TNDG DAY 4

[keybroad]

((Content warning arguably Lotus experiencing suicidal ideation again and trying to split the other game characters into worthy or unworthy of continued life.))

[Lotus comes knocking on the door of Zelda's dressing room.]

Hey, Zelda, is everything okay? How's the search for a volunteer going?

Comments

[andascholar]

[Opening her door, surprised she's getting visitors. It's not like she spends a lot of time in here so Lotus is lucky to catch her there really.]

Hello Lotus. Not well, I'm afraid. Nobody has come forth yet.

[keybroad]

[Her expression darkens like a high schooler who's just been told that there's not actually a rule saying if the teacher doesn't show up after fifteen minutes the students can just leave. She puts her hand to her face.]

Oh, man, that's terrible, now I'm gonna have to act like I want to volunteer. This is gonna sound bad, maybe I should just come back in two days.

[andascholar]

You don't have to volunteer if you don't want to, Lotus.

[keybroad]

It's not that I don't want to volunteer! [Lotus throws both her hands in the air like she just don't care, and her bangles jangle down angrily to her elbows.] It would be so much easier if we could just pick out the five survivors right now! You have your principality to go back to, Rohan has his manga to write - I get that, I'd die for either of you like [snaps her fingers] this. I just don't want to die now if I don't actually have to, if there's still hope or whatever.

[andascholar]

[Zelda is taken aback by the outburst, but tries not to show it. She takes a step closer to Lotus, firmly.] Of course there is hope. There's no reason for you to throw your life away, I will not ask you to die for me Lotus. Why do you think it must be you?

[keybroad]

[She rubs her temples.]

Well, it's like you said. There hasn't been anyone else. And last week, nobody before or after Emily expressed interest in going either, right...? That's what got me worried enough to talk with you. Because there's no system to determine the order that we want to leave.

[andascholar]

You're right. We do need to develop something like that, or else it's going to become quite cutthroat out there. But I don't imagine we'll be overwhelmed with volunteers this early on.

[keybroad]

[Flashing her wrist.]

That's why I thought... we could take the pulse of the population. Find out who would be volunteering now, later, or never. But I thought, "if Zelda thinks this is a bad idea, there probably won't be enough players who listen that it will be useful."

[andascholar]

[Oh boy RESPONSIBILITY] I think there's merit in finding out, and establishing an order if we can. Minds are likely to change in the future, so we need to keep a record of that too. I'm sure if I asked, and we had time to properly establish a strategy, then at least a few would come forward.

[keybroad]

I see... [This is getting a slightly better reception than she expected.] Then this is what I thought. [She makes hand gestures so the explanation will be easier to follow out loud.]

We could take a poll of how much each player currently wants to "leave" on a scale from 1 to 3. Where 1 is just, I want to live. 2 is like I said, recognizing that it might be necessary to leave but not doing it yet. And 3 is actually volunteering. [Her teeth appear in an expression that is not a smile, more like the shift in expression of a bear who has wandered from the forest picking berries into the river where she shall catch salmon.] For the best results, anyone who doesn't submit at all is listed as a 4.

[andascholar]

[Huh. Hmm. DUBIOUS ON THAT WORDING.]

What value, exactly, would you ascribe to 4?

[keybroad]

Well... [Continued nervous smile.] We'd evict the ones last, the twos second last, and so on.

[andascholar]

I won't keep track of a list that volunteers people to die.

[keybroad]

[Like her son has told her that he has to do homework so she has to take out the trash for him:] Okay.........................

[Recovering, looking at Zelda neutrally:] Well, then something else. Like what.

[andascholar]

I'm willing to keep track of people that would go to the hotel, when we have the chance. I'm willing to keep track of who wants to win their grand prize, although those playing competitively might not be so forward with this. My goal here is to save lives, Lotus.

[keybroad]

But what kind of life is it gonna be? I'm just... afraid. People have tried and failed to escape, and apparently the whole first game just went to the final five. Rhys and the Reynolds twins make it seem like nobody escaped.

I THOUGHT I REPLIED TO THIS I'M SORRY

[andascholar]

It's a life they can escape, where they have a chance. They have more of that hope you were talking about earlier than us, Lotus. I have no interest in lying down and accepting there's nothing to be done.