25th Trial - Clover

[hot_mess_express]

It is a simple wood-floored room with an empty shrine on one wall. There are a few cushions to sit on, and the smell of incense and blood lingers in the air.

The sound of rain is heavy outside.

Comments

[schrodingerscockroach]

[....I mean, he can think deadly is cute.]

[When he feels things.]

Okay. And best position for you to get leverage over someone?

[featherbeaned]

[ hrmmmm ]

Maybe my tail. [ Waggles it some - it's all muscle under the feathers. ] But if I squeeze you with that you'd, uhm. Die?

Could sit on you.

[schrodingerscockroach]

.... [Debating the merits of THAT too. There are pods.]

[But he also really doesn't want to die at all.]

[BUT PEOPLE HE CARES ABOUT.]

...

[He'll move from the wall and lay down.] Well, let's try it.

[featherbeaned]

[ WELP. TIME TO SIT ON DUSK. She's warm and very fluffy and it's kind of like having a weighted electric blanket sitting on his midsection, but even as she settles she has the weirdest, weirdest feeling ]

[ There's something off here ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

....

Okay, I'm going to see if I can break free now.

[And he's going to do just that! Trying to shove her off to see if she CAN keep him down.]

[featherbeaned]

[ It's almost shockingly easy, like there's nothing more to her than there would be any old human. Topples off with a yip of alarm, sent sprawling by that one shove! ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

....

That was....really easy. I didn't catch you off guard that much, did I?

[featherbeaned]

[ Skitters back up to her feet with her feathers puffed up ]

No! No, you didn't, that wasn't. That wasn't right.

[schrodingerscockroach]

....fuck.

We're being messed with.

[featherbeaned]

[ ANGRY HISS ]

[ she shrinks back down to her "usual" dog size, still looking pretty thoroughly ruffeld ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Rubs at his face.]

And nothing in here is gonna be able to hold me down.

Which means we either need to hope my willpower will hold out against whatever he does, or...

[Make a choice.]

[featherbeaned]

[ Back to pacing, her tail lashing behind her. ]

Which is least worst for you?

[schrodingerscockroach]

...they're both fucking awful.

[He looks at her, face blank, but eyes studying her intently.] How afraid are you of being eaten?

[featherbeaned]

Afraid? It makes me mad.

[ L A S H ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Mad?

[featherbeaned]

Mad! I eat other things.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Well.

Righteous fury is very motivating.

[Studying her.] How willing would you be to rip out my throat if I went mad and tried to eat you?

[featherbeaned]

[ She does very, very still, looking sharply at him. ]

I would fight.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[He nods.] I don't know how quick I'd make it. Depends what this 'rage' of a monster does.

There's no data to figure out who the priest is on other teams. And killing a priest means a team of berserk monsters. The only reason to go for priests would be if we could get them all in one fell swoop to end the game as quick as possible. Spreading it out means time with berserk monsters and who knows how many would die then.

Just not playing and fighting the urges I can for as long as possible and hoping you can kill me if I lose seems like the way to keep the body count down. If you're willing to fight me to the death, I'm willing to risk it.

[featherbeaned]

[ Lash! Lash, lash ... angry flick- ]

If that's what you think you need, I'm willing.

[schrodingerscockroach]

What I need is to not have gotten out of bed today.

But...at least trying to keep as many people away from this trauma as possible is as close to a second as we've got.

[featherbeaned]

[ After another couple of circuits, she makes herself sit down again. ]

Worth trying ...

[ She would be willing to target people, too, if and when it comes to that. But maybe ... ]

[ Maybe. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Nods.]

And honestly, my luck is shit. If we choose even from Licorice, we're probably peg the Priest in one.

[Dark....joke....?]

[featherbeaned]

What?

[ ????????? ]

[ sorry she's dense ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Anytime I do things for random chance, my luck is pretty terrible.

Licorice has five people. So even if I choose randomly from there, I'd probably still get the priest because four berserk monsters would be terrible luck.

It was a dark joke.