I'll wait, so show me why you're strong

[isafraid]

[And so the day's trial for the attempted murder of Gabriel Knight draw to a close with... charitably better results then usual.

They were alive, at the least, but that didn't mean there wasn't several blows against the trust that had been built up here. One mole that attempted murder, another that quit, and another that was given the offer no doubt put strain on several relationships... most notably Sigrun's.

It was all, in a word... frankly shitty. But now it's all out there, no sense in trying to get it back.

An hour (or two) after the "trial" ends and everyone's gone off on their own business, Speedwagon heads back to the kitchen. It was the usual plan in mind, what they did after every trial. And everyone, regardless of what was said or done, would soon find a note being slipped under their door.]

[Name],
There's gonna be food in the dining hall, in case anyone's got an appetite for it.
I know some might want to be alone after that mess of an investigation, but if you don't then the offer's as open as it's always been.
I'd say sticking together might still be safer then not.

-R E.O. Speedwagon

[And yes, folks that arrive in the dining hall will find a nice spread of sandwiches, soup, and what leftovers Speedwagon could scrounge out of the fridge. Speedwagon isn't the best cook in the group, but there's definitely stuff here that's good enough to eat.

...Sigrun's 'masterpiece' was, thankfully, left out of this. Keeping folks alive is the goal, after all.]

Comments

[goodforsomething]

[Another time he would have been happy to accept that, but he's feeling a little shitty about everything right now. It still doesn't occur to him that Cherry doesn't actually know - he would probably say that anyway.]

Eh, I did what I could. You would've been better off with Ford.

[cherryblooded]

Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm glad we had you.

[goodforsomething]

Huh. I guess that makes sense. If someone's too proud or too pissed to even bother asking for things, there's no way they'd ever bite.

[goodforsomething]

...thanks.

[isafraid]

hmm. [Yeah, by the way he nodded at that, it was probably what he was thinking exactly.]

If there's not, then we've lost an important trick up our sleeve. Granted, whose to say unless we try it again in the future? Might just have to next week.

[goodforsomething]

[Stan watches him a moment longer, then gives a short nod and turns to go. He's not helping this; he's liable to make it worse the more he stands around and pokes at it.]

I'm sorry, for my part in all that. Realized I never really said it. [He'd explained himself, but he'd never actually just apologized.]

[amygdalae]

[...Bruce sighs loudly at that, bringing the bottle back down again. It's... he doesn't know what to feel right now, honestly. Its the kind of mess that comes because he's feeling far too much and he's never had that good of a handle of his emotions. Anger, rage, pain--those he knows because he's lived with it for so long. But this... its something else. It's pain and anger and rage, but in another form. One that breaks him from the inside every single time.]

It's not like I didn't expect this to happen. [The worry was always there, at the back of his mind, but he couldn't be sure at all until Mettaton happened. And then after that he had been more certain, though Aiden was a bust so he had thought that perhaps...

How very wrong he was.]

I prepared myself for that eventuality a long time ago. [Because betrayal is always a thing for him so it just makes sense to be ready for it, to know that its there so that the pain will sting less. And he was prepared... he just was never prepared for what Sigrun did. Funny how that works.]

[isafraid]

... [Speedwagon listens for a long, long moment as Mouri rants from behind his door. He waits for him to finally finish, then he starts to find his own words.]

Well... I'd say it's basic human nature, if we're getting right down to that. I can't say that I fully understand why some of them would go working for a bloke like that, but I can't exactly argue about it now can I? Not like we can punish them anymore then simply keeping an eye on them and taking away Black's phone.

[He can't begin to talk about how betrayed he may feel with these people... but he's a fair bit more sympathetic then that.]

I'll say this: it's not a disaster until we're all lying dead. Until then, we can do something about this.

[sleepingkogoro]

It has been two months and we haven't found anything meaningful about how to escape, where we are or who trapped us here. We have the Kingmaker ready to kill us one of these days!

How are we expected to find anything in just a few days when we haven't found it in two months?!

[isafraid]

...Don't know.

[Plain and simple, really.]

Frankly all that matters is if we try.... giving half a damn about getting out is already a step in the right direction. And we've got information from Black to help us.

[goodforsomething]

Smart. I always figured he had more than me, but I thought after Mettaton, it was over. Should've known better.

[Well. No sense kickin' himself about that now. It's funny, but Stan is more stung by Black's attempt on Gabriel's life than by his long betrayal of everyone. Like he said, he could've gone that way too. He gets it.]

[notjustawriter]

[Gabriel gives a sad nod.]

It must have been so easy for him, to find out exactly what would drive people to do exactly what he wanted us to do.

[notjustawriter]

[He nods.]

It's for the best, innit? I'm sure all of us are sick of all the death around here.

[notjustawriter]

[Gabriel nods.]

Sorta; it helps keep swelling down, and cuts back on the pain.

[notjustawriter]

[He manages a smile. Gabriel is still out of it, still not sure what the hell to do with himself, but he's decided he can't be angry at anyone right now. They need to work together to get out of here.]

Thank you, Colress.

I just hope nothin' else happens, you know? We have enough problems right now.

[goodforsomething]

Most people are way easier to play than they think. And when you've got this much power over 'em already - that's nothin'. He probably had us all pegged before we ever woke up.

[sleepingkogoro]

[That plain and simple answer actually helps to calm Mouri down, somehow. That is good. There's silence for a moment]

...yes. You are right. I know that is true, and that the people left here isn't the type to give up. I'd say I'm the least determined person around [Leaving Black aside], so...maybe things won't be as bad as I think they'll be?

[It's a very obvious request for reassurance. It has been a long while since anything like that was asked]

[cherryblooded]

At this point, there's no reason not to - secrecy is out.

important notes: that icon is really cute

[cherryblooded]

Think nothing of it.

[It's just his opinion, after all.]

it's ungodly cute I want to die when I see it

[goodforsomething]

You got it.

And hey - Ford said somethin' about ghosts gettin' stronger the longer they're around too. If we make it long enough, they might be able to turn things upside-down around here.

[pokexplorer]

I...I see.

[He's a little surprised to hear it, actually. He knows that in the grand scheme of things, he didn't commit an enormous crime this time. But in the heat of the moment, he was concerned that his reveal would have been the icing on the Terrible Cake.

He sits in silence with Bruce for a moment as it sinks in.]

Do you recall the time that you spoke with me when I was in a particularly bad place? You wanted to talk to me, and extended a helping hand though you said you were not sure what the best way to help might be.

...Might I extend the same hand? I understand if you would rather be left alone, but...I do feel concerned about you.

[May as well just say it. He knows that Bruce probably isn't okay right now, and that's understandable. But he wants to show he cares about that.]

[amygdalae]

[Bruce is more affected by the attempt on Gabriel too, honestly. Which is a bit terrible in and of itself... or perhaps for the better, since Bruce has never been that close to Black. If anything its Yosuke who's suffering the most right now.

(Why did they all even risk their emotions like this? Bruce wishes he could do the same, in a way. But he can't.)]

...I wasn't sure until him, actually. [Until that point he had nothing to prove himself and his (presumably now justified) paranoia.] But after him, I knew there was more. I just couldn't think who else would be able to do it.

[After all its not as if... Bruce allowed himself to try and get close to anybody. For this reason, and for many others. And then he was trying with Sigrun, and looked where that got him.]

[amygdalae]

[It was sort of a terrible thing to top off what had happened, but at the point in time Bruce had already effectively more or less shut down. And again it wasn't as if Colress was in any wrong - whatever he had been considering beforehand, what mattered was that he didn't take up the offer. That's good enough for Bruce.

He starts to try and take another drink, but pauses when Colress speaks to him and kind of... pauses for a bit. It's not a very long pause by all account, but its one that is perhaps kind of speaks a lot on Bruce's on end.]

...I'll be alright. [He says, after the pause is over, and Bruce takes the drink that he had been going to do so before Colress made him pause.] I just need some time.

[Some time to stuff this all the way down and possibly never dwell on it until the time when they do get out of this place alive. If he is still alive at the end of it. Who knows at this point.]

[notjustawriter]

That sounds likely, don't it? He'd have to be good at it, to be as successful as he has been week after week.

[isafraid]

[Ouch. He offers him a sympathetic - if a little pained - look.]

Don't suppose that you'd be liable to spare one or two, eh? Wouldn't want to deprive you of them.