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"I know," said Thyme, his voice pitched low as he felt a bone-deep weariness once again. "Maybe Dr. H meant to cull the number of players all along. Somehow I don't see him thinking our lives are valuable." He gave a dry laugh here.

He paused, then shrugged a shoulder at Fedora. "Feel like taking a risk again?" He eyed the group gathering by Delta Nine and Eta Seven, and it came to him that he might just have a death-wish after all, attacking first Thor with his small army of blue pendant bearers, and now the most numerous group remaining behind the shield. "I really don't think I'm thinking logically anymore. Not for survival, really," he admitted to his partner. He couldn't let her die for following his own folly, he just couldn't.

He was perfectly willing to help Before. Forget attacking for the moment. "A teeny bit of help it is, then." It was a form of stalling, he recognized. Once upon a time he would have despised this, in others and in himself. He didn't anymore. What had this island done to him? "And I don't like having others take my punches for me. So no more volunteering to be a meatshield." He could only guess at how hard it must have been for Tattoo, to let him be her shield.

(( Fear pendants are the blue ones. XD ))

Fedora knelt to offer her hand out for Before. "Would you like to help us?" She felt a tiny bit guilty. "I'll forgive you if you help us." Okay, scratch that. A little more than a tiny bit. But... it was her life on the line, so she was willing.

Of course, she wasn't lying about forgiving him.

"We need the blue pendants badly, Before." She frowned. "Can you help us?" Her gaze went to Thyme, and she shrugged, not really knowing what else to do.

"I'm not worried. I'm really not." She shrugged again. "Meatshield or not, we're still all for protecting each other."

"Yeah, go ahead and pass on it," said Thyme, forgetting to wait for Fedora's answer. He ducked his head in apology. "Er, sorry, Fedora." He moved Before across to Cheese and Thor's bodies as best he could. It was slow progress, especially since he was trying not to roll him over there too roughly.

If Before had been in better shape, he would have thrown his arms up and cheered happily, as if he were on some carnival ride. Did he like carnival rides? Did Bad Persons like carnival rides? If they didn't, Before thought they ought to :C carnival rides are awesome. Even if some did make you throw up. Thankfully, this process of rolling was one of those fun, easy-going merry-go-round types rather than those spinning tea cups.

When they'd reach Bee and Thor's bodies, Before summoned the last bit of strength he had in him to rise to his elbows. He was on his elbows, yeah? He's not sure, a lot of him was going numb and was unnervingly cold. "Hey, Thor, I did half of what you wanted. I got Bix out. Not me though. Don't deserve to," he whispered, pausing from time to time to keep the fire in his lungs from overwhelming him, "'Cuz I-I killed you. A-and Bill. And Ch-Ch-Cheese, but you keep calling her Bee, so maybe I should call her that now. Whaddya say, Bee?" he grinned slowly turning towards B3's corpse. "Sorry, I tried to do what you wanted. B-but I gave my pendant to Bix. That's sorta like me living on isn't it?" There was no composure in his voice, if he wasn't coughing, he was babbling something about the cornfields and Death-on-Hooves and shadows and how he's so sorry about being a terrible, useless meat shield, and how he thinks Boss might be dead if she got a call as terrible as this one.

And it seemed he completely broke down at this point. All strength seemed to have left him as he face-planted onto the floor, his entire body shaking with each sob while he rubbed at his gas mask in an attempt to wipe his tears with the material. "D-don't cry when y-you have this on. It's not very tear or snot absorbent," he blubbered to Door and Tonight. A few (okay, a lot) of deep breaths later, with a still quivering voice, "What now, Door, Tonight?"

Fedora lowered her head, kneeling down to give Before a hug. "I'm sorry. I forgive you. Really." Her head turned to Thyme. "I suggest we attack one at a time, all at once... getting as many blue pendants as we can. We need to survive. Together." She stared down at Before.

"What do you say? You want to help us?"

Still sniffling with more noise than necessary, Before nodded at Door's question, and tried to peer towards the other group that were starting to form. s**t. They were all blurry shapes. :CCC Thank God for their colors. "I said I'd do what I can, didn't I? But you gotta gimme specifics. And directions. Like Fuzzy Green to your left or Fuzzy Yellow behind you."

{ Theta Nine is attacking Gamma Eight. }

Even as Thyme moved in obedience, one fist swinging out, it occurred to him, albeit hazily, that the compulsion to obey was not nearly so strong this time around. Not that anyone who wasn't a mind-reader could tell the difference. But momentum carried him forward nonetheless, and only after he struck -- and struck hard too, at that -- did the realization sink in that this was Gamma Eight. The Gamma he had bandaged up earlier. His mind circled back to the belated realization that he hadn't had to obey. The floodgates of guilt opened.

Maybe Eta 11 -- his other patient -- would beat him up for it. It would make things a great deal easier, a part of him thought. But could he really leave Fedora and Before to fight on without him? Couldn't do that either.

Weapon: melee - fists
Damage to Gamma 8: (6 + 5) - 6 = 5
HP left: 23 HP

True to form, Fedora moved right after Thyme, but ended up overestimating her step, and wound up sliding right past Gamma 8. She winced, and instead straightened, brushing herself off.

She meant to do that.

Weapon: Fists
Damage to Gamma 8: 0
Fedora (Delta Four)'s HP: 23 HP