The Twenty-Third Trial

[advisories]

Who: trialgoers etc!
When: Day 50, morning
Where: the ~trial zone~

[Another morning, another Trial! Ugh.

At least this one seems normal, starting out with a shake and the Hermit’s booming voice:]

"Good morning, Heroes. You can guess why you're being called, but before we begin I have an official statement. The Prince of Stars and associates were not responsible for yesterday's Trial. It appears the system was copied by a Malicious entity -- we apologize for any confusion and are doing our best to locate this entity and find a way to prevent any such incidents in the future.

In the meantime, we've scheduled a low-stress Trial for today to lift your spirits. With teamwork and a little silliness, let's search for unity and peace within ourselves."

[The Hermit's tent is in the clearing, awaiting your arrival.]

rules | sign-in | mingle | rooms | winners & endgame

Comments

[schrodingerscockroach]

Little point denying it. Memories get played on a big screen, sometimes it happens with trials, just means I'm being cagey and we already have enough cagey assholes on board making it hard to generate sparks.

And there's that.

What do I have to gain by hurting Felix?

[malignstar]

What does anyone have to gain from hurting anyone else?

[ He just sounds tired now and brings his maimed hand toward himself. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[That....is a tired he knows.]

[He finally moves his hand away from his weapon.]

Depends what you're trying to get. But a lot of the time, hurting just comes from a long train of someone, somewhere, just deciding to be an asshole and people reacting from there.

I have no desire to hurt Felix.

And if you want to protect him, I don't want to hurt you either.

But that's only if the protection isn't hurting him.

[And he holds out a hand again and he's going to send a heal his way to help with that injury. It can't regrow limbs, but at least help the pain.]

So how about you tell me what's going on because I'm willing to work with you, but you have to be willing to.

[malignstar]

[ Felix curls the remaining fingers of his injured hand into a fist, turning to the side. ]

There are plenty of... assholes out there.

[ He parses the world as though he's not familiar with having it on his tongue.

After a moment, Felix looks down at his hand in surprise. The nagging pain from aggravating the injury has faded again. He lifts his gaze to Dusk, still confused. ]

As I said, I will protect us from now on.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Oh, definitely. But that's why it's good to have friends who are willing to shoot them in the face for you.

Locking someone away isn't protecting them.

[malignstar]

It is if they will not protect themselves. I gave more than enough leeway. I cannot trust him.

[schrodingerscockroach]

....have you talked to him?

[Since Felix had NO IDEA ABOUT YOU and all.]

[malignstar]

How am I supposed to do that?

[ He remembers he did it in the past, but everything is still too jumbled to recall the actual process. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

...how aware are you of things?

How aware is he?

[malignstar]

I see everything. It is not the same for him. He is resting.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Do you know why he's resting?

[malignstar]

Because I am here. The loss of blood was too much for him.

[schrodingerscockroach]

....have you slept at all since he went under? I mean sleeping with the body?

[malignstar]

... not yet.

[ This is gritted through his fangs. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

....so what are the chances you could like talk in dreams?

[malignstar]

... I do not know. I have never attempted it.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Seems like the first thing to try.

Then maybe try a journal.

[malignstar]

Journal?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Yeah.

If direct communication doesn't work, then you send letters. Write in a book and read what the other had to say.

[malignstar]

He would not be able to read them unless he was in control.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Do you have a reason to think Felix wouldn't hear you out?

[malignstar]

... He thinks I am some corrupted part of him.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Does he know anything about you beyond 'mauled that person that one time?'

[malignstar]

He knows I punished some youths that were assaulting him. A recent memory. He knows I said I would protect us.

[schrodingerscockroach]

....okay, but has he processed that because I imagine punished youths was probably hard for him to work through?