Night 47: Main Hallway, 1-Center

[tyki_pon]

[From here]Tyki moved further down the hallway at an easy pace, noticing the lack of other patients around here but he didn't really care much about it. Perhaps it meant no one would snag any smokes away from under his nose this time, but then again, that may have been too optimistic. Eh, but that hardly meant that another person would get away

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[goldenroulette]

She had turned away for a moment, trying to think that through herself. Beatrice had accepted at some point in the blur that was the sedation she'd taken that morning that she couldn't blame this on either of those two meddling Voyagers, nor could she blame it on herself. She had, perhaps, given up too soon, but it was too late to blame herself for that; it was an action she wouldn't and couldn't regret. Not now, not on this board, and not ever.

Those words shook her out of her thoughts - the things she hadn't had the chance to ask, but were being stated as clearly as if she had.

Who...am I?

Her vision blurred for just a moment, but if he wasn't going to show weakness right now, then she certainly couldn't - no. It wasn't that she couldn't show that weakness, it was that she didn't want to do it. She had perhaps shown her hand too much in this short time, gotten her hopes up a bit more than she should have, but she wouldn't do that again.

This is why you're my opponent. This determination is why you're the only one who will finish this.

When she looked up, the tears were gone from her eyes, replaced with a genuine smile that hid how much physical pain she was in. She murmured an almost inaudible "Thank you." before trying to draw herself back up to her full height. That was a more painful endeavor than she had anticipated, but she managed that while trying to keep a modicum of grace. That done, her lips turned up a bit more, in a subdued smirk.

"You didn't get a fake for it, unless someone tampered with the board's rules. If that's the case, then I'll rectify that now." She held up her own hand, with the identical ring on it, before slipping it off her finger and handing it to him with that same smirk on her face. Something flickered in her eyes for just a moment, but she said nothing else, instead laughing brightly for a moment despite the pain and the injuries.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you. I like it, I like your determination. But I won't give you any clues, or go easy on you, just because we happen to be on the same board again. All riiiiiiiiiiiiight?"

[dreadofthegrave]

Was that confidence real? Was his own? They weren't questions that needed answers. Just moments before, he'd wondered if she still might secretly be suffering, but even a fake, forced confidence eliminated the need to do so. Showing that kind of face meant only one thing, right? Perseverance. The will not to give in. He'd been asked once how he could tell that Beatrice was putting everything into her fight, ad he found that the answer was still exactly the same: I can tell just by looking. Therefore, neither could waver. They may have possessed similar goals here, but those were only temporary. Before all else, they were opponents, and he'd already swore that he would never lose sight of that. Hard feelings might still remain and may never be absolved, but the rules of good sportsmanship forbade that from coming into play. In other words, they'd fight with everything, not holding back, and there would be no bitter tears at the end. Only a kid hated the victor, when they should instead be using that loss to come back even stronger. That was the mark of maturity, although he hardly felt mature for thinking that. Maybe that meant he'd finally grown up some.

Battler watched in silent curiosity as she handed him her ring, and found himself holding it out next to the one he was wearing. ..... They really were the same. Even right next to each other, it was hard to tell that there were two of them rather than some strange mirror trick. He almost considered handing it back to her, but even though she had no reason to, Beato always adhered to rules behind the epitaph. Therefore, he would too.

"Well, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do with two of them, but if that's what you want, sure." It wasn't like he could wear both of them, so the one on his hand was slipped into his pocket, Beatrice's replacing it. Visually, there was no difference, but there was no question about the significance of the action. This was her ring, after all. It meant a victory, if only a small one, and was the proof of what could be brought about if he didn't stop thinking.

"The same goes for you. Before, I may have stopped thinking a little, or given in when things got too weird. I realize now that was wrong. I'm not going easy on you, either! I'll uncover that truth, I'll gouge right through the cracks in your red! Prepare yourself, alright? The next game, this finally ends!" Of course, it was a promise he wasn't sure that he could keep, but he didn't want it to be a bold-faced lie, either. ..... The sooner a checkmate was reached, the sooner all the suffering could end.

"Come on. I think I have an idea that should help us out, but there's something I need to take care of for it." He started to make his way around the corner, seemingly oblivious to Beatrice's pain, but anyone who knew him well would notice that his steps were a little more deliberate. It was about the best he could do. He wasn't stupid enough to think that she hadn't been injured from that attack, and it felt strange to leave her on her own if only because she was a woman, but if she was fighting so hard against it, then out of respect for that, he could spare her pride.

[ to hurr ]

[goldenroulette]

[to derp]