BETA ROUND END

[worldkeys]

Who: The Alices of the Beta Round remaining (Sasuke, Harley, Hinata, Ken, Lalli, and Liao)
What: Everyone has a choice to make. Specifically, it begins as Sasuke's choice.
Where: The World's Hub, the room the Rabbit normally stands.
Warnings: Definite violence. Somebody got... something.

A smile reaches the White Rabbit's face as he hands the sharp key to Sasuke.

"... I'm certain you recall the choice you made," he says slowly. "But it's up to you to decide if you really want to uphold that. Who is 'most evil' in this World? You've seen so very many Hearts, after all--I'm sure you could reach a decision. ... The Cat and I, of course... well, we hardly count. We've never been human, after all."

And he'll remain in that same spot he's always been in, of course.

"While you all decide, your rooms will wait for you. Or you could all stay here and fight about it. Either way, sweet dreams, Alices."

Comments

[unhoping]

[ Maybe it's the overwhelming amount of emotion. Or the fact that he can't take it anymore. Regardless, the light in Hinata's eyes blinks out and all that's there is an empty abyss. ]

If you're asking for me to choose, then perhaps I'll be the one to choose for him. You said I just had to get the key from him, right? That shouldn't be too difficult for me.

[apatheticguide]

[ The White Rabbit watches with curiosity. Interesting, how being pushed makes him... flip. ]

That's on you, is it not? If you think you can take it... then go ahead. It is not exactly against the rules, even if it was earned by him, in my opinion. ... In the end, it makes no difference to us who leaves and who stays.

[ The outcome will be the same. ]

[unhoping]

You asked the question, didn't you? "Who is the most evil"? [ He sounds almost bored as he shrugs his shoulders. ]

If the key should belong to that person, under the standards of humans, then Sasuke is not worthy of that title. But then again, is that question... [ Lips quirk in what seems to be just the slightest amount of amusement, but it's only slight. ] ... just referring to the five of us? Of course, you said that you two don't count for the sake of not being human. But why does being human or not matter in a world like this?

And more importantly... were all the key players really revealed in this game?

[apatheticguide]

Humans contain a lot of things that us Guides do not. We're the only ones who matter here. You seem like a smart enough person, so I'll ask you this instead: what do you think we're missing? It's really only one specific thing. Humans are very special.

[ A small smile, perhaps, is what he'll allow himself. ]

... Either way, that has always been what we used to determine who "stays". It seems the most fitting, doesn't it? You've all seen so many Hearts, after all. If you think that's you, you have every right to argue that case.

[hopedout]

So you're saying that the true puppetmaster has no say here?

[ There's a bit of a scoff, and he shrugs without a care in the world. ]

After all, for all your amusement, for all your fun, in the end you're just pieces in someone else's game. You said that this is a dream, but choosing the wrong person can keep one perpetually trapped in that "dream". Even if they are thought to believe that they escaped it.

As for your question, there are only a few options it could be. A soul, or a heart.

[apatheticguide]

Oh, he has plenty say, he just doesn't like to directly intervene in such trivial matters. Keeping the World running is more important to him. A place this powerful requires someone to keep it maintained.

[ ... Smart kid. ]

... Yes, that's right. I won't tell you which one, of course. But one of those is needed to be able to leave I said as much when you all came here... he, and myself... that is to say, that disgusting Cat and I... we're merely guides. We're aware of what we are.

My name, my face... it's always changing. It might be nice, to stay the same way for a few hundred years or so, but... even if I can't have that... I think I would be fine with all of you leaving and giving me some peace and quiet. You have all been rather cumbersome house guests.

[hopedout]

[ And that's exactly where Kamukura ends and Hinata starts to begin again. Looks like Hinata's tired of wallowing and pretending that the two of them are separate people. They're the same. The exact same person. ]

Then what would happen if this world was destroyed?

[ He's going to nitpick because that's just the kind of person he is. Lawyering all of these is the only way he will get to the truth. ]

And why exactly is that needed to leave this place to begin with? [ It just... feels strange, to him. ] Was that taken from you — the both of you?

[ He has more to say, but... he'll keep that for later. ]

[apatheticguide]

... You're asking the resident of a dream how its logic functions, Alice? My, aren't we a silly one.

[ A soft chuckle; probably the first you've heard in quite some time. ]

It's because only something solid like that can connect World to world. If something incorporeal tried to reach for thin air, it would grasp more thin air. Pointless, don't you think?

As for myself and the Cat, well... we've simply never been human. We don't have the sort of things that would make them up. While that serves us just fine, it means we can't leave for long, anyway, if at all, in my case.

I'm sure you're thinking that perhaps if everyone chipped in you could all leave, but... that wouldn't work, either. You would need at least thirty people. Maybe more.

also i swear i tagged this last night lmao

[hopedout]

But just because you're not human doesn't mean that you can't have emotions. Feelings.
Right?

[ He's quiet, for a moment, but then- ]

Have you ever wanted to leave?

[apatheticguide]

You grossly misunderstand how I feel about the World. I much prefer the World to the world, you know. It's a far less noisy, distracting, irritating place for me. And even if I did, it wouldn't matter. This is my home. It's his home, too. We're bound here, you know.

So trying this avenue won't help you, either. Tick tock, Alice. Every moment you waste with me is another moment your friend is probably going to spend shoving that Key deeper into his gut. If you really don't want him to, then go stop him.

[ He's still smiling, even as he says it. He doesn't care who becomes the Door, honestly. He got his Keys back. Why should he? ]