DEAD 03

[thecomputer]

[Welcome, Zolf!]

[You regain consciousness in a waiting room of some sort. Something is clearly odd - your entire body is slightly transparent, and everything you were carrying with you aside from your clothes is gone. On the plus side, you seem to be impervious to all harm.]

[There is an end table with two stacks of papers. One is a large area to write in (there is a small assortment of pens next to this), and the other all bear the same message:]

Congratulations! You have died.

Please wait in this area until such time as the exercise is terminated. At that time, you will be transferred to your appropriate afterlife. If you were assigned a Communist role, rest easy knowing that any ultimatum given as part of your motivation was false.

If you have any questions, please shout them into the air, and a representative will get back to you within 5-100,000 business days. If you have any final messages for the living, please write them on form B and submit it into the slot in the south wall. Delivery is not guaranteed.

[Sure enough, there’s a slot. In addition, a hallway connects this room with a much larger room, not unlike a movie theatre. A large screen on the far wall shows various events back in the facility as they unfold in real time. A side alcove provides slightly transparent popcorn and a water cooler, although hunger, thirst and exhaustion don’t seem to exist here.]

Comments

[alchemicals]

Are you serious.

[Oh my god.]

You set up a contingency plan, in the event that I was a communist.

[ossifragant]

I wasn't going to go into the game trusting you of all people.

Me dying without knowing put things up in the air, but the trial made it clear which side you were on.

[alchemicals]

...Answer something for me?

[ossifragant]

Of course.

[alchemicals]

[He actually hesitates for a moment before he goes to ask; there's not really much of a way to word this that isn't conveying some sort of sense of "that was fucked up, it fucked me up", but he's going to try to do this without it being too much of a trainwreck.]

Did you know they were gunning for one of you? The night you died.

[ossifragant]

[He shakes his head.]

They must have seen Clay acting suspiciously right off the bat and scanned him; I tried to tell him to keep his mouth shut. Obviously I wasn't quick enough.

To be honest, I was expecting to wake up to Yomiel dead.

....but I knew it would be me to die first of my partner and I. It was just a matter of time.

[alchemicals]

Like I said, I was protecting Yomiel almost from the start. If it were me, he would have been first against the wall after that trial.

[ossifragant]

I don't know how the vote works, but it has to mean at least three of the five wanted Clay out of the way.

I don't know why-- he's useless. The Scanner must have heard him yammering about communists and assumed he had an important role, it turned up positive because he was my partner, and they assumed he was one of the roles that wasn't "this idiot's life is connected to some other idiot's life."

So far they're not exactly movers and shakers.

[alchemicals]

That's what we were suspecting, too - they went after Puppington, hit you instead.

Hopefully you're not still wondering why I was pissed off.

[ossifragant]

I think I have an idea.

[.....]

It's a good thing you didn't go after him. You and Yomiel. I don't need people getting revenge on my behalf when there are bigger problems.

[alchemicals]

I heard Yomiel going after him; I just couldn't be fucked to join him at the time. If I had, Puppington would have been dead several times over.

[ossifragant]

[He really doesn't know how to take this.

He understands it more from Yomiel than Kimbley, truthfully.]

You would have joined me a hell of a lot sooner than you did as it is.

[Greed shifts, running a hand through his hair.]

I don't get you.

[alchemicals]

[...Well, that's...a thing, isn't it.]

How so?

[ossifragant]

Your big problem is that you don't know how to make up your mind, isn't it?

[It's said a lot more patiently than the wording would imply.

Greed isn't a very patient man, but he's going to have to be to deal with all of this while the remaining people are busy killing each other.]

[alchemicals]

So do you want to try again and actually tell me what the hell you're getting at this time? I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

[That patience doesn't seem to be rubbing off.]

[ossifragant]

You getting all upset on my behalf because one of your allies was mowed down pisses me off a little, that's all.

Maybe you should have thought about that the first time when you brought the military to the Nest and mowed down all of your allies.

[alchemicals]

That was different!

[The words are sharp; he can hear his volume rising, but he can't say he really wants to put much of a stop to it.]

You want to hate me for that? Fine. I professionally and categorically don't care, because you hating me isn't my damn problem! Just make up your damn mind about it already!

[ossifragant]

Maybe if you weren't such a piece of shit, I--

[And then. That happens.]

What... what the hell?!

1/3

[alchemicals]

[...okay look the anger train is moving a bit too fast for him to put the brakes on it all at once - ]

Loyalty Officer, right?!

[alchemicals]

[...

Ah. Well, that's. Um.

...holy shit.]

[alchemicals]

...I'm claiming first punch on Himemiya's face.

[ossifragant]

[And just like that, his anger melts away.]

Be my guest.

[alchemicals]

[WELL THAT'S GOOD BECAUSE HOLY SHIT HE IS PRACTICALLY VIBRATING OVER HERE

WERE WE MAD A FEW SECONDS AGO BECAUSE]

That bitch was staying in my room; trust me, I'd fight you for the honors if you argued me on it.

[ossifragant]

[Were we fighting?

He can't remember. Holy shit this is exciting.]

You can go right ahead. I'm not taking this from you.

[alchemicals]

If they keep this up I may have to change my mind about not giving a shit who wins.

[...the amount of vibrating he has going on already probably implies more than he wants it to regarding his thoughts on that, but WHO CARES

he's just going to be over here twitching if you don't mind

kind of running his fingers lightly over his palms as well, over those arrays he's got

he is so stoked]