WEEK 6.

[trustwellness]

WEEK 6 With the deaths of Viktor Nikiforov, Varric Tethras, and Killia, you're down to half of your original number. There's only fifteen of you left. How much longer before your number drops again? 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... Of course, that doesn't mean that you've gained nothing else among the many, many losses you've faced; it seems that another floor has been made available to you for surviving another week. Congratulations and well done, even if you might not necessarily appreciate the reward. APPRENTICES REMAINING: 15

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[OOC: Welcome to week six 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

[ravagers]

[ Oh, that's... marginally better! ]

Umm, I made her breakfast, and she doesn't seem drunk... since I stayed with her last night, and all.

[matchbreaker]

Oh, did you! That's good someone was with her, then!

[ Still laughing, she's smiling now, but also has glided about two steps closer to Vanille, well inside her personap space by now ]

[ravagers]

[ Oh, um. This is fine, probably? ]

Y-yeah, she invited me!

[ She's maybe taking a tiny step back. ]

[matchbreaker]

Ah, right, because you were used to sleeping with the dwarf.

[ She doesn't quick step again, but she does shoot out a long red nailed finger, poking that into Vanille's stomach. It's not painful, per se, just a long lady finger nail ]

That's expectedly considerate of her. Are you intending to impose in future nights?

[ravagers]

[ Just the mention of Varric makes her expression twist into something much more painful, and she's startled enough by the poke that she lets out a sound. ]

I-I didn't think I was imposing! I made sure she was completely sure before accepting...

[matchbreaker]

[ Let it never be said that Elda Marker was particularly kind. ... Or well, some people here might say she was, but that was a long time coming. Instead, she sort of digs the nail in a little further. Perhaps that's metaphorical? Or well, physical to go with the metaphorical. ]

Oh, I'm sure you're not. [ Her voice isn't quite sarcastic, but it is somewhat acidic. ]

I'm sure being helpful to a lost soul is a comfort to her, really.

[ravagers]

[ She winces a little, and her heart aches. It's easy to act cheerful and bright, but when someone brings up the darker things... it's suddenly not so simple.

So. Vanille does what Vanille does best: She plays dumb. ]

I don't-- I don't understand what you mean.

[ She's not looking at Elda. ]

[matchbreaker]

Don't you? [ She sneers this, the claw coming back to her side, but now resting on her hip. ... Elda knows she's being unfair, but for a human like this? A human who is pissing her off? On a morning like this? If she regrets it later, it'll purely be if Vanille makes this come back to her somehow. ]

What sort of desperate young woman forms a relationship deep enough to have a romantic goodbye in two weeks? Needs to sleep alongside a parental figure at what your age appears to be? [ And that's even ignoring what her age was on the profiles (originally; if Vanille taped over it) ] You're transparent.

[ Elda knows she's one to talk. Also knows she's assuming.

But again, she doesn't care, this feels good. ]

So it's good that there are so many kind and compassionate souls here, that's all.

[ravagers]

[ It stings. Claws at her from inside. Varric. Alani. Vanille's lost a lot of people here, but those two had--have--hurt the most. They haunt her the most. Vanille's throat feels tight, and she wants to cry; her jaw hurts from not letting that sob loose, and her head pounds.

At her sides, her hands clench tight into fists. She knows she's weak, even after all she's done, after everyone's told her how strong she is. She acts strong for a selfish reason: She doesn't want the people she cares about to be sad. Lusamine had told her it's alright to be selfish... but all those doubts come rushing back, and all Vanille wants to do is run. Run, far away from this place, because running is one of the few things she's good at. It doesn't matter if she'd told Fang the truth, in the end.

It feels like none of that matters.

Her hands shake. She needs to get this away from herself. She needs to deflect. ]

Do you feel better?

[matchbreaker]

[ You know, she expected the girl to break down sobbing. That's all she ever seemed to do at the trials, cry and be surprised. She barely knew Vanille outside of that - a handful of minor interactions, handing off of chocolate jerky...

So basically, while she's surprised at that deflection to some extent, Elda's gaze, cold, doesn't really waver.

The fact of the matter is that she has no real reason to be kind to the girl. Especially today. ]

You're going to turn that around on me? I'm not the one leaning on everyone, [ Just some specific people, she knows in the back of her mind ] or changing their profile to something silly like being a member of Guzma's gang.

[ BECAUSE... APPARENTLY... WE'RE STILL IN MEAN MODE ]

[ravagers]

[ Everything Elda's saying... it just reinforces the thoughts she's been trying to shove down, shove back to a place they can't be accessed. Maybe if she hadn't been a burden, hadn't accepted Hanyuu's kind offer, Elda wouldn't have come after her.

But... then again, maybe Elda would've taken out her anger and frustrations on someone else--if that's what's happening, here. And Vanille doesn't want any of her friends, the ones who are left, to feel the pain she's feeling right now. ... But would they have? Elda's right. Vanille's... she's leaned on people since the beginning.

But. ]

Relying on others doesn't mean you're weak. [ She bristles a little bit. ] And I never wanted to be the Saint! I never asked for that!

[ Changing her profile... that had come from being sick of having her fate decided for her. Ever since she'd been small, she'd been given two paths: Complete the Focus given to her and turn to crystal, or fail and become a monster. And when she'd woken from her crystal sleep, she'd never had a single chance to do anything but be the Order's Saint. Their puppet. A martyr. ]

[matchbreaker]

Who doesn't ask to be a Saint? [ She can practically hear Killia in her head. Hanyuu in her head, telling her that the standards of her world aren't universal. Not about gods, not about demons, and not about saints.

Dislikes: the church

But right now, well. Vanille's words don't quite hit a brick wall, but they do hit Elda trying hard to remain resolute. She's still standing, doing her best to look imperious and hard-eyed, but her cheeks tinge a little bit. Her gaze doesn't quite avert, but it's not longer as predatory. ] Saint's pretty high up the totem pole to claim you're forced into it!

[ravagers]

[ Vanille feels her cheeks heat up, too; she clenches her fists a little tighter, so tight that her fingernails will surely make deep marks in her skin by the time this is over. ]

I woke up after a long sleep, hundreds of years, and when the Order realized I could hear the souls of the dead, they made me their Saint! I never had a choice!

[ AGE: 1619
DISLIKES: hearing the souls of the dead

She's shaking even more now--so much that she has to press against the wall. ]

[matchbreaker]

[ Hundreds of years of sleep...?

... Well, that least explains her age, for better or worse. She'd be offended to think that this little girl was so much her senior. At least Killia said that he was only in his 20s in demon years whatever the hell that meant.

As for Elda? She kinda loses her cool: ]

What, you can't say no?! Were you gonna be burned at the stake? Killed off by an Inquisition?!

[ravagers]

My home had been destroyed! I had nowhere else to go, and they threatened to hurt the people I cared most about!

[ She's crying now, tears that stream down her cheeks. Vanille buries her face in her hands. ]

I couldn't let them get hurt; I'm not worth that!

[oyashiromama]

[Vanille had just left. Just a few minutes ago, and Hanyuu had forgotten to ask her something, if she had any ideas for something to put on the shrine, so out she comes--

...to the tail-end of this disaster. Immediately, she snaps into protective mode. It should be worth noting, she does not look as frail and weak as she has the last few weeks.]

What is going on here?! Elda...?!

[Unspoken questions. What happened? What did you say? Why is Vanille crying?]

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda's whole pose shifts when Hanyuu comes out. It's not... she's not precisely mollified, but she is put out, backing up a step and looking far less actively angry but significantly more annoyed. Her cheeks actually color a little more, if possible.

Dammit. ]

Nothing you need concern yourself with.

[ She answers. Honestly, Vanille's last response did have some impact on her, but Hanyuu... well, by definition she basically has more ]

[ravagers]

[ Vanille's not dumb. She knows there's something going on, especially on Elda's side; Vanille glances nervously from Elda to Hanyuu, and hastily wipes at her eyes. ]

I-it's okay, really--

[ It's... not okay, she's aware of that, but Hanyuu's finally had a good dream, and she doesn't want to mess up her day. ]

[oyashiromama]

No. If there's an argument going on here, I definitely need to be concerned about it.

[...She has a feeling...about something that prompted this...]

I have a feeling Vanille's done nothing to harm you, Elda. The one you're to be cross with is me.

[matchbreaker]

[ Dammit.

Elda's got a fingrnail between her teeth before she realized that she realized that she did it. She almost, almost says something to the effect of "since when is that one yours" but she knows Hanyuu would take even more offense to that. So instead she shifts back another step ]

It's not uncommon for many of us to be cross on a Sunday morning, Hanyuu.

[ Her cheeks remain tinged. ]

[ravagers]

[ The light color on Elda's cheeks... it couldn't be... is Elda jealous? Vanille can't be sure, but she's certainly not going to ask when she's already on such thin ice. ]

H-Hanyuu... Elda was just--

[ How does she say "If Elda's upset at her dreams, I'd rather she take it out on me than anyone else"? She... isn't sure she really knows how without risking the possibility of irritating Elda even more. ]

[oyashiromama]

[She places a light hand on Vanille's shoulder...but it doesn't stay there, not for long. A little glance. Give her a moment, Vanille, just a moment, please.]

Just taking her anger out on you. [To Elda, as she starts to approach her:] I'm sorry I acted so hastily, but not that I sheltered one in need. ...I desire to be there for everyone...and I am here for you now. So don't pick at one uninvolved.

[matchbreaker]

[ For Vanille, if she's able to look past the fact that Elda's eyes shift to cat-like and predatory, and that her fangs are bared as Hanyuu starts to approach her (which admittedly is a tall order) Elda might seem... oddly petulant, in this moment. ]

...Don't give me that, Hanyuu. I'm not one of your worshippers or your children.

[ "I'm more important" or more accurately, "I want to be more important" is perhaps implied through how she says that.

... Elda Marker is selfish. ]

[oyashiromama]

No, but you're my friend, right? In case you don't realize, you're all precious to me.

[Hanyuu isn't going to throw it back in her face, but it seems being a little harsh is called for.]

[matchbreaker]

[ She knows.

She knows, she knows, she knows, she knows!

Elda bites her lip, knowing that allowing jealousy - for she knows it can be nothing put - getting the better of her now would be ... it would apocalyptic. She snarls, and she finally takes one more step back. ]

... I am glad that you sand more resolute now, Hanyuu.

[ Sincerely. That's... that's what she came to check.

Right?

... She should probably go. She doesn't, just yet though. ]