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

[gemuinemanagement]

[Being alone sounds difficult right now, so Suga joins the group in the lounge, nibbling on some curry. He looks gloomy, but if anyone approaches, he'll hold up a prewritten note.]

Good job today

[mearry]

[ c-ta will be taking some bread and curry, eating just a bit absentmindedly. even though he wasn’t too shaken by the result, the trial had still been exhausting.

but once anyone approaches him, he will try to give them a small smile. ]

How are you holding up?

[heroicact]

[Jack himself isn't partaking in the food at first; it will take a while for anyone to work up an appetite after that, if at all. Instead, he can be found next to the food tables deep in contemplation or slowly leafing through a book and dubiously reading it.

Those who approach may be greeted by a brief, perfunctory smile and gentle tilt of the head at the spread.]

Ah, welcome. I took it upon myself and several others to prepare something simple so that we might not all go to bed on an empty stomach on top of everything else, but don't fret if you can't stomach it at the moment.

[That being said, he does indicate the cooks, because credit where it's due. Tenn and C-ta and mysteriously Nageki seem to have been drafted for this purpose. He might also pat the seat next to himself if anyone seems amenable to it.]

Or perhaps you'd like to keep me company? I'll admit, I'm at a loss as to how this situation may be remedied...

[adorabilities]

[ she has removed a bunch of pillows, and is doing make shift target practice outside.



because she has zero respect for this castle. And she's angry-- and the only way she knows how to get angry feelings out?

Punching. feel free to interrupt her. ]

[vogelfrei]

[ McGillis is... here. Seated in a corner with a copy of Grimm's Fairytales in hand. Whether he's really reading or mostly listening to the dimmed conversations happening around him is anyone's guess. He's not looking up either way, not unless he's spoken to. ]

[ideismo]

[Alexei will be present, at least, though he might not be immediately so; he's in and out, really, seeming more restless than anything. He doesn't leave the main building - hell, he doesn't stray too far from the lounge - but he'll pace the corridors for a while until he feels that he can actually manage to remain in one place long enough to have a worthwhile conversation.

Is he handling this well? Probably not. Does he seem despondent? Surprisingly, no. Everything is just kind of...aggressively weird for the time being, maybe.]

[mathodical]

[ handwave-y things, some time in between passing out on Jack and zola's confession he's woken up, so he's here! ish.

he's kind of distractedly nibbling on food and... not really paying attention to what he's putting in his mouth, because william is a disaster and his thoughts are elsewhere at the moment.

in fact, it might even take a while for you to be noticed if you approach. ]

[eternaljune]

Mii...thank you for thinking of us, Jack! I never managed to get breakfast!

[Her smile does become a little less vibrant seeing that Jack seems pretty down. Not that Rika can blame him. She sits down next to him, looking a bit confused.]

I'm not sure if there's much that can be remedied right now, sir...

[purefuries]

[ Junko is sitting around looking out the window, picking at some curry.

A parent isn't automatically exempt from people who could kill a child just because they're a parent. Some parents are terrible people.

That line of thought from the trial keeps running around in her head, and she can't quite figure out why. ]

[amortristis]

[ Morgan's here, though by and large she mostly keeps to herself. Her expression is generally pretty unreadable as is the norm, but she does seem a little worn from everything that went on.

At some point, she'll probably get up and walk around the grounds outside, seemingly trying to distract herself from whatever she's thinking about. ]

[mathodical]

What are you reading?

[ the distraction looks like it could be welcome. ]

[eternaljune]

[Rika finds herself in the kitchen, nibbling on some curry. She should probably be a bit more bummed out about Zola, but...well, it's not like there's anything she can do about it. Besides, a wish that's just someone else dying? What sort of goal is that to fight for?

Even more, what other goals might someone try to end someone else for next?

She looks a little bit zoned out in her thoughts, which from a glance, is hard to tell if it's depression or apathy that she's feeling. She's unsure which one applies more herself.]

[laytorest]

[Yor retreats to her room for a time, but even she wanders out eventually - one can't help an empty stomach, especially with the smell of food permeating the hall.

...On the other hand, she looks pretty out of it as she stares at the available food. It's hard to tell if she's having trouble deciding what to eat, or if she is in fact thinking about the food she's staring at to begin with.]

[eternaljune]

[Rika wanders nearby with her own curry to speak to C-ta. This is one of her senpai that she feels comfortable with trying to keep close. Having a list of people she doubts would kill her specifically is always good.]

Hm...relieved we got it right, at least. Hopefully Samidare can rest easy.

Excuse the icon, I am uploading more expressions soon.

[goldencave]

[ At first, Norton wanted nothing more than to keep away from everyone else... But the more time he spent in his room, alone with his thoughts, the more his own thoughts tormented him.

They're serious. They're starting to go after each other's throats. He should have known all that talk about trying to protect each other would fall through. He should've... He's going to die here. All those years of hard work, all that he'd gone through, only for some fairy bastard to drag him away just when he had a chance to change his life... No, that bastard promised... He had to be bullshitting, right?

That offer...

It got to a point where Norton couldn't bear to be alone anymore... So here he is, sitting in front of a lukewarm meal he's barely touched. He doesn't really say much as he casts a glance at anyone who comes near, but the anxious look in his eyes speak volumes. ]

[amortristis]

[ Morgan's not really sure why she's coming in the kitchen, to be perfectly honest. There's nothing particularly here for her, but she's admittedly a little anxious after lingering around the lounge to stay in one spot for long.

She sees Rika being In The Zone, and she quietly approaches from the side. ]

Are you all right?

[ Y'know, relatively speaking. ]

[eternaljune]

[Rika looks up hearing someone speak to her, and relaxes slightly seeing it's Morgan. Hey, a companion is always good to have.]

Mii...as much as I can, considering. I guess this was always going to happen, but I can't say I was expecting Samidare to be killed.

[mearry]

Me too.

[ he'll make some space for rika to sit down. his plate is still mostly full, and he's all but just playing with his food. ]

I feel especially bad for Yor-san...I didn't think that she would end up taking it that badly. I hope that she can forgive us. [ for doubting her. ]

[mearry]

Yor-san?

[ c-ta will approach her as soon as he sees her, his voice gentle. ]

Looking for something to eat?

[scythegun]

[Yeager's only stopping by briefly to grab some food, but he moves to join Suga because why the hell not, Yeager goes where he pleases and does what he wants.]

I don't think I did anything particularly noteworthy. It was everyone else that managed to... work things out today.

[mearry]

Ah-- um... Junko-san?

[ he'll just approach her casually. ]

Is everything okay?

[heroicact]

You are quite right... Few if any of us had had the chance to break our fast before we were thrown into Hamelin and Miss Zola's unfortunate game -- many of us have worked far too hard on little sleep and even less energy.

[Even though, you know, enchanted sleep was a thing?? At least he doesn't look like he was sleep-deprived, but that may be a little awkward because enchanted sleep is a little awkward to begin with.

Regardless he waves a hand as though to simply put the topic aside, before nodding at her.]

And no, there is much about the situation that cannot be changed. But we are still here, and what we were made to do -- viewing each other with suspicion, questioning all of the little things about each other -- was much harsher than simply having Hamelin announce his game.

[Though, it was previewed in their meeting earlier in the week... but sometimes disaster meetings evolve into disaster trials.]

So I think... perhaps, there is something we can do about that.

[gemuinemanagement]

[...okay he can't just say 'actually yeah you weren't that helpful', but.]

It was a group effort

[scythegun]

[Yeager's already outside when Morgan leaves; he's staring up at the sky but otherwise not doing anything in particular. He notices her presence and holds up a hand in greeting, as chipper as always.]

Wanted to get away from the others for a bit?

[shame you couldn't escape him!!!]

[scythegun]

[obviously his job here is moral(??) support(???)]

Ja, it was. Everyone did pretty well for amateur detectives, don't you think?