Game RP Haunted by You (FaeWhisperer)

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy's heart pounded in her chest as she listened to Ruvik's words, his request weighing heavily on her mind. She knew the stakes were high and what he was asking of her. She nodded slowly, her voice steady, even though her stomach was in painful knots as she spoke. "I understand, Ruvik. I'll do as you ask. I'll divert them, keep them off your trail. I won't let them find your consciousness, no matter what it takes."

As Kasidy spoke, she felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that at some point, she would have to lie, to betray the trust of those around her, even if it was Sebastian. The thought of deceiving him, of potentially putting him in danger, made her heart ache. But she also knew that she couldn't lose Ruvik, not again, that if she lost him this time, she wouldn't ever be with him.

Kassidy stood up, her movements deliberate as she began to get dressed, her mind racing with thoughts of Ruvik's request. She could feel the weight of her decisions pressing down on her, the knowledge that her actions would have consequences, if not sooner, than later. For now, Kassidy pushed aside her doubts, focusing instead on the task at hand. She had to be strong, had to be willing to do whatever it took to protect Ruvik and secure his escape.

As Kassidy finished dressing, she turned to face Ruvik, her expression determined, giving a soft smile so as not to show the ever-sinking feeling in her stomach. "I suppose.... This is a goodbye for now. I doubt I'll be able to sneak away to see you again until this is all over, right?" Kassidy questioned, trying to keep her voice from breaking, but feeling her throat start to squeeze and her eyes threatening to water.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Ruvik was aware of how this weighed on Kassidy’s mind, but he knew that she wouldn’t betray him. At least..he hoped. As he stood and the clothes on him materialized- he was in that same bloodied outfit from before, the hood over his head and his eyes seemed cold yet softened still when looking at Kassidy.

Seeing the worry on her face and the question of her seeing him again, he gave a slight smirk and small chuckle in reply. “You’ll definitely will be able to see me again, I assure it,” he looked around and then back to her. “Maybe not in this place, but you will see me again,” after all, Ruvik could use the monsters in this area to distract the detectives while he would be able to spend time with Kassidy- somehow.

But once he found the key and would be able to leave- he would have to make sure Kassidy would be there with him. No mistakes could be made about this, and if the detectives caught on to what she was doing, could prove disastrous.

The room began to expand and shift around them once more, and it seemed as if Kassidy had been doing it subconsciously yet again- but where she ended up next, Ruvik would have to go through and find her, but not after he searched for the key more. He finally got a lead on where Leslie was, and as he would begin to follow, he noticed Kastellanos was on the key’s trail as well.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy stumbled forward as she appeared somewhere, boots skidding on the cracked tile of what looked like a ruined corridor, flickering lights casting long, broken shadows along the walls. Her breath came out in gasps, the transition still jarring every time, something she would never get used to, no matter how many times it seemed to happen. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light, and that was when she saw Sebastian, his back tense, gun raised, eyes sweeping the corridor before settling on her, causing the small woman to raise her hands. Relief surged through her chest so sharply it almost hurt.

“Sebastian!” Kassidy called out, a smile cracking along her lips at the sight of the older man, hoping he would return one or at least believe that she wasn't here to deceive him.

“Kassidy?” His voice held disbelief. He was clearly exhausted from everything that had happened. Looking at the small woman over, questions were written all over his face, and Kassidy felt guilty that she was able to relax and somewhat rest while he risked his life to escape. “Where the hell have you been?”

Kassidy’s steps slowed only for a second, but she kept her gaze steady as she moved closer, acting cautious of the man before her. “I-I don’t know exactly. I got pulled into this weird mansion… place. It wasn’t like the others, it changed on its own. I couldn’t tell how long I was there.” She explained, her eyes looking down as if searching for words, when she was thinking of what else she could say.

“What happened to Joseph?” Kassidy asked, letting genuine worry color her tone. She was worried about him, but she needed to change the subject, to get his mind off of her and onto something else. “Is he… is he still alive?”

Sebastian gave a short, disbelieving exhale, then looked past her, scanning for threats. Kassidy took that moment to wipe a shaky hand against her jacket, steadying herself. Sebastian looked away, jaw tight, the silence stretching before he finally spoke. “I don’t know. We got separated. He.. .He wasn’t himself when I last saw him. I think Ruvik’s influence got to him.”

Kassidy swallowed, nodding like that was the answer she’d feared. Inside, her thoughts spun like a storm... Joseph was part of the equation, but so was the key, and so was Leslie. And now, with Sebastian on the trail too, everything was colliding too quickly. She reached out, touching Sebastian’s arm, her voice soft but urgent. “Seb… where are we now? And what are you looking for? Maybe I can help. Please. Just… tell me what you know.” The truth twisted, making her stomach feel sick with guilt, but her eyes stayed wide and convincing. She had to keep close to him. Close enough to direct things, to keep Ruvik safe and to make sure that her love could join her in the real world and not just this twisted nightscape.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

Sebastian’s jaw had clenched the moment Kassidy had said she had wanted to help him. Sure, in normal circumstances it would seem perfectly fine, but these circumstances weren’t anywhere near normal.

He looked at the young woman’s face and decided that no matter what, it was still young Kassidy in there looking back at him, and he should trust her. So he pinched his nose bridge as he closed his eyes and explained everything to her. About Ruvik, about this realm and about Leslie and how Leslie and Ruvik were connected somehow. That they couldn’t let Ruvik leave here alive, and must destroy his consciousness before anything else.

Then Kassidy would get an idea, perhaps once the consciousness transfer was complete between Leslie and Ruvik, Kassidy might be able to fool Sebastian into destroying the ‘wrong brain’.

As if that would ever work.

Sebastian seemed on edge though, he had been fighting monsters left and right and hadn’t really had a breather in so long. Not to mention but he had just finished fighting Ruvik’s…so called sister. Or whoever that lady was. Piecing through the mind of a psychopath wasn’t exactly an easy task.

Sebastian eyed Kassidy suspiciously though, yet hid it almost pretty well- but he knew from some memories he had stumbled across, something was oddly familiar in them. Whoever that patient was had oddly resembled Kassidy, and he didn’t want to think of it when it came to the worst. He hoped his instinct was actually wrong for once.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy listened, every word Sebastian spoke laying itself like bricks in a wall she hadn’t realized she’d been building. Her eyes stayed on him, quiet and sharp, catching every edge in his voice, every hesitation, every clenched muscle in his jaw. He trusted her enough to tell her the truth. That meant something still, and her stomach balled painfully as she was about to betray him.

“I’ll help you,” Kassidy said, no hesitation in her tone. “Whatever it takes.” The words she spoke were a lie, she would help him, to a point, to ensure that Ruvik was safe and that they found the way out or led Ruvik to it. Her eyes looked over the older man, noting how drained and exhausted he looked, knowing that this whole time he had been suffering for fighting for his life. Kassidy looked away, feeling sick as she knew that we wouod never forgive her if he knew anything about what she had been doing.

“Kassidy,” Sebastian started slowly, the tone in his voice was serious, something that made Kassidy shiver slightly as he only used it when she had messed up or was in trouble. “I need to ask you something, and I need you to be straight with me.”

There was a pause, barely a heartbeat, Kassidy froze, even her heart stopped beating in the moment as she turned a bit sharply to look up at the older man. Sebastian noticed the stillness in her shoulders, the slight way her eyes shifted and how she seemed to become uncomfortable. It was almost like she knew what he was going to ask.

“Have you… met him?” Sebastian asked, slowly and almost like he didn't want to believe that she would, but he had seen the memory and something in the man's gut was pushing that there was something between the two of them. “Ruvik. Have you seen him in here? Spoken to him?”

Kassidy blinked slowly, willing the tension in her body to vanish, needing to not give away the truth through her body movements or actions. She shook her head, gaze steady, blinking like she couldn't believe that he would ask such a thing. “No,” Kassidy said evenly, confident like it was the truth despite the lie leaving a bad taste in her mouth. “I haven’t. I’ve only heard what you’ve told me.”

It wasn’t true. She’d seen him. Felt him. She remembered the sound of his voice like ice slipping across her spine and his hands setting fires along her skin at his touch. The way he looked at her, like he knew her down to the bones. But she couldn’t tell Sebastian that, maybe after this was all over, but not right now.

Sebastian stared at her for a moment longer, eyes narrowed just slightly, searching and suspicious. Kassidy tried not to flinch under the weight of it, staring back at him with worried eyes.Sebastian studied her another moment before sighing, rubbing a hand over his face. He looked like he’d aged ten years in ten minutes.

“Alright,” he finally muttered, though his tone said he wasn’t convinced. “But if you do see him… if anything changes… you tell me. Right away.”

 

[FaeWhisperer]

But how could he be so certain Kassidy would say anything of the sort to him? The knowing of her hiding something would prick the back of his mind but he pushed it aside. Finally turning away from Kassidy he looked on ahead. “It seems our target, Leslie went up and over there,” he motioned with his hands.

“But we have to be careful, I think Leslie is able to change the scenery around him like Ruvik and that may end up separating us again,” he added in as they started to move forward. He could feel eyes on them though, and he only suspected it could be Ruvik watching their every move.

He knew somehow, Ruvik and Kassidy were connected, but honestly, maybe it was best to leave those answers unknown. He knew Kassidy had a difficult life, especially when it came to those burns on her body. He hadn’t known much of her stay at the hospital, but also knew that Ruvik was connected to the same hospital. It was plausible that maybe they had met in passing, but nothing more.

As they continued to walk, they ran into more and more trouble, those ‘infected’ would be sent after them, and oddly enough were going after Kassidy too, yet it didn’t seem as…intentional. If that made sense. All of these attacks seemed more directed towards him than anything else.

When they finally came across Leslie again, he was crouched down at the end of the hallway with his ears covered and his eyes shut. He was muttering a word over and over again and the world around them seemed to reverberate. Sebastian glanced at Kassidy, “This is what I mean!” He yelled over Leslie’s booming, echoing voice. If he got separated again from Kassidy he didn’t know what he would do.

But all of a sudden, Leslie’s voice stopped as a figure in bloodied clothes appeared in front of him.

“Ruvik!” Sebastian shouted out the man’s name as he went to lead Leslie into some suddenly expanded room, disappearing with a wall forming right behind them. “Dammit!” Sebastian cursed, seemingly angry that Ruvik had gotten away with Leslie.

 

[Kastellanos]

Kassidy didn’t flinch as the wall slammed shut in front of them, cutting off the view of Ruvik and Leslie like a guillotine blade of rusted concrete, her eyes staring at Ruvik. T Sebastian was already shouting, pacing like a caged dog, teeth bared with frustration, and she could sense his anger was about to be turned on her if she wasn’t careful. Kassidy stepped backward carefully, faking being taken aback when all she felt in her chest was the softest flutter of her heart at the sight of her love.

“I know,” Kassidy spoke softly as an attempt to comfort the older man, not needing to ask what he was angry about. “But we can still find another way through.” She laid a hand lightly on the wall, pretending to search for seams or weak points, buying time, pulling focus. Kassidy hated that she seemed to have the hang or lying and pretending.

Sebastian shook his head, looking to the ground and around, looking for a hint or a clue or something he could use. “That was our chance. He just took him.”

“Sebastian…if you charge after them now, you’re going to play right into Ruvik’s hands.” Kassidy only half lied; Ruvik would have something to throw at Sebastian, but it would also mean that he would be throwing Kassidy right into danger as well.

Sebastian turned to her, eyes narrowed. “What the hell does that mean?” Kassidy looked back at him, flinching slightly at the rough tone, and her eyes grew wide for a moment as she feared he figured out within seconds what she was trying to do.

Kassidy softened her voice, coaxing the edge off her tone and trying to sound like she wasn't the threat he had to worry about. “You said it yourself. He manipulates the world around us. You think that door closed just because he wanted distance? No. He wants you to follow. That’s exactly the trap.” Kassidy explained, knowing it sounded correct, even if it wasn't.

“He wants Leslie for something,” Sebastian muttered, Kassidy gently nodding, the tension that was in her body seemed to relax now that Sebastian was calming down. “And now he’s got him.” Sebastian hesitated, torn between fury and logic, running a hand through his hair. He looked back at the sealed wall, then back at her.


“What do you suggest?” Sebastian asked, Kassidy gave a small look that read she had no idea, but pushed her brain to think, she need to come up with a plan.

“There’s another path that loops behind the cells. We passed it earlier, remember? If he’s trying to distract us, that route might lead us closer to the source, m-maybe? I don't know exactly...” Kassidy didn’t wait for his approval, she just kept moving slowly, making him follow. Keep him moving. Keep him doubting the direct route. Keep Ruvik and Leslie out of his reach just a little longer.


Behind her, Sebastian cursed again, but his footsteps echoed after hers, and as the flickering light buzzed overhead, Kassidy let herself exhale the barest breath of relief. She just had to keep lying a little while longer and then, she'll tell Seb everything.

 

[FaeWhisperer]

As they continued to walk along the decrepit path, Sebastian was alert for any possible threats to both him and Kassidy. He couldn’t afford to lose someone else, and he knew after he got separated from Joseph, he would do everything in his power to bring them back. But he knew Ruvik wouldn’t let go that easily.

Anyone who would bring the man harm seemed a threat, and that’s what Sebastian and the rest of his team were called in to do. Kassidy had only been called in for backup after things went to shit, but Kastellanos knew she probably shouldn’t have even been called in.

Not like it mattered, as Sebastian didn’t even realize how reality and the dreamscape world were bleeding together. He would have to go towards the neural transmitter and shut it off manually to finally put a stop to things. But that would also require him to kill Ruvik’s brain— or more so, his consciousness.

He had seen the memories, not all of them, fragmented here and there. But he knew Ruvik had some connection to Kassidy. And he prayed that maybe he was wrong, that maybe Kassidy wouldn’t remember or didn’t want to remember and knew what path she eventually would have to take.

He looked over to her, she was like a daughter to him- ever since his own wife and daughter had passed, he had been ‘extra protective’ over Kassidy, treating her like she was his actual daughter and being cautious with her. But he figured he wouldn’t be able to do that for much longer.

“Kassidy,” he spoke as they took a brief breather in what seemed to be like a safe location. “You do realize what we have to do here, right?” He asked, looking at her face, trying to find the slightest slip ups in her expression to see if she knew anything that she was potentially hiding from him.