The Seventh Trial

[hot_mess_express]

Who: heroes (?)
When: Day 16, early morning
Where: the party zone

[Late in the night, the train jostles again. It feels like a Trial, but this time there's a strange, oppressive feeling in the air, and the call forth has changed. And yet it's a voice that's been heard before -- the resonant young man's voice that accompanied a military tent surrounded in white feathers.

What is a hero?

That tent is here now, imposing with its black flag and spatters of mud and blood, but the edges are tattered and the feathers strewn about are beginning to turn black. From them rises a smoke with a dark glow, sending a chill through anyone it touches.

As you enter the voice is raised again. Though still strong, it's no longer clear -- it sounds hoarse and a little distorted.]

What is your worth? What do you stand for? What... is the right thing to do?

What is Justice?

SIGNUPS ☆ RULES ☆ ROOMS ☆ WINNERS & ENDGAME

Comments

[crimeson]

[Randy's staggering out, reaching up to touch the vivid new scar that rings his neck and hissing-- yeah, that fucking hurts.]

Nice of 'em to put it back...

[bowtiedbones]

[her hair's bloodied where she had her own crown on, but no lethal marks for her]

Oh— oh no, your neck, what round was that?

[crimeson]

[he also has crown marks i'm just bad]

Last one. Uh... what-all happened with you?

[bowtiedbones]

We um— they didn't sacrifice me either time, so they were whipped the first round and we were all burned with smoke the last round. And... the smoke made us grow feathers? I don't know why that part happened.

[crimeson]

That sounds... kinda fucked... in new and exciting ways?

[bowtiedbones]

It's not... as bad as I feared the last round could go? But it was, um. Fucked up.

[probably the first time eliza has said FUCK in like three years, but this situation calls for it]

[ewestmarch]

You let them cut your head off?

[Weakly throws handful of grass at him.]

Fuckin' maniac.

[crimeson]

Wow, way too tired to put up with judgment from random ladies who throw grass at people to start conversations!

[ewestmarch]

I mean, that's fair.

[crimeson]

...So's what you said, kinda. If I look past the grass and the insults.

Did you guys survive not doing the stupid thing?

[ewestmarch]

We decided to bleed the king out without killing her, to try to save both. Wasn't good enough.

[Holds up the cut wrist she's still in the process of bandaging.]

[ruinatings]

...Feeling alive?

[are we ok]

[crimeson]

[taps the side of his head testingly]

Solidly in one piece, even?

[ruinatings]

[geeently reaching to touch the scar, very carefully]

...I'm glad.

[crimeson]

[angling his neck just slightly so Rufus can. it's less angry now, presuming 80H got to him, just a neat line where a skilled beheading happened.

folding his hand over Rufus']

Me too.

[ruinatings]

Was that the right choice?

[am I bad? are you angry? I don't even know.]

[saddleclub]

--!

[crimeson]

[ruh roh]

Sweet dreams?

[saddleclub]

....Who hit me?

[crimeson]

Well. It wasn't me this time, so there's that.

[saddleclub]

...I see.

Was it Rufus who killed you?

[bad_crowmance]

...That looks painful.

[ UUUUUUNDERSTATEMENT! ]

[crimeson]

It feels terrible! Though it didn't hurt at all when it happened, so there's that.

[bad_crowmance]

Seems like the kinda thing that'd hurt more afterwards, yeah. ...If it were normally possible to survive a beheading, anyway.

[crimeson]

Yeah, it's not normally a problem people have, probably? At least they put it back nice and solid... if painful.