The dull roar of anger and judgment cannot be stopped. The pressure has become unbearable. Though Yoon does try to toss the beach ball to her, it only bounces sadly off her shield, having no effect.
"I saw her by the lake... She pushed that poor Basil boy in... First she and her friends bullied him... Then she stole from him... And now she’s killed him...”
“This isn’t a place for murderers... ...Someone call the police...”
She lowers her sword and shield. All of the fight in her, all of that furious energy... it's all being sapped away by her despair.
[ Yoon approves (x3). In fact, he'll be right next to Aubrey – where people apparently didn't want to be before – when it happens. While Eli's hugging her, he'll cast Marakukaja and raise defense for Eli, Mafuyu, Richard and himself. ]
[ Thank whatever she doesn't pray to that Eli is doing the hugging thing so she didn't have to. She'd probably catch fire. What shitty advice has Kippa given about situations like this? Let's see...
"A hug can be with your words"? Right, that's... fucking fine. Alright. ]
You're really going to just let them say whatever the fuck they want? Did it happen that way, or not? Fuck what they think. Fuck what your mother wanted. Get up off your ass and face what you did yourself. You don't owe any of them shit. But you owe yourself the truth.
Eli makes his way up to her, and while she dully thinks Oh, I should defend myself-
She doesn't.
And, it turns out? ...She didn't have to.
The mask cracks and breaks away, and Eli will find himself hugging not a Shadow, but a regular girl with bright pink hair, dyed in memory of a friend no longer with her, unable to hold back the tears any longer.
"...I didn't mean to." Her voice shakes with horror. "I just... wanted them to leave me alone. I didn't realize... the lake was right there..."
The dull roar of judgment seems to fade away. In fact, so does the rest of the Church.
[ Oh no, noooo, she's crying and he's right here, hugging her, and that means... it's impossible... he can't help it... It starts as a sniffle, then that telltale struggle to hold it together, but, as it turns out, Eli is... a big fucking cryer.
While Aubrey is crying, so is he. He can't help it. He'll even stay and hug her for as long as she wants. ]
H-hey, we know... we know you didn't mean to...
[ Eli doesn't really know at all, but that's just what you say, alright?! ]
[With the oppressive judgment gone and a gentle silence washing over the scene, Arven finds a spot to sit nearby the group. He needs to recuperate and just...take this all in while he listens to the others.
[The cemetery is a peaceful place for it, at least. Even if it's a place to mourn, the sun is shining and the grass is a healthy green. It's a worthy place to put loved ones to rest.]
[ Aubrey and Eli aren't the only criers in the group, because Yoon, too, bursts into tears. He'll hug Aubrey when Eli's finished. He'd like to meet his new friend when she doesn't have her trauma on display for everyone to see.
But, like Arven, he'll find a spot to sit nearby, bring his knees up, and bury his face in his hands. ]
[ Maika isn't getting anywhere near the crying and hugfest, thanks. But she will make her way over towards the grave when everyone else is occupied.
There's no point, right? Gone is just gone. But whatever this place is, maybe it has some kind of meaning to the people left behind. So Maika digs in her pocket for her journal and tears out a blank page. Working briskly, she folds a little paper flower and sets it down lightly in front of the headstone. ]
[So that got through to her... There was someone who could still pull the kid back.]
Got that out of your system now, huh?
[Half-softly; Aubrey is crying and surrounded by people who are more touchy-feely than Kainé is and who probably know her better, so if she doesn't hear it, that's not really a problem.
Kainé definitely took a beating from that fight, but instead of dwelling on it, she turns to go. Time to return to being a cryptid. Over her shoulder:] Don't listen to assholes like that. [It's not too late for someone like Aubrey.]
[Well, that was an incredibly sappy way for things to end, but considering everything that Aubrey had already gone through, this was probably for the best. Like a few of the others, he's going to keep a certain distance from the teenager pileup, just shaking his head a little in mock embarrassment as he watches all the hugging and crying. But for all that he tries to play it cool, a touch of relief still manages to make it into his features.
Once things have calmed down somewhat, he does step closer though.]
Had a lotta people pretty worried there for a bit, y'know.
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"I saw her by the lake... She pushed that poor Basil boy in... First she and her friends bullied him... Then she stole from him... And now she’s killed him...”
“This isn’t a place for murderers... ...Someone call the police...”
She lowers her sword and shield. All of the fight in her, all of that furious energy... it's all being sapped away by her despair.
SHADOW AUBREY has fallen into despair!
SHADOW AUBREY cannot move this turn!
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[ Rrgh, with a growl Eli turns and charges back across the church towards the unmoving Shadow Aubrey. He lunges towards her, arms coming up! To!
Give her a hug (13). Haha, wow, he hates this. Everyone's going to be watching. ]
Aubrey! Stop listening to them! They don't know how it is. They're full of crap.
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Is there seriously no way to stop them? She doesn't deserve this!
[Nor does she deserve to get kicked while she's down, even if it's her shadow and not really her.]
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"A hug can be with your words"? Right, that's... fucking fine. Alright. ]
You're really going to just let them say whatever the fuck they want? Did it happen that way, or not? Fuck what they think. Fuck what your mother wanted. Get up off your ass and face what you did yourself. You don't owe any of them shit. But you owe yourself the truth.
FINALE
She doesn't.
And, it turns out? ...She didn't have to.
The mask cracks and breaks away, and Eli will find himself hugging not a Shadow, but a regular girl with bright pink hair, dyed in memory of a friend no longer with her, unable to hold back the tears any longer.
"...I didn't mean to." Her voice shakes with horror. "I just... wanted them to leave me alone. I didn't realize... the lake was right there..."
The dull roar of judgment seems to fade away. In fact, so does the rest of the Church.
BGM: By Your Side ♪
Like grime gently cleaned off the surface of a photo, the church seems to melt away around them, leaving everyone standing in a peaceful cemetery.
Behind Aubrey, a headstone can be seen, the words engraved upon it clearly visible still:
“OUR DEAREST MARI; THE SUN SHINED BRIGHTER WHEN SHE WAS HERE.”
There are no flowers to adorn the grave. Only the nearby sobs of a girl who was left behind.
Re: FINALE
Aubrey...?
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While Aubrey is crying, so is he. He can't help it. He'll even stay and hug her for as long as she wants. ]
H-hey, we know... we know you didn't mean to...
[ Eli doesn't really know at all, but that's just what you say, alright?! ]
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I really hope they were able to save him.
[But she can't know for sure as long as she's here. And it's driving her nuts.
Sorry Eli you're getting hugged a little tighter now. She really needed this.]
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...Who would've guessed you'd be such a big softie?
[Arven can't help himself but poke a little fun. That was a really heartwarming display though. And hey, look where it got them.]
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[With the oppressive judgment gone and a gentle silence washing over the scene, Arven finds a spot to sit nearby the group. He needs to recuperate and just...take this all in while he listens to the others.
Phew.]
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[ Aubrey and Eli aren't the only criers in the group, because Yoon, too, bursts into tears. He'll hug Aubrey when Eli's finished. He'd like to meet his new friend when she doesn't have her trauma on display for everyone to see.
But, like Arven, he'll find a spot to sit nearby, bring his knees up, and bury his face in his hands. ]
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...Sorry about earlier. For some reason, I was just... so angry all of a sudden.
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[ Maika isn't getting anywhere near the crying and hugfest, thanks. But she will make her way over towards the grave when everyone else is occupied.
There's no point, right? Gone is just gone. But whatever this place is, maybe it has some kind of meaning to the people left behind. So Maika digs in her pocket for her journal and tears out a blank page. Working briskly, she folds a little paper flower and sets it down lightly in front of the headstone. ]
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There you are. We've been looking for you.
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Got that out of your system now, huh?
[Half-softly; Aubrey is crying and surrounded by people who are more touchy-feely than Kainé is and who probably know her better, so if she doesn't hear it, that's not really a problem.
Kainé definitely took a beating from that fight, but instead of dwelling on it, she turns to go. Time to return to being a cryptid. Over her shoulder:] Don't listen to assholes like that. [It's not too late for someone like Aubrey.]
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Yo, Aubrey! You ain’t hurt, are ya?! You got turned into a giant rabbit-thingy and—-
[Jesse sees the gravestone. Ah, so this is the person she was talking about before.]
…Mari musta been pretty cool, huh?
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Once things have calmed down somewhat, he does step closer though.]
Had a lotta people pretty worried there for a bit, y'know.
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