Status
Not open for further replies.
"And what if she's lying? What if she has a death wish? Also there is still one suspect I have in mind and it fits through all the criterias."



"Care to say it so I can say why you're wrong?"
"Joshua Graham. Joshua is fine." He nodded and let go of him after a few seconds "... You have feelings for her, don't you? I've seen the way you act around her." He asked, looking at Ridley in with the faint smile still on his face


"Well... not in that way. I have a girl. More... more like a daughter."

@ResistingTheEnlightened
@Bomb
 
"I know... and... yeah. I care about her a lot. But... If she's the traitor, I have to send her off. For her own good. She'll... be back."

@ResistingTheEnlightened
Shrugging a little, he then shook his head. "What must be done, must be done. Don't resist... I did that mistake... And it costed my my.. It made me a legend."
 

"Care to say it so I can say why you're wrong?"



"Well... not in that way. I have a girl. More... more like a daughter."

@ResistingTheEnlightened
@Bomb
"There's no point. I would say it's Archer, but there are simply too many votes to turn this around."

9c2a80b68e240d8ad9026125b4bb8a0b_480.jpg
 
Kaku turned toward Ridley. Now was not the time to be the cordial friendly sort he had presented himself as when working for the Galley-La Shipwrights. Now was the time for being in cold, hard agent mode. He could not go easy on Ridley.

"Don't insult our intelligence, Ridley. We know you are afraid of SOMETHING. That is painfully obvious to all of us. Now, tell us exactly what it is you are afraid of and leave nothing out."

"Even if what you are afraid of would make Akibahara sick to his stomach, we need to hear everything about what you fear."

@Hospes @Everybody

The young and typically flirtatious young woman frowned at the two, shaking her head. "Look; none of you would understand. Long story short, there's.. Ah.. A guy back home that's got it out for me. I go back after all this, and.. Well, all I can say is it'll be much worse than anything any of you here could do to me." She just shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal.

Damn right. You'll get what's coming.
"Yet you seek pity...and companionship in your own way." Storm was starting to feel sympathy for the girl, even if she was rather garish in her way of going around doing things. "I know you have had a hard life, but I am sure you have not have to dealt with gigantic metallic monstrosities called Sentinels that hunt you just because you're a mutant."

"What I think Ms Munroe's trying to say with that." Crusader replied. "And it comes back to what she said earlier, which is that there's always someone who has it worse than you, and the only way to survive that is to work together. Shutting yourself off and just waiting to die wont help anyone in the long run...but you're too far down the rabbit hole to get that."

@Hospes @EVERYONE

Ridley didn't seem to agree. At all. "Have you paid any attention to me? I don't want pity. I don't want.. I don't want friends." More lies. "Yeah, well, I admit robots ain't my specialty. Though, it's safe to say there's.. Quite a few people.." Monsters. People like Abraham, who can't even be considered people. "..That have tried to kill me." Who've tormented me. They don't want to kill me. They want to torture me.

"..Regardless of that. Just what is it you all want from me? I've already said I'm a traitor. I've already said you should kill me. What is it you're asking for?"

@EVERYONE I'M LAZY​
 

The young and typically flirtatious young woman frowned at the two, shaking her head. "Look; none of you would understand. Long story short, there's.. Ah.. A guy back home that's got it out for me. I go back after all this, and.. Well, all I can say is it'll be much worse than anything any of you here could do to me." She just shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal.

Damn right. You'll get what's coming.


Ridley didn't seem to agree. At all. "Have you paid any attention to me? I don't want pity. I don't want.. I don't want friends." More lies. "Yeah, well, I admit robots ain't my specialty. Though, it's safe to say there's.. Quite a few people.." Monsters. People like Abraham, who can't even be considered people. "..That have tried to kill me." Who've tormented me. They don't want to kill me. They want to torture me.

"..Regardless of that. Just what is it you all want from me? I've already said I'm a traitor. I've already said you should kill me. What is it you're asking for?"

@EVERYONE I'M LAZY​

"To stop wallowing in self pity." Came Storm's harsh reply. "You are letting your fear control you and by doing so you have allowed your tormentors to win." Storm would turn to leave Ridley alone.

"Storm?"

"I wont help someone that wont help themselves, we might as well be talking to a wall." With that Storm would leave Ridley alone while Crusader gave her a concerned look before following after Storm.
 


Arya abruptly pointed out, looking at those before her. It was a simple comment, but one of truth. There was no formalities, no grand speech, no venture into the maddening descent of Arya's crumbled sanity. A war raged between red and blue, of ice and fire, a struggle locked in eternity, immortalized by the Arch-Demon and the Coalition. Holding her arms outwards, Arya started once more, evident she wanted to get straight to the point.

"I have my doubts about the first of the two, so I'm offering you this, a token of Mercy." Arya began to offer, leaning down to abruptly pull up a large suitcase. Snapping the chromed latches open, before the Coalition members sat needles, of varying sizes, but all sharing the sole purpose of drawing blood. The Northerner leaned forward a bit, calmly beginning to explain the oddity.

"You know, all of you do, that things are about to get bloody. I don't know what my Grace fully plans, I only carry out his will. But I know this, whatever it is, from both sides, it will be bloody. I've seen it myself, at the Riverlands. Who knows what will be left...if any for the coming of Paradise." Arya paused, recalling the trauma of seeing the horrors of war committed during the War of the Five Kings. Brothels razed, sacred sites scorched, thousands killed, crops pillaged, and entire communities left to ash and cinder. If that was any indication of what war could bring, the concept of it on a Multiverse scale could tear apart entire worlds in the mere blink of an eye.

"So this is my offer, and take it if you please. Draw your blood into these, and I shall pick them up next time I visit. With your blood, if things turn worse for the Coalition, I will restore your bodies and mind, so that you may live in glorious Paradise. But of course, my other, more preferred offer still stands..." Arya stated, sounding rather sophisticated and shockingly open, though her voice growing once more ominous and ill.

"Live in this new world, or die in your old."

@The Tactician @Verite @DapperDogman
Chris frowned when Arya drew the needles, but said and did nothing, simply letting her go about what they were for, and let her go on about whatever she was talking about. He listened silently as the girl spoke of her so-called Grace, presumably Arch Demon Akibahara, and talk of Paradise that Naoya and Abel would recognize from the brief encounter they had with him within the Observatory and the brief encounter with The Suffering beforehand.

War was always bloody. There was no doubting that. However, most wars were ambiguous when it came to who was in the "right" and who was in the "wrong." That part, for most wars, was subjective. Even something like World War II, where Adolf Hitler was painted as an evil tyrant bent on world domination or something overly diabolical like that, was subjective, if one didn't ignore the things that the Allied powers had done, like Japanese concentration camps, but that was a whole 'nother story.

Still, though Chris normally didn't concern himself with romantic titles like "hero" and "good guys," he figured that there was little doubt that he, along with the Coalition, were the ones in the right here, and that Arya was on the opposite end, serving her own needs by siding with a multidimensional villain to end all villains.

Speaking of subjective viewpoints, from Arya's viewpoint, one could assume that she saw herself as being generous with this kind of offer. The thought of offering someone another chance should things go wrong. Like a guarantee to get into Heaven should they falter and die. For all intents and purposes, maybe in another scenario, it wouldn't have been such a bad offer. But for something like this, knowing the kind of situation they were in, knowing everything that had transpired before...

"... Is this some sort of bad joke?" Chris asked, scowling deeply at the She-Wolf, "Because nobody is laughing."

If he would die fighting Akibahara, he would rather die standing for what he believed in. He would rather die alongside his sister. Alongside Makoto and Rex. Alongside the Coalition. He never thought about living a good life for himself. He never thought about working for his own self-interest and personal gain. He had ever only worked to protect the ones he cared for, and even those he did not know. Once, he worked to protect the world. Now, he was working to protect the multiverse. And even if his path led to nowhere in the end, whether it be because he would fall, or because there would be no reward, that was okay. Knowing that he stood up against evil was good enough for him.

"If it's all the same to you, I choose the latter, Arya," he said, giving his reply, "I'd rather stay dead than live in some Paradise fabricated by The Order and Akibahara. And I'm sure the others here alongside me would agree. So we'll have to decline, but how about this, Arya?"

"Come back to the Coalition. Fight alongside us against Akibahara again. It's not too late," Chris spoke, giving his counter-offer, "We can defeat him if we have hope and don't give into despair. And if we do, when we do, you can live a more fulfilling life than you ever would have in Paradise. Things may not be going so well at your homeworld, but... well, things are what they are. You can get through what's happening, because you're stronger than that, and things like these are inevitable and... well, nothing good stays in life. You know that more than many others, don't you? Do you think Ellie would want you to side with Akibahara?"

Chris had to admit, it was something of a cheapshot to mention Ellie, especially since he knew relatively little of the girl from the Fuse Incident, but damn if he wasn't right. At least, he liked to believe so. That girl hated Akibahara, as one of the participants of the first Murder Game recorded. The Crossed Incident. If she were here today, how would she feel knowing that the person she fell in love with sided with that demon?

@Krieg @The Tactician @DapperDogman
 
CHAPTER FOUR DEAD END
"Crushing Silence"


Lisa stood back and looked in on everything going on. But one thing stood out. Her father. The girl had been observing him this whole time. She'd heard him talk about change. About redemption. But he was full of shit. She'd heard him talk about murder. About... torture. The man was becoming his prey.

She had to do something, and it had to be now, before he could hurt anyone else. Lisa fiddled with her Deagle, and raised it. She pointed the gun at her father... and pulled the trigger.

A certain Siren, head still aching heavily from being knocked unconscious with the bat, was still clearly frantic and desperate. "Alright. Whoever wants to do the damn job-.."

Ridley wasn't.. Well, her gold eyes weren't the keenest ones out there, to say the least. But it wasn't really difficult for her to spot the young woman aiming her weapon. "No! What the hell are youdoing?!" she demanded, already in motion. "Stop!" she commanded, cool tone breaking.

But it was too late. And then, it hit her; this was her opportunity. That was her bullet. She could get out of this. And that left only one thing that Ridley Duchannes could do...

Take what she thought was rightfully hers; and jump.

The pain was.. Well, familiar. Though, that fact didn't exactly change that the bullet piercing her chest as she dove in the way of the bullet hurt like hell. On top of this, Rid suddenly found it difficult to breathe, chest heaving as she laid on the ground, bleeding heavily from yet another bullet(how many had it been now? Jeez!) wound.

The difference was, well.. This.. Wasn't non-fatal. And what was worse was the fact it wasn't going to be a quick and painless death.. This would be hell before she could finally fade away.

Joshua's unfortunate viewing of what had happened, was more than just sacrifice. It was so much more than just that. It was an act of friendship between all three - Frank, Ridley, and Desmond - Where Ridley just seemingly.. Jumped. He could find no words as she did, and he did little to nothing as he saw the bullet fly. It was only then when the bullet hit Ridley did Joshua actually do something out of the goodness of his heart.

His Light came out of its holster, pointed at Lisa feverishly and in anger "Have you lost your mind!? What do you think you're doing!?"Rather than act upon revenge, Joshua let out a warning shot at the feet of Lisa to maintain her from moving. "I care not for your reason to act so hastily. If you dare move from that spot, if you dare do anything, then your death will be slow and painful." His words spoke with venom and anger infused into one cocktail of madness, as he kept the pistol pointed directly at Lisa, he took short steps toward Ridley, before kneeling slowly and looking at her current condition. He knew this pain more than anyone,more than God had been crucified by the Romans.

Frank processed the information much faster than Lisa. He froze with horror as Ridley slammed into the ground, a huge bullet hole in her chest... and Lisa had been aiming at his back.

Needless to say, all bets were off.


Frank saw nothing but red. Anger overwhelmed his senses. Lisa got ready to shoot again after recovering from Ridley's command, but her gun was knocked upwards. The bullet didn't hit anything but the ceiling. A powerful headbutt sent her staggering, stunned. It was followed up before she could even begin to recover by him grabbing his daughter by the head and slamming her into the wall. The girl crumpled without a sound, though she was still breathing.

Frank rushed over to Ridley. "Rid? Rid! C'mon, kid!" The old man started to reach for his first aid. "Don't you fucking die!"

Desmond knelt next to her, gently holding her head up for her weakening body. He didn't speak, knowing the importance of letting the dying have their last words in peace.

The blonde young woman hardly even processed Frank's assault on Lisa as reaction to her shooting the Siren.. If she did at all. She was a little busy trying to process what had just happened, herself.

Had she.. Had she really just thrown herself in front of a bullet? Had she really risked her life for someone else..? Someone she had only met just recently? It was an absurd idea, that Ridley would care about anyone enough to throw her life away for them..

..Or maybe, she only did this because she wanted to die. Wanted to escape Abraham's revenge, to not have to deal with the world looking at her like a monster wherever she went. Maybe the instant she saw Lisa aiming, she found perfect opportunity to finally die. That was probably it.. After all, Dark Casters didn't save people. It wasn't their nature. Ridley must've just been being selfish.. Right?

It looked like nobody would get to know.

Snapping out of the daze and shock of what she'd just done upon being spoken to, Rid's golden eyes slowly wandered back to Frank. She blinked owlishly, still shaken up. What had she done?

After a good minute or two of just staring up at him, Rid managed to crack a weak grin, laughing lightly.. Though it didn't last long, as the laughter quickly turned to coughing up blood. "E-everyone dies sometimes.. H-Hoodie said it, h-himself.."

She did manage a faint grin at Desmond.. And if she weren't so drawn up in the pain, she probably would've given a wave. It wasn't the case. "Speak.. of the handsome d-devil.." she mused, trying to lighten the mood.

"It was me." Desmond whispered to her. "I was the one that was supposed to die. You're too... good. Let the monsters die for the innocents."

Ridley shook her head ever so slightly, at this, trying to smile for the sake of the two by her. "Oh, don't be a drama queen.. You don't deserve this, Hoodie.."

Tears were running down the old man's face. "No! No, dammit! Not you! You aren't going anywhere!" Frank started to remove the bullet. "You can't leave yet!"

This.. Just made Ridley cringe. The process just hurt worse, and the female felt.. Pathetic. This wasn't how she was supposed to die; she wasn't a hero. She didn't save people. So why had she thrown herself in front of him?

And why did it hurt her that he was crying?

"Aw, c'mon, Guns.. Don't be all teary-eyed and emotional over a monster. I.. I ain't worth it."

"Shut up, kid!" Frank was getting frantic. "Sit still while I get the bullet out... you're going to be okay!"

Frank was having flashbacks. Those words were painfully close to what he said to his daughter. "It's just a damn bullet... no worse than the last injury."

Desmond shook his head. He knew gun shot wounds. They weren't getting that out without the healing facilities on board the Serenity. Ridley was dying, and there was nothing he could do. He gently moved the hair out of her face, leaving a faint bloody streak across her face.

He took the Apple out of his bag, and held it where she could see it. It emitted a soft glow, bathing the area around them in runes as ancient as the day her fate had been written.

"I can make the pain go away." He said gently.


Everything was already getting hazy, but despite, Ridley laughed dryly at Frank's words.. Once again leading to coughing up blood. Though, this time, more came up. "I.. I-I ain't.. goin'.. a-anywhere..." she muttered, quietly. She knew it wasn't true, though.. She was dying. She couldn't say goodbye, though.. She was never good with goodbyes.

The Siren's eyes flickered when Desmond brushed her hair back, and she couldn't help but smile faintly. "I.. I d-deserve the pain, a-anyways.."

"Damn right, you're not." Coughing up blood. Blood in her lungs... I can't treat that. "Just hold on." Frank started screaming at everyone. "I need a fucking doctor!"

Ridley only forced a faint grin, gold eyes flickering. "Aw, h-hush.. You.. Y-you don't want to s-save me.. I t-told you; I did it. I.. I killed people. I'm.. I'm a traitor."

"You.. You aren't stupid, Frank.. D-don't save a.. m-monster..." At this point, even trying to speak hurt like hell. That didn't keep her from trying, though.

Frank looked at her quietly for a few seconds before continuing to treat her, wiping his eyes. "Shut up. I'm n-not... I'm not letting you die!"

Gently; weakly, Ridley reached to try to move his hand away. "F-Frank.." The fact that she was using his name instead of one of her witty nicknames wasn't a good sign. "..L-let me.. Let me have this.. P-please.."

"You told me.. to change. And.. A-and I did.." she muttered, struggling to breathe. "This.. This is my.. redemption..."

The tears were coming much faster now. "D-death... death isn't redemption, kid..."

Frank was right. Death didn't bring redemption, and it didn't solve old wrongs. Desmond's prayers over the dead was a wish, not an absolution.

In mortuum, omnis peccatis dimitterantur, si non obliviscantur, requiescat in pace. In death, all sins are forgiven, if not forgotten. Rest in peace, lost soul. The words were a lie. There was no peace, not for the living. And not for the dead. And there was no forgiveness, not for him. Not if he let her die. Not again.

She just quietly closed her eyes, trying with more struggle to keep breathing. The simple action that no one ever really thought about.. Was serving to bring a massive amount of pain. "I.. I told you.. not to.. c-call me-.."

"No!" Frank immediately tried to shake get awake. "Someone get a goddamn AED!" The old vigilante started CPR.

Joshua's eyes wandered, aiming toward her entire body as his fingers laid upon her neck, seemingly still searching for the pulse that remained, sighing. "She's still alive. And she will be feeling this until death comes slowly." His hand slowly reached into a pocket on the vests and took out the Scripture, knowing that time was still on Ridley's hands, and yet in the worst of ways, his eyes trembled as he began to pray over the, yet still alive, body of Ridley, landing on a verse that hopefully Ridley would still hear in the pain that she felt; Revelations 21:4. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Ridley's heart still beat shallowly, but it wasn't hard to tell it was slowing to a gradual stop. The blonde would've tried to make a witty remark, or squirm away.. But she lacked the strength for even that.

All she could really do was cough up more blood, and try to get a few more words out.. Though they were in a weak whisper. "You.. You an' Desmond.. take care of each.. o-other..."

Her next words were even fainter. "A-an don't f-forget.. you st-still owe me that t-trip to the beach.." she muttered softly, smile still ghosting on her face. Though, even in her dying state, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at Joshua reading the Scripture. "C-can't.. C-can't you just k-kill me already..? Ain't.. Ain't one for religion.." I hope it ain't real. I'm going to hell if it is.

Frank didn't stop CPR. He had to keep her heart beating. As it stood, it wasn't beating nearly enough and it was only getting worse. Doing CPR on someone in this state wasn't the best idea, but the vigilante was panicking. "No! You stay and look after us! I'm just... a stupid old man, and Desmond's a kid, like you! Who's gonna take care of me when I'm old?" Frank smiled.

Ridley just huffed slightly.. Something of a tolled laugh. It hurt, but she couldn't help it. "I.. I a-ain't too good w-with lookin' out for p-people.."

Desmond looked back at her, his glowing golden eyes matching hers as she slid farther and farther from this life.

"Hey. You made a couple of old monsters feel again. Pretty sure they're going to let you through the pearly gates for that little trick." He gave a little smile, trying to ease her passing. "If you don't flirt with them on the way in."

All the Siren could manage to do was muster a faint smile in return, golden eyes starting to lose their glow... Even her alluring aura seemed to be evaporating.

"Heh.. That sh-shouldn't be hard.. Only one person I wanna flirt with, anyways.." That.. Was quite possibly the blood loss talking. She always flirted.. It was just what she did. So it was... An odd idea.

It didn't matter, though.. Ridley Duchannes was fading. But it was filled with pain and taking longer and more agony than she had assumed.

Frank shook her. CPR wouldn't do jackshit and he knew it. She'd taken a bullet to the lungs. Nothing they had could help. "Ridley? Ridley? C'mon... C'mon..."

"Frank. Stop." Desmond said quietly. "Let her pass with a little dignity."

And in the momentous roar that came from the Light Shining In The Darkness, did Joshua end the story of Ridley.

If only others here could Kelt, or hear her thoughts.. Maybe they'd get the last thing the Caster could say.

I.. I-I'm sorry..

It would be the first time in a bit where Joshua felt as though he achieved his objective in avenging Bayonetta... And yet forlorn that he killed someone so young. "Go with God." He simply stated, the silence all around him would make him look at both Frank at Desmond, holstering the pistol. "It must have been done." He then stepped away from the both of them as he dropped down against the podium, knowing that his actions will go noticed, and in which the Burned Man, simply went to being a man. A man who was now broken.

"I'll see you soon Rid," Desmond said quietly, gently lowering her to the floor.

SOgCdak.png


"Such despair... Such... Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair!!!"

bDiwLUt.png


"The deed is done! As decreed by King Despair, Ridley has been executed!"

V1G6kwy.gif


The slot machine on the video screen lands on Ridley's face three times.

GUILTY

"Hehehe... Upupupu! It's finally over! It's finally my turn! It's finally... the end!"

KFwzFyv.png


"I've lost! This... this is how despair feels! This is Ultimate Despair like I've never felt before!! I had always been Despair-inducingly Despair-inducing! I've been bored of everything since the moment I was born! There is only one thing I ever looked forward to my entire life... The first, last, and greatest Despair! The moment I die!! Ahhh! I'm super-Despair-inducingly happy!!"

t0EEqdJ.png


"Ugh! This is so messed up! You lost, Makoto! How can you be so happy?!"

bDiwLUt.png


"Ahaha... Ahahahaha!! I never really cared about losing! After all, it's all the same if you win or lose... The outside world is Despair, and this school is also Despair! There's nothing but Despair for you all! Once you take down Aki, there will always be someone behind him... Despair is catching! It is like wildfire!"

KfuJbqF.png


"Despair will stand in your fuckin' way time after time! No matter where you go...! No matter where you try to hide...! They are two faces of the same fuckin' coin, you know...! Wherever there is Hope, there is most definitely Despair!! Do you fucking degenerates really think you can keep hold of that Hope of yours?!"

Junko moved to speak, but Makoto shook his head.

8FG7TTv.png


"Oh, I've heard enough. That was my final speech, I don't need a reply. It's almost time for my "punishment"... I'm about to enjoy that Despair you can only experience once in a lifetime...! The Despair of death!"

KFwzFyv.png


"Upupu... Upupupu...! Ah, it's so wonderful... This is death's Despair, isn't it...! Even one tenth... no, even one hundredth of this Despair...! I wanted everyone in the world to experience something like that...! I wanted to paint the world with such stunning Despair! Let's give it all we got! It's execution time! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

ZCJ3OnW.gif


A conveyor belt activates from under Makoto, moving him away from his podium. He moved to the side of the trial room, where the curtains rise to reveal a student's desk and chair. Makoto sits down on it, which turns on the lights-- revealing a giant crusher at the end of the conveyor belt.

3gylr0m.gif


iIIcnJY.gif


Makoto's face grows red from the anticipation. The crusher looms closer and closer.

dQgVaGv.gif


As Makoto is moved under it, time seems to stand still. The boy glances upward, just before--

kYp79Fs.png


On cue, the lone Monokuma and MegaKuma at the trial appear to deactivate.

7NIRVHu.png


A device with a single button lands next to the crusher.

IXNC9GD.jpg


In the silence of the trial room, Ludger gingerly goes to grab the device. The mood is somber as he presses down on the red button, opening a large door at the back of the trial room.

Your communicators beep as the final two data profiles are revealed.

TVFxJKO.png
tNpRqLq.png
 
Last edited:
CHAPTER FOUR DEAD END
"Crushing Silence"


Lisa stood back and looked in on everything going on. But one thing stood out. Her father. The girl had been observing him this whole time. She'd heard him talk about change. About redemption. But he was full of shit. She'd heard him talk about murder. About... torture. The man was becoming his prey.

She had to do something, and it had to be now, before he could hurt anyone else. Lisa fiddled with her Deagle, and raised it. She pointed the gun at her father... and pulled the trigger.

A certain Siren, head still aching heavily from being knocked unconscious with the bat, was still clearly frantic and desperate. "Alright. Whoever wants to do the damn job-.."

Ridley wasn't.. Well, her gold eyes weren't the keenest ones out there, to say the least. But it wasn't really difficult for her to spot the young woman aiming her weapon. "No! What the hell are youdoing?!" she demanded, already in motion. "Stop!" she commanded, cool tone breaking.

But it was too late. And then, it hit her; this was her opportunity. That was her bullet. She could get out of this. And that left only one thing that Ridley Duchannes could do...

Take what she thought was rightfully hers; and jump.

The pain was.. Well, familiar. Though, that fact didn't exactly change that the bullet piercing her chest as she dove in the way of the bullet hurt like hell. On top of this, Rid suddenly found it difficult to breathe, chest heaving as she laid on the ground, bleeding heavily from yet another bullet(how many had it been now? Jeez!) wound.

The difference was, well.. This.. Wasn't non-fatal. And what was worse was the fact it wasn't going to be a quick and painless death.. This would be hell before she could finally fade away.

Joshua's unfortunate viewing of what had happened, was more than just sacrifice. It was so much more than just that. It was an act of friendship between all three - Frank, Ridley, and Desmond - Where Ridley just seemingly.. Jumped. He could find no words as she did, and he did little to nothing as he saw the bullet fly. It was only then when the bullet hit Ridley did Joshua actually do something out of the goodness of his heart.

His Light came out of its holster, pointed at Lisa feverishly and in anger "Have you lost your mind!? What do you think you're doing!?"Rather than act upon revenge, Joshua let out a warning shot at the feet of Lisa to maintain her from moving. "I care not for your reason to act so hastily. If you dare move from that spot, if you dare do anything, then your death will be slow and painful." His words spoke with venom and anger infused into one cocktail of madness, as he kept the pistol pointed directly at Lisa, he took short steps toward Ridley, before kneeling slowly and looking at her current condition. He knew this pain more than anyone,more than God had been crucified by the Romans.

Frank processed the information much faster than Lisa. He froze with horror as Ridley slammed into the ground, a huge bullet hole in her chest... and Lisa had been aiming at his back.

Needless to say, all bets were off.


Frank saw nothing but red. Anger overwhelmed his senses. Lisa got ready to shoot again after recovering from Ridley's command, but her gun was knocked upwards. The bullet didn't hit anything but the ceiling. A powerful headbutt sent her staggering, stunned. It was followed up before she could even begin to recover by him grabbing his daughter by the head and slamming her into the wall. The girl crumpled without a sound, though she was still breathing.

Frank rushed over to Ridley. "Rid? Rid! C'mon, kid!" The old man started to reach for his first aid. "Don't you fucking die!"

Desmond knelt next to her, gently holding her head up for her weakening body. He didn't speak, knowing the importance of letting the dying have their last words in peace.

The blonde young woman hardly even processed Frank's assault on Lisa as reaction to her shooting the Siren.. If she did at all. She was a little busy trying to process what had just happened, herself.

Had she.. Had she really just thrown herself in front of a bullet? Had she really risked her life for someone else..? Someone she had only met just recently? It was an absurd idea, that Ridley would care about anyone enough to throw her life away for them..

..Or maybe, she only did this because she wanted to die. Wanted to escape Abraham's revenge, to not have to deal with the world looking at her like a monster wherever she went. Maybe the instant she saw Lisa aiming, she found perfect opportunity to finally die. That was probably it.. After all, Dark Casters didn't save people. It wasn't their nature. Ridley must've just been being selfish.. Right?

It looked like nobody would get to know.

Snapping out of the daze and shock of what she'd just done upon being spoken to, Rid's golden eyes slowly wandered back to Frank. She blinked owlishly, still shaken up. What had she done?

After a good minute or two of just staring up at him, Rid managed to crack a weak grin, laughing lightly.. Though it didn't last long, as the laughter quickly turned to coughing up blood. "E-everyone dies sometimes.. H-Hoodie said it, h-himself.."

She did manage a faint grin at Desmond.. And if she weren't so drawn up in the pain, she probably would've given a wave. It wasn't the case. "Speak.. of the handsome d-devil.." she mused, trying to lighten the mood.

"It was me." Desmond whispered to her. "I was the one that was supposed to die. You're too... good. Let the monsters die for the innocents."

Ridley shook her head ever so slightly, at this, trying to smile for the sake of the two by her. "Oh, don't be a drama queen.. You don't deserve this, Hoodie.."

Tears were running down the old man's face. "No! No, dammit! Not you! You aren't going anywhere!" Frank started to remove the bullet. "You can't leave yet!"

This.. Just made Ridley cringe. The process just hurt worse, and the female felt.. Pathetic. This wasn't how she was supposed to die; she wasn't a hero. She didn't save people. So why had she thrown herself in front of him?

And why did it hurt her that he was crying?

"Aw, c'mon, Guns.. Don't be all teary-eyed and emotional over a monster. I.. I ain't worth it."

"Shut up, kid!" Frank was getting frantic. "Sit still while I get the bullet out... you're going to be okay!"

Frank was having flashbacks. Those words were painfully close to what he said to his daughter. "It's just a damn bullet... no worse than the last injury."

Desmond shook his head. He knew gun shot wounds. They weren't getting that out without the healing facilities on board the Serenity. Ridley was dying, and there was nothing he could do. He gently moved the hair out of her face, leaving a faint bloody streak across her face.

He took the Apple out of his bag, and held it where she could see it. It emitted a soft glow, bathing the area around them in runes as ancient as the day her fate had been written.

"I can make the pain go away." He said gently.


Everything was already getting hazy, but despite, Ridley laughed dryly at Frank's words.. Once again leading to coughing up blood. Though, this time, more came up. "I.. I-I ain't.. goin'.. a-anywhere..." she muttered, quietly. She knew it wasn't true, though.. She was dying. She couldn't say goodbye, though.. She was never good with goodbyes.

The Siren's eyes flickered when Desmond brushed her hair back, and she couldn't help but smile faintly. "I.. I d-deserve the pain, a-anyways.."

"Damn right, you're not." Coughing up blood. Blood in her lungs... I can't treat that. "Just hold on." Frank started screaming at everyone. "I need a fucking doctor!"

Ridley only forced a faint grin, gold eyes flickering. "Aw, h-hush.. You.. Y-you don't want to s-save me.. I t-told you; I did it. I.. I killed people. I'm.. I'm a traitor."

"You.. You aren't stupid, Frank.. D-don't save a.. m-monster..." At this point, even trying to speak hurt like hell. That didn't keep her from trying, though.

Frank looked at her quietly for a few seconds before continuing to treat her, wiping his eyes. "Shut up. I'm n-not... I'm not letting you die!"

Gently; weakly, Ridley reached to try to move his hand away. "F-Frank.." The fact that she was using his name instead of one of her witty nicknames wasn't a good sign. "..L-let me.. Let me have this.. P-please.."

"You told me.. to change. And.. A-and I did.." she muttered, struggling to breathe. "This.. This is my.. redemption..."

The tears were coming much faster now. "D-death... death isn't redemption, kid..."

Frank was right. Death didn't bring redemption, and it didn't solve old wrongs. Desmond's prayers over the dead was a wish, not an absolution.

In mortuum, omnis peccatis dimitterantur, si non obliviscantur, requiescat in pace. In death, all sins are forgiven, if not forgotten. Rest in peace, lost soul. The words were a lie. There was no peace, not for the living. And not for the dead. And there was no forgiveness, not for him. Not if he let her die. Not again.

She just quietly closed her eyes, trying with more struggle to keep breathing. The simple action that no one ever really thought about.. Was serving to bring a massive amount of pain. "I.. I told you.. not to.. c-call me-.."

"No!" Frank immediately tried to shake get awake. "Someone get a goddamn AED!" The old vigilante started CPR.

Joshua's eyes wandered, aiming toward her entire body as his fingers laid upon her neck, seemingly still searching for the pulse that remained, sighing. "She's still alive. And she will be feeling this until death comes slowly." His hand slowly reached into a pocket on the vests and took out the Scripture, knowing that time was still on Ridley's hands, and yet in the worst of ways, his eyes trembled as he began to pray over the, yet still alive, body of Ridley, landing on a verse that hopefully Ridley would still hear in the pain that she felt; Revelations 21:4. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Ridley's heart still beat shallowly, but it wasn't hard to tell it was slowing to a gradual stop. The blonde would've tried to make a witty remark, or squirm away.. But she lacked the strength for even that.

All she could really do was cough up more blood, and try to get a few more words out.. Though they were in a weak whisper. "You.. You an' Desmond.. take care of each.. o-other..."

Her next words were even fainter. "A-an don't f-forget.. you st-still owe me that t-trip to the beach.." she muttered softly, smile still ghosting on her face. Though, even in her dying state, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at Joshua reading the Scripture. "C-can't.. C-can't you just k-kill me already..? Ain't.. Ain't one for religion.." I hope it ain't real. I'm going to hell if it is.

Frank didn't stop CPR. He had to keep her heart beating. As it stood, it wasn't beating nearly enough and it was only getting worse. Doing CPR on someone in this state wasn't the best idea, but the vigilante was panicking. "No! You stay and look after us! I'm just... a stupid old man, and Desmond's a kid, like you! Who's gonna take care of me when I'm old?" Frank smiled.

Ridley just huffed slightly.. Something of a tolled laugh. It hurt, but she couldn't help it. "I.. I a-ain't too good w-with lookin' out for p-people.."

Desmond looked back at her, his glowing golden eyes matching hers as she slid farther and farther from this life.

"Hey. You made a couple of old monsters feel again. Pretty sure they're going to let you through the pearly gates for that little trick." He gave a little smile, trying to ease her passing. "If you don't flirt with them on the way in."

All the Siren could manage to do was muster a faint smile in return, golden eyes starting to lose their glow... Even her alluring aura seemed to be evaporating.

"Heh.. That sh-shouldn't be hard.. Only one person I wanna flirt with, anyways.." That.. Was quite possibly the blood loss talking. She always flirted.. It was just what she did. So it was... An odd idea.

It didn't matter, though.. Ridley Duchannes was fading. But it was filled with pain and taking longer and more agony than she had assumed.

Frank shook her. CPR wouldn't do jackshit and he knew it. She'd taken a bullet to the lungs. Nothing they had could help. "Ridley? Ridley? C'mon... C'mon..."

"Frank. Stop." Desmond said quietly. "Let her pass with a little dignity."

And in the momentous roar that came from the Light Shining In The Darkness, did Joshua end the story of Ridley.

If only others here could Kelt, or hear her thoughts.. Maybe they'd get the last thing the Caster could say.

I.. I-I'm sorry..

It would be the first time in a bit where Joshua felt as though he achieved his objective in avenging Bayonetta... And yet forlorn that he killed someone so young. "Go with God." He simply stated, the silence all around him would make him look at both Frank at Desmond, holstering the pistol. "It must have been done." He then stepped away from the both of them as he dropped down against the podium, knowing that his actions will go noticed, and in which the Burned Man, simply went to being a man. A man who was now broken.

"I'll see you soon Rid," Desmond said quietly, gently lowering her to the floor.

SOgCdak.png


"Such despair... Such... Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair!!!"

bDiwLUt.png


"The deed is done! As decreed by King Despair, Ridley has been executed!"

V1G6kwy.gif


The slot machine on the video screen lands on Ridley's face three times.

GUILTY

"Hehehe... Upupupu! It's finally over! It's finally my turn! It's finally... the end!"

KFwzFyv.png


"I've lost! This... this is how despair feels! This is Ultimate Despair like I've never felt before!! I had always been Despair-inducingly Despair-inducing! I've been bored of everything since the moment I was born! There is only one thing I ever looked forward to my entire life... The first, last, and greatest Despair! The moment I die!! Ahhh! I'm super-Despair-inducingly happy!!"

t0EEqdJ.png


"Ugh! This is so messed up! You lost, Makoto! How can you be so happy?!"

bDiwLUt.png


"Ahaha... Ahahahaha!! I never really cared about losing! After all, it's all the same if you win or lose... The outside world is Despair, and this school is also Despair! There's nothing but Despair for you all! Once you take down Aki, there will always be someone behind him... Despair is catching! It is like wildfire!"

KfuJbqF.png


"Despair will stand in your fuckin' way time after time! No matter where you go...! No matter where you try to hide...! They are two faces of the same fuckin' coin, you know...! Wherever there is Hope, there is most definitely Despair!! Do you fucking degenerates really think you can keep hold of that Hope of yours?!"

Junko moved to speak, but Makoto shook his head.

8FG7TTv.png


"Oh, I've heard enough. That was my final speech, I don't need a reply. It's almost time for my "punishment"... I'm about to enjoy that Despair you can only experience once in a lifetime...! The Despair of death!"

KFwzFyv.png


"Upupu... Upupupu...! Ah, it's so wonderful... This is death's Despair, isn't it...! Even one tenth... no, even one hundredth of this Despair...! I wanted everyone in the world to experience something like that...! I wanted to paint the world with such stunning Despair! Let's give it all we got! It's execution time! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

ZCJ3OnW.gif


A conveyor belt activates from under Makoto, moving him away from his podium. He moved to the side of the trial room, where the curtains rise to reveal a student's desk and chair. Makoto sits down on it, which turns on the lights-- revealing a giant crusher at the end of the conveyor belt.

3gylr0m.gif


iIIcnJY.gif


Makoto's face grows red from the anticipation. The crusher looms closer and closer.

dQgVaGv.gif


As Makoto is moved under it, time seems to stand still. The boy glances upward, just before--

kYp79Fs.png


On cue, the lone Monokuma and MegaKuma at the trial appears to deactivate.

7NIRVHu.png


A device with a single button lands next to the crusher.

IXNC9GD.jpg


In the silence of the trial room, Ludger gingerly goes to grab the device. The mood is somber as he presses down on the red button, opening a large door at the back of the trial room.

Your communicators beep as the final two data profiles are revealed.

TVFxJKO.png
tNpRqLq.png
Stitch Heard his communicator go off. He figured Jakes had as well listing closely the alien looked to Izana. "We find one?" He asked a little shocked it sound as if the blue alien had begun to dought they would with so many scents to investigate. "Good." He stated next. "Is Stitch closer to seeing Lilo?" He asked with hope.

Jake heard the communicator go off then looked to Ace. "Alright one down. Man how many could there be?" He asked then looked seeing the new profiles something Stitch seemed to ignore.

@FireDrake150
@Atomyk @EVeryone
 
CHAPTER FOUR DEAD END
"Crushing Silence"


Lisa stood back and looked in on everything going on. But one thing stood out. Her father. The girl had been observing him this whole time. She'd heard him talk about change. About redemption. But he was full of shit. She'd heard him talk about murder. About... torture. The man was becoming his prey.

She had to do something, and it had to be now, before he could hurt anyone else. Lisa fiddled with her Deagle, and raised it. She pointed the gun at her father... and pulled the trigger.

A certain Siren, head still aching heavily from being knocked unconscious with the bat, was still clearly frantic and desperate. "Alright. Whoever wants to do the damn job-.."

Ridley wasn't.. Well, her gold eyes weren't the keenest ones out there, to say the least. But it wasn't really difficult for her to spot the young woman aiming her weapon. "No! What the hell are youdoing?!" she demanded, already in motion. "Stop!" she commanded, cool tone breaking.

But it was too late. And then, it hit her; this was her opportunity. That was her bullet. She could get out of this. And that left only one thing that Ridley Duchannes could do...

Take what she thought was rightfully hers; and jump.

The pain was.. Well, familiar. Though, that fact didn't exactly change that the bullet piercing her chest as she dove in the way of the bullet hurt like hell. On top of this, Rid suddenly found it difficult to breathe, chest heaving as she laid on the ground, bleeding heavily from yet another bullet(how many had it been now? Jeez!) wound.

The difference was, well.. This.. Wasn't non-fatal. And what was worse was the fact it wasn't going to be a quick and painless death.. This would be hell before she could finally fade away.

Joshua's unfortunate viewing of what had happened, was more than just sacrifice. It was so much more than just that. It was an act of friendship between all three - Frank, Ridley, and Desmond - Where Ridley just seemingly.. Jumped. He could find no words as she did, and he did little to nothing as he saw the bullet fly. It was only then when the bullet hit Ridley did Joshua actually do something out of the goodness of his heart.

His Light came out of its holster, pointed at Lisa feverishly and in anger "Have you lost your mind!? What do you think you're doing!?"Rather than act upon revenge, Joshua let out a warning shot at the feet of Lisa to maintain her from moving. "I care not for your reason to act so hastily. If you dare move from that spot, if you dare do anything, then your death will be slow and painful." His words spoke with venom and anger infused into one cocktail of madness, as he kept the pistol pointed directly at Lisa, he took short steps toward Ridley, before kneeling slowly and looking at her current condition. He knew this pain more than anyone,more than God had been crucified by the Romans.

Frank processed the information much faster than Lisa. He froze with horror as Ridley slammed into the ground, a huge bullet hole in her chest... and Lisa had been aiming at his back.

Needless to say, all bets were off.


Frank saw nothing but red. Anger overwhelmed his senses. Lisa got ready to shoot again after recovering from Ridley's command, but her gun was knocked upwards. The bullet didn't hit anything but the ceiling. A powerful headbutt sent her staggering, stunned. It was followed up before she could even begin to recover by him grabbing his daughter by the head and slamming her into the wall. The girl crumpled without a sound, though she was still breathing.

Frank rushed over to Ridley. "Rid? Rid! C'mon, kid!" The old man started to reach for his first aid. "Don't you fucking die!"

Desmond knelt next to her, gently holding her head up for her weakening body. He didn't speak, knowing the importance of letting the dying have their last words in peace.

The blonde young woman hardly even processed Frank's assault on Lisa as reaction to her shooting the Siren.. If she did at all. She was a little busy trying to process what had just happened, herself.

Had she.. Had she really just thrown herself in front of a bullet? Had she really risked her life for someone else..? Someone she had only met just recently? It was an absurd idea, that Ridley would care about anyone enough to throw her life away for them..

..Or maybe, she only did this because she wanted to die. Wanted to escape Abraham's revenge, to not have to deal with the world looking at her like a monster wherever she went. Maybe the instant she saw Lisa aiming, she found perfect opportunity to finally die. That was probably it.. After all, Dark Casters didn't save people. It wasn't their nature. Ridley must've just been being selfish.. Right?

It looked like nobody would get to know.

Snapping out of the daze and shock of what she'd just done upon being spoken to, Rid's golden eyes slowly wandered back to Frank. She blinked owlishly, still shaken up. What had she done?

After a good minute or two of just staring up at him, Rid managed to crack a weak grin, laughing lightly.. Though it didn't last long, as the laughter quickly turned to coughing up blood. "E-everyone dies sometimes.. H-Hoodie said it, h-himself.."

She did manage a faint grin at Desmond.. And if she weren't so drawn up in the pain, she probably would've given a wave. It wasn't the case. "Speak.. of the handsome d-devil.." she mused, trying to lighten the mood.

"It was me." Desmond whispered to her. "I was the one that was supposed to die. You're too... good. Let the monsters die for the innocents."

Ridley shook her head ever so slightly, at this, trying to smile for the sake of the two by her. "Oh, don't be a drama queen.. You don't deserve this, Hoodie.."

Tears were running down the old man's face. "No! No, dammit! Not you! You aren't going anywhere!" Frank started to remove the bullet. "You can't leave yet!"

This.. Just made Ridley cringe. The process just hurt worse, and the female felt.. Pathetic. This wasn't how she was supposed to die; she wasn't a hero. She didn't save people. So why had she thrown herself in front of him?

And why did it hurt her that he was crying?

"Aw, c'mon, Guns.. Don't be all teary-eyed and emotional over a monster. I.. I ain't worth it."

"Shut up, kid!" Frank was getting frantic. "Sit still while I get the bullet out... you're going to be okay!"

Frank was having flashbacks. Those words were painfully close to what he said to his daughter. "It's just a damn bullet... no worse than the last injury."

Desmond shook his head. He knew gun shot wounds. They weren't getting that out without the healing facilities on board the Serenity. Ridley was dying, and there was nothing he could do. He gently moved the hair out of her face, leaving a faint bloody streak across her face.

He took the Apple out of his bag, and held it where she could see it. It emitted a soft glow, bathing the area around them in runes as ancient as the day her fate had been written.

"I can make the pain go away." He said gently.


Everything was already getting hazy, but despite, Ridley laughed dryly at Frank's words.. Once again leading to coughing up blood. Though, this time, more came up. "I.. I-I ain't.. goin'.. a-anywhere..." she muttered, quietly. She knew it wasn't true, though.. She was dying. She couldn't say goodbye, though.. She was never good with goodbyes.

The Siren's eyes flickered when Desmond brushed her hair back, and she couldn't help but smile faintly. "I.. I d-deserve the pain, a-anyways.."

"Damn right, you're not." Coughing up blood. Blood in her lungs... I can't treat that. "Just hold on." Frank started screaming at everyone. "I need a fucking doctor!"

Ridley only forced a faint grin, gold eyes flickering. "Aw, h-hush.. You.. Y-you don't want to s-save me.. I t-told you; I did it. I.. I killed people. I'm.. I'm a traitor."

"You.. You aren't stupid, Frank.. D-don't save a.. m-monster..." At this point, even trying to speak hurt like hell. That didn't keep her from trying, though.

Frank looked at her quietly for a few seconds before continuing to treat her, wiping his eyes. "Shut up. I'm n-not... I'm not letting you die!"

Gently; weakly, Ridley reached to try to move his hand away. "F-Frank.." The fact that she was using his name instead of one of her witty nicknames wasn't a good sign. "..L-let me.. Let me have this.. P-please.."

"You told me.. to change. And.. A-and I did.." she muttered, struggling to breathe. "This.. This is my.. redemption..."

The tears were coming much faster now. "D-death... death isn't redemption, kid..."

Frank was right. Death didn't bring redemption, and it didn't solve old wrongs. Desmond's prayers over the dead was a wish, not an absolution.

In mortuum, omnis peccatis dimitterantur, si non obliviscantur, requiescat in pace. In death, all sins are forgiven, if not forgotten. Rest in peace, lost soul. The words were a lie. There was no peace, not for the living. And not for the dead. And there was no forgiveness, not for him. Not if he let her die. Not again.

She just quietly closed her eyes, trying with more struggle to keep breathing. The simple action that no one ever really thought about.. Was serving to bring a massive amount of pain. "I.. I told you.. not to.. c-call me-.."

"No!" Frank immediately tried to shake get awake. "Someone get a goddamn AED!" The old vigilante started CPR.

Joshua's eyes wandered, aiming toward her entire body as his fingers laid upon her neck, seemingly still searching for the pulse that remained, sighing. "She's still alive. And she will be feeling this until death comes slowly." His hand slowly reached into a pocket on the vests and took out the Scripture, knowing that time was still on Ridley's hands, and yet in the worst of ways, his eyes trembled as he began to pray over the, yet still alive, body of Ridley, landing on a verse that hopefully Ridley would still hear in the pain that she felt; Revelations 21:4. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Ridley's heart still beat shallowly, but it wasn't hard to tell it was slowing to a gradual stop. The blonde would've tried to make a witty remark, or squirm away.. But she lacked the strength for even that.

All she could really do was cough up more blood, and try to get a few more words out.. Though they were in a weak whisper. "You.. You an' Desmond.. take care of each.. o-other..."

Her next words were even fainter. "A-an don't f-forget.. you st-still owe me that t-trip to the beach.." she muttered softly, smile still ghosting on her face. Though, even in her dying state, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at Joshua reading the Scripture. "C-can't.. C-can't you just k-kill me already..? Ain't.. Ain't one for religion.." I hope it ain't real. I'm going to hell if it is.

Frank didn't stop CPR. He had to keep her heart beating. As it stood, it wasn't beating nearly enough and it was only getting worse. Doing CPR on someone in this state wasn't the best idea, but the vigilante was panicking. "No! You stay and look after us! I'm just... a stupid old man, and Desmond's a kid, like you! Who's gonna take care of me when I'm old?" Frank smiled.

Ridley just huffed slightly.. Something of a tolled laugh. It hurt, but she couldn't help it. "I.. I a-ain't too good w-with lookin' out for p-people.."

Desmond looked back at her, his glowing golden eyes matching hers as she slid farther and farther from this life.

"Hey. You made a couple of old monsters feel again. Pretty sure they're going to let you through the pearly gates for that little trick." He gave a little smile, trying to ease her passing. "If you don't flirt with them on the way in."

All the Siren could manage to do was muster a faint smile in return, golden eyes starting to lose their glow... Even her alluring aura seemed to be evaporating.

"Heh.. That sh-shouldn't be hard.. Only one person I wanna flirt with, anyways.." That.. Was quite possibly the blood loss talking. She always flirted.. It was just what she did. So it was... An odd idea.

It didn't matter, though.. Ridley Duchannes was fading. But it was filled with pain and taking longer and more agony than she had assumed.

Frank shook her. CPR wouldn't do jackshit and he knew it. She'd taken a bullet to the lungs. Nothing they had could help. "Ridley? Ridley? C'mon... C'mon..."

"Frank. Stop." Desmond said quietly. "Let her pass with a little dignity."

And in the momentous roar that came from the Light Shining In The Darkness, did Joshua end the story of Ridley.

If only others here could Kelt, or hear her thoughts.. Maybe they'd get the last thing the Caster could say.

I.. I-I'm sorry..

It would be the first time in a bit where Joshua felt as though he achieved his objective in avenging Bayonetta... And yet forlorn that he killed someone so young. "Go with God." He simply stated, the silence all around him would make him look at both Frank at Desmond, holstering the pistol. "It must have been done." He then stepped away from the both of them as he dropped down against the podium, knowing that his actions will go noticed, and in which the Burned Man, simply went to being a man. A man who was now broken.

"I'll see you soon Rid," Desmond said quietly, gently lowering her to the floor.

SOgCdak.png


"Such despair... Such... Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair!!!"

bDiwLUt.png


"The deed is done! As decreed by King Despair, Ridley has been executed!"

V1G6kwy.gif


The slot machine on the video screen lands on Ridley's face three times.

GUILTY

"Hehehe... Upupupu! It's finally over! It's finally my turn! It's finally... the end!"

KFwzFyv.png


"I've lost! This... this is how despair feels! This is Ultimate Despair like I've never felt before!! I had always been Despair-inducingly Despair-inducing! I've been bored of everything since the moment I was born! There is only one thing I ever looked forward to my entire life... The first, last, and greatest Despair! The moment I die!! Ahhh! I'm super-Despair-inducingly happy!!"

t0EEqdJ.png


"Ugh! This is so messed up! You lost, Makoto! How can you be so happy?!"

bDiwLUt.png


"Ahaha... Ahahahaha!! I never really cared about losing! After all, it's all the same if you win or lose... The outside world is Despair, and this school is also Despair! There's nothing but Despair for you all! Once you take down Aki, there will always be someone behind him... Despair is catching! It is like wildfire!"

KfuJbqF.png


"Despair will stand in your fuckin' way time after time! No matter where you go...! No matter where you try to hide...! They are two faces of the same fuckin' coin, you know...! Wherever there is Hope, there is most definitely Despair!! Do you fucking degenerates really think you can keep hold of that Hope of yours?!"

Junko moved to speak, but Makoto shook his head.

8FG7TTv.png


"Oh, I've heard enough. That was my final speech, I don't need a reply. It's almost time for my "punishment"... I'm about to enjoy that Despair you can only experience once in a lifetime...! The Despair of death!"

KFwzFyv.png


"Upupu... Upupupu...! Ah, it's so wonderful... This is death's Despair, isn't it...! Even one tenth... no, even one hundredth of this Despair...! I wanted everyone in the world to experience something like that...! I wanted to paint the world with such stunning Despair! Let's give it all we got! It's execution time! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

ZCJ3OnW.gif


A conveyor belt activates from under Makoto, moving him away from his podium. He moved to the side of the trial room, where the curtains rise to reveal a student's desk and chair. Makoto sits down on it, which turns on the lights-- revealing a giant crusher at the end of the conveyor belt.

3gylr0m.gif


iIIcnJY.gif


Makoto's face grows red from the anticipation. The crusher looms closer and closer.

dQgVaGv.gif


As Makoto is moved under it, time seems to stand still. The boy glances upward, just before--

kYp79Fs.png


On cue, the lone Monokuma and MegaKuma at the trial appear to deactivate.

7NIRVHu.png


A device with a single button lands next to the crusher.

IXNC9GD.jpg


In the silence of the trial room, Ludger gingerly goes to grab the device. The mood is somber as he presses down on the red button, opening a large door at the back of the trial room.

Your communicators beep as the final two data profiles are revealed.

TVFxJKO.png
tNpRqLq.png



Frank just stood up and shuffled off to a corner. Lisa groaned on the floor. Well... she was alive.

@Anybody​
 
Frank just stood up and shuffled off to a corner. Lisa groaned on the floor. Well... she was alive.

@Anybody​
Riley walked over to Frank. "Is Everything Ok? I know she died, and you tried to help. I'm sorry... That I couldn't perform my duty as a doctor." Riley was tearing up. "I didn't do anything, and now another voice of guilt is in my head, because I didn't do a damn thing, when I could have used Stimpaks or something!"
 
CHAPTER FOUR DEAD END
"Crushing Silence"


Lisa stood back and looked in on everything going on. But one thing stood out. Her father. The girl had been observing him this whole time. She'd heard him talk about change. About redemption. But he was full of shit. She'd heard him talk about murder. About... torture. The man was becoming his prey.

She had to do something, and it had to be now, before he could hurt anyone else. Lisa fiddled with her Deagle, and raised it. She pointed the gun at her father... and pulled the trigger.

A certain Siren, head still aching heavily from being knocked unconscious with the bat, was still clearly frantic and desperate. "Alright. Whoever wants to do the damn job-.."

Ridley wasn't.. Well, her gold eyes weren't the keenest ones out there, to say the least. But it wasn't really difficult for her to spot the young woman aiming her weapon. "No! What the hell are youdoing?!" she demanded, already in motion. "Stop!" she commanded, cool tone breaking.

But it was too late. And then, it hit her; this was her opportunity. That was her bullet. She could get out of this. And that left only one thing that Ridley Duchannes could do...

Take what she thought was rightfully hers; and jump.

The pain was.. Well, familiar. Though, that fact didn't exactly change that the bullet piercing her chest as she dove in the way of the bullet hurt like hell. On top of this, Rid suddenly found it difficult to breathe, chest heaving as she laid on the ground, bleeding heavily from yet another bullet(how many had it been now? Jeez!) wound.

The difference was, well.. This.. Wasn't non-fatal. And what was worse was the fact it wasn't going to be a quick and painless death.. This would be hell before she could finally fade away.

Joshua's unfortunate viewing of what had happened, was more than just sacrifice. It was so much more than just that. It was an act of friendship between all three - Frank, Ridley, and Desmond - Where Ridley just seemingly.. Jumped. He could find no words as she did, and he did little to nothing as he saw the bullet fly. It was only then when the bullet hit Ridley did Joshua actually do something out of the goodness of his heart.

His Light came out of its holster, pointed at Lisa feverishly and in anger "Have you lost your mind!? What do you think you're doing!?"Rather than act upon revenge, Joshua let out a warning shot at the feet of Lisa to maintain her from moving. "I care not for your reason to act so hastily. If you dare move from that spot, if you dare do anything, then your death will be slow and painful." His words spoke with venom and anger infused into one cocktail of madness, as he kept the pistol pointed directly at Lisa, he took short steps toward Ridley, before kneeling slowly and looking at her current condition. He knew this pain more than anyone,more than God had been crucified by the Romans.

Frank processed the information much faster than Lisa. He froze with horror as Ridley slammed into the ground, a huge bullet hole in her chest... and Lisa had been aiming at his back.

Needless to say, all bets were off.


Frank saw nothing but red. Anger overwhelmed his senses. Lisa got ready to shoot again after recovering from Ridley's command, but her gun was knocked upwards. The bullet didn't hit anything but the ceiling. A powerful headbutt sent her staggering, stunned. It was followed up before she could even begin to recover by him grabbing his daughter by the head and slamming her into the wall. The girl crumpled without a sound, though she was still breathing.

Frank rushed over to Ridley. "Rid? Rid! C'mon, kid!" The old man started to reach for his first aid. "Don't you fucking die!"

Desmond knelt next to her, gently holding her head up for her weakening body. He didn't speak, knowing the importance of letting the dying have their last words in peace.

The blonde young woman hardly even processed Frank's assault on Lisa as reaction to her shooting the Siren.. If she did at all. She was a little busy trying to process what had just happened, herself.

Had she.. Had she really just thrown herself in front of a bullet? Had she really risked her life for someone else..? Someone she had only met just recently? It was an absurd idea, that Ridley would care about anyone enough to throw her life away for them..

..Or maybe, she only did this because she wanted to die. Wanted to escape Abraham's revenge, to not have to deal with the world looking at her like a monster wherever she went. Maybe the instant she saw Lisa aiming, she found perfect opportunity to finally die. That was probably it.. After all, Dark Casters didn't save people. It wasn't their nature. Ridley must've just been being selfish.. Right?

It looked like nobody would get to know.

Snapping out of the daze and shock of what she'd just done upon being spoken to, Rid's golden eyes slowly wandered back to Frank. She blinked owlishly, still shaken up. What had she done?

After a good minute or two of just staring up at him, Rid managed to crack a weak grin, laughing lightly.. Though it didn't last long, as the laughter quickly turned to coughing up blood. "E-everyone dies sometimes.. H-Hoodie said it, h-himself.."

She did manage a faint grin at Desmond.. And if she weren't so drawn up in the pain, she probably would've given a wave. It wasn't the case. "Speak.. of the handsome d-devil.." she mused, trying to lighten the mood.

"It was me." Desmond whispered to her. "I was the one that was supposed to die. You're too... good. Let the monsters die for the innocents."

Ridley shook her head ever so slightly, at this, trying to smile for the sake of the two by her. "Oh, don't be a drama queen.. You don't deserve this, Hoodie.."

Tears were running down the old man's face. "No! No, dammit! Not you! You aren't going anywhere!" Frank started to remove the bullet. "You can't leave yet!"

This.. Just made Ridley cringe. The process just hurt worse, and the female felt.. Pathetic. This wasn't how she was supposed to die; she wasn't a hero. She didn't save people. So why had she thrown herself in front of him?

And why did it hurt her that he was crying?

"Aw, c'mon, Guns.. Don't be all teary-eyed and emotional over a monster. I.. I ain't worth it."

"Shut up, kid!" Frank was getting frantic. "Sit still while I get the bullet out... you're going to be okay!"

Frank was having flashbacks. Those words were painfully close to what he said to his daughter. "It's just a damn bullet... no worse than the last injury."

Desmond shook his head. He knew gun shot wounds. They weren't getting that out without the healing facilities on board the Serenity. Ridley was dying, and there was nothing he could do. He gently moved the hair out of her face, leaving a faint bloody streak across her face.

He took the Apple out of his bag, and held it where she could see it. It emitted a soft glow, bathing the area around them in runes as ancient as the day her fate had been written.

"I can make the pain go away." He said gently.


Everything was already getting hazy, but despite, Ridley laughed dryly at Frank's words.. Once again leading to coughing up blood. Though, this time, more came up. "I.. I-I ain't.. goin'.. a-anywhere..." she muttered, quietly. She knew it wasn't true, though.. She was dying. She couldn't say goodbye, though.. She was never good with goodbyes.

The Siren's eyes flickered when Desmond brushed her hair back, and she couldn't help but smile faintly. "I.. I d-deserve the pain, a-anyways.."

"Damn right, you're not." Coughing up blood. Blood in her lungs... I can't treat that. "Just hold on." Frank started screaming at everyone. "I need a fucking doctor!"

Ridley only forced a faint grin, gold eyes flickering. "Aw, h-hush.. You.. Y-you don't want to s-save me.. I t-told you; I did it. I.. I killed people. I'm.. I'm a traitor."

"You.. You aren't stupid, Frank.. D-don't save a.. m-monster..." At this point, even trying to speak hurt like hell. That didn't keep her from trying, though.

Frank looked at her quietly for a few seconds before continuing to treat her, wiping his eyes. "Shut up. I'm n-not... I'm not letting you die!"

Gently; weakly, Ridley reached to try to move his hand away. "F-Frank.." The fact that she was using his name instead of one of her witty nicknames wasn't a good sign. "..L-let me.. Let me have this.. P-please.."

"You told me.. to change. And.. A-and I did.." she muttered, struggling to breathe. "This.. This is my.. redemption..."

The tears were coming much faster now. "D-death... death isn't redemption, kid..."

Frank was right. Death didn't bring redemption, and it didn't solve old wrongs. Desmond's prayers over the dead was a wish, not an absolution.

In mortuum, omnis peccatis dimitterantur, si non obliviscantur, requiescat in pace. In death, all sins are forgiven, if not forgotten. Rest in peace, lost soul. The words were a lie. There was no peace, not for the living. And not for the dead. And there was no forgiveness, not for him. Not if he let her die. Not again.

She just quietly closed her eyes, trying with more struggle to keep breathing. The simple action that no one ever really thought about.. Was serving to bring a massive amount of pain. "I.. I told you.. not to.. c-call me-.."

"No!" Frank immediately tried to shake get awake. "Someone get a goddamn AED!" The old vigilante started CPR.

Joshua's eyes wandered, aiming toward her entire body as his fingers laid upon her neck, seemingly still searching for the pulse that remained, sighing. "She's still alive. And she will be feeling this until death comes slowly." His hand slowly reached into a pocket on the vests and took out the Scripture, knowing that time was still on Ridley's hands, and yet in the worst of ways, his eyes trembled as he began to pray over the, yet still alive, body of Ridley, landing on a verse that hopefully Ridley would still hear in the pain that she felt; Revelations 21:4. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Ridley's heart still beat shallowly, but it wasn't hard to tell it was slowing to a gradual stop. The blonde would've tried to make a witty remark, or squirm away.. But she lacked the strength for even that.

All she could really do was cough up more blood, and try to get a few more words out.. Though they were in a weak whisper. "You.. You an' Desmond.. take care of each.. o-other..."

Her next words were even fainter. "A-an don't f-forget.. you st-still owe me that t-trip to the beach.." she muttered softly, smile still ghosting on her face. Though, even in her dying state, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at Joshua reading the Scripture. "C-can't.. C-can't you just k-kill me already..? Ain't.. Ain't one for religion.." I hope it ain't real. I'm going to hell if it is.

Frank didn't stop CPR. He had to keep her heart beating. As it stood, it wasn't beating nearly enough and it was only getting worse. Doing CPR on someone in this state wasn't the best idea, but the vigilante was panicking. "No! You stay and look after us! I'm just... a stupid old man, and Desmond's a kid, like you! Who's gonna take care of me when I'm old?" Frank smiled.

Ridley just huffed slightly.. Something of a tolled laugh. It hurt, but she couldn't help it. "I.. I a-ain't too good w-with lookin' out for p-people.."

Desmond looked back at her, his glowing golden eyes matching hers as she slid farther and farther from this life.

"Hey. You made a couple of old monsters feel again. Pretty sure they're going to let you through the pearly gates for that little trick." He gave a little smile, trying to ease her passing. "If you don't flirt with them on the way in."

All the Siren could manage to do was muster a faint smile in return, golden eyes starting to lose their glow... Even her alluring aura seemed to be evaporating.

"Heh.. That sh-shouldn't be hard.. Only one person I wanna flirt with, anyways.." That.. Was quite possibly the blood loss talking. She always flirted.. It was just what she did. So it was... An odd idea.

It didn't matter, though.. Ridley Duchannes was fading. But it was filled with pain and taking longer and more agony than she had assumed.

Frank shook her. CPR wouldn't do jackshit and he knew it. She'd taken a bullet to the lungs. Nothing they had could help. "Ridley? Ridley? C'mon... C'mon..."

"Frank. Stop." Desmond said quietly. "Let her pass with a little dignity."

And in the momentous roar that came from the Light Shining In The Darkness, did Joshua end the story of Ridley.

If only others here could Kelt, or hear her thoughts.. Maybe they'd get the last thing the Caster could say.

I.. I-I'm sorry..

It would be the first time in a bit where Joshua felt as though he achieved his objective in avenging Bayonetta... And yet forlorn that he killed someone so young. "Go with God." He simply stated, the silence all around him would make him look at both Frank at Desmond, holstering the pistol. "It must have been done." He then stepped away from the both of them as he dropped down against the podium, knowing that his actions will go noticed, and in which the Burned Man, simply went to being a man. A man who was now broken.

"I'll see you soon Rid," Desmond said quietly, gently lowering her to the floor.

SOgCdak.png


"Such despair... Such... Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair!!!"

bDiwLUt.png


"The deed is done! As decreed by King Despair, Ridley has been executed!"

V1G6kwy.gif


The slot machine on the video screen lands on Ridley's face three times.

GUILTY

"Hehehe... Upupupu! It's finally over! It's finally my turn! It's finally... the end!"

KFwzFyv.png


"I've lost! This... this is how despair feels! This is Ultimate Despair like I've never felt before!! I had always been Despair-inducingly Despair-inducing! I've been bored of everything since the moment I was born! There is only one thing I ever looked forward to my entire life... The first, last, and greatest Despair! The moment I die!! Ahhh! I'm super-Despair-inducingly happy!!"

t0EEqdJ.png


"Ugh! This is so messed up! You lost, Makoto! How can you be so happy?!"

bDiwLUt.png


"Ahaha... Ahahahaha!! I never really cared about losing! After all, it's all the same if you win or lose... The outside world is Despair, and this school is also Despair! There's nothing but Despair for you all! Once you take down Aki, there will always be someone behind him... Despair is catching! It is like wildfire!"

KfuJbqF.png


"Despair will stand in your fuckin' way time after time! No matter where you go...! No matter where you try to hide...! They are two faces of the same fuckin' coin, you know...! Wherever there is Hope, there is most definitely Despair!! Do you fucking degenerates really think you can keep hold of that Hope of yours?!"

Junko moved to speak, but Makoto shook his head.

8FG7TTv.png


"Oh, I've heard enough. That was my final speech, I don't need a reply. It's almost time for my "punishment"... I'm about to enjoy that Despair you can only experience once in a lifetime...! The Despair of death!"

KFwzFyv.png


"Upupu... Upupupu...! Ah, it's so wonderful... This is death's Despair, isn't it...! Even one tenth... no, even one hundredth of this Despair...! I wanted everyone in the world to experience something like that...! I wanted to paint the world with such stunning Despair! Let's give it all we got! It's execution time! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

ZCJ3OnW.gif


A conveyor belt activates from under Makoto, moving him away from his podium. He moved to the side of the trial room, where the curtains rise to reveal a student's desk and chair. Makoto sits down on it, which turns on the lights-- revealing a giant crusher at the end of the conveyor belt.

3gylr0m.gif


iIIcnJY.gif


Makoto's face grows red from the anticipation. The crusher looms closer and closer.

dQgVaGv.gif


As Makoto is moved under it, time seems to stand still. The boy glances upward, just before--

kYp79Fs.png


On cue, the lone Monokuma and MegaKuma at the trial appear to deactivate.

7NIRVHu.png


A device with a single button lands next to the crusher.

IXNC9GD.jpg


In the silence of the trial room, Ludger gingerly goes to grab the device. The mood is somber as he presses down on the red button, opening a large door at the back of the trial room.

Your communicators beep as the final two data profiles are revealed.

TVFxJKO.png
tNpRqLq.png
"Pitiful..."

9c2a80b68e240d8ad9026125b4bb8a0b_480.jpg


"And I guess that's the end of that."

Iris reverted back into Plutia.

sleepy_plutia_by_di3ris3-d6p479v.png


"And I'm tired...."

@everyone who aint participating in the fight or whatevs
 
Riley walked over to Frank. "Is Everything Ok? I know she died, and you tried to help. I'm sorry... That I couldn't perform my duty as a doctor." Riley was tearing up. "I didn't do anything, and now another voice of guilt is in my head, because I didn't do a damn thing, when I could have used Stimpaks or something!"



"She'd been shot in the lungs... there wasn't anything we could have done without surgical gear." The old man looked away.

@The Silver Paladin
 
"She'd been shot in the lungs... there wasn't anything we could have done without surgical gear." The old man looked away.

@The Silver Paladin
"stimpaks.... They are for wounds, they aren't surgical, but cna heal surgical wounds. I don't know how they work, but they're miracle drugs." Riley brushed off his lab coat. "I have many voices calling me a monster in my head, which is why I attempted suicide earlier. Just ask Joshua."
 
"stimpaks.... They are for wounds, they aren't surgical, but cna heal surgical wounds. I don't know how they work, but they're miracle drugs." Riley brushed off his lab coat. "I have many voices calling me a monster in my head, which is why I attempted suicide earlier. Just ask Joshua."



"Surely they don't help a bullet in your lungs. Or blood in your airway."

@The Silver Paladin
 
CHAPTER FOUR DEAD END
"Crushing Silence"


Lisa stood back and looked in on everything going on. But one thing stood out. Her father. The girl had been observing him this whole time. She'd heard him talk about change. About redemption. But he was full of shit. She'd heard him talk about murder. About... torture. The man was becoming his prey.

She had to do something, and it had to be now, before he could hurt anyone else. Lisa fiddled with her Deagle, and raised it. She pointed the gun at her father... and pulled the trigger.

A certain Siren, head still aching heavily from being knocked unconscious with the bat, was still clearly frantic and desperate. "Alright. Whoever wants to do the damn job-.."

Ridley wasn't.. Well, her gold eyes weren't the keenest ones out there, to say the least. But it wasn't really difficult for her to spot the young woman aiming her weapon. "No! What the hell are youdoing?!" she demanded, already in motion. "Stop!" she commanded, cool tone breaking.

But it was too late. And then, it hit her; this was her opportunity. That was her bullet. She could get out of this. And that left only one thing that Ridley Duchannes could do...

Take what she thought was rightfully hers; and jump.

The pain was.. Well, familiar. Though, that fact didn't exactly change that the bullet piercing her chest as she dove in the way of the bullet hurt like hell. On top of this, Rid suddenly found it difficult to breathe, chest heaving as she laid on the ground, bleeding heavily from yet another bullet(how many had it been now? Jeez!) wound.

The difference was, well.. This.. Wasn't non-fatal. And what was worse was the fact it wasn't going to be a quick and painless death.. This would be hell before she could finally fade away.

Joshua's unfortunate viewing of what had happened, was more than just sacrifice. It was so much more than just that. It was an act of friendship between all three - Frank, Ridley, and Desmond - Where Ridley just seemingly.. Jumped. He could find no words as she did, and he did little to nothing as he saw the bullet fly. It was only then when the bullet hit Ridley did Joshua actually do something out of the goodness of his heart.

His Light came out of its holster, pointed at Lisa feverishly and in anger "Have you lost your mind!? What do you think you're doing!?"Rather than act upon revenge, Joshua let out a warning shot at the feet of Lisa to maintain her from moving. "I care not for your reason to act so hastily. If you dare move from that spot, if you dare do anything, then your death will be slow and painful." His words spoke with venom and anger infused into one cocktail of madness, as he kept the pistol pointed directly at Lisa, he took short steps toward Ridley, before kneeling slowly and looking at her current condition. He knew this pain more than anyone,more than God had been crucified by the Romans.

Frank processed the information much faster than Lisa. He froze with horror as Ridley slammed into the ground, a huge bullet hole in her chest... and Lisa had been aiming at his back.

Needless to say, all bets were off.


Frank saw nothing but red. Anger overwhelmed his senses. Lisa got ready to shoot again after recovering from Ridley's command, but her gun was knocked upwards. The bullet didn't hit anything but the ceiling. A powerful headbutt sent her staggering, stunned. It was followed up before she could even begin to recover by him grabbing his daughter by the head and slamming her into the wall. The girl crumpled without a sound, though she was still breathing.

Frank rushed over to Ridley. "Rid? Rid! C'mon, kid!" The old man started to reach for his first aid. "Don't you fucking die!"

Desmond knelt next to her, gently holding her head up for her weakening body. He didn't speak, knowing the importance of letting the dying have their last words in peace.

The blonde young woman hardly even processed Frank's assault on Lisa as reaction to her shooting the Siren.. If she did at all. She was a little busy trying to process what had just happened, herself.

Had she.. Had she really just thrown herself in front of a bullet? Had she really risked her life for someone else..? Someone she had only met just recently? It was an absurd idea, that Ridley would care about anyone enough to throw her life away for them..

..Or maybe, she only did this because she wanted to die. Wanted to escape Abraham's revenge, to not have to deal with the world looking at her like a monster wherever she went. Maybe the instant she saw Lisa aiming, she found perfect opportunity to finally die. That was probably it.. After all, Dark Casters didn't save people. It wasn't their nature. Ridley must've just been being selfish.. Right?

It looked like nobody would get to know.

Snapping out of the daze and shock of what she'd just done upon being spoken to, Rid's golden eyes slowly wandered back to Frank. She blinked owlishly, still shaken up. What had she done?

After a good minute or two of just staring up at him, Rid managed to crack a weak grin, laughing lightly.. Though it didn't last long, as the laughter quickly turned to coughing up blood. "E-everyone dies sometimes.. H-Hoodie said it, h-himself.."

She did manage a faint grin at Desmond.. And if she weren't so drawn up in the pain, she probably would've given a wave. It wasn't the case. "Speak.. of the handsome d-devil.." she mused, trying to lighten the mood.

"It was me." Desmond whispered to her. "I was the one that was supposed to die. You're too... good. Let the monsters die for the innocents."

Ridley shook her head ever so slightly, at this, trying to smile for the sake of the two by her. "Oh, don't be a drama queen.. You don't deserve this, Hoodie.."

Tears were running down the old man's face. "No! No, dammit! Not you! You aren't going anywhere!" Frank started to remove the bullet. "You can't leave yet!"

This.. Just made Ridley cringe. The process just hurt worse, and the female felt.. Pathetic. This wasn't how she was supposed to die; she wasn't a hero. She didn't save people. So why had she thrown herself in front of him?

And why did it hurt her that he was crying?

"Aw, c'mon, Guns.. Don't be all teary-eyed and emotional over a monster. I.. I ain't worth it."

"Shut up, kid!" Frank was getting frantic. "Sit still while I get the bullet out... you're going to be okay!"

Frank was having flashbacks. Those words were painfully close to what he said to his daughter. "It's just a damn bullet... no worse than the last injury."

Desmond shook his head. He knew gun shot wounds. They weren't getting that out without the healing facilities on board the Serenity. Ridley was dying, and there was nothing he could do. He gently moved the hair out of her face, leaving a faint bloody streak across her face.

He took the Apple out of his bag, and held it where she could see it. It emitted a soft glow, bathing the area around them in runes as ancient as the day her fate had been written.

"I can make the pain go away." He said gently.


Everything was already getting hazy, but despite, Ridley laughed dryly at Frank's words.. Once again leading to coughing up blood. Though, this time, more came up. "I.. I-I ain't.. goin'.. a-anywhere..." she muttered, quietly. She knew it wasn't true, though.. She was dying. She couldn't say goodbye, though.. She was never good with goodbyes.

The Siren's eyes flickered when Desmond brushed her hair back, and she couldn't help but smile faintly. "I.. I d-deserve the pain, a-anyways.."

"Damn right, you're not." Coughing up blood. Blood in her lungs... I can't treat that. "Just hold on." Frank started screaming at everyone. "I need a fucking doctor!"

Ridley only forced a faint grin, gold eyes flickering. "Aw, h-hush.. You.. Y-you don't want to s-save me.. I t-told you; I did it. I.. I killed people. I'm.. I'm a traitor."

"You.. You aren't stupid, Frank.. D-don't save a.. m-monster..." At this point, even trying to speak hurt like hell. That didn't keep her from trying, though.

Frank looked at her quietly for a few seconds before continuing to treat her, wiping his eyes. "Shut up. I'm n-not... I'm not letting you die!"

Gently; weakly, Ridley reached to try to move his hand away. "F-Frank.." The fact that she was using his name instead of one of her witty nicknames wasn't a good sign. "..L-let me.. Let me have this.. P-please.."

"You told me.. to change. And.. A-and I did.." she muttered, struggling to breathe. "This.. This is my.. redemption..."

The tears were coming much faster now. "D-death... death isn't redemption, kid..."

Frank was right. Death didn't bring redemption, and it didn't solve old wrongs. Desmond's prayers over the dead was a wish, not an absolution.

In mortuum, omnis peccatis dimitterantur, si non obliviscantur, requiescat in pace. In death, all sins are forgiven, if not forgotten. Rest in peace, lost soul. The words were a lie. There was no peace, not for the living. And not for the dead. And there was no forgiveness, not for him. Not if he let her die. Not again.

She just quietly closed her eyes, trying with more struggle to keep breathing. The simple action that no one ever really thought about.. Was serving to bring a massive amount of pain. "I.. I told you.. not to.. c-call me-.."

"No!" Frank immediately tried to shake get awake. "Someone get a goddamn AED!" The old vigilante started CPR.

Joshua's eyes wandered, aiming toward her entire body as his fingers laid upon her neck, seemingly still searching for the pulse that remained, sighing. "She's still alive. And she will be feeling this until death comes slowly." His hand slowly reached into a pocket on the vests and took out the Scripture, knowing that time was still on Ridley's hands, and yet in the worst of ways, his eyes trembled as he began to pray over the, yet still alive, body of Ridley, landing on a verse that hopefully Ridley would still hear in the pain that she felt; Revelations 21:4. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Ridley's heart still beat shallowly, but it wasn't hard to tell it was slowing to a gradual stop. The blonde would've tried to make a witty remark, or squirm away.. But she lacked the strength for even that.

All she could really do was cough up more blood, and try to get a few more words out.. Though they were in a weak whisper. "You.. You an' Desmond.. take care of each.. o-other..."

Her next words were even fainter. "A-an don't f-forget.. you st-still owe me that t-trip to the beach.." she muttered softly, smile still ghosting on her face. Though, even in her dying state, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at Joshua reading the Scripture. "C-can't.. C-can't you just k-kill me already..? Ain't.. Ain't one for religion.." I hope it ain't real. I'm going to hell if it is.

Frank didn't stop CPR. He had to keep her heart beating. As it stood, it wasn't beating nearly enough and it was only getting worse. Doing CPR on someone in this state wasn't the best idea, but the vigilante was panicking. "No! You stay and look after us! I'm just... a stupid old man, and Desmond's a kid, like you! Who's gonna take care of me when I'm old?" Frank smiled.

Ridley just huffed slightly.. Something of a tolled laugh. It hurt, but she couldn't help it. "I.. I a-ain't too good w-with lookin' out for p-people.."

Desmond looked back at her, his glowing golden eyes matching hers as she slid farther and farther from this life.

"Hey. You made a couple of old monsters feel again. Pretty sure they're going to let you through the pearly gates for that little trick." He gave a little smile, trying to ease her passing. "If you don't flirt with them on the way in."

All the Siren could manage to do was muster a faint smile in return, golden eyes starting to lose their glow... Even her alluring aura seemed to be evaporating.

"Heh.. That sh-shouldn't be hard.. Only one person I wanna flirt with, anyways.." That.. Was quite possibly the blood loss talking. She always flirted.. It was just what she did. So it was... An odd idea.

It didn't matter, though.. Ridley Duchannes was fading. But it was filled with pain and taking longer and more agony than she had assumed.

Frank shook her. CPR wouldn't do jackshit and he knew it. She'd taken a bullet to the lungs. Nothing they had could help. "Ridley? Ridley? C'mon... C'mon..."

"Frank. Stop." Desmond said quietly. "Let her pass with a little dignity."

And in the momentous roar that came from the Light Shining In The Darkness, did Joshua end the story of Ridley.

If only others here could Kelt, or hear her thoughts.. Maybe they'd get the last thing the Caster could say.

I.. I-I'm sorry..

It would be the first time in a bit where Joshua felt as though he achieved his objective in avenging Bayonetta... And yet forlorn that he killed someone so young. "Go with God." He simply stated, the silence all around him would make him look at both Frank at Desmond, holstering the pistol. "It must have been done." He then stepped away from the both of them as he dropped down against the podium, knowing that his actions will go noticed, and in which the Burned Man, simply went to being a man. A man who was now broken.

"I'll see you soon Rid," Desmond said quietly, gently lowering her to the floor.

SOgCdak.png


"Such despair... Such... Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair! Despair!!!"

bDiwLUt.png


"The deed is done! As decreed by King Despair, Ridley has been executed!"

V1G6kwy.gif


The slot machine on the video screen lands on Ridley's face three times.

GUILTY

"Hehehe... Upupupu! It's finally over! It's finally my turn! It's finally... the end!"

KFwzFyv.png


"I've lost! This... this is how despair feels! This is Ultimate Despair like I've never felt before!! I had always been Despair-inducingly Despair-inducing! I've been bored of everything since the moment I was born! There is only one thing I ever looked forward to my entire life... The first, last, and greatest Despair! The moment I die!! Ahhh! I'm super-Despair-inducingly happy!!"

t0EEqdJ.png


"Ugh! This is so messed up! You lost, Makoto! How can you be so happy?!"

bDiwLUt.png


"Ahaha... Ahahahaha!! I never really cared about losing! After all, it's all the same if you win or lose... The outside world is Despair, and this school is also Despair! There's nothing but Despair for you all! Once you take down Aki, there will always be someone behind him... Despair is catching! It is like wildfire!"

KfuJbqF.png


"Despair will stand in your fuckin' way time after time! No matter where you go...! No matter where you try to hide...! They are two faces of the same fuckin' coin, you know...! Wherever there is Hope, there is most definitely Despair!! Do you fucking degenerates really think you can keep hold of that Hope of yours?!"

Junko moved to speak, but Makoto shook his head.

8FG7TTv.png


"Oh, I've heard enough. That was my final speech, I don't need a reply. It's almost time for my "punishment"... I'm about to enjoy that Despair you can only experience once in a lifetime...! The Despair of death!"

KFwzFyv.png


"Upupu... Upupupu...! Ah, it's so wonderful... This is death's Despair, isn't it...! Even one tenth... no, even one hundredth of this Despair...! I wanted everyone in the world to experience something like that...! I wanted to paint the world with such stunning Despair! Let's give it all we got! It's execution time! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

ZCJ3OnW.gif


A conveyor belt activates from under Makoto, moving him away from his podium. He moved to the side of the trial room, where the curtains rise to reveal a student's desk and chair. Makoto sits down on it, which turns on the lights-- revealing a giant crusher at the end of the conveyor belt.

3gylr0m.gif


iIIcnJY.gif


Makoto's face grows red from the anticipation. The crusher looms closer and closer.

dQgVaGv.gif


As Makoto is moved under it, time seems to stand still. The boy glances upward, just before--

kYp79Fs.png


On cue, the lone Monokuma and MegaKuma at the trial appear to deactivate.

7NIRVHu.png


A device with a single button lands next to the crusher.

IXNC9GD.jpg


In the silence of the trial room, Ludger gingerly goes to grab the device. The mood is somber as he presses down on the red button, opening a large door at the back of the trial room.

Your communicators beep as the final two data profiles are revealed.

TVFxJKO.png
tNpRqLq.png
Looking over to his side, Red happens to see that Lapis was still asleep during all of this... Great. Shoving the bounty hunter several times, it did take a bit before she would get up with a groan.

"W-What's going on?" Lapis blinked once she was awake, but took in the explanation from Red's thoughts as he's witnessed the entire event.

"...so she really was a traitor. Guess that works out..." Lapis grumbled under her breath, standing up as she opened and closed her eyes several time to wake herself up. Heck, she still felt the exposed area around her cheek , it really made her think if she could still be called a "human." Sighing at the thought of that, the bounty hunter took in the fact that two data profiles had come up... and with the fact that the communicators were beeping like it did with Axel...

"Red, I got this. Just stay back..." Lapis saw that the pokemon trainer wanted to help, but she didn't want to drag him into the stuff that she thought she could handle. She slowly walked over to the two figures that were the profiles of data they needed to destroy, and it didn't matter if one of them resembled Aqua and the other of a person that assisted them earlier...

Lapis only sought for the death of Akibahara, and nothing else.

It was a personal bounty she set on the Arch Demon's head, and she wasn't going to let it go in vain.

@ppl gonna join in and stuff​
 
Status
Not open for further replies.