guillotineroom | [elevator] [cerberus]

[ 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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Glances up at him and puts one of his hands over Saturn's.]

I agree that many people will be even more cautious now, and that kind of caution is probably what spared us last round. However, aiming for a bottom team is also what sent Unicorn so high.

But it didn't send them to the top. They're still here. That's an argument for sending up lower teams over middling teams. What will we do? Won't we do the same?

Will we? Are we going to vote for Tsuchigumo? The difference between lower and middling has become thin. Bugbear is higher than Phoenix, but three votes could eliminate them both.

Without a safe choice to go for, more people will want to vote for their own safety or for their friends' safety. Sphinx, Bugbear, Kraken, and Tsuchigumo will avoid us, but I do not know who Bugbear has on their side.

I doubt we're going to vote for Tsuchigumo. But wouldn't we if we didn't have some tie to them? Will we vote for Basilisk this round? I don't know yet . . . but I simply don't believe we're any more safe than Bugbear is.

We are not safe, but I fear how little room for error there is. If they get three votes, they will need two downvotes to avoid the top.

. . . I can't argue against protecting Bugbear. But I can't argue against protecting ourselves either. Kraken and Sphinx are both above Bugbear, and Kraken is unlikely to use their vote on themselves. It's all but impossible. Two votes, from teams who think no one else could possibly vote for a team that high or who want to be cutthroat in their tactics, will kill them. Unicorn is already high enough that they'll almost certainly die even if they aren't touched this round, and Megumi has a loved one there too. I simply can't argue for them all. We get one. And I'm giving it to us, even if I'm alone.

[He takes a breath and leans against Moon's side, closing his eyes.]

But if it has to be anyone else. If none of you will agree. . . . Then Bugbear, yes. My word to them doesn't mean nothing.

[Wraps an arm around Saturn and curls his tail up to try and catch one of Saturn's]

Thank you, Saturn. Your motivation to protect us and to helps others is commendable... and your reasoning is solid even on its own. It is the kind of thinking I would promote in my court. I would listen to it better if I did not have own promises to honor.

[He coils his tail readily around Moon's.]

Believe me, I'm not disappointed to be outvoted on this if it's Bugbear. I want you to keep your promises.

[nods]

I know. Of course. You have your word and your loves, too.

[elevator] [cerberus]

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