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!]

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[goteachother]

[After the last two weeks she's heard more than her share of panicked laughter, the kind the teeters on the edge of hysteria. It's unsettling coming from him when he's been so steady all this time.]

Shhh [A kiss to his shoulder.] It's gonna be okay, sweetheart.

[She leans into him, takes a deep breath, steadies herself. It's jarring, jumping from... all of that. To this.]

You can talk to me.

[buddyoldpal]

[ He might ask her what's wrong when he has more time to think about her, but right now he's still processing what he saw, what he remembered. It didn't make much sense out of context, except... ]

Just. I, fucking... [ He takes a deep breath. Or tries, anyway. Really, he's laughing because the alternative here is to cry. He can't just fucking cry. ] My old man. Uncle B, he was... he got fucking shot because o' me.

[goteachother]

[Her breath hitches and she breathes out a soft "oh". Then she's shoving the blankets out of the way enough that she can turn to kneel over his lap, taking his face in her hands and just stroking her thumb over his cheek.]

Tani... I'm so sorry. [This is probably not going to help him with the not crying thing but she pulls him in against her, arms around him, kissing his hair.]

You can't blame yourself. [Not because it couldn't have been his fault but because it will kill him.]

[buddyoldpal]

[ Yeah, it's not. Has anyone ever been there for him like this? Besides Billiken, besides... no, that was it. ]

He's all I have. Fuck. Had.

[ His laughter is dying down now, which of course means he might start crying soon. But yakuza don't cry. He doesn't cry but he can hold her just as tightly. ]

If I could just-- I'd kill the fucker who did this, but. [ He chokes on the words. ] I'm fucked, Queenie-chan. Some no-name asshole with a gun fucking shot my old man... They paid him. That motherfucker Shibusawa must've... just ta keep me quiet after I fuckin'--

[ Definitely not not crying, ah well. He's angry more than anything (no, he's actually very sad.) He feels powerless. He was powerless. It's all way more than he wants to deal with now and he holds her tight because she's all he has right now. ]

[goteachother]

[He cries and she holds him, fingers carding through his hair, gentle and soothing. What can she really say to make any of this okay. There's nothing she can say that will make this better but she tries anyway. Soothing nonsense that is less about the words and more about the tone.]

You ain' alone, sweetheart. Not anymore, not here. I've got you.

[Light kisses to his hair and she sways a little, trying to be comforting.]

I'm so sorry Tani. I'm so sorry. He deserved better. [She actually knows nothing about the man but if he's this close to him then he must have deserved better than getting shot by some no-name scumbag.]

[buddyoldpal]

He was there fer me. Without him... I woulda been dead years ago. Or rottin' in jail, who the fuck knows.

[ I mean, yes, there's definitely a unique relationship going on when you're a criminal and your father is a cop but maybe that's a story for another day. Nishitani shakes his head, willing the tears to stop. It's stupid. But also... if it'd been someone in his family, he wouldn't be nearly this upset. ]

He was a detective, he was s'posed ta be safe. What the fuck kind of shit cop shoots a fuckin' detective in the fuckin' precinct? Fuck. [ He sniffles as he inhales. Don't tell anyone, this is embarrassing. ] Everything's so fucked, Queenie-chan...

[goteachother]

[She won't breathe a word of this to anyone. If nothing else she understands how important his reputation is to him. His name is all he really has here, no family to back him up, no weapons. She can understand that. It's the only reason he didn't break down crying over Roland, she figures.

She'd done enough crying for both of them.]

Morgana... [In the precinct? Goodness that's hard to imagine.]

If he was that shitty of a cop at least you know he isn't going to get away with it. Maybe next week you'll find out more? Get... Know that there was justice for him if nothing else.

[She can only pray she's right.]

[buddyoldpal]

[ That's for sure. A guy like him can't just cry around anyone. Hell, he even prefers to keep the rest of his shit from going public, too many emotions are a liability and he didn't make it to the top of his own family by being weak.

He shakes his head. Strangely, this part is enough to stop his tears. This part is easier somehow? ]

That's the thing, sweetheart. Shit ain't lookin' good fer me, as far as I remember. [ He probably doesn't have to say any more, but after what Roland had said, it's not too strange a leap to make. ] I'm pretty sure I'm fuckin' dead.

[goteachother]

[She freezes, fingers curling tightly in his hair, eyes wide, even her breath catches in her chest. For one horrifying moment all she can do is stare down at him.]

O-oh.... no.

[It's barely audible and even then her voice shakes and her lashes grow damp.]

Tani... [What can she possibly say to make any of this better? How can you apologize for that? She has no idea what to say, what could possibly convey how sorry she is that he has to hurt like this.

So she lets her other hand come up to his face again, leaning down to kiss him, gentle but insistent, trying to put the emotion she doesn't have words for into the kiss.]

[buddyoldpal]

[ It might be stupid, but it helps knowing she's so hurt by the news. There's probably something a little wrong with Nishitani because the thought of his own death didn't bother him nearly enough, but seeing Queenie upset is both surprising and grounding for him. None of the girls back home cared for him like this. The Kijin Clan would be shocked, but it would come as no surprise. Only the people here, or perhaps Majima back home, were foolish enough to get attached to someone as vile as him.

He pulls her close and kisses back. He's not that great at conveying more than excitement or comfort through his kisses but he's got words for that. ]

Thanks, doll. [ He pulls back just a little. Maybe he's gained something here that he didn't have back home. ] Ya don't gotta get so sad over me, y'know.

[goteachother]

[She huffs out a breath that is almost a laugh, fond exasperation and disbelief.]

Tani! [Another kiss.] How could ya think for even a moment that I wouldn't be sad?

[She finally lowers herself from kneeling, just sitting back on her heels over his lap, cuddling against him.]

I don't ever want somethin bad to happen to ya.

[buddyoldpal]

Guess yer right.

[ She'd definitely be sad, there is that to consider. Cuddles help too. Queenie's at least taken his mind off the fact that he was powerless to stop his almost-father's murder. He might actually have more than one person here who cares about him. That's surprising, but he's a greedy man. He'll take it. ]

Bad stuff happens ta bad people, doll. [ He kisses her, still trying to will that sadness away. ] That's how it's supposed ta be, y'know?

[goteachother]

Bad things happen to everyone.

[She's surprisingly determined about that. It's a naive view of things to think bad things only happen to bad people. She knows that all too well. Grindelwald would be dead by now if that were the case. Her sister wouldn't have nearly been executed hours? weeks? ago.]

And ya ain' that bad. [Another kiss, this time a little deeper, a little lighter, that playfulness she has with him creeping back in.] Least not in ways I don' enjoy?

[buddyoldpal]

Fair enough. My old man mighta been as crooked as they came when it came ta me, but he was a good cop.

[ Maybe he shouldn't have cared as a criminal, but Nishitani cares quick and he cares hard when he does. That's just fact. ]

Yer one helluva woman, doll. [ He smirks, chuckling softly against her lips. ]

[goteachother]

Seems you're good at that. [She threads her fingers through his hair, smiling lightly against the kiss.] Makin people a little stupid, gettin so attached to ya.

[Attached, yes. Nothing more than that. Nothing that would break her heart, going back to New York without him.]

Come with me. If yer- If...

Come back to New York with me. When we get outta this place. We can go back wherever, yeah? And if yer really...

[She doesn't know what she's saying exactly. If any of it makes sense. She just doesn't want to let him go. Ever.]

[buddyoldpal]

Heh. Guess it's a fuckin' talent.

[ He smiles a little, resting his hand on the small of her back. He really won't have anywhere to go if they make it out of this. And if this is hell? Then they won't have anywhere to even go back to. All the same...

Even if it's a naive lie, he'll keep it up for her. ]

I wouldn't wanna leave without ya, Queenie-chan.

[goteachother]

[It's incredibly naive, she knows that. She doesn't really expect it to work. But until they know for sure it won't it gives her something to hold on to. It makes it easier to ignore how much this thing between them is likely to hurt.]

You better not. [A kiss but she's trying not to cry all over again. The thought of losing him hurts so much, even though she knows it's a very real possibility.]

Gonna keep you with me as long as I can.

[buddyoldpal]

Same goes for ya.

[ Anyone dumb enough to kill Queenie would be looking at knife in the back from Nishitani, there's no doubt about that. But he wouldn't give them the chance, he won't let that happen.

He pulls her close and lays them back down. ]

I ain't gonna letcha outta my sights if I can help it, ya got me? Even if it means we gotta stay in bed all Thursday.

[ He wouldn't complain of course. ]

[goteachother]

Okay... yeah.

[She curls into him, tucking herself under his arm and kissing his chest.]

I- [She stops herself, swallows down the words, tries to laugh it off and press a chuckle into his skin. No, he would not appreciate that sentiment, she doesn't think so anyway. Might be a little too much for the big bad mobster to have his doll saying things like "I love you".

So, for now, she keeps it to herself.]

[buddyoldpal]

Yeah. I got ya, babe.

[ Sometimes you don't need words to get your point across, he gets that. He pulls her close and kisses the top of her head. He doesn't deserve someone this good. ]

I'm here for ya. I swear.