[ give her a moment to actually be able to say anything after that. it's fine? it's not real. except it is pretty real since, as they are all aware, this is just shit they actually think about themselves. but it's FINE. steph will focus on that nice hannibal man being culturally sensitive.
but once stephanie can find her voice, she gestures at the doors. ]
Should we split up or go into them together? I don't want there to be some trick like a time limit or something.
[NO, him friend?! He knows Dick said nothing was real, and he knows it's not real, but it's beginning to make him worry whether or not they are being used as puppets.
Real, but not in control.
He has half a mind to snatch the cowboy hat key and book it for the correct door, but... instead, after glancing between the two of them, he will walk over to see what the paper says on them.]
If we don't use them now, do you think they'll vanish when we leave...? [He hates to waste time, BUT...] ...We can check on them.
[ god can he PLEASE stop being disoriented in these places. it's getting unfunny. dick's going to look at the left door, specifically and let's pretend damian went right so they're looking at different papers ]
We warped to this corridor, and I doubt we'll be able to go back here once we play our second round. Let's see what's in there as fast as possible. [ he'll look at the keys, and-- ] I think we're gaining access to where everyone else has been stashed. We've got a lot more keys to get.
[ not looking forward to more of these rounds, but!! what's behind the doors. ]
Assuming Dick tries to open the left door by simply twisting the doorknob, he will discover that it is locked! Luckily for him, they have recently acquired a nice pair of keys. How convenient.]
why the fuck are they numbered like this. just match their keys. but uh since they don't know which key goes to which door it means they're gonna have to open them one at a time. ]
Uh... try both of them on the right door and see which one opens it.
[The key with the cowboy hat keychain does the trick. Nothing jumps out to attack them once they unlock Door 2. If anything, it feels like there's a strange lack of activity within the room. It's far too silent.
[ i guess they are going to whole ass. anyway, damian has the keys so he needs to give the other one to dick. for now, she will push the door open and step inside. she very purposely goes inside before damian can because he is more likely to charge in and immediately fall into a hole and die ]
[WELL, he is getting bullied in all directions. The Whole Ass key works, and Damian absolutely would have barged in if not for the fact he has to hand off the Reaper key to Dick.]
Brown!
[HE IS RUSHING IN AFTER HER, and it will only be in hindsight he realizes Dick betrayed them for the other door. So then he will yell, "GRAYSON!" under his breath.]
dick goes into the other door because he has the other key :3c though he will open it and walk inside CAREFULLY so he does not fall into a hole and die ]
Once they step into Door 2, they will immediately notice that it's a bit of a tight fit.
The classroom obviously wasn't meant to house more than 30 students at a time. But some of the school desks have been pushed together to make more space. Including the teacher's desk, the group will find 36 sleeping individuals. All of them will be familiar to Damian, though a certain asshole NPC is missing. Obviously, he will not find himself, Jason, Percy or Natalie among the sleeping faces either. There's a pillow on each desk. Each individual has their arms are folded on top of their respective pillow, and they rest their head on top of the two limbs. A cozy looking blanket is draped over each of their shoulders, though Steph and Damian will still catch enough of a glimpse of their clothes to realize they're all wearing a familiar shirt, booty shorts/dad shorts, and sandals. The classroom smells surprisingly nice, a little bit like air freshener and a little bit like it's been recently cleaned.
Papika did say they would get to visit their friends from Whole Ass, didn't she?
Though speaking of Papika, she's also there, taking a nice little nap on the teacher's desk. Aw.
Behind Door 3, Dick will find a similar scenario — though this classroom is even more crowded. Yes, including the NPCs, there are 46 sleeping individuals in this classroom. Most of them are completely unfamiliar to Dick, though he will find some disturbingly familiar faces among the group. Like the people taking a nap behind Door 2, they all have the same outfit situation, the same type of pillow and the same type of blanket. The classroom smells nice, like someone has been taking care of this place.]
well, steph is just going to walk around the classroom, checking up on every person just to double check that they're all alright. just to be safe!!! why must these outfits return.
but once she's done, and damian is done doing whatever the hell he does in his tag, she'll pause. ]
[OH NO. Everyone he just recently left on the train...! The first person Damian races to, of course, is Papika. :'( His roomie. But he stops before doing anything to look around the crowded classroom.
Milla, Barnham, Noctis... all of them.]
How... long have we really been here?
[Everyone is asleep, but weren't they asleep, too? He reaches out to Papika, but then pauses and draws his hand back. Dammit, they all just wanted to go back. He slams his balled fist on the desk and moves away.]
[ meanwhile, in a truly overcrowded classroom, dick does a quick check of everyone he sees to check if they all look okay. it's... weird to see chuuya, monika and taako, but he already knew there were multiples. there were... a lot of things he knows. he'll check to see if there's anything else in the classroom outside magnus's sleeping game mates before getting out, though he'll keep the key safely with him. ]
I'm guessing you guys got the same thing? [ he'll assume, at least. ] We still need a key for the temple, the island, the village, the castle, the house and the ship. That's two per round. We can do this.
[ not... that they have much of a choice. woo boy. round 2? ]
[Everyone looks clean, comfortable and unharmed. Though now that they're taking a closer look, they will notice that each person wears a white scrunchie on one of their wrists. Hm. Regardless of how much noise they make, however, nobody stirs. But, hey. At least it seems like they're well taken care of.
The stage waits for them further down the hallway, where they will spot two additional classroom doors. Shall they proceed? Or is there something else they would like to check?]
[ yea obviously she takes one of their scrunchies off and flings it across the room
no. but steph will proceed forward, only stopping to see if she can? open any of the lockers along the way??? ]
Did they have scrunchies on in the other room, too? We should ask the others how many people were at their games though, just to make sure everyone is accounted for.
[ IT'S FINE IT WAS JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HALLWAY!!! ]
They had scrunchies, yeah. And... maybe. It's not a bad theory, at least. We'll see what other numbers turn up. [ dick looks at the ceiling just in case i missed something :/ but otherwise i can't think of anything else in this hallway. are there more posters. is there something on the ground. IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE DESKS INSIDE THE ROOM, ASSUME HE NOISILY CHECKED BACK THERE!!! otherwise. there we go down the hallway ]
[Steph cannot open any of the lockers! Alas. They have stickers with names written on them, however. Steph will see a couple of names she's heard of before, like Papika, Akira, Chuuya (3), and so forth. Yes, Chuuya is numbered. It's fine.
There is nothing in the desks, either. And the ceiling is clear, besides maybe having asbestos. But that's fine. School ceilings just be like that sometimes.
Down the hallway they go! Cheery music plays as they approach the stage for a second time. Hannibal and Akechi stand there, still grinning and wearing their 3D glasses. But Papika seems to have disappeared. Shadowy figures block the two classroom doors and lockers, and the podiums are lined up smackdab in the middle of the hallway this time. Between the stage and the podium, the group will notice six rectangular... boxes, perhaps? They are entirely covered by black tarps, but they are about six feet long and three feet wide each.
As the group approaches, Hannibal will lift his microphone to speak.]
"... And we return from our commercial break! In the last segment, our contestants won the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit our friends from that ill-named town and Shibuya. But now, they must face yet another challenge. Akechi-san, will you tell our contestants what they will win should they make it through this round?"
"If they make it through this round, they will get the opportunity to visit their friends from the temple and village!" [Akechi gestures at the classroom doors as he speaks. Once again, both doors have a sheet of paper taped to them.] "... Of course, this is only if they win. Should they lose... Haha, we will be in for a treat! Contestants, you may now take your place at the podiums."
[Smoke begins to seep through the locker doors. It smells a lot like... weed? Uh. Hm. Oh, well. What now?]
It isn't us, I would think. There were four of us from the town, not three. It could be the arrival sequence--
[What the HELL is happening at any given time in this school?! Damian looks ticked to see Hannibal for the second time as he steps up to a podium. Stupid cannibalistic bastard... If he hadn't seen Papika back in the room, he'd demand for them to tell him where she went.
He does not like those six boxes, by the way. At all.]
...Coffins?
[He glances around when the smoke appears. WEED, REALLY?] Whatever transpires, just play along with the game. Whatever answers they want. We need those keys. [Haha. Easier said than done.]
[ dick will follow the other two to his own podium, looking warily at the boxes ]
Right. Hopefully... it's not as bad as it looks. [ famous last words, grayson! but he covers his face a little at the smell of weed. god. he's suddenly so glad he went to gotham academy. public school is bad. ]
[It is absolutely weed. Special weed, as a matter of fact. The longer they inhale it, the foggier their perception of reality becomes. For all of Dick's talk about how none of this is real and they should remain calm, the three of them will have one hell of a time remembering that. In fact, they will even forget the fact that they just saw thier friends from Whole Ass and Shibuya in classrooms 2 and 3. Everything that is happening right now will feel very, very real as long as they continue to inhale the weed. Oof.
But that's not all.
Once they approach their respective podiums, chains will shoot out of them to grab their wrists and ankles. Their ankles will be held firmly in place, preventing them from taking a step back. Their left hand will have just enough mobility to reach the two buttons on their respective podium. Each one of them will get an additional surprise, however. Three of the shadowy figures will lunge at them once they're chained to their podiums. One of the figures will grab Dick's jaw and pull his tongue out, holding it in place. The second will grab Steph's right hand, pressing it against the corner of the podium. The third will grab at Damian's left leg, pinning it so he can't move his knee. From the ceiling, three objects descend to dangle above them. A gun for Dick, a fire starter for Steph, and a sword for Damian. I cannot find a good picture reference, but. The sword is absolutely the al Ghul sword.
The next time they blink, they will find their outfits have changed as well. Dick now wears Batman's suit, Steph wears Spoiler's uniform, and Damian will find himself dressed like his grandfather. Once this happens, and the special weed has taken effect, the TV screen on the stage will flicker to life. It now reads:]
ROUND 2 WILL I DIE ALONE?
[Akechi lifts the microphone up, and begins to speak.]
"You can't have your cake and eat it, too. That's just the way the world works. If you want to hang out with your friends, you will never have a seat at the table. But if you want a seat at the table, you have to give up your friends. The rules of this round are simple. On their podiums, our wonderful contestants will find two buttons—"
[Looking down, Steph, Dick and Damian will notice there's something written on the buttons. For Steph: The right button reads Varian and the left button reads Souji. For Dick: The right button reads Higekiri and the left button reads Kagachi. And for Damian: The right button reads Papika and the left button reads Milla. Simultaneously, the black tarps covering the boxes will lift to reveal glass boxes, with the aforementioned individuals inside. Dildo guns are pointed at both Kagachi and Higekiri, fire starters are aimed at both Souji and Varian, and al Ghul swords dangle above Papika and Milla's heads. All of them are wearing oversized 3D glasses and white tunics. They press their hands against the glass, breathing heavily as they look at the trio with an expression of sheer terror on their faces.]
"They have 10 seconds to decide which button they will press. Or, rather, which person they will save. Whoever they don't pick will die! But isn't that how it always is? You can't keep both your friends and your idols. You can't hang with the popular kids and your loser friends at the same time. That's just not how it works."
[A timer appears on the TV. 0:10.]
"Welp, no time to agonize over your decision. The clock is ticking. Fail to choose one, and you lose."
[And with that, the timer starts to count down. A jaunty theme plays in the background, while the shadowy figures stomp and clap.]
[ it’s unfortunate, because by the time steph realizes that they should probably Not be inhaling the weed, it’s a little too late and she has inhaled the weed. and then the chains are put onto them, and—hm. well, it doesn’t take a detective to realize why her hand is getting special attention compared to everything else.
this is horrible. ]
I...
[ this isn’t real? or... no, that’s them, right? it’s definitely them. stephanie looks between varian and souji, trying not to panic but UNFORTUNATELY you just had to go and get her HIGH, so i guess that’s a thing now. i hate this so much. why couldn’t they just fight a monster.
but the problem is, she genuinely cannot choose. she’s closer to varian, yes, but souji is— she thinks of yasusada back at camp. she can’t choose. she won’t be able to look at him again. but varian is...
well, stephanie is just staring at the two buttons in horror, so how are damian and dick doing?? you good there?? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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but once stephanie can find her voice, she gestures at the doors. ]
Should we split up or go into them together? I don't want there to be some trick like a time limit or something.
[ her trust in this place: 0 ]
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[NO, him friend?! He knows Dick said nothing was real, and he knows it's not real, but it's beginning to make him worry whether or not they are being used as puppets.
Real, but not in control.
He has half a mind to snatch the cowboy hat key and book it for the correct door, but... instead, after glancing between the two of them, he will walk over to see what the paper says on them.]
If we don't use them now, do you think they'll vanish when we leave...? [He hates to waste time, BUT...] ...We can check on them.
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We warped to this corridor, and I doubt we'll be able to go back here once we play our second round. Let's see what's in there as fast as possible. [ he'll look at the keys, and-- ] I think we're gaining access to where everyone else has been stashed. We've got a lot more keys to get.
[ not looking forward to more of these rounds, but!! what's behind the doors. ]
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The paper on the right door reads: 2
Assuming Dick tries to open the left door by simply twisting the doorknob, he will discover that it is locked! Luckily for him, they have recently acquired a nice pair of keys. How convenient.]
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why the fuck are they numbered like this. just match their keys. but uh since they don't know which key goes to which door it means they're gonna have to open them one at a time. ]
Uh... try both of them on the right door and see which one opens it.
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[Can't wait for clowns to be behind these doors.
Damian will try both of the keys on the right door, and if he dies, it will be Stephanie's fault. Like so much else in her life! :D
"Reasons She Deserves To Die"?]
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Be careful, we don't know what's behind those doors. [ but also, give him the key that doesn't work when you're done?
assuming it's not a "both keys work haha" kind of deal. ]
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Will they push the door open and venture inside?]
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Brown!
[HE IS RUSHING IN AFTER HER, and it will only be in hindsight he realizes Dick betrayed them for the other door. So then he will yell, "GRAYSON!" under his breath.]
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dick goes into the other door because he has the other key :3c though he will open it and walk inside CAREFULLY so he does not fall into a hole and die ]
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Once they step into Door 2, they will immediately notice that it's a bit of a tight fit.
The classroom obviously wasn't meant to house more than 30 students at a time. But some of the school desks have been pushed together to make more space. Including the teacher's desk, the group will find 36 sleeping individuals. All of them will be familiar to Damian, though a certain asshole NPC is missing. Obviously, he will not find himself, Jason, Percy or Natalie among the sleeping faces either. There's a pillow on each desk. Each individual has their arms are folded on top of their respective pillow, and they rest their head on top of the two limbs. A cozy looking blanket is draped over each of their shoulders, though Steph and Damian will still catch enough of a glimpse of their clothes to realize they're all wearing a familiar shirt, booty shorts/dad shorts, and sandals. The classroom smells surprisingly nice, a little bit like air freshener and a little bit like it's been recently cleaned.
Papika did say they would get to visit their friends from Whole Ass, didn't she?
Though speaking of Papika, she's also there, taking a nice little nap on the teacher's desk. Aw.
Behind Door 3, Dick will find a similar scenario — though this classroom is even more crowded. Yes, including the NPCs, there are 46 sleeping individuals in this classroom. Most of them are completely unfamiliar to Dick, though he will find some disturbingly familiar faces among the group. Like the people taking a nap behind Door 2, they all have the same outfit situation, the same type of pillow and the same type of blanket. The classroom smells nice, like someone has been taking care of this place.]
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well, steph is just going to walk around the classroom, checking up on every person just to double check that they're all alright. just to be safe!!! why must these outfits return.
but once she's done, and damian is done doing whatever the hell he does in his tag, she'll pause. ]
Well... looks like they are doing okay, at least.
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Milla, Barnham, Noctis... all of them.]
How... long have we really been here?
[Everyone is asleep, but weren't they asleep, too? He reaches out to Papika, but then pauses and draws his hand back. Dammit, they all just wanted to go back. He slams his balled fist on the desk and moves away.]
Let's go. We have a game to finish.
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I'm guessing you guys got the same thing? [ he'll assume, at least. ] We still need a key for the temple, the island, the village, the castle, the house and the ship. That's two per round. We can do this.
[ not... that they have much of a choice. woo boy. round 2? ]
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The stage waits for them further down the hallway, where they will spot two additional classroom doors. Shall they proceed? Or is there something else they would like to check?]
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no. but steph will proceed forward, only stopping to see if she can? open any of the lockers along the way??? ]
Did they have scrunchies on in the other room, too? We should ask the others how many people were at their games though, just to make sure everyone is accounted for.
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ALSO, he gives Grayson a very scolding look when they all meet back up outside. DO NOT split up after telling them not to split up, DICK GRAYSON!]
White scrunchies, everyone asleep and in horrendous fashion. [Sorry, directors.] The numbers on the door--three and two.
...Are those how many duplicates are inside who correspond to other games? Does that matter?
[Guess they are proceeding ahead down the hallway to the two other doors?]
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They had scrunchies, yeah. And... maybe. It's not a bad theory, at least. We'll see what other numbers turn up. [ dick looks at the ceiling just in case i missed something :/ but otherwise i can't think of anything else in this hallway. are there more posters. is there something on the ground. IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE DESKS INSIDE THE ROOM, ASSUME HE NOISILY CHECKED BACK THERE!!! otherwise. there we go down the hallway ]
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There is nothing in the desks, either. And the ceiling is clear, besides maybe having asbestos. But that's fine. School ceilings just be like that sometimes.
Down the hallway they go! Cheery music plays as they approach the stage for a second time. Hannibal and Akechi stand there, still grinning and wearing their 3D glasses. But Papika seems to have disappeared. Shadowy figures block the two classroom doors and lockers, and the podiums are lined up smackdab in the middle of the hallway this time. Between the stage and the podium, the group will notice six rectangular... boxes, perhaps? They are entirely covered by black tarps, but they are about six feet long and three feet wide each.
As the group approaches, Hannibal will lift his microphone to speak.]
"... And we return from our commercial break! In the last segment, our contestants won the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit our friends from that ill-named town and Shibuya. But now, they must face yet another challenge. Akechi-san, will you tell our contestants what they will win should they make it through this round?"
"If they make it through this round, they will get the opportunity to visit their friends from the temple and village!" [Akechi gestures at the classroom doors as he speaks. Once again, both doors have a sheet of paper taped to them.] "... Of course, this is only if they win. Should they lose... Haha, we will be in for a treat! Contestants, you may now take your place at the podiums."
[Smoke begins to seep through the locker doors. It smells a lot like... weed? Uh. Hm. Oh, well. What now?]
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what the fuck are they doing now????
but after the look exchange, she will walk to the podiums, and— ]
Is that weed? God, this really is like a high school.
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[What the HELL is happening at any given time in this school?! Damian looks ticked to see Hannibal for the second time as he steps up to a podium. Stupid cannibalistic bastard... If he hadn't seen Papika back in the room, he'd demand for them to tell him where she went.
He does not like those six boxes, by the way. At all.]
...Coffins?
[He glances around when the smoke appears. WEED, REALLY?] Whatever transpires, just play along with the game. Whatever answers they want. We need those keys. [Haha. Easier said than done.]
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Right. Hopefully... it's not as bad as it looks. [ famous last words, grayson! but he covers his face a little at the smell of weed. god. he's suddenly so glad he went to gotham academy. public school is bad. ]
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But that's not all.
Once they approach their respective podiums, chains will shoot out of them to grab their wrists and ankles. Their ankles will be held firmly in place, preventing them from taking a step back. Their left hand will have just enough mobility to reach the two buttons on their respective podium. Each one of them will get an additional surprise, however. Three of the shadowy figures will lunge at them once they're chained to their podiums. One of the figures will grab Dick's jaw and pull his tongue out, holding it in place. The second will grab Steph's right hand, pressing it against the corner of the podium. The third will grab at Damian's left leg, pinning it so he can't move his knee. From the ceiling, three objects descend to dangle above them. A gun for Dick, a fire starter for Steph, and a sword for Damian. I cannot find a good picture reference, but. The sword is absolutely the al Ghul sword.
The next time they blink, they will find their outfits have changed as well. Dick now wears Batman's suit, Steph wears Spoiler's uniform, and Damian will find himself dressed like his grandfather. Once this happens, and the special weed has taken effect, the TV screen on the stage will flicker to life. It now reads:]
ROUND 2
WILL I DIE ALONE?
[Akechi lifts the microphone up, and begins to speak.]
"You can't have your cake and eat it, too. That's just the way the world works. If you want to hang out with your friends, you will never have a seat at the table. But if you want a seat at the table, you have to give up your friends. The rules of this round are simple. On their podiums, our wonderful contestants will find two buttons—"
[Looking down, Steph, Dick and Damian will notice there's something written on the buttons. For Steph: The right button reads Varian and the left button reads Souji. For Dick: The right button reads Higekiri and the left button reads Kagachi. And for Damian: The right button reads Papika and the left button reads Milla. Simultaneously, the black tarps covering the boxes will lift to reveal glass boxes, with the aforementioned individuals inside. Dildo guns are pointed at both Kagachi and Higekiri, fire starters are aimed at both Souji and Varian, and al Ghul swords dangle above Papika and Milla's heads. All of them are wearing oversized 3D glasses and white tunics. They press their hands against the glass, breathing heavily as they look at the trio with an expression of sheer terror on their faces.]
"They have 10 seconds to decide which button they will press. Or, rather, which person they will save. Whoever they don't pick will die! But isn't that how it always is? You can't keep both your friends and your idols. You can't hang with the popular kids and your loser friends at the same time. That's just not how it works."
[A timer appears on the TV. 0:10.]
"Welp, no time to agonize over your decision. The clock is ticking. Fail to choose one, and you lose."
[And with that, the timer starts to count down. A jaunty theme plays in the background, while the shadowy figures stomp and clap.]
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this is horrible. ]
I...
[ this isn’t real? or... no, that’s them, right? it’s definitely them. stephanie looks between varian and souji, trying not to panic but UNFORTUNATELY you just had to go and get her HIGH, so i guess that’s a thing now. i hate this so much. why couldn’t they just fight a monster.
but the problem is, she genuinely cannot choose. she’s closer to varian, yes, but souji is— she thinks of yasusada back at camp. she can’t choose. she won’t be able to look at him again. but varian is...
well, stephanie is just staring at the two buttons in horror, so how are damian and dick doing?? you good there?? ]
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