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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
[Not that learning how to dance would serve any practical purpose at this point in his life, but Noah keeps that to himself. Wonky mood aside, he's not here to put a damper on Mio's fun. Folding his hands around hers, he falls into step with her easily enough, keeping count of their steps in the same way he would the beats of a song.]
I wasn't planning on spending much time here. Still... [
"I don't trust any of these motherfuckers"] ...I wanted to make sure you had company. It isn't silly, per se. I'm just... not quite in the mood.[You know. Because he's Brooding.]
i cannot believe you missed an opportunity for "i'm not really feeling it"
[Maybe not everyone is here, but most of them are, and hiding out elsewhere in town might not be fruitful when they've looked all over already. So the only place Noah can really go that's not here at the dance is into his own head - a place Mio knows can be dangerous for him to stay too long.
They've got the basic rhythm down now. Mio steps a little closer, tilting her chin up as they keep swaying.]
... This is kinda how we met, isn't it? You figured my moves out way faster than anyone else.
i'm a fake xenoblade fan
In truth, it's always been easy to fall into step with Mio. Noah frees one hand to support the flat of Mio's back, counting every step, every beat, so they remain perfectly in sync.]
It was simple. You always had your duties in mind, much like myself. Our music is that much a part of who we are, isn't it?
gasp...faker
How many little miracles like that had led to their meeting? Her eyes begin to shine, sparkling with wetness she doesn't let go any further.]
You don't think it's just that, do you? Maybe it's sort of silly... But it doesn't feel like chance to me. What you've brought into my life... I don't know where I'd be without it.
[She feels complete with him in a way that transcends the few months they've known each other. The noise they heard the day they become Ouroboros might as well have come from their own hearts.]
It's not your music, Noah. [It's you.]
no subject
[He recognizes the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes but thinks better of drawing attention to them. Doing so might lead to actual tears. Mutual tears when they've both been doing everything in their strength to stave off total despair.
Rather, Mio has been doing everything she can to keep her head above water. Noah's begun to sink, but how can he fulfill his promise to Mio if he strays too far from her?
If he has any reason to carry on, it's her. Just as easily as they can fall in step with one another, they can remain by each other's sides until the bitter end, can't they? And after she's gone, he'll...]
...The more I hear you call my name, the more I question how prepared I am for the future. For saying goodbye. I don't know... what I'll do with myself once you're gone.
no subject
[They're already committed to making sure That Night never happens again, but it's starting much the same way. Mio tries to mitigate her impulse to respond, already shaking a little. But instead of lashing out at him against, this time she tries to put her feelings into words.
When she thinks about the days and weeks she already spent never even calling Noah by his name, now that there are so few days and weeks in which to use it, it feels like such a waste of time. So much time she wasted being scared.]
Noah. [She stops dancing abruptly and holds his face between her hands.] You can't be afraid of the future. I've been so scared of what's coming that I...almost didn't let myself have what I have now.
no subject
In so many words, that's what she's getting at. He isn't her Noah when he's acting like this. Her Noah isn't someone who'd fall into despair over everything he can't control. They were brought together by their determination to strive towards a better future regardless of if they'd be around to see it or not.
Giving up is how hope dies. If he gives up now, he may as well be dead. Dying here, dying now, would be no different than abandoning Mio when she's entrusted the future to him. Does he really want to give in and let Mio down?
Noah draws in a breath, long and slow, his eyes closed. Give him a moment. If he opens them now, they'll just end up stinging.]
...Right. No sense in fearing the unknown, is there? Not when we've come this far.
[Despite his efforts, his eyes are a little red, a little dewy when he looks at her again.]
I promised you I'd carry on. No matter what comes to pass, I won't go back on my word. Just... understand that even if we had another term, or ten, or twenty to spend together, I'd always want for more. I'll always want you by my side.
no subject
She knows now.]
Me, too. That's what I'd want as well. I want to live with you for as long as I can. But... it can't be at anyone's expense. It can't be at your expense.
[If she could live on, she would. If there was some secret answer that would allow her to see more, to learn more, to spend more time with him...without destroying anything equally precious, she'd want to have that extra time. What if they had children or started a farm - a real one, not like this?
And she knows he agrees with her, because he's the Noah she knows.]
no subject
He promised he'd continue to play her tune and carry her legacy forward. He can't very well do that if he gives in before his finite time is up.
Suddenly, two-odd years feels like a long, long time. His resolve's still there, splintered and shattered though it may be, but he isn't without hope. Not yet.]
...No, I suppose not. You'd never forgive me if I gave up now, would you?
[Seeing tears roll down her cheeks only cements that. Noah breathes steadily through every shaky breath, one hand pulling Mio closer while the other thumbs at the damp hollows beneath her eyes.]
What you've given me will carry forward long after we're both gone. You can rest assured of that, so... don't cry, Mio. Please don't cry.