[By the time Kaveh thinks of anything to say, Rang's message comes through. Kaveh watches the replies, then leans back, slumping against the bookshelf.
He knows how this game works. They've all known from the beginning. And yet, he can't help asking--]
He doesn't have anything good to say to that, because--well. It's over, isn't it? Nahida blocked Matsui from sight, but Kaveh isn't stupid. Not to mention, he saw Matsui after they returned. He's not going to make it without Buzen for long, and if he goes, Rang will, too.
Logically, it's a strategically sound decision. Buzen and Matsui are--were--walking weapons, and Rang has never made a secret of his willingness to kill.
And yet--Kaveh can't just accept this. He can't accept that Buzen is gone, even without the painful regrets already sticking in his throat. He can't accept Matsui being put through so much suffering, back to back to back. He can't accept Rang being punished simply for existing.
Kaveh's emotions are, in this moment, an inextricable tangle of guilt, anger, and sorrow. It feels like devastation.]
Nahida--I don't know what to do.
[How are they supposed to live through more of this?
from a purely objective standpoint, it's not even for only those reasons that it makes sense to elminate the team. on top of all of that, count d's erasure of rin the week before had likely rocketed them into first place, taking all other potential sources of points into account; eliminating buzen, and then allowing matsui to follow behind him and dooming rang, ultimately does more good for anyone looking to take first place than eliminating a team that hadn't erased someone already.
nahida, who should admire the logic, can't help but feel a little ill when she considers that, because this is about so much more than simple points. these are actual lives that are being torn with, here, and knowing it was a strategically sound decision does nothing to numb the ache of losing one of their friends and - very likely - watching two more follow him into nothingness.
she can't accept it. she won't accept it.
she scoots closer to kaveh, trying to keep her own tangle of emotions - guilt, helplessness, frustration, fury, despair - under control. she's not entirely successful, but she does manage to dull them a bit, so hopefully it won't be too overhwelming.
breathe in, then out.
she reaches for kaveh's hands.]
I wish I had an answer for you. [but... she doesn't.] But I... I also do not know what to do.
[it's perhaps not the most reassuring thing to hear from an archon, but it's honest. and how could she possibly hope to reassure him? even if she tried to tell him that she had the answers, it would ring hollow, because she doesn't.
what she does know is - ]
Still... I know what I want to do. And that's protect as many people as possible during this game. [she squeezes his hands.] ...which means, no matter how terrible this feels... we have to keep trying. I don't know why someone picked Buzen, but if their intention was to eliminate his team, I will not let them succeed.
[He allows her to take her hands, and doesn't flinch away from her emotions as they wash over him, mingling with his own. He listens, because for all that he worries and cares and longs to protect her, she is still his archon. For now, it's still second nature to defer to her.]
...How do we stop it? [Is there any saving Matsui, let alone Rang? It's so hard to think, right now.]
There is still hope for those who have been erased. If we can remind him of that... Perhaps it will better motivate him to try to survive and try to save him.
[He wants to believe she's right--that there's still hope, and that Matsui can be saved along with it. But though he doesn't disagree or argue, there's uncertainty on his face.]
...We might need tangible proof for that. [He doesn't think vague, inspirational urgings will be enough. Not when they've already seen Matsui take his own life once.]
All I have is the Reapers' words, unfortunately. But... I wonder what happened in the Game before this one. The one we received that message about this one being based on.
...if they were able to save the Erased in that Game - wouldn't it follow that it would at least be possible here, too?
I'm not sure. But... if we can find more information about it, that might give us something a little more concrete to work with than abstract possibilities.
To me, they've made it sound like they simply aren't informed. As though they're given their instructions and nothing else. The way the lowest-ranking Matra wouldn't have meetings with Cyno. [In their own terms.] The problem is, even if they have a way to get in touch with anyone else, they don't seem willing to do that. And I couldn't tell where that message came from, so I don't know how to try and track it backwards.
[there's a little pang of homesickness when he says cyno's name.]
...it seems strange to me that who it was addressed to and who it was from were blocked out. I suppose that could just be part of the glitch, but... [she sighs.] There likely is more to all of this than they're able to say.
But unfortunately, our options are limited at present. Waiting to see if other messages come through to others may be all we can do until we've collected more information.
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she's staring at her phone with horror... and then dread creeps in as she remembers matsui doing his thing in the cyoa.]
This is...
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He knows how this game works. They've all known from the beginning. And yet, he can't help asking--]
Why him...?
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Are they trying to wipe out the whole team?
[because leaving just matsui and rang is. a choice.]
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He doesn't have anything good to say to that, because--well. It's over, isn't it? Nahida blocked Matsui from sight, but Kaveh isn't stupid. Not to mention, he saw Matsui after they returned. He's not going to make it without Buzen for long, and if he goes, Rang will, too.
Logically, it's a strategically sound decision. Buzen and Matsui are--were--walking weapons, and Rang has never made a secret of his willingness to kill.
And yet--Kaveh can't just accept this. He can't accept that Buzen is gone, even without the painful regrets already sticking in his throat. He can't accept Matsui being put through so much suffering, back to back to back. He can't accept Rang being punished simply for existing.
Kaveh's emotions are, in this moment, an inextricable tangle of guilt, anger, and sorrow. It feels like devastation.]
Nahida--I don't know what to do.
[How are they supposed to live through more of this?
But how could they possibly run?]
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from a purely objective standpoint, it's not even for only those reasons that it makes sense to elminate the team. on top of all of that, count d's erasure of rin the week before had likely rocketed them into first place, taking all other potential sources of points into account; eliminating buzen, and then allowing matsui to follow behind him and dooming rang, ultimately does more good for anyone looking to take first place than eliminating a team that hadn't erased someone already.
nahida, who should admire the logic, can't help but feel a little ill when she considers that, because this is about so much more than simple points. these are actual lives that are being torn with, here, and knowing it was a strategically sound decision does nothing to numb the ache of losing one of their friends and - very likely - watching two more follow him into nothingness.
she can't accept it. she won't accept it.
she scoots closer to kaveh, trying to keep her own tangle of emotions - guilt, helplessness, frustration, fury, despair - under control. she's not entirely successful, but she does manage to dull them a bit, so hopefully it won't be too overhwelming.
breathe in, then out.
she reaches for kaveh's hands.]
I wish I had an answer for you. [but... she doesn't.] But I... I also do not know what to do.
[it's perhaps not the most reassuring thing to hear from an archon, but it's honest. and how could she possibly hope to reassure him? even if she tried to tell him that she had the answers, it would ring hollow, because she doesn't.
what she does know is - ]
Still... I know what I want to do. And that's protect as many people as possible during this game. [she squeezes his hands.] ...which means, no matter how terrible this feels... we have to keep trying. I don't know why someone picked Buzen, but if their intention was to eliminate his team, I will not let them succeed.
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...How do we stop it? [Is there any saving Matsui, let alone Rang? It's so hard to think, right now.]
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[...]
There is still hope for those who have been erased. If we can remind him of that... Perhaps it will better motivate him to try to survive and try to save him.
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...We might need tangible proof for that. [He doesn't think vague, inspirational urgings will be enough. Not when they've already seen Matsui take his own life once.]
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All I have is the Reapers' words, unfortunately. But... I wonder what happened in the Game before this one. The one we received that message about this one being based on.
...if they were able to save the Erased in that Game - wouldn't it follow that it would at least be possible here, too?
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We can ask. They've never been particularly forthcoming to me, but I'm willing to try.
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...it seems strange to me that who it was addressed to and who it was from were blocked out. I suppose that could just be part of the glitch, but... [she sighs.] There likely is more to all of this than they're able to say.
But unfortunately, our options are limited at present. Waiting to see if other messages come through to others may be all we can do until we've collected more information.