The bodies in my floor all trusted someone. Now I walk on them to tea.

[kingshaming]

[After the trial, Xander does what he does best. What always blanks his mind when training is not an option:

He organizes.

The hot food for lunch is out still, and while he feels far from hungry, he knows they all SHOULD eat. Everyone wanders off to take care of their own grief, and he lets them for now- and instead busies himself at the espresso bar. There's something specific he wants to do.

Later, under each door, and with the same thing written on the white board he had dragged out for meetings:]

There is hot food and tea in the cafeteria, and while I have no stomach for food it is there for those that can.

While it is tempting to be alone right now, if you wish company I shall be there until evening. Now may be a good time to compare new information while it is fresh.

If not, please stay well.

Xander

[And as promised there is fresh tea. Green tea in fact, though it lacks the milk Chitanda made- but basic tea he can manage at least]

Comments

[tasteslikesurvival]

[Kurumi is rather late but those observant probably noticed that she had led Ricky back to her room. (Those who saw Ricky later would notice that, no, she's not beaten up.) Still... She grabs a cup of tea and just slumps into a chair.

God. She thought she was used to death. Chitanda's death had bothered and except for that outburst at Ricky she had managed to push her feelings down. That's just what you had to do in these situations. Sadness, anger, guilt. All those toxic feelings needed to be just pushed away until you could get alone.

The Griffin and Toby, though? She had seen people, some of them good friends, torn apart alive. That... that was disgusting. What happened to those two was far worse. Not that her face betrays any of this. She's much calmer now, just sipping at her tea and absolutely not touching any of the food.]

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika deflates at her seat.]

That was horrible.

[tasteslikesurvival]

Yeah. It...it should have been quick.

[ratherdoweddings]

It shouldn't have been that. Even if they wanted to prove we're in space to anyone who didn't believe it, throwing someone out the airlock is just cruel!

[tasteslikesurvival]

It...yeah. Yeah it is. If we're doing trials in the airlock then what if something happens and they just send all of us out?

[ratherdoweddings]

That must be what would have happened if we lost, isn't it?

[tasteslikesurvival]

...Yeah, I guess.

[ratherdoweddings]

We can't let that happen. I'm worried that, with some of us, we might go down there again, but if it happens, we can't lose.

[tasteslikesurvival]

Hey, don't think like that. Even if we go down there again we won't lose.

[refusedtoleave]

[Natsuhi had only just sat down, when she notices the girl, alone, and Fredrica isn't even in site.

She's straight up again, knocking her chair back. Stalking over, arms crossed and glaring down on Kurumi.]

Where is she?

[Surprisingly she's not yelling.]

[voltrounds]

I'm here.

[She was just lagging behind. She looks a little lost, but other than that seems fine.]

[refusedtoleave]

[She turns and looks her over...No injuries...Good.

The glare softens into a familiar frown.]

Don't ever do that again.

[voltrounds]

It was fine.

[Just a little defensive? YOU CAN'T TELL HER WHO SHE CAN BE FRIENDS AND HAVE SUBTEXT WITH, YOU'RE NOT HER MOM.]

[tasteslikesurvival]

[She gives Ricky a nod and shrugs.]

I told you it was just a talk.

[refusedtoleave]

I was talking about the trial. Don't ever turn on each other like that again. It's the worst thing we can do in this situation.

[tasteslikesurvival]

Alright, alright.

[YOU'RE NOT HER MOM EITHER. They're independent free women.]

[refusedtoleave]

[Annnd the glares back, well done.]

I'm serious. We need to stick together as much as we can.

[voltrounds]

Agreed.

[The most independent teenage girls DWRP has to offer.]

closed to Ricky; continued from the execution; very mild nudity but grossness

[tasteslikesurvival]

((Continued from here.))

Alright, then... [She undoes the top portion of her jumpsuit pulling it down. (Thankfully they provided sports bras...) Her arm is covered in one of those bed sheet bandages and... Are those veins popping out around it. She takes it off and oh god. That. That kind of looks infected and is that a human bite??]

[voltrounds]

Aah! [That looks TERRIBLE. No wonder it was giving her trouble.] It looks infected. Have you... been...

[...wait a minute. What kind of wound is that?]

[tasteslikesurvival]

I've been taking care of it the best I can. [With water, bandages and maybe something else. She starts wrapping it up quickly, though.] ...and yes. This why they call me the Champion of Inoculation.

[voltrounds]

You were inoculated against...

[She's thinking back to what she knows about Kurumi's world, and she doesn't like what's coming to mind.]

Your hands are cold.

[tasteslikesurvival]

Yeah. I... I fucked up.

[That's the best way to put it, honestly.] I'm not a danger here, though. I've...we found a cure. It's got some side effects but nothing should happen while we're in the station. If it gets too bad, I think the Overseers will do something.

[voltrounds]

[It sounds like an adequate summary. Ricky has a bad feeling, though.]

What... kind of side effects?

[tasteslikesurvival]

Mainly just I'm colder than the average person, like you've noticed.