Etcetera

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

*Hops up and plants my feet on the side of the blade as it slams down*
I guess? Don’t really have much say in where I’m going, here.

@Stratocracy

You'd look good without those limbs.
*The guillotine opens up to reveal thousands of needles that shoot upward at your feet*

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Legend Begins>

Yep!
*Lands gracefully outside the pit and looks toward Misty*

@Stratocracy

*Looks at you with a spark of recognition*
Back so soon?
*The ground twists itself into a horizontal guillotine that slices through your legs*

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Legend Begins>

She’s in deep. Real deep.

@Stratocracy

<Snipped quote by Stratocracy>

Did you find her? What's it going to take to pull her out?

@Legend Begins

*The ground below the two of you opens into a sinkhole, rimmed with sharpened, rusty blades*

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

*Stays rigid as I’m pulled upward, and flicks my wrist in a casual wave*
You’d better.

@Stratocracy

*Once you're out of sight and back on the surface, I sigh and place my fist on my cheek*
I hope not.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

It wasn’t literal.
*Smirks*
Just a little jest.

@Stratocracy

Yeah, I know.
*Gravity inverts for a few moments before you shoot up into the sky along with your teacup*
See you next time.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

Finished already? I was ready to clock in some overtime for this.

@Stratocracy

You get paid to be here?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

Well, you already know what I think about that. But we need to dig deeper for it to hit home for you it seems.

@Stratocracy

We've thought through so much, but it's time you faced the real me back up there.
*Points up*
I'll tell you what I came up with next time we meet.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

Right, but is that the hypothetical you’re getting at when you proposed those two alternatives? I’m trying to make sure we’re on the same page here.

@Stratocracy

No, just thoughts out loud. There's no such thing as thoughts I keep here; you get to hear them all. I need to think up a way for me to win, and him to lose.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

Uh huh.
*Clears my throat*
What do you mean by that? Are you proposing those as solutions where you hunt yourself?

@Stratocracy

Once she's gone, that's it. It's not time for that choice yet. And no, I can't die when I want to. They're just thoughts, the start of plans.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

My offer still stands. All I want is for you to be in understanding with yourself, because I’ve listened to part of you that sings a very different tune.
*Arches my back and leans backwards, stretching*
You think he had a thing he cared for? Sounds like he didn’t care for anything, the way you describe him.

@Stratocracy

Her? She's a pet I keep around to nag me.
*Pops my knuckles with a painful-sounding crack*
But you gave me the start of a plan. If I am him, he wins. If I'm not him, I lose. I need a third path.