Cate: All right kidddo, let’s see you tackle something most of us have had a whole lot of trouble with.
Sora: *she leans on a wall and throws her knife slightly in the air, catching it from the handle as it falls down.* with pleasure.
*Cate takes her to a back room within their base. Inside is a barely concious, bloody, bruised man tied to a chair.* We’ve been holding this shithead for months. He absolutely refusing to talk under any circumstances, no matter what we do. I wanna see if you can get anything out of him.
*Sora puts the knife back in the holster before she approaches him. She’s not a gentle person, usually, but running in, waving knives was probably something they tried before.. *
Sora: Hello, mister?
*The cultist gives no response.*
Sora: I’m not planning to hurt you. For this I can just give you back to… other people. I just… I guess I wonder what makes a guy grab a paintball gun and shoot a bunch of kids.
*He just stares at her.*
Sora: Come on, I’m trying to be nice here. Answer my questions and I’ll grab some nice food for you from the kitchen. I doubt you’ve been fed well, given your state.
Cultist: … we wanted the saved.
Sora: I’m sorry, can you explain more?
Cultist: We wanted the Saved. She claims they will be useful in the war.
Sora: Can you explain who are the Saved? Or at least which kid? And which war? I’m sorry, I’m just trying to understand what’s going on.
Cultist: The war between the gods. There will be an invasion. This world will be brought to ashes. The Saved are those who have died, and yet have not died. Those who remain.
Sora: *it doesn’t completely make sense to her, but more is clearer now. * I’ll go bring you that meal now. Any preferences?
*His stare flickers down to her side… and he lunges for the knife, having undone his bonds while talking.*
*Sora jumps backwards. The holster is under her skirt exactly so people won’t be able to try and pull it away without her noticing. *
Sora: really? It’s been three months and now you decide to get free? *she pulls the knife.out. *
Cultist: Kill me. It will do nothing to stop the coming events.
Sora: I don’t want to kill you, but you either just tried to take my knife or to touch under my skirt and they’re both usually a bad sign. *she doesn’t attack, just holds her knife tightly. *
Cultist: Do you think what you're doing is making a difference?
Sora: Anyone out of the street is one less person that can hurt those I care about.
Cultist: You are naive. A naive, stupid child.
Sora: I prefer idealistic. Also, I'm not a child. I'm fifteen.
Cultist: A child.
Sora: A teenager. So, are you going to try and attack me again? I think I’d rather deal with it like grownups, but it’s your choice.
*The cultist doesn’t respond.*
Sora: *She sends a quick look at the door. Was no one watching? Really? * Go, sit back in the chair and I’ll try to talk them into letting you go.
*He doesn’t move.*
Sora: You can’t leave. You will die if you do. And if you want to die… I promise it will be quick. But if that’s not it… what’s your point?
Cultist: You did not claim that you would kill me.
Sora: I didn’t. If you run away, it is more likely to be someone else. But if you want to be dead… I guess I will. I can promise death from me will be quick. I can’t promise this about anyone else.
Cultist: I do not believe you will kill me. The others told me you were weak. That you would never be anything worth their time.
Sora: I wonder why people keep thinking it. I’m here, for fricks sake. But I don’t want to kill you, because I don’t know if you told me everything.
Cultist: You’re finding excuses.
Sora: Do you want to die?
*No response. Sora attacks, her knife in her hand as she’s launching forward. The cultist does not move from where he’s sitting, so Sora stabs his arm. *
Sora: Answer me. Do you want to die?
Cultist: You’re weak. You won’t survive when the time comes.
Sora: *she takes a deep breath. * I am not weak. I can, and will, protect everyone. Including from people like you. *She pulls her knife out of his hand and attempts to stab his neck. *
*The knife goes in deep, and blood sprays out, coating Sora’s face in the liquid. She pulls the knife back out, stepping out of the room, her motions a bit stiff. *
Sora: Happy now?
Cate: Honestly? Yeah. You passed. Did better than I thought you would, honestly.
Stephen: She didn’t really care if you got information from him, she just wanted to see if you were actually willing to kill people. I told her it was a fucked up idea, but-
Cate: If you’re part of the group, you need to pull your weight. I’d recommend grabbing a shower before that dries. Don’t worry, I made sure Yamato didn’t hog all the hot water.
Sora: I can see that family resemblance now. I wondered when I will. *She does go to wash her face, though, and to wipe the knife.*
"From what he and you guys said when he came along you told him not to and he went ahead with it anyway, given other context clues this indicates to me he's either overconfident, stupid, or desperate. All of which make for a liability rather than an asset." -Cassia
Cate: And that’s a fair assessment. But I took chances on all of you when I approached you to be part of this, and I’m willing to take a chance now. And if this backfires, I will accept full responsibility and deal with the consequences.
*Stephen walks up to Cate, standing beside her* I don’t trust Hatamaya, but I trust Cate. Changing the world like we’re trying to do here has been her dream since- *he catches himself* For a long time. I trust her judgement here. And I trust that she plans on taking full responsibility if it backfires.
“That was a narrow escape. Next time Lady Luck may not be so merciful. Maybe it was karma?” He’s talking more to himseld than to anyone else. Yamato sets back the security on his gun and puts it away on the nearest support. The less he touches it, the better… He also removes the mask, and takes a deep breath. “I do not believe anybody here has been injured?”
Stephen: I’ve got some scratches, but they’re all from the little antichrist over here.
Are you talking about me? You better not be talking about me!
Cate: Nobody else take off your masks. *Her crossbow is in sword form, and the blade is extended, resting at Kyōakuna’s throat* I told you, you aren’t joining us.
Kyōakuna: Can you blame me? I saw an opportunity and took it! Really, if I wanted to hurt any of you, I would’ve done so already.
"So, are we gonna vote on whether we let him join or just kill him?" -Cassia
Cate: We’re going to discuss. Then vote. I personally think that, if we keep a watchful eye on him, and he puts his fists- or gun, or knife, whatever- where his mouth is he could be a useful asset.
Stephen: A useful ass, you mean.
*Cate lightly punches him in the shoulder* Shut up.
“Our operation was quick and well done, it is all that matters. Now it would be wise to make sure it doesn’t end in a fiasco.” Yamato arms his gun and points it at the door. “If I have to shoot more than two people, it will be safe to say that we failed.”
Cate: Gather in! Stephen, you able to teleport us out?
Stephen: As long as everyone has skin-to-skin contact with me or someone holding on to me, it should work. *He begins working on his teleportation device*
*As the subjects in Invidia’s killing game go through the trial, and come to the conclusion that Saki had tried attacking the random guy, who had killed her in the process, ergo leaving no killer to be executed, Catelyn and her group watch from above.*
Cate: That’s… not a good start. *She signs while speaking, so that her little cousin can tell what she’s saying*
Why not? That’s two of them dead.
Cate: Yeah. But the fact that there’s no execution means…
Means what?
Cate: I wanted to see who was willing to commit the execution, then keep tabs on them throughout the-
Stephen: Catelyn! Look, on the screen there… *He points to one of the screens showing a part of the killing game that should be empty. It is not, however, and a young teenage boy stands, holding something on a leash.*
Cate: It’s the clone… Nine. And… oh shit.
*Creepy laughter sounds, as Nine lets go of the leash. An inhuman creature lunges towards the camera, and tears it off.*
Cate: Everyone, grab your shit and get out of here. *She begins typing, and a ten minute timer pops up on the screen.* Nine must have caused the blackout, used it to sneak in with the thing. We’re blowing this place up, and all the criminals with it.
//Be warned of gore under the cut
*Skitter leaps into the ‘courtroom’, tearing people to shreds with it’s claws. Those who manage to escape are Shirogane, Kamiko, Mutsumi, and Kin. All the others are torn to pieces.*
Come on. Leave the beast, it’ll catch up with us later.
*The despairs oblige, following Nine out to a nearby car. He sits behind the wheel, and motions for the others to get in. All except Kin oblige… the blond instead lingers… before turning and walking away.*
Where the hell is she going?
Why do you care? *He pushes his foot down on the pedal, and the four speed off, leaving the building to explode behind them*
“Exactly. They dictated the way people acted to form a somewhat coherent society. They united people behind beliefs to create a sense of community beyond families… Isn’t that beautiful?” He smiles. “They created laws out of their commandments, they created morality even… they created philosophy too! I love seeing the fervor behind their preaching. It really does give life a purpose, it gives people a reason to act kindly and to trust each other.”
Cate: No, it gives people yet another reason to point fingers at each other and say ‘Oh, you’re not one of us, therefore, we should do everything in our power to make your life hell.’ *She stands* I need to go lie down for a bit. Tell me if anything happens.
*After she’s left*
Stephen: Do yourself a favor and don’t bring up religion around Cate.
