Closed RP Sound Off

This RP is currently closed.
Basilica leaned forward in her chair.

"You want to show me."

That was - not the best idea. Willfully exposing yourself to the power of a suspect in a serial killer investigation seemed like the exact opposite sort of thing they'd teach in instructional videos, if they had those on criminals with powers. The market hadn't exactly caught up to demand yet in that case. Yet -

It was useful. If only to know, if only to know how to tell. If someone was walking around with a recording of this man's voice, she wanted to understand what she was looking for.

Glancing at the door, Basilica's frown deepened.

"I'll make sure it stays locked away." Then, after a pause. "I'd like to hear it."
 
"Alright."

He sighed, reaching for the laptop.

"Alright."

It was a custom build, built to Kosuke's specifications by a guy he knew. Sure, it wasn't the most powerful thing in the world, but it was fast enough, had more than enough storage, and, most importantly, had the best speakers he could find shoved into the case. They weren't technically meant to be used as internal laptop speakers, but they had somehow managed to be squeezed inside, between all the other components, without causing any damage to either themselves or the rest of the build- which was good, because they were good. High volume output, good clarity, and a range of frequencies wide enough to accommodate Kosuke's voice.

He opened up the DAW with a couple of clicks, brought up the folder-within-folder-within-folder containing the MYTHOMANE audio, and set it in the workspace.

There was a brief pause as he looked up at Basilica, cautious and analytical, before he hovered his hand over the space bar.

"I won't play it long."

He pressed down, and the unfiltered sound filled the room.
 
She closed her eyes and listened.

Something was - off about the music. Not in terms of quality, not in terms of lyrics. It all sounded relatively standard. The sort of thing she might hear at a party. But -

Below it all, a different tone, the sort of thing you might expect to hear from a bad recording or a broken speaker. Quiet, but there. It dug into her head the more she listened. Droned. Screamed. Filled the sound, until it was the only sound. It was the only sound. Thumping. Rising. Swelling. Her heart was pounding, her skin was clammy, her blood was roaring in her ears.

Little jerk across the table. She hated people like that. Smug, self-serving. He didn't care about the people his concert hurt, he only cared about getting out of trouble. God, that freaking noise was writhing in her head like a worm, tying knots around every thought she made. Was she dying? Was this dying? Was the little rat killing her?

"Turn it off, or I'll tear your f-freaking eardrums to shreds," she murmured, hands clenching the edge of the table tight enough to force out the blood. "Turn it OFF."
 
Kosuke hadn't moved at all, as the sound was playing. His hand had hovered over the keyboard, centimetres from its surface, the entire time it was playing, ready to snap downwards at the first sign that anything was wrong- except, it didn't. There had been a delay, a few seconds of what appeared to be shock that set in before his reflexes could catch up; and, for those few seconds, Kosuke sat, and he watched, and he didn't do much of anything else. His expression was comapratively obscure, without the almost exaggerated panic of before. The closest thing to describe it now was a look of acceptance.

Basilica hadn't quite reached that stage of grief just yet, it seemed. She seemed... unwell. Affected, certainly, but different in a way that only someone experienced with its typical symptoms could pick up on. The onset was immediate, but the rise of intensity had quickened- unless she was in a particularly volatile state beforehand, a reaction like this should have taken noticeably longer. Physical symptoms, as well, seemed to show far earlier than he was expecting. She was flushed, tense, gripping the table to ground herself, demanding he stop after threatening him with-

*Click*

"It's off." He said, his voice slow and careful, "I won't play it again. You don't have to hear it again."

He withdrew his hand, wrapping it around the coffee cup.

"You, ah..."

His voice trailed off, as the look of concern returned to his face- though, this time, it seemed more pointed. He held the cup closer to him, almost withdrawn in his posture, as he frowned at Basilica, head tilted downwards to avoid the light. When he spoke again, he sounded quiet. Perhaps he was worried about another accident.

"You'll do what?"

It wasn't an abstract threat. It couldn't be, given the way she reacted; she wouldn't have had time to think of one. Tearing his eardrums- that was something she had done before. That was real.

He'd have to be careful.
 
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