6/16: veronica

[randori]

[ The moment votes were cast, Natsuo had left. He didn't want to hear the results. He didn't want to be a part of it at all. So he picked himself off and left— slow, staggering, blood seeping through the bandages around his stomach that dots a trail from the garden back inside the castle.

He probably wouldn't be able to get very far, but the path he takes is directly up the stairs to his room, and he can be intercepted at any point between the garden and there. ]

Comments

[asswipe]

[Everything about this trial has been a mess. Veronica is too drained to exist at this point, but she does force herself to scan the garden once the results were in. It's then that she notices that Natsuo is missing — as well as the dots of blood trailing out of the gardens.

She manages to intercept him a little before he reaches his room, sprinting after him.]

—Natsuo?

[Are....... you okay, pal??? Because Veronica's worried after watching him McLose it earlier.]

[randori]

[ His shoulders bunch together when he hears his name, and he's slow to turn around and face Veronica, like he'd been slinking off somewhere and was caught red handed doing something he shouldn't. That's a little how he feels with now: running away from the situation, not wanting to believe anything that had happened. ]

...What?

[ His voice is soft, a little empty. Tired, is what it sounds like, entirely drained after his outbursts back there in the garden. ]

[asswipe]

[She pauses at his tone, suddenly unsure of what she planned to say for him, before she settles on:]

You're... You're bleeding again. [Quietly, lamely.] I'd like to help, if you'd let me.

[That, and after all that commotion back in the gardens, it's hard to forget that he's partnerless. She doesn't want to leave him alone while they wait to see what their fates are going to be.]

[randori]

[ He's partnerless, and injured, and it's been such a long time since he'd felt so pathetic and needing help that he almost refuses on principle. But there are things he can't do on his own, that he'll need help with. ]

...Do you know how to sew?

[asswipe]

A little, yeah.

[She's not a master seamstress, but she can at least stitch things together. If he needs anything more complicated than that, though...]

[randori]

Can you sew me back up?

[ He points to his stomach. It's stitches. He's asking her to give him stitches. ]

[asswipe]

[...

opens her mouth

closes it

opens it again.]

Only if you want vomit on your stitches. I'm not a doctor.

[randori]

You can wear one of those face masks! And it's okay if you're not a doctor— stitches are just like sewing!

[asswipe]

No, they're not? What if the needle gets stuck inside you?!

[randori]

Don't leave it in there! Pull it out!!

[ He's trusting you, okay?? it's just his skin, where is it supposed to get stuck? don't do that ]

[asswipe]

How? With tweezers?! Needles are tiny and I have sweaty hands!

[please don't trust her??? she isn't a doctor????]

[randori]

Wipe your hands on your pants and- I dunno, tie the end of the thread to a finger so it doesn't get lost!

[ he has to trust somebody at that person can't be himself!! ]

[asswipe]

Can't we find a real doctor in this castle?! An adult?!

[randori]

No! An adult would tell me to stop being stupid, and refuse to do it!

[ Adults are no fun! always shooting down his great ideas ]

[asswipe]

For a good reason!

[that meta text is a bad take please save natsuo from himself]

[randori]

What- no, don't side with them! Who's side are you on?!