(no subject)

[opening_act]

Who: Exael and the Unlucky Contestants
Where: The Game Tower
When: 86, Evening

[ Between one step and the next the walls (or streets, or open air) around you changes. The sight before you is a room inside the game tower, a new pressure at your neck. Reaching up or looking at the people around you reveals it to be a collar, titanium with a small green blinking light set in the center. ]

[ the screen flickers on, on your cellphone. It's a half-second, blink and you miss it— Exael, chewing on a nail, looking uncharacteristically nervous— then the moment's gone and she waves both hands and smiles for the camera. ]

"Ladies, gentlemen, honored guests! Units of all stripes and sizes! I come offering you a game and a few familiar words, rearranged for the occasion!"

Her carnival barker demeanor shifts for a moment as she lowers her head to say: ] "Glory to the highest, and on earth peace—" [ her head snaps up, her pigtails bouncing with it, and she's grinning again, all pomp and energy ] "even if we're not getting much down here! So let's kick up a ruckus, put on a show, and see how much good goodwill alone can manage! If you wish to save your fellows, now is the time speak!"

[ The rules appear on your phones. ]

[ Rules ] [ Rooms ] [ Results ] [ Endgame, Revivals & Winners ]

Comments

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

[ visibly flinching, body language forcing closed off and polite ]

- yes. Would you like. . . ah, shall I get someone for you? Anubis-san - perhaps?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

I said I'm fine!

[His voice is edging up a little, higher than usual, jagged, definitely not helping his throat.]

I just - I just want you to tell me something.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

- sorry. My apologies.

[ immediately ]

. . . What is it?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

What were you thinking?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

. . . When?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

You know when. In that stupid city.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

. . . I wasn't thinking anything in particular. . .

[ softly ]

But when I had entered the city, I saw Nya-san was going to be killed - and I wanted to protect him.

That's all I was thinking about, at that time.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

You really saw us and just thought -

Jesus, dude. You could've asked. Why didn't you just ask - ?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

. . . The game was about murder. People who were unlikely to kill, were killing in that game - Hiryuu-san killed me, for example -

So, what was there to ask . . . ? Wasn't this behavior already expected from us from the beginning?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

We were supposed to be friends!

You could've - If you really wanted to throw down or whatever, you could have been like, "Hey, dude, you and me, let's go, no hard feelings!" You could've left her out of it!

[His voice is edging up again. He looks - pretty close to tears, actually. Spoilers: the best time to talk about something you are still upset over is probably not right after you just got your head blown off.]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

She was the one with the axe to Nya-san - not you.

[ with a pause ]

. . . As I said. It isn't as if I was thinking about anything beyond protecting my unitmate. It wasn't as if I had targeted her for any reason beyond that.

You would do the same for her, wouldn't you?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

She didn't even have her weapon drawn when you opened fire! Don't try and pin this on her...!

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

[ tilting his head ]

Was it Nya-san and Loki-oniisan that started it, then? I didn't know.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

What are you talking about? You were up there with them! I saw you by her - [His voice cracks a little.] - by her body.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

. . . I arrived late. Loki-oniisan and Nya-san had gone ahead of me to the city, as I was speaking with Dia-sama -

By the time I had entered the city, the battle was already underway. I saw you and Loki-oniisan were fighting, but I heard Nya-san shouting, so I had climbed up to see what was happening -

[ with a pause ]

That is when I saw that she had her axe, and was about to attack Nya-san.

. . .

You're welcome to disbelieve me, if you like. But, that is all I can give you.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

[...pauses a second, just. Trying to take that in. That takes a pretty big mental readjust, please hold.]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

. . . You really shouldn't talk any more, your throat doesn't sound good. . .

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Ignoring that.]

...what'd you even do to her? She was a mess.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

. . . I had stabbed her in the back - and then I had held her back from using her weapon. Then she stabbed me . . . come to think of it, I wonder if that was a method of healing herself? It seemed rather extreme, but I recall seeing something like that in that unit's abilities. . . ?

[ with a pause ]

In any case, Nya-san . . . healed her wounds, and then undid them.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

...yeah. Yeah, that sounds about right.

[Hugging his arms in around himself, looking pretty close to crying tbh.]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

[ he looks like he wants to take a step forward - to do something for him, but he digs his fingers into his own palms. stiffly: ]

. . . If you have nothing else to ask of me, then I won't trouble you any longer.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Opens his mouth, like he means to say something.]

[Then - closes it, and just nods.]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[sancrimony]

[ stepping back then, to go

somewhere

elsewhere

anywhere but here. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Yeah. That's -]





[Yeah.]