END OF PROLOGUE ; EXECUTION

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... END OF PROLOGUE - WEEK 037 Narrators Remain ; It's execution day, naughty murder children. Breakfast is served in the dining hall, all the better to fortify you for what is to come. Wherever you might wander in the castle, you will find yourself drawn to the foyer when the clock strikes not twelve, but ten. In the distance, there is the sound of clanking armor. Sharpay Evans appears, flanked on either side by suits of armor, escorting her to her punishment. She holds her head high, poised and controlled, acutely aware of all the eyes on her. A moment later, the Dragon appears on the foyer's staircase. Her hand trails down the banister as she walks, and she takes her place at the head of the group, standing in front of what appears to be a wall. "Come," she says. "The execution awaits." You blink, and then it's there — a door leading to the outside. The Dragon steps through it. You have no choice but to follow. Welcome to your first execution post! Please see here for the results of yesterday's voting. We whole-heartedly encourage also taking the time to leave notes for the mods in the feedback plurk. In addition, make sure you fill out your CR Chart for the Prologue! If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings for the NPC to Dana (Discord DMs preferred, then decals), as she will be taking point for today's NPC, and the moderator team will be on deck for all other questions. full navigation. locations taken (statuses) stories (profiles) info & faq wishing well private conversations

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(frozen comment) EXECUTION

[themodsgrimm]

sharpay evans ; to be continued The group finds themselves just outside the castle, at the top of the steps. They are urged to step aside by the suits of armor that guard Sharpay and usher her forward, and as she walks past, she is engulfed by swaths of glimmering pink light. When it fades, she is transformed. Glitter and sequins become lace and tulle - still pink, of course. Her skirts are long and flowing, and her hair is swept up into an updo, though gentle curls frame either side of her face. A tiara rests on her head, gleaming and glittering. Glass slippers peek out from under her skirts. She looks every inch her namesake - Cinderella, drawn from the dungeons of the castle. Where she steps, she leaves behind shards of broken glass and droplets of gold liquid. At the foot of the stairs, a suit of armor holds out its hand to escort her to a waiting carriage. It is shaped like a pumpkin, but white in color and edged with gold. Strong, regal-looking white stallions are hitched up to it, ready to pull her down the path. Another suit of armor opens the door for her, and there is a glimpse of what looks like metal spikes before Sharpay's escort helps her inside. The door swings shut behind her, and the horses take off at a canter which works its way up into a gallop. It throws dust up in the air in its wake, and the carriage vanishes into the horizon. Try as you might, you are not able to turn and walk back into the castle. You are bidden to wait, and so you do, until what feels like hours later there is movement in the distance. The carriage is on its way back now, but... it has changed. The horses, once regal and elegant, now have manes that are matted down and appear to have streaks of more gold. There is a wildness in their eyes that was not their before, and when they neigh, their teeth are sharp as a knife. The carriage itself is worn-down and seems to have been punctured in some places, and gold liquid seems to be seeping from the gaps between it and the door. They come to a stop in front of the castle entrance, and slowly, the carriage door swings open. A gloved arm falls into view as that gilded substance - the smell of ink permeating the air now, there is so much of it - oozes out the open door. Though you aren't able to see her face, the figure inside seems to have been impaled by many long, wicked-looking metal skewers, and you can't help but wonder: The story of Sharpay Evans has come to an end ... or has it?

LOOSE ENDS

[themodsgrimm]

[ Following the execution of Sharpay, everyone will be led to the grand foyer. The ornate clock opens beneath the face, revealing a compartment in which a large glass container is revealed to the eyes of everyone present. Two spouts lead from the interiors of the clock into the glass container. From one side comes a stream of purple ink and from the other twice as much golden ink. Yet when they mix into the container, it appears to be black. The Dragon watches the ceremony with reverence and sadness alike.

Sousei and Jae-ha will find themselves overcome with a sudden burning sensation. Many phantoms feelings pass them all at the same time: their feet undergo a sensation like they're being ignited with flame, their heart is going to be pulled out of their chests, and there is the faintest feeling as though a blade is cutting across their necks - the roulette wheel spins for how their death is going to be carried out as partnerless until—

It stops.

They feel perfectly fine, like everything is slotting back into place, and a flicker of a red string is seen connecting the two of them before it's gone - almost like a trick of the light.

The Dragon, having surveyed over everything hums a soft note, for once sounding.... pleased. ]

... they came through for you. [ She turns back to the rest of the Narrators and announces. ] Your partnerless have been spared.

[ But it would appear that that is just one small thing on her list of announcements. She surveys the area. The faces of those present, those who avoided death, her eyes glaze over the knights now moving to collect the gilded and stained carriage. ]

... you deserve a reward for your first correctly solved murder, I believe. For your displays of willingness to partake in necessary cruelty of the game, and for the humanity that you demonstrated toward one another following the needed blood - or ink, as you have now discovered. [ She places a hand over her heart and sighs. ] For balance.

You may all take one wish to the Wishing Well.

[ In that second, each Narrator will find a token in their hands. Upon closer examination, it embossed with a dragon symbol.

A beat, like she seems to contemplate saying something else... but seems to think better of it. With that, she concludes: ]

You may take your leave.

[ The Dragon will remain for questions. ]

[ ooc: The Wishing Well post will go live tomorrow! ]

[alchemenace]

[ GUESS IMMA POINT IT OUT IC ]

The necessary... ink?

[ um ]

Does whoever it is have to injure themselves to save people?

[ he's gotta. Ask. ]

[themodsgrimm]

Not for this title.

Rather, the necessary ink was paid during the murder, and then the execution. However any kindness that you choose to show each other following is quite... optional.

[randori]

Dragon! What's...? Wait- no way??

[ He swallows before he tries to articulate again. ]

Black ink's made of blood and- what's that other gold one from? What did— ...Dazai lick yesterday?

[ Saying nothing about himself, no way. There's no way he licked something might have been part blood?? ]

[themodsgrimm]

What you licked yesterday?

[She raises a brow.]

The black ink came from the tapestry.

The purple ink came from the fallen Captain.

The gold is... well.

[She thought the pumpkin carriage made it rather obvious.]

AFTERMATH

[themodsgrimm]

[ For your reactions and subsequent threading for Sunday. ]

[disilluded]

[Ha ha ha well then.

(This is the third execution Sousei has escaped. At some point, that sort of luck has to run out, doesn't it?)

But is seems today isn't that day, and he stands tall despite the sensations he experienced for a brief moment there--

And then he just breathes out a soft sigh, shaking his head, and all he has to offer is a soft:]

...Well then.

[Thanks, Sousei.]

[sanguinairy]

[HOLY SHIT

SOUSEI IS STILL ALIVE. The rest of that was horrific sure BUT SOUSEI IS ALIVE. He laughs a surprised sort of laugh, tension visibly leaving him once everything seems to be finished. For this week, at least.

That said, he just gets a smile and a brief touch to the arm since Souji is a very tactile person for a ye olde samurai.]

I'm glad.

[randori]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

[ but imagine it getting progressively louder bc I don't know how many big tags I can use, giving Sousei more than enough warning that Natsuo is zooming straight at him ready to tackle him straight in the stomach. ]

[wagashis]

[]

It seems your luck hasn't left you.

[that's all he says before he turns to go.

bye sousei, next time let's not go three for three on escaping death right in front of him, thanks.]

[discardia]

I'm... I'm so glad you're--

[ excuse her a moment, she's having some trouble with emotions. ]

[okitactless]

[So Yasusada is just gonna

walk over and hover with an awkward kind of smile, like he's not sure if he's allowed to be glad during an execution.

And you know, Yasusada does not actually have a tail, but if he did, it would be wagging. GOOD JOB SOUSEI-KUN YOU DID IT or something]

[discardia]

[ That's, uh. A lot.

And boy is she glad her dog is not out here to watch this, because even though a lot of it is through implication, Sharpay sure just died??

It is, once again, a lot for Cardia to process and she stands there frozen for most of the proceedings, gloved hands pressed over her mouth and eyes wide.

Actually, she doesn't even move when Sousei and Jae-ha are announced to be spared, but she takes a shuddery breath so she's at least aware of it.

What a delightful weekend this has been, can she go to bed now. ]

[doublecrows]

[Akechi watches everything quietly, with a detached expression, completely unfazed by anything that happens. and at the end, he only mutters one word]

. . . balance.

[that is all, he is out]

[unromanceable]

[ Monika feels distant from these proceedings, like they have nothing to do with her. She hardly reacts to any of it, though when the token appears in her hands, she starts to toy with it, idly passing it between her fingers.

This isn't really hers. But some may recognize her as wearing the dress Gi-gan helped her choose.

With nothing to say, she'll turn on her heel and leave as soon as they're all able. ]

[randori]

[ Natsuo doesn't watch the execution at all. He's there, but he keeps his eyes shut the entire time, and is left standing there after people start dispersing, unaware that everything is already over and done with.

The overwhelming stench of blood, horrific screams that pierce the air. Those are the things he can pick out from miles away, and what he'd expected to see here- or not see, as if by closing his eyes to it, he can continue pretending it did not happen. ]

[okitactless]

[The Yasusada that stands near Souji and watches the execution is a far cry from the person who'd spent hours mesmerized by modern amenities. He watches with the tired look of someone who is more than accustomed to seeing gruesome deaths, but he's never been good at hiding his emotions, and there's a troubled look on his face as he watches the entirety of this morbid show play out.

Rather than depart immediately, he lingers, frowning at the token in his hands like it will suddenly break apart and reveal all the answers to their questions. He's not the best at working through puzzles or offering comfort, but he'll try, if need be.]

[toughchoices]

[Reyna isn't sure whether to be relieved or filled with dread.

That was a... to be continued? How could anything possibly continue from that? Jae-ha and Sousei have been spared, but to what end? For balance? Do they have some other plans for them?

She doesn't know, and it's maddening.

Reyna's hand clenches into a tight fist when she finally looks away from the inkpot. She has questions for the Dragon, but the others are asking many of them. She'll wait and see, and ask her own later if the others don't get to it first.

For now - she scans the crowd of people to see if there's anyone who may be in need of someone to talk to. Death is nothing new to her, but can she say the same for everyone else?]

[finethanks]

[ Eichi sticks to the sides, away from people, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of the events that unfold before them. Even as they’re waiting for her to return, he’s stuck watching, dreading. Once it’s all over, and he sees that Jae-Ha and Sousei have both been spared, he lets out a quiet breath he’d been holding. ]

Is this meant to be “fair,” I wonder? A good ending, because only two lives were ended rather than four? [ He’s just talking to himself, so it’s quiet, but he doesn’t really mumble. ] If we had chosen “Happily Ever After,” as fake as that sounds, I wonder if that might have been merciful.

[ Oh well. He’ll be around, watching people quietly and coughing occasionally like always, but his health seems to be improving now that it’s been a week of being here...! His body is adjusting just now before even more murder happens, great. He hopes stress won’t make it worse again. ]

tw: suicide and drowning talk

[thesettingsun]

[The deaths that Dazai has been witness to:

Illness. His mother had been near-constantly sick for as long as Dazai was alive. She'd wasted away - but when she died she was surrounded by her children, who for the moment had been able to put aside their squabbles, for her sake. It was not painless, but it was natural, and it was the best that his mother could have hoped for.

Drowning. Unconsciousness took him quickly. It was not entirely painless, but it was not agony either, and it was his decision.

This. Leading Sharpay to walk in broken-glass slippers, mocking her with white horses and a carriage to kill her, not even a quick death depending on where she was impaled-

He's glad he can't see her expression.

Dazai watches, because it's the last thing he can do for her. He barely hears the Dragon speak. When they're dismissed, he turns to go.

If he's lucky, he can get back to his room before he starts to cry.]

[fonlines]

[ Ion, just,

doesn't emote much.

There's neither smile nor frown on his face, for once. He just stands there watching with white-knuckled hands and a bloodless expression, he's so pale. It might be shock, it might be fatigue or weariness, but he doesn't once look away, watching the execution in what feels like a detached sort of silence.

It's only after the resolution of the events in the foyer that he makes much movement at all- an exhausted, bone-deep sigh as he sags against his staff, seeming to be drawn from the depths of his being.

So, the partnerless were spared after all. They don't know what they did to accomplish this, but they were spared... ]

[spondulix]

Hm. Gold...

[Fitzgerald stands with his hands in his pockets. His smile is twisted up in its characteristic smug smirk, but he watches the whole thing intently. When it's done, he clicks his tongue, turning away.]

Ah, what a pity. [He lets out a huff.] Looks like we did get a happy ending for their partners, though...

[And then he falls into silence, his expression thoughtful. He's heading back to his room, if you want to catch him.]

[axilium]

[... ah. well, that's. um.

belph doesn't know what he was expecting, if he honestly thought anything other than this would happen, but he can't help but look a tad ill nevertheless.

at least their partners are alive. that's one blessing, right...?]

[rethrone]

( he'd grown up in a time of false peace, smothered by an absence of tension that came with an even greater absence of justice. even then, public spectacles of meaningful or meaningless deaths were not entirely estranged to him.

certainly not by his own hand.

there's a coldness to the smile he wears after, an almost anxious edge to the idle fiddling and tugging he repeatedly subjects the hem of his sleeve to. ritual. regardless, he's glad for the survivors, one in particular. )

To bear witness to something like that. ( hm. ) It better prepares someone for their own final moment, and how one should face it. She was quite dignified, given the conditions.

( better than something utterly ordinary. he's taking notes, imagining his own demise, a rare allowance. )

With how much thought they put into this, it almost feels like they care.

( a love letter. or they're just creative sadists. still, isn't it better to be killed by someone who cares? even a little. something effortless, empty, meaningless ... now that was true horror. )