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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Sept 18, 2015 21:59:58 GMT -5
Patrick stared at Forsaken, not sure how to respond. Eventually he setting on an equally enthusiastic "Okayyyy!" Then he took a seat next to Ace, playfully bumping her arm before digging into his pizza again.
Now that everyone was seated and listening, Evan nodded to Kendall, who promptly started them off. "As stated, Forsaken is an alternate version of the Beth that Evan and Patrick know from another timeline and universe. As such, she and several other alternate counterparts to the island's resident God Tiers were also previously engaged in their own session of SBURB, the universe-altering game from which they received their powers. And as it turns out, one of her fellow players was an alternate version of Evan."
"You're kidding..." Jen mumbled.
"I'm afraid I'm not." Kendall cast everyone an awkward frown, anticipating shock at his next comment. "And this alternate Evan... well, died during the game."
Patrick's eyes widened and he loudly gulped down a bite of pizza; hearing of his best friend's death, even if it was another version of him, was reasonably nerve-wracking. Jen looked equally mortified, and Darien nearly so.
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Post by DMis on Sept 18, 2015 22:06:07 GMT -5
Forsaken sighed. "What Kendall says is true, unfortunately. The Evan I knew was a very, for lack of better words, loyal and noble person. I was with him in his final minutes. He died trying to protect me from a beast called The Raven, a Edgar Allen Poe quoting entity," she offered setting her frosty down. "But at the same time he was a ball of rage.... He had lost more than most of the rest of us- his friends, family and, unfortunately, his lover... But he tried his hardest to be optimistic. To me, he was a friend and someone I could trust." The words were starting to cause tears to well up in the woman's eyes.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Sept 18, 2015 22:39:02 GMT -5
Ace was stunned silent as she listened to Kendall and Forsaken's story. She spared a quick glance at Patrick, knowing how horrified he had to be feeling, not that she blamed him. Even if none of this had directly happened to them, it was still a hard pill to swallow.
But out of everyone in the group, Swift was probably the most mortified. Her mouth hung open and her ears flattened, both steadily getting lower with each new addition to the tale. First she was told that another version of her beloved had died. Then to hear that he died protecting his friends, that he had lost everything and everyone he loved, even the alternate version of her (or perhaps another girl; couldn't be selfish), and that his pain and sacrifice was all for naught...
Swift looked up at her dear Evan, quickly scooting closer to him and protectively clinging to his arm. To think this all could've happened... that it did happen... was almost too much for her to bear.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Sept 18, 2015 22:55:08 GMT -5
Evan regarded Swift's reaction with sadness, patting her in an attempt at comfort. This had certainly escalated quickly. He was starting to dread how everyone would react when he finally broke the news to them.
With a slow nod, Kendall continued, "Furthermore, a cataclysmic event within the game forced Forsaken and her teammates to abandon the universe their session took place in. Just as the others are likely to be doing now, she wandered through various dream bubbles for quite a while before arriving on the island just this morning."
"Yeah..." Evan picked up and continued the story for him. "Basically, the three of us got to talking while I was getting my tat. They told me about this other Evan and the connection I share with him. And by extension, their session. So long story short, we decided that since their game was never finished, maybe I could go back with them and fill the old Evan's shoes."
"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Everyone was indeed shocked by this proposal, but Jen was of course the one to be vocal about it. "You're willing to just dive right into this game that killed this other you?"
"It wasn't an easy decision, Jen. I'm aware of the consequences that may befall me, but I really wanna help."
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Post by DMis on Sept 18, 2015 23:03:06 GMT -5
Forsaken looked down at her crystal coated hand. "I don't think you get the full gravity of the situation. You are guaranteed to die at least once," Forsaken replied with a harsh tone. "People just think tiering is an event that happens with out a price. Aaron did. He was the first and only out of the session to make that mistake." The last bit sounded darker than she intended but Forsaken hoped it would drive a point home.
"SBURB isn't a simple thing. It never has been. In all of Paradox Space, it's a cruel fate to deal with," she added in a softer tone. "A world slated is always lost. This one has no connection other than being a landing pad for some of us GTs."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Sept 18, 2015 23:12:39 GMT -5
"WHAT?!" Hearing Evan's announcement only made Swift cling to him harder and stare at him in abject horror. His rebuttal to Jen's concern didn't exactly help, and Forsaken's foreboding promise that he would die and that even more hell awaited him pretty much did its job to drive the point home.
"Are you crazy?!" Swift finally barked at Evan. "You're seriously going to sign your own death warrant for this?!"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Sept 18, 2015 23:28:07 GMT -5
"I know, I know..." Evan sighed. She only screamed at him because she loved him. "I'm well aware of the dangers. But Forsaken asked me if I would, and I agreed to it. I..." He briefly bit his tongue, questioning whether or not he should bring up this point. "I even had a dream about the game."
"You what?" Jen questioned.
"I had a dream last night about one of the worlds from the game's universe."
"Take it as a sign that he was always destined to join the session," Kendall explained sagely.
"But... B-But wait...!" Patrick was just as terrified by this whole prospect, looking first to Ace for solace, then to Forsaken out of confusion. "I thought you sb'urb players resurrected after dying!"
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Post by DMis on Sept 18, 2015 23:37:54 GMT -5
Forsaken sighed. "One revive and that lets your dreamself take control of the body. You'll never see Prospit or Derse again... nor do you have a chance at tiering.... Once you tier the rules are looser. Some cosmic grandfather clock with a face split between a golden heroic side and an amethyst Just side will pick if you revive.... There is a thin silver strip between the two sides that reads Revive.... It's a gamble to even die the next time. IF the death is judged as heroic or just..... you're not going to come back..." she offered as she stirred the chocolate goop that had been her frosty. "I only know the latter having seen the clock during the trips through the void to come here..."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Sept 18, 2015 23:56:05 GMT -5
Swift stood up, chair screeching against the tiled floor, hands slamming down on the table, amber eyes blazing furiously in Forsaken's direction. "Well, if you're so certain he's gonna die, his chances of revival are slim to none, and you couldn't even save his alternate self, why the HELL would I trust you to drag my boyfriend off to this freaking cosmic war of yours?!"
Ace was taken aback by Swift's rage. She might've understood where she was coming from, but she was causing a scene, for goodness sake. "Swift, c-calm down...!"
"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM THE FRIG DOWN!! SHE'S SAYING THAT EVAN'S GOING TO DIE!!!"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Sept 19, 2015 0:07:10 GMT -5
"Swift!" Evan found himself appalled by her outrage. Sure, he understood that she was upset. She had every right to be. But that was no excuse to take it out on Forsaken. It wasn't like Forsaken herself caused alternate Evan's death; that was beyond her power. And sure, she and Kendall might've insisted upon the idea, but this was Evan's choice.
"Swift, sit down!" he ordered, tugging at her vest. "I agreed to do this and I'm going to do everything in my power to see it through! If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at me for agreeing to this suicide mission, but leave Forsaken alone! She's been through all that, Swift! You don't have to put her through the wringer any more than she already has!"
Kendall sunk into his chair, unnerved by the intense emotions of those around him. He could only nod for the sake of nodding.
Patrick found himself pulling closer to Ace, somewhat offended by Swift's outburst towards her.
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Post by DMis on Sept 19, 2015 0:14:07 GMT -5
"There is a difference this time around, Swift. The rest of his team, you guys, are alive. And yes Swift the alternate lover in my timeline was an alternate of you... call it a bloody hunch. And if you want to try to kill me- go for it," Forsaken offered as she got off of Delta and stood at her full and rather short height of 5 foot 2 and a half inches.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Sept 19, 2015 0:27:22 GMT -5
Swift would've taken her up on that offer. Oh, she would've LOVED to unleash her yoki on this bloody witch. But... no. For Evan's sake, no. She couldn't do that to him, let alone in the middle of a crowded food court. So the wolf hanyo just slumped back into her chair, scowling at the floor, ears aggressively erect.
Ace decided to pick up for her in a much calmer, more open-minded manner. "So you're saying that... we could help him?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Sept 19, 2015 0:34:48 GMT -5
"That was what we were hoping for, at least..." Evan meekly offered as he continued to comfort Swift.
"Well shoot, buddy!" Patrick was the next to stand up, albeit much more enthusiastically. "If you're going on some grand adventure, you know I gotta come along to watch your back!"
"Whoa, guys, let's not all jump in at once," Jen insisted, opting to approach this rationally. "Don't get me wrong, I'm here for you, Evan, and I'll always be around to look out for you, but this is still a life-or-death situation we're talking about here."
Kendall kept quiet. He knew how this would all turn out anyway.
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Post by DMis on Sept 19, 2015 0:38:02 GMT -5
"With you guys helping him- It's like putting a few dozen cheats in the game in his favor," Forsaken offered. "I've been through a lot of dream bubbles."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Sept 19, 2015 10:02:27 GMT -5
"Well, hey, if Evan really is serious about this and Patrick's up for it, so am I!" Ace declared, hoping a smile on her part would liven things up a bit.
Swift remained despondent, leaning on Evan and once again protectively holding onto him. She didn't look up as everyone spoke around her, offering their encouragement or advice. She was still stubbornly refusing to send Evan to his death.
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