[Heart Game - Ed, Maya, Roxy]

[carptricks]

[It's dark. You're trying to move forward, but it feels like your limbs are weighed down by chains and shackles. Still, you push. You push and you pull and those chains are pulled taut and strained until suddenly--]

[Something snaps]

[You tumble forward, wind blowing past your face, until you lose awareness of anything around you. . .]

((another run ran concurrent to this one here))

Comments

[soulping]

That's so simple!

[she says with a laugh]

Hmmm. . . but okay, I'll let you in. Just a moment!

[The bricks of the wall suddenly start to shift right before your very eyes, until they create an arching doorway for you to walk through. LIKE MAGIC. And should you step inside. . .]

[You find yourself standing not in a house, but a large workshop instead. Several folding tables line the walls, and those tables are covered with all kinds of magic nick knacks: decks of cards, top hats, colorful scarves, fireworks, articles of clothing (like socks and boxers. . .) tossed about with no regard for proper organization. There's also a cozy looking sofabed (recognizable as the one from Aoko's dorm) stuffed in one of the corners with a green blanket draped across one of the arms]

[To your right is a bookcase filled with book after book, all stacked on top of each other in neat little piles. To your left is a nightstand with one drawer and a vase of roses on top. And in the center of the room is a desk with a rolling chair pushed riiight up next to it. On top of the desk is a closed laptop and a couple of school textbooks]

[Aoko is nowhere to be seen, but there is a door on the wall opposite from you. Funny, it seems to be covered in chains. . .]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

It usually is. It's all the layers on top that get weird.

[LOOK AT ALL THE COOL THINGS THOUGH.]

[Okay, but first....]

[Let's check the laptop.]

[soulping]

[You open the laptop, which thankfully isn't password protected! Either that or someone forgot to log off before they closed it. You see the words "MEMORY BANK" flash before the screen, before you're redirected to a menu]

> Home
> Kyriakos
> Jungle

[Which do you choose?]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[Memories.]

[....]

[Kyriakos.]

[soulping]

[You're redirected to another menu. This one contains a list of names of everyone Kaito has ever met in Kyriakos, Echoes and team members alike. it seems to be easier to sort them that way]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[Well, let's look at her name.]

[soulping]

[a third menu flashes on the screen]

> Roxy's soul game
> Knut's murder mystery
> Nyssa's popularity contest
> Two thieves

[. . . among others, but those are the ones near the veeeery top, ranked by significance]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[....]

[I'm gonna regret this, but it's my heart, SO I DON'T EVEN CARE]

[Gonna check that soul game one.]

[soulping]

[WELL]

[I HOPE YOU ENJOY WATCHING A CINEMATIC RETELLING OF KAITO'S JOURNEY THROUGH YOUR HEART GAME]

[from his point of view of course]

[because]

[yeah]

[it plays on the laptop screen from start to finish, and it sure is a loooong memory]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[OH MY GOD, YOU DUMB MORONS, WHAT WERE YOU EVEN DOING.]

[JUDGING EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HAD BEEN IN HER HEART.]

[ALL OF THEM.]

[...okay, but what if I played all of these, CURIOUS MAN]

[soulping]

[LOOK HE ONLY DIED THREE TIMES, OKAY. AND HE MADE IT TO TRUE HEART!!]

[Knut's murder mystery is this]

[Nyssa's popularity game is this and this]

[Two thieves is that one time after her heart game Kaito told Roxy about being Kaitou Kid, I can't find the thread, but you know what that was]

[Each memory plays like a mini-movie, all from Kaito's point of view! No emotions or feelings are imparted with any of them]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[JUDGING]

[Okay, it's weird to see myself die. '-']

[And see myself in a sheet.]

[But yeah, talks and things and all those feels.]

So, facts, huh?

[Let's move back out to the main screen and take a look at the text books. Just school facts?]

[soulping]

[I'm sure it is very weird to watch yourself die, yup]

[The text books are ordinary school text books, yes! There's math, chemistry, biology, English, Japanese, physics, social studies, physical education. . .]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[....why do you have a text book for physical education? What does it even SAY.]

[soulping]

[WHY DON'T YOU OPEN IT TO FIND OUT]

[and assuming you do, it seems to be a pretty comprehensive anatomy book, combined with instructions on how to do parkour and acrobatics. and sports. and kendo. basically any kind of physical activity Kaito knows how to perform]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[That she does.]

[Oooooh, okay.]

[Cool.]

[What if I go poke some magic knick knacks? Maybe some involving locks?]

[soulping]

[there are some opened padlocks with lock pick wires stuck in them lying around! if you pick one up, you're suddenly imparted with the knowledge and skill required to pick locks]

[CONGRATS]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[FUCK YES.]

[Will even pick a lock to practice.]]

....

[Okay, but if it this is a HEART SKILL GETTING, I maaaay just touch all the escape artist trick things.]

[You know]

[Just in case]

[soulping]

[well, the padlocks gave you general lock picking skills]

[there's also a pair of handcuffs, which gives you knowledge on how to pick your way OUT of them. this time it's accompanied by a voice which whispers in your ear, soft and encouraging]

[Listen carefully, Kaito-kun. Once the pick has been inserted and is resting under the handcuff housing, add tension and press the pick towards the cuff's direction of travel. . .]

[you don't recognize the voice, but it sounds very fatherly]

[there don't seem t obe any other escape artist magic tricks lying around, though. the room is mostly filled with hand-sleights]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[Oh. His dad?]

...

[Well, did always want to know how he makes roses appear. '-']

[soulping]

[The only roses in the room are the ones located in the vase on the nightstand! If you would like to examine those]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[That I would. Let's go take a look at this vase.]

[soulping]

[It's a totally and completely normal vase of roses]

[Touching the flowers imparts a sense of. . . Kaito. For the briefest of moments, Roxy is entirely erased in your mind, for you're Kuroba Kaito, this is your house, your heart, your city. These are the things that you like, that you love, that you hate and that you know how to do]

[The feeling fades quickly. THANKFULLY. I'm sure you don't want to be Kaito forever]

[thevoidsdarkhorse]

[wahjeiowajew]

[BACKING AWAY FROM THE VASE.]

Okay, that needs a fuckin' warning, holy shit.

[soulping]

I did ask you who he was before you entered.

[comes a huffy Aoko-like voice from behind Roxy]