[ god hulkenberg is RUNNING AWAY from the network and also from the lounge, although it's more of a brisk powerwalk so that she doesn't look like she's genuinely fleeing. goodbye!
mordalion can find her later in the shopping mall, looking at things and now less embarrassed by... everything. she looks up when she notices him joining her, giving a nod. ]
A bit of deja vu, I think... we met the first time in a clothing store.
[ yeah he took one look at that and just immediately decided it was none of his business (to comment. definitely read it all). nods at her recollection, though, picking through some shirts. ]
[ she does... crinkle her nose a little, to remember it. your fashion is kind of questionable, mords. ]
A bit, I will admit now. [ she could be apologetic, but. she's only like 50% so, because it's not really that important? and also was months ago for her. ] 'Tis just not something seen in Euchronia proper, really, such patterns and cuts. But we do have a vast variety to choose from once again. I suppose I will be seeing stranger yet.
but yeah it doesn't really matter to him either. his ears pick up a little in what might be vague amusement, but as usual his expression and tone are the same. today he's in a plain shirt and jeans, looking as normal as he can while still being himself and having poison eater strapped to his waist. ]
It's not as if I dress that way all the time. Those patterns are for holidays, to separate from the working environment. [ holds out a blood-red button-down to her. thoughts? ] Euchronia is behind on the concept, it seems.
[ god i owe you so many tags we really just get eaten by the team post
anyways, hulkenberg can be found at... congratulations! she's sitting at one of the booths, not actually eating anything and instead sitting there with her head in hand, eyes closed. her halberd is in the booth with her, propped against the wall on the inside, always ready for something.
her eyes open as her ears twitch, hearing someone, but seeing mordalion she closes her eyes again. it's fine. just another knight. another ally. her teammate, in all of this.
but so, too, were rosamund and wiš'adel. ]
... I enjoyed very little, about the trial in Key Neuve. I cannot say I enjoyed last week's, either.
But I did not take any pleasure whatsoever in this one, for a myriad of reasons. And if Lady Rosamund was, in fact, a culprit... North said 'twould be in our hands what to do with the second.
mordalion's expression and manner are the same as always. for someone who has lived so long, done so much - there's little that is able to change it. but there's a slight tightness to the corners of his eyes as he listens to hulkenberg speak, sliding into the booth across from her as he props his own sword against the wall.
teammates. allies. it was never that easy. ]
Both of their insistent denials are uncharacteristic. Even Wis'adel, who is not forthcoming, would allow her horns to be checked for triviality previously.
If this is possession, or motivated by those items... those are quite different circumstances, as well.
hulkenberg can detect that tightness, when she opens her eyes again to look at him, straightening back up with a rough exhale of a sigh. both hands rest on the table, like she's pushing herself back into the booth seat with it. that it has someone that's so consistent in temperament reacting as such... ]
Flippancy and impatience. [ for weesh and rosie, respectively. ] Nevermind digging their heels in. We've not known them long, true, but it takes very little to begin to understand a person when you live with them, and spend such high-stress time amongst each other.
[ leaning back in the booth, arms crossed... thinking, back through their past two weeks. by now their own game had been in its bizarre final stages, but that seemed to be unusual from how many of the others spoke.
a shallow sigh. ]
They're very compelling temptations. With the upfront statement of promised revivals, it's unsurprising that some would be swayed. Especially those used to taking lives. It's a test of will, but also of circumstance.
[ it's so strange to think that, by now, they were preparing to go home in key neuve. the wenis group, too, were seeing their mess to an end, though she understands very little of the bare facts that she's learned about their experience.
not that any of this will ever make sense, really. ]
Yet there is the looming presence of the Auditors above us - I doubt that they would honour a promise of revival, were they to believe we failed their little set of games.
[ congrats, mordalion, you've caught the person that was doing the dedication plants for the deceased.
hulkenberg is on her knees with her feet folded under her, hair pulled back in a ponytail as she works with planting some seeds and tending to them. next to her is a pen and those little plant tags that you stick in the dirt to identify what you've planted, but they all have names on them instead of what the future growths will be.
she pauses when she realises someone is there, sort of freezing. there's a smear of dirt on her cheek. ]
... good morning. [ a bit sheepish? ] I was not aware anyone else would already have made it out here, though perhaps I should have known you would be one of the first...
[ and you've caught who rebalded the flowers this morning. there are about half of that half bundled in mordalion's arms - ones that can propagate with careful care. he's as quiet as ever, but he also hadn't expected anyone else to be out here so quickly.
after a moment's hesitation, he'll crouch down next to her. ]
Good morning. [ not sheepish in the slightest, despite his stolen goods. ] What are you planting?
does not at all surprise her, seeing that, and she snorts a bit. the slightest ounce humour after everything of the past week. ]
... attempting to plant some flowers for those we've lost, but I'm afraid 'tis not something I am adept at. I'm doing it based off of watching His Highness tend plants on the gauntlet runner.
Mm. He dabbles, with small planters available to us. Journeys to new places on the gauntlet runner can take a few days, so he finds what he can to entertain himself - and the herbs he grew were very helpful.
[ she watches him scrutinise her work, dusting the borrowed gloves of dirt as he does. ]
That's good news, at least. I was worried I had horribly mucked it up. But... I would be grateful, if you would want to.
[ backdates this to the two of them leaving execution, because they're both angy elves and it was such a fucking. long day. with horses and chaos.
hulkenberg shakes her head, rueful. the guilt for them condemning and innocent person to execution is there, carried on her shoulders, but - ]
How was it all the more straightforward in Key Neuve? For all the insanity of Sancoeur's claims for motivation, all the accidents and deaths, 'twas somehow simpler than all of this.
[ loss of innocent life was an extreme mood-killer, yeah. mordalion is as neutrally poised as ever, but there's a tension to him that wouldn't be noticeable to anyone but a fellow knight.
he sighs, hands still folded over the pommel of the poison eater. ]
There were fewer of us, less chaos to keep track of. Like this, too, structured in this manner... there's motivation to hide and protect and obfuscate, more than Sancoeur was ever capable of achieving on her own.
[ he's right, of course. she doesn't seem surprised or upset by the answer, because it's the correct one, and it's right there in her mind, too.
but still. ]
Quickly our numbers dwindle, but the chaos increases. 'Tis something to be said, being kept in this place like animals on display, made to entertain the auditors and slaughter one another.
But we must not let this happen again. No matter the chaos, or what we face... 'tis all unjust, but this was us. We did this.
[ she can't really comfortably sit with her legs folded under her, considering her leg still hurts even after defib, but she's sat on the floor near the bars in case her visitors want her closer.
[ there's something cold in his eyes, unlikely for her to have seen before. ]
Any of them. If what you spoke so confidently at the end was true, why obfuscate and mislead for hours? There were other cases to attend to, with culprits possibly more likely to strike again.
... because he had made me promise, to maintain it for as long as possible. I am a bad liar, Mordalion, and 'tis against my principles. But if I could make it through, as far as possible... we could have acquired something for it.
Those damned achievements we need to escape this place, something, anything that could help us.
But I do not take pride in it. I understand why you would be angry with the both of us for doing so.
[ it's the first time he's used this tone with her - the tone of a captain, a leader, one who exacts justice. not a tone he enjoys taking, but given the situation... ]
If this was a mercy kill, as implied, being upfront about it would have saved more than the attempt at keeping silent. No one would have thought either of you to attack each other intentionally. Those achievements have arbitrary conditions. Your value is greater alive and honest than dead and guilty.
[ it does prickle something up her spine, and she instinctively straightens - before catching herself. mordalion is not alces. he is not the prince. he is a comrade in arms, and someone she respects, but she does not take orders from him. ]
Maybe so. But 'tis all too late now, isn't it? I cannot take back my decision, just as much as you cannot turn back time to guarantee a different outcome, would that we could. [ ... ] This is the part that Strohl would have been better at, truth be told. He would have known the right time to reveal what happened. He would have been better suited to navigating trial.
... but he had forgotten who I was. He was the one possessed, and saw me as a threat, something about how I was fracturing. So I did what I knew that I would be better at handling, as I had promised him I would.
I'm not questioning your choices on Thursday night, although - he still didn't raise his sword against you, did he? Couldn't have viewed you as that much of a threat.
[ petty, perhaps. he always has been, and his respect for her - while under pressure, had not entirely given way yet, bringing just that flicker of equality back into his voice. the mention of fracturing is. odd, however. his eyes narrow slightly, filing that information away for later, should it be be needed. ]
But you are the first who could have made an admission, explained yourself, given us time collectively to find another culprit. To potentially find someone more dangerous, more likely to strike again. To not leave us without yet another teammate. The ripples of today will extend far beyond yourself.
[ hulkenberg can be petty, but not to those she calls friend - she gives him a look, brow visibly furrowed under her bangs, but doesn't dispute it. ]
He'd already had the lance in hand, and I gave him no chance to draw his sword or seek another target while not in his right mind. If some part of him still remained, behind the possession, 'twas not one that did not see me as a threat - 'tis giving him too little credit.
[ it's too optimistic to her, to believe that strohl was still there when he didn't remember her. that a part of him still held onto himself behind the possession. but it doesn't mean that she doesn't hope for it, in some way.
but... ]
... they will. We are fortunate in that there will be another lifeline, in the event that something happens, though 'tis one regret. [ they're too independent to be a proper team, with their stray cats and her and rosamund trying to herd them in some capacity. but she still cares for them. ] I promised him, Mordalion. Foolish as you may think me for it, reckless in all of this, I am a knight of my word.
But if you want to continue forward, in spite of the ripples... talk to Matsuno and Jonas. Miss Kate. They suspect that Asuka was the final culprit of the night, as do I. Perhaps something can be done, after the fact, that might make up for what has come to pass today. I will try to write with anything that I learn, and try to find a way to write around what obstructs the dead from sharing truth.
[ he listens, and it feels all too uncomfortably familiar. the death at hands that shouldn't have been forced to commit the act, the possession and the crushed hope of recognition. the necessity and loyalty that was so core to their relationship that it took priority over all else.
with a considering look, he sighs and nods. there wasn't a way to salvage this now, and no choice but to move forward. like it always was. ]
I suspected the same, but there is little evidence to implicate him completely. I have the thought that he and Scaramouche could have coordinated that intentionally, actually. It's all a bit vague and theatrical. [ a sour expression creases his brow for a moment. ] I'll keep an ear for your messages. [ ... ] Tell Strohl I enjoyed sharing his stories, the other night.
[ nvm we're doing more gardening on sunday for everybody. hulkenberg stands there, looking at the seeds with him, trying to make a decision on what would be best for their lost, still in her trial clothes because. she has not gone to change or sleep. the plots in the garden are already prepared, but they just... they need to plant. ]
... we're finally nearing the end of this madness. Can you believe how much longer we've been here, compared to our time in Key Neuve?
[ she runs her fingers through her bangs, tired, thumb brushing the scar that strohl left behind on her forehead in the process. ]
He's himself, now. 'Twas more that we were there to keep him from doing something he would regret, once the madness dissipated. [ mm ] Strohl found out late last night, and, so, we stayed up with him.
[ we're going to the tavern in turbo heaven, because hulkenberg was told that the other metaphors did it and then she died before it was here. very upsetting. she also finds out that there's a nice garden here, too, and figures that mordallion won't mind maybe getting a few ideas for the garden in the airport from it, even if he can't bring it back.
that said, it's still everything week. a breeze comes by, and he gets to see snippets of memories, instead of just one. ]
[ yayyy tavern... it sure has a weird sense of safety about it. what's with that! weird!! anyway,
these memories hit awfully close to home, despite all the 'tis of theeing and the odd legged ship that sets much of the scene. but corrupt officials, the claiming of what it means to be a knight? mordalion himself has never wavered in his convictions, but there had been enough around him to recognise some of the struggle, at least.
and will... the "elda", human. a presence, for certain, calm and supportive. ]
You did well to remove that man from power. Corruption trickles down quickly, and can poison entire populations without a cure.
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timeasmymeasure
w0 friday
Date: 2025-06-07 04:42 am (UTC)he seems to be picking through the foliage in the planters, looking displeased. ]
wk 1; monday
Date: 2025-06-10 02:53 am (UTC)mordalion can find her later in the shopping mall, looking at things and now less embarrassed by... everything. she looks up when she notices him joining her, giving a nod. ]
A bit of deja vu, I think... we met the first time in a clothing store.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-10 03:15 am (UTC)We did. You judged my fashions.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-10 03:31 am (UTC)A bit, I will admit now. [ she could be apologetic, but. she's only like 50% so, because it's not really that important? and also was months ago for her. ] 'Tis just not something seen in Euchronia proper, really, such patterns and cuts. But we do have a vast variety to choose from once again. I suppose I will be seeing stranger yet.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-10 03:42 am (UTC)but yeah it doesn't really matter to him either. his ears pick up a little in what might be vague amusement, but as usual his expression and tone are the same. today he's in a plain shirt and jeans, looking as normal as he can while still being himself and having poison eater strapped to his waist. ]
It's not as if I dress that way all the time. Those patterns are for holidays, to separate from the working environment. [ holds out a blood-red button-down to her. thoughts? ] Euchronia is behind on the concept, it seems.
wk 1; saturday
Date: 2025-06-15 01:50 am (UTC)anyways, hulkenberg can be found at... congratulations! she's sitting at one of the booths, not actually eating anything and instead sitting there with her head in hand, eyes closed. her halberd is in the booth with her, propped against the wall on the inside, always ready for something.
her eyes open as her ears twitch, hearing someone, but seeing mordalion she closes her eyes again. it's fine. just another knight. another ally. her teammate, in all of this.
but so, too, were rosamund and wiš'adel. ]
... I enjoyed very little, about the trial in Key Neuve. I cannot say I enjoyed last week's, either.
But I did not take any pleasure whatsoever in this one, for a myriad of reasons. And if Lady Rosamund was, in fact, a culprit... North said 'twould be in our hands what to do with the second.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-15 01:57 am (UTC)mordalion's expression and manner are the same as always. for someone who has lived so long, done so much - there's little that is able to change it. but there's a slight tightness to the corners of his eyes as he listens to hulkenberg speak, sliding into the booth across from her as he props his own sword against the wall.
teammates. allies. it was never that easy. ]
Both of their insistent denials are uncharacteristic. Even Wis'adel, who is not forthcoming, would allow her horns to be checked for triviality previously.
If this is possession, or motivated by those items... those are quite different circumstances, as well.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-15 02:06 am (UTC)hulkenberg can detect that tightness, when she opens her eyes again to look at him, straightening back up with a rough exhale of a sigh. both hands rest on the table, like she's pushing herself back into the booth seat with it. that it has someone that's so consistent in temperament reacting as such... ]
Flippancy and impatience. [ for weesh and rosie, respectively. ] Nevermind digging their heels in. We've not known them long, true, but it takes very little to begin to understand a person when you live with them, and spend such high-stress time amongst each other.
The temptation of those items is foul.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-15 02:17 am (UTC)a shallow sigh. ]
They're very compelling temptations. With the upfront statement of promised revivals, it's unsurprising that some would be swayed. Especially those used to taking lives. It's a test of will, but also of circumstance.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-15 02:32 am (UTC)not that any of this will ever make sense, really. ]
Yet there is the looming presence of the Auditors above us - I doubt that they would honour a promise of revival, were they to believe we failed their little set of games.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-15 07:57 am (UTC)[ he glances at her halberd, then to his own sword. ]
You and I are knights. We have codes to follow. But even we have circumstances for which we would break those codes.
wk 2; monday
Date: 2025-06-16 10:49 pm (UTC)hulkenberg is on her knees with her feet folded under her, hair pulled back in a ponytail as she works with planting some seeds and tending to them. next to her is a pen and those little plant tags that you stick in the dirt to identify what you've planted, but they all have names on them instead of what the future growths will be.
she pauses when she realises someone is there, sort of freezing. there's a smear of dirt on her cheek. ]
... good morning. [ a bit sheepish? ] I was not aware anyone else would already have made it out here, though perhaps I should have known you would be one of the first...
no subject
Date: 2025-06-17 03:02 am (UTC)after a moment's hesitation, he'll crouch down next to her. ]
Good morning. [ not sheepish in the slightest, despite his stolen goods. ] What are you planting?
no subject
Date: 2025-06-20 02:03 am (UTC)does not at all surprise her, seeing that, and she snorts a bit. the slightest ounce humour after everything of the past week. ]
... attempting to plant some flowers for those we've lost, but I'm afraid 'tis not something I am adept at. I'm doing it based off of watching His Highness tend plants on the gauntlet runner.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-20 02:15 am (UTC)[ crouching down beside her, setting the stolen flora down carefully next to him. surveys her work with a critical eye ]
I've seen worse, for someone unpracticed. I could teach you how to do it better, though.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-20 02:22 am (UTC)[ she watches him scrutinise her work, dusting the borrowed gloves of dirt as he does. ]
That's good news, at least. I was worried I had horribly mucked it up. But... I would be grateful, if you would want to.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-20 02:35 am (UTC)[ already pulling a pair of gloves from his own pocket and neatening up some of the beds a bit. ]
You'd have to be impressively incompetent to mess up this stage. You're overthinking it.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-20 02:46 am (UTC)Very much so. To have a few extra in our pockets often saved us from sudden trouble, in more isolated places.
[ but she watches him attentively, ears perking just slightly while he tidies up after her. ]
'Tis something I have been told often, which I doubt is much a surprise.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-20 02:43 pm (UTC)It's not a surprise, no. But you'll learn quickly that overworking a garden can be the quickest way to kill it.
wk 3; sunday
Date: 2025-06-30 11:06 pm (UTC)hulkenberg shakes her head, rueful. the guilt for them condemning and innocent person to execution is there, carried on her shoulders, but - ]
How was it all the more straightforward in Key Neuve? For all the insanity of Sancoeur's claims for motivation, all the accidents and deaths, 'twas somehow simpler than all of this.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-01 01:46 pm (UTC)he sighs, hands still folded over the pommel of the poison eater. ]
There were fewer of us, less chaos to keep track of. Like this, too, structured in this manner... there's motivation to hide and protect and obfuscate, more than Sancoeur was ever capable of achieving on her own.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-03 12:14 am (UTC)but still. ]
Quickly our numbers dwindle, but the chaos increases. 'Tis something to be said, being kept in this place like animals on display, made to entertain the auditors and slaughter one another.
But we must not let this happen again. No matter the chaos, or what we face... 'tis all unjust, but this was us. We did this.
w4 sat
Date: 2025-07-06 01:17 am (UTC)he'll sit by the bars and sigh. ]
I don't understand your choice today at all.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 01:24 am (UTC)her head tilts slightly when he says that. ]
Which? I made many.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 01:29 am (UTC)Any of them. If what you spoke so confidently at the end was true, why obfuscate and mislead for hours? There were other cases to attend to, with culprits possibly more likely to strike again.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 01:34 am (UTC)Those damned achievements we need to escape this place, something, anything that could help us.
But I do not take pride in it. I understand why you would be angry with the both of us for doing so.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 01:43 am (UTC)[ it's the first time he's used this tone with her - the tone of a captain, a leader, one who exacts justice. not a tone he enjoys taking, but given the situation... ]
If this was a mercy kill, as implied, being upfront about it would have saved more than the attempt at keeping silent. No one would have thought either of you to attack each other intentionally. Those achievements have arbitrary conditions. Your value is greater alive and honest than dead and guilty.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 02:25 am (UTC)Maybe so. But 'tis all too late now, isn't it? I cannot take back my decision, just as much as you cannot turn back time to guarantee a different outcome, would that we could. [ ... ] This is the part that Strohl would have been better at, truth be told. He would have known the right time to reveal what happened. He would have been better suited to navigating trial.
... but he had forgotten who I was. He was the one possessed, and saw me as a threat, something about how I was fracturing. So I did what I knew that I would be better at handling, as I had promised him I would.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 02:38 am (UTC)[ petty, perhaps. he always has been, and his respect for her - while under pressure, had not entirely given way yet, bringing just that flicker of equality back into his voice. the mention of fracturing is. odd, however. his eyes narrow slightly, filing that information away for later, should it be be needed. ]
But you are the first who could have made an admission, explained yourself, given us time collectively to find another culprit. To potentially find someone more dangerous, more likely to strike again. To not leave us without yet another teammate. The ripples of today will extend far beyond yourself.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 03:42 pm (UTC)He'd already had the lance in hand, and I gave him no chance to draw his sword or seek another target while not in his right mind. If some part of him still remained, behind the possession, 'twas not one that did not see me as a threat - 'tis giving him too little credit.
[ it's too optimistic to her, to believe that strohl was still there when he didn't remember her. that a part of him still held onto himself behind the possession. but it doesn't mean that she doesn't hope for it, in some way.
but... ]
... they will. We are fortunate in that there will be another lifeline, in the event that something happens, though 'tis one regret. [ they're too independent to be a proper team, with their stray cats and her and rosamund trying to herd them in some capacity. but she still cares for them. ] I promised him, Mordalion. Foolish as you may think me for it, reckless in all of this, I am a knight of my word.
But if you want to continue forward, in spite of the ripples... talk to Matsuno and Jonas. Miss Kate. They suspect that Asuka was the final culprit of the night, as do I. Perhaps something can be done, after the fact, that might make up for what has come to pass today. I will try to write with anything that I learn, and try to find a way to write around what obstructs the dead from sharing truth.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-06 03:59 pm (UTC)with a considering look, he sighs and nods. there wasn't a way to salvage this now, and no choice but to move forward. like it always was. ]
I suspected the same, but there is little evidence to implicate him completely. I have the thought that he and Scaramouche could have coordinated that intentionally, actually. It's all a bit vague and theatrical. [ a sour expression creases his brow for a moment. ] I'll keep an ear for your messages. [ ... ] Tell Strohl I enjoyed sharing his stories, the other night.
wk 6; sunday
Date: 2025-07-20 10:03 pm (UTC)... we're finally nearing the end of this madness. Can you believe how much longer we've been here, compared to our time in Key Neuve?
no subject
Date: 2025-07-21 04:18 am (UTC)[ also still in trial clothes, looking just. exhausted. but he plucks out some echinacea seeds, considering. ]
You felt able to leave Rupert's side?
no subject
Date: 2025-07-21 10:43 pm (UTC)[ she runs her fingers through her bangs, tired, thumb brushing the scar that strohl left behind on her forehead in the process. ]
He's himself, now. 'Twas more that we were there to keep him from doing something he would regret, once the madness dissipated. [ mm ] Strohl found out late last night, and, so, we stayed up with him.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-22 04:09 am (UTC)So it was him after all. I do hope he doesn't feel too guilty about it all... his tracks were covered fairly solidly, given the mess involved.
wk 7; monday
Date: 2025-07-21 10:40 pm (UTC)that said, it's still everything week. a breeze comes by, and he gets to see snippets of memories, instead of just one. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-07-22 12:04 pm (UTC)these memories hit awfully close to home, despite all the 'tis of theeing and the odd legged ship that sets much of the scene. but corrupt officials, the claiming of what it means to be a knight? mordalion himself has never wavered in his convictions, but there had been enough around him to recognise some of the struggle, at least.
and will... the "elda", human. a presence, for certain, calm and supportive. ]
You did well to remove that man from power. Corruption trickles down quickly, and can poison entire populations without a cure.