Temporary

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

~ Unfettered ~

Faith could feel her own head tilt in confusion as Jez spoke. This was an odd situation, yes, but the reasoning she gave was, in some ways, even stranger. She would never voice as such, though, but it still stood at such - if Thomas was bent on blowing up the door to the room, why bother acquiring a handbook? It would save a lot of time and effort on both his part, and the parts of everyone else involved at the meeting. Was she bluffing? Biding time? No matter how she reasoned it, there was an oddity to it that seemed completely off base, unless it was her intention to do as such.

Daimyon was up next to voice his opinion. Out of all the people sat in the circle, only four of them were discussing anything, it seemed. The Carnage Sister shook restlessly in her prison continuously, but Faith paid it no heed; her attention was more closely paid on Thomas, in her periphery, and every action he made. His uncanny, sharp, and deadly serious attentiveness was unsettling at best, and downright strange at worst - like he was trying to process everything in the room at once.

She sighed. Casting a look towards Denis, whom carried the vial to the Study, she was already beginning to realise her mistake. Daimyon was right, the choice was entirely out of his hands. All they could do was listen to the madman and his ravings, and his ridiculous methods by which to attain his goal. From the corners of her eyes, it almost felt like he was moving. Almost. Maybe she was just preoccupied. There was no way he'd do that here. Not with that.

Though apparently she was wrong. Faith sat still, perfectly, almost rigidly, though not in fear, moreover in patience, as his arms wrapped around her body, clutching the vial between his hands before her.She finished drawing the knife, as his little speech continued. He was implying that she would be the Blackened if the explosive went off, was he? The joyous demeanour that had accompanied Faith into the mess she found herself in had all but vanished. You could see it in her eyes.

"This is getting boring now, Thomas." she simply stated, as Daimyon stood to leave the circle for his room. Her eyes followed him to the door, where he stood before Daimyon. That was obviously a futile lie - a reasonable one, but futile nonetheless, "There's no need for that, Daimyon. The handbook isn't necessary anymore."

Nitroglycerin was a volatile explosive that detonated when disturbed. Faith may have been the "Infinite Matchmaker", but she was a Demigod and a Magus besides that. She had a room of alchemical ingredients. He would stay there until the Night of Carnage? In a swift movement, she flipped the knife into another grip, so the blade faced the ceiling.
"After all, the thing in this vial isn't a Nitroglycerin-based explosive." if the boy made no move to avoid it, her hand angled down to his wrist. The blade cut into his skin as she drew the knife across his flesh, leaving a deep wound that would no doubt leave a scar.

"Even in such a small concentration as this vial, no sane man would hold an explosive in their bare hands. It might kill me, sure, but it's doubtful he'll be using his hands after this. Maybe it'll burn the skin irreparably, or tear a finger or two off, or cut the tendons in his thumbs..." she positioned the knife to begin a second cut, "His Talent does use his hands a lot. He's not suicidal. If he was... he'd kill himself in his room. That, or he'd threaten a lot more people than me." the blade slashed across his arm, "Right Thomas~?"

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

@Herringson You're a massive slurpndese, y'know that?

Danganronpa Alternate (Reboot, in need of new players)

New character!

Giyuko Kihou

Name:

Giyuko, Kihou _{ギ(gi) ユ(yu) コ(ko) キ(ki) ホウ(hou)}

Ultimate (SHSL) Magician:

A Magician by all accounts, a master of trickery, sleight of hand and mystic arts. Though he has many tricks, his favourite has to be "Putting Casino's out of business". Once upon a time, and the reason he was invited to attend Hopes Peak, he was a famous Magician, despite his age, attending and performing at Live Shows and Birthday Parties across the globe. Perhaps even one of the best Magician's in the world. Of course... that isn't quite the case any longer.

Gender:

Male

Appearance:

Kihou stands at around 5 foot 11, with medium length, flowing blonde hair that down his back and over his shoulders. He's handsome, with something of a feminine hint to his countenance, offset with sharp, grey eyes and well built body. Despite what his Talent may suggest, his wardrobe lacks formal clothes in its entirety, instead comprised of jeans, different coloured, unbranded shirts, jackets, and a suspicious number of fingerless gloves. Around his neck are a set of dog-tags, each bearing their own inscription. Upon one reads "Only the cheated can be blamed for their loss.", and the other "Der alte wurfelt nicht".

Personality:

Professionalism. Tact. Generosity Kihou doesn't have any use for those things. When one thinks of Giyuko Kihou, one might associate him with the once and professional facade he took on - a Magician, to entertain the masses. Bright, cheerful, with warm and bountiful humour and a penchant for the theatrical. They might consider him a pioneer of modern magic, a prodigy despite his young age, who despite his fame never neglected to spare his time for smaller shows, and even the occasional birthday party.

The people that remember him as such would be sorely mistaken. Yes, magic was what brought him to Hopes Peak but the "Magician" the masses so fondly remember wont be found within him. Kihou is an asshole. An arrogant asshole. It can't be said that he loves to flaunt his skills to other people, more so that he was an absolute confidence in himself and his abilities that can seldom be over come, even when he is beaten. He is an upbeat, generally cheerful guy, as much so as that Magician was, but his warm humour and generosity have been erased and replaced with a snarky, dry, and generally dickish attitude and sense of humour.

The one thing that can be relied upon when it comes to his personality is his gambling addiction. It's no longer just something that he indulges in - instead it has sublimated into his being to become a fundamental component of the man that is "Giyuko Kihou". The risk of gambling is the ultimate form of ecstasy to him - the idea of placing your life savings, your worldly possessions, or even your life, on the line of what can almost be described as a game of chance is his pleasure. When it comes to gambling he will never turn down an opportunity to compete with another, no matter his relationship with the person or his own personal biases. Perhaps that love for risks is why he feels so comfortable within the confines of a Killing Game.

Backstory:

Kihou was young, as most of his fellows were. Like many others it was that time when he discovered Magic. An art form more than anything else, Magic allowed a person to suspend their sense of disbelief and just watch for some time, as the performer before them enacted feats beyond what should be physically possible. He grew up watching people like this, and found himself fooled over and over much like the audience did. It was captivating, pure and simple. He was fascinated.

As time went by, he attempted to become one of these Magicians. At first, like all that try, he failed. Magic didn't seem to be his calling. Slight of Hand, Card Tricks - none of it came naturally to him. It almost felt wrong for him to attempt it. But years passed, and slowly, that craft he fell in love with became his own. Dedication and practice, he came to realise, weren't just things you were told to delay your inevitable failure. Those words had merit. He started doing local birthdays parties at age nine, live shows in the city at age ten, and both across Japan at age twelve. By age fourteen he was doing shows across the globe, and began to amass a sizeable fortune. But then his career went downhill.

It wasn't as though he was losing his touch, and it wasn't as though people didn't want to come and see him. His audience spanned the globe, and everyone related to Magic as a practice wanted to meet him. That wasn't the issue. It was every time he turned on the TV, or went to YouTube, or went to a show. He was a master Magician. But everything he saw during those shows, he already knew how it was done. He could watch and perfectly predict every action, and flourish, and sleight of hand and twist in every single act. There was no suspension of disbelief. No realm of the mystical. No magic. It was boring.

By age fifteen Kihou had developed the gambling addiction that would alter his core being. Magic was boring. At one time there was thrill whenever he watched a trick, and ecstasy at the applause of his audience, but now he felt nothing. He needed a new kind of thrill, a new kind of pleasure - something to detract from the broing monotony of repeated magic tricks that his life had become. Gambling was the answer to that. Risking huge sums of money, his most prized possessions... body parts, his life...

Those kind of risks sparked something new in him. It was the pleasure, the ecstasy, the thrill that he was looking for. His skills as a Magician allowed a smooth transition, allowing for him to prove himself as an excellent gambler, despite his age. No casino would let up the chance to take money from one of the best Magicians in the world, and a kid, no less. Their false beliefs in his naivety cost many a Casino dearly in the year before his selection to attend Hopes Peak. Of course, at the time he was still recognised as a Magician, and not a Gambler. Thus, he was enrolled as such, and although he uses the title, he never considers himself truly a Magician.

Miscellaneous:

• His colour is Gold.
• More TBA.

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Ryuudou Temple

~ Itching for Battle ~

Over the course of the evening, Serafina had promptly returned to the Temple. The fireworks show was over, and though a storm had ravaged the remaining crater, little else of note would occur. But one thing did interest her - something she would need to keep in mind. No doubt Berserker had noticed it to - that Servant could be none other than Achilles. The return journey was quiet, as though the world was reeling from the destruction that had been wrought. the death tole would be high.

But the existence of Achilles was more pressing. He was a legendary hero, known worldwide as a prime example of "Being a Hero". No doubt he would be an extensively difficult opponent, and far from one to be taken with any modicum of lightness. But the more urgent issue was Berserker - Ajax and Achilles had been friends in life, and if Sera was right regarding him, there would no doubt be tension. After all this Ajax was one with the desire to kill the Greeks; there was little wonder in her mind that Achilles might be included in that umbrella.

That said, she had things to do. Returning to the Temple was just one point on a list of activities she would have to engage in, not least of all establishing further contact with the Matou's. There was little information to go on, but their Manor, too, fell within the Foreign District, now a smouldering crater. If the Manor was destroyed, Reiki could be dead. Or worse - she could be seeking new and permanent residence.

With the existence of such powerful Servants as Achilles, it was clear that the cast of the War was to be far from under-powered. Additional preparations would need to be made in order to fortify the Temple. As she climbed the Temple stairs, though, Serafina spied one of Caster's Familiars. Seeing it inspired slight weight to the wooden box she had hoisted upon her back for the trek home, but it was ignored. This was to be a fruitful alliance. It was time to discuss the future of the War.

~

(Former) Tohsaka Manor, Foreigner's Lowlands

The night was fruitful, terribly so. If she had yet to realise the true extents to which this Servant could assist her, the evenings deliberations had solidified her usefulness entirely. Preparations had been set in place, and something of an excitable fire burned within Serafina's heart. There was confidence from the start, yes, but here and now she could feel and taste and touch her chances of winning - they were more than just dreams.

The night wasn't filled entirely with hope and joy, though. There had been some slight dread, some fear. Screams echoed from beneath the Temple. They were deep in the ground, faint but vivid, the kinds that kept distance and strained ones ears, but rocked the listener to their core. They were real and living. It lingered in her head - the screams, the emotions - but she kept them back, and forced them into a recess in her mind.

There were better and more pressing things to preoccupy her with; that idea filled her mind, as she skipped over the flattened, demolished landscape of the once and former Foreign District, over rubble and towards her goal. Though there was little in the devastation that could be considered a map reference, she had something of a sense to where she was going. After all, it was posited upon a Leyline.

As she approached her destination, her associate formed from nothing. Afterall, this was the Tohsaka Manor, and ripe for the taking.
"Hiya Caster, how's it going?" she chirruped, encroaching on the ritual site, flanked by Berserker, watching as the Bounded and Runic Fields sprung to life, and the Familiars went about their work, "Achilles really did some work to this place, huh..." she spun around, whistling, and taking in the landscape - barren for miles.

Berserker simply stood and observed, clutching in his giant hand a somewhat distinctive spear - white in colour, extensively long, with a thin and brutal tip. It bore intricate patterns, or especially notable designs, but still, it felt distinctive.
"So, bodyguard work, huh? I can do that." Serafina simply said, finding a relatively elevated spot on the otherwise flattened landscape to take a seat, "Somebody had better come knocking; I haven't been in a fight at all yet, and I think Berserker here is in the mood to murderify some people."

She wore a smile, and simply waited. Either they would finish what they came to do, undisturbed... or people would come for a fight, and some blood would most certainly be drawn.

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Western Edge of the Foreign District

~ Before the Storm ~

It wasn't shortly after they took their spot on the bench that all Hell would break loose. Or perhaps a better way to say it would be that Heaven descended to revoke Hell? At the edge of the Foreign District, Serafina had a perfect front-row seat to the show. It had been over half a day at this point, and finally, something was being down to combat the fire. And she wouldn't even have to get involved - oh how fortune smiled.

From the distance she sat, the Noble Phantasm that formed over head was more than a magnificent sight to see. It was, perhaps, beautiful - a glowing, rippling, pulsating world, shining over the Great Fire of Fuyuki like a star.
"Oooooh, interesting." she called aloud, leaning back into the bench and crossing her legs. Servants were powerful, that much she knew, but for one to create an entire world before them? It was exceptional.

And then the star began to fall towards the ground. No, not a star. A comet. A glowing, pulsating, brilliant ball of pure destruction, that would fall upon the world and decimate it underneath.
"Hmmm... Berserker, stand by in case I need protecting, 'kay?" Sera chirruped, turning her gaze from the fireworks display and towards her own Servant, stood eyeing the scene before him.

She could feel it. His entire being was seething with a desire to annihilate whatever Servant producing that world. Everything about him churned in pure and vitriolic hatred - something beyond even the Mad Enhancement of the Berserker Class. Telling him to protect her was just a minor countermeasure - something to, hopefully, prevent him from charging off. If he ignored her, though... nothing short of another Command Seal would halt his wrath. She eyed her hand, and the two ugly purple marks, the remnants of her first Command.

All Serafina had to do was hope, as her eyes were drawn back towards the fire. And then the comet hit. Buildings and pavements caved in under its weight, demolishing block after block with its immense force. Even before the shock-wave, at this distance she could feel the pressure; two terribly powerful forces colliding, both with the desire to obliterate the other.

And then the shock-wave - a resounding and deafening crack of collision, followed by a wave of pure energy. Buildings crumbled and were torn from their foundations; trees uprooted; windows shattered. Sera barely stayed in the bench - and might not have down - but before her stood Berserker, protecting her as asked. And then it was over, as quickly as it had come.

"Well, that was fun!" her legs swung up from the bench as she spoke, and she pushed herself off, allowing her to stand side by side with Berserker, "You'll get your fight later, 'kay? I wanna see if that Caster has done anything with the Temple yet." with that, she turned her back, and began walking through the debris of the now decimated Foreign District, and back to the Temple.

Berserker, though, lingered, the boiling pot of wrath and insanity urging him to fight. Less a desire and more of an innate drive - one to murder those who he deemed betrayed him. Even his closest and longest friends. Even the one who stopped that fire. Clouds swelled above the crater, pelting it with rain and hail and thunder. Entering into it would be a mistake, even on his part. But as he turned away to follow his Master, he recognised that man.

He recognised Achilles.

Danganronpa Alternate (Reboot, in need of new players)

Damnit Ammo.

---

Anyways, new and improved Lilly, here she is!

Lilly Hart

Name:

Lilly Hart

Ultimate (SHSL) Hacker:

Lilly is, as put by the Hopes Peak Board, “An incredibly talented hacker, a nigh prodigy in the field.” While her knowledge and skills extend into other branches of programming, her primary talent is finding, exploiting and breaching systems, allowing her to steal or destroy data, manipulate devices, and wreak havoc.

Gender:

Female

Appearance:

Lilly stands at approximately 5 foot, with short, greyish white hair, tipped with like pink highlights. She is of a slim build, possessing petite features, soft, pale skin, and deep blue eyes that drift into a light turquoise towards the pupil, and a particularly expressive countenance. While she bears something of a beautiful face and figure, her wardrobe is somewhat plain, boasting few particularly eye catching outfits, mostly consisting of unbranded shirt, jackets, skirts and trousers fit for most any occasion. Alongside this, she also carries a stuffed rabbit, which is somewhat worn from years of play, is missing an eye, and has a couple patches. She holds it tightly, often to her chest, and toys with it when nervous.

Personality:

Quite the bundle of energy, Lilly is a very animated character, loving fluffy animals, parties, and anything fun. Though being somewhat quiet, she is a very animated character, with a wide range of facial expressions and actions that she uses to great effect, able to illustrate how she feels even without vocal verification. At first, she can often be mistaken as shy, however prolonged exposure to her nature sheds light on how wrong such an assumption is.

Lilly is also a very capable individual. She can easily keep calm under pressure, and has a selectively eidetic memory to boot, allowing her to identify and solve issues quickly and effectively, much the same as she does in her work (just don't expect her to remember your name). Her lack of emotional response in stressful situations occasionally elicits worried and curious questions from her peers, although she tends to ignore them.

Another facet of her personality manifests in boundless curiousity. She has an insatiable need to know how things work, especially when it comes to people. It led to her interest in coding, and hacking, and everything she ever does. She also expresses some blurred moral concepts, though she likes to keep them hidden as to not disturb or concern her friends.

Backstory:

Lilly was as much of a normal child as one could hope for. Healthy, kind, friendly and fun. At least for the first few years of her life. The moment she was introduced to the internet, though, sparked something of a change. She was intelligent, that had been noticed, but the extents to which her intellect reached were far beyond what her family had imagined. She was programming websites at age five, and manipulating systems not long after. Suddenly she was drawing in money from God knew where, and though her parents were happy, they were somewhat worried, as any self respecting parent would be.

The truth came out several years later, when she was questioned by the FBI. She had been acting as a White Hat since age seven, and had been feeding information in the form of anonymous tips to the police for years after. Her exploits were finally acknowledged when she uncovered details of a prominent hacking group know as the Round Table, as well as a terror attack that they had been planning along similar atrocious act committed some years prior. Thanks to this, she was guaranteed a space in Hopes Peak as the Ultimate Hacker once it finally reopened.

Miscellaneous:

• She’s a sucker for sweets and fluffy animals of all kinds, though she avoids milk and dark chocolate.
• Doesn't care for sports, but she finds wrestlers silly and funny.
• Cuddly toys for life.
• Is very protective of her stuffed rabbit.
• Colour is PaleVioletRed

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Western Edge of the Foreign District

~ A Little While Longer ~

"Don't I think?" Serafina simply said, repeating the apparitions the question as she appraised the evergrowing smoke cloud above the city, "Don't I think that a giant fire is some little footnote? Don't I think that it's something I can leave alone?" there was a hint of annoyance in her voice, but for the most part it was steeped in confusion.

Her eyes trailed back towards where the form once was. It had already faded, or course; Sera was merely talking to thin air in the vain attempt of comprehending the situation that was unfolding before her. Although she tried to brush it off, there was a pang of agreement in her chest. With the abundance of Servants currently presiding over Fuyuki City, there would definitely be people who could deal with it. There just had to be. There was no reason for her to get involved.

That said, Sofia wouldn't agree. She'd run head first into the fire to try and save people - that was totally something she'd do. Take Saber and confront the accursed flames. She was an idiot like that, but part of her would feel guilty if she forced her sister to do that alone. Her hand reached into her pocket, and from it drew several small pieces of paper, all but one of which she replaced, and a pen. On it, she wrote a small note.

"Stay in the Temple. This isn't something you need to concern yourself with."

The moment the note was finished, she replaced the pen, and then went to another of her pockets. Out from within she drew a small, mechanical owl. In it's claws she attached the note, and activated the Runes across it. Only a few - note the entire series. It only needed to fly to her. The metallic object took off, allowing Sera to turn away and begin down the stairs,, with the vain hope that Sofia would read the note and choose not to follow her.

But before the fire, she had a supply drop to catch.

~

The buildings near the blaze had been long abandoned. As the inferno steadily encroached upon the surrounding portions of the Foreign District, and the other nearby Districts, civilians took off in all directions to escape its piercing heat - and piercing it was. She was still some distance from the blaze, near the edge of the District, but even there she could feel the pulsating heat, and magnificent glow.

It had already engulfed half the Foreign District, and was beginning to spread into Miyama Town and the Commerce District. All in less than a day. If it kept up its spread... the place Serafina was stood now, backed by her Servant, would no longer be as hospitable as it was. It would be ravaged with hungry, angry, violent flames that purged all life in its vicinity. Despite the distance, she almost couldn't believe that they could stop it. At least, almost.

Only one of the buildings in particular held any interest to her. That Caster's Familiar had guided her here. At least, she assumed it was a Caster. It was hard to place them in any other Class save that. Presumably, the inside held some kind of cache. It could have been a trap, but... that seemed unlikely. If that Servant was smart, they would recognise that the Temple Proper held not one but two Servants. Only killing one and then trying to take over the Temple would be a grave mistake on their part.

It was a decently tall building, seemingly some kind of office block or another. Where she was was relatively close to the Commerce District, anyways. But whatever they did here wasn't what interested her. Familiar in front, Berserker behind, they ascended stairwell after stairwell, before finally coming out onto a landing. Then into a small room, off to the side. And in that room was a box - a small box - with an equally small strap attached to the side.
"Is this it?" she stated, curtly, kneeling down to pry the lid open as the Familiar sat down beside her, and explained the contents.

~

Serafina and Berserker stood outside the building, watching on as the fires raged. In the distance, through the fire, she could see Servants battling it out despite the inferno, and beyond that, civilians throwing themselves into the accursed flames for one reason or another. Now that she had nothing else on her mind, she could feel it - the brevity and abundance of curses present before her. How had some many hideous things coalesced in less than a day? Just what were they doing?!

"Berserker?" she said, addressing her Servant stood just a bit behind her, "When I say, you're gonna go and help deal with the fire. If anyone attacks you, just kill them. Just... not yet. I wanna see what we're dealing with a little while longer..." she trailed off, looking around before finding a bench to sit down on. Her eyes darted across another sheet of paper, upon which she had written the details of the things Caster had gifted her. A small smile blossomed on her lips.

This was going to be an even more interesting War than she had first imagined.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

@Herringson

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

~ Confrontation ~

Daimyon was only just replying as Faith took her seat, discussing something or another about Marianne's Handbook with Thomas. Marianne... was the person who died before Faith had entered the game; Noel had spoken about her. It was a bloody affair, or so it was told. Tired up and butchered like an animal - no, worse than an animal. Even despite the murders she had already bore witness to, the atrocious act of their second Trial was on another level than she had experienced.

For what reason Thomas could have with a dead girls room, she couldn't begin to fathom. If Daimyon and Marianne had been as close to each other as was suggested, no doubt he would have gone through her room, on the off chance anything was left behind that could prove useful, either for the group, or for himself. There was nothing an outsider could hope to find that Daimyon wouldn't have found already.

But he was insistent. And something struck her; something that didn't quite make sense. The way he spoke, the way he stood up, and made his way to the door like he did. It was like he knew what the outcome would be - like he knew Daimyon would refuse. Like he knew he wouldn't have to convince him to hand it over. Her eyes trailed him across the room, to the exit, where the worn down Denis resided, out of breath and decidedly worse for wear than any of the patients had the right to be. Something was going on here, and she didn't like it.

At all.

Whatever book he was holding wasn't the thing that took Faith's attention, it was the vial. It was her gift to identify behavioural traits and body language, and Denis was clearly nervous. And then he started walking again, and kept walking, whilst Faith kept him in her sights, until he vanished from anything but her periphery. He was stood behind her - right behind her. He was addressing her. The chemistry book he had procured was extended over her shoulder in front her her. Evidently she had no choice but to take it.

”I’m gonna have you take this book, turn to the book mark: page 214, and tell everyone here what's on that page.

He thumb riffled through the pages until it hit the bookmark, and slowly spread the pages to reveal their contents. Her eyes locked to the bold word, and her pupils narrowed, before she lifted the book slightly to prevent the people either side of her from reading along with her. Every word she took in carefully, up until the end of the second paragraph. And then she simply closed the book.

"How cute~!" Faith's cheerful voice resonated across the room, no doubt eliciting a few odd reactions. Gently, she placed the book on the floor, and slid it under her chair with her foot. At the same time, her free hand raised to a pocket in her outfit, "Is that how this is going to be, hmm, Thomas~?" and from it slowly drew the same sacrificial blade she had used to deal with Julia, and Alexandria's Horse, "Give me the Handbook, or I'll kill everyone in this room~? How terribly unsporting of you."

@Herringson

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

~ Carnal Fear ~

More murders. Murder after murder. Faith might have started to lose track, at this rate. But the Tome wouldn't forget. Since the start of the Killing Games she had been keeping a special page for their names - the names of the tormented and deceased. Amidst the noise of the other pages, this was immaculate. Neat handwriting, no doodles, and no scribbles. No mess. Something about her couldn't bring herself to defile that page as she had done the others. Though maybe with their names the page had already been defiled. It was a solemn reminder, and the blasted words at the top stuck with her every time she opened it.

Deceased Infinites.

Felix and Mercy were just two more added to the ever growing list. The Infinite Free runner and the Infinite Plague Doctor... just above them were the Infinite Firebug and Infinite Dice Master. She had never met Rika, but Allie was her friend. Her friend... She traced the names with her index finger, running across each letter, burdened with the visceral memory that accompanied them. The deaths of her fellows in her original game, the deaths of her fellows in this game. For somebody called Faith, she was starting to lose hope of escaping. Starting to.

She'd had trouble sleeping - periodic and sporadic episodes of insomnia keeping her up for the morning announcements and beyond, until the next night rolled around and she gambled as to whether sleep would claim her once again. It would just never leave her head... clutching a bleeding body on a tiled floor, feeling their life ebb away in her arms. How many times would she have to experience that before it became common practice? As distressing as the thought might have been, even that had been the common practice she so longed to avoid.

Get out of bed, or stand up from the desk; shower; sit down again and read through your notebook; leave and smile. It was getting tiring, but whether that was the insomnia talking or some internal defence mechanism screaming for release she couldn't tell. Things were getting more and more out of hand by the day. Infinites being murdered, or killing themselves. Even the party was ruined. How many would be able to keep on like this? From what Faith had heard, that was their third Trial.

She could remember how she was after her games third Trial. It hurt to think that things would keep going, that things might never change. People would keep dying, and nobody could stop it. And then, at the whim of the game, she was whisked away to another, robbing her friends of their leader. There was sadness there, but a small amount of happiness. Happiness she was now ashamed to admit was happiness

The PR system lit up, with the voice of the dreaded. Her dreaded. Her shame. Seeing Jezebel as she exited that elevator gave her a semblance of excitement unmatched since the game started; even the party hadn't elicited that much of a reaction. She had left just after the first Trial. To see her again was a great joy. How she regretted that emotion. The cruelty and coldness in her voice that night...

Faith almost couldn't bring herself to attend the Meeting. Almost. But here she stood, at the entrance of the Study, peeking in to catch a glimpse of those already gathered. She was late, and things were about to commence, but a kind of fear paralysed her at the door-frame. seeing Jez there was more than she could bring herself to handle. Aleecia's death had rocked her, but the Trickster before her had only served to amplify that feeling. Carnage Sisters were one thing. They could only kill you. Deep down she knew Jez would never lower herself to murder. Just emotional torture.

And for the first time in a while, she was scared.

It was a genuine fear. Nowhere along the lines of physical harm, but psychological. This was a girl that, somehow, could hurt her in ways to make a stab wound feel like a feather duster. That was the kind of fear she'd developed of this girl - a fear she had never felt, and might never feel again. The Killing Game was a primal sport, and the primal feelings elicited had begun to close in on her.

But she couldn't linger. People would question her, tell her to sit down or leave. In her head, Faith could imagine Jez doing that. But she couldn't leave. This would be important, without a doubt, and she had to be in attendance. Thomas was already speaking, addressing the group. It was now or never, but now was the only option available in good conscience.

So she stepped towards the group, and took a seat - as far away from her tormentor as possible - and listened.