cries in dima

[wisterin]

i'll find something to put here eventually

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week 0, sunday

[wisterin]

[ Of course Shinobu wants to explore the entire camp so of course she makes her way towards the isolation cabin. That there's a jail here is... hm. It's a little telling. For all the fun that their hosts want them to have, it seems that they also expect there's a chance for things to get out of hand.

It's not surprising, and she smiles when she sees Dimitri. ]

I can't seem to see a key anywhere.

[ How's this for chilling on the bean bags? ]

[overruns]

[ It's almost certainly a precautionary measure, but for what? It's like, 5 feet from some board games. Talk about a tonal shift from the cutesy camp environment.

He shuts the door behind him as he steps in, and it only takes a moment for him to sound exasperated. ]

Perhaps that's a good thing.

[ What is that doing here... ]

One should hope we won't need it.

[wisterin]

[ He really is still so hopeful. Her expression softens. ]

Yes, I hope so, too. At least our three hosts seem to think that way, too.

[ If he walks closer to Shinobu, he may notice that her nose is bruised, perhaps broken. It's fine. ]

[overruns]

[ IT IS NOT FINE WHY ARE YOU BOTH SO BEAT UP ]

I don't know whether to trust them, but they were very insistent—ah! [ He immediately drops whatever he was holding, probably just some stupid board game piece to drift closer. ] Kocho— [ the 'miss' is gone forever now ] you're injured?

[ If he'd really hated her, he definitely wouldn't be feeling any concern right now, but he's not going to sit and unpack that right now. ]

w0, friday

[overruns]

[ Again. It's all cycling back again, and for all he said he wouldn't believe the truth until it was sprawled out in front of him, it's no easier to accept now that it's become reality. Those voices, distorted and mocking. The death, the new rules.

He doesn't spare a second for greetings when a familiar face approaches where he's sitting by the bonfire near the cabins, scowling out the rulebook, nerves flared. ]

Have you found anything?

[wisterin]

Our hosts unresponsive, everyone justifiably upset, and walking into the fog leads you to the other end of the camp.

[ Her smiles is as bright and sharp as the anger simmering underneath. ]

If you haven't already spoken to Tomioka-san, he found something in the communal bathrooms.

[overruns]

[ Isn't this familiar? Right back at their investigations all over again. He nods, practiced by now, chinning over to the Ram cabin. ]

I've been waiting for the chance.

[ Probably not a threat, but who can say. After something like this happens, of course he'd need to stare Giyuu down a while. On that note, bluntly, almost tonelessly, ]

Do you think it was him?

[wisterin]

[ His suspicion of Giyuu is warranted and valid. It almost makes her want to laugh. She has to pause because she's not tone deaf.

She shakes her head. ]

I don't, but I also didn't consider him before it was almost too late last time. He's angrier than I've seen him, and he's less reticent than he was on the island.

But if it is him, I'll put my sword through him.

[ She's already committed to that in her mind and in her heart. ]

week 1, sunday

[wisterin]

[ This entire weekend has been one terrible thing after another, and it's taken its toll on Shinobu. She knows it's taken its toll out of everyone, one way or another. She remembers the curfew effect for those who saw midnight at the theater. She remembers his words during the trial and the execution to others, and that's why she seeks Dimitri out wherever he is. ]

Have you rested at all?

[ Shinobu doesn't look like she has. ]

[overruns]

[ today, he's in the memorial hall. his eyes are closed—and mercifully absent of visions—but not because he's dozing. ]

No.

[ it's easy enough to admit, though he pauses as he blinks his eyes open and looks over her. ]

Have you? [ it's practically a rhetorical question. ]

[wisterin]

[ She can't even manage a smile right now. She looks like she hasn't slept in days, so she can't exactly tell him he should (even though he should). ]

There is much weighing on my mind and heart, but all of us would be more help with a more rested body.

[ ... ]

Are you paying respects?

[overruns]

[ it's strange to see shinobu without her smile—it's practically her trademark. he knows it's precious to her. but they've all been run ragged lately... and it's only been two weeks.

who knows how long their minds, hearts, and bodies will last? she looks so tired. his expression softens minutely before he nods. ]

Something like that, yes.

[ he glances to the clay figurines, pensive. ]

I was praying. For them, and for us. [ just one way he unloads a tiny bit of the weight in his chest. ]

w2, friday

[overruns]

[ Wherever Shinobu is in the evening, Dimitri eventually comes barging in. Given his expression—his usual, severe frown that comes with the weekends—he's definitely here for a reason, and not just awkwardly shuffling about the night before trial. ]

—Kocho. Are you all right?

[wisterin]

[ She is near the nurse's cabin probably. She squints up at him when he approaches. ]

My eyes will be fine tomorrow.

[ It seems she doesn't care enough to hide that from him. ]

How are you?

[overruns]

[ He sighs—at least she knows what he's here about. ]

From Zenitsu's description, it does not seem fine at all.

[ In fact it sounds? Awful? Shinobu? Anyway, he ignores the question because he's okay, though he's keeping a little bit of a distance. ]

[wisterin]

Zenitsu-kun has complained about taking medicine before. [ Not in front of her, but she heard it easily enough in her past. ] There is nothing to abate the pain. I have suffered worse.

[ She sounds very nonchalant about that, and perhaps she would care a bit more about the distance he's keeping, but as of right now, it's fine. ]

Isn't it fair you answer my question?

week 3, wednesday

[wisterin]

[ After they all got fake married, Shinobu asks Dimitri out on a very platonic date. She had tried to keep her distance when they first arrived at camp because she didn't want to bring forth too many undesirable emotions, but she told him she'd show him she wasn't afraid and she meant it.

So here they are in front of the stables.

Shinobu's not scared of them, but horses are large and their anatomy makes no sense while she is tiny and inexperienced. ]

I think I may prefer a train.

[ Just as an observation. ]

[overruns]

[ Dimitri, for all his horrible emotional baggage, very much enjoys the stables. And he's helpful by nature, so this is... not a bad place to try and move on after Monday.

He's brushing a mare he's visited on a few occasions now, one of the larger steeds, black and a little broody. Not a great pick for a first-time rider, he knows. ]

Is that like the bus? I cannot say I was very fond of the experience myself.

[ Horses are much preferable to several ton metal deathtraps. That said, if that's her reaction, he is going to make a perfectly innocent suggestion. ]

But if horses are daunting, there are smaller steeds. The zoo has some even-tempered ponies and donkeys, I believe.

[wisterin]

A train is little different from a bus. It's larger with a set track.

[ Trains come with their own trauma associations, but Shinobu refuses to let demons win in that area.

His perfectly innocent suggestion is met with a perfectly bright smile. It says that maybe he's in danger? ]

I will not let my size deter me. I will be fine.

[ Famous last words. ]

w5, sunday, graveyard

[overruns]

[ There's plenty of aisles to go and try and find a quiet corner for some conversation, so here they are. He has plenty to talk to her about, but the first thing he lands on is a little tepid, quiet, and careful, like the conversation itself might break if he doesn't watch his step.

Like she might fade away, just another ghost. (But they're both dead, so maybe he'd just follow.) ]

...Kocho. It's been some time.

[ Only a few weeks, but... it feels both too soon, and too late. ]

[wisterin]

[ It's very conflicting, what she feels when she sees him again. She is almost positive he knows the one thing she can finally confess. It's not hard to see where the threads of information go and from whom even if no one can say anything outright in public.

There's a beat, and she settles on smiling. ]

Yes, it has been. [ ... ] I am sorry. For many things.

[ She isn't sure if she wants him to be able to follow. She is sorry, but she still won't ask for or expect forgiveness. ]

... I think you're a little foolish for some things, but I was surprised by your letter, if you already know what I've done.

[overruns]

[ For as difficult as he knew this meeting would be, Dimitri looks at-ease. Sad in that sort of melancholic way he often is, but not tense. ]

...I'm sorry as well.

[ He doesn't remember what happened, but to have died means he didn't keep his promises to any of them. It's a regret he'll carry, but to apologize leaves the doors open for forgiveness. Maybe they'll get there again, because for them, it always seems like a work in progress. One step forward. One step back.

Another step forward.

His eyes flutter closed a moment, but he doesn't hesitate when it comes to the truth. ]

I would say I'm very foolish, but yes. I know you killed Yu. [ He knew that when he wrote it. ]

w6, post-trial

[overruns]

[ Off at the piste, Dimitri is here to look for equipment with the intention of doing some drills. Not being able to actually fight the snake in the end was probably for the best... but it leaves his fingers itching, restless.

Though he hails Shinobu's attention there for a totally different reason. ]

Kocho, are you busy?

[wisterin]

[ Shinobu, for her part, is going through her forms with a certain sense of restlessness. Is she glad they all live for another day? Yes, but that doesn't mean she still doesn't want to stab something.

She sheathes her sword and walks up to him. ]

Not until we find out the snake isn't entertained anymore. What do you need?

[overruns]

[ Please let the snake be appeased. He frowns a little at the thought that it might not be, but... they've done all they could.

Can he hope for the best, tomorrow? ]

There were a few things I was wondering about... I don't know what's going to happen to us, so I'd like to use the time to speak while we can.

[ Even in the best case scenario, some things need time to deliberate. ]

If everything goes well, like last time— [ ... ] Would you consider returning home with me?