week 5, post trial.

[robitussin]

[Another week draws to a close, but as more culprits are led away, something is different all the same. After this particular trial, perhaps it's not a surprise that there's no note or offer to meet in a specific place tonight. Can any of them say they have any energy or desire to do something like that at a time like this? The place they regrouped last Saturday evening stands there, burned nearly beyond recognition, and the townspeople look at them with the distrust that's been steadily building. Not to mention... Those are the least of the losses they've faced in the last few days.

Of course, even as so much changes day by day, the town remains, with plenty of places for people to go if they don't want to stay inside the motel. Where can you be found tonight?]

Comments

[quickpersuader]

Well, he seemed to know it too. But I don't think he had an audience until me, either.

[And she was the last person to hear him sing like that, as it was.

When his tone turns serious, the smile fades, and the scritches slow.]

...I can do that. [Her voice is once again carefully even.] But I won't be able to take care of him in the long term.

[marmoron]

[The relief is immediate and visible now that the one hang up he still had has been taken care of.]

That's fine. I don't intend to be gone long term, if I go.

[HE CAN ADD LITERAL DEATH TO THE LIST OF THINGS HE'S FIGHTING IN CARTESIO, ITS FINE.]

[quickpersuader]

[Keith. Keith. Why are you like this.

She gives him a long, hard look as she continues to pet Cosmo, before finally saying:]

I mean it. You need to come back to get him.

[Kino won't ask for promises, because promises are frivolous, finicky things, broken all the time whether intended or not.

But she will demand this much.]

[marmoron]

[Ah. That's a rather stern look, isn't it. Something that demands more than a response that can be interpreted as being flippant, even if he does mean it quite seriously. The smile fades gradually, and Kino gets a rather solemn nod this time.]

I know. I will.

[A beat.]

And I'm sorry. I know you care. I was wrong to say that you don't.

[quickpersuader]

[She'll hold his gaze for a moment longer before finally turning her attention back to Cosmo again.]

Well, you weren't entirely wrong, either. Even if I care about some of the people here, if it's too dangerous, I won't save them.

I'm the kind of selfish person who looks out for themselves first.

[It's why she's not angry in return that Natalie and Keith were so angry at her. Because it's entirely justified of them--

Kino is not a good person.]

[marmoron]

[Keith's quiet for a moment, looking down and away at the grass.]

You can't save everyone, even if you want to.

[He tried. He tried with Cian and now all he can really see in his mind's eye is how terribly battered she was after Olympia was finished with her. How she never woke him up, even though he was right there and more than willing to go with her to the roof. It hurts and he's not really able to hide that.]

[quickpersuader]

[There's a brief moment of silence before Kino replies:]

No, you can't.

[It's a truth she's known for a long, long time. Even her very first kill--

It was only proof that some people didn't even want to be saved in the first place, in a room stained red with crimson and darkness.]

[marmoron]

[It's all a blur really; the reality of losing both Millium and Cian in a single day hasn't properly set in because it's so much easier to just be angry at Olympia. She made that more than abundantly easy to do, of course. Murdering his friends, framing him for their deaths, choosing to frame him for reasons that had never even crossed his mind that anyone outside his universe would even care about....

Teeth grit, he looks back up at Kino.]

I don't care if your selfishness means you won't help someone if it comes with too much risk to yourself. That's most people.

[quickpersuader]

...Yeah, probably.

[She agrees easily enough before settling herself on the ground, legs crossed. All the better to give Cosmo pets.]

Well, I've gotten basically everything I needed for myself. It might not mean too much, but...

Like you said, if it's not too risky for myself, I'll see what I can do.

It's not like I want the Sergeant to get away with this so easily, either.

[It's not the first time she's been in a situation like this, but it's definitely the most successful, and it leaves a bad taste in her mouth to leave it as is. Rose may have made her angry, but--

The Sergeant truly makes her furious.]

[marmoron]

[None of that's surprising to hear. He remembers how quick Kino was to try and leave the fire station at the slightest bit of resistance. In the end, he's only tepidly reassured, but he sits with her a moment later.]

Be honest. How likely do you think it is that he will get away with it anyway?

[quickpersuader]

...Pretty likely. I've pulled off some unlikely things before, but he's much stronger than anyone I've ever faced. Even Master would have trouble with him, I think.

He's also much more careful with his rules. I can't find much to exploit there, either.

[The king from the Coliseum doesn't have much on the Sergeant, for all the blood his kingdom shed.]

[marmoron]

[Legs stretched out in front of him, Keith leans back on his hands, looking towards the top of the trees.]

Master?

[He doesn't sound discouraged, just thoughtful.]

[quickpersuader]

[Kino nods.]

She found me in the forest when I collapsed after escaping from my country. She took me in and taught me everything I know about surviving - not only for traveling, but also how to wield a persuader and a knife and other things like that.

She's the strongest person I've ever known... for both good and for bad.

[marmoron]

Persuaders the same thing as guns?

[The one uncertainty of immediate pertinence here. There are other things to be curious about -- like what Kino's master expects in return for all of this training, but curiosities aren't always relevant. For now, it's not sounding like Kino's master is sounding tougher than one of Haggar's druids. Or Haggar herself.]

[quickpersuader]

Mm. That's what we call them in my... world, I guess. It isn't different from country to country or anything.

[marmoron]

[A nod.]

Back home, we fought a lot of things capable of using magic in addition to advanced weaponry. The hardest fight I've ever had without the lions was against a Druid that had a number of powers. energy manipulation, teleportation, the ability to fire blasts of dark magic, cast illusions and so on.

We were able to kill a Druid. We were never able to kill their master, Haggar. I don't know if the Sergeant is on par with Haggar or more powerful than she is, but...even the witch died once.

[quickpersuader]

...So if they can be killed, so can the Sergeant.

[Kino leans back thoughtfully.]

He's the one imprisoning us, so he has more control of what we have access to. That's the main problem with overpowering him right now, I think.

[marmoron]

I think so.

[And that's not some feels good, everything will be okay shonen bullshit talking if only because Keith doesn't do optimism.]

It might come down to whether or not we can take over the technology they're using to bring people and objects from other universes here. Like I said, Black would be able to take 'em out. But there are probably other possibilities that we just haven't considered yet. There's still a lot that we don't know about the Sergeant and his boss.

[quickpersuader]

Yeah. I've been asking, but he keeps clamming up. I think he's getting wary of my questions.

[Sigh.]

[marmoron]

[That's getting a bit of a laugh.]

Not very bright if it took him that long to realize you're a bit of a menace.

[It's a compliment.]

[quickpersuader]

[She actually looks mildly surprised for a moment.]

...It's been a while since I got a "compliment" like that.

[But it's also been a while since she's seen Hermes.]

I think there's people listening in on him, too. Sometimes he'll listen to the device in his ear and stop.

[marmoron]

Only stating the truth here.

[A shrug.]

He admitted as much. He told me he has a bad memory and that his boss has to remind him what the rules are from time to time.

[Which is... interesting though he's not quite sure what all they can do with that information.]

[quickpersuader]

He's not as put together as he tries to seem.

It makes me wonder if his boss is going to get involved, at this rate.

[marmoron]

At the end.

He said his boss will make an appearance then.

[quickpersuader]

So you got information after all.