END GAME: THE COUNTDOWN STARTS

[sailmods]

[the prisoners wake up on cold, hard floors.

the lights are bright, glaring, a sterile cell with sterile bars facing a sterile hall. the prisoners with you, across from you, and no one else. no rocking of a ship in waves, nothing. just the prisoner and their prison.

time passes, one assumes. the rhythmic click of Friday’s heels down the hall. it’s almost like the ticking of a clock.]

Comments

[saltwaterlungs]

You can say that but I don't think you have a leg to stand on.

[ If they're not allowed to punt the head then they get to torture her with other methods, it's only fair. ]

[inhairently]

( when natsuno says the hand is reaching for them, it’s as something inside steve clicks into place and he knows, without a doubt, what he needs to do.

people don’t always make it out when things get this bad. he knows that as well as anyone. he also knows that the three people he’s with stand a better chance at helping the others than he does. what he’s planning to do makes the most tactical sense.

because, in the end, it’s not about whether or not steve makes it out alive. it’s about everyone else. arthur, cassandra — hell, even darcy, skulduggery, all of them. this is bigger than one kid from indiana, and steve knows it.

so he lingers behind the others, hesitating as they realize they have to go back the way they came. )

I’m right behind you, ( he says, pressing the sharpened feather cassandra had given him into natsuno’s hand without explanation. then, once the other three reach the spot where they'd fallen through, he hesitates again for only a second, reaches out towards whoever’s there for what, he doesn't know. a brush of their fingers, a pat on the arm, just one last bit of contact, maybe. )

You guys go. I’ll be okay.

( he doesn’t give them time to protest because as far as he knows, there isn’t time for anything at all except a diversion if the other three are to make it out. he turns on his heel and darts into the darkness, intending to draw the giant’s attention that way.

he hopes it’s enough. )

[decohere]

Heh, gottem.

[tucks Fio protectively against her side, glancing down at the toy...]

Jenny. We didn't leave you behind on the island. Because Friday loved you too much to let you go. So now you get to help us rescue her from whatever that colonizing [covers Fio's ears] bitch [uncovers] is going to do with her.

[teethoftherisk]

Yes. You may die later, but for now, you will come with us for Friday's sake.

[And like before, Siffleur approaches the door, rears up on his hind legs and pushes on the door handle with a front paw.]

[sabigoe]

[ A little tiredly: ]

...You're coming with us. I want you and Miss Friday to be together again. I want you two to be happy too.

[ Fio leans into Ava. Doesn't even squirm or move much in the brief moment her ears are covered. She appears a little drained, but she remains alert, staring straight ahead at the door as Siffleur opens it. ]

[sailmods]

[the hand plucks Steve by his collar like a wayward kitten, raising him to the giant's face so buttoned eyes may peer at him more closely.

a boon, for those left behind: somewhere above them, a light has turned on, revealing the seemingly endless rows of cardboard around them.]

[sailmods]

[just imagine Jenny is mumbling horrific curses under her breath this entire time. it's fine. she's friendly.

the next room they enter is clearly some sort of... control room? a security office? there is a wall of screens showing every angle of the deck, and one screen showing one of Jenny's brothers sorta trashing some kind of storage room? weirdly, none of the screens show the cells.

on the desk, there are a lot of switches, and three buttons. one red, one blue, one green.]

[inhairently]

( what do you do when you're about to get your ass fe-fi-fo-fummed by a giant? steve doesn't have incredibly high hopes that this is going to go well, but all he can really do is try to talk his way out of it — the best he can, anyway, what with being picked up by the collar. he grasps at the man's hand. trying to stabilize himself the best he can. )

Hey, sorry, man. I was just looking for the bathroom. Didn't mean to interrupt whatever uh... whatever it is you've got going on here.

[sailmods]

[the red-haired giant looks at him in silence for a moment.

uses his other hand to pull open a pocket on his shirt.

and drops Steve inside of it.

there's a mint lifesaver in there but it's still wrapped.]

[inhairently]

( ... huh.

okay. definitely preferable to getting crushed but not much to do right but chill and try to tear the lifesaver open. it's not like they've had access to toothbrushes lately, you know? might as well take the chance to freshen his breath if he can. )

[redlightgreenlight]

[Valdis isn't going to argue with Steve's decision, it's the most logical solution, but she's not pleased he tricked them! She releases a growl, but blinks quickly in the sudden light. She quickly whispers to Fever and Natsuno, not wanting to watch Steve potentially get smooshed.]

We have to keep moving. If we can save the captain, maybe he can save Steve. But we have to go.

[She can tell Fever is injured, but the woman wouldn't want her to fuss and they don't have time for it anyway.]

Now.

[abhorrently]

[she nods, though her heart gives a twinge to know the boy left. still, if he wants this, she cannot stop him, cannot dictate the terms of his atonement. and they need to move, to get out and find something - the way to free the god siblings, the key to their powers, something.

blessed, beautiful light. it makes everything bearable. glancing up as she exits the box, she catches the tail end of Steve getting...kidnapped? maybe? and can only think it's better than walking out to him crushed in the giant's hand.

so much cardboard. her eyes dart around, looking for anything amiss apart from the box they tore open and the one they fell from. a door, a color out of place, anything. just pick a direction and keep going.]

Just stay close. We can't lose each other.

[if she stays upright, she can keep walking. it's fine, she's not bleeding or anything.]

If you see anything weird, say it.

[they can scurry in the shadows now, sticking close to the edges of the boxes to remain less obvious. meanwhile, Fever's listening to everything to try and see if there's going to be another giant coming in, or if any other sounds are going to pop up.

fuck it. left and onwards. that had been Guatauva's last statement.]

[decohere]

[hm. stares intently at the screens, immediately drawn to the action in the storage room. that doesn't look good.

reaches for a button and is immediately stopped by 6.]

Well does anyone have any better ideas?

[prince_of_beasts]

[ Dimitri's totally been here all along. He showed up when Fio did. Don't worry about it. ]

Coatrischie?! What -- what happened to his eyes?

[ Not gonna be thinking about eye replacement any more than absolutely necessary thanks. Dimitri wrenches his attention to the dashboard. ]

Leaving these unlabelled seems like a poor design choice ... Jenny? Is this familiar to you?

[stormpirate]

Well, red usually kills you.

[that's it that's the extent of her knowledge of the subject.]

That bitch is like the Captain, except she just steals magic from the dead instead of being a nerd and learning it.

[decohere]

What, she kill Neil Gaiman? [because as Dimitri points out, those button eyes sure are giving Other Mother.]

... So if not red. Blue? I like blue. [this feels like an escape room but with less clues. there doesn't seem to be any obvious connection to what the colors might represent... which makes her tempted to press all three at once. but that feels even more disastrous lbr.

curiously wiggles one of the other switches on the control panel instead. sorry it's just her nature.]

[prince_of_beasts]

[ Bewildered: ] What does a man's sexuality have to do with anything?

[configuration_birdwatcher]

[ Bastion arrives a little later than Fio, because the ceiling on their capacity for rushing around is pretty low right now. Dimitri and Okie probably helped them get over here as fast as they did. ]

// Why not blue. I doubt there are any instructions here.

[teethoftherisk]

[To Dimitri-] April said Malin seems like the type to enjoy hate crimes.

[He comes over to study the buttons and nods.] No labels, so likely no instructions either. She must know what they all do. And we should move quickly, before she or her crew notice the escape underway.

[Perhaps another person would wait and take a vote from everyone, leave things up for debate, but Siffleur feels very confident in his actions here. He slaps his paw down on the blue button, eyes on the monitors to see if he spots a change.]

[neverleave]

[He opens his mouth to protest when Steve slips the sharp feather into his hand, but the words catch in his throat. Maybe he's being unfair and a coward by not saying anything. It's wrong to let Steve stay behind, when he's not as culpable in this as Natsuno's is.

But Steve is already moving, and Natsuno can't stop him. He's no longer the boy who accepted that his life matters less that everyone else's. He made a promise to come back.

He braces himself for a terrible sight, for screams and sounds of splatter and crunching bones, but none come. Sounds like Steve is... talking his way out of it? Yet another thing he will have to wonder about later, or never, because the lights are on and this is their chance.]

When he's free of Malin's control, we can get Steve back. [Much quieter, as he sees the giant deposit Steve in a pocket:] Guess he's taking him to the bathroom...

[Natsuno follows along, clutching the feather tightly. Like Fever, he keeps his eyes, ears and nose peeled for anything suspicious. Left and onwards.]

[sabigoe]

[ ...Pouting. Not because they didn't wait for her vote. Blue was her choice as well.

She just wanted to push the fun pressy button. ]

[sailmods]

[nothing appears to have happened.]

[sailmods]

[meanwhile...

suddenly, and all at once, the cells shrink to half their original size.]

[light_mischief]

[considering he's surrounded by empty cells, it's unlikely anyone will hear him, but:]

Either we're running out of time, or somebody just touched something they shouldn't have...

[yourexoduslaughing]

Great news Skulduggery - there's at least someone who can hear you, though not until after she screams at the suddenly smaller space. oh my GOD!!!

THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!!!