Week 3 Post-Trial

[xxxx_me]

[It's hard to feel much cheer after finding out the culprit. Everyone's welcome to do whatever brings them peace after such a tense time, whether it's jotting down memories before the next loss or finding other things to occupy themselves with.]

Comments

[undershadow]

[ Well, that was dark. But first things first!

Lena heads out to the garden, where she dons an insanely huge pair of gloves, takes some pruners that are similarly way too big for her, and starts absolutely fuckin' whaling on the nightshade bush. ]

Stupid — thematic — poison — flowers—

[ When she's done cutting it down to the ground, she tosses her tools away and stands alone, breathing heavily. She says to absolutely no one: ]

Ugh, it's totally gonna be back tomorrow.

[ And she summarily flops back down onto the grass, where she lies still for a while, staring up at the fake night sky. It really is quiet, isn't it? All she's got are her own thoughts, and her own memories, and her voice echoing in the back of her mind.

(One sip, lights out, grab the dime.)

And if any footfalls break that quiet, well. ]

I'm armed.

quiet

[scratchitti]

I'm not.

[He wasn't trying to sneak anyways]

[undershadow]

Yeah, I kinda doubt anyone's got enough energy for murder after all that. But just in case. [ She lifts her head up off the ground just enough to say: ] Hey, Neku.

[scratchitti]

Hey Lena. Want me to leave?

[undershadow]

Me and all the deadly plants could use some company, I guess. Even from one of those dangerous, murdering teens.

[ She sighs. ]

What a week, huh?

[scratchitti]

Seriously. It's been... a lot.

[he comes to sit]

Good job tearing them up by the way.

[undershadow]

Knowing the creepy twins, it'll be back by tomorrow... but thanks.

You know, I didn't even see nightshade when I checked it out the first time? So maybe they just, like, play-doughed it into existence once Manaka started getting antsy.

[scratchitti]

Wouldn't surprise me. Soon as she started plotting just 'pop'.

[undershadow]

They're just giving like that, you know? And here I thought knowing about dumb poisons might help someone for once.

But that's on me for having hope, honestly. ... And her. For killing someone in cold blood.

[scratchitti]

Yeah... she was creepy but I never would have expected a kid to be that cold-blooded.

[He winces- it's not cool to badmouth the dead but...]

[undershadow]

[ There's a long period of silence, where Lena blinks up at the sky. Weighing how rude this is, maybe? ]

... I did.

[ Or not! ]

the teens just really are like not ok at this pt

[prescience]

I rather wish the vending machine would cease distributing weapons.

[That a weapon wouldn't have made a lick of difference this week isn't lost on her.

Oriko joins Lena on the grass, though some feet away, and still sitting up straight, her legs pulled up beneath her.]

This garden honestly...makes me feel terrible.

what nooooo this is totally fine

[undershadow]

Wow, whodathunk?

[ There's no actual sarcasm here, just a tired as hell duck. ]

... anyway, same. Today was a lot more of what I expected than last week, but good news: it's all awful.

[prescience]

Nothing but. [It sucks.] The pressure really is mounting, isn't it? I think it will only get worse as things go on.

Certainly Manaka Sajyou-san isn't the only person afraid of losing herself through losing her memories.

[And there's really no way of telling who might be affected by that fear next. It's invisible and silent.]

[undershadow]

[ She nods, or, uh, tucks her head down to her chest since she's still lying down. ]

Franziska might be the last person to accept random food after midnight, though. Which I guess is a net positive?

[prescience]

You don't really believe that something like that is "net positive," right? You don't need to mince your words with me.

That's the problem with cautionary tales: What's even the point of the lesson, in the end?

[There is pretty much nothing she actually trusts in this garden to lean against anymore, so Oriko lies down on her stomach in the grass instead. Is that the next lesson? Don't get caught lying down?]

[undershadow]

Mincing? Me?

[ But she sighs, and the extremely small amount of levity in her voice seems to abandon her entirely. ]

Cautionary tales are just for people who were lucky enough not to screw up.

quiet

[byzer0]

I am too~.

[ Why wouldn't he be armed is the better question. ]

[undershadow]

Yeah, I kinda noticed at the trial.

[ Lena sits up in the grass. While she doesn't look worried or anything, she does cast a glance about the garden to see if Youji's there, just because it's good to know whether there's two buttercats around or one! Just a useful thing to verify. ]

At least it worked.

[byzer0]

[ One buttercat tonight! ]

Ahaha, some people here are still blind. [ Like Seven his tone implies, because what did he think was going to happen after their tiff with the dogs the week before? ]

Is that why you keep one with you too?

[undershadow]

I'm two and a half feet tall.

[ She responds, like it explains everything, because it kind of does. Everyone here has her outclassed in terms of strength -- even Amdi, who's smaller, has seven other units to rely on! In a sense, she's the least personally incriminating victim here, and Lena's never been the kind of person who overlooks morbid truths along those lines. ]

... But seriously, it was obvious neither of you did anything. He just got, you know. Seven-y.

quiet

[soverainty]

... At this point, whoever isn't armed is just asking for it, aren't they?

[Niko says that perfectly casually, waltzing into the garden in this and settling herself a little farther than arm's (or wing's) length. Just in case? She seems to have changed from her trial outfit, which continues to be a little too thematic here.

Much like the unfortunate bush that Lena's taken her time wailing on earlier. There's a glance at the mess and then a glance back.]

Don't tell me you're going to go waving the poison bush at people?

[That's a very small joke. This garden really is full of all kinds of things at this point.]

[undershadow]

Yeah, camouflage and a weapon. Who says a girl can't have it all?

[ She sighs, sitting up. Her eyes actually pass over "red team rules" on the castle wall before she looks at Niko, who's certainly continuing the color scheme! ]

Nobody's asking to get drowned in their sleep. [ A hot take... ] I mean, drinking the syrup was a bit much? But it's not... on anyone for not immediately assuming the worst intentions.

... Even with Manaka. I mean, she was pretty obvious.

[soverainty]

Hahaha. They totally fit you in all kinds of ways.

[Sometimes you are just a girl and a duck, or a girl duck; Niko seems to be perfectly happy taking advantage of this despite the current lack of a watery complement to their not-at-all home.

Eventually, there may be pirate ducks, but belladonna is about as punk rock as they're getting.

She tilts her head a little when Lena's eyes wander but doesn't remark on it for the time being.]

Getting drowned in your sleep and drowning yourself in syrup are also two totally different things. We were told our purpose here was pretty much taking each other out, didn't we?

We can work together as much as we want, but once the deaths start? It's every man, woman and dog for themselves. Something to remember.

[undershadow]

Trust me, I'm not about to forget. Most of you guys only have one giant monster to deal with — try having fourteen, and then eight dogs.

[ the most relaxing experience one could possibly have! ]