#aofstarter

Maybe they all ought to have expected something like this to occur. After all, based on the implicit strangeness of their situation, it was more likely for the trend of unfamiliarity to continue than it was for it to stop altogether. Kaho had listened to the monochrome bear's spiel along with the rest of her classmates, rolling her eyes at its close. Whoever was in charge of this thing was surely bluffing, trying to elicit a reaction out of them. Starved for entertainment, much? How lame. Despite her impassiveness in the face of the stuffed bear's petty threats, her reaction to the little red book had been a bit different.

The secrets detailed within the thing were eerily personal. Private, intimate almost. How had anyone on the school board, or otherwise, even, learned these things about her life? Kaho's eyebrows lowered in concern and frustration as she flipped rapidly through the crudely written pages. More than frighten her, the contents of the book confused the furrier. She felt... watched. Perhaps this was why that black haired boy had been so adamant about the existence of cameras before -- whoever was in charge of this was clearly no stranger to passive observation. But who could be in charge? Their surroundings were elaborate beyond measure. What surrounded them was full fledged dungeon, with an armory and even instruments of torture. And, if the bear had been telling the truth, a castle awaited them beyond the blocked-off staircase.

Who would put this much cash and planning into a group of half-baked teenagers? It was all rather difficult for her to comprehend. Rather than dwell on the reasoning behind their situation, though, Kaho decided resolutely to continue her uninspired investigations of the various rooms. She scoffed and threw her own book callously onto the floor, as if to show her lack of belief in the little scheme. Only a moment later, the girl stomped next door into the torture chamber, arms crossed as she stared at one of the decorated walls with a look of vexation. At that moment, that all-too familiar voice rang out over the loudspeaker.

"Because you decided to rip up my gifts to you all… don’t kill, and I do the same to the letters. Every. Last. One."

Kaho narrowed her eyes and glanced into the four corners of the room, one by one. The bear's second announcement had shaken her to the core. If the people in charge of this operation had the funds required to put together such an extravagant dungeon, they were probably capable of much, much more. It was... worrisome. But it had to be a prank, right? Kaho wasn't so sure anymore. She paced forward to inspect one of the daunting instruments that in the depths of the room, and hardly paid the increasingly foul odor any mind. The furrier was used to the scent of death, and although she did not enjoy it, it wasn't unbearable.

Footsteps resonated somewhere behind her. Kaho reached forward to place her palm against the cool surface of the iron maiden, closing her eyes and taking a breath. 

For a moment, it seemed as though no time had passed at all.

The regrettably familiar scent of mildew and damp, eroded minerals wafted from every direction, sickeningly pungent, and yet undeniably soothing nonetheless. The sensation wasn't terribly unlike coming home for the holidays, only to be greeted by that particular scent that is so specifically home. For Kaho Tsukuda, however, it wasn't the smell of roasted duck, or that of freshly brewed tea made from cardamom and five star anise which made her heart swell with a feeling of warmth and comfort. It was the piny, cavelike smell of moss and of limestone that seemed to be blanketing her present surroundings.

It was no wonder, then, that when the girl first awoke, her first instinct was to hop up, head home, and promptly apologize to her mother for being out so late past curfew. The furrier sat up groggily, taking note with mild irritation at the crick in her neck and the throbbing headache that seem to have graced her with their presence. She reached for her satchel of tools and handy-dandy bottle of formaldehyde, wondering offhandedly where on earth the stars and the moon had gone off to. That was when she remembered.

Hope’s Peak Academy, of course. Kaho felt her expression grow grim as she leaned forward, legs crossed, brow furrowed in deep concentration despite the overwhelming darkness which has settled over the room. Or perhaps it wasn't a cave at all? A shiver ran up the girl’s spine as a glimmer of candlelight brought a few of the thick, rusted steel bars into view. Suddenly, the slight dampness of the stone underfoot and the smell of fungus and mildew were no longer quite so charming. Nature’s many vices no longer come to her as virtues, instead being foul resurrections and false apparitions brought on by mankind's slovenliness. There was no real life in this dingy cell. It was... unsettling. Dirty. And most of all, it reminded her of...

"A dungeon...?" Kaho asked to no one in particular, perhaps if only to hear her own voice; to make sure this wasn't all some dream brought on by her typical her nerves and jitters. As the two simple words echoed throughout the room and furthermore down what seemed to be some sort of corridor, the girl’s stomach turned. It was quiet, too quiet. Where on earth had she been taken?

A scowl on her face, Kaho struggled to a stand, quite alarmed to notice that only a small distance away from her lay another human form. She backed away from the body rapidly. Her steps were frantic, albeit almost graceful even in the apparent state of panic. Although the other pink haired girl appeared to be asleep, there was always the possibility of danger in a situation such as this. The unexpected had become the expected, and vice versa: it would surely be foolish to approach the stranger without a clear path of escape.

At that precise moment, a small flash of motion crossed Kaho’s line of vision. A vaguely familiar squeaking followed, and as if on instinct, she felt her shoulders relax a bit -- the cold lifelessness of this dingy place was suddenly not quite as severe. The girl bent at the knees and leant down towards where the rodent had scurried, suddenly oblivious to the other person who was passed out on the floor. Her attentions had been further captivated by something much more important.

"Hey, you. Why are we here? You haven’t got any information for me, do you?” she asked the rat inquisitively, sticking out one finger, at which the creature took a few apprehensive sniffs. It stood for a moment and stared at her with trembling, beady eyes, before bolting off into one of the darker corners of the cell. “Take care, Nezumi-shi,” Kaho called after it quietly, offering a small smile into the direction which it had fled.

The girl stood once more, the smile which had been on her face quickly being replaced by a look of stoicism. She headed for the door to the cell, still paying her cellmate no mind, wary, though hardly intent on rotting away in the grimy old place. After roaming the short corridor for a short time, she was greatly displeased to find that the only door in sight was thoroughly closed, and didn't seem to be opening up anytime soon. Only a moment later, though, another shadowy figure appeared before her. Kaho held up one hand defensively, feet planting heavily where she stood.