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

park

[doublelammy]

[It's easy to miss Millium, unless you're actively trying to find her.

She spends much of the night perched up in the branches of a tree, staring out into nothing at all and sometimes swinging her legs.

It might be easier to hear her. For the most part, she's quiet, but occasionally, the tears well up again and then she's crying.

It's not even entirely about Nine, although there's no denying she's positively crushed. It's that, but it's also everything that's happened in the past couple of months catching up with her at once, and her body is taking this whole crying thing for a joyride like a child that's just learned a new word.

She'll come down and talk to anyone who wants to talk to her, but she's not exactly hunting anyone else down for conversation.]

[robitussin]

[A bit after the trial, Natalie's heading in that direction. She nearly passes by the trees, but she's stopped by the sounds of crying. When she looks up and sees a flash of blue hair, she stops in her tracks, and...

Well, she doesn't do anything for a long few minutes. She isn't sure what to do - she's not well versed in giving comfort, and there's still a large of her that wants to shy away from getting on that level. Eventually, though, for whatever reason:]

...Hey. You want to come down?

[doublelammy]

[Millium didn't even notice Natalie at first, enough that when she speaks up, it catches her off guard with a little gasp.

She doesn't answer, at least not verbally, but after a moment, she drops down out of the tree. She's still scrubbing at her eyes with the ends of her sleeves, trying to make herself at least halfway presentable, but she speaks up.]

...You need somethin'?

[robitussin]

...No, I don’t.

[Not something that can be easily given, at least. Regardless, verbalizing her next thought is harder.]

I thought you might want... I don’t know.

[doublelammy]

[Another moment of silence, as Millium has to sort through what it is she does want right now.]

...I mean. I'd... I'd take a hug, but I dunno if you're the kinda person who's good with giving those.

[For as obnoxious as she can be, she does at least seem to care about Natalie's boundaries when it matters.]

[robitussin]

[It feels ridiculous to her in this circumstance, the immediate aversion to the idea of physical contact. For all she's going to chide herself for it in a moment, though, her instinctive answer is—]

You'd probably be better off asking someone else. I'm not really good at - you know.

[A small pause, and then:]

Sorry.

[carbide]

[Actively trying to find her, you say? That sounds like Olympia.

Granted, she's not really sure what she'll do when she finds her, and that doesn't change when she finally succeeds. Though to be fair she wasn't expecting to find her up in a tree. Maybe she'll just... wait here a while? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.]

[doublelammy]

[Unlike Natalie, Millium actually does take notice of Olympia after a while. And it's enough to prompt her to speak up.]

...Why are you just hangin' around down there?

[carbide]

I didn't want to try climbing.

[She's a lot heavier than you, Millium, whether you believe the numbers in her profile or not.]

[doublelammy]

[She does believe them, she's just not thinking about that right now.]

So why are you here? It's not like there's much else to do...

[A pause before it clicks.]

Wait. Were you looking for me?

[carbide]

You seemed distressed.

[Wow, that's not an understatement or anything.]

[snideper]

[Clarisse isn't actively looking for anyone, just cutting through the park on her way to the shooting range—but something moves in the trees, even ever-so-slightly, and instantly Clarisse nocks her bow and points the arrow at Millium.

...

Oh. It's just Millium.

She lowers her bow, lets the string go slack.]

You'd better watch it up there, stupid.

[you know like how you talk to a child]

[doublelammy]

[Holy shit, Clarisse, why are you like this, Millium is not at all in a state in which she can afford to let her life flash before her eyes again.

Which makes it a good thing that she doesn't even notice the bow, or even Clarisse until she says something.]

Maybe you better watch it, yourself. Keep doin' that around town, n' you're gonna wind up in jail, too.

Or worse.

[snideper]

The worst would be getting taken out because I went and let my guard down. [She scoffs.] Don't pretend like it matters to you.

[doublelammy]

[Millium half-glares down from her perch, not managing the energy to do much more.

It's not like Clarisse doesn't have a point. Her name wasn't an option, but if it had been, Millium wouldn't have had any qualms with offering her up as well as Dabi.

Still.]

Just 'cause I don't care doesn't mean I like running into dead bodies.

I'm not you.

[snideper]

[Another scoff, unimpressed.]

Whether or not you like it, you're gonna have to get used to it, because they're gonna keep turning up. If anything, it's just gonna get worse from here on out.

[YOU KNOW LIKE HOW YOU TALK TO A GRIEVING CHILD]

[kingbomber]

[ Not really actively, since he's looking for someone else first, but afterwards the blond does catch the other up in a tree when he happens to stop and look up when he hears her.

Since he doesn't know how to deal with people properly crying, there's only one natural response for him. ]

How long are you going to stay up in there?

[doublelammy]

[Oh, hey, Bakugou. It's okay, Millium doesn't know how to people either, especially not right now, so:]

Til... til I get tired, I guess. I dunno.

I just don't wanna be at the motel right now.

[kingbomber]

[ ... ]

It's irritating to look at right now, yeah.

And it's better to be outside than reminded of how we're forced to live in that shitty motel in this shitty town.

[ Bakugou doesn't think these are exactly the same reasons she's out here considering how he's seen she feels about Nine, but whatever. ]

[doublelammy]

Yeah.

[She shifts a little in the tree.]

Being up high like this kinda feels like what it's like with Lammy, too. So it's just... one more way to try to forget this is happening, I guess.

[They might not be exactly the same reasons, but Millium can't deny they're at least a part of the reason.]

Do you wanna come up? The branch to my left is pretty strong, too.

[kingbomber]

Right, that robot of yours that can smash shit.

[ He just scowls up at her, but it's not like he has anything else better to do now that he's done what he's set out to do--he's too mentally tired to do anything really productive either.

So he just hauls his ass right up onto that branch, looking at the scenery before them. At least it's not a bad sight. ]

I don't usually waste my time playing around in trees, so don't get the idea that this is something I'll ever do again.

[integratedsoul]

[ Cian is very much actively looking for Millium, it just takes her a while to actually find her... Cian is not a skilled hide-and-seek player, that's for sure.

When she eventually finds Millium, it is indeed due to the noise of crying... Just about the most heartbreaking way for Cian to complete her quest. ]

... hey.

[ A gentle greeting to alert Millium to her presence and then Cian, uh, makes an attempt to join the younger girl in the tree. Suffice to say, she's bad at it and doesn't actually manage to get up. ]

[doublelammy]

[The gentle greeting startles Millium a little, but that's pretty quickly wiped away when she sees Cian trying to climb up the tree.

She actually manages a little laugh, because oh, that's sweet even if she's failing utterly.]

...s'okay, Cian. I can come down, if you wanna talk.

[And she will, dropping down out of the tree and landing pretty easily.]

What did you want?

[integratedsoul]

[ Cian is very impressed with Millium's tree-climby ease, even if this is hardly the time for it. She just never anticipated how hard it could be to get up somewhere. ]

I just wanted to check on you... I didn't want to bother you too much so I thought I'd come up, but... well, it didn't work out.

[doublelammy]

[Where there's a will, there's a way, as far as Millium is concerned.]

You're not bothering me. I'm just here so I don't bother anyone else.

[She scrubs at her face with the end of her sleeve.]

Y'didn't have to come all the way out here to try to find me, though. I'm... [She pauses. Even she can't lie like that.] I mean. I'm not okay? But I'm gonna live.