Friday | Post-Investigation

[concasse]

[He'd been nearby when the announcement went up, Natsuo's body encased for all to see. Not surprisingly, some people did not have the best reaction to it.

No surprisingly, Monika was one of those people.

Hence why Sanji immediately pulls her away from the crowd for her sake, a hand on her shoulder, letting her cling to him if she should need the comfort. It's not a good day for any of them, but at least... he thinks he can do this much for her.]

Comments

[concasse]

No, we don't.

[That makes it worse, in fact, that ordinary people (and the not-so ordinary) can be pushed to kill like the people they'd condemn]

We find a killer, and we put them on the chopping block in our place, when you think about it. We could easily just vote for ourselves, or refuse to participate -- but we keep going.

[Because no one wants to die.]

[unromanceable]

[ Making a soft sound Monika carefully wraps her arms around his neck. She's exceedingly careful not to put weight on him, mindful always of his injuries. But even so, she can't resist the connection. ]

And we will. We'll all keep going, week after week, no matter who dies... until this war is over. The only other solution would be ...

... to kill the Crafters, and who knows what would happen if we did? If we even could?

[concasse]

Kill them, eh...?

[That's a tall order, now isn't it. He remains still, allowing her the contact and companionship without question, silent as he thinks.]

Who knows? I don't believe in things that can't be killed in some way, but given how they seem to know everything about us...

[unromanceable]

[ Eventually she'll let go of him, but only to wipe at her face. She doesn't really pull away or anything. ]

Whatever they are, they're probably way beyond us, even with everyone's abilities and powers... after all, we couldn't stop them from bringing us here, right?

[ ... ]

But, I think that's probably the only other way out. Not necessarily killing them, but stopping them, somehow.

[concasse]

... That's why I went to the maze.

[He figures there's no harm in sharing. Most others will have done stupid things for similar reasons]

I thought maybe I could find a clue or something. That maybe the Minotaur was guarding something.

[unromanceable]

... that's not a bad reason, [ she comments, her soft voice free of judgment. ] The minotaur... in the original Greek myth, the minotaur isn't guarding anything. The labyrinth is built to trap him.

[concasse]

Heh, then there really might not be anything to find in there, eh?

[He should be more disappointed about this than he is.]

[unromanceable]

... it's hard to say, [ she says, rather kindly. ] But ... probably not.

[ She looks away from him, at the castle around them. ]

You know, everything about this place ... reminds me of old folktales and fables. Fairy tales. The titles, the executions... but it's not even just those. There's mythical elements too, like the minotaur. And then there's the Crafters... [ her expression clouds. ] ... my best guess is Chinese mythology, but that doesn't seem right, exactly ...

[ A breath. ]

I'd give anything to figure this out.

[concasse]

We'll figure it out.

[That Sanji sounds firm about.]

... I just hope it's without half of us getting sacrificed to whatever game those two are playing.

[unromanceable]

[ ... ]

Do you really think that? That most of us will be able to survive?

[concasse]

The moment I think differently means I've stopped trying to find a way for us to get outta here.

[And he can't allow for that.]

[unromanceable]

[ She stares at him for a moment, then stares down at her own hands. ]

You're the kind of person who writes his own story, aren't you?

[concasse]

Aa, that's what pirates do.

Our stories usually end up being short because of it, but that's how we prefer to live our lives.

[unromanceable]

[ Her fingers curl in. ]

So whatever the ending is ... happy or sad ... what matters is that it was your own to write.

[concasse]

[...]

That's right.

[A little shrug]

Good or bad, I stick by my choices.

[unromanceable]

[ Monika looks up at him, and there's a light in her eyes that hasn't been there before. A kind of determination. ]

That's what I want for myself. More than anything, I just want to be the author of my own story.

[ he'll know why. he is the only person who knows why. ]

[concasse]

Well, there's no time like the present, eh?

[Yes, he knows.

It's why he thinks it's all the more important for her to take what independence she can, while she has it.]