the final week

[airlockedmods]

[Eight weeks. Eight weeks of friendship and love, death and loss, hope and despair all muddled together in a cocktail that's too sweet on the tongue and leaves an acid-y pit in the stomach. With nine of them left (ten counting their dear but lone surviving host), things look darker than ever. Come Sunday morning the last of the Champions missing memories will be returned to them while they sleep. For some of them this will reveal answers, for others it might just be a fate worse than death. They could even be death.

But how does the song go? "It's always darkest before the dawn"?

There are no announcements from PAL this week. Not even morning and evening announcements.

Sunday Monday Tuesday



[ooc: Welcome to endgame, everyone! We're all very proud of you for making it all the way to the end. As you can see this is going to be a short IC week but we promise things will not be going down until this weekend (7/7-7/9). On Tuesday we'll be unveiling the OOC post for what to expect during the final investigation. There is no official AC this week, just a check-in and as mentioned above characters will be at their true canon points on Sunday morning.

Buckle up, kids, the ride's not over yet.]

Comments

[motherfucking_ghost]

That's what she said. [mumblegrumble] Maybe you need to warn someone before you start throwing shit around, huh? Then you won't have to worry about my pretty little head. I much prefer it when you've got an arm around me instead.

[serrata]

... Well, I suppose that makes it official, doesn't it? Because if you tell Church then everyone else here is going to know by the end of the day. And that's being generous.

[ But she doesn't sound put out about it at all. In fact, she's still smiling because she can hardly believe it. At the end of two months of hell, she's alive. She's surrounded by people who love her.
Family.

She gives a shaky little laugh and that's all the warning Ardyn gets before she steps forward and throws her arms around him. C'mere, King Dad, you're getting a god damn hug. ]

[scourgingstars]

Perhaps you need to watch where you're going instead of walking around carelessly.

[scourgingstars]

[yuuri is 5'6" and ardyn is 6'2"]

[yeah you're getting hugged clear off the floor, honey]

[motherfucking_ghost]

You are severely overestimating my fraction of a second reaction time, man. [There's a beat of silence before he cranes his neck to glance toward the doorway (upside down), and then back at Ardyn.] You seem like you're pretty cozy, though.

[scourgingstars]

I don't hear you complaining, dearest.

[if he's serious, he's excellent at sounding like he's mocking you, church.]

[(it is a very specific talent)]

WEDDING CATCH-ALL

[desperateprayer]

[ By evening, the garden is done up real nice. Some chairs have been dragged out, so those who aren't actively participating can sit, and they're set up so that the couple can get wed an improvised flower arch--courtesy of Nari. The pigeons are cooing in the background, as if trying to decide what would be an appropriate song for this event. There are bluebell flames set up around the garden to give it a lovely glow.

In the karaoke bar, there is food set out, ready to be eaten as soon as the ceremony is over. Included in this is a lovely wedding cake. There's also a bottle of Yatski Lopera on one of the tables--the one that seems to be for the brides. Again, there are bluebell flames at the tables, and there's small bouquets in bowls to give it a more formal air.

All that's being waited on are the brides and guests to arrive.

Before the wedding, Clarith can be found in Cece's room getting ready. Arianna has been taken off by Yuuri to get ready. ]

[serrata]

[ Ardyn please she has only just managed to stop giggling

The instant she realizes her feet are no longer on the floor, Yuuri bursts out laughing again. ]

I'm-- D--do I not weigh a thing to you?

[motherfucking_ghost]

I mean, I can keep complaining about your sense of timing and your sparkle motion, if you really want... Oh dear, oh my, my head, my spine, you've sprained your poor fragile roomie. [because what is the b-word that's not a thing they are except they are hmmmm]

Cece's Room

[desperateprayer]

[ This plan backfired. What the fuck. She's not sure what is even going on anymore, but apparently she's getting married. This is a ride. She's breathing, but it's a whirl of emotion. She's trusting Cece to take care of her. ]

[scourgingstars]

[it's like holding a couple of grapes]

Not really. I've held swords heavier than you.

[scourgingstars]

Oh, you poor suffering thing.

[It was kind of nice to see him joking around again. Ardyn stood up, briefly reaching as though he was automatically going to pull Church up by his shirt collar before pausing. No, that wasn't right--he quickly corrected himself and just held out his hand.]

Yuuri's Room

[daughterofthemark]

[ALKSFJASKL;FJ;ASLKFJAS;FKLJASFKL;JAS;FKLAJSFKL;SJAFKL;ASF

It's not that she doesn't want to marry Clarith, she does, she is 897% okay with that, she even definitely wants to do it right now (which is one reason she hasn't recognized the irony here), but EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING SO MUCH]

[theundertaker]

[Cece is more than happy to take care of her. While Clarith is a whirl of emotion, Cece is a whirl of activity as she whips from Clarith to her closet with accessories in between adding small touches of make-up to her face.]

Blue, blue, blue, I have to have something blue in here.

[Blue goes best with red and white after all.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Better than the anger for once. He can see a funny situation for what it is, even if it knocked him right on his ass, at least for today.

He eyes the hand with a raised eyebrow, propping himself on his elbows.] You know, in a room full of mirrors... I mean, I'm not saying, but I'm just saying, if you're into that...

[Well, he clearly didn't hit hit his head too badly, that's for sure. Don't worry, he'll take that hand assuming Ardyn hasn't retracted the offer because his boyfriend's a fucking shitpost generator.]

[desperateprayer]

Th-Thank you, Cece.

[ She's so confused about this, but she'll be fine. It's just. A lot. A whole lot. ]

[serrata]

See how you like it, you little menace.

[ But Yuuri doesn't sound even the slightest bit mad. She's got Arianna sat at her dresser in front of the mirror and she's carefully brushing all that long, thick hair, making sure it's smooth and neat before she starts doing the real work. With all those flowers she's got in the mixing bowl sat on the desk. ]

How are you feeling? Nervous?

[serrata]

I feel like that says more about the sort of swords you carry than it does about me!

[ But she doesn't sound at all mad. And she'd certainly not letting go just yet. This is the first time they've hugged ever, you can bet she's making this one count. ]

[scourgingstars]

You are a stunning exhibitionist, Church. [Ardyn pulled him to his feet despite the very real temptation to just drop him, laughing.] And coming from me of all people, that is quite the statement.

[daughterofthemark]

I feel as though my heart is going to burst.

[And that's with Yuuri's reassuring presence..]

[scourgingstars]

Does it? Of course, how ridiculous of me.

[he's trying real hard to get this whole 'physical affection' thing]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Hey man, there are not that many rooms for privacy, and you keep being all attractive and on top of me. [It feels good to smile, and he's going to hold on to that no matter how many Tucker-level comments he has to make, at least until the next tumultuous storm in his head passes through.] Yeah, in fact, I think I'll just keep blaming you somehow.

[scourgingstars]

I'm often blamed when things go wrong. [A darkly truthful statement, but edged with a slight laugh.]

[Moments where they were both lucid and grounded in the present were, Ardyn suspected, going to be a little less common from here on out. But that would be fine. When one of them fell, the other would pick them up. And if both of them fell apart together, they would have Junpei and Yuuri and Queenie and all the others.]

[...It had been so long since Ardyn had trusted anyone that he'd nearly forgotten how it felt. It came with the most distant edge of worry that things might backfire, but that fear was vastly overshadowed by the genuine belief that it would never happen again. That he could trust these people to protect the fractured spirit he held, and know that they would trust him in return.]

[Without another word Ardyn tugged on that hand, his other moving to the back of Church's head and pulling him into a sudden kiss.]

[So that was 'faith', was it?]

[motherfucking_ghost]

[In the end, they just have to have faith.

The touching helps, and the intensity helps, and yeah, the romance and the sex helps, the distraction. But this is more than distraction. It's reaffirmation. They are here, and they are alive, and they are in love, and if that's not the sappiest fucking shit he's ever heard...but it's real, for better or worse.

As they have both discovered in some ways, their physicality can do a lot to keep them from drowning in their own heads.

A breath of fresh air.]

Mmmmm I'll only blame you for the things you're definitely responsible for, like how you're definitely responsible for forcing me to make all kinds of comments. Totally your fault. Or driving me wild, yep, your fault.

[goteachother]

Okay! Alright, shhh. Come here. [Come let mom hug you because you are so upset about this and she didn't mean it. She was just excited.]

Nothin you don' want, okay? Take yer time, sweetie. 's fine. No one wants ta pressure you inta something.