sorry for your loss

[cuteandinnocentpet]

[When people are returned to the main floor, they will find a trail of cupcakes from the elevator to the dining room. There is a table of drinks, pills, and cupcakes and cakes from the automat.

And on the table, in the center, is this asshole, with a party horn in its mouth. Despite that, it talks into everyone's mind.]

As you strangers tend to have a tradition of parties after an execution, I took the liberty. The plates and cups are over there.

[. . .

be merry I guess]

Comments

[carryabigstick]

I thought maybe I'd think of something before I got here.

[She sits on the other end of the couch, pulling both of her knees up to her chest.]

...I didn't.

[She can't just say nothing though.]

I'm sorry about your friends... what happened to Kurama was total crap.

[comesaround]

[ A soft, almost bitter laugh escaped him then, and Karma looked over at her with eyes that just utterly lacked the same fire and spirit she would have gotten used to seeing him with. His chest hurt; like a vice gripping it and squeezing hard. ]

Yeah. That's... one way to put it.

[ After all, it wasn't like Kurama had intentionally killed Lala. It was Kyuubey's fault. If not for that thing's involvement, Kurama never would have attacked and hit her instead and had to...

Subtly, Karma's breath then hitched and he had to resist squeezing the little virtual pet thing he was holding in one hand. He didn't want to break it. ]

You know... I wouldn't have been as bothered if the ones... who died were all people I didn't know that well. Complete strangers...

[carryabigstick]

[In truth, even those that Estelle had lost weren’t people she knew all that well. She hadn’t gone through nearly as much as the others here. But she did know them and she had cared about them...

She still cares about the ones here too, even knowing it will could hurt her more. She still wants to protect them— even if she knows it’s foolish.]

You’re all strangers to me. Even the ones I knew... I only knew for a little over a week. And... it’s clear I didn’t know them as well as I thought I did.

[Nanaki still bothers her, but— no way to yell at the dead.]

But I get it. I have important people that I wouldn’t want to see here no matter what... even if it’s selfish...

[comesaround]

That's... how these things work. Normally you don't have that long to get attached to people. I came in here with both of them... after spending an entire month with one... and half with the other during our last game. They became really good friends to me... Akira being my best friend... and Kurama a good friend I trusted.

[ Karma's voice trailed off, going quiet as he ran a couple of fingers over the little toy in his hands. ]

I stopped really listening to that stupid part of my mind telling me I have to distrust everyone after Akira was killed. He kept his promise to me when he said he wasn't going to cave or kill anyone here, and even Kurama... he was only pushed because of that white rat...

[ A touch of bitterness leaked into his voice then, and he sounded tired and just so completely done. ]

It's good those people you care about aren't here. You won't have to worry about feeling like this.

[carryabigstick]

It's not like they're safe out there either though. I feel like at any minute, I could be the reason that the people I care about are targeted.

[If there was a reason Lala had been considering making a deal with that little demon-- it was to protect her home after all.]

These people... no one is safe. They don't care about any of us. At least... that's the way it seems.

[She wishes it was someone she could reason with or at least try to understand what they want, but-- she doesn't feel like that's the case at all here.]

[comesaround]

[ That was a pretty sound reasoning and it made him distantly kind of miss Nagisa a bit more, as these games didn't seem to care about where someone was in the many different universes. Hopefully the knowledge of him being in a different world made him a bit safer. ]

That's because... they're only considering their own goals and don't give a shit about us or the people we care about. We're... all just pawns to them.

[ Maybe to an extent, some of this talk is helping. He certainly started to seem a bit less empty and listless just talking about this, even looking a little angry now. ]

Should... make it satisfying when we can pay them back for every shred of pain they've dealt to us.

[carryabigstick]

[She doesn't like it, but they've never shown one once of proof otherwise. The people who did this... she can't see herself forgiving them. Not for this.

But the talk of payback even brightens her spirits a little.]

...that's right. We owe them one hell of a fight. When we're done with them they'll wish they'd gone straight to Gehenna.

[comesaround]

Heh. I like the way you think.

[ After all, she's always been one of the more spirited ones and this kind of attitude really can put them more in his good books for what it was worth. He's even smiling a bit more at this point. ]

Next time you're up to it... think you'd want to spar against me? I think we both could use something as a distraction after what happened.

[ Maybe it's just him but the more he focuses on expending his energy into more violent, physical things, it'll help him push aside the things that make him hurt on the inside. ]

[carryabigstick]

[When it comes to that sort of thing, they're on the same wavelength.]

Oh heck yeah!! I've been wanting to test out my skills against you for a while now.

[comesaround]

[ A soft laugh escaped him before he could stop it, genuine amusement and anticipation flickering behind his eyes now. ]

Glad to see you're all for it. I look forward to it.

[ Karma closed his eyes following that before something came to mind. Something he figured maybe was a good thing to mention before he forgot it. ]

Guess I owe you a thanks. For coming here and talking to me. I wasn't expecting anyone to, at first.