FOUL TOXINS

[lovestained]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The Game Tower
When: Day 498

[ Welcome to the Game Tower! On the screen is The Red Sea Witch, who does a curtsy before speaking to the audience: ]

Gyahaha, hello! ✩ Today's show is a game long-time viewers might recognize! The rules are simple: poison others and don't get poisoned! Have fun~✩


RULES | ROOMS | EFFECTS | ENDGAME + WINNERS

Comments

[outofoffice]

So what will you do about it?

[sangreine]

Hurt all of you back. [ Her conviction is wobbly, at least? ]

[outofoffice]

[ Tipping his head, patient and calm ]

How will you hurt me?

[sangreine]

I haven't decided. [ Remembering how desperate she was to protect him, all of them, during the game and then her unfocused, indignant rage now -- it's all very confusing. ]

I could go after the people you love most, but Zhongli's pretty powerful and Lumine was doing what I wanted... [ hmm. ] Maybe the rest of sIV.

[outofoffice]

[ Laughing a little, but like, very wryly ]

Alas, that's already been done before! Very effectively, I might add. You'll have to come up with something new.

[sangreine]

If it was effective, why wouldn't I want to try it?

[ But she sounds tired, despite the edge she's trying to put in her voice. Resigned. ]

I could attack people at random. Just whoever I happen to see, hack at them like in my memory. When the poison loses effectiveness, if things are as you claim, I'd be in agony over it. An empty shell. Maybe I'd never recover.

[ She glances over, how's that? ]

[outofoffice]

[ "You'd get factory reset in a few years anyway," he doesn't say. But he does think it. Take that, evil Aliza! ]

Ohhh, holding yourself hostage. You're right, that's quite effective.

[sangreine]

I'll do that, then. [ Satisfied, she leans back onto the sand. ]

I'm sure there are other things too, you said I'd be distraught by things I've said. I'm sure I can think of some. Just the opposite of whatever I would have said before, right?

[outofoffice]

Will it count if you say them solely to get back at yourself? I wonder . . .

[sangreine]

Why would the intention matter? I didn't intend to slaughter a whole town, but it still haunted me until now.

[ She sits up, stretches, and then lunges to try and grab his throat. ] Does my intention matter if I choke you to death? I wonder.

[outofoffice]

[ He foolishly wasn't expecting that, so she's successful. He holds very still despite the hand on his throat. ]

It might matter-- to me, a little bit.

[sangreine]

[ She doesn't squeeze, but the threat is there in the strength of her hand, her red-glowing eyes. ]

Do you think it would matter to the people you love? Would it matter to me once the poison is gone?

Do you have any idea how scared I was of hurting people? Especially you. It wouldn't matter a bit.

[outofoffice]

And if you snapped my neck and left me for dead on this beach -- would that satisfy you? Resolve your turmoil?

[ Surreptitiously attempting to reach for his phone as he says it ]

[sangreine]

Remove it?

[ Her hand tremors for just a moment and then she lets go, sinking back down to lay on the sand. Perfectly conversational once again. ]

Nothing can do that.

[outofoffice]

[ The whiplash, madam, the whiplash.

He rubs his throat absently, one hand still on his phone. ]

Then there isn't much point in it, is there?

[sangreine]

[ She likes to keep you on your toes! ]

It would still be satisfying in the moment.

[outofoffice]

So why did you stop?

[sangreine]

[ She sighs, looking out over the water. ]

A lot of reasons. How I feel about you hasn't changed. You said you love me and would protect me. You brought me out here. You haven't done anything to anger me that much. I can always change my mind. Seeing me go on a rampage will probably be worse for you than just dying for a while.

I'm still me. [ Arguably not, but anyway. ] Something just snapped when I got that vial and heard the recording. Or it's as you say and I've been poisoned.

[outofoffice]

Ehehe . . . that answer sounds something like "because I still care about you," unless I'm mistaken.

[sangreine]

Why else would I want your feathers? [ She sounds like that should have been obvious. ] I can get any old feathers at the store.

[outofoffice]

And here I was hoping it's because you thought they were the prettiest of all feathers.

[sangreine]

Would you rather me think they're just that pretty that I need them, or that I care about you? Because one way you get to keep them. Maybe.

[outofoffice]

[ "Maybe." ]

Oh, I greatly prefer that you care about me. I'm a selfish creature.

[sangreine]

[ huffing in mercifully mild irritation ]

I never did understand why. You named a bunch of stuff we've done together, but those aren't reasons to care about someone.

I've even done things with Izanagi and we don't even like each other because he's a condescending busybody. Which I normally wouldn't say because I'm sure he feels like crap after Hurricane and Nem left, but join the club buddy. [ Don't hold back, Aliza! ]

[outofoffice]

[ DON'T HOLD BACK ALIZA . . . ]

It's not the things themselves, but the motivation behind them.

I learned French to see you smile. You set aside your very deep aversion to music because you knew it was important to me, and it would make me happy.

These are actions borne from love.