[week two - saturday]

[hypertoxic]

[ So, like, anyway, today sure happened a lot.

A few hours into the evening and Vriska is just ... chilling by the bonfire, staring pensively into the flames as she rather mechanically brushes her hair. It is looking a lot better than the hornet's nest full of secrets (and also hornets) it was looking like this morning. Like, not totally fixed, but better.

Honestly, she seems pretty lost in thought, but as Newt passes by on his way back to his hut, Vriska will actually wave at him with the brush. ]

Hey. Tired?

[ They all are, probably. ]

Comments

[completelycrazy]

[Newt just huffs out a breath and sinks into his chair. He's so tired.]

Yeah... Man, I don't know what her motivations were, but I don't want to believe that she'd throw all of us under the bus intentionally. I, like, know her... Kind of. She's not that heartless. Or spiteful. There's no way.

[hypertoxic]

You believe that because you are a nice person, Newt. It is one of your best qualities. All I am going to say is that you should be careful. Believing in everyone just because it strikes you as the right thing to do could get you killed in a place like this, and I don't want to see that happen to you.

[completelycrazy]

That's not it. I don't believe in everyone, and knowing Austria's not evil doesn't have anything to do with me wanting to do the right thing.

[Does it? Whatever, he'll puzzle over that later.]

I'm not naive, Vriska. I know one of us killed Josh, and Austria by proxy.

[hypertoxic]

[ ... ]

Good. I am glad to hear that. Well ... fuck. You know what I mean.

[ another pause. somewhat indignantly: ]

And I never thought Austria was evil! I just thought she was a bitch.

[completelycrazy]

[He sighs. He's not really in the mood to be arguing about this right now.]

Whatever. She's still my friend, and she's still dying tomorrow.

[hypertoxic]

That she is. [ With a certain drawl that isn't blasé so much as it is resigned. ] Prussia will take good care of her. I'm sure it's a small comfort, but at least her death will be relatively painless! That is more than most of us will probably get. And then we get to go through this whole freakish circus again next week. Bluh.

[completelycrazy]

[He chews on this for a moment.] I suppose that's comforting, yeah. I guess if I had to pick, I'd rather go out by execution. At least we get some say in things, y'know? I wouldn't want to be, like... Mm. I wouldn't want to end up like Haru or Josh.

[He scrubs his hands over his face, careful not to knock his glasses into the sand. That has been happening a lot lately.] I don't know how we're supposed to keep this up for two months, Vriska.

[hypertoxic]

[ Vriska will stay quiet for a long moment. ]

I don't know if we will keep it up for two months. Can you see this group surviving that long?

[ Cups her face in her hands, looking thoughtful. ]

I have been thinking there has to be another way to end this game.

[completelycrazy]

[He frowns at that.]

I... What choice do we have? Yeah, Austria's stunt tonight guarantees us, um, four bodies a week, but... Do you think we're going to start killing each other with abandon or something?

[...] Where's your head at?

[hypertoxic]

That's not what I mean, though I guess that would be pretty efficient? [ gives him a kind of incredulous glance. ] Another way out, Newt. You really think killing is the only way to do it? I don't.

[completelycrazy]

Efficient. [His frown deepens.] That's one word for it. And, I don't know. I've been entertaining some theories as to how we're even here in the first place, but... If there's a way out, I doubt it's something that'll be accessible to us. Current running theory is that this is an incredibly elaborate simulation, and if that's the case, I think we're pretty thoroughly stuck.

[hypertoxic]

Who knows. Maybe? Breaking down the constraints of reality is pretty ambitious! Maybe in other circumstances we could afford to think that optimistically. My goal from the start has been to find a way to break the rules. It's what I do! I will find a way. I always do.