[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

[menphina]

[ She's not even sure who she'd raise. All she knows is she wants to lower everyone. EEEEVERYONE.

Just moving to squeeze Ritsuka's shoulder and stay close to her. ]

I wonder if people will aim at Yatagarasu now...

[fujimaru]

[ Welcome to Ritsuka in crisis mode, who is just very quiet and calm, though she's also very pale; she's trembling a little, though she doesn't seem to realize it until Megumi touches her. ]

I don't know... I wonder if Kraken fell into the same trap as we might have, in the first round. People thinking, "there's no way someone else wouldn't help them," and it became like that.

I don't think any team consensus is going to be to try and kill anyone... there might be individuals who don't care, but teams as a whole? No. So I think the lower teams are more in danger now.

[ thanks! she hates all of this!! ]

[menphina]

[ So does she, babe. She's gently pulling Ritsuka close, so she can just hold her comfortably, and push a hand into her hair so she can stroke it to soothe her. ]


I think... that's what happened, aye. And we've got no guarantee people will lower them now, either. There may be someone who would want to push them all the way.

I'm not sure what we can do right now. Even your plan may not work here. But we still have to vote.

[fujimaru]

[ She leans into it; she can't really relax, but she's at least appreciative of the petting. ]

There might be, but I don't think any one team is going to vote on something like that.

So--I don't know. I don't think any of the choices are good. They're worse now than when we started.

[menphina]

If they're going to be falling from that height, 'tis going to be bad regardless. We can only hope that we'll be able to heal them.


[ She should conserve her energy... ]

As much as I wish it were us... I also don't wish to have any of you hurt. Which you know already. So I'm not sure what to choose outside of Bugbear and hoping the other teams will help Kraken. Even if I want to help them, too.

[fujimaru]

I don't really know anything about alliances or whatever... I think Bugbear will probably stay roughly where they are--they'll vote to lower themselves, I'm sure of it.

[ It's not a bad thing. Honestly, it'd be nice to have Bugbear display any sense of self-preservation. ]

I'm less sure about Kraken--but I don't think anyone else will vote to raise them. So we have to decide what the least bad option is for raising. I think our vote for lowering should go to one of the other teams. I'd vote Basilisk, personally, if we don't do Kraken.

For raising... I don't know.

[menphina]

Tsuchigumo might be at risk. People may look at them now and try to raise them. Which will be extremely cruel if they end up right on top, after the last few games they've suffered.


[ Poor Kaine... ]

I hope Bugbear does vote to lower themselves. They should.

[fujimaru]

I'm pretty sure I saw Ruggie in their elevator... if he's there, he'll definitely fight hard to make sure they vote to lower themselves.

But I'm worried about Tsuchigumo too. They're either going to be fine, or they're going to hit the roof the next round...

[menphina]

Aye. I don't want that for them. Any of them. But we know one team will have to be the highest.

[ A sigh. ]

This is a mess, isn't it?

[fujimaru]

It is. There's no good choices here.