WEEK SIX: ENDGAME

[cluedin]

FAREWELL

As Sunday morning comes, you'll find that nothing in the mansion has changed at all. The evils within have been expelled, a piping hot breakfast is served at seven, and the house is cleaned up in tip-top shape. In fact, everything appears to be as calm as ever as everyone is given freedom over the mansion.

All is quiet for a majority of the morning before there's a sudden rumble from the backyard. As guests rush to look, they will see hundreds and hundreds of ghostly figures rise up from the grave, immediately solidifying. Those whom have unattended business (such as reclaiming their items) will linger, but the rest will promptly leave the property. This was the final hold the house had over Master Blue and the guests. You have successfully severed the chains and freed everyone.

It's a little after noon that guests will hear a victory sort of fanfare being played on that familiar piano. As they're drawn to the ballroom, they will once again find Peach, Plum, and Pumpkin though perhaps dressed in different attire today. Plum plays the piano as Peach lounges on top to occasionally help with her tail as Pumpkin sits on the bench with her game. When the song has finished, they speak in unison.

"Congratulations everyone. The Master has a message for you."

The soft glowing orb from yesterday floats up from behind the piano, lingering next to the girls. Soon, everyone will hear a faint, echo-y tone that sends shivers up their spines once more inside their heads.

"Thanks for doing your part. You sure are smart. Please accept this gift."

The same unseen orchestra from your arrival begins to play as the lights brighten, a lavish feast spread before you and the mansion decorated instantly with balloons, streamers, and confetti. All guests will find themselves in party attire, though perhaps a little more relaxed. Your communication necklaces remain in tact, and seem to be yours for the keeping. They will continue to function even as you leave. On the table there lays a box of small green orbs, a sign reading "PORTALS" before it. It seems as though these are your way home when you're ready...and look at that. You aren't forced to return to where you came. Take your time and think of how you wish for your journey to proceed. And who knows? Maybe starting a new journey isn't so hard after all.

But goodbyes are never easy either. Time is yours, little monsters. Take all the time you need for your farewells.

---

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Comments

[infire]

I can't imagine I'd be all that good at them nowadays... It would be far too easy to beat me at the last one.

[ that feel when living millions of lives comes to bite you in the ass because you've done everything once,

she nods, though. ]

I see. It wouldn't be that hard to set up something like that... though if it were to be effective, you wouldn't recognize it as a simulation quite so easily. It would lose its merit, if you did.

[recrypt]

In order to be effective, yes, but no one said the house was good at what it did. It was just... powerful, in a way we didn't understand and couldn't affect or do much against for a while. It's not like either Blue or the house really tried to make us believe we were supposed to be here.

[ maybe that's a bit of blue's hand in matters, for things to be obviously off, maybe it isn't, and she's overestimating everyone involved. still. ]

I think they were right. It probably got complacent, self-secure in its own untouchability.

[infire]

Powerful enough with illusions, powerful enough to devour countless souls throughout their games... but not powerful enough to make us believe it, as long as Master Blue interfered. While I agree that overconfidence was its downfall, I believe we succeeded largely on luck, more than our own ability. Without certain items to give us the numbers we needed, we could easily have failed, like all the rest. That was, apparently, our main advantage.

Either way, good riddance. Any creature that devours souls is vile, and deserves whatever terrible fate awaits it.

[recrypt]

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm hardly going to deny that sheer luck was the main factor in our success. After all, what makes us any more special than all those brought here in the past five thousand years?

[ nothing. ]

Discounting a victory purely because of luck is a stupid move, though. If only because one should always assume that an enemy might get lucky. Being able to capitalize on that luck is something else entirely.

[ dark au where they all got eaten by Jason vorehouse in the final boss battle, or got lost on the way to the source or, ]

[infire]

Nothing at all, really.

[ haha. ]

Maybe all Master Blue needed was a bunch of opportunistic souls who would do anything to spite the one that meant to prey on them. Maybe it had tried different illusions, it would have worked in the house's favor.

It chose the wrong victims for that.

[recrypt]

Isn't it nice when everyone can come together to work for the same goal?

[ n_n ]

[infire]

[ she hums in agreement. ]

A shame we don't share the same reasons, but as they say - the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[ a moment later, though, brilith smiles. ]

Though I like to think we're friends even without an enemy to unite us, 45.

[recrypt]

Some of you have the most interesting taste in friends.

[ remarked idly, no inflection beyond her usual light lilt. ]

[infire]

As do you.

[ hehe. ]

[recrypt]

I haven't a clue what you're talking about.

[infire]

Is that so.

[ she gives a thoughtful hum. wanting plausible deniability? valid. ]

Well. Adversity does make strange bedfellows, after all.

[recrypt]

Knowing too much or getting too close is more likely to get you in trouble, let's just say that?

[ so yeah, plausible deniability. ]

Though it might be a little late for it, all things considered...

[ since memshares and all, for the first of several things. ]

[infire]

Maybe so, but it's more difficult to get in trouble when you're in different universes, isn't it? As long as we're careful about visitations, I don't think it's worth worrying about.

[recrypt]

'Careful.' You never know what might happen, hm?

[ maybe one day forces beyond their control will cause a visit at an inopportune time or something. who even knows.

still, it's unlikely, though what brilith's saying... ]

At least Doll neural clouds are black boxes, more or less. I suppose that means visitation might be in the cards, then?

[infire]

Maybe not, but this strikes me as a rather rare situation, wouldn't you agree?

[ how often does a random entity pull in people from across universe, and depower gods in the process? ]

As I said before. If we both survive, then I suppose there's no reason not to, once in a while. [ and despite herself, brilith still kind of wants to show off atera? old habits die hard. ] And even if I don't survive... sooner or later, in the next life, I will remember you and all the rest. I always do.

[recrypt]

Maybe. Not like I'd know. Maybe it's happened to plenty of people before, and they're just keeping it a secret for whatever reason?

[ it's a very big maybe. ]

Hm. Perhaps it might be worth taking a small stockpile of the orbs, then.

[infire]

[ nods... ]

We have to be careful with those orbs, though, so they don't fall into the wrong hands. I just wish there were a way of making sure we could keep them, should something happen to us between this life and the next...

[ will brilith lose them forever, once she dies? will 45, if she has to transfer to a new body? ]

[recrypt]

... safeguarding them will be the biggest concern about taking more than the one necessary to get back to our worlds, yes. Even the simplest of Dolls can imagine what might happen if certain parties were to learn of them.

[ which makes one wonder what makes them any better as choices to hoard them? hm. like with people like Stefano. ]

[infire]

...I suppose that would be a question for Master Blue, wouldn't it? Whether there's a way to prevent others from using them or not. Otherwise, they'll have an entirely new problem on their hands than a murderous house.

[recrypt]

Haha, though I suppose the threat of any interdimensional invasion is at least a little limited by the number of orbs we might bring...

[infire]

Then I suppose it's a matter of how much of a risk is worth it, to be able to visit someone as much as you'd like, hm? Or where it would be most worthwhile to stay the longest.

[recrypt]

Not my Earth, that's for sure. That's simply objective fact.