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

[charcoalfeather]

[One of the first things Rakka did after the trial was stumble back to her room. She had so much to do there, like break into stress sobs in the bathroom while her brain worked to catch up on everything today. Kaneki was dead; she hadn't talked to him much, but he seemed like such a nice person. And Reaver... he shouldn't have done what he did, but did he deserve to die before their eyes?

An hour and a half of crying was enough to bring down Rakka's stress levels enough that, when she saw the letter slid under her door, she promptly headed down there. And when she's there, she pulls herself into the kitchen and starts setting up the tea kettle. If anyone wants anything to drink, they're perfectly safe to ask!

The less said about Rakka's pale complexion, and the redness of her eyes, the better. Please.]

[zomgboom]

[Tabby is shit at making people feel better but Rakka is a precious baby made of angel fluff and like. The Conductor didn't give her what she wanted to give Rakka but hey. She stole something from Kaneki that's pretty.

. . . Rakka doesn't have to know she stole it, ok?]

Hey, Rakka?

[charcoalfeather]

[Rakka seems... almost too caught up in what she was doing. Maybe she was trying to focus on the tea, and not everything else that transpired all of an hour and a half ago. In any case, it takes a few seconds until Rakka realizes that there's someone talking to her.

When she notices it's Tabby, Rakka attempts a smile that looks hopefully less tired then she thinks it does.]

Oh, hi Tabby.

[zomgboom]

[pulls the bottle of star sand from her pocket. look, it's pretty! girls like that kind of stuff, right?]

Here. I, like, [stole this from Kaneki who] got this out of the machine? It's not really my style, but I thought it might, like, make you feel better or something?

[SHE'S TRYING. SHE'S TRYING REALLY HARD, RAKKA.]

[charcoalfeather]

[YOU REALLY ARE, TABBY. And it seems to pay off a little, as Rakka's eyes light up just a bit more as she sees the small bottle.]

F-for me? [she reaches out to take it, if that's okay??] It looks so pretty. What is it?

[zomgboom]

I dunno, sand or something? [She just stole it she doesn't know what it is. Anyway, it's Rakka's now.] It's, like, something they'd sell at the boardwalk or whatever.

[charcoalfeather]

A boardwalk? Huh... [Huh, that's neat. It's such a little thing, but she's sort of transfixed by it. So she'll just slide that into one of her pockets for now. It is indeed her's now.]

Well, thank you for the gift, Tabby. I'll put it with the other things I have.

[Or she might just keep it on herself, like that kitty hairpin Sukuyo gave her. Either way, Rakka's smiling a bit more.]

Do you want anything? I'm making tea again.

[zomgboom]

Oh, sure. [Tea is. Kind of growing on her, outside of Elsa's bitching about how nobody in America makes tea right.] Oh, wait!

[digs through her pockets for a sec and produces one of the Cinnamon Teas that Reaver had.]

This is, like, tea right? I [stole this from Reaver who] got this out of the machine too.

[charcoalfeather]

Huh? [Her eyes fall on the tea, that Tabby was inexplicably carrying in her pocket, and she gives her a nod.] Yes, that's it! I can make that, if you want.

[Probably beats the stuff already in the cabinets.]

[zomgboom]

I dunno if it's, like, any good? But I thought it might be nice or whatever.

[Holds it out for Rakka to take.]

[charcoalfeather]

[She'll just take it out of her hands. Just another thing to add to Rakka's Amazing Tea Collection!

....Which isn't a thing. But it could be a thing, if everyone keeps bringing her stuff.dum dee dum, kettle and water. Here we go.]

[zomgboom]

[aw, yeah.]

So, like, do you drink a lot of tea where you're from? Or is that, like, something you don't remember too?

[charcoalfeather]

Uhh.... yeah. [a sad nod.]

I don't drink a lot of it, all the time. But it's one of those things that I can still remember about myself.

[....]

Maybe, I'm afraid that if I stop making it every once in a while, then I'll forget about that, too.

[ninehundredlives]

Rakka?

[Susan's not much for comforting people, but she thinks she ought to say something. At least she's got a good reason to be here; she sets a box of cinnamon tea down on the table.]

I got it out of the machine. If you want a different flavor.

[charcoalfeather]

....Oh, Susan. [It's always a bit surprising to Rakka when she sees Susan coming up to her. Which isn't to say that she's not happy to see the older woman whenever she's around, and will gladly chat with her.

She looked down at the box, noting the box already in her hands... She set that one back. A tired smile dotted her face.]

I'd love to make this, thank you.

[ninehundredlives]

[Oh. Of course she already had some. Well, Susan was hardly going to use this herself anyway; she's not much of a tea drinker.]

How are you?

[charcoalfeather]

[It was only the stuff already left in the cabinets for them. Not much flavor in those packs either, but they were what Rakka had for a little while. This was gladly mixing it up a little.]

I'm... [There's a noticeably pause.] okay. What about you? Would you like anything?

[Two people are dead, and Rakka is trying her darnedest to not break down.]

[ninehundredlives]

I'm alright.

[...things go silent easily in conversations with these two, huh]

I'll just make myself some coffee. I doubt I'm getting to sleep anytime soon anyway.

[charcoalfeather]

[A likely product of neither of them really knowing what to say around the other. Hopefully, Rakka can change that... somehow.]

O-oh. Okay. If you want it, the coffee is in that cabinet over there. [which she'll point to while she works on that box of tea. Her hands aren't shaking a little as she lifts it up, that's just a trick of the lights.]

I-I don't know how much sleep I'll get either...

[ninehundredlives]

[She knows where it is, but okay.]

It's been a long day. Just don't stay out too late.

[charcoalfeather]

[Just trying to be helpful, this one.]

Ah, yes... [She'll do that after she's gotten through with this tea she's preparing.

...Which may prove more difficult then expected, as Susan might suddenly witness Rakka collapsing to her knees midway through putting away the new box she had give her, the contents almost spilling out onto the counter.]

[ninehundredlives]

[Well there goes that instant coffee she was holding.]

Rakka? [She moves, quicker than one might expect from Susan, to try and catch her.]

[charcoalfeather]

[She's already down, Susan. Though Rakka didn't look like she was about to fall over just yet. Her hands clung to the edge of the counter, keeping her leaning against it. All in all, she didn't look too good.]

I-I'm fine. [she says in a weak voice. Which is not fine.] I feel strange... I had so much energy a moment ago.

[The biggest consequence this day had on Rakka: Emotional exhaustion.]

[ninehundredlives]

[Wonderful.] It's been a long day.

Come and sit down. I'll finish the tea for you.

[charcoalfeather]

But.... [She can't really argue, can she?]

...Are you sure?