night 2 – kristoph + phoenix

[devilsworkday]

[There's nothing about tonight that isn't going to be brutally ugly; Kristoph has several reasons to think that, actually, most of which don't have a damn thing to do with the vote. He supposes it would be a shame to lose Mr. Armando, as at the very least that one had proven entertaining; he doesn't really know any of the others, and as such he can't really say he cares one way or another.

However, he's well aware that that line of thinking doesn't apply to everyone here, not by a long shot, and Maya Fey had admittedly been surprisingly decent to him when she wasn't considering him the token glasses guy; either way, it's...well, it's going to be ugly business, even if he's fairly certain he knows where his vote is going to lie tonight.

It's almost nice to get away from it; upstairs isn't much better what with the creepy dolls everywhere, but at least the rooms offer a bit of privacy, assuming Palaeno doesn't get it into his head to likewise come up here to get away from everything.

(Somehow he doubts it'll be a problem; that man's been awfully skittish around him for some reason...)

But as much of a relief though it is to be not be around the Feys and the Blackquills and Mr. Armando and Dahlia's...that, he's not seeming much in the mood to relax any once the door's closed; he's not pacing but he's seeming a bit too rigid, and his voice has that element of tight control to it again when he finally deigns to say something.]

...I need to know what the badger has told you, as well as anything you've heard about what's happening outside this place.

We seem to have something of a crisis on our hands, and I want to ensure we're on the same page.

Comments

[bewrightback]

[He shakes his head softly.]

That's right. As long as there are hostages... There is no virtuous path, and there is no logical conclusion. It's all just some... twisted game.

"You'll see after"... who will even be alive to see after? And who could really gain from all of this?

[devilsworkday]

...If our luck and the current pattern holds out, we'll know tomorrow, won't we?

[bewrightback]

That's true. [He nods.] If we pick correctly tonight... We should be left with just one bad badger.

[The problem is, of course, the people they have to choose between.]

[devilsworkday]

Presumably, anyway - nothing has been directly confirmed regarding Matt Engarde, Simon Keyes, and whatever alliance they may have had, remember. The only way anyone can take a guess at how many are left is to take our host at its word and assume that "one was bad" last night, and since the Proto Badger has flat-out said that it sees all of us as horrible people, I'm finding it a bit difficult to do that.

If we assume it's interested in playing fair, however, we should be able to manage from here.

[bewrightback]

Well, I have to believe that. At this point, Kristoph... I feel certain that what's left of my sanity is hinging on that assumption. If it's not playing fair, than what point is there in going onwards? More people would just be dying arbitrarily.

The only way I can live with this is if it's bringing us to some way out of here. The rules have to be true. I can't turn this one on its head... these rules are all that we have.

[devilsworkday]

Then let's ensure this ends tomorrow.

[He shifts a bit, swiping at the front of his hair a little; resettling part of it back into place, despite the fact that it doesn't really need it. Something to do with his hands.]

If it's any consolation to you, you may want to bear in mind that all of this is the true murderer's choice, not ours. We've killed no one in this circumstance; we've had guns held to our heads, and we've expressed a desire to not die, and we've expressed a desire to not see others die.

It's ultimately the murderer's decision to pull the trigger at all.

[...]

...That's how I'm going to live with this, anyway; I'm not going to bother pretending that I have any claim to innocence, but this entire thing is sick to a level that I'm not capable of fathoming, either.

[bewrightback]

[He has his head bowed as Kristoph speaks; he was in the process of sinking to despair. Once he's done talking, for a moment, Phoenix gives his hobo grin and goes on sarcastically.]

So you do have your limits, Kristoph. Now that's reassuring for humanity.

[Then he straightens himself up, in full lawyer mode, the smile fading in favor of a more neutral look.]

I have thought of consolations like that. I'm not sure if I can fully accept them, but I do appreciate you trying. This is just something I'll have to carry with me going forward. At least... I'll be able to take comfort in all of the people who manage to escape this mess.

[And then he nods in determination.]

Tomorrow. That will be the last day of this so-called 'game'!