Conquest Round Five

[kingofpoisons]

Just like every week before there are announcements on every board, "Please report to the lobby at 12 noon for assembly." Anyone who get lost or try not to attend are dragged there by Santana.

And really, there is good reason not to go. Anyone who has seen the battle records for this week and can count will know that Conquest has lost. Anyone who was in the city two weeks ago, knows how Day feels about losing.

This time Day isn't just annoyed she is livid. Thanks to the attack on her person on Friday night. Adding that to the fact conquest had lost again. She is stood on the stage with Santana, Flynn, Feferi and Gino. When everyone is gathered she glares at them and starts talking, hitting anyone who doesn't shut up with a warning penalty.

"You lost. Again." She wasn't smiling, she wasn't even holding anything to eat in her hand, she meant business this time. "What is wrong with you? You lose by one round winner. If just one more of you had won the round, and really how hard is it? You would have won!"

She glared at them and everyone who had been players the last round would begin to get a headache that built. "I don't care about your excuses, I don't care if you tried your best. You lost. You are pathetic and you will work harder this round. You will work harder or you will be sorry."

The battle records appeared behind her. "Do I need to even go through them? Will hearing about how you losers failed make you fail less?"

"Golbez and Suzaku Kururugi, Golbez won," she shot a blast of penalty towards Suzaku, sharper and more violent then the ones she had used the last time they had lost. He buckled and she smirked. "Suzaku Kururugi and Sis Strider, Sis won." Another stab of pain, "Golbez and Tear, Tear lost but since she is incacipated in the infirmary due to Golbez's win I will deem that punishment enough. Congratulations Golbez, you put a fairy in a coma!" She actually sounded impressed.

Her mocking grin faded and she continued, "Our head Prefect Santana Lopez fought this round, winning both times of course. Congratulations Santana, Golbez, Suzaku Kururugi, I guess it's applaudable that you even tried." She still hit them with penalties though.

"Onto the battles that truly matter, against Fortitude." The page changed, "Suzaku Kururugi won against Sadaharu Inui, Cirno lost against Jade Harley," Here Cirno would get the stab of pain, only lasting a few moments but painful enough to make her stumble.

"Suzaku Kururugi lost against Spain, Golbez lost against Nanashi and Spain." More pain as she pressed onwards, Tear won against Nanashi and Sadaharu Inui, Suzaku Kururugi won against Spain, but lost against Dave Strider and Jade Harley. Are thirteen year olds too difficult to beat?" More pain went his way, "Cirno lost against Marisa Kirisame," and her way also, "Yuki Yagizawa and Sis Strider both beat Dave."

"Finally Santana Lopez won against Jade Harley, which is no surprise, well done Santana."The records disapeared from behind her and she shook her head, "Yuku Yagizawa and Sis Strider both won the round. I can only hope the next group follow do better."

With that the next round players came up on the screan and she read them out.

"Kotaro Mochizuki
John Egbert
Flynn Scifo
Brienne of Tarth
Lemina Ausa"

Usually this is where the assembly ended but this time Day raised her hand, gesturing people to stay still. Her eyes glinted dangerously.

"Losing the round, as bad as it is. Is not what has made me angry today." Okay it was a big part of what had made her angry, but, "On Friday evening I was attacked, in my office. We have told you time and time again, it is not our fault you are here, taking your anger out on us is not necessary or smart." Her eyes glinted again, "I have my suspicions as to who my attacker is, and they will learn. That disobedience is met with punishment. That I cannot be threatened, and it is unwise to try."

At that she turned to Flynn and he crumpled, her and Satana focussed the warning penalty on him. The pain would be too much for him to stand or talk. It lasted for ten minutes, anyone who moved or talked was hit with a warning penalty strong enough to sink them to their knees.

When it was over she stepped away from Flynn, who was curled up on the floor. It would be a few moments before he had the strength to stand. "Dismissed."

Comments

[whitestknight]

If he was honest, Flynn had known something like this was coming. It hadn't prepared him for the viciousness or length of the penalty, but he was at least disciplined enough not to make any noise. In fact, he'd managed to stay as still and as silent as possible, because signs of distress would only provoke the others to move or speak, and thus face punishment.

Likewise, when he finally managed to get to his feet, his expression was calm. He wiped a smear of blood from his mouth where he'd bitten through his lip, straightened his blazer, and put his crumpled beret in his pocket as a lost cause. He was a Player this round, after all, and whilst he didn't have any trouble with Weapons - if the system worked, Yuri would already belong to him, so to speak - more would need vowing with if Discards were to be minimised.

[bloodbrother]

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Sam pushed through the group that stood staring at him, and arrived too late to keep Flynn from getting up too quick. "Hang on, let me get a look at you."

[whitestknight]

He glanced up, and remembered the person talking from the infirmary that weekend. He'd entirely forgotten that they had qualified medical staff, but it seemed like something hugely important to overlook. He gave Sam his best Commandant smile, though it came a little late.

"I'm fine, really."

[bloodbrother]

Somehow, he could tell that his heart rate was up and his adrenaline was still going when he got close enough to this guy. "I'm still going to see for myself. Let me see your lip." The blood smelled good. It was slightly distracting, but he tried not to look too fixated while he pulled a glove on.

[whitestknight]

He blinked, but allowed Sam to inspect him. He was too used to the army surgeons - or even just Estellise's hovering - to find the doctor's intensity strange so soon.

[bloodbrother]

He gripped the bleeding lip between two fingers and wiped the blood away. Where he bit himself didn't look too bad, it would heal fine on its own, and something told him Flynn wasn't the type to really worry too much about minor things. Reminded him a bit of Jared that way.

"Just put some ice on that lip and rinse your mouth out occasionally. But what's of more concern to me is when your adrenaline comes down. You might collapse again. You need to take it real easy today, alright?"

[whitestknight]

"I will," again, military training meant he just accepted the order. He knew the stubbornness of doctors - was grateful for it, even. He just wished they had some gels. They would have helped those in the crowd who had triggered the penalty. "Thank you... Sam, right?"

[stoppedhiding]

Of course, Golbez had tried to step forward and do something, anything, during that ten-minute penalty, and been hit with one of his own. Once it was all over, it was all he could do to bottle that rage up and keep from going after Day or Santana. Doing so would do no good, he knew from experience.

So he focused on the target of their attack, the mysterious prefect he hadn't seen around quite as much as the others. "Are you all right?"

[whitestknight]

"I am, yes," was his pleasant answer. Flynn recognised Golbez - of course he did, he had promised Yuri that he would watch him for signs that he was in danger of triggering another penalty - and he'd made a point to memorise the teaching rosters besides. He smiled, a mite formally. "Thank you for your concern, but are you alright?"

So many people had moved or drawn Day's wrath; he really needed to work at calming them all down.

[stoppedhiding]

"Yes, I'm fine. I believe I'm getting used to these penalties." The headaches hurt. He couldn't deny that. But it didn't matter what happened to him, out of all of these people. "...Thank you."

He glanced away from Flynn, over to Day and Santana. Was there nothing that could be done about those two?

[whitestknight]

And the knight caught the direction of Golbez's glance aside.

"We need to ensure that we win this round," he said, half to himself and half in answer to the frown on the other man's face. "Once they are in better spirits, we can work on changing the system itself."

[stoppedhiding]

Changing the system... "Do you have an idea?" Because, much as he hated to admit it even to himself, Golbez didn't. Not a single one.

He supposed he should offer himself up as a weapon, though the Player he knew best this round was someone he really couldn't see handling anything larger than a small knife, if that. Flynn seemed reasonable enough, though. "And if you require a weapon..."

[whitestknight]

"I have several, but I'm not much of a strategian." Flynn paused at Golbez's offer, but his smile waxed grateful. "If you don't have other obligations..."

[straightupzorra]

BACK AT THE PREFECT DORM, Santana knocks on his door before letting herself in. She closes the door behind her and leans on it, not walking fully into the room as he probably really doesn't want to see her right now.

As a greeting she gives him a small nod and tosses a chocolate bar and a bottle of water his way, "I got that from Recette, I promise it's not poisoned. It'll help with the headache that's left over."

Don't tell anyone that she's secretly a good person.

[whitestknight]

The thought that she might have poisoned it honestly didn't cross his mind, so he just smiles awkwardly at the comment and catches both bottle and chocolate.

"I would have been impressed if it was," he said belatedly, since the thing was sealed. How would you poison it? He didn't want to ask. "Thank you, Santana."

[straightupzorra]

Needles are amazing things.

Seeing as it doesn't seem like he's going to attack her, she moves to sit on his bed. Hope you don't mind her invading your personal space, "Don't tell anyone I said this because I'll deny it ever happened and no one will believe you anyway, but I'm sorry for what happened earlier."

[whitestknight]

He doesn't mind so much any more but he's still kind of flustered by it. He just... doesn't comment. She's a very physical person, and he's lived in the same small building as her for over a week.

What she says startles him, too. She acts so tough that he forgets she has to do this penalty game all the time.

"I won't, of course, but you don't need to be."

[straightupzorra]

For as much as a bitch Santana is, she likes interacting with people and having contact with people. She would get lonely being by herself and even if she doesn't allow people to get close to her, she has a lot of important people. She does care, she just doesn't like to show it.

"But you're okay, right? You're not just playing big brave man? I know how to treat warning penalty headaches."

[whitestknight]

"I promise."

Yuri's very much the same, really. Flynn's used to people who seem much worse than they truly are, and it might have taken him a while to work out where the system ends and Santana begins, but it's an important distinction at times like this. And it's enough to make him smile again, honestly. It's the people you work with, not the job, that counts, after all.

And the penalties will only get worse from here. "The adrenaline hasn't worn off yet, I'm told."

[swordofzero]

Suzaku had stepped forward during the punishment, because he was not going to stand there and let such things happen. He had been struck to the floor again for his trouble but once the time was over he made his way to the prefect. He didn't really know him, but he stood at a polite distance.

"Do you need anything?"

[whitestknight]

"Hm?" Flynn turned, still in the process of fixing the damage done to his uniform when he fell. "No, thank you. Are you alright?"

[swordofzero]

Suzaku nodded, he was fine and he didn't press the matter with Flynn either though he was angry at the injustice that was done.

Still all they could do is press onwards, and beat the system. His PDA made a noise and he read the message there. He looked back up. "If you need Weapons, me and Lelouch are linked and so vowing to me would give you two Weapons."

[whitestknight]

"I see," he nodded back, considering the offer seriously. "I'm afraid I don't know either of you very well, so I can't promise that I'll be an acceptable partner for you... But I too have a link here, and if your friend is also agreeable, I would welcome your aid."

[swordofzero]

"I believe Lelouch knows Yuri," was Suzaku's answer. It was the only reason he knew who Flynn was after all, "Lelouch's form is a longsword, mine are dual hook shots. I have three upgrades though one is not my own, Lelouch has all five of his."

[whitestknight]

Right. It was Yuri's fault.

Of course it was. Flynn raised an eyebrow, but it was an expression more of affectionate, distant resignation than any real exasperation.

"He's a prefect like Yuri, then," He wondered, absently, if there was a reason Suzaku hadn't made the effort to become a prefect too. At least he would be on the list of prospects, with a link and two upgrades.

It was highly likely he'd read the manual too much. He nodded once more, and smiled politely as he offered his hand, "I gladly accept... And I look forward to working with you."