when you hear me calling out to you, saying, "i'll always believe in you"

[ratherdoweddings]

[It occurs to Yurika that she has no idea what either of the men they'd lost just now had with regards to religious beliefs. She doesn't know who they wanted to leave their things to. She doesn't miss the detailed funeral requests, and at least neither wanted their ashes scattered over a lake on a planet that might not even exist here while the mall radio blasted "Stairway to Heaven," but having nothing...

It's actually kind of fitting. They don't have much to begin with.

Arianna strongly insisted on handling the food, so don't worry, your afterparty food today does not consist of disgusting burnt lumps and will not send you all back into the courtroom should somebody eat one. Candles are lit on another table and Yurika's standing at the front with a hand on her shoulder.]

In my last group... our last group, for some of us, the only cases we've remembered so far had culprits who were either cruel or just that determined to escape. Here, it seems different. We're all survivors, so it seems, and we're all friends who are doing our best -- even when the motives make it seem like we should give up. Even when people die anyway.

Maybe Togami-san was right that it'll just keep going from now, but he was also right that it can't keep going forever. I'm going to make sure to keep trying for all of you, and I know you will, too.

Comments

Spaceglasses Hut

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei knocks, but also immediately tries the door. When he finds it unlocked, he slips in regardless of an invitation and takes a seat on the floor by Ardyn's bed instead of being, like, a reasonable person and sitting at the desk or something.]

Hey.

[He brought work to do, apparently. Ardyn doesn't need to entertain him.]

[burninglight]

Hello.

[said ardyn, unfortuantely wide awake and sparing Junpei a glance rather than keep staring at the ceiling.]

...What are you doing?

[misanthropicprinciple]

Working on a puzzle.

[He digs in his backpack for a moment, opens a Divin' Drops carton, sticks the little spoon in it, and sets it on Ardyn's chest.]

...There's one last clue we still haven't figured out.

[burninglight]

...

[he's too tired to object so he's just gonna pick it up, turn over onto his side propped up on his good arm, and start eating it while focusing on this]

You think you can find out what Togami heard?

[misanthropicprinciple]

Part of it, anyway. Whatever he left us.

[He's making a key, he's checking it twice, he's gonna find out what put Togami on ice. Panty Claus is goin' to towwwwnn. After a pause, he half-glances back at Ardyn, not quite making eye contact but heading in the right direction.]

I'll be damned if I don't try, after all that.

[burninglight]

...If anyone can determine it, I might not be surprised if it were you.

[misanthropicprinciple]

...I just have a knack for being in the right place at the wrong time. Anyone can match symbols to letters. It's a kid's game.

[burninglight]

Perhaps so. But we still benefit from having someone clever on our side.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Clever, huh?

[This feels weirdly familiar, the way flirting with Rii-san was familiar, the way being with Church is familiar.]

Don't know what they put in the water here to make you think that.