and it takes, and it takes, and it takes

[acherontiastyx]

[It... definitely takes a while for the weekly after-execution note to arrive, but it does --- kind of scrawly and on ripped paper rather than nice stationery.]

EY. YO. WE GOT EFFIGIES IN THE DINING ROOM AND WE'RE GONNA BURN EM.

FOOD TOO. THE USUAL AND HOT COCOA. GOOD FOR THE SOUL. GET SOME. MAYBE TAKE IT BACK TO YOUR ROOM IF YOU HAVE TO. JUST GET SOME.

[Anyway, in the dining room, there's plenty of mugs set out, with a janky looking arrow sign pointing into the kitchen to where you can get your hot cocoa. On the table, there's Vichyssoise, a pot of green tea, and some booze. There's also a cookie tray on the floor away from the table on which to burn the Wordsmith and Kimbley effigies, which are handily placed near the food on the table.

...also if you go in the kitchen without shoes on just. Watch the northern corner. There's no kidneys, but there's a lot of broken plates there for some reason...]

Comments

[matchbreaker]

[ God, what a day.

Elda's own actions are sort of a perverse mirror of Hanyuu's. The vampire's sentimentality is far, far lesser, but she ends her night, what she can handle of it, finding the other woman and accosting her by way of putting a hand on her shoulder. ]

Hanyuu.

[oyashiromama]

[She's been crying on and off all night, so she looks positively awful. Still, at least Elda doesn't startle her this time.]

A-aah... Elda, I- I'm sorry, I've been looking for you too.

[She's trying to do so much.]

1/2

[matchbreaker]

Don't apologize to me-

[ That's too harsh. She frowns, and then falters - her voice softens ]

[matchbreaker]

... Let me stay with you tonight, Hanyuu.

[ She's just going to cut to the chase. Whatever Hanyuu wanted to talk to her about can wait ]

[oyashiromama]

[...Oh. Hanyuu doesn't even take a moment to consider.]

Alright. Of course. ...My bed won't be very comfy for someone...used to a coffin, though.

[matchbreaker]

My coffin isn't big enough to fit two people. [ She... actually laughs at that, a little weakly. A little sheepishly. ]

But it's okay, we'll share your bed.

[oyashiromama]

My mattress certainly is big enough. ...And I don't really want to be alone tonight either.

[matchbreaker]

...Then it's settled! I'll bring my pillow, brush, and maybe some of the stuff I've gotten from the vending machine.

[ It's... not really a night to play games, but. ]

[oyashiromama]

I think I'll be getting to bed early tonight. [It's not dismissive or mean, just quietly gentle.] If...that's okay.

[From finding Kimbley to...everything that happened at the trial...]

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda almost always has some sort of pep in how she handles things. She's, well, Indomitable. And emotional battering ram that plows through pleasantry and into situations she has no right to be involved in. Honestly, this is no exception, but while she had said that directly, had answered matter of factly, she ...

When she smiles for Hanyuu, she's so, so tired ]

It's not like I was going to keep you up all night, girl.

[ Was that... suggestive? Who knows. ] I'll sleep with you.

[oyashiromama]

[The closest she can get to a smile... It's very smile, and only for a second. It's more like the corners of her lips just quirk up, for a moment.]

I'm honored. [After the misunderstanding from a week ago...she's too tired to be embarrassed by such a thing again.]

...And...I'm sorry, for shouting at you.

[matchbreaker]

[ Sorry for-- ... Oh. Oh, she actually laughs at that, just a sort of little chuckle of sorts. ]

If you needed to apologize for that, I'd need to give you a few dozen. Unless you want to collect.

[ She shakes her head, as if that's ridiculous it's not, tbh, but. ]

I'll get my pillow at least and we'll meet in your room in thirty, tops?

[oyashiromama]

[A gentle nod. She's...spoken with everyone she's intended to. Or at least...she can't manage anymore.]

Of course.

[Hanyuu's room, will be open a crack when Elda gets there. To describe it compared to last time, it's...neat? Papers from Alani on her desk, a Heian fan set up nice, but besides that, pretty sparse. Just an old beat-up deck of cards set out, aside from the notes. Seems everything else is stored in the trunk.]

[matchbreaker]

[ Is that the same fan that Elda had carelessly given Hanyuu or another one...

Either way, she'll be there in less than thirty. It's ... well, she talked with Silver unexpectedly before coming here and that's a strange feeling, but she comes in with a polite knock before just coming in. ]

I wish we had better nighties.

[ She can't help but complain a little, even as she comes in. Still, she nods towards the bed. ]

[oyashiromama]

[SAME ONE

HA- ha. Ha. Hanyuu's actually in one that she made herself, sleep cap and all. ...Elda probably thinks it's lame doesn't she-]

I could try my hand at...making something, one of these days. I know enough basics about sewing. [She sits on the bed, leaning against the wall.]

[matchbreaker]

[ OH. THAT'S TOUCHING.

... ... No, that's legit and she's actually jealous. She's- ] Oh I would love that. I'll do anything you need me to in repayment too. I'm dying under only having two outfits and no nightgown.

[ She...

Makes to sit next to her. Elda is wearing her Lavender dress which is not great sleep wear but she doesn't have a lot of options ]

[oyashiromama]

Then...I will have it to you, shortly. ...Aah, maybe tomorrow. Tailoring is nice to...take your mind off things.

[Kimbley. Her memories. Gold. ...the memories that are soon to come.

She doesn't know how much more of that she can take.]

[matchbreaker]

I've never had it as a hobby, least of all with those new-fangled machines they have down there...

[ Haaha... She actually leans that off, but as she does that...

Well, she leans against Hanyuu. ]

[oyashiromama]

You should find one. It passes the time.

[...]

A week ago... No, two weeks ago. Sunday before last. I remembered Rika died.

[She...should really tell Elda. What's going on.]

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . Oh.

...She's talking to her now, huh? Elda remains where she is, leaning against Hanyuu, but also sort of nudges her to see if she wants the both of them to lay down while thy do this. Or if she wants to keep sat up ]

[oyashiromama]

[Laying down...that'd be nice. She does so.]

I saved her. I...I thought I turned back time, but I didn't. I moved us to another world, an alternate fragment, nearly identical and years before. I thought...I'd saved her.

[...]

This last Sunday, I remembered it happened again. Three more times.

[matchbreaker]

[ Oh, Hanyuu. Elda doesn't bog down this with needless questions. To begin with, she's pretty sure she can understand it between Hanyuu's original story and Elda's talks with Phi about her backstory. However,Elda also doesn't srt of tut or coo or anything. Rather...

She lays down to, snuggling herself in with Hanyuu as the other woman speaks ]

[oyashiromama]

[It's nice, still...so very nice, to have physical contact when she's upset.]

After the first time...it started getting worse. One of her friends... [...] It's my people's fault. The remains of the demon blood, the last...ghosts of my people, they've become like a parasite. The more stress they're under, the more likely that...they start hallucinating. And giving into paranoia.

[She trembles.]

Perfectly normal, sweet kids...driven to murder and rage. It just means before whoever kills Rika, which we don't know, because they always drug her beforehand, just has a better environment of chaos to hurt her in. Each time, we've tried, but...we haven't been able to stop it. [...] I haven't been able to do anything. Just...float around and try to find where everything's going wrong this time.

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . That's awful. That's so amazingly, unspeakably awful, and in this moment Elda entirely forgets that Hanyuu is talking about a human population, holds back her kneejerk reaction to say good riddance to them because they had hurt her first. No, instead, her heart rate just picks up tremendously. It thuds in her chest and it hurts. Elda's tragedy is great, there's no denying that.

... This is twisted.

Twisted to have something like that come up in front of a beautiful, kind woman like this at the end of her life-

Elda keeps holding Hanyuu, listening intently to everything. But not sure of what else to do, tries to bury the other woman's face in her own chest. And stroke her hair, gently. ... she considers - no, not the horns, not now. ]

THERE IS TALK OF GORE IN HERE

[oyashiromama]

[She continues, letting Elda hold her.]

We go jump back years to try and save people who die in the time leading up to the tragedy, at the end of June, Showa 58. So far, the same events have happened without fail, despite our attempts. The village calls it... The Series of Mysterious Deaths. They believe it's a curse...laid upon them by me. Oyashiro-sama's curse. One will die, one will disappear.

In June, Showa 54, the overseer of a project to build a dam through Hinamizawa is brutally murdered and cut to pieces. One of the assailants disappears with the man's right arm.

In June, Showa 55, the parents of Rika's best friend Satoko die in...a horrible accident, leaving her and her older brother with their abusive aunt and uncle. The wife's body never turns up.

In June, Showa 56, Rika's father dies suddenly of an unknown illness. Her mother leaves a suicide note saying she's drowning herself in the swamp, and her body is never recovered.

In June, Showa 57, Satoko's brother Satoshi succumbs to the illness induced by the parasite, beats their abusive aunt to death with a baseball bat and then disappears.

And finally, in June, Showa 58, the town nurse and her photographer boyfriend die. He's found having clawed his own throat out on the side of the road. A corpse with dental records matching hers is discovered later, burned beyond recognition and dumped in a mountain oil drum. It all happens on the night of the Watanagashi Festival, one done in honor of me. That night, or a few days later, Rika is killed.

[She recites all of this. It's been only four times, but...she remembers. She remembers everything.]