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

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

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? ]

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[ She is never wearing shoes...

But yes, she's bulging on in. ]

[Enjoy the literal honey trap then, Elda. What looks like an entire bottle of honey has been dumped out over the floor.]

How can I help you, Marker-san?

... Wh-what is?

[ Her feet are sliding on the floor - no, they're sticking to it too - and it's in her toes... ]

... I'll make you lick this clean, girl!

[Huff.] I don't have a foot fetish, so you'll have to find someone else to help you with that. Take this as a lesson to enter rooms sensibly and I'll fetch you a towel.

Who said anything about fetish, this is a punishment game!

[ She says, planning to leap up and grab Rin by the collar??? ]

[Well she'll be successful with that, though Rin looks more annoyed than anything, like she's not really afraid. Honestly, if Elda's that close she's more concerned with how disheveled she looks anyways. Her clothes are wrinkled and her hair is a mess.]

Who do you think deserves the punishment more here?! I could have been asleep!

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. ]

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

You invited me in the moment you opened the door!

[ In fact, she's going to shove Rin towards her bed!! So there!! ]

[RUDE. It's not even like they were that close to the bed, arguing by the door as they were, so that probably turns into a stumble and a well-executed recovery to keep herself from falling on her ass.]

You wouldn't leave even if I told you to! I asked you what you wanted, and you just kept kicking my door like a brute! You're definitely not here because I want you to be!

Yes, as a matter of consideration for you, girl! People's concerns are sometimes more forceful than some gentle tap, you know!

[ :T :T ]

What part of it's unwanted aren't you getting??

[Rin gestures hard to the door as she pivots on her foot, as if to head to the back of the room. How did she get so worked up like this? It started over such a petty thing, but now she can't calm down. Elda is the most dangerous person she could be around in a mood like this; she knows way too much about things. All Rin can think about right now is that she wants her gone as quickly as possible.]

Leave a sympathy card if you care so much! You're good at those!

You're right, I am! That card's inspirational, and it's well needed if the mood's going to be soured this much from one damned priest!

[ She... yeah, that's - we're sure shouting with a open door now. The vampire hisses a little and lurches out to try and yank at the girl's wrist. Or at least grab it? ]

[Rin's reflexes aren't nearly as good as Kirei's, especially when she can't see something coming. Elda's able to snag her wrist fairly easily! Rin immediately whips back around, trying to tug it back.]

Let go.

No thanks!

[ She smirks at this, tugged a bit from the pull of the wrist, but actually gripping a little tighter before she steps forward herself, closer towards Rin. ]

[What Rin lacks in snake-like reflexes, she makes up for in physical strength atypical for a teenage girl her size. She struggles to rip her hand back again, and while she's no match for a vampire, Elda will probably feel a show of that in Rin's resistance.

Congratulations, though! As Rin's attempts fails, Elda successfully gets closer. What's she going to do next? Because she has about a second to make her move before Rin breaks out the martial arts. Her eyes flash, drawn to where Elda has it captured, and her free arm is already drawing back like she's making to use it.]

[ She's gone far, far, far too soft.

Because what she's doing is reaching her hand out to pat the top of the girl's head, reaching out to do that and surprisingly gently tug the girl's head down towards her (Elda's) shoulder.

She's totally going to get hit doing this and she knows it, but she felt like she ought to do it. ]

[Elda does get hit for her trouble, but it ends up being an incidental thing; a blow that brushes off her upper arm instead of the inside of her forearm, as Rin had intended.

A moment later, her forehead touches something soft and warm and Rin freezes shock still, eyes wide. Unsure of what to do with herself.]

What—?

[...Is this a hug?]

[Rin tries to pull away again, one more time, but it's a feeble effort. She doesn't get very far, not because Elda is too strong, but because she herself suddenly feels too weak.

Weak, but tense in a way she wasn't before, like this scares her more.

Because of course it does. It's why she wanted Elda far, far away from her. She knew her emotions were too high, and that she'd be incited to burst one way or another if they kept going. But she wasn't expecting something gentle like this. Her emotions aren't bursting every which way, but running over instead.

To her, that's so much worse. Like water breaking apart a dam, slowly it pushes her undone. The tension bleeds out of her, but in little tremors; fighting all the way. Her shoulders shake with it, and her breath on the sobs she tries desperately to stifle.]

No, no, no... Please, no...

[Just that one word, muttered over again. Not this, please not this. The tears are already there, hot on her face, but she didn't want to cry. If she starts crying, she doesn't know how she can stop.]

Edited 2017-10-26 06:28 (UTC)

[ It is. It didn't begin as one, per see, more just a forced movement, but once the girl seems to tense up and then release the tension all in one go, the smaller and older vampire knows what she needs to do. Rin's a strong girl, impossibly capable and smart. But there's a certain fragility there that she wanted to assist with, and to that end, she'd barged on in.

She didn't know what she expected or even intended, really, but the movement now feels natural as she gently takes her arms around the girl - or well, one arm around her and the other up to the girl's scalp to gently scratch it with her nails and to keep it on her, Elda's, shoulder.

For better or worse, Kirei was this girl's guardian. For all of the persnickety talk, that leaves an impression, and now he's dead. What's more that man killed her real father, based on that last admission. And now she was denied even vengeance, or at least real vengeance. Elda...

Well, she doesn't precisely relate, but she doesn't need to, really. It's not like Sayaka, she's not the girl's mother, not even close. But she is an older woman, a more experienced one. And it seems right to be supportive now. ]

There, there. It'll be okay.

[From this angle and the spot they're standing, Elda will be able to see what wasn't immediately visible before: Rin's bed.

It's unmade, sheets rumpled, but more eye-catching is what's been left on top of the covers. Along with a motive envelope there are five photographs, all of the same man, scattered about haphazardly like they were put down when she got up. Fingerprints litter the edges of them, like they've been held many times.

Rin's trembling becomes less pronounced the closer Elda holds her, but it's harder to hold back her tears at the same time. She buries her head in the vampires shoulder, trying so hard to quiet, but sobs steadily rack her frame.]

He trusted him...! [It's not anger her voice cracks with, just grief.] He loved him...

[All she can think of is Kirei's smile as she screamed at him, and that twisted expression of glee. Was that the last thing her father saw?]

[ and he love was, clearly, demonstrably, misplaced. The woman is torn for a moment - what's the best response... to fuel anger, to allow grief to live? To trust the girl to move through it as she needs to?

Honestly...

The best bet is probably to just allow her to cry. So she's going to continue to scratch, hold her steady, and generally feel much more solid than a woman of her size and stature should even begin to feel. That's... best. ]

[Rin continues to cry then, without commentary. She feels like she should say something; once or twice she tries. But the words are choked by her sobs, and she quickly gives up each time.

Bit by bit she breaks further down, until she's openly weeping into Elda's shoulder. At some point she stops thinking so much too, and she holds the vampire back. Tightly. Giving in just this once to this small comfort.

Eventually though, her fingers will begin to loosen, and her cries will die down. Her breathing is still shaky, and it hasn't quite stopped, but she's gotten a lot out. Her chest physically aches, and she feels so tired from it.

That hurt is still evident in her voice when she manages to speak up again, quietly.]

Your shirt's a mess now.

[Her feet, too, but Rin feels less sorry about that.]

I can bill you later.

[ That's her first response. She's in the school uniform now, so it's... not that bad, really. Okay no, it's a little bit bad, but she stopped with the scalp scratching a bit ago, this time just sort of rocking in the embrace a little. The thing is... Well, she's more mad about her foot, honestly. The thing is, ]

You're a strong girl.

...I don't particularly feel strong right now.

[Sniffing, she steps away from Elda, not willing to keep blubbering on her shirt. Rin wipes at her face.]

I let Kirei get under my skin. [She knows exactly how he is; the secret wall just spelled it out plainly, after ten years. Always always she's strived not to let him provoke her.] And this is the second time I've cried in front of you.

[...It's not just Kirei, really, she hates to let anyone see her like this. Maybe given time she'll be able to connect the dots and put words to the reason why she feels like a chasm has opened up in her stomach; like she's waiting for a shoe that's not there to drop.]

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