Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alg’s gut twinged with anxiety as he was taken from the main room, taken from Jeremiah’s grounding influence, and the surrounding communal feeling of the human group. He followed into the council chamber and was more than a little intimidated by his company. Melany was imposing behind her desk. He assumed it was a seat reserved for the head of the court and the meaning of that, with recent revelations, gave him a low simmer of anger that kept him a bit more present and less swept away by his nerves.

Alg looked at the red liquid in the glass and while something strong would have been nice right about now, this seemed like one of those moments someone may be poisoned, drugged, or otherwise awaken later as the sacrifice themselves. He also wasn’t keen on drinking anything poured by the Spinel Lady.

There were sour twinges as she listed the tithes off like cattle, like merchandise at auction only for their superficial merits. What would his listing have said? Jeremiah? Zac? What would their sacrifices have done to the cage? Were humans simply worth what they could do for the cause? It was unsettling, disgusting to think of, everything from books that had the hero rushing in to 'STOP THE RITUAL!' but here he was... carrying out a selection that they'd all very unflinchingly agreed upon.

Alg would try his best to remember the names of the other tithes, the ones he didn’t know, in a vain hope that it may meaning something when they got back to Ashdown. His eyes drifted to Adoelle as she was mentioned, then without being able to help it, to Noeh.

Of course it was just in time for him to be called on and Algie straightened in his chair. His instinct again to straighten his glasses brought only his fingers brushing the sides of the mask. He wasn’t sure if pleasantries were prudent but it seemed to be the time for getting to the point.

The time was now, the time he could throw caution to the wind and nominate someone else, be selfish and call for someone masked- Melany or Sunny. Maybe be ballsy enough to convince the court that no one should die... Perhaps he could bribe them-

But the group had chosen him to make a decision for what they thought was the greater, longer good. The bigger picture. Alg, in one way, had been an excellent selection of representative. The Professor would be sure to adhere to the group's choice and if breaking the cage brought any fear to the Spinel Lady, he hoped their decision would contribute to it.

The Eldritch Gentleman's mask moves slightly, as though he's raising an eyebrow behind his mask. Then, he echoes Algernon's sentiment: "M͝y҉ vo̶t̸e's҉ fơr Ad̢o̢el͜le às҉ ͜w͡el͟l̶," he says, and nods to the girl in white. "Si̧n̶ce ́she̵ w̸ąś ͞s̢o kįn̛d ͝a̧s to͠ vo̶lunte̢eŗ as҉ ̨t̵r҉ibu̸te. I͢t ̴w͢oul҉d̀ b͟e̡ ̧r̀ude͟ ̷n̴ot ̧to ̸g̕iv͝e͝ ̡t͢h̨e ̶l̸ad͡y w̢h͝a͘t͡ ́s͏he̡ ̵wa͟n͢tś."

Alg's jaw tightened at her response and her tithe choice. But it seemed that Adoelle's resistant will could help them if she was chosen. And Noeh- Mina.

He didn't want to lose her so soon. There was more to find out and he only hoped he could connect with the young woman in some way.

The Gentleman's agreement was both reassuring and unsettling considering what Rylan had told him in the other room. That meant there were three for Adoelle, if you counted the young woman herself.

"How about you, sir?" Alg turned to the Sinister Survivor.

The Eldritch Gentleman perks up. "Í̾ͫ͂ d̐i͗̎d͌̆n̊'̊͆̈́ͪͦt̋ r͒̓̈́͐̚eͧͤa͐͂͑̚l͂ͪͨ̄̄̑iͤ̃͆z̐͋̀e̅̂̐ t̄ͨ̑̒ͬh̽̾̽åͧ͋̒͋͛͌t̐̈́͆ͤ̐ wă̎́̄s̾͆̽̑ aͪ͌̿̅̐͂nͨ͊͆ͥ oͧp̀͂tͩ̉͆̊iͮ̓ͬͩ̏oͪ͊n̈́̐͌̈́̓ͦ͒!͑" he exclaims, and looks excitedly around the room.

"Ma̡y͞ I̸ c͘h͞a͏n̵ģe m̀y ͘v́ote̴?͞" he asks. "I'̵d l̛ike ͠t͠o҉ no̸minate͏ ̨Me̴la̕n͏y͠!"

The Sorrowful One's head dips lower, if possible, even as Melany's gaze grows stormy behind her lace mask. Her head sways, her hands in her lap twist, and she holds out a hand for Melany's list. Being given it, she writes in her loopy hand,

I follow the lead of my Lady in all things.

"Òh, ͠y̡ès̛," the Gentleman replies zealously, and looks over at Adoelle. "A̕d̕o͝e̡ll̷e̡,͏ ͏I'm s͢orr͢y̷, my͟ ̶d͠e͢àr ̕gi҉rl. You҉ sh̷a̴n͢'́t be͟ ҉get͟tin̷g̡ y͡our͞ wis̴h̢ t̴h̛is̸ ̸e͟v͠e͘ni͏n͢g - ́but ̶d͠on̸'̀t͡ ̛d͘es̀p̵air. ͜T̨he̡re'͢s͞ ̛a̛lwa͞y͞s͘ ̷nex̴t́ ̀tim̨e."

He pauses, then adds, thoughtfully, "U̴n̴les̵s ͠ther̶e ̕isń't̶.̡"

"M̛y҉ vote ͞rem̸ain̸s o̶n ̛Melany͞," he says, his attention returning to Algernon. "Hér͟ b͢lood ̨w̴i̵ll̸ ̶s҉erv͝e ҉my pưrp҉oses a͘s muc͝h̕ a͡ś A̡d̷oèl̷le's.҉ Ąnd ͜I͢ th̴ìnk it'̕s f̢un҉ny."

He looks over at Melany. "No h͞ar̸d f̸eȩļi̴ng̨s͞, ͞bu̢t yóu'v̸e a͢l̨wąy̧s been a͢ ̷ḩeino̢u͢s̨ ͜bit̕ch̡.҉"

Adoelle tugs at a lock of her own hair. "I..." She stumbles over the word. "I do. I mean, I hardly want to die, but I..."

She looks askance at the Eldritch Gentleman and the Sinister Survivor.

"...It is what it is," says Adoelle. "I'm part of the cage and I need to die."