---

Chibi:
“I know this one.”

Mara:
“No, you don’t.”

---

Chibi:
“You stand here.”

Mara:
“Why?”

Chibi:
“That’s how it works.”

---

Mara:
“That’s not fair.”

Chibi:
“It doesn’t have to be.”

---

Mara:
“Then it’s not a game.”

Chibi:
“It is if you play.”

---

Mara:
“What happens if I leave?”

Chibi:
“Then you lose.”

---

Mara:
“And if I stay?”

Chibi:
“Maybe you lose slower.”

---

A pause.

---

Mara:
“You made that up.”

Chibi:
“I made all of it up.”

---

The line shifted.

Not broken.

Not gone.

---

Wrong.

---

Mara:
“It moved.”

Chibi:
“No.”

---

Mara:
“I didn’t step.”

Chibi:
“No.”

---

Mara:
“Then why is it behind me?”

---

A pause.

---

Chibi:
“Your turn.”

---

Mara:
“I don’t know the rules.”

Chibi:
“That’s okay.”

---

A beat.

---

Chibi:
“It knows.”

---

Children nearby ran.

Too fast.

---

No one waited.

---

Mara:
“They’re not playing.”

Chibi:
“No.”

---

Mara:
“They’re still moving.”

Chibi:
“Yes.”

---

Mara:
“That’s not the same.”

---

Silence.

---

Mara:
“This isn’t the game.”

Chibi:
“No.”

---

Mara:
“Then what is it?”

---

A small smile.

---

Chibi:
“It’s the one that keeps going.”

---

A long pause.

---

Mara:
“I don’t want to play anymore.”

---

He nodded.

---

Chibi:
“Good.”

---

The line remained.

Clear.

Closed.

---

Waiting.

---

🜍 Month 4 · Misrule

🜍 Week 1 — The rules are no longer shared

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game — The Old World

It still looks like a game.

That’s why it works.

---

Step out.

If you still can.