sheep_game | (no subject)

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(no subject)

WHO: Bluebell and co
WHERE: ~~Ground Zero~~ Bluebell Barn
WHEN: Late Day 7 through Day 8

[ So all our grass is dead and there might be blood-grown flowers outside and the mattress pile is definitely also covered in blood now.

Whaddup. ]

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I don’t know what went on up here and what you did or didn’t do. What you did on this end could have impacted things as well, but I only know half of what happened… but if you want to blame me for everything, then go ahead. [ it seems like he’s made up his mind anyway. ]

[ He turns and grabs Kaveh's shirt collar, yanking him down to eye-level. ] I blame you for being gullible enough to listen to a snake, for not realizing what a collar was going to be used to do, for getting me and the stupid kids I'm suddenly responsible for hurt, and for killing yourself in a ritual suicide without saying anywhere that you had a plan!

[ kaveh lets him yank him down and he lets him yell, but as soon as he’s finished he grabs the hand holding onto his collar and squeezes unbelievably hard, so hard, in fact, he couldn’t probably break his wrist if he applied just a bit more pressure. ] If we didn’t kill ourselves he likely would have bitten and killed us. He immediately bit me when I didn’t put the collar on Death. [ he releases him, straightening up, his hand immediately going to his other hand. ] His plan, whatever it had been, was going to take place no matter what, Zenith.

But we did manage to accomplish something. And by we I mean all of us. Everybody. Death chose to become more lenient.

[ kaveh sighs. ] But we could have tried harder to leave some kind of message. Minuet tried and I asked Tempo to go to you, but he's... simple. [ he should teach him morse code or something. ] I hurt you, and... I can only try to make up for that.

[ His fingers twitch at the pressure on his wrist and he lets go as Kaveh pulls back. He looks off to the side with a huff, his anger deflating right back down to frustration. ]

...I'm not hurt, and there's nothing to make up for. You're right. You accomplished what you set out to do, and I guess we're all better for it. Who could fault you for that?

…my mistake then. [ kaveh steels his expression as he’s forced to listen to wanderer’s disingenuous bullshit. ] I think we’re through here. I told you what happened, like you’d wanted. [ he walks past him and starts heading back. ]

[ He watches Kaveh walk past, conflicted and still frustrated. He huffs in annoyance, and it takes him several seconds of silence for him to actually say anything else. ]

...I don't like feeling useless. When you were dead, and then during that god's farce of a game... [ It's a genuine admission wrung out of him, not that it does a good job of explaining much. ]

Whatever. That's all. [ He isn't going to stop Kaveh from leaving or go after him. ]

[ kaveh stops. ] I didn’t think about how this would affect you, because I… [ he keeps his back to him, hesitation bringing his tone down a few octaves. ] I didn’t think you cared. [ he’s gotten so many mixed signals from him, so he doesn’t know what to think. ]

I have hated seeing you hurt, near death, …and you said it yourself - you’re responsible for those kids. You can’t die.

[ He has to really hold himself back from saying that he doesn't care- instead, he just avoids that topic altogether. ]

...let's just forget it. I get why you did what you did. I don't like it, but this stupid place is dangerous and seems intent on trying to kill us at every opportunity, so it's... convenient that their death god is more lenient.

...mm, I do get the feeling that this is only the beginning. [ he frowns, turning around to meet wanderer's gaze. ] I'm not exactly looking forward to how the rest of our time here is going to shake down.

[ He drops his gaze away and off to the side. ] ...me neither. And if the last game is any indication, I don't know the first thing about keeping kids safe.

Zenith, using that stupid game as a gauge isn't fair to you. [ he walks back over, setting a hand on his shoulder, so he can try to lead him back toward the pasture. ]

[ He doesn't object to Kaveh leading him back, or even the hand on his shoulder. ] Nothing about this place is fair. We came up short and paid for it, so I need to figure out what I did wrong.

What kind of game was it?

It asked various questions about death, and we had to answer. Who we'd kill, what we'd mourn, inane things like that. The kind of questions you'd expect an arrogant death god to ask.

And I imagine you answered truthfully? How all of you felt about the specific questions? Because the alternative is trying to get into Death's head to answer them from her specific perspective...

I know you feel responsible for losing and getting all of them hurt, but there's two sides to this coin. I'm sure you listened to them and let them feel as though they had an input into the situation. It could have gone the other way and you took their voice away to crush their opinion, potentially their hope, to win the game and evade the pain. Physical damage can be healed... emotional damage... not so much.

For what it's worth, I think you're doing a good job, and... if you ever need help, then please know that you can ask me. [ i promise i won't make people drink kool-aid. ]

I don't know about that. Too much physical damage can easily lead to emotional damage. I can't imagine they'll get over the shock of being impaled by multiple spears any time soon.

[ He exhales, clearly still annoyed with himself. ] ...whatever. I doubt I'll need help. We'll just need to be better next time.

I know that. I'm not saying I want to see more of this, but you said you'll do better, so hopefully this will be the first and last time... [ or they can hope. ]

[ kaveh just sighs. fine. whatever. be a big bad brick wall of i can do this myself. he starts walking again. ] mHm. Good luck then.

...yeah. [ He doesn't follow this time. He will continue to be a big scary brick wall, thank you. ] ...see you around. Good luck with your... hole. [ He turns to head back to the Clover barn instead. ]

It's a moat.

[ ...hehe. bye kaveh. ]

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