audience: emma perkins

[cyclists]

Comments

[cyclists]

Yeah. [He sounds pretty defeated, too.] ...at the same time, I think both of you have a strong enough light it can balance that.

[Is that true? No idea, but he's trying to be reassuring even if everything's a mess.] And who knows? Taking out the corruption itself helps erase the unrest in the universe and it can't ignore that.

[foodbin]

...I promise, I’m not trying to be mean when I say this. I just... Are you sure about that, or are you just trying to make me feel better? It’s okay if you’re honest.

[cyclists]

I don't think you're the kind of person that would appreciate being pitied or lied to just to feel better about an inevitable truth. It's just what I think though. The other side is still getting news...maybe that'll come up and we'll get clarity on it, too.

[He's still mad at her, but...this situation sucks for everybody.] If we're talking about honesty, I can't promise you're going to live past this week. I can't even promise that we'll have a week where we won't lose even more people, especially now that so many of you know the win condition. All I can do is let the others share the news as they learn it, and help prepare you for whatever comes next.

So. [A quiet pause.] What comes next for you, Emma?

[foodbin]

...I don’t know.

[It’s quiet.]

If most of us have to die anyways, and I’m at risk - I don’t want to hurt anybody. I don’t want to lose myself. [But - she doesn’t want to die.] I don’t know.

[cyclists]

Of everyone who's left, I have to wonder if everyone else feels the same way. [It's a thought.] Nobody wants to die, and we don't want you guys to die either. But if the corruption does stop...does that buy us time? Or stall what we know has to happen?

[...] Sorry. I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

[foodbin]

...We find new information every week that can help us. Stopping the corruption until we have a better idea isn’t a bad thing.

[...]

What would you do if you were in my shoes? If you were scared you might hurt someone, even if you weren’t sure?

[cyclists]

...if it were me? [A funny question.] I'd at least consider who I might go after at a time like that, or what I could possibly do to them. I'd prepare for the possibility that I could hurt my friends...but I'd also trust them to fight back. But those are just my friends.

And most importantly, I'd tell somebody else and see what they thought. [Just saying.] Even if it's a precaution and nothing's likely to happen...look at Swift Wind. He had Saix tie him up at night because he was afraid. And Xion...she won't say it, but I think she's still scared it'll happen again, too.

[foodbin]

...Right. I just...

[She sighs.]

Sorry. I don’t mean to unload on you.

[cyclists]

...it's okay. [Strangely.] It's a scary thing, knowing you could be the one to end the life of somebody you've come to care about. Losing control of who you are, not even knowing if your actions are your own or someone else's...trust me, I get it. Probably more than you'd think.

[There's another pause.] ...people are complex. Even with something like darkness living in their hearts, the light helps shape them. We just have to remember that even if the way to get there is scary and seems like the end, we still have the power to change things if people work together.

[foodbin]

[After a few moments... The real crux of the matter.]

...If I’m going to have to die anyways before this is over, I just don’t see why I shouldn’t do it before I have the chance to hurt someone else. I don’t exactly want to be the last one standing here, especially if I’m going to be more of a risk than anyone else.

[cyclists]

[...]

Shess told me. [About Emma asking him to kill her if something happens.] I'd advise taking time to think about this before doing anything, but...I understand not wanting to be the last one standing. I don't know if I could do it either.

[foodbin]

I’m not going to jump into anything.

[Since it is, quite literally, life or death.]

But I can’t just... [...] How much did I tell you about back home?

[cyclists]

...uh...you told me that back home isn't actually a thing that's likely to happen, more or less.

[foodbin]

But nothing about how it got that way?

[cyclists]

..remind me.?[I WANT TO SAY HE KNOWS ABOUT ALIENS BUT I CAN'T FIND IT WEH.]

[foodbin]

It was... A little bit like the corruption here. It took over people’s bodies and made them do things they would never do otherwise. Only, there was no way to purify anybody. And - it spread much more easily.

[cyclists]

So being in a place like this where you can't even see how it's spreading, and seeing what it does to people...it makes things worse.

How did people survive that for as long as they did?

[foodbin]

...Well. For a lot of us, it was only about a day. I think I only made it longer because they were vicious assholes, and they wanted to mess with me a little bit longer.

[...]

But - they targeted people they knew best, in some cases I saw. Family members, spouses... People who wouldn't as willing to fight back. [...] I don't want it to get that idea from me.

[cyclists]

Is that why you were hesitant to actually get close to people? [Just. Calling that out for a moment.] ...given how some cases here seem to work, I can't even say that's a ridiculous thought to have.

[foodbin]

...Not quite.

[But he's on the right track, at least.]

It's just - if something happened to Lea or Naminé...

[cyclists]

...yeah. Trust me, I get it. [...] And even if it wasn't you who really did it, but it was the corruption...when you regained control again, the aftermath wouldn't be any easier.

[He'd be pretty pissed, first of all, but that's also just a hard situation.] ...can you keep a secret?

[foodbin]

...It would still be my fault, if I knew I was a risk and I didn't do anything to stop it.

[She nods.]

I won't tell anyone.

[cyclists]

Right. [........]

What has Axel told you about Xion?

[foodbin]

...That he forgot her after she died.

[cyclists]

[There's a nod.]

...he never learned how she died because I never told him. I didn't know it at the time, but...when she went away, because of how she was created, there wasn't anything of her left to remember.

[...] Xion and I are special, because we both come from Sora. But she was made to be a copy...in case I didn't work out, I guess. She made her choice to go back to Sora, but the darkness that surrounded her made us fight. She told me she was out of time, and that she was going to make me a part of her, too. Sora wouldn't be complete without either of us, but a copy of Sora wouldn't be complete without me. I think...she knew. She was strong, and we trained together so much, but...she wasn't herself.

I had to stop her. And when she went away, everything we knew about her went away, too. But we both knew something was missing...and I had a promise to keep. [Surprise, local NPC helps best friend with assisted suicide.]