PEACE WEEKEND

[airlockedmods]

[It's your first week here, and you've been offered a fantastic prize for killing someone: an all-expense paid vacation! It's a pretty standard prize as far as reality game shows go.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), this isn't exactly a game show.

It seems that no one has died this weekend, and the deadline for the prize is now expired. There's no announcement from the Overseers to that effect; in fact, none of you have seen either of them since Tuesday. Maybe they'll make a reappearance soon, but for now, it seems that you've got a moment of peace.

Hopefully nothing happens to it.]

Comments

[playthedamncard]

[That's right, Prompto, show yourself off for the cameras. Make Jane flustered! Don't mind if tallboy joins in the stretching, can't ever be too limber. Card games are dangerous business.]

And you're one of the guard, because you had access to magic. [This guy? Really?] It sounds as though your country has had relative peace if you haven't had need for an army.

[photoshooter]

...

[Prompto faces the wall, stretching one arm across his chest, silent for a moment.]

The Kings of Lucis... maintained this magic wall that kept monsters and enemies from getting in. In the meantime, the Empire of Niflheim just. Kept growing, closer and closer. Until His Majesty even agreed to cede Lucian territories so Insomnia would stay safe.

It wasn't exactly that we were peaceful. We just... those of us within the Wall, we had no idea how bad things were outside.

[playthedamncard]

So your kings misled you. Blinded you to the truth, because the populace was willing to believe rather than confirm anything for themselves.

[photoshooter]

What? No, that's not it at all! No way King Regis could've known everything that was going on, either. It's not like Niflheim broadcast that they were doing a bunch of evil crap, and there was only so much we could find out with the Wall up!

[playthedamncard]

[Well sorry if that's how you made it sound.] You couldn't go beyond it? At all?

[photoshooter]

You'd need a special permit. And I mean, why would you? What with the daemons and the Magitek Troopers, and... man, they even have different money out there. Our first few days on the other side of the Wall totally sucked.

[playthedamncard]

What about international trade? You can't simply have a completely isolated country and still be prosperous; your economy would suffer if not eventually collapse entirely.

[photoshooter]

I dunno. I think we were doing okay. Cindy told us that Insomnian goods are actually in pretty high demand everywhere, even if they're hard to get.

[Sensible economics? In my JRPG? Perish the thought, my guy.]

[playthedamncard]

Then perhaps there was more going on behind the scenes than you're aware.

[He'll leave it at that, because he's not here to teach people all about How To International Business and neither am I. He's here to stay in fabulous shape.]

There's a stopwatch function on these things. If you'd like to turn an obstacle course into a little friendly competition. After a few practice laps, of course.

[photoshooter]

[!]

You wanna race?

[pLAY WITH HIM!!!!]

Hahaha, sure, I'll take you on! Better get ready to eat my dust, man!

[playthedamncard]

[My god. He's an actual dog. This is a golden retriever in person form. Baka inu, etc.]

Only when I lap you. That's cute, thinking you can beat me. We'll just see who comes out on top--spoilers, it'll be me.

[photoshooter]

In your dreams, maybe! You wanna take your practice lap first? As a courtesy, of course.

[playthedamncard]

By all means, you first. You're going to need all the practice you can get.

[photoshooter]

Hope you had a light lunch, man, 'cause you're gonna eat those words.

[But sure! Prompto hops over to the start of the course, bounces a couple times, and then takes off, as quick on his feet as his name implies. It's not a very long or arduous course and he finishes in good time, looking more like he just had a lot of fun than did any exercise for exercise's sake.]

How'd I do? [Prompto, no one was timing that. Probably.]

[playthedamncard]

[Pff no he wasn't timing a practice run, and to be honest, he mostly wanted to see how this mishmash of tables and chairs was supposed to be run because, look, just because it's a nice idea doesn't make it pretty or easy to follow.

He could be a jerk and run it in a way that it wasn't intended to for the sake of time, buuuuut let's not do that. Just yet.]

Not as good as I'm about to do.

[Nyoom, there he go, looking a lot more serious about it than anyone running an 'obstacle course' made out of kitchen furniture should. But like Prompto, he hasn't exactly broken a sweat doing it when he lands at the end.

There may have been a bit of added flourish to it. You can't prove anything.]

A child could do it. [That's not the point.]

[photoshooter]

Well, thanks for proving that to the rest of us.

[OHHHHH.]

Should we up the stakes at all? Find something to bet? I know none of us have any of our stuff, but I'm sure between the two of us, we can come up with something.

[playthedamncard]

What, do you want to stoop to dares? You lose, you have to act like a dog for a day? Please, have some class. [He's not Otogi, c'mon.]

[photoshooter]

Aw, c'mon, not like that. Being a dog would be fun and all, but not super helpful in the long run? I was thinking more like... whoever loses, they have to teach the winner something. Then it's a friendly competition with an educational bonus!

[playthedamncard]

...That's more positive a result than I thought you'd suggest. I can agree to those terms.

I just don't know what you could teach me, but I'm sure we'll figure something out.

[photoshooter]

...You know, you seem to have a lot of opinions about me based on, like, two conversations.

[playthedamncard]

Maybe I just know enough people that strike me as similar to you that I've made extrapolations.

[photoshooter]

Know one joker, you know 'em all, huh? Wonder if this is what Iggy was like as a kid.

[But anyway. He twists his spine one more time, more ritual than actual stretch.]

Okay. You ready for the real match, man? Pulled the stopwatch up?

[playthedamncard]

You remind me, vaguely, of someone. [An annoying someone. An annoying someone not worth his time.]

Ground rules. No shortcuts. Interference from another person [like maybe someone just trying to eat or get some coffee] results in a resetting of the lap. Best time out of three?

[photoshooter]

Sounds good. We gonna switch between laps or just do all three in a row?

[playthedamncard]

Switch it up. Keeps the dramatic tension higher.