15strangers | Dare to Hope

[ Croix, for the most part, will stick next to Ursula. ]

...So. I guess this is it. We have maybe a week to figure out how to take down the one behind all of this.

[Joey nods from behind a soda, on the other side of Ursula. She should be more upset. She should be more sad. She should be more horrified.]

[But honestly, she's done being sad and afraid in her room. She's done being too overwhelmed with feelings to act. All that's left in her is exhaustion. And anger. Anger at the unfairness, anger at the senselessness, anger at the boss.]

I'm not gonna sit here and take this anymore. We're gonna end this game before next Friday, one way or the other.

Edited 2017-12-17 02:55 (UTC)

[ Once Ursula has her cloth on her forehead and he's talked to Karma, he's going to be sitting next to Joey.

After Joey's words, he stares down at his hands for a moment... and then reaches out to gently rest a hand on her shoulder. ]

As long as we don't lose the will to fight, it's not over.

[ There's a pause... and then he wraps and arm around her, pulling her into a hug. ]

[Welp. You know what, she's just going to stop making this weird and accept it already. Even if it's a little awkward to hug back from this position.]

...thanks. You're pretty good at handling this kind of thing.

[ Good, good... You need a hug, too, after all. You've been a good frienderina. ]

Heh...

[ It's a tiny bit sheepish-sounding. He pulls away and shakes his head. ]

It's not over until it's over.

[ Once they're all out of there, he'll let himself have some time to be human. Maybe it "helps," too, that he's starting to feel a little numb?

For now... ]

Once we're all out of here we each deserve about ten vacations.

I think I might still have some work to do. My dreams've been pretty confusing so far, but I think I was stuck somewhere before I came here.

Once that's taken care of, or if I can just...walk out, yeah. A vacation sounds nice.

Ah...

[ He gives a soft chuckle. ]

Or maybe that can be everyone's project after we take care of all this.

[ Very, very gently, he nudges her with his elbow. ]

Let's see if we can take turns helping each other out with any unfinished business, and then all vacation together.

[ He's half-kidding. He doesn't imagine it'll work like that. But why not some lighthearted "planning ahead" to keep them motivated. To keep going. This kind of talk is the only thing keeping him afloat right now. ]

I'd definitely appreciate a Phantom Thief's help with a breakout, I'll say that.

Well, I did specialize in cracking codes and getting into places I wasn't wanted...

[ He's actually being entirely serious now, too... ]

Who would you need us to bust out?

Uh. Me? I was trapped somewhere by monsters and then got myself trapped somewhere by weird technology, or something. I'll probably know more tomorrow, at the rate we've been going...

[ His eyebrows lift. ]

I'll find a way to get you out, then.

I think I'm managing? In my dreams, I mean. I wouldn't mind some help, though. I talked to someone over one of these chat-phone-things and he was no help at all.

Let me know if you wind up needing help. Who'd you talk to?

He sounds like he knows what he's talking about but doesn't make any sense. He keeps talking about talking in code, but I've listened to Jude talk in code for years and it usually has a pattern other than apologizing every five seconds.

[ Guess who is still here? Ursula! ]

Joey... I'm sorry. That you had to... s-see that.

[ Her voice is hoarse from screaming and generally from her just... being tired and not anxious anymore. ]

[You are getting your hand held, teach.]

Ursula...friends are strong for each other! I wouldn't still be sane here without you, and I'm going to do the same for you.

... Oh, Joey. You're a good person.

[ She smiles weakly. ]

Don't give up. Don't lose that fire.

[ It's not long after giving Joey the hug, he moves to stand... and then to the center of the room. ]

I've got something to say.

[ There's a... considerable amount of evidence the "calm" leader act isn't legit? He's shaken. There's a bit of a haunted look in his eyes and it's clear he's done some crying.

Also there's remnants of the blood that sprayed onto him earlier; he had been standing right next to Kurama during the trial, after all... ]

I know I probably don't need to tell any of you these past weeks have been hell. This has been rough on all of us...

[ He's closing his eyes for a moment. ]

But, what I do need to tell all of you... is I'm very proud of you. All of you. I know, to some of you, it might feel like we... lost up there.

[ One hand curls into a fist. ]

But we didn't. We fought with everything in us to come up with a plan, and that was the biggest demonstration of teamwork I've seen since we were tricked into this game. So many of us put our heads together and we weren't giving up!

[ Said fist trembles a little. ]

Kurama made his choice.

[ A deep breath. ]

Like-... we made ours, when we chose to try saving him. Like Kurama, Ursula, and I made when we tried to save Goro...

[ He's, uh... tearing up now, turning his head to furiously wipe at his eyes. ]

Killing another person is wrong... Killing yourself is wrong... but what were we at the risk of doing? We were risking our own lives to save him, so he chose to die by his own hands to stop that. He did it because he cared.

[ There's a flash of determination. ]

The question you all need to ask yourselves right now, is do you want any of their deaths to have been in vain? I've seen real fighting spirit in this group, and I don't believe any of it is actually gone, no matter how exhausted or defeated any of you might feel right now.

[ ... this is too long, and honestly, he probably could have given something better if he wasn't so shaken.

Closing words...

... ]

So let's rest up. Then it's time to kick some people's asses.

Edited 2017-12-17 08:12 (UTC)

[ It takes her a long moment to stir. Her voice is... hoarse. And she's not purposefully making it softer than usual like she always does anymore, so she sounds even rougher than usual.

She's not Ursula Callistis anymore. It would seem that, at this point, she has long since given up the facade.

She's Chariot du Nord. ]

... You don't... get the things you dream of. You... get the things... that you work for... right...?

[ She holding her hands together, practically wringing them. She's anxious, and she's tired, and she hurts. ]

... Where do we go from here? I have my potion set, but I don't know... what help it could be. I could make something this week. I have enough to make one thing.

I believe anything worth doing, is worth the effort and pain that goes into it.

[ That last question has him pausing... ]

Ah... [ He twists a strand of bangs. ] Don't rush it. I'm sure we can think of something... and that it'll be amazing, no matter what.

I feel it's worth mentioning...

[ Sip of her drink. ]

... Right now, I have three other potions in my possession. A repair potion, a curing potion, one other one that isn't important. It's largely cosmetic. The curing potion, I never got... a chance to use it...

[ It hurts, thinking about Ren. ]

[ ... A-ah. Curing potion, huh?

His expression dims. Not only does that remind him of Ren (a thought that lends itself to a thought of Kurama), it reminds him of Goro.

No more death. ]

Cosmetic, how?

It isn't particularly useful. It just changes your clothes, or your hair.

[ She rubs the back of her neck. ]

It's often referred to sometimes as a stronger version of the "cinderella spell". Boxes that would change your clothes for only an hour or two were all the rage back in the day, and they weaker versions of spells like that. This is based on potion ingredients, so it's much stronger, and a bit more reliable... although you really have to know what your intent is when you use the potion.

If you go in not knowing what you want, it won't work.

[ He tilts his head. ]

Huh... does it only work on one person?

That would depend on how it's used. Yes, if you only pour it on one person's clothes.

So you could use it on multiple people's outfits?

[ THAT SOUNDS AWESOME........ ]

Magic must save sports teams a lot of money, where you're from.

Well... only some people USE magic for that kind of thing. I mean, plenty of clothing companies still make incredibly ridiculous amounts of money. But oftentimes, some companies will have witches on-staff to speed up production or aid in research and development. But...

[ She gives a small, nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. ]

It depends on the company and the country. Some places are very anti-magic... portions of England really don't like witches.

[ Hm... He frowns a little. ]

Don't like witches...? Why wouldn't they like them?

[ Frowning more... Because that reminds him a little of something he read in a history book, back home. ]

What happens if a witch tries to go there?

Well... usually nothing, but there are places like the all boy's school Appleton Academy that is well-known for its... disdain for our kind. There... well. Two of my students broke into the place and some of the students there put them on a ridiculous, farcical "witch trial"... honestly, they're fervent disbelievers in magic and people like that tend to... think we're heretics. It's like some of them are still living in the dark ages or something.

[ She presses her fingers to her forehead, sighing. ]

There have been stories here and there. And there's always those kind of people, who do things behind closed doors.

[ That's... disgusting to hear, actually.

Akira doesn't look thrilled by her words, and his brow tenses firmly. But, then he seems to deflate a little, sighing and shaking his head. ]

Maybe they're just afraid.

[ A small frown. ]

It's still no excuse... but if one side can start to understand the other, there's hope, right?

... They're definitely afraid, that's part of the problem. They think all witches are the same, but it's like they forget men practice magic, too.

[ She pauses, messing with the end of her hair a bit. ]

There is hope, though. My students managed to change the mind of a devout anti-magic student at Appleton by saving his life.

[ Ahhh... that earns a smile. ]

That's good, at least. Hopefully he'll help change things on his side.

[ His smile turns just a little fonder. ]

Change does usually start with only a handful of people.

[ Ursula requests something warm from Croix. Warm for her sore, raw throat. It hurts. She is not... she is not well. It's one thing to watch an execution. It's another thing, entirely, to watch a friend take their own life, consumed by despair. ]

... Is there anyone else here who doesn't believe in us?

[ She asks it plainly. She seems... tired. ]

Because if so, you may as well tell us now. We're not... going to get anywhere, if we don't work together. Now is the time for truth. For honesty. Not for lies.

...

[ ... She takes a long sip of the coffee she requested Croix bring her. Funny, that she asked for coffee, wasn't it? ... How strange. ]

My real name is Chariot du Nord, though you all likely figured that out if you took the time to read my file when you were looking through the disks Croix and...

[ She winces. She can't say his name. ]

... The others found. ... I was once tasked with preserving our world, and... I failed. I owe it to the people that I've hurt, to the people that I failed, to all the people here that have died... to make sure I don't fail again.

[ She takes a long sip of her drink. Her throat hurts. Badly. ]

I know we all have personal reasons for wanting to get out of here. To... to go home, or to help our friends or families, or to just find a way to bring back everyone who died here. For me, all three are true. Whatever the case may be, if we do not unite, we will fail. No matter what motive they throw at us next, we must not take it. We must take this next week to plan, to strategize. If you are not all right with that, if you still have a reason to kill another person here, speak now.

It's nice to finally meet you, Chariot du Nord.

[ It's quietly said.

And it hurts to use that line, but... he's done letting the painful memories have control of any kind. Without the bonds he's experienced in his life, he would not be as strong as he is today. ]

"If you die for the wrong thing, at least you died standing for something."

[ He lowers his gaze. ]

Everyone who's died -- Wake, Dio, Torri, Yuuri, Goro, Helena, Ren, and Kurama... -- died for something. Whether we think it was wrong or stupid... doesn't matter. They all died fighting, as victims who were tricked into this game just like the people still on this side...

[ He smiles at Ursu-... Chariot. ]

So, even if we die, too... Even if someone finds it incredibly stupid... it can be while standing for something. Even if the only "something" we have is each other.

[ ... mm. No. ]

... Especially if the only "something" we have to fight for is each other.

Edited 2017-12-17 22:28 (UTC)

...

[ She... stares, for a moment. ]

... Of course. Yes... I'm glad that we met, Akira. Because, more than anyone... you've shown me it's not wrong to fight for the people you care about.

Before, I just wanted... to make up for my mistakes, but now, I... I want to fight for all of you, and for everyone we've lost. Dio, Helena, Yuuri, Torri, Wake, Ren, Kurama... Goro.

Each person matters, no matter what they were forced into doing while they were here.

We have to fight.

Dare to Hope

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