it was a thousand to one and a million to two

[oasisrose]

[If Sunday was Easter, then Wednesday is Halloween. Not because we're going to be trick-or-treating -- although, if you want to dress up like a ghost, Jean certainly isn't going to stop you.

(Also, okay, yes. We're eating caramel apples as one of the featured treats. That's actually not related to the theme, that's just because Jean is a carnival girl.)

Given their circumstances, the dancing girl has invited the others to the Chapel for what's expected to be their final meeting. The room is lit up by candles, and decorated in black, orange and red. The trunk of clothing has been pulled out of the dark room to give everyone a chance to look through it. You can dress up like a fallen friend if you want, guys, but please keep it as tasteful as their fashion sense permits.

In fact, Jean herself is wearing the True Knight uniform that she got from the vending machine. In case someone didn't catch the drift about what she's trying to do here, that outfit should spell it out with all the grace and subtlety of a sledge hammer.

The location for their meeting is more than a little melodramatic, but as a performer she can appreciate building the right atmosphere for the situation. And in this case, the right atmosphere is one that's dark to the point of parody, where it's so serious that it wraps around and becomes silly again. If death would come and stare them in the face, why not laugh at it?

That being said, death is staring them in the face. Jean takes the pulpit first -- she won't be hogging it for the whole meeting, though, because everyone needs to try speaking from there. It's great. It will make you feel so important.]


Well, we all heard the announcement yesterday. Juri's decided to give us a final countdown until this is all over. More than that, he's given us a final choice... and I don't know about anyone else, but to me? It barely counts as a choice at all.

He says that if we don't act on Rule 7, then we'll be ending the game on his terms. But... I sincerely believe that no one left here wants to kill the others. Even now he's threatening us with a lack of options, isn't he? If we succumb to that, whose terms will this really be ending on?

I don't think we should leave things to chance, either. However things go on Friday, we need to be ready.

Comments

PLANNING FOR THE WORST

[oasisrose]

[But Jean steps down from the pulpit fairly quickly.]


First things first. I'm not sure how likely I think it is, but we have to be prepared for the fact that Juri might intend to kill us if no one beats him to the punch. It would be the most obvious meaning to his warning. And besides, I'm pretty sure that's the worst possible outcome. As long as we're prepared for that, we should be prepared for quite a few other things as well.

If he does take the offensive, he'll have to come to the dorms -- bringing the fight to us. [She starts unrolling a map she drew of the dorms area. It's fairly crude, but it'll get the job done.]

I think everyone should take time to pack up their spare weapons, tools, and most important belongings in case we need to vacate these dorms in a hurry. Everyone should try to get to sleep early on Thursday, so we can all be up... let's say, about an hour before the morning clock? We'll want to keep some food in our rooms for breakfast, too -- any ideas on what will keep?

As for when he arrives... if he arrives... [The confidence in her voice is starting to dip a bit. It doesn't sound like she has qualms about this, but more like she's not sure what call to make, who should be on the front lines. She's normally the team's muscle, not its strategist.]

Well, for one thing, we need two people watching the entrance, and some way they can signal the rest. They can let everyone know if things start going down, or give the all clear. That way, if people need to barricade themselves in their room for safety...

[If Fern is there, she'll be looking at her. Her stitches are probably still healing, right?]

[greenmamabear]

[Fern's wound is.... mostly healed. Her posture is a little stronger than last week. If she hadn't punched Ferid, she'd probably almost be to full health actually.

Physically at least.]

I'm good with something sharp and pointy. Little bit of weight to it. But I'd need just a little back-up if I was caught off-guard.

Maybe we could set up a rope or something along the halls? Someone could pull it from the entrance and make some kind of alarm.

[hentopan]

So let me get this straight: your entire plan, Buttercup, is for us all to melee with him? [ He looks so amused right now.

Then to Fern:]

You really don't have a weapon after all the fights you've gotten in?

[greenmamabear]

Been kinda avoiding sharp things for a bit honestly.

[hentopan]

[ He laughs.]

Wonder why~.

So that weapon you were telling me about, the kidney stone one or whatever, you never got that back here?

[greenmamabear]

Fraid not, as handy as that would've been.

I could probably make something in the workshop. Carve something sharp-ish.

[hentopan]

It would have been an interesting weapon to see.

You have experience in that sort of thing?

[greenmamabear]

Noooooope. I'm a "hitting things with a stick" girl and not a patchwork of many other skills.

[Although she did learn how to cut open a dead body in college.

[hentopan]

And waitress. [ He hasn't forgotten that.]

You're better off trading someone for a weapon, anything made of wood won't do shit against him.

[oasisrose]

No, Terumi. But if there's even a chance he'll be taking the offensive? We need to be ready to counter.

[hentopan]

Don't think he'd mind fighting all of us~.

[oasisrose]

Me neither. And that's the heart of the problem, isn't it?

That ability of his is going to make close combat far too risky, even for hand-to-hand experts like you and I. But we don't have a lot of options for longer range weapons. I mean... I have a lance, but I don't know who here could swing around something that unwieldy.

[hentopan]

Could offer it to Seaweed, she needs a weapon. [ Because that couldn't go badly.

The rest he is just going to ignore because he doesn't have an interest in discussing it.]

I've gotta say I'm surprised your idea doesn't involve trying to contact the ghosts, like Naoto-chan was so insistent on trying.

[greenmamabear]

I'd probably have to practice with it, but that could work for me.

[hentopan]

[ See perfect idea, what could possibly go wrong.]

[oasisrose]

Uh... are you sure? I mean, it certainly falls under the category of pointy sticks, but it's an exceptionally long one.

[greenmamabear]

Worse comes to worse, I'll just cut it in half.

[That's probably fine.]

[oasisrose]

... huh. Yeah, it shouldn't be too hard to cut down to size in the workshop.

And who knows? Maybe we can find some use for the extra length of handle, too. [Gotta make use of everything!]

[oasisrose]

Well, if you want to try, we're in a good spot for it. Ferid's board should be in his room, right?

But... to tell the truth, even though I brought it up before? Right now I feel like we have more pressing concerns.

[hentopan]

[ He just shrugs, he didn't really care about the ghosts one way or another. Eventually his grin returns, because it seems like the whole plan really is a battle royale.]

After everything, it's fun to see you suggesting violence as the answer~.

[oasisrose]

[She gives a big sigh.]

Sometimes... given the right problem, and the right occasion... violence can be a viable answer.

[There. She said it. Are you happy?]

[hentopan]

[ And of course, he laughs.]

Glad you're starting to see things the right way! [ And yup, he is happy to hear that, if his grin and tone weren't evident enough.]

[oasisrose]

[Thanks, Terumi. You're making her regret coming to terms with her violent side.]

Don't trip over yourself congratulating me. I would rather not fight him if things turn out different...

But if I see him attack any one of you on Friday? He's a dead man.

[And she has a look on her face like, "Yes, even you Terumi. Probably."]

[hentopan]

[ Man he's gonna have quite the story to tell when he gets back, because there's no doubt in his mind that he is. "And then people actually wanted to fight for me, without me even mind controlling them~. Freakin insane, huh?"]

Fighting him is fun though~.

[oasisrose]

[It's amazing what not going on a murder spree will do for your reputation.]

Does that mean you've tried it? [And then, with a hint of curiosity...] ... how good is he, outside of the execution area?

[hentopan]

[Go figure.]

I have. [Would do again, actually.] He's not bad, better than everyone else here if that's what you're asking.

[killedbyapig]

Melee's a good plan, but I reckon we need some ranged fighters. His little magic trick works when he's touching you; if we can kill him without touching him, we've got little to fear.

[bob doesn't own any costumes but he is wearing his crown at a suitably jaunty angle.]

[hentopan]

So you're not gonna try to tackle him? [ He might pay to see that honestly.]

[killedbyapig]

Gods, no. That'd be suicide.

I'm taking his head.

[hentopan]

You'd need a sword for that, do you have one?

He's pretty fast though~.

[killedbyapig]

Never really used swords. I'm more of an axe sort of man... I'll scrounge up weapons for the final battle in time, don't you worry.

And he won't be very fast once we're all done with him. I just want the head.

[oasisrose]

That's too far. Even if he attacks us, I strongly believe we should avoid killing him at almost any cost.

[And before this turns into another argument about ethics -- although don't tempt her -- she offers a more practical reason.]

We can't lose sight of our main objective here, which is to get everybody out safely. And I would bet you a thousand silver that if we picked every pocket he owns we wouldn't find a key to get out. He seems locked in here as much as we are.

[hentopan]

He left this week, didn't he? [ Totally not like Terumi bugs him a lot.]

[oasisrose]

Yeah, and I'm curious about where he went...

But I've gotten a strong impression that he's not here under his own power. Everything from what he's told me to... well, you've seen the things he fidgets with. Hasn't he seemed like someone trying to fight cabin fever?

[hentopan]

[ Terumi is too honestly, and his head tilt kind of shows it. He has nothing to add there though.]

Not necessarily. It's not like he hasn't enjoyed some of what's gone on here~.

He certainly has his hobbies.... [ Of building body doubles.]

[killedbyapig]

[SIGHS DRAMATICALLY]

Well, we'll kill him once we force him to get us out, then. Happy?

[oasisrose]

It's a start.

What about his boss, though? Shouldn't you be saving some of that bloodlust for the one who arranged all this?

[killedbyapig]

I've got bloodlust to spare! Don't you worry about that.

[hentopan]

Keheheheh.

If you really wanted to fight him that bad, you should have just asked him~.

[killedbyapig]

I'm not interested in fighting to get off on it, lad. [you know LIKE SOME PEOPLE HERE HE COULD MENTION] I want to kill him and mount his head on the wall, like a prize boar.

[hentopan]

[ He just grins.]

Hey, hey it's not like I don't prefer just straight up torturing and killing people. [ It's just that he values his own life more than that, and he's had to work with what he's got here.]

But if you think you can kill him with just a plain weapon, I'd like to see that.

[killedbyapig]

He's a man. A man with magic tricks, but a man. And there's no magic that can help you when your head's off.

[hentopan]

[...]

I'll look forward to you doing just that then, Kingey.

[oasisrose]

A rope, huh...

That might work. The music room could have something we can string on the end. [Like a chime, or a bell, or a crash cymbal.]

Failing that, we could always tie a ribbon to it, and watch for it moving.

[greenmamabear]

Maybe some silverware too, if we need to. Long as it jingles and jangles.

[oasisrose]

Ooh, that's a great idea! We should have a lot more silverware to work with than anything else, too, so long as Cilan doesn't mind what happens to the spoons.