week 8, sunday post-execution

[socloverit]

[It's getting late, but Clover took her sweetass time getting her weapons configured now that she's got a fun new laser scythe for her collection. The meat cleaver's been set aside for now, and the injection gun is always in her baggy jacket pocket, but she's carrying the scythe while she's wandering the halls, and eventually she peers around the doorway to the viewport, not yet actually walking in.]

Todomatsu?

Comments

[todorable]

[The viewport isn't a place where Todomatsu actually spends that much time; usually it's too full of quiet contemplation of the vastness of space, or other melodramatic things of that sort. But after everything that's happened today--after everything this week--going back to his empty room in his increasingly empty suite with it's new, slightly musty odor is unappealing enough that staring out and having it knocked home just how small he is feels a lot more...appropriate.

At his name, he turns and just stares for a beat. Then he pulls up an expression a little closer to friendly, though he doesn't move from his spot huddled in the back corner.]

...Hi, Clover.

[socloverit]

Hi.

[She's been all about the melodramatic contemplation for the past few weeks—and besides that, the viewport doors lock. So she can respect this.

And she respects it enough to not just waltz her way in, either; she leans forward a little further, hand on the edge of the doorway, but still doesn't come encroach on the space he's made his. She still feels so fragile, can't know what to do with other people when she doesn't know what to do with herself, and has already spent so long trying to mind others this weekend—but she knows this is too important to put off and Totty more than deserves the effort it takes for her to treat anything carefully.]

Can I come in? I won't stick around long, promise.

[todorable]

Ah--of course, it's no big deal, I'm just--sitting.

[Sitting alone, in the--well, not-so-dark, because he'll admit to being terrified of the latter if not the former--either way, he understands it's not really putting off the "hey, let's chat" vibe. But he's still not used to anyone minding whether or not they were entering his space (or even having his own space) for any reason. He's not sure how to feel about it.]

Uh, what's up?

[socloverit]

[Sitting's as good a plan as any, she relates, but she doesn't waste any time at all shuffling into the viewport once permission is granted. It's obvious how unused she is to carrying the scythe around; keeping it at her side as casually as a person can do that with a fucking laser scythe is easy enough but when she moves to crouch nearby him, there's a lot of awkward adjusting until she decides to just let it rest on the floor without letting it go.

She's reaching into her pocket with her free hand, though—the pocket the gun full of poison isn't in—so she can take and hold out the letter.]

We found this in Arumat's room. Um—I meant to get it to you earlier, but...

[y'know. that circus of a trial.]

[todorable]

Huh?

[He just stares dumbly, figuring she must be mistaken. However, it is indeed his name written on the envelope, so after a breath he reaches out, taking it gingerly. He can't imagine what's inside.]

...Geez, there must've been a million of these if even I got one.

[socloverit]

[She shrugs lightly, and hums to stall for an extra couple of seconds to consider how she wants to answer that.]

He was way more sentimental than he acted like. [There are a ton of letters, more still she has to deliver, but she doesn't doubt he meant every single one of them.] Um. I'll go, if you want.

[todorable]

If you have someplace to be, feel free to go. If you don't--I don't mind you being here.

[There's a slight emphasis on the 'you'; he certainly wouldn't say that he and Clover were close, but she--makes sense, her strong feelings and sharp tongue would fit in back home, and despite the ever-present cleaver, he feels less on-edge around her than a lot of the others here. So he doesn't have a problem if she's around, and even musters up a wry smile when he neatly opens the envelope and tugs the short note out.]

I dunno how sentimental you can get towards someone who was pretty much exclusively annoying for eight weeks. It...it's probably like "act your age" or "take care of the children," which, fair enough...

[and he trails off, actually reading the text. which was. well. whoops?]

[socloverit]

[She doesn't...especially want to be here for this, when she is so fragile and uncertain still, tired of talking and tired of feeling and tired but she catches the way he says you when he doesn't dismiss her and he's already opening the letter while she's here. So she's here.

And she doesn't say anything right away, not wanting to say anything anyway, but wanting even less to pry.

She decides on, after a moment:] Wasn't that, I guess.

[todorable]

[What it is is blunt and gutting and terribly Arumat and he huffs out a sound not entirely unlike a laugh.]

...No. Not entirely. Asshole.

[This last is spoken with equal parts fondness and sorrow, and he wipes surreptitiously at his eyes before stuffing the note safely into his hoodie pocket, then dusts off his hands on his jeans. Time to put the kibosh on that, it's the least he can do.]

Anyway! Anyway. God! Sorry, this was probably super awkward. Is. Don't worry, I won't--I'm not planning on being a complete embarrassment.

[The word he's looking for, btw, is 'thanks']

[socloverit]

It's—it's fine. [And yes, super awkward, but she can't fault him for that. Folding her arms is more trouble than it's worth with the scythe, so she decides partway through the movement to rub awkwardly at her shoulder instead.

She's quieter as she continues.] I get it. At least kind of. [All the grief piles on and intertwines and losing Light cannot compare to anything else this ship has done to her or anyone, but mournfully muttering asshole is about how she dealt with Frankenstein's letter.] So it's. It's cool.

[she's trying. give her points.]

[todorable]

[It's more than he expects (and possibly deserves, after just barfing feelings all over the place without warning, even he doesn't think he's that cute), and again, it makes sense. He scrubs his face with his hands and latches onto the first subject he can think of to move the hell on.]

So. ...What happens to Dorian now?

[socloverit]

I don't know. [Maybe not the best subject, because her expression immediately twists up in anger, or at least the closest thing she can muster with the energy she has left. Getting, ahem, forcibly vetoed on killing the shit out of him left her sour.] I guess Adrien and Marinette had plans and we're just all gonna go along with it.

[He doesn't deserve it, because he didn't deserve walking out of that conference room alive when Arumat couldn't do the same.]

[todorable]

What a waste.

[People should be angry. Todomatsu was, still is, like hot coals hidden beneath ash, just needing a little prodding to flame.]

Some kids shouldn't be making the rules. If anyone gets a voice, everyone should have a voice.

[socloverit]

Mhm. Too late to do anything else about it now, though.

[by which she means too late to commit a public murder......... Clover why are you this way]

Whatever. [She's pissed, but she's tired; whatevering her way away from the situation is easier than mustering up rage when she can't do anything right now.] Maybe enough people'll get sick of it by next week that we'll do something.

[todorable]

Maybe. Maybe someone'll just kill him. It's a Friday tradition, after all.

[socloverit]

[She only hesitates a little, not because she disagrees but because she isn't entirely expecting that from Totty.]

Maybe! [she almost sounds chipper about it... why, Clover] I wouldn't even vote for 'em. Just on principle.

[todorable]

[despite having brought this up, he still can't stop a stuttered little noise of surprise from popping out. w-well. well. whatever]

Now I really am curious how that vote would work out. Doesn't take all that long for people to put away their principles and follow their guts instead, after all. Maybe that's what this "game" is supposed to be all about.

[socloverit]

[you dug this hole yourself totty

she should be at least a little more uncomfortable but at this point, whatever. if other people haven't figured out how full of rage and vengeance she is by now, that's on them.]

Mm, see what standards people end up with for who deserves to die. That might be part of it. This is a whole lotta work just for data collection, though.

[todorable]

[yes, yes he did. and now--well, now he's going to do his best to ignore that he's in it. luckily, he's pretty good at that, and he recovers his momentum pretty quickly]

It's a whole lot of work for pretty much anything I can think of. I mean, making this place? Fixing it up? The clothing, the entertainment, the food? Wish they'd asked me first, I could've thought of a million better things to do with their money.

[socloverit]

Yeah, well, couldn't any of us. [She snorts, but it's humorless.] They set the bar low. Stupid, so much of it just seems pointless...

[todorable]

All of it does. If they were so psyched to get their rocks off by making someone miserable, maybe they should've started at home and killed themselves, kept us out of it.