the truth is, everyone wishes to be saved.

[finalring]

The execution has come and passed with the death of two more Agents. However time moves on without cease and so must the living. There are no celebrations, only the silence that grows heavier and heavier with every day and the feeling that something is pleased with what it has done.

There are two more days before the new week arrives: what will you do?

Comments

[golden_dream]

Saturday

[The adrenaline was burnt out. The edge of shrewd arguments and reckless brinkmanship had died down. And the result had been the woman known as Ushiromiya Rosa would, god willing, live for one more week.

But the contradictions were taking their toll. She was still a husk of what she'd been when she first came through the doors. Allies were decreasing. Potential enemies, if not outright enemies were staying right where they were...

She couldn't look at anyone without thinking "Did they vote for her?"

...But, she didn't have the strength to confront anyone. Not yet. The pain in her stomach, heart, and head wasn't gone. And her immediate goal was to just try to continue not-dying.

She did have questions for Battler, but he was going to be even higher on the 'traumatized' scale, and she knew pushing him again wasn't going to be good for either of them. Not yet, anyway.

Maybe someone would approach her, or maybe she'd just throw herself into Ky's bed and be emotionally dead.]

Sunday

[Sunday was a little better... time helped. She needed more allies. She needed to make herself useful But she had to do it in a way that it wasn't obvious...

...oh who the fuck was she kidding; it was going to be obvious. She'd just focus on satisfying her basic needs until the next 'vessel' showed up. She was around the kitchen, and the bathroom and room 5. And doing her best to escape any ghosts.]

Saturday

[soupervillain]

[ As promised, not long after the trial's conclusion, Giovanni approaches Rosa's room clutching a fresh bowl of soup. It might be just a little saltier than usual - no, he didn't cry into it, but it does come from his bodily fluids, after all. Stuff can get a little mixed up. Still, it's warm and healthy and hopefully what Rosa needs right now. At least physically.

He could just drop it off and head back to his own room to get some more crying done, but he lingers after setting down the bowl. ]

Can I... do you mind if I sit with you for a minute?

[golden_dream]

...

[Soup man.

She pats the side of her bunk, beckoning him closer.]

[soupervillain]

[ Oh thank goodness, she's okay with it. Giovanni takes a seat on the bunk beside her, maintaining a respectful distance, of course. He's unusually quiet. If she writes something, he'll answer, but otherwise, he doesn't have a lot to say. ]

[golden_dream]

...

[Well, she thought he had something to say... she was surprised out of all people, he was searching out comfort from her...

...

She reaches out and pats his arm, or leg, whichever is closer. Soothing pats, or what she hopes seems like it.]

[soupervillain]

[ He thinks about speaking up, maybe, as the silence stretches itself out. But what's he going to say? Something about how much it sucks that four more of their friends are dead? Rosa knows that. He saw how upset she was about Flayn and Haku, and even though she and Rin didn't get along, he's pretty sure she didn't want her dead. And maybe it's because one of them can't actually talk, but the silence doesn't feel awkward or oppressive. It's actually kind of... comforting.

But then she pats his arm, and - he didn't want to make noise, but there he is again, crying, like an idiot. He wipes his eyes with one forearm and looks away, trying to hold in the worst of the sobs. ]

Ugh... [ sniff ] sorry...

[golden_dream]

...

[Those pats turn into soft rubs as she continues to be kind to him.]

...

[Finally, she'll take out her notepad and writes a quick note:

"Do you want a hug?"]

saturday

[accrowed]

[ Considering they share a room, it's hard not to notice how lifeless Rosa seems. Even when they spoke after the first trial, Rosa had at least some fire to her. Not like this.

He doesn't have anything in particular to say to her, but he doesn't shy away from walking in and settling on his bed. If Rosa wants to talk, he'll listen. If not, they can stay together in silence. ]

[golden_dream]

['talk' ha ha ha]

...

[Part of her registers it's Crow walking around, and she goes ahead and gives him a wave of acknowledgement... she can't really nod from this position.]

...

[She'll beckon him closer if it looks like he's just doing nothing.]

[accrowed]

[ He's definitely doing nothing. When she starts beckoning, however, he slowly sits up and comes closer. ]

[golden_dream]

...

[She takes out her notepad and pen and, holding them at a weird angle flat across her body because she couldn't be bothered to even sit up, she wrote, before flipping it up to him:

"How are you holding up?"]

[accrowed]

[ That... is the last thing he expected. She looks like this and she's worrying about other people...?

He has to laugh, at least a little. Part of him wonders what Rin would've thought of this, too. ]

I'll manage. And what about you?

[golden_dream]

...

[She lets her head loll back, before scribbling a reply:

"Two votes. Two votes away from death."]

kitchen;

[sageking]

[ Well, that trial could have maybe gone a little better. Though, not by much, considering the amount of chaos created by having to vote out at least one other innocent.

But Gilgamesh will eventually continue making his rounds to people of interest.

Rosa had done her part in sowing some discord, but she was still alive, which was something. ]

...And so here you are. I presume you've had time to think over your own actions from yesterday.

[golden_dream]

[She jumps a little at his voice, in the middle of getting something to drink...]

...

[She sighed. Right, she was going to have to explain herself...

She turned around to face him entirely and beckoned him closer as she took out her notepad and started writing:

"Your Highness... please believe me.

Everything I did yesterday, including picking a fight with Rin, was an attempt to save her life.

I'm sorry."]

[sageking]

[ ... ]

You can hardly afford to repeat such foolishness like that again. All I will tell you is to exercise caution and common sense from here on out if you do not want to continue souring the opinions of those other mongrels.

For now, I'll take that apology of yours as penance for such a wretched display. Keep in mind I do not suffer fools lightly, however.

[ Gilgamesh didn't doubt that people had voted for her, and even further so that she was hardly in the good graces of others. Just knowing how displeased he was in the midst of his antics was enough for him to know that others were just as much if not moreso. ]

Idiocy and foolishness besides, you should see if one of the remaining healers will tend to you once more before the next week. It'd be doubtless they can speed up the recovery of your condition, even if slightly.

[golden_dream]

[She winces, visibly flinching, before slowly writing her next message:

"I know... I'm sorry."

A slight flip to show it to him, then she'll write more:

"Rin already decided she didn't like me... I thought if she hated me so much, she'd vote for me instead of herself. Then we'd find two culprits and it'd all turn out harmless...

Even then when we found out there was only one, everyone was supposed to listen to me at the end! I'm sorry! I never wanted her to die. I was trying to help her!"

And the bad memories of her past are really coming to the surface, so she can't help trembling and shaking like a leaf...]

[sageking]

[ What a reaction...

It was easy to see how honest it was. Even so, he wasn't about to let it stand. ]

...Enough.

I've understood you well enough. You've more or less asserted your intentions in your bid of apology.

But the fact remains that regardless of those intentions, at this point it was clear that Rin was seen as a liability or an option as soon as she volunteered herself consistently. As you were responsible for your actions, so was she.

I don't need you to wallow uselessly in your sorrow that you couldn't have done anything to prevent it. That will do nothing for us, or her.

What I need you to do is to continue looking forward; letting ourselves become consumed by regret will be our downfall.

[golden_dream]

...

[Rosa had a lot of things she wanted to scream at him... a girl that age isn't allowed to be responsible for her actions. That she didn't deserve it. That maybe Rosa... deserved to die instead.

That last thought was spurned by flashbacks to a dark time the miasma wasn't letting her forget, to the point it made her dizzy. But...

Slowly, she started to scrawl her reply:

"I understand."

She flipped it around before turning it back, remembering the second part of what he said:

"You think it'll work...?"]

Saturday

[zweivoltage]

[He looks a little red-eyed by the time he made his way back to his room, before quietly sitting down next to Rosa on his bed, rubbing his face in a tired fashion]

[golden_dream]

[She'll reach out to pat and stroke either a hand or an arm, if he'll take it.]

[zweivoltage]

[He starts at the touch, one almost gets the impression of a cat arching, before he relaxes]

It's not going to get easier.

[He finally speaks]

...It's going to be rough, but we need to start talking properly.

[golden_dream]

...

[She actually isn't sure if he's making a joke, for a split second.]

[zweivoltage]

Ah...

S-sorry. I seem to keep putting my foot in my mouth today.

[His shoulders hunches up, his face turning red]

[golden_dream]

...

[She puts a hand over her face, shaking a little with laughter she has to hold in.

Then she goes to write:

"It's all right. What did you mean, Ky?"]