TIAMAT + DAWON

[soulping]

[At any time when they are not in the hot seat, PARTICIPATING MEMBERS may slip away to their dressing room. It's small and comfortable, with seats for everyone, and water. Otherwise, it's bare.]

[They will not be permitted to stay in the room when they are up on the hot seat.]

Comments

[carptricks]

[he bets he knows which three, too]

I'm here.

[scooting closer; he saw that one of those penalties was isolation, so. . . he might as well keep her as much company as he can before the penalty kicks in]

[hyanaimne]

[she lifts her head to look at him, peeking out of her hood . . .

Then she stands up straight and starts searching through her cloak, almost frantically]

[carptricks]

[???]

Clover? What're you looking for?

[hyanaimne]

[she hisses out a curse, then kneels down to look in her . . . boot?]

My knife.

[carptricks]

[boots are not strange places to keep knives]

[but now he seems alarmed]

For what?

[hyanaimne]

So I can kill myself.

[despite the expression, it comes out fairly calm and even]

[carptricks]

Clover. . .

[her name comes out fairly pained, although despite her proclamation he doesn't seem. . . surprised. just upset]

[hyanaimne]

[her weapons are gone, of course, she shouldn't be surprised, but she still lets out a hissed curse and slams her fist back against the wall when she comes up empty-handed]

What?

[carptricks]

D-do you-- [god he has never handled the subject of death gracefully. never]

[deep breaths, Kuroba]

D'you really think that's the best course of action to take right now?

[hyanaimne]

What other options do I have, Kaito?

[carptricks]

[I don't know]

[once again clenches his hands into fists at his sides]

I don't-- I don't. . . I don't know, okay?!

[his frustration is evident]

I know things are gonna suck in a few minutes, but I can't just--

[death is temporary in Kyriakos, if death is an escape from multiple things she thinks are worse than death, then shouldn't she-- . . . no. he can't think like that. he just. he just can't, no matter how hard he tries]

I can't just watch while you do something like that right in front of me!

[hyanaimne]

[oh look an argument she's had before, in another trauma game with someone else]

Then don't watch.

[carptricks]

[he shouldn't make this about him (but it's Clover), she has way worse penalties than he does (but he cares about her), it's her choice and death is temporary and (he can't watch even more people he cares about die, isn't this just a way of saying "I give up" or. . .?)]

[he grasps for her hand again, if she'll let him. he's shaking]

[hyanaimne]

[she looks away, hiding back in her hood, but she doesn't pull her hand away. It's limp and shaking]

[carptricks]

[he really, really does not want to argue with her right now but he just]

[can't]

[he can't he can't he can't he can't, he can't ever condone that as a way to avoid non-lethal penalties in a came, he just can't]

[squeezes her hand tightly and doesn't say anything else]

[hyanaimne]

[well, it's either she goes through with it and saves herself some sanity, or faces the penalties suffers the consequences that'll last long after that. It isn't like she wants to kill herself.

She squeezes back after a long moment, just as tightly]

[carptricks]

[he knows. it's why he tried to see things from her point of view for a moment there. but it's so diametrically opposed to his own, and it feeds into his fear of loss that still has only begun to heal, that his attempts to do so just petrify him]

[SO HE'LL JUST]

[STAND HERE. HOLDING HER HAND. SUPER TIGHTLY]

[hyanaimne]

[tl;dr today is the worst day ever in existence]

[carptricks]

[YEAH KAITO HASN'T HAD A TRAUMA GAME THIS BAD IN]

[FOREVER]

[hyanaimne]

[CLOVER DID NOT DO WELL IN THE LAST ONE

so this could either tie or take over as second place, considering Yaksinis' game still tops her list]

[carptricks]

[Kaito's worst one before now wasn't even a Kyr game]

[but otherwise it'd be Nyssa's popularity game]

[WAY TO USURP YOURSELF FOR "WORST GAME EVER EXPERIENCED IN KYR" NYSSA]

[hyanaimne]

[unfortunately being tortured will top anything ever.

Except more torture

Who knows this may tie for first considering]