Taking the long road home

[bloodyashes]

Characters: Anyone. Everyone.
Setting: The few days after the event, throughout the Tower as you will.
Format: Mingle! Assign your own dates/locations/etc, tag yourself, do as you do.
Summary: Jason's dead. So are a lot of other people. Fallout and picking up the pieces.
Warnings: Discussion of death and cannibalism inevitable.

[Catch-all for events following the Event. Discuss Jason's death and its consequences, come back from the dead, party?, quiver in fear?, take a long, hot bath. Whatever it is you do, do it here.]

Comments

[bydefacto]

[Sealand watches for a moment, taking note of the dried blood and feeling an uncomfortable jolt in his stomach.

He sits down beside France.]

What kind of sword is it? I have one, but it's not like that. I wish I'd had it in the-- the maze.

[He stops there, quietening. Then again. Maybe it's better he didn't. He's not sure he'd want to get close enough to Jason or anyone else to stab them like France had, like Zelda had. It was terrifying enough using fire as a weapon, standing several feet away.

Of course, at least with a sword there's less chance of other people, friends, getting hurt too.]

[silencetoreason]

[France is silent for a moment more. He remembers getting up close to Jason, close enough to narrowly miss being gutted by him, close enough to actually manage to stab him. The sound of it entering his body, the feeling--

He exhales shakily.]

It is a rapier. They were all the rage a few centuries ago. [He flashes Sealand a tiny smile.] What sort of sword do you have?

[He'll just try to drive the conversation away from the labyrinth.]

[bydefacto]

[Driving away the conversation from the labyrinth sounds like a good idea for them both. Sealand gives a small smile when asked about his sword. That's something he's proud of! And even if he's still not rattling on with the same enthusiasm as usual by any means, he is glad to answer. France is right; it's a good distraction, if nothing else.]

I don't know what it's called... It's small but fatter than that one. It was one of the monsters', I think. Diarmuid gave it to me, and my friend Aleph's been teaching me to fight with it. I'm getting pretty good too!

[silencetoreason]

You will have to let me see it sometime. I can tell you what it is called, n'est-ce pas?

[Despite his words, the image of Sealand sword fighting causes mixed emotions to swell in his chest. Sealand was lucky enough to be born in a recent century, with a body made of steel instead of dirt and grass. He's still a child, and though France doesn't know about all the intricacies of Sealand's life, he's certain it was nothing at all like his own childhood, like England's. No constant fights for power, for land, no battles and sieges filled with flurries of arrows and the clinking of swords against armor.

He was supposed to grow up in a different era, one where seeing violent death was not the norm, one where learning to fight shouldn't be a necessity. Not in a place like the Tower, somewhere a thousand times worse than home ever was.

France bites his tongue. He swishes his sword back and forth leisurely in the water.]

And, ah, Aleph... I know him. How is he doing? [He beams at Sealand in another attempt not to let himself get swept away by awful thoughts.] Is he still married to that lovely lady?

[bydefacto]

[Sealand nods eagerly, watching the ripples in the water. He thinks he's gotten good at sword fighting lately.]

I could show you how good I am. [It would be something to look forward to; something to take his mind off things, besides the video games.]

Yeah... Yeah, I think they are. He's good. He's one of my best friends here-- and he's a knight of Sealand now! ['Makes him practically part citizen.]

[silencetoreason]

A knight, hmm? [France smiles, his eyes shining with good-natured amusement.

Any other time, he would've just clicked his tongue and insisted that only real nations can have knights. Now, he has absolutely no desire to shatter the boy's dream. Hell, if they all get out of the Tower in one piece, if there's any way to restore their worlds, he will see to it that the Republic of France is the first to recognize Sealand as a nation.]

Between you and England, the pair of you are snapping up all the people here for yourselves. [He lays a hand over his heart overdramatically.] You are leaving big brother France with naught but Jeanne, you know that?

[bydefacto]

A proper knight! [He adds that quickly before France can claim otherwise, as other nations often did.

Though of course, if he knew France's plans for when they get back home - and it is when for him, not if - well, France will definitely become his new favourite person ever.]

Sealand is a nation that needs plenty of citizens! I think you could do better than England though. [A sly smile.]