>>41826654
>>41826654
You're not a spirit this time, but a physical human being. You wonder if that actually gives you an advantage of some sort - for instance, maybe he can't threaten erase you when you get too close to him anymore.

Your chest hurts with every breath you take. You can't tell if it's just an old wound acting up because of stress or if it has something to do with Paul being like this.

...

>Step towards him. Find out if you really are the reason for his trance. Be ready to defend yourself.
>Slowly step away from him. Be wary and ready to defend yourself. For starters, try to get back into your room.
>Run away, back to your room.
>Run out of the house.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41826675
>Slowly step away from him. Be wary and ready to defend yourself. For starters, try to get back into your room.
Maybe he reacts to rapid movement!

Aww yeah, Buriichi time!

>>41826675
>Step towards him. Find out if you really are the reason for his trance. Be ready to defend yourself.
Fuck it, we gotta see what's up with him eventually.

Guess we have a slow day! Might have to roll for this.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>41826706
Voting over, rolling to break the tie!

If 1-3:
>Slowly step away from him. Be wary and ready to defend yourself. For starters, try to get back into your room.

If 4-6:
>Step towards him. Find out if you really are the reason for his trance. Be ready to defend yourself.

Writing!

>>41827243
Guess we're going for the safe route, then.
Hopefully more anons show up by the next vote.

>>41827339
I'm here, but ability to participate depends on timing and luck.

>>41827540
Well I'm sure nobody can catch EVERY thread, anon.

>>41826706
He's not moving. That means there might still be a chance to deescalate the situation. You step away from the fridge and towards the doorway leading out of the kitchen. One, careful step. The floor squeaks a bit as you set your foot on it, disturbing the silence.

Paul... stays still. With the tiny distance that you've made, you feel the wound on your chest aching slightly less. You continue your slow retreat, soon reaching the doorway.

The fridge suddenly closes. It's like he's turning the place into a haunted house. The only source of light left to help you navigate your own home are the streetlights pouring in from outside.

...But isn't that weird? The fridge has nothing to do with ghosts. Your house isn't haunted by anything, either. You're one of the few people in the world who can be absolutely certain of that. Paul is still standing where he is, meaning that the door was closed by his powers. So does that mean he's treating it as an anomaly, somehow? Why is he getting triggered by the human you? You still don't get it.

Either way, he's not attacking you, so you'll just keep going like this. When you get far enough and he leaves your field of vision, you begin to hear steps that aren't your own. Paul is getting closer to you again. You decide to pick your pace up a bit and quickly make your way up the stairs. Your brother walks without much haste to his steps, so he probably isn't chasing after you. Just what the hell is his problem?

(1/2)

>>41827850
You can't quite muster up the courage to throw a glance behind you; you wouldn't see him in the dark, anyway. You get into your room and lock the door.

You stay quiet and place your ear against the door, trying to listen in on the hallway. You can't make out any steps. Is he hiding himself? Did he already get past you, somehow, or is he still downstairs?

Why is your wound aching again? Does that mean he's close but isn't moving, or... what?

Is he... right behind this door?

...

>Open the door.
>Keep listening. You might hear something.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41827850
This is some creepy shit.

>>41827861
>Back away from the door and keep at an angle from it.
Come now, no risky business!

There's a storm going on outside, so if I suddenly stop showing life signs, it's probably a power outage. I'll try to get back on as soon as I can if that happens!

>>41827918
Oh man, stay safe! Goes for your PC or whatever you're posting with too, if there's any lightning going on.

>>41827861
>Keep listening. You might hear something.
I kinda feel like we're meant to follow up on Paul's weirdness even if my instinct is to jump out the window and run away, haha.

>>41827861
Open the door

because no one is knocking

>>41828104
I don't get it anon.

>>41827861
Voting over, writing!

>>41828162
Oh, no roll?

>>41828193

>>41827889 and >>41827989
Have similar results, so I'll use them both!

>>41828209
Alright!

>>41827889
>>41827989
You step away from the door as quietly as you can, and then make one more step to the side, so that you aren't standing directly in front of it. You're staying quiet not only to conceal your movements, but also to keep your surrounding noiseless and easier to detect foreign sounds in. It's doubtful that you'll hear something - your ears are nothing special, but just in case, you try to keep your senses sharp. You decide to turn off the lights so that they won't leak out through the door's gaps and give you away somehow. The click of the light switch is louder than the steps you've made so far, but...

...After the lights go out, nothing happens. For a painfully long while, everything is deathly quiet. You stand still in the middle of your dark room, worried that any careless moves might make too much noise and cause something bad to happen. And then... nothing.

So maybe he left. Maybe he's back in his room already, or still wandering around downstairs. Maybe you should just head to bed and try to sleep, or, at least, find some other way to spend the night.

Just as you think that, you feel the pain in your chest subside. It wasn't that much of a bother, to the point where you've mostly forgotten about it, focusing on much more important things.

But wait. It only started hurting again when Paul was close.

You think you just... heard a step.

...Another noise from somewhere down the hall. Was that a door?

And then silence.

(1/2)

>>41828595
You wipe away the cold sweat at the back of your neck and sit down on your bed. You reach for the light switch and flip it on; you're not feeling too comfortable about sitting around in the dark. You consider the potential reasons for Paul's actions, but you... don't really get it. You're not even sure if were the problem. Your actions clearly affected him somehow, but... what was the logic behind them?

You're not out of place. You're in your home, using your fridge, eating your food, all in your real human body. Not as a ghost. So why?

You glance at your desk. If you can't figure it out on your own, maybe you should ask for help.

...

>Call your friends, tell them that Paul is getting worse. Make the urgency clear. A plan is needed.
>You have a spare butterfly to send Urahara a message with. Tell him about Paul.
>Don't panic; tell about it to your friends tomorrow at school.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41828595
I mean, it seems kind of cowardly but we are still in our human body. Also now we have incentive to make Paul believe in ghosts somehow, because otherwise he'll murder us, apparently.

>>41828629
>Don't panic; tell about it to your friends tomorrow at school

Clarissa in a scream queen settup is a-go.

>>41828629
Maybe check in with the Hougyoku? Since it seems to have become a matter of self preservation even if we do stay out of Paul's way, he might be more inclined to be helpful.

>>41828629
>Don't panic; tell about it to your friends tomorrow at school.
Seems to be over for now, so.

>>41828643
Well he didn't actually ATTACK us anon! Look on the bright side, maybe he was planning a surprise party and had to cut the cake, but then Clarissa showed up so he tried the old 'stand as still as you can and hope they don't notice you' trick!

>>41828680
I can't remember what Gil said last time we brought Paul up, but somehow I doubt it can do much to help. Nothing wrong with checking though.

>>41828629
>Call your friends, tell them that Paul is getting worse. Make the urgency clear. A plan is needed.

>>41828652
She'd probably look cute in that kinda getup.

>>41828629
Try texting our friends. If we'd be waking them up, they're unlikely to have much of a plan, but if they're still awake they might be more coherent.

>>41828767
I'd worry about waking them up even with a message, but it's not like they're lacking sleep anyway compared to back when we were patrolling every night.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>41828629
Voting over, rolling to break the tie!

If 1-3:
>Don't panic; tell about it tomorrow at school.

If 4-6:
>Make the urgency known.

>>41829026
Time to urge on them!

>>41828756
Its not a getup, its a setting.

Clarissa as a girl in a horror movie. Move over bad ass delinquent girl, hello screaming blonde!

Or, she smacks the murderer with a pipe.

>>41829067
Is a sword an acceptable substitute?

>>41829110
Genre shifting, but acceptable

>>41829262
I guess we wouldn't want her to do any smacking until Paul gets (hopefully) spooked anyway.

>>41828767
>>41828736
You take your phone and text your friends with a brief retelling of what just happened. It's a little bit past midnight. They're probably asleep right now, so you're hesitant to call them.

Naoko's response comes around in just a minute, surprisingly. She basically messaged you back only to confirm that she received your text and is thinking about what can be done. Unfortunately, that's not particularly helpful, but at the moment, it's good enough that she understands that this is important.

The response from Ren doesn't seem to come, so you decide to give her a call. She picks it up right away; even though she wasn't responding, she apparently had the phone in her hands.

"Huh? Yeah, Clarissa?" The girl asks, still in a bit drowsy daze, and then you can clearly make out a pretty loud yawn on the other end of the line. "I read it, yeah. I'm thinking, but... I dunno. We already made up a plan, right? Like, we'll slowly get him to believe in ghosts, somehow. No, I don't really know how we go about it, but... we could probably get the others in on it, like, claim that it's a big prank or something... right?"

You have that plan, sure. Or, more accurately, the vague outline of a plan. You haven't thought out a single detail. But, honestly, you're a little worried about it, especially getting the rest of your friends involved. "Paul is already flipping his shit on a total whim, so I can't guarantee that he won't just end up stabbing everyone when things get even a little spooky."

Ren sighs. "I guess you're right. I mean, I'll try to think of something else, but, you know..."

Yeah, you mutter. She might not come up with anything. You know. It's always worth a try, though.

You suddenly receive another text from Naoko. "Do you often get snacks at night?"

(1/2)

>>41829832
"Are you saying that I'm fat?" You mess around with her a bit, but Naoko seems to take it pretty seriously and quickly responds by denying it and apologizing. "...I'm kidding. No, I never get them. Didn't do it even during the patrols."

"What if Paul thought that you were an anomaly because you were wandering around at night?"

...That sounds like a stretch, but you can't really deny that theory, either. Paul did leave you alone as soon as you got back into your room. "So, what, he's like a ghost haunting our house at night? That's pretty ironic."

You smirk a bit, but if even that small of a disturbance is enough to set him off... things are getting pretty bad. If Naoko is right on this one, then Paul might not even limit himself to just you - if your parents decide to get some water during the night, he might go at them with a knife, and since they're not in the know... it'll be a disaster.

You briefly talk about the possibility of contacting Urahara for help, but Naoko is firmly against it as always, and Ren isn't sure.

After a drawn out while of silent contemplation, long enough to make you suspect that at least Ren might have zoned off back to sleep, she suddenly speaks up. "I think I might have an idea. I'll tell you about it at school," She pauses a bit. You think she was expecting you to say something, but you're actually expecting her to elaborate. "...W-what? I said I'll tell you tomorrow, Clarissa. Or do you want me to come over to your place right now? Really?"

...

>"Yeah, get over here."
>"No, I can wait. I think he settled down for the night."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41829854
>You mess around with her a bit, but Naoko seems to take it pretty seriously and quickly responds by denying it and apologizing.
Naoko pls.
Also if he really did get set off just by Clarissa walking around at night...the spooky plan doesn't seem like it'll go well.
>"No, I can wait. I think he settled down for the night."

>>41829854
>"Yeah, get over here."
Although...how are we meant to get past Paul guarding everything like some very localized serial killer?

>>41829854
>>41829974
>"No, I can wait. I think he settled down for the night."
On second thought I'll switch to waiting, doesn't feel safe to meet right now.

>>41829854
Voting over, writing!

Hope Ren has an actually good idea unlike us, 'cause this could get real bad.

>>41829915
>>41830195
"No, I can wait. I think he settled down for the night." You kept quiet for a bit just to mess with her. You thought she'd be relieved to hear that, but...

"...Hey, if you think you're in danger, it's not a big deal for me to come over, you know." Ren mutters, but you try to assure her that everything is going to be okay.

"He always fainted after being in that state for a while, so he's probably out cold right now. And, well... if what Naoko said is true, I don't want to put you at risk. I'll hear you out at school."

"Well... alright. See you tomorrow, then. Don't leave your room, okay?"

"Yeah. Let's hope I can keep it in for a night."

"...Sheesh, it's always below the belt with you, isn't it? Well, goodnight."

You end the call and then tell Naoko that Ren has an idea. She replies to the affirmative. You put your phone aside and lay down on your bed. They've probably all gone back to sleep now.

You find yourself dozing off, which startles you and makes you sit up. Should you... sleep? There's still some schoolwork you could be doing. You've fallen behind a bit due to the recent events, so it might be a good chance to catch up. But of course, that means sacrificing sleep. It's unhealthy to miss out on those few hours of rest, supposedly, but in your case, you don't really know which one is worse.

...

>Go to sleep.
>Stay up all night and study.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41830701
>Stay up all night and study.
Feels a bit scary to sleep while Paul is abound anyway, even if we think he won't try anything while we're in here.

>>41830701
>Stay up all night and study.

>>41830701
>Go to sleep.

>>41830701
Voting over, writing!

Time to get shit done! A+ student Clarissa incoming.

>>41830754
>>41830945
You sit back down behind your desk and dive into your notebooks. There's a lot of catching up to be done, and you only hope that you won't fall asleep again. You've already seen that girl tonight, and that's probably good enough for the time being.

As you struggle to figure out the answer to that obnoxious problem that already put you to sleep once, you remember that you're still hungry. You left your sandwich behind in the entire ruckus, and it seems that it's not an option to get it back. ...Well, you'll just have to deal.

...

Wow, you think... you actually did everything you missed out on. You might have missed a few things here and there, but if it comes up on a test or something you'll just bug your friends for help. As you slam your hands against the desk and try to stand up, struggling against drowsiness, the door to your room opens. Your mom's surprised to find you out of bed and studying, and is unsure whether to praise you for working so hard or to berate you for staying up all night. She ends up doing plenty of both.

Besides that, the morning is rather uneventful, and the school day is ordinary, as usual. Paul is completely oblivious to his 'sleepwalking', just as you expected. ...Now that you think back on it, no one brought up the ham sandwich sitting on the kitchen table, so maybe that disappeared without a trace, or something.

After school, while you're on your way home, Ren tells you and Naoko the aforementioned plan.

(1/2)

>>41832002
"The truth is, I... had this idea for a while, but I wasn't sure if it would work, so I sort of kept quiet about it," She begins, looking pretty unconfident, true to her words. "Do you think I could use my power to... pull his powers out? I already believe in ghosts, so I won't need any convincing, like he does..."

That's a surprising proposition, one that makes you scratch the back of your head, puzzled. "I dunno," You reply. "It's your ability, Ren. Do you think you can do that? I mean... it's not the same thing as a bruise or a scratch."

"I don't really know, either... but since we're out of options, I thought it might be worth at least a try." Ren mutters.

Naoko speaks up. "If you can 'transfer' things both ways, could you give him the belief of ghosts instead? Even if you lose that memory, it's easy enough to convince you, since you don't have any sort of negative reaction to the supernatural."

Ren shrugs. "...I don't think I can do something like that, Naoko. I was just thinking that, since I can move around stuff like fatigue, maybe I can move stuff that's sort of like that, you know? But, at the same time..." She frowns, readying herself to say something unpleasant. "Well... I think it's easier for me to 'transfer' things that I can understand, or at least see. Like, you know, a bruise is simple 'cuz it hurts and it's just there, really obvious, and I can feel fatigue after training, so that's the same thing, and it's... I, uh... and a memory or belief isn't really like that, it's all in the head, but the stuff Paul does when he's having one of those fits is..."

(2/3)

>>41832055
Ren is seriously fumbling with her explanation, just as confused as the people she's trying to explain it to. "...Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I might need him to be in that state of his again. When he's obviously using his powers, I think that's my best chance at pulling it off."

You place a hand on your side and mull over it for a while. Naoko and Ren are both waiting for your opinion. "...And we need him to flip out just to 'try', huh? It's not even a certainty." Your red haired friend nods.

...

>"No way, it's too dangerous."
>"Let's give it a try."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41832092
"...I don't think that's how it works, but even if I'm wrong, shouldn't you really test that out with either me or Naoko first Ren?"

>>41832092
>"It sounds dangerous, but the list of options is getting limited. Are you sure you're willing to take the risk?"

>>41832092
"The thing is, I don't think the source of Paul's power can be easily removed like that. You know how Urahara was talking about that item he lost? I think it might have been split between me and Paul in the womb, and my power doesn't think he can be separated from me without killing me, and I'm not sure why Paul would be different.

On a level beyond that, both Paul and I have powers that are based around our wants, the most deadly of Paul's abilities are actually fueled by his refusal to acknowledge the supernatural, so that's a whole new layer right there."

>>41832092
>>41832148
This is a good idea, if it's possible. We can at least ask.

Also if it were to work, Ren's power would be OP as hell.

>>41832092
Voting over, writing!

>>41832148
>>41832236
>>41832203
"Your power's seriously weird if it works out like that, Ren," You absentmindedly mutter to her and stop walking. Your friends stop with you. "I think it's a huge stretch, honestly. To begin with, I don't think that the source of his power can be removed so easily. Remember that Urahara guy? He thinks he was wrong, but I have a really solid feeling that he was right on the money, and that I do have that Hogyoku thing of his. Had it since before I was born, probably."

Ren folds her arms, putting up a clear effort to listen to the best of her ability. You can really relate to the comprehensive struggle she's going through right now, as you were in practically the same position back when you first took up the black mantle of a Substitute Shinigami.

"So, odds are, since we're twins, he also has that same thing in him. And that's why he flips out like that - because he doesn't WANT to admit that ghosts are real. And, well... I think that removing it is going to kill him. Or, at least I have that sorta hunch, you know?" You don't really want to talk about the blond man living in the world inside your head - they'll just think you're crazy. Ghosts that they can actually see are one thing, but this is almost literally 'imaginary friend' or 'voices in my head' territory.

Ren argues back, sort of. "Well... I don't rip someone's skin off to glue a bruise on myself," She cringes a bit at the vulgarity of her example. "I think that if it does work, it'll... work out without any damage. I'll... be taking away a wound, not a life. I think."

"So, like... you'll be removing a function of a thing instead of the thing itself, is what you mean?" Your head hurts a little; the lack of sleep does not mix well with this sort of discussion at all. The redhead reluctantly nods. "Well, alright... try it on me or Naoko first, then we'll see where that takes us."

(1/2)

>>41833251
She looks hesitant. "I don't think I can, Clarissa. It's the same reason why I don't think I can shove the belief of ghosts into his head."

Naoko speaks up again, trying to help Ren expand on her thoughts. "I guess Ren can't take away our powers because they're 'skills', instead of whatever it is that Paul has. We 'know' how to use our powers; it's a fully conscious action. We can't do it 'without thinking', and I don't mean that in the 'proficiency' way."

"But what makes Paul different?" You ask. It seems that Naoko has a bit of an understanding grip on how Ren's powers work.

"You can... feel his power. And it's a really unique and disgusting feeling. Like someone's trying to shove you out of existence." The red haired girl says. Naoko looks at you a little strangely as Ren says that.

...If Paul and your powers really are the same, then maybe you also have your own unique sensation to your abilities. Maybe that's what Naoko wants to say - that it could be possible to try on you. But only if you go into a 'trance' of your own; and that's simply not an option. Not only would it cause a disaster for Karakura Town, but you doubt that you'd be able to keep yourself together and even allow Ren to try using her ability. And of course, nobody would be able to force you to go along with her. Nothing would come out of it.

...But it would feel really good again, just like it always does.

(2/3)

>>41833291
"...I really hate going off on hunches like this, Ren. Uncertainties have been really pissing me off lately. And things might seriously get dangerous. You saw how Paul was - he didn't give a shit about killing me as long as it fit his view of the world or whatever. If your plan doesn't work and he feels something off about you, he'll turn you into a target, too."

The girl swallows heavily, but she doesn't back down. "There might be no other choice, right? And we can't leave Poru like that. I'm ready for it."

...

>"Alright. If you're sure, then we can give it a try."
>"...No, there's too much risk involved. Let's keep thinking."
>"...No, there's too much risk involved. I'll ask Urahara instead."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>41833321
Hmmm, interesting that she thinks Clarissa is different from him. Well, let's get to action again.
>"Alright. If you're sure, then we can give it a try."

>>41833321
>Poru
How cute.
Fuck, I don't want to bring Paul to Urahara's attention any more. I guess I'll take a risk.
>"Alright. If you're sure, then we can give it a try."

>>41833321
Ugh, Paul's becoming increasingly unstable, so we can't leave him alone, if Urahara knows about Paul he'll probably take Paul and us and strap us to some crazy machine to make himself be a god but Ren's plan still doesn't sound like it makes any sense to me.

Unfortunately, the only plan I have is trick him into eating some soul candy and seeing what happens, and I'm pretty sure that'd just make everything worse.

>>41833657
It might be hilarious worse though!

>>41833681
Maybe. But really this whole quest kind of makes me feel stupid sometimes, since I really don't know what to do except fumble around and listen to the most convincing NPC.

>>41833759
Well don't, in the end we're dealing with magic and trying to solve magic problems with magic solutions. We don't really have a lot of info to work with (at least I don't, but I last read Bleach in 2007 or something).

>>41833832
I'm still reading Bleach, but we're going pretty off the rails here, and none of that knowledge would be in-character anyway.

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>>41833321
Closing voting and ending thread for tonight, it's getting late for me! Next thread will start off with the most voted option!

Next thread is up for friday! Keep an eye out on twitter for any changes in the schedule:
https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami

If you have any feedback or questions, please send them my way!

Thanks for reading!

>>41833997
Thanks for running! I'll look forward to seeing how our ramshackle plan works out.

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>>41834009
Let's all believe in Ren!

>>41834112
Shit where did the text go?
>>41833997
Thanks for writing at any rate

>>41833997
Should we know what we're doing by now, or are we about where you expected us to be as far as having a clue goes?

>>41834191
It's the latter in this case! Everyone's going off on assumptions in character, and as a result, out of character, too.

>>41834092
I'll believe in Ren!