[Center][img]https://i.imgur.com/J9pJEAb.png[/img]
[color=DEBA42]LOCATION:[/color] The Maw
[color=DEBA42]WORD COUNT:[/color] 1,063 (+2)
[color=DEBA42]MENTIONS:[/color] 
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Taking in Jr's assessment of the 'fatsos', Mirage had to agree with Geralt and Kamek's caution. [color=DEBA42]"Considering everything that's happened so far, I wouldn't be surprised if they [i]could[/i] fight."[/color] He added, not liking the idea of picking another fight with creatures bigger than them. Especially if they wanted to go after an obese crocodile, that just sounded like a terrible idea all-around. Even if they knew him. [color=DEBA42]"Maybe the crocodile guy wouldn't attack us, if you guys know him? But, uh, that doesn't account for everyone else around 'em... Could be game over, for sure."[/color]

Ace's positivity about them startling that Lady seemed to be in good spirit, though Nadia brought up a good point on why she was running off. [color=DEBA42]"I mean, yeah. Like in any horror movie! They come into view, run off,"[/color] He simulated running with two of his fingers, having them 'run' behind his other hand. [color=DEBA42]"Then when you get to where they were, poof!"[/color] He raised the hand from behind his fist, wriggling his fingers like he'd performed a magic trick to make something disappear. [color=DEBA42]"[i]Gone.[/i]"[/color]

Mirage was pulled from his theatrics as Sakura's concern over the opinion of her homeland came into play. Hey! He knew someone who was [url=https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Valkyrie]partially Japanese![/url] Even had her help him understand his Japanese fans online a few times. [color=DEBA42]"Don't worry,"[/color] He insisted to the miniaturized street fighter. [color=DEBA42]"I'm repressing the [i]hell[/i] out of all of this once we're done, I'll more than happily bury it by seeing where you're from."[/color] Not knowing particularly where that'd be, he'd be interested in hearing about it later. He wasn't too familiar with most of the world, just his small slice of it. There was always room to learn somewhere. Unfortunately, that wasn't now. Instead, Mirage found his eyes going towards the stage at Bella's suggestion. Tilting his head, he wasn't sure what that little speck of light was he kept seeing, but as Nadia brought herself forward his curiosity brought him to do the same. Though his approach was grounded, rather than climbing upwards. He stayed huddled close to one of the 'seats' he didn't identify in the dark from down below, instead trying to peek past and see what was going on.

That kid they'd brought with them earlier had seemed to make his own way out here. But something felt weird, at least to him. He'd been eager and a little cautious before, but now he was full-booking it like his life depended on it. Which it might have, since he seemed to know where he was heading. Was their exit up there? For a moment he looked back at the others, eyes still glowing even through the darkness in the room. But he quickly turned his head as the lights went out with a loud slam, eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to adjust to the sudden change, but he couldn't see jack aside from the one spotlight left up front. The kid scrambled for freedom, but quickly the harsh reality of the threat they were dealing with became far too apparent. Mirage felt frozen in place, hands forming tightly into fists at the sight of those creatures. For a moment, Mirage thought he might escape. But then that Lady appeared, stopping any hopes he ever had of getting farther. 

The horrible sight of seeing the kid reduced to nothing but a motionless husk on the ground shook Mirage to his core. But what made it so much worse was seeing that Lady gesture towards where they were, causing him to instinctually stop peeking and instead hide. [color=DEBA42]"Oh [i]shit.[/i]"[/color] He repeated it in his mind several times. [color=DEBA42][i][sub]Ohshitohshitoh[b]shit.[/b][/sub][/i][/color] Just what the hell were they supposed to do if she could just scoop them up and turn them into whatever that kid was now? A moment of dread and hopelessness surged through him, causing him to stressfully take an observation of the area, as if to find an alternative route. Or maybe just to hide until he withered away as himself, instead of whatever that was. 

That kid had helped them, and though barely knowing the guy it was a lost member of the group regardless. First he watched a copied version of himself die, then what was more normal with Larry was absolutely escalated by a curse that nearly made him eat the butcher. And now, as Mirage peeked out again, he saw that shriveled husk again. After all of this, [url=https://apexlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Shadowfall]shadowfall[/url] almost felt like nothing. At least then he was fully-grown. Had a gun. Now? He was just small. Not someone who could fight a situation like this bare-handed, or with such short stature. What the hell were they going to do?

That's when Nadia's words gave him an answer. Even if he was small, even if he had a lack of weaponry. One thing that was always important in his line of work was [i]teamwork.[/i] They had a team; They had a BIG team, even if they were small people. And as revenge for that kid, an all the hell that Lady put them through, there was only one real way to handle this. [i]Kill her.[/i]

Mirage brought himself back around, and leaned against the back of what he was still unaware of being a mannequin. Having looked around in his moment of panic, he at least was aware there were other doors leading them to areas around the Maw. [color=DEBA42]"That door over there is labeled "The Lady's Chambers", you think she goes in there often?"[/color] He raised as an idea, hoping the location was actually just a room for their horrible host, and not something weirder. [color=DEBA42]"Maybe we could set up a trap in there? Turn her into food with the power of one of those weird shrimp-headed things? Then bash her apart before she changes back."[/color] It was assuming she actually went in there, of course. And he could see some of the potential flaws. [color=DEBA42]"She pointed this way, though. She might know we were watching. So there's a chance she'd know if we go into her chambers... Maybe there's something in there we can use against her? If she tries to come in and stop us from digging around, we can still transform her. Sounds like the best bet to me."[/color] Not like they had any reason to not go for it, right? They either sat and starved, ran forward and ended up as husks, or tried to find a secret weapon or route to the helm.