As it turns out, the shadowy figures are wearing blue glow bracelets around their wrists. They hold each other's hands up, swaying to the rhythm of a song. Among the crowd, however, Damian, Dick and Steph will notice a few familiar faces. Papika for Damian; blood drips from an injury on her chest, staining her white tunic red. She holds hands with the two individuals Dick will recognize; Illumi and Beck. Both of them wear white tunics as well, with matching 3D glasses. Finally, Steph will recognize Ion and Tiger in the crowd. They, too, wear a white tunic and 3D glasses. Each of these individuals wears blue glow bracelets around their wrists, holding hands and swaying side to side.
On the stage, even Hannibal and Akechi are wearing glow bracelets. The glow cuts through the fog, providing the slightest hint of illumination even while the lights on the ceiling flicker ominously. The fog is thick and cloying, smelling strongly of weed. It will, thankfully, numb their pain. But at the same time, it will also lower their inhibitions. It feels like they could say anything. Speak their mind. Vomit word after word after word, where they would previously keep those feelings to themselves. For Dick's convenience, he will even find a tablet with text to voice capabilities on the podium. Though, unfortunately, it's chained to it so he can't take it with him.
Maou films the trio. A live feed appears on the TV behind Hannibal and Akechi. Once the group is at their podiums, Hannibal lifts the microphone to his mouth.]
"Welcome back to another segment of—"
[The crowd shouts, in perfect unison:]
"Reasons! You! Deserve! To! Die!"
"Our contestants suffered a significant loss in Round 2. However, the competition is far from over. Should they make it through this round, they can more than make up for their previous defeat! Akechi-san, what is their reward should they make it through this round?"
"If our contestants make it through Round 3, they will earn the right to visit their friends from the mansion and island! Are the viewers at home excited? I sure am."
"It would be wise not to get too excited, however. After all, they first must make it through my favorite segment. Its theme: Why am I so pathetic?"
[On the TV screen, the the words WHY AM I SO PATHETIC? appear over the live feed.]
"Now, the rules are simple. They say this is a safe space. That you are surrounded by the friends who love you... Your classmates who would never, ever reject you. So, why don't you speak from your heart? Tell them how you really feel. Do you feel safe? Do you feel happy? Do you believe you are worthy of praise...? Or do you believe you are pathetic, worth even less than the dirt below our shoes? Go ahead. There are no wrong answers. In this segment, we are all winners... Well, unless you refuse to speak from the heart, that is."
[The camera zooms in on them, and Hannibal and Akechi will step down from the stage to shove their microphones at the trio in the order of Damian, Dick and Stephanie. They will not move on until each of them has overshared on live television, it seems.]
[Reasons why Damian Wayne is so pathetic. In this essay, I will...
The haze is not even something he's never felt before. Training with his mother was more brutal than this, to be honest, and digging through Gotham yielded similar results.
Without inhibitions, he loses his steely edge, but also his regal maturity. It's hard to make his mouth twist the way he thinks he wants it to twist. Where are his arrogant confidence, and his bull-headed pride?]
I can't relate to others, [he says into the microphone without his own permission. His voice is so weak. He feels... self-conscious? Feeble in constitution.] I'm-- [He looks up, at Papika, but not Dick or Stephanie.] I'm afraid.
[No, he thinks, he wants to say he's fine. He doesn't care about this, or words, or what people think.]
It's my fault if others die. I should be able to stop it, but I'm not strong enough. I won't ever be as great as Father. I've ruined any chance. When my friends die, it's my fault because I didn't try hard enough to protect them.
I'm afraid of... Father's disappointment.
["I don't even deserve cheese," Damian Wayne says dejectedly.]
[ Why am I so pathetic? Dick feels like he should be offended by that. By principle, if nothing else. There's mercy in his own tongue being melted out, in a way; after Damian speaks (and that hurts, somehow, hearing feelings so similar to his own being spoken by Bruce's son, by his brother--) his mouth moves, reflexively, to say things, but no sound comes out.
He can't reassure Damian. Not that he's ever any good at that, probably. How pathetic does he have to be to make everyone else worry about him so obviously? His hand hovers over the tablet. Lack of inhibitions or not, needing to type it out... ]
I can't save anyone. [ it's at least not his own voice coming out, though dick isn't sure if that makes it better. ] All I ever do is watch people I care about die in front of me, or show up after they've vanished. [ his parents, jason, aquagirl, ted kord, wally, the entire ship-- he types more surely now, like venting into a diary; ] Everyone keeps calling me a leader, but whenever I try, I just get people hurt. I don't even want to lead. I'm too afraid of becoming like Batman. I'm afraid of being like the man who raised me and inspired me to be who I am. How pathetic is that?
[ he stops, because-- because inhibitions or not, damian is here, and damian just said-- that should be enough, right? he doesn't want to add to it. but he does, just once: ]
And I'm a lousy brother.
[ he's failed jason twice, and now damian-- maybe tim really is better off if dick never comes back. ]
[ she listens to the others, and... she really wishes there was a way to leave during this, to give them some privacy as they talk. stephanie wonders if this whole misadventure would have been easier if they went with people they didn't know very well. or even just people they're close to, but met in these games. at least then, they wouldn't understand any of the context of what's being said.
but they do, and it just makes it so much worse with each word. ]
I've... messed up so many times. No one ever wanted me around. Tim didn't even want me around. I've been so selfish, and I keep... lying and hurting people.
[ it's funny. because she really, truly does believe she has gotten better than she was before. the stephanie brown who's here today has grown so much compared to the stephanie brown who was on that hospital bed in the blurry picture. but here, in the spoiler costume, she has to wonder... what has she done, exactly? ]
How can I help everyone? If I can't even get everyone here back home safely, how can I keep being Batgirl? I'm not a hero, or a vigilante, or... anything. I'm just some stupid girl who is in over her head. Again. And I'm scared that's never going to change no matter how hard I try.
[ who the fuck sent damian that note anyway they are on thin fucking ice ]
[The music cuts off when the group begins to speak. The shadowy figures fall silent, ceasing to sway as every single eye on their bodies turns to stare at the trio. The camera inches closer and closer, capturing every word, every hint of a facial expression, and every agonizing moment of the experience. They will feel watched. They will feel like bugs under a microscope. Damian looks up at Papika, and she meets his eyes, her expression twisted into one of sheer concern. This reaction is one that both Beck and Ion share, as a matter of fact. They bite their lips. They furrow their eyebrows. They try to move toward the trio, but the people around them simply won't allow them to move.
And then—]
"Are you saying you're not thankful for the trust people have placed in you?"
[It's Illumi who speaks. Beck, understandably, looks like she wants to throttle him. Unfortunately for everyone involved, she's held in place by the people around her. She can't move close enough to punch Illumi out, and she certainly can't get close enough to Dick to comfort him. The shadowy figures start to snicker, whispering among themselves as their mouths stretch into condescending grins. Every single eye on their bodies stares unblinkingly at the group. From another corner of the hallway, Tiger jeers:]
"Of course he didn't want you around, honey. Who would ever want a girl who throws herself at anyone who would give her the time of day? Face it, you're used goods. You're never going to change."
[Ion looks like he's downright ready to murder Tiger, but he can't. The crowd swallows him up. The shadows start to laugh in earnest now, closing in on the group. They point at them. Laugh. Boo. Shout.]
"Bastard!"
"Skank!"
"Murderer!"
"All you do is whine, whine, whine!"
[Papika, Ion and Beck try to reach for their friends — but they soon find themselves swallowed up by the crowd. The last glimpse the trio will catch of them is of their outstretched hands and the distraught look on their faces. A moment later, they disappear behind the shadowy figures. The shadows spit on the trio. They kick at them, grab at their clothes, and knock them over. Tears will spring in Damian, Dick and Steph's eyes, unbidden. For whatever reason, they will be unable to fight back. It feels like they've sunk into complete and utter despair. They deserve this, don't they?
Hannibal and Akechi will have, at some point, made their way back to the stage. They loom over crowd from their position. When they speak, its in perfect unison.]
"This is their big secret." [There's something strange about their appearances. One moment they're alive. The next, they're dead. Blue goo drips from Hannibal's mouth, making its way down his chin, his throat, and staining his clothes. A bullet hole is present in Akechi's throat, and another is visible on his chest — right where his heart is.] "The people who love you are powerless."
[Their appearances aren't the only thing that is strange, however. The longer the hosts speak, the more it will sound like three other voices are overlaid with theirs. The voice of a teenage girl. The voices of two teenage boys.]
"They can't help us. Nobody can help us. We're alone in the ocean. We will suffer alone. We will die alone. And nobody will care."
[Abruptly, the entire hallway goes dark. The abuse heaped upon the trio will cease immediately, and the smell of weed will fade away. The lights will slowly flicker back to life five seconds later, revealing that they are now alone in the hallway. The shadowy figures, the hosts, the people from their previous game, and all the props are gone. However, while the lights are on in this section of the hallway and the sections they have previously visited, leading back to the lobby... The same cannot be said for the path ahead of them. They will see a red, blinking light in the distance, but that's about it. Everything going forward is enveloped in darkness.
On the ground, the group will notice two new keys. One has a keychain shaped like two paw prints, and the other has a keychain shaped like a palm tree.
Seems like they got their "prize" for that ordeal.]
[This is, by far, the worst. SCHOOL IS TERRIBLE? Damian Wayne never wants to be in the public education system.
Dick's final statement is the nail in the coffin; Damian's heart sits in the bottom of his feet. He wants to reach out for Papika, but his arm only gets halfway and no farther.
As soon as he's able, he quickly reaches up to rub the wetness away from his eyes. He feels... exposed. There isn't any way for them to take back what they've spilled, and his skin crawls at the knowledge of it.
Down at their feet are two keys, and he bends over without moving his leg too much to pluck them up.] That isn't true. [Even with his self-loathing, Damian has always been too stubborn to die.
But what about the people who aren't? Was his father like that after both parents were murdered? The paw print key makes him remember asking Dazai, "What's one of the happiest times in your life?" and listening to Dazai tell him, "The House."]
We wouldn't do... My father would do what he does if no one cared. Someone cares. [He squeezes the keys, and then hands the paw print one to Dick, and the palm tree one to Stephanie. He'd just slow them down hobbling along, so he'll stay in the hall.] Keep going. Together.
Dick's wiping at his face to clear it when Damian starts to speak. He doesn't interrupt-- not that he could-- eyes stuck on him. He knew Damian had to be a good Robin. He has no business feeling proud, and yet it lingers, enough so that he's smirking a little when Damian hands him the key.
That despair and helplessness he felt... that isn't him. That isn't any of them. Not entirely. And that little speech as those two changed around them...
Dick brushes himself off as he gets up, before turning to both, signing quickly. ]
Are you taking over speeches now that I can't? [ is now truly the time. ] Damian's right. We've made it this far, so let's finish it.
[ get traught, or get dead. Dick doesn't care what the name of this game is, he's never wanted to die. He's never given up on anything and he doesn't want to start now, in this place, when he still has so many people he promised to try and help. And... if these are Winter's residues, these are things they believe or believed at some point, aren't they? If they give up, they'd just be proven those feelings right. He'll take the key and start walking for the. doors. can they see them it's fine anyway what numbers are there and where does this key fit ]
[ stephanie is so used to everyone hating her and not believing in her that this is just another day that ends in y, honestly.
but she wipes at her eyes with her good hand, taking the other key after. she will try to unlock whichever door that it will open, and also take note of the number on it. ]
Plus, I'm sure the others can't wait to find out how Akechi is doing.
[ its' said so dryly.
but, at the very least, no matter how they're feeling... the job comes before their emotional wellbeing. so they need to get through this. i really wish that was a joke but no it's just how bats function i'm crying. ]
[There are, in fact, two more sheets of paper taped to the doors. The door on the right reads 7, and the door to the left reads 8. The key with the pawprints will work for Door 7, and the door with the palm tree will work on Door 8.
Unsurprisingly, they will find more people sleeping inside both classrooms.
Assuming he paid attention to the outdoor theater, Dick will recognize the people behind Door 7 as the missing inhabitants of the mansion. Including the three girls who worked as the mansion's caretakers but excluding their master, he will find 29 individuals in total. Thankfully, this classroom isn't over capacity so it's a relatively comfortable fit. Like in all the previous classrooms, they are wearing the same outfit everyone woke up on the bus with and a white scrunchie. Everyone has their own pillow and blanket.
Meanwhile, Steph will find only 11 sleeping individuals behind Door 8. If she's watched the outdoor theater at all this week, she should recognize them as people who were trapped on the island. Once again, they are all wearing the outfit from the bus with their own white scrunchies. Everyone has a pillow and blanket.
Are they checking for anything in specific once they're inside the classrooms?]
[Damian can't even say he's glad Dick can't talk because he still gets irritatingly flustered when Dick teases him about the speech. DO NOT.]
Not the time, Grayson.
[Stiffly, he walks after them to the doors, trailing slightly behind. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8? Hmm. Carefully, he watches the two of them go in, and he leans to stick his head inside the door Dick goes through.
(He's looking for Missile, it's fine. A good dog.)]
Maybe it is chronological order. Perhaps we'll have to remember which doors they're behind to get them out later.
[ dick would answer that but he has to use his hands to touch stuff. he. okay, he sees missile and pets the sleeping dog, don't @ him. he's had a rough day. a ruff day. again, it's a very good thing he can't talk right now.
but he'll look inside the desks, including the teacher's, and also. at the ceiling and blackboard? and the obvious wellness check of everyone here. why is akechi also here. he cannot stand that guy now because of this.
if there's nothing he'll peek his head out and sign "dog" at damian. LOOK THEY CAN TAKE A BREAK TO PET A DOG THEY NEED IT ]
[ she will also check on each person to make sure they are all individually ok. is there anything in the desks. under the desks. kyuu has us so fuckin paranoid that we missed the entire plot of crau in these classrooms i hate this.
but if there is nothing of note then she'll leave and go into the hall to wait because there is no dog to coo over in this classroom. ]
[Everyone in the blues classroom seems fine! Maybe Akechi is a bit, uh, less comfortably laid down than the rest — but it's fine. Missile even has a cute doggy sized scrunchie around his little paw. But though Dick is free to check the desks, the ceiling and blackboard, there is nothing hiding there.
Meanwhile, inhabitants of the island classroom seem pretty okay. There are only 11 of them accounted for, which means that they win in terms of being comfortable by default. There is nothing of particular value insider or under the desks, but Steph will find some flowers for each person. How... sweet?
[ISABELLE, please tell her she is a wonderful working dog. Just like Missile.
Unfortunately, the signed "dog" gets Damian to (shockingly) childishly hobble into the room. YES, that's HIM, that is THE DOG Dazai drew him in crayon. Wow, he misses Titus. He will pet Missile, yes, and then try to hurriedly shove Dick out so no one, especially Dick, will talk about how he took a break from a terribly bad break-in to pet a dog.]
Hurry up, both of you. We should finish this as quickly as possible.
[ dick is grinning at damian but no one needs to know that. either way, he moves when he's pushed out and makes an okay sign at steph once they're out. off they go in the... darkened hallway.
guess what.
he still has glowsticks, fuck you, he's taking out another purple glowstick for this. off they go!!! ]
but okay, yes, down the darkened path they all go to... whatever is over there. kyuu what is over there i don't have anything else to say in this tag. ]
The glowsticks don't do shit, but they at least provide enough illumination that they can notice the steam that steadily builds up the further they go. It doesn't smell like weed this time around, but it sure does start to feel hot and humid as they make their way down the hallway. Even if they get the urge to stop or turn around, they will find their legs carrying them forward of their own accord. They can't stop. There's no time to stop. A sense of urgency pushes them onward, until the glowsticks die out and suddenly — they are alone. Not in the sense that the shadowy creatures and the other apparitions have abandoned them, but in the sense that they have been separated from each other. Their other two companions are missing.
But they won't even notice, truth to be told.
Their thoughts become muddled. Their sense of self warps, and all of the sudden, they can't remember that they're actually inside Winter's cabin. There is only the here and now, and at this moment, all of this feels real. There's something they have to do. Someone they have to find. A tragedy they have to prevent. The next time they blink, they will find themselves at the top of a staircase in a narrow passageway. The heavy, white steel door behind them is firmly shut, and cannot be unlocked. There is a sign next to them with an arrow pointing downstairs that reads: BOILER ROOM. From behind them, they can hear the muffled sound of cheering, clapping and singing. It sounds like people are having a good time, even if the three of them clearly aren't.
At the bottom of the stairs, standing in front of the doorway that presumably leads to the boiler room, each one of them will see someone different.
Damian will see Milla. The stab wound on her chest is blatant. Blood stains her white tunic. Blue goo drips from her mouth.
Dick will see Kagachi and Higekiri. Their flesh is thoroughly melted, and the state of their bodies is better off left to the imagination. They are hardly recognizable as they are, but Dick will have no trouble discerning their identities. Somehow, he will even notice the bullet hole in Kagachi's throat and the bullet hole in Higekiri's heart.
Steph will see Souji and Varian. They are thoroughly burnt to the point where they are no longer recognizable as themselves. But, once again, Steph will have no trouble ascertaining their identities. There is a bullet hole in Varian's heart, and a bullet wound in Souji's throat.
Though the three of them are separated, the people they see at the bottom of the stairs all do the same thing. They tilt their head at them, and lift their hands to point at the boiler room. In a soft monotone, they all say:]
"Finish what you begun."
[Simultaneously, Damian, Dick and Steph will know there's nothing left to do but go forward. Not that they would particularly want to turn away from this, though. The sense of urgency they feel is far too strong to ignore.]
For a brief moment, Damian is maybe a little panicked when he loses sight of Dick and Steph. He isn't worried about them being maimed so much as he feels again like a failure for letting them out of his sights.
The urgency is sickening. His eyes shift from the door to the words to the stairs. Who the hell is partying at the time like this? With little else to do, he goes down. Milla doesn't surprise or bother him this time. He killed her in Robowest, and he killed her here. He did it. He accepts that.
Without any hesitation or question, he straightens his shoulders and heads into the boiler room.
[ how is the pile of melted flesh even turning to look at him. he hates that he recognizes them like this, and he hates even more the sense of urgency that's making him almost ignore the absence of his companions. wherever they are--
he hopes it'll be fine. but he has to do this. he doesn't know why, and that should worry him, but... his steps are determined, cape billowing behind him. it feels heavier than it already did.
[ it's fine. this is fine. stephanie is used to working alone, even if it feels a little emptier now, after getting used to having people at her side.
she only looks at varian and souji long enough to really drive the point in, to remind her of what all of this is for-- saving them, and everyone else. it doesn't matter what she has to go through, as long as everyone can go home. ]
Here we go...
[ it's muttered softly, and she walks forward to finish... well. whatever this is. ]
[The door to the boiler room opens by itself when they each approach it. The sound of the party happening upstairs becomes even more muffled as they descend. Once they're inside the boiler room, they will hear the sound of someone whistling. It's a jaunty little tune. Happy. Cheerful. Not really befitting of the situation. A sense of trepidation creeps up on them, and for the first time, they will notice that they each hold a weapon in one of their hands. Damian holds a pink dagger, Dick holds a knife, and Stephanie holds a pink baseball bat. Their legs will carry them deeper into the boiler room, until they stumble across a familiar face.
Papika for Damian. Beck for Dick. Ion for Stephanie. They are crouched in front of one of the boilers, whistling as they fiddle with an object they have attached to it. Due to their, ah, previous work experience... They will recognize it as a bomb. There is a timer on it, steadily ticking down from two minutes. Papika, Beck and Ion will stop long enough to glance their way, cold anger visible in their expression before it softens upon catching a glimpse of their friend. Immediately, they stand up and smile at them.]
"I'm so happy you came back for me." [The three of them say, in separate layers of reality but at the same time.] "The bomb is ready. Once it goes off, it will detonate the pack of thermals upstairs. We can make everyone else go away and go home together. No one will ever hurt you again! Not on my watch."
[They hold a hand out to them, waiting for them to take it so they can run away together.
Damian, Dick and Steph can take their hand. That is an option. But the bomb is very, very real in their minds. A surge of emotion courses through them. They are heartbroken. They are angry. They love this person. They hate this person. They know, that if the bomb goes off, all 266 of the people upstairs in the school will die. All the people who have hurt them, who have killed their friends, who have said cruel things and made them wish for death... But also the people who have been kind to them. The people who are their friends. The people who, even if they are terrible assholes right now, still have a capacity to change. You can't change if you are dead. Death is not the solution.
Though, there are two exceptions.
Instinctively, they will know that there is only one way to deactivate the bomb. The timer on the bomb ticks down to the rhythm of their heartbeat. If they kill the person before them, and put an end to themselves, the timer on the bomb will stop.
There is no other way.
No one here deserves to die, except for the two of them.
The timer reads 1:19... 1:18... 1:17... 1:16... and so forth.]
[Why is it always Papika?! STOP, THAT IS HIS FRIEND! There, he said it! THAT'S HIS FRIEND, STOP MAKING HIS FRIEND DO THIS.]
It's different this time, Papika. [He almost realizes, in a way, this isn't real. Something about it... does not feel real. A little naggle, like Dick's voice, telling him it's a trick.
But just for the record.] We've already done it this way.
[There isn't any emotion in doing this except exhaustion. Before, it was horrifying. Both times. It was painful, and he felt immensely guilty. But now he feels nothing. Numb.
He takes Papika's hand, but doesn't budge. His grip is tight. This isn't the way to hold someone's hand, but does he really know the right way to do something like that? He pulls Papika to himself while extending the dagger; there isn't a good way to do this. She'd die slowly no matter what, so he drives it up through the heart in one quick, solid movement.
It's not much different than the time before, holding a gun to his temple and waiting to die. Except for the fact he thinks he's frustrated this is how it has to be. Papika probably hasn't even hit the floor before he raises the knife up to slit his throat, ear to ear.
He wants to say, "Sorry, Father," for the disappointment, but nothing comes out.]
[ There's something off about this. Even though he feels the heartbreak and the anger, the love and the hate-- there's something off. Beck wouldn't do this, would she? He wishes he could talk to her. He wishes he could ask. But the math is simple. 266 people, two lives, one minute. (Isn't Beck dead, already? He'd seen her drowned. No, that wasn't right, either.) If he could stop it... but it's linked to both of them. He can't disarm that bomb otherwise. But... he could make it quick.
He just-- wants her to know, before he does-- ]
I'm sorry. [ it's mouthed, and no sound comes out. he wonders if she understands what he wishes he could say. if she even understands what he's sorry for. everything. everything, always. he'd wanted to save her, more than anyone else they'd left behind. maybe that's unfair. ] I love you.
[ not the way she'd wanted him to, but he still did, with all his heart. he wonders how everyone else he loves will feel about this, but there's no time. he grabs her hand... only so he can plant the knife (where...did he get that knife?) in her chest. he's trying to make it quick.
he's always felt responsible for her death, so this seems appropriate. it's harder to take the knife out of her and plant it in himself, the way his hands are shaking. he doesn't know when that started or if the tears pricking his eyes are about what he's done or the pain. he's glad, stupidly, that no one else can see this.
even if he had any last words he could give, they wouldn't be worth hearing, probably. ]
[ it's kind of funny how breaking into these cabins keep ending up like this.
but this time, she's fully in control-- she thinks? stephanie is sure she is, even if something doesn't quite add up, but no matter what's wrong with this... it's still her, holding onto this bat, and ion in front of her.
she stares at him. he's just a child. no one deserves to be put into these games, but... especially not him. and not damian. and not-- the list can go on, but there's no time to focus on that when the bomb keeps ticking away the seconds. because the thing is, for her, there is no way to make this quick. ]
Ion... please. [ please what? die quickly? don't be real? forgive her? ] I'm so sorry.
[ she raises the bat and it strikes down on him. again. and again. and again. she keeps hitting him, trying her hardest to ignore the sound the bat makes against his small body, or any other noise, until he's no longer moving. she breathes in deeply, ignoring the way tears fall down her face, clouding her vision.
... the timer is still going. this is the hard part (although it's a little laughable that anything could be harder than what just happened). steph raises the bat again, and slams it against her own head. there's pain, and she almost drops the bat, but instead she does it again.
it's hard. her brain wants her to stop, and her body actively fights against it, because she knows this isn't what she sound be doing. but she hits herself again, and again, and she forces herself to do it even harder each time. it hurts, and there's a real fear that she's just going to blackout before she actually manages it, or that the bomb will go off, or--
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ 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 ]
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As it turns out, the shadowy figures are wearing blue glow bracelets around their wrists. They hold each other's hands up, swaying to the rhythm of a song. Among the crowd, however, Damian, Dick and Steph will notice a few familiar faces. Papika for Damian; blood drips from an injury on her chest, staining her white tunic red. She holds hands with the two individuals Dick will recognize; Illumi and Beck. Both of them wear white tunics as well, with matching 3D glasses. Finally, Steph will recognize Ion and Tiger in the crowd. They, too, wear a white tunic and 3D glasses. Each of these individuals wears blue glow bracelets around their wrists, holding hands and swaying side to side.
On the stage, even Hannibal and Akechi are wearing glow bracelets. The glow cuts through the fog, providing the slightest hint of illumination even while the lights on the ceiling flicker ominously. The fog is thick and cloying, smelling strongly of weed. It will, thankfully, numb their pain. But at the same time, it will also lower their inhibitions. It feels like they could say anything. Speak their mind. Vomit word after word after word, where they would previously keep those feelings to themselves. For Dick's convenience, he will even find a tablet with text to voice capabilities on the podium. Though, unfortunately, it's chained to it so he can't take it with him.
Maou films the trio. A live feed appears on the TV behind Hannibal and Akechi. Once the group is at their podiums, Hannibal lifts the microphone to his mouth.]
"Welcome back to another segment of—"
[The crowd shouts, in perfect unison:]
"Reasons! You! Deserve! To! Die!"
"Our contestants suffered a significant loss in Round 2. However, the competition is far from over. Should they make it through this round, they can more than make up for their previous defeat! Akechi-san, what is their reward should they make it through this round?"
"If our contestants make it through Round 3, they will earn the right to visit their friends from the mansion and island! Are the viewers at home excited? I sure am."
"It would be wise not to get too excited, however. After all, they first must make it through my favorite segment. Its theme: Why am I so pathetic?"
[On the TV screen, the the words WHY AM I SO PATHETIC? appear over the live feed.]
"Now, the rules are simple. They say this is a safe space. That you are surrounded by the friends who love you... Your classmates who would never, ever reject you. So, why don't you speak from your heart? Tell them how you really feel. Do you feel safe? Do you feel happy? Do you believe you are worthy of praise...? Or do you believe you are pathetic, worth even less than the dirt below our shoes? Go ahead. There are no wrong answers. In this segment, we are all winners... Well, unless you refuse to speak from the heart, that is."
[The camera zooms in on them, and Hannibal and Akechi will step down from the stage to shove their microphones at the trio in the order of Damian, Dick and Stephanie. They will not move on until each of them has overshared on live television, it seems.]
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The haze is not even something he's never felt before. Training with his mother was more brutal than this, to be honest, and digging through Gotham yielded similar results.
Without inhibitions, he loses his steely edge, but also his regal maturity. It's hard to make his mouth twist the way he thinks he wants it to twist. Where are his arrogant confidence, and his bull-headed pride?]
I can't relate to others, [he says into the microphone without his own permission. His voice is so weak. He feels... self-conscious? Feeble in constitution.] I'm-- [He looks up, at Papika, but not Dick or Stephanie.] I'm afraid.
[No, he thinks, he wants to say he's fine. He doesn't care about this, or words, or what people think.]
It's my fault if others die. I should be able to stop it, but I'm not strong enough. I won't ever be as great as Father. I've ruined any chance. When my friends die, it's my fault because I didn't try hard enough to protect them.
I'm afraid of... Father's disappointment.
["I don't even deserve cheese," Damian Wayne says dejectedly.]
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He can't reassure Damian. Not that he's ever any good at that, probably. How pathetic does he have to be to make everyone else worry about him so obviously? His hand hovers over the tablet. Lack of inhibitions or not, needing to type it out... ]
I can't save anyone. [ it's at least not his own voice coming out, though dick isn't sure if that makes it better. ] All I ever do is watch people I care about die in front of me, or show up after they've vanished. [ his parents, jason, aquagirl, ted kord, wally, the entire ship-- he types more surely now, like venting into a diary; ] Everyone keeps calling me a leader, but whenever I try, I just get people hurt. I don't even want to lead. I'm too afraid of becoming like Batman. I'm afraid of being like the man who raised me and inspired me to be who I am. How pathetic is that?
[ he stops, because-- because inhibitions or not, damian is here, and damian just said-- that should be enough, right? he doesn't want to add to it. but he does, just once: ]
And I'm a lousy brother.
[ he's failed jason twice, and now damian-- maybe tim really is better off if dick never comes back. ]
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but they do, and it just makes it so much worse with each word. ]
I've... messed up so many times. No one ever wanted me around. Tim didn't even want me around. I've been so selfish, and I keep... lying and hurting people.
[ it's funny. because she really, truly does believe she has gotten better than she was before. the stephanie brown who's here today has grown so much compared to the stephanie brown who was on that hospital bed in the blurry picture. but here, in the spoiler costume, she has to wonder... what has she done, exactly? ]
How can I help everyone? If I can't even get everyone here back home safely, how can I keep being Batgirl? I'm not a hero, or a vigilante, or... anything. I'm just some stupid girl who is in over her head. Again. And I'm scared that's never going to change no matter how hard I try.
[ who the fuck sent damian that note anyway they are on thin fucking ice ]
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And then—]
"Are you saying you're not thankful for the trust people have placed in you?"
[It's Illumi who speaks. Beck, understandably, looks like she wants to throttle him. Unfortunately for everyone involved, she's held in place by the people around her. She can't move close enough to punch Illumi out, and she certainly can't get close enough to Dick to comfort him. The shadowy figures start to snicker, whispering among themselves as their mouths stretch into condescending grins. Every single eye on their bodies stares unblinkingly at the group. From another corner of the hallway, Tiger jeers:]
"Of course he didn't want you around, honey. Who would ever want a girl who throws herself at anyone who would give her the time of day? Face it, you're used goods. You're never going to change."
[Ion looks like he's downright ready to murder Tiger, but he can't. The crowd swallows him up. The shadows start to laugh in earnest now, closing in on the group. They point at them. Laugh. Boo. Shout.]
"Bastard!"
"Skank!"
"Murderer!"
"All you do is whine, whine, whine!"
[Papika, Ion and Beck try to reach for their friends — but they soon find themselves swallowed up by the crowd. The last glimpse the trio will catch of them is of their outstretched hands and the distraught look on their faces. A moment later, they disappear behind the shadowy figures. The shadows spit on the trio. They kick at them, grab at their clothes, and knock them over. Tears will spring in Damian, Dick and Steph's eyes, unbidden. For whatever reason, they will be unable to fight back. It feels like they've sunk into complete and utter despair. They deserve this, don't they?
Hannibal and Akechi will have, at some point, made their way back to the stage. They loom over crowd from their position. When they speak, its in perfect unison.]
"This is their big secret." [There's something strange about their appearances. One moment they're alive. The next, they're dead. Blue goo drips from Hannibal's mouth, making its way down his chin, his throat, and staining his clothes. A bullet hole is present in Akechi's throat, and another is visible on his chest — right where his heart is.] "The people who love you are powerless."
[Their appearances aren't the only thing that is strange, however. The longer the hosts speak, the more it will sound like three other voices are overlaid with theirs. The voice of a teenage girl. The voices of two teenage boys.]
"They can't help us. Nobody can help us. We're alone in the ocean. We will suffer alone. We will die alone. And nobody will care."
[Abruptly, the entire hallway goes dark. The abuse heaped upon the trio will cease immediately, and the smell of weed will fade away. The lights will slowly flicker back to life five seconds later, revealing that they are now alone in the hallway. The shadowy figures, the hosts, the people from their previous game, and all the props are gone. However, while the lights are on in this section of the hallway and the sections they have previously visited, leading back to the lobby... The same cannot be said for the path ahead of them. They will see a red, blinking light in the distance, but that's about it. Everything going forward is enveloped in darkness.
On the ground, the group will notice two new keys. One has a keychain shaped like two paw prints, and the other has a keychain shaped like a palm tree.
Seems like they got their "prize" for that ordeal.]
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Dick's final statement is the nail in the coffin; Damian's heart sits in the bottom of his feet. He wants to reach out for Papika, but his arm only gets halfway and no farther.
As soon as he's able, he quickly reaches up to rub the wetness away from his eyes. He feels... exposed. There isn't any way for them to take back what they've spilled, and his skin crawls at the knowledge of it.
Down at their feet are two keys, and he bends over without moving his leg too much to pluck them up.] That isn't true. [Even with his self-loathing, Damian has always been too stubborn to die.
But what about the people who aren't? Was his father like that after both parents were murdered? The paw print key makes him remember asking Dazai, "What's one of the happiest times in your life?" and listening to Dazai tell him, "The House."]
We wouldn't do... My father would do what he does if no one cared. Someone cares. [He squeezes the keys, and then hands the paw print one to Dick, and the palm tree one to Stephanie. He'd just slow them down hobbling along, so he'll stay in the hall.] Keep going. Together.
I refuse to give up and let this farce win.
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Dick's wiping at his face to clear it when Damian starts to speak. He doesn't interrupt-- not that he could-- eyes stuck on him. He knew Damian had to be a good Robin. He has no business feeling proud, and yet it lingers, enough so that he's smirking a little when Damian hands him the key.
That despair and helplessness he felt... that isn't him. That isn't any of them. Not entirely. And that little speech as those two changed around them...
Dick brushes himself off as he gets up, before turning to both, signing quickly. ]
Are you taking over speeches now that I can't? [ is now truly the time. ] Damian's right. We've made it this far, so let's finish it.
[ get traught, or get dead. Dick doesn't care what the name of this game is, he's never wanted to die. He's never given up on anything and he doesn't want to start now, in this place, when he still has so many people he promised to try and help. And... if these are Winter's residues, these are things they believe or believed at some point, aren't they? If they give up, they'd just be proven those feelings right. He'll take the key and start walking for the. doors. can they see them it's fine anyway what numbers are there and where does this key fit ]
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but she wipes at her eyes with her good hand, taking the other key after. she will try to unlock whichever door that it will open, and also take note of the number on it. ]
Plus, I'm sure the others can't wait to find out how Akechi is doing.
[ its' said so dryly.
but, at the very least, no matter how they're feeling... the job comes before their emotional wellbeing. so they need to get through this. i really wish that was a joke but no it's just how bats function i'm crying. ]
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Unsurprisingly, they will find more people sleeping inside both classrooms.
Assuming he paid attention to the outdoor theater, Dick will recognize the people behind Door 7 as the missing inhabitants of the mansion. Including the three girls who worked as the mansion's caretakers but excluding their master, he will find 29 individuals in total. Thankfully, this classroom isn't over capacity so it's a relatively comfortable fit. Like in all the previous classrooms, they are wearing the same outfit everyone woke up on the bus with and a white scrunchie. Everyone has their own pillow and blanket.
Meanwhile, Steph will find only 11 sleeping individuals behind Door 8. If she's watched the outdoor theater at all this week, she should recognize them as people who were trapped on the island. Once again, they are all wearing the outfit from the bus with their own white scrunchies. Everyone has a pillow and blanket.
Are they checking for anything in specific once they're inside the classrooms?]
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Not the time, Grayson.
[Stiffly, he walks after them to the doors, trailing slightly behind. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8? Hmm. Carefully, he watches the two of them go in, and he leans to stick his head inside the door Dick goes through.
(He's looking for Missile, it's fine. A good dog.)]
Maybe it is chronological order. Perhaps we'll have to remember which doors they're behind to get them out later.
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but he'll look inside the desks, including the teacher's, and also. at the ceiling and blackboard? and the obvious wellness check of everyone here. why is akechi also here. he cannot stand that guy now because of this.
if there's nothing he'll peek his head out and sign "dog" at damian. LOOK THEY CAN TAKE A BREAK TO PET A DOG THEY NEED IT ]
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but if there is nothing of note then she'll leave and go into the hall to wait because there is no dog to coo over in this classroom. ]
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Meanwhile, inhabitants of the island classroom seem pretty okay. There are only 11 of them accounted for, which means that they win in terms of being comfortable by default. There is nothing of particular value insider or under the desks, but Steph will find some flowers for each person. How... sweet?
Also, this is Isabelle erasure? Wow.]
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Unfortunately, the signed "dog" gets Damian to (shockingly) childishly hobble into the room. YES, that's HIM, that is THE DOG Dazai drew him in crayon. Wow, he misses Titus. He will pet Missile, yes, and then try to hurriedly shove Dick out so no one, especially Dick, will talk about how he took a break from a terribly bad break-in to pet a dog.]
Hurry up, both of you. We should finish this as quickly as possible.
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guess what.
he still has glowsticks, fuck you, he's taking out another purple glowstick for this. off they go!!! ]
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but okay, yes, down the darkened path they all go to... whatever is over there. kyuu what is over there i don't have anything else to say in this tag. ]
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The glowsticks don't do shit, but they at least provide enough illumination that they can notice the steam that steadily builds up the further they go. It doesn't smell like weed this time around, but it sure does start to feel hot and humid as they make their way down the hallway. Even if they get the urge to stop or turn around, they will find their legs carrying them forward of their own accord. They can't stop. There's no time to stop. A sense of urgency pushes them onward, until the glowsticks die out and suddenly — they are alone. Not in the sense that the shadowy creatures and the other apparitions have abandoned them, but in the sense that they have been separated from each other. Their other two companions are missing.
But they won't even notice, truth to be told.
Their thoughts become muddled. Their sense of self warps, and all of the sudden, they can't remember that they're actually inside Winter's cabin. There is only the here and now, and at this moment, all of this feels real. There's something they have to do. Someone they have to find. A tragedy they have to prevent. The next time they blink, they will find themselves at the top of a staircase in a narrow passageway. The heavy, white steel door behind them is firmly shut, and cannot be unlocked. There is a sign next to them with an arrow pointing downstairs that reads: BOILER ROOM. From behind them, they can hear the muffled sound of cheering, clapping and singing. It sounds like people are having a good time, even if the three of them clearly aren't.
At the bottom of the stairs, standing in front of the doorway that presumably leads to the boiler room, each one of them will see someone different.
Damian will see Milla. The stab wound on her chest is blatant. Blood stains her white tunic. Blue goo drips from her mouth.
Dick will see Kagachi and Higekiri. Their flesh is thoroughly melted, and the state of their bodies is better off left to the imagination. They are hardly recognizable as they are, but Dick will have no trouble discerning their identities. Somehow, he will even notice the bullet hole in Kagachi's throat and the bullet hole in Higekiri's heart.
Steph will see Souji and Varian. They are thoroughly burnt to the point where they are no longer recognizable as themselves. But, once again, Steph will have no trouble ascertaining their identities. There is a bullet hole in Varian's heart, and a bullet wound in Souji's throat.
Though the three of them are separated, the people they see at the bottom of the stairs all do the same thing. They tilt their head at them, and lift their hands to point at the boiler room. In a soft monotone, they all say:]
"Finish what you begun."
[Simultaneously, Damian, Dick and Steph will know there's nothing left to do but go forward. Not that they would particularly want to turn away from this, though. The sense of urgency they feel is far too strong to ignore.]
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For a brief moment, Damian is maybe a little panicked when he loses sight of Dick and Steph. He isn't worried about them being maimed so much as he feels again like a failure for letting them out of his sights.
The urgency is sickening. His eyes shift from the door to the words to the stairs. Who the hell is partying at the time like this? With little else to do, he goes down. Milla doesn't surprise or bother him this time. He killed her in Robowest, and he killed her here. He did it. He accepts that.
Without any hesitation or question, he straightens his shoulders and heads into the boiler room.
Good luck, Dick and Steph.]
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he hopes it'll be fine. but he has to do this. he doesn't know why, and that should worry him, but... his steps are determined, cape billowing behind him. it feels heavier than it already did.
boiler room time. ]
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she only looks at varian and souji long enough to really drive the point in, to remind her of what all of this is for-- saving them, and everyone else. it doesn't matter what she has to go through, as long as everyone can go home. ]
Here we go...
[ it's muttered softly, and she walks forward to finish... well. whatever this is. ]
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Papika for Damian. Beck for Dick. Ion for Stephanie. They are crouched in front of one of the boilers, whistling as they fiddle with an object they have attached to it. Due to their, ah, previous work experience... They will recognize it as a bomb. There is a timer on it, steadily ticking down from two minutes. Papika, Beck and Ion will stop long enough to glance their way, cold anger visible in their expression before it softens upon catching a glimpse of their friend. Immediately, they stand up and smile at them.]
"I'm so happy you came back for me." [The three of them say, in separate layers of reality but at the same time.] "The bomb is ready. Once it goes off, it will detonate the pack of thermals upstairs. We can make everyone else go away and go home together. No one will ever hurt you again! Not on my watch."
[They hold a hand out to them, waiting for them to take it so they can run away together.
Damian, Dick and Steph can take their hand. That is an option. But the bomb is very, very real in their minds. A surge of emotion courses through them. They are heartbroken. They are angry. They love this person. They hate this person. They know, that if the bomb goes off, all 266 of the people upstairs in the school will die. All the people who have hurt them, who have killed their friends, who have said cruel things and made them wish for death... But also the people who have been kind to them. The people who are their friends. The people who, even if they are terrible assholes right now, still have a capacity to change. You can't change if you are dead. Death is not the solution.
Though, there are two exceptions.
Instinctively, they will know that there is only one way to deactivate the bomb. The timer on the bomb ticks down to the rhythm of their heartbeat. If they kill the person before them, and put an end to themselves, the timer on the bomb will stop.
There is no other way.
No one here deserves to die, except for the two of them.
The timer reads 1:19... 1:18... 1:17... 1:16... and so forth.]
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It's different this time, Papika. [He almost realizes, in a way, this isn't real. Something about it... does not feel real. A little naggle, like Dick's voice, telling him it's a trick.
But just for the record.] We've already done it this way.
[There isn't any emotion in doing this except exhaustion. Before, it was horrifying. Both times. It was painful, and he felt immensely guilty. But now he feels nothing. Numb.
He takes Papika's hand, but doesn't budge. His grip is tight. This isn't the way to hold someone's hand, but does he really know the right way to do something like that? He pulls Papika to himself while extending the dagger; there isn't a good way to do this. She'd die slowly no matter what, so he drives it up through the heart in one quick, solid movement.
It's not much different than the time before, holding a gun to his temple and waiting to die. Except for the fact he thinks he's frustrated this is how it has to be. Papika probably hasn't even hit the floor before he raises the knife up to slit his throat, ear to ear.
He wants to say, "Sorry, Father," for the disappointment, but nothing comes out.]
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He just-- wants her to know, before he does-- ]
I'm sorry. [ it's mouthed, and no sound comes out. he wonders if she understands what he wishes he could say. if she even understands what he's sorry for. everything. everything, always. he'd wanted to save her, more than anyone else they'd left behind. maybe that's unfair. ] I love you.
[ not the way she'd wanted him to, but he still did, with all his heart. he wonders how everyone else he loves will feel about this, but there's no time. he grabs her hand... only so he can plant the knife (where...did he get that knife?) in her chest. he's trying to make it quick.
he's always felt responsible for her death, so this seems appropriate. it's harder to take the knife out of her and plant it in himself, the way his hands are shaking. he doesn't know when that started or if the tears pricking his eyes are about what he's done or the pain. he's glad, stupidly, that no one else can see this.
even if he had any last words he could give, they wouldn't be worth hearing, probably. ]
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but this time, she's fully in control-- she thinks? stephanie is sure she is, even if something doesn't quite add up, but no matter what's wrong with this... it's still her, holding onto this bat, and ion in front of her.
she stares at him. he's just a child. no one deserves to be put into these games, but... especially not him. and not damian. and not-- the list can go on, but there's no time to focus on that when the bomb keeps ticking away the seconds. because the thing is, for her, there is no way to make this quick. ]
Ion... please. [ please what? die quickly? don't be real? forgive her? ] I'm so sorry.
[ she raises the bat and it strikes down on him. again. and again. and again. she keeps hitting him, trying her hardest to ignore the sound the bat makes against his small body, or any other noise, until he's no longer moving. she breathes in deeply, ignoring the way tears fall down her face, clouding her vision.
... the timer is still going. this is the hard part (although it's a little laughable that anything could be harder than what just happened). steph raises the bat again, and slams it against her own head. there's pain, and she almost drops the bat, but instead she does it again.
it's hard. her brain wants her to stop, and her body actively fights against it, because she knows this isn't what she sound be doing. but she hits herself again, and again, and she forces herself to do it even harder each time. it hurts, and there's a real fear that she's just going to blackout before she actually manages it, or that the bomb will go off, or--
she gets a lucky hit in. ]
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