we're all living under loaded gun

[amygdalae]

[Every week was bad, but this one? This one most likely has hit them all the hardest.

All well, almost all of them. Bruce certainly can't speak for everyone here... not that there's a lot of them left now.

Anyway.

Working with Speedwagon in the kitchen the two of them whip up a decent, simple fare of food just so that their stomachs won't go empty - Bruce knows that a lot of them won't have much of an appetite at all after what happened, and he can't blame them. He doesn't have much of one himself even after the food is done.

Once everything is set up in the dining hall a couple of hours later after everything that happened downstairs Bruce goes around to slip a notice to every body's room. (Everyone that is still alive, that is.)]

I know what happened was hard to take in. I feel the same as well.
If you wish to be alone I understand, but if you need company, or somebody to talk to... there is food in the dining hall made by Speedwagon and I.

I sincerely hope to see you there.

- B. Banner

[For Sigrun and Cherryblod respectively, he'll have the note along with a plate of some food from the gathering by their door.

As mentioned earlier, there's a small fare of simple, light food and snacks for everyone to eat if they have the stomach for it. For better or for worse there's alcohol too, although Bruce certainly isn't going anywhere near it. But if anybody needs that drink after what happened, he can't blame them for the need for it, either.]

Comments

[pokexplorer]

[Colress isn't sure what to say at all when he sits near Cherryblod. Honestly, when everything began to spiral downward at the trial, observing just how badly it hit Cherryblod and Sigrun...it was a very strong showing of how deep bonds can get, and the harshness of when they are severed so. It's still a bit of unfamiliar territory, but after the last few weeks...

While he is unable to find words at the moment, he at least wants to be here for Cherryblod. He hopes the show of support is at least a little helpful as it helped him in the past.]

[cherryblooded]

[He appreciates the support, and after a moment or two he'll speak up.]

Do you think it was stupid to get attached, in a place like this?

[If anyone can speak reasonably and neutrally about attachments to others, it's probably Colress. Or Black, but Black's not here right now.]

[pokexplorer]

[That. That gets Colress to flinch. And he has to take a deep breath before actually answering.]

...Scientifically speaking, yes. Forming attachment means forming trust, and in a place where the one you form that attachment with is killed or becomes a killer and betrays you, like so many unfortunately have, the only thing that awaits is pain and regret.

[He clearly doesn't sound like he feels good about what he's saying, though. Maybe a few weeks ago, he'd be perfectly fine with that logic, but...]

That does not mean it is so easy to prevent from happening in such a time of shared hardship, however. This, coming from the one who directly told you he had avoided such things entirely back in his world.

[cherryblooded]

That's what I thought.

[He'd known he could lose Mettaton at any time.

Hadn't known it'd be like this, but he'd known there was the risk in general. And he'd gotten closer and closer to him anyway, or so he thought.]

...I don't know yet if it was worth it.

[pokexplorer]

It is possible that it is too soon to tell. And when it is...I suppose that is something only you can decide. I am afraid I cannot say much on the matter.

[It might've been easier to tell if the level of betrayal Cherryblod just faced wasn't so high. Even Colress is still trying to process everything that happened, and he was nowhere near as close to Mettaton.

It was all just so...unfathomably awful.]

[cherryblooded]

No, I know. I'm not asking that.

I just... I don't know.

[He wants to go back to his room and hide, but he knows that won't help. Instead he stares down at his food.

Not much of an appetite tonight.]

[pokexplorer]

I-

[It doesn't take much for him to realize that he's not being helpful here, and he feels completely terrible for it. Why can't he be better at this sort of thing...

Similarly, he looks downward, his gloved fingers digging into his legs.]

I am sorry, Cherryblod. I should have known that. I... I am so sorry.

[cherryblooded]

It's alright, I'm not mad.

...Do you have family, at home?

[Or did he, where home used to be. Same question, really.]

[pokexplorer]

[He's...thankful for that, at least. But the question takes him by surprise, admittedly.]

I do- my parents. I haven't spoken to them in quite some time, though. That...happens quite a bit in my world. Trainers go out into the world on their own relatively young.

[cherryblooded]

Maybe you should call them when you get home.

[Just, you know, so they know Colress hasn't died in a murder vault or anything.]