the end

[productions]

murder manor end



servants' wing

20 players alive.

[The walls of the servants' wing shudder and groan, but do not give out. Inside, the servants' wing is pitch dark, lit only by the glow of Kanaya's skin. Very slowly, the energy field flickers and vanishes, the great machine stops humming, the keypad goes dark, until it is simply a cold piece of metal.

It's difficult to tell what is going on; outside, it sounds as though a powerful storm is raging. The sound of heavy winds and crashes that could be thunder can be heard, and sometimes the walls themselves tremble as though in danger of giving out. Occasionally, bright flashes of light seem to light up the building for a moment, seeping in between cracks in the wall. It certainly sounds like a storm powerful enough to destroy the shack everyone is huddled in, but the building remains standing.

Inside, it is incredibly crowded. Twenty people, two dogs, a horse, and a dove are all sharing the space, not to mention the rodents, miniature panda, and Rin's lifeless body, and the space is only one room half taken up by a large machine. It is also gradually growing bitterly cold.

Gradually, the lost abilities and memories (including reunion memories) will return to everyone inside. The storm continues on for about a day; you'll have to wait it out.]

Comments

[motheringnation]

[Ukraine is just huddled up by herself. Listening to the storm rage and trying not to cry as she thinks of her sister.]

[vytis]

[Lithuania sits down beside Ukraine. He has Rin's laptop and Ruta in his lap, and he pets the dog absently. He hasn't allowed himself to really think more than superficially about Belarus's situation until now, because it's awful, and even having seen himself that empty shell and knowing she hadn't been in the theater with the rest he wanted to vote for her anyway.

He's done so many things wrong while he was here.]

I'm--Україна-- [He wants to apologize, but just saying "I'm sorry" isn't enough. Instead he twists enough to hug her.]

[motheringnation]

[She let's herself be hugged for once and just leans into his hug. Tears starting to run down her face.]

How could I just leave her there?....

[vytis]

There wasn't anything you could have done.

[He feels like he should have been able to do something, though. Just--not tell anyone Belarus was a special target, or maybe convince everyone at the end to vote for her anyway, somehow. Lithuania had known Belarus for so long. He shared a border with her, had lived in the same house as her on a few separate instances, and it was no secret he'd been especially fond of her.

He knows it pales in comparison to what Ukraine must be feeling. He can even find it in him to feel bad for Russia, when he finds out.]

I'm sorry I couldn't do more.

[motheringnation]

I'm her big sister though...

[She tries not to think of Belarus when she was a child, because that makes it so much worse.]

I....

How am I going to tell brother what happened?

[vytis]

[Lithuania hugs her tighter. He doesn't say anything--he can't say anything. He doesn't know how; he has no idea. The closest he can put himself into her situation is the fear he had that he might have lost Latvia, especially when sacrificing him had been thrown about in favor of a few of the younger victims. But it hadn't happened, and Latvia was fine, and they weren't really siblings, and this--

He doesn't know.]

Maybe-- [He hesitates, because wild hope feels awkward in his mouth.] Maybe she's--gone ahead. She wasn't there at all, and they had to put a doll in her place, and--

[He's trying, but it's awkward, and the awkwardness is obvious.]

[motheringnation]

I hope...

[She tries to hope...]

Maybe....I don't know....

[vytis]

To kill one of us [and he refers now specifically to their region of the world] it would take more than this, right?

[motheringnation]

....it should be...harder then this....

[There's something close to hope in her voice.]

And if her people are fine....then maybe...

[vytis]

Her people must be fine. [He can't imagine any other circumstance.] The Republic of Belarus still exists.

[Therefore, so must Belarus herself.]

[notyetlost]

[Poland and Belarus had more than their fair share of bitter disagreements over the centuries... they didn't get along in really any sense of the word. She'd love what he hated. She'd hate what he loved. She scowled when he would smile and she'd smile when he would scowl. They were complete opposites in almost every conceivable way.

But he'd known her since she was little. She had spent all those years living in his house, under his rule. Even when everything collapsed under him he was still bound to Belarus and her siblings with slavic blood. He was always loathe to call them family, but in a sense...

Now she was lost and it actually hurts more than he could have ever anticipated it would.

He finds himself hoping that when they get home maybe he'll have one last thing to fight with her over; which one of them gets to be called the Phoenix of Eastern Europe. He thinks if he got to see her scowling face again he'd give it up in a heartbeat.]

... [Poland looks to Ukraine. Whatever he was feeling had to have been a thousand times more terrible, a thousand times more heartbreaking for her.]

[motheringnation]

[Ukraine is not looking good, she's red eyed and trying to be quiet because trapped in a small room. She glances up after noticing Poland looking at her and attempts a small smile but fails...]

....I'm ....so tired of being stuck in a room....

[notyetlost]

I know. [Poland leans in closer to her, tipping his head in a way that leaves the crook of his neck available to Ukraine if she'd like to rest against it.]

We'll... [He'd say 'be home soon,' but he doesn't know that and Ukraine's been disappointed enough. He doesn't need to thoughtlessly add to it.]

Something will happen eventually.

[motheringnation]

[She does indeed, and does so.]

I hope. I'm tired of sitting around and waiting.

[notyetlost]

I... [The words tumble out and Poland's unable to stop them.] I can tell Russia, if you want.

Or with you.

Whatever you want.

[motheringnation]

[She sniffs and then shakes her head.]

N...no.

Thank you but....if he's going to blame anyone, it should be me.

[On top of losing her sister, she'll also be handing her unstable brother something else to use against her. Even if she just sees it as just blame.]

[notyetlost]

He shouldn't blame you. It's not your fault.

If he needs to hate someone, it's just easier if it's me.

[balzams]

[Latvia can't bring himself to say anything, even though the subject hands heavy in the air.

It was odd, in all the years he'd known her he'd found her intimidating and kept his distance from her but in just a few short weeks they'd grown surprisingly close. On waking up in the theatre and regaining his memories he'd been eager to talk to her about the things that had happened but Belarus was no where to be found. Seeing her lifeless body was more painful than he would have liked to admit.

So he can't even imagine how hard this must be for Ukraine who had been close to her all these centuries. He sits next to her and something comes falling out with the rest of his tears]

I-I'm so sorry...

I wish [sob] I wish I could have done something for her.