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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[sanguinairy]

[When Yasusada reaches out for him like that, there's a split second where the forced control in his expression cracks, and it takes every thread of self-control he's built up over the years not to dissolve on the spot.

Take up the sword and never cry in front of us again.

Even now, he doesn't cry. His breath comes in a few uneven bursts like he's trying not to, like the illness in his lungs wishes to make itself known, but he grits his teeth and forces it back. Forces all of it back. After another second, he reaches out with his free hand instead, pulling Yasusada to him. Maybe his grip is the one that's a little too tight this time, but he hopes his sword will forgive him for it.]

...Thank you for being by my side for so long.

[He just wishes that he could have been better.

But he won't draw this out. He's shifting back to release Yasusada after another beat, pulling the rusted blade back and aligning his arm in a way Yasusada will certainly recognize. One last look - a careful, wordless one - and he drives it forward toward his chest with the needlepoint accuracy that could be expected of him - aimed right through the spaces in his ribcage, guided toward his heart. It'll take some struggle to push through considering how rusted the blade is, but even with his sickness, it's easy to summon a little extra strength when in a situation like this.]

[okitactless]

[If Yasusada notices the slip, he doesn't comment. (Of course, even if he had, it wouldn't have been any sort of judgment--he's never once thought of Okita as weak, and he won't start now.)

Instead, he makes a soft, noncommittal sound, agreement or dismissal or just acknowledgment of the words spoken, who can tell at this point? He falls into Okita without a moment's hesitation, and if Okita's grip is too tight, then his might as well be steel.

If it wouldn't make things harder, he'd even refuse to let go.

But their knowledge of these things is the same. Were he to continue clinging to his master this way, Okita would have no choice but to stab him in the back, and he knows without a doubt that Okita would never kill him that way. So he forces back his reluctance, and lets Okita step back from him without complaint.

He's still, almost relaxed, even as he watches Okita's body ready itself for a killing blow. When Okita looks at him again, he smiles one last time--and though his body jerks in shock at the first penetration, he rests his hands on Okita's, lending him what additional strength he can muster.

This isn't the sort of strike swords are made for. He won't let Okita hurt himself for this, no matter how much pain he causes himself.

And it does hurt. Yasusada's been injured before, though he's never broken, like his dearest partner--but that had always been at the hands of other well-kept blades, and always in the heat of battle, with his blood boiling and adrenaline helping him fight through the pain. Now, he has nothing to distract him from the feeling of rusted metal pushing through his skin. He has no way of ignoring all the different parts of his body the sword has to force its way through, to get to his heart--and even Okita's expertise can't totally make up for such a poorly-treated weapon.

Maybe, he thinks, maybe he'll get lucky, and be allowed to return to being a spirit, like he used to be. He's never been any good at being a person anyway. He proved that much last night.

It's a small mercy, but Yasusada's body loses blood quickly, as if aware that prolonging this suffering would be an unjust punishment for the both of them. It doesn't take long for his strength to give out, and he collapses with hardly enough breath for a few final words.]

Even in death... by your side...

[If there's anything else he wishes to say after that, it's lost. Regardless of whether Okita catches his body or lets it fall, he's undeniably pale and still. Yamatonokami Yasusada is dead.]

[sanguinairy]

[At least, he thinks, Yasusada bleeds out faster than some. It's the smallest mercy - he can't offer anything else. Nothing outside of a hand on his shoulder, steadying him as he dies.

The words draw up another well of emotions, some unpleasant, all overwhelming. He tries to accept them with as much grace as he'd managed to walk out here with, knowing what was coming. After a breath, Souji mutters something quietly for Yasusada's ears alone and - for just a moment - brings their foreheads together with a gentle bump.

He'll indeed be there to catch his body, and will stay until he's forced to rejoin the group as the executions continue.]