[week three - monday]

[ceded]

[ Why does everything always happen so much?

Xion comes back to their shared room at around midday on Monday, looking tired, although better rested than she seemed at any point in the weekend. And of course, it's something that she's actually here, after being missing on Thursday and then Saturday nights.

She feels a little bad. Maybe she should talk to Tarvek about what's been going on.

Which ... makes it rather helpful that she ends up running into him there when she's simply returning for an item she forgot. She'll pause with a soft "oh!" and then smile a little, waving. ]

Hi, Tarvek. How are you doing?

[ Kind of a soft open, but she'll work her way up to what she really wants to talk about. ]

Comments

[dubiousalignment]

[Hello, Xion. Tarvek was sitting on his bed, looking towards the window and not really being able to see anything outside. The recent events had been rather unusual, and although Tarvek had a lot of experience in life-endangering situations, this one was nothing like any of them. To be honest, he was feeling a bit disoriented and worried, although he still didn't think he was in any danger himself.

Other people would feel different, though. Like Xion. How was she taking the execution of one of the people in the town, and the tree of corpses the Sheriff made for no reason?]

Ms. Xion, welcome back. I am...rattled about what has happened so far, but there's no time to panic.

[He looks at her with attention, trying to assess her emotional state]

What about you? Things like death and people hanging from somewhere can be traumatic to those who aren't used to situations like those, I know that.

[ceded]

[ Pluto isn't with her, largely because she'd asked him to wait outside while she ran in for what she thought would be a quick trip. Will he be okay out there? Then again, she thinks, he'll probably fall asleep in the shade of the porch, so that's probably alright.

So she hops up onto her bed to sit, letting her legs swing a little as she braces her hands on the blankets. She's ... calm, at the very least. ]

Yeah ... I saw that this morning. [ Her mouth thins into a line. ] It's really gross, and gruesome, but I'm okay. It was worse during the weekend.

[ Somehow the trials, actually investigating, make it more real. The bodies just hanging around ... is way more surreal, in some sense. Like they're props, instead of real people who just died. She gives her head a little shake and then tires to smile. ]

I want to support everyone, more than anything. So, I'll be brave. Don't worry about me!

[dubiousalignment]

[Well if she's trying to disguise how she feels it's working, not that it stops Tarvek from suspecting she's trying to make a brave face. If there were a way to know how much the situation is affecting her...

...but asking directly won't work. Well!]

Don't you think it's unsafe to spend the night outside too often? I know you weren't here on Saturday night.

['too often' being 'twice', apparently! And although Tarvek knows murders are for Thursday nights, it's a bit sketchy for people to go wandering around during the nights now that the Sheriff mentioned something about Bandits. You wouldn't let him convince you to be a Bandit, would you, Xion?]

[ceded]

[ That produces a groan. Like, an actual groan. ]

I'm sorry! [ Xion tucks her hair behind her ear, sighing. ] That was stupid. I was upset, and ... I wasn't thinking. [ She gives her head a rough shake. ] I'll try not to do it again. It's lucky that nothing happened.

[ SIIIIGHS. Heavily. ] I know I was away a lot. First Thursday night, then Saturday... I wanted to say sorry, actually. [ She gives him a somewhat uncertain and shy glance. ] I had to watch the camera, and then I ran away like that... I shouldn't be leaving you alone. We're all safer in pairs. I'll try to stay. But ... can I ask you something, Tarvek?

[dubiousalignment]

Don't do it for me, do it for you. This town is turning out to be more dangerous than I expected.

[A question? Huh...]

What is it?

[ceded]

It's about the camera. The one I talked about at the trial.

[ She's frowning a little now, sitting up straight and looking very serious. ]

I want to keep ... reporting what I find on Thursday nights. But I'll understand if you don't want me to bring the camera here. It could be dangerous for you.

[dubiousalignment]

Of course you can bring the camera here.

[He doesn't even hesitate]

We'll need all the information we can get. Don't worry about me, what matters is to do everything we can to catch anyone who dares to murder.

I can help you with the camera, take turns or some alternative like that one. You don't have to stay awake the whole night.

[ceded]

[ Xion pulls in a quiet breath, which makes her realize she'd been holding it in the first place. It's a huge relief to hear that. Words spill out of her now that the flood gate has opened. ]

Are you sure? It's dangerous. I don't know if anyone will still want to come after me, or us, for the camera, but the risk ... it's still real. I don't want you to get hurt. [ It's achingly sincere, and probably at once obvious as the reason why she didn't bring the camera here last Thursday in the first place. ]

I don't mind staying awake. It's my responsibility now, and I'm going to do the best I can. [ She's dead serious about this, given the stubbornly determined look on her face. ] Just ... are you really sure?

[dubiousalignment]

I'm capable of defending myself quite well, actually. [A pause] Please don't tell that to anyone, I'd like that to be a secret for now. [If a killer tries to attack him, he wants to have the element of surprise regarding his surprising agility. Thank goodness that training wasn't related to his spark]

So yes, I'm completely sure. I appreciate you asking for my opinion, but I completely trust you to do the right thing. Bring that camera anytime you want.

[ceded]

[ Xion blinks a few times, then nods her head, much of the remaining tension draining from her shoulders. Tarvek can fight... she didn't know. That makes her feel a lot better about having the camera here. ]

Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.

[ His faith in her gets a shy, grateful smile. ]

Okay. What I'll do is bring it up here on Thursday evenings. I'd like to lock myself in at that point, but I don't want to lock you out if you're not ready to stop for the night... [ She trails off, looking uncertain, wondering how they can do this. ]

[dubiousalignment]

I'd have no problem coming here early in Thursday evenings. It's not like there's much reason for anyone to be wandering outside at that time, anyways.

[ceded]

[ Wow. He's awfully cooperative. It's nice! If ... starting to become a little surprising. He has no problem with any of this? That's ... that's really great! ]

Okay. Then that's what we'll do this week.

[ Xion smiles a little, pressing a hand to her chest. ]

This is all a big relief. Thank you, Tarvek! I knew I could count on you.

[dubiousalignment]

[Well he sees no reason to object to any of Xion's proposals. It all seems sensible, and although he'd prefer her to not to spend all the night awake, she doesn't seem willing to change her mind on that]

Hey, I'm in full support of anything that can save lives or catch a culprit once they kill someone. Of course I'd support you.

[Although...well, now that Xion has been planning and all he may as well mention his own plans]

There's a project I'd like to do, too, but unlike your plans I don't think mine is bound to be useful. I'd feel better if I could do it, though, it's something that has been puzzling me for a while already.

[ceded]

[ Her smile melts into something real. Tarvek ... is a really good person. Out of all the people here she could have ended up with, she got really lucky to have him.

Curiosity makes her perk up at what he says, though. ]

A project? A project like what?

[dubiousalignment]

I want to try to find out why the Homestead is so well taken care of in comparison to the town. Everything must have a cause, if I can find out why it's happening, there's a chance it could be useful.

It's not a guarantee, but I want to try.

[The thing is that Tarvek doesn't really have experience about sleeping in the wilderness -- so to say. He's not very sure how that's supposed to go]

[ceded]

[ ... the Homestead ...

Well. She doesn't know the answer either, but she does know something about that place. But she can take care of it another time. For right now, she looks considering for a moment, and then nods. ]

Well, what do you want to do? You could try spying on it.