Panther's heart

[soulping]

PRE-WRITE UP:

- I HOPE ALL OF YOU LIKE DYING…which is to say that any/all revivals that happen within the game will be instantaneous and the finishing blow that finally kills the person will remain on them as a scar for the rest of the game.
- There are no ways to go “back”; there is no “back” to go to.
- There’s no intermingling in the game aside from the starting area. This is not an excuse to party it up in the starting area...
- Powers and whatever not are off per usual, sorry.
- If you’re confused about anything, ping me on plurk or #murderpillow!

Comments

[dontcallmedarling]

[There's a sharp gasp and his body sort of... shudders. He groans in pain. He's not even seeing Panther anymore - anything in front of his vision is a haze of colors and shapes. His entire body is on fire - everything stings, or bites, or feels like it's burning away. He can't take this, but neither does he feel like stopping, it takes serious effort to put together his next sentence through the pain. Cringing as his vision sort of... goes-glossy eyed. He can make out the vague spot where Panther is, but he won't see him. Not eye to eye.]

...But you have...or...you think you have, right?

You're a doctor. You're not supposed to be killing, right? That's...against who you are...

That's why... that's why you're killing yourself over it...

[nodo]

[ Killing himself?

But he...is the one killing. That was his job here. That's what he was told by Nyssa. Panther stops what he's doing and takes a step backwards.

The piece of flesh that he had pulled away half-hanging from his chest. But yay? No more sharp things inside of him. (Good job there Panther) ]

Say, what happened to your hand? [ Not lucid but...curious. ]

[dontcallmedarling]

[That gets a weak chuckle out of Knight - he would lift it up and look at his stump, except... well, he's not really seeing.]

G...Gave it up. It...withered up.

[He's barely putting together the sentences now. He may not have sharp things inside him anymore but he was just barely clinging to consciousness as-is.]

Sacrificed it... I...guess... cause I needed to.

Cause I wasn't gonna... just not help...

[Oh, that's... darkness at the edge of my vision, isn't it.]

Kinda... messed up, didn't I...

[He's gonna just... reel blankly and probably fall under the waves of his own consciousness. He's not GONE GONE but. He goin'.]

/2

[nodo]

[ And as he watches Knight fall to the ground and unconscious, Panther will be standing there staring at his bloodied and beaten body confused. What...? What was he talking about? Helping him?

What need was there to help him? If he wanted to help him, he should have willingly accepted the punishment as the one before him did—wait what? Panther is going to look away and be extremely confused for a moment. He gave up his hand for..?

Help?

Why would he nee— ]

[nodo]

[ No, none of this matters. He just needs to focus on the task at hand. He needs to finish delivering the punishment. He needs to kill him.

Kill him. Finish his punishment. Listen to Nyssa.

Resolved renewed, he'll crouch over Knight's unconscious body and place the scalpel on his neck, right above the jugular vein. With practiced hands, he'll start cutting. ]

[dontcallmedarling]

[There's nothing more Knight can do, he gave all he had and then some. There's no struggle, no last second gasp, no fight from him. He can almost make out Panther crouching over him as darkness take him.

Panther has no resistance on the vein. If Knight's eyes are still open, they're clearly looking past Panther - he looks nearly dead already, all that's left is that final, precise, killing cut.

...? Wait... what's that. It looks like... a tattoo? It runs right over the jugular vein.

It's a collar... made of thorns... why does that seem familiar?]

/2 + soulping

[nodo]

[ Panther'll see the thorn and know it instantly. He doesn't understand what it means to him but he'll watch it as he the final cut is swift and without any hesitation. Right across the throat and deep into the vein. He'll watch the blood spill over onto the marking and flow out of Knight.

There's no hope for him, he'll be dead in a matter of moments.

Though as he stands back up and takes in the sight, he finds himself unable to leave. He's transfixed on the sight before him and— ]

[nodo]

[ Everything hits him all at once.

Again. Once again he— ]

[soulping]

[ Oh, you’ve died. But isn’t there something you want to do? Isn’t there someone you want to see? Yes, there might be someone… Here. Let’s put you back together again… now— ]

[dontcallmedarling]

[He opens his eyes.

He knows he died. He can feel it, there's that split second where everything sort of jolts alive - his heart pumping mercilessly, his lungs gasping for air, his brain running through a million things - immediately, his hand goes to search for his wounds - and he curses himself, because one of those is grasping at neck and the other is... a stump poking at his torso area. Okay, still missing the hand. He gave that up. He expects that, but-

he's alive. But what's going on? Where... is he now?]

[soulping]

[ He's still in the same room that he died in. There might be a blood puddle that he's resting on but that's probably not nearly as important as the fact that Panther is still in the room but...just nowhere to be found. There's...not a lot left to do in this room. Maybe leave some partings words for an once again rescued Cat. Maybe even look for him no matter how fruitless that may be?

The choice to leave is there. ]

[dontcallmedarling]

[He stumbles to his feet, dripping in blood - his blood. He looks around. Panther's still here. He knows he is. He calls out a bit. His voice kind of weak.]

Panther...? Panther!

[...When there's no response, he kind of...settles his shoulders, trying to put the thought out of his mind.]

...It's not your fault, okay? I'd never blame you for that. Not once.

[Hopeful that he's reached Panther with that... he moves onward.]

[soulping]

[ Those words will matter to him. He's not here physically, but he'll hear them.

They've left their mark on his heart. ]