Daan

[residentflorist]

code

Digitalis
Old English folklore said that foxes wore the flowers on their paws
to silence movement and stealthily stalk prey.
Healing, pain, insincerity, insecurity

Comments

[residentflorist]

That sounds like a challenge, Daan. [she will drag him clothes shopping, don't test her.] But doesn't sound too bad. Even with the rain.

[she's going to continue being a little pouty that this place has been hiding all sorts of good fruit and vegetables while they've been stuck with bland bullshit. but her sights are on the ocean, even as she tilts her head with that statement.]

You think so? [a few people have said that to her, and she thinks it's a little funny.] Maybe. But...I've never actually seen something like this until really recently.

[recession]

It's not.

[ It's not!!! Though do manhandle him into a Hawaiian shirt if it pleases, I think it'd be funny for it to happen just once. He just will never be in the mood to wear one casually. ]

Guess it must be the sun, or the rolling waves. The breeze?

Something about it.

[residentflorist]

Could be. [she may very well try for her own amusement just the once, but that's for a little later. instead, they have hit the edge of the sand and she's careful as she steps down onto it, stopping shortly just to take in the ocean and the setting sun.]

I think maybe I wouldn't mind living somewhere like this. It's so different from where we were before, but it feels pretty peaceful right now. ["we" sounds like it could be a reference to all of them and the little spooky town, but the tone implies it's a different "we."]

[recession]

[ He still holds her arm to support her as she steps down, but will let go and watch from here if she steps too far. ]

Sounds like a pretty good idea, if you ask me.

The sun's bright and warm.

[residentflorist]

[she seems to be reveling in the fact it's here at all than rushing straight for the water's edge, at least, lingering to take it all in.]

I've missed it. [the warmth. the light. all of that.] We never got this much light and air back in Midgar, and we were only in Costa del Sol for a short time. It's definitely a thought.

[recession]

Well? Why not go enjoy it a little bit?

Think you deserve a break.

[residentflorist]

[a pause.]

You mean here? Or when we get back?

[recession]

Here.

It's hard, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have to wallow in the grim forever.

Everyone's allowed a bit of sun.

[residentflorist]

That's true. [she doesn't necessarily want to wallow or be in the grim forever even if she's still getting used to being under an open sky.] ...that's a good reminder for all of us, I think. Even if it feels impossible for some.

[but she will go ahead and take a few little steps toward the water.]

And who knows when we'll get another chance like this again anyway? [if something else happens this week...well. that'll make it harder to shake off the grim.]

[recession]

Yeah... you never know.

[ Go on and have a bit of fun, Aerith. ]

Pretty rude of this place if it were to give us something nice and then just take it away.

[residentflorist]

[there she go. but she's just increasing the volume of her tone a little so they can still talk. perhaps she will simply walk into the ocean and never come back.]

It would be. [...] ...we have to remember that they want something from us. So they won't purposefully hurt us or keep our living conditions too bad in case it messes up what they can use us for. But that doesn't mean they won't be trying other things on their own that could affect us anyway.

[like summoning monsters that'll make one of them go crazy without warning. it's a little more negative than what she usually says, but it's more factual than anything. both of those things can be true. they can have something nice, but still be in a bad situation.]

[recession]

[ She would be so fucking valid for that. Goodbye forever. ]

...Based on what it looks like, that's probably true. Wouldn't be much of a blood sacrifice if we die of starvation. Or if we kill ourselves, although maybe that'd still count towards it.

[ Not that that's a suggestion in any way. If it'll be a loss for them and a 50/50 win for the cultists, then he sees no point in doing that. ]

Pretty complicated emotional equation we're dealing with, huh? Deserve a break... but it might only make it hurt more later. Only natural that we want to avoid getting hurt.

[residentflorist]

I didn't think about that. [...she kind of wonders if somebody should actually ask if suicide would count toward the sacrifice. not that she would suggest it as an answer, but she's worried some people might be pushed to the point of doing it to get out of here anyway.]

But that's exactly it. We have something nice and we have opportunities to have some fun and relax with each other, but it's an easy way to hurt each other later. Look at what happened last week. [nat and yuul really said "you will care about our hsrs" and obliterated everybody.] Those bonds will only get stronger and stronger the longer we're here making good memories and trying to enjoy what we're given. It makes sense some people will want to resist that, but...is it wrong to say we can't let them?

[recession]

[ It really was so much. Me playing HSR later that day and seeing Boothill walk around and me like you're supposed to be dead... ]

...It would be wrong to say you can't, yeah.

And on the other hand, it'd probably at least dissuade the... other options we've been given. If you've seen them.

[ How nice of this place to give them motivation to willingly kill someone on top of everything else. What the fuck. ]

[residentflorist]

...you mean that cavern in the swamp that opened up? Yeah. I looked there earlier, too. The promised rewards really are something.

[and it's scary to think some of those could work given some of the circumstances of people's worlds.]

What do you think of them so far?

[recession]

Insane, obviously.

[ Let's just get that out of the way first. ]

...But it's undeniable they might appeal to some people. It sounds too good to be true, but I feel it's true -- and I can't seem to fully shake off my attempts at forcing disbelief, either.

[residentflorist]

...I asked about the wish we can get if we find our partners. Famine said it was absolutely true, so it would make sense that those kinds of items would also be able to work the way they're meant to.

It's also a good way to ensure you can get what you want that you'd ask for from a wish without tying yourself to another person. If you thought you could get away with hurting someone else.

[recession]

...

[ He doesn't look like he likes that very much. ]

Keeping our options open, huh? Just in case. Maybe even something that's easier to justify -- get a wish and take out a possessed person yourself, do everyone a favour.

[residentflorist]

...but how would anyone know who's possessed? We didn't even realize something was wrong with Boothill until the end of that trial.

[recession]

Worst case scenario? Because we let one get away.

[ And whatever consequences that might come from that. ]

[residentflorist]

[she is absolutely thinking worst case scenarios now. it's not great, and for a moment she's quietly watching the water before she drops to a crouch in the sand.]

That's also thinking they'll be successful in fighting them off in the first place. Or bothering with them at all. [and not just going after another person, period.]

[recession]

Desperation is what they're preying on. Might only be a matter of time.

People can do some crazy stuff when they're pushed to the limit.

[residentflorist]

You saw how many people were willing to volunteer to sacrifice themselves during that trial, didn't you? That's only going to amplify the longer we're here. That's what worries me most about introducing these kinds of things.

[people's desperation...bad.]

[recession]

[ He sighs... rather heavily about the sacrificial volunteering. Yeah he remembers. You dumb bastards. ]

Hopefully, we won't be doing anything stupid like that for the sake of people who willingly went out of their way to kill.

And even then... considering the premises of what we know, putting a stop to the afflicted people would be better for both parties in the long run anyway. They stay possessed, and will keep killing, according to what the overseers said.

[residentflorist]

Yeah. [...] When I asked War about what would happen if someone were afflicted and someone else took care of them. They seemed to think we wouldn't have to perform the preparations for a ritual like we did a few days ago. So that's something people might keep in mind, too.

[it will not work that way because this is a murdergame, but still.]

Finding the afflicted should be a priority. The other thing is...if we don't find that person and they're still out there killing, what's going to stop the cult from interfering and giving us a second afflicted person?