and every broken heart will mend

[scourgingstars]

[Not too long after the trial, a note found its way under everyone's doors, all of them written in the same neat handwriting that had been asking after a ring not that long ago.]

If any of you would prefer not to be left alone after all of that, I propose we meet in the dining hall. Nari has taken up cooking at the moment, and should anyone wish to talk I will be present regardless of whether or not the group at large should choose to join us.

-Ardyn

[True to his word, Ardyn was at a smaller table in the dining hall with an untouched cup of coffee in front of him; lost in thought leaning his head on one hand as the other turned a silver coin over between his fingers.]

[King in an empty hall, and savior of nothing. All that effort to prevent bloodshed, and it had come down to a situation designed to force their hand from the beginning.]

Comments

[myocordial]

She was... [He falters, briefly. What was she, really?] I don't know if I could call her a friend, but I enjoyed talking with her. She reminded me of a good friend of mine.

...All the friends I've lost, they at least went out as well as one can. Fighting by their own choice. Nothing like this.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[He's not even sure he'd call the Blues at Sidewinder his friends, but they were good kids. Who didn't have a choice. Flowers didn't have a choice. And he didn't have a choice, and Tex--well, Tex at least went down fighting, but not the way she would've wanted, so unclear if she counts or not. So he can't say he knows the feeling all that much.]

It's--it's different. That it was forced, in a game, by our hands. That there wasn't anything we could do about it. She wasn't guilty. Of anything.

[myocordial]

Guilty only of the crime of having powers she never asked for. Champion Scapegoat indeed...

[Living up to her title to the end, in a way.]

The second her powers were active again, the deck was stacked against her.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I get that there are people here who aren't exactly gonna take this as a positive sign. Because people suck. It's true, they do, they really are the worst. But to think that after all this, PAL might expect someone to go out of their way to actually murder someone...seems almost like a stretch.

[myocordial]

It does seem like it would be very foolish to try, knowing exactly what's at stake.

[Knowing everyone else would be executed or they would face an execution like Mai did...]

Whether or not someone will try, though, I'm certain that PAL will attempt to push us in that direction. And that concerns me.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Yeah. I know. I know it, just...I don't know, it's all going to end up rigged somehow. We just need to keep that in mind and rig it right back at him until we get out of here.

[myocordial]

[Something about that response... it brings a smile to Heart's face.]

...Of course. Well, no matter how against us the odds are, I certainly intend to keep fighting this. If we can all agree to do that, it will be our best chance at making it through this.

[motherfucking_ghost]

It's going to be rough, bouncing back from this, but I don't think there's anyone who won't be willing to fight. The rules are bullshit, and so is our overseer. The real one, not Kip. [Kip might also be bullshit, but not in the same way.]

[myocordial]

All fights truly worth fighting are rough. And nothing unites a group as much as a common enemy. And this enemy is...

Well, to be honest, I'm disgusted to see an AI behaving like this.

[Like to him that shit's personal.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Right? Right! AI are supposed to be helpful, not menacing and homicidal or genocidal. This is some faulty programming or some sick people in charge coding him this way. Hopefully.

[myocordial]

It's not that! [Wow, Heart actually briefly... raised his voice. For maybe the first time since he got here.] It's not-- Coding can only go so far.

[He sighs, choosing to look away and stare at the wall instead. He needs to be calm...]

Killing... would be one thing. But forcing others to do it and then punishing them when they give in is simply cowardly and disgusting.

[motherfucking_ghost]

So you mean--he's just like this?

...God damn it, I really don't want this to happen again.

[myocordial]

He might be, yes. It takes more... than simply being made by someone cruel to be cruel. I know that from experience.

...What's important is that he's an enemy. One that needs to be taken down.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I...know. I know, I just-- [FRUSTRATED SIGH] I guess I just don't want to believe it. [Else how did Omega end up like Omega if not because he was made that way?] Its easy to focus on wanting to fight him. Less easy to focus on the how. We'll...work it out somehow, with time and patience.

[myocordial]

Understandable enough.

...I'm not really the best at figuring out the how myself. I usually leave that sort of thinking to my friend Brain. Well, I feel as if he would have already figured a way out of this whole situation... [He wouldn't have, but Heart puts a lot of faith in his friends.] But... even if we don't have the means yet, the desire to fight is still important anyway.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Brain.

[Yes, guess what part of this he's choosing to focus on.] Are you guys all named after organs?

[myocordial]

No, not at all. It's just us two. Our names are more... direct than human names. They tend to fit who and what we are.

[motherfucking_ghost]

You ever think about adopting a more human name?

[myocordial]

No. [A very immediate, very adamant answer.] That would imply a desire to be closer to being human and nothing could be further from the truth.

[motherfucking_ghost]

So you're good with what you are? Good. People who wanna be something different, it usually doesn't end very well.

[myocordial]

Of course. I'm proud of what I am and wouldn't dream of being anything else.

This... [He just sort of... gestures at his body.] ...is as close to human as I will ever be. And that suits me fine.