voidtreckernet | VIDEO-ish (cw: torture and murder)

VIDEO-ish (cw: torture and murder)

[Before the ICP flickers on, every passenger hears a resounding, deep voice thunder through every car in the train, carrying with it a deathly—if odd—proclamation:]

PENALTY GAME: HELL REVERSE!

[Moments later, every ICP turns on to reveal a figure shrouded in shadows, holding the unconscious body of Xue Yang with one hand as the Eye of Wdjat blazes on both of their foreheads. It's clear they're in the gaming car, but if anybody tries to enter from either end, they'll find the doors are impossibly locked.]

Passengers of the Voidtrecker Express, I hold in my hands an unrepentant murderer who slaughtered one of your very own: the victim being A-Qing, and the criminal being Xue Yang. While she has returned, this crime cannot go unpunished, and I have taken it upon myself to try and burn out the stain on his soul—or, at the very least, provide adequate agony for all of his victims, both on the train and off.

If you need to see proof of my justice...

Avert your eyes if you do not wish to see memories of the brutal death of a young woman in her prime.

[The screen flickers once again, this time showing A-Qing's murder, although it doesn't have any audio. ((OOC: Additional CW for graphic depictions of murder.))

When it returns to the interior of the Games Car, the shadowy figure is gone, but their voice and Xue Yang remain.]

I leave it to the council to dispense their own punishment, as meager as it may be.

Remember, passengers:

I am watching.

[The ICP clicks off, and the train is deadly quiet.]

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[ Wen Ning barely knows how to use the ICPs. It's by happenstance that he even sees this post. He clearly hasn't been paying much attention, because so much of this is news to him. ]

A-Qing was killed?

[ Why is Xue Yang here? How is A-Qing alive again? Who is that shadowy figure? What is happening?? ]

I'm okay. It's okay! The train brought me back. It was ages ago.

[ MFING DAMAGE CONTROL ]

Ages ago? When? Before we all stopped understanding each other?

[ Why hadn't she said anything? ]

[ She doesn't want to make people fight, it's obvious by now that that would have been a terrible idea even then, if there's some ghost of revenge wandering the train. She's glad she didn't tell him, to make him a target. ]

The... the first day we got here. [ She can't think of a good lie, so she just repeats, ] I'm okay.

[ Realization hits, and he feels guilty suddenly. ]

I should never have left you alone. If I had known Xue Yang was here...

[ He would have... What? Never left her side? He didn't even know she was someone Xue Yang would target. What could he have done, truly? ]

I didn't know either. Don't feel bad.

[ Except, he's the kind of guy who feels bad no matter what, huh? She could use that, but she's mostly just... tired. Guilt is less useful when it's for something she doesn't want to think about. ] You let me stick around with you after that. That helped, I owe you.

[ He'd promised to blind her, after all, and he'd never found her alone again to do it. ]

I could have at least warned you how dangerous he is. I'm sorry.

[ He wishes they were standing in front of each other so he could apologize properly. Not that she would be able to see, either way, but it would make him feel better. ]

You don't owe me anything. I'll help you because I want to, not because I feel I have to.

[ gege 8( she already knew how dangerous he is, that was the whole problem-- ]

I-- [ oh................ ugh!! fuck!! there's a scuffling, and then a quiet curse, and then the video flicks on ] Then there's no debts between us, and obviously you don't need to apologise, it's all his fault anyway!

I believe so. [At a loss of what to actually do to fix any of this Taiki is just walking around the train, looking for anyone who looks upset, anyone who looks afraid. His voice is very gently as he approaches.]

But I also believe she has come back to life somehow. Is she your friend?

We met on the platform. But we're from the same world.

[ He feels just awful. How could he have let something like this happen under his nose? He's supposed to be a force for good. He's supposed to help people. ]

[He nods sadly and steps closer, at a loss of what to say. This is a terrible thing and there's really nothing that can be said to help. But he wants to help and so he reaches out gently, towards the other man's hands.]

[ The touch to his hands is unexpected. No one really shows him any kind of physical intimacy, at least, not since he became the Ghost General.

But the people here don't know he's the Ghost General. They've never even heard the name before.

He squeezes the other man's hands, feeling a little better for the contact. ]

[He's just relieved that the man accepts the comfort rather than pushing him away. It had been a gamble but one he was glad to have taken.

He doesn't let go.]

Do... Sorry... Do you want to check on her and make sure she is alright?

[ Wen Ning glances back towards the ICP, nervously. ]

She said she was okay... [ He wants to believe her. To trust that she really is fine. But she hadn't told him about what happened. Why would she have kept something like that from him? ]

Good. I'm glad. [He still doesn't let go, indeed squeezing his hands a bit tighter, trying to give comfort.]

It must feel strange for you, but I am glad she is alright now. [Or as alright as she can be. It can't be easy to be okay after you died like that.]

[ Wen Ning breathes slowly, steeling his resolve. Vowing not to let this feeling of guilt overwhelm him.

There's already so much to feel guilty over. If he let himself be consumed by it, he would never be able to continue living. ]

Yes. That is the important part. That she is alright now, and that he can't hurt her again.

[ Well... Hopefully. ]

Yes. [He nods again, firmly.] I think there are a lot of people who will make sure nothing like this will happen again.

[He hopes so anyways.]

[ Wen Ning nods, too. ]

I just... don't understand why whoever brought us here would choose to bring Xue Yang. If they knew him at all, they would know he was dangerous.

I... Sorry I don't know either. I don't know why they bring anyone but if they want us to save people...

[Why would they bring someone who would murder a teenage girl? A blind teenage girl at that.]

He should have been executed for his crimes a long time ago.

[ Then again, so should have Wen Ning. But at least Wen Ning feels remorse, and doesn't actively continue to murder people. ]

Yet if he was he would never learn from them, surely everyone has the opportunity to do better and killing... that destroys any hope of growth.

[He speaks without meaning to really. Speaks from the heart. Forgets to hold his tongue, even though his opinion has not been asked for.]

He has been given opportunities to learn. And every time, he squanders them.

[ Or, is helped into shirking the lesson and enabled into committing more and more crimes. First the Wen clan, then the Jin... Xue Yang was as much a dangerous tool as Wen Ning. The only difference between them is that Xue Yang wants to be a weapon, where as Wen Ning is forced into it. ]

Oh... [He still cannot agree. There is nothing that would warrant taking a life, he can understand a human perspective but every part of his heart fights against it. Mercy should always be the answer.

Even when he knows it cannot be. He can accept that, but never understand.

But the words bring other questions.] You speak as if you know him... Is he from the same place as you?

[ He nods, one hand pulling out of the other man's grip to absentmindedly rub at the back of his skull, where the iron spikes had been driven in to make Wen Ning into Xue Yang's faithful puppet. ]

We're from the same world. He... He's hurt many people before, including me.

Oh... Sorry... [He looks down. He doesn't know what to say. He still can't agree that someone should be executed, not when it goes against everything he feels. Everything he is.

But no one should be hurt and it is painful to know that this Xue Yang has hurt this man here, back before he even got on the train.]

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VIDEO-ish (cw: torture and murder)

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voice from 6-E to 3-B

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