[Or maybe not, maybe it would be bad for Envy to revive in a weird hellscape instead of outside the simulation room, but like. Pride is tiny. I need y'all to know that this is still the shorties convention with Pride in the room. What could he realistically do.]
No. It's growing back. [they tell sheila, with a sigh.] It's extra tender. Can't be helped.
[also yeah pride is like 5'3 there's no way they could've dragged envy to the end. anyway, they think for a while, and then:]
I kept moving. [... this gets flat, like they're distancing themselves.] Mercy's mother is... gone. But I saw her, and Mercy, running to me. They didn't make it across the hallway.
An old friend of mine was the one to remove my crown. I don't remember what removed my head.
[She feels conflicted; he doesn't owe them these details. They want to know about Mercy, about the meaning of those adventures, but peering into this feels wrong.
On the other hand, Pride is choosing to tell them.
Anyway, Sasazuka, hopefully it was the end? His head was gone.]
Such ugly illusions, in this place. They never would have allowed for a different outcome, I think.
I did think that you guys came out a lot worse than we did...
[ like, that it purposely fucked with them more than it did the others.
and honestly, part of him is a little disappointed that this means they probably won't get to see mercy again, but knowing that she's not in some weird ass hell hole beats that feeling. ]
And thank you for telling us.
[ it's actually genuine, and not the nice effect. ]
It won't be worthwhile to do anything else so risky. If anything, we've learned that exploring those areas ought to be in our hands, not yours. We all have our tasks here, and some that we ask of the Avatars would be best done on our own.
[Just like. A gentle warning not to try anything else so reckless. She also feels a little sad, like they can never really repay Mercy, or make the pain she felt right. But at least a real little girl isn't trapped there.]
But I am glad we have more of a sense of what that place is, and what it wants. You have my thanks.
[ at least the real girl isn't suffering. she doesn't really know how to address the fact that she's grown attached to someone's strange, illusionary doppelganger that does not exist, so she doesn't. politely: ]
Thank you. It seems we still have a ways to go before we might uncover the truth.
[they're quiet for a moment, and then:] I... trust the four of you.
[they don't normally trust anybody, but. people who would rather die than hurt a child? would rather die than stoop that low - well. maybe it's safe to say pride doesn't know a lot of people who would prioritize like that.]
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pride just rests their head against the wall - and then flinches? and pulls back, trying to stay sitting up.]
He died. [they say flatly.] Couldn't take him with me so I had to keep going.
[everybody is mean to poor envy including pride, apparently,]
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[To be fair, what would anyone else have done with the corpse? C'est un corpse.]
Do you need a pillow, or... something?
[Trying to ask if their head is okay without asking is their head is okay.]
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but he just looks at sheila and moves on without commenting. someone else ask he's asked so many things. ]
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[Or maybe not, maybe it would be bad for Envy to revive in a weird hellscape instead of outside the simulation room, but like. Pride is tiny. I need y'all to know that this is still the shorties convention with Pride in the room. What could he realistically do.]
All of you made it back, in the end.
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...Yes, at least he survived it eventually. [ seemed really bad, but. ] What happened after that?
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[also yeah pride is like 5'3 there's no way they could've dragged envy to the end. anyway, they think for a while, and then:]
I kept moving. [... this gets flat, like they're distancing themselves.] Mercy's mother is... gone. But I saw her, and Mercy, running to me. They didn't make it across the hallway.
An old friend of mine was the one to remove my crown. I don't remember what removed my head.
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Sheila will not scream or anything, but from the look on her face, she is definitely screaming inside.]
Oh, my god. I'm so sorry.
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he's quite for a moment, and then nods slowly, his expression grim. ]
Was that the end?
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On the other hand, Pride is choosing to tell them.
Anyway, Sasazuka, hopefully it was the end? His head was gone.]
Such ugly illusions, in this place. They never would have allowed for a different outcome, I think.
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Yes, they're deliberately terrible. So why do they happen?
[ if even the avatars got pulled in and experienced this, then what is the point of it all? ]
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[which they still hate.]
We went looking. To be clear. I went looking. [...] For the rest of you, I think it is not wrong to call them tests.
For us, it was mockery, like always.
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... Did anything come from it? Anything remotely good at all?
[Or did they go through hell for nothing? Horrible.]
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but he'll wait for the answer to sheila's question. ]
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To confirm that we're being tested is not nothing.
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A mockery? Was it really so pointless?
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But other than that, it seemed as though we were just being toyed with. A punishment for seeking truth.
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[Mercy "Chuck" Jingle is worth it.]
I'm still sorry you had to go through any of that.
[There are probably a lot of questions that can be asked at this point, but someone else can ask them.]
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[ like, that it purposely fucked with them more than it did the others.
and honestly, part of him is a little disappointed that this means they probably won't get to see mercy again, but knowing that she's not in some weird ass hell hole beats that feeling. ]
And thank you for telling us.
[ it's actually genuine, and not the nice effect. ]
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[Just like. A gentle warning not to try anything else so reckless. She also feels a little sad, like they can never really repay Mercy, or make the pain she felt right. But at least a real little girl isn't trapped there.]
But I am glad we have more of a sense of what that place is, and what it wants. You have my thanks.
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Thank you. It seems we still have a ways to go before we might uncover the truth.
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[they're quiet for a moment, and then:] I... trust the four of you.
[they don't normally trust anybody, but. people who would rather die than hurt a child? would rather die than stoop that low - well. maybe it's safe to say pride doesn't know a lot of people who would prioritize like that.]
Use this information the best you can.