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

[stepout]

[ She's not particularly against parties, which is why she does eventually go to the library—she's just not someone who goes out of her way to talk to people. She'll be spending most of her time there holding up walls or sitting between bookshelves, skimming through books; there's some cookies and tea with her, set on a shelf she sort of cleared out for the express purpose of that, so she's not completely without something here.

She's not turning away company, if anyone's inclined to give her some—she's just the type of person to work through things on her own. She doesn't seem any worse for wear either, despite how unsettling the end of that all was; it might change if it's brought up, but...

Well. She's not as bad off as other people here, that's all. ]

[iaspis]

[It takes Jasper a long while to approach Chiyuki. She has a book in her hand, but it doesn't look like she's actually read through it.]

...Hello Chiyuki.

[stepout]

[ It's not like she's really doing much reading either, despite the fact she's got one in her lap; she's closing it anyway, company's... a little more important than whatever's in here. ]

Hi there. [ ... ] What's up?

[ ...aside from the obvious, really. ]

[iaspis]

[...aside from the obvious indeed. She falters for a moment before she looks like she knows what she wants to say.]

I believe it's important that we all stick together. I'm not going to say this won't happen again, but...

I believe it's important that we move forward. We still need to find a way out of here.

[stepout]

[ ...ah. ]

Yeah. I'm hoping that... whatever that was [ and she squints a little, that thing was freaky ] dissuades anyone from trying again.

[ Even if she doesn't sound like she believes that 100% herself, honestly. ]

The rules do encourage us to investigate the place. [ She'll tap her book, thinking. ] ...I think we should capitalize on that. Not right now [ everyone's too worn out ] but... in the next couple of days. More thoroughly than just plain looking around, too.

[iaspis]

...Yes.

[She falls silent.]

I suspect finding a way out won't be so easy. But it must be possible.

[stepout]

If there's a way in, there's a way out. Even if it's not usually the most obvious ones.

[ ...even in the bar it was that way, though it was also. very different. ]

[iaspis]

[She nods.]

We were brought here in the first place, after all.

[iamthatsea]

[ Hey, you know what's the best place to talk to someone properly for the first time? AN AFTERPARTY. ]

Looking for a book too, huh?

[stepout]

[ IT REALLY IS. ]

Something like that. I'm looking for something to busy my hands with. [ Flipping pages is good for that. ]

[iamthatsea]

Ah, that makes sense.

[ She picks a book up at random herself. ]

There are a lot of them here for that, at least.

[stepout]

Thankfully. [ Flip flip flip... ] There's nothing but fiction books here, is there.

[ ...She's not interested in much of anything period, but that's not really the point here. ]

...It's a little better than the bar I work at. They've only got books on booze.

[iamthatsea]

... Booze?

[ She's almost reluctant to ask SHE HATES ALL THESE THINGS SHE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT UGH. She sighs. ]

I need to prepare a speech for this, I swear... Hi, my name is Alani and I live in a monastery under the sea, could you explain what you just said because it's something we don't have.

[stepout]

[ Oh no Alani— ]

Don't worry about it. [ ...what's a good way to explain this. ] It's alcohol, spirits... Whatever you want to call it. It doesn't happen that often at the bar, but—people tend to get drunk off the stuff. You know: they drink more, think less.

[ That sounds catchy. ]

[iamthatsea]

Ohhhh. I think some of the elders talk about that sort of stuff sometimes, but we don't really... keep any on grounds.

[ Ocean religion, amirite? ]

And a bar is where they sell it, then?

[stepout]

That's right. [ Good job, good job. ] I really wouldn't expect a monastery to have any on its grounds.

[ unless it was like... for rituals or something? Maybe? she doesn't know. ]

[iamthatsea]

Yeah, we're pretty against non-natural stuff. Just... seaweed and fish. The elders are fasting half the time anyway.

[firstaid]

Do you need help finding a book?

[Estelle's voice sounds forced, but she's going to try. She's going to try and force past this. She doesn't want to forget, yet she doesn't want to remember. It's definitely a conflict.]

[stepout]

[ ...Oh.

She doesn't really, but she can hear the forced tone, and... she might as well give her something to do. ]

I'd like that. I don't read very often, so I'm not sure where to start.

[firstaid]

I think something happy will be nice. Or at least something with a happy ending.

[She looks through some of the titles and pulls one out titled 'The Ugly Robin'.]

This title doesn't look like it's uplifting, but I promise you, it's really wonderful. It really hits you how we take our values of beauty by those we grow up around and not who we really are.

[stepout]

Huh. [ She'll take it and flip through it a bit, then close it. Hmm. ] Thanks for the recommendation, I'm sure it's a great story.

[ ...beauty is only skin deep, right? That's actually kind of terrible for her— ]

...Are you doing okay?

[firstaid]

Yes, you're welcome.

[She goes to look at the other titles when she gets that question about how she's doing...

Her eyes look away from the other while her hands fidget while clasped together.]

Um, I can't say that I'm doing entirely fine, however, based on what's happened, I'm definitely not in the worst position now. I think that would apply to Adelina and Kyrie...

[Even now, she feels pity for Kyrie that she felt the need to to this instead of deeming her a bad person.]

[stepout]

You can't really compare yourself to them though. It's pretty hard to beat "dead" in worseness.

[ ...and no comment on Kyrie, she's got some things to work out there. ]

[firstaid]

I-I know. I just think in comparison, it's good we're alive, right? I'm... sure that's something they wish they could be.

[She's trying to think positive, even if it's hard right now even if she may be accidentally making this more depressing.]

[stepout]

[ ...HONEY. ]

I'm not sure they're wishing much of anything right now. [ Considering they're. Dead. ] ...And if they were wishing something—

[ ...uh. ]

Never mind. [ Kyrie probably wishes she got away with her crime and Adelina probably wishes she hadn't been caught off guard. ]