auroraexpress | The Thirtieth Trial

Who: Trial players
When: Day 63, morning
Where: Trial zone

[The trial zone doesn't exactly appear to be inthe best shape. It's the ruins of an old building, something once grand, perhaps a castle, with a strange statue of sorts with six spheres leading to a large seventh on a pedestal. It's possible t see a forest beyond the walls, though find a way out to that seems impossible, and plants have overgrown almost everything.]

[On the statue's pedestal is an inscription:
Three tribes that brought a storm,
Winter brought them to task.
Eventually things would become warm,
What in return did springtime ask?]

[Not so far beyond it appears to be stairs leading down into the earth. And to the side of that is a throne.]

[And on the throne is....someone new in Senna colors? Though perhaps the hair is enough of a give away. Though those with a keen eye may yet notice she's still wearing her geode still, with the distinctive cutie mark still on it.]

[She's lounged across the throne, legs kicked over one side, elbow resting on the other, head in hand.]

I'm bored. [And she offers a grin that has a dangerous glint to it.]

How about we play a game?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You set the prices! This is your fault!

[takes off her shoe and CHUCKS IT AT THE STATUE]

[She shrugs.] I wanted to run a game and it needed to be a challenge. It'd have been pointless otherwise.

[And since the shoe was going for the statue, she doesn't really pay it any mind.]

[the next shoe is aimed for her back]

[It gets caught in a hold of magical energy, of dark reds, black, and blue.]

[Then tossed away.]

[throws a wadded-up bloody sock next]

[That gets caught.]

[And thrown back at her.]

[just lets it bounce off her, she has so much blood all over her already]

Look, now you literally have my blood on your hands! There's a freebie phrase to work over since that's poem's I guess too high-level for you?

And clearly the blood loss is making your intelligence plummet if you think that's the problem.

If my guesses are wrong, that's not a matter of my intelligence. That's your fault too when you're the one keeping things to yourself. You wanted to run a trial? Why?

Edited 2020-04-18 03:53 (UTC)

The poem is a reference to Hearth's Warming Eve. Even without cultural knowledge, it's not a hard thing to figure out it's referring to a peace of some form.

If you make a guess that inane, then it is a matter of your intelligence. Someone who goes purple in response to two plus two is an idiot.

Because I wanted to run an experiment.

"Some form" still isn't an answer. That's going "it's 2+2 so it has to be a number." Do you know how the poem ends or not? Why is this gross hall still up? You just like looking at it? What did you have to experiment that you couldn't ask people? Was it a fun game seeing us almost die? Do you know your experiment meets zero academic or professional standards and provides no statistical data? Are you going to apologize? Are you going to take responsibility?

2 plus 2 is a number is less of an inane answer. Its the realm of possibility, so not completely stupid.

I know how it ends.

You're all still here, probably, and these are based on Equestrian ruins and less gross then bones.

People would lie.

A proper sample size is lacking in the Aurora no matter what, but I was given interesting data.

No.

Make me.

Recite it.

You're the trial runner, if you don't want us here, provide us with the exit.

I have never lied to you.

It's not data, it's collected under duress in an unreplicable and impractical situation. It's barely anecdotal.

You should.

I already told you. Its Hearth's Warming Eve. There are history books in the library if you want the whole story.

There's the front gates. [Which may not have been opened if not locked, but sure, open now.]

You lied to me when we first met. The words may not have been untrue, but smiles are an exceptionally common lie.

Duress is a necessary part of what I wanted to know.

I'm not.

... That was a month ago. Of everything else I've done then and since, does that justify doing this to me?

All of you seem to think I targetted you as individuals. I made scenarios. Who got hurt were decisions you made. I didn't decide to hurt someone or protect someone specifically, not that there's much difference.

I never said I was justified anyway. I wanted to know something. I saw no reason not to pursue my one avenue of study.

[She's extremely apathetic in her response.]

Did you get your answers?

I'll have to think it over. I have the data, now I have to interpret it.

[going a little unfocused. fury is invigorating, but with that fading it's harder to keep up and conscious.

dips her fingers into her own blood and starts drawing a circle around herself]

What was your hypothesis?

I already know your thoughts and they're self contradictory.

[And she finally glanced at Eliza, and lifts a hands.]

[The stone work under Eliza suddenly cracks and crumbles into loose stone and Solar pulls it out from under her, along with the bits of the circle, tossing it away.]

The trial is over. Any injuries you receive after this point won't be healed.

[she shrieks in alarm and scrambles backwards away from the cracking stone ad quickly as she can dragging her leg]

I was drawing a beginner’s ward!

I don't believe you.

Or care, really. [She shrugs and then rakes her claws over the inscription.]

I-If I was going to do something, I'd be a wolf. I'd have my dragons. They want to tear you apart.

[still pushing herself away, arms shaking]

I don't know you, you're not Solar Flare. You're as bad as that snake.

You'd have to rebuild them if they tried.

Of course I'm Solar Flare. I'm surprised you're struggling to accept that. You were the one who accused me of harming entire communities when I wanted to help and utterly damning the person.

If I'm so harmful on accident, it should be a relief that I'm just straight forward about it now. [Shrugging her shoulders and clawing the inscription again.] Now it happens because I want something, not because I think someone needs help. Far easier to predict and get out of the way.

Whatever our disagreements were, Solar Flare had good intentions.

You are a sociopath.

Re: ENDGAME

daydreamshimmer - 2020-04-20 20:33 (UTC) - Expand

bowtiedbones - 2020-04-20 20:37 (UTC) - Expand

daydreamshimmer - 2020-04-23 01:54 (UTC) - Expand