Oh.
That was Seo-Yun.
And that was a shotgun.
Those two observations floated through Sarah’s mind, disturbing very little in the process. There was probably something that should be done with that information; conclusions that could be drawn, responses that could be made, reactions that could be taken. Unfortunately Sarah had frozen in place as soon as the flotilla’s most prolific killer made her presence known; she didn’t move or make a sound, she didn’t even breath as she stared at her murderer.
It wasn’t until Mandy spoke that Sarah let out a gasp, coming back to life as her chest heaved and she turned to look at the younger girl with the shamelessly sheepish expression. Sarah probably should have been shocked that Mandy would trick them like this, lead them to their deaths, but she wasn’t; it seemed obvious in hindsight now that they had walked right into her trap. They should have been more cautious.
A loud metallic clatter made her heart jump into her mouth and for a terrifying second she thought Seo-yun had shot, but it was just Lark dropping the sack of metal she was carrying. Even now the girl seemed calm, handling even this situation with nonchalance that Sarah envied and hated at the same time.
Lark told her to run. Sarah took a step back.
“I-“
There was nothing to say, nothing she could do. All she’d done so far was waste Lark’s time with her lies and steal any chance she might have had of surviving this; there were no words for that. Sarah turned and ran before Mandy could think to stop her, ran before Seo-Yun could walk up the stairs, ran before Lark could change their mind.
MM02: SARAH LILLIAN WHITLOCK – CONTINUED IN There’s a Fire in the Sky That Only I Can See
...and so we destroyed everything
We burned like fevers under carriage hats, hid behind Venetian masks... (Private)
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Tsk. Well, that was an easy kill that wouldn't be going to her.
In hindsight, Seo-yun should've been much more reckless in her dealings with these two. All of her caution had been a waste, clearly neither of them had actually been armed. She had hoped that Sarah would futilely try to save her friend by negotiating, but unfortunately nothing ever seemed to go exactly the way she wanted it to.
Frankly, she should've shot Lark for her insolence in warning her companion, then shot Sarah before she really had the chance to get away, but if she was being honest with herself, she felt a begrudging respect for the hustle. Sure it was inconvenient for her goals, completely infuriating, and Lark had really sealed her fate in the process, but facing your own death with the same kind of calm, self-assured confidence as always reminded her of herself in a way.
Really, she had always felt a strange sort of kinship with Lark. The other girl stood out from the rest of Mangrove Garden's student body, ironically by not really standing out all that much at all. She always seemed so secure about her place in the grand scheme of the universe, so complete in a way that Seo-yun wasn't. Seo-yun might have hid all her weakness away from prying eyes, but that kind of security in one's self was something she had always envied. Despite her best attempts to get close to Lark to learn whatever the other girl's secret was, though, Lark had always been too clever for her own good. She was too hard to manipulate, and that simply didn't make her a good friend in Seo-yun's eyes.
It did, however, make her a good victim.
"That was a bold move, Lark," Seo-yun stated dryly, in an almost bored tone, "are you sure it was the smartest one, though?"
She exhaled, her stance shifting. The muscles in her back tensed up.
Then, her finger began to curl around the trigger.
In hindsight, Seo-yun should've been much more reckless in her dealings with these two. All of her caution had been a waste, clearly neither of them had actually been armed. She had hoped that Sarah would futilely try to save her friend by negotiating, but unfortunately nothing ever seemed to go exactly the way she wanted it to.
Frankly, she should've shot Lark for her insolence in warning her companion, then shot Sarah before she really had the chance to get away, but if she was being honest with herself, she felt a begrudging respect for the hustle. Sure it was inconvenient for her goals, completely infuriating, and Lark had really sealed her fate in the process, but facing your own death with the same kind of calm, self-assured confidence as always reminded her of herself in a way.
Really, she had always felt a strange sort of kinship with Lark. The other girl stood out from the rest of Mangrove Garden's student body, ironically by not really standing out all that much at all. She always seemed so secure about her place in the grand scheme of the universe, so complete in a way that Seo-yun wasn't. Seo-yun might have hid all her weakness away from prying eyes, but that kind of security in one's self was something she had always envied. Despite her best attempts to get close to Lark to learn whatever the other girl's secret was, though, Lark had always been too clever for her own good. She was too hard to manipulate, and that simply didn't make her a good friend in Seo-yun's eyes.
It did, however, make her a good victim.
"That was a bold move, Lark," Seo-yun stated dryly, in an almost bored tone, "are you sure it was the smartest one, though?"
She exhaled, her stance shifting. The muscles in her back tensed up.
Then, her finger began to curl around the trigger.
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3456
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"It's," Mandy started, and paused, but she wouldn't have long before it would stop mattering so she spoke again, her voice picking up speed, "fine, though, right? We can talk and figure out how Lark can help us."
She shifted back and forth, her hands coming together in front of her, fingers twisting and squeezing each other. This held for three, four seconds before she realized and stopped, forcing them to her sides instead; they picked at the hem of her track pants, unable to stay still. The red rippled on her hands, her boots.
"Right?" she continued. "We don't have to be too hasty, here. We have time."
This was going completely wrong. Why hadn't Seo-yun just shot Sarah? Okay, well, that was a silly question because Lark and Mandy were in the way and would've probably been torn to shreds, and Sarah had taken off in a hurry while the line of fire was still blocked. But they could've called on her stop, right? Just running away like that was cowardly. Mandy got why she did what she did, of course, and she didn't know Sarah enough to expect better per se, but she was still taken aback.
Now, Lark was probably going to die for this. And Mandy was, well, not feeling very good about that. She hadn't had the time to process it, to come to terms with it all. This was a lot more her fault than the other ones. Sarah being her fault she was okay with. Lark?
Mandy's voice sounded pleading even to her.
"Right?"
She shifted back and forth, her hands coming together in front of her, fingers twisting and squeezing each other. This held for three, four seconds before she realized and stopped, forcing them to her sides instead; they picked at the hem of her track pants, unable to stay still. The red rippled on her hands, her boots.
"Right?" she continued. "We don't have to be too hasty, here. We have time."
This was going completely wrong. Why hadn't Seo-yun just shot Sarah? Okay, well, that was a silly question because Lark and Mandy were in the way and would've probably been torn to shreds, and Sarah had taken off in a hurry while the line of fire was still blocked. But they could've called on her stop, right? Just running away like that was cowardly. Mandy got why she did what she did, of course, and she didn't know Sarah enough to expect better per se, but she was still taken aback.
Now, Lark was probably going to die for this. And Mandy was, well, not feeling very good about that. She hadn't had the time to process it, to come to terms with it all. This was a lot more her fault than the other ones. Sarah being her fault she was okay with. Lark?
Mandy's voice sounded pleading even to her.
"Right?"
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delicateMachine
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:26 pm
- Location: void
Lark was sure of one thing as Seo-yun sealed her fate with a compliment - she couldn’t let the cameras see her break. Any admission of weakness would turn her into a punchline, a cautionary tale - a dumbass who accomplished nothing except carelessly walking into a trap, a warm body to fill a team slot and a place on a kill count.
But if she died confident - quietly, without hubris - maybe she died an enigma. Maybe people would wonder what her plan had been - maybe people would be charitable enough to think she’d ever had a plan in the first place.
The eyes of the world hadn’t been what Lark’d wanted to live for, to die for - but in this moment, futilely trying to shape the perception of her was the only agency she had left. She was going to die, after all - she had no weapons. No allies. No one who’d care enough to avenge her. A textbook kill.
Lark tensed as Seo-yun tensed, fingernails digging into her palms, trying to think of the perfect thing to leave behind - and then Mandy derailed the scene entirely. It took Lark everything she had to stop herself from laughing at the absurdity of it all - when she’d already halfway accepted her death, hope was the cruelest thing to offer. Leading her into a trap was one thing, but Lark would never forgive her for this chance. Even as she took it.
“Yep! Got absolutely no morals or scruples,” she chirped, and in that moment she was telling the truth. “Need a body shield? Another accomplice? Anything’s better than dying here!”
She wasn’t begging. She wasn’t.
But if she died confident - quietly, without hubris - maybe she died an enigma. Maybe people would wonder what her plan had been - maybe people would be charitable enough to think she’d ever had a plan in the first place.
The eyes of the world hadn’t been what Lark’d wanted to live for, to die for - but in this moment, futilely trying to shape the perception of her was the only agency she had left. She was going to die, after all - she had no weapons. No allies. No one who’d care enough to avenge her. A textbook kill.
Lark tensed as Seo-yun tensed, fingernails digging into her palms, trying to think of the perfect thing to leave behind - and then Mandy derailed the scene entirely. It took Lark everything she had to stop herself from laughing at the absurdity of it all - when she’d already halfway accepted her death, hope was the cruelest thing to offer. Leading her into a trap was one thing, but Lark would never forgive her for this chance. Even as she took it.
“Yep! Got absolutely no morals or scruples,” she chirped, and in that moment she was telling the truth. “Need a body shield? Another accomplice? Anything’s better than dying here!”
She wasn’t begging. She wasn’t.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Seo-yun stopped in place, completely taken aback. She almost forgot Lark was there amid all her surprise and indignation.
Of course Mandy was starting to get cold feet. Not even a few hours after they arrived at their new working relationship, already she was trying to interfere with the deal. Seo-yun should've expected this, really it was her fault for getting her hopes up. Mandy was just so painfully soft, and Seo-yun knew that being complicit in murder would be too much for her, let alone pulling the trigger herself. How was she possibly going to survive once Seo-yun was out of the picture? Whatever, she would make a killer out of her eventually.
"She can't win with us, Mandy," Seo-yun politely retorted, gun still trained on Lark's chest. "It doesn't matter what use she could be to us."
Lark was just trying to talk her way out of this, trying to use Mandy against her. It was just like Kamille, only this time she didn't have to worry about upsetting any loyalties. This was set in stone the moment Seo-yun emerged from hiding. Lark wasn't leaving this ship alive, she'd just be another one of the ghosts. Mandy would get over it, and maybe she'd even learn a lesson or two about what it takes to win SOTF.
"Sorry Lark," she said, unapologetically, "as tempting as that offer is, you're not the star of the show, here."
Of course Mandy was starting to get cold feet. Not even a few hours after they arrived at their new working relationship, already she was trying to interfere with the deal. Seo-yun should've expected this, really it was her fault for getting her hopes up. Mandy was just so painfully soft, and Seo-yun knew that being complicit in murder would be too much for her, let alone pulling the trigger herself. How was she possibly going to survive once Seo-yun was out of the picture? Whatever, she would make a killer out of her eventually.
"She can't win with us, Mandy," Seo-yun politely retorted, gun still trained on Lark's chest. "It doesn't matter what use she could be to us."
Lark was just trying to talk her way out of this, trying to use Mandy against her. It was just like Kamille, only this time she didn't have to worry about upsetting any loyalties. This was set in stone the moment Seo-yun emerged from hiding. Lark wasn't leaving this ship alive, she'd just be another one of the ghosts. Mandy would get over it, and maybe she'd even learn a lesson or two about what it takes to win SOTF.
"Sorry Lark," she said, unapologetically, "as tempting as that offer is, you're not the star of the show, here."
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3456
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Mandy's fingers twisted and worried the loose fabric of the track pants, bunching and unbunching, bunching and unbunching. Her toes clenched inside her Uggs, and her gaze snapped back and forth, from Lark's face to Seo-yun's, Lark to Seo-yun.
She was thinking about all the times she'd seen those faces, in the halls at school, in chance passings around town, during lunchtime conversations and weekend parties. She was thinking about how it felt to be listened to and tolerated for a while when other people couldn't even give her that little. She was thinking about how a shredded ear would never come back.
"Yeah," Mandy said, her gaze somewhere in between the girls, her tone subdued. "I know you're right."
It was hard to talk. Her throat felt tight, and she could swear she could hear her heart in her ears, louder than her words. The red light rippled along the wall of the stairs, the handrail, the barrel of the shotgun. Sometimes Mandy got a little sad just saying goodbye to her friends before a long weekend.
"I just, you know," she said, "it's just sad."
Her fingers twisted the fabric so tight she was amazed it didn't tear. She sort of scooted to the side of the stairwell, making sure she was really out of the way.
"Thanks for letting me hang out at lunch, Lark," Mandy said. "It was nice. I wish we could do it again."
She turned her head, looked away from both girls, stared off into the sky at the faint stars.
She was thinking about all the times she'd seen those faces, in the halls at school, in chance passings around town, during lunchtime conversations and weekend parties. She was thinking about how it felt to be listened to and tolerated for a while when other people couldn't even give her that little. She was thinking about how a shredded ear would never come back.
"Yeah," Mandy said, her gaze somewhere in between the girls, her tone subdued. "I know you're right."
It was hard to talk. Her throat felt tight, and she could swear she could hear her heart in her ears, louder than her words. The red light rippled along the wall of the stairs, the handrail, the barrel of the shotgun. Sometimes Mandy got a little sad just saying goodbye to her friends before a long weekend.
"I just, you know," she said, "it's just sad."
Her fingers twisted the fabric so tight she was amazed it didn't tear. She sort of scooted to the side of the stairwell, making sure she was really out of the way.
"Thanks for letting me hang out at lunch, Lark," Mandy said. "It was nice. I wish we could do it again."
She turned her head, looked away from both girls, stared off into the sky at the faint stars.
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delicateMachine
- Posts: 295
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Lark’s arms were starting to lock up from being held in such an awkward position, but she knew the slightest adjustment would quickly leave her beyond discomfort. With an exhale she forced her forced smile off her face - the only muscles she could safely relax. She glanced to the side, at the girl who was evidently excusing herself from the blood splatter.
“It was nice, Mandy. I hope you die screaming.” There would be no forgiveness, and no one else would know the depths of Lark’s pity for a tool that anyone with half a brain knew was going to be Seo-yun’s tenth kill. She returned her gaze to Seo-yun, the last eyes she’d ever see. In a different hell, that wouldn’t have been so bad.
“Anyways, can’t blame a girl for trying. Guess I’ve always been a chronic extra, though!” Lark regretted the joke the instant it left her mouth - too dangerous a way to end the sentence. Her life would end at Seo-yun’s whim, and any killer worth their merchandising deals would be on the lookout for last words they could punctuate with a gunshot. She didn’t want the last thing she heard to be a witty quip.
Her best hope was to shove her foot in the door with a question before Seo-yun got bored and moved on. What aspiring star didn’t love to talk about herself to a captive audience?
“So, you doing this to be a star? Or to survive?” You really couldn’t have both.
“It was nice, Mandy. I hope you die screaming.” There would be no forgiveness, and no one else would know the depths of Lark’s pity for a tool that anyone with half a brain knew was going to be Seo-yun’s tenth kill. She returned her gaze to Seo-yun, the last eyes she’d ever see. In a different hell, that wouldn’t have been so bad.
“Anyways, can’t blame a girl for trying. Guess I’ve always been a chronic extra, though!” Lark regretted the joke the instant it left her mouth - too dangerous a way to end the sentence. Her life would end at Seo-yun’s whim, and any killer worth their merchandising deals would be on the lookout for last words they could punctuate with a gunshot. She didn’t want the last thing she heard to be a witty quip.
Her best hope was to shove her foot in the door with a question before Seo-yun got bored and moved on. What aspiring star didn’t love to talk about herself to a captive audience?
“So, you doing this to be a star? Or to survive?” You really couldn’t have both.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Tch.
Seo-yun should just shoot her. Lark was dead to rights as-is, but that last question struck a nerve. Was it really so easy for Lark to see right through her, or was that just a lucky guess? One last needling as a shot in the dark, just to look good one last time for the cameras. Seo-yun respected it, but she wasn't about to let Lark make her look bad in front of the audience. Frankly, she had done that enough herself, no thanks to Mandy, and besides, Lark was at her mercy anyway. Unlike with Virginia, she could take as much time as she wanted. So why not indulge a little?
"What kind of question is that, Lark?" her eyes narrowed, one side of her face twitched, "Clearly I don't want to die."
Of course the real answer was both. She could easily have both, and she would have both. When all of this was said and done, she was going to be a star. Maybe she wouldn't be able to be an idol like she always wanted, what with her disfigurement, but there were still plenty of career paths ahead of her. She could be an actor who gets typecast as villains, or make a killing as a regular singer-songwriter, or maybe even write a tell-all memoir. She would get the love she so desperately craved, and she was sure of that now more than ever.
"Was that the deep insight you were hoping for?"
Seo-yun should just shoot her. Lark was dead to rights as-is, but that last question struck a nerve. Was it really so easy for Lark to see right through her, or was that just a lucky guess? One last needling as a shot in the dark, just to look good one last time for the cameras. Seo-yun respected it, but she wasn't about to let Lark make her look bad in front of the audience. Frankly, she had done that enough herself, no thanks to Mandy, and besides, Lark was at her mercy anyway. Unlike with Virginia, she could take as much time as she wanted. So why not indulge a little?
"What kind of question is that, Lark?" her eyes narrowed, one side of her face twitched, "Clearly I don't want to die."
Of course the real answer was both. She could easily have both, and she would have both. When all of this was said and done, she was going to be a star. Maybe she wouldn't be able to be an idol like she always wanted, what with her disfigurement, but there were still plenty of career paths ahead of her. She could be an actor who gets typecast as villains, or make a killing as a regular singer-songwriter, or maybe even write a tell-all memoir. She would get the love she so desperately craved, and she was sure of that now more than ever.
"Was that the deep insight you were hoping for?"
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3456
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
The stars up in the sky were nice. It was kind of cool, with a faint breeze, and maybe it would've been nicer if Mandy had long sleeves or her hat on, but it was pleasant enough weather. There were words going on, and she was listening, really, and even giving them some thought, but she was also paying attention to the splash of water against hull. That was a happier diversion.
It was easier to push the current situation away a little, now that she had been cursed. She didn't feel as bad anymore. Lark probably would've hated to know the effect her remarks had brought, but Mandy wasn't yet mad enough to dig in and start trying to cause hurt. She'd been blamed for what she'd done, and she knew what she'd intended, knew it wasn't this, but who was she going to convince? Arguing would just threaten this precarious indignation she'd cultivated. And what did it matter? It was easier to say goodbye when you were glad you wouldn't have to deal with someone again for some time.
Forever.
This was taking a while.
Mandy wondered if it would be in bad taste to preemptively cover her ears. She'd learned by now that the shotgun was really loud.
It was easier to push the current situation away a little, now that she had been cursed. She didn't feel as bad anymore. Lark probably would've hated to know the effect her remarks had brought, but Mandy wasn't yet mad enough to dig in and start trying to cause hurt. She'd been blamed for what she'd done, and she knew what she'd intended, knew it wasn't this, but who was she going to convince? Arguing would just threaten this precarious indignation she'd cultivated. And what did it matter? It was easier to say goodbye when you were glad you wouldn't have to deal with someone again for some time.
Forever.
This was taking a while.
Mandy wondered if it would be in bad taste to preemptively cover her ears. She'd learned by now that the shotgun was really loud.
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delicateMachine
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:26 pm
- Location: void
Lark wasn’t dead yet. She guessed that was a good sign. She’d been hoping for more of a monologue, but Seo-yun wasn’t being forthcoming with her innermost desires. Her loss, really - did she know how many viewers only bothered to watch when there was blood in the water? For a self-proclaimed star, she was barely even hogging the stage, which was pretty rude to her wasted human sacrifice.
“Good enough,” she said with a shrug, because while the answer was incredibly half-assed, it did make it seem pretty likely that Seo-yun was going to fuck up and get herself killed long before she crossed the final killing line, which was a nice thought. She simply didn’t have the iron will or clarity of purpose it took to get a deca-kill - not that Lark's laziest escape attempt had any room to judge.
Nervous sweat ran down her in rivers, but at least the ridiculous hat was keeping the hair out of her eyes. The scene was starting to drag on a little, and she could feel the timestamped end coming. Everyone knew how it was going to end, Seo-yun especially - and maybe that preconception was her only hope of breaking free. If Lark could stall for just a little longer, make her truly believe that she was fine with standing still until it was her turn to die...
“But I gotta ask - how much of it was an act? Did you ever really care about any of us? Not like we were best friends or anything, but I still thought you were nice. Was that the whole point?” Lark could’ve gone her whole life without suspecting anything, but it was a lot easier to notice a mask when blood was pouring through its cracks.
“Good enough,” she said with a shrug, because while the answer was incredibly half-assed, it did make it seem pretty likely that Seo-yun was going to fuck up and get herself killed long before she crossed the final killing line, which was a nice thought. She simply didn’t have the iron will or clarity of purpose it took to get a deca-kill - not that Lark's laziest escape attempt had any room to judge.
Nervous sweat ran down her in rivers, but at least the ridiculous hat was keeping the hair out of her eyes. The scene was starting to drag on a little, and she could feel the timestamped end coming. Everyone knew how it was going to end, Seo-yun especially - and maybe that preconception was her only hope of breaking free. If Lark could stall for just a little longer, make her truly believe that she was fine with standing still until it was her turn to die...
“But I gotta ask - how much of it was an act? Did you ever really care about any of us? Not like we were best friends or anything, but I still thought you were nice. Was that the whole point?” Lark could’ve gone her whole life without suspecting anything, but it was a lot easier to notice a mask when blood was pouring through its cracks.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Seo-yun huffed, glared at Lark, frowning.
Lark was still needling her, still trying to throw her off. Nothing but a cornered rat, clawing and biting and fighting for any chance she had. Too bad for her, though, the only reason that she was even still alive was because Seo-yun saw no urgent need to expedite the process. Should that change, she would be done for in an instant. More importantly, though, how could Seo-yun throw these questions right back in Lark's face if she was dead? Seo-yun wasn't just going to leave anything hanging, she wasn't going to just let Lark get the last word in.
"Of course I cared, Lark."
Another lie of many, and hardly a convincing one at that.
The side of her head ached, her left eyelid twitched just a tad.
"Why would I waste so much time and energy on people I didn't care about?"
Her breathing picked up. Her heart beat louder in her ear. There the itch was, gnawing at the inside of her head, trying to get out.
Why did she waste so much time and energy on people she didn't care about?
"Do you think that I like doing this?"
Everything was so quiet, even the sounds of the sea seemed to recede.
There was a ringing in her ears.
Something was starting to crack.
Lark was still needling her, still trying to throw her off. Nothing but a cornered rat, clawing and biting and fighting for any chance she had. Too bad for her, though, the only reason that she was even still alive was because Seo-yun saw no urgent need to expedite the process. Should that change, she would be done for in an instant. More importantly, though, how could Seo-yun throw these questions right back in Lark's face if she was dead? Seo-yun wasn't just going to leave anything hanging, she wasn't going to just let Lark get the last word in.
"Of course I cared, Lark."
Another lie of many, and hardly a convincing one at that.
The side of her head ached, her left eyelid twitched just a tad.
"Why would I waste so much time and energy on people I didn't care about?"
Her breathing picked up. Her heart beat louder in her ear. There the itch was, gnawing at the inside of her head, trying to get out.
Why did she waste so much time and energy on people she didn't care about?
"Do you think that I like doing this?"
Everything was so quiet, even the sounds of the sea seemed to recede.
There was a ringing in her ears.
Something was starting to crack.
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3456
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Mandy's teeth pressed against her lips and her hands pressed against her thighs. She wanted to cover her ears for a whole different reason now. It felt wrong somehow to invoke the days when they'd all been friends in such a weaponized fashion, almost profane.
She'd meant what she said to Lark, how nice it had been to be together. They had to fight, but did they have to destroy what they'd once been along with what they were?
The stars in the sky didn't twinkle, but they rippled a bit in Mandy's watery eyes. Softly, inaudibly, a faint humming grew in her throat as she waited for the crack.
She'd meant what she said to Lark, how nice it had been to be together. They had to fight, but did they have to destroy what they'd once been along with what they were?
The stars in the sky didn't twinkle, but they rippled a bit in Mandy's watery eyes. Softly, inaudibly, a faint humming grew in her throat as she waited for the crack.
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delicateMachine
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:26 pm
- Location: void
Interesting. All that rationalization and not a single apology. Oh well. Just one less person for Lark to fondly reminisce upon while her life flashed before her eyes. At least Mandy, for her myriad faults, had been visibly torn apart.
Now was the perfect time to bolt. Seo-yun was expecting another smug answer, not a pathetic gasp for air. Still - maybe pissing her off would make an even better opening. Or, more realistically, breaking through that facade was the closest thing to a victory Lark was going to get here. She’d noticed the cracks, after all, and it’d bother her for the rest of her life if she didn’t poke at them until the shrapnel gave her matching scars with Sarah.
“I do,” she nervously answered, enjoying the sensation of lightheadedness while she still had a head. “You’re the star of the show. Unless you’re just so much a masochist that you wanna be famous the rest of your life for something you cry yourself to sleep about.”
Now was the perfect time to bolt. Seo-yun was expecting another smug answer, not a pathetic gasp for air. Still - maybe pissing her off would make an even better opening. Or, more realistically, breaking through that facade was the closest thing to a victory Lark was going to get here. She’d noticed the cracks, after all, and it’d bother her for the rest of her life if she didn’t poke at them until the shrapnel gave her matching scars with Sarah.
“I do,” she nervously answered, enjoying the sensation of lightheadedness while she still had a head. “You’re the star of the show. Unless you’re just so much a masochist that you wanna be famous the rest of your life for something you cry yourself to sleep about.”
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
"No."
No, no, Lark was wrong. She was going to be wrong, she had to be wrong. Seo-yun might hate this right now, but this was just what she had to do to make it out of here. There wasn't any other option left for her—either she killed her way out or she would die trying. Maybe she had a choice before, but she didn't have one anymore. This was the path she was set on, and she would either lay the cobblestones to furnish it or she would become a cobblestone for someone else with a stronger will.
"This is just the start for me, Lark," her voice shook, "and when I make it out of here, I'm going to go on to do much bigger things. The truth is-"
Her words caught in her throat. She wasn't going to tell the truth, she couldn't. The whole world was watching. What if they hated her for it? They wouldn't like who she really was, that was for sure. Because the truth was that she was a mean-spirited girl who only cared about herself. Willing to step on and over anyone else to get what she wanted. Who in their right mind would like that? Who she pretended to be was so much better. That Seo-yun was perfect, charismatic, beautiful, immaculately dressed. The real Seo-yun was-
Nothing.
Except for a liar, a monster, and an ugly, disfigured thing.
"-the truth is-"
But if she didn't tell the truth, Lark would be right, wouldn't she? She would just keep pretending, and faking, and lying. Always living in fear that one day her audience would find out just how imperfect she really was and abandon her. Spending the rest of her life being famous for something inauthentic, and something she hated.
Except, Lark was wrong.
She inhaled.
The cracks expanded.
Something finally broke.
"-the truth is, I didn't actually care about any of you. I never did, because I only cared about myself."
Her chest burned, her face hurt. Was she really doing this? After all this time?
No turning back now.
"I acted nice because I wanted you all to like me," she was shaky, and tears clouded her vision, but despite it all she remained steadfast, "because being loved made me feel better about myself."
Her classmates didn't matter at all to her, they were just faces in the crowd, her adoring fans. So far away from where she stood, up on stage. Cheering for her, fawning over her, praising her. Everyone had always loved her, but nobody had ever liked her. How could they? They didn't know the real her. She hid away everything she really thought and really wanted to say. Always playing nice just to maintain appearances.
Maybe everything she did in the last few days was more indicative of her true self than she had first thought. When she was finally spared from worrying about what her peers expected of her maybe for the first time she had gotten the slightest taste of real freedom. Yet now, she was letting herself be chained by the expectations of a different crowd, the audience. She lost her ear just trying to play into what she thought they wanted. Yet she didn't know their names, and had never seen their faces. They were less real to her than the people around her, and if she already didn't care about those people, why did she care so much about some strangers?
"But when I said that I didn't like this, I meant it. Now that I'm telling you the truth, you can know that for sure. Killing people doesn't feel right to me, but it's what I have to do to get out of here."
Enough pretending. She had almost died back there in the ferry. She kept making mistakes, over and over again. She was making another one right now by not shooting Lark and being done with it. Why? Because of her pride? Because she foolishly thought she was invincible? What would happen if one of her stupid mistakes finally cost her everything? Would she spend every waking moment up to her bloody, painful, screaming death playing pretend and hiding her true self? If she made it out of here, would that still be true? Would she keep lying and hiding behind masks and always feeling so distant from everyone and everything?
She wouldn't do that. She couldn't do that.
Seo-yun would be everything she always wanted to be, but she would do it her way. Not the way she thought others wanted, and certainly not whatever way they actually wanted. Her way was the only way, whatever her way meant.
Because even the stars above were nothing compared to her.
"I'll go beyond this, and above this. This isn't the end of my story or my defining role. But you know what it means when I say that I didn't care about anyone but myself, Lark?"
A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. For the first time, she felt free.
"It means your life is just another thing that I don't care about."
Finally, she squeezed the trigger.
No, no, Lark was wrong. She was going to be wrong, she had to be wrong. Seo-yun might hate this right now, but this was just what she had to do to make it out of here. There wasn't any other option left for her—either she killed her way out or she would die trying. Maybe she had a choice before, but she didn't have one anymore. This was the path she was set on, and she would either lay the cobblestones to furnish it or she would become a cobblestone for someone else with a stronger will.
"This is just the start for me, Lark," her voice shook, "and when I make it out of here, I'm going to go on to do much bigger things. The truth is-"
Her words caught in her throat. She wasn't going to tell the truth, she couldn't. The whole world was watching. What if they hated her for it? They wouldn't like who she really was, that was for sure. Because the truth was that she was a mean-spirited girl who only cared about herself. Willing to step on and over anyone else to get what she wanted. Who in their right mind would like that? Who she pretended to be was so much better. That Seo-yun was perfect, charismatic, beautiful, immaculately dressed. The real Seo-yun was-
Nothing.
Except for a liar, a monster, and an ugly, disfigured thing.
"-the truth is-"
But if she didn't tell the truth, Lark would be right, wouldn't she? She would just keep pretending, and faking, and lying. Always living in fear that one day her audience would find out just how imperfect she really was and abandon her. Spending the rest of her life being famous for something inauthentic, and something she hated.
Except, Lark was wrong.
She inhaled.
The cracks expanded.
Something finally broke.
"-the truth is, I didn't actually care about any of you. I never did, because I only cared about myself."
Her chest burned, her face hurt. Was she really doing this? After all this time?
No turning back now.
"I acted nice because I wanted you all to like me," she was shaky, and tears clouded her vision, but despite it all she remained steadfast, "because being loved made me feel better about myself."
Her classmates didn't matter at all to her, they were just faces in the crowd, her adoring fans. So far away from where she stood, up on stage. Cheering for her, fawning over her, praising her. Everyone had always loved her, but nobody had ever liked her. How could they? They didn't know the real her. She hid away everything she really thought and really wanted to say. Always playing nice just to maintain appearances.
Maybe everything she did in the last few days was more indicative of her true self than she had first thought. When she was finally spared from worrying about what her peers expected of her maybe for the first time she had gotten the slightest taste of real freedom. Yet now, she was letting herself be chained by the expectations of a different crowd, the audience. She lost her ear just trying to play into what she thought they wanted. Yet she didn't know their names, and had never seen their faces. They were less real to her than the people around her, and if she already didn't care about those people, why did she care so much about some strangers?
"But when I said that I didn't like this, I meant it. Now that I'm telling you the truth, you can know that for sure. Killing people doesn't feel right to me, but it's what I have to do to get out of here."
Enough pretending. She had almost died back there in the ferry. She kept making mistakes, over and over again. She was making another one right now by not shooting Lark and being done with it. Why? Because of her pride? Because she foolishly thought she was invincible? What would happen if one of her stupid mistakes finally cost her everything? Would she spend every waking moment up to her bloody, painful, screaming death playing pretend and hiding her true self? If she made it out of here, would that still be true? Would she keep lying and hiding behind masks and always feeling so distant from everyone and everything?
She wouldn't do that. She couldn't do that.
Seo-yun would be everything she always wanted to be, but she would do it her way. Not the way she thought others wanted, and certainly not whatever way they actually wanted. Her way was the only way, whatever her way meant.
Because even the stars above were nothing compared to her.
"I'll go beyond this, and above this. This isn't the end of my story or my defining role. But you know what it means when I say that I didn't care about anyone but myself, Lark?"
A weight had been lifted off her shoulders. For the first time, she felt free.
"It means your life is just another thing that I don't care about."
Finally, she squeezed the trigger.
-
delicateMachine
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:26 pm
- Location: void
To Lark’s great disappointment, she found no satisfaction in Seo-yun’s breakdown. Teary eyes could still hit a target standing five feet in front of them, and all it really did was reinforce that none of this was about her. Worse than a quick, anonymous death, she’d gifted her killer a highlight clip, neatly explaining her motivations to really catch the ears of anyone in the audience that hadn’t been paying attention. Lark had served her purpose by asking a few pointed questions, and no one would think about why when her bloody demise overshadowed her life.
The worst part was that if Lark had been in the audience, she would have been fascinated by Seo-yun’s confession. She might not be the most manipulative and self-repressing person Lark had seen, but she was definitely the first she’d known, and she would have replayed that instant when the mask slipped over and over, looking for the sublest changes in expression, completely in awe of the fact that she’d never suspected anything before then.
Instead, she was only barely listening, because she was trying very hard to think of a way not to die. The stairs and Mandy were both behind her. No easy escape there. But - there was an open door, not too far down the hallway. If she could just take cover around that corner, she could… she could figure something out, or at least live for a few more precious seconds, and she had absolutely nothing to lose, because-
There it was: the one-liner. She’d already waited too long. She bolted anyways, shoving past Seo-yun in a desperate sprint. She made it a few feet before the shotgun blast caught her square in the back. Her momentum carried her a couple more steps forward before she collapsed in the doorway. There was no question of whether she would ever stand up again.
Lark crawled forward, regardless. Stubbornly, insanely, pointlessly, like a cat in a closet searching for the right place to die. The shock drowned out the pain, leaving just one burning thought - she didn’t want to fucking decompose on live TV. Sleeping had been bad enough.
Just a few feet more. Then she could give up. There was a table, covered in a tattered red cloth that almost reached the ground. It was probably supposed to be occult. It was probably just big enough to cover her.
Lark crawled under
and while the cameras overhead can’t see her anymore, how could she forget? she is a camera. she is a microphone. even smothered with her useless team colors, she carries millions around her neck to her deathbed.
A pained whimper.
it is a small mercy that she is too busy dying to realize this. if she remembered, she would claw her own throat open to get away from us. too close. we’re too close. it’s okay. we’ll leave her alone soon enough.
Incoherent swearing. Begging, maybe.
you have to wonder if they’ll bother to caption this, but accessibility is a good look, isn’t it? the audio level and quality’s pretty bad, but they can probably enhance it, right? put together a best guess about what she’s saying here. steal away that final bit of ambiguity.
Hyperventilating.
too close. close enough to feel the death brush past you as it’s carried through her veins, up to her brain. close enough to feel the heat fade away as her organs fail and fall still.
Long, shaky breathes. Spaced further apart every time.
the number of people who are still listening is small. not even a full percent of the audience. but it’s not zero. it’s never zero. you’re never alone on tv.
Silence.
how long until they cut the feed, do you think? or will they even bother? how long until we’re treated to the sound of buzzing flies?
-
On April 16th, 2021, several internet presences went dark.
‘Clara’ had two Tumblr blogs. ‘coffeestainedtears’ was a pure aesthetic blog, with a specific fixation on the concept of extreme rain and snow being viewed from the safety of a comfortable room. ‘ClaraCrane’ was a personal blog that dabbled in a few fandoms, most notably SOTF-TV. While she made little in the way of life-related posts, she would often add her own thoughts or jokes to the posts she reblogged, by happenstance gaining a few dozen mutual followers over the years. She had occasional pleasant conversations with many, but never struck a deeper connection.
As time goes by, several of them will look over their (similarly slim) lists of followers. They will vaguely remember her blog’s name, and feel a brief moment of melancholy when they check in and see how long it has been since its last post. They will not think any deeper into it - Tumblr is a dying website, after all. It’d be more unusual if she had remained active. Before long, they will forget her entirely.
‘Achilles’, @AchyHell on Twitter, spent most of his time trawling the replies of viral posts to find people to argue with. Politics, philosophy, pop culture - no topic was safe from his opinions. Most interactions ended in him being blocked. If anyone bothered to investigate, they would find that his opinions added up to a completely incoherent bigger picture, and he would often argue opposing viewpoints with equal conviction and vitriol. Unsurprisingly, no one ever bothered.
His disappearance will not be noticed or mourned.
‘Kyle’ was ‘Skywave’ on a small music criticism forum. He was mostly known for being an ardent defender of post-rock, a genre many of the site’s members dismissed out of hand. When the forum created its own Discord server, it provided an opportunity for him to actually get to know the other users - and even befriend a couple.
Danny ‘radiodread’ Miller noticed Kyle’s absence immediately. Over the next few days, he will grow increasingly concerned by his friend not responding to his messages; along with being continuously offline on both Discord and Steam. After two weeks, he will bring up his concerns with the site administration, and they will work together to try and track Kyle down, using a combination of his IP address and the scant few personal details he’d shared. They will look for obituaries. There will be no answers. You have to be a real person to leave a ghost behind.
The grief will fade, but it will bother Danny for the rest of his life.
Finally, there was ‘Lark Wilson’, nominally active on Facebook with a polite and opaque demeanor, and known as ‘imlark’ on every service she used to actually talk to her real life friends.
Of course, everyone knew what happened to her.
The worst part was that if Lark had been in the audience, she would have been fascinated by Seo-yun’s confession. She might not be the most manipulative and self-repressing person Lark had seen, but she was definitely the first she’d known, and she would have replayed that instant when the mask slipped over and over, looking for the sublest changes in expression, completely in awe of the fact that she’d never suspected anything before then.
Instead, she was only barely listening, because she was trying very hard to think of a way not to die. The stairs and Mandy were both behind her. No easy escape there. But - there was an open door, not too far down the hallway. If she could just take cover around that corner, she could… she could figure something out, or at least live for a few more precious seconds, and she had absolutely nothing to lose, because-
There it was: the one-liner. She’d already waited too long. She bolted anyways, shoving past Seo-yun in a desperate sprint. She made it a few feet before the shotgun blast caught her square in the back. Her momentum carried her a couple more steps forward before she collapsed in the doorway. There was no question of whether she would ever stand up again.
Lark crawled forward, regardless. Stubbornly, insanely, pointlessly, like a cat in a closet searching for the right place to die. The shock drowned out the pain, leaving just one burning thought - she didn’t want to fucking decompose on live TV. Sleeping had been bad enough.
Just a few feet more. Then she could give up. There was a table, covered in a tattered red cloth that almost reached the ground. It was probably supposed to be occult. It was probably just big enough to cover her.
Lark crawled under
and while the cameras overhead can’t see her anymore, how could she forget? she is a camera. she is a microphone. even smothered with her useless team colors, she carries millions around her neck to her deathbed.
A pained whimper.
it is a small mercy that she is too busy dying to realize this. if she remembered, she would claw her own throat open to get away from us. too close. we’re too close. it’s okay. we’ll leave her alone soon enough.
Incoherent swearing. Begging, maybe.
you have to wonder if they’ll bother to caption this, but accessibility is a good look, isn’t it? the audio level and quality’s pretty bad, but they can probably enhance it, right? put together a best guess about what she’s saying here. steal away that final bit of ambiguity.
Hyperventilating.
too close. close enough to feel the death brush past you as it’s carried through her veins, up to her brain. close enough to feel the heat fade away as her organs fail and fall still.
Long, shaky breathes. Spaced further apart every time.
the number of people who are still listening is small. not even a full percent of the audience. but it’s not zero. it’s never zero. you’re never alone on tv.
Silence.
how long until they cut the feed, do you think? or will they even bother? how long until we’re treated to the sound of buzzing flies?
-
On April 16th, 2021, several internet presences went dark.
‘Clara’ had two Tumblr blogs. ‘coffeestainedtears’ was a pure aesthetic blog, with a specific fixation on the concept of extreme rain and snow being viewed from the safety of a comfortable room. ‘ClaraCrane’ was a personal blog that dabbled in a few fandoms, most notably SOTF-TV. While she made little in the way of life-related posts, she would often add her own thoughts or jokes to the posts she reblogged, by happenstance gaining a few dozen mutual followers over the years. She had occasional pleasant conversations with many, but never struck a deeper connection.
As time goes by, several of them will look over their (similarly slim) lists of followers. They will vaguely remember her blog’s name, and feel a brief moment of melancholy when they check in and see how long it has been since its last post. They will not think any deeper into it - Tumblr is a dying website, after all. It’d be more unusual if she had remained active. Before long, they will forget her entirely.
‘Achilles’, @AchyHell on Twitter, spent most of his time trawling the replies of viral posts to find people to argue with. Politics, philosophy, pop culture - no topic was safe from his opinions. Most interactions ended in him being blocked. If anyone bothered to investigate, they would find that his opinions added up to a completely incoherent bigger picture, and he would often argue opposing viewpoints with equal conviction and vitriol. Unsurprisingly, no one ever bothered.
His disappearance will not be noticed or mourned.
‘Kyle’ was ‘Skywave’ on a small music criticism forum. He was mostly known for being an ardent defender of post-rock, a genre many of the site’s members dismissed out of hand. When the forum created its own Discord server, it provided an opportunity for him to actually get to know the other users - and even befriend a couple.
Danny ‘radiodread’ Miller noticed Kyle’s absence immediately. Over the next few days, he will grow increasingly concerned by his friend not responding to his messages; along with being continuously offline on both Discord and Steam. After two weeks, he will bring up his concerns with the site administration, and they will work together to try and track Kyle down, using a combination of his IP address and the scant few personal details he’d shared. They will look for obituaries. There will be no answers. You have to be a real person to leave a ghost behind.
The grief will fade, but it will bother Danny for the rest of his life.
Finally, there was ‘Lark Wilson’, nominally active on Facebook with a polite and opaque demeanor, and known as ‘imlark’ on every service she used to actually talk to her real life friends.
Of course, everyone knew what happened to her.