END OF PROLOGUE ; EXECUTION

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... END OF PROLOGUE - WEEK 037 Narrators Remain ; It's execution day, naughty murder children. Breakfast is served in the dining hall, all the better to fortify you for what is to come. Wherever you might wander in the castle, you will find yourself drawn to the foyer when the clock strikes not twelve, but ten. In the distance, there is the sound of clanking armor. Sharpay Evans appears, flanked on either side by suits of armor, escorting her to her punishment. She holds her head high, poised and controlled, acutely aware of all the eyes on her. A moment later, the Dragon appears on the foyer's staircase. Her hand trails down the banister as she walks, and she takes her place at the head of the group, standing in front of what appears to be a wall. "Come," she says. "The execution awaits." You blink, and then it's there — a door leading to the outside. The Dragon steps through it. You have no choice but to follow. Welcome to your first execution post! Please see here for the results of yesterday's voting. We whole-heartedly encourage also taking the time to leave notes for the mods in the feedback plurk. In addition, make sure you fill out your CR Chart for the Prologue! If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings for the NPC to Dana (Discord DMs preferred, then decals), as she will be taking point for today's NPC, and the moderator team will be on deck for all other questions. full navigation. locations taken (statuses) stories (profiles) info & faq wishing well private conversations

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AFTERMATH

[themodsgrimm]

[ For your reactions and subsequent threading for Sunday. ]

[disilluded]

[Ha ha ha well then.

(This is the third execution Sousei has escaped. At some point, that sort of luck has to run out, doesn't it?)

But is seems today isn't that day, and he stands tall despite the sensations he experienced for a brief moment there--

And then he just breathes out a soft sigh, shaking his head, and all he has to offer is a soft:]

...Well then.

[Thanks, Sousei.]

[sanguinairy]

[HOLY SHIT

SOUSEI IS STILL ALIVE. The rest of that was horrific sure BUT SOUSEI IS ALIVE. He laughs a surprised sort of laugh, tension visibly leaving him once everything seems to be finished. For this week, at least.

That said, he just gets a smile and a brief touch to the arm since Souji is a very tactile person for a ye olde samurai.]

I'm glad.

[randori]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

[ but imagine it getting progressively louder bc I don't know how many big tags I can use, giving Sousei more than enough warning that Natsuo is zooming straight at him ready to tackle him straight in the stomach. ]

[wagashis]

[]

It seems your luck hasn't left you.

[that's all he says before he turns to go.

bye sousei, next time let's not go three for three on escaping death right in front of him, thanks.]

[discardia]

I'm... I'm so glad you're--

[ excuse her a moment, she's having some trouble with emotions. ]

[okitactless]

[So Yasusada is just gonna

walk over and hover with an awkward kind of smile, like he's not sure if he's allowed to be glad during an execution.

And you know, Yasusada does not actually have a tail, but if he did, it would be wagging. GOOD JOB SOUSEI-KUN YOU DID IT or something]

[londonstar]

I'm glad.

[ waver doesn't seem to be very emotional either, simply giving sousei a curt nod. while the (possible) death of sharpay and the (very obvious) death of gi-gan are not things that make him happy, the fact that they didn't lose anyone else is good enough for him. ]

What will you do now, if I may ask?

[finethanks]

[Even though he had hugged him before (or maybe because of it), Eichi sees all of the people swarming to Sousei and holds back on the edges, glancing at him between his little meetings.

He's relieved. He's incredibly relieved! But he had been so certain it wouldn't work out for them. Sousei was right about that hope...? He hopes he catches his eyes, so he at least can put on a small smile, hope that that gets across I'm glad you're alive, but otherwise, he's quietly staying away to give Sousei space.

Well, as much space as he can have with all of those people talking to him and Natsuo apparently latched onto him.]

[discardia]

[ That's, uh. A lot.

And boy is she glad her dog is not out here to watch this, because even though a lot of it is through implication, Sharpay sure just died??

It is, once again, a lot for Cardia to process and she stands there frozen for most of the proceedings, gloved hands pressed over her mouth and eyes wide.

Actually, she doesn't even move when Sousei and Jae-ha are announced to be spared, but she takes a shuddery breath so she's at least aware of it.

What a delightful weekend this has been, can she go to bed now. ]

[londonstar]

It is a gruesome thing to see.

[ waver sure wishes that cardia didn't have to see this. it's useless asking if she's alright because, damn, who would be? ]

If you need any assistance, I will be around, my Lady.

[fonlines]

It's quite a lot to take in, isn't it? Three days have passed, and... almost as many have left us.

[ And it was almost more than that. Hello, armory investigation buddy. Ion looks tired and wan, and strangely small in the crowd. ]

I wonder if this really is the best possible outcome that could have come to pass.

[rethrone]

( ah, someone needs comforting. that's a nice and rather immediate distraction from the violent churning of his thoughts right now, and all of the questions he'll frustratingly find no easy answers to. )

It's a dreadful sight, but executioners are usually very precise. ( true! ) If it's any consolation, Miss, her death was probably very painless. ( probably not true! )

[doublecrows]

[Akechi watches everything quietly, with a detached expression, completely unfazed by anything that happens. and at the end, he only mutters one word]

. . . balance.

[that is all, he is out]

[finethanks]

[He spots Akechi from behind, so it's that much easier to step over to him and take Akechi's right hand with his left.]

Balance. I wonder if we can really call it that, with human lives? [hi]

[unromanceable]

[ Monika feels distant from these proceedings, like they have nothing to do with her. She hardly reacts to any of it, though when the token appears in her hands, she starts to toy with it, idly passing it between her fingers.

This isn't really hers. But some may recognize her as wearing the dress Gi-gan helped her choose.

With nothing to say, she'll turn on her heel and leave as soon as they're all able. ]

[randori]

[ Natsuo doesn't watch the execution at all. He's there, but he keeps his eyes shut the entire time, and is left standing there after people start dispersing, unaware that everything is already over and done with.

The overwhelming stench of blood, horrific screams that pierce the air. Those are the things he can pick out from miles away, and what he'd expected to see here- or not see, as if by closing his eyes to it, he can continue pretending it did not happen. ]

[okitactless]

[The Yasusada that stands near Souji and watches the execution is a far cry from the person who'd spent hours mesmerized by modern amenities. He watches with the tired look of someone who is more than accustomed to seeing gruesome deaths, but he's never been good at hiding his emotions, and there's a troubled look on his face as he watches the entirety of this morbid show play out.

Rather than depart immediately, he lingers, frowning at the token in his hands like it will suddenly break apart and reveal all the answers to their questions. He's not the best at working through puzzles or offering comfort, but he'll try, if need be.]

[toughchoices]

[Reyna isn't sure whether to be relieved or filled with dread.

That was a... to be continued? How could anything possibly continue from that? Jae-ha and Sousei have been spared, but to what end? For balance? Do they have some other plans for them?

She doesn't know, and it's maddening.

Reyna's hand clenches into a tight fist when she finally looks away from the inkpot. She has questions for the Dragon, but the others are asking many of them. She'll wait and see, and ask her own later if the others don't get to it first.

For now - she scans the crowd of people to see if there's anyone who may be in need of someone to talk to. Death is nothing new to her, but can she say the same for everyone else?]

[finethanks]

[ Eichi sticks to the sides, away from people, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of the events that unfold before them. Even as they’re waiting for her to return, he’s stuck watching, dreading. Once it’s all over, and he sees that Jae-Ha and Sousei have both been spared, he lets out a quiet breath he’d been holding. ]

Is this meant to be “fair,” I wonder? A good ending, because only two lives were ended rather than four? [ He’s just talking to himself, so it’s quiet, but he doesn’t really mumble. ] If we had chosen “Happily Ever After,” as fake as that sounds, I wonder if that might have been merciful.

[ Oh well. He’ll be around, watching people quietly and coughing occasionally like always, but his health seems to be improving now that it’s been a week of being here...! His body is adjusting just now before even more murder happens, great. He hopes stress won’t make it worse again. ]

tw: suicide and drowning talk

[thesettingsun]

[The deaths that Dazai has been witness to:

Illness. His mother had been near-constantly sick for as long as Dazai was alive. She'd wasted away - but when she died she was surrounded by her children, who for the moment had been able to put aside their squabbles, for her sake. It was not painless, but it was natural, and it was the best that his mother could have hoped for.

Drowning. Unconsciousness took him quickly. It was not entirely painless, but it was not agony either, and it was his decision.

This. Leading Sharpay to walk in broken-glass slippers, mocking her with white horses and a carriage to kill her, not even a quick death depending on where she was impaled-

He's glad he can't see her expression.

Dazai watches, because it's the last thing he can do for her. He barely hears the Dragon speak. When they're dismissed, he turns to go.

If he's lucky, he can get back to his room before he starts to cry.]

[fonlines]

[ Ion, just,

doesn't emote much.

There's neither smile nor frown on his face, for once. He just stands there watching with white-knuckled hands and a bloodless expression, he's so pale. It might be shock, it might be fatigue or weariness, but he doesn't once look away, watching the execution in what feels like a detached sort of silence.

It's only after the resolution of the events in the foyer that he makes much movement at all- an exhausted, bone-deep sigh as he sags against his staff, seeming to be drawn from the depths of his being.

So, the partnerless were spared after all. They don't know what they did to accomplish this, but they were spared... ]

[spondulix]

Hm. Gold...

[Fitzgerald stands with his hands in his pockets. His smile is twisted up in its characteristic smug smirk, but he watches the whole thing intently. When it's done, he clicks his tongue, turning away.]

Ah, what a pity. [He lets out a huff.] Looks like we did get a happy ending for their partners, though...

[And then he falls into silence, his expression thoughtful. He's heading back to his room, if you want to catch him.]

[axilium]

[... ah. well, that's. um.

belph doesn't know what he was expecting, if he honestly thought anything other than this would happen, but he can't help but look a tad ill nevertheless.

at least their partners are alive. that's one blessing, right...?]

[rethrone]

( he'd grown up in a time of false peace, smothered by an absence of tension that came with an even greater absence of justice. even then, public spectacles of meaningful or meaningless deaths were not entirely estranged to him.

certainly not by his own hand.

there's a coldness to the smile he wears after, an almost anxious edge to the idle fiddling and tugging he repeatedly subjects the hem of his sleeve to. ritual. regardless, he's glad for the survivors, one in particular. )

To bear witness to something like that. ( hm. ) It better prepares someone for their own final moment, and how one should face it. She was quite dignified, given the conditions.

( better than something utterly ordinary. he's taking notes, imagining his own demise, a rare allowance. )

With how much thought they put into this, it almost feels like they care.

( a love letter. or they're just creative sadists. still, isn't it better to be killed by someone who cares? even a little. something effortless, empty, meaningless ... now that was true horror. )