02.50 - week two, saturday

[afflictionmods]

W2 SATURDAY

Like last Saturday, everyone will get an announcement on their tablets; this time, the announcement is preceded with a bell of some sort before Lorelei appears on the screen again.

"Good morning, everyone. This is an announcement to let you know that today's lesson will take place starting at 8:15 tonight. Again, today's lesson will be starting at 8:15. Please meet at the lower campus exit near the lecture by 8:00pm; Florence will be waiting for you there.

If you have a bag for some snacks and, perhaps, an item you can use for self-defense in the case of an emergency, please arrive with those things on you. We will provide you with an overview of what to expect when you arrive at 8pm.

Thank you."

The alert ends.

You have the day to prepare, ask each other what the hell is happening -- Florence and Lorelei do not seem to be available, strangely enough. There's a lot to take in with the information you have now. But before you know it... night falls.

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[festiverogue]

[Madara sighs, lowering his weapon.]

You were hiding from me, weren't you?

[The words don't match the sigh or the tone or his actions. They seem aggressive.]

Are you that much of a coward?

[magicam]

From... you?

[Hm. That wasn't right... but it wasn't wrong, either. He was hiding from the ghouls, but also from everyone who was possessed by them, and, in a way, from himself and his own intense feelings, as well.

Or, in this case, to wallow in his numbed feelings, instead.]

I suppose I was, if you want to think so. And when has Cay implied he wasn't a coward?

[festiverogue]

[He crouches down beside Cater, looking at him closer to the same level. There's something dull and cruel in his eyes.]

You definitely never said you weren't one, but maybe I had a little hope after the bomb test. You're just like the rest of them, though. You're scared of me, too. Is that why you were working so hard last week? Was it because you were scared I was going to go off on you?

[magicam]

[Dull cruelty meets a blank void. Something inside him aches at the accusation, but it's so distant, so far away, that he can't muster a reaction to it.]

Why would Cay be scared of you? You're like him, you don't let anyone see who you actually are. As far as he knows, there's nothing to be scared of. Is he wrong?

[festiverogue]

[Madara barks a vicious little laugh.]

Because! Because I'm an unknown, just like you! So aren't you scared of what I really am? Would you run away if I was a manipulative bastard? Or a killer?

[magicam]

Hm... Are you scared of what Cay really is?

[Somehow, he doubts it. There's nothing especially special or scary about him, and that much is terribly obvious. And as Madara gives him options to his own true self, he looks him over, seems to consider it for a moment.]

I know too many manipulative bastards to run away from one who is fun in all other ways, you know? And one of Cay's dormmates tried to kill him once already, so a killer might be scary, but... it's not like it'll matter once we go back to our worlds, right?

[festiverogue]

I'm not scared of anything.

[It's close to true. Very few things scare Madara.

Still, it's kind of impressive how coolly he's analyzing things. Madara is actually impressed, in the state that he's in.]

Oh, wow... You're already ready to leave me behind and go home. Typical. I guess I shouldn't have thought we were getting to be friends. You're just like the rest.

[magicam]

That's a lie.

[No one's scared of nothing, and in this state, cold and numb, he can easily pick apart every word coming from Madara's mouth.

Even - especially - the ones that hit too close to home.]

Cay always leaves people behind, yanno? He's really, really good at faking being super friendly with everyone. Aren't happy memories better to leave behind anyway? And wasn't mama ready to leave everyone behind as soon as he got here, too? He has something better to do than all this, right? So you're no better than the rest, either.

[festiverogue]

[He laughs so hard he falls back to a seated position, heedless of the ghouls.]

You think I have something better to do? People here like me compared to everyone back home. Everyone at home leaves me behind. Kanata couldn't care less, Chiaki's too busy with Kanata, Leo has his music, Kuro's more loyal to Keito, Kohaku's more loyal to Rinne... I'm second best, at best. Even my own family threw me away. So why wouldn't I like it here better?

[magicam]

But you've got all those people, right? Cay's not even close to second best to anyone. Even people who think say they're his friend will leave him behind as soon as someone they actually care about so much as glances their way. His family doesn't even really see him as a person, yanno? Just a cute little doll for his mom and sisters to have their way with.

[And while Madara can laugh at all this, all Cater does is present it matter-of-fact with an even tone and a sigh to punctuate the end.

...He's probably going to regret saying this once he's back to himself, but when opening up is the easiest way of lashing out, of course a ghoul would go for such things.]

[festiverogue]

At least your family thinks you exist. And maybe you're not second best because you lie to everybody about who you are.

[It seems far too brutally blunt, but Madara chuckles again.]

Like me. You're right, I'm not even second best, either. I'm nobody. I thought maybe that'd change for a minute, being somewhere new, but now...

[He looks at the weapon in his hand.]

...What do they want me to do? Keep running? From what? I'm not scared of this place. I've got absolutely nothing to lose.

[magicam]

Hm... You know as well as I do that lying about who you are makes it hurt less when people don't care.

[It's equally blunt, but... that's his worldview. Simple, cut and dry.]

I'm nobody there. I'm less than nobody here, since I'm not even half as capable as most people here... even if I had my magic, I'm still a coward.

[He glances at the weapon in Madara's hand, too, and then looks back to his face with a sigh.]

They're never going to tell us what they want with us, here.

[festiverogue]

They're never going to tell us what's really going on. It's not like they really want us to learn from each other. That part was a huge lie. Total bullshit.

[He puts the weapon down on the floor, then takes a seat.]

You're a coward, but you could at least try to look out for people who're trying to help you. You hide from everything.

[magicam]

Mhm.

[There's no way they'll actually tell them what's going on. They barely told them what was in store here, before they were sent away on the spooky bus orb, so the idea of them spilling their whole plan is laughable.]

Is that such a bad thing? If I'm out of the way, no one will have to help me.

[And yet. Here they both are. Possessed.]

[festiverogue]

[Madara is stubborn. He wants to know everything, even though this place is a special kind of hell for him. But right now he's filled with an inexplicable rage, and a distaste for everyone and everything. From self-imposed isolation, he's screaming that they've all left him behind.]

So what? You're a sitting duck. You'll just be more of a liability if you die or something.

[magicam]

Eh... These things... the only way we'll die from them is if we kill each other or ourselves, right?

[Because he definitely didn't get the impression the ghouls even wanted them to die. Sure, they wanted to possess them, wanted to leave with them, probably, but die? Nah.]

[festiverogue]

What makes you think nobody's going to kill you?

[That sounds. Ominous. Doesn't it.]

[magicam]

The only one who could right now is you~ Are you planning on killing me?

[Certainly does sound ominous, so why does it look like he doesn't care??]

[festiverogue]

Oh, sure. I'll kill you. Because that's what you want, right? You just want to take the easy way out of this mess and leave me alone.

[Scoffing.]

Typical.

[magicam]

Nah. I know how much it sucks to be left alone. But I also know there's no way I can stop you from killing me if you really wanted to, without my magic, so...

[Shrugging!]

Are you going to, or are you all talk?