15strangers | WEE͠K ̸́4͝

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[The blight is all-consuming.

Within days dozens are confirmed infected, and you and your unexpected new scientist friend find yourselves trying to work on a cure. If not a cure, a stopgap of some kind. Anything to prevent this thing from destroying everything. It's hard work. It's not going very well. Really, it feels like with every step forward, you're taking ten steps back. Discouraging is an understatement, to say the least.

A week passes, and the death toll rises. It's really starting to look bleak. You constantly second-guess yourself, and even get into a fistfight with your new ally one night. It's getting to the point where you are working on fumes.

Then, unexpectedly, you get a phone call. It's been a long night, and the sun is beginning to rise above the mountains, when it happens.

You and the scientist are not the only ones looking for a cure. In fact, there are at least a dozen others-and they think they may be close to a breakthrough.

But-and you can't believe you're hearing this, after all of the failure you'd experienced throughout this blight-they need your help.]

---

[To say that the end of last week sucked would be an understatement. To say that no one knows what this week will bring is not even in question. Yet even as you wake, you feel a cloud lift from your mind, as one of the truths you've been living with since the beginning has suddenly changed.]

[But is it possible to abide by this new truth? The Hosts, and IT beyond, seem intent on making that impossible. And the rat...well. Obviously the rat's not an ally. Let's not kid ourselves.

There's only one way to find out if more deaths can truly be prevented-and that's to keep going, and hoping that the new floor that has opened up will offer something in the way of an opportunity.

In the meantime.

There are 11 strangers left in this place.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[…right. He keeps forgetting about that...]

Eliza, I'm pretty sure he still feels horrible about that himself. He regretted it back on the train, I'm pretty sure he still regrets that now. And that's not going into why he did it.

He feels guilty enough as it is. Do you really want to make it worse?

He didn't regret it enough to confess before everyone voted for Minato! [She actually snaps that part out.] And if he really felt guilty, he'd have left Minato alone on the Eventide! And told everyone instead of hiding it!

[A pause, before she mutters something under her breath.] Right. [Her voice gets louder again.] I'm saying it out loud now, I'm a murderer too! But instead of letting my older brother die in my place I spoke up and confessed!

And then that bitch killed him for the dumbest possible motive...

I'm glad confessing was so easy for you-lun.

[This is probably not the time or place...]

I would do anything for my siblings. I killed because the motive threatened my youngest brother. And I can honestly say I'd do it again, to protect his smile.

[...

dammit don't say things like that it makes it hard to inappropriately pick fights with you]

I'm the same-lun.

[Humph. Why'd you have to go and say that. She won't look at Lala, but her tone softens slightly anyways.]

I think hardly anyone here doesn't have people like that. We just differ in how far "anything" goes.

Will you stop it already?! I did not know that they were false promises at the time, and I'm sorry if I want to get a chance to kill the person who turned me and countless other children into assassins who are willing to kill their parents for the Empire.

Did you really think that I would have let a chance to get that person out of the picture slip away?!

There were plenty of people who would have helped do that if you told them about it! [Oh, he's finally here? Eliza's gonna stand up and leap off the van at him now, aiming to punch him square in the face.]

Edited 2020-02-19 18:21 (UTC)

[He's not even going to bother to move. He knows he deserves it, but -]

I did not know if I could trust any of you. The rest of the Nein were the only people I knew how to trust.

[It's different now, but still.]

[ He'd tried to stop this. Really. It was just a matter of bad timing, so he showed up AFTER she'd hit him but hey whatever... he was here all the same now. ]

Eliza... I know you're mad but just... don't go trying to kill him or anything. You know what doing that would mean.

[She lifts her fist as she rushes at him, to swing at his face, right at his nose.] Did you trust us so little you thought each and every one of us would be on the side of someone like that? Some of us would have done it on general principle! [Like she would have.]

[Again, he doesn't dodge.]

Of course I trusted you that little. I've been on the run for years and years, I don't trust anyone without good reason - and at the time, I had no good reason. For all I knew the whole lot of you could have been Scourgers, ready to attack me at a moment's notice.

[She promised Jonathan, so fine, she's going to leave it at bloodying his nose before poking him in the chest somewhat hard.]

Nnngh-you fucking idiot! Were you really planning to take that whole thing on your own shoulders? [She spins away and stomps off, before turning back.] For the record, once we make it back I'll be glad to help get rid of that guy! Not for you, but because someone like that needs to be stopped!

Of course I was. It's not anyone else's thing to shoulder. I'll probably die trying to fight him, but at least one of his 'projects' will have stood up to him.

[She doesn't turn to face him, but she's definitely rolling her eyes.] Ugh, no you're fucking not. If that guy's torturing kids I'm sure almost everyone here is gonna wanna fight him. My abilities might just be illusions, but I've got plenty of connections to call on too.

[He's quiet for a long moment before speaking softly.]

I don't want anyone I care about to get hurt.

[She shrugs, back still turned to him.] Do you really think you can stop them? You're certainly not stopping me, here. And if they actually care about you it'll be even harder to get them to back off.

[…she's not wrong...]

I never expect help or for anyone to care. Call it cynical, but it kept me alive for many years and is hard to shake.

Humph. [She crosses her arms.] Well you've got someone else aiming for that guy's head now, like it or not. [She's not going to categorize it as "help," but still. Fuck that dude.]

...Caleb?

[... Ah. All the steam seems to drop out of him.]

... Hello, Tali.

[Okay, this is going a bit too far, time to step in with Dad Mode.]

Eliza, please! Yes, he made a mistake, and two people suffered for it. I won't say you're wrong on that. But did you try to ask him why? Why he thought it was necessary to kill someone? Why he thought he needed to get away with it? Why the motive made him do it?

I'm not saying you're wrong in getting angry, or in thinking what he did was wrong, but you should at least try talking with him first. Okay?

[Of all people, he figured she might understand, since she knew he killed...]

He already lied to me on- [And here comes Caleb. Sorry dogdad, she's gonna lunge at him now.]

[oh carp]

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