baptizer | week 7 | tuesday morning

...Mm, yeah. I was.

[ it's a soft admission, punctuated with a gaze that betrays how much she's thinking. yuno's mind is racing, and it's in such a selfish manner. ]

You-- Do you remember when you told me I was comforting you, during the trial?

[ it's so selfish. surely, elizabeth is suffering far more, but yuno can't stand it; the idea of being abandoned, again, it leaves her throat tight and her blood hot. ]

I do.

[ She knows Yuno had been there, blinded by her own loyalty to the girl. It was selfless, and part of her was never use to someone going out to such lengths. ]

I would have felt a lot more alone if you weren't there.

[ that's enough for yuno. a smile splashes across her face, genuine; it's something that just happens. she can't help it -- liz actually felt good because of her. because of yuno, liz felt less alone. her heart beats so loud and yuno understands that she has... she has something of a purpose on this ship, beyond getting home. maybe, some day, together.... she and elizabeth could-- ]

That's all I wanted to know.

[ the truth, delivered in a bubbly, cheerful tone. ]

Has anyone tried to hurt you? Have you been safe?

[ Yuno's not nearly the closest person to her on the ship, but the girl, in her eyes, has shown nothing but kindness. It makes Liz let her walls down, easing them after the week from utter hell. ]

I've been fine - I've... been careful of showing my face. There's a few things I need to do, but.. people have been as you'd expect.

[ She gives a reassuring, forced smile. ]

I'm use to being alone so I don't find withdrawing such a terrible thought.

[ there's a comforting hand placed upon elizabeth's shoulder; strong and confident, as if yuno really does know what she's doing. ]

You're not alone. You've got me.

[ isn't it the truth? the warm smile on yuno's lips grows just a tad. ]

I -

[ She was ready to protest. To selfishly deny the girl's claim. In that moment, it would be far easier to suffer this guilt alone than drag anyone else in.

She reaches up, lacing her fingers against Yuno's. ]

Thank you. Thank you, truly, for being here.

[ it isn't so often that yuno is fine with someone touching her. elizabeth was the first on the ship to do that; she was the first to reach out to yuno. elizabeth... is the first to really look at her on this ship. to thank her so genuinely.

...it feels good. it's like she's being praised. ]

I'm always going to be here. There isn't a whole lot that I'm good at, but protecting someone... I've done it twice before. I-- he was happy. With me... [ yukki definitely loved her. he definitely appreciated her. he'll come to do those things again. she knows it. ]

But you-- you're down here. Why? If you're scared, you can come stay with me. Being locked up... it's not fun.

Edited 2016-07-23 19:46 (UTC)

[ Oh lord. Hearing Yuno... how passionate her words are, she doesn't doubt them for a second. People had loved ones at home - family, friends, lovers... there was no reason to question the validity of it all. ]

I'm happy with you, Yuno. Please don't ever doubt that.

[ NO ELIZABETH!! Shit. Shit. ]

Being locked up - it's a familiar feeling. [ Back history time. ] I'm afraid that some habits are hard to kill. I didn't have much else back in Columbia. A cell or a tower - some might think me being there is for the greater good.

[ But, Yuno's offer... she looks away. ]

I don't want to endanger you.

[ that's -- it's certainly familiar sounding, yuno realizes. her breath hitches. ]

...You're not endangering me. I've played a game like this before. [ ... and won, but it's unsaid. implied, perhaps, by her being in front of liz now. ] I-- After my mom and dad died, I had to do it, to protect Yukki.

[ but, really, hearing the way liz says she's happy with her, yuno thinks that she's way prettier than a princess in a tower. it's only natural. after all, elizabeth is here, and she's real. that's way better than a fairy tale. ]

Wait - Yuno...?

[ The admittance was so casual, it snaps her gaze back. The bright-haired, "sweet" girl that had to be younger than herself... she was apart of this? Her heart hurts, looking at the way Yuno looks to her... as if this was nothing new. ]

Child, I'm so -

[ She wouldn't ask if she's killed. If she's tainted her hands with blood. Elizabeth had as well, now. ]

I'm so sorry. No one should go through this - through any variable of a game like this... You're strong enough to survive again then, Yuno.

[ Elizabeth isn't totally naive to the girl. If the girl's done this, she has to stay on guard. Through a forced smile, she doesn't want to condemn her. She did as she did. ]

I will. [ she knows she will. elizabeth is right to interpret yuno's blunt admission as feeling this is nothing new; killing is in her bones now. survival is a theme in her life she has experienced for so long. she doesn't deny it, either, that can survive again. yuno gasai does not hold herself in regard, but when she's made a decision, she sticks to it. she's going to win. she'll survive, and make it back home. ]

And I'll make sure you do, too. I'll make sure no one hurts you. You, Dave, Mr. Jack... I-- [ rhys was going to be one of them, she thinks. yuno catches herself, though. no. she won't admit that. instead, she laughs a little bit. it's strained. ] Luke and Adrien have been helpful in solving the murders, too, though. Marinette, as well. Um...

I've been locked up, before. I understand the feeling... Mom, she put me in a cage, so I put her and dad in there, instead. [ ... that's how they died, but yuno doesn't go that far. there's a point where elizabeth can understand her, she thinks. she won't cross that point. she won't risk it. when she does... people leave her. she has to start all over again. it's good she found yukki, but that feeling of emptiness, of not knowing what was next for her... she won't do it again. not here. ]

It feels a little similar here, but because of people like you, I think it's possible that it's not that bad.

[ Elizabeth is almost afraid now. To know this girl had seen so much - experienced so much if this game was any indication. She wears a mask, she assumes, and now, Elizabeth tries her best to keep herself thinking positively. It's not hard - she has pity for Yuno and truly wants... to see her live this through.

Her stance stiffens when she mentions Jack and looks away. It's not obvious that they're on a rocky relationship at the moment, but she doesn't speak ill. She's too involved in her own personal vendetta to drag anyone else in. She can only pray Yuno isn't caught in the crossfire. It would be too much.

Elizabeth reaches forward, latching her fingers against the girl's wrist. The admittance of the cage isn't horrifying - it's ... she doesn't quite know how to pin it. Instead, she hugs Yuno, tightly holding her and whisper in her ears: ]

Good. Let them pay.

[ Her voice was unlike anything anyone had heard. It lacked sympathy. It lacked regret. The times Elizabeth wished she could chain Comstock inside of the tower, leave him there to rot alone and old... it's crossed her minds.

She holds tightly onto Yuno, pulling back to look at the girl. ]

Stay close with Luke and Adrien - they've began to show that they're trustworthy. [ She doesn't touch on the others, but she specifically focuses on them. ] Luke'll protect you. I promise you he will.

[ it's the hug that shocks her the most. there's something about elizabeth now, from the hair cut to the sharpness in her features, that doesn't make such a cold statement feel unnatural. from the lips of a woman scorned, "let them pay"... it's befitting of her, somehow. yuno isn't sure about it, but she thinks elizabeth might be right. let them pay for what they did to her. for all her suffering. she thought that she'd be happy with a family, but they took it from her so easily. it was as simple as not coming home from work, in the end.

the command (yuno hears it as a command, at least) to keep close to adrien and luke is heard with open ears and an open mind. she nods, slowly. ]

Luke, he's. I know him. He's across from me in the unit. [ he's got kind of an elder sibling vibe to him, she thinks. judar, too. ] If I need something, I'll go to him. Is he... he's a friend of your's? Adrien, too?

[ Is she no different than Jack? When Elizabeth looks at Yuno, she projects. She sees a girl who was finally free and coping. She projects her feelings on herself and that... is a deathly mistake. It twists Elizabeth's perception, a bias to the girl disregarding her feelings in the matter. ]

He's a friend, yes. Over the past week. Since... since Hancock died, he helped the ship a lot. He's helped me a lot.

[ She wants to say 'don't trust anyone' but at her root, she still has faith. ]

Adrien is a nice boy - Marinette is great company as well. They'll look after you if something happens to me. I promise you, you won't be alone.

Nothing is going to happen to you.

[ it's spoken so firmly, but it's without a hint of venom. there's no anger in her voice, only a desperation. yuno's determined to see this through with liz, even if it means that she has to argue about it early in the morning, next to the holding room.

it's symbolic, maybe. elizabeth can walk out of there, and she can walk off this ship, too. there's nothing holding her back. ]

I told you. I've played a game like this before. I won't let anything happen to you! Elizabeth, we-- me and you, we'll make it off this ship. We just... we have to find a way to end this game.

[ ...there's a lingering sort of tone to her voice, as if she hasn't even begun to consider how to end the game without people alive. ]

[ She clutches onto the girl's shoulders a bit tightly, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. This... she knows it will end in blood. A lamb was made to be slaughtered, was it not? ]

I'll stay safe, Yuno. Don't worry.

[ That's all she can say, right? To reassure her? ]

I need you to worry about yourself, too. This isn't just some simple game now - roles, creatures...

[ creatures, elizabeth says, and it sticks to the air like the unspoken conversation it is. yuno does not brush it aside this time. ]

I'm scared of them.

[ a gentle admission. elizabeth doesn't need to worry about yuno, though; she does that for herself, too. even if she doesn't show it, the thought is always there. she inhales, exhales, sharply. ]

But I'm not afraid of the people they took.

[ rhys was... unfortunate. she thought they might be able to understand each other. one day, right? just like with mom and dad, there was a glimmer of hope that maybe yuno could connect with someone, and then... and then he went off the rails. ]

You came back. We can bring them back, too. There's more, isn't there...? We just need to know which they are, and vote right.

I am too.

[ She replies without a beat. It's personal for Elizabeth and she's... not quite sure how to put it. It was fear. Fear of everything that she can't quite understand. ]

That's nearly impossible. We ... there's just no way of knowing. You saw how easily my mind was betrayed. ...Frankenstein - [ His name was bitter to her, her own guilt budding. ] - he didn't get the luxury of returning.

That's--

[ don't say it like that, elizabeth, she thinks. bitterness shouldn't be coloring her tone, guilt shouldn't be the throne she sits on. ][ elizabeth didn't do anything. it was something else, something inhuman and horrifying. it used her body to hurt hancock, nothing more, nothing less. ]

You weren't the culprit. They won't be the culprit either, right? It's gone. I saw it. It's definitely gone, so that's how we can stop them. And then, we'll get off the ship.

week 7 | tuesday morning

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

prepare your butt

I WASNT PREPARED

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject