closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8

kap
Retired Staff

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Pronouns: they/them
last seen Jul 4, 2024 19:59:43 GMT -5

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closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 2, 2020 19:44:22 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kap on Aug 2, 2020 19:44:22 GMT -5

☆

"I just need some time,
I'm tryna think straight,
I just need a moment in my own space"

~

Night falls upon Jade, Dominic and myself, together as a trio for the last time. Except, our trio was supposed to be four, yet Zenia's no more. It pains me to know she's gone. I was supposed to protect her. I'd promised, after all. Instead, we were all separated and I wasn't there to protect her, so now she was gone. She didn't get another chance. There were second chances here, but not third chances. After two tries, you were done.

As the three of us are sitting there together, the anthem plays. There are two faces: Zenia's and Arabella's. They were both gone now, and I could only assume that Arabella was the one that Jade had to kill to get out of the catacombs. She didn't point out her face like I had with Daemon's, but that's probably because Dom and I could assume what happened on our own.

When I'd fought Steel and Daemon in the catacombs, it was up to anyone on the surface to guess who killed who. That's the only reason I said something. I wasn't proud of what I'd done, but I felt that those with me should know what had happened. I could never be proud of killing someone, though. You'd have to be insane to be proud of that, in my opinion.

Once Jade was asleep, Dominic spoke up, his words almost a whisper all the while.

"This entire time I've been thinking about how I needed to protect you," he said, his words quiet, "but you don't need my protection. You're even braver than I am sometimes."

I didn't think that was possible, me being braver than Dominic. I didn't tell him that, though. I was sure that, even if he didn't know it now, he'd discover that he was one of the strongest and bravest people here.

"As much as it hurts me to say... you'll be fine without me," Dom continued.

He gently stroked my cheek, and I looked kindly into his eyes, wishing there was a way that we both could have had the chance to get out of here alive, together, and live a happy life. Unfortunately, we both knew that wasn't possible, and that's why we had to part.

My hand caressed his cheek in response.

"I don't want to let you go without me but... I understand we have to. There's no real choice."

A sigh came from Dominic. I knew how he felt because, well… I felt the same way. Neither of us wanted this to happen.

"I just want you to remember one thing, okay?" Our eyes met. I needed him to know. I needed to remind him, anyway. It was important.

"I love you."

Those were probably the most important words I'd spoken in my entire life, and I meant those words more than anything else I'd ever said before.

A slight smile came from Dominic and I returned one. Then, he returned my words.

"I love you too," he told me.

After that, our lips met for what we both probably knew was likely to be the last time.

The next morning, we said our goodbyes.

"This is it," Jade began. "It's time to split up."

She'd always had this way about her that just seemed strong and confident. Although, I had seen a slightly softer side to her the night before. It showed how human she was, even if she tried to hide the fact that she had emotions sometimes, like she seemed to be doing at least a little bit right now.

A deep breath comes from her and she looks at each of us in the eyes. "I wouldn't have made it this far without you. Thank you for being there for me. Supporting me," she says. It sounds genuine, and I'm sure it is. "I... hope we don't run into each other again after this."

I nod gently.

"Thank you, too. Both of you," I tell them. I pause a moment and look at Jade, then to Dominic. "I wish you both the best."

Jade pats my head, ruffles my hair, and then we're all off, heading our separate ways.

I wandered for a while, the ground looking more solid this morning but the fog still ever present. Eventually, I find myself back on the red colored beach where we'd been before when we fought Meredith and crew. I can recall the fight pretty well- the words that were spoken- the bones that were broken- Cyro falling to the ground, lifeless for his first death. All of it. None of it escapes my mind.

When I encountered another tribute, I wasn't surprised. I had expected that I'd have to fight at least someone today. I'd fought at least someone- human or mutt- every single day prior, after all.

This was someone I'd encountered before. This was someone who I certainly didn't like, either. He was part of the group that killed me the first time. At least when I encountered that girl from their crew yesterday, I didn't have as much against her- she hadn't tried to kill me directly. This boy and his other friend, however, had been the ones who'd taken me down.

Yet here I was, alive again. I didn't expect him to be too happy about that. I mean, I wasn't very happy that he was still alive, after all. Plus, he was still dressed in black, meaning he hadn't even experienced his first death yet. I know I said that I had a certain opinion of people who wanted to kill others, but I feel like this was a sort of exception. I wanted him to go through what I went through.

Besides, even if he died here, he wouldn't necessarily be completely gone. He'd have another chance. I wouldn't. That's why I had to take him down before he could do it to me.

I approached him, newly obtained weapon in hand.

"Miss me? I asked.

~

lyrics: "If You Want Love" by NF

[Pisces attacks Will with Geode Morning Star (spiked blunt)]
XSXLni7YVxspiked blunt
[14033 -- GASH/BRUISED RIGHT FEMUR -- 4.0 damage]

spiked blunt

Last Edit: Aug 2, 2020 19:44:47 GMT -5 by kap

aya
Administrator

6,261 POSTS
last seen Sept 15, 2024 22:06:23 GMT -5

"GUNNERRRRR~"

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 3, 2020 18:41:09 GMT -5

Quote

Post by aya on Aug 3, 2020 18:41:09 GMT -5

[attr="class","w460"]

He sleeps fitfully and dreams about his mother.

Will Johnwayne never got the hang of guilt, but he knows he should've thought of her at some point this week before right now. He was not a good son and he doesn't regret that; she had her own issues, and life under Clint Johnwayne's roof hadn't done either of them any favors. He hopes it's better now and not worse, the marmalade knife a key and not a new sort of labyrinth to navigate. Maybe it makes up for all his years of terror. He doesn't regret not being better sooner — he was doomed from the start — and doesn't wish that circumstances had allowed her to be kinder, but he just... he doesn't know. Just the two of them, they could've been okay.

Loading his cloak with knives, Will huddles against the frigid wind. If it was chilly last night absent a funeral pyre, this morning is downright cold. Everything is numb, but in the way that aches down to the marrow. His every sigh is visible in front of his face and that's the only way Will can tell he's still living. A shiver wracks his body, drawing out a groan as it trembles his broken breastbone. He's only surprised the fog hasn't started freezing to his eyelashes. His mending bones bear weight this morning, so he resolves not to stay.

Yesterday he'd made up his mind — or maybe just his heart — that he did want to find JJ and Terra again. Their faces hadn't lit the night sky yet; it wasn't too late. They must've made it to the beach before him after all. Either that or between the fog and his broken foot they'd passed right by each other. He wouldn't put that sort of drama past the Gamemakers.

But surely he'd earned himself a reunion narrative by now, right? They'd nudged him and Mer back together so he could put her out of her misery the way that he'd promised. And if that hadn't been good enough television, yesterday's near-death experience and furious grudge match with Lysander Mae should've qualified him for another arc of his choosing. It's not like whipping his bone-hilted dagger into the girl's heart hadn't been an absolutely cinematic parallel to his murder of Meredith the day before. On return, he'd eat his crown if there wasn't at least fifteen minutes of side-by-side footage with slow-motion replays and overeager commentary of the two kills. He knows he's delivering good television.

Groaning like an old man, Will stoops to grab a couple of pebbles off the beach. Maybe it's just that he hasn't asked yet. He chucks a rock into the sky, like tossing pebbles at the Gamemakers' windowpane. Never in his life has he tried bargaining with a higher power, but at this point, he doesn't see what it'd hurt. "Hey!" he hollers stupidly, as though he's making a call to the Capitol on speakerphone. "You know what would be a great storyline?" Nice, Will. Real subtle. "Lemme see JJ and Terra again. That'd be real dramatic. Worthy of the airtime. Bet you Terra'd even try to stab me on sight." He's like ninety percent sure she'd at least try to deck him. He's like ninety percent sure he'd let the punch land. "You might even get JJ tearing up a little. Sweet boy with a good heart like him." Or maybe it'd be JJ that tries to deck him. Will doubts it, but maybe. It'd be a good twist, wouldn't it? "I can give you whatever narrative you like too." Bargaining. "Whatcha think? Gimme one bolt of lightning for apologies and hugs, two for dramatic backstabbing." He waits and waits, but the sky is silent. After a minute, he growls in frustration and hurls the rest of the rocks into the air all at once.

Just because he's used to silence in response whenever he's dared to ask for something he wants, it doesn't mean that Will Johnwayne handles rejection with grace. The difference this time is that he doesn't have the power to go ahead and do whatever he wants anyway. He can't steal what he can't see, and he can't manifest his friends in front of him. There are no next steps. He doesn't get his way. End of story. Close the book.

At least, that's what he spends an hour sulking about while he trudges through the soupy haze, making the trek up the shoreline rather than losing another day lost in the mists. A familiar face floats in on fog, and Will grins to greet the gorgon. For a brief moment, he wonders if he's unfamiliar to Terra Markov without his matching funerary mask. If he wears Snow's face in her mind's eye. He draws a knife just in case, waiting for her cue: is this a reunion or a reckoning?

The white cloak stands out next — she must've been to hell and back. He catches himself feeling relieved, unsure if it's that she made her way back into the land of the living largely intact, or that the fact that JJ isn't with her doesn't mean he's gone too.

Showboating, he spins the knife in his hand, the wild grin spreading across his face while he searches for the right greeting. He settles on a casual Terra a split second before he realizes the figure isn't the right height, doesn't move the right way. Her name dies on his lips, his blood chilling with the frigid air, when he's addressed with a swung mace and a snarky "Miss me?" in entirely the wrong voice.

Skittering backwards, slow on his mending bones, Will places it: this is the boy he killed that day. Or, that JJ killed that day, landing the last hit after Will sunk knife after knife into his small body. Terra's face on this boy's reanimated corpse — this is not the reunion that the Johnwayne had ordered.

"No," he snarls, whipping the knife side-arm, "that was JJ. I ain't missed you yet." Gritting his teeth and drawing a second knife, he nods at the boy's new armor. "Terra?" he asks, even though his corrupted wish proves he should know better than to make inquiries he doesn't want to know the answer to.

[ attacks pisces, throwing knife ]

4D_NO2Rpn6throwing knife

[ 9112 -- Knife in Chest -- 7.0 damage + 1 target practice ]

[newclass=".w460"]width:460px;[/newclass]
throwing knife

Last Edit: Aug 3, 2020 18:41:33 GMT -5 by aya

{characters}

certified kindergartener
stranded in "beach" "city"
leader of the crystal gems

kap
Retired Staff

6,037 POSTS
Pronouns: they/them
last seen Jul 4, 2024 19:59:43 GMT -5

trans rights are human rights <3

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 4, 2020 14:02:14 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kap on Aug 4, 2020 14:02:14 GMT -5

☆

"I just need some time,
I'm tryna think straight,
I just need a moment in my own space"

~

I hadn't realized it at first, but I must've thrown the boy off guard. It made sense, though. I was wearing his old ally's armor- including a mask. My face was covered, so it wasn't likely to have been a perfect giveaway as to who I was until I spoke. He must've thought I was the girl that I killed yesterday. At least, until those words came out of my mouth, followed by my weapon bruising his leg.

He certainly hadn't missed me.

"No," was his response to me, "that was JJ. I ain't missed you yet."

JJ. That was the name of the boy who'd killed me- noted.

"Terra?" this boy asked me. That must have been the girl that this mask belonged to. I nodded in response.

"I killed her yesterday. She'll be in the catacombs about now," I replied. I don't know what had me so keen on fighting this boy, but something inside me told me that I just needed to give him a hard time.

So, it was JJ, Terra and this boy that we'd fought the day that I died. At first, I couldn't think of the name of the one I was fighting now. What was it, what was it?

Will.

Will Johnwayne. That's what it was. I remember seeing his name flash across the screen with his training score when we'd all gotten our scores. He'd scored much better than me, from what I could remember. A seven, or something close to it, which put a shadow over my measly two. It didn't matter, though. What mattered now was that he'd just whipped a throwing knife into my chest.

I winced in pain, but didn't let it stop me.

"Want to see what it's like down there? I can make sure that's your next stop." I told him. It was a threat. I didn't usually threaten people, much less actually plan to carry out said threats, but this one was different. I actually planned to kill Will Johnwayne.

~

lyrics: "If You Want Love" by NF

[Pisces attacks Will with Geode Morning Star (spiked blunt)]
4VUs|M0gAZspiked blunt
[14179 -- GASH/BRUISED RIGHT SHIN -- 3.0 damage]

spiked blunt

Last Edit: Aug 4, 2020 14:02:44 GMT -5 by kap

aya
Administrator

6,261 POSTS
last seen Sept 15, 2024 22:06:23 GMT -5

"GUNNERRRRR~"

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 4, 2020 20:48:37 GMT -5

Quote

Post by aya on Aug 4, 2020 20:48:37 GMT -5

[attr="class","w460"]

Will's aim is good, a warning shot right to the chest. Solid, not deadly. He has to appreciate the straightforwardness of this rematch: one-on-one, no sky serpents snapping at him, no worrying about whether or not Terra was getting pummeled or if JJ was still breathing or if he needed to be doing anything about it if they were. No distractions.

The mace swings low again, and if Will Johnwayne were one for taunts he might remind the boy who wears Terra's face over his own that his head's up here. Chest's up here. Where d'you think you're swingin' that? No point. Best case, Will looks like a smug little shit; worst case, Will looks like a smug little shit with his head caved in.

Instead he says nothing, frowning slightly when his suspicion about mask is confirmed. "I killed her yesterday." Will lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "She'll be in the catacombs about now."

He grieves in fast-forward, all five stages flicking through Will's brain before his body can catch up, until at last he accepts the statement with a simple, "Okay." She'll die down there or she won't. He might've stopped this kid from killing her if he'd stayed but he didn't. That's why he left, isn't it? It's for the best that she's gone. Even though Will was never sure she wasn't going to drive her twin daggers through each of his eye sockets in the night, he liked Terra Markov well enough — he liked antagonizing her, he liked knowing where she was on the battlefield.

He tells himself he'll mourn her properly when he sees her face in the sky. Or after his coronation. Or on the victory tour. Or next year, mentoring. Will has all the time in the world and a second life to boot; it doesn't matter if he's slow to process everything that doesn't come to him by instinct.

"Want to see what it's like down there?" He knows what this is. He sighs again, his soul heavy, still tired from parrying Lysander's strikes and jabs yesterday. He'd offered the Gamemakers good television, but they hadn't held up their end of the bargain. Will Johnwayne isn't sure he's got another grudge match in him. "I can make sure that's your next stop."

It's a good line. Antagonistic. Menacing. A great soundbite to pad out commercial breaks or to run on promos for the rematch between the Johnwayne and the boy he'd sent to the grave three days prior. Shit, he's so tired. "We don't have to do that," he offers, shaking his head, "the grudge match thing. It doesn't need to be personal." He slips another pair of knives from his cloak, one in each hand. "Don't really care if you hate me for killing you before —" The knife in his left hand spins again, but this time it's just habit. Not showing off. Not intimidating. "— that wasn't personal either." He flicks his wrist, releases. "Just something we gotta do."

[ attacks pisces, throwing knife ]

L3K|EtH4HHthrowing knife

[ 9089 -- Miss -- 0.0 damage ]

[ accuracy ]

throwing knife

[ 9131 -- Miss (knife lost) -- lol again ]

[newclass=".w460"]width:460px;[/newclass]
throwing knife·throwing knife

Last Edit: Aug 4, 2020 20:49:45 GMT -5 by aya

{characters}

certified kindergartener
stranded in "beach" "city"
leader of the crystal gems

kap
Retired Staff

6,037 POSTS
Pronouns: they/them
last seen Jul 4, 2024 19:59:43 GMT -5

trans rights are human rights <3

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 5, 2020 8:12:58 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kap on Aug 5, 2020 8:12:58 GMT -5

☆

"I just need some time,
I'm tryna think straight,
I just need a moment in my own space"

~

Will's response to me telling him what happened to Terra is him letting out a breath and a simple "okay". It seems like he's not really bothered by it. Which, to me, this just shows that he's probably not all that connected to those he called his allies. In some ways, he's lucky, as it means that he can let them die and try to win without as much guilt. In other ways, he's unlucky, as he lacks that friendship- that relationship- that I found so important in my own allies in this arena.

"We don't have to do that," Will says with a shake of his head, "the grudge match thing. It doesn't need to be personal." He has more knives in his hands now. "Don't really care if you hate me for killing you before —" He spins the knife. Showing off, I assume. "— that wasn't personal either." He launches the knife toward me. "Just something we gotta do."

His knife misses its mark and ends up somewhere that I doubt either of us would ever be able to find it. At first, I'm not quite sure how to respond, at least with my words. I know that my response with my weapon will be to strike him again, though.

I take a breath.

"Fine," I tell him. "No grudge match." I ready my weapon. "We'll fight because that's what we have to do in here."

I take another breath.

"Maybe we can even have some fun with it," I say. "That seems to be your kind of thing."

I swing my weapon at him, concentrating on doing a bit more damage with this strike. If I want to get out of here alive, I have to kill him.

~

lyrics: "If You Want Love" by NF

[Pisces attacks Will with Geode Morning Star (spiked blunt)]
7QD7swzILXspiked blunt
[14131 -- MISS -- 0.0 damage]

accuracy

spiked blunt
[14155 -- STABBED IN CHEST -- 9.5 damage]

spiked blunt·spiked blunt

Last Edit: Aug 5, 2020 8:14:27 GMT -5 by kap

aya
Administrator

6,261 POSTS
last seen Sept 15, 2024 22:06:23 GMT -5

"GUNNERRRRR~"

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 5, 2020 20:21:32 GMT -5

Quote

Post by aya on Aug 5, 2020 20:21:32 GMT -5

[attr="class","w460"]

He's not the expert on humanity, on cruelty, on decency — he's never been that. But even Will Johnwayne knows there's a different between slipping a dagger between someone's ribs and trying to get there by brute force. He gasps, blood dampening the spot over his sternum where Lysander Mae went hunting for his absent heart the day before.

Doubling over, he wheezes, winded. It's a good thing he hadn't made those taunts about the boy's aim. He'd look like a real asshole. Doesn't matter, he supposes. Everyone's already made up their minds about him, and nothing he says or does is ever enough to sway them. It's not that it bothers him. — it just makes it hard to have a conversation is all. What's he supposed to say to someone who thinks they're talking to a cardboard cutout of a career kid?

He's spent his whole life chewing on the words that someone else shoved in his mouth, but Will's done regurgitating lines just because they're the things he ought to be saying.

"Maybe we can even have some fun with it." Yeah. Bleeding to death is a real hoot. It's not a party until someone exhales her last breath into your shoulder. Will Johnwayne ain't having a good time until there's blood caked under his fingernails. Right?

Summer swims at the quarry lake can't hold a candle to getting your chest caved in by some kid who's already clocked you as the worst person that they've ever met in their entire life. Funeral pyres beat out bonfires by a mile. And really, who wouldn't rather shoot a crossbow at a would-be classmate than shoot dice with them?

"That seems to be your kind of thing."

Will sighs. "That's what everyone tells me." It's different when he's the only one depending on himself. Without needing to look out for JJ or Terra or keep an eye on Helle or even Meredith, fighting feels like more of a chore than anything else. He did this to himself, he knows that — Will Johnwayne took the Stagg boy's place on the stage by choice. He walked away from his friends of his own volition. It would be some bullshit excuse to say that he needed anything he's gotten here.

He's learned a little: He has a heart. He's worth more than what he has to offer other people — be that life or be that death. People were going to decide that he was a monster regardless of anything he did or said. Given enough years, he'd've figured it all out on his own even if he had stayed in the squat shadows of District Two's brutal skyline. He should've. Murder charges or no, he shouldn't've left. Ran away. Coward.

It's just the blood weeping from his chest and not some deeper ache that twists when he thinks about how he'd burnt his brother's letter without reading it. Maybe if Will hadn't spent his whole life determined to spite everyone who'd ever tried to love him, kids he barely knows wouldn't class him as a monster before they've even met. Shit. He doesn't even know this boy's name. Something reminiscent of District One, wasn't it?

He draws another knife. There's always another knife waiting to be warmed in Will Johnwayne's hands. "Is this fun for you, Jem?" He doesn't really want to know the answer. Maybe they've got the wrong kids growing up to be monsters. Maybe it's just fair that the boys from District Two are taught how to aim. Give them a fighting chance stacked up against the kids who've never gotten the opportunity to play the villain.

"Was it fun for you yesterday?" Will doesn't know why he asked. He meant it when he said he wasn't looking for a grudge match. "Was it fun for you waking up with the dead?" He wouldn't've made it sound like a threat when he'd offered the Johnwayne the same fate if it had been sunshine and roses. "Was it fun for you when me and Jay put you in the ground the first time around?"

It's all rhetorical; he doesn't wait for an answer. He only sounds half as tired as he feels, and the boy from Two is ready to lie down and nap for at least a week and a half. "Hey Jem. You want to hear a secret?" William Morgan Johnwayne has never been subtle enough to keep secrets as a means of subterfuge. He's just never been bothered to share. "I hate this."

It doesn't mean he's giving up. To the contrary, his knife leaves his hand the same as it always does. Will is never going to roll over and die. He's just sick of what it means that he wants to keep living.

[ attacks pisces, throwing knife ]

W6bNC7mzFOthrowing knife

[ 9105 -- Deep Gash on Neck -- 10.0 damage ]

[newclass=".w460"]width:460px;[/newclass]
throwing knife

Last Edit: Aug 5, 2020 21:04:08 GMT -5 by aya

{characters}

certified kindergartener
stranded in "beach" "city"
leader of the crystal gems

kap
Retired Staff

6,037 POSTS
Pronouns: they/them
last seen Jul 4, 2024 19:59:43 GMT -5

trans rights are human rights <3

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 6, 2020 6:55:24 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kap on Aug 6, 2020 6:55:24 GMT -5

☆

"I just need some time,
I'm tryna think straight,
I just need a moment in my own space"

~

My weapon stabs into his chest.

A sigh emerges from my opponent when I say that having fun with our fight must be his kind of thing. He says that's what everyone tells him, and honestly, I'm not surprised. He's from a career District, so he was probably trained for this stuff. I mean, sure, Jade was trained for this stuff, too, but I knew she wasn't cruel. She didn't find joy in tormenting or killing others. This guy just gave me a different feeling.

The boy has another knife now. He wants to know if this is fun for me. I suppose that's a valid question, as I did ask him the same, but I'm from Nine. We're not trained to want to fight in the Games. We're not given that sick-fuck mentality that so many from Two are.

"Was it fun for you yesterday?" Will continued. "Was it fun for you waking up with the dead?" I tightened my grip on my weapon as he spoke to me. "Was it fun for you when me and Jay put you in the ground the first time around?"

"I get it," I snapped at him, "and for the record, no, I don't find it fun."

He asked me if I wanted to hear a secret.

"I hate this," he tells me. I probably shouldn't have, but I let out a slight laugh. It just didn't seem right, the way he showed off, twirling his knife, or the way he seemed to so desperately want to kill me the day that he and JJ did.

"If you say so," I responded to him. "I suppose, if that's true, we can agree that this isn't fun. Besides, I wouldn't want you to enjoy this too much," I told the boy. "Especially since one of us is going to die here, and I plan to make it you."

His knife then flies through the air. I shouldn't have been talking so damn much. I had gotten too confident and had distracted myself for just long enough for his knife to cut deep into my neck. For a moment- just a split second- I thought I was dead, right there, but I was still okay. It was my turn to strike. I had to concentrate again.

~

lyrics: "If You Want Love" by NF

[Pisces attacks Will with Geode Morning Star (spiked blunt)]
aHsyQZqVGUspiked blunt
[14079 -- BLOCK -- 0.0 damage]

spiked blunt

Last Edit: Aug 6, 2020 6:55:56 GMT -5 by kap

aya
Administrator

6,261 POSTS
last seen Sept 15, 2024 22:06:23 GMT -5

"GUNNERRRRR~"

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 6, 2020 20:50:52 GMT -5

Quote

Post by aya on Aug 6, 2020 20:50:52 GMT -5

[attr="class","w460"]

The way that the other boy snaps at Will, it's clear the comments needled him. Good. He can stand there and take all the accusations of being a monster who loves to make people bleed and watch them suffer and every other vile thing anyone's said about Will like it's a fact. He's got seventeen years of practice rolling his eyes and proving them right. But right now, today, after yesterday's spat with Lysander, after doing Meredith's funeral rites all on his own, Johnwayne-style — he can't hear it from someone with a puffed out chest putting the aloof toughguy act on like it's a costume. Or like someone else's mask.

He nods — curt, scholarly — when Jem agrees this isn't fun. It's certainly hard to have a good time with a nick near your jugular winestaining the collar of your robe. "Besides," he tacks on, ruining it, "I wouldn't want you to enjoy this too much."

Exhaling a breath through his nose, Will fights the instinct to like the new knife slipped into his hand just for the sake of contrarianism. He doesn't do as he's told. He doesn't like what other people say he does. The Johnwayne is his own person and even if he just admitted fifteen seconds ago that he hates the very situation he's put himself in, he'll find himself reveling in it just because someone doesn't want him to. He likes the feel of the hilt in his palm — cold, smooth — twice as much as he like the one he'd nearly buried in Jem's throat.

"Especially since one of us is going to die here —" It's inevitable, has always been inevitable, would be inevitable until they were down to one. He has no fuckin' idea how many kids are left; Will's been counting cannons, but they're well over twenty-three at this point. Could be a dozen of 'em left. Could be half that. He doesn't know. He's been skipping math since pre-algebra. "— and I plan to make it you."

Jem plans; Will laughs.

The morning star comes careening towards him, sharp spars on a sledgehammer's course right for Will Johnwayne's skull. It would be so easy to just let it land. He doesn't. It's not even instinct; he makes a conscious decision, swinging a defensive elbow to bat away the bludgeon and force it into the dirt. Jem is upfront about his plans to kill Will, and while the Johnwayne can't fault him for it, he will not roll over and die. He can't.

"Oh, no," he assures the other boy, "I ain't about to let that happen." The fresh knives in his hands remain there; he doesn't spin them, doesn't flip them, doesn't juggle them. There's no nervous habit when you're not antsy. "Someone'll show up for you," it's a gut feeling but it's one Will's sure of, "but no one's gonna bury me." Not if he dies in here. He won't give his family the chance to disappoint him in death. Mer Strauss got her funeral; no one's gonna return the favor for the prodigal Johnwayne. He's out for himself because he's always been, because he's always had to be. "So I ain't going in the ground at all."

[ attacks pisces, throwing knife ]

si8ltcSvBdthrowing knife

[ 9132 -- Shallow Cut on Stomach -- 4.0 damage ]

[newclass=".w460"]width:460px;[/newclass]
throwing knife

Last Edit: Aug 6, 2020 20:51:12 GMT -5 by aya

{characters}

certified kindergartener
stranded in "beach" "city"
leader of the crystal gems

kap
Retired Staff

6,037 POSTS
Pronouns: they/them
last seen Jul 4, 2024 19:59:43 GMT -5

trans rights are human rights <3

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 7, 2020 11:43:35 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kap on Aug 7, 2020 11:43:35 GMT -5

☆

"I just need some time,
I'm tryna think straight,
I just need a moment in my own space"

~

Laughter comes from the Johnwayne boy. Then, when I swing my morning star at him, he is quick to block my attack. This won't stop me, though. The Gem family, although not raised as fighters, are never quitters. Sure, the Gem family is raised to be kind, too, but I can't focus on that right now. I have to focus on the aspect of things that involves never giving up.

"Oh, no," Will decides to say to me, "I ain't about to let that happen."

He doesn't do any showing off this time- no fancy knife tricks, twirling or otherwise. This time, something's different.

"Someone'll show up for you," the boy continues, "but no one's gonna bury me."

I can sense his confidence, just like he could probably sense the anger I was trying to bury.

"So I ain't going in the ground at all." He tells me this, and then throws his knife. It cuts into my stomach- luckily not too deep- and I snap back at him.

"I'm glad we've both got an idea of how this is ending. Too bad they're different ideas."

I'm angry at him again, like I was when I first struck him. I want to fight him, kill him, send him to the catacombs. I don't want to see him ever again. I want him gone. I'd never felt this way about anyone before, and I was sure my parents wouldn't approve of it, but that wasn't something I could be focusing on now. I had to focus on fighting.

The Gems don't quit. We don't give up. We are determined individuals. We won't just lie down and die. That's why I don't give up. That's why I don't give in. That's why I fight. That's why.

Swing!

~

lyrics: "If You Want Love" by NF

[Pisces attacks Will with Geode Morning Star (spiked blunt)]
PEhUpvxRUtspiked blunt
[14160 -- BROKEN RIGHT FEMUR -- 7.5 damage]

spiked blunt

Last Edit: Aug 7, 2020 11:44:10 GMT -5 by kap

aya
Administrator

6,261 POSTS
last seen Sept 15, 2024 22:06:23 GMT -5

"GUNNERRRRR~"

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 7, 2020 14:35:22 GMT -5

Quote

Post by aya on Aug 7, 2020 14:35:22 GMT -5

[attr="class","w460"]

It wasn't a question and it wasn't a suggestion. It's not a matter of opinion; Will is telling him how it's going to be. It's not an idea and this isn't the end. Even though the blood on the front of his cloak has gone cold in the wind, the blood beneath his skin sears with life. He may not be the perfect villain that everyone expects from him, but Will Johnwayne doesn't know how to go quietly and does not compromise.

No matter what happens, it does not end here. Maybe for Jem, but not for the Johnwayne. Doesn't matter if he bleeds out. He'll wake up tomorrow with another knife in his hand. Come to think about it, he's not convinced that there will be another day that he doesn't wake up with a knife in his hand. Who's to say that the dead have really died? Doesn't seem like it should be harder to stitch someone back to life a second time, or a third, or a fourth.

Meredith had the right idea, didn't she.

Probably won't be anyone to free him of his curse. He'll be their gladiator in perpetuity. Live a thousand lives. Die a thousand deaths. Deliver good television for however long it takes for him to run out of snappy one-liners or animosity. Not too long; he's never been the cleverest. And he's already so tired of being a grudge magnet. Maybe it's an experiment on the human spirit: how long will it take the stubborn Johnwayne to decide dying is a better gift than living?

Longer than this. Even with his leg busted again and his chest caved halfway in, he's not ready to quit fighting.

"It's only one kind of ending." Despite being given to ash — dead for sure — it isn't as though there aren't still echoes of Mer Strauss in every sour conversation, in every flick of his wrist, in every thrust of his knife. "I'll remember you." He's pretty sure he's lying, but there's only one way to find out for sure. Sidearm sling, he looses another knife.

[ attacks pisces, throwing knife ]

i2NY_Mal8zthrowing knife

[ 9183 -- Miss -- 0.0 damage ]

[newclass=".w460"]width:460px;[/newclass]
throwing knife

Last Edit: Aug 7, 2020 14:35:54 GMT -5 by aya

{characters}

certified kindergartener
stranded in "beach" "city"
leader of the crystal gems

kap
Retired Staff

6,037 POSTS
Pronouns: they/them
last seen Jul 4, 2024 19:59:43 GMT -5

trans rights are human rights <3

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 7, 2020 15:40:11 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kap on Aug 7, 2020 15:40:11 GMT -5

☆

"I just need some time,
I'm tryna think straight,
I just need a moment in my own space"

~

I shattered the boy's leg with my morning star and yet he still insisted that there was only one kind of ending- that he'd remember me. I had it in my mind, however, that if he were to remember me, it would be remembering me as the one who put him in the catacombs tomorrow. I wouldn't just let him kill me. I'd already decided that.

I'd broken people's bones more than just a couple times in this arena, and I wasn't planning to stop if it meant I would survive another day. I know that Jade, Dom and I separated, determined to avoid each other from this point forward, but on the off chance I encountered them again… I suppose I'd have to fight Jade, too. I know I'd promised to protect her, Dom and Zenia, but there's only so much one can do. I can only sacrifice myself once more, and if I'm going to do that, it'll be for Dominic, not for Will. Not for anyone else; just Dominic.

What would Dominic think if he saw the way I was fighting? Would he be proud of my strength and bravery so far, or would he be ashamed of the anger I was using to propel it all forward. Would he be mad at this 'grudge match' that Will had said we'd created?

I couldn't let that get to me right now. I'd protect him later, but to do that, I had to keep fighting. I had to be alive to protect Dominic. I couldn't do that dead. I'd already come back to life after death once and unfortunately, I couldn't do it again. Death this time would mean game over, and I wasn't planning on letting Will Johnwayne cause my game over.

This time, as I swung my weapon, I didn't speak a word. I need not waste my breath on the boy from Two.

~

lyrics: "If You Want Love" by NF

[Pisces attacks Will with Geode Morning Star (spiked blunt)]
dzFRm8q8Isspiked blunt
[14101 -- BROKEN RIGHT ARM -- 6.5 damage]

spiked blunt

Last Edit: Aug 7, 2020 15:40:45 GMT -5 by kap

aya
Administrator

6,261 POSTS
last seen Sept 15, 2024 22:06:23 GMT -5

"GUNNERRRRR~"

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 7, 2020 18:48:55 GMT -5

Quote

Post by aya on Aug 7, 2020 18:48:55 GMT -5

[attr="class","w460"]

This time when he throws up an arm to the incoming blow, Will is too slow. He catches the mace right before it reaches his head, but too late to catch it on the arm guard strapped to his wrist. The knife slips out of his grip, faltering with the snap. He draws in a sharp breath through his teeth, eyes and curses welling. It's not surprising these bludgeons have littered the arena — it doesn't take a practiced hand to split skulls, to cave chests.

He knows it's intentional, giving these kids a chance to compensate for the thousands of hours that Will has sunk into honing his aim. A waste, he supposes. Whatever shambled semblance of a childhood he might've had he spent stewing in his own sweat under the dingy fluorescents of a converted warehouse, and for what? Chasing the high of sparse praise from any authority figure hasn't led him anywhere good. Was it worth it? Here he stands — well, leans — with half a dozen broken bones and a blood rose pinned to his chest like a participant's badge, and nothing else to show for it but a smudge on his stunted conscience. Was any of it worth it?

Will doesn't know what his life might've looked like otherwise. The only other place he was headed was the detention center — before he murdered his quote-unquote father or even if he'd never had that flash of impulsive courage. He knows he was doomed from the start. Sure as his name is Johnwayne. Wretched luck and a rotten reputation have cursed him a whole century before he even decided to be born. That's the only honest heirloom ever passed down to him.

Fuck. He should've read his brother's letter before he burnt it.

Not that it would've said anything worth reading. He can imagine what it would've said just fine on his own.

Dear Billy, blah blah blah, cute anecdote from when you were five, blah blah blah proud, something something passive aggressive suggestion not to worry about the mess you've made for me and mom by killing dad and ghosting us, something something Dan and Elya, blah blah blah legacy, blah blah blah love Bruce. It didn't take six pages to say all that.

Will doesn't know why his brother kept trying to get him involved in all that. Fuck legacies. Nothing good has ever been handed down through the generations. He doesn't care. He's never cared. Everyone treats him like a Johnwayne first and foremost, but William is his own person, with his own hangups and his own ideals. He's out for himself, that's all. Everyone wants to bring family into it; he'd've rather been an orphan. He likes the family he picked out for himself better.

It's stupid how much easier it was to fight side-by-side with friends. He's been trying to get back for days, but it's clear that Will never should've left in the first place. For a loner, he does a shitty job of actually being alone.

"Hey Jem." He draws another knife. He'll never run out of knives. He'll run out of blood first. "D'you regret signing up for this shit?" If Will could live his whole life over, he's not sure what he'd change. Dying, killing, watching friends get their faces split open, wondering who's still alive that he cares about — it hasn't been the worst. Not by a mile. But if this is one kind of ending or another, is it the right one?

[ attacks pisces, throwing knife ]

ipqx0MpKnethrowing knife

[ 9192 -- Deep Gash on Chest -- 9.5 damage ]

[newclass=".w460"]width:460px;[/newclass]
throwing knife

Last Edit: Aug 7, 2020 18:49:23 GMT -5 by aya

{characters}

certified kindergartener
stranded in "beach" "city"
leader of the crystal gems

kap
Retired Staff

6,037 POSTS
Pronouns: they/them
last seen Jul 4, 2024 19:59:43 GMT -5

trans rights are human rights <3

closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8 Aug 7, 2020 19:28:16 GMT -5

Quote

Post by kap on Aug 7, 2020 19:28:16 GMT -5

☆

"I just need some time,
I'm tryna think straight,
I just need a moment in my own space"

~

Snap!

That's the sound of Will's arm breaking. My opponent wasn't losing his confidence, though. He still seemed as cocky as ever. Then, he asked me: did I regret signing up for this? It was a simple answer: no, I didn't regret it at all. Sure, this could be the end of my life soon, but if I hadn't volunteered, I never would've met Dominic, and he means more to me than anything else has ever meant to me in my life.

Even though Dominic and I can't both get out of here together, I'm glad I came here. Maybe he'll make it out alive: go back to his home, live a life of peace. That's what I wish for him.

If he doesn't make it out alive, though… I still would like to. Even though I'd have to deal with the memories of all the trauma these Games caused me, it's better than Dom and I both ending up dead. That's another reason I'm still fighting. If Dom didn't make it through today- if the cannon that just sounded was his- he'd be in the catacombs tomorrow, and I know firsthand that only one person gets out of there alive each day.

It's not that I don't believe in Dominic. It's more so that I'm afraid someone will somehow get the better of him. I don't think he'd ever give up, though.

Thinking about it, knowing that he'd never give up gives me strength. He wouldn't want me to give up either. That's why I had to keep going.

I let out a yelp as Will's knife gashes open my chest. Fuck, that hurts.

At this point, I'm barely holding on. My confidence in myself is fading, but I can't just let go. I don't give up like that. No. I'll never give in to this boy. I'll fight until one of us is dead.

"Regret it? Never." I told him. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I didn't know why I volunteered at first, either. Nobody did."

I thought about that moment. That moment when I realized exactly why I was here.

"In the training center, though… That's when I knew why I was here." I held my weapon in a position that was ready to strike. "I'm here because I was meant to meet Dominic, and you know what? He'd want me to keep fighting."

~

lyrics: "If You Want Love" by NF

[Pisces attacks Will with Geode Morning Star (spiked blunt)]
W64eBUfF3cspiked blunt
[14158 -- DEEP GASH ON LEFT FOREARM -- 8.0 damage]

spiked blunt

Last Edit: Aug 7, 2020 19:28:48 GMT -5 by kap

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closer to the throne [pisces v will] day 8

Post by kap on Aug 2, 2020 19:44:22 GMT -5

Post by aya on Aug 3, 2020 18:41:09 GMT -5

Post by kap on Aug 4, 2020 14:02:14 GMT -5

Post by aya on Aug 4, 2020 20:48:37 GMT -5

Post by kap on Aug 5, 2020 8:12:58 GMT -5

Post by aya on Aug 5, 2020 20:21:32 GMT -5

Post by kap on Aug 6, 2020 6:55:24 GMT -5

Post by aya on Aug 6, 2020 20:50:52 GMT -5

Post by kap on Aug 7, 2020 11:43:35 GMT -5

Post by aya on Aug 7, 2020 14:35:22 GMT -5

Post by kap on Aug 7, 2020 15:40:11 GMT -5

Post by aya on Aug 7, 2020 18:48:55 GMT -5

Post by kap on Aug 7, 2020 19:28:16 GMT -5