WEAPONS ROLL RUN

[etcircenses]

"The museum will be closing in half an hour. At that time, something very special will be distributed to the Tributes brave enough to risk their peers at the first floor elevators."

The storm is still raging outside, casting everything on the first floor in a dim light occasionally shattered by flashes of lightning. The thunder rolling in the background seems to set the tone, although some may find it a welcome distraction from silence.

Half an hour passes. Five minutes before it's done, the elevators cease functioning, leaving Tributes to use the stairwells.

Each elevator door opens to reveal a handful of weapons: firecrackers, revolvers, grenades. There are no threats to the Tributes who try to retrieve them - none but their fellow competitors.

[OOC note: party-style post. Everyone tag away.]

Comments

[whoseesbynight]

Too late by half. She might be a might huntress, but even she sometimes ends up taking on something that's a little be more than she can handle. This is - or was - one of those times, and although she's managed to escape the crush of people it's pretty clear that her chances of success are not very high after this. She's too badly injured, and even if trolls can lose more blood than humans can and still be relatively okay, the extent of her wounds (most of which seem to be knife wounds) are pretty clear not the kind that there's going to be much coming back from.

Still, she manages a smile at Cuthbert as he approaches, even if it is one that seems to be almost apologetic.

[tis_allgood]

"Oh Gan, what happened?" He has the gun in one hand still, but he reaches out to her with the other one, intending to help her away from the worst of it. He wants to see the extent of her injuries, but it's hard to tell when he's not used to the strange color of her blood. As far as he knows it's either far better or far worse than he expects.

When he gets her out of immediate danger he does his best to examine her wounds. He talks to her quietly about what he's doing, trying to keep her attention on him. "I just want to see how deep these go, tell me if the pain is too much. Fuck. It's okay. I've been looking for you, I'm so sorry I was late." He keeps babbling like that as he starts putting pressure on the worse wounds.

[whoseesbynight]

She does what she can to make it seem like she's less injured than she is. It doesn't necessarily succeed very well, but she can't help by feel like she needs to put on a brave face for him.

It lasts just about until he manages to get her far away enough to start examining her wounds, and although she makes not the slightest sound of pain at it it's pretty clear that it hurts. Or maybe just hasn't stopped hurting - the examination will turn up that while they aren't all terribly deep, the ones that are are the sort that are going to be either downright crippling if she continues on or the kind that are going to be very hard to patch up.

And then there's the blood loss, which is hardly going to help anything.

[tis_allgood]

He's so concerned he doesn't know what to do first.

"We'll get you out of here, love, I promise. Fix you up and make all of this better. I'll find a way to make it better. I got a gun, I can protect you, I swear it."

He's almost in tears, but this was the absolute worst case scenario. Bert finally finds Nepeta, who he has been looking for for weeks and she's about to die in his arms. He presses a kiss to her forehead, not sure what else he can do until he gets a response from her.

[whoseesbynight]

The offer of protecting her is nice, especially when it's the first thing he's said to her all arena. But she knows injuries and knows when there's no hope - or at least, not enough to making worth the effort. There is no way to fix this. Not without a miracle and those are in awfully short supply here.

So it's best that she die, even though she can hardly imagine asking Cuthbert to it. It'll be quicker than dying from her wounds... but she's not sure she actually can bring herself to. But she can at least manage to mention that saving her will do no good, even if she takes a moment to consider her words first.

"There isn't a way to make it better. It's already too late."

[tis_allgood]

On some level, Cuthbert understands that it's too late. He just doesn't want to face it. There are tears running down his cheeks when he nods at her.

"I know. There's only one thing left. I cry your pardon deep, but I'll make it quick."

For as slick as his hands are with her blood, and how bad he's shaking in general, he's completely steady pulling a bullet out of his bag and loading it into his new gun. He will probably never forgive whoever did this to her, if he ever finds out who it was.

[whoseesbynight]

It's not an easy thing to face. Even knowing that she'll come back, it takes very nearly all she has to not recoil at the option, not ask if there's someone else who could have done it instead. Some stranger as opposed to having it need to be this.

"Thank you," she manages, after a long silence. It still hurts, and in more ways than just the physical, but it's what needs to be done. Anything else that happens afterwards is presumably something that can be dealt with. In any case, coming back is better than going on like she is, and she simply waits for Cuthbert to finish, as she tries to hold herself together for these last few moments.

[tis_allgood]

He doesn't hesitate after he has his new gun loaded. The same cold mask of indifference falls over his face as he prepares himself to kill. He does take a moment to lean down and kiss her and tell her he loves her before he takes the shot. Just one, right in the center of her forehead, picture perfect.

[whoseesbynight]

It's a strange look on him, that indifference. But what is done is done; she can ask no more than that. Still, she manages one last smile, and then she's gone as the bullet does exactly what it's meant to.

She'll have to thank him later, she thinks, with the last thoughts she has, but for now the end is enough. And she can certainly not ask more. Not now.