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.]
[ well that was fucking horrible and traumatizing. cool.
a lot just happened in a short amount of time, and stephanie isnât sure how to respond. the feeling of horror, and guilt, and shame that overwhelms her at the sight of the six dying is... well, she canât linger on that. she canât even linger on her hand, which hurts, or the keys smacking against her face (fucking rude).
she bends down to pick up the keys, and then she rushes over to the two of them, cradling her burnt hand against her chest. ]
Dick, do you have the suppâoh. [ his... tongue... aaaaaaa ] We need to take care of you both before we... check out the rooms.
[ is she not acknowledging what just happened? yea. letâs not talk about this shared trauma we are all experiencing here. itâs fine. ]
[Wow, they are all a huge disgrace. Bruce is going to disown the three of them without hesitation.
Damian isn't sure if the pain in his leg is any worse than the pain in his heart. Killing three people to get out of a sadistic game of murder is bad enough? Now he has definitely killed two of them yet again.
He doesn't scream about the leg; it's been trained out of him. But he does grit his teeth and slouch against the podium. There isn't a single bit of reluctance when he reaches back to yank the sword out as Steph comes over with the keys. He does cry out then, but, like... it had to be done. He can't walk with it in the way.]
[ Dick can't even scream when he watches it happen-- and unlike last time (god, last time-- Escha) he also can't make it quicker, for either of them. Not to mention the other four... How could they have messed up so badly?
But it's fine, most thoughts leave his head for a bit while acid melts out his tongue because hmmmmm ow. let's go with ow. It's not agony free acid. Once he's free he has to steady himself on the podium for a second, taking in a breath before he tries to at least take the cowl off his face.
He reaches in his-- utility belt instead of pockets now, sure, and he takes out the first aid kit he's always carrying around. thank god it comes with bandages and suture stuff, he guesses. His hands may be shaking a little from the slow torture, but that's irrelevant. He still has them. He signs: ]
OK. Take care of our wounds first. Let's not do that again.
[ an understatement. he has to spit blood out of his mouth (which I'm sure tastes great, except, well, it's fine, he has no tongue. he can't taste much.) before he starts off with damian, considering. he kneels next to him to check if it's deep enough to need sutures? which PROBABLY it's a SWORD TO THE KNEE ]
stephanie will kneel down, reaching to take the kit from dick while he actually looks over damian. there are a few things she is pretty sure theyâre going to need without even getting a closer look?
... is there anything for burns in this thing. i do not know itâs not my kit. anyway just assume that steph is helping dick during all of this i am not jae. ]
He frowns heavily at both Dick and Steph, but mostly Dick who is trying to take care of him WHILE MISSING AN ENTIRE TONGUE. Damian really thinks of Jason in this moment, more than anything.]
Just stop, both... of you...! Brown, you have... third degree burns...!
[He at least? is sort of helping Dick? Not wanting Dick to do it, but also not wanting Dick to do it hurt anyway.]
Just... tourniquet... ["Damian, you could lose your leg." THERE IS NO TIME FOR SUTURES.] We have to keep going!
[ DICK HAS HIS HANDS FULL AND CAN'T ARGUE wow not having a tongue is already annoying. also i'm guessing that means they have a fun emotional loop of pain, self-hatred and generic anger, so that's cool and fun. but he's just going to glare at damian because it will not take that long to suture and he can SIT DOWN and SHUT UP for TWO MINUTES. steph back him up. please back him up he's going after you next if your hand isn't taken care of
"what about his tongue" what is he going to do, put a bandaid on it, it's GONE ]
[ i mean, he's not going to be hearing anything from dick, because he can't speak anymore. Dick sends Steph a thumbs up before getting to damian. suture time. it's going to be great walking on that leg but he fully assumes damian will refuse anything less than walking on a recently stabbed knee, like an asshole.
hopefully steph finds the sleeping people are all alive and they didn't just kill them all off horribly by being failures, ha ha, wow he's going to regret having to explain this later. ]
but steph will walk over to the doors. are there numbers on them? either way, she's going to try to use the key with the masks on both doors and will enter whichever one opens. ]
[There are, indeed, numbers written on a sheet of paper on both doors. The door to the right reads 5, and the door to the left reads 6. The key with the masks works on the right door. Once Steph unlocks the door and steps inside, she will realize that this is not a classroom. Rather, she has found her way into the school cafeteria — though the room is being used for similar purposes as the previous two they unlocked.
There are 53 individuals in total. If Steph has been paying attention to the outdoor theater, she should recognize every single one of the sleeping individuals as the missing participants and gods of the competition that took place at the temple. They, too, are wearing a Camp Gatonina shirt, booty/dad shorts, socks and sandals. A white scrunchie is around one of their wrists, and they each have pillows to rest their arms and heads on, and comfy looking blankets. Thankfully, the cafeteria is large enough to comfortably fit everyone even when there are four people snoozing per table.
Will Steph take a closer look at anything in the cafeteria?]
Damian suffers through Dick's work which is actually not as terrible so much as just... having your leg sutured while pouring blood after being stabbed with a sword is... sure something.
Steph goes to check the rooms, and Damian hates it. Probably right before Dick can get completely and totally finished, Damian is twisting carefully away so they can go. He's walking funny, but he stops to try to help Dick pack and get up.]
[ dick blinks blearily a little when damian twists away, unsure if he'd actually properly finished, but-- well, it was probably as much as damian would allow. that's fine. probably. he shoots him a grateful smile when he helps him pack up, though he refuses to lean on a ten year old with a bum leg to get up just because his tongue was melted by acid. it's fine? who needs a tongue anyway? he can barely feel it. anymore.
he makes an "ok" sign to answer damian's question. his focus is actually so-so, and the pain isn't great, but he feels like he's still running on adrenaline despite the break, so it should be fine. he has to spit out some blood again but. it's fine. steph has both keys so they can't go in the other room yet but they can like. go next to the doors and be very confused by 5 & 6. hmm. he'll sign: ]
Not doubles. Could still be order?
[ he's keeping his signs simple because between the weird... weed fog which i guess they still have that somewhat and the pain signing is so. hard. he's trying not to open his mouth as much as he can smh ]
[ she'll do the same like she did last time. walk to every individual person to make sure they're all, you know, definitely asleep. is yu here, there was concern during the last trial over his whereabouts since evan's postcard made people worry about yu and i just remembered that i had steph say she would look into it and i forgot, it's fine
but after she checks all of this out, she will head back to the hallway and see the boys... hello.
steph will go to unlock the other door. i am not having her say anything depending on what the mod comment turns out to say. ]
[Nobody stirs while Steph walks around the cafeteria. Despite the circumstances, they seem to be having a rather peaceful and pleasant sleep! They're not hurt or dirty or anything. The cafeteria smells clean, and all the blankets and pillows look like they have been recently washed. The temperature is even comfortable. But since Steph is specifically looking for Yu, she will notice that he's among the people sleeping in the cafeteria. Huh.
The sun and moon key unlocks Door 6. It is marginally less cramped than the Whole Ass classroom, with only 31 sleeping individuals inside. Once again, if Steph has been paying attention to the outdoor theater, she will recognize them as Lune, Sol, and the missing participants of the events that took place in the village.]
Damian will wait with Dick outside for a moment or two, and then Damian tries to encourage Dick to start heading away once he's sure Stephanie is probably on her way back.
He can't, like, walk fast or anything anyway, so it's better to get a headstart. He thinks Steph would yell for them if she needed.]
Four is missing, unless it's one of the others. 2, 3, 5, 6. Maybe they mean nothing.
[ he'll go with damian, considering they're going slow and steph is coming back. i hope we're missing out on like, so much loot in these classrooms because we're not looking in people's fanny packs or booty shorts. he signs a quick "keep it in mind either way. still got two rounds" at what damian says, though he's glancing backwards now and then to check on steph. but yeah it's about time to get to the ... hellish... third round, now that they've gotten 4 out of 8 keys.
god. he knows they should play along, no matter what, but ... is there anywhere else to go or is this just a straight up hallway. are they truly so fucked. what's on the lockers in THIS bit of the hallway ]
[ stephanie will do the usual check of everyone in the room, although dick and damian get to miss how hesitant she is to approach jiji in particular. it's fine.
but once she looks at everyone, steph will hurry back to the hall to catch up to the other two. THIRD ROUND, TIME. ]
They're all there. But... remember how Evan's letter specified that Ogata was with him and Tsurumaru, but didn't mention Yu? Yu is with all the other sleeping temple people for some reason.
[Everyone from the village seems to be fine, too. Fresh blankets and pillows, and an impeccably clean room. Once Steph is done checking out the rooms, there is really nowhere else to go but forward. The stage waits for them where the next two doors are. A light fog has built up in that part of the hallway, and it seems like the shadowy figures are holding something shiny in their hands...?
Hm.
Onwards? Or do they need more time to lick their wounds?]
[Damian's brows narrow, and he tries to puzzle that one on top of the numbers while they head down to the next damn stage.
His grip on Dick tightens, not out of fear, but concern he's going to have to throw Dick out of the way of something. What the HELL do they have in their hands?
Nowhere to go except forward... To the podiums. Maybe this time they won't make terrible Bat decisions.]
[ Was Yu just ... retired from the "competition"? Huh. Weird. He'll sign "careful" at both of them before going up to the stadium, knowing it's a little too late to stop themselves from breathing in what is probably a terrible fog substance and also wondering just how likely it is round four is just "stab yourselves".
it's likely, isn't it. he hates this.
also i know they're not holding hands but in my heart damian is holding dick's hand instead of just grabbing onto dick's like arm or something ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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
a lot just happened in a short amount of time, and stephanie isnât sure how to respond. the feeling of horror, and guilt, and shame that overwhelms her at the sight of the six dying is... well, she canât linger on that. she canât even linger on her hand, which hurts, or the keys smacking against her face (fucking rude).
she bends down to pick up the keys, and then she rushes over to the two of them, cradling her burnt hand against her chest. ]
Dick, do you have the suppâoh. [ his... tongue... aaaaaaa ] We need to take care of you both before we... check out the rooms.
[ is she not acknowledging what just happened? yea. letâs not talk about this shared trauma we are all experiencing here. itâs fine. ]
no subject
[Wow, they are all a huge disgrace. Bruce is going to disown the three of them without hesitation.
Damian isn't sure if the pain in his leg is any worse than the pain in his heart. Killing three people to get out of a sadistic game of murder is bad enough? Now he has definitely killed two of them yet again.
He doesn't scream about the leg; it's been trained out of him. But he does grit his teeth and slouch against the podium. There isn't a single bit of reluctance when he reaches back to yank the sword out as Steph comes over with the keys. He does cry out then, but, like... it had to be done. He can't walk with it in the way.]
You and Grayson--status report!
[DICK CAN'T SPEAK.]
no subject
But it's fine, most thoughts leave his head for a bit while acid melts out his tongue because hmmmmm ow. let's go with ow. It's not agony free acid. Once he's free he has to steady himself on the podium for a second, taking in a breath before he tries to at least take the cowl off his face.
He reaches in his-- utility belt instead of pockets now, sure, and he takes out the first aid kit he's always carrying around. thank god it comes with bandages and suture stuff, he guesses. His hands may be shaking a little from the slow torture, but that's irrelevant. He still has them. He signs: ]
OK. Take care of our wounds first. Let's not do that again.
[ an understatement. he has to spit blood out of his mouth (which I'm sure tastes great, except, well, it's fine, he has no tongue. he can't taste much.) before he starts off with damian, considering. he kneels next to him to check if it's deep enough to need sutures? which PROBABLY it's a SWORD TO THE KNEE ]
no subject
stephanie will kneel down, reaching to take the kit from dick while he actually looks over damian. there are a few things she is pretty sure theyâre going to need without even getting a closer look?
... is there anything for burns in this thing. i do not know itâs not my kit. anyway just assume that steph is helping dick during all of this i am not jae. ]
My hand is just a little burnt, but I can manage.
no subject
He frowns heavily at both Dick and Steph, but mostly Dick who is trying to take care of him WHILE MISSING AN ENTIRE TONGUE. Damian really thinks of Jason in this moment, more than anything.]
Just stop, both... of you...! Brown, you have... third degree burns...!
[He at least? is sort of helping Dick? Not wanting Dick to do it, but also not wanting Dick to do it hurt anyway.]
Just... tourniquet... ["Damian, you could lose your leg." THERE IS NO TIME FOR SUTURES.] We have to keep going!
no subject
"what about his tongue" what is he going to do, put a bandaid on it, it's GONE ]
no subject
[ she would offer to stay instead, but itâs uh. probably going to be difficult to do that by herself when her hand is like this. ]
We donât know what might happen next, so we need to make sure we take care of ourselves now before we make it harder later.
no subject
grit his teeth and bear it just so he doesn't have to hear damn Steph and Dick rag him for tending to him first. Like he's some kind of CHILD!]
Fine. Go look... at the rooms...
[Why does Mom let YOU get to play with the two rooms?]
Check the numbers!
no subject
hopefully steph finds the sleeping people are all alive and they didn't just kill them all off horribly by being failures, ha ha, wow he's going to regret having to explain this later. ]
no subject
but steph will walk over to the doors. are there numbers on them? either way, she's going to try to use the key with the masks on both doors and will enter whichever one opens. ]
no subject
There are 53 individuals in total. If Steph has been paying attention to the outdoor theater, she should recognize every single one of the sleeping individuals as the missing participants and gods of the competition that took place at the temple. They, too, are wearing a Camp Gatonina shirt, booty/dad shorts, socks and sandals. A white scrunchie is around one of their wrists, and they each have pillows to rest their arms and heads on, and comfy looking blankets. Thankfully, the cafeteria is large enough to comfortably fit everyone even when there are four people snoozing per table.
Will Steph take a closer look at anything in the cafeteria?]
no subject
Damian suffers through Dick's work which is actually not as terrible so much as just... having your leg sutured while pouring blood after being stabbed with a sword is... sure something.
Steph goes to check the rooms, and Damian hates it. Probably right before Dick can get completely and totally finished, Damian is twisting carefully away so they can go. He's walking funny, but he stops to try to help Dick pack and get up.]
How is the pain, Grayson? Can you still focus?
no subject
he makes an "ok" sign to answer damian's question. his focus is actually so-so, and the pain isn't great, but he feels like he's still running on adrenaline despite the break, so it should be fine. he has to spit out some blood again but. it's fine. steph has both keys so they can't go in the other room yet but they can like. go next to the doors and be very confused by 5 & 6. hmm. he'll sign: ]
Not doubles. Could still be order?
[ he's keeping his signs simple because between the weird... weed fog which i guess they still have that somewhat and the pain signing is so. hard. he's trying not to open his mouth as much as he can smh ]
no subject
but after she checks all of this out, she will head back to the hallway and see the boys... hello.
steph will go to unlock the other door. i am not having her say anything depending on what the mod comment turns out to say. ]
no subject
The sun and moon key unlocks Door 6. It is marginally less cramped than the Whole Ass classroom, with only 31 sleeping individuals inside. Once again, if Steph has been paying attention to the outdoor theater, she will recognize them as Lune, Sol, and the missing participants of the events that took place in the village.]
no subject
Damian will wait with Dick outside for a moment or two, and then Damian tries to encourage Dick to start heading away once he's sure Stephanie is probably on her way back.
He can't, like, walk fast or anything anyway, so it's better to get a headstart. He thinks Steph would yell for them if she needed.]
Four is missing, unless it's one of the others. 2, 3, 5, 6. Maybe they mean nothing.
no subject
god. he knows they should play along, no matter what, but ... is there anywhere else to go or is this just a straight up hallway. are they truly so fucked. what's on the lockers in THIS bit of the hallway ]
no subject
but once she looks at everyone, steph will hurry back to the hall to catch up to the other two. THIRD ROUND, TIME. ]
They're all there. But... remember how Evan's letter specified that Ogata was with him and Tsurumaru, but didn't mention Yu? Yu is with all the other sleeping temple people for some reason.
[ anyway what horror awaits them now ]
no subject
Hm.
Onwards? Or do they need more time to lick their wounds?]
no subject
His grip on Dick tightens, not out of fear, but concern he's going to have to throw Dick out of the way of something. What the HELL do they have in their hands?
Nowhere to go except forward... To the podiums. Maybe this time they won't make terrible Bat decisions.]
no subject
it's likely, isn't it. he hates this.
also i know they're not holding hands but in my heart damian is holding dick's hand instead of just grabbing onto dick's like arm or something ]
no subject
[ she is aware that's easier said than done, especially if these are supposed to be getting harder? wow. this fucking sucks.
but they are at the podiums now how shitty is this kyuu im crying ]
(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)