WEEK 4.

[trustwellness]

WEEK 4 Three more have died this past week. Milla Maxwell was killed for breaking a rule, Chiyuki was murdered, and you all had a hand in executing Yoshikage Kira. It seems like this isn't going to stop any time soon. How many more will join them this week? Saturday is given to regrouping and rest; on Sunday morning the clock chimes as it always has, but at least there are no bodies to find today. It seems you're safe for now. The night before wasn't necessarily a peaceful one, however; you'll probably feel a bit groggy when you wake up, and it seems you've regained something that you didn't realize you'd lost... Despite the Wordsmith's reaction to the last trial, it seems as though you've been rewarded once again for a job that was...well, it was done, even if he didn't explicitly say it was well-done. Another door has opened in that stairway, it seems, leading you further down into the building; once again, there are more rooms down there, more things to occupy yourselves with. Or perhaps just more means to get creative with regards to how you take initiative with your fellow Apprentices. APPRENTICES REMAINING: 23 APPRENTICES REMAINING: 22 APPRENTICES REMAINING: 20

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[OOC: Welcome to week four of Trustfell! Feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend. Don't forget to save those threads for coins and the activity check!

If you'd like to get in contact with the Wordsmith, you can do so through letters or the switchboard!]

Comments

[deofoled]

Fine. Happy to have the space to move around, at least.

[ It's half a lie, half not.]

[firstaid]

[She'll approach him, getting in his face a bit.]

Are you really fine?

[Sorry, they've been here three weeks. She's past allowing people to bullshit at her and will press past it for people she's come to care about.]

[deofoled]

...why do people keep stepping in front of me?

[???]

[firstaid]

Because you're bottling everything up. If I'm not the only one doing this then others have come to be worried for you as well.

[And she can guess who, too.]

[deofoled]

Lieze did it, and she died. Seraphina did it, and I was barely able to deflect the blast.

[...clearly this is not the same thing, but this is what's on his mind that she kinda stepped into, whoops.]

[firstaid]

...and you think that as a result I'll be hurt as well?

[She gives him a serious look, attempting to make or keep eye contact with him.]

[deofoled]

Just don't, at least not right now. [ He's not trying to back away from her any, in fact he's more defiant than usual.]

[firstaid]

[Yes, she's noticing that. It's making her upset at him and it shows. Then again, she stinks at hiding her emotions most of the time.]

Then talk to me instead of giving me cryptic responses.

[deofoled]

I don't want to talk about how someone almost died for me again. I was able to save her this time, but I had to-- [ No, he's not explaining that.]

I have to get stronger so I can kill Void before he hurts anyone else.

[ It's probably too late for that and he knows it, but he needs to do something.]

[firstaid]

[She's starting to see why he's so cynical. Liezerota died and there's Seraphina who almost died, it'd be difficult to be positive. It's more reason why she's not going to back off.]

If you don't want to tell me your life story then I respect that. It's just going to do you no good if you refuse to acknowledge that what's going on is hurting you. People care for you, Killia. You have no control over that fact! I get to decide if I care for you as do others here. [There's the implication that Liezerota and Seraphina feel the same, but she won't vocalize it.]

What you're experiencing are emotions. They're something everyone has. Refusing to acknowledge them will drive you insane.

[deofoled]

...I know that. [ And he hates that people care about him, his anger holding steady for several moments. But then he just...sighs and walks away for a second to punch the punching bag, then comes right back. He needed to get that out, okay.]

I don't want any of you to get hurt. Not when I could have prevented it. I already failed Lieze and Christo, I don't want to fail anyone else.

[firstaid]

If I get hurt, it will be my own fault. I never asked you to protect me as I can protect myself.

[Her words are harsh, but she's smiling. She's trying to get a point across right now.]

[deofoled]

[ That kind of confuses him, but he can at least tell she means well by her smile.]

...I still don't want you to get hurt.

[firstaid]

I'll protect myself, Killia. You don't need to burden yourself by thinking you have to protect me, if that's what you're thinking. Back home, I know how to use a sword. Here, I'm learning how to use a gun. [Two guns... thanks Wordsmith...]

I'm going to fight because I want to. Because I want to live. And to do that, I need more than a false bravado to protect me and I'm doing that by training and adapting. I'm not going to be a burden to you. I refuse to let that happen.

[deofoled]

It's not just about that. Maybe it was with Lieze but... [ She couldn't fight at all, which was ironic considering who her father was, but that's a story for another time.]

Seraphina is a good fighter, she can duel wield pistols and hit an imp in the heart from a thousand meters away. Christo was a healer yeah, but he was also a strong magic user and he was pretty good with a bow too. I just don't want to regret not doing more...

[firstaid]

[She feels like she understands that regret, but there's two ways a person could respond. Either wallow in it, or use it to strengthen themselves. She feels like Killia is stuck right in between.]

As I've said, if I die it will be my own fault. However, I'm fighting to make sure that won't happen. I can't speak for Lieze or Christo, but I can speak for myself. The only thing you could do to stop anything would be to stay by their side all the time. Otherwise, we're on our own.

[deofoled]

Yeah... [ That wasn't enough either, in Lieze's case. Nearly Seraphina's too, but he didn't elaborate on why and he doesn't plan to. He doesn't really have anything else to say, and goes back to punching the crap out of the punching bag.]

[firstaid]

[Yeah, she can tell he's completely frustrated...

Ugh...

So what does she do? She goes up next to him and punches the bag right after he gives a punch. It's clear that her punch, well, packed a punch, too.]

[deofoled]

[ The punch surprises him, but earns her an appreciative nod after.]

There's got to be something we can do that isn't killing each other. Even if we have to make our own exit from this place. [ Maybe that was the source of it too, because he spent the past week in a funk with the loss of Christo, who usually directed him in some way. But he wasn't content at all in just waiting for the Wordsmith to finally show his face.]

[firstaid]

We must and will find a way out that's not according to the rules, yet follows them at the same time.

[She agrees, and gives the bag another punch, but this time shakes her hand after she does. Oops, she didn't quite punch it right.]

[deofoled]

Yeah, or we'd wind up like Millia.

[ He watches her more closely when she punches this time, and when she's done he reaches out to touch her hand.]

You want to punch with your knuckles, not the front of your fingers.

[firstaid]

I-I know that!

[She puffs her cheeks a bit and punches the back using a proper form this time. Of course, fist fighting isn't her forte so while she knew that, she didn't really know that.]

[deofoled]

That's much better. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself like I did when I punched the wall a few weeks ago. [ He doesn't sound judgemental, he really just wants to make sure that she won't injure herself.]

[firstaid]

[Right, she had tried to heal him back then, but without her magic, well, she can't do much there.]

So you're going to teach me how to fight, then, right? So I don't hurt myself. I know how to use a sword, but I've never trained in actual fist fighting.

[She smiles at him. It's confident and almost telling. She's not all talk.]

[deofoled]

You want me to? [ He sounds surprised but not opposed.]

I switch between my fists and my sword usually, but I know how to use most weapons besides magic tomes.