imeeji_frontstage | (no subject)

Who: dinner guests
Where: the Game Tower
When: Day 51, evening

[ The final GAME ALERT sounds, long after the last Heart has died. However, when you reach the Tower, the elevators do not open for you.

Instead, they open for the dead, once they've awakened in their respective game rooms - avante en garde, future is now, and pep!pep!/Heart Soldier Senshi's dead will find themselves completely healed, waking as if from a dreamless sleep. Not so for ☆ZRAEL, Taisho, BAD END=DEAD END, WILD CITY, or AlcheME!, though - they awaken as if from a terrible nightmare, their bodies not so whole. As if their wounds had reversed, but only partially, they'll find themselves technically healed to the point of no longer being in danger of death, but no more than that, and while they may be able to get to the elevator, the trip home will definitely require some help -

However, C and Haruto are nowhere to be found.

Those on the surviving units will find their wounds rewinding, stitching themselves back up and limbs even regrowing, painless though strange as they return to being whole. Those still alive on the berserked units will find nothing healed but their mind, the insanity washed away as if with the tide, save for sensitIV - who benefit from both the mental cleanse as well as the physical healing. For everyone, the hunger for flesh finally passes, leaving only ordinary hunger for those who did not partake during the game, and a sedate fullness for those who did.

The screens do not turn on, but there is the distant sound of audience laughing and Exael's voice from higher in the Game Tower, much too muffled to pick up.

All participating units receive this message on their phones simultaneously:

Well done.

Though you walk in the shadow of the valley of death, fear no evil, for He is with you. May His rod and staff comfort you, and may you carry the strength He blesses you with to the end of this path and forevermore. May you always hold your head high to the Heavens.

Amen

And, for Taisho, ☆ZRAEL, and BAD END=DEAD END, 500 points have been rewarded. avante en garde, pep!pep!, Heart Soldier Senshi, future is now, and sensitIV receive 800 points.

WILD CITY and AlcheME! receive 100 points.

Trying to respond to this message will get an ERROR: FAILED TO SEND. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[..........

uh.

your boy is fucked up.

and blind.

sorry?]

-- Boss?

[ voice hoarse and upset. ]

[... he's kind of falling over because can't see and also that's. a lot of. chewed on injuries.

head's turning in the direction of Oni's voice]

... Oni?

Boss.

[ his voice is thick and just growing thicker, despair and anger and shock, and he's stumbling for him to try to grab for his shoulder. ]

[uh. right. injury to his collar between his neck and shoulder

but honestly, it's... fine? looking a little pale as his good hand scrambles to catch hold of Oni's]

W-was me. It was me.

[trying to explain but uh.]

Who?

[ his voice is sharp and urgent, like he's ignoring that Boss could possibly be saying it's his own fault he could hurt or something like that. ]

[n-nnno...]

Someone picked Silk.

So we...

[they kind of lost it, so.]

[ his eye goes wider at that - - not that Boss can see but. ]

Silk - - did Silk die - -?

[ and then, breathlessly, urgent: ]

You're still....

You're not tellin' me who.

--whoever got my eyes. Got me from behind. I don't... I didn't see them.

And I... my arm was me. Mostly.

[yeah, it's just as bad as you think.]

[ he's quiet for a second so Boss won't be able to see his expression but he can probably hear Oni's fast, deep breaths, barely withheld rage. ]

Who... Who targeted Silk?

[... friendships are gonna end, huh.]

Avante.

[said really quietly.]

[ there's that unearthly moment again where it's just the sound of his breathing; then -- ]

I'm fuckin' tired -- of it.

[... he's doesn't really know where to "look" but there's no real surprise on his face as he reaches out with his good hand to try to grab hold of a shirt or whatever the other man's wearing.]

Oni.

[ he doesn't seem soothed by that yet, his voice steadily growing angrier and angrier as he speaks; ]

I'm done with it. How many times do we gotta be killed and tortured and eaten and just say we're okay with it? How many times we gotta sit by and watch and -- not be able to do shit about it?

[he can't. really say anything to that. because that was exactly the sentiment that drove him to not want to be the Heart in the first place.]

[ that's okay because he's definitely not stopping ]

And -- what did we do, 'zactly, that made us everyone's favorite punchin' bag? Is that s'posed to be fair, 'cause it's all part of the game's rules?

Nothing about this is supposed to be fair...

So what th'fuck are we supposed to do?