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

[fiberoptic]

Wait. There's something--

[Nate hesitates. A flare of regret and sad dad when Wade mentions his team.]

I need to know something. Not bein' able to die - is that really what it's like?

[maxxximumeffort]

. . .

[l-laughs]

Wait can you-- can you say "Does it hurt?"

[fiberoptic]

Wade, please.

[He is trying to tell you something serious, Wade. Nate lowers his voice, a sinking pit in his stomach]

Heart Soldier has a power that can do that. Not the healing part, just being unkillable. The-- [he pauses. This is a dangerous secret.]

The kids decided to buy it.

[maxxximumeffort]

. . .

Gotta have healing. No healing that-- that just sounds like living hell if someone -- you'd be fine if you didn't get caught. Then it just like-- sucks, but you don't die. Better to get stabbed in the brain and not die than instantly die? Shit, it starts to feel good sometimes.

But if someone has them-- they gotta be able to turn it off, Nate. Gotta have an escape.

[fiberoptic]

I don't got the details of how it works. They were real cagey about telling me the plan at all, knowin'-- [he scoffs, bitterly,] knowing I'd lose my shit over having them volunteer to be easy targets.

And after this, they'd have plenty experience with pain. I... [guilty swallow,] I don't know what's right. If I'd rather see them die or just suffer - I don't think SensitIV can fix everything...

I mean, fuck. Someone's already got them in their clutches, and it's the psychos running this place.

[maxxximumeffort]

[sssigh.]

It's their power. Could be yours, too.

They're gonna do it, so it's better if you don't fatherlord it and just work with them so they don't get too fuckin' wild with it... I don't really remember getting to use it a lot, but fuck, Nate, I had to teach myself to dodge again. If they know about it maybe they can -- you want me to talk to them?

[fiberoptic]

[He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, heavy with dad responsibility.]

No, I-- They've got enough to deal with right now. No one outside the team knows yet, and I think it's gonna stay that way until the axe actually falls - they wouldn't have plans to abuse it like you probably did.

Thank you, though. [guiltguiltguiltlove] For helping'em as much as you do.

[maxxximumeffort]

...Hey.

[he reaches up to touch his cheek. feeding that guilt and responsibility back - this is absolutely something they have 100% in common.]

Not like How To Dad guides include how to handle this shit. We just... gotta get 'em through.

[fiberoptic]

[Ugh he loves you a lot. What would he do without you. Just this helpless flutter of appreciation in his heart, ENJOY THAT]

There has to be something I can do for your kids too... [They're. Very confusing though.]

[maxxximumeffort]

[he laughs. ah, he loves him too. he loves him in the gayest way. what would he do without him. eat himself probably??]

You make a good target. Easy to tease, very charming.

[fiberoptic]

[Awkwardly chuckles, well. That's something at least.]

...I'll buy some candy.

[Wade gets a loving kiss against his jaw - sorry, but your mouth still tastes like vomit probably.]

[maxxximumeffort]

Mmm...

Let's do our dad thing. Then we should bone. For like......... so many hours.

[fiberoptic]

Deal.

[Up we go - if Wade is still a bit shaky, he'll pull him up too. Many big muscles, your favorite.]

[maxxximumeffort]

[my faaaaaavoriiiiiiiiite. kisses him one more time. It's one kiss even if it's like thirty seconds]

[fiberoptic]

[You know after the first 15 seconds, you don't even notice the barf breath anymore]

[maxxximumeffort]

[bumps their foreheads.]

Mm... Is kissing after a traumatic hurl like... after keys to the place, before meeting the parents?

[fiberoptic]

Meeting them might be awkward. I don't think I'm born yet, you disgusting cradlerobber.

You'd be breaking the timeline just to tell'em you got your dick in the baby they're gonna abandon.

[maxxximumeffort]

[purrs]

Gotta love it. Absolute highest-tier fucked-destiny royalty jesus, dicking down with bottom-rung scumfilm scraped off the floor.

[fiberoptic]

[Phffght]

Come off it, I'm just some lost-in-time gun nut with cyborg disease. How is that much better than your lonely, misunderstood immortal schtick?

[maxxximumeffort]

What the fuck? I'm not misunderstood. And I wasn't lonely either, until you went and called me just the worst freshman pitch and now we have to break up.

[fiberoptic]

Like hell you're not, funny man.

Guess I'll have to settle for violent breakup hatesex.

[maxxximumeffort]

[he exhales.]

See you tonight when you "go to bed," old man. And by "go to bed" I mean "meet my wizard boyfriend at the usual Love Hotel so he can fuck me with his magic wand."

[fiberoptic]

There's probably going to be nightmare duty for a while. This wizard boyfriend'll have to be quick about it.

[maxxximumeffort]

What the hell, do you all sleep in a pile? Aren't you worried you're gonna kill one of them in your sleep? Or is that just me?

[fiberoptic]

Maybe if I rolled over onto'em...

Mori's making a blanket mound in the common room so no one has to sleep alone. Some've them are... pretty touch starved. Almost as much as you.