Aftergathering 6

[clearasmud]

Rule 17 hits like a gutpunch. The plan she'd talked about, as improbable as it already was, had just become much harder.

But something - someone - digs its heels in inside her, the same way it did prior to their most recent trial. The presence of their latest, insurmountable hurdle, has the odd effect of only making Youko more determined.

They're going to win.

There's hot soup, rice, and tea in the kitchen. We're holding a meeting tomorrow morning in the conference room. I want you to be there.

- Youko

Comments

[icysemblance]

[Weiss doesn't want to be there. She looks like she's been crying, and she's not up to being social.

But she's there, and she's taken a cup of tea even if it does look untouched.]

[announcemyvictory]

He knows about the seances now. He's posted a rule.

[icysemblance]

I'm honestly surprised he didn't ban grenades.

[announcemyvictory]

There's already a ban against weapons in the courtroom. It would be redundant.

[icysemblance]

I guess it would be. I'm just surprised it wasn't a harder ban.

[announcemyvictory]

I hope he doesn't implement strip searches.

[icysemblance]

Not to jinx it or anything, but we've made it two trials without a strip search. Let's keep it that way.

[announcemyvictory]

...What do you think is going to happen? If we do manage to escape, that is.

[icysemblance]

I -

[She has to pause, finally sipping at her tea as she thinks.]

It depends at least in part on what's outside the school. The other big question is whether there's a means of getting home or not.

Without knowing either? I don't know.

[openterrain]

[ Truth be told, Jean doesn't look a whole lot better. He's making himself go and making himself eat - hadn't he lectured Mordecai about taking care of himself just the other week? - but when he sits down across from Weiss he doesn't seem to be in any rush to drink his tea or eat his soup. ]

Hey.

[ What a greeting, right? Jean has learned that he's not very good at being comforting by now, though, so he'll just... let that sit. If Weiss wants to talk he's here, and if she doesn't he's content to stay quiet. ]

[icysemblance]

Hey, Jean.

[Her ability to comfort people has been drained dry, just about. She gets it.]

I'm not going to ask if you're okay, but if there's anything I can do...

[openterrain]

[ Jean lets out a little huff of air. It's not quite a laugh, but it's close. ]

I was gonna say the same to you.

[ Though, again, he's not so great at comfort. ]

How much longer do you think we'll have to deal with this?

[icysemblance]

I wish I knew. It's entirely too long, whatever the number.

[sunsong]

That's gonna get cold, y'know.

[ Sol's...tired, but this is still easier to bear than the week they lost Luna. She's still not over that - she's never going to be over that - but she's up to two letters and fucking counting of the dead telling her to win against the damn Conductor.

So...she'll fake it until she makes it. Maybe.

Luna and Yuuri are watching, right...? ]

[icysemblance]

I know, but...

[She actually takes a sip.]

...are you holding up all right?

[sunsong]

...Yeah. [ Not really. But... ]

Well, I'll get haunted if I start to give up, so...my goal's still the same as it has been.

[ >save the ghosts >kick the conductor in the fucking shin >go home ]

What about you?

[icysemblance]

It's getting harder than I ever thought to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I'm supposed to be stronger than this, but...

[She shakes her head.]

I'm rambling, I'm sorry.

[sunsong]

You don't have to apologize for ramblin', Weiss. And...I don't think anyone ever expected you to be strong in the face of somethin' like this, you know?

[icysemblance]

[Weiss looks down and shakes her head.]

Maybe not anyone here, but it's hard to shake what my family always said. Expectations don't go away all that easily.

[sunsong]

Maybe not, but...well, I think they're wrong if they expected that of you. It's not like you've stopped moving forward, you know? It's okay for things to hurt.

[clearasmud]

[ Youko will join her with her own cup of tea - or at least, an attempt will be made. ]

Do you mind if I join you?

[icysemblance]

Not at all.

[Weiss tries smiling; it's strained.]

How are you holding up, Youko?

[clearasmud]

Not as well as I was before the trial, admittedly. But even with rule 17... the path may have been altered, but our destination remains the same. We bring them back and we go home, and we don't stop until we've succeeded.

[ There's no doubt in either her expression or words. ]

[icysemblance]

I don't think any of us are particularly okay, not after that mess of a trial.

[And that gets a smile out of Weiss.]

No, we don't. We owe it to them, and to ourselves, to keep trying.

[clearasmud]

Mm.

[ It's weird to have those two assholes gone. Somehow, after a certain point, she expected everyone she liked to die while the people she didn't stayed alive. ]

That's exactly right.

Even after what Rick did... even "bringing them all back" doesn't change. Making moral judgements wears you out - no, more than that. If you make a bunch of them, and need to do so right on top of each one - it's exhausting. So if we just say, "we're going to save them all" and not think about it, it's so much easier.

...I've always thought the best way to deal with this stupid game is to think about it as little as possible, because thinking about it is what the Conductor wants us to do. He wants us to form opinions, make conclusions, to judge each other and ourselves. The less we acknowledge it, the more we actually win.

[ ...Good grief, that was actually quite a mouthful, wasn't it? ]

Sorry Weiss, I had more on my mind than I thought.