(Untitled)

[oneperfecthit]

[Lucas' voice normally has a light, friendly, easygoing tone to it. This time, however, his speech is calm, mature and mournful.]What happened needs t'be atoned for. Th' deaths ain't natural 'n ain't deserved. They ain't right. Ain't judgin' y'none, y'didn't know. I didn't know. But we failed 'em 'n excuses don't solve problems

Comments

[pimp_hat]

Atonement huh? Yeah I guess I should do sometin' 'bout dat.

[But not in the way you're thinking Lucas.]

[oneperfecthit]

Well, glad 'm not alone then, yeah?

[pimp_hat]

Not at all. Dis be desuhvin' punishment.

[oneperfecthit]

I find remorse 'n sorrow t'be their own punishment. Y'can't go back 'n fix things. Knowin' that's a kinda hell.

[bondedgryphon]

[Zhaneel's only just revived from the stone that encased her for nearly a weeks' time. However, she was made stone in a place that allowed her to witness the destruction of several villagers that she herself had seen turned to stone.

Knowing that they had been flesh and blood a short time earlier, just as she had, but unable to stop those from destroying them had been horrifying and emotionally crushing.

This is the first time she's worked herself up to responding to something over AN.]

I .. I would care to help anyway I can .. They cannot have know, but .. it wassss ... What I ssssaw ..

[She breaks off about there, voice strained as the memory comes back full force. Trapped in stone. Unable to breathe or cry out. Unable to warn or stop it from happening. Lungs and heart frozen.]

They arrrre due prrroperrrr rightsss and burrrrial ..

[oneperfecthit]

[Lucas had seen it happen to the villagers. He'd taken to the forest to hunt the thing down, but with no success. It was another thing to the list of making him feel like an utter failure.

He would have felt worse if he'd seen Zhaneel.]

They're due that at th' very least.

Glad t'hear you're all right.

[bondedgryphon]

[Zhaneel feels horrid enough without making those she calls friend feel badly as well, so she is glad (in a way) that Lucas hadn't seen her. (While on another hand she is certain he would have done anything within his power to keep her stone self safe, had he.)]

Aye, they arrrre ..

[The stretch of silence following the last is almost uncomfortable, but Zhaneel is honestly at a loss. Is she alright?
If she is to be honest with herself, no .. not by a long shot. During the silence she stares at her communicator dumbly, feeling so horridly insufficient.]

Asssss well assss I can be ..

[Read: Not at all.]

You esssscaped unharrrmed?

[Her trilling and hissing just gets worse with strain, but she is hopefully understandable.]

[oneperfecthit]

I got lucky this time. Real lucky. Then again, ain't so lucky. Wound up not helpin' anyone none.

[And he feels like shit for it.]

Y'get some rest, hun. Y'sound like y'need it.

[thenotmagician]

We learn from our mistakes, I guess.

[oneperfecthit]

We do what we can t'correct 'em. Show y'know y'made one. Don' forget y'made one.

[thenotmagician]

Don't I know it.

[mmmleather]

That is quite the noble gesture.

[oneperfecthit]

It's jus' th' right thing t'do, yeah?

[mmmleather]

That would depend upon your definition of "right". For some, the right thing to do is nothing at all.

[oneperfecthit]

Guess I just ain't that type o'person.

[sorrowfulstone]

We can only do as we have before, to give those who passed as fitting a burial as possible, and strive to do better the next time.

[oneperfecthit]

I'd like t'help with that. Th' burial.

[sorrowfulstone]

They've already begun in both towns. I'm sure there are people in either that would be grateful for your help and able to tell you where you can help. There are graves to dig, families to console, and still other monsters out there to protect them against.

[oneperfecthit]

I'll do whatever I can.