day two - aftermath

[guestcontrol]

dreamland day two 38 players remaining. As the voting period comes to an end, a bell goes off from the ticket machine, and the metal bars blocking the tunnel at the end of the Hall of Mirrors lifts. A voice speaks over the loudspeaker: "Attention, guests! Please make your way onto the ride! For your safety, keep your hands and arms inside and do not attempt to leave your seat!" Through the tunnel, single cars on a track stop and wait for each remaining player to step on. Don't dawdle, or your bracelet will begin to beep a warning. Once in a car, the safety bar locks you tightly inside, unable to move. The car trundles along a dark, twisting track, nearly veering into cartoonish obstacles, but veering away at the last moment. Music and cackling laughter echoes loudly through the ride as you drive faster and faster. Suddenly, your car veers off to the left, through a courtroom, where a towering cartoon judge threatens to bang a gavel. Your car jerks and evades, but somewhere, before one car can pass, the gavel comes down and the car spins off to the side, through a dark doorway. Each car comes to the end of the ride, but doesn't stop, and instead jerks into motion and, even faster, veers through the ride a second time. This time, your car does not enter the courtroom, but the doors to your left nonetheless open, showing instead of a courtroom a red room burning with cartoon flames. Above the flames hangs a corpse in a noose. The body of Levi hangs from a white rope noose, as a cackling voices pronounces: Innocent The ride turns away once more, and comes to a stop. A list of votes has been pinned on the wall for your perusal. You now have the rest of the evening to explore the park, before night comes again. character statuses private conversations graveyard This is a general post-vote mingle encompassing the time from the end of the trial (about 5 PM until the fireworks at 11 PM). You are encouraged and welcome to backtag discussions in this post until the next day post, or to have afternoon private conversations.

Comments

[poyoyon]

Allllllll right! Forgive Ibuki for not having any instruments! This one can go out to Fuyuhiko-chan, too! She will do her best without them!

[ Sans instruments, basically...wow... ]

[siggey]

I don't just wanna find out who're the VIPs. I want to know why they're doing it. What makes them lie to us under broad daylight, what's so high at stake that they HAVE to give it their all and keep playing no matter how many more people die.

[ I know I've voted no one, and I don't regret it. But I do I probably can't keep this up forever, if things keep going the way they have... ]

[siggey]

They do it because they have to. I still think it's possible to end this if both sides work together. The VIPs choose the same target that the medical team will cover, they keys stop being used, and no executions during trials. That way, we can end this once the VIPs have converted enough people, and no one would have to die again.

But that's an ideal. Mistrust runs too rampant, the note about Legion and Levi's claims probably only made it all worse. And what happened to Sakaki... They didn't have to do that. The Detonator, too...

[photonement]

The VIPs had no reason to think the medical team would protect Ishtar! Or Kuzuryuu! If they're really racking their brains to come up with the way to go about this losing as few lives as possible, this isn't it! They didn't even have access to the information that those guys lacked buddies, either. Maybe Kuzuryuu let that slip to one of my friends or something, but Ishtar? He didn't have friends here, or time to tell anybody!

Somebody got a key from the detonator and thought that too. So even if the VIPs are completely forced by the worst kind of mind control to play this game with all their hearts - because we know for sure that in practice they're trying as hard as they can TO KILL US - somebody else wants to put more people in danger too!

[siggey]

Obviously, they can't read minds. Which is why if we can all agree to that idea, it has to be publicly discussed during trials so everyone becomes aware. The VIPs aren't sure, just like how the medical team can't be sure. ...Except last night, I guess, but still, a plan like that can't coordinate itself.

[ She's right... ]

Yeah. The detonator giving out keys and people dying from that doesn't make anyone want to trust others more. With suspicious leads and trying to communicate with a dog, no wonder we've been screwing ourselves over so hard.

[ I sigh, and with a shake of my head, turns to look at her more fully. We're all tired, I'm not the only one. ]

Sorry. Guess I'm just venting out loud, at this point. What're you going to do now, Mahiru?

[photonement]

[In all seriousness:] My best, what else?

[She looks up at him in turn.] I can't say I'll play to win because then I'll just end up like Levi... or voting for people like Levi... and that's the worst thing I can imagine. Orchestrating the deaths of other people by myself, without at least having group backup, is just impossible for me. But I don't have any delusions about all of us getting out alive either... that's what the sudden death round is there to prevent. I don't want to close my eyes except to get a good night's sleep.

I want to see what happens next. There has to be a deeper mystery. Why we were brought here and can't remember.

[perfectstrike]

[She isn't terribly familiar with the prayer itself, though she closes her eyes and bows her head, clasping both hands together like she might for one of the Buddhist or Shinto customs she's more familiar with. The steadiness of his voice is comforting, but she can't seem to stop crying.

When he looks over, she's finally taken her glasses off, holding them loosely in one hand while pressing his handkerchief to her eyes with the other. There's a few quiet, gasping sobs, and even if she asked, she wouldn't be able to tell him just why. Maybe it's the finality of the thing.

She balls the handkerchief up in her hand and presses the back of her fist to her eyes, trying to take several deep, shuddering breaths to steady herself before extending her hand, holding out the crumpled handkerchief to try to prompt him to take it back.]

[perfectstrike]

[That's.

That's certainly something, Ibuki.

If nothing else, it seems to momentarily shock Peko out of her melancholy.

Though she doesn't know how to react, exactly. Is that... are her ears ringing from that...??]

[poyoyon]

Soooo?! What'd Peko-chan think?!

[ Hanging off of Peko again, tbh. Forever.

Maybe she will go sing you a lullaby tomorrow night???? ]

[perfectstrike]

[Ibuki why.]

...

[What... was her SHSL again...]

Mm.

[Just. Just a noncommittal hum as she cautiously lifts one hand to touch her ear, checking to make sure it's not bleeding.

At least she's not pushing Ibuki off though?? If anything, after a moment of stiffening, she relaxes and doesn't protest.]

[cheats]

[ He doesn't waver when she starts to cry, even though inwardly, there's more of a conflict than that. The only people he's ever truly seen cry have been Lizzy, but then others, like Madame Red, Joker, and Doll... Though the latter, he would prefer not to think about. He tries to associate these tears with Lizzy first.

He takes the handkerchief and tucks it away wordlessly, hesitates, then regards her evenly. His expression is serious, but there's a clear softness on his face. He's the kind of person that wants to present himself as the little nobleman, but there's still genuine warmth and concern underneath. ]

I know we're little more than strangers, but...

[ He looks to the side, shyly, but it's brief. He looks back to Peko before long. ]

I cannot do much, but should you need anything, I'll be here. So much as I can be, at least.

[poyoyon]

Ibuki can sing you something else, too, if you want!

[ run...

Ibuki doesn't seem inclined to let go, just leaning into the other girl and apparently fine with hanging out regardless of how little Peko is saying. ]

She...never got to sing for everyone.

[perfectstrike]

[She can't answer immediately; she doesn't trust her voice, just a few gasping breaths all that's really audible before his words really register.

Then she looks up at him, a little stunned to be offered something that seems like a kindness. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO HER, PEKO PEKOYAMA.]

I...

[She really doesn't know how to respond. She's already partially tried to thank him before so this?? Again?? But she has to get this out.]

You... shall have my assistance, as well. Should you require it, [she manages all in one breath, her hand pressed to her eyes again. Really impressive, Peko. You're so useful right now. She could scream.

But the offer is there, at least.]

[perfectstrike]

Perhaps... another time. You can sing for everyone here.

[No more... not tonight. Peko regrets letting Ibuki have that choice.

But she just kind of awkwardly lets her head rest against Ibuki's shoulder, then stiffens again. She opens her mouth as if she might say something -- but stops. Bites her lip. And just lets her head rest against the other girl's shoulder again.

Ibuki probably needs more hope fragments to get Peko to say what she was thinking about.]

[poyoyon]

Ibuki didn't mean everyone here.

[ Not that she doesn't like the people here. She does. Ibuki's always been fairly social and she has yet to talk to anyone she doesn't like (Kurapika in harassment mode aside).

But that wasn't the "everyone" she'd wanted to sing for. ]

Byakuya-chan, Teruteru-chan...Hajime-chan, Chiaki-chan, Akane-chan, Nekomaru-chan, Kazuichi-chan, Sonia-chan, Mikan-chan, Hiyoko-chan...Peko-chan, Gundam-chan, Mahiru-chan...

[ A pause. ]

Fuyuhiko-chan. Even Nagito-chan. Ibuki wanted to sing for everyone, you know?

[perfectstrike]

...I know.

[It's quiet, and if it were anyone but Ibuki, they might not have even heard her at all.

Peko curls in a little toward herself, taking a breath and gritting her teeth to keep from crying again. She doesn't... really have the heart to tell Ibuki that she'd never have gotten to sing for her or Koizumi on the island. And who knows who else...

She can't even try to say something comforting about how both Peko herself and Koizumi are here, so maybe Togami and Hanamura are okay too? Since she definitely doesn't want to tell Ibuki what she's missing.]

[poyoyon]

[ But if there's one thing the SHSL Light Music Club Member has...it's good ears. Even a whisper is something she can catch. Not that those ears have done her much good here, nor her memory for things she hears.

If she knew how many had died after the first two, Ibuki would break a little. Peko's wise to stay quiet. ]

Ibuki misses everyone, even though we didn't all get along that well.

[siggey]

[ She's really practical and sober for a girl her age. I wonder what she's seen too, to act so rationally about this... ]

...Yeah. I guess that's about as much as any of us can do. I've been wondering about that since this all began, too. What happens if the regular guests win? What happens if the VIPs win? And more importantly, is there no other option aside from those two?

[ Frankly, that bothered me the most. Are we seriously damned, to one or the other? ]

Maybe this 'game' is just a distraction to something else. But what...?

[photonement]

We shouldn't just wait it out, that's for sure! I can't promise I'll abstain from the votes ever again... but even more than I want to solve these real murder mysteries, we need to solve the true mystery. Whaddya call that... oh! The overarching mystery.

[cheats]

[ He understands that it's difficult, and he had half expected the offer to be rejected in a moment of emotion. It did feel like overstepping his bounds slightly, so he's glad that it's not only accepted, but accepted as well as it possibly could be, really. Ciel gives Peko a smile, and though his genuine smiles are always a bit dull and soft, the warmth at least carries easily. ]

Then it's my honor.

[ He bows his head respectfully, then when he straightens, looks back too the grave. ]

Though I've intruded long enough, probably. I'll give you time for yourself, Miss Pekoyama.

[chainjailer]

We can ask them that once we've cornered them. Right now, we don't have that kind of time. Each day we waste, more people are going to die. That includes me, and you.

But just because we've both been lucky so far, doesn't mean we shouldn't be trying to end this as soon as possible.

[perfectstrike]

[Maybe somehow noise will become really important and Ibuki will get to show off her listening prowess!!! Go Ibuki go!!!

But Peko just hums again, staying curled in and gripping at her opposite elbows until her knuckles turn white.]

Yes...

[She opens her mouth, as if she's going to continue; add something about how she's not sure what to do, or what Kuzuryuu would want her to do, or even how she's supposed to make her own decisions. But she just closes her mouth and shakes her head again, lapsing into silence. She has to protect her classmates now; they're the only thing she has left. And... it's what Kuzuryuu would want, isn't it? So she has to stay strong for them.]