Day 7 Execution: Pincushion for the Pushin'

[pandatrash]

[The tablets fire up first thing in the morning with some lovely lounge music to set the mood:]



RESULTS:

Niles: 18
Corrin: 4
Hiyori: 2
Maki: 1
Lux: 1
Erika: 1

[The raccoons are waiting in the auditorium, dressed as precious little cupids, which is to say they have plastic wings and underwear (bloomers and boxers respectively) on, though admittedly their choices of "cupid's arrows" is a little suspect.]



CONGRATULATIONS MURDERFIENDS! YOU CHOSE RIGHT!

((Last words
Execution))

Comments

[suppressthedark]

[Ichigo's breath comes in a rush, listening to that. Struggling to survive, having to do whatever it took (and from their conversation earlier, he really did mean anything) to survive, being betrayed by the people he was with in order for them to escape -

- His eyes close, and he lets out the breath he was holding, wondering if he should say something, because -

There was no way this Leo would have been able to tell him anything, here. It had to be the Raccoons pretending to be him...but would he even accept that answer? Accept knowing that he ultimately danced to their whims, but Leo didn't abandon him?

...He has to.]

...I don't - I don't think it was your lord who told you to do it. I think...I think it was the raccoons, pretending to be him.

[He pauses, before -]

If he spared your life before...then there's no way he would demand you lose it here, on purpose.

[locktouching]

.......

[Niles breathes sharply, like he's about to cry but holding it in. He starts to lean shoulders against Ichigo as if he can barely support himself.]

[He doesn't know what to say to that theory. ...But it doesn't matter, because he straightens up suddenly, eye wide. His execution squad is stomping towards the stage with bows at ready.]

Ichigo...

[Even though he asked for this, he looks at Ichigo in a panic. Then grits his teeth and pushes him hard with both hands to hurriedly knock him off the stage and out of the line of fire.]

[suppressthedark]

[Ichigo pushes back with his shoulder, trying to give Niles support, to tell him that he's here -

And then the robots come in, bows and arrows in their hands. When Niles looks at Ichigo, he doesn't think - he starts getting to his feet, determined to stop them and this whole farce -

and he can't, because Niles pushes him off the stage, causing him to fall to his knees and hands to stop his fall. Scrambling to stand, Ichigo can do nothing but watch as the robots get into position, as Niles accepts his fate -]

Niles!

[It's the last thing he says to the man, but his expression says it all - worry, concern, and a deep understanding and pain for him, who killed because he assumed he was all alone in the world. And at the end, there is regret, because if he'd had someone to believe in - someone who would notice what had happened, the day before, then maybe, maybe...!

Maybe Sigma would be alive, and Niles wouldn't be facing execution.

But Maybes aren't good enough, and the knowledge that he's failed someone so profoundly burns deep inside of him.]