convives | godspeed, all the bakers at dawn

godspeed, all the bakers at dawn

[So that was. Bad. That was all really bad and now the group's down by four and while there are some things that really ought to be discussed, probably, immediately after that cavalcade of misfortune is not the time to do it. So everyone should probably disperse a bit? Do whatever it is they're going to do tonight. Breathe, decompress, shower (alone, Ibara, we are all doing that alone). Or just watch the roombas do their thing in here; it matters reasonably little in the end.

For what it's worth, Garista is in that later camp; he doesn't seem too inclined to sleep, maybe he'll do that later, but for the time being he's just going to watch the robots as they go about their business in the kitchen. Once it's cleared out a bit...

Well, he's not Atra, but he's lived alone for a while. Basic cooking isn't completely beyond him.

He's not really accustomed to doing a lot of cooking, mind you, and after some time has passed he's created, like. The sort of soup that's going to keep you alive and not kill you and actually be pretty decent if you're not overly picky, but is really just 20% actual ability to cook and 80% "I have hands and can throw things in a pot and by god, I'm in the right mood to do that." If you're not into whatever kind of...irritation soup he's got going on here, there's also an amount of strong tea that only happens as a result of sheer, unbridled neuroticism? Whatever. If you feel picky, do something about it yourself.

He's not offended if you people would prefer to be alone. Notes under doors for all of you, though, in the event that you don't.

At least try to eat something and get whatever you need to out of your system. The cafeteria has been cleaned in the event that you don't feel like being by yourself.

Don't do anything ill-advised. We'll work through it.

- Garista

So there's that.]

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[Avery doesn't have anything resembling an appetite after all of that, but he's here for the strong tea. Arceus knows he needs it.

He can be found hanging out with his tea and Slowbro, who is having some of Garista's soup. He's not particularly talkative, he's just about as shaken as he was on the first day of this nightmare, and he doesn't even have it in him to bitch at Ibara for the profile nonsense. Still, he's here, and he's not entirely opposed to company.]

[Data, being an android, returns neither to his pod nor to the cafeteria when it's all over. He doesn't need to eat. He doesn't need to sleep, although he has been doing so. Maybe he should not have. Had he been awake through all of last night, he might have been able to stop at least some of the events that occurred. Even if he couldn't have prevented the murders, or Ensign Barrett's death, he might have seen something to prove Lalli's innocence.

But it's too late now.

For a long while after the trial's end, he can be found in the viewport, seated on the weird couch with his back to the door. He always tends to have excellent posture; of course, he isn't really expressive. But the line of his shoulders against the starry field outside still seems a touch more rigid than usual. He doesn't seem to actually be looking at the stars.

Eventually, he does return to his room, which is when he finds the note. Obviously much of it does not apply to him. He doesn't need to eat, and has no emotions which are necessary to get out. But he goes to the cafeteria anyway. Once there, he sits, with neither tea nor soup. With nothing to occupy himself, in fact. Maybe he's just sort of people watching?

This is when a ship's counselor is vital to ongoing function. But they do not have one. Data himself is spectacularly ill-suited to the role, but...maybe he ought to try and do something.

If he sees anyone who clearly isn't eating or drinking, eventually he'll stand and approach:]

Can I get you anything? Garista is correct - you all do need to eat.

[ Misaki's freshly showered, mostly for lack of anything better to do, but her eyes are still red when she shows up in the cafeteria. They basically just saw a man die, even if they didn't, you know, see see him die. And she was just starting to get to know him, and he wasn't even the one who did it...

She periodically wipes her eyes on a fistful of tissues. Her handkerchief's still damp, and after all this, she's not sure she can use it again anyway without defeating the purpose.

Anyway, here she is, because soup beats sniffling alone in your room. After getting down a bowl of it and a few cups of that strong tea (it's not coffee, but right now it's definitely close enough), she seeks out the chef to pay her compliments. ]

Luodur-san. You made the soup by yourself, right? You didn't have to do that - I could have helped, if you asked. But... thank you. I think some of us needed it.

[ Well, Ibara is ripping that note up as soon as he reads it because he somehow feels like that "get whatever you need to out of your system" is a passive aggressive shot at him, and fuck that.

But he eventually ends up in the cafeteria anyway. Where he ignores the food and tea that have been prepared in favor of some freeze-dried beef stroganoff and electrolyte water... after a brief moment of frowning at a package of peas. ]

[Oh, Misaki, hi.

He's kind of just...claimed a table and thinking about things? Toying with the PDA a little, a cooling cup of tea beside him.]

It's all right. I needed something to do with my hands; it may as well be something productive.

[He doesn't seem displeased to see her at all; he's not doing a lot expression-wise, but that's just kind of his face.]

How are you holding up? Losses like this are always difficult...

[...He is glad that your abomination likes the soup. That's sort of cute.

That said, god.]

Are you all right? I know that earlier was... It was a bit much.

[Rossiu returns to his room after all of this, not speaking to anyone and trying very hard not to do anything with his face. He doesn't exactly succeed, but he makes it to his room and doesn't leave for a very long time.

Seven years ago he fought to bring about peace, where sacrifices would never be necessary again. This whole situation really isn't sitting well with him.

But he promised Lalli no more mistakes, and isolating himself certainly isn't going to help any. So he's here to get some food and tea, and he'll keep an eye on everyone as he considers how to proceed from here. You can join him at one of the tables if you're here to grab some food and/or tea as well; he isn't opposed to company even if he does look a little more worn down than usual.]

[ Akira is not around for the first half of the party. He's decided to try to nap off everything that just happened with absolutely no success, so he can absolutely be bothered in Room 12 if anyone for whatever reason feels the need to say something to him.

However, he does come to the cafeteria for a brief period of time after finally getting around to reading Garista's note. He goes to make himself a bowl of soup and will absolutely help himself to some of that strong tea. He fully intends on taking what he needs to so he can sit, well, in a corner or go back to his room with the food. However, if anyone needs to talk to him, he won't turn anyone away. He just won't be his typical cheeky self, for obvious reasons. ]

[ You know what, this probably really isn't the time, but he's going to stop over there quick before he goes to the cafeteria.

He knocks twice on the door. ]

[ It takes a moment, but Akira shuffles over to the door and sees...Ibara? Huh. He's not sure what to expect here, but sure. He'll take whatever Ibara has to say to him. ]

Hi. Do you need something?

Avery. Slowbro.

[Rossiu nods in greeting to both of them then inclines his head a bit.]

Would you mind if I join you two?

[He's only got tea for now as well, and while he's not exactly sure Avery is fine with company right now, he's here to bother him anyway.]

[Ah, there's Akira. Rossiu was starting to wonder if he'd have to go knock on Akira's door to get the chance to speak with him (not that he'd blame him, certainly) but it's good that Akira's getting something to eat at least.]

Do you mind if I join you?

[He only has tea at the moment since he already ate, but he does want to talk and now seems like... well, it's definitely not a great time, but better to get it over with.]

[ Ah, hey there, Rossiu. Akira looks over at him and manages a nod. Seems like they're both not doing so hot tonight, which is understandable. ]

Not at all.

[ He sits down at a nearby empty table. Honestly...as bad as he's feeling, some company would be nice. ]

How are you doing?

[Garista you know his name now, there's no excuse! :(

Avery takes a long sip of tea before shaking his head.]

"A bit much" is a severe understatement. I've...I've never been around death quite like this before. And I just had a hand in condemning an innocent person while those aliens remain, plotting their next kill--

[But just as his voice raises, he loses all of his steam again. He chokes back a sob he didn't even realize was sneaking up on him.]

M-My apologies.

[Avery might be petty and arrogant, but Ibara wasn't wrong with the assessment that made it onto his profile- he's very fragile at the end of the day. He's a Pokemon Trainer for Arceus' sake, he's so out of his depth here.]

[A nod, and Rossiu sits across from Akira.]

I... Well, I've certainly been better.

[That's understating it a bit.]

I imagine you're feeling the same right now.

[You know. Absolutely horrid about what happened.]

I thought it best to make my position clear while this was still fresh on your mind: Do not settle for someone opting out of inspection next time. I agreed that the lead you ended up pursuing was a reasonable one given the information we had, but I'm not convinced that we actually saw all of the evidence that could have been available to us.

[...Oh. Ohhh, okay, this is...]

...I know. And I apologize if I seem distant or...unnecessarily antagonistic during trials. It's something I'm unfortunately more used to than others; I can forget that it's hard sometimes.

But you have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault, I promise you. You haven't done anything wrong.

[ He nods quietly before taking a sip of his tea. He's not actually that thirsty, he just...needs a moment to think about how to articulate how he's feeling.

All he can settle on is this: ]

I don't know where to start. So...if there's anything you want to say, go ahead.

[Avery's just staring off into the middle distance while petting Slowbro, so Rossiu's definitely not interrupting anything. If anything, Avery could definitely use an excuse to get out of his own head right now.]

Hello, Rossiu. [He motions to a nearby open seat.] By all means, go ahead. We don't mind.

[It's at this point that Slowbro finally looks up from his soup to regard Rossiu with a similarly blank stare.]

Edited (html...) 2020-12-06 05:23 (UTC)

Got it.

[ He sounds pretty resigned when he says it. He's not even sure if he feels confident enough to lead such a thing next time, but he's not feeling up to voicing that concern. I'm so sorry he's like this. ]

Anything else?

I understand.

[He's not really sure where to start either, but there is one place he can think of as he stares down at his cup of tea.]

I don't blame you for what happened. I want to make that perfectly clear. We were acting on the information we gathered and our limited time to fit it all together and make sense of it. The conclusion you came to made sense to me and it seemed to be the only direction we had to pursue.

I cannot speak for the others, but I understand that you were doing your best to work with what we had. The conclusion we reached was wrong but... I appreciate your willingness to work toward it even when faced with such uncertainty.

[It's partially because taking initiative, especially in such a situation, is extremely difficult but a valuable trait, and partially because... well, he can see where Akira might try to blame himself solely for this, when it isn't his fault. It's not exactly a good speech, but Rossiu's never been the best at them to begin with.]

[Slowbro is such a mood right now. Rossiu nods at that and takes the open seat, glancing between them for a moment.]

...I take it today has been very difficult for Slowbro as well?

[...well that's... a place to start...???]

[ Ah.

It's...really surprising that Rossiu's saying this. Akira got the impression that Rossiu might've chastised him in the way Ibara did, for not getting the right info -- enough info, even -- but this is coming from a place of understanding. He appreciates it, even if the look on his face is one of surprise. ]

...Thank you.

[ It's all he can manage for a moment, but he doesn't want to leave things at that. ]

I relied too much on hypotheticals. If I hadn't...maybe...

[ Well. He won't finish that thought, because he knows that he's going to regret what happened for the rest of his life. ]

We won't get Lalli, Atra, Giorno or Beckett back, but we have to do better next time. Even so, I don't blame you or anyone else either. [ He shakes his head. ] I appreciate your help today, for what it's worth.

[WELL...HE GOT SOME STUFF OUT OF HIS SYSTEM, APPARENTLY... Bless Garista for putting up with it.]

I cannot imagine growing accustomed to this.

[But he knows he'll have to at least deal with it going forward if he's going to be of any use in the event that this happens again. He's sure it will.

Ugh.]

But...thank you. I do appreciate the perspective that you bring to this. I merely wish I had more to offer.

Good; I will hold you to it. I believe that will be all.

[ There's probably more he could say, but he's not the sort of person to say it. So with a rather curt nod, he'll be on his way. ]

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godspeed, all the bakers at dawn

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room 12

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cafeteria

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