[week four - saturday]

[hypertoxic]

[ As soon as she can pry herself away from literally everybody assaulting her for discussions and answers and what have you, Vriska will sneak away as quickly and directly as she can to find the Chiefs. ]

We made a deal, [ she'll hiss, literally the instant she finds Hal. ] It's time for you to pay up.

Comments

[chiefexe]

[ Oh, he's been waiting for this. Here's Hal, in his hammock again like last time, smiling a little. ]

Hey, Vriska. You ever read any human literature before?

[hypertoxic]

No. We might have had a troll version of it, but I wouldn't know for sure unless you described it. Your point is?

[chiefexe]

There's this book. S'where the word Siren comes from. It's a myth, y'see? About these things -- mermaids, usually. Beautiful women who sit on rocks and lure sailors to their deaths with their songs.

[ For the record, his eyes are closed and he's chewing on his leaf, arms tucked behind his head. ]

Ever heard of anything like that?

[hypertoxic]

Aquatic temptresses? Sure, who hasn't? If the point of this is just to tell me that our job as Sirens is literally to lure people to their deaths, I think I kinda got that point already.

[ why is hal this way. ]

[chiefexe]

[ A shake of his head. ]

No. Get deeper with it. Really pull it apart and see what you come up with. If you're a Siren and the folks out there are the sailors, what else is part of this metaphor?

[hypertoxic]

[ Quirks a brow. ]

The medium? Which I guess in this elaborate metaphor is the sea. That would be how we're killing them, right? Pulling them into the sea, making them drown.

[chiefexe]

Cold, Vriska.

[ Hal sighs, looking at her finally with disappointment! He expected better, Spidergirl. ]

I'm sayin', kid, Sirens sing false tales and you've been singing the falsest one of them all.

[ And then he jerks a thumb towards the volcano. ]

[hypertoxic]

[ There is an extended silence as her eyes follow his motions before settling on the volcano. ]

... seriously? This whole time? Like, I got the whole part about lying to tempt people to their deaths because what the fuck else have I been doing with my life since I got here! Lying lying lying. To everyone! It is depressingly easy to dupe these saps when they think you've got a sob story. But you're telling me we've been lying to ourselves about the volcano spirit?

[chiefexe]

[ Ehehehe. ]

The fuck is the point of a Siren if it ain't got a song to sing? What we were gonna do, let you make one up yourselves? You'd fuck that up.

[hypertoxic]

God, you are such a piece of shit.

[ Vriska pinches the bridge of her nose. ]

So, what, was there ever a risk of the volcano blowing if we failed, or was that just "encouragement"?

[chiefexe]

The only person who can blow that thing is me and I'm not inclined either way just yet. Suppose if you fuck it up and don't do your job, I might.

[ Ah! ]

Hey, maybe I'm the volcano spirit!

1/2

[hypertoxic]

[hypertoxic]

You're funny, [ she drawls. ] Hysterical! Wow, I just can't stop laughing over what a razor sharp wit you are! I think I might start choking I am laughing so hard. Fuck, I sure hope you know how to do CPR to save me from suffocating thanks to all this laughing!

[ HUFF. huff puff. ]

So it really is just last man standing, huh? Has been all along? There never was a third option for ending the game.

[chiefexe]

No.

[ This is the best part!! ]

There's one surefire way to finish the game and get back to your lives. So, okay, how's this. The Wickie. "Wickie" is another term for a person who maintains a lighthouse. What are lighthouses meant to do, Spidey?

[hypertoxic]

Provide light and guide the way, unless you are once again referring to some kind of deeper meaning that I am too dumb to understand. They warn ships of perilous coastlines, or mark safe harbors!

[chiefexe]

Nope, you got it.

So, next part. The Lighthouse Keeper maintains the lighthouse to lead sailors to safe harbors.

The Sirens lead sailors to their certain deaths.

Which one ya think is needed to end the game and which one isn't?

[hypertoxic]

... logic dictates the only one you'd need is the Wickie.

[ ... ]

Unless there is some mechanism that requires death to "get everyone back" to their regular lives.

[chiefexe]

Haha, nah. I did that last time. Only one set of folk need to die this time.

[ :) ]

[hypertoxic]

[ stares at him. ]

So, us. Which at this point is just me and Fie.

[chiefexe]

Haha, yeah.

[ Isn't that fun? ]

But you can't kill yourselves and you can't tell anyone else. This is your prize for last week. I honestly thought you'd die at the trial which is why I suggested Shinji but hey! Look at you, you wily survivor. Still pretty sure someone's gonna come after you but...

Fie? Bit of a toss up there. Especially when y'all Sirens have convinced the sailors you're oh so essential to surviving. Heck, look at how they reacted to Serph. S'why I let Neku have the gun, he was the only one thinking straight there.

[hypertoxic]

[ Vriska is silent for a long, long moment.

And then she'll hold up two fingers, her expression stony. ]

Two. I want two independent kills this week. And I will make your trial interesting, Hal.

[ Her sudden grin is wide and spidery. ]

If I can't tell the others how to end the game, then I will just end it myself.

[chiefexe]

[ Well, you got him interested enough to sit up. He does, swings a little in the hammock as he stares at her for a long, long moment and chews on his grass.

Then he smiles. ]

One independent kill. I give you the name of the Wickie. You can't kill Fie and you can't kill the Wickie. You also can't give the Wickie Fie's name.

You make that interesting and maybe I'll even throw in a little extra something for you to have when this is all done. A prize of sorts.

[hypertoxic]

[ Her frown twists into a faint snarl when he denies her the second kill, but she swallows the anger back down. Vriska folds her arms over her chest and considers him. ]

... what kind of prize. I want up front clarifications this time, Hal, no more bullshit.

[chiefexe]

[ He holds his hands up, innocent. ]

No bullshit. Name it right now and I'll tell you if I can do it or not.

[hypertoxic]

[ ................... ]

If she wants it... you give Jinah a clean slate. Let her start over without any of the time travel bullshit she's had to put up with. But only if she wants it.

[ Waves a hand, airy and dismissive. ]

I can sort my own life out and I don't need shit from you.

[chiefexe]

[ He smiles wide then, holding out a hand to shake. ]

You have a deal. I'm the honest one, by the way.

[hypertoxic]

[ ...

Vriska will answer his smile with one of her own, small and secret, and reach out to shake his hand. ]

Sure you are.

[ She'll turn to go, waving over her shoulder. ]

Pleasure doing business with you as always, Hal.

[chiefexe]

[ And just to call after her before he sits back down -- ]

The last Wickie is Lucina!

[ Please doing business, indeed. ]