15strangers | (no subject)

W̡͜E̶EK ̵̕2̕͠

[The blight would not stop.

The world's leading experts have been trying to find a cure, to no avail. Th blight keeps changing, keeps foiling all attempts at being fully understood. It's almost sentient, or at least more sentient than any disease that's been encountered before. People fear the disease jumping from what's left of the grapes into other plants, into animals, or even humans.

You can only watch as entire economies and ecosystems collapse. You can only bury your head in your hands as your own business comes to its end. The destruction of the clusters of grapes has not simply destroyed the wine industry, either-other businesses are being destroyed by the plague. Food, transport, retail, nothing is untouched.

You look on your own vineyard, its yield almost entirely blackened and dead.

This can't keep going on.

-

A week has passed since everyone's arrival. No one has died, yet. But surely no one is holding their breath to see if they would survive this unscathed. They are veterans of the game, and they must know that whoever it is that is in charge demands their pound of flesh. The question is when it will happen.

It is the second week, after all-and when the second week of the game comes, death is not far behind. Not even when you wake up, feeling something different in your mind as you remember the truths you originally woke up with, deep in your mind. You feel...lighter, somehow, when you realize there is a change.

Even so, there are 15 strangers left in this place.]

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[ His expression flickers with obvious concern at that sound. ]

Sorry... Wish I could tell you.

[ But very pointedly not going to claim that he's sure it's nothing - that it's fine. He won't lie to Arthur about that. ]

.....I really, really need to get back. Time's probably already run out, but...

[Hope, that his guild may have won the fight in time without their Alchemist, and with a blind Medic, seems slim.]

[ His brow tenses. ]

It's not over until it's over. For now... we can only focus on what we can do. One step at a time towards one solution at a time.

We were on a pretty tight time limit. There's stuff to do no matter the outcome, but... Simon...

[Simon is all Arthur has. He doesn't have family, not even a foundation. All he comes from is fire and the kindness of a teenage Medic.]

... Mind telling me more about him?

[Good job, happier topic get.]

Simon's the best. Probably the smartest guy ever, he's really dedicated and calm, and he's witty and kind and a really good Medic. But he's a good swordsman too! He can do pretty much everything!

[ Good... Good... ]

How long have you known him?

[He sounds a little like a kid gushing about how cool their big brother is.]

Literally as long as I can remember. He saved me, and we've been together ever since! ...Until I woke up in the mansion, anyway.