and it takes, and it takes, and it takes

[acherontiastyx]

[It... definitely takes a while for the weekly after-execution note to arrive, but it does --- kind of scrawly and on ripped paper rather than nice stationery.]

EY. YO. WE GOT EFFIGIES IN THE DINING ROOM AND WE'RE GONNA BURN EM.

FOOD TOO. THE USUAL AND HOT COCOA. GOOD FOR THE SOUL. GET SOME. MAYBE TAKE IT BACK TO YOUR ROOM IF YOU HAVE TO. JUST GET SOME.

[Anyway, in the dining room, there's plenty of mugs set out, with a janky looking arrow sign pointing into the kitchen to where you can get your hot cocoa. On the table, there's Vichyssoise, a pot of green tea, and some booze. There's also a cookie tray on the floor away from the table on which to burn the Wordsmith and Kimbley effigies, which are handily placed near the food on the table.

...also if you go in the kitchen without shoes on just. Watch the northern corner. There's no kidneys, but there's a lot of broken plates there for some reason...]

Comments

dojo

[plegia]

[Well, Gangrel actually planned on leaving Lusamine alone because the last thing either of them want is to go back to their usual thing. Probably. He's pretty sure that won't help. But he came into the dojo to do his usual training routine (because it's better than trying to sleep) and uh...]

...Well, I didn't expect to find you here.

[The greeting is careful, guarded. Like he's not really sure what to say.]

[elepe]

[...it takes a couple seconds to respond--it seems like she was lost in her own head, but she looks at Gangrel after a moment and shrugs.]

I know people well enough by now. Someone's going to bother me. I didn't want to be in a place they expected. I figured they would leave me alone, then.

[...today fucking sucks, Gangrel. But she's waving her hand.]

...Do you mind my being here?

[plegia]

Smart move. Most people probably won't come here looking for you, and I doubt many would come here at all right now.

[Training and working yourself to exhaustion isn't exactly ideal, but it certainly works to tire you out.]

...I don't mind. You've been surprisingly tolerable lately.

[It lacks any kind of bite though and he shrugs, moving to set the sword aside and start laying out some mats.]

[elepe]

...I hope that's the case. I want to be as far from most as possible.

[She's trying to follow Gold's last request. It's...gonna be hard. She knows that much, and being around too many people is just gonna make her angry again.

...Still, she pauses a little bit after Gangrel says his piece, waiting a few moments while he sets up. She's...not really sure how to respond. She's not in the mood to get into a contest here, or quip, or...anything.]

I haven't really felt like doing much. [What he gets instead is a surprising amount of honesty.] But...same to you. I hope you don't mind if I watch again?

[plegia]

[He pauses after he's got the mats arranged in a way that suits him and for a brief moment he just stares at Lusamine. He knows this was particularly rough on her because it was Gold and Silver, but...

...

Well, anyway, he moves to stretch first.]

I don't mind, no. But... I suppose I understand. Arguing with you isn't really going to accomplish anything and frankly, I don't really feel like it either.

[It's not often he actually acknowledges that, but maybe it's best to actually talk about it.]

[elepe]

[She doesn't see the oddity of it, at least, and shrugs.]

The most it would accomplish is forgetting we can die tomorrow if we aren't careful. Mr. Kimbley certainly proved that much.

[Despite that, it sounds like she can't force up the proper motivation to act derisive toward all of this. Guzma did what she would've done, if the world were more fair. But...]

...I got used to it. Just as I got used to the people here.

[plegia]

...And getting used to them is the biggest mistake you can make in this place, because one day they might get killed. Or they might decide to kill.

[That's it, actually. That's exactly the problem he's been having and it explains why last trial (and this trial, but he doesn't want to think about this trial) he was so relieved when Lusamine wasn't killed. It's because he's used to her presence and not having her around to pick on or bother would just be weird.

Funny, he's never minded change before now.]

It's dreadful, isn't it?

[elepe]

...Ha. You're surprisingly knowledgeable on these matters.

[It gets a bit of hollow laughter from Lusamine, but she doesn't comment further.] You're right, though. Getting close to these people, befriending them...it's all the biggest mistake one could make here.

[Lusamine sighs, gaze going elsewhere.] And look where we are now. Hook, line, and sinker, we fell for it.

[plegia]

[That gets a short, sharp laugh from him. But it isn't angry or the usual crazy laughter; it's just genuinely amusing.]

Yes, we did. It's not the first time it's happened to me! I'm the King of Plegia - I haven't been able to trust anyone for years! I've nearly been poisoned or stabbed in my sleep more times than I can count!

...But I made a mistake, once. I trusted someone I shouldn't have. I wish I could say I'm surprised that it happened again here, but...

[It occurs to him then that he's said too much and Gangrel shakes his head and goes to pick up his sword.]

Never mind. We really did fall for this stupid, ridiculous game.

[elepe]

[...that's certainly a lot more than she expected to hear, to say the least. But her look goes back to him when he's rambling. She's not surprised, all things considering, but...

Huh.]

...Which one of them was it?

[It's a little bit of a vague question, but...huh. That was unexpected. But she wouldn't be surprised if it was either of them. Gold was a good child with an attitude, but he and Kimbley...they were likely friends, of sorts.]

[plegia]

[He's quiet for a moment; it's not because the question requires a lot of thought, but because he's not sure which one he's most upset about.

(That requires admitting that he's upset. He's not. He really isn't.)]

...All of them. Kimbley, Silver, and Gold.

[He really doesn't like that answer.]

[elepe]

[...she wants to argue that Gold and Silver simply tried to save them, in their own...idiotic ways. But after today, even as she tries to justify it in her head, her head is looping around to the fact that they knew what they were doing. They were willing. Her mental imagery of both is...shatter, pretty badly, at this point.

It gets some laughter out of her, and it's oddly forced. Kind of like realizing a lot of things, all at once.]

...I think I understand. Loathe as I am to say it.

[They were her children, she'd claimed them for this duration, and...wow. It hurts all over again.]

[plegia]

It's terrible. I never care about anyone, so this...

[mnnnnngh.]

It's far too much. How do the rest of you stand this every week?

[You people with actually functioning feelings, he means.]

[elepe]

...you're asking the wrong person.

[She's still not over Kyrie. She's still not over the perfect research opportunity in Alani. She's definitely not over Kira wanting to target her.]

It's simply something you get used to. That every week, you stand a good chance of watching someone you enjoy being around dying an unpleasant death. The most you can do is stuff it down and set your expectations low. At that point? You either keep going, or you lay down on the ground and wait for death to come.

[Her gaze had darted away when she said that, but she looks back to Gangrel once she's finished.]

...Knowing you aren't alone helps too, as long as they don't turn around and murder someone.

[plegia]

...Tch.

[It's frustrating, really. He can't imagine dealing with this all the time. Having feelings is difficult enough to begin with, but in a place like this...]

I'm not the sort to lie down and die, not until I've gotten what I've wanted.

[. . .]

You'd better not ever get to that point either.

[That's the sort of thing he should finish with a threat ("or I'll kill you") and he knows it, but for some reason he can't force the words out this time.]

[elepe]

...Only if you tell me you won't do the same. Or that if you do, you'll...

[...there's no point to it. There really isn't, in asking this. Lusamine shakes her head, quickly.]

Forget it. But for whatever it's worth, that's good to hear.

[plegia]

[He's tempted to press, but ultimately he decides against it. It's been a hell of a day and they've already admitted more to each other than they normally would have. He'll let it slide.]

It's worth something, anyway. Eventually... Eventually this will end. Somehow. It has to.

[elepe]

It will. Be it a mountain of corpses or the rest of us alive, it's going to end.

[...There's a bit of frustration in her face, though, and--]

...However, if you're going to ask that of me...tell me you won't do the same thing. I want to hear it.

[plegia]

Heh, it's only fair, I suppose. I won't. I'm alive out of spite and until my revenge against Ylisse is complete, I won't let myself die.

[elepe]

...Good.

[That could probably translate more as a 'thank you' than what she just said, judging by her tone.]

Then I won't die, either. Out of spite for this dreadful place, and so I can see my research through.

[plegia]

What are you researching anyway?

[It's a distraction and normally he does distractions by talking about himself, but this sounds good enough.]

[elepe]

My primary research at this time is on unusual creatures that have only been spoken of in legend. Our primary goal is to find them, and see if we can create a place that is inhabitable for them, and observe their behaviors.

[It's not a bad distraction, at the very least.]

[plegia]

...Heh. Sounds exactly like the sort of thing you'd be interested in. Have you had any success so far?

[elepe]

My last dream was about coming into contact with one of those beings. They appeared in the sanctuary...

[...this is a much better subject to focus on, she seems genuinely happy when she thinks about it.]

While they disappeared after a few moments, it's the first time we've managed to achieve such a thing. Years of research are finally paying off.

[plegia]

Congratulations, then. Perhaps you'll remember even more about it!

[Lusamine certainly seems pleased even if that sort of thing sounds like a terrible idea. Don't summon things from other dimensions or whatever, they might end up being dragon gods of annihilation or something!!]