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]

I already said I was going to make it out of here!

[ she hisses that back, socking him lightly in the stomach. And with that done, she laughs, a little bit forced. ]

I'll make it out with you, or without you all. But I-

[ . . . She. In the trial, she wonders, did anyone else notice her when she yelled at Lusamine and Hanyuu? Well of course they did. But she wonders if any of them knew how hard that was for her. ] I shouldn't have burdened her more.

[foundfate]

Ow! Watch it, you!

[It didn't really hurt, but he will still fuss.]

And yeah, you really shouldn't have. She takes all of this on herself, you know.

[Elda does know, he realizes. Or else she wouldn't be admitting that she was wrong.]

[matchbreaker]

I know that! [ She snapped this, perhaps a little louder than she should have. ] At the time, I figured that if she was going to claim you, then it was just right, as long as we were friends!

[ . . . Friends.

Ah. ]

But that's not fair...

[ that part is muttered a little softer. ] It's a lot more endearing than it is arrogant.

[foundfate]

[Wait. What?]

She...claimed me? What?

[matchbreaker]

Not you specifically, you horny toad.

[ You all. ]

[foundfate]

It's not even like that-

[SIGH]

Fine, why did she claim people here then?

[matchbreaker]

[ Wait he's serious? She laughs a little, a haughty wahaha ]

What, you you blind?! Don't you hear her at every trial?!

[foundfate]

I know she did it, and she does that forgiveness thing. But that doesn't explain why she did it, even before she actually knew any of us. Spirits generally aren't like that. Their opinions on humans usually fall into the range of "I tolerate their presence but I want nothing to do with them" to "I will make every human I see suffer."

[matchbreaker]

[ Hah. Elda shakes her head, and she laughs all the more. She looks away, back to the effigies. ]

This is a mistake on her part, of course. [ She can't begin without that!! ] But for every fiber of my being that loathes humanity for the suffering I've been inflicted, I am certain that she loves it. And more specifically, more important to this situation: Hanyuu had accepted the burden of being this world's god. At least to herself.

[foundfate]

She...

[Of course she has. She loves people too much, of course she would take on their burdens.]

It's going to break her, if she stays like this.

[matchbreaker]

Of course it is.

[ Again, with that nasty tone - but more importantly, glaring at the effigies, her eyes turn predatory and cat-like again ]

[foundfate]

I've got to stop it, then.

[Stop the killings, he means.]

[matchbreaker]

[ her eyes revert, and she hits him in the stomach again - this time backhanded. Still minimal force for what she can do, but this time with enough force to probably jolt him ]

Don't take that on yourself, Independent.

[foundfate]

[It does, and it gets an 'oof' from him as he flinches and steps back. Not really painful, but enough to get his attention.]

Someone has to make sure we don't keep killing each other! Are you volunteering for the job, then?

[matchbreaker]

What's your plan, tying everyone up? Jasper's neighborhood patrols? Making everyone breakfast? As long as we're trapped and going stir crazy with shadows in the walls and Wordsmith putting out incentives every week, things will happen! I wouldn't know how to stop it, so how do you figure you can?!

[ . . . She might actually be getting mad. ]

[foundfate]

I was going to talk to everyone, figure out why they would be tempted to kill, and try to make that a non-issue. If someone doesn't have the motivation to murder, they're not going to murder!

[Admittedly, there's still a lot of people left, and he definitely can't keep up with all of them.]

[matchbreaker]

[ She shifts her footing, now in front of him, her hands on her hip and her eyes sharp: ]

People keep things locked in their hearts! You're not our therapist, bean sprout! You can't make genocide and lost family and death a non-issue with just some words!

[foundfate]

[He's not backing down this time.]

I have to try! If I just sit here and do nothing, then what's the point?!

[matchbreaker]

[ She...

... She is- ]

... Then go and try it, brat! If you've got the stones to talk back, then you might as well!

[foundfate]

[His heart is pounding in his chest, but he's managing to keep that fear down this time.]

I will! Regardless of if I succeed of fail, I'm still going to try. Just you watch!

[...though he should probably not be yelling at one of the people he needs to help. Whoops.]

[matchbreaker]

Good! Get on that then!

[ To be fair, Elda is trying very hard in her own way. It just might not be obvious from context ]