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]

[ 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. ]

[captainobnoxious]

Hard to say. For some people, they may never be able to stomach it. For others, they might be able to at least tolerate the weight of the decision we had to make then and may have to make again in the future. There's a few who might even be able to watch it without feeling a thing.

[Guess where she lands. Sigrun rubs her arm, careful of the stitches beneath the fabric.]

I know that I'm used to it because, plainly put, my life has always been drenched in death. The sight of someone dying isn't unusual to me. But someone like you or Misa might never get used to it and honestly? It'd be nice if you didn't.

[penduli]

Because we're civilians to you, right?

[captainobnoxious]

You bet.

[No harm in saying it, after all, it's true.]

If we're lucky it won't happen again, because really they were pretty much bomb waiting to blow, you know? But if it does... At least we know what to expect.

[penduli]

A trial, a lot of people griping about how unfair it is that we have to make a choice as if they really would throw away their own lives to try and find a better way, and an execution that terrible.

[captainobnoxious]

[wow. got some steam to blow off black??]

Yeah, exactly. It's not fair, but I honestly don't see an issue with the first half of it since we are our own little group right now. We deliver our own trials and punishments back home too. But the execution could be done a little more humanely.

[...]

Are you okay?

[penduli]

[ "I'M NOT BITTER," HE SAYS BITTERLY, WITH A BITTER EXPRESSION. ]

I'm fine. Why do you ask?

[captainobnoxious]

Not sure I've ever seen you like that, that's all. You're usually as docile as a sheep.

[... lamb...]

[penduli]

[ Ah... ]

...it just struck me, I guess. I want to live, Miss Sigrun. I don't understand why anyone would really want to choose otherwise, especially when... especially when the Kingmaker might be lying about all of this, and our worlds are safe, and our loved ones are fine, too. Why throw your life away just because a choice you have to make in order to survive is against your moral code?

[captainobnoxious]

Some people just hope for the better of others. I don't know how everyone else lives, but they might have lived the kind of life that afforded that kind of luxury and carefree attitude, while people like you and I know more realistically that there's nothing we can do.

[He's getting a more gentle head ruffle this time.]

But don't blame them, okay? That's the sort of innocence you're supposed to have when you're not in the situations I am. They probably won't budge on their moral codes anytime soon anyway, so you've just gotta deal with it and remind them the rational reasons of why we can't choose one person over everyone else.

[penduli]

[ Really, if they hadn't gone to New York City, he'd probably have a similar outlook.

...but they did, and his world's over, and he just wants to see his family again. He just wants to hold his sister's hand again and sit on the bridge like they used to. He wants to watch her climb trees and climb with her, he wants to worry about her spraining her ankle (again) jumping off the highest branch she can handle...

Hell, he even wants to get teased for still not being able to get down. He wants to have to laugh at his dad's gentle teases as he helps him down, he wants to go in and have whatever his mother's made for dinner, he wants to curl up in the middle with White with a book while the rest of his family watches a movie or something.

They're all small things, but they're all things he wants more than anything else. ]

Okay. Sorry for being so... mad about this, I guess.

[captainobnoxious]

Hey, better that you're mad at me than someone who feels differently than you. That'd cause a few issues.

[pat pat]

Besides, you've got every right to feel that way! You have to get back to your family and make sure your sister's alright. I wouldn't even blame you for killing someone yourself.

[Not that... she actually thinks he could kill someone, but you know. This kitten's obviously got some claws tucked away. she'd mostly be norwegian mom disappointed]

[penduli]

[ what, like slapping them?? ]

I don't know if I could go through with it, actually. I'm obviously not good with blood.

[captainobnoxious]

[slapping is a valid way to deal with people you think are fucking rude]

Why is why I'm not worried! I mean, there's more than one way to kill someone, but I'm still not worried about you, just saying I wouldn't blame you if it happened.

[penduli]

[ don't slap everyone that disagrees with you, sigrun ]

Oh. [ erm. ] You too.

[ ...is that the right thing to say?? uh. ]

[captainobnoxious]

[it solves everything forget murder just straight up slap a bitch]

You're a weird kid. [sry] But I guess there's not much you can say to that, huh. Are you feeling better than you were earlier with your whole pukey business?

[penduli]

[ sigrun no ]

Sort of. A few people've come by to check on me. [ Yosuke gave him some tea and toast, Stan gave him coffee. It was good. ] I mean--I don't think they were expecting me here, except maybe Yosuke? Since I think he saw me duck out of the library.

...but they still did. It was pretty nice of them.

[captainobnoxious]

[sigrun yes]

... So you spent a while alone with someone you thought was the best looking person in this group, huh?

[Since he said he'd only said that to get out of the dare.]

[penduli]

[ SIGRUN NO ]

We talked, that's all.