[Ben just kind of stares at Sebastian in horror because, um. What? His hand grips Sebastian's more tightly.]
That's... the only way?
[Frankly, Ben looks like he doesn't really want to die! That seems bad! But he looks over at Cloud fighting Jason and Bradley, closing his eyes for a moment.]
I-If they're not cured, then... they have to die, right?
[And if Cloud and Sebastian hadn't come along, it'd probably be him fighting Bradley and Jason instead—probably him who would've had to kill them.
It's as Sebastian says. The choice, ultimately, comes down to which is worse: death or living on with loss.
Opening his eyes, he looks towards Marshmallow is hiding. They should probably, like, get him back to Albamanny somehow? Not that Sebastian would know this, having no idea who this cat or his snowman owner are. But still, Ben murmurs,]
... No one ever really wants to be alone, huh...
[It seems like he's made up his mind, however, as he turns back to Sebastian.]
... Okay. I've... I've lived long enough— [even though his voice shakes] —so... whatever has to be done.
[... But he will probably need help? I'm not saying it HAS to be Sebastian who kills him as so much he took this duty upon himself while Cloud is busy, but Ben apparently does not come with an auto-suicide function, so. Please provide assistance...]
[ god... sebastian knows nothing about this spirit. he doesn't even know his name; he showed up too late to the scene to hear bradley or jason say it, and whatever name everyone kept saying when they spoke about the calamity was never anything but static to him. but the way he talks and reacts to things makes him feel like maybe they're kind of similar. he hates this.
he squeezes his hand harder, tears already starting to spill over, and looks over to where cloud is still fending off both of the others. he's really going to have to do this himself, isn't he. ]
I-I've never had to do this before, but... I'll try to make it fast, okay?
[ he wishes they could take the time to work out the best way to do this, but they can't, and if he takes too long then he'll be doing this for nothing. so... he lets go of ben's hand and moves to wrap him in a hug from behind as he takes sen's kitchen knife from his pocket, hoping like hell that it's sharp enough to do this.
he closes his eyes for a second, trying to remember exactly where the wound had been on that bodyguard's neck, and what it looked like. the autopsy report had said his death had been almost instant, right? s-so all he needs to do is try to recreate that. yeah.
opening his eyes again, he raises the knife to ben's throat, to what he hopes is the right spot and the right angle. ]
You guys were really lucky to have each other as a family.
[ those are nice last words to hear, right? though he's crying so much now that he doesn't know how well ben will even be able to hear them.
he takes a deep breath, presses in the tip of the knife...
[ cloud gets the impression that somewhere else, not too far away, sebastian is having a bad time.
but he is busy having his own bad time, because jason tackles him at the waist to the ground. he has a waist wound. i'd forgotten but he does have that. SO that SUCKS, and there goes the sword because he was only holding it one handed anyway. it lands somewhere out of reach. ]
Jason-- [ it's an objection, and maybe a bit of an apology, as once he hits the ground with jason on top of him he reaches in his pocket for the razor blade he carries and tries to stab him somewhere that will hurt enough so he gets out but not anywhere near actual wounds.
unfortunately he did not account for the fact that bradley is also here ready for a good time, not a long time, and that jostles his attack so woops there's now a razor blade stab in jason's chest instead.
bradley is getting elbowed for his efforts. probably in the face. i want jason and bradley to have matching busted noses for all the sibling jokes?
anyway cloud's on the ground sebastian please gather your sad pixie dust faster ]
[Sorry for Cloud being on the ground, Jason is a big dude. There's too little coherency there for him bothering knowing how to, like, grab and pin though, so Cloud lucks out in that regard.
Basically the most he can think to do is bite and rip and destroy? Cloud is really out here being bitten by two feral, fiendish dudes? Using his weight, he dives in to bite down into Cloud's neck. Sadly, not a sexy bite, and sadly not a sexy vampire bite either.
The stab to the chest, though, reels him back and away. He reaches up to grab over the warm wave of blood soaking through the clothes.] ...Cl...oud...? [Nothing better than having clarity during the worst possible moment.
Why is there a metallic taste in his mouth? AAAA.]
[This is neither a good or a long time, and in fact, is a very stressful time. Wizards usually retain some amount of themselves until they get fucking eaten so being human shaped and not himself is terrible.
Bradley, however, is once again lost to the corruption. Getting elbowed in the face and breaking a nose isn't enough to shock him back to himself.
He digs his nails into Cloud's arm, tearing down.]
[Ben lets himself be wrapped into the hug, trembling. With that, he closes his eyes again, and waits for the end to come. Thankfully, the knife is sharp enough as Sebastian slashes into his neck, blood splattering from the wound. A wave of energy—almost sharp like electricity—will force Sebastian back, before Ben slumps to the ground.
Then, after a few moments, Ben's body disintegrates into blue dust, until that's the only trace of him left.
Should probably do something with that now! If Sebastian does, in fact, do anything like take the dust and throw it at Jason and Bradley, then they'll find their bodies absorbing the dust into themselves. Their minds will slowly return to normal, the black fading from their sclera.
From inside the bush, Marshmallow, who definitely saw all this happen, lets out a pitiful meow.]
[ oh god... he looks guiltily at the cat and chokes back a sob, whispering i'm sorry as he shakily takes a handkerchief out of his pocket and tries to gather up all the dust. he doesn't even know what he's supposed to do with it, no one ever told him how this works, and it ends up wet in a few spots from where his tears fell on it.
once it's collected, he scrambles to his feet and runs back to where the fighting is happening; and without any better ideas, he takes some in his hand and blows it in each of their faces — jason first since he's actually staying still enough at the moment to be approachable, then at bradley. ]
[ jason moves off after his bite and cloud lets go of the razor blade still stuck in jason's chest (his bad.) to slap that hand against his throat with a noise of mild panic. blood seeps between his fingers at a worrying rate.
he did not need the added scratching up, so while cloud's just moving harshly to get jason fully off him, bradley is getting a kick to the chest that might break ribs. if mira wants that.
and then sebastian shows up with the powder and tears and wow!!! he sure hopes this works because he's kind of dazedly sitting there putting pressure on his UNSEXY THROAT BITE. he watches the change on both of them with wide eyes
wow instant cure just add the souls of your tiny clock friends ]
[It's fine, he can join Rupert in the coming out with something sharp stuck in a body part.
Sebastian's return startles him, and he snaps his head up. The feral, ravenous nature comes back at someone new, but he gets a face full of dead clock spirit friend ashes. He chokes and reaches up to swat at the dust around his face. NO, HE CAN'T... see?
As the dust absorbs into him, the hunger and the crave for violence slowly dissipates. He's left... so fucking tired. It feels like he's run a marathon sure, but worse, it feels like his insides are heavy. The black recedes from his eyes. Slowly, his hands lower, and he looks up. Every damn ache and pain hits him at once, and he bends over to put a hand on the ground. Groans.]
[There's the particular, sickening crunch of a rib breaking when Cloud kicks him off.
The blue dust works it's magic, slowly returning him to coherency. Everything feels heavier than it should. He flexes his hands and makes a face at the taste in his mouth. ]
... Marshmallow?
[ Jason can cover their clock, what happened to their cat? ]
[Slowly, Marshmallow leaves the bush, approaching Jason and Bradley; sorry, Cloud and Sebastian, but you're strangers to him and also one of you just killed his friend?
After a few moments, he runs back to the cavern. Presumably, they should follow once they're ready. But for now, everything is calm once more.]
[ cloud would explain the murder spirit lore but SOMEONE tore at his throat with their MOUTH, so he's just holding onto that and thinking the prospect of getting back up from the ground sucks
also he needs to pick up his sword. this sucks too.
anyway he's absolutely attempting that now so they can go in a cave, it's fine, everyone looks like they need a trauma moment or two so he can just do that in the background while they are very sad ]
[Sorry, he looks sort of mortified at the idea of Ben saving them by being murdered. In any other situation, he might have killed Sebastian on the spot for this, but it’s fine. Trauma! It had to be done! They were feral raccoons with rabies trying the kill.
He squeezes his hands into fists and grits his teeth. Does it mean Ben’s life was any less when they went through all that trouble and time… for this to be the fate that awaited?] Dammit, Ben… Marshmallow, wait! [The frustrated sorrow fades as Cloud starts to get up. STOP! He gets up too! Very unsteadily, but it’s fine.
He has a whole ass knife sticking out of him but he says,] Don’t move around too much. [He can’t pull this thing out, or he’ll bleed worse, so he just holds around it.]
[He looks, somehow, even more tired. He got corrupted and almost turned into a fiend, but having people dying on him is really the worst news. Especially after weeks of having people die.
Getting up, slowly, gingerly, mindful of his broken rib.]
[They follow Marshmallow, and once more, they end up in the Time Channel. This time, their path takes them to the year 10XX, back to Jason and Bradley's home. At the very least, while Ben won't be returning, Marshmallow can reunite with Albamanny before Albamanny melts and passes onto the afterlife.
When that happens, the four of them make their way back to the Time Channel. Cloud and Sebastian have succeeded in their mission, in changing history and averting the apocalypse. They're not here to go back to their original time, though.
The four of them have somewhere else to return to, don't they?]
FOR THE PARTICIPANTS: SEBASTIAN DEBESTE, CLOUD STRIFE, JASON TODD, BRADLEY BAIN: A GOOD END.
In the purpose of Entertainment as relating to the Hotel, this Excursion is now complete. Participants will return to the hotel in a random location in the condition that they are leaving the Excursion, maintaining all injuries. They will not be permitted to bring any weapons back onto the premise: any weapons embedded in the bodies of the Participants will turn to stardust upon arrival. For your participation in this Excursion, the Participants will receive the following rewards:
★ Two Tickets per Participant to be redeemed in the Hotel's Gift Shop. ★ Their memories of the excursion and all injuries. ★ The clothes upon their backs. ★ Some other trinkets may be kept. Terms and conditions may apply.
[Their trinkets include:
First, the VHS tape that Sebastian and Cloud obtained.
Second, because unfortunately you cannot just take a live cat out with you, they will have a single Tamagotchi that holds Marshmallow. It is always snowing inside the Tamagotchi.
Trinkets do not include anything else they picked up on the journey, including any bandages they might have used.
Finally, until the end of Saturday, they will find themselves afflicted with certain effects:
Sebastian & Cloud will occasionally be hit with a wave of exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration, as though they've been traveling endlessly without food or water. These will come and go.
Jason & Bradley will find themselves frequently hungrier than usual. Furthermore, once in a while, they'll be struck with the paranoia that the authorities are coming for them for their clock heist.
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guestservices) wrote2022-07-10 05:39 pm
no subject
The smack to his face brings him back for a moment-]
Grrr...oss...
[Biting. Ew.
It doesn't last long enough. He charges at Cloud with a hand outstretched, like he wants to cut at his arm.]
no subject
That's... the only way?
[Frankly, Ben looks like he doesn't really want to die! That seems bad! But he looks over at Cloud fighting Jason and Bradley, closing his eyes for a moment.]
I-If they're not cured, then... they have to die, right?
[And if Cloud and Sebastian hadn't come along, it'd probably be him fighting Bradley and Jason instead—probably him who would've had to kill them.
It's as Sebastian says. The choice, ultimately, comes down to which is worse: death or living on with loss.
Opening his eyes, he looks towards Marshmallow is hiding. They should probably, like, get him back to Albamanny somehow? Not that Sebastian would know this, having no idea who this cat or his snowman owner are. But still, Ben murmurs,]
... No one ever really wants to be alone, huh...
[It seems like he's made up his mind, however, as he turns back to Sebastian.]
... Okay. I've... I've lived long enough— [even though his voice shakes] —so... whatever has to be done.
[... But he will probably need help? I'm not saying it HAS to be Sebastian who kills him as so much he took this duty upon himself while Cloud is busy, but Ben apparently does not come with an auto-suicide function, so. Please provide assistance...]
no subject
[ god... sebastian knows nothing about this spirit. he doesn't even know his name; he showed up too late to the scene to hear bradley or jason say it, and whatever name everyone kept saying when they spoke about the calamity was never anything but static to him. but the way he talks and reacts to things makes him feel like maybe they're kind of similar. he hates this.
he squeezes his hand harder, tears already starting to spill over, and looks over to where cloud is still fending off both of the others. he's really going to have to do this himself, isn't he. ]
I-I've never had to do this before, but... I'll try to make it fast, okay?
[ he wishes they could take the time to work out the best way to do this, but they can't, and if he takes too long then he'll be doing this for nothing. so... he lets go of ben's hand and moves to wrap him in a hug from behind as he takes sen's kitchen knife from his pocket, hoping like hell that it's sharp enough to do this.
he closes his eyes for a second, trying to remember exactly where the wound had been on that bodyguard's neck, and what it looked like. the autopsy report had said his death had been almost instant, right? s-so all he needs to do is try to recreate that. yeah.
opening his eyes again, he raises the knife to ben's throat, to what he hopes is the right spot and the right angle. ]
You guys were really lucky to have each other as a family.
[ those are nice last words to hear, right? though he's crying so much now that he doesn't know how well ben will even be able to hear them.
he takes a deep breath, presses in the tip of the knife...
and cuts, as fast and deep as he can manage. ]
no subject
but he is busy having his own bad time, because jason tackles him at the waist to the ground. he has a waist wound. i'd forgotten but he does have that. SO that SUCKS, and there goes the sword because he was only holding it one handed anyway. it lands somewhere out of reach. ]
Jason-- [ it's an objection, and maybe a bit of an apology, as once he hits the ground with jason on top of him he reaches in his pocket for the razor blade he carries and tries to stab him somewhere that will hurt enough so he gets out but not anywhere near actual wounds.
unfortunately he did not account for the fact that bradley is also here ready for a good time, not a long time, and that jostles his attack so woops there's now a razor blade stab in jason's chest instead.
bradley is getting elbowed for his efforts. probably in the face. i want jason and bradley to have matching busted noses for all the sibling jokes?
anyway cloud's on the ground sebastian please gather your sad pixie dust faster ]
no subject
Basically the most he can think to do is bite and rip and destroy? Cloud is really out here being bitten by two feral, fiendish dudes? Using his weight, he dives in to bite down into Cloud's neck. Sadly, not a sexy bite, and sadly not a sexy vampire bite either.
The stab to the chest, though, reels him back and away. He reaches up to grab over the warm wave of blood soaking through the clothes.] ...Cl...oud...? [Nothing better than having clarity during the worst possible moment.
Why is there a metallic taste in his mouth? AAAA.]
no subject
Bradley, however, is once again lost to the corruption. Getting elbowed in the face and breaking a nose isn't enough to shock him back to himself.
He digs his nails into Cloud's arm, tearing down.]
no subject
Then, after a few moments, Ben's body disintegrates into blue dust, until that's the only trace of him left.
Should probably do something with that now! If Sebastian does, in fact, do anything like take the dust and throw it at Jason and Bradley, then they'll find their bodies absorbing the dust into themselves. Their minds will slowly return to normal, the black fading from their sclera.
From inside the bush, Marshmallow, who definitely saw all this happen, lets out a pitiful meow.]
no subject
once it's collected, he scrambles to his feet and runs back to where the fighting is happening; and without any better ideas, he takes some in his hand and blows it in each of their faces — jason first since he's actually staying still enough at the moment to be approachable, then at bradley. ]
Please, please, please work...
no subject
he did not need the added scratching up, so while cloud's just moving harshly to get jason fully off him, bradley is getting a kick to the chest that might break ribs. if mira wants that.
and then sebastian shows up with the powder and tears and wow!!! he sure hopes this works because he's kind of dazedly sitting there putting pressure on his UNSEXY THROAT BITE. he watches the change on both of them with wide eyes
wow instant cure just add the souls of your tiny clock friends ]
no subject
Sebastian's return startles him, and he snaps his head up. The feral, ravenous nature comes back at someone new, but he gets a face full of dead clock spirit friend ashes. He chokes and reaches up to swat at the dust around his face. NO, HE CAN'T... see?
As the dust absorbs into him, the hunger and the crave for violence slowly dissipates. He's left... so fucking tired. It feels like he's run a marathon sure, but worse, it feels like his insides are heavy. The black recedes from his eyes. Slowly, his hands lower, and he looks up. Every damn ache and pain hits him at once, and he bends over to put a hand on the ground. Groans.]
What...? Cloud...? Sebastian? [oh n] Where's... Ben?
no subject
The blue dust works it's magic, slowly returning him to coherency. Everything feels heavier than it should. He flexes his hands and makes a face at the taste in his mouth. ]
... Marshmallow?
[ Jason can cover their clock, what happened to their cat? ]
no subject
After a few moments, he runs back to the cavern. Presumably, they should follow once they're ready. But for now, everything is calm once more.]
no subject
I had to...
[ he already dropped the knife when he went to collect the dust, but there's still blood on his gloves and sleeve when he looks down at them. ]
...He saved you.
no subject
also he needs to pick up his sword. this sucks too.
anyway he's absolutely attempting that now so they can go in a cave, it's fine, everyone looks like they need a trauma moment or two so he can just do that in the background while they are very sad ]
no subject
He squeezes his hands into fists and grits his teeth. Does it mean Ben’s life was any less when they went through all that trouble and time… for this to be the fate that awaited?] Dammit, Ben… Marshmallow, wait! [The frustrated sorrow fades as Cloud starts to get up. STOP! He gets up too! Very unsteadily, but it’s fine.
He has a whole ass knife sticking out of him but he says,] Don’t move around too much. [He can’t pull this thing out, or he’ll bleed worse, so he just holds around it.]
We can’t leave the cat…
[To the cave it is.]
no subject
Getting up, slowly, gingerly, mindful of his broken rib.]
... Was it his choice?
[A slow walk back to where Marshmallow ran.]
[1/2]
When that happens, the four of them make their way back to the Time Channel. Cloud and Sebastian have succeeded in their mission, in changing history and averting the apocalypse. They're not here to go back to their original time, though.
The four of them have somewhere else to return to, don't they?]
EXCURSION COMPLETE.
[Their trinkets include:
First, the VHS tape that Sebastian and Cloud obtained.
Second, because unfortunately you cannot just take a live cat out with you, they will have a single Tamagotchi that holds Marshmallow. It is always snowing inside the Tamagotchi.
Trinkets do not include anything else they picked up on the journey, including any bandages they might have used.
Finally, until the end of Saturday, they will find themselves afflicted with certain effects:
Sebastian & Cloud will occasionally be hit with a wave of exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration, as though they've been traveling endlessly without food or water. These will come and go.
Jason & Bradley will find themselves frequently hungrier than usual. Furthermore, once in a while, they'll be struck with the paranoia that the authorities are coming for them for their clock heist.
Thank you for playing, and congrats!]