Report Three

[derringerous]

[Phone]

This is insane! Do they really think we're just going to go around killing people because they want us to? What is wrong with this place!

[Someone is angry.]

You can't just...go around killing people like that!

....it's just wrong!

[You can find Meryl in a few places today.

A. Walking down her street.

B. In the park shooting trees in rage.

C.

Comments

B ❚

[latelyblooming]

[ Ohana had been busy dealing with the household chores and had raced out of the house, not noticing the letter that had arrived for her. As a result, she'd been one of the non-drones to turn up at school that day and it was there that she learned about the letters.

What was there for her to do but to go home? (or the reasonable substitute of it, because somewhere along the line Kissuiso had become home, its daily chaos. Not that too perfect house on that too-perfect street but Ohana Matsumae was used to having to make do with what life could give her) Was there a letter waiting for her? ]

Please. Please.

[ Please don't let there be one.

She's hurrying and cutting through the park for a quick and relatively concealed path home. Distracted, half-sick with fear, she's not being as quiet as she should be. ]

[derringerous]

[Meryl hears someone moving in the park and quickly has her gun trained on the noise.]

Whose there! Come out where I can see you!

[latelyblooming]

[ and out crashes Ohana through the foliage, falling down right in front of Meryl ]

I don't have any weapons! I'm just a normal person!

[ she raises her hands anyway. see? no weapons ]

[derringerous]

[Meryl breaths a sigh of relief for a moment, before frowning and going into lecture mode.]

What were you thinking?! People are running around killing each other and your -

[It was the girl in the picture.

Meryl just cuts off and stares at her..]

[latelyblooming]

I'm sorry if I startled you! I was just rushing to get home... I didn't even know what was happening when I left and-

[ she's standing up and shaking the leaves off when she notices Meryl staring at her ]

Is something wrong?

[derringerous]

....

What's your name?

[latelyblooming]

Ohana! Matsuma--- [ it belatedly occurs to her to lie... but if Meryl planned on doing anything to her, she would have done it already right? ] -goo.... Matsumae! It's Matsumae! [ the truth and choosing to trust ]

[derringerous]

I-

[Her mind flashes back to the smiling pictures of Vash and Milly. She could just shoot her and-

....what was wrong with her.]

Well Matsumae. Like I said, you shouldn't be out here. It's dangerous right now.

[latelyblooming]

Well! That's true for you too!

[ she hesitates looking at the gun ]

I was heading home so I can check if I got one of those letters... not that it'd make any difference. There's no way I would-

[ she shakes her head ]

Are you staying here? If you're going anywhere maybe we can go together... I may not be able to do much but I can help keep a lookout for people...

[derringerous]

......

[Meryl looks conflicted for a moment before putting away her gun.]

I was going to head home soon anyway. We can walk together if you like.

[latelyblooming]

[ she wonders a little about that look on Meryl's face but decides that it was probably Meryl debating on whether or not Ohana could be trusted. she smiles at Meryl, relieved and... well happy that it seems like Meryl had decided she could be. She falls into step beside Meryl and resumes dusting herself off again ]

I'm over at Bilko Boulevard... I only got here recently so I don't know if that would be closer to here than where you're at...

[derringerous]

We can go there first.

It's on my way home.

[She's not even sure if she's lying or not but, she doesn't want the girl to have to walk by herself.]

[latelyblooming]

[ Ohana actually suspects it's something like that! She smiles even more warmly at Meryl. It helped to know that even with those letters out there, there were still people who would be genuinely kind no matter the circumstances. ]

I hope I won't take you too far out of your way!

I- I'm really grateful you agreed to walk with me. I was a little afraid of what I might find when I got home... now at least I don't have to brood about it until I got there.

[derringerous]

It's a small town. So I don't think it'll be much of a diversion.

[She smiles though.]

I'm sure it'll be fine.

[She knows it isn't.]

Anyway, you don't have to do what they say. It's crazy anyone would really.

[latelyblooming]

It really is... if people would just think that if none of us did anything against each other then the town would lose... [ she looks down at that ] But that's not the way people are. They'll want to act first before anyone could get to them... [ hell that's even how her mother raised her and she sure as heck didn't grow up in a town that occasionally held spring time BATTLE ROYALE ]

[derringerous]

[She sighs.]

Yeah, I don't know what people think they'll get out of this.

But then I guess there are just some horrible people in the world that like running around killing people.