WEEK THREE

[mayorityvote]

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.))

MONDAY • TUESDAY • WEDNESDAY • THURSDAY

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Comments

[revelate]

[This has to stop.

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.

[moonblades]

[He's close to crying, even after he manages to hold it back - and that's enough to finally inspire her own tears to fall. They're shed through a smile. That promise of his means the world to her, even if their world is still very small, even if he doesn't know how much it means.

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.]

[revelate]

[...Right. When she puts it that way, Noah gets it. He can't predict what the future holds any better than she can. He can't assume his life will lose all meaning, that he'll be without purpose once she's no longer a part of it. Besides... if he can find nothing more to live for, then at least he has his promise to her, doesn't he?

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.