END OF CHAPTER 3 ; EXECUTION

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... END OF CHAPTER 3 - WEEK 329 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. Yamatonokami Yasusada appears, flanked on either side by suits of armor, escorting him to his punishment. His expression is one that may be difficult for anyone who isn't a sword spirit to read, but he seems to have accepted his fate. A moment later, the Tiger appears on the foyer's staircase. Her hand trails down the banister as she sashays down it, and she takes her place at the head of the group, standing in front of what appears to be a wall. "Come along, darlings," she says. "The execution awaits." You blink, and then it's there — a door leading to the outside. The Tiger steps through it. You have no choice but to follow. Welcome to your third execution post! Please see here for the results of yesterday's voting. In addition, make sure you fill out your CR Chart for Chapter 3! If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings for the NPC to Danielle (Discord DMs preferred, then entrappings), 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.]

[vigilantics]

[ lmao remember when i said she went a week without getting injured what's up

she does step forward out of her own will, mostly because she knows that tiger is probably going to force her to walk to her anyway. stephanie does her best not look at the remaining narrators and instead focuses it on the crafter. this is fine? everything is fine. this is fine!!!

at least, it is fine until she realizes about two seconds before it happens what's actually going to occur. there goes the leggy!! stephanie screams, loud, before falling over. bye guys. ]

[psychedelica]

-- Shit.

[ he knew damn well this wasn't going to be as nice and clean as Stephanie getting put in the stocks like Natsuo was, but that doesn't mean he wasn't hoping vaguely in the back of his heart. Hikage looks absolutely exhausted, but he's clinging to life for the time being - and he's about to "bleed out" if they don't do something about Stephanie. He runs up to catch her before she can hit the ground and get even more injured. ]

Someone--!!

[wagashis]

[neither of them looks good, do they. he'll let her partner take care of keeping her off the ground, but he's here in case it becomes too much. with hikage looking that exhausted, it wouldn't do if they just both fell over, here.]

-we'll do what we can.

[with-- whatever the fuck they have. he isn't a doctor? but he's also here if anything needs to be done.]

[alchemenace]

[ okay so. so there is a lot to react to, here. his eyes are stuck on rapunzel's swinging body, mouth open, in disbelief. he's riveted on it, really. his hands shake as he stands there, useless.

and then there's stephanie's scream and he turns to look and-- okay, admittedly, his first reaction is to go deathly pale himself at the blood. but then he mouths the word "ink" to himself, because if he thinks it's ink, it's fine. it's psychological.

and obviously it's not ink. he knows it isn't. but he-- she'll die too. she'll die too. she... she can't die too. ]

Someone, someone-- go get alcohol and bandages, I've--

[ they have to stop the bleeding. first. (it's ink.) so all of a sudden he's bolting to Rapunzel's body as it hangs there and he grabs the frying pan he knows she's always carrying around. he was there when she first took it. she's famous for it back home.

(what is corona going to say if she doesn't come back? oh god.)

he's running back with it in his bandaged hand and taking out the fire striker at the same time as a scroll and let's all pretend it makes a fire for long enough that he can heat up the pan in an amount of time that doesn't let steph bleed out because it takes like. uh. a few minutes for a leg amputation. WE ALSO COULD'VE DONE A TOURNIQUET :) FUN FACT? IT'S TOO LATE NOW I'M COMMITTED ]

It's going to, I'm sorry it's going to hurt it's going to hurt a lot--

[ he's babbling, and he has to wipe at his face with his shoulder because he can't see clearly? oh he's crying. that's fine. anyway.

let's put that heated pan on her leg to close the wound! science died today. this is extremely painful. sorry steph.

I'M NOT EDITING THIS A SECOND TIME!! ]

[fonlines]

[ Ion is still faintly lightheaded, dizzy with all the phantom sensations of dying so many different deaths, and so isn't entirely aware of everything happening around him-

but when Varian's voice comes from the general direction of Stephanie, who he knows voted for herself, the haze clears slightly. Alcohol, bandages... again. Right. He stumbles toward the pair of them, unsteadily at first but gaining as he moves- ]

Here. [ he says, forcing himself to focus. ] For once-

[ He pulls back his sleeves, untying a pair of knots keeping the long, thin bandages wrapped around his arms from unraveling as he does, and allows them to slip free from his robes and into his hands. ]

For once someone else manages to fetch any disinfectant.

[randori]

[ Natsuo's just like. Hyperventilating in a corner somewhere, choking on his sobs, looking really fucking guilty but he can't help with anything, so??? every weekend I lose 10 years off my life, god ]

[fragileprophet]

[Ion steps forward to block Natsuo's vision, putting his hands on his partner's shoulders.]

You don't have to force yourself to watch.

[randori]

I have to.

[ His voice his hoarse, whispered, his stare a little glassy as if he can see past Ion's body. ]

This way, I'll—

[ ... ]

...I have to.

[axilium]

[natsuo's... breakdown yesterday was hugely concerning, but still.

wordlessly, belph will just crouch down and place a hand on his shoulder. this is all he really can do, isn't it? it's not okay, but...]

[randori]

[ The hand on his shoulder almost makes him stumble back, knees weak and about to collapse at any moment if he weren't already pressed up against a wall, trying to be as far away from everything going on as he possibly can.

He doesn't take his eyes off anything that's happening— Yasusada, Souji, Rapunzel, 2B, Stephanie- staring at a fixed point in space like he can see everything all at once. ]

[concasse]

[Everyone being gentle with Natsou and then this asshole comes over like:]

Oi. Take deep breaths.

Look away if you need to.

[discardia]

[ There's a lot to take in. From Souji killing Yasusada - and she thinks, vaguely, horrified, this is probably the last thing the rest of them wanted for him - to Rapunzel hanging and 2B being struck down by lightning and Stephanie's scream as her leg is completely severed--

Normally, she can focus on one thing at a time. But today?

Cardia is absolutely frozen in horror where she stands, drawing in increasingly shallow breaths as her vision fills with tears. She needs to check on Souji and Ion, she needs to run to Stephanie even though she can tell faintly by the voices that she's being tended to, she needs to move.

But she can't. Instead, she very helpfully seems to be on the verge of hyperventilating. ]

[fragileprophet]

[Hi Cardia the two of you have barely talked but Ion can't just leave anyone alone who looks like they're about to collapse from fear and stress. So he grabs one of her hands, squeezing it gently between his own.]

Take a deep breath.

[concasse]

-- Cardia-chan!

[Well Sanji is gonna place both of his hands on her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake to orient her if he can. His voice is firm but thick with concern]

C'mon, you gotta breathe deep.

[disclosures]

[It's a lot. Just like every Sunday there's a lot to accept. A lot to have to take in. She feels sick, watching all of this, but she can't move away. She has to watch it.

But she's not frozen the same way her partner is. There's the odd sensation of being entirely detached from the proceedings happening around her.

One hand moves to take Cardia's wrist.

It's so stupid to want to ask if she's okay. So she won't.

Rebecca will be here. Trying to be somebody to lean on, however out of her depth she actually is.]

LATE BUT HERE,,

[alttitude]

[It's true - a lot is happening. Jae-ha flits between everyone that he wants to take care of. Souji is the first person he goes to, but after witnessing what happened to everyone else that he cares about, and who has people fussing over them and who doesn't - he ends up going back to Cardia.

Even if maybe he shouldn't, but he does.

He goes in front of her, as if to take her attention off of everything else happening and immediately reaches for her hands - ]

Cardia. Breathe, just breathe. With me, just follow me -

[As he tries to demonstrate that calm for her, even if at the moment he understands entirely why it feels out of reach.]

[alchemenace]

[ anyway after steph is ok (thanks waver) varian is just going to go over in a corner and uh. vomit. sorry.

and also maybe he's crying a bit. a lot. it's fine ]

[fragileprophet]

[Wheezes...Ion isn't going to comment, but he stoops down beside Varian and puts a hand on his back to stabilize him, halfway shielding him from everything else that's happening. Just take all the time you need friend. :( ]

[concasse]

[Oh kid...

This is not what he wanted for you.

Sanji will hang back for a little bit, allow Varian to breathe and collect himself before he wanders over, placing a hand on his shoulder]

Oi.

[sanguinairy]

[WELL THAT WAS just a lot of everything happening all at once!! Souji's a little bloody and Rapuzel and 2b are dead and Stephanie is now missing a leg and he's honestly dizzy from the phantom pains of very nearly dying, himself.

So for now, he'll just kind of be leaning against a wall off to the side of the foyer, trying to steady his wheezy breathing and process everything that just happened.]

[concasse]

[That's a mood, Souji. The only reason Sanji is standing is because he's been moving since the bodies hit the floor. Now that more people are taken care of, he'll move his sights to the swordsman leaning against the foyer wall.

... Why is this the second time he's gotta offer condolences to this poor man?]

Hey.

[randori]

[ This isn't the time or place for it, but sometime later in the day whenever Souji is taking a rest or is otherwise distracted, Natsuo has an owl deliver him a bundle of notes, a hundred or so separate scraps of paper, all unsigned, all singing praises for Souji. ]

[fonlines]

[ sure okay here's also a green for post near-death reactions; Ion's gathered himself together as much as he can, with possibly better results than if he hadn't already been so pessimistic going in.

Still, he's definitely still slightly dazed, or dizzy, or out of it from so many phantom deaths. Even if both he and Souji are actually fine, or some measure of it, it's hard to actually get your body to listen to that.

So after he lends the medical brigade attending to Steph some of the bandages he's been carrying, you'll find him either continuing to try to collect himself against some of the furniture in the foyer, or slipping outside into the gardens for fresh air. ]

[doublecrows]

[THERE'S. . . so much to take in at once. Yasusada's execution, that Akechi watches with calm indifference. then Rapunzel and 2B's; those take him off guard, cause him to stagger back in surprise, one hand pressed against the side of his head. and then there's Steph's punishment, and. . .]

[for a moment, he's just. frozen in place, watching the aftermath. watching Rapunzel hang from the gallows, and 2B's smoking form lie unmoving on the ground. watching Steph bleed out as others crowd around her, shouting commands, and he just. . .]

[decides]

[that he'd rather be anywhere but here]

[Akechi turns sharply on his heel, shoulders pulled taught, and immediately flounces]