Final Trial

[cartesio]

Final Trial

It takes a few minutes after everyone talks with the generic mannequin. The easygoing conversation, the bragging from Gant, Keith's exasperation, it all stops when a very heavy and ominous presence fills the room.

"I think it's about time this circus stopped"

It's the Sergeant. He's standing on the doorway, arms crossed. The shadows on his face wriggle, he seems to be rather furious, but is restraining himself from lashing out

"I should have guessed you bunch would take advantage of all that noise and ruckus to sneak in here. I was careless, I admit. 'Oh, this is over in like four hours, it will be okay if I step away to deal with that'. Careless."

Slowly the Sergeant enters the workshop. Behind him, the door slowly disappears, fading away, until where the door was now there's only a smooth wall. The Sergeant raises an arm, the entire room shakes.

All the mannequins fly up to the ceiling, the one that was now Damon Gant turned back into the empty husk the mannequin was before. The one with a t-pose has the same fate. Once all the mannequins are up on the ceiling, the operation tables are uprooted, bolts and screws flying around. The tables are twisted in the air, formed into knots, disassembled and assembled all over again, until several rustic podiums are formed and deposited on the ground.

Seven podiums, with him at the center. The Sergeant crosses his arms and speaks:

"Get on those spots. Tell me... ...how much do you know?"

Is it a rhetorical question? Who knows. You still have to answer, though

Comments

[clearities]

[ she looks at the Sergeant, not even flinching in the slightest bit as she keeps her grip on her staff. it tightens slightly but her gaze isn't unwavering. she swallows hard. her memories aren't hers, they're Sakura's, but even so-- when he says those words, "Do you really think two of the same person can have the same life and fate?" fury seems to burn into her expression. cold and hard. ] We can't have the same fate. Or the same life. We're not the same person, after all, Sergeant-san. I've had... different experiences now. But even so. That doesn't matter. I think that isn't for you to decide. Maybe I wouldn't have family or friends at first and I'd have to start from zero. But I think I can- that we can turn that zero into something more. We can create our own futures. I still surely believe that everything will be alright. And even she, back home, she'd believe in that, too. [ her invincible spell. even if they're not the same. she trusts that judgment of hers. both her, and the real Sakura. ] I don't think that it's right to erase those truths. Even if I got to stay with Syaoran-kun... it'd be selfish of me to just forget everything that's happened here. It'd be way too sad to forget!

[cartesio]

Too sad? You'd really willingly remember all of this? The death and loss and chaos, and everyone hating you week after week?

[clearities]

[ she nods. ]

I would. I want to. Because... I learned a lot from it, that I didn't know before.

[cartesio]

Like what?

[Go on, Sakura]

[clearities]

I got to learn about everyone here. And that... life can't always be happy. I- [...] Sakura lived a happy, comfortable life. Even if she went through troubles, she never experienced these sorts of problems. But I think these problems... the sadness, and the pain? They help us power through.

[cartesio]

.....ah....

[For a while Sarge seems to be unsure what to say, until...]

Weeks ago I figured out bringing you here was a mistake. This confirms it further. It'd take years to do something viable with you.

[Doesn't seem like the Sergeant has a rebuttal to what Sakura said, though]

[clearities]

You said that before, didn't you? But I don't think it's bad... is it?