CHAPTER SIX ; EXECUTION

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... END OF CHAPTER 5 - WEEK 517 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. Varian, Zelos Wilder, and Goro Akechi appear, each of them flanked on either side by suits of armor, escorting them to their punishment. Tears are streaming down Varian's cheeks, and he shakes his head back and forth as if he can stop this from happening simply by willing it so; those close enough as he passes by may hear a whimpered "Dad, please--" as he passes. Zelos saunters forward as if nothing is wrong, a swagger in his step and a sardonic grin on his face - although he will not meet the eyes of any Narrator in attendance. Finally, Akechi flashes everyone one of his patented, pleasant smiles-- a smile now known to be nothing but a mask-- as he straightens his tie. It's as if he's saying, I'm ready. 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 sixth execution post! Please see here for the results of yesterday's voting. In addition, make sure you fill out your CR Chart for Chapter 6! 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.]

[finethanks]

[Eichi is pale, and soaking wet, and still coughing when his hand grips at Akechi's arm. There's no more ink on either of them, the wounds from the feathers are gone, and Eichi's eyes are wide.]

Y-you...

[Didn't just save him... he's alive? He's alive. He's alive... His hand slips away, clutching at the front of his dress, struggling to breathe. With every cough, his body feels like it wants to give out. It's trembling, it's cold, it's soaking wet, but Akechi is alive, and he can only laugh between it all, weak and wheezy.

Get him while he's down! Or just come give him a towel, I guess.]

[concasse]

[Sanji's got the towel covered, at least. He'll set it on Eichi's shoulders]

Oi, no dying. Let's get you warm.

[finethanks]

[It's good someone wants him alive besides Akechi! But, Eichi reaches to grab the towel with one hand, his other shakily reaching for Sanji. He'd been half dying over here, still reeling from the pain of that transformation, dealing with his illness— but he hadn't missed that Sanji was saved. By Zelos...]

You're alive. You're both alive... thank goodness.

[He's so relieved... even if it's just one more week, Cardia's words give him hope that this can all be fixed.]

I was so worried...

[doublecrows]

[Akechi is gasping for air too, eyes wide and so. . . so confused. he doesn't have time to process anything that just happened, because his mind is fresh with images of Varian and Zelos, and then Eichi and the hunter and then the lake and pain and darkness darkness darkness--]

[and now there's light, and he knows deep down that he isn't supposed to be here. and that's when a flicker of panic and fear crosses his expression]

[he reaches out and clutches Eichi's hand too, holding it tightly, and not saying a word]

[finethanks]

[What the fuck.

Well, even if Eichi is dying, he's not going to stop from reaching for Akechi as soon as he can move properly. His hand clutches at the one that's being held, but his other arm moves to wrap around him, and that probably makes them both fall to the floor clumsily, even more than they already were. Sorry.]

You're alive...! [HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO REACT this is so many emotions.] You saved me, but you continued to live... you're still here. Despite everything, you're still—

[welp back to dying, but he's happy]

[doublecrows]

[BACK TO DYING INDEED]

[Akechi clings back pretty tightly, but he still doesn't say anything. the words won't come, no matter how hard he tries to gather them. so for now he's just. . . going to curl up on the dirt of the lake bed, listening carefully to the sound of Eichi's breathing and the thrum of his heartbeat in his ear while he tries to compose himself]

[he may]

[need a bit]

[finethanks]

[That's completely fair, and Eichi won't try to stop that. Just two dudes clinging to each other in the lakebed turned foyer, now. The announcements continue, and Eichi listens, but he won't let go. He doesn't care that he's shivering, trembling, that he keeps wheezing for breath. Akechi is here.

He's not sure how long this will last. But it's fine... Everything will work out in the end. He has to believe that.]

[doublecrows]

[what the fuck]

[vigilantics]

[ okay that's cool cardia, super neat information and all! steph will probably process that at some point maybe

right now she looks like she's about to either faint or throw up after watching what happened to varian. honestly, she doesn't even notice the other executions-- she registers that zelos is killed,for some reason akechi isn't, but that pretty comes second to the fact that varian just got fucking eaten

okay yeah vomiting wins. she's kinning veronica from investigation. ]

[axilium]

[as promised, belph is with her.

when she decides to go and kin veronica, he moves to hold her hair away from her face, remaining silent.]

[vigilantics]

[ thanks.

once she's done, she just kind of stares blankly before slowly turning to look at him. ]

We need to go. Please.

[ her tone starts semi-even, but once she gets to the last one it's closer to hysterical. ]

[axilium]

All right.

[he reaches out to support her. whatever she wants.]

[vigilantics]

[ okay, good. once she has belph's agreement, steph will grab onto him before turning to leave. ]

[concasse]

[He'd been standing throughout the executions, not looking particularly moved by any of it -- not even Zelos', though his mouth pulls into a thin line at that ending -- and then he feels the pain course through his body before it just. Stops.

... So. Alive and alone, huh?

At least it's not a new feeling.

There's a fleeting look of disappointment that he didn't get to keep the coin before he decides he's had enough social interaction for the day! He's leaving (after he gets Eichi a towel).

Anyone can try to stop him. Just no promises that he listens.]

[disclosures]

[So much has happened, and for the third time in as many days Rebecca's collapsing to the ground. It's too much. It's too much. She can't take this.

She thought she was going to be alone again. That another person who she cared for would die- but she's still here. She was trying to prepare herself for it, but while this is arguably better-- her thoughts are in a jumble. It's too hard to organize them.

She throws reason to the wind and just curls in on herself, sobbing.

Distantly she can hear Cardia's announcement. Processing it is another story.]

[asswipe]

[Wow! That information dump sure is cool. So is the fact that Akechi miraculously lived to see another day? Too bad Veronica can't process it at all. She's too busy getting stuck on the fact that Varian got fucking vored.

So, you know. The moment the Narrators can move again, she's dropping to her knees, her weaks limb and no longer able to support her. She's sobbing, wailing, covering her face with her hands as she cries her heart out. And while there's some retching happening, it doesn't seem like she's eaten enough in the past hours to produce anything except vile. No puke from her today. Hooray!

Veronica's out of commission for a while. Come back another day.]

[sanguinairy]

[HMMMMMM BAD.

Souji will just. Sit down next to her while she's having a bad time on the floor, gently reaching out to rest a hand against her back.]

[wagashis]

[while all of this goes on-- again, unlike most times, shirasu isn't leaving quickly. he's keeping an eye on things from the edges of the group, arms folded, not speaking to anyone-- but still here.

he's going to linger until he has to leave, a slight restlessness in his posture as if he's waiting to see if anything changes.]

[sanguinairy]

[Executions are a bad time. Souji will peer his way at some point though, as if silently asking if he's doin' okay.]

[wagashis]

[shirasu meets his eyes, but says nothing, just shakes his head with a little wave of one hand. later.]

[sanguinairy]

[Just a quick little nod. Roger that, captain.]