To Watch

[strangerpeople]

[All is quiet on this day. There is nothing here on the islands that will torment or spook the new residents at least for now. But the Composer with them is bored out of her damn mind. She thinks to look at her non functioning cellphone for some source of entertainment but when she turns it on, her eyes widen.]

Kami forfend...!

[And she runs through the circus, at first heading towards where the Strangers, Seven and the weird clown is staying. However, she keeps spotting them during her path...cellphones. They too also seem to be on and when she looks at the screen, she grabs it and runs to grab more. When she arrives back to the group, Yotsuyu's arms were full with phones and she feels like her legs are about to give in.]

Hey! You may want to look at these! I don't know how they got here or what is going on but we may get something out of it! Seven, check your phone too!

[If the person grabs one of the cellphones, they will be able to see a video feed with sound. Of what exactly...it's something to grab their attention. Time to see what happens.]

Comments

Re: The Gilded throne.

[zackthekiller]

[Zack had to set his phone down on the counter at one of the booths, propped up by one of those milk jugs you had to knock over. If he kept holding onto it, he was sure he might break it when the survivors finally got to the throne.

And lo and behold...]

Huh? First she's called Rika, now they're calling her V? The fuck's going on?

Re: The Gilded throne.

[dragonmouth]

[She knows you hate her, but let's try.]

...two things can be true at the same time.

How do we know they're not one and the same?

[zackthekiller]

[He's gonna give her a Look, but the confrontation more interesting.]

... I dunno. Just a guess.

[7_0_7]

[sooooooo Seven has been quietly losing his shit somewhere ever since he got the phone, but he can't just keep something like this to himself forever, so he'll tear his eyes away from the screen for just a moment.]

They're not.

Rika's... she must be delusional. V isn't there... it's not possible for her version of him to be there. They saw him die...

[dragonmouth]

Nakari said that to me as well, before she disappeared.

"I've seen you die."

I sincerely don't want this to be the case, but... if it's not the V she knows, perhaps it's one she doesn't?

[zackthekiller]

Huh...?

[He glances at 707 before going back to the phone... Rika... Mentioned the Sun?

Then all the confusion sets in for that woman... And somehow, Zack's able to rub at least two brain cells together.]

Wait a minute... The bitch's brainwashed or something!

[dragonmouth]

...well.

That's rather worrying.

[FUCK]

[zackthekiller]

Yeah, ya think?!

[Sorry, he snapped a bit... Actually not sorry, this is a reasonable response.]

The fuck is with that sun?!

[dragonmouth]

...I don't know. Whatever it is, it's the it's only good either destroyed or with everyone here dragged as far as possible.

I'm not sure if whatever used to be Rika is there anymore.

[zackthekiller]

... You mean she's dead too?

[Look. The last two people who got the crystal thing were blown up afterwards.]

[7_0_7]

She said Chaesun tried to hurt V, and that never happened! But if that sun brainwashed her to think it's V... that would explain some things. Hmm.

[zackthekiller]

[... Fuck it, he's gonna talk to Mr. Glasses here.]

Alright, who the hell are these people and how do you know them?

mystic messenger spoilers for the whole game

[7_0_7]

All of them are members of the RFA - Rika's Fundraising Association. They're 707's closest friends...

[yeah he's talking in third person, both in a quirky way and because Seven is a lot of people to him what with the parallel universe knowledge.]

... Well, not really Rika and V, anymore. Rika... she brainwashed my brother Saeran in her cult Mint Eye, and in most timelines V faked a suicide for her and covered for her for years. The one that went missing - the one they're from - is one of the only ones where I manage to get help for Saeran. But Saeran shot V, and Rika wasn't able to move or speak after that.

[he pauses, not sure whether he should include the detail or not, but... well, for reasons, it may be important, so fuck it.]

It's also the only timeline where MC is in love with me.

[boy, he sounds wistful and resigned at that.]

[notthebreakman]

[Proto's been quiet for a while now, but this turn of events makes him speak up.]

So all along our true enemy has been whatever force or entity that Sun is. She's just yet another puppet dancing on its strings.

[zackthekiller]

[WHELP.]

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! ARE ARE THOSE GUYS GONNA DEAL WITH THE FUCKING MIND CONTROL SUN!?!

[How do you kill it would have been his question if he was actually alive.]

[notthebreakman]

Maybe by cutting it off from its supply lines somehow? Take away its accumulated hours and let it burn out?

[zackthekiller]

... Maybe? I was just gonna stab it if I wAS ACTUALLY ALIVE RIGHT NOW, DAMNIT!

[He is so glad most of these carnival games involve breaking stuff, because Zack is tempted to go on a rampage if he's still stuck here when these guys are done.]

[7_0_7]

I thought a human still created that Sun? Robots and AI can be sentient but that's not what it is... you think it's got a mind of its own, enough to plan all the motives and trains? And then it controlled her into doing those things without her noticing? That sounds impossible...

[notthebreakman]

I'm not absolving her of blame. It's just that this is what spurred her to start all of this. All so she could keep her "beloved" going strong.

[7_0_7]

That would mean she's just pretending she doesn't know what's going on....

[well, he can't totally put it past her, so he's thinking about this]

[7_0_7]

[okay but this is complicating this brainwashing theory a little]

What do you mean you spoke to God!?

[this is just making his catholic head spin and he can't even make sense of the color-changing sun so this is where he will start]

[7_0_7]

[He considers this.]

The last I checked, this timeline was the only one whose Earth vanished, and I knew where V was in each of them... so if it was one of him, he could only have been there for as long as I've been here. It's possible, but kinda unlikely. Unless it had something to do with the other fragments of worlds disappearing...

[he groans, rubbing his temples.]

I should have learned more about this world they're in!

[well, not like there were too many opportunities he could have done that with while they're in Hell. The Synod was pretty isolated from the rest of their society.]

[bendwiththewind]

And end up exhausted in the process? You're damn good at intel but even you have limits. Don't beat yourself up over it.

[Wait...are those words of encouragement?]

[7_0_7]

I don't think I can help it, Yotsuyu.

[His grip tightens on the phone.]

We always knew this ending was too good. That it would all disappear.

[bendwiththewind]

[She knows how bad things are when he addresses her by name and not the silly one. That in turn gets a hand on his shoulder.]

Pray forgive me. Giving comfort is still a matter I am working on but I do not think it over yet. [As she lightly taps the edge of the phone screen.] There's still those who can do what you or I cannot right now...besides, do they not remind you of a certain group we are familiar with?