[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

[cultfavorite]

They weren't spooked last time.

[He slides his arm around her, taking one more deep breath, letting that cleanse away the last of his anger.

Then he leans forward again, head tilted, to squint harder out the bars at Nymph's elevator.]

[fujimaru]

Echidna was also helping out, too. I think that was a pretty open secret by the end.

[ She relaxes by a degree when he does that, because this is still an overall tense situation. ]

--What is it?

[cultfavorite]

Look at their elevator. I can't make out exactly who's in there, but compare it to ours . . . so few of them are here.

[He exchanges a look with her, and then back out through the bars.]

I wonder if it's as simple as that. The reason they're on a level with us. It's brutal logic, but it is what it is: if Nymph reaches the top and dies, only a handful of them will die. If we do, ten people die. That's also ten berserk possessions for the survivors to fend off later . . .

[He looks around the elevator as if suddenly realizing this, letting out a sharp, dark laugh.]

Oh, Gojo's going to be thrilled.

[fujimaru]

[ She snorts a little at that, because what can you do? ]

Yeah. He's gonna be so mad at us and everyone else.

I don't know if we can really rely on people wanting to avoid a whole group of Berserkers--but I wonder if that didn't save us a little during the cannibalism game.

[cultfavorite]

I think it's very possible. It's a sound way of thinking. Another way to minimize damage . . . the trolley problem, essentially.

[The trolley problem now officially exists in the Pokemon world and it probably involves Pokemon somehow. Chew on that one,]

[fujimaru]

[ Bold of you to assume Ritsuka would recognize it,

No, she nods slowly. ]

But the thing with that is everyone will have different reasons for what they choose to do and not... it could be that, or it could be like Selena suggested, and maybe some teams just want to knock others out as soon as possible.

[cultfavorite]

I think the next round will tell us a little more about how everyone else is playing. It's one thing to take an action when everything is equal, and another to take one that might have immediate consequences.

[fujimaru]

So another wait before we can get a reasonable idea of what we should do, huh... yay.

[ Thanks, she hates it. ]

[cultfavorite]

I know. I'm sorry. . . . For last time, too. I'm sorry I lost my temper, if not for my opinions.

[fujimaru]

It's okay.

[ She thunks her head on his shoulder, a punctuation to the statement. ]

I think... that's probably just the clash of how our lives have been different. We'll probably argue again. But I'm not trying to hurt you, and I believe you're not trying to hurt me.

[cultfavorite]

Of course I'm not. Honestly, you. Think about how I'd feel if we defied the Warden and she struck you dead right here in the cage, and I had to go through the rest of this after that . . . even if I half believe now that what would have happened would be us raising our own cage. I'm not willing to do that either. For reasons logical and personal. In any case. No! No.

[fujimaru]

All right.

[ She says it fondly, looking up at him. ]

It'll always be my argument. But I'll be more careful about how I talk about it in the future.

[cultfavorite]

Ritsuka.

[He brushes a hand through her hair, looking at her fondly, and his voice is kind, at odds with the words themselves:]

If your argument every time is going to be that you ought to be allowed to make a decision on your own and then accept the entirety of the punishment we receive for it, in front of all of us, I will steal one of your ball pit balls, make it into a gag, and begin carrying it around with me everywhere I go, so that I might have it handy whenever you even begin to suggest it.

[fujimaru]

[ She chokes on a startled, near-embarrassed giggle. ]

Wow, I didn't know you were into that kinda thing. You'd have to catch me, first.

[cultfavorite]

The others would help me! I'm confident they would! They know it's for your own good!

—And they don't need to know anything that might happen after.

[fujimaru]

[ She elbows him in the side without pulling away. ]

I don't think they have to know. It'd be pretty obvious.

[cultfavorite]

Oh, so you're agreeing to it. Potentially. I see.

[He is not dislodged!!]

[fujimaru]

I dunno, I'm not sure you'd have the chance to catch me... maybe if you'd ever take me up on the morning runs, you'd have a better chance...

[ She is being mock-snooty about this, tipping her nose up and looking at him sidelong under her lashes. ]

[cultfavorite]

[He nudges at her, while keeping an arm around her so she's not actually going anywhere, thanks.]

Why do they have to be in the morning . . .

[fujimaru]

It's good for you. ...And the more you get done earlier in the morning, the later you can sleep in without worrying that you're late for something.

But I also run in the evenings too, most of the time.

[ On the jock-nerd spectrum, she definitely trends more towards jock, ]

[cultfavorite]

. . . I'm not doing both.