Afterparty I: Once Upon a Hotpot Dreary...

[heroicact]

[It's very likely that many want to be alone after all of that (and it was a lot, all of that altogether), but there's also merit in gathering together and rebuilding connections after everything that was upended in something as contentious as a trial in a tree. They even had to all slide down from the heights afterward, unfortunately for those with a fear of heights.

So what Jack sets about doing is simply passing on a message by word of mouth at the bottom of the absurd tree slide, tapping shoulders and nodding at those moving away as well, there will be food and drink and company later on in the lounge should it be needed. No one needs ballroom memories on top of everything else, yes?

And so anyone who comes out of their room will be hit by the wonderful smells of fresh bread and pastries, fragrant whiffs of hotpot (it's unfortunately left over from the other day, but it's hotpot so surely it's fine), the inescapable spices of curry and who knows what else has been thrown together in the moment. Jack certainly isn't the cook here, but he can heat things up in a pinch.

There are no signs or fanfare or decorations, unlike the other day; this is just a gathering place, for those who wish to shake off the weight of the days and lives on their shoulders.]

Comments

[heroicact]

... No, it is nothing quite so simple as that. Suspicion has now become tied with our survival, as our host wished it. It is likely not the first time he has done something like this. He is much too thorough, and has many allies.

[I'm sorry he's just dramatically referring to their shopkeeper fairies as murder allies but here we are.

Quietly, he rests his chin in the fingers of one hand, thinking for a moment -- though it's evident that it's not off the cuff in the first place. Maybe this is what he was contemplating so hard earlier.]

But, you see, no matter what has been done, and no matter what happens with the group at large -- we already have a number of bonds in place, whether it is those who already know each other from before... or those who have begun to make their place here.

That is how people are. There are those who believed in Yor Forger, and even those who believed in Zola Malfeazium herself, in a way.

[eternaljune]

[Rika thinks over what he says. Human bonds, huh? They're what drives people throughout everything, after all. It was the power of those bonds that created Rika's miracle in the first place, so she can't deny what he's saying.

But that took a long time.]

...people do naturally have the instinct to bond with each other, yes. I've seen powerful people can become when they care for each other. I--

[Bonds aren't created overnight, but they certainly can shatter in that amount of time. Rika knows that too.]

I wanted to believe in Yor. She's a kind woman. But...doesn't that bond also make it easier for her to betray me in the future?