TP - PERIDOT DORM 1.0

[impacter]

If any of the Peridots die, we shall make a new dorm PC (unless the dead, idk, become ghosts or something).

Comments

Week 1, Friday, like 9am

[fullswingkiss]

[ After indulging his curiosity and investigating a corpse, Ainosuke's really had enough of this day. It's straight back to the dorms with him.

When he arrives back at Peridot, he looks... concerning. The shins of his pants are soaked in blood as he's been crouching in it, and his hands and forearms have ample blood on them as well. One specific smudge of blood stains his cheek where he'd moved his own hair out of the way on the back here.

He looks... moody. He's not greeting anyone as he comes back in, and he's already working to unbutton his shirt while he's entering the combined bathroom/bedroom that is the upper room. Shower, shower, shower time. ]

This is both a response to Ainosuke and also just Solomon being Here Too

[impacter]

[Not much later comes a priest. Weird.

Ah, no, it's just Solomon. Weird getup he has on, and the sleeves are mildly stained with a splattering of red at the very ends.

He's taking a peek through the main sitting areas, making sure everyone's accounted for (if they're even here), before slipping his way up to the second floor to--

Oh.]

...What in the world happened to you?

[fullswingkiss]

[ It's really a shame that he is in a shit mood right now, because the sight of Solomon dressed as a clergy member is rivetingly unfitting.

Unfortunately, he really doesn't feel like banter, so. ]

I looked at the body.

[ Duh. ]

[impacter]

Ah. You found the rest of it, then.

[Mm.

He quietly pivots to turn his back to Ainosuke, shoulder leaned up against one wall, keeping his eyes on the flowers instead. No need to watch him unrobe.]

Are you alright?

[fullswingkiss]

[ This, too, would be worth teasing if he were in any mood for it. So shy, all of a sudden... But no, Ainosuke doesn't care about the courtesy right now, he just needs to get out of his bloody clothes without much regard for being looked at. ]

I could ask you much the same. You just found a severed head.

[ They should be in the same boat here, similarly unnerved. Yet, they are not. Same as on their arrival day. It irritates him. ]

[impacter]

I did. Up on the church altar, no less.

[In some ways, it's easier to talk like this, unable to see his face. Knowing that Ainosuke can't see his in return, that he can't see how unhappy he feels, or how his eyes darken thinking of how Annette had screamed.

"Oh, Solomon, you could have at least shielded the poor child."

...

He exhales heavily as he glances down at the blood on his sleeves, on an outfit never made for him.]

Even bracing for it to happen, it's still unbearably cruel.

[fullswingkiss]

[ There's a mirthless laugh from Ainosuke at that information. On the altar - of course. Spiting the God that has decided their wishes are beyond redemption, while following His order all the same. That's how it always goes with God, doesn't it? In the end, your anger just drives you back to Him as well.

He throws his shirt to the side, pretenses of politeness and tidiness forgotten. ]

... you've seen cruelties like this before, haven't you?

[impacter]

[He hums in response. A vague affirmative with little shape.]

Not to the letter, if that's what you're asking.

[fullswingkiss]

The broad strokes explain enough.

[ They're from wholly different walks of life, and this drives it home a lot more than something as fantastical as magic could have. ]

[impacter]

A life taken needlessly is a life that could have loved, fought, and encouraged. It could have been so much more. Reduced to nothing but collateral, becoming an object, because of one wrong decision.

[...]

There's nothing shameful in being shaken by that.

[noellemadic]

Hi.

[There's Noelle. She looks more sullen than in grief over someone dying, but yeah, she's here in the dorms and will stay here until trial time]

[impacter]

[Ah, his visual relief at seeing her is immediate. Hi, girlypop, nice to see your grumpy face.]

Good, you're safe... have you been here all night, Noelle?

[noellemadic]

...no. I was--I spent the night at the rose garden, with Dain.

[And woke up to a decapitated body, wow]

[impacter]

Dain.... Ah, you mean Dainsleif. That tall blond fellow, right?

[God, but more importantly... the body had been in the garden, hadn't it? That's what the announcement had said, at least...]

Are you alright? Was it just the two of you there when night fell?

[noellemadic]

Yeah. Lavi must have arrived after we fell asleep. He just wasn't there before.

[impacter]

Did you see anything? Anything unusual at all in the garden before you woke up, or before you came down here afterwards?

[noellemadic]

Nothing worth telling. Dain and I kept distance from each other, and when I woke up and saw Lavi I left immediately to come here. I didn't want to risk someone killing me too.

[Tremendously numb to horrible death she is, but not when she's the one who could be dying. Sorry, Lavi, self-preservation mattered the most to her]

[impacter]

Mn. That's fine - keeping yourself safe was a smart decision.

...It does sound like they plan on gathering us all later today, later in the evening. Will you be alright, having to leave?

[noellemadic]

[Noelle has settled in the common area, arms crossed, looking pretty guarded. Gosh, so much blood on you and Solomon...]

So...you tried to deal with that?

[Noelle saw enough to be aware of Lavi's situation, but she sure left the rose garden and came straight here. She doesn't know much beyond that]

[fullswingkiss]

[ Ah, there she is. He does recall them crossing paths very briefly when he went on his curiosity voyage, and it's good to see her back in the dorms again. To say Ainosuke holds affection for his roommates would be too much said, but he has no desire to see them fall victim to al of... this.

She gets a vague nod in greeting. ]

I did. It was red on red, yet his red mane was missing.

[noellemadic]

I kind of...kind of noticed that. I didn't stick around to see the details, but I did catch the head was gone.

[Noelle shudders]

He wasn't in the garden when I fell asleep. He must have arrived later.

[fullswingkiss]

There might have been a fight in the garden.

[ ... ]

You were fortunate to sleep through unharmed.

[noellemadic]

Yeah. I guess whoever killed Lavi wasn't looking for victims at that point. Maybe Lavi ran into the garden and the killer followed him there, already attacking him.

[And Noelle and Dainsleif were lucky they didn't get harmed as collateral damage, really, especially since they saw the corpse so fast after waking up. They weren't very far away!]

[fullswingkiss]

[ He nods, rubbing at his hands while he does to get some dry blood off. ]

Judging by the state of him, that seems likely. I suppose we'll be made to discuss that in excruciating detail now.

Father will expect a show.

[noellemadic]

If he expects a show he better not expect me to give it to him. I don't want to play with His rules.

[But what option will she have, really]