2025-08-14: Red Apple

• Cutscene: Red Apple
• Cast: Umie Akabane
• Where: An Apartment in Sumaru City
• OOC Date: August 14th, 2025
• IC Date: June 27th, 2012
• Summary: The show is now over, and a remarkable night must give to reality. Consequences and fear both new and old haunt the hospital's corridors during the Dark Hour, but thankfully, Umie is alone. But is someone ever really alone, when they're just as Marked as the serial killer that almost killed them? (TW: elements of emotional abuse, supernatural horror elements, ie Nyarlathotep BS)

---

'You know what runs? FOOD runs!'
'Well let's just put an end to this and maybe in the real timeline you will be more worthy.'
"You won't always have this around though.'
drip
    drip   drip

It's been a while since Umie's had to spend the night in the hospital. Despite Umie's assurances that she's fine, and her "miraculous" survival, her short-sighted but good-intentioned decision to report the incident led her into this mess: laying in a hospital gown, in a *hospital* bed, overnight, in a _hospital_ room, _during the Dark Hour_.

The floor tiles gleam green as the unnatural moon outside, thankfully not full, nonetheless streams sickly rays through the room's window.

Drip

The pools of sanguine red add insult to injury.

An overactive mind could be forgiven if they imagined the heavy footsteps, the laughter, the playful squeak as someone's coffin was knocked aside. Ah, but he'd teleport, wouldn't he? She'd know it a few seconds before it was too late, so, she'd just have enough time to react. So she should stay up, even as sleep begs her to let the exhaustion in her body take her over.

---

When the mark on her right wrist and hand was exposed during the medical examination, it was immediately at the top of everyone's minds as some kind of 'evidence' that she did had tried to commit arson, and that her excuse was:

"It was the Joker Killer."

The evidence gathered so far didn't offer any clues as to who the perpetrator was; the girl was simply there, with blood on her that was hers, but no severe wounds to explain why. There were signs of blood loss on her tests, which provided law enforcement an easy reason why the hospital couldn't release her immediately.

The story that came about was that the young woman came across an arsonist; something in the trash spread some exceptionally noxious fumes, owing to the reports of unexplained noises and a few random registered complaints from nearby apartment tenants of queasiness. (How many people go day to day having the means to, but never Awakening, Umie wondered at that moment.)

After a while, Umie just went with it; it was easier than explaining, especially when a proper explanation would involve 'four young adults in stylish costumes and masks came and saved me, officer'. Syuusei Honjou would love *that*, Umie supposes, given how he tried to lie to Goro Akechi about her 'mental illness' making her have cold feet.

Besides, she owed the Phantom Thieves (was it really them?!) some element of secrecy.

---

drip
     drip drip

Now she was here, in the Dark Hour, at a hospital, fingers balling her sheet like she was twelve years old all over again, waiting for someone to turn the door handle to her room.

'Well I guess he was wrong about you, you're nothing like me.'

If she makes it through tonight, though... she'll be okay. It'll be fine.

'Don't worry. No matter what... You'll always have me by your side, Umie-chan.' The mischievous words should feel threatening, but the hooks they pull on have long been too deeply embedded in her psyche to not feel anything *but* comfort. She could almost feel it: a pale hand, running fingers through Umie's hair. She wished, as a child, that Mai-chan could braid her hair, or that Umie could do the same for hers, but that was never possible.

Like stinging gnats, both Akechi and Tatsuya's words of warning nagged at her. Should she be concerned? Maybe... Umie should. Immediately, the presence was gone, leaving her painfully alone. "I know you're not what they mean, Mai-chan."

'It felt like you believed them, for a second...' Umie could imagine those doll-like cheeks puff up, but it didn't matter as long as she could imagine someone else being there.

'Umie-chan... remember when we were the same size? If your parents could see me, they'd wonder who was the real one. But they could never see me.'

Umie's eyelids began to fall heavy as Mai-chan talked.

'But you're not as little as me anymore...' At the edge of sleep, Umie looked up, and saw that sweetly grinning face pale as the moon, lips as red and delicate as rose petals and eyes like two precious citrines, angled away, upsidedown, the doll body and its kimono cr a c k i n g a n d s t r e t c h i n g, with some t h i n g black and green c r aw li n g in s i d e

'But it's okay, sometimes
      I can be bigger too,
          Um   ie     ay-cha--'

---

"... Akabane-san. Akabane-san!" The nurse rose her voice, attempting to get Umie's attention. "Just stay with me, alright?"

It was morning. When did it become morning?!

"Just take deep breaths with me... There we go..." Thank god the nurse seemed to know what she was doing; when her shift ended, Umie wished she could stay.

It was like Umie was little all over again, her grandmother telling her stories as she laid in her bed, unable to sleep from night terrors.

Breakfast came, and while it was as bland as Umie could have imagined it, it was exactly what her stomach needed. The crown jewel, however, was the small red apple, the color matching the chipped paint of her fingernails as she took ahold of it.

She smiled fondly, a tear in her eye as she bit into it, an unsteady mixture of excitement, fear, and anticipation rising in her chest towards a new uncertain day.

(Let's keep going forward, shall we?)