WEEK FOUR: EXECUTION

[saturations]

EXECUTION: TRIAL BY COMBAT

Sunday morning starts peacefully enough, until around noon, when alarms start going off on your phones. The dreadful noise is accompanied by a reminder of the execution taking place in the Central Node. You can snooze the alarms at first, but they begin to get a little more insistent. If you're being stubborn, you can probably hold out until exactly 1 PM, when an archway opens right in front of you and pulls you in.

Today the Central Node is eerily quiet and empty. There are a few blankets laid out on the grass for those of you who wish to sit instead of standing the whole time. No refreshments have been provided, but the Residents are already there waiting for you.

As the last person enters the node, an enormous archway suddenly opens. This archway once again leads to an area which is pitch black inside, with white and grey dust falling softly like snow. The chilly air feels even colder than before, and you instinctively know you must not approach it. If you try to push through anyway, something is blocking your way. Smaller tears to the same space open in the air, at the very least. You can see what's happening, even if you can't follow.

Because - once the archway is open, Atsushi and Vin alone will begin to walk through as though drawn. All you can do now is watch and wait.

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[gogoghostpowers]

...you need anything?

[9mon]

[There's a little pause and then he reaches up for Danny's hand.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ ...yeah. Yeah, of course Kumon can take his hand. Danny gives Kumon's hand a little squeeze. ]

[9mon]

[It's just a little easier to breathe like this. A small smile of thankfulness is directed his way.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ Danny gives him the tiniest grin back. Everything sucks and there's nothing he can do to stop this public death match, but...at least he can do this. ]

[9mon]

[He hears the word fireworks, and he looks up for just a moment... A ferris wheel and fireworks, and Kumon's hit with a sense of homesickness.

Why does something like this have to end in a fight?]

[gogoghostpowers]

...do you want to watch, while it's still nice?

[ Danny can't tell if that'd be crueler or kinder than continuing to ignore everything.

He squeezes his hand again, because Danny doesn't know what else to do. ]

[9mon]

I dunno.

[Even when it's nice now... it's going to dissolve into violence eventually. He can't tell when the fight will begin, and he doesn't want to see his two remaining roommates battle it out.

He peeks over his knees to watch the fireworks for now. This bit of kindness that Atsushi is giving them. A swell of appreciation for Atsushi, dread, anticipation and stress for what will occur.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ God. Even with this, this small miniscule thing, Danny can't do anything to fix it.

He sits beside Kumon--falling over on his ass essentially, because there is no elegant or easy way to sit down when both your feet are glued to the ground. ]

How's this: you can watch, and when it starts getting bad, I'll block your view. Maybe even block your ears too, if you want.

[9mon]

[A gentle affection for him, even over all his swirling anxiety.

This battle to the death between friends. The gentle prelude that should be to summer, but instead...]

Thanks... I'll look away.

[Kumon knows himself well enough, that if he had to watch that he wouldn't be able to stay conscious.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ just. pats him, he supposes. and keeps his hand on his back for support. ]

[9mon]

[Then... Atsushi's confession, his emotions are a confused muddle. If not now then when else, but there's no time and they'll fight and one of them will-. If nothing else, he must not want to leave things unsaid.

His anxiety is spiking as he takes in a shuddering breath.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ there's a lump in danny's throat. He starts patting Kumon again, this time a little more frantically. ]

[9mon]

[If he wasn't already so stressed he'd find this frantic patting so funny, but instead he's just... a being full of anxiety. As Vin pulls away and picks up the paintball gun Kumon closes his eyes.

That's the conclusion of this first act.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ Danny sees it too, the shift from sweet to lethal. As Kumon closes his eyes, Danny cranes over to cover Kumon's ears with his hands too. ]

[9mon]

[There's a wave of thankfulness.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ Upon hearing Atsushi saying he's just trying to make this quick, he clenches his jaw a bit, and tightens his hands around Kumon's ears. There's only so much he can block out, but this...it's only getting worse. ]

[9mon]

[It's incredibly kind of Danny to do this but he can still hear parts of the fight. There's only so much hands can do.

That... Is not the Atsushi he's come to know. This is that refraction again.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ watching this, Danny suddenly finds himself tensing with the fear of what he might be like, if this were him. If it still maybe is, with the way that--no. no.

He pushes the thought away, swallows the nausea down, and clamps his hands even tighter around Kumon's ears. Like if he just presses hard enough, that'll fix everything. ]

[9mon]

[ Not only is Danny feeling his own anxiety, he's getting the anxiety spike of Kumon, who's fever is only getting worse by the moment.

He clings onto one of his arms, tears starting to well up.

That feeling of wanting to hurt somebody else isn't real, this is the Prism messing with them again. ]

[gogoghostpowers]

[ it's the clinging that does it. Danny wants to let go and hold him, but that would mean removing his hands from Kumon's ears and making him hear everything.

So, jaw clenched, he's just gonna. drop his head onto Kumon's shoulder. ]

[9mon]

[ He clings onto him, shifting so it's as much of a hug as it can be. Between Danny and Kazu he's trying so hard to project thankfulness for them both.

The anxiety is still there, obvious, loud and just at the edge of bad enough to faint. ]