From the white lights, the darkness comes...

[sageking]

Today's trial was a mixture of regret, anger, guilt, and second-thoughts. Perhaps some people realized that situations and choices weren't to be black or white. However, decisions were made, and whether it'd be through people keeping secrets or causing a ton of chaos...everyone could probably agree on one thing:

They've made their choices and no matter what happened in the coming days, they will lie in the beds they made for themselves. Whatever that should mean for each and every single person still living here.

That being said, there's still new choices to make. In the days to come, what will those be?

Comments

[accessorytomurder]

Absolutely.

[Her voice is totally firm, this time.]

...and on you, too.

[cw_suicide]

And on you.

[he places a kiss on her temple.]

Not only looking out for us but also... you got to know Ango a bit, too.

Plus... Ango would really have reason to haunt me if I neglected you.

[accessorytomurder]

I-I'm okay.

[You know... comparatively speaking.]

I, um... well, I don't think you'll make a mess of me, any time soon, but probably best not to risk his 'clean up' like this. R-Right?

[cw_suicide]

Right.

Though... what happened earlier... you know that wasn't me "volunteering", right?

[he just thought nullification might have stopped a lot of the chuuni boss fight or something.]

[accessorytomurder]

...

[cw_suicide]

[wow, ok fair.]

... seriously.

He was using magic, so...?

[accessorytomurder]

You... were laughing hysterically.

[She's quiet, and not quite looking at him.]

I-I don't... even if you had the intention to stop him, I d-don't... I don't think you would've... played it s-safe...

[cw_suicide]

... I guess that is true.

I wasn't thinking of it like that. Just that if Ango was running to me because of him, then maybe I should've been able to do something before he got someone else killed...

[accessorytomurder]

Hey.

[She reaches up and grabs him by the face with both hands, forcing their gazes to meet.]

Hey. None of that.

[cw_suicide]

[?! he mostly looks confused???]

[accessorytomurder]

Osamu. This wasn't your fault.

[cw_suicide]

[he looks like he's going to argue for a moment but nothing seems to want to come out, that lump coming back to strangle him a bit.

then, in a very small voice:]

Wasn't it...?

[already believes and hasn't been corrected on one friend being dead being his fault, so obviously the second one is also...?]

[accessorytomurder]

It. Wasn't. Your. Fault.

[She punctuates each word with a firm kiss, her expression settling into something stern.]

[cw_suicide]

[it could be so easy to go into a tailspin with the existential crisis about how if it's not his fault, then that means there was no reason for it and if there's no reason for it, it just means everything's random and that leaves too much up for chance for what will happen next and--

but then there's a stern Hitoka watching him and kissing him and he's not really sure what's the right answer here? Hitoka is making a good argument for agreeing, though]

... I don't know what else to do?

[accessorytomurder]

Osamu. I-I know you're hurting—I know this... I know this is probably harder for you than I can even imagine. But, but you have to remember something, okay? You have to.

[She squeezes his face, and pulls back to meet his gaze.]

It was supposed to hurt. From the first day, from Todd onwards, we've... w-we've known that this place wants us to hurt. Everything is designed to make us m-miserable. It's pulling all the strings to make us hurt each other—on purpose or not—and... a-and...

[She swallows.]

Don't... don't do it's job for it, okay? Don't... hurt yourself, thinking that.

[cw_suicide]

[... putting it like that. it's a trap, isn't it?]

Ah.

I keep... falling into traps here, don't I...?

[he still can't bring himself to believe he has no role in it, but he at least now has that to shield himself with]

[accessorytomurder]

...I've triggered every single trap I've touched here, Osamu.

[cw_suicide]

I'm supposed to be good at not falling for traps.

[accessorytomurder]

It's never the trap you see coming that's the problem, i-is it?

[Kind of, definitively?]

It's... it's also important to be good at recovering from traps, I think.

[cw_suicide]

And how's that supposed to be done?

[accessorytomurder]

...

[She gives her best shot at a smile.]

I'll tell you tomorrow.

[cw_suicide]

[... that's cheating.

and therefore, after an almost startled look of surprise, she is going to get kissed.]

[accessorytomurder]

...!

[Well, now she's the one surprised, but she kisses him back without missing a beat.]

[cw_suicide]

[he's just a little overwhelmed and doesn't know how to words things because feelings are hard but he does lift up his hands to cup her face when he breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against hers a bit]

Tomorrow, then.

[accessorytomurder]

...I only feel like saying it once a day.

[She grips his wrists loosely.]

So... Wei-kun's just going to have to wait for the day after... i-if he wants to hear it too, I think.