idolpro | POISON: ✩ZRAEL

POISON: ✩ZRAEL

[ The room is plain, white walls and white ceiling, except for the steel-panel flooring. There are three metal stands rising out of openings in the floor, each of which carries a glass vial on top. One of them just holds water. Of the remaining two, one contains a dark red, opaque liquid with a creamy consistency; the next is a relaxing blue, with small brightly glittering star-like orbs drifting through it.

Both have fancy but identical cast iron stoppers moulded in the shape of a shark plugging them shut. The only difference is that the red vial's shark is painted white, and the blue vial's shark is painted black. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sure, I guess, but then what would be doing? Just sitting on our hands doesn't feel like much of a plan.

If you have a suggestion, by all means. [ She's more upset than angry, at least ]

[thinks... shrugs]

I don't know who we'd prioritize targeting or leaving alone. Is there anyone we think might poison us? A lot of the people I've met have been nice, but mentioned they won't hold back in games.

ZRAEL had a bit of a reputation for being ruthless in the past [ said with a definite tone ], and people who have been here a while might remember that. Some units might send poison on essentially at random, so they can keep their antidote.

I don't think anyone would target us specifically, but I don't really care if they do. I've lost enough people lately and there's people I love on every unit. Imagine getting a vial of poison from the unit of someone you thought you could trust. I'd rather die than do that to them.

That's really principled but I don't want to see us die in order to consider all the other units' feelings.

It's not principled, it's not wanting to send poison to someone I share a bed with. [ There happen to be a lot of those. ]

Is there at least one of those on every unit?

Mostly. [ Or formerly, which she still considers relevant. ] Or people I'm close enough with that I'm not interested in hurting them -- I'm more worried about the emotional impact of them getting a vial of poison from my unit than the temporary death they'd have to endure, though that's not fun to think about either.

Ah. I'm not sure I get it, I'm sorry.

I know you don't have memories, but you can imagine there being someone you really love, right? Imagine if they sent you a bottle of poison.

But you don't have to really get it, just -- if we're sending poison to anyone I can't promise I won't get ugly about it. And I really don't want to do that.

If it helps, I happily volunteer to drink any poison we're sent. I don't care about dying, it won't even be the first time this week.

If it wasn't really their choice I'm not sure how I'd feel about someone I love giving me poison. I think I'd do my best not to care?

We don't have to send anyone poison but I don't really want you to drink a bunch of poison either...

If you don't want me drinking poison then you have at least some idea of why I don't want to see anyone else suffer.

I'm being selfish, I know it. Sorry. This place brings people to their breaking point, and I'm right there.

This time we'll do things your way. I can't promise it's always going to be like this, but this time.

[ She nods, feeling incredibly sick. ]

Then I guess we'll be fighting a lot. I get it, though.

I don't want it to be that way, but I'm not about to lie, saying I'm always going to go along with things.

You shouldn't. I'm not the one in charge or anything. If it was a fighting game, I'd be a lot more open to other options, at least the people we target would have a chance.

Maybe I'll care more about winning later on. I used to.

[pats her arm]

It's all right. We don't have to figure it out at this exact moment.

[ She's felt for a while like she was on the wrong unit, and how deeply ironic that now that she really likes her unitmates she's more sure of it than ever. ]

Good thing, because I don't really have it in me. I just want to be done with this.

Then let's get through this and move forwards.

I'll do my best.

Thanks for this, even though it was under duress.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

POISON: ✩ZRAEL

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