And Mary returned the hug. Felt tears running down her face.
Leah pulled away, and began talking. She was planning things out. Telling them what they needed to do afterwards, like what she’d been trying to get out of Seo-yun a few minutes ago.
“I uh… uh… need to look away. Need to…” she trailed off quietly, mostly to herself.
Mary wanted to scream. She wanted to curl up, disappear. She wanted to wake up to realize that this was a bad dream she was having. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to run away. She wanted to…
She wanted to…
Honor Leah’s wishes, a voice told her. Listen to what she has to say.
But the rest of her head was empty. Only replaced by shudders and fear and nausea.
“Leah… I… you’re my… I…”
Say it.
“My friend. I’ve cared about you, always. I... I'm glad I knew you, too.”
She looked away. She knew she should run soon. Or, at least, be prepared for the end.
"I know every story has to end, but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate before the last word."
One last squeeze. This time, for Mary's sake.
Just the last one. Leah held on to the hand warm and tight, trying not to sob into the girl's shoulder.
She nudged the bag without the book to Mary. The stained paperback was resting on the ground, away from where the blood would splatter.
''You don't have to come back here to see me. You don't have to come back here at all, if you don't want to.
And...
I'm glad, too. That you guys were there for me. I never thought I'd make friends on here, but then I- I met you and I talked to Jewel, and, god, you deserve the whole fucking world, Mary, so go out there and- and show them that you can do it, alright?
Vague words of encouragement were the only thing shr could offer, but it was something. Better than nothing.
''Seo's going to dump me into the sea, and you won't ever have to see me again, if that's what you want. And Jewel is going to be here for you.''
She took a deep breath. She drank in all the air she'll never need in her life. And she sat down cross legged and turned her back to Seo-yun, eyes deliberately looking away from Mary. Like a signal- for her to run, or at least just look anywhere else, because she didnht want the girl to be hurt any more by this.
''Seo, I-''
Want you to know that you've been so lucky so far.
Need a second to wipe my tears.
Wish we could've been friends, not even best friends, just wish we would've talked.
Hope you can make it.
Can't calm my blood rushing at a million miles per hour.
Always craved to be loved like you.
Just wanted to be happy.
- ''need it quick and clean. To the head- the top, I don't want to ruin the collar. And no warnings, please. I just-I just need something to distract myself, music, maybe a chat. Whenever you're ready.''
Just the last one. Leah held on to the hand warm and tight, trying not to sob into the girl's shoulder.
She nudged the bag without the book to Mary. The stained paperback was resting on the ground, away from where the blood would splatter.
''You don't have to come back here to see me. You don't have to come back here at all, if you don't want to.
And...
I'm glad, too. That you guys were there for me. I never thought I'd make friends on here, but then I- I met you and I talked to Jewel, and, god, you deserve the whole fucking world, Mary, so go out there and- and show them that you can do it, alright?
Vague words of encouragement were the only thing shr could offer, but it was something. Better than nothing.
''Seo's going to dump me into the sea, and you won't ever have to see me again, if that's what you want. And Jewel is going to be here for you.''
She took a deep breath. She drank in all the air she'll never need in her life. And she sat down cross legged and turned her back to Seo-yun, eyes deliberately looking away from Mary. Like a signal- for her to run, or at least just look anywhere else, because she didnht want the girl to be hurt any more by this.
''Seo, I-''
Want you to know that you've been so lucky so far.
Need a second to wipe my tears.
Wish we could've been friends, not even best friends, just wish we would've talked.
Hope you can make it.
Can't calm my blood rushing at a million miles per hour.
Always craved to be loved like you.
Just wanted to be happy.
- ''need it quick and clean. To the head- the top, I don't want to ruin the collar. And no warnings, please. I just-I just need something to distract myself, music, maybe a chat. Whenever you're ready.''
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
What a strange situation for Seo-yun to find herself in.
She didn't know what to make of all this, or how to handle what was unfolding in front of her. What she had, like it or not, involved herself in. Listening to Leah speak, seeing the confusion and grief on her former friend's face, she was starting to feel bad. Bad in new, terrible ways that she didn't know she was capable of experiencing. Never had she ever developed such a deep sense of understanding of another person over such a scant few minutes, and she couldn't help but feel grief over all this potential that was about to be thrown away.
Would all of her victims have felt like this to her, had she given them a chance, like Leah?
The pit inside of her grew wider.
She swallowed.
"Alright, Leah."
The gun was leveled at Leah's head, the barrel staring her down like the eye of a hungry predator. Her finger remained off the trigger, for a time. Her eye darted over to Mary, looking at her for a moment, considering what she wanted to say, the closure she wanted to have. She had given it to Bethan, so it was only fair to extend that courtesy.
"Before you go, Mary, I wanted to say..."
She hung on those words for one long, contemplative moment, trying to come up with something profound to say. Something that would hopefully stick until the bitter end. Except her words failed her. She was not as eloquent as she wanted to be, as she thought she had always been. When the chips were down, all she had to say was-
"...good luck."
Then, her attention focused itself once more on Leah, not daring to look at Mary again. It was time for her to go, if she didn't want to witness what was about to happen. Seo-yun was very used to death, at this point. No matter how tragic the circumstances, she would recover, given enough time.
"A distraction, like music?"
A thought intruded itself into her head, and she tried to dash it away, only for it to come back in force. Why not sing something for Leah, before the shot? Why not sing that song for her? Back during the standoff with Lark, she had promised herself that she'd live like she wanted, without the expectations of others factoring in. Thus far, she had failed to live up to that promise, but...
"There's this song I've never sung to anyone other than myself," she murmured, her own voice just barely audible over the ringing in her ears.
It was a kindness that she hadn't thought herself capable of. The thought occurred to her that maybe there was some hope for her, after all. That hope came with its own counter, a spike of adrenaline and fear. There was a part of her that felt threatened by baring her soul in this way. Despite having more clothes on than she had with that gaudy idol dress, and despite having stripped on camera, she felt more exposed now than she ever had before.
But how can one move forward, except by accepting vulnerability?
"I don't have the music I made to accompany it, but I can sing it for you."
She didn't know what to make of all this, or how to handle what was unfolding in front of her. What she had, like it or not, involved herself in. Listening to Leah speak, seeing the confusion and grief on her former friend's face, she was starting to feel bad. Bad in new, terrible ways that she didn't know she was capable of experiencing. Never had she ever developed such a deep sense of understanding of another person over such a scant few minutes, and she couldn't help but feel grief over all this potential that was about to be thrown away.
Would all of her victims have felt like this to her, had she given them a chance, like Leah?
The pit inside of her grew wider.
She swallowed.
"Alright, Leah."
The gun was leveled at Leah's head, the barrel staring her down like the eye of a hungry predator. Her finger remained off the trigger, for a time. Her eye darted over to Mary, looking at her for a moment, considering what she wanted to say, the closure she wanted to have. She had given it to Bethan, so it was only fair to extend that courtesy.
"Before you go, Mary, I wanted to say..."
She hung on those words for one long, contemplative moment, trying to come up with something profound to say. Something that would hopefully stick until the bitter end. Except her words failed her. She was not as eloquent as she wanted to be, as she thought she had always been. When the chips were down, all she had to say was-
"...good luck."
Then, her attention focused itself once more on Leah, not daring to look at Mary again. It was time for her to go, if she didn't want to witness what was about to happen. Seo-yun was very used to death, at this point. No matter how tragic the circumstances, she would recover, given enough time.
"A distraction, like music?"
A thought intruded itself into her head, and she tried to dash it away, only for it to come back in force. Why not sing something for Leah, before the shot? Why not sing that song for her? Back during the standoff with Lark, she had promised herself that she'd live like she wanted, without the expectations of others factoring in. Thus far, she had failed to live up to that promise, but...
"There's this song I've never sung to anyone other than myself," she murmured, her own voice just barely audible over the ringing in her ears.
It was a kindness that she hadn't thought herself capable of. The thought occurred to her that maybe there was some hope for her, after all. That hope came with its own counter, a spike of adrenaline and fear. There was a part of her that felt threatened by baring her soul in this way. Despite having more clothes on than she had with that gaudy idol dress, and despite having stripped on camera, she felt more exposed now than she ever had before.
But how can one move forward, except by accepting vulnerability?
"I don't have the music I made to accompany it, but I can sing it for you."
Mary relished the touch of Leah’s hand. She didn’t realize how much she was going to miss it. Deep breath. Take the bag. Leave the book. Deep breath, deep breath.
She smiled.
It was a hollow smile.
And she picked up the oar.
Began stepping away.
She paused for a moment.
Nodded at Seo-yun. Nodded at Leah.
This was goodbye. And yet, she had nothing to say to either of them. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to, she just didn’t have the words.
But she waved. And found something.
“I’ve… appreciated you both. Take care.”
And with that, she started walking away. Stopped for a moment. Rubbed her face. Then ran, turning round a corner.
((Mary Cheung continued in The Killing Moon))
She smiled.
It was a hollow smile.
And she picked up the oar.
Began stepping away.
She paused for a moment.
Nodded at Seo-yun. Nodded at Leah.
This was goodbye. And yet, she had nothing to say to either of them. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to, she just didn’t have the words.
But she waved. And found something.
“I’ve… appreciated you both. Take care.”
And with that, she started walking away. Stopped for a moment. Rubbed her face. Then ran, turning round a corner.
((Mary Cheung continued in The Killing Moon))
"Take care," she said.
And then it was just her and Seo-yun.
She held her own hand. One squeezing the other.
"I'd like to hear it," Leah smiled.
And then it was just her and Seo-yun.
She held her own hand. One squeezing the other.
"I'd like to hear it," Leah smiled.
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Seo-yun returned the smile, and took a deep breath. Started tapping her foot to the beat, remembering exactly how the song goes. She knew every word and note by heart, even if she had never practiced for a real performance.
"Up on stage
All eyes on me
I still don't know who-"
She briefly stopped, realizing she had already messed up one of the notes by a half-tone. This was why she never tried to perform under pressure, let alone when her body was tired and ravaged and she just wanted to take a nap. There was no point in going back now, though. This was the path she had chosen, and she was sticking to it all the way to the end. She wouldn't let her nerves get the best of her.
"-to be."
She took a breath between verses, steadied herself.
"Up on stage
Startin' to feel like it's a cage
Up on stage
Faking it to get fans engaged
Up on stage
And I'm stuck reading off the page
Pretend despite all my rage
'Cause I'm stuck here up on stage"
Her finger moved, finally placing itself on the trigger.
"I'm Ms. Perfect all the time
Gotta be Ms. Perfect all the time
Gotta be Ms. Perfect all the time
Gotta be Ms. Perfect all the time"
The muscles in her back tensed.
"I'm fighting for attention
By sticking to convention-"
Then, without missing a beat, she squeezed.
"Up on stage
All eyes on me
I still don't know who-"
She briefly stopped, realizing she had already messed up one of the notes by a half-tone. This was why she never tried to perform under pressure, let alone when her body was tired and ravaged and she just wanted to take a nap. There was no point in going back now, though. This was the path she had chosen, and she was sticking to it all the way to the end. She wouldn't let her nerves get the best of her.
"-to be."
She took a breath between verses, steadied herself.
"Up on stage
Startin' to feel like it's a cage
Up on stage
Faking it to get fans engaged
Up on stage
And I'm stuck reading off the page
Pretend despite all my rage
'Cause I'm stuck here up on stage"
Her finger moved, finally placing itself on the trigger.
"I'm Ms. Perfect all the time
Gotta be Ms. Perfect all the time
Gotta be Ms. Perfect all the time
Gotta be Ms. Perfect all the time"
The muscles in her back tensed.
"I'm fighting for attention
By sticking to convention-"
Then, without missing a beat, she squeezed.
Leah tried to focus on the song. She failed. Miserably. And that's alright. She expected it.
The lyrics went into one ear and out the other, and she wished she wasn't so overwhelmed, because she'd like to hear the song more clearly, with the music. She wished she could hear it over and over again. Leah had so many songs she wanted to listen to that she never will.
It was a good song. She wondered what death would feel like, and then she tried to kill that thought.
She tapped her fingers to the beat.
She tapped her fingers.
She tapped her fingers.
She tapped her fingers.
She ta-
Hey, what's the hold up?
She stopped tapping.
The lyrics went into one ear and out the other, and she wished she wasn't so overwhelmed, because she'd like to hear the song more clearly, with the music. She wished she could hear it over and over again. Leah had so many songs she wanted to listen to that she never will.
It was a good song. She wondered what death would feel like, and then she tried to kill that thought.
She tapped her fingers to the beat.
She tapped her fingers.
She tapped her fingers.
She tapped her fingers.
She ta-
Hey, what's the hold up?
She stopped tapping.
Here’s the thing. Here’s the fucking thing. Leah felt like there were so many feelings in her that she would explode, and it wasn’t until she saw blood that they all bursted out of her.
She was filled with so much love- love for the planet and the animals that lived in it, love for the people who she never talked to but wanted to get to know, love for the sun-kissed metal of the train tracks by the city and love for the strings of electricity that ran in between the walls of every building she’s been in, love for the clouds in the sky and the fish in the ponds and love for the little coincidences and the one in sixty billion chances, of how the scattered pieces of rock and hydrogen and helium and black matter fell into place at just the right pattern and time to form the environment where the first cells could form and evolve and grow and die and grow and die and grow and change until fish became humanoid and it was so overwhelming. Everything was so rare and beautiful and she couldn’t get why people can’t cherish it the way that she did.
Sometimes she thought about how she had a one in 400 trillion chance of existing and she wanted to cry. There was so much more she wanted to be than just another dead girl. There was so much more that she could be. There were so many things that she could do, to show the love and gratefulness she had for the little cosmic miracles that may or may not exist that led to her being here. The universe, by some chance, ate up the miniscule amounts of energy buzzing in the earth and spat her out, spat out everything that made her who she was- her empathy, her freckled skin, the way that her elbows could bend a little further than most of her classmates. She was so grateful. She was so angry that nobody understood why she was so grateful to simply exist. It took eighteen years of education and almost a year of fetal development, cells conglomerating and splitting, neurons absorbing and filtering information, a beautiful system of billions of miles of dna- to get to where she was here and now. That feeling was so fundamentally overwhelming that she couldn’t find the words for it- the fact that it was so extraordinary that she was here as herself, down to the very last millisecond, as the bullet flied to her skull.
She was filled with so much love- love for the planet and the animals that lived in it, love for the people who she never talked to but wanted to get to know, love for the sun-kissed metal of the train tracks by the city and love for the strings of electricity that ran in between the walls of every building she’s been in, love for the clouds in the sky and the fish in the ponds and love for the little coincidences and the one in sixty billion chances, of how the scattered pieces of rock and hydrogen and helium and black matter fell into place at just the right pattern and time to form the environment where the first cells could form and evolve and grow and die and grow and die and grow and change until fish became humanoid and it was so overwhelming. Everything was so rare and beautiful and she couldn’t get why people can’t cherish it the way that she did.
Sometimes she thought about how she had a one in 400 trillion chance of existing and she wanted to cry. There was so much more she wanted to be than just another dead girl. There was so much more that she could be. There were so many things that she could do, to show the love and gratefulness she had for the little cosmic miracles that may or may not exist that led to her being here. The universe, by some chance, ate up the miniscule amounts of energy buzzing in the earth and spat her out, spat out everything that made her who she was- her empathy, her freckled skin, the way that her elbows could bend a little further than most of her classmates. She was so grateful. She was so angry that nobody understood why she was so grateful to simply exist. It took eighteen years of education and almost a year of fetal development, cells conglomerating and splitting, neurons absorbing and filtering information, a beautiful system of billions of miles of dna- to get to where she was here and now. That feeling was so fundamentally overwhelming that she couldn’t find the words for it- the fact that it was so extraordinary that she was here as herself, down to the very last millisecond, as the bullet flied to her skull.
Leah stepped onto the train with bare, bleeding feet.
She looked around at everybody around her. She didn’t know where she was. A boy wearing a shirt that might be red or white or black a million different nonexistent colors slept with his head on another boy’s shoulders.
Everyone’s bodies swayed with the train car.
“I’m not ready yet,” she said.
“Just give me a second. I’m sorry. I’m scared. I’m so scared.”
The boy’s eyes opened.
“You’re gonna get on here no matter what,” he said, in an indecipherable accent.
“I know,” she said “I’ll get on soon. But I don’t think I’m ready yet, I’m sorry.”
“You’re stalling.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Please. I just need a second. Oh god. I’m so scared. Just give me a minute. Please.”
She stepped off the train. The people inside looked at her weird, but they didn’t pull her back in, and the doors closed and it didn’t eat her up as the train sped by.
---
Her eyes opened and-
---
“I think I’m ready to let go now,” she said.
---
The gunshot was loud.
---
-closed.
She looked around at everybody around her. She didn’t know where she was. A boy wearing a shirt that might be red or white or black a million different nonexistent colors slept with his head on another boy’s shoulders.
Everyone’s bodies swayed with the train car.
“I’m not ready yet,” she said.
“Just give me a second. I’m sorry. I’m scared. I’m so scared.”
The boy’s eyes opened.
“You’re gonna get on here no matter what,” he said, in an indecipherable accent.
“I know,” she said “I’ll get on soon. But I don’t think I’m ready yet, I’m sorry.”
“You’re stalling.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Please. I just need a second. Oh god. I’m so scared. Just give me a minute. Please.”
She stepped off the train. The people inside looked at her weird, but they didn’t pull her back in, and the doors closed and it didn’t eat her up as the train sped by.
---
Her eyes opened and-
---
“I think I’m ready to let go now,” she said.
---
The gunshot was loud.
---
-closed.
“Congratulations,” said a boy in white, sitting by her side. “I was scared that we’d have to drag you in.”
“I was, too,” she admitted. “But I'm less scared of getting in than being dragged, you know?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Getting in by yourself’s a lot less depressing. Or more depressing. It kinda depends on how you see it.”
What felt like millions of people poured in. The train’s door was so, so big, and its inside so, so vast, that everybody could take a seat and put their stuff on the ground. Leah held on to her wicker basket.
“I think it’s kind of depressing, too.” Leah admitted. “I think it’ll be depressing either way- being born with the knowledge that you’ll die is… sad, I think. Knowing that you can’t avoid it. So maybe the best thing to do is to just let it happen?”
“But you can stall,” he said.
“They didn’t let me stall.”
“I know.”
The train’s doors closed.
“But it doesn’t really matter that it’s depressing, I guess. It’s just that- well, I mean, none of this matters anymore. It’s been said and done, and I think I’m glad that I had tried while it lasted, even though it shouldn’t have ended this way.”
“It shouldn’t,” he admitted. “I don’t understand you people.”
“I don’t either. But… But I’m not there anymore, and I don’t think it’s really worth thinking about it anymore? I’m still worried, but… but there’s no use in it.”
“Mm-hm.”
“By the way,’ Leah asked,
“What’s your name?”
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of wheels grinding was too loud by now.
“I was, too,” she admitted. “But I'm less scared of getting in than being dragged, you know?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Getting in by yourself’s a lot less depressing. Or more depressing. It kinda depends on how you see it.”
What felt like millions of people poured in. The train’s door was so, so big, and its inside so, so vast, that everybody could take a seat and put their stuff on the ground. Leah held on to her wicker basket.
“I think it’s kind of depressing, too.” Leah admitted. “I think it’ll be depressing either way- being born with the knowledge that you’ll die is… sad, I think. Knowing that you can’t avoid it. So maybe the best thing to do is to just let it happen?”
“But you can stall,” he said.
“They didn’t let me stall.”
“I know.”
The train’s doors closed.
“But it doesn’t really matter that it’s depressing, I guess. It’s just that- well, I mean, none of this matters anymore. It’s been said and done, and I think I’m glad that I had tried while it lasted, even though it shouldn’t have ended this way.”
“It shouldn’t,” he admitted. “I don’t understand you people.”
“I don’t either. But… But I’m not there anymore, and I don’t think it’s really worth thinking about it anymore? I’m still worried, but… but there’s no use in it.”
“Mm-hm.”
“By the way,’ Leah asked,
“What’s your name?”
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of wheels grinding was too loud by now.
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
For a time, everything is quiet.
But eventually, that's broken by a voice from Leah's collar.
"We're... alone now.
"May I dispense with the pretense?"
But eventually, that's broken by a voice from Leah's collar.
"We're... alone now.
"May I dispense with the pretense?"
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Leah's body hit the ground shortly after the gunshot, spatters of blood and chunks of brain and skull decorating the deck in front of where she laid. The smell of copper filled Seo-yun's nose once again, and the ringing in her ears served to be her only company in the silence that followed.
Seo-yun did her best to avert her eyes from the carnage. Part of her was shocked by the sheer violence of it. She knew headshots were often messy and brutal, since she had seen plenty of them over the years of watching SOTF-TV, but seeing one through a screen and seeing one up close and personal are entirely different.
She took one ginger step towards the body, trying to fight the urge to vomit. She felt utterly sick after that kill, from a combination of both nausea at the sight and a strange kind of guilt that was new to her. Despite this being her most justifiable murder, for some reason that she couldn't understand it left her feeling much, much worse than all of the others.
For a moment, she considered leaving the body behind to run away from the guilt, but after another moment of contemplation she resolved to keep her promise.
That was when Jewel's voice cut through the air.
She listened, leaning down to pick up the discarded shotgun shells before reloading her shotgun.
"Go ahead."
Seo-yun did her best to avert her eyes from the carnage. Part of her was shocked by the sheer violence of it. She knew headshots were often messy and brutal, since she had seen plenty of them over the years of watching SOTF-TV, but seeing one through a screen and seeing one up close and personal are entirely different.
She took one ginger step towards the body, trying to fight the urge to vomit. She felt utterly sick after that kill, from a combination of both nausea at the sight and a strange kind of guilt that was new to her. Despite this being her most justifiable murder, for some reason that she couldn't understand it left her feeling much, much worse than all of the others.
For a moment, she considered leaving the body behind to run away from the guilt, but after another moment of contemplation she resolved to keep her promise.
That was when Jewel's voice cut through the air.
She listened, leaning down to pick up the discarded shotgun shells before reloading her shotgun.
"Go ahead."
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Alright."
The shift in tone is abrupt and total. The voice from Leah's collar comes through upbeat but with an edge, for the first time all game landing in much the same way as it did when warning a boy at gunpoint of the dangers of being boring.
"I know I was asked to help you contingent on you not messing with the rest of the Leviathans. But if you really want to live, you'd be a fool to stick to an agreement that bars you from targeting one of the largest remaining pools. And I'd be a fool to trust you to do so.
"I'm not a fool.
"It's in my interests to neutralize you as a threat to my team, and you getting your kills off someone else does that without costing me or them anything. And that's my preference—as a villain fan, as professional courtesy, because I was asked to, take your pick. But, push comes to shove, I get the same benefit from your death.
"It's in your interests to choose the safest targets you can. If you're picking on my team, you know that they have someone helping them who didn't fuck off to the minibar two days ago. And you know that my biggest priority is to help them achieve their goals, including posthumously if that's what they want, and I don't think the rest of them have getting killed by you in their plans. It's nothing personal—like I said, I like your style.
"In any event, I do hope we can get along. Whatever happens here and now, I'll be a very valuable friend for you to have in about forty-eight hours if you get what you're after."
The shift in tone is abrupt and total. The voice from Leah's collar comes through upbeat but with an edge, for the first time all game landing in much the same way as it did when warning a boy at gunpoint of the dangers of being boring.
"I know I was asked to help you contingent on you not messing with the rest of the Leviathans. But if you really want to live, you'd be a fool to stick to an agreement that bars you from targeting one of the largest remaining pools. And I'd be a fool to trust you to do so.
"I'm not a fool.
"It's in my interests to neutralize you as a threat to my team, and you getting your kills off someone else does that without costing me or them anything. And that's my preference—as a villain fan, as professional courtesy, because I was asked to, take your pick. But, push comes to shove, I get the same benefit from your death.
"It's in your interests to choose the safest targets you can. If you're picking on my team, you know that they have someone helping them who didn't fuck off to the minibar two days ago. And you know that my biggest priority is to help them achieve their goals, including posthumously if that's what they want, and I don't think the rest of them have getting killed by you in their plans. It's nothing personal—like I said, I like your style.
"In any event, I do hope we can get along. Whatever happens here and now, I'll be a very valuable friend for you to have in about forty-eight hours if you get what you're after."
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Seo-yun finished reloading the shotgun, minus one shell, briefly being caught off guard by the complete change in tone from Jewel. She didn't let it show, however, because ultimately this was not unfamiliar to her. This was more like the Jewel that she knew from watching the last season.
She listened to Jewel speak as she reached down to grab one of Leah's feet, beginning to drag the corpse to the edge of the boat. She did her best to ignore the trail of gore she was leaving behind, keeping her eyes fixed on the cruise ship railing. She hoped that Leah hadn't expected her to collect all the bits and pieces and toss them overboard too. Then again, why was she worrying about the feelings of a dead girl? It wasn't like she'd know. The audience might, but who cared what those monsters thought.
As she moved, struggling to drag the entire weight of the dead girl behind her, she felt a pang of horror at Jewel so casually insinuating a death threat towards her. That emotion was quickly followed by a rush of joy so abrupt that it almost gave her whiplash when Jewel admitted to liking her style. It had been so long since she had gotten any kind of real praise, so receiving that small compliment felt like the best gift she could have ever gotten. If Jewel liked her, then maybe she'd be more well-regarded than she had thought when she got out?
Hm, no, best not to worry about that right now. She would have plenty of time to think in the aftermath.
She arrived at the edge of the cruise ship's deck shortly after Jewel finished speaking, and placed her shotgun on the ground next to her before replying.
"I'm not a fool, either. I prefer to keep my word once I give it," she hoisted Leah's torso over the railing to emphasize her point, "but I'm not above taking opportunities as they come to me."
Seo-yun stared down into the deep blue waters below, the dizzying height from the deck to the sea almost making her lose balance.
"However," she continued, "I have no interest in making enemies of you and what remains of your team, and I likewise hope we can get along."
Some small part of her wondered where Mary had run off to. Another part reminded her that she and everyone else on Jewel's team would need to die for Mandy to go home too. No need to mention that out loud, though, or do it herself for that matter.
"So, consider that point taken, if you want."
She listened to Jewel speak as she reached down to grab one of Leah's feet, beginning to drag the corpse to the edge of the boat. She did her best to ignore the trail of gore she was leaving behind, keeping her eyes fixed on the cruise ship railing. She hoped that Leah hadn't expected her to collect all the bits and pieces and toss them overboard too. Then again, why was she worrying about the feelings of a dead girl? It wasn't like she'd know. The audience might, but who cared what those monsters thought.
As she moved, struggling to drag the entire weight of the dead girl behind her, she felt a pang of horror at Jewel so casually insinuating a death threat towards her. That emotion was quickly followed by a rush of joy so abrupt that it almost gave her whiplash when Jewel admitted to liking her style. It had been so long since she had gotten any kind of real praise, so receiving that small compliment felt like the best gift she could have ever gotten. If Jewel liked her, then maybe she'd be more well-regarded than she had thought when she got out?
Hm, no, best not to worry about that right now. She would have plenty of time to think in the aftermath.
She arrived at the edge of the cruise ship's deck shortly after Jewel finished speaking, and placed her shotgun on the ground next to her before replying.
"I'm not a fool, either. I prefer to keep my word once I give it," she hoisted Leah's torso over the railing to emphasize her point, "but I'm not above taking opportunities as they come to me."
Seo-yun stared down into the deep blue waters below, the dizzying height from the deck to the sea almost making her lose balance.
"However," she continued, "I have no interest in making enemies of you and what remains of your team, and I likewise hope we can get along."
Some small part of her wondered where Mary had run off to. Another part reminded her that she and everyone else on Jewel's team would need to die for Mandy to go home too. No need to mention that out loud, though, or do it herself for that matter.
"So, consider that point taken, if you want."
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3435
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Very good."
The voice maintains its almost singsong quality.
"Oh, and Seo-yun? I have one more question. You don't have to answer it right now, but think about it, because I'll ask you again later.
"Did you mean what you said before? About the game not giving anything, only taking?"
The voice maintains its almost singsong quality.
"Oh, and Seo-yun? I have one more question. You don't have to answer it right now, but think about it, because I'll ask you again later.
"Did you mean what you said before? About the game not giving anything, only taking?"