TAKSHAKA

[soulping]

Comments

ROUND 1

[soulping]

[You find yourselves standing in a very small, very white room. Your clothes are dry, you are dry, but you swear you can feel the heavy sway of water weighing upon your limbs. At least the temperature is normal, and you’re breathing just fine.

In the middle of the room is a white pedestal, on top of which you find two glass spheres: one large, and one small. There are no exits.]

What will you choose, my darling dears? If you’d like to earn two keys, destroy the larger. If you’d like to earn one, destroy the smaller. You cannot earn three.

Or perhaps you’d prefer that another team to undergo the trial in your place …? If so, merely speak the team’s name, clearly and purposefully, before destroying your sphere of choice. Ah! Unfortunately, the Cats are not an option.

Re: ROUND 1

[barrette]

[ this is an expression of sheer horror ]

This is...

Re: ROUND 1

[freewilly]

--Sparrow?

Re: ROUND 1

[areyoukittenme]

Monstrous.

[ GUESS WHO'S BACK IN TOWN. ]

Re: ROUND 1

[hopefullybetter]

You've gotta be joking.

[it's disbelief that can be heard in his voice, definitely. it's also pretty deadpan.]

Re: ROUND 1

[withmyownfists]

If it's a joke, it's not a funny one.

[ sparrow's having ptsd flashbacks ]

Re: ROUND 1

[withmyownfists]

"Cats aren't an option?"

[ not that she would suggest doing something to another team, much less the cats, anyway, but-- this just means-- ]

So she is doing something special to them.

[ and probably something extra horrible. just like last time... ]

TURN IN

[areyoukittenme]

[ Magpie walks up to the larger sphere, and breaks it with an angry kick. ]

[withmyownfists]

[ or you could do that ]

--Magpie . . .

Re: TURN IN

[soulping]

[Amongst the broken shards of glass, you find a small crystal vial full of red, blood-like liquid. There’s barely enough for a single mouthful …]

Drink, and earn your keys.

ROUND 2

[soulping]

[You find yourself standing in another very small, very white room. The heaviness lingers … and is it just you, or can you feel a niggling tightness in your chest? A difficulty drawing breath? Maybe, just maybe, just for a second here and there, you feel water in your mouth and nose ... But there's nothing there.

Once again, there’s a pedestal in the middle of the room, but now there are three spheres upon it: one large, one small — and another small one, this one featuring frosted glass whiskers.

A member of the Cat team is leashed to the pedestal, by a long, deceptively-delicate looking silver chain. The chain is attached to a silver collar; it doesn’t look like there’s a way to remove it.]

This time, my doves, you may choose to undertake either one trial … or two! What will you do? And who will reap the benefit of your arduous labours …? There are three keys available to you here.

You may, of course — if you have not already done so — choose to pass one trial along to another team.

((In this round, you may do one of the following:
- Break one of the regular spheres, either the large or the small.
- Break one of the regular spheres, and the whiskered sphere.
- Break only the whiskered sphere.

If you break the whiskered sphere, you may choose to donate that key to the Cat. You can also choose to keep it for yourself! No other keys can be donated to the Cat. The Cat can choose to help with the trial … or you could try to force them ;D))

Re: ROUND 2

[featherduster]

[ HI SNAKES

LOVELY DAY WE'RE HAVING ]

Re: ROUND 2

[hopefullybetter]

[whAT THE FuCK]

Vash!?

Re: ROUND 2

[areyoukittenme]

[ Magpie lifts her head. She's sitting on the floor, blood and spittle dripping from the corner of her mouth whenever she heaves a cough. ]

.. Ah. The trap.

TURN IN

[withmyownfists]

[ ONLY after vash has taken it upon himself to take magpie's ailment, roc will be smashing the cat-shaped orb, and hawk will be busting the large, regular orb. ]

ROUND 3

[soulping]

[Welcome to yet another very small, very white room. You’re wracked by icy shivers, even though you know — you know — that it’s pleasantly warm in here. You know that you can’t breathe, that there’s water in your mouth, nose, ears, in your throat, choking you; that the water is weighing you down —

You’re in a very small, very white room, with a pedestal bearing two spheres: one large, one small. You can breathe. You’re not drowning. You’re okay. Right?]

Just like the first round, my darlings! You may earn two keys, or one — make your choices wisely.

Re: ROUND 3

[hopefullybetter]

[That sucks so much and also so does my everything on the inside. He's being a trooper, at least, and there isn't much sound aside from some whimpering here and there.]

Re: ROUND 3

[barrette]

[ I DON'T LIKE DROWNING ]

Urgh...

Re: ROUND 3

[freewilly]

[ SO MUCH DROWNING TRAUMA HERE trying to keep himself under control as he looks between Roc, Hawk, Magpie and the two spheres they have to choose between ]

Re: ROUND 3

[withmyownfists]

[ Water. Water everywhere. Or the sensation of it. But all she really wants is something to eat. She's so hungry.

Between her deep and growing hunger and the feeling like she is half-drowning, submerged in icy water, even though there is no water present, it's too much for her to even contemplate taking another sphere. In fact, she doesn't hear Nyssa at all, and it's arguable whether or not she even remembers where or why they are anymore.

All she's really aware of in this moment, as she huddles as far away from all the other meatbagsothers in the room is how terribly hungry she is. ]

Re: ROUND 3

[areyoukittenme]

[ FUCK NYSSA FUCK THIS PLACE. ]

It must be over soon.

turn in

[freewilly]

[ steals himself up and walks over to the pedestal and dropping the large one onto the ground ]

ROUND 4

[soulping]

♬

[You’re going to run out of air. You know that, now, though the sensations come and go. You need to get out; there’s not long left until you drown.

Not long left until before you drown, in a very small, very white room, with a pedestal standing in the center. Set atop of it are two spheres: one large, and one small.]

You know what to do ♥

Re: ROUND 4

[barrette]

[ IMMEDIATELY GRABBING THE LARGE SPHERE AND THROWING IT ON THE GROUND

we're gonna drown no time to discuss things ]

...

[soulping]

[Your final keys—or key, singular—appear, leaving you with a total of: 8]

[Head to ENDGAME]