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

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.]

[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.]

[yonosoymaria]

[He'd been an idiot before, standing and demanding answers when she'd run. Nauseated as he is, Eric just flees, in the same direction Krone left in.]

[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.]

[icanhearscreams]

[ Jun watches, trying to not freak out at being in a coffin. He watches, focusing on her, on her death, and lets the details get burned into his mind. ]

[ Once they're released, he glances at the egg and grabs two of the cyan ones, popping one in his mouth and taking the other one with him. He walks out of the room, and once he's free he breaks into a run. ]

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...

[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...

Emeto cw

[incendiarize]

[Arthur outright screams as he's tugged back into the coffin and the lid slams shut. His neighbors might hear panicked thudding - depending how soundproof these things are.

And there's that execution. He knows a golem when he sees one, but this is.... This is extreme. It's not so bad. Not until the saw. But even that is less gruesome and horrible than the fates that befall unlucky, unwise, unskilled, unprepared, and/or unwary explorers. He knows. He's found their remains.

Which Felicity, apparently, isn't leaving. Part of Arthur wonders if that's just part of being a whatever-she-is.

Except the egg remains. He stops hitting the sides of his coffin, and is still staring in horror when they're released. That looks....just like....

Abruptly, his stomach revolts, and he's on his knees retching. There's no way. He'd rather starve. This isn't entirely voluntary - and yet no matter how hard he tries, the egg things stubbornly stay down. There's bile. There's water. But the 'food' won't come up.

He....may need some help leaving....]