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?? ]
The worry he had before is ten-fold now. He's mad at the restraints, and he's startled by Papika and Milla in the box. Way more than being in Grandfather's outfit, way more than the al Ghul sword.
His hand rises up over Milla's button, but falters. A deep pit of guilt settles in his stomach. It's so easy to think to throw Milla away, despite how much she thought of him. A respect he gets from so few people. How awful of him. He remembers his answer to Escha's question, What do you want to be when you grow up?
"A good person."
He can hear his father's disappointment. You'd kill, Damian? You'd sacrifice someone else before another, before... yourself? He can't do it. He just told them to play along, but he can't--!
He slams his hand down, but it lands on the podium between the buzzers in a tight fist. He's already disappointed Bruce so much, he can't add more to it.]
[ It is, in fact, worse than it looks. Dick is bent oddly, the way they've got him, but he's not worried about himself, only Steph and Damian-- Higekiri and Kagachi aren't... there. Aren't they? They're fine, this is... are they fine? The guns might look stupid, but they're very real. He doesn't think he's seen either of them scared before.
Something's... off, but his head is foggy. He can't pick. Someone will die if he picks, and-- and he can't make that choice again. He doesn't want to make that choice again. There's something important he's forgetting and he needs to-- figure out a way to help, everyone here-- Steph and Damian and Hige and Kagachi and whoever those other people are--
It's wild, how quickly ten seconds passes. Oops. ]
[The shadows wince and boo. Some of the cup their hands around the mouths on their heads. Others give the trio a double thumbs down. And others seem to magically obtain slushies, sodas and alcoholic drinks, if only so they can throw them at the trio. They will be absolutely filthy by the end of this, but that's not the worst part. Up on the stage, Hannibal and Akechi shake their heads.]
"So you have chosen to die alone..."
[A second later, several things happen simultaneously.
1. The dildo guns fire holy water at Kagachi and Higekiri. Just like what happened to Carlos, Polly and Escha, their bodies begin to melt. Flesh begins to slide off their faces, limbs, torsos — everything the water touches. Muscle, lipids, sinew, and blood. It's not a pretty sight, and they both die a slow and agonizing death. They scream and scream and scream until it becomes nothing but a bloody gurgle, their tongues melting along with the rest of their faces. Then, there is nothing but silence from their side of things.
2. The fire starters do what fire starters do best: start a fire. Both Souji and Varian will go up in flames, agonized screams ripped from their mouths as the flames consume their flesh. This is yet another agonizing death, and it will take several seconds before they drop to the ground, dead.
3. This one, at least, is a bit more merciful. The swords descend on both Milla and Papika, stabbing through their hearts in one swift move. They do not die instantly, but it is a faster death than what Kagachi, Higekiri, Souji and Varian have to go through. The girls gasp, shocked and pained, and lock eyes with Damian. A moment later, they collapse like a house of cards.
4. Drops of water fall from the dildo gun dangling above Dick's head. They fall on his tongue, drip drip dripping until the muscle is completely melted off. Goodbye, tongue.
5. The fire starter above Steph descends even further, and sets her hand on fire. The rest of her arm will be fine, but, uh. That sure is one extra crispy hand!
6. Finally, the al Ghul sword will drop down and stab Damian through the knee. Oof.
Throughout all of this the shadowy figures continue to throw drinks at them. They will only stop once Hannibal speaks again.]
"Hm. Well, that is all for round 2. Let's give it up for our contestants! We will return after this commercial break."
[Their vision will distort again, and the stage will disappear along with the cameras, the shadowy figures, the podiums and the glass boxes. They will see it has reappeared further down the hallway, where two more classroom doors are. Hannibal seems to have made his way over there in an instant. However, Kagachi, Higekiri, Varian, Souji, Papika and Milla's bodies will remain. Akechi is also still here, for whatever reason... and he gives the group a blank look before reaching into his pocket and pulling two small items out.
After a beat, he throws them right at Steph's face before saying:]
"I will see you soon."
[And then he runs down the hallway, to where the stage has reappeared.
Though the group has injuries to take care of right now, they will notice that Akechi threw two keys at them. One has two theater masks as a keychain, and the other has a moon and a sun as a keychain. Is this a pity prize...?
Oh, well. Looks like they get to walk into the classrooms, anyway.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
[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"?]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
Will they push the door open and venture inside?]
no subject
no subject
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.]
no subject
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 ]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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? ]
no subject
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?]
no subject
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.
no subject
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?]
no subject
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 ]
no subject
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?]
no subject
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.
no subject
[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.]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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?? ]
no subject
The worry he had before is ten-fold now. He's mad at the restraints, and he's startled by Papika and Milla in the box. Way more than being in Grandfather's outfit, way more than the al Ghul sword.
His hand rises up over Milla's button, but falters. A deep pit of guilt settles in his stomach. It's so easy to think to throw Milla away, despite how much she thought of him. A respect he gets from so few people. How awful of him. He remembers his answer to Escha's question, What do you want to be when you grow up?
"A good person."
He can hear his father's disappointment. You'd kill, Damian? You'd sacrifice someone else before another, before... yourself? He can't do it. He just told them to play along, but he can't--!
He slams his hand down, but it lands on the podium between the buzzers in a tight fist. He's already disappointed Bruce so much, he can't add more to it.]
no subject
Something's... off, but his head is foggy. He can't pick. Someone will die if he picks, and-- and he can't make that choice again. He doesn't want to make that choice again. There's something important he's forgetting and he needs to-- figure out a way to help, everyone here-- Steph and Damian and Hige and Kagachi and whoever those other people are--
It's wild, how quickly ten seconds passes. Oops. ]
no subject
[The shadows wince and boo. Some of the cup their hands around the mouths on their heads. Others give the trio a double thumbs down. And others seem to magically obtain slushies, sodas and alcoholic drinks, if only so they can throw them at the trio. They will be absolutely filthy by the end of this, but that's not the worst part. Up on the stage, Hannibal and Akechi shake their heads.]
"So you have chosen to die alone..."
[A second later, several things happen simultaneously.
2. The fire starters do what fire starters do best: start a fire. Both Souji and Varian will go up in flames, agonized screams ripped from their mouths as the flames consume their flesh. This is yet another agonizing death, and it will take several seconds before they drop to the ground, dead.
3. This one, at least, is a bit more merciful. The swords descend on both Milla and Papika, stabbing through their hearts in one swift move. They do not die instantly, but it is a faster death than what Kagachi, Higekiri, Souji and Varian have to go through. The girls gasp, shocked and pained, and lock eyes with Damian. A moment later, they collapse like a house of cards.
4. Drops of water fall from the dildo gun dangling above Dick's head. They fall on his tongue, drip drip dripping until the muscle is completely melted off. Goodbye, tongue.
5. The fire starter above Steph descends even further, and sets her hand on fire. The rest of her arm will be fine, but, uh. That sure is one extra crispy hand!
6. Finally, the al Ghul sword will drop down and stab Damian through the knee. Oof.
Throughout all of this the shadowy figures continue to throw drinks at them. They will only stop once Hannibal speaks again.]
"Hm. Well, that is all for round 2. Let's give it up for our contestants! We will return after this commercial break."
[Their vision will distort again, and the stage will disappear along with the cameras, the shadowy figures, the podiums and the glass boxes. They will see it has reappeared further down the hallway, where two more classroom doors are. Hannibal seems to have made his way over there in an instant. However, Kagachi, Higekiri, Varian, Souji, Papika and Milla's bodies will remain. Akechi is also still here, for whatever reason... and he gives the group a blank look before reaching into his pocket and pulling two small items out.
After a beat, he throws them right at Steph's face before saying:]
"I will see you soon."
[And then he runs down the hallway, to where the stage has reappeared.
Though the group has injuries to take care of right now, they will notice that Akechi threw two keys at them. One has two theater masks as a keychain, and the other has a moon and a sun as a keychain. Is this a pity prize...?
Oh, well. Looks like they get to walk into the classrooms, anyway.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)