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auroraexpress2019-01-26 04:04 pm
hot_mess_express) wrote in auroraexpress2019-01-26 04:04 pm
The Fourth Trial
Who: Heroes
When: Day 9, Midday
Where: The Dragon's Tower
Come hither, Heroes. Prove thy worth.
The earth rumbles beneath your feet with a mighty roar. This time a crumbling stone tower looms above you, unscalable and unbreachable. At the top of the tower is a single window with a single light, beckoning. The only entrance at the base is an arched wooden door which creaks in protest when you open it.
Upon entering the tower you will find yourself in a large room with high walls constructed of dark, uneven brick stone. The ceiling is so high that you cannot see anything but darkness as torches lining the walls serve as the only source of light. The room itself is achingly cold. It’s reminiscent of a dungeon… or a treasure room.
But the only treasure to be found lies in the middle of the room; a small pile of seven bracelets, each one inlaid with a beautiful jewel corresponding to each team’s color. It may be fairly obvious, but just in case anyone is slow on the uptake:
“What is it that you treasure in this world? What are you willing to give up? Until you can decide that much, you will not be allowed to leave this room. It matters not to me if you rot in here.
However, I will tell you this much; should you decide who among you is most precious, only they may bear the weight of your altruism.”
Mingle | Pre-Game Rules | Hostages | Rooms | Endgame
When: Day 9, Midday
Where: The Dragon's Tower
Come hither, Heroes. Prove thy worth.
The earth rumbles beneath your feet with a mighty roar. This time a crumbling stone tower looms above you, unscalable and unbreachable. At the top of the tower is a single window with a single light, beckoning. The only entrance at the base is an arched wooden door which creaks in protest when you open it.
Upon entering the tower you will find yourself in a large room with high walls constructed of dark, uneven brick stone. The ceiling is so high that you cannot see anything but darkness as torches lining the walls serve as the only source of light. The room itself is achingly cold. It’s reminiscent of a dungeon… or a treasure room.
But the only treasure to be found lies in the middle of the room; a small pile of seven bracelets, each one inlaid with a beautiful jewel corresponding to each team’s color. It may be fairly obvious, but just in case anyone is slow on the uptake:
“What is it that you treasure in this world? What are you willing to give up? Until you can decide that much, you will not be allowed to leave this room. It matters not to me if you rot in here.
However, I will tell you this much; should you decide who among you is most precious, only they may bear the weight of your altruism.”
Mingle | Pre-Game Rules | Hostages | Rooms | Endgame
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[ it's an eerily good mimicry, the inflection spot on for the dragon's voice aside from the words she emphasizes. ]
What part of that phrasing made you think they would be satisfied with you selfishly choosing to inflict more suffering on someone than they'd been led to expect?
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But there's something chilling about the way she says it that has him pausing. ]
None of these trials have given me any reason to believe in altruism here. So, I sacrificed one of them instead.
[ In less words... he just didn't care. Reason and all of that fancy bullshit don't work. ]
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So, you sacrificed someone I liked. And I paid for it, regardless.
[ exhaling roughly, but it doesn't really sound pained at all— satisfied, if anything. like she'd finally been able to make up her mind about something bothering her.
the temperature drops a little further, and at the same time the air goes absolutely thick with static. ]
Maybe I shouldn't be surprised...? But... mm. That puts you in debt.
[ she flexes her fingers again, idly—with no flinch at all this time— and then lashes out, grabbing for his wrists completely heedless of the injuries to her own. ]
no subject
Of course you shouldn't be surprised. [ Is what he gets out, sounding more offended than anything—he briefly tries to tug his wrists back, but ends up holding completely still.
Standing his ground... while crouched? He's curling his fingers into fists, but it's not like that does anything more than ... just that. ] Debt. You can think I owe anything, if you want—it's not going to change anything.
[ What are you going to do, stab me?? ]
no subject
[ no, she's just going to try to crush his wrists. ]
no subject
But his knuckles are going white and if you were to pry his fingers off of his palms, there would be clear indents in his skin where his nails are digging into his skin.
Because damn it, it hurts. His voice is strained, since he's grinding his teeth so hard. There's a crack in his wrists, but he's not breaking eye contact. ]
I expected revenge.
[ Just not from you??? Why aren't you charmed by him stabbing a guy in the ribs to get you out of some hot water. ]
no subject
cute, though. as entertaining as begging might be, it's satisfying in its own way that he's accepting what she's doing in such a steady way. she'd liked him, after all— still likes him...? anyway, it would be disappointing if he just folded. ]
Then you shouldn't be surprised.
[ she keeps tightening her grip, easily— her hands are freezing, at least. enough to sort of take the edge off of the pain. not that that does much when she abruptly yanks him sideways, trying to knock him over. ]
no subject
And there he goes, face into the dirt. ]
You're—hiding something interesting in there.
[ He's not caving, but he's also not... suited for this. He's had to learn how to fight stealthily and quickly, to the point. As a child, fighting face to face was easier. The darker your life becomes, the less chance there is of that. There wasn't ever a chance for that here.
He could maybe escape, but he's not afraid, so he's... not escaping. The thought doesn't even come to him. He's spitting dirt out—and then, with a huff, he's whacking her in the face with a wing. It's not that hard, but look. This is an annoying revenge. ]
If you don't want this sort of thing to happen, what do you think you should do about it?
[ Why;s he like this.... why's he taunting her now.......... probably because he's starting to get confused, but. ]
no subject
that is to say enjoy that shock, just to add insult to injury. it's relatively minor, but the build-up doesn't go anywhere; just flickers in and out of visibility in little blue-white arcs of electricity as she rattles out another of those fraying low grumbles in annoyance. ]
...I wasn't thinking that far, to be honest. I suppose I should.
[ dropping herself on him
her considerably heavier than she used to be self, what the fuck. if she'd weighed about as much as a cat before, now it's closer to brick wall. ]
no subject
Right. [ He's struggling to say that. There's a brick wall forcing the air out of his lungs—there's probably a terrible sounding crack in him somewhere, but. No, he's not afraid. Not yet. ] You should. If you feel that strongly about something, you have to do something about it.
[ It's... encouraging? He's not sure what he's encouraging here, or if he should. But it doesn't matter. That's his take on life, so he can't fault anyone else for it.
The electricity is still smarting, and he's pretty sure some of his feathers are far too numb for comfort. ]
...I want to, [ a pause, coughing. IT'S SO HARD TO BE SNAPPY WHEN IT'S HARD TO BREATHE AND EVERYTHING HURTS. ] ask about your sudden—change. But that's... [ quieter, still sassy: ] rude, isn't it?
no subject
A little, but it isn't as though I haven't earned it.
[ she says it like it's a joke, half-laughing and almost casual despite the fact that she's literally crushing him to death. though that weight does ease up, just a fraction— not enough to let him move, or even do much to catch his breath, but enough that nothing else is going to break quite yet. maybe it's a little cliched, but letting him have an explanation feels fair. ]
But— you know, I haven't really changed at all. I just... mm. Would you believe me if I said I wanted to do this the first time I looked at you? All that blood on your hands... but I was too busy trying to figure out what was going on to do the right thing about it. And then I thought it would be bad to cause that kind of trouble.
But now... I'm just too tired to keep talking myself out of it. That's all. So— if that's really how you feel, my apologies for taking so long.
no subject
[ Hm. To a point, he has hidden things. To another point, he has not. He's left himself various ins and outs from his own words, so that he can use them at will.
Still, that reeks of knowing a little too much. She doesn't have animal features—that he can see—but it's not not a possibility that she knows who he is that way.
Or there's something else. ]
Your discipline is... astounding. [ That's probably another compliment. He could defend himself, but he won't. There was a reason for his madness, but he won't speak it. It isn't justified, anyways, he's well aware of that. And defending himself with an explanation of I am this way because of how we were treated feels cheap. So, instead, he's just grinning at her.
Not maliciously or cruelly, not even mockingly. Just... listen, he's not a masochist in (most...) ways, but he can't argue against someone punishing someone else for what they believe in so strongly. With the last bit of air he has, he's huffing out a laugh and: ] It's not fun... if it's quick.
[ He stabbed a guy and then flirted with him, now he's being attacked by a girl and while he's not giving in per se, he's not angry about it.
If it wasn't so awfully lit and he wasn't like, in pain, he'd probably think she was cute?? ]