Week 2 - after trial

[relieable]

[everyone is probably more than a little stunned over what has been going on. while it is true that the Sergeant told them all this would happen, it's different to have to witness it with one's own eyes. while Nine is led away, and the townspeople leave the court, it is up to the visitors to decide how to move forward. do they talk among themselves? do they reflect on the events that took place alone? one thing that is certain is that the Sergeant got his way this week. will he continue to force them to keep picking each other off in the weeks that come? only time will tell.

this isn't really an after party. it's too sad, but perhaps many people will take comfort in the fact that they are not alone. either mingle at the motel, or somewhere else in town, or even visit Nine in his cell. it's up to you as to how you will spend the rest of this afternoon]

Comments

[doublelammy]

[It's late when Millium wanders in, still puffy-eyed and looking exhausted.

She wasn't going to come here. She was just going to try to forget about it and get some sleep, try to get her eyes – mouth – her entire face from hurting. Hoping for her chest or stomach to stop is out of the question, she knows that well enough.

But no, her brain won't let her. So here she is.]

...Nine.

[linearcrash]

[ Oh no. Lifting his head up to look at her, and giving an almost smile that doesn't really reach his eyes. He was hoping it would be like that friend of hers who liked gambling. That she wouldn't be able to keep crying or could keep carrying on... ]

Hey.

[ He'll move to front to touch the bars there. ]

[doublelammy]

[She notices that the smile doesn't reach his eyes, and she's honestly not too surprised by it. Who would be happy right now, after all?

She moves closer, too.]

I, um...

I wanted to come say goodbye.

[His hand is touching the bars, and although there's a part of her that thinks better of it, she still reaches out to touch that same bar, and his hand on the other side.]

[linearcrash]

[ Goodbye. It sounds so final. Like there won't be anything left after this moment... He feels a wave of emotion slamming into him hard and he grips the bars tighter.
I don't want to die ]

D-don't say goodbye. We still have a promise to keep, right?

[doublelammy]

[She feels even more helpless now than she did with Crow. Maybe it's because it's happening again, maybe it's because this time he doesn't have a giant hole in his chest that she can look at and assure herself there's nothing to be done, but regardless of the reason, she feels like her chest is being crushed even if there's no physical pressure there.

Damn it, Nine.]

...are... are we really gonna be able to do that? I mean... I've seen some crazy, impossible things, but... people comin' back, twice, that's just gotta be some kinda miracle, doesn't it...?

[Millium believes in a lot of things. But this one, she's not sure of.

Not giving up, because, hell. Sarge brought him back once, didn't he? Even if tomorrow comes like she knows it will, maybe, maybe—

...For now, she just needs to say what she came here to say and not cling to that vain hope. The hope crushes her even worse than the inevitability.]

...I'm really gonna miss you, y'know? It's... it's been really fun.

I'm glad I got to meet you.

[linearcrash]

[ It hurts.

It hurts more than when his phantoma was shattered and they all dragged themselves back to school covered in blood.

It didn't hurt as badly before because he kept telling himself then that they all went on these missions knowing they could die. They all went before the Judge knowing they could never make it back.

But they weren't alone. They went through everything together. Cycle after cycle, they were always together. They all faces the end together.

And now... he has to do it alone. He has to sit in a cold cell alone and face his death alone.

And it hurts. And it hurts that Millium will have to keep going with this weighing on her. ]

Yeah... yeah. It's been a lot of fun with you, yo. It was like having family again...you know?

[ He can feel the tears there already. ]

We'll see each other again. It's not the first time I've been brought back, yo. It's not even the second, or third. I'll be back for sure, hey..

[doublelammy]

[The worst thing is that she wants to believe him.

She's talked enough with others tonight to know how she feels about this whole situation, or at least to have a better grasp on how to reconcile what Nine did with... well, Nine. And at the end of the day, it's Nine that wins out.

She doesn't want him to die, either. And she knows already that she won't be there to make him any less alone come morning, because she can't. Not again, not so soon.]

...Yeah.

[And that only makes it hurt worse, really, that she knows exactly what he means. If she was family, then why wasn't that enough?

But it's not like it was enough with Crow, either, and those words stay locked within her.]

...o-okay. [She swallows hard, moving her hand to tighten around Nine's as he grips the bar.] ...Let's make that our promise, then.

We'll see each other again, and do fun things again. Even if... even if it's not in this lifetime. That's a thing people believe in, right?

[linearcrash]

[ It's something they did. After a long cry, they talked about tomorrow and what they could do. It's something he held on to during their last moments as they all held hands and waited..

Well then, let's think about what comes next...

A tomorrow, huh. Another life... ]

Yeah, yeah we will. I mean, we already met this one time, right? That alone is something special. We'll meet again, yo. It's a promise.

[ He moves his other hand to rest over hers. It's a hand sandwich. ]

[doublelammy]

[...y-yeah, well. Maybe she'll just put her other hand over his other hand! Double hand sandwich!]

...Roger. [And she manages a teary-eyed smile.] Bye-bye, Nine. 'Til I see you again...

Thanks for everything.