To Help Me Cope With Anything [TWW w/Keiari and Ethan]

[Geoff Alen]

Geoff chose to give his new roommate space. A room like this? There needed to be a lot of coping. This included himself. He took a bite o the stale bread. On the plus side, it wasn't moldy. He chewed it thoughtfully before drowning his water. He wouldn't eat the whole bread, maybe safe rations for another day. Heck, he always wanted to see if the freaks were right in that stale bread plus water equaled a crappy IPA. That or he'd be eating soggy French toast. Eh, it didn't matter. The truth was, he was getting tired of the same routine meals #firstworldproblems. BUt that didn't matter now. He had to make sure people here were okay. Katherine...Aoi...Hannah...Noah...Greg...Jess...Kim. They had be okay. They could be...right next door.

Geoff walked over to the wall and knocked once. Twice. Three times.

"Is someone there?" he asked. 

[Ethan Kaul]

Ethan stepped out of the shower, the cool air hitting him. It was a relief to wash away all of the dirt he had accumulated over the past two weeks he had spent in a room without running water, especially since it meant that he could clean out his new war wound. Still, he had to change back into his grubby clothes, which were a stark reminder of all he had endured. At least he was kind of clean, he supposed. Better that than nothing.

Still, even removing the grime couldn't remove his memories. He'd barely slept, forcing himself to stay awake to keep the nightmares at bay. He couldn't relive those moments in the basement, not again. They haunted his every move, his every thought, worry about how his fellow victims were doing, regret at what he believed he should have done pervading his mind constantly.

Now fully dressed, he made his way into the bedroom. Keiari was asleep, which she honestly deserved. After all she'd been through, she needed some rest. Ethan sat down on the floor, resting his head against the wall. God, he needed a distraction more than ever. Being left alone with his thoughts was akin to torture.

"Is someone there?"

A man's deep voice, accompanied by three knocks, jolted Ethan out of his thoughts. He didn't exactly recognise the man, but it didn't matter. What mattered was spreading information about what had happened to him and Keiari, so everyone could be prepared should their kidnapper decide upon yet another little "game".

"Hey, uh, yeah. It's Ethan, if you know who that is, who am I speaking to?"

[Geoff Alen]

"Hey, uh, yeah. It's Ethan, if you know who that is, who am I speaking to?"


Ethan. That was someone that he hadn't spoken with in the psycho Chinese lady's playhouse. Geoff said a silent prayer that the gaslighting going around hadn't reached Ethan's ears. True, there were the small numbers that trusted him, but the more people he could talk to about this, the btter it would be for his sanity and for everything else. But he remembered one of the coffee hangouts that Kim had mentioned an Ethan, and that, well, their history wasn't exactly pretty.

Eh, the last thing he wanted to think about was enemies. Right now, the only enemy was the woman who shot that girl. Besides, why talk about doom and gloom? It had been four weeks. There had to have been another "dating game" being played, and if Geoff was a betting man, one person wound up paying the price.

Geoff glared at his ring. It was like a brand at this point. A brand that pointed him as suspect number one. Might as well embrace that.

"Uh...Geoff Alen. The, um...newlywed slash most wanted man right now."

[Ethan Kaul]

"Uh...Geoff Alen. The, um...newlywed slash most wanted man right now."

Geoff Alen. The name rang a bell, perhaps this was the Geoff who was forced to marry Hannah? If so... well, Ethan wasn't sure how to react. From what Hannah had said, he seemed nice enough, but then again, this was the man that had pointed what he thought was a loaded gun at a bunch of helpless women. Still, he knew not to judge so quickly, especially after both meeting Katherine and what he had endured in their captor's twisted game of dares. People would do crazy things if it meant they were going to live, he'd learned.

"Geoff... are you the guy who got married to Hannah?" he asked, "I mean, was forced to marry Hannah. Not like it was your choice."

If this was the same Geoff, then maybe Ethan could find out a little bit more about the wedding and its aftermath. He wanted to know what Sawyer and David had in store for them, he wanted to make sure that they would be okay. More to the point, he wanted to know what they were expected to do as newlyweds, and if he was still roomed with Hannah. Because if he wasn't... there was a slim chance that maybe, just maybe he could see Sawyer again.

[Keiari Saul]

Keiari had fallen asleep after Ethan had entered the shower, but the moment someone had asked if someone was there, she had stirred. But she kept her eyes closed, curling more into a ball, wanting to go back to sleep. Ethan had finally gotten her to eat a little bit of the bread and drank some water. But she didn't want to look around the room, didn't want to upset the lady with the gun even more. No... no she had to be good.

I have to be good..

That was the only thing going through her mind, slowly counting to herself so she could fall back asleep.

"Uh...Geoff Alen. The, um...newlywed slash most wanted man right now."

That name..

Keiari turned on the bed, looking where Ethan had gone. Yup.. he was indeed talking to someone through the wall. And it was the man she had helped out in the basement, the man who was forced to do that Russian Roulette game. She sat up a little, hearing Ethan speak about how Geoff was forced to marry a woman named Hannah? Her tired eyes narrowed as she slowly got off of the bed and made her way to Ethan.

"Geoff? You're the one I met in the basement... It's Keiari, girl with black and blue hair.. What do you both mean, forced to marry?"

Could this place get any worse?

[Geoff Alen]

Geoff... are you the guy who got married to Hannah?" he asked, "I mean, was forced to marry Hannah. Not like it was your choice."

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m currently roomed with one of the girls who was in it. She...um...hasn’t quite let it g...”

"Geoff? You're the one I met in the basement... It's Keiari, girl with black and blue hair.. What do you both mean, forced to marry?"

A female voice was joining Ethan. His roommate. His...possible match? Geoff looked down at his hand. The ring was still there. He had been meaning of taking it off. Maybe to see if there was a weird tracking device thing in it. Well, it didn’t matter. Word had spread about the games. Lucky for Geoff, Ethan and Keiari we’re in the “trust and believe” camp. He vaguely remembered the latter. She had patched him in the basement and in return, he helped her calm down from a panic attack. Her boyfriend Daniel had been helpful in that too, but he could get to the “getting to know you” train later. It was time they set it straight. Heard his side of the story.

Sorry if this sounds like a broken record of other stories you heard. Yes, I was forced to shoot a gun. After the first gassing, I woke up with this faceless mask and my mouth duct taped closed. A note said if I didn’t shoot, I’d be dead. At the time I thought it was just an escape room stunt. Kind of did until....no I’m getting ahead of myself. Anyways, After the confetti landed on Hannah, I took off my mask and duct tape, and explained what I knew...”

He still heard the pink haired girl’s confusion, and the sting of Not Georgie’s slap.

”We were gassed again, and when I came to, I was in the basement with Hannah. Two other people were with us, Katherine and Noah. We had these..electric bracelets on. If we did something our, ahem, madam didn’t like, she turned the dial. I got the worst shock for not kissing the bride right. Apparently chivalry isn’t on her agenda. I thought I was going to die from the shock. After ‘properly’ kissing her, we signed with document and, well, that was it. Gas, thrown into a room,”

He would tell them about the other game later. It was so much to process. Geoff was still processing it. It didn’t make sense. He was married. That was what she wanted. So why were he and Hannah still here?

[Ethan Kaul]

A soft voice came from behind him, indicating that Keiari had awoken. Ethan shot her a small smile, before turning his attention back to the wall. He hadn't gotten round to explaining to her about the weddings, the two of them too wrapped up in their own personal traumas to mention anybody else's. Luckily, Geoff had sensed that, and had begin a rather long explanation of all that had occurred. It was interesting to hear what had happened with the shooting from the shooter's point of view, and just as he'd feared, the man had been threatened. Ethan definitely knew what that felt like, and it made Geoff a more sympathetic figure, although he could see why others (including his roommate apparently) thought otherwise.

"So..." he began slowly as soon as the man was finished speaking, "There's a lot I need to tell you, both of you, actually. A lot of things have been happening since we've been here... including something I was involved in... I told Keiari a few of the details about what I went though, but I need both of you to tell anyone you meet. We're facing something completely evil in here."

Ethan decided to start off with what Katherine had told him. He wasn't sure whether he was entirely ready to relive his experience in the basement just yet.

"The first thing I have to tell you... I don't know if you know a woman named Katherine - Geoff, I think she was at your wedding - but she was in another one of those sick games our kidnapper is running. Her and a man named Dorian had to play hangman, with Dorian winning. His prize... well, I assume it was this woman named Della, so I guess another wedding was in the works, but that meant that a man named Cassim would die unless Dorian chose to swap places with him. Dorian didn't want to and Cassim accepted his death, but Della stayed with him instead of leaving with Dorian... Cassim and Della are both dead, they died together..."

He could feel his chest tightening with every word. It felt like an invisible hand was wrapping itself around his throat, choking him, and he knew it was only going to get worse from there.

"And then... I was in a game..."

[Keiari Saul]

Keiari smiled softly to Ethan, returning the one he gave to her once she had made her way to him. Sitting down and looking back to the wall. Focusing on it as Geoff started to speak about his experience. Not saying a word, listening as she needed to hear his side of the story. To which he proved that yes, he was indeed forced to shoot at all of them. The memory coming to her, remembering how scared she was when that gun was pointed at her. The relief when it didn't shoot, but the confusion when it was revealed what had happened. How some of the girls defended him, while others.... weren't so happy with him. Especially her and what she had said.

I still need to apologize...

But the information took a turn, and before she knew it Geoff explained how he was forced to marry Hannah, the woman who won the game. Her eyes widened at the experience. A forced marriage... It had to be that woman who had chased her... she had been chased by the woman in charge, had to be her. Her hands started to move up her body, her arms wrapping around and hugging herself. The memories of Russian Roulette and being chased going through her mind. Slowly cowering as she looked up at the camera.

Silence fell between them and she took that moment to speak..

"I'm so sorry Geoff... for thinking you had done that on purpose. I'm sorry for what I said, I hope you can forgive me..."

She apologized, hoping Geoff would tell that she was sincere, that she didn't blame him. That she believed him. But the news seemed to only get worse, Ethan started to speak about his own experiences. Brown and green eyes turned to him.

"We're facing something completely evil in here."

That is not what she wanted to hear. And it was only getting worse. He spoke of someone named Katherine, she was at Geoff's wedding. The mad lady had put her and Dorian in another sick game, he had won but his prize was someone by the name of Della. Keiari felt sick to her stomach as he told them what had happened. Droain was the winner, Cassim... Cassim was the loser and his life was what he had lost, along with Della... Both of them didn't want to leave each other and died together- killed each other.

She couldn't breathe, her eyes now staring at nothing, body trembling as she cowered forward, her grip on her hands tightening as her nails dug into her skin.

"And then... I was in a game..."

Keiari looked up at him, she knew what he was going to say. And she didn't want to hear it again, she hated what was going on- she hated the games. She was terrified. What did they get themselves into!? She could no longer cry, too tired, exhausted and malnourished...

Breathing hard, Keiari fought through her own panicked state and gently grabbed her friend's hand, squeezing it tight. Wanting to help him speak, just like he did for her.

[Geoff Alen]

There was a beat of silence after Geoff finished talking. It was a lot to absorb, so Geoff could understand exactly what was going on there.

"I'm so sorry Geoff... for thinking you had done that on purpose. I'm sorry for what I said, I hope you can forgive me..."

The sincerity of Keiari's apology was heart-wrenching. If Geoff had something like a sledgehammer or even mini dynamite, he would have blown open and hole and given her a hug. On second thought, maybe not mini dynamite. He didn't need everyone to think the building was exploding. That or have a well-meaning attempt be twisted into an attempt at murder. Hopefully word of the crazy Chinese lady had gone around enough to get the target off of his back and that she was the one behind the blowing up part. Instead, Geoff put a hand to the wall.

"It's in the past. Apology accepted."

The weight came off like he rebounded a water polo ball. Keiari had forgiven him just like Kim, Hannah, and Katherine had. He was beginning to feel better about the ordeal. Come to think of it, he wasn't so hung up about it as he had been before.


"There's a lot I need to tell you, both of you, actually. A lot of things have been happening since we've been here... including something I was involved in... I told Keiari a few of the details about what I went though, but I need both of you to tell anyone you meet. We're facing something completely evil in here.

"By evil, you mean an angry Chinese lady that is obsessed with people finding 'the one'? Yeah, I saw her in the game I was thrown into after the wedding. We had to match a red and black heart together. Myself and a few others suggested everyone try and get into male/female pairs. I knew it had to have been the goal...yet despite us doing that, we failed. An innocent person was killed. I didn't know the girl that was shot, nor did I know the lady who shot her."

Ethan told them another story. After his game, a third event happened. Katherine was thrown in with someone named Dorian. They had played hangman, which was innocent enough, and Geoff was confused. Hangman? What was the catch? Were they saving people from literally being hung? The answer to his question had been yes and no as Ethan continued. The prizes had been the ideal 'matches', Cassim and Della, locked in the freezer. Dorian could have taken Cassim's place and refused, and rather than walk to freedom Della chose to die with Cassim. Geoff shuddered. He assumed they loved each other. It was better than hearing both of them were punished, but it was still more fatalities that had been caused at this insane woman's hands. It just confirmed what he had pondered back in the 'honeymoon suite'. This lady had no cares about previous loves, or even if people were married prior. All she cared about was "right matches" and "right marriages". Geoff glared at his ring. Freaking bitch. Three people, maybe more, were now dead because of her.

Yeah, I know Katherine. She was in both the shooting and my wedding. We made a deal to talk to everyone about what we went through. I'm sorry that both Cassim and Della died. I didn't know them, but losses are still tragic." Geoff said.

Then Ethan said he was in a game. Geoff's breath hitched. Just the way he said it didn't sound pleasant. Did someone die in his game? More than one person? Keiari's breath quickened, and Geoff tried to wrack his brain for a possible distraction should Keiari go into another panic attack.

[Ethan Kaul]

Ethan looked back over at Keiari as she apologised to Geoff. He understood why she had been hesitant to forgive him, after all, the man had pointed a gun at her, but he was happy the two were able to make up. People were wont to do crazy things when their life was on the line.

"By evil, you mean an angry Chinese lady that is obsessed with people finding 'the one'?"

An angry Chinese lady... that fit the description of the woman that had chased Keiari with a gun. Was this their captor? He had been so sure it was some sort of group behind all of this, but could it be just one woman working alone? But then what was the significance of Teddy, or the voice he'd heard in the basement the first time that was completely different from that of the woman who'd conducted their game?

The motivation that Geoff described seemed to fit. Finding "the one" for Sawyer was exactly what she had been doing during those dares, although he wasn't exactly sure she had chosen correctly... But it seemed to Ethan that it was all down to fate in their kidnapper's eyes. Fate determined who was chosen to be shot by Geoff, and it certainly came into play with who Sawyer was supposed to marry. Still, it didn't make sense that the one who was the most mutilated was the one who got to marry her; he would have presumed that a fit, healthy husband would be priority, or even the one Sawyer chose to kiss which might have indicated a preference... Then again, logical thinking didn't seem to be this woman's forte, clearly.

Ethan felt bile rise in his throat as Geoff described yet another "game", this one involving cards. An innocent woman had died, killed by their presumed captor. God, he was so lucky to even be in the same room as Keiari in that moment. With a lunatic like that chasing her, she could have so easily died; after all, this woman was now a verified murderer.

"God..." he murmured, feeling sick to his stomach, "That woman... I think she was the one that chased you, Kei..." 

It was his turn to tell his story. He took a few deep breaths, trying to stop his body from shaking as he recalled the events. Keiari seemed to know what to do, grabbing his hand and squeezing it, which helped to ground him. Ethan was no stranger to panic attacks. He'd always been able to suppress them before, but he could feel one building up, the tightness in his chest making breathing harder.

"I... I woke up in the basement that we were in before. It was me, a girl named Sawyer, and two other men, Evan and David... Sawyer was given a list of dares to give us, three each. Some were easy, but some..." he closed his eyes tight, pausing for a moment, "Some were horrible. And when she refused to give them to us, she got shocked by her ankle bracelet, like the ones that were at your wedding. I... I chose my first dare, I chose to pull off my toenail."

He cringed, reliving the pain. It still hadn't fully gone away, not even a week later, and every time he undressed he was reminded of what he had lost.

"Evan carved the word worthless into his arm, and David stripped naked... and then Sawyer had to choose our next two dares. I got off easy, I only had to French kiss her and then eat a raw egg... Evan had to kick someone in the balls - he picked David - and then choose a mysterious liquid to drink. I... I don't even what he drank, or if he's alive. I only know that he seemed fine back then, but..."

But he could be dead by now.

"And then, David had to shave all his hair off... and..." there were tears in his eyes, and he blinked rapidly, trying to stop them from falling, "And blind himself with ammonia. It... it was horrible... And it was all for that perfect match. David 'won'... him and Sawyer are going to be married..."

Ethan's stomach twisted, feeling as though he were about to vomit. Telling his story didn't get any easier, even though he'd already told Keiari, and he'd gotten off lightly in comparison to the others.

"I helped Sawyer shave her head, and she had to strip to her underwear, and then... and then they were gone and I woke up in the same bedroom as before. I don't know where any of them are, I don't know whether any of them are alive..."

He coughed, trying to will away the tears. He couldn't look at Keiari; even though she already knew what had happened, he still felt ashamed. He could have done more. He should have done more.

"And I know this isn't all she's done. This is barely even the start, I know there's more to come."

Ethan squeezed Keiari's hand as he finished his story. It was her turn now, and it was his turn to be there for her while she relived her own personal torture. Geoff needed to know everything, so he could warn others of what was in store.

[Geoff Alen]

"I think she was the one who chased you, Kei..."

"What?! She chased Keiari? Why?!"" Geoff exclaimed.

Deep down a part of him knew why. Keiari was strong-willed. She was getting very cozy with Daniel in the basement. The matchmaker probably didn't like that. But why now? There were some gaps that needed to be filled, but not with Keiari flipping her lid. Geoff wasn't Daniel. He couldn't say the right stuff to calm Keiari down.

Ethan had another story. The kid sounded like he was about to puke. Geoff had nothing to break the walls down with, otherwise he would have handed him a puke bucket through a crevice.

"I... I woke up in the basement that we were in before. It was me, a girl named Sawyer, and two other men, Evan and David... Sawyer was given a list of dares to give us, three each. Some were easy, but some...Some were horrible. And when she refused to give them to us, she got shocked by her ankle bracelet, like the ones that were at your wedding.

And as Ethan went on, horrible was too nice of a word. Self mutiliation, stripping...Geoff briefly remembered the 'newlywed/strip poker' hybrid he had played with Hannah. Both of them hadn't been dared to get completely naked in front of each other. The dares they were sent must have been prototypes for this sick 'match' session. There were innocent dares sprinkled in between the torture. Apparently Ethan had gotten lucky and was given the less intense dares. Evan and David not so much.

"Yeah, I guess they are getting married...and something tells me it won't be the same as the wedding Hannah and I had."

Geoff's face turned white as a sheet. The crazy woman was going farther and farther with these twisted matches. He knew Sawyer from being friends with Kim. As for David? Well, the punk had somehow gotten into his work. Nice guy, but somehow bypassed security to talk and invite him to his family's bar. Geoff had let the issue go, but in hindsight, he should have said something to his boss. But that didn't matter right now. What mattered was both of them had been humiliated and tortured. What was worse? Thinking death was on the line from a gun, or being forced to hurt yourself for the sake of winning a match. Ethan was lucky to have walked away with his life.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. That must have been rough. Keiari, your situation was probably worse."

Sympathy was a weird emotion. Especially in the face of so much trauma. But he remembered the promise he intended to keep. People had to know what was going on. Emer wouldn't listen, not to him. Come to think of it, she hadn't been in any games since the Russian roulette seeing as she had gotten a nice new outfit and looked clean.

Fuck it.

Geoff would worry about telling Emer later. Right now, it was adrenaline-fueled searching. He looked over at the phone jack again. He hadn't tampered with it, but it was still suspicious. He traced the wall where the wires would ideally have been connected, keeping his eyes glued to the walls and the floor.

[Perception check; Geoff looks for items to possibly help]

[Madge Baker]

PERCEPTION CHECK: Geoff looks for items to possibly help.

RESULT: 10 – Not even 10 seconds passed when Geoff's eyes caught of glimpse of a small forigen object under the bed. And, dear Lord, it was a black Fitbit! Who would have guessed he would find something that used to belong to him? And, on the bright sight, it was also still working! The data showed: 06/02/2020 and the time 08:27 AM.

Geoff has found his own Fitbit! He can access what time of day and date it is wherever he finds fitting.

BONUS: Geoff got lucky: +1 to your roll.