chosen, their surroundings take on a dull, almost dreamlike quality, and a dialogue box appears in front of Zhongli, Shen Qingqiu, and Ryan.]
Halfway through the evening, however, there is the sound of screaming from outside... although no one but the three volunteers seems to hear it.
[A menu appears again:
1. IGNORE the screams.
2. INVESTIGATE the screams.]
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Have you any idea what's going on? I'm finding it rather difficult to understand. . .
[though the jury's out on whether SQQ gets to answer before TIME SKIPS FORWARD and a new dialogue box pops up. Zhongli kind of DEAD EYES THE DIALOGUE BOX, before the screams suddenly shove him back into high alert, shoulders squared]
[he moves to place a hand on his spear, ready to jump into action and investigate the screams, but-- then he remembers]
[AND CHOOSES THE "INVESTIGATE THE SCREAMS" OPTION]
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It’s quite difficult to explain but when this is done-
[ that’s if the scenario finishes any time soon. hey!! he was enjoying his peaceful tea time!!! who knows if sqq got to finish his sentence before or after the next quest marker pops but he’s sure getting up out of his seat while absently making sure 2 is chosen. ]
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[compliments... his biggest weakness. his face is definitely very flushed as he's twirled. this is the best time he's had in actual years, being able to be surrounded by people without being completely afraid of it; maybe he should get a vr setup himself if it really helps this much...
but then there's the shift in their surroundings and the dialogue box.
he wants to know what's up with the screams, he really, really super wants to know, but-- but. zhongli is going, shen qingqiu is going, he's having a good time and also katarina's escort just bailed and he thinks someone might need to deal with that situation? that person is him. he will gladly be the martyr in this scenario who bravely holds himself back from investigating and stays here. with hot sir keith.
he hits IGNORE and mouths shout if you need me to the other two, trusting that if sqq knew what was up here he will understand the gesture of miming holding a phone to his ear for a second. bye! scream again but more urgently if you have issues!]
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But it's fine. The princes even stop glaring entirely after Zhongli bails! They'll head over to the food table and now three of them are just watching while Katarina stuffs her face. I'm going to be real you guys dodged a bullet there. Catch me after we finish this CYOA for deets.
Keith, oblivious to why they're leaving (and really just grateful that now he only has to deal with the devil he knows, and also that Alan and Maria are nearby to keep Jeord in check), turns his attention back to Ryan. They're just having a nice time now.]
You're good at turning a compliment around on someone, aren't you?
[He seems amused! But now they're just chatting as they dance. Ryan, the only one who is playing along with the storyline the characters from this otome game seem to be acknowledging.
As for Zhongli and Shen Qingqiu...
...they pass through the door, and they don't find themselves outside.
They're inside, actually. It's the same room that they were in before. But it's different, too. There's the heavy stench of blood in the air, and it mingles almost unpleasantly with the stench of peppermint. Most of the room is shrouded in darkness - the lanterns Zhongli proposed decorating with have been slashed.
Also, all of the party guests have been brutally murdered. Including Ryan, who is bleeding from several stab wounds on his sides! (The Ryan who is dancing with Keith is just fine, though.)
There's a horned, shadowy figure scrawling something on the far wall - it's jagged letters, written in blood, just barely illuminated with an eerie red glow:]
[...unfortunately for them, should they try to, they will find that the door they've passed through has slammed shut and locked behind them.]
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[this is more his speed]
[in a commanding, almost authoritative voice--]
Who are you?
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BUT YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THESE TYPES OF THINGS AND HAVE THE DOOR VANISH? WHAT KIND OF USELESS THREAT IS THIS?
he’s not even prepared for this type of thing!! his qi is completely blocked and xiu ya isn’t even with him!! but it’s fine zhongli has it under control, probably. he can cheerlead from the back, yeah!
(sqq please, you’re a fully capable peak lord) ]
You have much to answer for.
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[but he says it with a slight laugh, albeit a sort of awkward one. please, he's bad at taking compliments gracefully, let him live!
ryan is entirely oblivious to what's going on with the others, he Will continue to just vibe here. he's not the best dancer by any stretch, honestly, but he is trying.]
And it looks like there wasn't anything to worry about with him after all, right? Think that means you get a little more time to just- enjoy yourself, if you don't have to spend quite as much keeping an eye out?
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and then the figure vanishes without answering their question. very rude of it. the ominous bloody message, however, stays behind.
also, the corpses stay behind.
meanwhile, back at the nice party, keith chuckles.]
I suppose so. [that's in response to both the exchanging compliments remark, and the nothing to worry about remark...] It's been a while since I've been able to simply relax.
[time to dip ryan! very suavely, as befits a character from an otome game.]
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[. . .]
[he then straightens and, without putting down his weapon, turns towards SQQ]
That must be the monster responsible for bringing us here. We should track it down.
[and then. . . what?]
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Mm. It may lead us out of this... scenario as well.
[ but for now he’s just gonna check on their murderer comrades slash npcs for any clues. rip to them he barely knew ye. ]
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Well-- this is as good a time as any then. We already put in the work, and people seem to like it, so there's nothing left but to have a good time, yeah?
[the fact that the food is being enjoyed is also extremely satisfying? even if the actual work was timeskipped but look, he put a lot of thought into this party menu, thank you.
he does not wonder how zhongli or sqq are doing. there's been no more screaming so they must be fine.]
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meanwhile, back in not dead land, keith pulls ryan back up.]
That's true. It's all right to just relax and enjoy ourselves every once in a while...
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[with the immediate threat gone, Zhongli straps his polearm onto his back again (jostling his wound a little bit, though he doesn't flinch) and stoically approaches Ryan's corpse]
. . .
I don't understand how this could have happened so quickly. One moment, we were in the ballroom at a bustling party. And the next. . .
[either way, he kneels down next to Ryan and reaches out to place a hand against his forehead :(]
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with gentle care (since he, is after all, wearing all white. f.) he checks Maria and the others, frowning at the grisly scene. it’s only been like 20 minutes since they met but he’s still Displeased by being unable to protect. ]
It may be an illusion. We may need to find our way out.
[ which- huh that’s right. where did their door go? do they have to knock down a wall or smash through a convenient window?? ]
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anyway, as he's pulled up, ryan gives the less dead version of keith a little smile.]
It is--! I don't get much of a chance to, either, usually...
[he takes a quick glance around the room. it seems like his sister is doing fine, so... okay. after taking a second to psych himself up:]
Hey, um, after this, do you maybe want to take a walk or something-? I mean, we've been busy inside all day, it might be nice...
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ryan's forehead is cold under zhongli's fingers, as one would expect a corpse to be.
maria seems to just have a snapped neck - her death seems the cleanest of all of them so far. but as shen qingqiu is examining her body, he'll feel something close around his ankle.
it's a hand. a bloody hand. it's attached to jeord, whose eyes are now glowing red and who is dragging himself toward him with a single-minded intensity despite the fact that he's definitely riddled with a bunch of fatal wounds. he snarls:]
-̷̙̗̺̥̋̈́̐̉̓͘-̵̡̰̲͉̬͈̻̠̺̳̪̤̦̼̐͆ͅ-̷̧͍̝̰̜̬̭̾͒̅̓͊̉̈́͑̈̇̀̌͑̓̕̕-̴̦̫̰̤͖͓̟̲̲̣̭͙̥̝́́͜ ̴̨̨͕̪̞̰̻̯͎̟̞̞̹̣͈͊͐-̵͇̫̥̥̲̲͕̾͘-̸̨̢̱̺̠̲̯̠̩̙̪̜͇̙̳͍͛̎͐̽͛͊̂̕̚ͅ ̶̮̼͙̦̪̟̮͓̳͖̮̔͗͆̉̏̽͋̅̎͋͗̚͠-̴̡͇͔͉͎̦͇͇͚̘͕͖͓͍̗̓̀̈͌̈́̈́͐͌̈̆͆͂̎̕-̸̨͔̩̣̮̲͕͌̃͐͑̿́́͆͠͝-̸̡̈́̊́̂͂͑̑͂͋̒̚̕͝͠͝-̶̥͙̖̽̂̂́̐̽͛͗̄̍͠͠-̴̢̫̮͙̻̹̮̈́̽̊́̆̈́̚͠
[meanwhile, back at the party!
keith glances over at katarina, who appears to have challenged prince alan to an eating contest (and is winning), and chuckles.]
Sure. Let's get some fresh air.
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-- zombies!
[and. . . feral ones, at that. he knows that zombies-- such as Qiqi, at Bubu Pharmacy-- can be calmed and even live normal-ish lives. but. . . he also knows from experience that, more often than not, they're dangeros and volatile. and so, with speed becoming of a seasoned warrior, he once again grabs his polearm from his back and literally throws the weapon like a javelin, aiming for Jerod's back in an attempt to pin him to the ground]
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THIS IS THE WRONG GENRE FOR OTOMES, WHAT THE FUCK-
his foot snaps out at least, trying to dislodge said zombie from his ankle. away with you! ]
Be alert of the others!
[ since he doesn’t have his sword or frankly anything to fight with except his bare hands, it might be time to improvise? today, peak lord shen qingqiu fights with a table leg. or a chair? whatever’s more studier he guesses ]
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Let's go, then. We don't have to be gone too long-- if there's anywhere you particularly like, I'll let you lead? I haven't gotten to see very much of the place yet.
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sqq is very smart, honestly, because the other corpses are starting to move. katarina is sitting up, and her jaw unhinges like she just wants to eat everything in front of her. alan, who has a huge hole in his chest, lurches forward to try and get his hands around zhongli's polearm. don't worry about the fact that he's kind of stabbing jeord a little more. maria sits slowly up, and her snapped neck falls to one side. she makes a little face. keith lets go of ryan's hand and lunges at zhongli.
ryan stays dead. hm.
meanwhile, the living keith gives ryan one last final twirl and leads him toward a door leading out to the gardens. it's not the same door that zhongli and shen qingqiu went through. it's in the opposite direction, actually.]
The gardens are nice. There's a corner of them that's particularly well-tended.
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Shen Qingqiu! Look for an exit! If the door is locked, shatter the windows!
[they need to get out of here ASAP, just like the creepy red-eyed monster told them to do like ten comments ago]
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