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

[ravagers]

[ Generally, people need time to cope and gather themselves after a... thing... like that. Unfortunately, that's not how Vanille sees it. Her thing is avoid, and once she gets out of that hellhole that's the courtroom, she makes her way to the supplies closet, then to the library. She spends some time setting up things, pushing things aside to make room. Once she's finished, and she's met up with the Party Brigade, she makes enough invitations for everyone. She slips them under everyone's doors, or hands them out if she sees someone walking around.



Inside the library, there are candles set up to provide some soft, comforting lighting. There are pots of tea, courtesy of Mercy, pancakes made by Viktor, and books (picked out by Estelle, of course) laid out on the surrounding tables. The others have provided their own touches, and Vanille's even managed to make something: sugar cookies, which are actually very good. They're flavored lightly with all sorts of flavors--not all in the same cookie, okay--and each plate is marked with whatever flavor she's put in them.

After a successful trial, it's healthy to indulge, right? Let's mingle. ]

Comments

[oyashiromama]

[Hanyuu helps with the gathering. It's only right to. However, she doesn't...show up right away. No, she spends a good twenty minutes in her room, crying and washing up. Sometimes, when horrible things happen, that's all you can do. In her experience, it's usually, all she can do.

However, she eventually does leave her room and attend, as she did help set it up (having made some cream puffs, as Gold showed her how to make), and she does not at all want to be alone right now. She sits and she drinks tea and eats sweets, because she really needs it, and is mostly quiet, reflecting.

...at one point, though, she stands and goes to a section of the library. She'll bring back many books, all of them fairy tales. She sits, and she reads them. In particular, she starts with one called Pale Ivory and the Multiple Gnomes.

That is what she'll be doing, for the rest of the time.]

[firstaid]

Did you end up finding some good books?

[Her voice is forced, but she wants to try. Yet she doesn't want to forget what happened. It's a conflict she's feeling. One where she wants to flee into her usual escapism, yet she knows it would be wrong to just pretend this all didn't happen.]

[oyashiromama]

Yes, I... [Hanyuu looks up, and gosh the poor girl... She looks so small.] ...Adelina helped me find the fairy tales, earlier this week...so I thought it would be best to read some, in her memory.

[Beautiful stories where the princess always survives and lives happily ever after... Yes, those sound lovely right about now.]

[firstaid]

What kind of fairy tales did she tell you about.

[Estelle wants to hear. For Adelina and because she has a soft spot for such tales.]

[oyashiromama]

[Hanyuu pushes Pale Ivory and the Multiple Gnomes over to Estelle.]

This is the one we read together. It's a sweet story about a princess finding refuge from her evil-stepmother and finding her happy ending. The others I've found seem similar in tone.

[firstaid]

That sounds so wonderful.

[She takes the book and opens the cover.]

I'll have to read it at some point, especially if it has such an uplifting ending.

[But since the book is right there in front of her, well, it's going to distract her already as she starts to read.]

[oyashiromama]

Yes, I'm going to look through others, but... [How absolutely charming, she's already getting sucked in.] You...really are a fan of books, Estellise.

[firstaid]

[She doesn't even realize she had fallen into her usual trance when she reads a book until Hanyuu speaks to her about being a fan of books.]

O-oh, I'm terribly sorry. Now really isn't the time for this, is it? I mean, I picked books out so we could read but I had initiated a conversation with you and it was terribly rude of me to suddenly disengage.

[Her words almost seem anxiety written, as if she truly was wearing her emotions on her sleeves.]

[oyashiromama]

[What? Oh, no, she shakes her head and reaches out to touch Estelle's hand.]

It's no trouble, none at all. We're in a library, are we not? It is your natural inclination to read in them, so I don't mind.

[deofoled]

[ Well he's certainly not here for the actual party (he came here to look for someone), but he does spot her alone at some point. As soon as he sees her he's reminded of how she acted during the trial, and he had said to her days ago.]

Hanyuu.

These humans aren't yours, you know.

[oyashiromama]

[...Ah.]

Is this because of what I said to Kyrie? Or what I said to Elda?

[It is her duty to take on others' burdens. It is her job, her reason for being.]

[deofoled]

Kyrie.

She knew exactly what she did and the consequences of it.

[oyashiromama]

My humans or not, I couldn't... I couldn't simply watch and say nothing. Not when I knew it was wrong.

[deofoled]

[...]

I didn't know they would be so eager to kill each other.

[oyashiromama]

...I hoped they wouldn't, but... I knew it was... That it wouldn't stay peaceful for long.

[deofoled]

I don't think it will change.

[oyashiromama]

Nor do I.

Humans...still, they scare me.

[matchbreaker]

[ . . .

Okay, you know what, if she's going to be off reading in a corner and Elda herself was leaving the library - ]

Hey, Hanyuu. Get up off your tush and come with me.

[ #sosensitive ]

[oyashiromama]

[Oh, nice to see you too, Elda--]

Aa-aah? Good to see you're in the same spirits as always- why? Where are we going?

[matchbreaker]

[ She's not.

But at the same time, motioning for her to get up and follow ]

Back to my room, and 'cus I asked. You answer requests, right?

[oyashiromama]

...I do.

[Well, she has...an idea of what this is about, but- she closes the book she's reading and stands to follow.]

[matchbreaker]

I thought so.

[ So she'll just March Ahead towards her room!! It's at the end of the hall nearest to the entrance to the Foyer. So it's a bit far, but comparatively the closest room.

So not long.

Wanna say anything before they get there ]

[oyashiromama]

[...Uh. Well.]

...can...I know the kind of request you're going to ask me...?

[matchbreaker]

Not until we're there, anyway.

[ YEP ]

[oyashiromama]

[WELL AWESOME]

I assumed as much.