day three - aftermath

[guestcontrol]

dreamland day three 33 players remaining. As the voting period comes to an end, a bell goes off from the ticket machine, and the metal bars blocking the tunnel at the end of the Hall of Mirrors lifts. A voice speaks over the loudspeaker: "Attention, guests! Please make your way onto the ride! For your safety, keep your hands and arms inside and do not attempt to leave your seat!" Through the tunnel, single cars on a track stop and wait for each remaining player to step on. Don't dawdle, or your bracelet will begin to beep a warning. Once in a car, the safety bar locks you tightly inside, unable to move. The car trundles along a dark, twisting track, nearly veering into cartoonish obstacles, but veering away at the last moment. Music and cackling laughter echoes loudly through the ride as you drive faster and faster. Suddenly, your car veers off to the left, through a courtroom, where a towering cartoon judge threatens to bang a gavel. Your car jerks and evades, but somewhere, before one car can pass, the gavel comes down and the car spins off to the side, through a dark doorway. Each car comes to the end of the ride, but doesn't stop, and instead jerks into motion and, even faster, veers through the ride a second time. This time, your car does not enter the courtroom, but the doors to your left nonetheless open, showing instead of a courtroom a red room burning with cartoon flames. Above the flames hangs a corpse in a noose. The body of Edea Lee hangs from a red rope noose, as a cackling voices pronounces: Guilty! The ride turns away once more, and comes to a stop. A list of votes has been posted on the wall. You now have the rest of the evening to explore the park, before night comes again. One more thing: because of the successful execution of a VIP today, you now have a chance to vote for a MVP. MVP vote character statuses private conversations graveyard This is a general post-vote mingle encompassing the time from the end of the trial (about 5 PM until the fireworks at 11 PM). You are encouraged and welcome to backtag discussions in this post until the next day post, or to have afternoon private conversations.

Comments

[cheats]

Lacie...

[ He parrots it softly, since it's an unusual name, but he nods. ]

I can see why. It has a gentle sound. It's a little sad though, isn't it?

[ JK I DIDN'T MAKE IT UP JUST FORGOT THE ANIME EXISTED ]

[harepiece]

[it's okay we'd all like to forget that....]

Mm... I guess so, a little. [He turns the pocket watch over in his hand, and the smile that he gives the grave is more reserved than his usual ones, but still warm.] I think it's meant to be hopeful, mostly.

[cheats]

[ He closes his eye with a frown, since, as usual, they disagree. Two types of GFantasy protags tbh ]

Do you think so?

[ He hums thoughtfully, not dismissing it outright, but he hears it rather differently. That part is hard to question, so instead, he frames it a different way. ]

...Is there hope here, really?

[harepiece]

[Oz will throw all of his shonen might at you, tragic eyepatch protag, don't test him.

But he goes quiet again at that, fingers closing around the watch. He looks down at Mahiru's grave and thinks back on Edea and the way that she had acted during the trial right up to her execution.]

...I don't think that this is a place or a situation without hope.

[cheats]

[ will he talk about oatmeal for like two hours again ]

[ Ciel looks at Oz, though not incredulously, at least. Even knowing him for just a few days, that fits for Oz, doesn't it? But he still scoffs all the same, though his tone is more playful than serious, if tired. ]

If you're trying to have one over on me, you needn't do it on this topic, you know...

[ Because hope is something he's in short supply of on a good day. ]

What makes you say that?

[harepiece]

[yes it's a series of friendship speeches disguised in a thin oatmeal veneer and it's 10 parts long, prepare yourself ciel

He'll be receiving a mildly less muted-looking smile for that, though, because at least he can tell it's a joke. ...Mostly. The part where Ciel is a little raincloud definitely isn't a joke, but he's working on that, or trying to. Gotta take things one oatmeal bowl at a time.]

Because we're all still here. Some people have already been lost to this tragedy, and that's something that can't be overlooked, but we can't let our strength go with them. I don't think... that any of them would have wanted something like that. So as long everyone continues to have the will to do the best that we can, hope will also continue to exist.

[cheats]

[ he is not prepared ]

[ And he truly isn't, to hear something like that. Once again, he's reminded of someone else he knows, and he has to shake his head as if to physically get rid of the thought. But someone else had been so full of warmth and hope, even despite her own sad situation. It's easy to imagine Oz's face scarred up for that reason, so he averts his eyes to try and avoid the thought. ]

You really believe the ludicrous things you say, don't you?

[ Of course he does. Earnest people always do. ]

I don't know if I can agree. But... It's a nice thought all the same. I hope you're right over me.

[harepiece]

I don't think they're ludicrous. [Just true. He gently pockets his watch again, though he thinks maybe he'll come back every morning after breakfast to play it so that Mahiru might hear something nice wherever she is. Maybe the hundred-year cycle applies to this strange place, too, and she'll return soon enough.

He hopes that she can return to a better place than this, though.]

Anyway, if it's between what I think and something that's more depressing, I'll definitely be right! [It's his SHONEN DUTY. But his tone is a little more teasing, too; he knows it isn't actually as simple as that.] So... it's okay if you smile a little, you know? Smiles suit you really well!

[cheats]

[ At first, Ciel just sighs softly, accepting what Oz says without complaint, since it's attributable to Oz's personality quite easily. But the last part— If he hadn't been associating this kindhearted, optimistic person with Doll by now? That insistence that he smile, that it suited him certainly cemented it. He scowls, because Oz has touched on a deeper nerve than he could possibly know, but considering how often Ciel scowls, this one might seem like another childish pout rather than a genuine sentiment. ]

They don't suit me at all.

[harepiece]

You sure do sound like an old man when you say things like that.

[Which is teasing, obviously, but he doesn't say anything else to that end. He doesn't really know Ciel well enough by now to differentiate between "actually irritated scowl" and "regular Ciel scowl", but any scowl at all in a delicate situation like this is enough to make him pull back a little.]

...Anyway, thanks again for putting this together.

[cheats]

[ He sniffs haughtily, but Oz backing off at least gets Ciel to relax on the subject more. It's at times like this that he misses his cane (rather appropriately to Oz's comment...), since it would give him something to fidget idly with. ]

Well, good. I'd rather be treated as an old man rather than a child.

[ duh!! ]

...But, yes, of course. It is the least I could do for her.

[harepiece]

[He just sighs at that in a mildly exasperated but mostly endeared way. Oh, Ciel... what would you do without acting like an 80 year old. Probably shrivel into dust and fly away on the night breeze.]

You plan on giving the pictures back, right? But I was thinking we could at least keep the flowers fresh.

[Even if they're all weeds, whoops.]

[cheats]

[ um no he would fly into the rafters obviously??? ]

Mm, I thought Aya would want to keep them for that newspaper of hers. [ and he doesn't insult it in the same breath for once, good job ciel ]

But the idea of keeping the flowers fresh is a nice one. We could do that in the mornings, I suppose.

[harepiece]

[i think you mean fall out of the rafters]

I think she would, too. She runs those really nice obituaries... [Which is honestly depressing as hell, but he's trying to take what solace he can get here.]

That sounds good. After breakfast, then?

[Because he is going to eat oatmeal with Ciel EVERY DAY now.]

[cheats]

[ same thing ]

...Mm.

[ He nods to confirm it, then looks away, since even if it's something serious, showing this amount of care for others is still uncomfortable for him. ]

I wish there were something more proper, but what we have will have to do.

[harepiece]

Even if it isn't much, I'm sure she'll appreciate it either way!

[Said with a little more cheer than before, because he actually is pretty sure about that. Mahiru may have been kind of tetchy, but she was a good person who seemed to appreciate things done in earnest.]

Are you going to stay out here much longer? I could walk you back to your dorm, otherwise.

[cheats]

Not much longer, I don't think. Most everyone that would come by has, and I will leave people time to mourn privately.

[ a pause, then he adds, ] I would appreciate the company, if you don't mind it. It won't be long.

[ He says as casually as possible, and yet it's totally just your imagination that his cheeks are looking a bit warmer... ]

[harepiece]

[SURE IT IS... But naturally, Oz will abide by this request.]

I don't mind at all! Take as long as you need.

[Which he means!! He'll stick around nearby, quietly wishing his respects and watching the last few visitors come and go, prepared to chat if Ciel wants to but also prepared to leave the silence between them if that's preferred.]