Week 8 - May 20th - May 24th

[cartesio]

Last Week

With the weekend's latest tragedy, a strange mood has descended over Cartesio. What happened was unprecedented, and perhaps that's why the already decreasing hostility from the townsfolk comes to a complete halt. Could it be the strange circumstances? Bolin's desperate plea? Last week's peaceful Wednesday? Some combination? Whatever the reason, it's clear that the Sergeant's iron fist around the town has loosened. While the residents aren't jumping to interact with you, there's no graffiti, no new broken windows.

Cartesio is confused...but open to explanation, for perhaps the first time.

Still, while the town seems amiable, almost accepting again, there's little to chase away the knowledge that the Sergeant's tasks for you are near their end, and that means those without medals are doomed to their fate.

Or does it? After everything that's turned around, is it possible for you to claw your way out of here as well?

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[Welcome to the final week! If you want to contact the Sergeant, please post here!. Also please remember to submit your activity check!]

Comments

[robitussin]

[By the time she leaves the execution room, it's hard to fill her lungs, and her hands are shaking. She's honestly forgot, in the span of a few minutes, that he'll be waiting for her when she emerges. That's evident enough when she walks out of the room, staring at the floor, only looking up when she hears his voice.

Her response is hollow, distant.]

Yeah. No... You're right.

[marmoron]

[The way she's acting isn't surprising, but that doesn't mean he feels particularly equipped to deal with it. Perhaps he doesn't have to -- she brought this upon herself by volunteering in the first place. The thought is immediately appealing on a colder, more cynical level, but he forces it aside. She's dealing with more than she bargained for and...

He hesitates, but once he's made up his mind there's no faltering. He reaches out to touch her arm, his grip firm and steady.]

Let's go.

[robitussin]

[The touch surprises her, but even so, she's silent for another few moments. She volunteered to do this. She... told herself she was ready for this, because it would help him. It's not fair for her to be emotional over it in front of him, is it?

That doesn't change the fact that he'll be able to tell that she's still shaking when he touches her arm.]

Okay. [...] I'm sorry.

[marmoron]

[She's shaking and he wants to not feel anything about this. But even if he were able to just brush this off as her having done this to herself, it wouldn't really make anything better. She'd still be upset, and it'd stil indirectly be his fault for scaring her badly enough during the trial that she'd go to these extremes, and...

And it still wouldn't change the fact that there's so much he would do to make all of her hurt go away... but he fucking can't. He can't go back in time and stop her from volunteering. He can't excise how she feels and just take the burden for himself. His hand moves down her arm to grab her hand tight in his.]

Don't. ]A beat. Softer.] You don't have to apologize.

[A breath out, then he starts leading the way out of the execution site.]

I should've tried to stop it.