trash bin PART TWO

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ??? OPENING PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . _PROGRAM CRASHED _PROGRAM REBOOT? >N >SCAN PROGRAM . . . _PROGRAM CRASHED . . . >EMERGENCY LEVEL . . . >EMERGENCY LEVEL . . . _EMERGENCY LEVEL LOADING LOADING. . . LOADING. . . LOADING TEXTURE-NIGHT-SKY, TEXTURE-FULL-MOON, TEXTURE-DIRT-PATH, TEXTURE-CAMPFIRE LOADING SOUND-CRICKETS, SOUND-GRAVEL, SOUND-WIND, SOUND-FIRE-CRACKLING UPLOADING USER UPLOADING USER UPLOADING USER UPLOAD SUCCESSFUL TRASH BIN It feels more like an electrical zap than dying. Dying might feel a little bit more like falling asleep, but this is harder, more painful. If you've ever been electrocuted, the feeling might seem familiar; the discovery you make when you open your eyes, too, is likely very familiar. It's the night sky. Stars twinkle, a fire cracks warmly. You sit up and observe the surrounding area, and it's like you've woken up in some sort of canyon. The fire burns brightly, the moon shines beautifully, the crickets sing, and it is ... peaceful. Mostly. You know you're dead. This must be, then, the after life? Or something like it, at least. The horizon stretches on forever, the dirt and gravel seemingly endless. The moon is so big and bright, it's like you could reach out and touch her. There's a shed not too far from the fire, only but a stone's throw away, as if someone else might have made it, and then went inside it. Approaching it, you can see the light glowing inside it through the dusty windows that are littered with fingerprints. A computer screen, so large and wide that it's baffling, sits, waiting. Turning knob reveals that the shed is unlocked, and stepping inside... it doesn't feel any different from the outside. A chair sits in the center of the room, a strange contraption strapped to the head of it. It looks like it would lower itself upon the head of whoever dares to sit on it, and wires from it's bottom curl up towards the machines attached to the screen. Several smaller desktop screens sit beneath the giant monitor. They, too, are hooked up to the machines scattered around the room, to the ominous one perched on top of the medical chair, and they blink, as if fighting to stay alive without use. Pressing the giant monitor on, it lights up, and displays, strangely enough... a security camera feed. You push the button. It switches to another room. Again, another room. Again, another room. So on and forth. You peeping tom! But no one can blame you, in the end. You might as well digitally haunt the rest of the ship until the game ends, and AL-2955 can clean out the trash bin. ...Right? rule book taken characters information cards

Comments

[baptizer]

[ Holy shit. The scene unfolds so quickly that Elizabeth barely has time to get to her feet. She's shakey, but seeing Adelina absolutely drenched (or nearly drenched depending) was enough for her to cry out her name. This was dumb! They should have just unlaced their corsets to get his attention!

Whatever, Elizabeths holding the crossbow tightly as the final hits were delivered, her heart racing a mile a minute as she approached. ]

Trust me, lineage isn't quite as cracked up as you may think. Have you - have you a moment of clarity? We wish to ask something of you.

[bloodbiter]

[perhaps surprisingly, the blood doesn't seem to bother her too much - as long as it's dead, that's what matters. she doesn't enjoy the gore by any means, but it's something she can handle. much better than taking her corset off tbh.]

...Yes, I'm afraid it's of grave importance.

[qundercover]

[ Ladies, please keep your corsets on. Bull is still looking at the dead dragon admiringly, but he finally turns to look at them when they start going on about serious stuff. ]

This about the fact this is an illusion or you got something else on your mind?

[ He is trained to listen to whispers.]

Dragons don't generally go down that easy. And never seen a mage summon a catapult before either.

[baptizer]

... First of all, you didn't need to lead us on.

[ THEY COULD HAVE DIED, AGAIN.

Elizabeth tosses the stupid crossbow down and crosses her arms. ]

We could have had this discussion over a pint and - [ Ugh, look. ] Nevertheless, this is an illusion. This world is ideal - perfect for you but -

[ She glances to Adelina.. ]

[bloodbiter]

[she picks up where elizabeth's left off, her expression grave. it makes sense that he knows, but it's painful to have to tell him the truth all the same.]

It's lovely, but we need you. We have important business to attend to, and it includes you.

[qundercover]

Sure I did. I wanted to fight the dragon and we were already halfway there. You looked like you could use it too. Now you can go tell your friends you helped kill one. Everyone wins.

[This was really important??? He doesn't seem that upset about the truth, just accepting of what they're saying.]

Alright. Guess if I've got two pretty girls telling me they need me, must be important.

[Honestly, he's never been able to resist a call to battle. It might be the one thing a perfect illusory world can't quite capture. Real danger, real stakes.]

[baptizer]

Oh for God's sake... [ DISAPPROVING GLARE? But, God, she just lets Adelina lead as she steps closer. ]

I have to insist you understand the gravity of the situation. That this - all of this - is fake. You're... you're dead, Bull. We need you to refuse this world and come back to us, to help us make a final stand.

[bloodbiter]

[adelina steps closer as well, her expression now as neutral as she can make it.]

People you care for are depending on all of us. The only way to help them is to reject this illusion.