[I open the door, and I am face to face with myself.]
[I block myself from entering the door... was I always this annoying?]
[Beyond my shoulder, I see someone.]

MEME14.5C - tell-you-what

[THE OWNER CURSES UNDER ITS BREATH, FIGHTING THE FORCE FROM THE LONELY DOOR PUSHING HER BACK]

[FROM A STAIRCASE ABOVE, THE INTERROGATOR RECOGNIZES THE PERSON... AND FALLS TO THE FLOOR, LANDING ON THEIR SIDE]

[SHE CALLED OUT, TRYING TO GET THE DESERTER'S ATTENTION]

[HE TURNS AROUND, FACE GONE PALE ONCE IT REALIZED WHAT STOOD BEHIND HER.]

kim...?

[THE DESERTER, BLINDSIGHTED, FORGOT HE WAS ACTIVELY RESISTING A CONSTANT FORCE... AND WAS PUSHED BACK ONTO THE FLOOR, NEXT TO HER "BEST FRIEND".]

PART I - WILL WE ALWAYS HAVE EACH OTHER'S BACKS?

Get up.

kim, i-

Get up.

[THE INTERROGATOR REACHED HER HAND OUT.]

thank you, but i-

...are you real?

Are you?

i don't know.

Tell me if this is real, then.

[SHE STEPPED CLOSE TO THE DESERTER, A HARSH GAZE PIERCING THROUGH HIS SOUL.]

[THE INTERROGATOR SLAPPED ITS FACE.]

"Are you real?" █████, do you hear yourself?
[edited by autologging]

How long have you been down here, making these rooms, refusing to head outside? How long has it been since you last thought of messaging me, of talking to anybody? How long were you planning to...

...what is this, why are you smiling?

no, nothing it's just... really stupid that you're here.

honestly, you were the last person i was expecting to do this. i thought we made a promise, kim.

[THE INTERROGATOR LOOKED DOWN, DEFEATED AND ANNOYED AT HOW CALM THE DESERTER IS.]

You don't get to say anything about promises. You knew I wouldnt've been able to keep that.

Why did you do it, just to make me suffer? Did you enjoy pushing everyone away? Is this... this hell, truly were you think you belong?

...i wouldn't call it hell.

Then what would you call it?

hom-

No, shut up.

That's stupid, █████, you're being stupid right now.
[edited by autologging]

You don't belong here, you never should have been here. I don't think The Jouse had considered any of this when it gave you that key.

but can you blame me?

Yes, █████, I can blame you!
[edited by autologging]

This is all so unbelievably horrible for you!

You could've just talked out your issues like a regular person instead of essentially killing yourself here!

You could've sorted out your shit with Barry! You could've sorted out your shit with me! You could've... prevented all of this! Oh, if only you weren't so god damn stuck in your ways, you could've made this work!

kim, you don't know-

What you're going through.

I do, I do know what you're going through, because you won't stop talking about it in those logs.

Is isolating yourself and screaming into the void really the best way for you to be going about this?

█████, I just...
[edited by autologging]

I just want you to be happy.

[SHE STOOD THERE, FISTS CLENCHED, TREMBLING]

did you... really come out all this way just to tell me this?

...why do you care so much? why could you be so bothered by this that you somehow exceeded my pace just to-

[THE INTERROGATOR PULLED THE DESERTER IN FOR A HUG]

I'm so bothered by this because you matter too much to me.

...oh.

[THE DESERTER DOESN'T RECIPROCATE.]

what... were you planning to do after this?

I hadn't thought that far yet.

It shocks me, the person who usually plans the most falls short at the end.

...what were you planning to do?

there's that door over there.

[SHE GESTURED TO THE LONELY DOOR]

i think it's past it.

The... heart?

yeah.

What do you think is inside?

i don't know, but it calls to me. i've heard its beat for a long time now, even in my dreams.

...you're not planning to go alone now, are you?

i have to.

[HE PUSHED THE INTERROGATOR AWAY, AND STARTED APPROACHING THE DOOR]

No, no you can't do this.

[THEY GRABBED ITS HAND]

why not? i didn't come all this way just to be stopped directly before my goal.

No, I mean... you can't do this alone, █████.
[edited by autologging]

[SHE STARED AT THEM, A BLANK EXPRESSION WORN]

you're... coming with me?

I'm coming with you.

but why? the area here is nice, i'm sure you can set something up here. have you seen that outside bit?

I can't stay here. I can't stay here knowing that you're entering the end all by yourself.

We don't know what will happen to you. I couldn't bear the pain of knowing if something awful occured while I stood behind.

but... what if something awful occurs to you?

Better to suffer with someone dear to me than suffer on my own.

It's like you said, we can investigate this together.

...okay, fine. we'll do it your way.

♪ — truth-be-told
original: sleep - dreamcorp.

return

♪ — dont-read-that-gay-shit
original: vii. polarity - dconn

PART II - DOUBLE YOLK

there you are.

...YOU'RE HERE.

DEAREST OWNER, YOU'RE-

...WHAT?

[THE INTERROGATOR GLARED AT THE REVENANT]

Hey.

THERE'S... TWO. AM I SEEING THIS RIGHT?

yeah... it's complicated... uh, this is kim.

...and what are you supposed to be? You look like █████.
[edited by autologging]

i mean, kinda? there's too many small differences when you get a good look... plus, its shirt is purple instead of my debatably iconic red.

Okay, we get it.

AH. I DON'T THINK I NEED TO GO OVER THIS, YOU TWO LOOK LIKE YOU'VE GOT IT FIGURED OUT ALREADY.

I MUST ASK THOUGH... HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

...WELL, NO, I SEE HOW IT HAPPENED. YOU WERE GOING THROUGH MY ROOMS AT AN EXCEEDINGLY FAST PACE, ORANGE ONE.

I'M SURPRISED HONESTLY, SINCE I'VE NOTICED YOU TAKING RECORD OF MOST DETAILS AS WELL... ARE YOU USED TO THIS SORT OF THING?

I'm sorry, what's going on here?

We're... in the right spot, correct? This is the heart?

YES.

Which makes you... The Jouse...?

YES.

Weird... so you're like, a person but also the structure at the same time?

YES...?

IT'S COMPLICATED, THE STRUCTURE IS SEPARATE FROM MYSELF YET I AM THE ONE IN CONTROL OF IT. IT WAS HERE BEFORE I REACHED THE HEART MYSELF, YEARS AGO.

So... The Jouse, structure, was creating variants before you assumed control of it? That has some... weird implications on the nature of this.

I WOULDN'T TRY TO THINK OF IT LOGICALLY, YOU WILL ONLY LOSE YOURSELF IN HYPOTHETICALS. THE JOUSE IS, SIMPLY, AND SO AM I.

...I guess you're right, I have been losing track and constantly revising my map and notes of the place.

A new question presents itself, though... is there a way out of here? Or, at least, is there a way forward? Surely this can't be the end.

i'm pretty sure this is as far as we go. my last few rooms have all been one-way for this reason, having a way out would redirect a potential deeper path to one closer to the surface.

Is it some sort of self-defense thing? Maybe the heart acts on instinct, and The Jouse acts as a brain...?

I'M NOT SURE MYSELF, HONESTLY.

I'VE ACTUALLY TRIED TO MAKE A WAY OUT OF HERE, BUT ANY ATTEMPTS TEND TO CREATE AN EMPTY HALLWAY.

Have you tried brute forcing it and seeing how far you can go?

I WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE IF I HADN'T TRIED THAT.

...so we're stuck here.

YES.

i'm surprised you didn't realize this sooner?

JUST GETTING CONFIRMATION.

so, what now?

WELL, UNLESS YOU'D LIKE TO TRY YOUR HAND AT MAKING A VARIANT OF YOUR OWN, THERE'S NOT REALLY ANYTHING TO DO HERE.

...UNLESS YOU FIND SITTING IN A CEASELESS VOID APPEALING.

oh, right... my bad. i guess whatever happened outside when i opened the door also reflected here?

IT'S FINE. I DON'T HAVE ANY REASON TO HOLD SOMETHING AGAINST EITHER OF YOU, ANYWAY. BEING STUCK HERE DOES THAT TO A THING, I SUPPOSE.

Well, actually, I have many questions regarding The Jouse as both you and the structure itself... if you wouldn't mind.

OH, SURE. PROCEED.

i can weigh in with some of the stuff i learned as well.

Great. If we're going to spend eternity together, might as well get to know each other, right?

RIGHT.