WEEK 13 - I can't lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies.

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ONLINE CAPTAIN'S LOG: WEEK (13)

sunday (41) survivors Something in the air breaks, shattering from deep within space itself - and to accompany that sensation is a psychic scream. The ship shakes, coming to a screeching halt as a bright light explodes outside it. It pulses, not unlike a heartbeat, that crawls and crawls along at a slow, grueling pace. The last illusion has been broken, the last mental tie severed and crushed. You've done well up until now, and you can reap the benefits of Her labor; the dead walk among you, after all, and as Her scream rings out, a burst of energy shoots through the residents of the Pygmalion. It's clearly a desperate bid, but it doesn't root itself in place. Instead, you feel lighter than ever - Her attempt to claim you has only unraveled the string that kept you in place. The 40% limit has been lifted, and you are at full capacity. The chains have been broken. Go freely, heroes. taken list profiles private conversations setting rulebook ENTER COMMAND_

Comments

[socloverit]

[And here comes one of the poorly-chosen captains of the fuckup ship, stumbling her way down the bridge, dizzy and exhausted; the definite only reason Clover has not fallen onto her ass like ten times over is that her blind brother's reflexes are better than hers and he keeps catching her because the Field siblings are never being separated ever again. The bullet scars on her arms definitely weren't there the last time her Nuwa friends saw her in person, she has only bled a little bit through the bandages around her stomach, when was the last goddamn time she brushed her hair or slept or made any active effort to take care of herself the answer is months and it shows, she's still carrying around the meat cleaver?? The speed control lever has broken off in her hand and she's still holding it good fucking god, Clover is making one hell of a first impression on the rest of the Nuwa here.

She's laughing through the last of the adrenaline, quiet and breathless and tired and slight and manic and maybe not entirely there, working really hard at regaining her balance and frankly doing a shit job. She lurches forward like she means to start running and ends up just needing to be steadied again but she does, at least, have the energy in her to yell.] Alice!

[SHE'S COMING!!!! no she's not she can barely stand just. give her a minute. and then a few more minutes to deal with Junpei]

[allice]

Clover!

[Have you ever seen a woman run in three inch heels? Well if you've been hanging around Clover, then yes, but also Alice has that exact same talent. And she's using it to run straight toward Clover the moment she sees her. It's okay if Clover can't collide with her, because she'll just grab her the moment she's in ranged and pull her into the biggest bear hug.]

I cannot fucking BELIEVE this! How many times are you going to get kidnapped into some crazy-ass murder game?! I swear I was ready to bust that A.I.'s mainframe when I saw you on that death trap of a ship!

[socloverit]

[The second they're close enough, Clover just sort of...collapses forward against Alice; the spike of energy in her fueled by her desperate need to get to Alice dissolves all at once now that the need is gone, too, now that Clover is right where she needs to be and she can hardly stand on her own feet. She drops the cleaver (but holds onto the lever for?? some reason???) so she can fling her arms around Alice, supporting her weight against her and putting what's left of her strength into hugging her back as tight as she can.]

Alice! I wasn't—I didn't—I wasn't trying... [SHE'S TIRED OF MURDER GAMES TOO??? But she tries for a laugh that comes more like a sob against Alice's shoulder, but in the overwhelming tangle of everything else she's feeling, she's so amused imaging her best friend's fury on her behalf. She could take that AI, no question.]

It was—it wasn't—I didn't think I'd see you again, Alice...! But, but you're here!

[allice]

It's not your fault. You just... attract psychos or something. I don't know. I'm just glad you're safe!

[Alice isn't crying, you're crying??? No she's trying to put on a brave face of a mama bear for Clover, but it's been rough. The game for Nuwa ended early, and she felt incredibly restless because of that. Then she found out Clover was on another ship, with a game still actively going, and all she could do was constantly worry about her. And with Junpei dead, she had absolutely no one she could trust enough to talk to about it.]

Come on. Let's get you sitting somewhere and you can tell me everything that happened.

[socloverit]

[it's true i am crying?? and so is Clover, but her sobs don't stay quite so violent and overtaking while she's supported against Alice, brave and cool and indestructible Alice, alive and so intensely worried about her and here—she has her brother, she has her best friend, and not that the bar wasn't set extraordinarily low, but Clover is starting to feel something like stable.

She stoops down to retrieve her cleaver, because that's just coming with her everywhere now apparently, and leans heavily against Alice's side, nodding.]

Okay. O-okay, I...I'm really glad you're safe, too. [She sniffs, wipes at her eyes.] I really didn't think I'd see you again, I thought... [pause.] ...They let me drive the ship. [UNFORTUNATELY. and then, quietly:] I got—I got Light back.