[elevator] [cerberus]

[guillotineroom]

[ When you open your eyes again the first thing that you, and your teammates, may notice is that you are confined within an iron cage, rectangle in shape. Further inspection will reveal that outside of the cage is a large structure of sorts, reaching far above you. It kind of looks like an unfinished clock tower, really... there are spots that look finished and bolted tightly, and others that look like they had been left once and the work never thought of again.

Also, it's pretty chilly. You might get to notice that.

It's foggy and windy—the kind of wind that howls and roars, jostling your cage against the tall shaft, and every so often you feel as though you might have had the ghost of a raindrop on you. The tower-like build creaks horribly ominously in the wind, and you can see the rusted metals swaying slightly. But if you decide to look around...

Flapping above you (and not helping with the wind) is a harpy-like creature, iron chains wrapped around their talons. Though, maybe it's more like a lion? The chains are bolted to the top of your cage. There are also little indicators on the structure, the same distance apart, that seem to be declaring different levels or heights. They look horribly unhappy to be here, but they're also impressive at ignoring any call you might have for them.

There's a door to the cage, but it won't open, even if it's just a simple-looking locking mechanism. If you peer out, it's too foggy on the ground to make out very much, but you can make out nine other, tower-like structures with similarly flapping harpies. Each one, including your own, has an emblazoned emblem of every team's patron monster, so that you can see where everyone is—it's just difficult to make out exactly who may be in each one. Even more difficult to try and communicate like this.

Attached to the door is an aged metal panel with a screen and four buttons; two to choose between the team names that appear on the dark green and black screen, and two to choose whether you wish for that team to go up or down.

After a moment, a little speaker in the corner starts playing an incredibly bad quality version of this.]

Comments

[featherbeaned]

You sure? 'cuz it's.

It's bad.

[ it's so bad, she hates it. ]

Our poor ears don't deserve it.

[fujimaru]

It is pretty bad, but... I think there's stuff we need to consider before we worry about that.

But if singing would make you feel better, I wouldn't mind hearing it.

[featherbeaned]

Hmm. Hm. I'll sing after we make decisions.

[ First, though, she shrinks herself down to the size of your average german shepherd, and gives herself a very thorough shake-off ]

What're your thoughts?

[fujimaru]

...I think we're kind of screwed either way, this first round.

[ She reaches to run her fingers through Unisonya's fur, like a self-soothing gesture. ]

We have no idea what anyone will do. There's a chance we're all going to think the same and go after the same group... there's a chance that everyone will try to save themselves. We can guess, but we can't know for sure what anyone will choose to do except for us, in this room.

Personally, I'm okay with what they've been saying about voting to lower Bugbear, but... part of me wants to know what happens if we just don't choose to raise anyone.

[featherbeaned]

[ Leans in, a light yet solid weight settling against ritsuka's legs ]

It isn't in any of the rules, is it?

[fujimaru]

The rule says "no abstaining," but it's not really if we just vote on the one and not the other, right?

[featherbeaned]

[ quiet for a moment as she weighs up how she feels about this … … … … ]

I can think of a lot of things they might do in retaliation ... like hurting one or all of us, or randomising our vote, or randomising our vote and adding more weight to it ... [ a long, low rumble ]

I think I ... probably wouldn't mind trying, if everyone else was okay with it too.

[fujimaru]

Yeah. There's a good chance the choice gets taken away from us, or we're punished somehow... but to me, that's the choice I would make. And I'd argue it still follows the "no abstaining" rule.

But it's not just my choice. So if everyone else is fine with trying it, I'd like to... if not, we'll figure something out.

[featherbeaned]

[ nuzzles into ritsuka's hand ]

We will. We'll do our best. [ it's all anyone can do ]

[fujimaru]

Yeah... we always do. I don't think that's a bad thing, though? Even if we don't make the right choice, we made the one we thought was the best, with what we have available.