are we actually living? or are we being kept alive?

[finalring]

After the execution, the survivors are dismissed to rest in preparation for the next week. The miasma curls and turns into each room, letting fall a cold and oppressive atmosphere that fills every corner of the place.

And yet, even in a place that has caused so much grief, life must go on. Thirteen has always been considered to be an unlucky number, but that is the number of people that are left--what will you do, in this false calm?

Comments

[golden_dream]

[Rosa gets out of the trial, and... despite her impulse to drink herself into a stupor, she heads to the conservatory to visit Battler. Or... rather, his corpse. She stares at him, she stares at him a long time. She drops down to one knee next to him, and moves her hand like she's going to brush his hair...

...then she just starts full-face crying her eyes out.

Afterward, a brief stint through the hallway to Master Bathroom where she starts scrubbing her hands with soap... for a long time. Before finally going to the kitchen to put food in her, and then stumble back to room 5 to wallow in misery before sleeping.]



[Sunday isn't much better, but she's hanging around places people go to relax. The dining room mostly, but room 5 is another possibility.

You might spy her outside the wine room or the living room contemplating entry.]

conservatory

[tsunderine]

[don't mind her too much Rosa, she's just here to keep an eye on Battler - although it's probably not great to have a set of dead eyes watching your every movement even as you cry all your tears out.

it's probably fine.

or not, who knows.]

[golden_dream]

[The miasma's effect is coursing pretty strong throughout Rosa, and she cycles through emotions pretty rapidly, from sorrow, to anger, and self-pity and right back to anger... Just when it seems like it's over she looks at him again.]

[tsunderine]

[you know what, that cycle of emotions is enough for ominous laughter to peel through, although nothing else slips out]

[golden_dream]

...

[slowly turns to look up]

[tsunderine]

[well

thankfully she's nearby but she's giving Rosa plenty of space]

Boo.

[golden_dream]

[She doesn't jump. At all.]

...

[Hard, focused stare though.]

[tsunderine]

You're not going to be able to make me leave, so don't even bother.

[golden_dream]

...

[She goes for her... notepad, and pen. She writes:

"You won't win."]

[tsunderine]

I already have.

[golden_dream]

...

[She writes another note:

"Get a life, Rin."

Sssssslow creeping smile as she shows it off.]

[tsunderine]

Don't be stupid.

[she says it so casually, too. as if she's talking about the weather. but she seems unphased by her words]

...Can't you see that I can't? And neither will Battler-kun now, either.

[golden_dream]

['Unphased'...

She gives a little shrug, before writing:

"And Rosa lives... despite the best efforts of many."]

living room;

[sageking]

[ And here he was, looking at the walls and general room carefully, before she came closer so that he could notice her out of his peripheral vision. ]

If you intend to enter the room, you should.

[golden_dream]

...

[She shrugs. Then she writes:

"I thought it'd be cathartic to kick them around a little more. ...Just for the sake of it.

But, it won't do anything for me. Will it?"]

[sageking]

No, it won't. If anything, that'll just generate more resentment.

[ Naturally, Gilgamesh didn't approve of it at all. ]

And it's hardly a good use of your time.

[golden_dream]

[She writes:

"Oh, I'm absolutely full of resentment. Maybe if I add to it, I'll reach a point where it loops back and I don't have any at all."]

[sageking]

[ He'll sigh. As he understood it, she just lost her nephew, so he just crossed his arms. ]

In this instance, I don't mean you. Granted, we've enough to contend with as it is, and we don't need anyone adding anymore to it.

[golden_dream]

[A quick nod.]

...

[She writes:

"I actually thought they both were okay. Then, they kill my nephew and my daily food supply.

Hell, if you hadn't been there, Hikage might've gotten away with it."]

[sageking]

It appears you weren't the only one who'd thought highly of them.

[ He'll frown, remembering that show in the trial. Undoubtedly he'd been seeing them at their worst towards the end.

Though...that was not all. ]

I don't doubt he would. The small burn was innocuous enough, but that trace of dark magic which hardly anyone could say was more damning...something invisible to the eyes of many people here.

[golden_dream]

[She writes:

"I wouldn't go so far as to say 'thought highly' but I wouldn't expected a long evil cackling monologue from one of them."

She shrugs, then writes more:

"Oh, I remembered an actual reason... I lost a pen in there. Help me search for it? If I'm not keeping you."]

[sageking]

Hmph. That fool of a detective hardly seemed like the sort, it's true.

[ And he's not commenting on how it seemed to be the same for Hikage. It's obvious to the both of them on that one, after all. ]

...Such a simple request. It's fortunate for you that I've nothing else better to do with my time for the next few hours.

[ In which afterwards he'll draw up everyone for a meeting. ]

[golden_dream]

[She gives a small little smile at that. Nothing better, hm... that opened up possibilities, she couldn't help but think. She writes:

"It's a fountain pen with a sharp point, it has the crest of my family on it. One spread wing with five points.

I threw it at Saphir when he started defending Hikage and saying Battler's death was 'no big deal'. --Reflex, of course. I'm normally not so violent."]

[sageking]

Oh?

[ He vaguely did remember Saphir declaring something like that. He was surprised no one tried to kill the man on the spot, given how precious Battler had been to many people. ]

...It's such a small thing it could be anywhere.

[ He'll take an...idle glance around the living room anyway. ]

[golden_dream]

...

[She writes:

"I only hope it didn't get stuck in him and he took it with him."]