Take Initiative.

[trustharder]

It seems things have been resolved - peacefully, if more than a little awkwardly for most parties involved. However, there's still work to do here, isn't there? Ryuunosuke shrugs after a long moment; tips his head up a bit. "Hey, Glory? Let everyone up." And apparently that's all it takes, though what that actually does isn't something that happens all at once - rather, panels slide out from the wall, forming a staircase up to that balcony they've been standing on. Mettaton doesn't really wait for the others to join them; he just leaves back through that section of wall they entered from, calling something back over his shoulder. "We've got another room to work from back here, darlings, this shouldn't take too long to work out." >Follow?

Comments

[cherryblooded]

[He'd been 99% sure they'd get out. That Mettaton wasn't lying to him, that this was the way to bring everyone back.

And for once? His faith was rewarded. Optimism and trust weren't dashed to pieces.

Once he manages to get to his feet, he takes a look around the room, and starts to laugh. It's not the kind of laugh he gave when finding a reminder of his destroyed home, a broken laugh - no, this one is sheer joy.]

We're alive. We're alive!

[sleepingkogoro]

We are.

[Mouri is happy but although he is not afraid of doing noisy celebrations he feels more solemn than anything else]

Hard to believe we managed to get to the end, eh?

[cherryblooded]

I'd like to say I always knew, but that would be a lie.

I could hug you right now, detective.

[...but he probably shouldn't.]

[sleepingkogoro]

Please don't. I must be gross right now.

[Hah! But yeah, now that Cherryblod may as well be leaving for who knows how long - like hell Mouri is going to go into the apocalypse infected world of Sigrun - may as well say it now]

I wanted to wish you good luck, and, hm...apologize if I treated you weird after you confessed your past. I have been thinking about it, and I think it doesn't mean it have to mean we're not friends.

[Yeah, Cherryblod didn't really atone for his sins, and Mouri had the impression by now the world under the sea wouldn't be prime condition for that, but...eeeeh...well it wouldn't be the first time Mouri is willing to offer friendship to someone with a past of murder.

Cherryblod at least was willing to change and won't go kill someone ten hours later, like it has happened to Mouri the last one or two times he tried to be more than cordial towards someone with a criminal past. Oh well]

[cherryblooded]

[...He's genuinely touched, and it shows.]

Would be honored to have your friendship. And thank you.

[He might need that luck, but he hopes he won't have to.]

[captainobnoxious]

[Please come hug your leader. You're like, one of two people she will attempt to stand for, and she's gonna to throw herself at you.]

You're alive! I'm alive! We're all alive! We have to take care of two goddamn morons, Cherry!

[cherryblooded]

[This is the most joyous hug he has ever given.]

We're going to be be babysitting for a few decades, it'll be terrible and I'm so happy right now.

[captainobnoxious]

[Good.]

I couldn't be happier.

[...]

Well, I could be, but that's not important right now! That'll, uh. That'll come with time. I'm just so happy to actually hug you again.

[As real as the VR hugs felt, this -- this is real.]

[cherryblooded]

Are my hugs better in real life than in a computer?

[captainobnoxious]

Absolutely. What about mine?

[cherryblooded]

Of course.

[A squeeze, then he lets go.]

We'll have plenty of opportunities in the future for that.

[captainobnoxious]

[Hee. Yes, yes they will.]

Can't hug you in front of my team though. They'll be weirded out enough by... the everything I'm bringing home with me, you know, I don't want them to feel too put off in thinking I'm a different woman now.

[Even if she is. She knows she's changed, parts of her have. The core of her is still strong though.]

[isafraid]

We definitely are! If we're feeling this tired after being in those glass cans then it must be real.

[Welcome to the land of the truly living, cherryblod. Have a laughing Speedwagon.]

After all that... we did it!

[cherryblooded]

We all made it! Speedwagon, we all won!

[He's tired, but he's not too tired to try and hug Speedwagon.]

[isafraid]

[Let it happen! He welcomes death with open-wait no, it's a hug? Awesome! He heartily accepts it!]

You're damn right we did! Ah it feels like it's been ages since I've felt like this!

[happy? joyful?

alive would be a good word.]

[cherryblooded]

[Alive's a good word, most certainly.]

I feel like a young man again.

[isafraid]

Makes you want to just dance, doesn't it?

[cherryblooded]

There's no music, but I don't mind if you don't.

[psychoh]

[you know how dogs will sometimes bark like crazy and act all tough when they're behind a fence, but when they're actually within range of another being they shut right the fuck up.

right now, he's sorta caught in a loop: he'll decide that he really does want to go speak to Cherry, and then he'll decide no, that's a terrible idea-- repeating the process over and over. for all the exciting inner tension going on, he's mostly just standing maybe five feet from him and staring at the floor. very fun.]

[cherryblooded]

...Something to say, Norman?

[He heard from Caren that he's not Norman's favorite person right now, which works out fine for him. No big loss there.]

[psychoh]

[ah shit] J-Just, uh... Thinking. That's all.

[cherryblooded]

[...well then.]

Caren told me you were unhappy with my decision.

[That's probably putting things lightly.]

[psychoh]

[WOW FUCKING THANKS CAREN]

It's, uh, more concern than anything else, really. It's j-just, um, it's a little familiar to me. Too familiar. It worried me, a little bit.

[cherryblooded]

[...wow are you seriously comparing Cherryblod to you, Norman. He is legitimately offended here.]

Not killing people you don't want to lose is familiar?

[That seems like the opposite of what he does?]

[psychoh]

Ignoring the harm they do, always forgiving it... Protecting them, because you love them, and you think that's enough.

[a long pause]

I hope it is. For you.