graveyard part 4

[gamehead]

hunter's game the graveyard You wake up in an unfamiliar cabin. At first, it almost seems like you're in an entirely different place and that everything had been just a dream. The interior of the cabin looks nothing like the run-down, old-timey shacks that you had been living in before. Everything in here is sleek and modern, from the enormous flat-screen TV mounted on the wall to the fridge and mini-bars stocked with all your favorite foods. There aren't any individual rooms in here, just a common area large enough to house everyone comfortably, no matter how many more people join you...and there will be plenty more people joining you before the week is over. Because if you look outside the window, it quickly becomes clear that not only are you still in Prayer's Pass, but that you are no longer among the realm of the living. Judging from the tombstones directly outside, you're now in what had been the abandoned broken-down cabin in the graveyard. The cabin's not all that changed; the world outside has gone completely grey and everything you see appears to be faded and blurry. The only things that remain sharp and in color are what's inside the cabin, including your fellow ghosts. Occasionally, people who are still alive may enter, but it's clear that what they're seeing is completely different from what you're seeing. The door's unlocked; however, a mysterious force prevents you from stepping beyond the threshold, no matter how hard you may try. After all, this cabin is a cage for the dead - a gilded one, perhaps, but a cage nonetheless. On the flat-screen TV plays everything that is currently happening in the town. It will shut off once night starts...and something else will appear instead.

Comments

[notyetlost]

[Poland spent the lull overnight going over the clues and the theories about them.

Even if it doesn't matter if he can solve or not since he's dead, he wants to try. He really wishes Lithuania were here though, he was always so much better at this sort of thing.]

[pasodoble]

( After his outburst, Spain had fallen asleep. When he wakes up, he has no idea why he feels so tired but it he feels like he hasn't gotten any rest at all. To top it off, when he finds our Charles didn't make it through the night, he spends much of his time awake sulking around.

He'll eventually wander over to Poland's space, much like a scolded puppy cautiously pokes arounds to see if anyone is still mad a it. )

[notyetlost]

[Poland looks up briefly at Spain before swinging his legs off his couch to make a space for him.]

You can like, sit if you want to. I don't care or whatever.

[This is as close to an olive branch as Poland can offer.]

[pasodoble]

( Looking up some and coming right on over. He will never turn down an invitation from Poland ok. )

Did everyone send clues last night...

( Spain doesn't remember. )

[notyetlost]

Yeah. Prussia and some other people unlocked the gallery and the clue inside. Also I guess the clue in the school, but nobody alive can like access that one yet.

[Poland would apologize to Spain about Charles not making it through the night, but he doesn't feel the least bit sorry about it at all.]

Basically he threw his life away and we sold him out for one clue. [It didn't seem worth it at all.]

[pasodoble]

( Spain will think it over for a minute and lean back on the couch some, )

Then we'll just have to unlock the school. ( Seems pretty simple to him, ) If no one else has agreed to it yet, I'll do it.

( And then he closes his eyes, )

... He should have waited a little longer.

[notyetlost]

Assuming your new friend hasn't gotten Mayu and Sharon shot and lynched by the end of the day. Then it totally won't matter for any of us.




[And that confirms what Poland already knew. He stops staring at television.] So you did know.

[pasodoble]

Maybe they'll figure everything out with out the school house.

( Forever optimistic and smiling until the accusation. He still smiles, but it's much quietr-- bitter, even. )

Sí. He told me everything before the trial. ( And he'll turn to look at Poland, ) Do you want to know what we talked about?

[notyetlost]

I don't know. Do I?

[pasodoble]

I don't know. Do you?

( Spain can be a jerk too. )

[notyetlost]

[Poland's frown deepens and he turns away.]

Just like tell me already then.

[pasodoble]

You guys had your reason for playing against us, right? ( And that's how he opens up his explanation, ) We were trying to win and it looked like Critter was trying to help us...

But everyone kept saying we were making a mistake and no one would tell us what it was. But maybe it meant winning wasn't the right answer? So which was the right answer?

If winning was a mistake then that meant we had to wait to be killed by the wolves or Critter... Lithuania didn't know so he wanted to buy more time to figure it out... So he decided to kill Hanekoma.

( Are you following, Poland??? )

[notyetlost]

...It might have been better for like everyone if we'd won. I think.

[Poland's weary to really trust Critter about that anymore though.]




What difference did it make if he waited or not?

[pasodoble]

Even if he died, at least he wouldn't be doing what Critter wanted us to do anymore. And then if everyone else had to die, at least they would know why.

He suggested we stop looking for wolves which is why he wanted to kill Hanekoma. But even without the Bloodhound, everyone knew there was a Lookout still, no? ( So even without Hanekoma, Spain would have been expected to keep playing because there was no way he'd force the prey to kill their own too. ) Just as Lithuania wanted more time, I did too, so I asked him for one more night. ( So he could be with Charles until the end, then he would kill Hanekoma himself. ) But Lithuania didn't want to wait.

( And Spain ended up dying anyways. )

[notyetlost]

[Poland rubs his temple, trying to process what Spain's telling him.]

... Why wouldn't you just shoot him at the trial?

If he'd investigated another one of the wolves he'd of been able to share the results and solidify the next trial line up. It totally made more sense to do what Lithuania wanted.

[pasodoble]

We could have hidden the result... ( Or not. ) ...But there was a promise I wanted to keep first.

[notyetlost]

What was the promise?

[Poland feels entitled to knowing, given how his best friend died over Spain trying to keep it.]

[pasodoble]

( Given how the wolves seem to feel about Charles, Spain can only smile sheepishly as he speaks, )

To watch Charles until his time was up.

[notyetlost]

[Poland pales, swallowing thickly. He fixates his eyes on a spot on the floor, bunching the fabric of his sweater in his remaining fist.]

...That's the reason why I'll never see Liet again.

So you could babysit some... stranger. Who was already dying?

[pasodoble]

So a child wouldn't die alone.

( A gentle correction. )

1/2

[notyetlost]

[Poland doesn't need to point out how futile that promise ended up being in the end.]

...

2/2

[notyetlost]

Did he say anything to you... before he. You know.

[pasodoble]

( He tries to think. Honestly, there wasn't anything else. No dramatic, final parting words. No message to take to the afterlife... They didn't plan for anything like this to happen. )

... "Good luck."

( And he sounds sorry that he doesn't have anything else to say. )

[notyetlost]

[ . . . ]

Okay. Well um. Your friend will probably be arriving soon or whatever so um--

[Poland chokes, trying to keep down tears.]

So y-you should. You should p-probably just go and deal with that, right? So he's not alone.