Accountability.

[ratingspoint]

"Killswitch? I 'left Alphys to die'? Please, darlings, don't tell me you actually buy all these tired old storylines..." It's been a few weeks since that particular voice has been heard by anyone in the Vault; it's sharp, flamboyant and incredibly familiar, and it's coming from the same place the Kingmaker's always seems to - nowhere and everywhere at once, piped in through some unseen system. "You know, normally I'd balk a bit at being dragged out in front of all of you for another trial, because I think you all know by now how much I hate repeat performances. Fortunately, there's a difference, isn't there? Between now and then... And if the crowd cries for an encore, who am I to deny it!" There's a panel of wall behind that balcony, one that slides open quickly and easily; the pair of people that emerge from it...well, they're different than anything the Vault has seen so far, that much is obvious. The first is reasonably slight in frame, his hair and his clothing bright in color; he's resplendant in...just about every tacky accessory Caren unwittingly brought with her to the Vault - with the exception of the bra, naturally. Because we've got to have some dignity here, clearly, even if that dignity doesn't extend to the fucking leopard-print bucket hat currently sitting on his head at a jaunty as hell angle. His expression is intense and deeply manic, his body shaking a bit and fists clenched at his sides as though he's trying to keep himself from laughing, from lashing out and hitting the wall, from doing something to relieve some of it, but his eyes... ...His eyes, though. His eyes are dead as hell, his stare cutting and utterly devoid of emotion all at once. And the second...well, he's familiar, though it seems his avatar has changed quite a bit since the last time you saw him. It's something more suiting, let's put it that way. He's the one leaning over to greet you now, hands braced tight against that railing spanning the length of the balcony. "Beauties and gentlebeauties, I'm pleased to introduce to you our hosts for the evening! First of all, the Kingmaker, without whom none of this would have been possible!" And that gets a sweeping gesture to his side, where the ginger just...enthusiastically pumps his fist in the air, and that's when the laugh escapes him, harsh and uncontrolled. "It's about time!" Mettaton tosses his head a bit at that; he doesn't laugh himself, but he seems pleased enough with it before he continues. "As for me? Well, I'd like to wish you good evening and good luck - both sentiments straight from the King of the Underground! Try to make this good for us, all right?" "Make it cool!" "...Sweetheart, really." ...Right, well! Let's begin, shall we?

Comments

[penduli]

[ ...hi black's the quiz show tonight, here's another question he's pretty sure hasn't been asked— ]

I know this game's purpose is to be a source of entertainment and get a new king—last man standing wins and all—but why do you want one? [ ...god if this has been asked and i'm just being a tired fuck i'm so sorry ] Another king, I mean. You two seem to be having a good time running this yourselves.

[greatestcool]

...I really don't care, honestly. If someone's crowned then Mettaton and I are dead. And that's... that's fine.

[It doesn't sound totally fine, and he looks sort of unsure about it.]

It used to be fun. I was having a blast when we started. I don't know. I'm tired now. I just want it to be done.

[pokexplorer]

[Well this has all been rather...depressing, hasn't it? Colress' expression is so mixed right now- both these two lost someone during the murder game like he did...but they're also the reason why he did, in a way. They're also the reason why he even met that person too, so...

...

He hates feeling so conflicted.]

Is that why things suddenly changed in the last few weeks? You were acting very erratic.

[Well, it could have also been Mettaton too, now that he thinks about it, but...it still applies.]

[greatestcool]

Yeah, I guess so. I thought things would be better when Mettaton was with me again because I wouldn't be alone anymore.

...But things just got bad again. I've been kind of a wreck for awhile now. I think some of you noticed when you talked to me.

[captainobnoxious]

[mrrrrrrrrr.]

I told you to take care of yourself, you tacky mess. And a lot of other stuff. [...] I'm... sorry about pushing you about your friend so much.

[That's something she's sincerely sorry about, too, even if it worked out in her favor in the end.

Christ what talking to someone like a normal human being will do.]

[greatestcool]

Kiiiiinda hard to do that when you've been falling apart at the seams for weeks. I tried, really!

...And thanks. I guess.

[THAT FUCKED HIM UP A LOT, SIGRUN...]

[captainobnoxious]

No thanks necessary. Just paying my dues.

[...]

It was pretty fun talking to you when you weren't being a stubborn asshole about things. Just so you know.

[FOR ALL THE SHIT ACTION BRACKETS HAVE GIVEN YOU you... aren't a bad guy if you want to protect Mettaton, because she knows that feel.]

[pokexplorer]

[...

While Sigrun is talking to Ryuunosuke, Colress squints a bit up at the Kingmakers, waiting to pipe back up.]

Might I ask what you mean by, "things got bad again"? Is that in reference to what happened a week or two after Mettaton's trial?

[There was the whole alarming message from Glory instead of an incentive, for one...]

[penduli]

[ ...someone's all talk and no bite when it comes to "we knew we were going to die," aren't they. ]

You don't have to die for one of us—or all of us—to get crowned. Glory said it herself: it's up to the new king to decide what to do with the old. For all you know, majority could decide you're better off alive and atoning for what you've put us through than dead.

[ He's not sure what they're going to end up choosing when it comes down to a choice, when they've got them all lined up, but hey, the AI running the murder virtual reality said what she did. ]

[greatestcool]

You've gotta be kidding me. First of all, there's no way to atone for all the stuff I did and I don't even feel sorry about it. Second, I'm not going to trust any of you enough for that. All you guys have done is talk about killing me. If I die, fine. I'm prepared for that. But I don't want anything happening to Mettaton and... and he doesn't want me to die either.

[Apparently that's the awkward part given how he looks away.]

...So... so why the hell would any of you think that's a good idea?

[sleepingkogoro]

I won't deny most here have said stuff about killing you. It's easy to say that stuff when you don't have the person right in front of them, talking like a person instead of as a presence behind a phone.

I'm not saying you two will be left to prance around a random city and have a happy life with four puppies until you die of old age, but it doesn't seem to me the only option is to kill you two. Whether it is a good idea or not is something that shall be seen, but I don't think killing you and Mettaton-kun is what people wants right now. I'm sure there are alternatives.

[greatestcool]

[He obviously has no idea what to do with that, and he moves to play with the rings he's wearing for a moment before shrugging.]

Whatever. It's up to you guys anyway.

[He won't make eye contact though.]

[notjustawriter]

....because I, for one, am sick with all the killing.

I don't want to be responsible for it. I don't want any more blood on my hands. I don't care if you don't regret it at all, I'm just so sick of this entire damn game.

If this isn't... [some trick from a pair of psychopaths] if this will piss off whoever is behind this game, then I say to hell with keeping up all the killin'.

[greatestcool]

We're behind this game. It's just us. You against us. That's what we knew it'd come down to.

[notjustawriter]

You're not the ones who created it.

I'm more interested in shutting it down at its source.

[cherryblooded]

Because I'm Dedicated.

[That should be reason enough.

At least he's actually addressing Ryuunosuke now?]

If there's no one else willing to keep an eye on you both, then I'll volunteer. If there's no one else you can trust not to stab you both in the back, then at least believe I won't do that now that I know what I do. If there's nowhere else you both can go, then I'm willing to be turned away from everyone else's worlds if it's necessary.

[greatestcool]

...If you kill me, you're really gonna upset Mettaton.

[Apparently that's the one thing he needs to address out of all of that? Okay, Ryuunosuke.]

So don't stab me in the back. I wouldn't care, but you...

[...]

You wouldn't do that to him.

[He sounds a lot more certain of that when he says it, though he won't look at Cherryblod.]

[captainobnoxious]

... So far, it's looking that I'm in the minority to be killing.

[Which is fine, because with her intended target she needs to be the only one.

Not that she's all there in the minority either at this point.]

We did well last time with a trial in not killing anyone. So they'll probably want to do that again. And I've never really been their leader, whatever anyone says be damned, so it's not like I've got much a say against that.

[greatestcool]

At least you're honest. I figured you'd always want to kill us anyway.

[goodforsomething]

I'm not exactly against killin' them, but I care more about us than them either way. I'll listen to what people have to say about it.

[amygdalae]

...it'll be easy to say to hurt them for all that they've done.

[But.

As he mentioned earlier--the cycle of violence. It has to end somewhere.]

I mostly just want to be sure that neither of them will ever try something like this again. [He glances away slightly at that.] As long as there is a way that will work with that which won't end in disaster, I suppose I can't have any objections.

[He doesn't want to kill too, but with these two... the temptation to do something is pretty damn strong. And like hell Bruce has enough self-restraint as he likes to think that he has.]

[isafraid]

...We've been through far too much of death already. I say do what we will. Who are we to listen to the rules at hand?

[They've done so well this far.]

What matters most is making sure nothing turns into a greater problem then this.

[penduli]

We're not exactly the brightest bunch, Ryuunosuke. We mess around for most of our trials, still manage to find the culprits, and all anyone does is ask stupid, pointless questions until one of us hits something that sticks and then we dogpile it.

[ THE TREND ISN'T UNNOTICEABLE. ]

I mean, I won't vote to give either of you a chance unless there's a really good argument someone's got aside from, "We'll be the bigger people, we won't be murderers like them." [ Especially not Mettaton? Cool sob story, you still hurt Sigrun for the second time. Her request not to hate him too much? Totally null and void now! ] We've been like you two this whole time, sending our peers to their death just because they decided to be the killer of the week.

[ ...thankfully he did not actually kill anyone, but you know he. also decided to try and be killer of the week, so he doesn't really have anything to say about that topic, really? Ha. ]

But we're stupid, and humanity's always wanted to believe that people can be better than what they are. That's all.

[penduli]

[ ...thank you for proving him right guys, holy shit look at that line of comments. ]

[greatestcool]

...Your friends are still around. Ours aren't.

[And that seems to be all he has to say in response.]