I dreamed of a world so far from here that's not on the map

[matchbreaker]

To my Fellows,

What is "good" and what is "evil" is something that can be debated for longer than most of you will ever live, as is the nature of men. These debates are without meaning in my eyes. Despite that man's belief, men are not born to be good or evil, and what flaws they have in personality or character are things that can be overcome through their choices. Both for better and, as we've seen, for worse.

Life is not without suffering, but I should hope that every one of you is loved by someone. Loves someone. Many of you probably know that some of those loved ones are entering into an experience similar to our own. The terror of that is an undeniable sword which hangs above our heads.

Do not isolate yourselves, and hold onto what belief will best inspire you. And if you wish to join us for another one of these gatherings, meet us in the dining hall at 8PM.

Sincerely yours,
Elda Marker

PS: Those who can taste will once more provide food.

[ Well that sure is a lot of words which is being put under your doors, put on the fridge, and generally distributed around. It... uh, sure is a letter? It's in the same impossibly perfect cursive as last week, and is written with an almost angry bravado. Because even if she was vindicated at the end there, she was vindicated by a (by his own admission) evil priest. So. That feels bad.

Anyway, with some effort, the dining hall (which now has a lot of candles at Cabanela's little shrine, even with adding the two more here) is filled with food: Susan's got the booze as usual but also a big pot of mac and cheese. Adelina's done her noble best with some finger sandwiches. Yuri's brought some sweets that Estelle might've made. As for Elda, well, she still basically can't cook, so what she provides instead is:

A few board games including a Settlers of Catan, Sorry, and Candyland knock off. I guess we're playing games. Or at least she's suggesting it, who knew? ]

Comments

[destage]

[Unconditional love.

That's something Sayaka's heard of before. Many times, in the stories she reads--to be able to love like that, with no restriction, and no sort of...condition to be upheld. Just...a bond that's stronger than steel, stronger than anything.

Then there's those three words, and Sayaka...just...

...She puts the stones back in her sleeve, comes out from the barricade, and just hugs Elda again. Words--words are failing her, they really are, but--]

I--I love you too, Mom...

[matchbreaker]

Obviously it's the girl who meets consideration with traps who deserves it!

[ She tugs a little harder but...

Huh.

There's a lot of interesting things in that appearance. ]

[heritrix]

[Oh, that's... There's a longer lull between responses this time, despite the brevity of the note.]

To be honest with you, I don't think I can do such a thing.

[notaccurate]

[He didn't study it too carefully, so he just thinks it's old. Don't cheat Elda!]

There has to be something that connects all four of them, some trait they all share. And hopefully it's not 'is a male', because we're very low on men right now.

[notaccurate]

[Luca can understand that urge, at least. He's been fighting it all week.]

Punching would have been better, at least it's much harder to kill someone from punching them. And then you wouldn't scare people so badly in the process.

[And then he just. Sighs. And deflates a little. The anger is leaving, but he's still very plainly bothered by this.]

For a moment there I really thought I was either going to watch you die or have to vote for your death. And honestly? I'm not completely sure which would have been worse.

[matchbreaker]

[ She hugs the girl back, holding her tight. For her part, to say it...

To voice what she knew was true?

That's... well, it's a choice, is the thing. A resolution, a promise. That's what love is. You don't do it, you fall into it - but that's romance. Family, that's more complicated. That's a choice, and that's work. But it's also something done without boundaries, as boundless as the night sky.

She wonders... no, she will make the girl understand. She's laughing a little, ]

If you're a murderer, I will love you, if you're the death of me, I will love you, if you've sinned, I shall hold you close. If you're "evil," then I shall love you all the more, if you're a liar or villain or anything else - if you speak with the dead, if you cut your hair or if you fall for some girl. If you speak with those who are our enemies...

Love doesn't have a limit like that, girl. That, this is what matters more than "good" or "evil."

[heritrix]

[The conversation they had the other day sure is a lot more awkward now.]

Yeah. [Rin shifts from foo to foot, folding her arms.] I usually keep a glass in my room, and I can fill it up at the sink whenever I'm thirsty.

[notaccurate]

Why not?

[matchbreaker]

Oh, you suspect yourself?

[ HEHEHE. ]

[ninehundredlives]

Good. That's good.

[.....shit, she's not all that great at this, why does she keep on doing it]

Kirei's a fucking bastard. It doesn't matter what nonsense he spews about his feelings.

[heritrix]

[LOOK, THREE OUT OF THE LAST SIX CASES HAVE ALL INVOLVED BEING LURED OUT BY TASTY THINGS. And oh my goooood strawberry is super tasty and there's so much whipped cream. The door is being opened a crack now, as Rin looks askance, cheeks red.]

Your tastes happen to coincide with my own. I-If you're saying you can't finish it all, there's really no helping it. Since you went to so much trouble for my sake, I'll have some as well.

[notaccurate]

Yes, you caught me. I am the fourth terrible person here. Now I shall have to cackle and tell you all about my evil plans before I have a chance to complete them.

[At least his sense of humor is back?]

[hesperos]

Heh, yeah, guess you will.

[ There we go, all set with putting down the desserts. ]

She probably did feel that after a certain point thought things were just fine. She's been like that, anyway.

[ ... He'll glance at one of the candles that are still up (before Hibiki does away with it anyway.) ]

[chessturner]

Yes. Although it's hard to worry about it when I'm here and alive.

[She's starting to be sure she died, though]

[destage]

[...She doesn't understand these people. It's something she's not sure of it, but this...they just accept this stuff, and try to tell her she's better for not being that person?

No 'you monster' or anything like that. Jesus, she's...either the greatest manipulator known to man, or really just...lost in her head.]

...It wasn't. I couldn't trust a single person over there, the second that was put on the table. Now look at me...an entirely different place, and I've...gained so much. Friends...a parental figure who's leagues above my own...even a girlfriend...

I'd...I'd fight for all of them, you know? Until the bitter end. [Sayaka smiles a bit, idly.] ...Kotomine-san's words, they just...hit really close to something I've been battling, for a while...

[sleepytimegal]

[ God... ] Sayaka, I- ...I want to stay with you tonight. In your room or mine, I just- I don't want to be alone...and I don't want you to be alone either.

[ninehundredlives]

[Ah, okay, hand-holding is happening. Susan looks a tad bit startled, but you know what, she'll hold hands back. Touch doesn't seem so strange anymore.]

...do you know what's funny? I think I sort of feel the same way. It seemed a lot easier to plan that out, at the beginning, but now...I don't know. There's people here that I wouldn't mind dying to keep safe from that timer, but I don't want to lose them by dying myself either. I don't want to do that to people.

[Though something about that statement is. Concerning.]

You're one of those people, you know. I won't have you doing something reckless because you can't rely on me offing myself.

[heritrix]

I'd say it's the vampire who always barges in, even when she's not asked to!

[sleepytimegal]

Thinking about- I don't know, this. This thing, all of it. [ She sighs, very heavily. ] Can we not do this tonight?

[sleepytimegal]

So...why? To make us all paranoid?

[evilfrenzy]

[He's...not very good with this sort of thing. He figured Yuri might want to be alone tonight. But, admittedly, he's glad that he got invited in.]

Here, I made you something. It's Sangria.

[He moves over to the bed and offers one of the quite fancy drinks to Yuri. After that he'll take a seat wherever Yuri directs him to.]

How are you...holding up?

[The way he asks that is a bit stilted. He hears people ask that all the time, even when they know the obvious answer. But he wonders if it's still applicable...?]

[destage]

[...A fair point.]

...You don't have to if you don't want. It's...what friends are for, if nothing else.

[She doesn't comment on the worry bit, but...well, she'll smile a bit.]

E-even if we're more just...acquaintances, probably, but...you know. Same principle.

[hesperos]

I thought about doing that too.

[ He actually brought along brass knuckles and the knife. But he decided he wanted to try stabbing Kirei instead. Whoops. ]

... Yeah, that would've sucked.

[ Yuri's still bad at this, clearly. Well. ]

Guess I owe you an apology or something.

[destage]

[...Sayaka can't help but chuckle a bit. That's...that's a lot to say, for just one human girl, isn't it? After Elda's gone through so much...it's...

God. She better survive, there...better be something she can do for her, even when they get out--]

...Thank you. Thank you...for not letting me be alone anymore...I couldn't ask for anything more.

[She definitely understands where that Dislikes: loneliness comes from, now. She adores the fact that...well, she isn't alone here. They've lost so many people here, but Sayaka can't say she's alone now.

She's got a family, and they won't leave each other behind.]

[notaccurate]

He had a way of getting under people's skin. It's not too surprising, he liked to hurt people and all. You saw how he used his words to hurt Rin, right? That's what men like him do.

Perhaps it can serve as a reminder that you are more than what you once were, hmm? The fact that he got to you, that is proof that you have grown. If you hadn't, then you would not be bothered by what he said.