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morningdewsvalley2024-03-17 10:26 pm
mayorityvote) wrote in morningdewsvalley2024-03-17 10:26 pm
WEEK THREE
WEEK THREE
19 Villagers
They say nothing is healthier for the mind and body than physical labor - especially if you can hold the fruits of it in your hands and store it in your kitchen. Whatever cruelties you have witnessed or endured in the past week, your fields need tending to and they reward you with as quick as harvest as always.
If drowning your grief in work is not enough for you, there are new spots to explore in Puffin Town. Allow the novelty to distract you from your dwindling numbers!
Always remember, the value of a community is not measured by it's size.
(( OOC: Murder proposals are due by Tuesday at 4 PM EST / 1 PM PST for this final week! Get your bloodthirst in or forever hold your peace! Gift submission is still open as well!
If your character has been planting Astera, here's a reminder to report it at the Astera tracker - this does not need to have been threaded, we're just taking stock on an OOC level.))
no subject
By all means. There's no shortage of these things.
no subject
[ Cue dramatic action movie duo scene where they're just. Hacking and slashing at things, I guess. ]
Does this - [ There goes another slime. ] help you?
no subject
Help me?
[He sounds vaguely incredulous. If he could laugh right now, maybe he would.]
It's all I can do to keep my skills sharp in this place. We've both seen how pointless it is to let our guards down.
no subject
Shinobu follows him in and continues to slice at anything that gets in her way. ]
Of course. I wouldn't be here if I thought otherwise-
[ Said through a grunt when she slices at a monster that tries to jump out at her. ]
But we can't let them break us, either- [ Another one, dead. ] because that's what they want.
no subject
That's the last thing we can afford to do.
[A slime bounds off a nearby wall and hurdles itself at them. Noah raises his blade, sharp side forward, and hacks it to bits.]
This blade was special— strong enough to cut through anything. Anything at all. They've weakened it, but that doesn't mean it won't cut them down just as easily.
no subject
[ That's not good. That's not good at all. She says it under her breath -- just what can't these two do? ]
It won't matter in the end. They won't win.
[ She'll watch his front, then, while he guards her back. She's glad he hasn't lost his humanity, despite everything that's happened. When there's a moment to breathe, she'll say hurriedly: ]
I'm glad we met, you know. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to get myself and you guys out of this thing alive.
[ She wants him to know that. She gave herself away at the trial, after all. ]
no subject
They've given us no choice. You know what happens when animals are driven into a corner, don't you?
[Speaking of that? Noah doesn't show much mercy to the poor little rock crab that thinks better of attacking him and pivots to run away. It's left itself defenseless in the hopes he might think twice about cutting it down, but he doesn't. An opening is just that: an opening.]
Your life is the only life you've got. By now... you should know to put yourself first. Don't throw away something so precious for someone else's sake.
no subject
It snaps her out of her anger for a second, to see Noah so focused on killing the crab that decided to retreat. She has a moment to collect herself at least, because some of the other creatures around them decide to follow suit. (Maybe they'll be spared.) ]
I don't disagree.
[ "That's a much better suggestion than giving in to despair." ]
Just don't do something that you'll regret later.
[ "There's only so much in our lives that we can control, but doing what we can makes all the difference." ]
no subject
Watch your neck, Shinobu. There's a blade at your throat and Noah's on the other end of it.]
Like placing my faith in other people? Like blindly believing no person would choose to harm another if given the freedom to choose? There's much I regret. Letting myself be fooled is one.
no subject
So that's what you think, is it?
[ She pauses. Considers her options. She could die here...but she knows better than to allow him to kill her so easily. He's the one who said she should put herself first, right?
She doesn't fully believe this is Noah talking...or is it? Is he going to try to kill her, just like Dongrang did? Did he deceive her like Sora did?
...Heh. She has much to think about.
Shinobu lets out a sigh. She drops her sword and holds up her hands -- a gesture that she's offering to deescalate. ]
Your call, then.
no subject
...They really are too alike. Noah's handle on the hilt tightens, loosens, tightens again. He curses, furious for reasons he can barely parse.]
Spark's sake. Don't you get it? Don't you want to live?
[Anger overwhelms him. Before he can do anything he knows deep down that he'd regret, Noah draws back his blade and throws it into the depths of the mine.]
It makes no sense! You've got nothing but time, nothing but life to live, and what good is it to you?! If I could take what you'd so gladly waste and give it to her, I'd—!
[But he wouldn't. Not even now. That wouldn't make Mio happy and he knows that.]
no subject
[ She doesn't appear fazed by any of that, not insulted, not enraged. She speaks firmly, tone leveled, trying to conceal how much she's burning with disappointment and anger. She doesn't grab her weapon. Let this be an even playing field. She kicks her own sword off to the side and stands up straight.
She can't believe what he's saying. ]
Do you really think I would've let you kill me, just like that? Did you not hear a single thing I said earlier? Do you think I haven't learned anything from almost dying a few days ago? And before you accuse me of anything, no, I wasn't going to kill you.
[ She takes a deep breath, tries to quell her anger...but it inevitably starts to spill out. She doesn't raise her voice, but her tone is what gets hotter and hotter. ]
I don't know what's happened to you or Mio in your past. I don't know what your circumstances really are. I won't claim to know you or her or anyone else here, really.
[ ... ]
You can value her life and yours above the rest of ours -- and I'm not asking you to put yourself on the line for anyone else -- but you can also do that without threatening to kill your comrades.
[ She's pretty mad about that, yeah. Still, she realizes that her words may be falling on deaf ears, but he's not part of the Arataki Gang. His reputation is his to maintain. His decisions are his to make. She cannot force him to change his mind. She cannot force him to behave so he'll be respected, accepted, and have a place in the world even if it doesn't quite fit perfectly. ]
If you're willing to give up that side of you, the part that might have even an ounce of faith in other people, to protect yourself...there's no going back from that. That, Noah, would be giving into despair.
And then, they win.
[ And even if it would've meant absolutely nothing...
she wishes she could've told Dongrang the same thing. ]
no subject
Regardless, her words are not falling on deaf ears. Frustration's scrawled over Noah's face, but he's listening. His fists, balled tightly at his sides, shake and tremble.]
...I wonder if I wouldn't be better off casting aside all the parts of me that make me weak. The concern for others, the willingness to trust strangers, that blind optimism. I wonder, after all the death I've seen, if I can continue to count on the goodwill of strangers when people choose to hurt each other of their own accord.
[Would it not be better to give into that despair? If nothing else, he'd be alone with it. There'd be no one else to let him down or betray his trust. He'd be free.]
Sorry, Kuki. All that aside... if it can be avoided, I don't want to hurt you. You've no reason to believe me or trust me, of course. In fact, you'd be better off avoiding me. You want to live, and so you should.
no subject
She doesn't respond. Nothing she can say will change his mind, and anything she's tempted to do will only further his point, that strangers aren't to be trusted. No, it's not murder, but she'd love to kick his ass if that were a language he'd understand.
His warning is appreciated, though. ]
Understood.
[ Her tone is neutral. ]
I've heard you and you've made your decision. I won't hurt you, and I'll stay out of your way.
[ She picks up her sword...but she sheathes it. She's turning her back on him to walk out of the mines. No sense in doing it without being armed around a man who's clearly given up on hope and only cares about himself. ]
Good luck, Noah.