week 1

[airlockedmods]

Week 1

[After the reveal of their handsome and well-dressed but stern-looking Overseer on Sunday, the Champions were left to their own devices in investigating the mall to their hearts' content. At around 10 pm every night the lights in all the shops will go down and the sturdy metal grates over the doors of the restaurants will go down. The stores will remain unlocked, though.

On Monday morning, a buzzing alarm chirps at them again from their PIPs at 7 am on the dot. There's also a pop-up message waiting for them: a notice announcing Xander will be holding office hours

Enjoy your week, Champions.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Comments

[burninglight]

...

[Finished with his first aid, Ardyn let go of Church's arm with a tired, forlorn look.]

Possibly.

[imnotfat]

There's a lot wrong with going around stabbing what you're going to eat later! It's unhygienic, to say the least!

[And that's the very first concern that comes to mind. Apparently upset by hi roommate's actions, Togami continues]

There's also the problem that'd be someone bored enough to go around messing with the fruit just to entertain themselves! What isn't wrong with what he's doing?

[nightcure]

... Tell me this.

[ Noctis doesn't dare reach out, so the best he can do is reach with his words. ]

Wouldn't it be more satisfying to shove your being here, alive, thriving, and human again, in Izunia's face? Show him that you're better than he is.

Show him that even his betrayal couldn't keep you down. Show him that, even if it took a long time, he couldn't snuff out that kindness and compassion and nobility. Not truly.

[refusedtoleave]

I know. I don't understand why they didn't share my concerns.

[Thank you Togami for being normal.]

[kingshaming]

[he winces as if in pain, and one of his hands move to his belly.

Without a shirt one thing is clear: There is a massive scar there, like his belly was torn to shreds. it seems long healed, though not stretched and faded by years just yet]

Please Champion, let it lie.

[refusedtoleave]

Are they really that strange? I've already gotten used to saying non-Japanese names, so I wouldn't know.

[burninglight]

I'm not. I'm no better than he was. And if compassion brings about naught but pain and betrayal, then I would sooner ignore compassion altogether.

[daughterofthemark]

Two others have been hurt already...

[That's not really what was being asked but okay.]

[nightcure]

[ He's getting frustrated again, but. ]

If you expect betrayal, that's all you might get. And if you refuse to acknowledge the fact that you were compassionate, then I guess helping Nari and Alpha never happened.

[refusedtoleave]

That has nothing to do with me....

[myocordial]

[Heart wanders a lot, restless as he is here. So of course Clarith would eventually spot him, in the North Hall.]

Ah... Clarith. [At least someone still gets first name basis, but that seems safe what with all the errors in the profiles.] Is there something on your mind?

[burninglight]

[That's not his name.]

[The strange kneejerk reaction of that being what came to mind first snapped Ardyn out of whatever state he was in enough to start struggling to collect himself. He pushed his hair out of his eyes only for it to fall right back into place, taking a slow breath and reexamining what he actually wanted to say rather than how that same level of incomprehensible compulsion wanted to direct him.]

...Then what would you have me do, knowing that living in itself is constant agony? If I deserved so much better, do I not at least deserve to say 'this is where it ends' independent of the Astrals and any others who would demand otherwise?

[daughterofthemark]

I'm still not certain how it works. Some of these things don't look as though they should fit.

[Looking at you, Christine Junior.]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Like--look, maybe you should figure out if you can remember what caring feels like so you can figure out if you actually...feel it, or not? [His arm's still out cuz he's a loser who hasn't realized it's done.]

Cuz then you can figure out if you actually want to play doctor or if it's just muscle memory that you can stop.

If you want.

[burninglight]

That...actually doesn't sound like a terrible approach. But I don't know how I can determine what that should feel like.

[nightcure]

You know what I'm gonna say, Ardyn.

[ He knows so well that living is painful. He knows that it hurts, sometimes, worse than anything in any world. He knows the pain of losing person after person, of failing to protect, of coming so close to losing everything.

He's vividly reminded of Insomnia, once beautiful, overrun by daemons and ruined beyond repair. ]

I'm gonna ask again: Isn't there anyone you've connected with here? Felt something for, something that made your heart stir in your chest. Made those instincts surface.

[ Nari and Alpha, he wants to say. ]

[desperateprayer]

...I'm afraid it's already been tested.

[ She'll shake his hand, though, as she takes the coffee. She's smiling sadly from the memories of those two months. ]

But thank you, Mister Soma. And please... If you ever need to speak about anything else, I'm here.

[desperateprayer]

Sir Heart!

[ She's happy enough to see him. And then she'll hold up the heart blanket and offer it to him. ]

I made this for you. May it bring you a little warmth in this place.

[motherfucking_ghost]

It's like when someone asks you what love feels like, and nobody can ever describe it, you just know.

[myocordial]

[wow don't call him out like this???]

It's... fortunate, yes. The effects of electricity are rather unpleasant. Not to mention very painful, of course... [Heart's tone has changed a little, to something more serious. It almost sounds like he knows what he's talking about here.] I'm glad she wasn't hurt more than she was. Impressed, honestly. Even so, I hope she's smart enough to take enough time to recover.

[burninglight]

The last person I loved abandoned me and left me to die.

Forgive me if I don't remember what knowing that innately must be like.

[serrata]

Hm...

[ She's looking even more thoughtful now. ]

It might work a little better if you watered down some glue and used it like wallpaper paste, if you'd like to try? That way, you don't have to worry about running out of tape.

[burninglight]

...

[Likes: His family, birds, coffee, sunlight, vengeance-]

[Was it even really possible? If all those ridiculous last names were an indicator of something...was he capable of that? Of being 'Champion Patriarch' with an actual family, caring about something more than only his own hatred and revenge?]

[-Leonard Church]

[Why had he snapped so readily into a two thousand year old mindset as if no time had passed at all? Why had there been a jolt of adrenaline at the sight of them, at the split-second thought that they could have been dead? Why had he called Noctis of all people in a desperate attempt to help two people at once, why had he checked on the pair of them so insistently after the fact?]

[The idea of Ardyn caring for anyone sounded unbelievable. Too unbelievable to be real.]

['Something other than hate is pretty obvious that it's not indifference or hate! So I guess that means you actually care, because what else could it be?']

[Unbelievable enough to actually be possible.]

...yes.

[serrata]

Well, I guess we're lucky we've got a detective with us if it comes to that.

[ Assuming, you know, the detective doesn't go out first. ]

[power_of_dominance]

I... I will. Hopefully everyone else will be as understanding as you are, if it comes to it.

[He hasn't told her everything, but she knows more than most do. Something about her feels trustworthy, even if his other self is snarling that clergy cannot be trusted, that her holy mission would be to see him smited and that this is a mere deception. Dracula doesn't think well of mortals, which only makes Soma that much more determined to have faith in them, if only to defy his darker self. Still, the thought of everyone here knowing the truth remains terrifying.]

If you like the coffee, I'll make it whenever you want. Just pull me aside if you see me, okay? It's the least I can do to repay you.