WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? OUR TALES RIVAL JUST TURNED INTO A ZOMBIE!

[bloodisthicker]

[...so, uh, that was a thing that happened. Tarrlok was completely ready to do the politician thing and come up with a speech or something for most of whatever the hell that excuse for a trial was, but everything got all confusing, baffling, and horrifying and completely inexplicably, he can't find the words.

Maybe he just... needs a day. Tomorrow will probably be fine. For now, though, Misa volunteered to make brownies, and he was going to make a Northern Water Tribe comfort food specialty.

...even if they only had shortening and not actual animal fat and it'd been a while since he'd made it, but it tasted... alright? Definitely not as good as the stuff back home, but it was hard to get that good, anyway.

...there's also the matter of setting things up in a location other than the dining hall, because even though that's cleaned up, it still feels pretty tasteless to hold a wake literal feet from the place you found someone's bloody corpse.

So, a little later on in the day, a lovingly personalized note will be slid under everyone's doors:



And if the Survivors choose to head to the library, they'll find a... well, okay, it's a bunch of boxes from the storage room of comparable size stacked up on each other to kind of resemble a table. The dining hall ones don't even seem like they'd fit in the library, so Team Afterparty clearly had to improvise. One side is filled with plates, bowls, and spoons, and the other is filled with brownies, cookies, and a big bowl of berry aqutak. There are also chairs dotted throughout the room in a sort of vague circle --- close enough together that if people want to talk, they can, but far enough apart that it'd be easy to drag it off for some privacy.]

Comments

[penduli]

[ Black--let's be real here, he probably spent a little more time than necessary in the bathroom. He looks marginally better coming out, drying his face on his sweater sleeve, and look, he tries to join everyone in the library--

but the smell is a little Much for his delicate stomach right now, so he's going to head back to his room to grab some books and set himself up in the storage room. Sitting on boxes is fine, there's still at least one or two to use as a chair.

He'll probably here for most of the night. Bring something light if you want him to eat--he hasn't done it pretty much since this morning. (Also: please bring books. He has a stack of four of them, but he's a quick reader.) ]

[garudynamic]

[He only sees Black at a glance when he comes in, but even in that small look he can tell. This is someone who's either been crying or throwing up. He's... pretty familiar with that feeling.

So a little while later he shows up at the storage room, lightly knocking on the door frame. He has a plate with toast (lightly buttered) and a cup of Cherryblod's tea (half cut with warm water)]

Hey, you okay with company?

[penduli]

[ Black glances up from his book after a moment--had to finish a paragraph, okay, this fictionalized version of The War of the Posies is actually pretty interesting--and blinks slowly, registering the question. ]

...I don't mind. Take a seat. [ There's the floor or there's a box--he'll clear his books off the one directly beside him and motion for Yosuke to sit there. His books can deal with the ground. ] Is that for me?

[garudynamic]

Trying to make sure everyone eats something. We all kinda missed breakfast.

[He sits, putting the food aside]

Though if you don't want it I'll totally eat it- all I managed was some of that weird paste Tarrlok made.

[penduli]

[ Black wrinkles his nose. He'll take the tea, at least, and sip it before he replies. ]

Why don't we split it? [ Yosuke has knives, he could just cut it for them-- ] ...I'll probably be able to manage something more later, but I'm not really up for eating right now.

[garudynamic]

Just don't make yourself sick, okay?

[penduli]

You don't have to worry about me. [ He forces a smile--it looks genuine enough if you're not looking too closely, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes the way it should. ] I'm fine--or I'll be fine. I'm sure there's people way worse off than me.

Like everyone who was friends with Mr. Zagi or Kamui. [ ...did Kamui have any friends? He didn't really seem the type. That's sort of sad to think about. ]

[garudynamic]

Yeah but, other people feeling worse doesn't undo what the rest of us feel.

[He shrugs, not willing to press it more then that]

[penduli]

[ you're good people, yosuke.

now, how hard can he bullshit this. ] Mine's just physical. If I had to choose between my life and someone else's here--I'd choose my own, no question about it. Making that choice wasn't hard for me.

[ (no, he feels bad about it because he's a functioning human being, but his life is sincerely more important.) ]

[goodforsomething]

[It takes a little while, but Stan eventually notices Black as he's passing by the storage room for whatever reason. He hesitates for a second, then asks in a (sort of unusually) quiet tone:]

Hey, kid. You want some coffee?

[penduli]

[ Black hesitates--is that going to worsen his stomach? ...as long as he takes it slow, probably not. ]

If you don't mind making me some, sure.

[goodforsomething]

No problem. Be right back.

[He'll return with a mug in a few minutes.] Here. It's hot.

[penduli]

Thanks.

[ He'll take it! ...he set aside his books, he can't really read and hold coffee or conversation at the same time without a proper table. ]

...I'm not really good with stuff like that--what we saw, I mean, with Kamui. [ Black blows on his coffee and takes a sip, pulling a face. IT'S BITTER... he wasn't expecting any different. Maybe he should've asked for cream too. ] It's pretty cool that he had a twin brother though... I didn't think there'd be many other twins here. That's how it kind of was for White and I growing up. A lot of people thought it was cool, even if they asked really dumb questions.

[ Sure--other people had older siblings or younger ones, but they weren't twins. Novelty is nice to children. A small sigh. ]

I regret not getting to know him more, though. [ ...so

maybe it's not just his stomach bothering him. Maybe it's a couple of other things, even if his stomach is a big issue. He's gonna sip his coffee instead of thinking about it too hard. ]

[goodforsomething]

Heh, yeah. Like if you can read each others' thoughts, or feel if the other one gets pinched. [Stan seems thoughtful for a moment, sipping his own coffee.] I got a niece and nephew who're twins.

I guess I didn't know either of 'em too well. Funny to think about - all of us locked in this tiny place, and all.

[He isn't really sorry about Kamui. The guy's a vampire, he was gonna kill someone sooner or later. Better to get rid of him early.

But hey, he can pretend for Black.]

Don't let it bother ya too much. We ain't even been here a week. There's only so much you can get to know someone in that time.

[penduli]

[ He was a Blood Breed (if a different kind), and it's better to kill those sooner too, and he knows that, but... ]

Mm. [ He still could've tried more? ...it wouldn't have mattered. ] I wouldn't have changed anything even if we'd been friends. He might've needed to find his brother, but... I need to find my sister, and my parents.

[ Another sip, another painfully "this is bitter" expression he'll hide behind his mug. ]

How old are they? Your niece and nephew, I mean.

[goodforsomething]

Twelve. Thirteen, pretty soon.

[Stan frowns down at his mug, as if this reality is just now really hitting him:] I'm gonna miss their birthday if I'm here too much longer.

[penduli]

[ ...it's a little tasteless to wish that they wouldn't be here much longer, given the trial they just had, so Black shrugs. ]

It can't be helped. Really, we don't know how much time's passed here--or how it works here--or... whatever, do we? I remember everyone mentioning they all remembered different times. [ As strange as that was--couldn't have it matched up somewhere, at least. ] You might've already missed it, and everyone else might've missed their family's, too, maybe. I don't know.

[captainobnoxious]

[She hasn't seen Black all night, amazingly enough, and catching a glimpse of him in the storage room gives her some ease of mind as she steps in to ruffle the boy's head in the middle of one of his books. Into one of his books.]

Here you are! I've been looking all over for you, kitten, what are you doing in here?

[penduli]

[ Into one of his books, great. At least he's been--a little more cheered by other people's coming in. Being alone's not really the best thing, probably. ]

Reading. [ Obviously-- ] I couldn't stomach the execution, and then the smells in the library were too much for me, so... I just came here to get away from it. Why were you looking for me?

[captainobnoxious]

[Reading..... for fun? Voluntarily? You're being so minorly judge, Black. So minorly judged.]

Just wanted to make sure you were alright, that's all. I've been talking to some of the worse off and keeping an eye on everyone else.

[Don't mind if she drags a box over to sit on, she hasn't rested since the burning earlier and the yawn she holds back might show that.]

[penduli]

[ It's a fun and enjoyable activity, Sigrun. ]

You should take care of yourself, too. [ Sternly, but it softens back up as he flips to the next page of his book, though he doesn't start reading it again, ] ...how is everyone else?

[captainobnoxious]

[The doctor said the same thing and it makes her grin lightly, though it drops in favor of something a little more serious, leaning back against one of the shelves.]

As you'd expect. Outside a couple of us they're all taking it pretty hard in their own way, for different reasons. It's a weighty decision, not one everyone agreed with, but...

[... but it's what they had to do.]

I just hope everyone remembers that they both agreed to the fight and one just came out on top of the other. Would've been just the same if Zagi had come out instead of Kamui. The execution was pretty unexpected though.

[penduli]

If Kamui'd been human, Mr. Zagi probably would've won. [ ...Kamui was older than him, he should refer to him as Mr. Kamui, but that just seems sort of weird.

Since they were forced into being friends. Or friend-types. ] Do you think every execution's going to be like that? If... if there's more of them, I mean.

[ He kiiiiind of wants to think that there won't be, but on the other hand, he knows better. ]

[captainobnoxious]

I hope not. I'd like their souls to rest in peace, not be brought back to do someone else's bidding.

[Or that's how it seemed to be to her. She'd recalled the others murmuring about zombies, and while her own people liken them to draugr either word doesn't settle well with her. She huffs.]

If they are though, well. I guess you'll either get used to seeing it or used to looking away.

[penduli]

Is that really something you can get used to seeing? [ Serious question. ]