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

[inordertobelieve]

[ If anybody wants to find Mikami directly after trial, this is the return of the shower prompt. Mikami is holed up in a shower stall in the clergy housing for like... an hour. He's actually sitting on the floor just letting the water wash over him. It's fine, this is fine, it's all very fine--- except it's not and no matter how long he stays under here, he just doesn't feel clean. If he were the type to cry, he'd probably be crying, but he isn't so the shower water is doing all the work here.

After this he disappears from the public eye for a bit for one reason or another and then surfaces at the 5pm brunch. He's dressed in a suit, his hair is brushed again, and if it weren't for the absolutely dead look in his eyes, he'd be looking decent. He gives his pocket watch a somewhat dejected look. It's not the time for pancakes or for coffee.....

.... but he's going to have both anyway. Rideaux even gets a very sincere 'thank you' for these things. And also a murmur into the room, if more other people are present: ]

If we should find a way to bring souls back from the Twilight, we're leaving the culprits there.

[ This is totally a choice he can just make, shh.

Later during the weekend you can find Mikami... mostly in his room, but also all over town just kind of staring into space. He continues to look like shit. This is just the kind of week we're all having. ]

[pr159]

[ It had occurred to Rideaux at some point before he went to sleep that this is the first time since the second week that he won't be hearing from either Dist or Ango after the trial. Talking to Dist had usually been more of an annoyance than anything, in contrast to Ango, but it was still something he'd kind of grown accustomed to, and the realization of how quiet it's going to be now is a little... well, it isn't sad or anything, but it's kind of like when you reach for your GHS to idly check the news and then remember you left it at home.

Then again, the schedule was fucked up badly enough this week that maybe it won't be that noticeable after all.

You can catch Rideaux in the kitchen or dining room as he's getting stuff set up for this weird late afternoon brunch where the concept of time has broken apart and spread its dust across the ether, or once it's done and he's sitting at a table with a cup of coffee, scrolling through old photos on his GHS. His hair is up in a ponytail again, but a much neater one than he was sporting at the trial last night.

At some point later in the weekend, you can probably find him at the bridge, looking a little more pensive than usual. Or at the jazz bar, because, well, why wouldn't you find him there. ]

"brunch"

[pr159]

[ And Mikami gets a much less sincere smile in return for his thanks. (Keikaku doori.)

He raises his eyebrows a bit at the assertion that follows, but more out of amusement than surprise, since honestly, that seems like a very Mikami's Justice thing to say. He tilts his head slightly, bringing his hand to his chin. ]

Oh? Even Suzaku?

[inordertobelieve]

[ He pauses in bringing his cup of coffee to his lips, looking irritated to have been caught in a fallacy. Let him have his deep existential bitterness, sheesh. ]

He was a victim of brainwashing, that just means the real culprit is out of our reach entirely.

[ He totally doesn't count, shh. ]

[pr159]

Fair enough.

[ He takes a sip of his own coffee. ]

I wonder if that curse would still be active even after this.

5pm

[reanbeans]

[ Rean was sitting at a table for brunch at least, when he heard that.

Instantly, he thought of Kyousuke and Suzaku. Though the others were kind of...yeah. ]

And if that's impossible?

[inordertobelieve]

It's a good question. It told him to live and he obviously failed this command by now, so it should have broken. His living body is destroyed, so even if by some off-chance we brought him back in some other vessel.... it shouldn't really count as a continuous 'life'.

[ Hope...fully? There's one way they could test that if the time came and it's not a fun way. ]

kitchen;

[reanbeans]

[ It's rare for Rean to not be up earlier in the day but uh...going a day or two without sleep will make the impossible become possible. ]

Making some early dinner?

[inordertobelieve]

Which part...? Bringing back their souls seems fairly as a premise already, yes.

[ The fact that the souls are still stored itself is still a huge surprise that Mikami has trouble really wrapping his brain around. He's not sure if it's a good or bad thing but for people like Pizza... he wants to try work with it. ]

[reanbeans]

...I mean just deciding to leave a certain part of them behind.

[ He should've specified, really, because he didn't think bringing them back was an impossibility. ]

[inordertobelieve]

Then we bring them all back.

[ To Mikami's meager credit, that answer is pretty immediate. ]

I'm not letting Pizza and Dist and the others vanish because they've been murdered. The culprits will find their just punishment again, I have no doubt about it. It's aggravating that we would have to reward them for their actions first, of course.

[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.

[pr159]

I'm not sure how reliably we can count on something like that to adhere to logic, but we can certainly hope so.

Is this going to be your primary goal now through the end of this? Rescuing whoever you think is worthy of it?

[pr159]

[ To be fair, they were all up earlier in the day, and that was exactly the problem. ]

Call it what you want, time feels like a joke at this point anyway.

[ Which is only partly their fault. ]

[reanbeans]

[ 2am was kind of really early for a trial. RIP their sleep schedules...!! ]

Uh, yeah...kind of.

Do you want any help with that, though?

[pr159]

[ The real victim of the week. Sorry, Dist. ]

If you want to, go for it. This is more your thing than mine anyway.

[reanbeans]

[ Sad trombone.mp3 ]

Haha, that's true. I really appreciate you going through the trouble, Rideaux.

[ He'll immediately start lending a hand so at least some of the pancakes come out looking okay. ]

[moonfang]

[sometime after the trial, Zangetsu drops off the black box from the clocktower, along with Dist's notes, in the lounge area of the clergy housing. After that, he makes a quick trip to the jazz bar to grab one (or two) bottles of cheap vodka. Then, it's off to the arcade, which is just where he lives now.

Time no longer has no meaning, and so throughout the weekend, Zangetsu can be found in a few places -- outside various buildings, hunting and trapping pigeons, down in the subway, doing the same to catch rats, and in the arcade, either sleeping or playing games.

As for his changes, well... on his right side, the same side as his broken horn, Zangetsu now bears a patch of large, shiny black scales covering the top right quarter of his face -- including his eye. Arr, matey?]

[deadlygoals]

[ It's much much later before Dazai makes an appearance. While Zan lost an eye, it looks like Dazai has gained one. Or more specifically, all the bandages on his face have been removed. Elliot's cut is still on his cheek, and there's a small scar on the left side of his face. He's here to read over Dist's notes and look at the black box. What do we have for notes? ]

saturday

[psychophant]

[It's taken Iago a long time to calm down, but he's finally ready to face the rest of the damn world on Saturday. He's dressed properly in the usual black suit when he knocks on Mikami's door in the afternoon; he never does allow himself to look anything less than his best, after all, and there's something important he needs to discuss with Mikami anyway. You in, buddy...??]

jazz bar - sunday

[psychophant]

[The jazz bar is Rideaux's area, we are all fully aware of this and Iago has purposefully avoided it since the fourth trial. Well, outside of that party, but otherwise it's Rideaux's and Iago has the sense to stay away.

So either this trial's completely broken him of any and all common sense or he's got something mind when he goes looking in the jazz bar today. You in here, Rideaux?]

arcade - sunday

[psychophant]

[Zangetsu mentioned the arcade, so it's only natural to look for him here. And what a surprise, there he is!! It would be a lie to say Iago's here to check on Zangetsu, but he's curious about how the lizarding went and also he does have something to say, so—]

Ah. She took your eye.

[NO WE'RE GONNA START WITH THIS, APPARENTLY.... LOOK WE MATCH!!]

[inordertobelieve]

[ It takes a moment for the door to open because Mikami is... kind of debating what the odds are that it's a person he absolutely does not want to see. But there's only two people who that truly applies to right now and he'll take his chances.

The door opens. Mikami is likewise dressed in a suit, though with the top buttons of the shirt undone because he's in his room alone and doing the closest approximation of chilling that is possible for him. ]

Iago. I'm glad to see you out and around.

[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.

[psychophant]

[mikami is trying and that's all we can ask of him.]

I don't have the luxury of being as angry and upset as I'd like to be right now.

[He says it with a smile but it's remarkably candid for someone who usually pretends nothing could ever genuinely bother him.

But anyway, once that's out there, he presses a hand to his chest and ducks into a proper bow. Feel proud, Mikami. This is only the second one he's given this entire game.]

I came by to apologize to you for my words during the trial.

[He stands after that, though.]

It was cruel of me to attempt to pin the blame for Dist's death on you. I was... not thinking clearly, to say the least.

[It goes a bit beyond that, but he doesn't really need to get into why he snapped like a goddamn twig and desperately needed it to be anyone but Cumore, so this is good enough.]