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

[humanic]

[It's yet another horror piled up on top of the rest - what if they hadn't made it in time what if they'd pushed that button first what if they didn't and everyone died because of him - and for a moment, he can't breathe at all. It takes a dint of effort to remind himself that it's fine, everyone's fine, and he can't hide the shakiness in his voice no matter how hard he tries.]

I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd left. [It's mostly the truth; part of him wants to throw it in her face that Annie had nearly been the last to go through instead, and what would she have done then? But he knows even as he's thinking it that it's petty and cruel; he would have guarded that button zealously if it had been a friend trapped in there, but for someone he didn't know what well? He knows full well he likely would have been the one arguing to sacrifice them for the greater good.

The second part of her reply draws him up short though.]

...Annie did, really? [And now he looks like he wants to cry again, but for an entirely different reason.]

[speakveryclearly]

Yeah. [On the one hand, shame that she was so close to the kind of crime that rankled her the most in other contexts. On the other... she can't stand the thought of letting sentiments destroy the happiness of herself as well as so many others. Neither of those things happened. They aren't important, only theoretical possibilities. Against all odds, she hasn't drowned, and only can float in the breaking waves. She wants to joke but how can something feel funny when he's so low in the valley?]

Contrary to popular belief there is some extent of loyalty non-humans can achieve. [And really? Kanaya couldn't bear to do that to her again.]

[humanic]

[A blink.] I wasn't suggesting anything like that. Most of my friends are shapeshifters, I know they're not any different from regular people.

I just...didn't think I mattered that much to people here, that's all. [Because while Stiles will viciously defend the ones he cares about to his last breath, he's used to being left behind by them for more important things. It's not something he resents them for, he's just accepted that he's not as much a priority to them as they are to him, and that's fine.

So for someone as pragmatic and logical as Annie, who even though he considers a friend he's only known for a few months, to risk not only her life but everyone's life for him...he doesn't really know how to deal with it.]

[speakveryclearly]

Low self esteem seems to be a pretty common trait among some of us contestants.

[Not just Stiles - Gundam, Kaoru, herself? The slap to the face, of her life's value greater than her victim's, still stings.]

You were placed in opposition to Marlow for a reason, though, weren't you? Super or not, capacity for heroism counts in the grand scheme of things. Leadership and persistence.

[humanic]

Who has low self-esteem? I don't. I'm super steamed. [denial is a great state to live in]

You think so? I always figured that was Susan, and I was just the Rob--uh, the sidekick to her superhero.

[speakveryclearly]

It's sort of complicated. Susan is perfect, but not viewpoint. Like Ishmael. How much sense does that make...?

[humanic]

None at all, but biblical stuff's never really been my thing. Unless Ishamel is some kinda alien hero.

[speakveryclearly]

He's the narrator of In Which Ahab Becomes Obsessed With An Oversized Nautical Mammal-- oh, I don't have the energy to recite the whole title if you won't get that reference either anyway.

[hollowheart]

Don't get too happy, Stiles. [Annie deadpans from the lazy comfort of Kanaya's lap] I would have done it for anyone.

[humanic]

[He laughs, though it comes out wet and shaky.]

Come on Annie, stop acting. You know you wanna moi my rail any day. [still has no idea what that means but evidently it's a foreign alien word for friend?]

[hollowheart]

You pay attention to one guy and this is what happens. [but her tone isn't as harsh as it could be, or could have been. She's glad to banter for now.]