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LiliS & sensitIV
[ Your designated room appears to be a modern but simple hospital room, with an adjustable electronic chair and curtain dividing one side of the room from the other. On the curtained side, there is a tray of basic surgery equipment, though nothing electric. That would be too easy, wouldn't it? At least(?) the chair has straps, to bind unruly subjects.
On the other side of the room are several chairs, what appears to be an iPad with a health chart listing a number of patients. You may select from a number of options to send "remedies" to those patients. There is also a pharmacy counter, though rather than a window, there is only a thin slit the width of a single piece of paper.
And of course, your patient(s)—or hostage(s), if you prefer—is in the middle of the room, though . . . strangely placed. A glass bubble, 6ft by 6ft, hangs from the ceiling, somewhat like an upside-down snowglobe. Eight tubes connect the orb to the ceiling, and one tube connects it to the floor. From above, your patient(s) can see most things in the room, including the surgery table even when the curtains are drawn.
It's currently empty—aside from your patient—for now. ]
[ RULES ✧ REMEDIES ✧ HEALTH CHART ]
On the other side of the room are several chairs, what appears to be an iPad with a health chart listing a number of patients. You may select from a number of options to send "remedies" to those patients. There is also a pharmacy counter, though rather than a window, there is only a thin slit the width of a single piece of paper.
And of course, your patient(s)—or hostage(s), if you prefer—is in the middle of the room, though . . . strangely placed. A glass bubble, 6ft by 6ft, hangs from the ceiling, somewhat like an upside-down snowglobe. Eight tubes connect the orb to the ceiling, and one tube connects it to the floor. From above, your patient(s) can see most things in the room, including the surgery table even when the curtains are drawn.
It's currently empty—aside from your patient—for now. ]
[ RULES ✧ REMEDIES ✧ HEALTH CHART ]
Re: DISCUSSION
[ A bit muted. Not only because Izzy is, like, right there and can absolutely hear them. ]
All the units have different coping strategies for games like this. Alch — well, old Alch, I don't know enough of the people on the unit anymore... they liked to use games like this to make statements. They'd probably be refusing to take the remedies they got sent, letting their bubble fill up in the very first round, so that they wouldn't have to play anymore. Or — somehow siphoning water off other teams.
[ Beat. ]
For some people, that's a lot harder than picking targets. For others, it's the easy way out.
[ Slightly longer beat. ]
...You and me, we can do the math here without a whole lot of hesitation — or regret. So this can be our part of the burden to carry.
[ Breath out. ]
Let him carry what he can.
Re: DISCUSSION
He made this choice. I offered multiple times to let him share in the result if he shares in the choices. He's refused. I'll respect him enough to honor his decision. But there are consequences to that choice, and he's aware of them.
And I'd also point out that you don't have the slightest idea what regret I'm feeling.
Re: DISCUSSION
Re: DISCUSSION
Re: DISCUSSION
If you're volunteering to share, go ahead. If you're not — put it all on me. Level 2s to avante and ZRAEL/Heart.
Then you can both split whatever remedies we get sent, because neither of you had to make the choice.
Re: DISCUSSION
You don't get to talk him out of his own choices, Lupine.
Re: DISCUSSION
I'm trying to talk you out of making this game worse than it already has to be, for both of you.
Re: DISCUSSION
[ If Izanagi's choices make this harder on himself, well, they've been over that. Gent doesn't save people from themselves. ]
Any reason you're talking to me instead of trying to convince him to help me? [ Because he suspects he knows that reason ]
Re: DISCUSSION
Okay, first of all, I think we both think he'd actually suffer less if you let him take some of the remedies. So, from where I'm standing, less suffering overall.
[ Sorry about, like, perceiving you, Izzy. ]
Second of all? I thought you'd be less stubborn than him, which was obviously my mistake.
Re: DISCUSSION
Re: DISCUSSION
So, he's not allowed to help at all if he won't help in the exact way you want him to.
Re: DISCUSSION
Maybe if I knew why this is such a struggle for you, beyond that control has been taken from you and you might be looking to wrest some of it back.
Re: DISCUSSION
Excuse me?
[ He's. Wow, he might be a little offended. ]
Yeah, I'm not crazy about being trapped in a bubble. But watching you stubbornly take every bad effect to the face isn't any more fun for me than having to watch us drown would be for you.
Re: DISCUSSION
I'm sorry if this is hard on you, but if he wants to go back on the agreement we made then he can bring it up himself. Kind as it is that you care for his feelings enough to intervene for him.
1/
[ But also wait what was that second part? ]
Re: DISCUSSION
...No offense to Izzy, but I can promise this has been a lot less about my concern for his feelings than just not wanting you to eat every single crappy thing we get sent for however many rounds this game has left.
Re: DISCUSSION
Oh? [ Huh. ] I assumed based on your description of this being like math for me. Which it isn't, if that makes any difference.
Re: DISCUSSION
...Yeah. I noticed you didn't appreciate that part.
[ He leans more of his weight on the glass. ]
But I don't know how else to describe the way my brain processes these games. [ Quiet emphasis there: my brain. ] The units involved, the choices we've gotta make — they're math problems to me. Sometimes just math, if a game messes with my head, but always math.
[ Beat. ]
Don't really love that it's that simple. But I try to at least use it in games like these to make them a little easier on everyone else.
[ Emphasis on try. He's not sure how well he's been doing for Gent. Pretty badly, really, if Gent had him fooled into thinking he was the same way. ]
Re: DISCUSSION
I can't go back on an agreement, not unless he offers to alter his end of it. It's not a matter of being stubborn. It would damage a lot more of me than taking a few of these effects. [ Spoken like he doesn't especially expect Lupine to understand this ]
I already agreed that if it got too bad that I'd relent. It hasn't, yet.
Re: DISCUSSION
And I can't make a deal on his behalf, or like... a new deal that'd cancel out the one you've already got with him.
[ Cultural?? Thing??? Maybe? Man, he wants to argue, though. Or at least ask a million more questions to feel out the boundaries of this thing. ]
How are we defining 'too bad'? Is it 'until you literally pass out from pain', or something less sucky?
Re: DISCUSSION
Mm. If he wants to bargain, he can speak for himself. [ And if Izanagi's not willing to be honest, then he can live with the result. ]
As for what's "too bad", I'll know it when I see it. So far the effects are mild, if annoying.
Re: DISCUSSION
Hey, we haven't been hit with a Level 3 yet.
[ Beat. Fingers curling against the glass again. ]
...Don't forget you can 'break down' the higher-level ones into smaller pieces. It's probably random, but anything on the Level 2 list is probably still better than a Level 3.
Re: DISCUSSION
[ glances at Izanagi, trying to decide how much to say here ]
I can explain this to you after. I'm not sure it'll translate well from Fae to mortal culture, but I'll do my best.
Re: DISCUSSION
Right. Pinned for later.