weekend mingle featuring 5 pm brunch because time is meaningless now

[pr159]

[ There probably isn't a single person among them who isn't exhausted after that trial, so it's no surprise that, like last week, there's no party when it's over. Maybe some stay out and mill about the city, while others finally take the chance to get some well-deserved sleep.

Personally, Rideaux is absolutely going to bed now, because it's fucking 10 am or something, and that was a lot.

But when he wakes up again in what is nominally the afternoon, once he's taken a shower and no longer looks like a haggard mess, he's actually going to hole up in the kitchen at the clergy housing and make some pancakes. Just pancakes and nothing else, because this mix is "just add water!" and that's the extent of his cooking skills the most effort he's going to put into anything. Some of them may be slightly burned and oddly shaped, but they're free, so shut it.

There's also some coffee and some (cheap, not his good stuff) whiskey, so if you want to make a half-assed Irish coffee, he's not stopping you.

Is this supposed to be a distraction? Is this actually all just to celebrate the fact that Cumore briefly thought he was going to die and that was delicious to watch? Maybe, but no one has to know that. ]

Comments

[reanbeans]

I'm glad to hear that you'd be for bringing them all back. I can't say I don't have any opinions on seeing certain people come back or not, but...

[ That seemed to make him settle a little and begin to poke at his pancakes. He didn't agree with letting all the culprits just linger there, but he's glad to know that Mikami wouldn't let the rest just suffer in the event they couldn't.

...Not that Rean would go for it even if it were an option. ]

...At the least I've no doubt that we'll be able to figure out something to save the dead. We've come this far that getting out and making that happen shouldn't be impossible.

[inordertobelieve]

Your optimism continues to baffle me.

[ This is a very mild barb directed at that whole conversation about people being able to change, but he's not going to like... bring this back up right now. ]

We just lost two of the people who were most contributory, for better or for worse. Our disadvantage is worse than ever.

[reanbeans]

[ At this point, it's all he had, and he was clinging onto it desperately, hoping that something will show for it and his own efforts. He had to make it back.

He had been lying to himself and others that he'd believe things would be just fine without him. People needed him back home. ]

Well, someone has to have it.

[ Rean was very aware that most of the people remaining had little to none of it. But he knew it was for good reason as well. He just couldn't afford to think like that or he'd crack. Even if his weariness was showing. ]

I know. But, the last thing I want is the Lady to be victorious in anything. I've faced abysmal odds before and usually things have worked out in the end.

[inordertobelieve]

I think your view is as removed from reality as always.

[ No use pretending otherwise. He thinks Rean is young and very naive, in the end. ]

But to be fair, I don't think anybody profits from an attempt to change your mind. I think our odds as abysmal and we are all more likely than not to die in this place - but that does not mean I would forgive myself or others for giving up.

[reanbeans]

I'm...somehow not surprised you think that.

[ But strangely enough, it's a comfort. It means he hadn't let the Lady change his outlook on their future. And he'd call that a victory in of itself. ]

...But, at least we can agree on a few things here. I know that I wouldn't forgive myself if I did give up. And I'm sure considering how things are going now, the others would think the same of themselves.

cw suicidal ideation implied

[inordertobelieve]

Yes, certainly. Be it the motivation to save someone or to see retribution for the Lady's evil deeds, we share the same goal. Whether or not we want to keep going after this.

[ He's thinking more of Dazai than himself by now, though maybe this has changed now after all the utter vile nonsense with Ango. An irriating thought. ]

I can't say I am excited about working with some of you people, but it cannot be helped.

[reanbeans]

[ A...ray of sunshine as ever, Mikami. ]

Yeah. Though...I'll hope for the best result for us, even after we've dealt with the Lady.

[ Rean's well aware that Mikami hadn't exactly been angling that for himself last time they spoke, so he'll hope that changes. As implied in his words, but he's recognized it's well out of his hands, so he'll leave it at that. ]

At the least I don't think we'll have to worry too much about us all coming together to make our best effort, no matter how everyone feels about each other.

[ Or they shouldn't. ]