nobody's in the mood for recording 6.9: the post-trial garden tea "party"

[tsunderine]

The flowers that bloomed at the end of the trial are ones that only seem to prove, continuously, that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Of course, it's only natural that many of the people are full of mixed emotions - grief? sadness? anger? frustration? maybe something else completely different?

But it's there, along with the end of the week.

Miasma still continues to be around, of course - but make use of the fact that this might be the last time it'll be at a low level one before it shoots up again.


Well.

Life continues as usual, disregarding any feelings that any of the house's occupants might be feeling.

So what are you doing these next two days?

Comments

[reanimania]

It's fine! [ don't call him out on having the tastes of a child!! ] I just, you know, want to make sure it lasts a while and everything.

[ There's probably only one glass but she can have it, it's fine. He'll pour it and hand it over. ]

1/2

[golden_dream]

[She handles the glass of gin with the care a mother might show a newborn baby, all the while telling herself don't gulp it down, don't gulp it down...]

2/2

[golden_dream]

...

[she gulps it down]

[reanimania]

[ I mean. It tastes like pine trees, he doesn't blame her. ]

[golden_dream]

[immediately followed by coughing because gin can be harsh and her throat does burn on occasion and she should've gotten a damn chaser and she's scolding herself.]

Ack!! [...] Ah... do you have something like fruit juice to go with it? [smacks her lips] Anything?

[reanimania]

[ oh good it's not just him ]

Nnnno?

[ what do you think this is, an actual bar?? ]

I can go get some water if you need it.

[golden_dream]

Y-Yeah... that's better than nothing.

[...]

Take the bottle with you when you go.

[She didn't trust herself not to just pour herself more when his back was turned.]

[reanimania]

Um, all right.

[ Kind of sounds like maybe he shouldn't have offered this after all!!

But okay, he'll take it and come back with a glass of water in a few minutes. ]

Here.

[ And he's just... going to maybe put this bottle back under the bed again... ]

[golden_dream]

[She wastes no time gulping that down too... her eyes are the tiniest bit more glossy, but the warmth inside her is real and it helps.]

... Thank you, Doctor.

[reanimania]

...Yes, you're welcome.

[ man, downing stuff is just Her Way, huh... ]

Hopefully that helps a bit?

[golden_dream]

Yes... it does.

[A loooong sigh.]

...Why are you so nice to me?

[reanimania]

A-ah, am I?

[ hahaha BECAUSE HE'S AFRAID OF DYING is the real answer... first he just figured she'd be more likely than some of the others to attest to his value if it came down to a popularity vote so he'd wanted to stay on her good side, and... after today's display he now really feels like he needs to stay on her good side. ]

I mean, you're not nearly as insufferable as some of them, and you... tend to show me more respect than most, so. That's appreciated.

[ also being a grudge-holding trainwreck is relatable but he doesn't have the self-awareness to recognize that ]

[golden_dream]

...

[That answer gets a small choked sob from her as she starts to tear up.]

I'm sorry, Doctor... you're a fine young man. --Who's picking on you? Who could pick on you?

[Her eyes start to water further as she holds in tears, barely.]

[reanimania]

[ !!! whoa uh ]

I-- what??

[ This... is not something he has ever gotten in his life and he doesn't know where to start with it?? ]

I mean, thank you? I-it's just kind of a general tendency not to take me seriously...

[ scrambling to try to find a clean handkerchief in the collection he's amassed from the dressing room--! ]

[golden_dream]

No, I'm serious! Who's picking on you?? They have no right!

[She'll take one, when he finds it, dabbing at her eyes.]

[reanimania]

[ I appreciate that you have so much faith in the possibility that he hasn't already blown his nose in all of those...

Honestly, Giovanni is the one openly calling him a nerd all the time here, but he's also been nice to him aside from that, so he's not going to throw him under the bus here... and even though Subete is kind of a dick, he's not going to say anything about him in case it gets back to him and he stops letting him hide in his shield...

Also, Dazai sucks, but he still doesn't really meet the criteria for this conversation. ]

I-it's not really "picking on" so much, I don't think? I mean, back home as a child was one thing, but...

[ but haha let's not go into that ]

Again, you just seem to have more respect for my abilities and the work I do, so it's only fair to show you the same respect in return, yes?

[golden_dream]

They're assholes, then!! House full of bullies and crazies who only want to pick on the weak... and then there are ghosts, too!

[reanimania]

[ omg what button did he press here ]

Yyyyes, there are definitely some... assholes here, and the ghosts are obviously much less than desirable.

[ understatement of the fucking year ]

All things considered, though, many of them aren't really that bad. Right?

1/3

[golden_dream]

Who knows?? At this rate it's all we'll have left! Who's going to be next, I wonder? It could be you... it could be me...

[golden_dream]

...

[slight pause as she realizes what she just said.]

3/3

[golden_dream]

I'm... I'm never going to see my daughter again...

[And then she just breaks down and starts bawling her eyes out.]

[reanimania]

[ IT WON'T BE HIM, DON'T-- oh no ]

O-oh.

[ If he were actually someone accustomed to physical affection, maybe he'd consider hugging her or patting her shoulder or something, but he isn't and he doesn't. (Which might be for the best.) Instead, he just kind of stands there awkwardly, looking around the room as if some kind of anti-crying device might suddenly appear in a corner at any moment.

A-at least she's already got a handkerchief?? ]

Um... I'm sorry.

[ He is way the fuck out of his depth here....... ]

[golden_dream]

[It was quite the way to teach Saphir she wasn't a good drunk, as the tears continued. Eventually the handkerchief got soaked and she was using her sleeve to try to stop her blubbering.]

She's going to be all alone...

[reanimania]

[ He has indeed learned that much, yes, and he will absolutely remember it!! He kind of cringes at the sleeve thing, but less because it's gross and more because he's realizing what he must look like to Jade sometimes.

...All that aside, looking at the odds, she's probably not wrong, and "she's already been alone since you joined the Foundation anyway" likely isn't going to be very comforting at all, so he'll refrain from saying that, at least.

Honestly, he's in at least kind of a similar boat, with someone he's afraid of not being able to go home to, and wow, listening to this is sure not helping that stress. But... he'll just let her get it out of her system, he guesses (the crying, not the alcohol, hopefully), since he can't think of anything to say that wouldn't make things worse. ]

[golden_dream]

[It's after a few minutes of silence, silence except for her crying, that she realizes he's just calmly staying beside her and letting her cry...

...it's awkward. It wasn't rejection or comfort. She almost didn't know what to make of it.

Fortunately she had enough control, barely, to realize what the situation was turning into, and that she still needed Saphir's support.]

Ah... I'm sorry.

[Her voice broke a little, but she was able to force her bad emotions back down. She finally got the last of her tears wiped off.]

...No more pity-party. I... I just needed to get that out of my system.

[It was still very much in her system... but she gave a weak little smile.]

I'm sorry, Doctor.