VIDEO-ish (cw: torture and murder)

[bloomingdespite]

[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.]

Comments

[mynameisallen]

That and the fact people get put back in beds the next day, I get it there will never be a perfect system. [Heck even at home it was really shitty how they did things when it came to him.]

But at the same time, the whole kill them or they will kill us mentality is even worse. That doesn't fix anything and in reality, means they are no better than the vigilant or the murderer.

[irrationally]

Exactly. That's why I'll do it. I'm already no better than either of them!

[ And that's not just something she's saying for argument's sake. Her voice sounds so firm as she says it because it's something she actually really does believe. She knows she isn't a good person. That's why she doesn't mind doing the dirty work. ]

Now get out of my way, Allen. [ There doesn't seem to be anything hostile towards him in her voice, at least. In some other cases that kind of statement definitely would have come with a threat of violence, but Alice's knife is still just resting at her side. She's making no motion to raise it.

For all her determined anger right now, she doesn't want to hurt Allen. She can't even being to think of it. ]

[mynameisallen]

[He doesn't take what one has done back home to heart, mostly because back home he was considered a tractor even though in reality he left because it was safer than he did. He never betrayed them and still believed he was an exorcist no matter what.

He had friends who believed in him at least and he felt like here it should be the same.]

I won't move, I don't care what you were like at home, but here you are far better than either one of them here. So much better.

[irrationally]

[ Oh god. Why does Allen have to say that of all things right now? Alice's mind is so one-track focused on the idea of getting rid of whoever scared the people important to her that Allen's sudden reassurance about her completely catches her off guard. Her breath feels like it's stuck inside of her throat for a second.

When she does manage to suck in a breath again, it sounds weirdly shakey, making it obvious she's at least been thrown off kilter by what he said. ]

How.. How do you know?

[ He's never seen any of her ugly sides. Because she tries so, so hard to hide those here. Because she doesn't want the people she's found she actually likes here to dislike her for them.

But she knows they're there. She knows what she's really like. And it's ugly. It's not good. ]

How do you even know what I'm like?!

[mynameisallen]

[How do you know? Well, that was always a good question to ask. How did he know? The honest truth was he didn't. Not at all. But from their talks he feels as if there is a lot more to the other that people don't see and that she shows off just one side of herself for a reason.]

You really want to know how? I don't. But that is how much faith I have in you to know you can do better even if others might judge you or agree with that statement it doesn't mean it's the truth either.

[Considering how he had always been treated because of his hand, the way he was treated when it was discovered that he had the memories of the 14th. They didn't understand him, they just saw these other things and he was treated a certain way because of it.

He didn't want to be that person, he wanted to try and help.]

At the end of the day, I believe that you are better because you're my friend and I would make sure you didn't. [And that was when it clicked for a moment. Remembering back to a timer when he yelled at Lenalee and she slapped him stating she stopped him because they were friends.

It was the same here? And it was enough to cause a bit of a chuckle.]

I guess I can at least understand why friends do look out for each other now.

[irrationally]

[ For a moment it looks as if she's just about to shove him aside and carry on all the same.

But then the tension fades, Alice's shoulders sagging. She lets out a breath, and it's hard to tell what exactly it sounds like - exasperated? angry? exhausted? There's a little bit of everything in it. ]

Is this truly the right time for that realisation?

[ When she's threatening to murder someone? Then again, that's so much like Allen. Somehow finding something sappy in the middle of a moment like this. It ruins Alice's angry mood just enough for the initial murder instinct to fade, though she's still angry. It shows in how she frowns and looks kind of uncomfortable as she continues. ]

Allen, I.. want to be the person you think I am. Someone better than who I am now. But I.. I don't think I can be. [ Despite her saying that, the knife fades into nothingness again from her hand. She's exposing herself by saying it like this, making herself vulnerable, but if there's anyone she trusts with it, it's Allen.

No matter how much of a sappy idiot he is. ]

I just can't feel comfortable with the idea of the figure who made that broadcast running around among us on the train. There is no way they would stop at just this.

[mynameisallen]

And I understand that, I honestly get it. But considering the size of the train the best thing is to focus on those that need it more.

[He at least was starting to feel comfortable enough to not be so much on guard anyone once he see the knife vanish.]

I also feel like if this train is anything like the last world those who are killed would come back anyway which would...defeat the purpose of killing them in the first place. Which I still will never agree on.

[irrationally]

I get it, Allen. You're a pure, innocent angel who would never harm a soul.

[ Okay, so there's definitely a bit of snark in that. She'll probably regret it later, but right now she's so frayed. She's running on fumes. Of course it makes her a bit grumpier than usually - just grumpy enough to mumble that before she says anything else. Stop making her look so bad in comparison, Allen, geez. ]

I'm not sure if focusing on those who need it right now is even going to help though. The harm has already been done. So many people have seen things that they can now never unsee. Perhaps you and I might be used to these things [ considering Allen doesn't seem too worked up about all of this, she figures it ought to not be as world-shattering for him either as it is for some of the more normal people around ] but a lot of people here aren't.

[ Which wouldn't bother her nearly as much if said people didn't include some people she cares very, very deeply about. ]

[mynameisallen]

Well yes, but isn't being with those they trust going to help a little bit in being comfortable, even if a little bit.

[He understood that there were going to be a lot of people freaked out and such, but he also knew there really wasn't a lot they could do. His only thought was to comfort those who were deeply affected and attempt to just make them a tiny bit comfortable by being around people they know and trust.]

[irrationally]

I..

[ She starts, then stops and frowns. Slowly she does try to continue though. ]

I'm not.. good at that, Allen. I don't know well how to comfort others. [ She feels like she'd only make things worse if she tried. Especially with some of the more delicate people who might have had their feelings hurt in this case. ] What I'm good at is just fighting. Punishing someone, hurting them.. That's something I can do. I don't think my presence makes anyone at all comfortable.

[mynameisallen]

I admit I'm not great at it either. [Not that he ever really had to do it much, but he knows he's not at all good at it regardless.]

But I'm at least going to try and attempt something, even if it's making me look stupid.

[Which really if he was going to do certain things was actually meant to be the point. He really wished he had something to juggle just to keep people focused on something instead.]

[irrationally]

Then what are you going to try to do? Right now?

[ Because if Alice can't go and smash whoever did this to pieces, then she too sure is going to need something to distract herself with. She feels too worked up to trust herself to be able to just do nothing without snapping right now. ]

[mynameisallen]

I have no idea. Most of the stuff I know, I would need something we don't have, or I wonder if it's a good idea.

[Learning the tricks of being a clown he figured would be useful as ways to cheer someone up, but he didn't know if ti was actually a good idea.]

[irrationally]

[ Well, that's a very expected answer. Though it's also not a very useful one. Of course there's nothing anyone can really do in this situation.

But that doesn't serve well to calm down Alice's nerves or her anger. ]

I can't just-- just sit around right now, Allen. [ There's no way. She feels like she'll go crazy all over again if she has to do that. ] I need something to do. And if you don't want that to be stabbing whoever did that, then I need a good alternative!

[ Alice doesn't mean to get all worked up at him. She'll probably feel bad about it later, but right now she just really can't help her emotions. They're too strong. ]

[mynameisallen]

You can maybe stab things in the kitchen like food items.

[It was a way to deal with it, right? Plus it meant food for people. it worked out. Not that Allen knows how to cook beyond very basic things.]

[irrationally]

Are you.. Are you truly trying to refer to cooking right now as "stabbing food items"?

[ She knows that's not entirely fair to say - it's just Allen trying to twist her urge into something more productive and putting it in a slightly literal way. But Alice is so worked up right now that the words slide straight out of her mouth before she's even fully thought about them.

And at least she's.. not directly rejecting them yet? That's a first step, right. Not that the girl doesn't still look conflicted, frowning slightly, but still.. ]

.. You ought to at least come with me then. You're the one who suggested it, so you need to take responsibility!

[mynameisallen]

It's all I could think of, I'm not at all good at coming up with ideas.

[He was good at other things, but that was not one of them, but he knew that with him coming up with the idea he had to also go through with it himself. He was decent at cooking at least. Not as far as to be able to create wonderful food, but well;l enough to at least survive.]

Fine..I mean I did come up with the idea and it's best to not let you be alone anyway.

[irrationally]

[ Allen is hitting the nail right on the head there. The best thing to do right now is to just not leave Alice alone - no matter what kind of activity they're doing. She's not strong enough to fight against her mind all by herself so easily. It's easier to just give into the impulse. ]

Then what are you waiting for?

[ She grabs him by the wrist. It's not a painfully tight grip, but it's an awfully forward gesture from a girl who's so bad with physical contact.

And it's also convenient to start dragging him along. She can't just keep standing here, it'll drive her nuts. ]

Let's go already.

[mynameisallen]

[He went to follow, not at all arguing with what she was doing. But it soon came another thought. What to actually make? He really didn't think at all far enough to really have an idea for when they finally reached the kitchen.]

Question, how good are you at coming up with recipes? Or should we just follow what is available.

[irrationally]

I think it's better to not let things up to my creativity.

[ It's not like Victorian London was known for its great food, after all.. And while Alice's imagination might be very varied and strong, it doesn't always translate well to reality. Especially not when she's moody to begin with and just wants to chop as many things as possible. That doesn't exactly make a good dish, now does it. ]

Perhaps we can find a cookbook around there. Otherwise I'm afraid you may just end up eating mashed everything. [ Because she is going to crush that food like the heads of her enemies. ]

[mynameisallen]

I mean mashed everything doesn't sound that bad.

[Okay but it was still a good idea to at least go with something regardless so he was going to start looking around.]

We can always go with something at least easy. That's about as much as I can do cooking wise.

[irrationally]

[ She sucks in a breath, willing herself to try and calm down. Come on, Alice, you can do this. Just focus on the situation right in front of you, just think about cooking with Allen rather than about anything else that has been happening on this wild, wild day.

It's hard, but she's trying. Just.. trying to talk about cooking. Just think about cooking, she mentally keeps telling herself. ]

Have you never learned how to cook?

[mynameisallen]

No, I traveled a lot and would be surprised if I could.

[So very basic stuff was at least the best he could do and a lot of that would also be guessing since he at the time wouldn't have been able to read.]

But so long as it's easy to do I can do that.

[irrationally]

Wouldn't traveling around only make it more necessary that you'd know how to cook yourself? [ Unless Allen was rich, but.. considering what she's heard about him so far - the bits and pieces she has to somehow fit together - it doesn't seem like it? Surely he wouldn't be able to just buy himself meals anywhere. ]

Don't tell me that you're also just not eating properly aside from your general terrible sense of self care.

[ There's a scolding hanging in the air there, Allen.. Although it at least seems to take away the murderous feeling about her from earlier? ]

[mynameisallen]

Not really? If we had money yes. Usually, we did not unless I gambled for money to buy a meal or got an odd job.

[And even then it was a possibility that it had to be used to pay some kind of debt back. At least with Mana it was much better as no debt. The job though was still a thing regardless.]

It was something I could handle either way. [Which reveals a lot about what he was used to. But for now he was looking around for some carrots to start with.]