Week 7: May 13th - May 17th

[cartesio]

Seventh Week

The tense truce that had covered Cartesio was over. The town, feeling betrayed after having given a chance to the outsiders, pushed back. Enraged, they started getting even more daring, starting to get into the tourists' only safe haven: their motel rooms. They don't manage to break in, but it's not unusual to hear thumping on the doors, someone trying to get in. The windows are almost perpetually broken, there's so much graffiti on the ground floor of the motel, both inside and outside, it's hard to know what each one is saying. Can't be anything good, that's the only thing that's certain. The lounge's furniture has been tore to pieces, the lobby only has the guestbook intact, and the planters in middle of the motel are broken, the soil and plants strewn around.

The residents of Cartesio are near their breaking point. The despair, fury, and desire to get rid of the outsiders so everyone can return to their peaceful lives, have covered the town. It won't take long before they reach their breaking point, and if they do...what will happen to the visitors?

The Sergeant's grip on the town is total, and next week is the one marked as END. It seems like there's no way out, like the Sergeant won.

But you can't lose hope. You have to remember: now that you're on your darkest hour, the only way lef to go is upwards. Things can get better, you have to make it happen!

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.

Links

IC Rules
Guestbook
Room Assignments
Events
Locations
NPCs
Activity Check

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday

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

Comments

[robitussin]

[She pauses for a moment as well, trying to find something else to say.]

Do you want to, uh... Hear another? I mean, you don't have to.

[marmoron]

[Just give him a moment to relax, get unprickly and...]

I do. Really.

[He's sounding honest there, even if eye contact is still not happening.]

What's your favorite?

[robitussin]

My favorite?

[She takes a moment to think about that before she gestures for him to come take a seat with her on the bench.]

[marmoron]

Yeah.

[There's no reason to hesitate before moving to sit with her, but there's still a pause before he does just that.]

If you want.

[robitussin]

[Another moment or two goes by before she starts to play.]

[marmoron]

[He's quiet while she plays, watching her hands. He's not really a big music person, hasn't given a whole lot of thought to what musical tastes say about people, but weirdly enough the song kind of feels like Natalie. A little melancholy, but hopeful nonetheless.]

...It's pretty.

[Again earnest even if it's an oversimplification of what he'd been thinking.]

Why's that one your favorite?

[robitussin]

[She tilts her head slightly, glancing at the keys.]

I don't know if I'd say favorite. It's hard to pick when you like a lot of them. But... I don't know, it's simple, but effective. You get what feeling he wanted to convey when he wrote this.

[marmoron]

[He glances up at her.]

What's it feel like to you?

[robitussin]

It’s... gentle. You know, comforting, I guess. Tender. It feels like caring about someone.

[marmoron]

[Asking the question was such a mistake. He looks down again as color rises to his cheeks.]

...yeah, I can see what you mean by that. [...] Hear.

[robitussin]

[She nods, glancing his way, and then...]

—Oh my god. You’re blushing.

[marmoron]

[Oh my god, shut up??]

I'm not. It's just -- [Quick, think of something. Anything.] ..hot?

[...he's so doomed.]

[robitussin]

[She can't help but grin.]

Really? That's what you're going with?

[marmoron]

I'm not going with anything, alright?

[As he very pointedly continues to look at anywhere else but her.]

You're just giving me a hard time.

[robitussin]

I have to find happiness here somehow.

[And apparently it's by teasing.]

[marmoron]

[Getting a look, Natalie.]

Does it have to be at my expense...

[robitussin]

Is there something else you would suggest?

[marmoron]

...It'd be nice if we could both be happy?

[robitussin]

...Yeah. It would.

[She pauses.]

Keith?

[marmoron]

What?

[robitussin]

[A moment, and then:]

What would make you happy here?

[marmoron]

[He considers this for a moment.]

Seeing all of this come to the best possible end. Stopping the Sergeant and his boss for good. Getting everyone back. Seeing everyone win their freedom back to go where they want to go.

[He trails off, looking down at the piano.]

...Guess that last part's a bit bittersweet though.

[Lots of goodbyes. He's never been good at those.]

[robitussin]

It's a little bittersweet, I guess. But...

[She pauses for a moment, like there's something else she wants to say or do, before she looks back at him. Her tone is a little more muted than it was a moment ago.]

...Never mind. You're right, it'd be nice.

[marmoron]

[Ah. He's brought the mood down without really meaning to. He looks back over at her.]

...If it's the best possible end, I guess we'd still be able to visit each other.

[There's a smile at that.]

I wouldn't mind seeing Kino's world. Or Riverdale. Or the robot Milium told me about.. Valimar, I think. ....And you.

[robitussin]

...There's nothing much to see where I'm from. Your place would probably be a lot more impressive.

[A beat.]

It seems... I don't know. Way too optimistic, that you and I are going to see each other again after this. You know?

[She keeps her tone as casual as she can, but... It's something she's been frightened of for weeks, if she's being honest with herself. She looks back down at the piano keys.]