(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

[puzzlekeeper]

[ .................... ]



Um.


[ What have you not been telling him, Yugi??? (Nine-Nine wins this round.) ]

1 / 2

[puzzlers]

[ snaps out of it to look at king... ]

[ ...and finds him looking at his phone. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ ?!??!?! ]

N- No! [ bristles. ] King! It's not what it looks like. I didn't, I- I mean, like, c'mon, I wouldn't. L- Look at that thing. [ IT'S HUGE. ] I'm not, [ looks at the outfit. ] ok maybe, but, wait, no. No. [ said firmly. is he trying to convince king or himself at this point? it's a mystery. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ Smooth save ]

I-It's fine, you don't have to- it's personal, I shouldn't have looked, it's none of my business.

[ But also WHO ARE YOU BDSMING WITH????? ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ he's the smoothest, ok. ]

[ omg. king thinks he's a freak. ]

But it can be your business. [ wait. ] Because I didn't do this! It's got a joke, h- ha ha. [ PHONE, HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME?! ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ ???? ]

... What?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ strike him dead. ]

[ plz&thx ]

I didn't add some of this stuff.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

Oh.

... How did it get in there, then?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ help. ]

I don't know.

[ doesn't look at king. nope. just going to stare at the phone and hope it gives him some answers. ]

Whip cream and chocolate syrup should just be used on sundaes... [ AND NOT PEOPLE ]

And I don't want toys.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ ...

He holds out his hand for the phone. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ ...

...

... ]

[ hands it over, looking aside as he does so. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ He taps a few times, then hands it back, all the questionable content removed from the cart.

(But that also means he saw all of it item-by-item, sorry.) ]

There. You don't have to worry about them now.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ sobbing. ]

[ he takes it and sets it down. ]

...

Thanks.

[ embarrassedx10. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ Nudging him in the side a little with his elbow. Recover, Yugi!! ]

You're welcome.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ he ducks his head and looks down at his phone to confirm that, yep, it's all gone. he should be happy about that, but... ]

[ looks to king and gives a bit of a laugh. ] I don't think I could wield a riding crop anyway.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

Not with that attitude.

[ NOT A HELPER ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ NOT A HELPER AT ALL ]

There's really only one way to find out.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ He just chuckles, clearly not taking any of this seriously, and pulls himself (still pretty unsteadily) to his feet. ]

Come on. Let's go get what we need to make this place a little more comfortable.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ just miiiight sneak a couple of things back into the cart. shhhh. ]

Sure. [ going to tap his shoulder so he's got super speed now too. ] Let's go.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ live ur kink dreams

Super speed is extra disorienting right now, but it also means less time in the cold, so AWAY THEY GO to Peppep's dropbox ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ oops! he hadn't meant to make a bad situation worse. be careful, king! ]

[ as soon as they're at the drop box he quickly collects the items they bought together, including the things he'd added back in... hopefully without king noticing. ]

Ok, that looks like it's everything. Back we go?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ There's enough blanket and pillow in the way that Yugi gets away with his kink crimes unnoticed. ]

Back we go.

[ At least the superspeed walk back is slightly less disorienting this time. He's improving! ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ thank fuck. he's not sure he's going to go through with it, but m- maybe. ]

It's so easy to get used to being able to move like this, huh King?

[ once they're back at their hideaway yugi makes sure to stash the stuff under one of the pillows, which he immediately flops onto. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ Well. He leans against the wall for a moment after they arrive, the cold having re-ignited some of the pain in his neck and throat.

But when he's addressed, he stands up straight and offers Yugi a wan smile. ]

It's certainly easier than the first time.

[ And then he's laying out one of the blankets so that they don't end up just sitting on bare concrete, motioning for Yugi to scoot onto it. ]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ yugi is sitting uncomfortably on his lumpy pillow, because he's trying to figure out why he'd even decided to buy these things in the first place. ]

Huh, oh, uh, yeah.

[ he buries those thoughts for now, abandoning the pillow to move onto the blanket, which he'll immediately warm for king. ]

Why don't you... lay down? And relax.