BETRAYAL AT THE HOUSE ON THE GAME TOWER - END

[idolpro]

Who: Traitors and Survivors, Exael
Where: The Game Tower, and leaving it
When: Day 25, morning-- it appears that game lasted the bulk of day 24 into the night.

[ Abruptly, the nightmare ends.

You, in the rooms you kept restarting in, awoke. Before you can even panic, before even despair, the elevator doors were open in front of you to take you downstairs again. It could be a trap, sure, but your head is quiet— those fucking ghosts are gone. You also appear to be wet like someone dumped, perhaps, a bucket of holy water on you while you were asleep. All your wounds are gone, and you have been left bereft of any physical damage from your ordeal.

Unless you choose to take some with you. Nothing prevents you from taking any of your spoils downstairs with you, if you wish it, though all revolvers will have no ammo.

On the screens as you descend back to the lobby, Exael is clapping on screen, broadcast showing her in the mansion's entrance hall. "And so close the gates to this forbidden garden, and so closes this chapter of our story! Just as—" her hologram flickers as she doesn't seem to notice, chattering still to the cameras, "so too will—" fzzt, fzzt. Static, flickering, and then back into focus, "So give them all a hand! Everyone, you've done well! You stand before us still, ready to present us all with more marvels after having survived such grisly wonders with—" "—in the balance!"

As she speaks, she doesn't notice a figure approaching behind her. He's in a slick suit with both hands in his pockets, and you've seen him before— his portrait is in the foyer. His shoes are utterly silent as he walks across the marble floor, till he's right at her back.

"Audience and actors alike, we've been blessed with—" Her hologram doesn't flicker this time, but she stops speaking. Her eyebrows furrow as she tries to figure out what's amiss, and only belatedly begins to slowly look over her shoulder.

"Exael," he says with a friendly hand on her solidifying hologram shoulder, the effect spreading beneath his touch, "We need to have a chat about your requisitions paperwork."

She tilts her head, eyes wide with a finger tapping against her cheek as she thinks, "I didn't do any!"

"Yes," he agrees, smiling with all his teeth. "I know."

The broadcast cuts. The doors open to let you leave. ]

Comments

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ As long as he falls backwards, or simply to his knees, he won't crush her--but any which way, he may be surprised to find that she, she doesn't mind. It's not like her legs were really feeling all that strong, either. ]

Raijuu. You're okay.

[ Her voice is--soft? Is it always this soft? It's--almost like she's forgotten how loud she's supposed to be. (She has; to her, this is loud. Her hands--she works them across the side and the back of his neck. He's so solid and--she can't help it, she's crying. ]

I'm so glad. I missed you so much.

[ Which is--is it a funny thing to say to someone she can't remember knowing for more than a few weeks in her entire life? But it was like having a hole in her heart, one she couldn't fill. There's a tremor going through her body that probably isn't going to help dispel that notion that she's delicate, either. ]

[haktualdragon]

[just to his knees to start, but then he sits fully on the ground, continuing to hold her close and pressing his face against her hair almost like he's trying to still her trembling but that's not really possible because even he's shaking.

it is a funny thing to say but at this moment, he's not thinking about that, chalking it up to them having been... crazy... or... whatever that was. for what felt like too many rounds of that game.]

I-- [he chokes, cuts off because even something as simple as "missed you too" feels like too much and he takes a deep, shuddering breath to try to calm himself down but there's images of her bleeding out in his arms and him reaching for her and missing before being drowned.] I'm here...

[he says it so weakly though. it's fine.]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ With her hands on the back of his neck still, she guides his head a little lower so that she can rub her cheek against his face. His skin is warm and soft against hers and--she can't help herself, she does it again, and again. Like this, when he breathes, the exhales of warm air from his lungs stir her hair. ]

I know. You're real. This is real.

[ She's still shaking, but some of the tension empties out of her shoulders, and she leans against him more fully. Dreams aren't warm. Dreams... don't feel like this. It's fine, she's safe, he's safe. ]

[haktualdragon]

[the face nuzzling is... new. and distracting. it makes him what to do other things but he refrains, settles for following her lead there and bringing up a hand to comb through her hair in a hopefully soothing fashion.

talking about this being real--it does feel like he's not sure which side of things was more real, himself.]

It's over. It's finally...

[trails off because. really, the important thing here:]

I'm sorry, Princess. I... for trying to...

[kill her. consistently. each time. the shame of his mentality and actions during the game all crashing down at once. HE'S SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER NOT KILL HER.]

/2

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ Ahhh. She raises her face to look him in the eyes--or to at least see his grimace. She knows--exactly that feeling, that pain. That guilt. The weight that he's wrestling with. ]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ Raijuu will find that it's his turn to have his head stroked: Hiryuu moves her hands to his face and his hair and draws his head down--further now, to her shoulder, so that she can cradle him against her her collar bone and pet him. ]

It's okay. I already know who the real Raijuu is and what he's like. You tried to protect me, before we both got lost.

[ And hopefully he understands what she means there: that she refers not to the resets and their continual placement at their separate starting points, but the madness that clouded their true goals. ]

What happened afterwards, whatever thoughts or urges you felt.... I don't hold you responsible. You can let that burden go, now.

[haktualdragon]

[he does understand what she means by "lost", and what she's trying to tell him.

but how can he let it go when he can still... clearly see the logic behind the actions, as crazy as they still seem?]

... not being able to protect you--I can handle that.

["handle". by killing whoever did her harm and possibly even gutting them and pulling out pieces of flesh--he feels sick thinking about the vicious and hollow satisfaction.]

But this... was different. If that guy hadn't been there at the fountain...

[he definitely would have gone after her and who knows.]

[dragonheartedgirl]

....

I don't know that you will find my answer particularly soothing, or if it will only bring you more grief. However, if you had... I would not find fault with you. Rather, I would have you to thank, for preventing me from doing something I never wanted to.

...

If something like this were to happen ever again, and I could not be reasoned with, then... my death, over the deaths of others, would be preferable to me.

[ Yeah that's probably not soothing at all. ]

At least, at your hands, I would be able to count it was one not out of malice or designed to make me suffer, but an act of mercy.

[haktualdragon]

[THIS IS NOT COMFORTING AT ALL, HIRYUU.]

... are you telling me. That's what you want me to do. Princess?

[IS THAT AN ORDER?]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ She can feel the change in his posture and--she knows she's made a mistake. She just isn't quite sure how to fix it. ]

No. I don't want you to have to do something that will hurt you.

[ She keeps stroking his hair, trying to be. actually. soothing. this time. ]

I only wanted you to understand, if that were to ever happen in this sort of situation--I would not be angry with you. Ever.

[haktualdragon]

[it's... another moment. before he can relax again. because thank fuck.

that would be an order that would just kill him so damn fast.

he leans his forehead against her shoulder and lets out a heavy sigh that has his shoulders slumping.]

I get it. I understand. I just don't... like it...

[which sounds stupid and childish but then again, all of this is stupid and childish because it all sucks and they're allowed to react like that, in his opinion.]

[dragonheartedgirl]

I know. I hate it, too.

[ And maybe, now, he's starting to understand just why she was so damn sad when he suddenly showed up in this place. But like it or not, this is their reality now. ]

At least it's over for now. I'm here, and you're here, and it's going to be okay.

[ And apparently that's very soothing to her at least, because her voice sounds mellow and content. She nuzzles her face into his short, dark hair, enjoying its texture, the way it tickles her nose, almost making her want to sneeze. ]

[haktualdragon]

[... this nuzzling thing. is definitely new.

he doesn't dislike it? it's. comforting.

but it's weirdly out of nowhere to him. so he worries.]

... how many more rounds since I last saw you?

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ She pauses briefly--not because she doesn't know (they're all very vividly burned into her mind, despite how long ago it was from now) but because she feels a sense of dread thinking about them much in depth. Especially... the last.

She buries her face directly against his hair, which... muffles her words but it's not like she's very far from his ears; he can almost certainly still make out exactly what she's saying. ]

I finished that one... and then there were three more.

[ Her arms tighten around him, as though the mention of them might somehow make him disappear again. Or rather--put her back in the mirror. ]

[haktualdragon]

[there's really not much he can say there about that. a lot of shit could have happened in three rounds. he feels a bit miserable for not being there but weirdly relieved because... he would have still been trying to kill her, so...

so he lets his own arms tighten around her, also. and takes a deep breath again.]

I'm sorry...

[that she was put through that, more than anything. that nothing can really be done about it.]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ yes, and also--a lot of nothing; 100 years worth of nothing, to be precise. ]

It's not your fault.

[ She didn't want him to be caught up with that madness any longer than he already was? If they'd met again, the way she was those two cycles--he would have surely been able to succeed in killing her. And then he'd never be able to forgive himself.

She nuzzles his head again, and she rubs circles against his back. Just shhhhhhh. ]

We're out now. That's all that matters. It's going to be okay.

[haktualdragon]

[she's just. way better at this than he is, clearly. but he's trying his best by letting his shoulders slump again, tension bleeding out more from exhaustion than from any real calmness but y'know. close enough.]

... we're going to have to move soon. Get out of this tower.

[just. fair warning. because they can't just stay here forever. much as he might want to.]

[dragonheartedgirl]

Why? ... Do the doors lock?

[ SHE DEFINITELY DOESN'T WANT TO BE TRAPPED HERE, ]

[haktualdragon]

I dunno if they do.

I just know I don't like being here if I don't have to be.

[dragonheartedgirl]

All right.

[ She's going to make to stand up then, but, she's

SOME part of her has to touching him at least so she's basically pasted next to him. ]

I'm ready.

[haktualdragon]

[... yeah, ok.

she's getting picked up while he works on climbing to his feet.

princess/bridal carry for the princess wearing the bridal dress.]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ tiny, sof shriek ]

Raijuu!?

[ SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER ASKING FOR THIS? ]

[haktualdragon]

Loud.

[but off he goes, carrying her to avante.]