Event Annex - The Senate Room

[pumpkinhollow]

CRY HAVOC, AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR.

W

elcome, esteemed guests, to the Senate Room.

The rules of the game are simple. You have a word over your head that you cannot see, and the same word written on a piece of paper in an envelope that also contains a key. There is a door out of this room. Each key opens the door for only one person. You can see the words above others' heads, but you cannot say them, nor can you say any direct synonyms that might give it away too easily, nor can you spell the word or its synonyms. You must find other ways to describe it to allow the other person to guess. More abstract. Get creative with it.

If you believe you know the word, speak it aloud and open your envelope to retrieve your key. If you are correct, you can leave without incident. If you are wrong, your organs will immediately fail and you will die.

Here are the words each participant has been assigned. Players can use them to refer to other players' characters to help them guess, and you can use them to check your answers when you guess, but you can also OOCly know your answer provided you don't use it to ICly cheat. Good luck.

Agent Connecticut

Fickle

Agni Azimar

Traitor (there is an additional document contained in this envelope)

Aloy

Obstinate

Ancient Fuelweaver

Ruined

Anzu Menelikov

Deceitful

Artemy Burakh

Tainted

Capochin Bastone

Inadequate

Cassandra de Rolo

Cynical

Dahlia Leeds

Insatiable

Daisy Tonner

Merciless

Elias Coldwood

Discarded

Ethan Winters

Insufficient

Felix Gaeta

Imprudent

Hector Monaque

Covetous

Jonathan Sims

Hubristic

Lev/Lyubov Morgenshtern

Weak

Luo Binghe

Alone

Marik Ishtar

Megalomaniacal

Mr. Ant Tenna

Histrionic

Papyrus

Ineffectual

Sasavachi Chunome

Misanthropic

Shen Qingqiu

Pretentious

Simon

Selfish

Violet Vespertine

Cowardly

✦Return to Event ✦

Comments

Wrap with Tenna, OTA for continuation

[thethirteenthchild]

"I love you very much, my friend," Dahlia tells him just before he leaves. "I'll be behind you before too long. Good luck."

She has a good guess as to her word... if she doesn't get eaten alive by the abrupt boom in detectives first.

The door closes behind Tenna. It was for them. That's what matters.

No hiding. No excuses. No father to pass the buck to, nor dreary mansion to shield her. She turns to face her sin, to answer judgement.

[ Dahlia is OTA from here. ]

[not_the_last]

And as Tenna slips away -- in time to see Tenna slip away -- Cassandra approaches. No one else has turned away from the body on the floor yet; there's still time, if only a little.

Her face is set as she steps up to Dahlia, pale and verging on grim.

"We will have a discussion about this later," she says, flat and very quiet. "For right now, do you need me to back you up?"

[thethirteenthchild]

"No," Dahlia says. "I did that so that he could go find the kids. You saw his word, he was never going to get that. Let him find the children, and I'll be the monster."

After all, she already was.

Her frown deepens, and she doesn't make eye contact. "...Whatever happens is fine."

[not_the_last]

"If this turns into a free-for-all, none of us may get out alive. I'm not letting that happen."

She's clearly angry, but just as clearly putting that aside with almost visible force.

"Get your back to a wall, at least. I don't want to invite any sudden leaps of bravado."

[thethirteenthchild]

With a huff that is almost petulant, Dahlia takes a step back and presses her shoulders to the wall beside the door. "They can do whatever they want with me."

There's something dark to her demeanor now. Something cold. A version of her that hasn't been seen in nearly two years now, back before she met Daisy and Radar. The version of herself she was left with after Ianto. The version of herself she was before offworlders started coming at all. Aster's daughter, cornered wolf, hollow-eyed shark.

If Cassandra hates her now, fine. If the others hate her, fine. If they execute her, fine. Someone had to go to the children. She wasn't going to leave Tenna in here to deal with the consequences of giving her the damn knife, nor was she going to stab him.

[hadnoright]

Daisy's with her the second she's alone again for even a second, something innately protective in her posture despite her frankly ridiculous night clothes or the uncertainty in the whisper-hiss, "Blodyn what the hell was that?"

[thethirteenthchild]

"I let Tenna go," Dahlia says quickly. "He's sturdy and not interesting enough to Eligos to get sidetracked by more schemes, and he was never going to guess his word. I've almost got mine figured out, and yours is----" Dahlia purses her lips. "---somewhat expected. I'm not worried about us."

[hadnoright]

Daisy's gaze instinctively flicks up over her own head where she, of course, still can't see anything. You'd think it'd be reassuring to know it should be guessable, and yet.

She drags her tongue over her teeth. Thoughtful. "...and if he gets out. He's hopefully safe. And can find others. Yeah?" A beat. "...I'd be more worried about who else has one of those knives. Was that his, first?"

[thethirteenthchild]

A tight nod. "He told me to stab him. I... couldn't." Dahlia chews her lip. "The man I killed had one as well. He--- passed it to me. On the way out."

[hadnoright]

"Jesus christ."

She rubs her face. Lets an incisor catch her tongue. "...I know of one other. He said he shouldn't use it. I agreed."

She's not going to name Jon aloud, just in case, but Dahlia might well be able to figure it out on her own. Who else would show Daisy and not expect it turned back on them?

[thethirteenthchild]

"Heavens, no. Something like this could happen."

[hadnoright]

Daisy muffles a snort of laughter in her hand that she doesn't want others overhearing, then clears her throat and says: "He's got worst judgement than you. And he's worse with knives. Not sure he'd pull it off without getting it turned on him."

[thethirteenthchild]

Abruptly figuring out who it is just from this, Dahlia gives her a look. "Gods, no. You're kidding me. Him?"

(not here)

[apocryphalarchivist]

A glance from across the room is met, awkwardly, and Jon sinks a bit further into his chair. He then proceeds to give the two of them the most pathetic little uneasy wave he could possibly manage, before pointedly trying to look away.

[hadnoright]

"Who else? If there's some bullshit going on. Somehow he gets pulled in. Fundamental nature of the bloody universe."

Caring for the bastard is a battle in itself. He's like the central orbit point of a galaxy of dangerous nonsense. And he's— did he just wave at them? Oh my god.

[thethirteenthchild]

Yep. He just waved at them. Isn't he supposed to be the most knowledgeable being in his own universe or something?

(Having knowledge, it seems, says nothing of how to use it.)

"As long as he keeps it to himself, it'll be fine. But if his word has any merit, we'll have to see how that actually goes." She sighs. "I don't--- I don't want to avoid consequences for what I've done. It was wrong. But I had to. I'll answer for it as best as I can without throwing myself on the sword. Just back me up if things get too bad."

[hadnoright]

"I believe him." And if he proves her an idiot for it, she'll smack him up the head later, so long as they both survive. "He— told me to take it, if someone gets to him first. But I'm not letting that happen if I can help it. Just like I'm not letting anything happen to you."

She'll back her up. Like she always has. Horrible as it is that she had to kill a man, Daisy doesn't care. Her people come first.

[mortifer]

One person leaves -- the murderer stays. She does not attempt to follow the other out, nor does she wield her knife to defend herself when she is approached. It's not the actions of a calculated killer acting to ensure their own survival, despite the brutal neatness of the killing blow.

Perhaps it's the fact that there are many bodies, living and perhaps soon-to-be-dead, packed into this room. Perhaps an arrangement was made in secret. Perhaps it's for another reason entirely. Sasavachi does not know.

This is why he despises living among people.

It is only because Artemy had helped him that Sasavachi approaches the murderer. He does not leave a debt unrepaid, even if he'd only spoken to the man once. He pulls up a chair. Hops onto it, so he may better study the woman's face.

"You're quiet."

A statement. Matter-of-fact.

[thethirteenthchild]

The murderer stands straight-backed and stone-faced. The dignified posture of a noblewoman, paired with the hungry, dark eyes of a shark. She arches a brow at Sasavachi. "Should I not be?" she asks. "Would you like me to sing you a song or something?"