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I'm fine enough. It sounded like you'd been really busy last month, I simply wanted to know if you might be well. As well as can be considered.

[ he's not exactly totally in-tune with believers, that's invasive. he hears prayers, he feels faith and worship. she had prayed to him with the deep hope and fear that her friend would be safe and all right back in their world; he doesn't need to know entirely her thoughts to know that loss must still wound.

he thinks of morax, here and gone twice. ]

Did you run into any further problems or revelations with truths or lies?

Almost got stabbed again, because I messed up and didn't track how long it'd been since my last drink of water. But other than that, no. Nothing of note and nothing that'll help any of us. So.

I'm well enough. Fine as one can be, knowing it's not going to be long until we're all set to murdering each other again. Or whatever it's going to be. You've heard about it right? That the next excursion is going to be bad?

Let's hope and strive for fewer stabbings in your life, Clarke. [ because. seriously. that's concerning...!!! ]

And I've heard, yes. The fact that this excursion even has a warning and that the Battle Royale didn't is worrying because that was definitely bad enough. I don't actually want to consider what could be worse, though I've asked a few people what it might be. So Well, how about you? If you had a guess, what would be worse than the Battle Royale for you, the trial of that sadistic game?

( one could say she quite literally lives life on the knifes edge.

and boy does she have ideas. slogging through the dregs of humanity's atrocities in what feels like a past life has colored clarke's assumptions about what torment and pain are meant to look like. some had zero traction when looking at the captain's preference for making them do things to themselves with minimal meddling on his part aside from setting the table, but they're all still horrifying ideas to dwell on. )

It could be a lot of things, right? We could be drugged, stripped of conscious thought and set on each other like animals with no moral restraints while later very aware of every little thing we'd done to hurt people while under the influence. Friday's picture board seemed like a desert, we could be left out there to sunburn and die of dehydration. Maybe there's an oasis that won't sustain everyone, and we have to turn some people out, and still just be left there to starve. We could be lined up single file and forced to watch as everyone in front of us is killed in some horrific fashion. The key to our salvation could be stuck in one persons body and we have to eviscerate them to get it. We could be bombed and suffer the radioactive fallout, it wouldn't be immediate for anyone outside the blast radius, but it would hurt. The captain may just think it's funny to make us dread death and nothing would happen at all. Or it could be killer clowns.

I don't know enough about old movies and books to really guess. What'd the other people you asked say about it?

[ and what an edge that is...

wow clarke really has put some thought into this. it's impressive, as opposed to venti who is considerably more passive and maybe didn't quite put much creative pondering into what exactly the game could be at all, simply asking others instead. it's the case that he'd be more curious to what others think than his own ideas anyway. like an echo, a mirror. a bard would rather sing about others than himself, or so it could be. ]

Mr Maximilien wondered if it might build upon the truth and lies with water, if we learn secrets about one another and are given an opportunity to exploit them. Mizuki said that Jenny mentioned "unanimously voting for a sacrifice, including the sacrifice" and speculated that the sacrifice or punishment could be worse than simply dying. For instance, losing our memories. The fact that Friday and the Captain apparently know "everything" about us means they could prey on our fears, probably our deepest fears. Your predictions are really substantial too. And... graphic, but we probably can't rule anything out. I suppose the problem is we have some prior warning that this will be "bad" but that's all the warning we have and it's difficult to try to prepare for something like that. Maybe the only thing we can do so far is to try to mentally prepare for the worst? Or simply not sign up if it's an excursion but I can already guess that's a goal doomed to fail.

( so many options, so much suffering to go around...

there's a flicker of thought in the lightbulb that makes up clarke's head; something that had seemed weird at the time, been catalogued away and suddenly reawoken and shoved center stage to be examined. )

There wasn't even a sign up sheet, was there? Just that silly little collage by Friday's desk...

( no sheet, a fore-warning... — everything's different this time around, and that fact is so deeply disconcerting. )

I think Mizuki's is the most likely.

The water thing was a mistake on his part, and I think he'd look at it more as a speedbump in the way of progress than any sort of opportunity to mess with us. We know the Captain's an uninspired hack who doesn't see us as anything more than fuel; why would he waste the energy on picking at each of our deepest fears. We know he has multiple pockets of reality based off old-world pop culture, and most stories have some element of sacrifice, right? We know he's lazy on top of it all, and that's the only one we have substantiated proof he's done before.

So, no. He'd do whatever he's done before that worked for him.

[ h m m clarke has a point. ] You might be right, maybe he's not sadistic or creative enough to put in the effort to fine-tune punishments to be our worst fears Or, let's hope not. So perhaps this would be based off a story or scenario or book set in the desert, with machines and a restaurant [ he. does not know what a car is. he's from a fantasy canon!! ]

I could investigate the library for any books that might fit that setting Though I wonder if that "Battle Royale" book was even in the library prior to that Battle Royale excursion?

Who's to say if it was? Not like any of us know what we're looking for beforehand, it's mostly hindsight at this point.

Natsuno and I have been reading through the library for more than a month, you're welcome to join us in that. More eyes the merrier, none that I've pulled featured deserts yet so.

I might just do that. Besides that though, there's something else I think might be a small benefit for you to know. I did talk to someone under the truth spell with water. [ g u e s s who it might be. ]

( so long as he doesn't mean ebalon she'll be happy. )

Oh yeah? Who?

[ prepare to be unhappy. maybe. ]

It was Ebalon. I wasn't actually trying to confirm pacifism/cooperation with him, but he admitted freely to me that he's not intending to be violent with others again, unless provoked with violence himself. I don't know why the two of you fought and you don't have to tell me. You don't have to trust or be close allies with him or anything, but it'd be worth keeping this in mind. He seems sincere with this.

( LOUD INTERNAL GRUMBLING. externally: )

Hm.

"Intention" only gets you so far, though. Habit, instinct, and desperation will win out every time. I'll believe that sincerity when I see it in the face of another Battle Royale situation.

Intent only gets you so far, but it counts for more than nothing. I don't suppose we can say with complete certainty what we would do in a drastic situation, but maybe that's why Miss Friday encouraged us to try to cooperate. Do you know, actually, who wrote that letter that I sent out months ago?

( oh does she ever — )

Ebalon.

That's correct. Why do you suppose he would do that?

( to cover his own ass.

to lure the masses into complacency.

to diminish his role in the on screen torture they'd all watched not that long before publication of the letter.

to appease mizuki. or for mizuki — that's the only motivator for ebalon's actions she's relatively sure of.

to play the good guy.

just to hear himself talk.

...the options are many, wide and varied, from the perspective someone who hates and thinks the absolute least of the man. but — )

Because we all want to get out of here, and most of us believe Friday's insistence that we're a special set, and maybe could so long as we work together.

[ well it's not as if he can say with certainty what ebalon thought, he's not the guy. and he'd pretty much held the same speculation as clarke did. and he's not taking ebalon at face value but having him agree to truth or write a letter not only takes effort, but is something of a commitment and a paper trail. it counts for something. ]

And do you agree? With that reasoning, or with that letter.

I don't disagree with either. It's always easier to handle crises as a group; a whole, united front. And yeah, in-fighting would be a barricade to progress.

But I don't trust the former to happen, or be sustainable if it does. And can't seeing the latter being avoided. It's not human nature, Venti; hardship fractures more often than it heals.

I can understand that much. It may be that there's trust that can't be recovered from that Battle Royale, no matter what happens. Still Do you think it's worth at least trying to heal through that hardship or to cooperate? However difficult it might be, even small efforts.

Edited 2022-08-26 04:55 (UTC)

( ... )

It's always worth trying to do better.

( just. not with ebalon. or at least there, it doesn't seem worth it much at all. )

I have better things to do right now than try to sit down and make nice with Ebalon. So long as he doesn't hurt anymore of my friends, I have no interest in fighting him again. Can we call that a start?

Of course. It's not as if I'm trying to uphold him as some deeply repentant new pacifist or anything. I just thought this is worth considering for you. That, and I don't want you to be hurt again. He's very powerful. If he really wanted to hurt you or other people again, I imagine it'd be very easy for him to do so.

( pffft. the sardonic probably doesn't translate well via text but it's there. )

Almost everyone here's more powerful than I am, Venti. I'm past the point where that scares me enough to be a deterrent.

But I appreciate your concern. ( it's way easier to swallow than any of ebalon's lacking apologies. )

I'm sure you've made friends or allies with quite a few impressive people yourself. Me included, if you ever might need to call for me. He's powerful, but of course there's more to power than sheer magic.

[ anyway he can't help but be concerned for his... follower. yep. yeah. ]

I hope for you to be well, whatever happens.

( she has natsuno, at least. and realistically, ask if she'd take the entirety of the ship or him in her corner, it'd be an easy choice. )

I am never going to ask you to fight Ebalon with or for me.

( doesn't want to do that to mizuki. doesn't want to put venti in that position. honestly feels like she shouldn't even be talking to him about that, but the message already sent and asdfghj. )

Whatever happens, I'll be fine. Promise. Always am in the end.

And I hope the same for you.

[ that...... wasn't what he meant to imply, just a reassurance that power wasn't just limited to what she was physically capable of. but he does reread and yeah, he can see maybe it would be an odd thing to say right after talking about ebalon.

he recalls what she'd told him in prayer. she didn't fight ebalon for him, he wouldn't presume that at all. it'd sure be nice to think this could be an end of conflict between them but, well, maybe all anyone could do is just... try.

he just sends an emote in parting. there won't be casual conversation between them, he supposes. ] 🕊

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