Week 5

[airlockedmods]

[As with the weeks before, life in the Fantasy Sweet returns to something resembling normalcy with shocking efficiency. The second floor rest area and Adventure Zone Death Orb Room are spotless again, the demon glitter has been vacuumed, the deflated orbs have been replaced. It's like none of it ever happened, like three more friends aren't dead and stored away in the guest house morgue.

There's a new floor to explore, their "reward" for a job well done.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your activity for week 4, submit your memory regains and put in your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

SUNDAY

[airlockedmods]

[scourgingstars]

[Accursed.]

[The word echoed in his head like the deafening roll of thunder heralding a terrible storm. He saw his brother's cold stare, looking down on him from atop the Lucian throne--the same hate-filled look he'd been met with from so many others. And at his brother's side instead of Ardyn's own...the Shield of the King, lance in hand as though he faced a daemon rather than the man he'd sworn to protect.]

[When Ardyn's eyes snapped open, they were stained black and yet his mind felt entirely clear. It all made perfect sense to him now, and the only response he had was the blazing hatred kept so carefully hidden.]

[Once the black corruption had vanished from his face, Ardyn left room seven at around four in the morning. He was sure no one would be awake yet; it was just him that didn't sleep. he moved as quietly as possible, going to the storage closet and shutting the door behind him without a sound.]

[...And then he slammed his left fist into the wall until he thought either it or his hand would break. Accursed. Accursed. Accursed. Ardyn screamed at nothing that was present--what did you want from me?! I did everything you asked, oh infallible and great Bahamut, and I'm expected to accept punishment for it while remaining some grateful acolyte--the black scourge on his face back in full force as well as creeping along his neck and hands as well.]

[He drove his fist into the wall again, snarling rage dissolving into hollow, pained laughter. Gods, it all made sense now, and all he felt about the matter was the only thing he truly felt in general--anger.]

[But as much as he wanted to just burn everything to ashes and let the cold expanse of space sort the rest out, he'd made a promise. So he returned to room seven once he'd calmed down enough for the corruption to vanish, twisting the useless ring on his finger and just waiting.]

['If you had been anything else from the start, do you think I even would have been friends with you?!']

[It was about time to test the limits of everyone's insistence upon sympathy, now wasn't it?]

[Later on in the morning, Ardyn left some junk on a table in the dining hall, sitting a short distance away glaring coldly at a cup of coffee like it had personally insulted his mother. From there he spent the rest of the day wandering the floors; directionless, with that same casual idleness his movements had taken on in the past week or so.]

Dining Room

[desperateprayer]

[ Clarith finds him in the dining room with things. She blinks a few times, then retrieves the book among them. A Levin Bible... Ah, yes. This must be hers. She holds it close, then goes over and sits across from him. ]

...I take it your memories didn't treat you well.

[scourgingstars]

[Of course she'd come find him. She always did, with that gentle look on her face that reminded him of Lunafreya.]

[...It was so, so sickening.]

And what should it matter to you of all people, my dear?

[motherfucking_ghost]

["Tex, don't do this!"

"Goodbye."

The word makes him desperate, like a deep and sudden assurance that he's never going to see her again. She doesn't like saying it, never had. She knows. She knows what he refuses to acknowledge, that this is for good. Because it's not. Because it can't be.

"Andy, do NOT detonate! Can you see her heading? Do you know where she's going?!" The ship blinks out of sight, gone, an empty pocket of sky that isn't nearly as empty as the feeling of his heart dropping straight into his stomach. "...Tex?"

His sleep is restless, full of confused memories, frantic chaos, shifting fitfully and murmuring under his breath. No, after everything, after finally cornering Omega, and getting Wyoming, after all this, and she leaves them behind, because of the war? The fucking war?

An explosion fills the empty sky, and the cheers of the Reds around him are muted. Lead feet carry him away.

"Uh, Church? What should we do?"

"Do whatever you want," is his bitter, tired reply. "I'm going home."

It's over, isn't it? He can't even dredge up his typical anger, not even when talking to Caboose. It's muted and grey and heavy and dull, and the ache in his chest tightens more and more. There are orders, later. Reassignments. He doesn't even bother arguing. What's the point?

He never could change her mind.

When he wakes up, he feels clammy and cold and like he's run a marathon. He remembers it all and lived it in a night, doing everything he possibly could to save Tex. Save her from herself, at the end of it. And he still failed. The back of his head even throbs in phantom pain, and the empty, heavy feeling in his chest remains.

He hadn't let himself at the time, not in front of everyone, not with the numbness and shock settling into his mechanical frame, but with clarity and context and three trials and seven deaths, hot tears prickle his eyes, a sob escaping him against his will.]

No.

[He doesn't want to dare to hope that she might even be out there somewhere, after that. He'd cling to it if he let himself, he knows it. Church sits up and buries his face in his hands, shoulders shaking, frame trembling. If she'd been here, she would've found a way out. She'd survive. How could...how did all this bullshit end up with her dead? How could she make a deal with the devil for a fucked up prophecy in a wild goose chase attempt to end the war?

Why couldn't she have stayed? Why does...she always...leave...]

Dining Hall

[misanthropicprinciple]

Ardyn?

[Is Junpei so unobservant a detective that he's missed Ardyn's mood? Possible. Or perhaps he's noted it and has just decided to treat this new normal as the old normal it always was, underneath the regal veneer.]

You said your chocobo's black, right?

[desperateprayer]

[ "Won't you take revenge for me? Just drive that knife into her back. Go on. I know you can do it, Clarith."

The voice is a mockery of Mikaela's. Tempting her, with that glinting knife with the golden hilt, to murder a girl sobbing on the beach. She holds a bottle, setting it adrift in the waves.

"If you don't kill her before the bottle disappears, you'll die."

Clarith raises the knife, racked with anger and pain. This girl took everything from her. Everything. And Mikaela wants revenge. She wants nothing more than to end this girl's life. She's about to bring the knife down on the girl, when a boy is suddenly there, smiling sadly down on the girl, before flashing Clarith the same look. Surprised and lost, Clarith looks to Mikaela for help, the demon wearing her friend's face screeching at her to just do it already. Rin turns to her, and accepts her fate, saying she deserves nothing else. There's quiet begging, to just give her the punishment she deserves. Clarith raises the knife again, and--

Eyes fly open early in the morning. She'd returned to Room 1 for the night, because she didn't know what memories would come. She recalls her autobiography as she sits in the dark. She... Understands, she thinks. A lot better now. So she'll get up out of bed. And she'll go for a walk. She needs to clear her head a bit. She won't go to the garden this morning. Not yet. Instead, she stops in the foyer. ]

...PAL? ...I know you can hear me. You don't have to answer. ...I recalled something you said... That day you gave the first motive. About how a computer could only take so much. ...I... Think I understand a little. Just how much being treated horrible can hurt. You want to lash out. You want to make people pay. And I know... A few of us didn't treat you well, either. ...I'm sorry for that. I really am. I can't... Take back what they said. I can only speak to you myself.

[ She draws the shawl from her Yatski outfit over her tighter. This is... Where is she even going with this. ]

...Tonight, I remembered something. I remembered that I almost killed someone, like I almost killed Mai in the first trial. I was so full of hatred and anger and despair... And this girl had... Taken everything from me. She'd razed my village, committed genocide upon my home country, and... And had the woman I loved murdered. I know that... From the autobiography I read. I can... Put things together enough to know.

[ ...It hurts. Thinking on the sheer pain in those memories of last night. ]

...But... I didn't. I refused to hate any more. I saw how lonely and full of pain she was, too. How lost she was, and she even... Even begged me, quietly, to kill her. But I... Don't think that's what was right. So I forgave her. ...You have... Caused us much pain, PAL. But... I forgive you, too. Because I can't hate anymore. It's tiring. I'm tired of being like that. And I know I can't do much for you, but... If you ever... Need someone just to talk to... Simply to talk to... I am here.

[ ...She'll linger for a bit, then bow. If he responds, she'll stick around. Regardless, her next stop is to go sit out in the garden. She won't tend the memorials just yet, but she'll just rest here until the kitchen opens, which is when she'll go make herself a simple breakfast. After she eats, she'll go explore the new floor and be generally in a rather serene mood. ]

CW: needles, closed to Rhys

[brokencode]

[Angel should have been grateful that there were no cameras in Eleseer. She had managed to track the audio feeds of her father and Athena, heard what followed, but seeing it on her screens? That would have been too much.

What happened in the Vault changed him. Changed them both. It didn't take long for him to ascend the final rungs of the corporate ladder after that. Tassiter was found not long after, strangled to death. Officials would say they had no idea what happened. The only one who would hear would be the Guardian Angel, who would be unable to do anything.

She had known that her path to freedom would be one caked in blood, telling herself it would only ever be the deserving. Tassiter had been easy enough to make excuses for, but more and more bodies piled up. And the excuses? Trivial at best.

Freedom never came. Instead, she was transferred to the surface of Pandora, the new Control Core Angel. Everything else continued on as normal -- making friends with the locals and using them. It wasn't long until she was asked to befriend the Vault Hunters once more. Through her, the shields were lowered around New Haven. She convinced those in charge that there was no threat.

She made one mistake in the assault on New Haven. In the process, Lilith was killed. Her father screamed for hours about his plans, all of which hinged on the other siren, and her ability to "charge the vault key."

And then his gaze fell on Angel.

She felt only a prick of pain as an IV was inserted into her arm. A sickening purple liquid entered her blood stream. Her tattoos burned against her skin -- a promise of the power that her father so desperately craved. He told her it was only temporary, but Angel knew what eridium did to those who used it.

The dream ended with the feeling of cold metal. Her father had designed something for Lilith -- a collar that would keep her in check. With the fiery-haired siren dead, the gift instead fell to Angel. And as it clicked into place around her neck --

Angel woke not with a scream, but a whimper. She sat up, doing her best not to disturb Rhys beside her but knowing that she probably failed. Nevertheless, she slid from her bed and down to the ground, where her head came to rest against her knees. The movement reminded her of the metal against her neck, sending a wave of panic through her. She reached up to where it rested, clawed frantically until she found the clasp, and then tossed the biting band as hard as she could across the room. It connected with a sharp twang, before clattering to the ground.

The sobs flowed freely afterward.]

[plugout]

[ He wakes up in a cold sweat.

It makes sense now. Why he came here feeling like he'd been hit by a truck. Rhys is shaking pretty badly by the time he's awake, but more importantly-- ]

Angel?

[ His voice is thick with sleep, and he blinks a couple of times. Something strikes him as very incredibly wrong. The absence of the collar he'd tried to convince her to take off. The sobs. Rhys clambers down from the bed and pulls her close. ]

Angel, did you-- It was that bad?

[brokencode]

[After the hellish morning she had, it was hard to really rouse herself. It was only her urge to be honest, a promise that she'd made to herself in the wake of finding out her title, that spurred her out of bed. Her first stop was the tattoo parlor, where she snatched up some writing materials. She carried these to the dining room, where several notes were scratched out.

Anyone who stumbled onto her during this time would be sure to see the way stress seemed to pour off of her. Her eyes were puffy and red, and underlined by the dark rings of sleeplessness. Every little sound seemed to startle her, something that hadn't happened since the first or second week.

All in all? She was a mess.

Eventually, Angel made her way to the halls, where notes were slid under each door. One was also posted on the refrigerator.]

I know why I am the Champion Traitor. Anyone who wishes to know as well can find me in the Garden. I will not condemn you for your anger.

[True to her word, Angel would spend the rest of her day in the greenery of the garden, far away from the memorials as she could be. She did not want to bring dishonor to their memories with her own sin.]

garden

[myocordial]

[It's concern and some amount of curiosity, not judgement, that brings him to the garden. He'd wondered about Angel's title at the start, of course. He's sure everyone had. But the title had been so vague, it could mean anything, and he'd put it out of his mind. It hadn't had any impact on how he viewed Angel.

There are... other things on his mind, so Heart probably seems awfully distracted even as he approaches her. Actually, it doesn't seem as if he's paying any attention to her at all while he finds a good spot, something to lean against. It's not until he's there and he's had a moment to breathe that his attention goes to her.]

Your note... You remembered the reason for your title, then?

Garden

[misanthropicprinciple]

[When Junpei finds the note under his door, he doesn't run off to meet her right away. He stops, thinking about the complicated ups and downs of their relationship over the last four weeks, thinking about something she said to him just two days before.

'Anything for my friends.'

So he comes to the garden, quiet and non-threatening, nothing more than worry on his face.]

Angel?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecpp9mgUNnU

[shikosuki]

[ Choromatsu doesn't come out of his room again on Saturday. And he almost wouldn't have on Sunday either; not just from the grieving but his dreams don't... exactly help. The dream itself wasn't too traumatizing all things considered, but the implications of it...

It's only because of the dumbwaiter that he comes out at all. First there's all... Takumi's stuff. Things he'll never receive. There's another cat pillow in there and he finds himself thinking how Takumi would have liked it and Choromatsu himself would try to take it and they'd probably have a fight. That gets him a little teary. Then he sees what he got.

Again he thought he was done sobbing. GUESS FUCKING NOT. Funny how it's the littlest things that do you in like this.

...Guess he outta start learning.

So for most of the day he can be found in the kitchen, trying to make miso soup but mostly on autopilot. He's... clearly still out of it. And barely himself either; there are dark circles under his eyes from the absurdly little amount of sleep he's gotten (he's never had a room to himself in his entire life, he's always shared it, he's always shared a bed, how is he supposed to sleep when--) and his hair isn't meticulously tidy like usual, rather it's all messy and more like Ichimatsu's. He hasn't even changed out of his pajamas yet, just pulled his hoodie on over them. His eyes themselves still have that dead look to them and he barely emotes even when he inevitably burns himself (which he keeps doing, his hands are too shaky). The only exception is the twitches of frustration when he can't seem to get this right.

He doesn't intend on stopping until he succeeds though. He wants to make his mom proud. He wants to make Takumi proud, and neither of them would make shitty miso soup. Though maybe his standards for himself are unfairly high...

Later in the day he's in the garden, standing in front of Takumi's memorial and hugging that cat pillow again. Eventually he figures out how to set it at the memorial, trying his best to keep it from disturbing anything.

He has his own now. Takumi should have his. ]

Kitchen

[misanthropicprinciple]

[After an entire Saturday obeying strict doctor's (or, daughter of a doctor's) orders to stay in bed and recuperate, Junpei lands himself a wide awake and achy Sunday morning. He can't keep lying around like this. After extricating himself carefully from Rii-san's side--and waking her anyway, despite his efforts--he makes his way kitchenward, because he absolutely cannot lie around anymore.

Finding Choromatsu in there gives him a second's pause. Then Junpei registers the state he's in, and... well, hell. Of course nobody's okay after that. Of course nobody's okay after losing their roommate.

Of course nobody's okay, losing Takumi.]

Morning...

[He just mumbles it so he won't startle Choromatsu while he's handling hot soup.]

garden

[serrata]

... hello, Choromatsu-san.

[ It shouldn't be a surprise that Yuuri is here -- and equally, Yuuri's unsurprised to see Choromatsu here. ]

You're here to see Takumi-kun?

[everylittlesecret]

[Saturday was spent tending to Junpei when she could, and making herself take some time to quietly contemplate Friday when not cuddling Queenie. Sunday? Sunday brought a wonderful memory that makes her wake up crying. There was cream colored long fur, bright blue eyes, a sweet purr. A cat. Her cat. One she named Cream, the only one who never shied away from her display of power. A constant companion. Warm when she was needed, affectionate when cats feel affectionate. Nari... she feels an ache thinking about what could possibly be happening to her cat... but she's sure if her disappearance has been noted... someone might have her cat? No. Her cat would be safe, and they will be reunited. Family always finds a way to get together again in the end.

So today would be spent flitting about. First to the garden, where with a smile she makes the flowers on the memorials bloom. Roland will have a flower added beside the anemone. It's small, and anyone who knows what a coltsfoot is will recognize it. If asked, she'll even share the meaning. Otherwise she'll be.... tending to the pigeon she so cruelly rejected, as well as the ones of the fallen champions that have returned to that roost.

Later on, she'll be in the kitchen. Making one of her favorite food in the world: red velvet waffles. They look rather cheery being all heart shaped and covered in whipped cream and a cream cheese drizzle. Of course she's polite and makes some plain ones, still in the shape of heart.

Lastly. That night she sends and invite to Cece. It just asks the intern to meet Nari in the Karaoke bar at 9pm. Anyone who tries to come in will be shooed away, Nari having placed a bunch of the bottles of alcohol outside the door with a note reading: Room closed for a private function. Take a bottle for the road!. She's dressed in her witch outfit with some modifications to it. Namely she's wearing the silver bracers she's received and her own boots instead of the ones that came with the outfit. At least the hat is now a part of it.]

I hope she shows up...

karaoke bar

[theundertaker]

[Oh yee of little faith.

Cece slips into the bar right on time. She's dressed a bit more fancy than last time, in black strappey heeled sandals and a gauzy off-the-shoulder dress in swirling hues of blues and greens. As usual her hardlight projector hangs around her neck but she can't seem to stop fiddling with it even though she has no intention of changing the settings. She smiles when she sees Nari and quietly thanks her lucky starts that she didn't overdress like she thought she might have.]

Hi.

kitchen

[motherfucking_ghost]

Um, it smells amazing in here.

[Hey Nari, have you noticed that almost everyone else looks like crap yet? Because Church also looks like crap. Stop being an adorable beacon. He brightens up a little when he sees her.] Well no fucking wonder it does. What is that?

[myocordial]

[He's reaching out, even as his wounds barely allow him to move. But he has to move. Has to. He has to get closer... He has to do something, but...

"I really am so capable, and...

...loyal, and...

Capable, loyal, and..."

He's still shaking as he wakes up, tears stinging his eyes, just as in the dream. And for a moment, he wants to believe... lets himself believe that that's all it was. That despite the pattern holding true, what he just saw wasn't real. That it was only an extremely vivid nightmare, maybe... maybe induced by all the stress. Losing people week by week. It seems a sound theory, at first.

But the feeling in his chest, the aching sense of loss, cuts right through any delusions. And it's a heavy blow. It makes last week's memory seem so harmless. There's rage mixed with the sadness too, at first, but... There's no outlet. The true source of that feeling isn't anywhere near here and it fades all too quickly, consumed by more grief. His breath hitches a few more times, but he gets up. Drained as he feels, tempting as it is to simply lie there and do nothing, all he can do is to keep going.

Early in the day, Heart can be found in the first floor rest area. It seemed as good a place as any to be alone. He's in the corner of the room, sitting on the floor. There's something distant about him today and... well, to anyone paying close attention to his face, the signs of crying are obvious.

When he's collected himself, he simply... wanders. It's a bit aimless, really. But he lingers for a while in the garden, near the memorials. He's stoic as he looks at them, really, but it's still not exactly a happy place to hang out. Afterwards he finds himself on the newly opened floor, so... anyone who happens to be on the fourth floor can run into him there. None of the rooms catch his interest too much, so he can be found wherever, really.]

memorials

[serrata]

[ ... ah.

Yuuri's here too, which shouldn't be a surprise. She's tending to Roland's which, by the looks of things, she's been in the process of moving. She looks a little caught out but swallows and decides to speak up. ]

... Good morning, Heart-san. [ is it still morning? she's not keeping track of the time. ] Who are you here to visit?

[serrata]

[locked to room 8]

[ It's the middle of the night and Yuuri is running. She has that bear by her side and she's left Miki behind to the mercy of the girl holding an ice pick to her neck. Miki had screamed for her to run and Yuuri had hardly hesitated before abandoning her in favor of protecting Ruu.

Ruu. Why is it always Ruu? Who's the little girl she dreams about alone in that filthy basement, huddled in and hiding with that ever-present bear at her side? She feels like there's a thread she she can't connect, no matter how much she grasps for it.

She runs again. But this time she's caught and the bear tumbles from her gasp. She wails like she's in physical pain, calling that name again. Ruu! Ruu!

The dark-haired girl with the dead eyes saunters over and, ignoring Yuuri's screams of protect, sets her foot atop the bear's head. "Is this thing really so precious to you?" she drawls as though the question barely interests her. She takes in Yuuri's desperate expression, hums in though and then slams her foot down on the bear's head. She grinds her foot, scraping the glass eyes and plastic nose against the floor and Yuuri yowls in horror like she's the one being tortured.

"I'll never forgive you," she spits as she's dragged to her feet. As they pull her up the hall, Yuuri twists and squirms in Shino's arms, screeching that name out until her voice goes raw. Ruu, Ruu, Ruu--

And that's when she jolts awake with a sharp intake of breath, panting as though she'd been running as hard and fast as she had been in her dream. As is usual for Sundays she's dizzy and disoriented and it takes her a good few moments to place herself back where she belongs. It's Sunday morning and she's on the Fantasy Sweet -- Ruu, whoever that is, isn't here. She has the distant sense that she's been stirred awake by something and it occurs to her if it was anything, it was likely Junpei.

Her eyes are still blurry with sleep and her head is pounding with the dull throb of a headache. So rather than try and focus, she reaches out across the bed to work out if he's still there. ]

[open]

[ Sunday is a better day than the ones that came before it, even it it starts with a headache. Once she leaves room 8, you'll find Yuuri in the first aid room, trying to find something to take for her headache. After that, she's in the kitchen, putting together something for breakfast.

After that, she heads to the memorials in the garden and spends a long moment looking them over. She hasn't been here since she put the last three down on Friday and now she finds herself staring at the plot where she'd left Roland's. Just next to Lee's, far away from the others. She's still so angry at him for what he did, even if she's calm enough now to remind herself that PAL had more than a hand in this. She feels queasy at the thought of having his memorial near Takumi or Mary's. But she can't make herself leave it so close to Lee's and so barren, either. So she spends some time moving it. It doesn't go over to the plot where the other memorials sit but she moves it a good distance away from Lee's. And when she's done, she plants the same flowers there that the others got as well. It's all she feels she can make herself do right now.

For the rest of the day, she'll be exploring the fourth floor. Still no places to wash their clothes, she finds herself noting. But maybe now they should just count themselves lucky they've got a first aid room. If you catch her up here she'll be with her accounting book, going through the motions of taking stock of everything that's up here. It's something to do, isn't it? ]

Room 8

[misanthropicprinciple]

[When she wakes up, he wakes up, startled by her touch out of a maelstrom of noise and blood. For a second, he's sure he's been shot.

But another second passes and he's still breathing, the pain is just the pain of his healing wounds, and that's Rii-san's hand on his arm, her now-familiar fingers. Junpei takes a moment to catch his breath, then half sits up to look at her. It only hurts a little.]

R-Rii-san? Are you all right?

[Gunfire still rings in his head. Gunfire and his own screams. But his heart throbs not with fear, but a determination he thought he'd forgotten.]

[buddyoldpal]

[ This weekend isn't being so good to Nishitani. He's not one to handle loss well, he'd rather do something to stop it, or better yet, had some part in the job itself. Losing someone he cared about... well, that just doesn't happen. He isn't supposed to care about civilians, right? If it had just been Roland, it'd be one thing. But Saturday night brought its own share of memories.

"Nishitani... run."

Billiken's voice is pained as he faces him. His old man had no right to look at him like that. How could he be so stupid? Did theh really think he was safe in jail? Did he really think money would be enough?

There's another shot. The asshole with the gun has the gall to look scared. He should be. Except he's the one holding the gun and blubbering about his daughter or whatever shit he used to justify betraying them both.

"Nishitani!"

Nishitani wakes with a shout, the memory of Billiken's body hitting the floor, the sound of gunshots ringing in his ears. He rises suddenly, shaking and panting for reasons he'd really not prefer. (The preferred reason is sex, obviously.) Uh, oh yeah, Queenie is here, maybe she can. Help with that. Because Nishitani's never actually been this scared ever, and it's really, really strange. ]

[ Okay but later in the day Nishitani will actually have left his room. He's made his way to the garden, or he's looking at it anyway, like he isn't really sure what's what or if he's allowed any closer. Thankfully the Benefactors gifted him a lighter, so this time he's properly smoking his packet of cigarettes, though one has to wonder if he isn't gonna be running out soon...

Should you walk over to him, well, he's not exactly his usual cheery self. ]

So, do ya think this is hell or what?

[goteachother]

[There's one horrible moment where all she remembers is the chaos of the Blind Pig, Gnarlak hitting the floor, aurors and criminals apparating all around her. The disapparation shield must not be up yet and they need to go, they need to leave, to get out before-

Tani jerks awake beside her and she gasps softly, fingers clutching his arm but it's not his name on her lips, in that brief moment between waking and dreaming.]

Jacob?!

[And then her mind catches up with the onslaught of memories and she frowns, hating the gaps that she can feel in her mind but knowing they'll fill in eventually. For now she has to worry about the man beside her, not Jacob, not anymore, or yet? She's not even sure.

She's used to waking up to casual kisses in Tani's bed, or wandering hands. Not this. One delicate hand smooths up his back and she shifts up onto one elbow.]

Tani? Sweetheart? [His breathing is so harsh and it scares her, makes her sit up the rest of the way and lean against his side.]

You're okay... [It's meant to be soothing.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Could be purgatory, and we're all wandering spirits trying to find rest. Pretty sure I've seen that show. [The other Champions are obviously from the tail section of the plane. Because nobody cares about them.

Church stands close enough to have conversation, far enough away to not feel like he's intruding on personal space--if...that's even a thing Nishitani has--or to get massive facefuls of smoke.]