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]

...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.]

[marmoron]

[There's a pause at that.]

...In theory, I guess it's not impossible. The lions can travel between universes, but....

[It's also another situation that leans heavy on the optimism.]

...I'm really going to miss you, you know.

[robitussin]

[It takes her a few moments, too, but...]

I don't want to go home. It's not... Home isn't even the right word. It's just a house.

[marmoron]

[Immediately it looks like he wants to say something in response to that, but instead he stays quiet for a moment longer.]

I get that.

I'd ask you to come with me, but...

[robitussin]

[There's a moment where she's tempted to ask 'but what', but... It's obvious enough. A war, constant fighting, endless danger. It's not a stretch to say she sounds upset, but all the same:]

Yeah, I know. I get it.

[Then, another pause.[

But, um...

[marmoron]

...But?

[Sounding just a little surprised that there's a 'but' here at all.]

[robitussin]

I...

[There's another moment, another pause, before... Well. If it's like he says, if in a week and a handful of days they part ways, with little chance of seeing each other again—

This time, with little hesitation, allowing herself no second guessing, she shifts slightly so she's facing him on the bench. Then, she leans forwards, just enough to press her lips to his.]

[marmoron]

[....Oh.

Okay well this is happening now. Keith tenses reflexively before forcing himself to relax again. It's fine, it's all fine, just -- it's all a broken record in his head -- it's not what he was expecting, not where he thought this conversation was going to lead, not where he thought he would find himself at any point in time in Cartesio -- and it takes him a moment to remember that he's supposed to respond in some way because Natalie is....

Fuck, now he's just flustered and he can already hear her repeating that cursed oh my god you're blushing line at him again.

But he does lean in a little, enough to return the kiss.]

[robitussin]

[Once she can tell he's not going to pull away, she puts a hand on his shoulder, using it to softly push herself away from his face after a few moments have passed. Then... Well, it's her time to go red, it seems.]

I, um...

[marmoron]

[It's fine, they can both be a little embarrassed and not quite looking at each other. He will be looking at the piano keys himself, then start backtracking to what they were talking about.

But when he looks at her again, he can't help grinning ever so slightly.]

....You're blushing.

[...funny time to have a sense of humor.]

[robitussin]

...Don't be a jerk.

[She says, even as she doesn't sound upset at all. He isn't wrong about the blushing.]

[marmoron]

[He has to laugh at that. It's a little nervous sure, but he also hasn't laughed in a while.]

Had to see what it was like. Sorry.

[robitussin]

Right.

[She can't help but smile, too, but...]

Um, anyways. Same promise as last week?

[marmoron]

[There's a pause at that, but she does get a nod after a moment.]

Same promise.

[robitussin]

[She notices the pause, and...]

What is it?

[marmoron]

[...sharp.]

It's just the last day before Shiro....

[Trails off, shaking his head.]

I'm not going to do anything, but it's.... not easy.

[robitussin]

...I know.

[Even so:]

If you try, I'll wake up, and I'll be really pissed. Okay?

[marmoron]

[A little hesitantly, he reaches for her hand.]

I know.

[robitussin]

Saying you know isn’t the same as agreeing.

[But she’ll take his hand regardless.]

...I don’t want to see your face up there again.