the final week

[airlockedmods]

[Eight weeks. Eight weeks of friendship and love, death and loss, hope and despair all muddled together in a cocktail that's too sweet on the tongue and leaves an acid-y pit in the stomach. With nine of them left (ten counting their dear but lone surviving host), things look darker than ever. Come Sunday morning the last of the Champions missing memories will be returned to them while they sleep. For some of them this will reveal answers, for others it might just be a fate worse than death. They could even be death.

But how does the song go? "It's always darkest before the dawn"?

There are no announcements from PAL this week. Not even morning and evening announcements.

Sunday Monday Tuesday



[ooc: Welcome to endgame, everyone! We're all very proud of you for making it all the way to the end. As you can see this is going to be a short IC week but we promise things will not be going down until this weekend (7/7-7/9). On Tuesday we'll be unveiling the OOC post for what to expect during the final investigation. There is no official AC this week, just a check-in and as mentioned above characters will be at their true canon points on Sunday morning.

Buckle up, kids, the ride's not over yet.]

Comments

[motherfucking_ghost]

Well, I'm here. And everyone else is, too. And your dumb adopted kids. For when you can't.

[scourgingstars]

I know. And I will be here when you can't, either. I did promise, so it seems you and I are stuck together.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Doesn't seem so bad, all things considered. Despite all the big flashing neon warning signs I sailed right past.

[scourgingstars]

You're all terribly stupid for that, by the way. Have I mentioned?

...Because I'm very, very grateful that you are.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Hey Ardyn, do you know what time it is? It's time for another kiss, yes sir. Wait, no, two kisses--hold up, just let him squeeze one more in--there we go.]

Your royal ass is stuck with us, motherfucker. We're all getting out of this kicking and screaming and stupidly traumatized but alive and together.

[scourgingstars]

You're inaccurate on two counts. The first mistake is that I'm far from anything resembling royalty anymore.

The second is that if we leave here in anything but a trail of fire and rampant destruction, I'll be very disappointed.

[motherfucking_ghost]

For the record, there are probably going to be bottles of very highly concentrated booze on the desk with strips of blankets in 'em.

Just in case.

[scourgingstars]

Oh, you know just what to say. [With a smirk that was just a little malicious, Ardyn dramatically pressed a hand to his heart.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Always good to have an emergency plan. And a couple people who can make flames happen. I know, I'm a regular romantic.

1/3

[scourgingstars]

If I get my magic back, we can make a competition of setting things on fire.

[And then Ardyn paused, falling silent like a brilliant idea had just occurred to him and he was considering the possibilities before bringing it up.]

[scourgingstars]

...Church. [There was a an intent look in yellow eyes which clearly belonged to someone who was every bit the irresponsible and slightly childish brother once upon a time, when the moment presented itself. His hands were brought to Church's shoulders, like he was intent upon letting him in on a genius plan or a dangerous secret.]

[scourgingstars]

If we're fortunate enough that I can access the Armiger, we can steal nearly everything in this facility.

[Why? Fuck this place, that's why.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[He can see the idea happening and honestly, whatever it is, he's already for it. So when the idea gets dropped, he feels like he can't even react because he just has to let it sink in. Give it the proper reverence. He might be a little awed that Ardyn Lucifer Shitpost just suggested they steal everything before they burn it to the ground.]

Holy...shit. We'll live like kings, and we'll be rich once we sell the other shit off, and we'll be drunk as hell. Holy shiiit, we need to get your magic all back like pronto, like, now, like yesterday.

[scourgingstars]

[If there was one thing Ardyn was good at? It was spite.]

[Except this time it was on a slightly more reasonable scale than destroying a planet.]

Exactly. We'll likely need whatever passes for currency in this universe sooner or later. I can carry the entire damned kitchen as well as everything in the bar, so we can survive with that and sell off whatever else is worth something.

[He was also excellent at using a brilliant mind for possibly nefarious means.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[SOMETIMES HE CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE HAMMERSPACE MIGHT POTENTIALLY BE REAL] You can seriously fit the interior of a mansion in your fucking magical armory pocket dimension, I can't even this shit.

I could just reach in your pocket and pull out a sandwich. Need some cash, here, let me just fish a beautiful expensive vase from my boyfriend's hair. The possibilities.

[scourgingstars]

The entire interior may be slightly ambitious. 'A kitchen's worth of food, several shelves of alcoholic drinks, and anything of value' sounds very reasonable.

...And I don't keep it in my hair. Sorry to disappoint.

[motherfucking_ghost]

You can keep anything wherever you want, it's a fucking pocket dimension of indeterminate and potentially limitless size. I'm just imagining Junpei shoving an inflatable pool of underwear at you. Why not? It'll fit. Maybe we can sell some show merchandise and be rich as hell.

[scourgingstars]

As brilliant as the merchandise idea is, I've never tested if it had limits, and I am not putting an entire pool--

[Pause. Rewind.]

...Did you actually just call me your boyfriend?

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Huhwha? [Look at him tripping over the sudden derailment of thought like he just caught Ardyn switching to Latin/ancient Lucian.]

[scourgingstars]

Why is everyone accidentally calling me things without realizing it?

[motherfucking_ghost]

I...uh.

I mean we--uhhhhhhh.

Is that too forward? I wasn't thinking about it, it just--it felt natural, I guess?! Since we're--this. The thing we're doing. We're kind of that, right? It's not like it's an inaccurate...description...

[scourgingstars]

I never said that.

[He did, however, say that a little too quickly.Time to play it off like everything was normal.]

I simply meant...that's just a particular level of commitment that I wasn't expecting-...really?

[#nailedit]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Dude. [points to icon, this face]

We're sleeping together, we already got over that hurtle that's using the l-word, we're making promises to not be apart like we're in a god damn Lifetime chick flick except with a lot more murder.

Pretty sure we're already at that level of commitment if not, y'know, past it.

[scourgingstars]

Yes, it just-...it was unexpected.

[you already said that, ardyn.]

Call it whatever you like.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...You don't seem like you're super comfortable with it, so I can uh. Roll it back, a little. You haven't, uh. Had anything like this before. And I kept calling my ex my girlfriend, because shit was complicated. So I mean...I'm more used to it, but I can just not. If you want.