Second Execution

[mayorityvote]

EXECUTION

Another trial, another execution to follow, a terrible routine but routine nonetheless. Come mid morning, the ducks will be out passing out flyers for the sentencing of Beelzebub, to take place in front of the Wizard's Tower. Attendance isn't required, but strongly encouraged.

After how the picnic blankets went over last time they don't make a reappearance, replaced instead by long tables stacked with what appears to be a take on comfort food: various onigiri (tuna, umeboshi, tenmusu, omurice) coupled with an absolutely giant stack of pancakes. Regular pancakes, chocolate chip, blueberry, there's even a funfetti variety, with syrup and butter included, naturally. The beverages this time are coffee, tea, and fruit juices.

At exactly five minutes to noon, the doggy daycare wagon pulls up with several occupants inside: your town representatives of course, the convicted, and the executioner.

(( OOC: Welcome to your second execution! Attendance is not IC'ly mandatory, but there will be a surprise for all characters at its conclusion, regardless of whether they're present or not. ))

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scuse me pardon me

[revelate]

[His worst fears realize themselves in an instant. He doesn't need to see clearly what's happened to know that it's happening, to know she's dying, to know that there's nothing, nothing, nothing he can do to preserve that precious life he'd fought so hard to protect.

Or can he?]

Mio! Mio—!

[Her name tears out of his throat, guttural and raw and so very, very desperate. A little less than two months left. That's all Mio had. Why, when she was so close to the end, would anyone allow that life to be stolen from her? Why?

It's not too late, it's not too late, it can't be too late. Numbness tingles in Noah's every limb, his body moving on autopilot, anger and rage and raw, agonized emotion ripping out past his lips as he makes a mad dash for the tower.]

I won't let you take her—!

nuh-uh

[theremote]

Oh. Both of you are too rash, aren't you? Mio-kun. Noah-kun. You should know better after last week.

[Makima, who's been more or less respectfully stood upon her wagon to witness this execution, except for the moments when she caught Adela's eye and when they were both watching the goings-on (mostly Mio, really), speaks up for the first time.

Her golden eyes rest squarely on Noah, her movement entirely unhurried as she raises a hand without moving from her spot.

Softly, but clearly:]

Stop. Do not interfere. That's an order.

[Her hand stays in the air, her eyes boring into the boy rushing onto the scene, entirely ignoring the mess of the scene itself.]

[revelate]

Snuff your orders! You're next!

[Go ahead, Makima. Try to stop him. No matter what she might do, nothing is going to stop Noah so long as he has life in him. All that he has belongs to her, so if he can't reach Mio, what does he have? What's left for him but despair? If Mio dies, Noah dies too.

Then he hears it: Noah. He never made it a point to ask Mio why she'd never addressed him by name before. He'd wondered, of course, but asking that question would have meant crossing a line he could never step back from. Hearing her speak his name would have made things too real, wouldn't it?

In reality, they crossed that line a long time ago. Heedless of Makima's warning, he channels every inch of strength in his body into defying her order and rushing towards Mio.]

Just hold on, Mio! I'm almost—!

[revelate]

[—almost there. Wasn't he...?

Noah's mind goes blank. When his vision returns to him, he's right back where he started, but Noah doesn't know that. All Noah knows is that Mio is in grave danger, and if he doesn't get to her soon, she'll die.]

Just hold on, Mio! I'm almost—!

[Almost there. Almost there. Almost there. Over and over, Noah rushes forward only to lose steam, swivel on his heel, and walk right back to where he started. Over and over and over again, Noah runs, stops mid-stride, and returns to the start like an machine programmed to do just that. Every time, he blanks out and forgets what he was doing. Every time, his urgency to save Mio bears down all the more heavily on his shoulders until he can no longer move, attempting another mad dash only to crumble to his knees.]

Why?! Why can't I...

[Why is he so exhausted? Why can't he move?]

[theremote]

You should really have more faith in Mio-kun. She's doing just fine.

[Well, fine might be an overstatement -- not quite the overstatement of the century but definitely an exaggeration -- but Makima doesn't seem discomfited or flustered unlike everyone else on the scene. Unfortunately, she's the one in control of this little scenario; her and Adela both. The calmest place is not at the eye of the storm, but just above it.

In the background, Mio gets a bit of a splinter, gets back up, and does some Beelzebabing....... but that's none of Noah's business anymore, is it? That's what Makima's placid smile says, as she watches him from above.

There's a brief nod.]

I suggest you wait for her to finish up. She'll likely need medical attention soon, and you'll want to be ready for that.

[Noah will find that he can no longer move from his spot until the execution ends.]

[revelate]

[Of course. Why would she allow him to move and interfere with their little game? This is exactly what she wants. This is the life they've chosen for them all, leaving each other with no other recourse but to be play their roles like puppets on strings.]

Mio...! Please!

[It's not your time yet. You can't go yet. Not again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again,]

[theremote]

[Makima doesn't look at him again.

Instead, once Beelzebub has departed into a darkness of his own making one final time, she gestures for the ducks to start loading his body onto the wagon; and unless there's interference, the same ducks will also try to help Mio towards the clinic. These are just ducks doing their best in the background.]

Thank you all once again for your time and patience. I'm aware that these are unpleasant necessities that no one likes, but they're a necessary part of our town.

[Lightly, easily -- ours, she says, bright eyes resting where mutinous mutterings run. But there's no sense dwelling on it; she has a job to do.]

The harvest should be coming up soon. Please make sure that you take good care of the Astera, and each other.

[That said, Makima nods to Adela, and the wagon trundles off. Everyone is now free to go.]

[mayorityvote]

[ There's no violent shaking this time and the earth doesn't move, but— black threads, string like, taught and thin, cloud everyone's vision pitch black. The feelings of cobwebs, no hair on skin, crowd all over every inch of their body. And then, silence.

The sensation is gone, and the sun shines high, as do the memories of more things you've forgotten returned to you.

((ooc note: all characters, present or not, will regain one of their lost memories.)) ]

[driftingknight]

[It all comes rushing back like a torrent.

"Chronos! Can you hear me? I have a favor to ask you! Throw Baldr and this monster into the future! If they're allowed to exist in this world, it will be in danger!"

... that... wasn't really him in his memories, was it...? He wasn't seeing himself, what he was seeing was...

"This is something that shouldn't exist."

Of course. Because he's actually...

Everything goes black, and he falls to the ground like a puppet whose strings have been cut.]

[enkiboo]

Ah?

[ Did Baldr just faint. HELLO?? ]

[driftingknight]

[He sure did. At least that's all that happened after... /WAVES HANDS AT WHATEVER JUST WENT DOWN HERE]

[enkiboo]

[ Time to pick him up and take him back to the cottage...nap there instead, buddy. ]

[linearcrash]

[ Wao. Strong and pretty ]

[enkiboo]

[ Wink ]

[liberazoth]

[ hello is baldr okay ]

[driftingknight]

[He's breathing? He looks to be physically fine, at least!

Mentally is a completely different story though, but. Details. We are all having a wonderful day here.]

[theotherww]

[Walter nearly drops his coffee when the memory hits him. It’s not as immediately visceral as last time, but it still sends a chill through his body as he checks his hand. Oh, there was the remnants of a scar the whole time, wasn’t there?

”You killed him.”
“No, no, no! I was trying to save him!”

…it’s even worse than he thought.]