cartesianism | Week 6: May 6th

Sixth Week

Killers and victims, killers and victims. Three of your own have fallen prey to murderous intent last week. Your numbers keep shrinking. Azura has fallen prey to Franciscus in the same night that Olympia betrayed her friend Millium and killed Cian who wound up in the crossfire. At this rate, is there anyone you can trust?

The townspeople's anger burns hotter than ever. Wherever they go, must they live in fear of stumbling on a corpse? They can't live like this. More than ever, the visitors are being shown that they are unwelcome.

Walking outdoors, cold looks are the norm. Shouted profanity isn't unexpected. Barely anybody is willing to still hold a conversation with any visitors.

Even within the motel, there is no feeling of safety any longer. Not only have two people died in this very place, no, now the townspeople also lost their fear of coming inside. While they don't enter private rooms, the daring among them vent their hatred of you by vandalizing the common rooms.

Cartesio has become a menacing place.

In the lobby of the motel there's a few more brochures, and the maps have been updated once again. Don't mind that some of them have been damaged in one of the attacks on the motel.

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[Welcome to the sixth week! If you want to contact the Sergeant, please post here!. Also please remember to submit your activity check!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's... [Entirely expected of Natalie to ask in return, isn't it. Whatever relief Keith felt crumbles back into a quiet internal conflict.]

...You know I can't risk putting you unnecessarily if someone tries to bait me out.

[That's such a specific scenario and it wouldn't have occurred to him to even go in this direction with that thought before last week, but now it's on the forefront of his mind. He can fight, Natalie can't. Why involve her? He knows already that she isn't going to accept that though, so he just grits his teeth and forces himself to finish the thought.]

I can't lose you.

[It definitely looks like the answer doesn't sit right with her, but she takes another moment to decide how to answer it. All the same... There's something in her expression when he says he can't lose her, something surprised and concerned.]

You remember what you said about... how you get into bad mindsets? If you think somebody's trying to do that, just wake me up and we can figure out what to do together, okay?

[On the one hand, he's relieved that she's not pushing back against this more intensely, on the other... he's starting to feel vaguely embarrassed. He looks away for a moment and breathes out.]

... You really don't think I can handle my own affairs, huh.

[It's meant more as a joke, but it's a pinch flat.]

[It's said quietly, but insistent all the same:]

Keith.

[They're similar, maybe too similar, because the way she has to push the words out mirrors his own.]

I can't... lose you either, okay? You always act like you're expendable, but I...

[They've had conversations similar to this one before, but this being less of a generalized sentiment about valuiing himself more and taking on other shades of meaning has Keith dealing with more uncertainty again. He glances up at her very cautiously.]

You.... what?

[Seems a whole lot easier to make Natalie do the talking here.]

[It's hard to find the words, once again, but... In the simplest way she can conceptualize it is that he sees things nobody else does. Still, her answer is a bit different than that sentiment.]

...You aren't expendable. Not to me. Okay?

[It's... strange. He'd told her they were friends last week and that she shouldn't question it, and there shouldn't be anything odd about hearing this or just admitting the obvious that he cares about her. It still feels fucking embarrassing though, and half of him wishes he could hit rewind on this entire thing and just have said yes to her initial question without insisting on any stipulations at all. That'd have made this whole thing so much less... what it is.

He's starting to feel frustrated with himself for being so unsure of what to say or how to say it, but he also wants to say it, and he hates the way his face feels a pinch warmer. Keith ducks his head immediately.]

Alright, understood. I'll wake you up.

[...God this is not how he should be responding to this. He sighs and tries again.]

Sorry, I just.. you're really important to me, too. okay? I mean it.

[The relief as he agrees is clear from the way the tension falls away from her previously squared shoulders, her tight frown.]

...Thank you.

[She tilts her head slightly, though. If the next question seems strange, it might be explained by the still present confusion in her tone. She's not used to people telling her things like that, and insisting on it the way he is is even more rare to her.]

Yeah... You made that pretty clear a second ago. [As much as she can't wrap her head around why, it's evident enough, at least.] Is something wrong? I mean, other than, like, everything I already know about.

[She's trying to kill him with embarrassment. This is the only way this makes sense any more, Keith has decided. A conclusion that he's reached despite being able to tell her concern here seems genuine.]

I don't know what you mean by that.

[And it's true, he doesn't. He keeps his eyes on the table, breathing out. Now's about the time he's starting to feel like he wants to get up and be all "BYE SEE YOU LATER" but that would only make her question seem all the more valid.]

[She pauses, frowning, as she looks over at him.]

I don't mean anything, I just want to make sure nothing's wrong. You're acting...

[Well, given the way he's taking a breath and staring at the table, she has to wonder.]

Are you angry or something? Because if you are, I have no idea what I did, sorry.

I'm not angry, Natalie.

[Said in this hideously defensive tone as he does finally force himself to look at her again.]

You didn't do anything wrong. I'm -- [He's trying his hardest not to scowl, not to actually be so exasperated and mortified, but none of it's really working.] ... I just don't like saying embarrassing things, alright?

...I mean, okay, but I literally just said the same thing to you, so it’s not like it’s that embarrassing.

[rip, keith.]

....

[ABORT, ABORT, ABORT.]

Just.. forget it.

[Forget it, he says, and yet:]

...Wait, what exactly am I forgetting? I don’t even know what you’re talking about anymore.

[Someone give him a Robeast to fight right now. He'll take off and fight that, lion or no lion. He'll sigh. Deeply. Then speak through grit teeth.]

I like you. I guess.

[This is... the worst sentence he's ever had to say in his life. Thanks for nothing, Natalie??]

Sorry if that's weird. I'll see you later.

Yeah, I know that, you just said that you...

[Lightbulb in 3... 2...]

—Wait, what?!

[TIME TO RUN LIKE THE WIND -- Okay, no he was in the process of getting up and pauses really awkwardly.]

You're really going to make me repeat myself.

[Why are you trying to murder him it's not even Thursday night....]

No, it's just, I didn't really realize. I mean, I wasn't expecting... No, hang on, I'm doing this wrong. I...

[She breathes out a sigh, stressed, pushing a hand through her hair.]

I... know what I want to say, but can we talk about this after we make sure neither of us are dead by Sunday?

[Fun fact, Natalie: did you know they don't have to talk about this ever??

Keith makes a valiant effort to maintain eye contact for a few more seconds, but this isn't what he thought she would say and now that her response is just this nebulous thing hanging in the air rather than some 'that's cute, but no' type of response he has even less of a clue what to do with it.]

... You don't have to say anything, alright?

[It's fine, it's all FINE. He'll get up and won't look flustered at all.]

Later.

[As he just.... leaves the books he was reading behind, So smooth.]

[She wants to say something but can't quite think of a good response until he's walking away, and then...]

Wait, these are your books—

[...And then he's gone. Oops.]

Week 6: May 6th - 10th

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