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

conservatory

[golden_dream]

[Rosa left earlier, she probably got to Battler first.

She's finishing up her emotional medley of sorrow as Romani gets closer. Probably enough to hear the full-throating sobbing she does, and the pitiful wincing from the strain it puts on her stitches after.

When she looks up she's... well, surprised, but too emotionally numb to be really shocked by his presence.]

...

[A quick wipe of her eyes on her sleeve, blinking back the remains of her moment of grief, before taking a moment to decide how she should approach him...]

[finalring]

Ah...

[ of course. of course she would be here first. and honestly, why wouldn't she? as occasionally awful as she was and despite how battler said she was...she was still his aunt in his eyes.

what a complicated, complex woman. he couldn't even bring himself to resent or dislike her, especially with his own experience with family. pity, maybe, but he had no leg in this race. he was probably the most pathetic one out of all of them.

he fidgets with the bishop piece in his hand, looking away. away from her and battler. ]

I'm sorry. If you need privacy...I can leave.

[golden_dream]

...

[She gives a little cough and stands up, smoothing her hair away from her face. She goes ahead and gives him a little shake of the head. She turned away and tried to subtly wipes away what was left of her tears...

She made to pull out her notepad next. She writes:

"No, I'm tired of being lonely. Sorry, Dr."]

[finalring]

Yeah...that's understandable.

[ he glances back at rosa, and his gaze flutters by battler's corpse. battler, who almost looks like he's sleeping at this point. ]

We should ready ourselves for Monday. I have no doubt that he'll be one of our Vessels.

[golden_dream]

[She reels a bit at that, a hand reaching up to massage her head with a pained grimace... but she stops when she realizes she doesn't want to touch her head yet.

Instead, she'll write:

"Battler had a lot of emotional connections, no doubt. Every one of them will turn into a knife aimed at our hearts.

We'll have to turn them to iron and tell ourselves it's just the words of some deranged thing with his face; nothing more.

I'm preparing myself."]