TheOlmTales

Rules & Infos (Adjustment as of AL 2026)

Here

Manor Headcanon

(Update 25/MR/2025)

One-Shots (If it's not genderneutral, it's smut)

🏏 Batter:

That Asshole Teammate (That's You)

AMAB

AFAB

That Asshole Teammate (That's You) Part 2

AMAB

AFAB

Onsen Fun

AMAB

AFAB

🩸 Bloody Queen:

Mary's Tea Time

AMAB

AFAB

Forward:

I Don't Mind If It's For You

GenderNeutral (Fluff)

🗡️ Mercenary:

How To Thanks A Teammate With Your Partner

AMAB

AFAM

✉️ Postman:

During These Snowing Night

Genderneutral (fluff)

🔮 Priestess:

How To Thanks A Teammate With Your Partner

AMAB

AFAB

🃏Smiley Face:

Helpless

Genderneutral (angst)

👓 The Mind's Eye:

Hate At First Sight

Genderneutral (General)

🧸 Toy Merchant:

Onsen Fun

AMAB

(I’ll also be assuming Reader is on the survivor’s side.)

Tracy & Violetta are the first ones that come to mind when I think of interactions.

Tracy: It’s the inspiration for the secret gadgets of the manor that lured Tracy into the manor. She’s extremely curious & would probably spend time with the Reader the most. I imagine Tracy approaching the Reader first, seeing their mechanical parts & asking questions. The Reader gains interest in Tracy because she obviously knows what she’s talking about & Reader can tell she’s made of the same wood as them. Cue them spending the whole night asking questions & sharing what they are working on. Then they would help each other when they were working on their projects outside the matches, maybe even sharing the same workshop. Each staying on their side deeply focused on their work until they need some help. Whether it’s because they can’t figure something out or they just want the other input on a choice/question. If Reader & her grow close enough, she might let them do some modifications to her dear robots & maybe the Reader would let her do the same to their mechanical parts?

Violetta: While she is not the one who builds her own mechanical parts, I think she would love someone similar to her. Not because of the missing limbs, but because of how the Reader chooses to deal with it. Violetta hated the way people looked at her when she didn’t have any mechanical parts. As if she was a poor pitiful thing. She wants people to look at her as an equal, just like they would anybody else. Even if it means being treated without consideration. The Reader most likely faced the same problem, so I think they would understand each other well. More than anyone else, probably. & With the Reader being so kind, she would probably love to spend time with them. Even going as far as breaking the manor’s rules to join them on the survivor’s side. She probably knows a few secret passages she could teach the Reader. She would want to show them her performance ideas & Reader could help her by giving ideas, modifying or changing her gears. She’s not as knowledgeable as Tracy, but I think she would enjoy listening to the Reader explain/talk about mechanics.

Now some other ideas

On the matter of Reader wanting to help others similar to them with their skills:

Helena: They can’t help Helena directly, but she too is a kind & determined person who also had to navigate a world who would treat her as different & less capable. She also had to deal with people who wanted to use her for fame. So, like Violetta, Helena & Reader would probably understand each other in the way the world underestimated them & have great respect for the other. But what they would bond over is them exchanging on their subjects of interest. If Reader enjoys conversing with others, I imagine them enjoying talking about poetry & mechanics. If Reader knows nothing of poetry, Helena will gladly teach them if they are interested & she would enjoy learning about mechanics with them. If not, just talking is fine. The Reader might be able to help with her cane. Modifying it to test new things & following her instructions on how to adjust so it’s more efficient or comfortable to handle.

Jose: If Reader show them they can better his arm, he’d be interested. Working with them to give feedback. He’d have a clear idea of what he wants but wouldn’t mind testing the Reader’s ideas. The Reader needs to be ready for an outspoken guy who will go straight to the point of what he thinks. He will tease them if the experiment fails or gives sarcastic answers. But he would a lot of respect for the Reader’s abilities. After all, they're the expert, not him. He’d be grateful & ask the Reader to join them for some drinks or games. He wouldn’t force Reader to drink, more for him after all. He’s willing to tone down on the drinking if you insist but not stop. He’d enjoy exchanging with them & would probably ask questions about their mechanical limbs.

Joker: Reader would probably ask him if he would like to try some new type of prosthetic. Seeing the Reader owns prosthetics would probably put him at ease. I think he would want to keep is old one as it is; it’s part of who he is, part of the weeping clown. He still has difficulties knowing what is him, what is the weeping clown he was raised to be & what is Sergei. Though that last one is more the problem of his hunter counterpart. Reader kindness would touch him & he’d probably enjoy your company even going to share his time at the circus & how he has trouble with his perception of self.

His hunter self would be more dangerous to approach & deal with. Probably best to stay away but seeing the work Reader did on the other would make him curious. Once he learns Reader is the one behind them, he’d want to see what they can do. He’d want to see Reader owns mechanical limbs & would pick up some tricks from them, since he likes to make modifications. But he would do these himself. He’s too temperamental to argue with. Better avoid that.

Other survivors:

Emily would like them; she understands the Reader wanting to help others. She would try to prevent Reader from overworking themselves.

Kreacher would try to get something out of Reader. Reader would keep them at arm length. Making Kreacher mad at them. He would try to steal or sabotage things from them as retaliation.

William wants to test the limits of the Reader prosthetics. He’d want the Reader to compete against him. If Reader can hold their ground well against him, he’ll be delighted. If not, he’d lose interest. If Reader beat him or get close to it? He’ll come find Reader for rematches or training & ask you to compete every time Reader makes modifications.

The mechanical limbs give a unique look to the Reader. Let’s hope it doesn’t catch the interest of the Embalmer.

Reader kindness would catch Murro attention, especially the one toward Violetta. He doesn’t understand anything Reader says; it’s not his domain, but if Reader needs help, he will gladly oblige.

Luca while similar to Reader, is not in the same field. But he’d enjoy the opportunity of exchanging knowledge. Wanting to help Reader upgrade their prosthetic with some of his own ideas. Reader needs to be careful with letting their equipment in his hand if they don’t like their stuff being tempered with. Just like with Tracy, he’d would be willing to exchange ideas & help. Being slow-witted, he might not realize he’s breaking your boundaries at first. He’s too focused on his ideas & can’t hear you. But he could surprise Reader with his ideas & he’s really skilled with his hands. If Tracy or you need help with something delicate, he’ll do it quicker than you two can blink. If he breaks anything, he’ll replace it as it was. If Reader wants him out of their workplace, he’ll respect that once he’s calm down.

Annie would find Reader works impressive & ask for some teaching so that she can use your knowledge to build toys. She’d probably gift Reader something based on their interest as a thanks. If Reader wants, she’ll enjoy some tea while exchanging on their work.

Orpheus would be asking a lot of questions. As a writer, he wants to learn from everything & Reader would make a great inspiration for a character. Though, who knows what that character will end up representing. Reader would sense something is off about him & would probably keep a polite & safe distance as long as Orpheus doesn’t do anything bad.

If Reader can keep up with physical strength, Qi Shiyi would have respect for them. Reader kindness to help others would touch her & their sharpness not to fall into other schemes would please her. She’d be willing to teach moves to Reader so they can improve their prosthetic movements.

Alice is super curious. She’d want to report Reader upbringing so their story can be shared to the world & help others. She’d ask them interesting questions & could be of great help if Reader needs assistance.

Charles would also be greatly interested in the Reader’s work. But he’s not a very social fella. So he’d keep his distance at first. Seeing that Reader doesn’t seem to have any ill intend, he’d approach them to learn more. He’d then even share his work with them.

Richard would have a… suspicious interest in Reader’s work. Observing Reader from afar first & then asking a lot of questions that would slowly become more & more specific &… worry some. Until he asked Reader if they could buy 4 new limbs with specific measurements. Reader would need to ponder the question carefully.

Hunters:

Hunters are trickier, since I imagine the manor separating the two factions & the two factions not being in the best of terms.

Leo got his limbs replaced by puppet ones. But he refused that anyone touch them, which resulted in them not being in the best of state. Reader would need to extinguish his burning rage before being able to do any good. The only time Reader would have to gain his trust would be during matches. Even if Violetta tries to help them find Leo in the hunter manor, it’s a dangerous endeavour, & Leo would rather keep to himself. But if Reader succeeds, Leo will allow them to do some repairs, & if he’s satisfied, he’ll let them upgrade them.

Reader would catch Jack’s interested in their first match together. He’d like to see how Reader would fare if he were to tear their limbs. Accidents happen so fast~. He’s enjoyed watching them squirm on the ground & humiliate them. If he were to cut Reader open, would they be like the others who still have all their limbs?

Burke would be interested in Reader works too. He’d slash them down, grab them by the collar & ask them questions about how they made this or that part work so well. Then he’d put Reader on the chair & repeat that each time he got a question for them & they got a match together. He wouldn’t want any help from the Reader. If Reader refuses to answer, because they sense the lack of empathy of Burke, he’ll let them bleed out & ask again in the next match. If Reader keeps their stubborn behaviour, he might try asking in a nicer way, maybe even a gift. Though, he won’t be sorry, he just wants answers.

Yidhra might want to experiment with Reader. Reader works might give her ideas for her bioengineering… If you can really call it that. Reader will sense something watching them & might have some ‘‘visits’’ during their dreams.

Bonbon might ignite Reader curiosity. But he’s been programmed to attack survivors. Best Reader keep their distance. Reader can try asking Burke for answers, but they’ll have to give something in return or be really persuasive.

Reader might be interested in helping Galatea. But Galatea has no interest in them unless they have a mature & beautiful womanlike face. She’s too focused on her work & statues to care about anything else. Even kindness won’t reach her; she’s in her own world. She’d mock Reader saying she only needs her right arm to sculpt & that it works perfectly well. If Reader can end up being Galatea's muse, they might be able to use her interest in them to convince them. But it’s better to watch out around her; it’s unknown how far she might go for her inspiration.

So this is it for the ideas of interactions! I hope it was to your liking. Some characters I haven’t revisited their stories in a while so I might be off.

& If anyone wanna send ask too, don’t hesitate. I don’t have a lot of time right now to write as much on my OS, but small asks like these are fine!

You take a few steps back as you watch the side entrance gates of Eversleeping Town opens. Ready to head back to the manor without a second thought. The others can take care of themselves. Well, maybe not… but it’s not your problem anymore.

As you’re about to cross the gates, you feel something grab you by the collar, feeling your clothes block the air & the blood from going through your throat. In the first second, you think of the hunter, but you don’t feel the ‘‘other’’ heart beating. Your interrogation is quickly answered when an angry face comes into your vision. It’s William.

You do not like where this sudden turn of events will probably take you. You already feel tired at the prospect, having an idea of what he will make you do.

‘‘Where do you think you’re going!?’’ He snarls.

‘‘To my room.’’ You follow in your monotonous voice.

‘‘Forget it, we’re getting the Enchantress out of here! If we both go to assist, we can get an easy win!’’

‘‘Who cares? Win, ties or losses; we don’t even get anything from it. Why bother.’’ You hear the sound of the tram as it stops in the distance on your right.

‘‘Because we’re a team & the Enchantress carried us all during this match. We’re not letting her down!’’ He starts dragging you by the collar.

You sigh, but start following him none the less. No point arguing with him. Especially him.

The two of you head toward the left side, near the tram station. William runs to your right, going around the building while you keep trotting along the tracks. Making a stop to the chest & opening it. Pinning its content to William & continuing toward the tram stop. That will be for later.

Soon, the Enchantress comes into your line of sight, followed closely by Smiley Face. She’s been able to keep her distance using the two windows & her curses. But it’s clear that if she tries to get out of here, this clown will use his rocket to take her down. Her curses being used every time he comes in too close, not giving her time to build them up & there weren’t any pallets left around.

But it won’t be long until Blink is ready again. Sucks to be her.

You hide behind the barrel near the wall, waiting for an easy moment to come & help. Whistling just enough to attract the Enchantress’ attention, but not the hunter. She seems fairly surprised by your presence, as her eyes catch your bored ones. But it seems to be enough to give her a boost in energy, & she sprints faster after vaulting toward the next window as she turns around, passing in front of your hiding. You can hear Smiley swear under his breath as he sees her accelerate.

He tries to trick her at the next window before she can stack a new curse, but ultimately fails. As he goes to enter inside the train station by the left side, William gets out of his hiding spot & uses the last of his rugby balls to tackle Smiley on the wall. He only manages to stun him for a second or two, but the Enchantress doesn’t let it go to waste. She heads straight toward your spot, following the track toward your open gate.

You get out of your hiding spot & tell the Enchantress to use the right corridor when she gets there. She nods, too exhausted to respond or question it. From the corner of your eyes, you see that Smiley as gone pass William & is catching up on you two. But you also see the rugby player pass by the chest as he follows closely behind Smiley. You sign him to take the other way toward the gate. He looks confused but follows on it nonetheless. Cutting off by the pallet as he speeds up to go around the building.

As the Enchantress gets closer to entering one of the corridors, Smiley charges with his Rocket & notices that you’re standing too much on the left to properly body block her. He makes a wider turn to get her on her right side. The Enchantress notices him & curses you internally; she’s too tired to make a sharp turn now & her curse as not yet stacks. She braces for the impact.

What they both fail to notice in their exhausted state is the bright light pointing from the other side of the corridor & rapidly advancing. The smile of victory on Smiley’s face became sour when he felt the impact of the tram through his body.

This respite is short-lived, as you hear the bell indicating that the hunter has changed his ability. Excitement runs through Smiley’s vein as he gets an adrenaline boost to push through the pain. Going around the corridor & trying to catch up before the Enchantress could cross does damn gates. He saw you pass in front of the Enchantress, probably thinking you had nothing to fear anymore.

But as his excitement fades away, he hears the detonation of a gun in the distance. William had finally caught up & seeing the hunter coming on the Enchantress, he used the flare gun you had left for him in the chest.

After that, the three of you get out of there, though not before Smiley could lend a last hit of frustration on William, as he was a little too far behind.

‘‘You know we could have just taken a hit for her, instead of doing all this weird stuff.’’ The rugby player says to you, a hint of annoyance in his gruff voice.

‘‘I’d rather not get needlessly injured when I can avoid it. It adds to the trouble later, since I’d have to visit the infirmary.’’ You respond in your monotonous voice, not looking back at him.

Your only response is an interrogative grunt from him.

‘‘I’m surprised you even came to help, honestly.’’ This time, it was the Enchantress.

You don’t bother answering, just giving her a hum.

‘‘Nah! They’re lazy, but once you ask them something, they always do it & they give it their all!’’ William surprises you with a slap on your back that sends you tumbling a few feet forward.

The Enchantress raise an eyebrow at them: ‘‘That’s not being lazy, they’re more apathetic if anything. Which is why I’m surprised they didn’t get out once we had our backs turned. I’ve rarely seen them make any effort for others.’’

‘‘They always help me when I ask.’’

The Enchantress raises a brow toward you.

‘‘That’s because you won’t leave me alone, & you always catch me up later to give it to me if I try to get out in the middle of it.’’ Seriously, what is wrong with this guy? He’s almost always coming to you if he needs something.

‘‘Yeah! You need to pay more attention to your teammates if we want to all get out of here. It’s a Us in these matches, just like in rugby, we can’t win it alone!’’

He continues, ‘‘I saw it right when you came in, you’re a strategist! But you need to take more attention to your teammates.’’

‘‘No, I just don’t want to waste my energy.’’

The three of you part ways at the manor entrance, William turns to you his fist held in the air.

‘‘Good job today! I know I complained about your plan being too much, but it’s great knowing you got our back. You should do it more often!’’ He smiles at you, looking in your eyes.

Unlike with the others, whose actions & reactions don’t mean much to you, you feel a semblance of warmth creep up on you as your gaze goes to fix his fist.

Just as William thinks you won’t reciprocate his encouragement, you hold up your fist. Although you put no strength into it.

‘‘Well, that’s a start, I guess!’’ His smiles growing at your action.

‘‘…’’

‘‘Well, see you around. Or not. You rarely come around, now that I think about it. Oh well, I’ll see you when I see you!’’

He turns around happily, energy still flowing in him as if the previous match didn’t happen.

‘‘Well…’’ He stopped dead in his tracks as he heard your voice.

‘‘I… in truth I don’t mind putting in extra work if it’s for you.’’ He turns around to look at you surprised, but before he can say anything, you’re already by the door. Walking away.

In this strange manor, time is… let’s say strange. It’s impossible to know what the date is; a week can last a month & a year can pass in the spam of a week. After all, these are human concepts. They only have ground because of the way our solar system & the Earth operate. So, when you’re trapped in a place where time & space are irrelevant, good luck to keep track.

But you were sure of one thing. You came here on a Valentine’s Day. At least that was the day you played that game. The day you die playing it or escaping it. Who could really tell at this point?

Had you crawled your way out of there through the doors? Or did you succumb to your assailant’s blow? Maybe it was you who had caused all this pain. You couldn’t tell. All of your memories were blurry &, every time you could catch a blink of clearness, it would get buried under all the others instantly.

Nevertheless, you had awakened in this place. On that stupid armchair, in that stupid room, with these stupid & unknown people. You should be out of here! That’s what was promised to you!

For everyone trapped there, it was just another day “in hell” but for you, it was a Valentine’s Day & that’s when you met her.

You had walked out of that room in a confused state, looking up instead of down. Which meant that when your feet came into contact, you had no time to catch yourself. You felt headfirst at her feet. Well, more precisely on her cane. Alas, the weight & the velocity of your love for the floor had been too much for the poor wooden object. When you came back to your senses, there was not one, but two canes now. Well, two halves of a cane. You had not mastered the art of creation yet, just… transformation.

“Oh! Are you all right?“ Her voice is laced with surprise at first but quickly followed by concern.

If you had only taken a second to register what had actually happened, maybe this fated encounter would have been different.

Just like her cane, your pride had been shattered. For you, it was because she had been standing in your way, which was nowhere near the truth. Gravity long forgotten in that instant. You had looked up at her, meeting her brownish eyes, who seemed to not really be looking at you & yet, both your gazes were locked together.

“Tsk.” A simple sound & yet so full of hate & resentment somehow. Directed without doubt toward her. First, there was incomprehension in her mind & then she realized you were nothing more than an ill-mannered fool & she knew enough fools in this place already.

And this, was the beginning of something grand. It was hatred, at first sight… Somehow.

And first slap to her.

After that, you & her could not stand each other. Your misplaced pride making you blinder to the events that had happened on that day than she was. As for her, the audacity of this new survivor was unbelievable. Some people were raised with no education!

As for the others, they were clueless on the matter. They had learnt to know you on a surface level. Prideful, but not difficult & unreasonable. You were quite the good conversationalist; actually & Helena wasn’t one to hold a grudge. Normally, you two should get along fine.

But this strange spectacle had revealed a new side to the soft, but quick, spoken woman. She was quite the murderer with words. All that knowledge she had amassed with her reading, she knew how to put it to good use in every situation. Making multiple of your teammates develop a newfound respect toward her.

And she was really elegant doing it.

Which infuriates you more & more. You hated losing.

Matches were another story. You HAD to behave, or this could sound the end for everyone. As revenge for her smart remarks, you had made it a point to do better than her in matches. And what better way than to make her thank you every time you had to rescue, take a hit or attract the hunter’s attention away from her? Unlike you she had manners, so she made it a point to offer you her gratitude. As much as it was making her boil inside.

But she would never miss an occasion to give it back to you. She may be physically weaker, but she was not helpless. Far from it. She was quite the stealthy one, right behind Kurt, actually. She had become the best at analyzing the hunter’s habits in the games & she was the most patient.

She would pull down a pallet in the most unexpected moments as you were being chased, hiding behind the wall. Or appearing at the last minute beside your chair as the hunter had decided on a new target, sure of your demise. The most radiant & prideful smile on her lips during these moments. And all this was not counting all her well-timed strikes to the ground with her cane.

Faithful to yourself, you would answer her with a “tsk” & she would not miss on it, scolding you on your lack of manners, yet again.

The sight of you two bickering as you walk away by the open gates or by the dungeon (after a duo match), the hunter, long forgotten in the background, was… something.

Unbeknown to the both of you, the sharp comments had blossomed into disguised compliments & the match’s support, into genuine help. As much as collaboration was necessary to win, all survivors were ready to sacrifice one or three teammates if it meant avoiding the gruesome death that awaited the losers. She was not innocent in that domain. She let you die multiple times after all, & so did you.

But now, it was different. Every time she would hear the sound of your rocket exploding in the distant sky, she could feel her heart sink &, every time you would pass the gates without her, your breath would stay stuck in your throat for what feels like an eternity.

Today, the match had been particularly bloody & ruff on everyone. She had barely escaped herself. Walking back to the manor with heavy steps… alone, again. Covered in bruises, she couldn’t even use her cane to assist her. It had broken in half at the end of the match, trying to use it as a last resort weapon against Keigan. She couldn’t resort to throwing the now useless piece of wood for some reason, so she kept on holding it in her arms. Close to her chest.

She didn’t even register passing the doors of the manor, & she was even more surprised when she realized where her feet had taken her. She was in front of the infirmary; the smell of disinfectant & medical products could not lie.

She pushed the doors, calling to see if anyone was in there. No answer. She was exhausted and hungry, but her feet kept on moving of their own volition, & she took a seat beside one of the beds. & Then, she waits.

She doesn’t know when, but at some points she can feel something shift in the bed. By now, she knows you by heart.

“Greeting”

“Hey…” Is all you can muster.

The two of you fall in silence. Unsure of what to say.

You take a look at her; she’s covered from head to toes in bruises and dried blood even. Some of the ecchymoses have already turned black under her tattered clothes. Your eyes land on her hands; they are resting on her knees. Holding her broken cane. It’s in half.

Memory of your first encounter comes to mind.

“…Sorry.”

“Hu?” Her voice is laced with surprise.

“…for your cane.” She isn’t looking at you; it’s her ears that are directed toward you, but you still reflectively try to avoid her gaze. “And for being a jerk. I have no excuse.”

Silence follows. You can’t see it, but she starts smiling gently & when she answers you, you can feel a point of laughter in her words.

“I see you’ve finally grown some manners.”

Extra:

Some survivors were shocked after a night scroll when they came across the two of you. Helena, all patch up & smiling as the two of you talk. Well, mostly you ranting & her listening. Your face with a pinch of red as she guides you along the corridors.

Burke was standing at the gates all alone, his ears pierced by the screeching that was you & the Mind’s eye voices. His gaze directed toward the two of you fighting as the spring breeze was making flower petals dance around you… He felt no anger as he watched two survivors escape for once. The feeling replaced by a sense of being a third wheel in his own match.

A discussion between you two were you didn't know how to describe something :

“Ok, so remember what the shape of a swallow look like?”

“…No.”

“Didn’t you say you used to be able to see when you were little?”

“I was one year old. Do you have memories of when you were one year old?”

“…Maybe,” you say with misplaced pride.

“…Mhmm”

Your breath was ragged, your lungs burning with every chunk of air you were forcing down your throat. Your legs, on fire from all the running, were menacing to give up at any moment.

Behind you, the dreadful sound of your stalker’s footsteps was drawing nearer.

Trying to hide among the old remains of the circus funhouse stage proved to be futile. As the hunter would always soon find you.

The Wax Artist’s laugh was reverberating all around the walls & corridors. Similar to an omnipotent beast that had you trapped, like the little mouse that you were right now.

You could only hope that the cat would be merciful this time around & not in the mood to play with his food.

The wax was slowing you more & more as you tried to reach the closest pallet outside of the funhouse. But alas, the wax solidified before you could put a single finger on the pallet, crushing your hope of an escape with it. Your fingers, a mere centimetre away from it.

The wax had slowly, but inevitably, ensnared your body in its cruel embrace. Darkening your vision & locking you in place, while your already exhausted lungs could barely work with this new constrain.

Trying to crack open this new layer of “skin”, you could sense the hunter’s presence grow closer & far more sinister. His dry laugh was barely coming through the wax blocking your senses, but it was enough to make your blood icy. The pain followed suit, as expected.

His weapon striking at your back, going all the way down along your vertebra. Soon followed by a burning sensation, moving the same way. A little extra, thanks to his unique weapon. The tip of his spray gun always burning from the melted wax.

A cry escapes your lips as you stumble to the ground, unable to get up anymore, as your fear mixed with your pain was rendering you unable to move.

In a normal game, you’d expect him to chair you, but this was a duo match nearing its end. The hunters were more willing to hold grudges or pass their nerves onto their prey. & You were one of the last two survivors.

It was no surprise when his heel came crashing down in the middle of your injury. But it did not make it any less painful. It shot through the impact point & ran all the way to your fingers & toes, making you shout & twist your body in an attempt to diminish it.

The Wax Artist’s deranged smile only grew, & you could swear the wax figure on his shoulder did the same.

“Why don’t we enjoy each others company while we wait for my partner to catch yours, hum~?”

That sentence had the same effect as an ice bath, leaving you feeling as if all the colours & the blood from your body had suddenly vanished. Oh, how you wish that you hadn’t been chosen to participate in this cursed version of the game.

You couldn’t stop your body from trembling, your heart beating in your ears & you felt utterly alone as he turned on the heat on his spray gun.

On the other side of the map, Smiley Face was laughing maniacally all the while chasing after William. He was trying to lose him in sharp turns with the two rugby balls he had kept, but soon enough he would run out of steam. Unlike him.

Just as he could see him start to slow down, a cold shiver ran through his body, making him stop dead in his tracks. His mind immediately turns to you. He knew you could handle yourself, especially when it came to hiding, but his fear lies with Philippe. He had a bad feeling about this.

The seconds felt like minutes & minutes like hours. The little time spent at the Wax Artist company was enough to have your body covered in bruises & ecchymoses. You had tried to crawl away, mostly hoping it would accelerate your blood loss, but it was met with the hunter breaking your arm with the heel of his shoe. Your senses were dulled by the pain; you couldn’t even think clearly anymore, as he kept on toying with you.

You didn’t even hear yourself as you cried out for help. All you wanted was for this to end, but you knew it was futile. Joker was too far away to hear your plea & as a hunter, he wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway. As the thoughts traverse your mind, you didn’t even realize that the strikes had stopped.

Philippe was reflecting on where to pour the burning wax on your body. Hesitating between your eyes & your open wound when a red furry came crashing onto him.

Too focused on you, he hadn’t seen Joker approaching. But now he couldn’t miss the rage in which the other hunter came at him. No amount of rules or unknown forces in the manor could save Philippe from his wrath.

Joker had come just in time to see you call to him, your voice barely audible in your pain. His vision had turned red in an instant.

It only took Joker an instant to express his rage, more concerned with you than Philippe’s suffering. But the Wax Artist was still in no shape to retaliate when he came to you.

Hesitant at first, not wanting to cause you further pain, but soon cradling you in his arms to comfort you. Reassuring you of his presence as he gently presses you into his chest. One of his hands was caressing your scalp as he pressed his forehead to yours, murmuring that he was right here with you & that no more pain would come to you.

But the damage was too severe, & you could only plead for him to make it stop. Barely able to form a coherent sentence. Though, his presence did give you a semblance of comfort.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make your pain go away, I promised”.

At that, Joker squeezes you in his arms & walks with heavy steps toward the nearest chair. This was the quickest way to make it stop. William had already made his way to the dungeon, & you wouldn’t survive crawling all the way back to the manor. As for the Wax Artist, he was in no shape to surrender.

In your state you wouldn’t even feel anything when the chair would take off & explode. You would then wake up in the infirmary, as if nothing had happened. Only the memories would remain, as always. It was the most effective way, but not the easiest decision on his mind. But your excruciating breathing kept his determination strong. He could either end this quickly or prolong your suffering until the inevitable moment of your death. & He was not so cruel, especially not toward you.

His hands rest on the padded bar as he swings it down. One of his hands coming to hold your cheek gently.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there when you wake up. I promise.’’