So if 22 people were out in space and majority of them indirectly killed 1 with rocks is that

[shikosuki]

[ SO THAT... SURE HAPPENED. And not only was it an emotional rollercoaster, it got downright terrifying at the end. Right now Choromatsu honestly wants to go curl up in a ball in his room forever and for a little while he does, just trying to process what he had just seen. But something keeps him from well... not doing that for the rest of the day. Maybe it's the empty stomach, maybe it's still wanting to prove he's not useless, maybe it's Fukawa praising him for putting together a meeting last time... or maybe he just very badly doesn't want to be alone right now after all. Either way, after a while of laying around he grabs the frog stationery he's been using and start writing some notes. ]


Hey
I know that was really terrible. But I think now is when we should really stick together. Show that bastard he and his bosses can't shake us. Even if you don't agree, you don't have to be alone if you don't want to right now.
I'm going to try and make some food. Feel free to join in the food court.

-Choromatsu

[ Choromatsu himself is currently hanging out in the various kitchens, trying to make something. There's already cookies set out, but they're just plain chocolate this time. No creamy centers or icing art, he didn't have time with this batch. There's also going to eventually be some rice dishes, mainly simple fried rice and some attempts at omurice, but those are going to take a while. Because he's not that much of a cook and when he does cook it's not for this many people, plus it's with an entire kitchen he knows, ingredients included. He certainly won't turn down help or be insulted if anyone just makes their own food instead though. ]

Comments

[burninglight]

[Ardyn did show up--physically if not mentally. He sat alone off to the side, head in his hands and gold eyes fixed on the table he leaned on without really seeing it.]

[Do you think a vessel for such evil, once corrupted, can ever truly turn against it?]

[Occasionally, if one passed by at a moment when he was at his least remotely present, they might catch the faintest hint of a hummed tune, nearly inaudible.]

[Maybe he'd try to check in with some of the others, once he'd pulled himself into something resembling functional.]

[But ultimately, he'd probably be hanging around like that for a long while.]

[nightcure]

[ ... and here's Noctis with a cup of tea. He sets it down on the table. ]

Thinking about what Thomasin said?

[neverheardofhim]

[For the bulk of the night, Varric would put on a brave face and pretend that he's okay. He's the rock, the shoulder to cry on, the charming best friend who never caves under pressure. And though Varric Tethras fails his friends, he tries and tries again to make up for it.

It's different with Ardyn. It's like looking in a mirror and seeing the darker parts of himself. Varric doesn't need to play the optimist around him. There's no need to deliver a motivational speech.

They both seem to know it's bullshit.

Instead, Varric sits beside Ardyn and merely places a bottle between them. He holds a pair of glasses in one hand, wordlessly offering one to his companion.]

[everylittlesecret]

[Sorry to bother you, Elrond, but the tune catches her ear.]

That's a pretty song.

[ratherdoweddings]

You really helped today. I think she took it to heart.

[daughterofthemark]

[Here, Ardyn. Arianna is bringing you some of the snacks. Eat.]

[power_of_dominance]

[How much good he'll be for Ardyn is questionable at best, but he's one of the few people with whom Soma shares some level of mutual understanding. So the teen sits by the older man, listening to the soft humming. When it trails off, he speaks quietly.]

I'm glad you're still here. I guess that's me being selfish, though.

[power_of_dominance]

[Soma doesn't really feel social, but he'll be there for whoever might want to actually talk to him. Choromatsu's presence makes him feel awkward, but he acknowledges the older man with a contrite nod and a rather submissive silence. He contributes to the gathering by making bread.

For once, he doesn't touch the rosemary.]

[ratherdoweddings]

Oh... Soma-san! [Yurika awkwardly waves.] Today was hard on you. I'm glad you were able to come to Choromatsu-san's gathering.

[nightcure]

... Hah. Sounds like a good idea as any.

[ Why the hell not. Noctis wants to be alone to think, but he knows there are a lot of people who need him more. So. Noctis gathers himself and goes to Starbucks first. He doesn't particularly want to be here, considering, but again: There are more important things than moping around. He finds a little cart and brews some coffee and tea, and he pushes it to the food court.

There, he makes his rounds: Noctis makes sure that everyone's eating a little something, or they've got something warm to drink. ]

[neverheardofhim]

[Varric's making similar rounds when he comes across Noctis. He's quiet at first, looking the man up and down, hoping that the man is actually as put together as he seems. It's only once he's convinced himself of it that he looks up.

He smiles, but it falters just as quickly as it comes on.]

So. Which of us is going to tell the other to eat first?

[cyan_maid]

[Nari likely dragged Jane here, at least, before deciding on what she'd do - and luckily for Jane, she's still too stunned, too numb, to leave the food court yet.

She can't bring herself to cook at the moment, or even eat, and for some time she stares quietly at the table in front of her, before she gasps sharply and slaps her hands to her face-]

Oh, fuck me!!!

[She's just going to groan and melt into her chair as she finally realizes, in rushing to save Yuuri and getting upset when nothing happened, she outed her powers to everyone. It doesn't look like she's running away, though? But uh. Maybe...try to get the now youngest Champion to engage in an honest conversation.]

[nightcure]

[ Hey, Jane, here's a cup of tea. It's vanilla, with cream and sugar--it's faintly reminiscent of cake. ]

Hey, Jane.

[desperateprayer]

[ Clarith won't be in the food court. What she'll first do... Is head to Splankets. There, she'll print up two blankets. There's an almost fervent determination to her work as she painstakingly draws up the designs. First one, with delicate flowers and the name "Yuuri" on it, then the other--a beautiful blanket with doves on it and the name "Thomasin" drawn carefully. She then takes them, then heads to Hailing Frequency where she selects a few candles. A few different floral scents are selected, and she takes them with the blankets and, after a pause, two small plush toys--a bird and a small bear holding flowers, because that just seems right somehow--and she heads out to find some blank wall space.

And there, she hangs up the two blankets, sets down the two plushes, lights the candles, and opens the Levin Bible she's been carrying around the entire time. And she says a few quiet words from it, really a mumble--funerary rites, likely.

And then, she shuts it, kneels, and prays. Because it's all she can do. She couldn't save either of them. And for some reason, she feels, the prayer is hollow and empty and means nothing, but those two... They deserve it.

Even if no gods are there to hear it. ]

[neverheardofhim]

[There's still unfinished business between them, as far as Varric's concerned. That's why, once he's sure that everyone else is okay, he seeks the girl out. He carries with him a heavy tome, but it doesn't slow his determined pace.

No, it's the sight of the girl that does that. Whatever still within him quickly goes out, and rather than saying anything, he simply approaches her and kneels down. He places the book between them, and instead clasps his own hands together.

He wasn't a holy man. The only reason he visited the Chantry anymore was to visit an old friend. But he'd watched one girl die, and had seen the suffering of another. Now was as good of a time as any for him to revisit his complex faith.

Nothing else had worked, after all.

So he prays. He prays for Yuuri to find peace, and for Thomasin to find forgiveness. He prays for the survivors, and even finds it in himself to pray for Xander's clearly damned soul

And then asks Andraste to listen to Clarith's prayers.]

I brought you something. [He waits to speak until long after his own prayer is done.] I.. wanted to show you Justice.

[induality]

[Fukawa walked straight to her kiosk without looking back; going through the motions although her heart wasn't there. Just another horrible sight to be burned into her vision until it visits her again and again along with those of her classmates. She could just curl up here and stay-- she doesn't have to go out. She doesn't have to pretend she can fix this anymore.

But then a small note comes. She stares at it for a long time.

...she scrubs her face and forces herself back out of bed. Her hair is messed up and her clothes are wrinkled. But she takes herself to the food court. She goes and tries to help. And if someone looks like they need it-- she'll make herself available. Hope doesn't die after all.]

[power_of_dominance]

[Across the food court, Soma sees her come in. He has flour on his face and a little on his clothes, but he doesn't seem to notice. He nearly fumbles the plate of quick flatbreads he made, his chest aching and hands trembling, but he yanks his gaze away from her and skitters in the other direction.

She probably hates him even more now, after seeing just what kind of monster he's a step away from becoming.]

[shikosuki]

[ If you wanna hit the boy up in the kitchens he's here... mostly at Fourt's. He's either doing one of two things:

1) trying very hard to make omurice that actually looks like it's supposed to instead of like this mess with eggs he stole from Dairy Empress, all the while eyeing the purple ones...

2) carefully decorating some of the cookies he didn't put out. He might be too engrossed in what he's doing to notice you right away but... they look like flowers and faces. Girls faces... not that he intends for that to be creepy or anything but y'know.

Over all though he seems a little... on autopilot. ]

[ratherdoweddings]

Thank you for doing this, Choromatsu-san. You really didn't have to, but it's good to see.

[myocordial]

[For a long while, Heart isn't really... going to do much. He's taken a seat and he's leaning in a way that might seem casual, but mostly he's simply staring off into space. Lost in thought, maybe, but who isn't right now? He's not eating, but he has a glass of water with him.

It's untouched. It's really more about the appearance of it than anything else.

He won't send anyone away if they approach, though. Someone is probably gonna notice how little he's moving eventually.]

[power_of_dominance]

[Soma gravitates toward Heart eventually, sitting near his friend with his back to the rest of the group. He doesn't say anything, doesn't even really look at Heart right away. He'd asked for a friend to keep him calm, and Heart had delivered today. Still, between the grief of losing one of their group to violence, the close call with his own emotions, and the ragged pain of sentencing a child to death, Soma is worn so very thin.

The way he reaches out after minutes of uncertainty, resting a hand over Heart's, speaks volumes of how much he's expecting to be rejected. He won't blame the Roidmude for it, most of them are gathered but there's little that's truly social in the mood right now.]

[everylittlesecret]

[Choromatsu will find that Nari is more than willing to help cook. It was calming and she needed to do something with her hands. Besides, this was something she was far too used to from back home. Her father may have been a doctor, but even he lost patients, and the families always insisted he should be at the funerals due to his kindness. Cooking became a habit once she was tall enough to help in the kitchen.

After helping with the food, she retreats momentarily to her kiosk and comes back with a candle. Quietly she retreats to a far table and sits down. The candle is covered for a brief moment, then placed on the table, seemingly having lit itself. She'll sit there with her eyes closed and takes in the soft smell that it emits. The scent is said to be "Garden in Spring". Fitting, it felt, for Yuuri. She won't turn down any company if anyone just needs someone to sit with.]

[neverheardofhim]

[And sit Varric does. With anyone else, he might have tried to fill the silence with platitudes. Maybe he would have distracted someone with a story. But like with Ardyn, he knows there's no bullshitting Nari.

So he doesn't even try.]

I hate this place.

[daughterofthemark]

[Arianna doesn't need a note, because she didn't make it past the food court. She sits there with the two things Natsuhi brought with her from Bounce House--the drawing of the two sisters is on the little table in front of her as she reads the letter. She doesn't even try to stop herself from crying.

Once people start arriving for the "party," though, she dries her tears and stands. The Champions might welcome a woman in mourning, but what they need now is a Sovereign. She helps Choromatsu in the kitchen for a bit, then gets started on that batch of apple turnovers she was going to make this morning. Once those are out of the oven and served, she starts going around, checking on people, stopping for anyone who looks like they're in especially bad shape.]

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika shows up and starts picking at the rice. She looks somber, but will manage a smile if you stop by.]

At... least it's over.

[imnotfat]

[What is an afterparty? He doesn't remember any killing games having afterparties. Still, he goes to the afterparty, just in case something useful happens during it. Not that he expects it.

Togami sits to a table on a side, arms crossed and him examining how everyone's doing. Everything so far has been just like he expects: some are taking is rather badly, others are looking better than others. In general it seems nobody's going to fall apart, though? He hopes so, at least.

Time for some musing]

Now, what should be the next move...?

[The killing game started and it's unlikely it'll stop. Trying to escape is senseless. Since escaping won't work, and preventing deaths won't work, then...]

There has to be a way to force Xander or his bosses to even the playing field. As long as they're untouchable, this game won't end the way we want it to end.

[Easier said than done, of course. This is going to be difficult, but hey, a Togami doesn't back down from a challenge]

[ratherdoweddings]

Appealing to Xander-san himself hasn't worked. Even when people start to get through, that person he's determined to save means more to him than anything.

[neverheardofhim]

[Noctis isn't the only one keeping an eye on the party-goers. Though he's more subdued than usual, Varric drifts between the gathered champions. To the older members of their group, he offers alcohol, while the younger ones are delivered plates of food and glasses of water.

It's only later that he breaks away from the others, going toward that strange metal wall that separated them from Thomasin's body. His fingers drift along the surface idly for awhile, then withdraw to curl themselves into a fist. He strikes the wall once -- careful to not dent or otherwise damage the property, but hard enough to feel the length between his knuckles and shoulder ache from the impact.

He follows it up, again and again, all in different places and all with the same amount of force.

And then he's back, offering half-hearted smiles and gentle assurances. As long as you don't look close, you won't see the red-tinged bandages wrapped around his hand.]

[ratherdoweddings]

...It's really going to be like this, isn't it?

[tokencanadian]

[A meeting to keep all their spirits up? It's a great idea, and Pyrrha felt bad for going straight back to her kiosk to cry her frustrations out. So she picks herself up, brings herself out to the food court... and doesn't do much.

At least at first. It's not long before she's up and walking, first to help with the food preparation anyone's busy with. And after that, she's out in the food court itself, going up to anyone sitting around and offering them a bowl of fried rice, a glass of water, or a weak smile.]

Hey... How are you holding up?

[nightcure]

[ And while she's around making sure people are okay, so is Noctis. He offers her a light smile and a cup of tea. ]

Well as I can be. What about you?

LETS BURN A FUCKING GOAT

[helladoptera]

[ Max goes back to Cinabunny for a while first, when the trial ends. So for once, in the privacy of somewhere, she can cry without bothering anyone else.

But no. She made a promise, didn't she? And if the fact that a month later she still can't stop thinking about Chloe Price is any indication, Max Caulfield keeps her promises. So she digs out... it's this fuckin goat thing, she guesses?

Max Caulfield takes Black Phillip to Flavortown, and with the help of the kitchen stove and some stationary (making sure no one else is around when the fire starts) gets the goat alight in one of the sinks. ]

Adios, fucker.

[ ... then she heads out to the food court to hang out at the party, though she kind of stays near a wall. Feel free to chat her up? ]

not here

[cyan_maid]

[WE DON'T NEED BLACK PHILLIP LET THE MOTHERFUCKER BURN]

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei doesn't come to the party. Junpei doesn't see the note. Junpei, as soon as they're out of the garage, stalks right out of the food court and beelines for Starbucks, fists like leaden knots at his sides and jaw clenched.

It's clean. All cleaned up, like it never happened, like a scared girl didn't stab a vengeful, grieving woman in the night, when Togami said these things happened. It's all gone. There's no glass. No blood. The poppies are on the tables.

Junpei stands there in the entrance with something plugging his throat like a fist. The rules on his PIP flash through his mind like ending credits. He has them memorized. The profiles, too. Those come up more like a flickering old film reel.

AGE: 16
HEIGHT: 5'7"
WEIGHT: 125 lbs

The buzz and click of the film projector; the grainy yellowed result.

HOMETOWN: Tenmyouji Residence
OCCUPATION: Gardener, princess

Junpei picks up a chair, swings it overhead, and, with a cry, slams it into another table, shattering the vase of poppies.]

DAMN it!

[He'll calm down later, maybe, but he doesn't leave Starbucks. All he does is retreat to his table in the back and sit in silence, elbows on the tabletop, forehead resting on his laced fingers, silent.]

[cyan_maid]

[Jane has to excuse herself from the group after a while, and...she finds herself wandering to the Starbucks. As if expecting Yuuri's body to still be there, as if trying one more time to revive her would work, would matter, when another girl was crushed to death in front of them for the act. But there's no body, no blood, no broken glass - save for that now broken vase of poppies, and the man sitting in silence in the back.

There's a moment where Jane wants to back away and leave Junpei to his thoughts. And then, the moment passes...and she can't. She doesn't want to leave him. If she can help anything, she can help this.

Jane is sure to let her footsteps be audible and scuffling, so Junpei can hear her enter, but she doesn't go to him right away. Instead, carefully, she plucks the poppies out of the mess that is the broken vase and holds them close to her chest.]

...I'm sorry.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Not terribly unlike several people, Church sit aside, numb and alone. His hands won't stop shaking, so she's shoved them as deep in his pockets as he can get them. He hasn't been doing well since he read Yuuri's letter, the explosive arguing hadn't helped, and then...that execution...

Maybe, eventually, he'll try some of the plainer rice dishes for something to eat, but not before he's decompressed some. He never was good at that.]

[burninglight]

[Eventually, Ardyn managed to find some semblance of existing enough to seek a few people out; Church wasn't too far off from his own misery corner, so Ardyn slid into the chair opposite him with his own hands also in his pockets.]

...I shouldn't have shouted at you. That was hardly the time for it, and I...wanted to apologize.

[refusedtoleave]

[After the trial Natsuhi takes the hand drawn picture with her.

That is going back on Yuuri's bed. Natsuhi is going back to her own bed, disappointed. She doesn't know why she's disappointed. It's sad yes, but she didn't care for either of the two that had died. So why? ... It doesn't matter, she's too tired to think about it.

She ignores the note, and stays in bounce house.]

[daughterofthemark]

[There's eventually a knock on her door.]

[a10tionplz]

[The Doctor is here, at least in the physical sense. He's taken the time to change his suit; making the subtle choice to wear something entirely jet black.]

[He's keeping to the edge of things, mostly just deadeyeing the steaming cup of tea he's got from somewhere.]

[If anyone approaches he'll muster up the minimum facade of someone not completely dead inside to ask-]

How are you holding up?

[tokencanadian]

[Pyrrha didn't say it much, but she appreciated just how friendly the Doctor was to the rest of the group. It made what happened with Thomasin all the worse.]

As well as I can be, I'm afraid. [she would have tried to smile, but her heart just wasn't in it.]

What about you, Doctor?