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

[Eventually comes out of the elevator, looking more pissed off than usual but otherwise intact.

Where the fuck was his unit?

... Oh.]

Angel.

[Tap, tap, tap, her feet goes straight to him and then receive one awkward hug, she is still learning hugs.]

[What the fuck happened to your clothes? Is that dried blood?!

Returns the hug with equal awkwardness. What is physical comfort?]

What happened?

[It is probably a LOT of dried blood. And rips. And tears. Her back is probably the worst of it.]

A lot.

[Obviously]

Still processing what happened?

[Shakes head no.]

I just have to wait for everyone, and then I just want to go home for a little while.

Good.

[Starts gently stroking her hair, one arm still wrapped loosely around her]

Lets find the rest of them and get the fuck out of here.

Okay.

...

Are you- [okay? seems like an unnecessary question hmmm.]

Can I do anything?

You already are.

Oh . . . okay.

We can talk about it in the dorm.

[Finally pulling back from the hug to see if he can locate the rest of FiN]

Okay.

[She nods, and then . . . maybe wanders a little over to the live about C BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT WHILE I PROMISE.]

[It's fine.

He's fucking worried about C, too.

Stupid fucking Gremlin.

What the ever living fuck did you do?]