week 4 afterparty

[odasaku]

[ well, that was definitely A Trial.

however, oda understands that everyone must be feeling a little heavy, considering the death of someone like jughead and whatever bullshit dazai said earlier.

so, at everyone's door is a note that says the following:

If you don't want to be alone, come to the diner.

There's food.

oda himself is at the diner, although there's no food on his table, nor is he being a very good host of a party. he's just sitting alone at a table next to a window, staring out of it in deep thought. ]

Comments

[marmoron]

[Keith's not at the diner. Instead he's at the park where he can be found sitting on the grass and watching Cosmo as he runs. A nearby tree has some deep gashes in it, the reason for which is probably obvious once you spot the Marmora sword in Keith's hands.]

What a stupid reason to die.

[It's muttered to himself.]

[silvertongueheir]

Jimmy once told me "I think rich people are like dogs and just do things arbitrarily." I suppose this case supports that, loath as I am to admit it.

[Hi fellow pet-owner. Gerard is hovering above Franciscus and watching Cosmo curiously.]

[marmoron]

[Cosmo's giving Gerard and Fransiscus a similarly curious look, making his approach cautiously to smell them both -- until Keith holds out his hand. Stop.]

Comparing Rose and Frasier to dogs is an insult to dogs.

[There's no bite to it though. Keith glances up.]

Your pet gonna to be okay if Cosmo gets closer?

[silvertongueheir]

I suppose you're right. I apologize, Cosmo. [Look dogs, wolves, pretty much the same thing right?]

He'll be fine. One of his favorite companions back home is Shaun's Mightyena. [Cosmo is more glowy, but still.]

[marmoron]

[Enough people by now have insisted that Cosmo's basically like a dog at this point that Keith can't even be bothered to make the correction anymore. He lowers his hand. To Cosmo:]

Go on then.

[Space wolf does exactly that -- still a little cautiously, coming to stop before the other pair, waiting politely for a hand to be extended to him.]

What's a Mightyena?

[silvertongueheir]

[Franciscus carefully reaches out a hand to pat Cosmo slowly, while Gerard leans closer with his head tilted.]

They're a kind of Pokemon. They're also mostly canine-looking, and they have back markings somewhat like his, although in dark grey instead of blue.

[quickpersuader]

[She's really never going to get around to throwing rocks into the pond at this rate. Overhearing Keith, she changes course to walk towards him - and also kneel down because space woof.]

People kill for all kinds of stupid reasons.

[marmoron]

[Cosmo will head on back once he spots Kino, but even Cosmo seems a little down. Looks like running into Jughead's body and being locked out of the courthouse for hours on end got him pretty darn lonely.]

I know. This was just... a new low.

[quickpersuader]

[There there, Cosmo. Have some pets.]

The reasons probably won't get any better while this continues.

[Sometimes, life is like that. Frequently, even. Sorry coincidences pile up until someone dies a meaningless death.]

[marmoron]

[The pets are appreciated!]

I doubt they'll ever be this stupid again.

[Or so one would hope.]

Do you know how you're executing them yet?

[quickpersuader]

I've got an idea. [Petpetpet, although Kino doesn't look nearly as happy now.] I asked Rose about it. Mr. Uedera will be handling Mr. Crane.

[marmoron]

What are you guys thinking?

[One way or another, it doesn't really matter. Keith is curious though -- not because Rose and Frasier are particularly worth spending time thinking about, but because the entirety of what happened to Jughead is so underwhelming yet the consequences are so .... raw. He still hasn't let go of the sword.]

[quickpersuader]

She asked for something quick and painless.

[Likely she saw or heard about Oda and Millium's execution methods.]

[marmoron]

[Immediate:]

Not what she deserves.

[Cosmo fidgets a little during the petting session and starts moving back towards Keith.]

[quickpersuader]

No, not really.

[She settles on the grass as Cosmo moves towards Keith, legs crossed.]

[marmoron]

[As Cosmo comes to settle by Keith's side, he puts an arm around the space wolf.]

Are you honoring the request?

[robitussin]

[It's not until a while after the trial that she comes near the park, but when she does, she gives pause.]

...You got something against that tree?

[marmoron]

[There's a brief silence before Keith answers that. The space wolf comes to stand by his side.]

No. I just needed to hit something.

[No, it's not exactly a mature response to the situation, but he's never pretended to be particularly well adjusted.]

[robitussin]

...Fair enough.

[Well adjusted or not, she doesn't seem too critical. She glances at Cosmo for a moment before looking back to Keith.]

Were you guys, um...

[Close, she means to say.]

[marmoron]

Friends? I don't know about that.

[He shifts the sword over to his left hand to reach down and pat Cosmo's head. Keith's friends tend to do that thing where they tell him loudly and in no uncertain terms that they're friends, you see. Jughead was never like that.]

It was good to talk to him though. Could be a bit of an idiot at times, but he didn't deserve any of what happened. He didn't...do anything.

[Just an "easy target" as Rose put it. And now he's dead because two people independently were asinine enough to misunderstand a word and both reached the same stupid conclusion. It'd be funny if it didn't make him so angry. Keith's hand tightens around the sword.]

[robitussin]

He wasn't an idiot.

[It's said immediately, almost defensively, before she pauses and breathes out a sigh.]

Sorry. Just - you're right. He didn't do anything to deserve that.

[marmoron]

[Keith looks at Natalie as she snaps that. He's not taken aback exactly, but he's tense.]

I didn't... [Didn't mean what exactly? He trails off. He's hurting, she's hurting -- this isn't an argument they should be having.]

That was harsh. Sorry. He wasn't an idiot overall, just... The first time we ever talked was at the diner back when all of you thought I was going to go on a shooting spree. He started taking notes about me right in front of my face. Didn't have any guarantees that I wasn't going to pull a Clarisse right then and there. Didn't seem to matter to him that he didn't know how to fight or defend himself.

[There's a bit of a bitter smile.]

I wish getting some messed up justice for him would make this feel better, but....

[It doesn't.]

[robitussin]

[She shakes her head again, but it's a softer motion this time, echoed in her voice.]

He was smart.

[For a moment, she debates elaborating on that, but - she lets it fall, focusing on what he says next instead.]

Probably because this isn't even... messed up justice. None of this is any kind of justice at all.

[marmoron]

You're right. It's not. It's just the wild west out here.

[There's a sigh.]

If I could just.. call the Black lion to me, this would be over in seconds. He usually responds when I do, but... figures it couldn't be that easy.

[robitussin]

...I know you said it was, like, a special lion, but I don't think I ever actually heard what it can do.

[It's said with a tone that implies she'd like to know, though.]