trustfell | It keeps happening

It keeps happening

[After that horror show of an execution, Mordecai is still restless from the investigation and trial. He has too much pent-up energy, and plenty of others are sure to be upset, too. Ashley was loved by nearly all of them, the trial was mentally draining, and that execution was crueler than it should have been.

Two hours after everyone has returned to their rooms, they'll find a note slipped under their doors.]

We can't go on with empty stomachs. There's food in the kitchen, and the dining room is always open if you need someone to talk to.

Please keep anything outside of eating and civilized conversation away from the dining hall. That room is meant to be a peaceful place for those of us that need it.

-Mordecai Benmont Jiminy

[Today, there's cream of tomato soup warming up on the stove with a set of bowls besides it. It's a more mindless dish to prepare than mashed potatoes, as much as Mordecai wants to vent his frustrations on the potatoes.

He decides to follow Cabanela's tradition and lights one more candle, and after some consideration, lights a sixth. Let those who cared about either girl pay their respects.]

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[Well, that was pretty fucked up, now, wasn't it? This place must really be wearing down on people, for things to go like that... the Conductor included.

...heh. What a way to learn that the Conductor's got feelings too... even if they are a bit of a mess, looking at things. Not that that would've been too difficult to figure out in the first place, given everything, but there wasn't much they could say about that now. It was really just time to come up with new and better strategies at this point.

...honestly, there were a few things he just had to wonder about, going forward. He didn't have to worry about them today, but... maybe once the weekend had settled down. They'd probably be remembering something new... and then there'd be another set of locations.

So... right now, maybe it was time to have a few feelings, or at least write a few letters while eating tomato soup in the dining hall. ...not really letters that are meant to be sent to anybody, as he ends up crunching them up and tossing them over to Beedrill for him to play with after a word or two. ...it's kind of hard to tell if he's feeling bad about things or if he's just messing around, really.]

...We were right, you know.

[Dio looked from Giovanni to his giant wasp from where he was sitting, idly spinning a pen in his hand.]

About those who think it so easy to stand on some imagined moral high ground, that is. It just wasn't me they were aiming their hypocrisy at.

Heh... does that mean they owe us lunch?

[...Beedrill is really good at bouncing those paper balls back to Giovanni, it should be noted.]

It really was something I expected once these trial things started, though. At some point, everyone's emotions are going to be running high over the identity of the victim or the manner in which they died... honestly, I think the only surprise here was that the Conductor joined in, as well.

Oh, of course. But it's taken this long to show the kind of hypocrites they are...were Jonathan here, he'd have started lecturing everyone in sight within the first week, the Conductor included.

Haha, I might know a few people like that Jonathan of yours. See... like I said, it's people like that who I can respect. Their ideas can be a little grating, but the strength of their conviction has to be admired.

What happened here... that feels more like giving in to something, really.

That's exactly what I'm trying to illustrate. Jonathan was stubborn and foolish, but...his resolve was something that couldn't be bent or broken.

...But even he wouldn't have condemned Asuka as a monster. If the devil himself arose from hell to lay waste to the earth, Jonathan Joestar was the kind of man who would reach out a hand in understanding to try and get him to stop.

[He drummed black nails against the table, frowning.]

That spectacle was different. That as self-righteousness tempered with fear and desperation. They hate her, because deep in their hearts they know every last one of them is capable of murder. I don't recall everyone saying Reaver and Undyne were abominations deserving no sympathy, but the minute someone dies that these idiots claim to like, they show their true selves.

It's useless. Useless, useless...they can hold themselves on as high a pedestal as they choose, but every last one of them knows the truth of our situation.

That sort of person seems beyond troublesome... but he's exactly the kind of guy I'd love to meet. ...Or at least the kind of guy I'd want to have around in some fate of the world situation, anyway.

...I don't know if that's quite the case, though. Everyone seemed to like Ken well enough, too... but I think we'd had longer to get to know Ashley and become attached to her. You're going to feel angrier if someone steals your wallet than if someone steals someone else's wallet, right? That's what I think was going on there... I have to admit, even I was a little angry that someone went for Ashley of all people, although I appreciate that Asuka at least put up a fight.

There's also the betrayal element, too --- because everyone liked Ashley, her death necessarily meant that we had a traitor in our midst.

I'm not going to argue about whether or not everyone here is capable of killing, mind you. I just don't think that this was necessarily a catalyst for all of them realizing that, even if I'm sure some people are going to have a bit of a difficult time looking at themselves in the mirror next morning.

Jonathan...he was endlessly troublesome to the end, and kind to his last breath. [That sounded...strangely fond, even coming from Dio of all people. He was silent for a few seconds as if dwelling on one aspect of the situation or another, before simply adjusting his choker.] ...Infuriating, really.

I suppose it was a bit too personal for most of them--even I tolerated Ashley well enough, despite what I'm sure she thought.

But to denounce Asuka as a monster is simply incorrect. She did what she felt needed to be done in the most pragmatic way, and even I can't just stand by and allow everyone to curse that like they're some kind of saints.

Edited 2015-11-23 03:30 (UTC)

...There's just something about those sorts of people, though, isn't there? You'd think they'd be dull, but really, I can't help but respect them.

And no, I certainly agree with you on that. You'd think that her apparently trying to go back to avert a literal apocalypse would elicit some sympathy, given that some people seem to have been taken in enough by Reaver in the first go around that we didn't have as many people screaming for his blood.

He was far from dull, I can certainly say that much.

[Apparently, he'd liked Jonathan enough to have his brother's name listed on his profile. That clearly meant something, one way or another.]

It's all well and good until it's someone they care about. I'm sure some of them could have almost been convinced to render Kaneki's death useless versus all of Albion or whatever Reaver and Logan were on about then. But because it was Ashley, pragmatism in the name of saving the world is hardly even a distant thought in their minds.

As I said before, I don't care why she did or who she killed for it. What irritates me is that hollow self-righteousness. When one of them is pushed too far and turns into a hypocrite with blood on their hands, I'll be sure to remind them of this.

Oh, yes, I certainly agree with you there. Honestly... I'm halfway betting on Hibiki in that particular instance. She got surprisingly vicious over the whole thing, and I'm not entirely sure what to glean from that. Is it an angry sort of righteousness that's going to keep pushing her forward? Or is she just going to violently snap one of these days?

Either way, I think the outcome would be pretty interesting to see.

[Mordecai gives Beedrill a dirty look while it buzzes right past his face. Tamed or not, it's still a giant bee with spears for hands that may one day stab them all with its butt. Not a dignified way to go.

He drops a familiar bottle by Giovanni as well as a shot glass.]

I thought you might need somethin' like this after today. I've been experimenting with mixes. Like we talked about before, remember?

...well, I really have to hope you're passing this around, because we can all use a little liquid fortitude.

[He crumples up another bit of paper and tosses it at Beedrill, who does a SWEET REBOUND at a corner.]

Should I pour, or would that be infringing on your rights?

No such right exists, pal. [He was very drunk at the moment; you should know better than to take a drunk man's word seriously.] And we have enough for everyone.

[He still pours some into the triangular shot glass halfway, then fills up the rest with a mix of lime juice and and mint.]

Here, tell me how it tastes.

Oh, I see. It's hard to tell what's true and what isn't when you're talking to a drunk man from Mars.

[he does smile a bit... although...]

...ah, so we're going with a Mojito variant? Don't mind if I do, then.

[He'll go ahead and down it!]

...yes, that's definitely good.

Aaand that's one approval from a future customer!

[He takes out a Ubiquitous Notebook he won earlier that week and writes Giovanni's name and a checkmark by the recipe.]

Any comments? Needs more of one ingredient? Less?

[Without a proper bar and proper drinks, it's a real challenge to make something decent with only what's available in the kitchen.]

Well, if everything you test on me is going to be this good, I really don't mind being the test subject here.

But... Hm. I can't say there's anything that wouldn't just come down to personal preference... Maybe a little more sugar? Not too much, mind.

You like sweet drinks? [He picked up the bottle, ready to go back into the kitchen.] Mixin' plain sugar's not the best of ideas, but I'll see if we got any juice that could help.

...I reckon more lemon can work. Those are sweeter than you think.

Ah, I think if it was just a dash, though. I seem to remember that's one of the things I always asked for when I ordered a Mojito... but maybe it's a regional thing?

...Regardless, though, I think trying a little more lemon is a good idea.

Don't get much sweet drinkers on Mars, anyway. Here, I'll fix it up for you.

[He'll have to note that Giovanni likes sweet Mojitos in his notebook for next time. But he returns with both extra lemon and some sugar.]

Hm... that is pretty interesting. I've heard that things actually taste different at different elevations on Earth, so it wouldn't surprise me much if the differences in Mars's atmosphere and gravity and such would affect how people taste things.

[...he's really curious about it, mostly, but if it's the same, no big.]

That certainly may be the case, but it's more due to how the people that choose to live on Mars are of the rough and Spartan stock, none of these pampered rich folks lookin' for an easy life. Business executives can only stand to live there for less than a day, heck, I run the only inn on that planet!

[Or used to? His profile makes it all confusing.]

Thought I've only mixed drinks off-Earth, which may not all be to your standards. See, that's why I'm askin' all of your for you opinions; to make my bartendin' an enjoyable experience.

Oh, I see. I suppose that makes enough sense, though I don't really think that having the fortitude to live in a place like that necessarily excludes having something of a sweet tooth.

And really, I'm adventurous enough that you could throw any of your favorites my way and I'd at least enjoy the experience. Don't feel like you have to hold back on my account.

Naw, gives me more of a challenge. It'll give me somethin' interestin' to work on while I'm here. You don't get much variety of orders when you're far from most human settlements.

Ahh, that's true. Still, if you ever feel like going for something familiar, I think it'd be interesting to try a real Martian cocktail.

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