Team Post: Coral

[dramatispersonae]

[The room you step into is bare and depressing. Gray, damp stone walls, a dusty and worn table, a few candles providing dim light . . . There is, at least, a meager spread of bread, cheese, and meat laid out on the table. A pitcher of water and a few glasses are set upon it as well.]

[Most notworthy as you enter the room, however, is the sudden implicit understanding of the rules of the game:

1. There are 13 teams, and 3 among them are "wolves". That is, 3 specific teams will be choosing another team to "eat" each night. The team that is selected to be eaten will be killed.
2. Each day, every team must participate in the poll to decide who among them is the most suspicious; the most likely to be one of the wolf teams that is eating someone each night.
3. The two teams chosen as the most suspicious each day will be put up together in a poll for everyone to discuss and vote on. Teams are to vote for who they believe to be the most suspicious between the two, and the team selected as the most suspicious will be executed.
4. Any attempt to save those being put to death will be severely punished.
5. Although the ultimate goal is to find the 3 "wolf" teams, that is not the only way to win memories. This particular rule is left somewhat vague, but there is the impression that Jacobi and Jabberwock will be considering other factors as well . . .

You also are aware of the fact that your team are sheep]

Comments

[blackjacked]

Then don't. Stay here, okay? You don't have to do anything.

[pitching]

[hnnng]

They'll want to talk to us and if we don't show up, they might think we're suspicious . . .

Did you see a guillotine by any chance?

[blackjacked]

Then Shark and I will talk. People know you well enough to know you're not suspicious.

[exhale, and shakes his head]

No.

[pitching]

. . .

[blackjacked]

[gives his shoulder a squeeze]

We'll be okay, Dragonfly.

[pitching]

. . . but someone won't be.

[blackjacked]

. . .

[yeah he isn't sure how to respond to that, so just. pulls Dragonfly into a hug]

[pitching]

[just going to shake a bit okay]

[blackjacked]

[saying evenly, smoothly]

We've gotten through tough games like this before, right. . .? Games where other teams have been hurt. Where we've had to choose to hurt 'em.

[exhale]

. . . we'll be okay. We always are.

[pitching]

But hurting is not the same thing as killing.

[blackjacked]

In every game. . . every choice we made had the potential to kill someone.

[a beat]

You won't have to make that choice here, Dragonfly. We'll do it.

[pitching]

It was DIFFERENT! Of course there was the potential but we were always able to spread the difference out the best that we could! But this time we have to pick an actual team to kill!

[blackjacked]

Dragonfly, look at me--

[placing both of his palms on either side of Dragonfly's face, tilting his gaze up until he meets Kit's head on]

[. . . he's trembling a bit]

Don't you dare think I'm okay with this. Don't you dare think that any of this will be easy, but I can't-- [inhale, exhale. . .] . . . we need to make sure we survive. The faster we end this. . . the less people get hurt.

[digitalemperor]

[Letting go of Dragonfly's hand, but only so he can place his palm on top of Dragonfly's head, and the other on top of Kit's.]

Um... We can play one of two ways; aggressively, trying to end it faster and taking responsibility for the consequences of our actions....

Or passively. Ignore the game, refuse to take part as well as we can. They can punish us for that, but they can't force us to vote.

So we should decide how we're approaching it and worry from there.

[blackjacked]

[blinks, but pulls his head back, hands sliding from Dragonfly's cheeks to grab his other one tightly]

[gaze flickers to Mikado, even and unreadable]

We play to survive and to minimize damage. Like always.

If we ignore the game, if we don't even try. . . then that increases the chances of an innocent team being killed for no reason.

[pitching]

[just . . . hugging legs closer, going back to bury his face in his knees. He mumbles out a few words but you can tell he's not really happy about it.]

. . . like always.

[digitalemperor]

[Gently pets Dragonfly's hair and meets Kit's eyes.]

Let me be clear on one thing: every team is innocent. Don't mistake the idea of voting on who is a "wolf" as any less damning then being a wolf.

That we play to survive is a given. But minimizing damage is going to be hard. Wrong or right, our votes will harm someone who didn't ask for this.

[blackjacked]

I know.

[says that firmly]

I'm aware of that. Wolf teams didn't ask to have targets painted on their backs.

So trust me. . . I know.

[pitching]

. . . I hate this persona. More than any of them. I hate them.

[digitalemperor]

[Nodding.]

Then we'll play our way.

[Tugging Dragonfly into a light hug.]

[blackjacked]

Like always.

[. . . group hug '-']

[pitching]

. . . lets just finish soon, okay.

[digitalemperor]

[Group hug it is.]

Yeah. Like always.

We'll try end it as fast as possible.

[blackjacked]

[. . . god I feel like an asshole for this. but sucks in a deep breath and pulls away after a moment]

Keep our heads down. Don't get too involved, but don't ignore things, either.