THE FIRST PROSCRIPTION

[strangerpeople]

THE FIRST PROSCRIPTION
(CW: Coffins, claustrophobia in general, skeleton bones)

My goodness! You are all so fascinating. Your convictions change like the tides, your certainty wavers so easily! So many whiffle-whaffles among you!

[Suddenly, a bright light from above lights up. It's a chandelier...made of human skeleton bones and skulls. Despite all of the candles lighting up, the light only seems to shine on one individual, as the Elder Steward strolls forward.]


I must say, for a moment, it seemed all but certain that you would condemn an innocent woman. If only The Embarrassing kept her mouth shut for a few moments more, hm? Then no one would have noticed the mistake that The Enemy had written upon the evidence list!

[A thoughtful tap to the lips, then-even visible beneath the cowl-a cruel smile as he turns to look at Felicity.]

Though I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that she was so cruel to a young one while attempting to condemn another using a so-called 'moral high ground'. After all-it's not the first person, much less child, whose life she's ruined with her hypocrisy.

Is it, my dear?

Comments

[belovedsuffocator]

And you're unbearable!

[She...this is the first time you've really talked to her, Felicity?? How would you even know that?!?]

[belovedsuffocator]

No, it wasn't.

[She just...runs a hand over her face in frustration. She just HAD to open her big mouth!]

[belovedsuffocator]

[sigh

the price of being an idiot]

[necroyalty]

[ Sorry, there's just. Some unhinged chuckling here? ]

Ah, right. Forgive me for my mistake.

[belovedsuffocator]

Shut up!

[God, if she had fingers, Ambrosine would be seeing only one in particular right now.]

[necroyalty]

Were it not for the laws of nature governing this land, Felicity, the rest of us would see you slain where you stand. I can forgive a misttep. So, let me ponder...

Was it Billy? One of the Watterson children? Who?

[belovedsuffocator]

Don't you even SAY his name!

[Well, seems like Ambro struck a nerve there!

Also, noticeably not answering the question there!]

1/2 CW for implied emotional abuse

[necroyalty]

I'll say Billy's name all I damn please. Do you want to know something, Felicity? You remind me of my father. A stern, overbearing man with iron-clad fists and little in the way of imagination. I suppose I could say more, but let's not dwell on unpleasantness for too long.

2/2 CW patricide?

[necroyalty]

...no one really mourned him much when my brother finally poisoned the devil.

If you didn't die this way, I can only imagine Billy to crack under the same weight.

[whiterosefoes]

Seriously?

[wow??? she even listened to your mediocre fiddling. politely!

She's just going to pick up that bit of food Ambrosine wormholed her earlier.]

Rest in pieces, you slag.

[Nomming that spitefully.]

[icanhearscreams]

[ Jun looks over at her and takes in a deep breath. ]

CW: Felicity is an AWFUL person

[belovedsuffocator]

Ha! We would've gotten along, if he tried to put you in your place! Too bad you have to have such a disgusting man for a brother!

[...um-]

And Billy would never! He knows much better than any criminal like you or him!

[...she won't say it, but I am sorry for Ambrosine cause WOW that was a terrible thing to say!]

[belovedsuffocator]

Right back at you!

[She's just...extremely bitter right now...]

[necroyalty]

Right, right. Say it all you want...














...child-murderer.

[ It's a DC 30 Insight check to get past that smirk, look into her eyes, and see that she's pissed AF that you insulted her baby brother. ]

[belovedsuffocator]

[okay, she's just

trying very hard to run at Ambro

but those shackles still got her stuck in place, so

Good job upsetting her!]

[whiterosefoes]

Yes, perhaps we won't all be quite so reactive next time when someone starts going on about how much they didn't care about the victim or ... whatever it was you were going on about.

[It's almost like... .... No, she won't bother calling it. Instead, Harriet clicks her tongue.]

I get wanting privacy, I honestly do, but when it's under circumstances like that... Any kind of secret is like blood in the water.

Better just trying to get through it all. [which is what she was doing, in not being "as pitiful", she supposes.]

[necroyalty]

[ you

she likes you, krone ]

EXECUTION. (cw: even more claustrophobia, constriction, backstabbing, terrible puns)

[strangerpeople]

[By now the last words seem to be devolving into just struggling and petty insults. The Younger Steward mutters something to the elder and saunters off looking bored. The Elder Steward gestures at Felicity.]

Well. If there is nothing else to say, let us not delay the inevitable. Shall we, my dear?

[As soon as the execution is declared, all of the Titled except Felicity will find their shackles pulling abruptly back on them - back into the coffins, which immediately close shut, leaving them nothing but a small window to see. They can no longer see each other, but they can definitely see Felicity, whose shackles release. That may be surprising, but then something else happens - the ground begins to shake, and stop. Shake, and stop. Something, something they can't see yet, is stomping its way up to her.

But Felicity can see - something monstrous in the shape of a person but three times the size, and rapidly approaching her with its big stride. It looks like it's made of clay or brick, formed as a huge half-skull without a jaw for the face, with big fat fingers on each of its thick arms. In one hand, it holds an enormous chain, the size of a grown man. In the other, it holds a strange wooden box, with multiple compartments, nearly as large as the chain. Though Felicity runs for it once she sees it, as soon as it's close enough, the behemoth golem flings its chains at Felicity, wrapping her legs together and pins one arm behind her back, yet her other arm manages to noodle its way out. The golem squeezes its chains tighter and tighter, but she can reach the box!

Desperately, Felicity's arm reaches for the compartments, but many of them are locked with strange puzzles. She manages to get one open, but it's empty - yet she can see another possibility. Another try, and another, all of them turn up empty, but she's STUBBORN, and there's one remaining compartment she has yet to try. She pulls on the appendage with all her might, and gasps - it's not empty! She can feel something inside! Felicity pulls it close to her body, excited, until she sees what it is. It's... the scraps of a secret.

It is as Akko said. Nothing she did could possibly erase them.

The golem has been watching her attempts, in the cruel way a monster might torment its food. But now that her hope is extinguished, it tightens its fist at the end of the chain. Suddenly, there's a flash of light....

Instead of a chain, something jagged and bladed has now taken its place. Deep, deep into Felicity's back. It almost looks like... a saw. Which is fitting, because those secrets are now...

The last thing she ever saw.

After Felicity drops to the floor, and the golem removes its weapon, her body explodes into ribbons and dissipates. Only one thing is left behind.

A red egg, just like the ones at dinner.]

[15unknowns]

...Hmm.

[There is a long pause, before the Elder Steward continues.]

Well, you are all free to go.

[Once the monster has departed, the Elder Steward snaps his fingers. Everyone is released, and their coffins are opened.]

Oh yes, and do feel free to take some of these with you.

[Motioning to what Felicity had called the egg-things.

The...the egg-thing that looks just like...what came...out of-]

One wouldn't want to keep starving over nothing, now would we?

[With that, the lights all die down, and the door to the outside opens. You're all free to go.]

cw: emotophobia

[silvertongueheir]

[Franciscus actually lets out a muffled cry when he's dragged back into the coffin, but he just stares at the executioner and its choice of execution method. It's so mocking, after all...and then the egg appears, and he feels like he wants to throw up. He covers his mouth, dry heaving and grateful that he didn't eat any of the eggs available just then.]

No...no wonder they could sustain us for so long...

[necroyalty]

[ She takes four eggs - two of each color - and puts them in her pockets. She seems strangely...unfazed? By the implications of all of this.

And as an egg comes popping out of dear Felicity there, one can see Ambrosine nodding intently, as if this is almost better than what she expected. ]

[joinhands]

[Looking flushed on the verge of angry tears, Krone grabs a rough handful of three red eggs and one cyan one before captchaloguing them all and storming away.]

[relieable]

[oh. doesn't that execution just take the whole damn cake? not only were they dragged into their coffins, they got to witness Felicity's death. and...

the egg.

he looks pale, stomach lurching, and he's not hungry anymore. as he's stepping back, he actually trips and then scrambles to his feet, getting out of there in a hurry]

[whiterosefoes]

I'd hardly call that nothing, you know!

[Harriet glares, but she'll take as many cyan ones as he'll allow. Not to eat. She just wants to hoard them for... reasons.]

[whiterosefoes]

[Watching the execution, Harriet goes pale and freezes like a deer in headlights within the coffin. And she tumbles out of it as fast as she can once she's free. God. It was uncomfortable watching her struggle to futility, but that... egg... and she ate one of them just to piss Felicity off. That was definitely an oversight on her part. She's very wound up.]

Bet they think they're properly hilarious, tricking us like that...