It's time for an after party!

[perpend]

[About an hour after the trial and subsequent execution, Cabanela makes a decision.

They need to do something, keep the morale up, however little it may be.

Under each occupied room door people will find the following note written:


In difficult times such as this, it is important to carry on.
Don't give into despair; we must preservere.
If you don't want to be alone this evening, meet me in the dining hall.
-Cabanela

[Upon entering the dinning hall, you will find Cabanela sitting at one of the tables; he has lit two candles that are placed at the center of the table, but there's nothing else to note.

You'll have to supply your own food, since he doesn't have much of an appetite.]

Comments

[blazeit]

[ Bakugou's usually inclined to be a loner, but... it feels like it'd be too weird to be alone at the moment. He actually kinda liked Kaneki as a person okay, which is saying an awful lot for him, which is probably part of it — but he chooses to not think about sticky, gross things like emotions too much.

He does, though, pause in front of those candles for a few moments before sitting down, looking contemplative. Angry, but also contemplative. His posture is looking particularly terrible, shoulders all slumped in and back slouched over. The fact that he's here at all means that he's probably open to being talked to, though. ]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Hey there...Bakugou...]

So, you guys really were right. [This is awkward.] Sorry for dragging my feet.

[blazeit]

... It's cool. It's not like any of us should be comfortable doing something like that.

[ Not even he feels entirely okay with it, but he's more of the type to act rather than react whenever possible. The desire to not be dragged down was overpowering any of his other motivations at the moment, and now that the tension's lower, well... ]

Drag your feet if you feel like it's the right thing to do, you know? Just... don't drag out the inevitable.

[ What he's probably trying to communicate here is that YOU GOTTA FOLLOW WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT!! but he's not good at that sort of thing. ]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Ahhh, so much is holding her back...]

I just got so scared, you know? That...we were making the wrong choice, about what would happen if... [She swallows.] All the possibilities were too much.

[nankurunaisa]

You were really impressive. I guess that's what I should expect from a hero in training, right?

[Don't mind Hibiki, she's comfortable with him so she's ready to have words. Really, she's thankful. Who knows if they'd have figured it out without his doggedness?]

[blazeit]

[ Usually, Bakugou loves an ego fluffing, but somehow it feels... weird, this time? But it's still a good ego fluffing, so naturally he responds, straightening himself up slightly. ]

Thanks. We all stuck out out pretty good, I think.

[ They're all alive, after all...! ]

... You holding up okay?

[nankurunaisa]

[It feels weird saying it, too, but his insistence on everything had been really useful. For everyone.]

Mm. We did, somehow. Here's hoping we don't have to do it again.

[She's 50/50 on whether that seems likely or not.]

I'm feelin' a bit better. Having some time to myself helped. How about you?

[And by "a bit", she means "barely."]

[charcoalfeather]

[a small, quiet girl approaches Bakugou after he sits down. In her hands is a cup of what smells like tea, which she will hold out to him with a little smile. She noticed all of those emotions on his face... and this seemed, to her, like a good way to help that.]

[blazeit]

[ Rakka, you small angel. Bakugou doesn't deserve this.

He's not the type to be very openly thankful, but... ]

Y'wanna sit here for a while?

[ itriedgoldstar.jpg ]

[charcoalfeather]

Uh... Uh huh. [Any excuse to have a seat right now is a good one. And Rakka will slide herself into the seat next to him, setting that glass down between them.]

...How are you feeling?

[Because you were a Thing during that trial. she was watching.]

[housenurse]

I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to stab him!

[she says, cheerily.]

I think it might've done a lot to cheer people up!

[blazeit]

Well, it sure as hell woulda cheered me up.

[ Bakugou more like BakuNO!!!!! ]

Not like the fucking... mess that unfolded instead.

[housenurse]

It was kind of a mess, wasn't it? Hopefully we won't ever have to do it again.

[sits] I don't think we've really talked too much before this! You're Katsuki-kun, right?

[icysemblance]

[Weiss knows that feeling. It's been a rough day for everyone. She waves once before taking the seat across from him.]

How are you holding up?

[blazeit]

[ It occurs to Bakugou he's never had a proper introduction with her, but he already likes Weiss after the mess that was their first trial experience. So better late than never, right? ]

Less messed up than some people in the room, I'm pretty sure. How about you?

[icysemblance]

[Her thoughts exactly. She hadn't exactly been the most welcoming person that first week, but she's determined to rectify that situation.]

As well as can be expected. I was in shock for the first little while, but there's no sense in holing up in my room all night, you know?

[shuttermouse]

...Hey.

[ Chie will just sit down here with a cup of coffee steaming in her hand. She considered making burgers, but she doesn't feel motivated enough to do so right now - maybe tomorrow. ]

[blazeit]

[ Tomorrow does seem like it's going to be a better day — at the very least, there will probably be fewer dead bodies involved. ]

Hey. [ ... ] Is that coffee?

[ She mentioned before that ghouls can only consume two things... though hey, a person is permitted to just be a coffee person. ]

[shuttermouse]

Yup. [ ... ] Coffee seemed appropriate, since Kaneki-kun liked it.

[sunsong]

[ Does he feel like spicy food? She made him some spicy food, but they can post phone it until later... ]

Yo. How you doin'?

[ Slides a plate in front of him. ]

[blazeit]

[ He's a growing teenage boy, he'll take food anytime and every time! ... Besides, anything works as a distraction at the moment. He takes a bite before replying, partially to delay having to talk about Stuff and Things, and partially because he's just really hungry. ]

... I'm okay. Probably better than a buncha people right now. Man, this is hot as hell.

[ Judging by the way he shovels another mouthful in, he is absolutely a-okay with it, though. ]

[perpend]

[It takes him a while before he approaches Bakugou, but once he does, he smiles, just slightly, before his expression goes back to being grave.]

If you hadn't started to suspect Reaver, I never would have been able to put the pieces together.

[He lowers his head; he's not ashamed of what they had to do, but they've all been through too much for one day.]

Thank you.

[blazeit]

... Y'know, people keep saying stuff like that to me, and I really don't get it.

[ He usually loves being praised. This doesn't make him feel very happy to hear, though. Emotions are hard. ]

[clearasmud]

[ Youko may have liked Reaver, more than she may have realised before the trial, but - save for the Conductor's role, this had all been his doing. These were his mistakes, his stupidity, his impatience, his poor judgement, his decision to pit his life against theirs.

Her stalling was just that: stalling. She was always going to be the one walking out of that room. Which is why she only has recognition and appreciation for Bakugou. ]

You did well today.

[ Maybe he didn't want to hear praise for that, but it was important he did. It was important he knew what he'd done. ]

[blazeit]

[ YOUKO THAT REASONING SOUNDS ALMOST SPITEFUL... ]

... What can I say. I guess I just didn't feel like dying for some other guy's sins today.

[ He sounds really... tired, honestly. His heart's not very into being a jerk right now. ]