WEEK THREE

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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.))

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[hyperbloom]

Noah.

[ 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. ]

[revelate]

[Comrades. Is that really what they are? Noah has seen too many friends turned foe in the two short weeks they've been trapped here. Nothing about Shinobu paints her as untrustworthy in his eyes — just the opposite — but how can he let his guard down after the nightmare that was yesterday's execution? How can he place his faith in anyone but himself?

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.

[hyperbloom]

[ He's lost it.

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.