(too late) you're at the party

[scouserer]

[Well, it's safe to say that trial fucking sucked. Therefore, some sort of afterparty is in order. Constantine is admittedly not good at throwing parties without some sort of liquor or other drug involved, but that's where Data and Sylvando guide him.

First order of business--invites. Upon returning to your rooms, crumpled pieces of paper have been taped to the doors. Written in poor handwriting is the following:]

meet at the lounge
bring whatever you want
[Simple, but effective. The lounge itself has been livened up a bit with Sylvando's help. Some nicely patterned fabric has been draped around on the tables to liven up the place a little, and snacks from the café and vending machines have been placed out for people to peruse.

A few supplies from the first aid room have been gathered, as well, for those who may need it. But perhaps the help is unnecessary, as tomorrow will likely bring another New Years Eve. And with it, another week of despair and frustration.

But for now, they can forget about that and pretend that all that matters is the present.]

Comments

[silentscout]

[Lalli won't come out of his room at first. He's going to spend at least a solid hour or so laying in his bed and just processing everything that's happened. People can interrupt him here if they want, but he's not seeking anyone out.

Later, Lalli does wander out to the lounge. He doesn't do much, though. He sort of just stands off to the side awkwardly for a bit before wandering off to go somewhere else. But he can be found around the ship at this point, at least.

His eyes look dull and listless. Like an insomniac who hasn't slept in about 3 days.]

[hellahighwater]

[ Chloe's on a similar time frame in terms of showing up at the lounge. She's sitting, poking at some food from the cafe. She, in fact, runs into him when she's about ready to go make camp in the art room. ]

Oh. Hey, I was...just looking for you, actually.

[ He looks how she feels... Jeez, has he gotten any sleep? ]

[silentscout]

[Sleep is fake.

He does make an attempt to look a little more okay when she speaks to him, though. He looks up to her with a questioning glance.]

Yeah? Need something?

[hellahighwater]

I just, uh... [ She rubs the back of her head. ] What you did for Flayn, back there, it was... You know, good. I think it kept her from doing something she'd regret.

[ There's more, but, you know. Starting off like that. ]

[silentscout]

[It's a good start! And he nods in agreement.]

She was mad. People act out when they're mad. It was better to stop her before she did.

[hellahighwater]

Ha, yeah... Yeah, I sure do know about that.

[ Mmmnnn— ]

You're...a good dude.

[silentscout]

...thank you.

[You're supposed to thank people when they say nice things, he remembers that.]

She reminds me of Tuuri. It makes me want to protect her.

[hellahighwater]

[ And now, Chloe does what she should have before. ]

Who's Tuuri? [ She asks this while...motioning towards a table, come on, let's sit. ]

[silentscout]

My cousin. Onni's little sister.

[Lalli's stomach is in knots, but he'll sit down when Chloe indicates to the table.]

When we were kids, she had pigtails kind of like Flayn's.

[ltcommandroid]

Good afternoon, Lalli. You look unwell.

[JUST GETTIN RIGHT TO IT HUH]

[silentscout]

I don't want to be here.

[That's his explanation for him looking unwell.]

[ltcommandroid]

You do not have to be.

[silentscout]

But I can't go back.

[ltcommandroid]

Why not?

[silentscout]

There's no way off the boat. I can't walk through dreams here.

[ltcommandroid]

...oh. You mean that you do not want to be here, generally.

[Well, in that case...you're basically correct, huh]

You might feel better if you slept.

[silentscout]

Probably not. My dreams aren't right anymore.

[cethflayn]

[Does Flayn still have Lalli's cloak? I feel like she still has it and needs to give it back when he comes into the lounge. Would she still have it?]

[silentscout]

[She does still have it! She can give it back to him if she wants to, he figured she would eventually.]

[cethflayn]

[And she does. It is neatly folded.]

...Thank you. I should not have gotten as angry as I did. That was wrong of me.

[Especially since Alice didn't do a murder, she was just a binch.]

[silentscout]

[It WAS neatly folded, because Lalli is immediately taking it and putting it on. He feels slightly better now with the familiar weight around his shoulders.]

You were mad. People say and do things when they're mad that they wouldn't do otherwise.

[Hence why he tried to calm her down.]

[cethflayn]

I do not have anything else to show my gratitude with, save for words. At least for the moment. But I should try to mind myself in the future. Even if I...do not agree with Alice, I would not want my frustration with her to put others in danger.

[They could've voted for Alice and gotten everyone killed, after all.]

In truth, I...have never encountered someone who acts that way towards me before. Not even Edelgard acted that way - and she despised us.

[The "us" is ambiguous. For now.]

[silentscout]

That's because you're nice. People usually aren't mean to people who are nice. And even mean people aren't cruel like that.

[Alice is just a peach in that regard.]

You should ignore her. She's not going to change, and she's only going to bring trouble.

[cethflayn]

[A little huff.]

I did not even suspect her of murder, I just...cannot stand to see her treat someone who cares for her like she does. Like he is nothing. Love is such a precious gift, and life is fleeting. [Even if they live to be millennia old.] And I have seen devotion such as Decus's remain in those who are left behind by who they serve, who have nothing. Who would put everything on the line for that person. I have seen them die, and I have seen them at the end of their ropes.

[There's a waver in her voice now, a wetness to her eyes. She thinks of Dedue storming the Imperial throne room, nothing tethering him to life but the desire for Edelgard's head to appease Dimitri's ghost. She thinks of Hubert's body growing cold on the stone streets of Enbarr, of his letter left in case his lady should fall.]

It is not my business, I know. It is not. But my heart breaks anyway.

[silentscout]

I don't like it either. But you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. If he chooses that life, it's best to leave him to it and ignore him.

[Lalli, ignoring his problems instead of facing them. He draws the cloak around him a bit more tightly.]