Afterparty the Fifth

[canreallymove]

[Yeah, he knows, he probably messed up by challenging Kakuya. At least everyone will know if they find a hedgehog-shaped splatter on the ground, or...him disappearing suspiciously into a mirror or water or something.





Anyways, in the meantime he's cooking, so if you guys want something, he'll make it for you. Except for Hunter, mainly because he's going to make that Not Evidence Chili Dog first. SO. Otherwise, you're all good for food. Sonic's got you.]

Comments

[copycut]

[ slurpin' her milkshake ]

Yasu... When you say that Kakuya cares for us, do you think that means the same thing it would mean if we cared for Kakuya?

[violence_ensues]

["Real heroes need to act despite their fear, no matter how hard that is."]

[It may be telling that Adorabat just instantly latched onto that sentence.]

...I... I got that if you're scared, you should tell your friends and they'll always help you... and if you run away from the things you don't like, you'll miss out on the things you DO like... but... wow, I never heard of acting even though someone's afraid of something...!

[Adorabat seems utterly MYSTIFIED.]

[spychic]

[Is it weird for a duck to make eggs...? That is a question Anya will ponder later.]

Then we can try together bright and early. And anyone else who wants to help can join in, too.

...

And after this is over, everyone can meet Mama and Papa. Anya's...going to be honest. From now on.

[violence_ensues]

[Oh... That gets Adorabat to stop and take the kazoo out of her mouth, looking a little sad.]

It's just that everyone seems to be sad or scared or hurt and... I just want to show everyone else that they can still be happy and hopeful.

[keyringwitness]

...that's the thing, Anya. Kakuya never got that chance.

She was sealed in Kakuriyo for... who knows how long? With the only interaction she got to have with anyone else being the people whose job it was to keep her in there and the dolls that they put in there for her.

She's a spirit. Playing games is what she does, you heard as much.

But the reason why she's playing with our lives like it's a game is that she doesn't know that there's any other way to think of things. She wasn't given any other way to think of things, or anyone to really care about her as someone aside from something that needed to be sealed.

[keyringwitness]

...thanks for apologizing, if nothing else.

It's just... I love her. I k- know I'm biased because of that, but the only reason why I did fall in love with her is beneath A, beneath Ao, there was someone who could be loved.

And seeing everything think she's just pure evil who exists to torment them, it's...

[keyringwitness]

Of course it doesn't. I know that.

But it's still something. And if it wasn't for her caring in her own odd way, we wouldn't be here right now, one way or another.

Everyone has the right to hate her, but... acting like she's just some evil thing and not a person...

It... it hurts me, too.

[spychic]

...

If she's willing to stop breaking things, then...maybe.

It involves both sides reaching out.

If we can make that happen, then...Anya can try...

[Mmm. It's all complicated, isn't it? This is a months-long project. Not a weeks.]

[copycut]

[ ...sighs ]

You're right. I don't hate her, because I know she doesn't understand that from our perspectives, what she's doing is wrong. Still...

[ ... ]

Have you asked her to do the same thing? For us?

[canreallymove]

...Y'know, Kuro mentioned last week that she was like a spirit and stuff? And they were basically like aliens. Not necessarily good and not necessarily evil and whatnot. I'll be honest, I don't like her. I don't like what she did to us, and I don't like that she's just doin' this as a game and we're all gonna eventually die because it's all part of her game that she wins when she wins and she wins when she loses because she'll, you know, keep playing.

But I dunno if I'd call her pure evil even then? She does seem like she cares for you, somehow, even if I don't understand the whole daddy thing. She's not Father and she's not Buttnik. But, uh, you can probably tell she's not something or...someone I really get, either.

[keyringwitness]

...I'm going to do my best. I need to try and figure out how to get her to understand, but... I'm not sure that's possible anymore, with how she sounded at the end there.

Still. I need to give it my best shot.

[keyringwitness]

I can't change that part of her. I, um. Don't even want to, I think. She wouldn't be Kakuya if she wasn't a spirit, someone totally removed from humanity... Animal-nity? I- I don't know.

But she really does love me. She really can feel. So if I can broaden her view, just enough to see that all of you are people too...

It's just that feels so hard now, after...

[Yasu trails off, expression growing distant.]

I recognize that voice she used, at the end there. She figured that... if nobody else wanted to see eye to eye with her, consider her as anything other than pure evil, acknowledge that she saved our lives twice... then she'd play the part she thinks you want her to play to the hilt.

[keyringwitness]

...it's not going to be easy, after today.

She thinks that everyone else wants her to be the villain, so... she's playing the villain.

But there's someone inside there who wants to be loved. I know that. So if I can just draw her out, get her to see that there are people who want to see her...

I don't think that's something I can convince everyone of, though.

[copycut]

Alright, Yasu-chan~ Do your best!

[ There is a definite hollowness to Kuro's cheer, though. ]

A one-sided understanding won't get us anywhere. Until Kakuya understands the same thing— That we're people, not objects... This is just a matter of self-preservation.

[canreallymove]

...Yeah, you can see why Sal's the strategist of our group. I'm not good with negotiating.

[Personality? Uh. Who knows at this point, he gets what you mean.]

And honestly, I'm stumped what to do. Obviously I can't reach her the same way, even if I was trying to be nice. I doubt she'd listen to me.

Rooms

[shinedsobright]

[Fret's heading back to his room too, as he tends to do - though, that is quite the list, so he'll nose in curiously.]

Party what?

[temmapathy]

[Okay, that gets Emma to pause after she grabs her sandwich.]

I know she's a kid in some ways. But she's still a jerk and a bully. If she was human, I'd be just as mad at her.

[A sigh.]

But...I guess it's not healthy, for you to be the only one who cares about her and the only one she cares about.

... I'll try.

[hashtagwoof]

Yeeeeaah, but does it have to be a chili dog?

Re: Rooms

[hashtagwoof]

[ Oh, dang, Hunter thought he locked the door.

He has his weapons spread out on his bed, and was currently handling the bubble wrap gun thing from last week when Fret walked in. ]

Huh?! Oh... Hey Fret. [ He waves with his free hand. ] Just taking inventory here.

[hashtagwoof]

[ Her parents... She was really worried about them this whole time, wasn't she?

Must be nice to have living parents to worry about... ]

Your mum's a fighter, eh?

[shinedsobright]

[Bet he's glad Fret dropped by then, huh? It'd suck if he forgot to lock up!]

I see...! You got a lot of stuff by now. Think any of these'll work on Miss Cuckoo?

[temmapathy]

[...oh.] Thank you, Adorabat. That's something all of us should remember, really.

SLEEPOVER

[temmapathy]

[Well, after talking with Adorabat a little bit, Emma gets an idea. Everyone will find a note slipped under their doors, as well as a similar note placed in the cafeteria. In general, Emma wants to make sure everyone gets one of the notes:

SLEEPOVER TONIGHT - EMMA'S ROOM
All Students and Pets Welcome
Bedding Will Be Provided

Later on, she can be seen near the dorms carrying the sheets and pillows from the various dead people's rooms into hers, door propped open with a variety of regains. Still, if someone approaches, she'll be glad for any offer to help.

Finally, as night approaches, she's waiting up in her room to see who will arrive. Hopefully it'll be enough to make things not awkward...]

[lets_dewey_it]

_{[Feeding ducks popcorn gif etc.]}

Yeah. I'd love to meet your parents. Maybe you could meet my family too. If not here then maybe there's a way you could get to my world through Closetland.

[violence_ensues]

[Have a brief bat hug, Emma!]

Yeah... it's sad to see people so sad, so I'm trying to make them happy. Wanna help me? ...Oh, do you have a kazoo?