Didn't we just do this last week?

[perpend]

[It's starting to look like this is going to be a weekly occurrence.

Just like last week, Cabanela waits a while before he makes his rounds, writing everyone quick notes and sliding them under each occupied door.]

Stay strong.
If you don't want to be alone tonight, meet in the dining hall.
-Cabanela

[Like last week, Cabanela hasn't bothered to provide anyone with food-- that would just be... rude right now, he thinks. Upon first entering, you'll notice that there are now four lit candles in the center of one of the tables.

Feel free to leave mementos for the dead; it's probably appreciated.]

Comments

[charcoalfeather]

[Well, further away or not, it doesn't really matter to Rakka. She still comes over eventually. She... doesn't look too good, a product of the energy draining trials they were forced into.]

...Hi, Logan. [She attempts a smile at least. Her eyes go down to the book he has.] What are you reading?

[decrees]

Reaver's autobiography. I received it from the machine not long ago.

[Logan marks his page and looks up.]

...Please sit, Rakka.

[You look... "tired" is as nicely as he can think to put it, but he's trying not to be as much of a walnut as he could be.]

[charcoalfeather]

Oh. O-okay. [She thought she was already. Or not. Eeh, it's been a day. Dutifully, Rakka pulls up a chair next to the king, sitting down and leaning back.]

...Is it a good book? [Well, it sounds like it's worth the read at least, if Logan was going through it.]

[decrees]

...It's fascinating, though not for the reasons most people would approve of.

[REAVER WAS A HOT MESS, RAKKA]

He has a very distinctive way of speaking and it comes across in his writing. It's... comforting, I suppose.

[And that's depressing, he knows.]

[charcoalfeather]

[SHE'S SLOWLY COME TO THAT CONCLUSION.]

Oh. [She says as though that makes some sort of sense.]

I think I get it. I guess, since it feels like his voice, then that's why it's comforting to you.

[....Rakka what are you implying.]

[decrees]

Indeed. It can get quite... over-the-top at times, but that's how he always was. The sections that aren't quite as much of a mess are different as well, but this book is nearly fifty years old. I'm not surprised that he changed.

[And that's... probably the softest expression Logan's ever had. His face isn't really built for it and it still looks kind of harsh, but it's obvious he's much calmer than he was last week. The past tense is easier now as well. It's not like he has much time to heal from that before another crises arises, after all. He's doing what he can.]

[charcoalfeather]

Really? Fifty years? [Rakka looks shocked for a moment... at least until something clicks in her memory.] Oh, that's right. Reaver was actually over two hundred years old, right?

[decrees]

That's correct, yes. Fifty years ago he helped my mother save the world and since then he's been involved in her life.

[...And Logan's, obviously.]

[charcoalfeather]

And that's how you met him? Wow... [She doesn't know about you, Logan, but that sounds kind of amazing? The fact that Reaver was pretty evil, notwithstanding.

She peers over at the book, leaning against Logan a little bit to get a better look.]

Did they really save the world?

[decrees]

Yes. I didn't get to know him very well until I was a teenager.

[He hesitates a bit before shifting so Rakka's can lean against his arm. It's better than the metal chestplate...]

They did, yes. The Heroes of Strength, Will, and Skill were all gathered by my mother. Together they defeated Lucien and stopped him from using the Spire to remake the world in his image.

After Lucien's defeat they went their separate ways, but eventually Reaver returned to Albion after my mother became Queen.

[charcoalfeather]

[...Oh! That's actually way more comfortable, Logan. Rakka is thankful for that. She might just... sort of stay like this. It's a little nice.]

Strength, Will, and Skill... Huh.... That's so amazing, it sounds almost like a fairytale.

[....oh wait.] And, you mean, Reaver was one of them?

[decrees]

[He's perfectly fine with that! You can stay.]

You're not the first person here to think that.

[Logan wouldn't call it a fairy tale of course, but you've hit on one of his favorite topics.]

Reaver was the Hero of Skill, yes. He was exceptional with firearms and ranged weaponry. Apparently he tried to get my mother killed almost immediately after meeting her, but eventually they became very close. He was a constant figure in my life, even before we started working together.

[Despite the fact that he's talking about his dead best friend, Logan's tone is gentle and he sounds sort of pleased.]

...He was an incredible man.

[charcoalfeather]

[She is perfectly fine staying here with Mr. king dude.]

Oh, like guns. [Like... the one he was fiddling with a week and a bit ago. Right.]

....It sounds like he was a great person to you, even after everything he did... And what he did here.

[It's an odd feeling Rakka gets, thinking about Reaver in a way that wasn't focused on his cruelty to the group, or Kaneki.]

...Do you miss him? Y-you, uh, don't have to answer...

[decrees]

[...Well, he wasn't expecting that. Rakka likes guns... huh. That's odd. Something to think about later, perhaps, but for now--]

He... He was never terrible to me. Perhaps that's a ridiculous distinction to make, but Reaver was not a good person. He was selfish and self-centered and egotistical, but he was there for me when I needed him and in some ways, he knew how to handle what I was going through better than I did. He was the only person I could trust for a long time.

[And he still would be, if not for...]

...Yes. I miss him more than I could ever express. I know there wasn't another option; there wasn't any way to spare him given the rules of this game, but...

[But had things been different he would have willingly given his life for Reaver's.

Logan isn't sure how to feel about that.]

[charcoalfeather]

[Well, it's tough to say that Rakka liked guns... because it wasn't true. Honestly, they are kind of new to her. She knows of their general existence, at least. And a natural curiosity lead to any interest.

....Reaver seemed like the sort of person that shouldn't have a gun on him at all times.]

I'm... sorry, about that. [She sounds just a bit uncertain about whether she should be sorry for anything involving Reaver.] There was no other way to do it, like you said. And... he killed Kaneki.

[That entire day was awful from the start.]

[decrees]

...I liked Kaneki, I never wanted him to die. I... Had this happened in Albion, I would have...

[...done nothing. He let Reaver get away with almost everything because Reaver was absolutely vital to ensuring Albion's safety. He wouldn't have tried to punish Reaver for that.]

My apologies, I am not expecting you to sympathize with him. What he did was wrong. There is no excusing that. But had he known the stakes we were playing at, he would not have acted. He wouldn't have tried to save himself at the risk of killing us all. I'm certain of that.

[...Because that would have left Reaver dealing with Logan's sister and he wouldn't get everything he wanted so easily that way. Maybe there would be more to it than that, but Logan can't say for sure. At the very least Reaver wouldn't have been willing to sacrifice Logan so easily.]

[charcoalfeather]

[Rakka shook her head slowly.]

I... I'm not sure if I can feel sorry for him or not; it almost feels strange. He did kill Kaneki... but he was in the same situation we were, but he didn't know about the consequences anyways. [And talking about this with the person here that cared about him the most. Way to go, Rakka.]

... [She pulls back a little, looking at least a bit apologetic.] I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about something else?

[decrees]

No, it's fine, Rakka. He didn't know the consequences. If he had known that an escape attempt would result in all of us dying, Reaver never would have taken that.

[Because y'know. Can't have as much fun if the king isn't giving into your every demand!]

...Thank you for listening to me. I... should not bother you with something like this, however.

[way to dump your problems on the poor girl, good job logan]

[charcoalfeather]

[Well, it's not exactly the thing she wants to hear, but it's something. She's not going to make any move to say something about it, either.]

Alright... [Maybe.] Umm, can you tell me more about that place you're from? Al... bion?

[It's a word she has a bit of trouble pronouncing.]

[decrees]

Albion, yes.

[That gets Logan to settle a bit. He's always incredibly fond of talking about Albion.]

It is a country with a population of around six million. Most people live in large towns, though there are some smaller ones scattered throughout the land. It's dangerous to travel alone because of the monsters, so most people in Albion know how to handle a melee weapon and a ranged weapon. The monsters vary but they're all vicious.

Fifty years ago Albion was united under my mother, the Hero Queen. I took the throne over a decade ago and I have been doing what I can to protect Albion.

[charcoalfeather]

Wow....

[this face is the face of delight. It's Rakka's face whenever she hears something astounding, at least to her. It's become a bit of a thing with her; hearing about other worlds and their lands. It sort of filled the void where her original memories would have gone.

Sort of.]

Your mother sounds amazing! You must be really lucky to have someone like that.

[decrees]

...I was, yes. She passed away when I was twenty-one.

[He's not smiling when he says it, but there's a sense of fondness there that isn't tainted too badly by the fact that his mother is dead. It only took him over a decade to get this far. Good job, Logan. Maybe there's hope for you after all.]

She had me take the throne on my twentieth birthday to ensure that she would get to see me crowned. I didn't know it at the time, but she was ill and she wanted to make sure I would do a good job of ruling after she was gone.

...Her passing was... mostly peaceful. Reaver was there.

[He says, like this explains everything.]

[charcoalfeather]

...Oh. [Well, that put a bit of a damper on the situation.

She sat back in her chair, listening to his words, and replaying it in her thoughts. To be given that sort of responsibility so soon... and then lose a loved one right after that.

She could not imagine what it felt like. Quite literally.]

...It's nice to hear, that it was peaceful. But, I'm still sorry, that sounds like it was hard for you.

[decrees]

...It was, yes. I spent a lot of time locked up in my room. I didn't want to see anyone and it took quite some time before I was willing to make public appearances again.

She was my favorite person in the world. I didn't know what to do without her guidance. But I moved forward. I had to.

[For Albion. For his sister, for himself. And here is now, still a mess, but god is he trying.]