ACE

[ballies]

(pirate noises)

Comments

[selfimmolation]

[ sitting in jail but...

he has another surprised in his pocket! it's a piece of paper that looks a lot like the cyoa ones ]

I was going to, but... [ the paper reads something like if ace doesn't kill this week his world and his team's are forfeit i'm too lazy to find the actual wording. sorry ] I wasn't going to go along with it, but between that and the one per team thing...

I don't know.

[ he shrugs. ]

[ballies]

[ nyeeeeeeeeeeeeeh.


she looks like she isn't sure if she wants to yell or cry or just stand there like hey maybe she can just disassociate and this will all be over and done with. ]

...

[ goddamit. ]

Come here.

[selfimmolation]

[ sure he'll go closer to the bars. hi. ]

... Tama?

[ballies]

[ she



whacks him on the shoulder. ]

[selfimmolation]

[ he huffs ]

... Fair enough. [ he probably deserves that! ]

[ballies]

Idiot. I think I wish you'd said something, if you knew you were going to do it.

[ what would she have done with that information? she doesn't know. but it's kinda like knowing someone's dead and knowing you have to make the most of your time with them, hm?

and seeing as he's probably close enough, if he's close enough for her to smack his shoulder, she'll lean up and give him a little kiss on the cheek through the bars.]

Thank you. I know there's more to it than just the rule, but-- you took that rule on for all of us. I'm just... sorry this is how it ended up.

[selfimmolation]

... I meant to. Tell people.

[ but some things happened and whooooooops. anyway, she kisses him on the cheek and that he looks shocked by ]

... It's alright. [ he holds a hand to his cheek, looking away from her ] Couple weeks more, couple weeks less. I was always going to be dead either way.

[ballies]

[ ... ]

If that's the criteria, I should've be someone's target because I can just go home anyway and have my memories restored right back to the way I was.

[ because if that's how they're arguing it, she'd have been a better target than norma, chiemi, satan, yae miko, janeway, whisper, reigen and sigrun combined. ]

Even if it doesn't seem logical, I don't think anyone feels like you were an acceptable sacrifice for this. I don't. [ she'd wanted to find another way. ] Dead or not, you know how many people care about you.

[selfimmolation]

I picked someone who could fight back. It was the closest it felt to... fair.

[ but at that last part, he kind of bends his head down low, tearing up ]

... Yeah. I do. [ he sounds choked up ]

[ballies]

[ ... well fuck that's going to set her off in a moment too. she'll just start tugging on his arm like-- get closer so she can hug you through unyielding metal, you idiot. ]

...


I know. She took her knife, Temenos said that meant she thought it wasn't a dire situation.

[ it was one she felt she had a good chance of winning in. a fair chance.

murder is murder. but there's something that sits so wrong in her stomach that reigen's heart was splattered over a roulette tablet, and all they could do was catch someone who was just trying to save his home in the fairest way he could.

when she laughs, it's entirely humourless. and it sounds a little teary too. ]

Dammit, I didn't come here to make you cry. What the hell-- [ aaaaaaah. ]

[selfimmolation]

[ THEY CANNOT BOTH BE CRYING IN THIS CHILLI'S (JAIL) ]

Would've happened eventually. [ he's got a kind of teary smile ]

[ballies]

[ THEY CAN AND THEY WILL (cue waterworks) ]

Stoooop— [ aaaah. she thumps her head on his shoulder and squeezes her eyes shut. ]

…

I hate this place so much. [ the situation they’re put into, people having to die, the weight of punishment being on their shoulders and at the end of it all it just ends up in more death. ]

You can’t spend the whole night crying in a jail, that’s too much. [ that’s too upsetting. ]

[selfimmolation]

I wasn't planning to cry the whole time.

[ first. he lets her clutch as much as she can through bars, but... he admits with a bit of a wet chuckle; ]

Sorry. The truth is, I'm messed up. They're kind of happy tears. [ ... ] I'm hurting a lot of people, but... I can't help being happy you guys care.

[ballies]

... Idiot. Of course we care.

[ men. ] It took all this for you to believe it?

[selfimmolation]

I never said I was smart.

[ it's not that he disbelieved it. but... it's not the kind of thing he can take for granted either. ]

[ballies]

There's not being smart and then there's wandering around with your eyes closed, Ace.

[ just. spoken into his shoulder i guess. ]

... I'm glad you figured it out though, even if it was at the last minute. [ the idea of him going into execution tomorrow still not willing to fully believe they care would've been heartbreaking. ]

[selfimmolation]

I only got one of those, give me a break.

[ IS THIS THE TIME??????? ]

... I knew. Part of me knew. But...

[ he just. trails off. ]

[ballies]

[ FLICKS THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD. but like. lightly. ]

You adapted pretty well, you could've spotted it.

[ this is man is going to die tomorrow AND YET they are bickering. ]

I can say it bluntly, if that's what it takes. Like telling you I'm glad I know you. I'm glad you're my teammate. [ she's done this once before and she'll do it again!! ]

[selfimmolation]

[ don't say stuff like that because when he ducks his head this time it's to hide tears. again. ]

... I'm glad, too.

[ballies]

[ tough. she's not done. but she does pat his hair when he hides his face. ]

And. I care about you, idiot.

...

We'll try and find a way out of this. And... I'll keep an eye on Nimona.

[selfimmolation]

... Thanks. She'll need people.

[ he looks guilty, there. ]

[ballies]

Yeah. But I think she’s like you — I don’t think she fully gets how much she’d loved either.

[selfimmolation]

[ ... ouch on that callout, but, ]

Yeah, well... she never has been before. It's new to her.

[ballies]

[ yeah well apparently they got it through to him in time for you to weaponise it ]

I'll make sure she knows. I'm not going to take any risks with her.

[selfimmolation]

[ :3? ]

... Thanks. I... I didn't mean to leave her behind like this.