[ she blinks, stunned into a momentary lapse of silence. it's not the immediate insistence she had braced to receive. a taut knot in her chest tugs looser, by increments. ]

Is it just the situation?

[ she shifts to face him, an error of judgment she recognizes as the last bindings of her corset obstruct her. ]

Because you can't host a death game without participants. You must be at least a little worried about the others' morals.

[ they would need to want whatever prize is dangled, first and foremost. their life, their unspun regret — olivia could find any number of motivators to twist and turn them against one another. but, foolishly: ]

I don't think it'll come to that. Olivia wants the orb delivered to her, whole and intact, and we can't deliver on that deal if we've dropped dead.