WEEK 3

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 3

[It has begun. With the death of the Spinner and the execution of the Indulgent, they remaining Titled will be plagued once more by vivid dreams. And just as last week, they are awoken by the sounds of doors creaking open.

Just like last week. But no one had died last week. Right? No one had been subjected to that...thing.

And yet the strange, cold feeling of foreboding remains. And it is certainly most worrisome to those living in rooms 3, 4, 6, and 15. Those who pass by room 7 and 8 will feel that same, worrisome feeling of foreboding as well.

What will they wake up to find? Who knows, now. If dragons are real, anything is possible.

There are thirteen strangers in this place.]

Comments

[carries_war]

Albedo was right next to me, and I couldn't even save him. I was paralyzed with fear...

[His head falls back to his knees and Killua will hear a sniffling sound.]

Why did it have to be him? I was right next to him...and then Nigredo got so badly hurt, he would've died if chaos and Canaan hadn't showed up when they did. How the hell do I get to be the only one who got out of there in one piece, when everyone who was looking up to me got badly hurt or worse?

[lightnen]

[ Honestly he wished he knew what that was like so he had something to compare it to, but he didn't and it was an awful feeling. Especially when he was sure Rubedo was close to tears or something like that. ]

I wish I had an answer to that, but I don't. All I can say if life is cruel and it has a funny way of not working the way we want it to, but i'm sure they'd be glad to know you're still alive and kicking... or something like that.

[ Killua frowned a little, eyes looking upward now through the branches of the tree. He wasn't great at trying to reassure people but he was at least giving something of an attempt and that had to count, right? ]

[carries_war]

[He shakes his head against his knees.]

The Standards always hated me. They always said stuff like 'why is he the leader', or called me a monster. They'd be even more mad if they knew I was alive and didn't even get hurt.

[lightnen]

[ Taking that all back now. THAT sounded like how the rest of his siblings seemed to view him; the talented heir to the family business and how he showed SO much promise, sure that his brother Milluki resented him for this fact and probably hated him outright for stabbing him in the side before he'd left.

He didn't regret doing that or anything but it didn't change a thing in that it sounded so similar, knowing people called him names too for what he was capable of. ]

Why? Why did they all hate you so much? I mean... I know I don't, if that counts for anything.

[carries_war]

Because I'm a Variant. They hated all three of us, but me especially. The Standards...they were weaker than us, and all shared one consciousness. We were different, stronger. And when a Standard unit went out of control, we were the ones who had to dispose of them, because we were stronger.

All URTVs have a number, and all Variants have a name based on our hair color. But I've got a second name...I'm the Red Dragon. If you were weak, and had to follow orders from a big scary dragon that you've already seen kill you, wouldn't you hate it?

[lightnen]

It's natural, isn't it? The weak resent the strong because that's something they aren't... but it still sounds stupid with how much they openly hated you like that.

[ Just saying how it is, huffing a bit and seeming to appear a bit indignant now at the thought of people acting that way but still kinda understanding why it had been a thing to start with. ]

Not necessarily. Might fear you, but that power comes with a sense of respect and I guess i'd understand that they had the strength to protect us when things went bad. I wouldn't exactly like you but i'd want to become strong too so nobody could look down on me.

[ Hopefully that makes sense but that's his honest thoughts on this matter. ]

[carries_war]

That's...not really how it works with URTVs. Our powers aren't like Ethers, they're not skills we can practice and improve. Their anti-U-DO powers were just...weaker than ours, along with everything else. And since we were the only ones not like them, they didn't think one of us should be in charge.

Besides, I didn't have the strength to protect them.

[lightnen]

Essentially they wanted equality and didn't think the ones who weren't like them should be leading them as it made them feel even more inferior.

[ Just a guess but that had to be it, right? Though the last part of Rubedo said had him exhaling a small sigh, shaking his head afterward. ]

...You have the strength to protect others now, don't you? If you keep dwelling on the past then you won't be able to see there's others here now you could be protecting. If you want help with that, i'd even be willing to try and help you so noone else has to die, okay?

[carries_war]

[At first, he looks at Killua like he's saying something completely alien. Then his mouth quirks up into a tentative smile and he sits up a bit straighter.]

R-really? You mean it?

[lightnen]

[ Being as he spoke his mind easily and without fail, it didn't entirely feel like he'd been too out of place to say what he had. Besides. It felt natural when he considered why he'd made that offer to start with.

Not that he expected that immediate reaction, however. ]

Yeah, I do. Why wouldn't I?

[ A pause and then he adds something on afterward ]

I mean... you're my friend so why wouldn't I offer to help you?

[carries_war]

Well...aside from Albedo and Nigredo, nobody's ever tried to help me before I got here. And even they always counted on me, so it wouldn't have been right for me to lean on them...

[lightnen]

It's different now! You can lean on me and I'll help you with this because that's what friends do.

[carries_war]

R-right! And if you ever need anything, you've got me too!