Week 0 | Sunday Post Execution

[concasse]

[Wow... Sundays promise to be fun and exciting in all the ways Sanji does not want. They got a semi-happy ending with Sousei and Jae-Ha narrowly escaping death, but this chef doesn't believe in good luck staying the course. Not long term.

Not after seeing Sharpay getting skewered.

... But regardless of all that, he does make a point of tracking some people down. Especially the civilians. Gotta see how they're doing after a weekend of murder and executions. Wherever Rebecca might be, she'll eventually be accompanied by +1 chef whose a lot less cheerful than usual.]

Hey, Rebecca-chan... how you holding up?

Comments

[disclosures]

There's no rush. I'll be here the whole time.

[She'll just find somewhere to sit around here.]

... How are you?

[concasse]

... Me?

[Sounding surprised anyone asked, to be honest.]

... Wasn't pleasant to watch, but I'm a lot more used to this kind of fucked up savagery. [He busies himself about the kitchen, getting the ingredients for the dough, as well as a bowl for mixing.]

[disclosures]

That doesn't mean you're just going to be fine.

[It exhausting and awful- but she can't really do anything about it, which makes her feel worse, somehow.]

[concasse]

No, but... I'm not really shellshocked, either.

[He wishes he were; maybe he'd feel more human about it.]

It's just a wake-up call. We're stuck here and this shit'll probably happen again.

[disclosures]

I guess experience helps with this sort of thing.

[At the same time, that's a hell of a way to see somebody die.]

That's a "To Be Continued". How much worse is the other one?

[concasse]

... I can't imagine.

[As if undermining his previous statement, even Sanji looks... unnerved]

They shouldn't have given us that choice if she was going to die, anyway. Instead I bet most of us bet on the hope she'd get a second chance, somehow.

[disclosures]

[Maybe that was the worst death Sanji's seen before.]

I think so too. A to be continued usually means there's some kind of sequel. A happy ever after has all that finality to it. That's the end of the line.

... In the end, I think she would have died either way.

[concasse]

Yeah, there was no saving her.

[If they should have tried or shouldn't have... that's not a question Sanji wants to dwell on for now. There's a price for murder, but he personally thinks anyone can be pushed to the act with enough coaxing. Their hands are only clean because she did it first.]

Which sets the standard from here on out -- whoever we choose is gonna die. There's no shitty takebacks.

[disclosures]

[She doesn't know what happens if they don't vote. She's afraid of those consequences. Best not to test her luck on this.]

So we should try to find the real murderer, shouldn't we? If at least two people have to die each week...

[concasse]

It's the fairest method we got...

[Muttered low as he starts to knead the dough, glad to do something with his hands]

... You said you were a, uh... lawyer, was it? [He can't remember, except that she's done procedures before]

[disclosures]

Real estate lawyer. It's mostly trying to get buildings made, making sure they don't have any problems getting that to happen.

It's... nothing like this. There are criminal lawyers, but that's not my specialty. I don't think I could take it.

[concasse]

I at least assume those criminal lawyers aren't dealing with shit like this, are they?

[disclosures]

Not like this. People's blood doesn't turn into ink at home.

Usually it's like somebody died because of an argument that went bad. It's still not great, but it's not motivated murder.

[concasse]

So crimes of passion, is it...

[Just thoughtless death where everyone regrets it the moment it happens.]

... Though that ink business still confuses me. Our hosts are collecting it?

[disclosures]

I haven't heard of a calculated murder in a long time. ... Except for war, but nobody puts that in the same category.

It seems like it. At least the purple and gold kind.

What do you think it does?

[concasse]

No idea. This is a type of weird even I'm not used to.

[One Piece can't save him now]

But now I get why they want us to continue the game -- they need that special ink from us.

[disclosures]

If they need it to write a book, they should just use normal ink like normal people.

[concasse]

[He should not be laughing but if that ain't a mood..]

Certainly make our lives easier.

[...]

I do remember Dragon-sama mentioning she's looking for a very specific ending, though. Won't say what it is, but she's determined to prove Tiger-sama wrong about something.

[disclosures]

[She'll sulk a little bit longer about the ink issue, but it's not like she can do that much about it right now.]

Did she say that? Dragon seems way more straightforward than Tiger is. Even if neither of them really help that much.

[concasse]

She seems it, yeah. Tiger-sama wraps herself in amusement, but it means it's harder to figure out what she's after.

[Shaking his head]

I'd try to ask them some questions, but tracking 'em down is hard. That was the first time I'd seen Dragon-sama in a while.

[disclosures]

Dragons was there for the trial and... the execution. So maybe one of them will be there for it this week too?

I don't know how much they'll answer there. But something is better than nothing. Well, most of the time.

[concasse]

Better than nothing for now, yeah.

[Dough completed, he'll start working them into circles on a greased tray.]

... Who knows? Maybe no one will bite and we won't have to deal with a murder this time next week.

[disclosures]

Do you think that's actually going to happen, or are you being hopeful?

Because, man, hope has been pretty tragic for me back home.

[Her horrible train of exes.]

[concasse]

Figure I might as well use what's left of my shitty hope on something.

[yeah no he is not holding his breath]

[disclosures]

[She lets out a soft puff of air.]

You've got more of it left than me.

[concasse]

I'll have enough for the both of us.

Shitty as this situation is, I still wanna find a way to send us all back home.

[disclosures]

Enough hope for two people, huh? That's pretty good.

... What about the... [The people who died. Isn't that impossible?]

[concasse]

... The fact we're here at all is kinda a weird miracle in itself, yeah?

So... No harm in trying to do the impossible.

[He thinks?

Well, fuck it, he's gonna die trying.]

[disclosures]

Yeah, you're right about that. There's people from kingdoms I've never heard of.

Maybe we can ask the wishing well to bring us back home.

[concasse]

Shit, wouldn't that be nice...

Just toss a coin in the well and end this nightmare.

[disclosures]

"I wish everybody just went home." That's probably too vague.

[concasse]

Knowing this place, I'm sure the well would find a way to fuck it up.

[He doesn't know how right he is yet]