won't you take me to flavortown

[theoversaw]

[At the end of that one hour (that seemed so much longer than just one hour could be), hopefully everyone's gathered in the cafeteria. The doors to the other side of the space station open to reveal two figures, a man and a woman. The woman is dressed in sharp business clothes, tapping away on some kind of a device that looks similar to but sleeker than a smart phone. The man with her has a circle beard and bleached blond hair, shorter but thick with muscle, wearing a checked button-up shirt with a gold chain peeking through the collar and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He scratches at his non-dominant forearm (which, nonetheless, is bare).]

Welcome, Champions, to the...

Champion Excellence Program.

Yeah, the Champion Excellence Program. As you may have noticed reading the rules, there's only one way out of here: Rule 7. But just in case going home isn't enough for you, we've decided to add an extra incentive.

[The woman barely looks up from her phone, like she's doing a headcount of the Champions.] The Champion who successfully proves their Excellence by murdering a fellow Champion and escaping punishment will receive an all-expenses-paid space cruise to the Vegas Quadrant.

[The man gives his companion a deadpan look and then looks at the Champions.]

Any questions?

Comments

[lovecolored]

A vacation? That's it? Are you kiddin' me?!

[theoverseeing]

What, you've never heard the expression "I'd kill for a good vacation"?

[Is...is she joking? She's smiling while looking down at her phone but it's honestly hard to tell.]

[karappo]

[Karamatsu listens intently, hoping that maybe now that the people who brought them here are- well- here, they'll get some answers.

...well, the answer they get isn't quite what he was expecting to hear. They're being offered a cruise to murder, really?]

I do have a question.

[He takes a breath, and then looks to the man, ignoring the woman entirely.]

Is it possible for us to have some different clothing? Not that I do not look incredible in a space suit, your fashion makes me miss my own.

[theoversaw]

'Fraid not. Some of it's probably in the Benefactor's Hold - you know that dumbwaiter in your room? Goes straight down there.

[lmafo]

[ Hey, so you know how Roxy's been pretty chill and happy and friendly toward everyone else? She shall not suffer this fucker. Her expression kind of... first she pales, like she's looking at a ghost, then she gets... mad? Mad. ]

Dressing like the dead, huh? That's some low tacky bullshit, guy.

[theoversaw]

[...?]

What was that, Girlie?

[stillstands]

[This... has got to be some sort of ridiculous joke, right?]

You've... not explained what the Champion Excellence Program is, or why we were chosen for it.

[Murder in exchange for freedom can't possibly be right, can it...?]

[theoverseeing]

[The woman glances up from her device to look at Miki and tosses her long hair back a little from her face before looking back down at her screen.]

"The Champion Excellence program is an experimental program where individuals of extraordinary talent, here known as Champions, are brought together to live communally. A Champion who successfully kills another Champion and evades detection will be granted the title of Ultimate Champion and be allowed to leave the experiment."

How's that?

[newcycle]

[she looks astonished and just.]

You can't do this! I have-- We have to go back! We didn't sign up for this!

[playthedamncard]

And who, exactly, are you two?

[theoversaw]

Blaze Dudely.

[He points a thumb at himself.]

[andjerry]

[Thomas has heard of some incredibly messed up motives for murder, but-]

What? You think we're the kind of people who would kill somebody?

[theoverseeing]

Some of you are, some aren't. That's part of the experiment.

[in4apounding]

...

[W h a t.]

That's terrible! No one's going to kill anyone, even for a vacation! And I don't even know what the Vegas quadrant is, so THERE.

[Penny please.]

And- and some of us were with other people before we got here, where are they?

[theoverseeing]

Any companions were left right where they were. Our employers were only interested in your potential.

[theundertaken]

[Max raises a hand and waits to make eye contact before saying anything.]

Is that just Las Vegas but in space?

[titularly]

It's totally Las Vegas in space.

[batfortheprincess]

Why did you bring us here in the first place? What's the point of this?

[It just feels so... meaningless, and the shallowness of that motive is just...]

[le_mat]

[Akira says nothing, leaning on the nearby wall. The man was more casual, and he noticed him touching the arm that one would assume matched their own PIPS. But what he really noticed was that he looked, well, a bit annoyed at the motive. Or at least unamused.

The woman on the other hand was treating this like a business meeting she didn't want to be at. No worry of attack at all. He ignores her for now to focus on her "companion"... just watching, quietly, and listening to the others' questions]

[immaculacies]

[ . . . ]

And what do you get out of this bargain?

[Manaka isn't impressed, and she has a lot of questions. But... That's the one that seems most relevant, right now.]

[keepmeinyourheart]

[Luna couldn't look more offended even if she tried. She stands up straighter, head held high.]

And what makes you think anyone would fall for this? Do you expect everyone here to bow to your whims of murdering each other for a vacation? You must be mad.

[photoshooter]

[Prompto hovers nervously at Luna's side and almost touches her elbow, though propriety keeps him from making contact.]

L-Lady Lunafreya...

[Please to not be provoking the badguys.]

[challengesfate]

[There's...a lot of questions Lucina has already, and this...this answers none of them. It in fact raises a significant number of them to the surface. For that initial moment, Lucina's expression is beyond blank - it's unreadable by any means, stunned and confused and scrambling for purchase on something she can form into words. And after that moment, it grabs onto something...not quite frustration, but not as small as irritation. It sort of straddles the two as she steps forward, bringing a hand to her head.]

This...no. [She shakes her head.] No, this is...so foolish. This can't be right, this is - why can we not simply go home? W-why are you doing this - why that rule, why all of us?! Why are we in a metal building in the sky?!?

[Uh, she's. Getting kind of loud. And. Maybe someone should pull her back and get her to calm down? It's kind of been a really weird hour in an awful way.]

[theundertaken]

Woah, hey, maybe we should calm down a little...

[Not that this isn't bullshit, but this is, uh.]

[hellahighwater]

...You're fucking with me. You're fucking with me? Holy shit, I'm--

[ chloe wants to smash ]

[andjerry]

[and he just eeeeeedges closer even though he's trying to stay far away]

Let's- we should hear them out first.

[discalibur]

You don't truly expect us to go along with that, do you? For a price like that?

[A vacation, seriously? Come on.]

Not that there is anything you could offer that would make me even entertain the idea.

[quadjumps]

They're crazy if they think a stupid trip is going to entice anyone to murder someone.

[theworldsliveliestcorpse]

Yeah I gotta lotta them. First off, where the fuck are we, second, what the fuck is this, three, what the fuck is going on, and four, who the fuck are you and why should we not kick your asses?!

[Listen, she may not have her guns, but she has her GUNS and is fully willing to attack!!.... except fuck these guys are human so she can't do shit without breaking the law. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.]

[titularly]

Question: Do we also get money to gamble with or do we have to provide our own?

[in4apounding]

Mister Osomatsu.

[For SHAME sir.]

[kebakeba]

...All-expenses-paid? So like, free food and drinks? And a penthouse suite? [ look she just wants to know the full details okay ]

[titularly]

It better have all that stuff, or it'd seriously be a waste.

[photoshooter]

[Oh man, there's a lot of shouting going on and he doesn't understand what's happening and Prompto just wants to take Luna and go home, so he asks the only question he can think of that isn't an unpronounceable stream of ????]

Wh...what's a Vegas?

[kebakeba]

It's a place in America with lots of fancy lights and gambling. So... I guess it's that but in space? [ man space sure is lazy with naming stuff ]

[quadjumps]

[ YEAH DON'T MIND YURI HE'S JUST

gonna be in the back somewhere and flip the bird at rox and blaze. with both hands. ]

[unhappylittletrees]

Um, I have a question. [He's even raising his hand.]

What the fuck?