Week 5

[airlockedmods]

Week 5

[In a tragic yet seemingly inevitable turn of fate, the Champions have lost Zombina this week. OsoKaramatsu and Korra, too, are gone, both having fallen in their attempts to help their fellow Champions out of terrible circumstances.

Again, the Champions will find themselves experiencing strange dreams on Sunday night, until they're awakened by C.E.C.E.'s announcement. This is all starting to become routine.]

Congratulations, Champions! By surviving your third trial, you have unlocked the fourth floor of the ship. A new mini map has been added to your P.I.P.!

[The trash compactor is completely shiny and new again. In addition, the profiles on the P.I.P.s still inticate that Karamatsu is dead. Because of course he is, right?

Fuck you.]


Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday



(( Welcome to Week 5! Don't forget to check in and submit your memory regains! Turn in your benefactor threads for sweet loot, too! ))

Comments

[theundertaken]

Not your fault.

[He'd thought it might be better to know that he didn't have to tell the story to anybody, at least? Besides, Kara deserves to know that people know.]

It's not anybody's fault, 'cept maybe Rox.

[karappo]

[He's not sure he agrees, but he isn't going to argue, either.]

You are not...upset that I am here?

[He shouldn't be, according to the rules. They found out who the killer was, after all.]

[theundertaken]

'Course not. Why would anyone be upset about that?

[He reaches up idly to ruffle Karamatsu's hair. God this is too familiar.]

[karappo]

[IT...REALLY IS oh Max that probably wasn't the best thing you could have done but it's fine he's fine- he just has to make an extra effort not to burst immediately into tears again following that gesture.

But he manages, somehow. It just takes him a minute to reply.]

I...I don't know, I just-

[He swallows thickly.]

I shouldn't be. Osomatsu should be here, and...the rest of you working together to find some way out of this.

[theundertaken]

[Let's be real, Max is flashing back to Prompto and probably isn't even aware that that's a thing.]

...I can understand why he did it.

[karappo]

...y-yeah.

[It was stupid. A stupid, terrible idea. And yet...Karamatsu undeservedly owes Osomatsu his life. It is a very bitter pill to swallow.]

I know...were he in the position I am now...he would have handled it poorly.

[That's something he's thought a lot about, too. He isn't sure Osomatsu would have made it even a day alone.]

[theundertaken]

You didn't deserve to die for that. And neither did he, but...he wouldn'tve been able to just watch it.

[They could've easily lost both of them.]

[karappo]

[He's quiet for a moment, looking into his cup.]

You and Osomatsu were friends, right?

[theundertaken]

...yeah. We were.

[Max leans down to pick up the plate of toast.]

[karappo]

Mm...I am glad to hear that. I could not entirely tell since he did not talk about it much, but...it seemed like he was struggling to get along with people for a while.

It is reassuring for me to know he had at least one friend.

[theundertaken]

That first trial? Nah, I think everyone pretty much got over that in a day or two. Oso was a cool guy, not his fault your world's...different.

[Granted, Max also thought he was being a dick back then. But he's not the type to hold grudges, he let it go a long time ago.]

I think he was pretty good friends with Korra, too.

[karappo]

[...Karamatsu pales.]

He...he was?

[Oh fuck.]

[theundertaken]

[Oh shit]

Yeah, I mean...she would've done the same thing if she knew it was him.

[karappo]

[He's probably right, as much as that pains him to think about.]

...I am glad for it, as much as I did not want anything at all to happen. If he had to die...I would not have wanted it to be the way they usually do it.

[The way Korra was forced to go.]

[theundertaken]

...yeah. Yeah.

[He pulls Kara against him a little in a kind of side-hug.]

Want some toast?

[karappo]

[Oh...that's fine, he's surprisingly okay with this.]

Y...yeah, thank you. I should probably eat something...

[theundertaken]

Yeah, better to get something in you. [He'll hand the plate over.] You'll get a killer headache if you don't eat or drink anything. I actually got some aspirin from the thing though, so let me know if you do?

[karappo]

[Karamatsu takes the plate and rests it on his knees, taking a piece of toast so he can break it apart to eat, slowly. He hasn't had anything for a while.]

I will...thank you. Leave it to you to make sure we are all taken care of.

[theundertaken]

Yeah, well. It’s hard enough here without taking care of what we can.

[karappo]

How are, um...the others doing, by the way? I know this weekend was...very bad for everyone.

[theundertaken]

They're, uh...they'll be okay.

[It's not great.]

Things happen a lot around here.

[karappo]

[That sure is the understatement of the year.]

Mm. We took that initial week of peace for granted, didn't we?

[theundertaken]

....maybe a little. But we couldn’t have known. Even with the rules, we couldn’t have expected all this.

[karappo]

[Karamatsu nods, realizing that he was a lot hungrier than he initially thought when he finally starts to eat.]

...what do you think they plan to do if we all die? There surely has to be some sort of goal. I could not fathom anyone doing this purely to watch people suffer over a period of weeks.

[theundertaken]

.....I don't know.

[He can sort of imagine that.]

Maybe they really will just do it again. I don't know what she could possibly gain.