31 彡 [video]

[toplay_thefool]

[This is one of the few posts Souji's made that doesn't involve him working in one way or another. Instead, he's sitting in his croft. His face is still heavily bruised, closed cuts half-hidden by his hair. There's what looks like a ring of black and blue around his throat, the skin there mottled dark by Adachi's hands

Comments

[offline] prepare for commentspam; 1/idefk

[heavyheels]

[to be honest, chie's been kind of dreading this moment.

she knows it was bound to happen eventually; this whole thing with adachi was kind of a big deal, and souji is ... well, souji. leader guy. he looks out for everyone, especially his friends. his close, personal friends, of whom chie is but one.

and yet, she doesn't want to talk to him.]

[offline]

[heavyheels]

[things are different. adachi's changed everything for chie. she thought she had a pretty good idea of who she was. she thought she knew who souji was. and now ...

now she's not so sure, on either count.

adachi is dead, and souji killed him. and that disturbs chie far more than she wants to admit to even herself.]

[offline]

[heavyheels]

[chie has argued this with herself countless times in the past week - did souji do the right thing? on the one hand, she knows he really didn't have a choice; adachi would have murdered him in half a second without a single shred of remorse, and souji acted in self-defense.

and yet ... and yet, chie can't stop herself from thinking that maybe, just maybe, souji could have - no, should have found another way. because he's souji, the guy who does the impossible, the one who reaches out to the truth and shows the way for everyone else. he's their leader.

adachi was a monster, true. he did awful things - unspeakable things - and he deserved to pay for each and every one of them, probably even with his life.

but not at souji's hands.

souji was chie's friend - one of her best friends. and they were just high school kids, for crying out loud - sure, they were all mature and practically adults anyway (except for yosuke), and the trials they'd endured over the past year were sobering enough that they'd earned their battle scars, each

[offline]

[heavyheels]

[but when chie remembers the sickening sight of adachi's body laying out on the forest floor, and when she remembers (because it always takes her a second to remember) that souji, her friend, is the one who made that happen with his own hands ...

well, she doesn't like to admit this, either, even just to herself, but when she remembers that souji killed adachi, souji made adachi stop being alive ... it scares her, a little.]

[video]

[breakin_ur_lore]

[SOUJI IM SO RONERY]

Souji? Are you alright?

[He's actually talking about Ange, and not Adachi. He figures that's more important, and it's been more on his mind as well. He still feels a little - well, strange, because he's happy for Souji, but at the same time a little sad - but anyway. Bro times. Gotta be a bro. Gotta go to space.]

[video] I did wonder why Medan was all n_n

[toplay_thefool]

Yeah. [Well, he's composed. That's. Kind of alright.]

What about you? How are you feeling?

[video] he delights in your tears

[breakin_ur_lore]

["Yeah"? He's not sure he believes that. Hmm...well, Souji never talks very much. But Medan wants to be there for him. Maybe he just needs a little prodding.]

Are you really alright, or are you just saying that?

[Meeerrrr.....]

Do you want me to...come over? - I can probably help with
those bruises now.

[video] SCREAMS LOUDLY

[toplay_thefool]

...I guess we're both pretty worried, huh?

[dragon_savior]

I'll keep my ear to the ground for either of them.

[toplay_thefool]

[A nod.]

Ange... [if] when she returns, she should be alright.

Adachi, however, might try to go to ground before we notice. When I tried to take him in, he attempted to kill me. He'd do the same to anyone else.

[Private]

[dragon_savior]

Then I won't hold back if he appears again. I... Did something, before I was taken here. I challenged the goddess who destroyed my people, and won. If I use that power again, against Adachi, or anyone that threatens us... They won't stand a chance.

It's the full power of the Brood, known as Kaiser. I'm sorry, but I had my reasons for not using it before.

[Private]

[toplay_thefool]

[They'd fought a goddess once, too. Compared to this -- well. It doesn't matter.]

If it's so powerful... I wouldn't want to endanger anyone further.

video; private

[notmycreampuffs]

You know - [her communicator is over a foot away, tucked up on a shelf, but still quite plainly on, giving a conveniently wideshot view of the inn's kitchen and the vegetables she's chopping (don't you dare heckle, Seta)] - it's completely possible, and I'm going to be radical here, you may want to sit down for this one -

[She pauses. Her tone loses its flippancy for an uncommon softness.] It's possible that he's dead, and not coming back. Not just - this playing dead thing that the Fae does to us. [Yuuup, blame the Fae. It's always their fault, after all.]

And, you know what? Good fucking riddance.

So, you know, don't beat yourself up or blame yourself. You did us all a favour.

video; private

[toplay_thefool]

[And that's exactly what Souji is afraid of. That he doesn't come back. Would that mean he went home? Or would it mean he was just dead, murdered by Souji's own hands?

It hadn't just been self-defense, he'd reasoned afterwards. It had been a means to an end - he knew he wouldn't be able to drag Adachi back to the village, but this way they'd be ready for them. Adachi might even be less desperate.

But if he didn't come back - if there was no reason - nothing - then where did that leave Souji?

Nothing like me, eh?]

...It's better than he comes back and faces some kind of justice.

[And besides. if Adachi doesn't come back... what about Ange?]

video; private

[notmycreampuffs]

Why? What will that do now? The damage is done, Seta.

[Who the hell is Ange?]

video; private

[toplay_thefool]

I don't think murdering someone is the best way to deal with a situation like this.

[nothing like me, eh?]

voice

[digtastic]

[ Rocks wants to say something. He wants to apologize for Ange, who he's assuming is the person he saw killed. He wants to reassure everyone that he'll be more helpful in the future. He wants to offer his help for something, anything. But for a good couple of seconds, Rock... simply can't say anything. And he knows why.

He couldn't done so much better. He could've tried harder to stop Adachi, tried harder to save Ange. He could've used better weapons, employed better strategies. He could've done so many things differently. How was he supposed to even speak to Souji after all of this? The person who helped him join the Watch? The person who trusted him to help out just like every other member of the Watch?

Was he even any help at this point? ]

... I'll keep an eye out. [ Was all he could say. Incapable of hiding the complete lack of energy in his tone.. ]

voice

[toplay_thefool]

Thanks, Rock. [His voice is soft, earnest.] I appreciate it.

[And he does. He’s anxious, and guilty, and ashamed of himself - frustrated, angry, and full of a scorn directed entirely at himself, but the simple words are enough to remind him that he’s still not alone. Even if he failed his team so completely, even if it feels like it’s all crumbling apart - he still has support.

But his brow knits, concerned.]

Are you alright?

voice

[digtastic]

... I'm fine.

[ He hates that question. He really does. Not because it's a bad question to ask, but because it's a question he can never answer truthfully. Was he fine? No, of course he wasn't. He was hurt, ashamed, resigned, and in need of quite a few repairs.

But he wasn't going to say that. He could never say that. It just wasn't in him, to worry people. He could be falling apart, with his body completely mangled and destroyed, and he still wouldn't want to worry people. He had to be strong, at least in this aspect. ]

I'm just... really tired right now, that's all. [ A pause. ] But I'll still keep an eye out, don't worry..!

voice

[toplay_thefool]

[And Souji worries, regardless. He knows it’s not the truth, and it’s frustrating - but he’d be far more frustrated if he didn’t know that he’d do - was doing - exactly the same damn thing.]

We all need time, after what happened. Keep an eye out, but don’t rush too much, okay? We need to look after you, too.