All the world was a stage, and Seo-yun was the star.
CK05: Seo-yun Lee: TV3 Start
She had found herself wandering into the captain's quarters not too long after waking up on the cruise ship's deck. It had felt like a fittingly luxurious location for Seo-yun to make her real debut. She had entered it somewhat cautiously, but thankfully found it vacant when she arrived, despite various signs pointing to prior habitation and desecration. That was good, she didn't need anyone interrupting her before her performance truly began. Everything needed to be perfect, just like it always had. Today was the first day of the rest of her life, and she needed to make sure that it got off on the right foot.
Standing in the bedroom of the captain's quarters at the foot of the bed, Seo-yun dropped her bag beside her and flashed a smile for the nearby camera. She had gotten quite the earful when she had woken up in that dull room under those harsh lights. Most of her peers, upon finding out that they had been selected to participate in SOTF: TV, ended up panicking, crying, struggling where they were restrained. She understood why, it was a perfectly reasonable reaction to finding out that they had a few days, maybe a week tops, left to live.
But that had not been Seo-yun's reaction.
She didn't panic, or cry, or fight. Quite the opposite, actually. When she found herself sitting there and it finally dawned on her what was happening, her reaction could only been described as being ecstatic. Where her fellows of Mangrove Garden had been wailing and sobbing, she had been smiling. Why? Well, because she wasn't going to die here like they were, of course. She wasn't just some extra, destined to be nothing but a stepping stone on someone else's path to greatness. She was Seo-yun, star in the making, and she had just gotten the role of a lifetime.
All her life prior to this point, she had tried so hard to be adored, she wanted nothing more than universal praise and love. Her efforts had made her popular and beloved among her peers, and her talents had drawn some internet followers, but true fame and greatness had still always eluded her. Though now, with her being here? Well, it couldn't be anything other than destiny, right? This was her chance, everything she had ever wanted was right here in front of her, staring her in the face. All she had to do now was reach out and take it.
Seo-yun crouched down next to her bag, finally unzipping it and giving the contents a good look. She had glanced at it shortly after waking up, but had quickly closed it back up in disgust once she realized the absolutely pittance that she had been given as a so-called weapon. A bag of powdered ghost peppers? They couldn't have even given her regular old pepper spray? What was she supposed to do with this, try and rub it into the eyes of someone with a gun? As if she would be so stupid; the producers must be mentally deficient if they think this qualifies as a weapon. Though, they could be trying to challenge her, which she supposed she could understand. After all, if they had given her a real weapon, she would've been completely unstoppable, and where was the drama in that? Can't let the main character have it too easy if you want an interesting story, after all.
Besides her sandwich bag of subpar spice, much of what was there was what she expected: rations, tools, a first-aid kit, an extra set of clothes, the customary condom. At the bottom, though, there was something special, specially selected just for her by the producers. They had already disappointed her with their terrible choice in weaponry, so she hoped that they had at least put some thought into her special outfit. Eventually, she got a hold of it, and with some difficulty, began to slowly remove it from her pack.
As she pulled it out, though, she couldn't help but wonder which of her classmates were her with her, now. After all, not everyone in her entire grade had been selected. Just how many of her friends were here with her? Were any of them on her team? If not, then, well, she supposed they weren't her friends any more. Prior to this moment they might have been her most adoring fans, but now she had a far bigger audience to court. To her they would be nothing but competition, obstacles designed to test her resolve on her road to greatness. Sure, they might be obstacles with some sentimental value attached, but she wasn't about to let that stand in her way.
As for her teammates, whoever they might be, they could thank their lucky stars that they managed to be on the same team as the future winner. They had the honor of being secondary characters in her story, instead of the background fodder the rest of their peers would inevitably become, and maybe she might drag a lucky few of them kicking and screaming to victory with her. So long as they were useful to her, at least. If any of them crossed her for the sake of drama, well, their colored bandana wouldn't save them, she would make sure of that.
She wasn't so sure about her mentor, however. She was familiar with Ms. Ghoul due to her history with the show and her status as a past mentor, and had even given the woman's music a paltry listen. Seo-yun couldn't say she was impressed, though, frankly her own music was far better, but Ms. Ghoul's music was passable, at least. Regardless, a mediocre musician who didn't manage to carry her team to victory in the last season hardly screamed "successful advisor". Oh well, though, it wasn't like Seo-yun needed her. She could get by with a mediocre mentor, an awful weapon, and potentially terrible teammates, because, to be frank, in the long term nobody else stood a real chance against her.
Her fingers curled around the soft fabric of her fanservice outfit as she sat there in contemplation, having fully removed it from her pack. It was some kind of elaborate red and white flared dress, with accompanying laced dress shoes. She knew that these outfits were usually personalized to the contestant that received them, and it seemed like the showrunners had made some attempt to give her an idol outfit. The only problem was, it looked more like something a J-pop idol would wear, not a K-pop idol. Did they think that all east Asian cultures were the same or something? The corner of her mouth twitched slightly at the thought. It didn't matter, she supposed. They tried, and it at least looked nice, so she couldn't diss their fashion choices like she had everything else. Might as well put it on, as a show of good faith to those in charge, and more importantly, for the audience at home.
She gave the nearby camera a knowing wink as she stood back up, dress in hand, and slowly began to remove her shirt, taking care not to disturb the team bandana she had wrapped around her wrist in the process. Upon getting halfway disrobed, however, she smiled and turned her back to the audience. She may be beautiful—and what good was beauty if she didn't flaunt it—but she wasn't about to give them the whole package just yet. That would be for her future modeling career once this was all said and done. For now they would have to be satisfied with just an appetizer, and nothing more.
Once she was fully changed and looking immaculate as always, Seo-yun folded her shirt and jeans and placed them nice and neatly into her bag, on the top. The only thing she hadn't put on were the accompanying shoes. She would be keeping her boots on, for the time being, as the shoes would serve far better as her real weapon. Rather, the laces would, removed and curled around her fingers. Perfectly suited for strangling someone, and an ideal solution until she obtained a real weapon of war.
As for how to get that weapon, well...
Right, she needed some kind of plan, didn't she? She might be destined to win, but even the perfect contestant needed a plan of attack. She supposed the easiest path to victory would be getting the ten kill release, right? It worked for Karen and Jewel, so it'd more than do for her. There were plenty of potential victims to go around, knowing her classmates as well as she did. And if that failed, well, she'd just coast her way to the end, that should be easy enough for someone of her talents.
She rolled her shoulders and picked up her bag, turning back towards the camera. For now, biding her time until an opportunity presented itself was all she needed to do.
명성과 재산
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VoltTurtle
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MurderWeasel
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Mandy was gonna die like a dog.
This was way, way more literal than she felt even a little bit comfortable with. It was like, of all the days to get grabbed for SOTF—not that there was a good day to get grabbed for SOTF, mind—did it really have to be the one where she finally was wearing Old Yeller? This was why it was hard for her to go out of her comfort zone sometimes. Try to be a little more relaxed, play along with the joke so the other people in the Disneybounding community would think she was cool and funny and not too full of herself, and this was her reward: becoming a laughing stock for the whole entire world, and then dying. She wished she was wearing something cool, that she'd broken out a Belle or an Elsa or like had figured out how to make a Mulan she wouldn't get yelled at over. Or, you know, Ariel.
This was all a lot nicer stuff to occupy her mind than the slow encroachment of fuzzy haze at the edges of her vision as her brain tried to turn itself off via hyperventilation.
She hadn't even just woke up. She came to in a room in the corridors, hid a while, heard a bunch of noise, hid some more, thought about the man on the video and what he'd said, kept on hiding, finally looked at her stuff, found out her only means of defense was an umbrella—wait, Mary Poppins, she had one of those at home—and then saw all the clothes. She was struck by the huge frumpy panda onesie that would totally actually be comfy and her style when it was sleep time but then decided she wasn't going to ever sleep again, so it might not be getting much use after all. Then there was a whole lot of blue stuff, like blue top, blue pants, blue bikini... she could be Stitch again without even trying. It was something, maybe.
Gosh was she breathing way too fast relative to how much air she was getting.
The backpack bounced on her shoulders as she raced from room to room. Her frantic flight had begun ten or so minutes ago, when staying still started making her feel extra small and powerless, but she hadn't found what she was looking for. Maybe it would've helped if she actually was looking for anything in particular, but she was instead just looking, like maybe she'd decide after she came across a thing whether it was the proper thing or not.
The first chamber of the captain's quarters? Yeah, that was a "not." It looked like someone had burgled the place already, which made no sense whatsoever because what would they even do with stuff here? Mandy knew enough about SOTF to be certain that there weren't gonna be any good weapons just lying around. Anything you improvised would be one flavor or another of either sharp-improvised-knife-you'll-cut-yourself-on-too or large-hunk-of-awkward-heavy-material-to-crack-skulls-with. She'd have just as much luck poking at eyes with the umbrella.
So she backpedaled from the scattered memorabilia and shattered glass, turned and ducked into the next room, and then all of a sudden she wasn't alone anymore. She hadn't even fully considered what she'd do, what would happen, if she ran into anybody else.
Mandy froze, eyes wide, but her breath kept right on going and her vision continued to narrow.
Then the tears sprang free and flowed freely, as she scrunched her eyes so tight she couldn't see.
"Seo-yun," she choked out, "oh, oh thank goodness."
Yes, this could be what she was seeking.
This was way, way more literal than she felt even a little bit comfortable with. It was like, of all the days to get grabbed for SOTF—not that there was a good day to get grabbed for SOTF, mind—did it really have to be the one where she finally was wearing Old Yeller? This was why it was hard for her to go out of her comfort zone sometimes. Try to be a little more relaxed, play along with the joke so the other people in the Disneybounding community would think she was cool and funny and not too full of herself, and this was her reward: becoming a laughing stock for the whole entire world, and then dying. She wished she was wearing something cool, that she'd broken out a Belle or an Elsa or like had figured out how to make a Mulan she wouldn't get yelled at over. Or, you know, Ariel.
This was all a lot nicer stuff to occupy her mind than the slow encroachment of fuzzy haze at the edges of her vision as her brain tried to turn itself off via hyperventilation.
She hadn't even just woke up. She came to in a room in the corridors, hid a while, heard a bunch of noise, hid some more, thought about the man on the video and what he'd said, kept on hiding, finally looked at her stuff, found out her only means of defense was an umbrella—wait, Mary Poppins, she had one of those at home—and then saw all the clothes. She was struck by the huge frumpy panda onesie that would totally actually be comfy and her style when it was sleep time but then decided she wasn't going to ever sleep again, so it might not be getting much use after all. Then there was a whole lot of blue stuff, like blue top, blue pants, blue bikini... she could be Stitch again without even trying. It was something, maybe.
Gosh was she breathing way too fast relative to how much air she was getting.
The backpack bounced on her shoulders as she raced from room to room. Her frantic flight had begun ten or so minutes ago, when staying still started making her feel extra small and powerless, but she hadn't found what she was looking for. Maybe it would've helped if she actually was looking for anything in particular, but she was instead just looking, like maybe she'd decide after she came across a thing whether it was the proper thing or not.
The first chamber of the captain's quarters? Yeah, that was a "not." It looked like someone had burgled the place already, which made no sense whatsoever because what would they even do with stuff here? Mandy knew enough about SOTF to be certain that there weren't gonna be any good weapons just lying around. Anything you improvised would be one flavor or another of either sharp-improvised-knife-you'll-cut-yourself-on-too or large-hunk-of-awkward-heavy-material-to-crack-skulls-with. She'd have just as much luck poking at eyes with the umbrella.
So she backpedaled from the scattered memorabilia and shattered glass, turned and ducked into the next room, and then all of a sudden she wasn't alone anymore. She hadn't even fully considered what she'd do, what would happen, if she ran into anybody else.
Mandy froze, eyes wide, but her breath kept right on going and her vision continued to narrow.
Then the tears sprang free and flowed freely, as she scrunched her eyes so tight she couldn't see.
"Seo-yun," she choked out, "oh, oh thank goodness."
Yes, this could be what she was seeking.
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VoltTurtle
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When Seo-yun had heard the footsteps, she assumed that she had been spotted on her way in, and now someone was trying to capitalize on her potential vulnerability. She readied herself for what was to come, her muscles tensing as she prepared to tear apart whoever decided that they were going to be her first hurdle on her path to victory. Then Seo-yun saw who it actually was coming through the door, and immediately relaxed.
"Mandy! How great to see you alive and well," she said, giving the other girl a smile. "Here I was, worried that you or my other friends might've gotten yourselves hurt."
It wasn't actually great to see her and the thought of Mandy's well-being hadn't once crossed Seo-yun's mind, if she was being honest with herself. The girl looked like a complete mess, with her disaster of an outfit and the incredibly visible signs of distress. More to the point, though, Mandy's bandanna signaled her to be a member of a rival team, which meant she was just fodder. She didn't even have the courtesy of being well-armed fodder, either. What did she have with her, an umbrella? Probably not something half-decent like an umbrella gun, either, given Seo-yun's own weapon draw. Just her luck, she supposed, that the first person that happened to stumble upon her wouldn't even make for a good first kill.
Though, perhaps Mandy could be useful in another way? Through her breathless attempt at conversation, she seemed to be happy to see Seo-yun, despite the fact that the two of them were on opposing teams. There was some room for rampant speculation as to the girl's motives, the possibility of it being some kind of feigned behavior designed to get Seo-yun's guard down being the most pressing concern, but Seo-yun had her doubts that Mandy was even capable of that kind of deception. No, she was simply too naive for something like that. Perhaps she was happy to see Seo-yun just because they were friends (as little as that meant now), or maybe because Seo-yun was remaining calm in contrast to Mandy's clear distress. Tsk, the specifics don't actually matter, no need for the aforementioned rampant speculation about motives. Perhaps the play would just be to talk, for the time being.
"Is that what they gave you for a weapon?" She asked, pointing to the umbrella that Mandy was somewhat awkwardly carrying. "Seems like the both of us got the short end of the stick, there. All I have is a bag of powdered ghost peppers."
The laces still wrapped around her fingers could afford to go unacknowledged, for now.
"Mandy! How great to see you alive and well," she said, giving the other girl a smile. "Here I was, worried that you or my other friends might've gotten yourselves hurt."
It wasn't actually great to see her and the thought of Mandy's well-being hadn't once crossed Seo-yun's mind, if she was being honest with herself. The girl looked like a complete mess, with her disaster of an outfit and the incredibly visible signs of distress. More to the point, though, Mandy's bandanna signaled her to be a member of a rival team, which meant she was just fodder. She didn't even have the courtesy of being well-armed fodder, either. What did she have with her, an umbrella? Probably not something half-decent like an umbrella gun, either, given Seo-yun's own weapon draw. Just her luck, she supposed, that the first person that happened to stumble upon her wouldn't even make for a good first kill.
Though, perhaps Mandy could be useful in another way? Through her breathless attempt at conversation, she seemed to be happy to see Seo-yun, despite the fact that the two of them were on opposing teams. There was some room for rampant speculation as to the girl's motives, the possibility of it being some kind of feigned behavior designed to get Seo-yun's guard down being the most pressing concern, but Seo-yun had her doubts that Mandy was even capable of that kind of deception. No, she was simply too naive for something like that. Perhaps she was happy to see Seo-yun just because they were friends (as little as that meant now), or maybe because Seo-yun was remaining calm in contrast to Mandy's clear distress. Tsk, the specifics don't actually matter, no need for the aforementioned rampant speculation about motives. Perhaps the play would just be to talk, for the time being.
"Is that what they gave you for a weapon?" She asked, pointing to the umbrella that Mandy was somewhat awkwardly carrying. "Seems like the both of us got the short end of the stick, there. All I have is a bag of powdered ghost peppers."
The laces still wrapped around her fingers could afford to go unacknowledged, for now.
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MurderWeasel
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This was precisely why Seo-yun was the best thing Mandy could find. The girl was somehow incredibly, impossibly calm still. She was poised, dignified, gracious in her speech.
Honestly, it would've been more than a little disconcerting taken in a vacuum. This, the death game, the weapons, it was all a big deal. It was absolutely not something Mandy could ever imagine approaching casually, or maybe even cogently, and yet here Seo-yun was tossing offhand observations like they were being inconvenienced by an unexpected drizzle and forced to stand in the bus shelter with the freshman boy who always smelled like fish. But that was the thing about Seo-yun, wasn't it? Nobody ever saw her sweat. Mandy had seen her dismantle people in arguments almost unconsciously, without ever raising her voice. She wasn't having some psychotic break. This was just who she was.
To reiterate: thank goodness.
"Yeah, yes, uh, it's an umbrella," Mandy volunteered. She waved the thing in a vague circle around her head and then hit the button to pop it, but because the strap was still buttoned the umbrella just extended from the handle with a ca-chunk sound, the arms held in place. The noise made Mandy tense up, and she almost dropped it but tightened her grip as it started to waver.
"J-just an umbrella," she clarified, as if Seo-yun was blind and didn't know what was sitting directly in front of her. Stupid, stupid, but could anyone really blame her in this situation? They were going to die. They were...
They were on different teams.
The red bandana hadn't been the first thing about Seo-yun to jump out to Mandy, but mostly because the girl was decked out in some sort of anime getup. And, well, Mandy hadn't actually questioned that at all. Maybe it should've given her the slightest pause, but she'd been thinking about possibly putting on her brand new panda PJs, and she wore weird things all the time in normal life, and also her vision had been a little bit blurry. So that had been the order everything hit her brain in: it's Seo-yun, whoa she's in a cute outfit, oh that bandanna sure isn't blue.
But it hadn't come up. Instead, what had actually been said, the real point of communication, had been an expression of care and concern and sympathy. So Mandy let herself relax a little bit more, even though she could still just about taste her heartbeat, and she didn't mention the bandanna thing either.
"I'm glad you're okay too," she said instead. "I was worried. This is all, it's horrible, but..."
That was as far as she got. Her eyes were watery again, but somewhere in there her breathing had, if not entirely normalized, at least mellowed a little. Mandy turned her umbrella around and awkwardly poked the tip into the floor and pushed until it clicked back into place. Then she took a couple of steps closer to Seo-yun.
Would it be wrong to just launch into a hug? Probably. Her eyes were still damp, and she'd ruffle the girl's clothes, and besides a lot of people didn't really like being touched without permission. So Mandy just bit her lip.
"What do we do?" she wondered quietly.
Honestly, it would've been more than a little disconcerting taken in a vacuum. This, the death game, the weapons, it was all a big deal. It was absolutely not something Mandy could ever imagine approaching casually, or maybe even cogently, and yet here Seo-yun was tossing offhand observations like they were being inconvenienced by an unexpected drizzle and forced to stand in the bus shelter with the freshman boy who always smelled like fish. But that was the thing about Seo-yun, wasn't it? Nobody ever saw her sweat. Mandy had seen her dismantle people in arguments almost unconsciously, without ever raising her voice. She wasn't having some psychotic break. This was just who she was.
To reiterate: thank goodness.
"Yeah, yes, uh, it's an umbrella," Mandy volunteered. She waved the thing in a vague circle around her head and then hit the button to pop it, but because the strap was still buttoned the umbrella just extended from the handle with a ca-chunk sound, the arms held in place. The noise made Mandy tense up, and she almost dropped it but tightened her grip as it started to waver.
"J-just an umbrella," she clarified, as if Seo-yun was blind and didn't know what was sitting directly in front of her. Stupid, stupid, but could anyone really blame her in this situation? They were going to die. They were...
They were on different teams.
The red bandana hadn't been the first thing about Seo-yun to jump out to Mandy, but mostly because the girl was decked out in some sort of anime getup. And, well, Mandy hadn't actually questioned that at all. Maybe it should've given her the slightest pause, but she'd been thinking about possibly putting on her brand new panda PJs, and she wore weird things all the time in normal life, and also her vision had been a little bit blurry. So that had been the order everything hit her brain in: it's Seo-yun, whoa she's in a cute outfit, oh that bandanna sure isn't blue.
But it hadn't come up. Instead, what had actually been said, the real point of communication, had been an expression of care and concern and sympathy. So Mandy let herself relax a little bit more, even though she could still just about taste her heartbeat, and she didn't mention the bandanna thing either.
"I'm glad you're okay too," she said instead. "I was worried. This is all, it's horrible, but..."
That was as far as she got. Her eyes were watery again, but somewhere in there her breathing had, if not entirely normalized, at least mellowed a little. Mandy turned her umbrella around and awkwardly poked the tip into the floor and pushed until it clicked back into place. Then she took a couple of steps closer to Seo-yun.
Would it be wrong to just launch into a hug? Probably. Her eyes were still damp, and she'd ruffle the girl's clothes, and besides a lot of people didn't really like being touched without permission. So Mandy just bit her lip.
"What do we do?" she wondered quietly.
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VoltTurtle
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Oh, this sweet little idiot. It was obvious enough at this point that Mandy was being sincere, and that she clearly also had no idea just how serious all this was. Seo-yun had been contemplating killing her from the moment their eyes met, and yet here Mandy was, asking her for advice in her time of need, despite their opposing alliances. Or rather, maybe she knew exactly what kind of predicament she was in, and that's why she was freaking out so much. She must know, deep down inside, that she was just a background character in all of this, someone destined to die early on, contributing only to someone else's story, and not her own.
Except there was an opportunity in that. Seo-yun could make sure that it was her story that Mandy contributed to, and not someone else's. Opposing teams or not, she could just smell the desperation that Mandy reeked of. She was clearly looking for someone, anyone to cling to, and the first friend of hers that she happened to find had been Seo-yun herself. Sure, it wasn't exactly like Mandy had much to offer Seo-yun beyond being a warm body, but that could be more than enough. A bodyguard is a bodyguard, and it always helped to have someone watching your back. When it was all said and done, maybe Seo-yun could talk passionately about Mandy's sacrifice for her in the post-game interview, maybe even write a few songs in her honor. It would certainly be a crowd-pleaser, tugging on all their little heartstrings like that.
She smiled once more at Mandy, understanding but not mirroring the other girl's panic. Without answering her question, she took a step forward and leaned towards Mandy, before embracing her in a nice, warm hug. She looked like she wanted and could use one, and it wasn't like she was about to stab Seo-yun in the back, that much had been made clear. No, if either of them stabbed the other in the back, it would be Seo-yun doing the stabbing. Now was actually a prime opportunity to strangle the other girl, but that would be best saved for later (if at all), when Mandy wasn't of anymore use to her.
After the perfect amount of time had passed for their hug, Seo-yun released Mandy, giving the other girl's shoulders a gentle squeeze, both to comfort her and as a subtle display of dominance.
"We stick together, okay?" She whispered, mimicking Mandy's low volume. "There's safety in numbers, and we can watch each other's backs. Right now we should try to arm ourselves a little better, in case the worst happens. You and I might not be out for blood," a lie that passed cleanly between her lips, "but you never know who might be around the next corner."
She glanced at the door that Mandy had come through, her ears attuned to the sounds of the outside, despite the wobbling of the ship and the muffled, only slightly audible sounds of the sea.
"Okay?"
Except there was an opportunity in that. Seo-yun could make sure that it was her story that Mandy contributed to, and not someone else's. Opposing teams or not, she could just smell the desperation that Mandy reeked of. She was clearly looking for someone, anyone to cling to, and the first friend of hers that she happened to find had been Seo-yun herself. Sure, it wasn't exactly like Mandy had much to offer Seo-yun beyond being a warm body, but that could be more than enough. A bodyguard is a bodyguard, and it always helped to have someone watching your back. When it was all said and done, maybe Seo-yun could talk passionately about Mandy's sacrifice for her in the post-game interview, maybe even write a few songs in her honor. It would certainly be a crowd-pleaser, tugging on all their little heartstrings like that.
She smiled once more at Mandy, understanding but not mirroring the other girl's panic. Without answering her question, she took a step forward and leaned towards Mandy, before embracing her in a nice, warm hug. She looked like she wanted and could use one, and it wasn't like she was about to stab Seo-yun in the back, that much had been made clear. No, if either of them stabbed the other in the back, it would be Seo-yun doing the stabbing. Now was actually a prime opportunity to strangle the other girl, but that would be best saved for later (if at all), when Mandy wasn't of anymore use to her.
After the perfect amount of time had passed for their hug, Seo-yun released Mandy, giving the other girl's shoulders a gentle squeeze, both to comfort her and as a subtle display of dominance.
"We stick together, okay?" She whispered, mimicking Mandy's low volume. "There's safety in numbers, and we can watch each other's backs. Right now we should try to arm ourselves a little better, in case the worst happens. You and I might not be out for blood," a lie that passed cleanly between her lips, "but you never know who might be around the next corner."
She glanced at the door that Mandy had come through, her ears attuned to the sounds of the outside, despite the wobbling of the ship and the muffled, only slightly audible sounds of the sea.
"Okay?"
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
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"Yeah," Mandy said. "Yeah, yeah, okay."
She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her sundress, took a few deep breaths, and tried to find a center of calm. It was actually a whole lot easier than it had been even thirty seconds ago. The closeness, the reassurance of physical contact, that little firm squeeze that brought her awareness to tension that she hadn't even been conscious of in her shoulders—it all let her take stock of the situation in a more considered manner. Her breathing had returned to normal, and now she could focus on the other sensations.
The faint smell of the ocean was still detectable in here. This room, too, was messed up, but less than the one next door. The floor was soft carpet under her feet. Mandy was a little bit sweaty from a combination of fear and her hurried jaunt through the corridors of the ship. She'd have to do something about that later, maybe. At least she wouldn't be at a lack for options when it came to baths.
How funny was that? She'd only just met up with Seo-yun, and even that little bit of external calm and stability was enough to shift her from fixating on her impending demise—in an Old Yeller outfit, no less—to considering how she could freshen up. It wasn't that any of her problems were fixed, per se. Obviously, she was still in SOTF, and she and Seo-yun were on different teams, and there were people who would very soon be killing each other. But it all just felt a little more manageable, a little less immediate.
"I bet people like, you know, like Junji and Ivan are going to go hard right away," Mandy said, a little quiver still present as she tried to put some focus into this. She had to pull her weight too, right? And she was pretty sure she'd seen those boys while they were being taken.
And then, something clicked in her head, a moment of not quite deja vu but something vaguely similar.
Mandy was a pretty big fan of SOTF, and the most recent season had been one of her favorites. And, in there, she'd discovered one of the coolest contestants to ever compete, a girl named Anastasia Arcadia. And Anastasia—AnArchy, to her friends and followers—had also been cool and calm and collected at first. She'd had grand, lofty ideas, had styled herself as the leader of a utopian society, had taken in her friends and led them fearlessly. She'd worn the prettiest dress. And here was Seo-yun, with a plan and a dress.
Things had fallen apart for AnArchy's group and she'd gone a little crazy and started drinking blood, but she'd been a little crazy to start with and Seo-yun definitely wasn't, so really Mandy was in even better shape.
Right?
"Thanks for taking me along," Mandy murmured.
She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her sundress, took a few deep breaths, and tried to find a center of calm. It was actually a whole lot easier than it had been even thirty seconds ago. The closeness, the reassurance of physical contact, that little firm squeeze that brought her awareness to tension that she hadn't even been conscious of in her shoulders—it all let her take stock of the situation in a more considered manner. Her breathing had returned to normal, and now she could focus on the other sensations.
The faint smell of the ocean was still detectable in here. This room, too, was messed up, but less than the one next door. The floor was soft carpet under her feet. Mandy was a little bit sweaty from a combination of fear and her hurried jaunt through the corridors of the ship. She'd have to do something about that later, maybe. At least she wouldn't be at a lack for options when it came to baths.
How funny was that? She'd only just met up with Seo-yun, and even that little bit of external calm and stability was enough to shift her from fixating on her impending demise—in an Old Yeller outfit, no less—to considering how she could freshen up. It wasn't that any of her problems were fixed, per se. Obviously, she was still in SOTF, and she and Seo-yun were on different teams, and there were people who would very soon be killing each other. But it all just felt a little more manageable, a little less immediate.
"I bet people like, you know, like Junji and Ivan are going to go hard right away," Mandy said, a little quiver still present as she tried to put some focus into this. She had to pull her weight too, right? And she was pretty sure she'd seen those boys while they were being taken.
And then, something clicked in her head, a moment of not quite deja vu but something vaguely similar.
Mandy was a pretty big fan of SOTF, and the most recent season had been one of her favorites. And, in there, she'd discovered one of the coolest contestants to ever compete, a girl named Anastasia Arcadia. And Anastasia—AnArchy, to her friends and followers—had also been cool and calm and collected at first. She'd had grand, lofty ideas, had styled herself as the leader of a utopian society, had taken in her friends and led them fearlessly. She'd worn the prettiest dress. And here was Seo-yun, with a plan and a dress.
Things had fallen apart for AnArchy's group and she'd gone a little crazy and started drinking blood, but she'd been a little crazy to start with and Seo-yun definitely wasn't, so really Mandy was in even better shape.
Right?
"Thanks for taking me along," Mandy murmured.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
"It's no problem, Mandy, and I think you're right about our classmates," Seo-yun said, giving the other girl's shoulders one last squeeze before letting go of her. "We're in a really dangerous position right now, and us girls gotta stick together if we want to stay safe against big boys like them."
She turned away from Mandy and took a proper look around the bedroom, scanning the environment for anything that could potentially be used to bludgeon. The laces would more than do if she managed to get the drop on someone, but Mandy's comment reminded her that she'd need more than that if a confrontation happened to get physical. She might be in good shape, but a lot of her peers were a lot bigger than her, and in a contest of strength, size mattered more than anything else. Not that she'd be stupid enough to wind up in a situation like that to begin with, but it would be even more stupid to refuse to consider the possibility.
It wasn't too long until she passed Mandy, heading back through the door frame into the rest of the Captain's quarters, gesturing for Mandy to follow her as she gravitated towards the kitchenette. Once she was in it, taking care to avoid the broken glass scattered along the ground in front of her, she started to go through the drawers and cabinets, hoping to find a knife that the producers might have missed. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that they were thorough enough to catch all the knives this time, but it wasn't all for naught. Seo-yun soon found herself pulling a cast iron skillet out of one of one of the cabinets above the stove, hefting the weight of it in her hands, imagining the feeling of it crushing someone's skull with a single swing.
Yes, this would do.
"Say, Mandy, have you put any thought into what you want to do, yet?" Seo-yun asked, breaking the silence between them as she continued examining the skillet, not paying attention to where the other girl was. "Strategy-wise, I mean. I've thought about it some since I woke up, and, well..."
She looked back.
"Whatever happens, I don't want to die here."
She turned away from Mandy and took a proper look around the bedroom, scanning the environment for anything that could potentially be used to bludgeon. The laces would more than do if she managed to get the drop on someone, but Mandy's comment reminded her that she'd need more than that if a confrontation happened to get physical. She might be in good shape, but a lot of her peers were a lot bigger than her, and in a contest of strength, size mattered more than anything else. Not that she'd be stupid enough to wind up in a situation like that to begin with, but it would be even more stupid to refuse to consider the possibility.
It wasn't too long until she passed Mandy, heading back through the door frame into the rest of the Captain's quarters, gesturing for Mandy to follow her as she gravitated towards the kitchenette. Once she was in it, taking care to avoid the broken glass scattered along the ground in front of her, she started to go through the drawers and cabinets, hoping to find a knife that the producers might have missed. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that they were thorough enough to catch all the knives this time, but it wasn't all for naught. Seo-yun soon found herself pulling a cast iron skillet out of one of one of the cabinets above the stove, hefting the weight of it in her hands, imagining the feeling of it crushing someone's skull with a single swing.
Yes, this would do.
"Say, Mandy, have you put any thought into what you want to do, yet?" Seo-yun asked, breaking the silence between them as she continued examining the skillet, not paying attention to where the other girl was. "Strategy-wise, I mean. I've thought about it some since I woke up, and, well..."
She looked back.
"Whatever happens, I don't want to die here."
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"I don't either," Mandy said, rummaging through a drawer.
There were a bunch of stainless steel forks and spoons in there. The forks came in big size and medium size, while the spoons were available in big, medium, or little. Mandy was pretty sure there was a whole special set of rules and etiquette for when you used one size of utensil over another, but at her house she used the smallest forks every time unless they were all dirty and she was too lazy to wash one. The bigger ones felt too large for her mouth, and encouraged her to scarf her food down instead of properly enjoying it.
"I don't really know what to do about it, though," she added, grabbing a few of the bigger forks in her fist and shoving them into the backpack that hung by one strap from her shoulder, unzipped to receive any worthwhile treasures. The forks were probably less useful for stabbing than the umbrella, but they were sort of pointy, and that had to count for something, right?
Really, she had been all ready to have a good answer to Seo-yun's questions at the start, but then it had kept on going and her response had become inapplicable. What did Mandy want to do for strategy? Not die, basically, without much to add. But what did Mandy want to do on the whole? Well, first things first she was feeling like going blue again. She'd peeked into the bathroom as they went by, and the shower looked pretty okay for later, and it seemed like maybe until then she could just throw on the loose track pants and t-shirt and be more set, or at least feel slightly less doomed. Seo-yun had done a costume change already, so it was only fair, right?
Yes, this was all horribly dangerous. This was the calm before the storm, and they could find themselves in real trouble incredibly quickly with little warning. But it would feel better facing those perils with morale as high as it could be, and fashion played a role in that. She'd probably keep the hat, though. Sentimental value, kind of.
The drawer slid shut with a clack sound as Mandy moved onto to a cupboard. There were a few of those single-serve things of jelly, grape and strawberry flavor, and those went right into the backpack for later. And then she saw it: two short ceramic cylinders, one white and one black. Mandy snatched the black one and held it out towards Seo-yun, wiggling it.
"Check it out," she said, beaming over the pepper shaker. "Now we match."
There were a bunch of stainless steel forks and spoons in there. The forks came in big size and medium size, while the spoons were available in big, medium, or little. Mandy was pretty sure there was a whole special set of rules and etiquette for when you used one size of utensil over another, but at her house she used the smallest forks every time unless they were all dirty and she was too lazy to wash one. The bigger ones felt too large for her mouth, and encouraged her to scarf her food down instead of properly enjoying it.
"I don't really know what to do about it, though," she added, grabbing a few of the bigger forks in her fist and shoving them into the backpack that hung by one strap from her shoulder, unzipped to receive any worthwhile treasures. The forks were probably less useful for stabbing than the umbrella, but they were sort of pointy, and that had to count for something, right?
Really, she had been all ready to have a good answer to Seo-yun's questions at the start, but then it had kept on going and her response had become inapplicable. What did Mandy want to do for strategy? Not die, basically, without much to add. But what did Mandy want to do on the whole? Well, first things first she was feeling like going blue again. She'd peeked into the bathroom as they went by, and the shower looked pretty okay for later, and it seemed like maybe until then she could just throw on the loose track pants and t-shirt and be more set, or at least feel slightly less doomed. Seo-yun had done a costume change already, so it was only fair, right?
Yes, this was all horribly dangerous. This was the calm before the storm, and they could find themselves in real trouble incredibly quickly with little warning. But it would feel better facing those perils with morale as high as it could be, and fashion played a role in that. She'd probably keep the hat, though. Sentimental value, kind of.
The drawer slid shut with a clack sound as Mandy moved onto to a cupboard. There were a few of those single-serve things of jelly, grape and strawberry flavor, and those went right into the backpack for later. And then she saw it: two short ceramic cylinders, one white and one black. Mandy snatched the black one and held it out towards Seo-yun, wiggling it.
"Check it out," she said, beaming over the pepper shaker. "Now we match."
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
"Ha! Yeah, I guess we do."
Seo-yun didn't actually find Mandy's excuse for a joke funny, but she both didn't have the heart to tell her that and had the sense to leave it be. If Mandy was trying this hard to impress herself upon her already, then that meant that she had the girl firmly in her clutches. Doing anything that could weaken her grip on an ally, no matter how inconsequential and unneeded said ally was, wouldn't be a good idea.
Still, Mandy's little show did invite some questions. Why even bother giving her this sorry excuse for a weapon if something that was basically just as effective could be found just by scrounging around the environment? At least she had some real weapons now, but would it have killed them to give her something that was even remotely useful to begin with? Whatever, she was getting out of here regardless, and when this was all said and done she would make sure to have some choice words for the producers. Perhaps when she was a celebrity mentor next season, she could try to make sure that all of the lucky stars on her team were properly armed.
Tsk, she was getting ahead of herself. Best to focus on the present for now.
"And, well, as for what to do about it," she continued, taking a few steps out of the kitchenette, not looking at Mandy as she spoke. "There are a few options. Win by yourself, or with your team, be the first person to get ten kills, or escape."
She hefted the cast iron skillet in her hands, getting a feel for its weight. She wasn't sure how honest she should be with Mandy about her intentions, or how the other girl would react to what she would say. This was unfortunately an unfamiliar situation for her, unlike any other conversation she has ever had to navigate before. How do you announce your intention to kill to someone else? More importantly, how would you keep them on your side as you did so?
"Escaping would be the nicest option, but I don't think it's really feasible," she continued, letting the skillet fall to her side. "It's been a while since there was a successful escape, and that's for good reason. It's hard, and dangerous, and frankly I think it's too much of a risk to even try."
She turned back to Mandy, carefully observing her friend's face all the while. If Mandy was going to be a real ally to her, then they had to be on the same page. The trick, then, was that Seo-yun didn't need to say it all herself. She could simply lay out the facts as they were and let Mandy come to her own conclusions. Then, if she didn't like them, it'd be easy enough to crack her skull like an egg and replace her with someone better. A win-win, no matter how it went down.
"I've got a lot to live for," Seo-yun continued, keeping her voice even, and her mannerisms serene. "I was going to be a star one day, change the world for the better. If I die here then, well, I'll just be forgotten. So the ugly truth is that I've got to win, one way or another, and I'm-"
She feigned a sad look, and intentionally caused her voice to start to waver, as if she was about to cry. All she had to do was play the sympathy card, make it clear to Mandy that all of this was just the way it was. Even if she was more than happy to play her role in the grim proceedings, even if she was ready and willing to kill at a moment's notice for the sake of her future fame, she still had to pretend that she felt bad about it. For Mandy, and for the audience back home. Performing for them, just as she always had.
"I'm afraid of what that will mean."
Seo-yun didn't actually find Mandy's excuse for a joke funny, but she both didn't have the heart to tell her that and had the sense to leave it be. If Mandy was trying this hard to impress herself upon her already, then that meant that she had the girl firmly in her clutches. Doing anything that could weaken her grip on an ally, no matter how inconsequential and unneeded said ally was, wouldn't be a good idea.
Still, Mandy's little show did invite some questions. Why even bother giving her this sorry excuse for a weapon if something that was basically just as effective could be found just by scrounging around the environment? At least she had some real weapons now, but would it have killed them to give her something that was even remotely useful to begin with? Whatever, she was getting out of here regardless, and when this was all said and done she would make sure to have some choice words for the producers. Perhaps when she was a celebrity mentor next season, she could try to make sure that all of the lucky stars on her team were properly armed.
Tsk, she was getting ahead of herself. Best to focus on the present for now.
"And, well, as for what to do about it," she continued, taking a few steps out of the kitchenette, not looking at Mandy as she spoke. "There are a few options. Win by yourself, or with your team, be the first person to get ten kills, or escape."
She hefted the cast iron skillet in her hands, getting a feel for its weight. She wasn't sure how honest she should be with Mandy about her intentions, or how the other girl would react to what she would say. This was unfortunately an unfamiliar situation for her, unlike any other conversation she has ever had to navigate before. How do you announce your intention to kill to someone else? More importantly, how would you keep them on your side as you did so?
"Escaping would be the nicest option, but I don't think it's really feasible," she continued, letting the skillet fall to her side. "It's been a while since there was a successful escape, and that's for good reason. It's hard, and dangerous, and frankly I think it's too much of a risk to even try."
She turned back to Mandy, carefully observing her friend's face all the while. If Mandy was going to be a real ally to her, then they had to be on the same page. The trick, then, was that Seo-yun didn't need to say it all herself. She could simply lay out the facts as they were and let Mandy come to her own conclusions. Then, if she didn't like them, it'd be easy enough to crack her skull like an egg and replace her with someone better. A win-win, no matter how it went down.
"I've got a lot to live for," Seo-yun continued, keeping her voice even, and her mannerisms serene. "I was going to be a star one day, change the world for the better. If I die here then, well, I'll just be forgotten. So the ugly truth is that I've got to win, one way or another, and I'm-"
She feigned a sad look, and intentionally caused her voice to start to waver, as if she was about to cry. All she had to do was play the sympathy card, make it clear to Mandy that all of this was just the way it was. Even if she was more than happy to play her role in the grim proceedings, even if she was ready and willing to kill at a moment's notice for the sake of her future fame, she still had to pretend that she felt bad about it. For Mandy, and for the audience back home. Performing for them, just as she always had.
"I'm afraid of what that will mean."
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Hm." The noise sounded a bit noncommittal, but really Mandy was mostly just trying to process a few things at the same time.
The first, and most alarming, was that there were suddenly a few cracks in the ice-cool exterior of her friend and companion. This probably shouldn't have been a huge surprise, given that the situation they were in was specifically designed by people—smart people who did this all the time as their actual jobs—to force such difficult quandaries on the participants, but somehow Mandy had just figured Seo-yun would have it covered. Apparently not.
Well, that wasn't quite fair. The girl did have it more under control than Mandy did, insofar as she'd laid out all the possible options and started to cull the unworkable. That was the sort of first step that was sometimes pretty difficult for Mandy to take, the sort of fork that could cause her to remain cooped up in a stuffy room for what felt like hours hugging her backpack in indecision. But now it was all just right there, options on the table.
They'd already found common ground in not wanting to die. Escape definitely would be the best route, but as Seo-yun expressed reservations, Mandy immediately felt hers growing as well.
"You're right about the escapes," she said. "There was, um, when all the collars broke a couple years ago, but I think that sort of made them tighten up security a lot. So, so we should keep an eye out in case someone figures something, but probably not risk our lives chasing it."
What didn't need saying was that, quite simply, if Seo-yun wasn't equipped to do the heavy lifting in an escape attempt, Mandy definitely wouldn't be taking point on it. Unless the collars were going to open up for some algebra equations, she wouldn't have a clue where to even start. Honestly, just being trusted to the point of being included in the planning like this was a pretty pleasant surprise, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with the responsibility.
As she spoke, Mandy was unconsciously turning the pepper shaker around in her hands, but a flicker of movement caught her attention and she realized abruptly that she was sprinkling pepper on her shoes. Hurriedly, she righted the shaker, holding it closer to her chest.
At least it gave her a good excuse to look at her feet. Because, Mandy wasn't great at science, but she was pretty good at math, and try as she might, there was one aspect of Seo-yun's breakdown that she couldn't deny.
"We're on different teams," she said quietly, and sniffed. Then she made herself look back up away from the floor, made herself meet her friend's gaze.
"I don't—didn't—have anything cool or special like that for my future. I... I just was looking forward to finally being a senior. I was going to hang out in the upper floor of the library."
She brought her hand up to her face and found the pepper shaker was still in it. She wasn't quite sure what she'd been planning to do, but she pressed the cool ceramic to her cheek, and the sensation helped her focus.
"That would've been pretty nice."
She moved the pepper shaker, starting to bring it to the other side, but when it passed under nose she inhaled, sniffled, and then let out a sneeze.
The first, and most alarming, was that there were suddenly a few cracks in the ice-cool exterior of her friend and companion. This probably shouldn't have been a huge surprise, given that the situation they were in was specifically designed by people—smart people who did this all the time as their actual jobs—to force such difficult quandaries on the participants, but somehow Mandy had just figured Seo-yun would have it covered. Apparently not.
Well, that wasn't quite fair. The girl did have it more under control than Mandy did, insofar as she'd laid out all the possible options and started to cull the unworkable. That was the sort of first step that was sometimes pretty difficult for Mandy to take, the sort of fork that could cause her to remain cooped up in a stuffy room for what felt like hours hugging her backpack in indecision. But now it was all just right there, options on the table.
They'd already found common ground in not wanting to die. Escape definitely would be the best route, but as Seo-yun expressed reservations, Mandy immediately felt hers growing as well.
"You're right about the escapes," she said. "There was, um, when all the collars broke a couple years ago, but I think that sort of made them tighten up security a lot. So, so we should keep an eye out in case someone figures something, but probably not risk our lives chasing it."
What didn't need saying was that, quite simply, if Seo-yun wasn't equipped to do the heavy lifting in an escape attempt, Mandy definitely wouldn't be taking point on it. Unless the collars were going to open up for some algebra equations, she wouldn't have a clue where to even start. Honestly, just being trusted to the point of being included in the planning like this was a pretty pleasant surprise, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with the responsibility.
As she spoke, Mandy was unconsciously turning the pepper shaker around in her hands, but a flicker of movement caught her attention and she realized abruptly that she was sprinkling pepper on her shoes. Hurriedly, she righted the shaker, holding it closer to her chest.
At least it gave her a good excuse to look at her feet. Because, Mandy wasn't great at science, but she was pretty good at math, and try as she might, there was one aspect of Seo-yun's breakdown that she couldn't deny.
"We're on different teams," she said quietly, and sniffed. Then she made herself look back up away from the floor, made herself meet her friend's gaze.
"I don't—didn't—have anything cool or special like that for my future. I... I just was looking forward to finally being a senior. I was going to hang out in the upper floor of the library."
She brought her hand up to her face and found the pepper shaker was still in it. She wasn't quite sure what she'd been planning to do, but she pressed the cool ceramic to her cheek, and the sensation helped her focus.
"That would've been pretty nice."
She moved the pepper shaker, starting to bring it to the other side, but when it passed under nose she inhaled, sniffled, and then let out a sneeze.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
"Yeah, you're right, that would've been nice."
Without knowing it, Mandy had given Seo-yun the exact opening she needed.
"Maybe your dream wasn't as special as mine, but that doesn't mean it's any less important. It still matters to you, and that means it matters to me too."
She actually couldn't believe that Mandy's biggest dream was so terribly ordinary. How boring could she possibly be, wanting nothing more than to be a senior? How could she not have anything more important beyond that? Truly, the world wasn't missing out on much with Mandy being doomed to die here, if that was truly all she had to offer it. Seo-yun couldn't imagine being so lacking in ambition, but yet, that lack of ambition could prove useful to her. If Mandy didn't have any real desires for herself, then maybe Seo-yun could impress her own desires upon her.
She frowned a bit more, and intentionally looked away. Now all she had to do was circle around, and bring her manipulations home. Make her intentions obvious, but present it in such a way to feign ignorance. Pretend that she was looking out for Mandy's well being, and not just her own.
"You're right though, we're on different teams," said murmured, her voice taking on a more somber tone. "We can't possibly win together. If one of us is to see our dreams through, then that means the other can't. Unless..."
She paused, intentionally widening her eyes as if she had just come to some new, uncomfortable realization.
"Unless one of us gets the ten kill release, and then the other wins with their team."
She looked back up at Mandy, intentionally looking unhappy, as if she didn't like the conclusion that she had just come to.
"Then we could both go home."
Without knowing it, Mandy had given Seo-yun the exact opening she needed.
"Maybe your dream wasn't as special as mine, but that doesn't mean it's any less important. It still matters to you, and that means it matters to me too."
She actually couldn't believe that Mandy's biggest dream was so terribly ordinary. How boring could she possibly be, wanting nothing more than to be a senior? How could she not have anything more important beyond that? Truly, the world wasn't missing out on much with Mandy being doomed to die here, if that was truly all she had to offer it. Seo-yun couldn't imagine being so lacking in ambition, but yet, that lack of ambition could prove useful to her. If Mandy didn't have any real desires for herself, then maybe Seo-yun could impress her own desires upon her.
She frowned a bit more, and intentionally looked away. Now all she had to do was circle around, and bring her manipulations home. Make her intentions obvious, but present it in such a way to feign ignorance. Pretend that she was looking out for Mandy's well being, and not just her own.
"You're right though, we're on different teams," said murmured, her voice taking on a more somber tone. "We can't possibly win together. If one of us is to see our dreams through, then that means the other can't. Unless..."
She paused, intentionally widening her eyes as if she had just come to some new, uncomfortable realization.
"Unless one of us gets the ten kill release, and then the other wins with their team."
She looked back up at Mandy, intentionally looking unhappy, as if she didn't like the conclusion that she had just come to.
"Then we could both go home."
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
Mandy felt about how Seo-yun looked.
"I... guess, yeah, that could work," she said, sniffing again. Her nose was still prickly with the lingering twinge of pepper, and she dragged the back of her free hand across it, then deposited the shaker in her pack.
All this moving around was in part to buy a little time to think. Mandy was, to put it mildly, not so sure about the plan as it was beginning to develop. First off, she didn't really hate anyone in her class that much. Oh, there were people she wouldn't be terribly torn up to never see again. In fact, she and Seo-yun probably had a few names in common on that list. What did Laura, say, contribute to the world except petty ugliness, inside and out? What was her dream? Probably just making other people miserable. And Junji was a creepy, hideous ball of misanthropic grease. So that was at least two people off the cuff who Mandy wouldn't mourn, but there was a big difference between shrugging off someone's death and causing it.
At least, Mandy assumed it was different. She hadn't ever really wished anyone dead, or thought too much about people she knew dying, and she'd kind of had goofy daydreams about being on SOTF of course because everyone did, but she always populated those with imaginary characters or past contestants instead of people she knew.
The sharp sound of a zipper closing pulled Mandy back to the present, and she was a little surprised to find that her own hand had done the deed.
"I don't... I'm not sure," she started. "I don't think I could just... murder someone.
"But," she quickly added, holding up her hands, "but there are going to be people doing bad stuff, or coming after us, right? And if it's us or them, then that's not so bad? So maybe we can make it work like that, right? Go for the threats?"
Would they actually just happen to be in a position to defend themselves ten times? Or get the drop on other people who were conveniently guilty enough that Mandy and Seo-yun could justifiably bushwhack them? It seemed a little unlikely, but then so did surviving at all, and if there was something they could try, that felt better than just rolling over and waiting to die.
"I... guess, yeah, that could work," she said, sniffing again. Her nose was still prickly with the lingering twinge of pepper, and she dragged the back of her free hand across it, then deposited the shaker in her pack.
All this moving around was in part to buy a little time to think. Mandy was, to put it mildly, not so sure about the plan as it was beginning to develop. First off, she didn't really hate anyone in her class that much. Oh, there were people she wouldn't be terribly torn up to never see again. In fact, she and Seo-yun probably had a few names in common on that list. What did Laura, say, contribute to the world except petty ugliness, inside and out? What was her dream? Probably just making other people miserable. And Junji was a creepy, hideous ball of misanthropic grease. So that was at least two people off the cuff who Mandy wouldn't mourn, but there was a big difference between shrugging off someone's death and causing it.
At least, Mandy assumed it was different. She hadn't ever really wished anyone dead, or thought too much about people she knew dying, and she'd kind of had goofy daydreams about being on SOTF of course because everyone did, but she always populated those with imaginary characters or past contestants instead of people she knew.
The sharp sound of a zipper closing pulled Mandy back to the present, and she was a little surprised to find that her own hand had done the deed.
"I don't... I'm not sure," she started. "I don't think I could just... murder someone.
"But," she quickly added, holding up her hands, "but there are going to be people doing bad stuff, or coming after us, right? And if it's us or them, then that's not so bad? So maybe we can make it work like that, right? Go for the threats?"
Would they actually just happen to be in a position to defend themselves ten times? Or get the drop on other people who were conveniently guilty enough that Mandy and Seo-yun could justifiably bushwhack them? It seemed a little unlikely, but then so did surviving at all, and if there was something they could try, that felt better than just rolling over and waiting to die.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
"We could do it that way, yeah."
No, actually, of course they couldn't. Getting the ten kills was a race against the clock, waiting for the "right" ones to fall into your lap would only end in failure. No, if they were serious about going for it, they needed to be all in. Yet, that would be difficult, because it didn't sound like Mandy was all that enthused at the idea of killing her classmates, and who could blame her? It wasn't like Seo-yun was actively excited at the prospect of doing it, she was just prepared to do what it took, no matter what. The rules were different now, murder was acceptable here even if it wouldn't normally be outside (why was that, by the way? she had never considered how strange that was before), so she wouldn't let doing what was permitted weigh on her conscience.
"I get that you don't want to do it. I'm not thrilled at the idea either, but..."
She began to slowly pace about the room, circling in one spot, the sound of broken glass crunching underneath her boots, doing her best to imitate the mannerisms of someone full of anxiety. She followed this by pulling her free hand close to her chest and biting her bottom lip, acting as though she were coming to terms with an uncomfortable truth, instead of one that she had long accepted. All of it to play the part of someone who didn't really want to do this, but was coming to terms with the fact that it was her only option.
"Everyone here has the same goal. Everyone wants to survive and go home, which means that anyone that isn't on either your team or mine needs the both of us dead," she stopped in place, clenched her fist near her chest. "It's us or them, and if it came down to it, then I would choose us, every time."
No, actually, of course they couldn't. Getting the ten kills was a race against the clock, waiting for the "right" ones to fall into your lap would only end in failure. No, if they were serious about going for it, they needed to be all in. Yet, that would be difficult, because it didn't sound like Mandy was all that enthused at the idea of killing her classmates, and who could blame her? It wasn't like Seo-yun was actively excited at the prospect of doing it, she was just prepared to do what it took, no matter what. The rules were different now, murder was acceptable here even if it wouldn't normally be outside (why was that, by the way? she had never considered how strange that was before), so she wouldn't let doing what was permitted weigh on her conscience.
"I get that you don't want to do it. I'm not thrilled at the idea either, but..."
She began to slowly pace about the room, circling in one spot, the sound of broken glass crunching underneath her boots, doing her best to imitate the mannerisms of someone full of anxiety. She followed this by pulling her free hand close to her chest and biting her bottom lip, acting as though she were coming to terms with an uncomfortable truth, instead of one that she had long accepted. All of it to play the part of someone who didn't really want to do this, but was coming to terms with the fact that it was her only option.
"Everyone here has the same goal. Everyone wants to survive and go home, which means that anyone that isn't on either your team or mine needs the both of us dead," she stopped in place, clenched her fist near her chest. "It's us or them, and if it came down to it, then I would choose us, every time."
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Huh," Mandy said. "I guess that makes sense."
She wished she sounded more confident and enthusiastic. Actually, she wished she truly was more confident and enthusiastic; then sounding the part would be no problem.
It wasn't even that Seo-yun was wrong or anything. Mandy was running through the logic in her head, and as far as she could figure it all tracked. It wasn't like they actively wished death upon anybody else, but more like... for them to get their goals, other people would have to fail, and failure meant death, and that was horrible and sad but also a harsh reality of the situation they were faced with. So, in a way, by wishing to live, and for Seo-yun to live, Mandy actually was wishing death on most of their classmates—just without any particular intent or malice behind it.
That sure didn't feel good to acknowledge, though.
"So, anyone who isn't on our teams, we have to assume that they could be a threat, and prepare accordingly," she said, and that statement came more decisively. It was easy enough to follow the path at least that far, because it was all true and still remained in the realm of common sense self defense. AnArchy's group had been forced to ward off several intrusions, and if anything they were a little too hesitant to use preemptive force, even in cases where it was pretty obvious that something bad was about to happen. That was what got Sebastien hurt, and then what later led to the deaths of both him and AnArchy's husband.
Mandy turned to look through the cabinets again, even though she'd just searched them and knew there wasn't anything interesting left, just so she wouldn't have to look at Seo-yun for a few moments. It was obvious they were both upset about the prospect of hurting people, and there were so many unknown variables left in play still. One that was worming its way into Mandy's mind even now was that they didn't know who was on each of their teams yet. And that was important, because while Seo-yun framed all teammates as safe, that wasn't quite true, now was it? They could, best case, get one team and one single person out alive without an escape. That meant that eventually one or the other of their assigned sets of allies would have to be sacrificed.
Going further along that road than Seo-yun felt like a mistake, though, because Mandy really had no idea how to solve or even wrap her head around the problem. So she tried to pull back to the present a bit.
"I hope our teams are good," she said quietly, as she closed the cabinet once more.
She wished she sounded more confident and enthusiastic. Actually, she wished she truly was more confident and enthusiastic; then sounding the part would be no problem.
It wasn't even that Seo-yun was wrong or anything. Mandy was running through the logic in her head, and as far as she could figure it all tracked. It wasn't like they actively wished death upon anybody else, but more like... for them to get their goals, other people would have to fail, and failure meant death, and that was horrible and sad but also a harsh reality of the situation they were faced with. So, in a way, by wishing to live, and for Seo-yun to live, Mandy actually was wishing death on most of their classmates—just without any particular intent or malice behind it.
That sure didn't feel good to acknowledge, though.
"So, anyone who isn't on our teams, we have to assume that they could be a threat, and prepare accordingly," she said, and that statement came more decisively. It was easy enough to follow the path at least that far, because it was all true and still remained in the realm of common sense self defense. AnArchy's group had been forced to ward off several intrusions, and if anything they were a little too hesitant to use preemptive force, even in cases where it was pretty obvious that something bad was about to happen. That was what got Sebastien hurt, and then what later led to the deaths of both him and AnArchy's husband.
Mandy turned to look through the cabinets again, even though she'd just searched them and knew there wasn't anything interesting left, just so she wouldn't have to look at Seo-yun for a few moments. It was obvious they were both upset about the prospect of hurting people, and there were so many unknown variables left in play still. One that was worming its way into Mandy's mind even now was that they didn't know who was on each of their teams yet. And that was important, because while Seo-yun framed all teammates as safe, that wasn't quite true, now was it? They could, best case, get one team and one single person out alive without an escape. That meant that eventually one or the other of their assigned sets of allies would have to be sacrificed.
Going further along that road than Seo-yun felt like a mistake, though, because Mandy really had no idea how to solve or even wrap her head around the problem. So she tried to pull back to the present a bit.
"I hope our teams are good," she said quietly, as she closed the cabinet once more.
((Leonard Kenter continued from They Only Want You When You're 17, When You're 21 You're No Fun))
Leo traipsed through the corridors of the ship with Mary in tow, the two having decided that exploration was most imperative to their success. For the most part peaceful and quiet with neither of finding anyone else along the way. Which did not put Leo at ease, the sounds carried across the ship told him things were happening, and they were not pleasant.
It wasn’t long till their trip round the cruise ship bore fruit, allowing them to see different parts of the ship and familiarise themselves with them. Leo would try to commit them to memory for future reference, and was somewhat successful at it with the help of the map on his side.
But Leo could not shake that it felt like he was sightseeing rather than getting used to the ship, though he’d admit these were nice diversions from the general horror of the situation he had found himself in.
Mary herself helped with that by cracking jokes along the way. In all honesty it was shocking to him how she managed to have a bounce to her step and a sunny like demeanor towards everything, despite the fact she had a collar around her neck that was a reminder of how real their situation was.
She was a perplexing girl, Mary Cheung. Leo wondered if he had made a mistake tagging along with such a girl. Neither of them were teammates and she could just as easily take him out when-
No, no. Don’t think like that, that’s how they want you to think.
Mary was still Mary, although with an oar in her hands and a seeming willingness to use it hopefully only in self defense.
That was fine, for now.
One part of the ship held particular interest for the two - and by the two it really meant Mary - was the captain’s quarters, as it was called by the plaque outside. A fancy looking place that certainly gave off the vibe that the higher ups of this ship congregated here in their spare time.
But Leo could not help, but be cautious as they started to explore the place. There was something about that was...uninviting. It was difficult to put his finger on why exactly, but nothing about it made him want to stay for longer than necessary.
“You sure about this? This place?”
Leo traipsed through the corridors of the ship with Mary in tow, the two having decided that exploration was most imperative to their success. For the most part peaceful and quiet with neither of finding anyone else along the way. Which did not put Leo at ease, the sounds carried across the ship told him things were happening, and they were not pleasant.
It wasn’t long till their trip round the cruise ship bore fruit, allowing them to see different parts of the ship and familiarise themselves with them. Leo would try to commit them to memory for future reference, and was somewhat successful at it with the help of the map on his side.
But Leo could not shake that it felt like he was sightseeing rather than getting used to the ship, though he’d admit these were nice diversions from the general horror of the situation he had found himself in.
Mary herself helped with that by cracking jokes along the way. In all honesty it was shocking to him how she managed to have a bounce to her step and a sunny like demeanor towards everything, despite the fact she had a collar around her neck that was a reminder of how real their situation was.
She was a perplexing girl, Mary Cheung. Leo wondered if he had made a mistake tagging along with such a girl. Neither of them were teammates and she could just as easily take him out when-
No, no. Don’t think like that, that’s how they want you to think.
Mary was still Mary, although with an oar in her hands and a seeming willingness to use it hopefully only in self defense.
That was fine, for now.
One part of the ship held particular interest for the two - and by the two it really meant Mary - was the captain’s quarters, as it was called by the plaque outside. A fancy looking place that certainly gave off the vibe that the higher ups of this ship congregated here in their spare time.
But Leo could not help, but be cautious as they started to explore the place. There was something about that was...uninviting. It was difficult to put his finger on why exactly, but nothing about it made him want to stay for longer than necessary.
“You sure about this? This place?”