come out of hiding, i'm right here beside you

[barehands]

[A while after the execution has ended, everyone will find a simple note slipped under their door.]

If you don't want to be alone after everything that's happening, some of us will be in the dining room. Even if you decide not to come, please remember that you aren't alone here.

[The note isn't signed, but the handwriting is feminine and neat.

For anyone who decides to come, there's a good array of food laid out on the table. There are some small and simple cakes, cookies, and pastries, a healthy amount of okonomiyaki, okayu, and other Japanese dishes (with a focus on rice and eggs), along with curry. In addition, there are pancakes, and a large pot of soup. It looks like a few people collaborated to make enough food for everyone here.

Just like the meal they shared together earlier in the week, the candles from the storage room lend a more peaceful light than the fluorescent lights above.]

Comments

[relieable]

[Osomatsu is sitting in his bed, legs drawn up to his knees, and he's tucked away in the very corner, trying to process all that he's seen today. why did people have to die? why did Arietta kill Felicia? he still doesn't understand. except... she said she did it for her family.

so maybe Osomatsu could understand that.

in any case, the note is slipped under his door. and he stares at it a long time before he goes to pick it up and look it over. he's been crying a little bit, but only because he's frustrated and sad. he doesn't cry that often, but when he does, it's usually in a place where people can't see him. he wipes at his eyes and decides that maybe he... should go out and eat with everyone. it would be better than being alone. and he is hungry, since he tossed up whatever he had in his stomach, which wasn't a lot to begin with.

he's still wearing the clothes that he arrived in. he'll probably, eventually, need to change, but this was what he was most comfortable in. he looks at the spread of food, surprised that so many people could band together and make this happen even after what they all witnessed. he takes a bit of food to start off with, hoping he can keep it down, and he's mildly comforted by the fact that there are a lot of Japanese dishes out here]

[nachetanya]

Osomatsu, might I sit next to you?

[ Asked the bunny princess in the nurse outfit, a smile playing on her lips. Her own eyes are clouded as well. ]

[relieable]

[oh, hey! Naa-chan... Osomatsu turns his head up to give her a small smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes]

Hey, of course! You can sit wherever y'want.

[nachetanya]

Thank you.

[ And so, well, she will. ]

Are you doing alright, now?

[ She. Doubts it!! but still. ]

[relieable]

[he picks at his food, not making eye contact]

Um... Not gonna lie. I've been... Better. A lot better.

[nachetanya]

A lot of us have been, I'm sure.

[ she moves around the items on her own plate. ]

After all, we're now twenty-eight, not thirty.

[relieable]

[Osomatsu sucked in a breath. right. two people wouldn't wake up tomorrow, he wouldn't find Arietta practicing at the piano, or holding her doll, or...]

...

[he dropped his head and, for a moment, it looked like he might be crying, the way his shoulders shook. but when he lifted his head, there were no tears. there was just a sad smile]

You know, at first, I was r-really mad that I was here by myself. Now... I'm glad my brothers aren't here.

[nachetanya]

[ Nachetanya's expression doesn't really shift the whole time, watching him react. She does set down her fork, though. Her face remains at the idly sympathetic level, but when he raises his gaze, she reaches out to - well, her one hand goes to try and touch the side of his face. ]

One of the brothers could still be lost here, even now. And I hope you know you still can be lonely.

[relieable]

[touch his face? wow... usually when women touch Osomatsu's face, it's to punch him. so he's quite shocked by Nachetanya's action. he almost doesn't know what to say]

L-Lonely? [he squeaks out, then clears his throat] I mean... Lonely? [deeper voice] I'm not that lonely. I've got you here to keep me company!

[that other thing she mentioned... Osomatsu's just going to ignore it for now. he's already thought about that a lot]

[nachetanya]

I'm not one of your brothers, though.

[ The hand lingers for a long moment. Her fingers are soft, but a little bit calloused. She is a swordsman. And... well, she lingers then before brushing around her cheek, and pulls back. ]

Still, you're flattering me now.

[ she brings her hand up over her mouth, as if blushing (even if she doesn't) ]

[relieable]

[OH NO SHE'S CUTE???

BUT THERE WAS JUST A MURDER AND A TRIAL SO FLIRTING DOESN'T SEEM APPROPRIATE????

Osomatsu clears his throat and picks at his food, a light blush staining his own cheeks when he thinks about Nachetanya touching his face. geez, he's such a loser]

Y-You may not be one of my brothers, but... [but what?] But we're still friends, right?

[nachetanya]

I'd like to hope so... But if you say so, Osomatsu, it must be true.

[ she says with a bright smile - the hand lowers, and she laughs a little for it, a bit girlish. The hand drops to the table, spreading out there. ]

[relieable]

[he smiled at her again, but this smile was softer, more genuine. gosh, he was meeting such great people here... even Arietta had been great, despite what had happened.

he found that after chatting with Nachetanya, his appetite was picking up. he still probably wouldn't touch the curry, but the other stuff would be fine. she had cheered Osomatsu up considerably]

Yeah, yeah, I do say so! [just declaring himself friends with a princess, nbd] So if you ever need something, you can come to me, an' I'll do my best to help you out.

[heritrix]

[Rin eyes the plate he's making for himself, as she stands over in a corner here working at a bowl of rice.]

Homesick?

[The word sounds harsh to her ears, overly loud in this blanket of cotton quiet, but she mean it to do so. She was hoping to sound gentle.]

[relieable]

[hm? Osomatsu looks up and over to where the voice came from, and he sees a girl he recognizes from the trial. the one that found the shoe. ah, man. so many kids here]

Little bit. [he admits, once he's filled his plate. well, it's not completely full. he avoided some foods that might make him sick right now. and he meanders over towards her] That was pretty rough.

[heritrix]

That's putting it lightly. [Rin brushes back her hair.] I knew it had to be bad, from the first moment we spoke to the Transmitter, but that wasn't what I expected.

[relieable]

[a grimace, but he nods]

I don't... I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that! Y'think it's gonna be like this the whole time we're here?

[heritrix]

[Without missing a beat, and grave seriousness:]

If it happens again, almost definitely.

[relieable]

[yiiiiikes. now he has even less of an appetite]

...Guess it's better to be prepared, anyway. [a beat, and then he looks up] So, uh. Where ya from?

[heritrix]

[Sorry about that, Osomatsu. But this is a good subject change.]

Fuyuki, Japan. [She offers, with a little smile.] You?

[relieable]

[he's been doing a lot of subject changes lately! this one seems like a good one. and besides, he gets to learn about someone else who is from Japan! he's not quiiiite sure where Fuyuki is, but that's okay, Osomatsu's not that bright anyway, so he just assumes that he doesn't know because he didn't pay attention in school]

I'm from Japan too! From a little place called Akatsuka Ward.

[heritrix]

[It's definitely that, and not that Fuyuki is a non-existent fictional city. Please study more, Osomatsu-san.]

Akatsuka?

[She tilts her head, trying to recall if she's ever heard of that before. Oh, she thinks she heard of an Akatsuka Gardens, once.]

The name is charming. Do you like it there?

[relieable]

[heh! charming, huh? he supposes it is, in its own way]

Oh, yeah! It's pretty fun, gotta lot of [weird] interesting people. [including his family]

[heritrix]

[It has the word "red" in its etymology, so it sounds like her kind of place!]

I don't think I've ever been to a small place like that. I always wondered what it might be like to live in one.

[relieable]

[Osomatsu likes red too!]

Yeah, it's one of those places where ya know almost everyone. I mean, it's still pretty big, but I've been everywhere.