week 3 | graveyard | maya

[speckling]

[ let's say madara whisked her away to some other part of the hotel that's not sad or salty? or both? okay somewhere private and quiet, that's the important part. he's really happy anyways, no more rooster crowing from him. ]

First off, am I keeping you from anything important? Second, how have you been? Third...

[ he gets down on his hands and knees. you know, the really traditional way where your forehead touches your hands. ]

I'm really, really sorry!

Comments

[feytality]

[did he just carry her off.... oh well, she's kind of missed this.]

[when he does that, she reaches down to try to tug him off, obviously a little flustered!]

Ahah, you don't need to apologize, Madara! I'm not really mad. I just... I wish you hadn't ended up here, that's all. It's not like it's your fault.

[speckling]

[ i mean it's him and she wouldn't complain in time before they reached someplace with less drama, yeah?

he's not actually wallowing in his failure to the point where he can't be pulled up by maya at least. but it's enough guilt to just be a touch calmer? ]

Good, good, you're not upset ♪ Yeah, Chuuya-san had other plans with us. But that's how it goes, right?

[ he's sitting up on his legs. ]

Why is "here" so bad? If it's because of Dahlia-san being the boss, I'm not worried about her. Is there something else you know?

[ he sort of acknowledged there was a conversation there between them earlier, and she has contact with the reapers? hm. ]

[feytality]

[ he has to make up for lost carrying. ]

..... I guess. Even if he had a grudge against Ranpo or suspected him to be a Reaper, he didn't have to go after you too.

[ that's pretty crappy, in her opinion, tbh. ]

More that you're Erased and if things go badly you won't be able to get revived. [ yeah, she did notice him listening. ] Is there something you want to ask me, Madara?

[speckling]

[ madara's definitely forcing a more pleasant tone to accept it, really. but he knows that being honest helps in talking with maya too. here goes. ]

It's... very thorough and efficient of him. Ranpo-san's angry for the both of us and Eleanor-san is his friend and lonely here, so I'll just say, "I'm fine with this". That really can't hold up if you worry about things going badly though... You're my friend too, and you seem to know more about this Game.

[ ...he's gonna take those hands that were tugging on him earlier into his. ]

I have a lot of things to ask! But, I'll be content with an answer for this or so:

How is Maya-san doing with her post-Erasure job? If you're in charge of some Reapers... did that include Ranpo-san?

[feytality]

I don't think you should be fine with it, Madara. [ she says it pretty gently, letting him take her hands. ] ... But, it's good you're not losing hope.

[ .... ]

I promise I'll answer your questions, buuuut, I do wanna ask you a couple of things first. How much do you know about Reapers? And.... how do you feel about Ranpo?

[ she'd understand him being angry, considering his own partner was lying to him.... ]

[speckling]

[ he gently squeezes her hands in his grip. ]

Not much until recently. Ranpo-san told me the basics, and what he did differently as a Reaper before this game. I may not approve of what the job does, but it's still a job and he wanted to live the best that he could.

...I'll believe that I knew nothing about Reapers until my Erasure because he cared about me, even as little more than someone attached to him who needed to live so he could, too. It's enough.

[ deep breath. ]

I'm not as angry at him as I was earlier. Throwing him into Terra-san actually worked well to toss out most of those feelings! I also can't hate a person who fully expects to be hated for what he does? I'm bad at going along with expectations like that.

[feytality]

That's just like you, Madara. [ she smiles warmly, fingers intertwining with his. ] Ranpo does care about you. Your life was tied to his, remember? You got taken down 'cause Chuuya went after him first, so.... I can't blame him for being cautious.

[ a beat. ]

Okay, so... lemme give you a rundown of what Reapers actually are. They're former Players who survived until the end of the game but didn't win a second chance at life --- so, their options were basically to get Erased, or, if the Composer of their Game allowed it, re-enter the next round. And that's a big if. While Reapers can exist in the RG, they answer to the Composer first and foremost -- or the Conductor, who is just below on the food chain and is the one carrying out the Composer's will.

[ so basically, the composer says jump, reapers got to get hopping. ]

Are you with me so far?

[speckling]

[ he smiles a little wider and laughs lightly at their fingers twining together. considering how they left off in the underground... it cheers him up a good deal to see her and know she's pretty okay right now. ]

Yeah, I got it. Ranpo told me he was transfered to this game too with the others from different Composers, and it's... different from what he did before as a Reaper.

[ it's why he's sympathetic honestly. ranpo sics noise on players sometimes, but mostly hands out puzzles... not directly erase people. he tilts his head, thinking. ]

Hm, there's a difference between "winning" and "surviving" though. I guess that's expected, but how does someone "win" this game?

[feytality]

[ she's taking everything in stride like usual --- from the looks of it, so is he. ]

Yep, that's all right! Games depend on how the Composer sets it up, and this has a different set up from what he's used to. Typically, Reapers don't Erase Players themselves. As for winning, well, really, what it comes down to is what the Composer wants -- but that's really subjective. You've gotta impress 'em.

As for me, well, I was never really part of the Game like you guys were. I've got a job like the Reapers do.

[speckling]

[ they gotta thank experience for that one, just different circumstances that got em there. ]

I see. Since it's a game, what a Composer would be impressed by wouldn't be too arbitrary. Otherwise judgment would be difficult for them, not swift and decisive and all that! I want to understand for curiosity's sake, until the end comes for me.

[ the last sentence there is said rather evenly, muting his optimism for casual realism to consider her worries about how the game is going. what's next on things to talk about is spoken in the same way, as if to not judge too quickly or harshly. ]

So that trial was set up the way it was on purpose. In the grand scheme of things and how we are now, I'd rather not dwell on it critically, like it was meant to be harmful as a lie.

[ can't throw a past trial in the like he can throw ranpo to quell that feeling, obviously. ]

I do feel a little used though. My heartache was real, after all.

[feytality]

Mmm... well. It varies from Composer to Composer, really. This Game has special circumstances, so.... It's pretty complicated. I can't tell you too much about it right now.

[ she does wince though, and ducks her head. ]

I got stabbed for real, if it helps? [ it doesn't!!! ] and I meant everything I said. [ she bites her lip. ] Honestly.... I thought that them seeing you pull off an execution would mean people wouldn't think you were a Reaper, or target you, but..... obviously, that didn't work out.

[ she doesn't expect forgiveness, that much is clear. ] .... If it makes you feel better, you can throw me around too.

[ clearly this will help. ]

[speckling]

[ nods sadly at the confidentiality. she says "right now" and that can give him hope, so madara will try to be be patient. maybe someone will figure it out in the underground above them and tell him somehow. that'd be nice, because then they were getting somewhere. ]

I know, that was definitely a stabbing I had to do... and I'm sorry couldn't make it less painful.

[ the sendoff was great though, even if it was planned she'd die. i mean, mod character life :/ ]

If we both felt pain from the same sort of thing, even if it's in different ways... I don't need to throw you around. I'd want there to be someone to stop me from going too far, like Terra-san did for Ranpo-san. Both of them and you are enough to convince an idiot he should try to let go of feeling lied to.

[ he's quiet and looking contemplative, but his hands tremble a little. ]

Haha, I'm asking for a lot for an Erased person, aren't I, Maya-san? The idea that the fate of my life, death, revival,or whatever it is, my future is not in my hands anymore... I don't like that at all! But, no matter what happens to me when this game is done, I'd still like to do my best here and feel less like an idiot.

The dream of "living" is to "die" without regrets after all, right?

[ the quotes are because he's dead and now, a bit more dead. ]

[feytality]

You don't need to apologize for that.

[ mod character life indeed. :/ ] .... And you don't need to let go of that, either. Don't push yourself.

[ she gives his hands a squeeze. ]

You aren't asking for a lot. Everyone wants to be in control of their own fate -- that kind of helplessness hurts. Doing our best is all anyone can hope for, anyway.

[ he's double deda. ]

1/2

[speckling]

[ look he may be double deda, but he appreciates her saying that. what are valid feelings? his friend's friends killed him, his partner's a reaper... he just wants to push through and not be horribly lost. ]

Mm. Then I want to ask, who are Maya-san's remaining Reapers? All I can do is quietly support them from here, but the Erased ones... I can definitely watch over them for you. They're not bad people.

[ junko is a bit unfortunate... but no, he says that sincerely with a gentle smile. look he can be mikeji-mama again, it's all good! or if the future predicts through back tags, a mikeji-menace... speaking of! ]

[speckling]

[ madara lowers their hands without letting go, taking a step to reduce whatever distance is between them. all so he can lean forward and down a little so their foreheads touch. ]

When the new location in Shibuya is good for it, I'll call out for you again and take you out for something nice. Okay?

[ he actually says that quietly because of the proximity. ]

[feytality]

Sorry, I can't tell you that, Madara. But --- I'll let them know you're rooting for them. So, if they end up here.... at least they'll have one friend.

[ gosh, he's going to have to lean really far down to make their foreheads touch, she's short af. maya blinks at the proximity, because she's a loser who's never been on a date before on her life and also has no idea what he's doing.]

Um.... sure? We can hang out.

[ that's what he want, right, she's an oblivious dummy. ]

[speckling]

[ leaning down considerably is fine! it might even be bowing at this point but he's definitely do it for her! also the obliviousness is fine too. he's actually chill and not thirsty? ]

That's good enough! Thank you for telling them in my stead.

[ ...close enough? maya you pure higher-level reaper person. sipp you menace. ]

Okay! I'll hope for a good burger place in the future.