imeeji_frontstage | (no subject)

Who: avante
Where: avante
When: Day 101, evening

[Cardigan texts everyone to let them know they're making dinner and to invite whoever they want!!

They also note that they purchased tickets to the ball for avante.

If you are close with anyone on avante you can assume Cardigan texted you to come over.]

Unit dorm:
The unit dorm is decorated in pseudo-Medieval style, with stone walls and floors, and tapestries in gold and white hanging from the ceiling. The table is a long banquet table, and all the chairs are ornate wooden chairs. The TV looks like a big tapestry of knights engaged in battle when not being used.

Each bedroom has a small nook with a single large gothic cathedral-styled window, with thick velvet curtains that can be drawn to cover the alcove itself. As for the common area, two stained glass windows adorn the entrance, hemming in the doorway. Depicted on each is a knight standing vigil. On the lefthand and righthand walls are two more windows, both depicting knights slaying a dragon. All the stained-glass windows are hinged, to allow them to open.

Patio:
Appended to the dorm is a half-covered outdoor area, with banners fluttering in the breeze and a rustic hewn stone floor pairing the patio to the same aesthetic that the dormitory indoors have. Patio lounge chairs and gliders are made of wrought-iron, with tapestry fabric cushions to relax comfortably on top. There's a portable antique bronze firepit that can be used during the colder months or at night, or put away if they want. From the stone archways, they get an excellent view— perks of living on the highest floor.

Arcade:
Welcome to the dungeon! Branching off from the hallway leading to the bedrooms is a dark, narrow stairwell that leads into a large stone chamber illuminated only by lit wrought iron braziers lining the walls and and the hazy neon glow of the arcade machines that populate the room. Every single game is something competitive, and most are combat-oriented. Set into the walls between each brazier is a small alcove with a pair of manacles hewn onto the wall, presumably for leaving losers to rot for the rest of eternity. On the far end of the dungeon, disguised as a podium, is a minifridge.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[shrugs]

I had a lot of siblings, so I think I'm just used to it. It's relaxing.

... yeah? You had family?

It's referred to as a bash' where I come from. Not everyone is really related. But yeah, I have seven bash'siblings.

Huh... that still sounds kinda nice though. I'm pretty sure I'm an only child.

It was.

Do you remember anything about your parents...?

[were they also red-drinking vampires]

Oh. Yeah. My dad's the king of the Nightosphere, uh. I guess that's basically Hell, back home. He's... a pain. And mom--

[ she pauses, her expression softening a little, but uncertain. ]

Well. Mom was just a normal human, like anybody else. I don't remember her very well-- it was a long... long time ago.

I'm sure she was an impressive person.

Does that make you a Princess...?

... yeah. She'd have to be, to deal with him.

I'm the Vampire Queen. What am I gonna do with Princess-ship?

[laughs]

Oh, sorry.

S'all good.

[ quiet for a sec ]

Have things been... okay? Here?

Things have been hard on Gold... And Nemesis, but you'd know more about what's going on with her than me.

Our newbies are a good addition, though. They're already helping a lot.

It's not like I know all that much either, but...

[ quiets a moment ]

What's going on with you two?

[shrugs, a bit tight.]

I can't say we've ever gotten along when it comes to games. Things have just gotten... worse.

I mean, you could stand not to stab her immediately after getting brutally murdered, even if it does heal, but.

[ floats a bit so she can sit in midair, considering ]

Well. Why not? She's not that hard to get along with.

Fine, she can do it herself next time.

Well her go-to in games in usually to kill everyone, and it's a pain in the ass trying to explain why that's not going to happen every time. And every time I try and talk to her about what's bothering her it's the same thing "Nothing matters, there's no point in trying" and then she storms off.

[ hums. ]

I can kinda see where she's coming from, when you guys eat it pretty much constantly. ...and I'm gonna be real with you, you're not exactly delicate.

I'm aware of my shortcomings. Murdering everyone isn't going to make us eat it less. I mitigate it when I can. I said from the start I'm not going to make avante a bunch of martyrs.

But that doesn't seem to be what her actual issue is. When I tried to step down from being the leader, she didn't actually criticize my behavior in the games.

So what do you think the actual issue is?

I think her issue is she has no hope whatsoever that we'll ever get out of here, and she's scared, and probably traumatized. That's what every conversation comes down to—she thinks everything is pointless. It's not really a mindset I empathize with. Like you said, I'm not delicate.

Well... what hope has been shown to her? Besides like, you telling her that having no hope is dumb or something. That's not really helpful... we've had some rough talks but we still come out of them pretty okay, even if we disagreed.

[ a pause. and, sort of gently, ]

Trying to empathize a little wouldn't hurt either, with her. Also like, I don't mean to sound like, patronizing or whatever.

You're not.

I feel like I've tried the gentler approach and she just shuts me down.

It might just come down to the fact that she doesn't trust me. I can't fault her for that.

I think... more than anything she just wants to feel like she matters. Like the stuff she says and does actually has value. Y'know? It's really... really easy, here, to not have that. I mean... Zrael's really good about making sure everyone has an equal say in stuff, but even I've felt that sorta junk before. Pretty sure Some of the others have, too. And it sucks.

[ sorta... inspects her nails for a moment, kinda self-consciously. ]

Do you like her? Like, in general. As a person, or a friend, or a teammate?

That's what I want for her, too.

I don't dislike her. I've been frustrated with her lately. Before all this—I think she's clever, intelligent, occasionally brave.

Well... if you care about her, does she... know that? Even if you've said it once or twice she probably didn't believe it, I think... I don't think she thinks anybody cares much about her at all. I joked with Doodles a while back that she was a moron cuz it took like three times of us telling her for her to understand I like her, but I don't think she's actually stupid. ... I think she's just used to people not caring.

I mean, you have more history with her than I do, so what I'm saying may not help much, but... I want you guys to be able to be a family, y'know? It's kind of sad when I noticed the other units don't really... treat each other that way, I guess.