i feel the love, and i feel it burn, down this river every turn

[oyashiromama]

[The trial, as usual, was taxing. It's for different reasons every week, but what it all comes down to is there are fewer of them than there were, and that keeps on happening. The note comes, as it always does, earlier than last week, but still with some delay. There's a note slipped under everyone's door. ...One under Gold's door because of course Silver will be staying there, she knows.]

Please come to the dining room, if you would like not to be alone. There will be food, and there will be some cards and board games if you need a distraction.

- Hanyuu & Elda

[True to that, there are a variety of foods. It's nothing too fancy. Rice, grilled fish, eggs in various styles. ...No creampuffs this time, it seems Hanyuu thought that would be a little in poor taste. Also a bunch of fries? ...Really spicy fries, like incredibly so.

On a far table, board games brought from the games room have been left out, along with many decks of cards.]

Comments

[matchbreaker]

[ She read that, and that really begs a question, but it'll be one that she won't ask. No, Elda will just close her eyes, and then nod to herself. Opening them, she claps hr hand together and pulls out two fresh sheets. ]

Okay, now you rewrite all of Varric's so it's on a clean one, and I'll take Viktor's.

[foundfate]

Deal.

[Time to re-write with his nicest handwriting, then!]

[matchbreaker]

[ As will Elda! And if anyone's seen her script, it's an immaculate, perfect cursive. The sort you'd expect of a classical noblewoman.

Yep. ]

[foundfate]

[Watanuki's handwriting is nice too, but not nearly as nice as hers.

Still, eventually he finishes, and it's time to tape them up!]

There.

[matchbreaker]

[ It's what you call comic juxtaposition with her personality.

Still, she nods, and yes, taped and- ]

... There it is. We did it.

[foundfate]

We did.

[A pause.]

I want to say something like 'hopefully this is the last time', but I think that's not going to be the case.

[matchbreaker]

So even you?

[ She huffs, putting a hand on her hip. On the one hand, it's nice, but on the other... ]

[foundfate]

I don't think we can avoid the fact that people are going to keep dying until we find a way out of here. It seems like, for all the searching we do, there's only so much progress we can make in a week. So until we escape, people are going to keep dying. It...it sucks, but that's how things are.

[matchbreaker]

Are you reversing you opinion on that befriending people until there's no reason schtick?

[foundfate]

Of course not, I'm going to befriend everyone here. And it's a lot easier now, because I've been befriending more and more of you losers every week.

If I'm going to die in this place, then I'd at least like to be surrounded by friends. Dying alone, that would be the worst thing.

[matchbreaker]

[ Don't call her a loser gosh. She's going too scratch him lightly for that.

But on the other hand... ]

I've been working on that too.

[foundfate]

[Ow rude don't scratch him! It gets him to step back slightly, but he does laugh.

And then he's just. Going to tap his own forehead, where 'LOVED' is still partially-visible.]

I figured as much.

1/2

[matchbreaker]

[ Ugh, don't remind her. ]

Your fight for having some quarrel like that in the main room.

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . ]

I don't think it'll fix things, particularly while we have people like that Bruce Wayne character or Gangrel running around. But I'll try, a little bit, if it helps get me back to my family. That's all.

[foundfate]

[To anyone who didn't know about everything the group had been through, that might not have sounded like much of a promise at all. But Watanuki, he knows. He can see just how stark of a change that is for her. And it brings a smile to his face.]

Just trying is enough.

[matchbreaker]

[ The contrast is enormous. Elda... Elda has not let go for her hatred for 200 yeas. It's not like it's abated. She can still feel it as strong as ever when she closes her eyes. But when he's looking at someone like this dumb kid, it's hard to keep that burning in the same way.

She sighs. But... ]

It's been over a month, did you realize?

[foundfate]

Nearly five weeks, by my count.

[Five weeks too long, in his mind. He's ready to go home.]

[matchbreaker]

I've gotten used to getting up in the morning [ Ignore that she's not really up until noon or later, most days ] and seeing all your faces. And it's only been a month.

[ She sighs ]

[foundfate]

A month of living in an enclosed space with only so many different places to go.

[It's a wonder they don't have cabin fever yet.]

[matchbreaker]

It's absurd, really!

[ She groans this out, running a hand down her face. Ugh. ]

[foundfate]

But it's probably why you're so used to us. It's hard not to get attached to people when you have to be around them constantly like this.

[matchbreaker]

Probably.

[ Ugh. She looks away from him, but then in turn ends up looking at the profiles. She narrows her eyes.

... Man. ]

... Half of these people are dead. Did you even know all of them?

[foundfate]

[Suddenly he feels a little guilty.]

I had at least talked to them once or twice, if that counts. Some I did know better than the others though.

[matchbreaker]

I probably said ten words to this one [ Her nail taps on Milla ] And probably less to this one [ Nick. ] I scarcely knew these two before they kicked it [ Kyrie and Adelina ] and I don't know anything about these two [ Alani and Christo ]

... Honestly, I didn't know that much about Killia or Viktor this week either. Not really.

[foundfate]

Well, you're also not a chatterbox like I am.

[He's trying to make her feel better about it, maybe?]