CHAPTER SEVEN ; TRIAL

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... CHAPTER 7 - WEEK 711 Narrators Remain ; Wakey wakey, naughty murder children. It's a lovely Saturday, after all. Breakfast is served piping hot at its usual time and all of the evidence has been removed from the scenes of yesterday. No matter how you choose to spent your morning though, the clock will begin to chime the moment both hands reach the large, ornate twelve. Before your eyes materializes a door...but not just any door. Unlike the door leading to the festival, this door sits primly and properly right in front of the foyer. Whether you exit the castle on your own or you feel a friendly, invisible push, you begin to walk under an arc of wisterias. Behind you, the clock continues to chime with every step you take. By the time the time the clock strikes twelve, you've entered a beautiful garden. In front of you is a long table, 19 seats on each side. Around the garden are several glass cases containing evidence collected yesterday. As noon intensifies on the sun-shaped clock, you'll find Dragon at the head of the table, a glass-covered rose near her right hand. Tick tock, Narrators. You have nine hours to deliberate. The garden is strangely silent and there are no snacks today...it seems as though you'll be left to your own devices. Welcome to your trial post! Please see here for the OOC summary of events from yesterday's investigation. In addition, please be sure to vote! Please see the voting page on how to vote, as we will have two special things to vote for. Voting will close at 9pm EST/6pm PST or sooner if the game ICly elects so. If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings for the NPC to Dana (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

Comments

[doublecrows]

[well, after a brief conversation with Dragon. . . Akechi can be found hanging out on the outskirts of the crowd. he has a bruised cheek and a black eye, but he's standing tall as he adjusts his tie and watches people mill about]

[. . .]

[he doesn't think he has anything left to say at this point]

[disclosures]

[Meanwhile Rebecca comes and finds him, her legs are covered with swamp gunk, but at least the rest of her is fine enough.]

... Hey you.

[She's frowning at the injuries he's sustained.]

[doublecrows]

[she knows who they're from]

Rebecca.

[he gives her a calm smile]

. . . it seems like Dragon-san kept her promise.

[disclosures]

[She does and she doesn't like them.]

Do you want me to heal that? You know, while I still can?

It does. Everybody is back. Looks like we get to choose where to go... Did you... [want to come with me?]

[doublecrows]

[reaches for her hand]

No. I don't want to forget.

[it's masochistic self-punishment, but he knows he deserved this. he'll let them fade on their own]

[at her second question, there's hesitation]

Would you really have me?

[he's a killer, Rebecca!!]

[disclosures]

I could always remind you. That's what I did for Sanji.

[As usual, she gives her hand over to him and squeezes.

After everything they've gone through together, she doesn't want to give up their friendship.

She gives him a slightly annoyed look. Yeah! Okay! She knows what he's done but... but!]

Of course I would! I'm not going to leave you alone. I promised and I don't want to break it.

[doublecrows]

[oh]

Even now? Even when everything is over?

[even when they no longer have anything tying them together? it seems Akechi still has trouble believing that people want him around. . . but there is a hopeful note to his words]

[disclosures]

You know, for being so smart, sometimes you're an idiot.

[Come here, Rebecca's on her tip toes, pulling him into a hug.]

Yeah. Even now. You're still important to me. Feelings don't just disappear in a snap.

[doublecrows]

[oh]

[he freezes, petrified and terrified all at once, before he finally returns it]

. . . v-- very well.

[and then he clings, as tightly as he can]

I'd like to go. . . wherever you go.

[disclosures]

[She'll rub his back, gently. The way she wished her mother would do for her.]

Then it's a promise. If there's somewhere you want to go, I'll follow you there. I'll be with you every step of the way.

[doublecrows]

I have-- [thoughts. ideas. desires. but he hasn't voiced them yet, for fear that maybe Eichi doesn't want him there after all?]

[he'll just gloss over that for now]

We have at least one more day to think it over.

[disclosures]

Whenever, whatever you decide, you let me know.

[They have the time.]

[finethanks]

[Eichi has been scanning the crowd of appearing faces desperately, stomach twisting and sinking as he tries to find him. No one else matters right now. But then, with a quiet intake of breath, he spots that familiar face. Those bruises are something to note, but even with those, he's beautiful— he's alive, he's not transparent, he's not dead—

Eichi doesn't care that it's pushing his body too much. He runs from where he was, full on into Akechi, arms wrapping around his shoulders as he jumps full force into a kiss. Either catch him or fall, punk.

He's without his uniform jacket and he's got some swampy leaves in his hair and cuts in his clothes, but the skin itself is healed, so he's just a little roughed up and dirty in appearance, really.]

[doublecrows]

[Akechi sees him coming just in time to shift his stance and spread his arms]

Ei--

[buuut not in time to shout his name before Eichi is barreling the fuck into him with all of the strength of the woodsman. he catches him, of course, buuuut]

[PROQUE NO LOS DOS]

[he crashes to the ground with Eichi's mouth pressed against his and all he can do is make a strangled noise of surprise, help]

[finethanks]

[He can't just stop, not when he's feeling everything that he is. Relief and sadness wash over him all at once, and it takes everything he has not to cry in public. He's done enough of that in private, hasn't he? Instead, he lets it come out in affection, desperate and happy and when he can't keep breathing in this kiss to Akechi's mouth, he's peppering the rest of his face with them.

Those bruises get some extra care. He will beat up some punks, he swears.]

You're back... you're truly back. I was so afraid, you know? Things like this don't come true, and I thought—

[WEH]

[doublecrows]

[aaaaaaah]

[it's not that he's a stranger to Eichi's affection, but they are in public?? Akechi is bold, forceful, hungry in private, but in public is a different matter! red flushes his cheeks as his hands come to rest against Eichi's shoulders blades, but despite this. . .]

You thought Dragon-san wouldn't keep her promise? [he isn't pushing Eichi away, instead keeping him in place by curling his fingers into the back of his swampy shirt] We spent weeks interrogating her to make sure that she would.

I doubt those who were intent on bringing us back would have let her go back on her word.

[finethanks]

...Without taking something in return, a promise seems far-fetched. At least, I've never experienced anything quite like it.

[Someone doing something for them without taking something away first? No catch, no even exchange? He still doesn't know if there may be another shoe to drop.]

But when you say it like that, it's as if my worries were silly. You kept me out of most of that knowledge, you know...

[But he doesn't even sound angry, saying that. Just a little defeated. He stops with the kissing, at least, since when he's so emotional, he can't bring up the energy to enjoy teasing Akechi. He just lays there, on him, face pressed into his neck, trying to remember to breathe.]

None of it matters, now that you're back. Goro... please, never—

[...Never leave me again, is what he wants to say, but that's rather selfish, isn't it? It gets stuck in his throat for that reason. Dragon had said that everyone was going back to their homes tomorrow, or wherever they want...

But where was it that Akechi wanted to go?]

[doublecrows]

[ah. . . well. when Eichi's teasing mood fades, so does Akechi's. and he lies there as well, head tilted back so Eichi can press his face more comfortably against his neck. there's really only one thing that's important for him to respond to, here. and that is. . .]

I will not.

[the request that he never leave]

So long as you'll have. . . me, I won't.

[he isn't. . . outright asking, but the implication is there]

[finethanks]

[They're both losers who don't know how to love and Eichi doesn't know if this is a real request or it just sounds like one and he's panicking, but he's clinging to it just as much.]

That's... all I wanted to hear.

[STAY WITH HIM...]

Thank you, Goro. For staying by my side.

[doublecrows]

[he could probably say something else. he's very chatty, after all. he has a tendency to monologue, as villains do. but instead he just pushes Eichi up a bit, presses both hands against the sides of Eichi's face. . .]

[and tilts his head up to kiss him. 'cause he can!1]

[finethanks]

[A public kiss...! Another public kiss, but this time Akechi initiated it!! Eichi is so happy...

He kisses back with everything he's got, not caring that it'll make him too breathless. Excited by it, even. Just a happy, relieved kiss of love and adoration and Akechi is back and he'll never leave again.]