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]

[ Illegally requisitioned water? What is he talking about? Now that he mentions it, though, she is.... no, tired doesn't even begin to cover this bone-weary exhaustion. Her body is fine, honestly, it's like she didn't spend any time in the mirror at all, but mentally she's been through hell.

She looks up at him blankly. ]

Can I drink it instead?

[ She--is suddenly thirsty, almost unbearably so. Between mentally feeling as though she hasn't had anything to drink in a century, and dehydrating herself--she doesn't just want water, she needs it. ]

[maxxximumeffort]

Course you can.

[here plz drink water. plz]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ She's going to guzzle that water down, like--every bit of it. It tastes and feels so good on her tongue and going down her throat, cool and wet all the way--honestly if she wasn't out of tears she'd probably cry again.

It's only when she's finished off the--glass? bottle?--that she'll stop and speak again. ]

Thank you. I feel a little bit better now.

[ Which is. True? She already feels a little less drained; she looks a little more with it, too: at least her cheeks are no longer deathly pale. ]

[maxxximumeffort]

IT's okay. C'mon, let's get home. Just take it slow, Peach.

[dragonheartedgirl]

"Peach?"

[maxxximumeffort]

The princess of the mushroom kingdom! The most wonderful kingdom.

[dragonheartedgirl]

I forgot what an odd place the future is. There's a kingdom of mushrooms now?

[maxxximumeffort]

Don't worry about it. It's an affectionate nickname. Means I like ya.

/2

[dragonheartedgirl]

Oh!

[dragonheartedgirl]

.... "Peach." All right.

[ das kinda cute ]

[maxxximumeffort]

Heeey. There you go. See, there's smiling in post-murderdeath madness. Just one step at a time.

[dragonheartedgirl]

Yes, I suppose that's true.

[ having it pointed out, though--she just feels a deep pang of guilt. does she even have the right to smile about things anymore? ]

[maxxximumeffort]

Best thing you can do. You're gonna get a little used to this. Don't freak out, okay? Happens to everybody. It's how peoples work. They're good at survivin'.

[dragonheartedgirl]

Used to this....

[ What a numbing thought, having to adjust to a cycle of murder and dying and torture to turn around and have to smile again. She feels... tired. ]

If you say so.

[maxxximumeffort]

Hey.

[he tugs his mask up, mostly.]

I bet a peach like you thinks a nutsack like me should still have a chance, right?

If I can get through this, you got a pretty good shot.

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ I'm

so, so sorry Wade, like. she's never seen your face before and she's just. never been good at fronting and. AND IT'S JUST, ]

Who did that to you?!

[ it's like someone threw hot tar on his face and then pulled it off, it

WHY!? THAT GAME WAS CRAZY, BUT WHY!? ]

[maxxximumeffort]

[plz he's very used to it now.]

Don't remember yet. But I know I've been like this for a while! Before I changed careers to idoldom.

[dragonheartedgirl]

That happened before?

[maxxximumeffort]

Yep. I woke up like this. I'm afraid your dad kisses this mouth.

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ SIR, she doesn't want to think about her dad kissing any mouths, regardless of what the person they're attached to looks like. However, ]

Of course he does. You make him happy.

[ Beauty is a thing that's more than skin deep. ]

[maxxximumeffort]

Ohhh my goodness, you little Hallmark Moment.

[tugs his mask back down ur welcome]

My point is, survivors get it done! It's okay to be one.

[dragonheartedgirl]

I don't feel bad for surviving. Just...

[ she's struggling to communicate it, but ]

... my head's just kind of a mess right now. I know out here, it's only been a day, but for me... I spent a hundred years with a determined, spiteful ghost inside my head. I just need some time.