theafflicted | 03.50 - week three, saturday

03.50 - week three, saturday

W3 SATURDAY

Another Saturday rolls around. Some of you had an… interesting night, perhaps, but that’s still no excuse to sit out on your lessons. There’s another announcement, another time to meet before your lessons start today. This time is just a bit different, though. This time you’re not meeting up at campus. You’re told to meet up at the park in the Museum District - and, as always, you’re expected to show up. How you get there is irrelevant, but you better try to be on time.

Florence is waiting at the park, and behind them is another dark, ominous orb. Even as far away as you are, you can hear its whispers. It’s calling to you with promises it can show you a new life, a better life, it can make you someone better… But then Florence is speaking, as if they cannot feel the hear the whispers.

“I will be accompanying you on this lesson, as I said in the brochure I handed out on Thursday. I will do my best to assist you.” There is a pause, though their face voice remains emotionless. “It is hard to say what it will be like inside - however, your goal for this lesson is to close this place for good. I may be unable to assist with that personally, so we are relying on you.”

They take a step back, turning towards the orb.

“I would advise you to do what is asked of you while you are in there - and a word of warning. Through our observations, we have noticed something strange. This seems capable of creating replications of those who enter it.” They let that information hang for a moment, before continuing. “We are unsure what these replications are truly capable of, but please be careful.”

Then Florence gestures for you to follow, and they’re stepping into the orb.

THE RINGMASTER

The inside is still the same park, but it has been transformed into a carnival. There are booths with games and food set up everywhere, a large ferris wheel, a tent. It will be a familiar carnival, to some of you, but all the lights are off and there are no people there. There’s a tug, a pull, that draws you towards the main tent - to center stage. Stepping inside you will be greeted by someone dressed as a ringmaster, whose voice is lively and energetic despite how hollow they seem on the outside:

“Hello and welcome! It’s time for your performance! And every good performer wants to do what the people want, don’t they? There’s a list on those little tablets of yours, and you need to do whatever’s asked of you!”

The ringmaster laughs brightly, and it echoes throughout the tent. “The more you do, the more we’ll all enjoy it, and the better chance you will get to stay you! But if you refuse… Well, that won’t be any good, right?”

The ringmaster makes a wide, sweeping gesture with their cane.

“We’re very generous here, though, and realize some things are easier to do with others! That’s why one refusal won’t be an instant loss. We’re assigning task cards, you see. Kinda like bingo cards! Each time you do a task for someone or someone does one for you, you get 50 points! The more you do, the higher the score, and once you reach 200 points, you're capped! But every time you refuse to do something people ask you to do, even if you're at 200 points… you lose 100 points ! And if you don’t do anything, well, you get no points and you lose automatically! You also can’t just sit around doing the same thing with the same person over and over again! Gotta spice it up! The same thing over and over again is just boring.”

There’s a click, and noise starts up outside of the tent. It sounds like the carnival’s come alive.

“Your little tablets will track your points. I really do recommend playing along, because if you fail… You’ll lose something. Something that makes you you! A memory, a precious item, something that makes you who you are and can’t be replaced so easily… Who knows what’s at risk, here! Though who am I kidding, it might be more fun to see what you'll lose. Don't ya think? Maybe you should just give up now and we can all laugh about it!

Anyways, all you gotta do is live until the timer runs out. The timer, by the way, is gonna be at the top of your tablet thingamajigs.”

There’s a tip of the ringmaster’s hat. The timer reads 90 minutes.

“That’s all for now! Go find that pesky little robot who’s been snooping around if you want more answers, because I am very busy.”

THE AUDIENCE

Once the ringmaster’s done with their speech, you’re free to travel around the carnival and explore it. It’s an eerie, quiet place, but… you’re not alone, and it won’t take you long to realize that. Those of you who had seen this carnival before - Miach, Shinei, Herlock, and Xingqiu - probably won’t be surprised when the doubles show up. They’re near perfect recreations of you - but near perfect doesn’t mean perfect. Their mannerisms might be odd, or their movements might be jerky and uncanny… but at a glance, it’s impossible to tell who is the real one and who isn’t.

And this is something that makes these doubles very, very angry.

They want you to fail, and they’ll do anything they can to ensure that happens. They’ll sabotage you - or your partner - all in an effort to make you lose points. They'll taunt you if it seems like you're ready to open up, they'll tell you about all the reasons why being honest is a bad idea. For physical prompts, they'll taunt you, call you a monster... They also seem to believe that if you fail, they’ll get to replace you. They will get a chance to get out of here and be the real one. They’re not always convincing, but they are dangerous, and there’s just as many of them as there are of you.

OOC NOTES

OOC: Here are some important things to note for today’s event:

- A simple breakdown of the rules is as follows:

You cap at 200 points, but you must maintain those 200 points until the timer runs out.
Mutual agreement on completing a task nets each person 50 points.
Getting turned down or refusing to do one makes you lose 100 points.
You cannot use the same person to complete all your tasks. You must have only one prompt per character that you cooperate with.

- The cards know, meaning that they'll know if something is not answered earnestly. Prompts that are answered falsely will not go away on your tablets. They will only go away if they are answered truthfully.

- Failure is NOT a bad end! In fact, we have some plans in the instance where not enough people pass the exercise. If 5 or more people fail the exercise, that is considered a group failure. Those who failed individually will face the consequences of losing the important memory/item/etc.

- We are asking people to make their own task cards. Here is a list of prompts:
You may also add one custom prompt tailored to your character, if you wish.

Please toss the prompts into the textbox at the top of this site. Under "Configuration Options", the card size should be 3x3 and the center space should have Normal selected. All characters will get a total of 9 prompts on their cards. It is okay to have prompts that your character would not do; it would just increase their chances of failure.

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Who do you think? I'm not talking to anyone else here.

[ and sabo would say that the doubles completely do need to be dealt with given the prompts that they have. especially since sabo's double is going to keep laughing at the fact that it doesn't have to lift a single finger. it has complete faith that sabo is going to fail to do this and it's all because ace. it will gleefully cheer on ace as he's doing all of the work for it. ]

Let go, Ace.

[ he'll give his arm a tug. give it back. ]

[ he tightens his jaw. the last thing he wants to do is let go. this seems like the worst idea, but also sabo seems so dead set on doing this. he rally, really cannot understand it. even with the prompts. there's so many more on the list. ]

Wouldn't this give you more regrets?

[ he's trying to dodge this without giving an actual refusal, but also. it's probably far too late to back out now because of this. shouldn't it be the other way around? sabo trying to talk ace out of doing something like this?

his own doppelganger is also looking pleased that ace isn't letting things going through like sabo plans. of course, he doesn't plan to let things go easily, if sabo ultimately wins over ace. ]

[ there sure is a task that's completely and utterly wholesome and would better be suited for someone who wouldn't be able to get their hands dirty. besides, it's not like sabo needs to listen to ace say something nice about him. though, in a way, sabo is succeeding on fulfilling another one of ace's squares but it's not the one he wants.

he gives another tug of his arm as he glares at ace. regrets—he really had to bring up his regrets. ace, the source of so many of his regrets, bringing it up is really not fair. ]

No.

[ he says like a liar but before he can have a moment to decide about clarifying, his double speaks up again, gleefully:

"Why would I ever regret something like this? I'd be doing myself a favor. Isn't that right? Should I tell him? I bet he'd love to know."

and with that, fine. if ace doesn't want to give up his arm, then he'll take a step closer to ace and look him dead in the eye. it's not meant to challenge him but to block out his double from interrupting them. ...and he kind of hopes that maybe ace will pick up why. ]

It'll just me being selfish.

[ he stares directly at sabo, searching for what answer he's trying to give. sorry, but he's not sure he fully gets what sabo is trying to express and the only meaning behind that "selfish" part that he can think up is... ]

You don't want anyone else doing it?

[ not that he'd want to let anyone else do it, either. but he doesn't want sabo to have to suffer it, too. for now, he's keeping his hand tighten on sabo's arm, not wanting to release him until he fully understands the meaning behind this. ]

[ there we go.

the relief that sabo feels for ace picking up on some of the reason why he wants to do this is heartening, but it doesn't change the subject matter. he doubts that even if ace understands where sabo is coming from he would allow sabo to still do this. nevertheless, he ignores the giggling from his double and nods. ]

I want to say goodbye on my own terms.

[ yes, he's aware that ace is standing before him right now ( he will continue to stand before him for as long as he can help it ) and that the double isn't ace and will likely disappear after this "lesson" concludes.

but the point still stands. ]

Even if I refuse, you won't listen, will you?

[ he sounds almost a little angry in that comment. like he wants to force sabo away from this situation and not let him subject himself to this pain.

his hand loosens up for a moment, but only to shift into a hug. ]

This is stupid.

[ it's fine. totally fine.

sure he has no idea how he's going to go about killing ace's double since it's not like he brought anything with him that could be used as a proper weapon, but he'll figure it out. if things have to get rough then he'll just pretend it's something else. anything else. ]

You're stupid. If you refuse you'll end up losing points.

[ nevertheless, he'll lean into ace's touch and hug and keep ignoring how his double is sneering at them. instead, he'll look to see where ace's double has gone to. if it has gone anywhere.

"Still trying to be noble, are you? Do you think this will save you?" ]

I could make them up.

[ he's voice is low, extremely displeased. but he squeezes a bit harder, letting the hug linger just a bit longer. he's not sure who he's doing the hug for at this point.

but at sabo's doppelganger's words that have been grating on him, his eyes snap to him and he looks furious. ]

I'll make you shut up. [ and he looks back at sabo for a split second. ] Fine. I'll keep that fake away from you two.

[ as for ace's doppelganger, he's probably wandered off a bit, trying to find something more entertaining. he wouldn't be a coward and hide, but this sight isn't something he'd want to keep watching, either. ]

You can't make them up if you don't have any to start with...

[ sabo muses to himself but he says nothing more about how ace snaps at his double—who is laughing at ace's threat. however, it doesn't seem to want to push its luck that far given that ace has the same prompt as sabo on his list.

though it is now curious to see how sabo will go about killing ace's double with his bare hands. it's a thought that will echo in the back of sabo's mind as ace lets him go. ...actually there is an effective way to go about it; it'll just depend if he'll be able to do so. ]

How thoughtful of you.

[ and with that sabo will take a step back and go to track down ace's double with the very intent of doing something he wouldn't dream of doing otherwise. where would it be? if it's anything like ace, surely it wouldn't hide or stray too far away. ]

...fake Ace?

[ that irritates ace for some reason, but he's already on edge, so it doesn't take too much. since sabo's fake isn't trying to make any moves, he's going to be going over to him to keep an eye on him, while still watching the confrontation the best he can.

as for the double, he looks toward sabo and the calling out of his name. he walks out into the open to face him with a smile on his face. ]

Fake? I could be as real as him. [ he motions in the direction of the other ace, even if his movements are a bit jerky. ]

After all, he's dead, right? So if I'm a fake, he's also a fake. [ he steps a bit closer, head tilting to the side. ] If he's real, so am I.

[ sabo's fake isn't doing anything yet, but it is still hovering around sabo trying to see how he's going to handle the upcoming "challenge" though, maybe it should interfere with ace too? it's still thinking and while it does, sabo will offer a strained smile to ace's double.

this is what he gets for striking up a conversation with the doppelganger, and he's very thankful for the jerky movements because otherwise the concept of the ace he has spent with all of this time being fake would creep up on him like an unpleasant thought. ]

Nice try. I think I can tell which one is the real one even after all of this time, and you're definitely not.

[ and he'll just also casually look away from the double as he adjusts his gloves, pulling them snug against his fingers. ]

You're just a terrible imitation.

[ ace is glad that sabo's fake is not getting in the way for the moment. he's sure it won't remain like that and things are going to get more complicated, but a moment or two of breathing room is something. ]

You're only telling yourself that to make this easier.

[ another step closer, not shying away from sabo at all. ]

[ it's a very good thing that ace's fake is making its way towards sabo than him having to do the inverse because that would make things that just bit harder. he will keep himself calm and breath even as he mentally prepares for what he needs to do. don't make it worse than it needs to be.

though his hand does twitch at the fake's comment, and unfortunately sabo takes one moment too long to respond as his fake starts to laugh setting sabo off. he'll lunge right at ace's fake's throat with a single hand and fingers instinctively forming a "claw" whether he actually succeeds is...looks at dice...a 16. unfortunately, as soon as that happens, sabo's double will immediately start speaking.

"Right for the throat? Do you plan on watching his face the entire time? Ah, that would make sense—I've always wanted to know what kind of expression Ace had when he died.

If he died happy then..."

the double draws out the final sentence eyeing sabo and ace both. which one of them will react? how will they react? ]

[ while the double tries to dodge, it's to no avail. he's caught by the throat. both his hands raise to grab his arm. ]

You're letting me die in both my brothers' arms. Lucky me.

[ his voice is strained.

ace hates this. he hates listening to this, but he knows that he can't stop this from happening, either. but he does shoot a dark look at the fake sabo. ]

Like I'd be happy dying in a situation like this.

[ suppose he should be "happy" that he has ace's double just where he wants him but with his hands around the fake's throat like this, the similarities are far less obvious as sabo tightens his grip on their neck.

he doesn't dare say a word because he knows as soon as he says anything, his resolve will slip and once he gives either of them an inch, they'll be able to take the rest from him. it's why he just keeps squeezing, bringing his second hand up to increase the pressure. (he knows there's a faster way to do this. one that requires less effort and more finesse.)

though it doesn't seem like his double will let things lay especially now that ace is talking to it. it'll slowly slink over towards sabo with a smile.

"Wouldn't you?

To die by the hands of someone you love and loves you, or to die by someone who doesn't care. The first one is better, isn't it? It's the reason why you're doing this."

depending on whether ace tries to go after sabo's double or not, it will try to slide right up next to sabo. ]

I wouldn't want either option. I'd want to live.

[ which is so strange after everything he's felt through the years. but it's true. and he doesn't want to put sabo through something this painful and awful. it isn't fair to him.

but it's what he wants. which also means he isn't being fair to himself. what a surprise.

but ace moves along with the double, keeping a close eye on him so he can't stop things.

as for ace's other half, he lets out a strained laugh. he lifts his hand slowly, and brings it to sabo's cheek to touch the scar with his fingertips. he doesn't physically fight back, but sometimes there are means to fight back that are much worse. ]

[ at what point has ace really been fair to himself? for that, at what point will sabo fully forgive himself inside and out about what he was never even responsible for? (he flinches at the touch to his scar but says nothing.) it was something that he has been so, so good about keeping under wraps up until ace speaks.

then. well... ]

Then you should have lived! If onl—

[ he finds himself shouting before the rest of his brain catches up with him. well, so much for not giving the doubles any room to worm their way into his cracks because as soon as the says the words, sabo's double is quick to act and slips in between sabo and ace's double.

"If only I remembered. Would have I been able to save you? How many times have I asked that question? How many times have I thought about it? How many nights have I wasted wondering?"

it will wrap place its hands over sabo's which instinctively has him jerking back in retaliation which only has the double force sabo to squeeze the fake ace's throat more. one would think that aiding sabo with his task would be the last thing it should do, but this actually has the adverse effect and sabo's fingers loosen. ]

[ ace comes over to try to pull the fake sabo back and away from what's happening. it's no surprise that they're trying to stop this with their own means, but he's not going to just sit idly by. sabo and him are doing this together. as awful as this is. ]

To hell with those regrets! What happened, happened. We're here now. Together. That's more important, right? You've felt my pain. You know it's real.

[ the double ace just smiles while he's being choked. his other hand moving to rest on sabo's arm. ]

At least if I'm a regret, I'd never leave your mind, right? I'll know you loved me, that I should have existed. That weight you carry.

[ ace feels furious at his double's words. ]

Shut up! That's not what I want.

[ the fake doesn't get pulled off so easily as it clings stubbornly to sabo's side and instead tries to lace its fingers with sabo's to make him get back to finishing his task. which is becoming increasingly harder to do even though ace's words dig into him because. well. his fake says it best regardless if sabo wanted it said or not.

"But you'll leave me again, won't you? Our time here—the two months that we have. It's all that we'll get.

After wanting to see you again for so many years—"

of course sabo hasn't forgotten what lorelei had told them on the first day that they made themselves known. it would be possible that ace could leave with him after this was over but what would that even mean? could he even do that..? the words of his fake getting under his skin as sabo lets ace's double to keep having their hands on him. in a way, he feels like he's being smothered.

"All I'll have is this." ]

Who cares about that? It's time we didn't have before.

[ ace bites sharply at the double. he knows that ache of losing sabo and he doesn't want their time to end, either. but he's just so grateful for more time than he realized he'd have. ]

But I want more. I want to be selfish. I want to keep living with you.

[ the double might have troubles with how he's being held, but he stares firmly at sabo. ]

[ ace's reply, not his fake's, nearly has sabo nearly snapping at him for saying that. who cares? sabo cares. obviously he had made peace that ace died living the life he chose for himself; after all, what else could he have done? either he could have tortured himself or accepted what happened then moved on. the choice was obvious given what he needs to do. however, before he's able to say anything, his double speaks up in a saccharine voice as it leans against sabo and presses his fingers tighter ace's double's throat.

"But we can't live together." a squeeze. "We're not allowed to live together."

sabo can feel his thumbs press deep against the fake's windpipe and he knows that the skin is lightly already bruising. his hands were claws of a dragon—honed to tear down those who stood in his way. he hates this; he wants to pull away but can't. he wants to relax his fingers but his double isn't letting him. it was supposed to sabotage him and yet in the way that it helps sabo, it is the best deterrent especially when ace's double just keeps looking at him.

"He has the blood of a demon and I have the blood of a noble. Nobles and demons can't be be together."

the last bit has him wanting to scream. how dare it say those things about ace; it would be one thing it to insult him but when it came to ace? no—absolutely not. if ace was a demon for being the son of the king of pirates then sabo must be even worse than that. a monster from hell. sabo doesn't and instead turns his head and glares hatefully at his double, biting down on his bottom lip till it nearly bleeds. ]

[ it'd be a lie to say ace didn't care about the fact that their days are numbered. that he was reunited with his long lost friend and he was brought back from the grave. things like this don't just happen on a regular basis.

the old him would have thought he didn't deserve this kind of a chance and the ability to grasp this happiness close. his doppelganger is right, he doesn't want this to ever end. he wants to grab onto sabo and never let him go, never leave his side.

and since the fake sabo is at his side, he goes to sabo from behind and rests his forehead on his neck. this whole thing hurts like hell and he closes his eyes. ]

My bloodline made me doubt my existence, but it never made me doubt being your sworn brother. I would have given anything to have more time and I won't throw away the love I was given just because of my bloodline.

[ he doesn't even care if he's called a demon. it's probably true. but luffy and sabo gave his life worth. even if he didn't realize this until the very end. a lifelong mistake. but he won't let that drag him down now. he can't.

it'd be too cruel to dismiss sabo's feelings once again like that.

the doppelganger merely raises his hand to touch the fingers around his neck that are bruising him. keeping him captive. not begging for death, but unable to beg for life with that lingering darkness from ace. doubts don't just disappear in one day. ]

Don't.

[ a single word that sabo manages to say before his double speaks up. it comes out like a threat and between gritted teeth; it also surprises sabo's double given how sabo has been so reserved with communicating with the doppelgangers. but it's the feeling of ace's forehead against his neck is both a slight reprieve from the feeling that he is being suffocated and also another presence that further divides his attention. he hates this. he hates this so much and even though he is the one who decided to do this himself there is a fleeting moment where he questions why he did.

but the feeling of ace's double fingers over reminds him of the twisted reason he has for doing this. if anyone was going to kill ace, then he would do it by his own hands. he would be able to say goodbye; no one could take this from him. it's that twisted thought that sabo's double smirks at as it keeps encouraging sabo to keep going. it knows the best way to get the results that it wants.

"Don't? Don't what, silly? Isn't this what you wanted? Or is it because you're hearing these words now?

I always knew deep down that Ace didn't like himself, but I liked Ace even if Ace didn't. It's why I was always with him."

until he wasn't, of course. sabo's double forces his fingers to press harder against the other fake's windpipe bending the cartilage and closing off the airflow. sabo himself doesn't entertain his fake and simply just closes his eyes and takes a moment to center himself. he doesn't want to focus on what he's doing but he needs to focus on something. ]

[ the doppelganger makes a strained sound against that feeling, but he doesn't struggle, his hands tightening just a bit more on sabo.

ace brings his hands up to rest them on sabo's arms, to give him support through this. he doesn't want him feeling like he's alone in this. that even if his double is being killed, he's still right there with him. ]

And I'm still here now. I won't leave you while you do this.

[ sabo knows that ace is trying to be supportive but the one he keeps talking to is sabo's fake and not sabo himself. it's not that he doesn't appreciate it. it's just that... whenever ace responds his double grins that much wider and revels in how much more sabo needs to refocus on the task at hand. but it does come to a breaking point (almost literally) after ace, the real one, places his hands on him.

at this point he just aims to do everything that he has been trained to do in order to finally just snap the throat of ace's fake. he doesn't even need his doppelganger to get involved. he'll just keep going and going and going and squeezing up until he can feel the crack and pops of supports of the fake's throat.

and even though sabo's doppelganger failed to stop sabo from completing the task, it doesn't seem to be too bothered by it as it laughs at sabo holding onto ace's fake's throat and thoroughly crushing it within his hands. sabo wants more than nothing to start strangling his own double but he has a feeling that is what it wants him to do so he just keeps his hands occupied doing the worst thing ever.

but he ignores what he feels and what face is looking at him. the only thing he's focusing on are his hands and making sure that what he had set his mind out to do is completed. if there is any thought that goes through his head it's just the soft mantra of "die already". ]

03.50 - week three, saturday

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