thefoundation | RECORDING 7: THE THIRD WEEK.

A third week in this place begins, with less of your number among you. The final week completely covered by everyone's rations, though with proper meting out, you'll be able to make it stretch until after week 4. It seems as if everyone will have to go without a few meals here and there..

To make things worse, when you wake up - it's clear the Miasma has gotten thicker. Everyone, save those still protected either by their powers or items they brought with them, is now even more deeply affected by the curse. Arguments will be flaring up more, along with negative thoughts and feelings...and even more worrying Is that any magic that touches the house itself will corrode over time. If a barrier is put in place and touches the floor, walls, or ceiling, in half a day it will be completely consumed by the miasma and fizzle out. Spells or seals will also corrode, and even personal healing abilities have been halved.

The Temperature has dropped, just a bit - down to the mid to low 60's. Strange, isn't it? As before,the rooms have changed, so hopefully you kept anything essential in the static area.

25 of your number still remain.

...What new horrors await you this week?

WARNING: Some investigations of new areas will contain traps that may be harmful or even lethal.
MIASMA LEVEL: 2
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B-but I have nothing that could have helped either of you! What happened there... t-there was nothing I could have done!

That doesn't mean that you just leave us there!

I've already been having a bad week, constantly having to see my stupid mistakes and now it's so much worse!!

And what could I have done, Rin?! I'm a deadweight! I'm a coward! I'm practically useless to this team and every time I can't save someone is only another reminder of it! Damn it, I--!!!

[ roman grits his teeth, trying to blink away tears. it almost looks like he's physically holding himself back. ]

I-- I have to go. I'm so sorry.

[ and he's going to try to. well. run away from rin again. ]

No.

[if he tries to run away, Rin is immediately going to grab him by the arm if she can. and it's not a gentle grab, either.]

You don't get to make excuses and run again. Not after you've said that. Especially not after you've said that.

Argh— Rin!

[ rin’s grip hurts, and romani immediately stops struggling against her.

his breathing is quick with panic, eyes wide. ]

What else do you want me to do!?

[she doesn't let go.

she won't let go of him, not until he hears her out to the very end.]

Stop running away, for one! And second — stop calling yourself 'useless'.

If you really want to become completely and utterly useless... I'll do it myself. I'll show you what it would really, truly, feel like.

[ for a second, romani looks like he desperately wants to do exactly what rin tells him not to do and run away.

even though she's so angry--at him, understandably--he can only stare at her in dumb shock as she tells him to stop calling himself useless. ]

I see.

[ his gaze lowers, as his shoulders slump and his arm goes slack in her grip. there's no resistance to his voice--just exhaustion. ]

I'm...sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have left you or Haku alone. If you want to hate me... then that's probably what I deserve.

[to be fair, Rin is angry and frustrated at a lot of things-- herself included but--

give her a minute, as she lets out a breath in a false attempt to calm herself down but the fury doesn't seem to die in her eyes]

Good.

So take responsibility. Let me —

[...]

Let me tell you what I wanted to tell you after last week's trial.

[huh.

she's not saying that she hates him, even if she is arguing with him. albeit a rather one-sided one.]

Huh?

[ well that’s an... unexpected twist. he blinks a couple times, but then nods. ]

Tell me. I’m listening.

...

[she huffs a little bit, eyes narrowed as the purple dies from her eyes and glancing to check that nobody is around]

Do you want to know why I want the Holy Grail?

[ his expression softens just slightly as the purple disappears from rin's eyes. he's not exactly calm yet, but he's no longer panicking. ]

No...no, I hadn't thought about it. I imagined it must have been important, though, if it meant risking your life for it.

I...

[she pauses, hearing the same voice in her head.

her own voice.

asking him to stop her once again. and again. and again--]

At first, it was just simply to win.

I didn't have any wish. It was just natural for a Tohsaka to participate in the War and try to win to bring honor, right...?

[she speaks those words calmly, with no emotion. as if it were simply natural]

Of course, now that's different.

[because

every

single

time

she dares to blink her eyes, she sees the scene--]

I have a younger sister I want to bring back to life.

That's...

[ that's way more than romani bargained for, actually. his eyes actually widen as she says that, and then softening into something sadder. ]

I'm sorry, Rin, I didn't know...

Don't apologize.

I'm just paying for my own sins. I said it during the trial, didn't I?

That...

[ hm. it sounds like he's actually considering her words for a second, but then he shakes his head. ]

Is that why you were so willing to put your life on the line, then? Because that way you might be able to repent?

Yes.

After all, it's my fault.

I see... so you caused her death?

[ he definitely looks surprised, but not horrified? if anything, he's calmer than he was a few minutes ago, perhaps due to the fact that rin was actually opening up to him. ]

Can I tell you something? It might be a little rude, though.

... You may.

["a little rude" might be an understatement, depending on what it is, however]

Things like divine retribution don't usually happen because one person did wrong. Nor do they happen because the people that receive it are always deserving of it.

[ he puts his hands in his pockets, sighing deeply. ]

Most of the time...things like these are caused by god's whims. He'll curse and bless people who are both deserving and not, only interfering when he feels it's appropriate. It's not something that you can apply human reason to. So to think that this is you paying for your sins...well, that's probably not true.

Maybe they don't.

But... still. That doesn't change how I feel. And how I always constantly see Sakura-

[she twinges a little bit, her nails digging in her skin to try and calm herself down]

Honestly, I don't believe in gods. If they existed, they died a long time ago.

No, that doesn't change how you feel. And how you feel isn't wrong either, I think. That sort of guilt is...unbearable.

[ well, he's not going to say anything about the second part either. ]

What will you do when you win the Grail War and bring your sister back?

... When I win.

I'll just leave her be. She can find happiness without me, and I doubt she'd want to see me ever again, after what I did to her.

...

[ well, he supposes that it was naive of him to think that she would say something different. ]

I see. It's a shame that you had that chance for a sibling relationship taken away from you. Neither of you deserved that.

... He said that, too.

[her answer is immediate, right after he says 'neither of you deserved that']

RECORDING 7: THE THIRD WEEK.

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