Would you speak with a queen? Or a cat? (AUDIENCE HALL)

[twinverses]

Need something? Want to complain more directly to your cute hosts or maybe you want to bargain with your memories? Maybe you just have a favor. Regardless, this is the place to do it! Just knock on the Audience Hall's door or just call for the Alices and they'll answer.

Of course, if you want to speak with a particular Alice just note that in your toplevel as long with the date and rough time it's happening. They can be contacted IC-ly throughout the day.

For the final week, in person meetings with the Storyteller (formerly known as the Cat) aren't possible. Alice, obviously, isn't talking to anyone either. However! The Storyteller can be called to talk throughout the castle so just say where you're yelling at her from.

Comments are screened until the game is over.

Comments

[strictura]

Huh. I wasn't sure if you were still spending time in here or not.

[ Once he's inside the room, he just... sighs. He's so tired. ]

Why are you still doing this? Are you really getting anything out of keeping us here another week at this point?

[twinverses]

Isn't it obvious? There's a chance I still can win.

[That doesn't help!]

Of course I'm getting something out of this. I want everything I can get before I start things again.

[strictura]

[ ...He pauses and frowns at "start things again," but he'll focus on the first part of that for the moment. ]

How would you win? You said yourself that there are less than two weeks to go, right? Is your personal win condition different from the one the Queen gave in the rules, or are you seriously expecting us to do something like the last group and have a massacre right before the end?

[twinverses]

Exactly. It's possible still so why not try, right? After what that magical girl did I might as well get what I can get.

[strictura]

[ That's... kind of infuriating. ]

But aren't you taking a risk the longer you keep us here at this point? It sounds like you're choosing spite over both protecting yourself and bringing Alice back.

[twinverses]

It'd be easier, yeah, but do you know? I'm getting something very important.

[strictura]

What, souls and memories?

[twinverses]

Something different. The memories are just a side effect of my Nameless Forest. Souls are what I'm after but something makes them infinitely better.

I'm sure you're too grown up to know it.

[strictura]

I-- I'm responsible because someone needs to be, but that hardly makes me grown-up. I'm as much of a kid as anyone else here.

[ Probably not the part of this he should worry about, but it's not the first time he's been accused of this, and it still stirs up a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. ]

[twinverses]

Sure. Someone's gotta look after everyone, huh?

[...Okay, yeah, she's just going to focus on this.]

[strictura]

Right.

So what don't you think I know?

[twinverses]

What do you think things like me live on?

[strictura]

I thought it was supposed to be magical energy or something for a Servant, or the acknowledgment of your readers as a book. You're saying that's not the case?

[ If it's something that affects souls... ]

...Despair? Is that what...

[ As far as he's concerned, that's an unfortunately typical children's emotion arising from their powerless existences. It takes something like The Incident to really make all the adults taste it. ]

[twinverses]

I'm still living off magical energy but there's something else.

[: )]

Something like that, yeah.

[strictura]

[ There had always been a disconnect when it came to fighting for hope in the name of someone who only wanted despair. If Junko-neechan were here, would she...?

... ]

What actually happens when the game ends and you bring everyone back? You said "start over". I know there was never actually anything in the rules to imply the existence of a scenario in which we'd all get to go home, but I thought maybe...

[ ...Whatever he'd let himself imagine before just sounds stupid now, really. ]

There's really no way for everyone to get out of here without destroying you, is there? Even the few of us who are still alive now. Any time the game ends, you're just going to go back to the title screen and start a new one with the same cast again.

[ ...minus Oriko. ]

[twinverses]

Until you destroy me or I'm able to finally to find my happy ending. Whichever comes first, really. We'll play forever until that happens.

[Okay, she should be more specific--]

That's exactly right, though. You've gotten it.

[strictura]

[ A happy ending, huh... ]

What would be a happy ending to you?

[twinverses]

One with Alice, of course.

[strictura]

And? Obviously just being with her isn't enough; you didn't have any intention of stopping when she was here with you before. If you had, no one would have felt like they needed to kill her in the first place.

[twinverses]

I'm going to bring her back. We'll finally be happy together. As for, why I didn't before... well! You can figure that out for yourself, can't you?

[strictura]

To the real world, you mean? Not just this place?

[twinverses]

Yes.

[strictura]

What do you need to make that possible? Do you just need for all of us to die enough times?

[twinverses]

Something like that, yes.

[strictura]

...And how many times do you expect that would be?