Confession (5/28)

[23:10] Leni says, "Hey, Walt."
[23:10] Hades Task says, "It's almost like you could have just arranged a meeting place with a carrier pigeon."
[23:10] Hades Task says, "I am so disappointed."
[23:10] Walter stares numbingly. Obsessively even. He's beaten. Completely, soundly beaten. "I can't believe it."
(Walter Docro)
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[23:10] Hades waves to Ophelia.
(Hades Task)
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[23:11] Leni wanders in. She stares back and blinks.
(Leni)
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[23:12] Walter Docro says, "... Hi."
[23:12] Leni asks, "You...you okay?"
[23:12] Hades Task says, "Barely."
[23:12] Walter Docro exclaims, "Y-Yeah. Hanging in there!"
[23:12] Walter elbows Hades in the ribs.
(Walter Docro)
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[23:12] Walter Docro whispers something.
[23:12] Hades Task whispers something.
[23:13] Hades chitters, but falls silent after.
(Hades Task)
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[23:13] The druid stands there, looking between the pair.

"Um. Okay. Sure. Did Mish tell you I brought more rocks and stuff, Walt? You hear Yers is back?"
(Leni)
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[23:24] There's a brief, almost unnoticeable pause. Though he does make a small rest before replying with a gloomy nod.

"I did. Was the first to interact with him, even..." Clearly, upon his return. He had merely forgot to add that thought piece in his verbatim testification, but who could blame him? A pair of sways could clearly give out his demeanor as not being quite the usual. He almost slumps over at first when moving towards Leni, in a stark contrast from his collected, analytical, infinitely intimidating persona. There's clearly been some holes poked into his heart, and even the likes of Hades or Ophelia could've bore witness to such.

His embarrassment does not make itself too visible, however. Grown an entertainer, scoundrel giant? Walter had seen the fruit of self-reflection and slapstick grow ripe. A couple of odd looks, even in his intermittently responsibility-loaded charge as a head councilman, meant little to nothing.

"I've been looking for you." Another small, omittable interval takes place. It is however long enough for the kitsune to briefly revise his entire discourse. It would surely be a bumpy road ahead. "In every city, every street, every corner, every tree of the woods."

A heavy sigh, as his emerald stare fixates on Leni's at once.

"It's rather unnerving that you'd show up the second I had given up." He'd confess. "But it wouldn't be the first time, so I'll just call it fate."

Though it's obscured from view, one could clearly hear the tightening noises emanating from behind cover of his white leather mask. Obviously, Walter's mandible had tightened itself into a grimace in anticipation.

"I have a few things to say to you, Leni." A loose tongue and poorly tempered pace of articulation give off palpable nervousness. So much so that the dog head can't help himself from stopping to regain footing after dotting every sentence. "I hope you don't mind."
(Walter Docro)
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[23:26] Hades slowly begins to turn in place while floating, a hand reaching into his bag to pull out a snack.

This was going to be good.

How many teenagers could say they have seen THE Walter Docro emotionally vulnerable? But being the kind and gentle soul that he is, there was surely no way Hades would bring this back in the future to use it against him.

Regardless of what the future may hold, he remains in the moment.

Rotating in the air with his levitation potion with a stupid smirk on his young face.

He naturally waves to Leni if she cares to glance over during her talk with the kitsune.
(Hades Task)
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[23:29] Ulyssa says, "Found your other brother."
[23:30] Valero Task says, "Mhm."
[23:30] Hades Task says, "Implying I was lost at all."
[23:30] Ulyssa asks, "You weren't?"
[23:31] Valero Task says, "And here I thought you were."
[23:32] Leni blinks. As Walter makes his shambling advance, the willowy dryad takes a step backward. This is not the Kitsune she's quite familiar with. Then again he's always been hard to get a read on.

"That's. Good. You sure you're feeling...y'know. Okay?"

She's used to getting...well. Very little out of his expression. Leni's used to staring up at his face of rock. Actually, she can't even see his face at all. Rarely has she ever. Something's different here.

"Did you eat one of those weird sandwiches on the ground? Did...did someone else die?"

People were dying left and right these days. It's been so hard, so very hard, to keep up her usual cheer. Near impossible. Gone are the days of clambering over anyone who will stay still enough with the vibrant circlet of flowers atop her head. Here are the days of wandering the wilds with little only a few visits to civilization, wearing her half-dead crown of blooms.

Ever since the fall of Osrona, and the atrocities thereof, neither she nor the flowers have been quite right.
(Leni)
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[23:49] There's no better way to write this: Walter quite literally anime grunts in response, being thoroughly perplexed by the statement. And though he's briefly frozen in potential embarrassment, a glottal attack helps clear his throat and break the freezing pattern.

"... wha-?"

Shit, his hands are clearly shaking. But they're easily tossed onto simulated aloofness, as Walter emotes one of his thespian-like shrugs. The snout of the bull terrier mask rotates from side to side in a dismissive headshake, more slowly this time around.

"No one died, relax. And no, of COURSE not! In fact, I haven't eaten at all today. What could possibly make you think otherwise?" Ah, a master of masquerades, was he? Yet so transparently exposed by his own heart. Although his composure does not quite crumble, he's still very much struggling to keep his cool in the face of clear embarrassment. The dog days weren't over, after all.

"I've been meaning to, uh..."

A deep sigh feeds him into his zone. Walter both focuses and braces, yet his eye-contact routine is scarce and poorly coordinated. Part of him is still by all means fleeing from contact. Brute-forcing his way was apparently not a possibility in all scenarios, but that was a lesson already learned.

"First and foremost, I need to apologize to you. I've... no, we've been no good to you. Keeping secrets, delegating your responsibilities around, your freedom of choice. You don't deserve that type of treatment, you've proven yourself not equal, but a better human being than myself time and time again." It wasn't much of a benchmark, Walter had done his fair share of sinning through the years. Yet, the deceptive glimmer in his eye could've easily hinted at the complete opposite. The line between the vigorous façade and his true persona had blurred bizarrely, to the point where Walter not only accidentally meant what he said, but meant more.

"I've evaded you, misjudged you, berated you. As members of the Family-... no, as Leni and Walter, we should do better. I should do better. It is meant to be."

Coming to a complete halt on that last sentence? Walter briefly chokes, only for him to clear his throat repeatedly. Where the hell was he going with his speech? Had he not gone over it dozens of times?

Definitely, he had spoken himself into a corner.
(Walter Docro)
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[23:49] Ulyssa says, "Hey, Hades. Let's go see if there's anyone at the storeroom."
[23:51] Hades Task says, "I'll pass. I'm invested in this."
[23:51] Ulyssa slooowly steps forward next to Hades, and whispers quickly.
(Ulyssa)
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[23:52] Ulyssa whispers something.
[23:52] Ulyssa whispers something.
[23:53] Hades Task whispers something.
[23:53] Hades Task whispers something.
[23:53] Ulyssa asks, "You gonna come, Valero, or are you gonna add to the peanut gallery?"
[23:53] Valero Task says, "I'll tag along."
[00:02] Leni does ease some. She's seen her fill of ghosts for now; some of them are not so bad, but the ones in this cursed place aren't the ones she wants to gaze upon again any time soon. Their fates had not been kind, the war leaving them pained and lost. All the more reason to avoid the walls of any city. Only ruin waits for those that do.

"Sorry. It's just...it's all over. I don't think there's been a day where I walk into town and don't hear about someone else dying," she explains. It's not her youthful, spritely chirrup. Evidently neither of them is quite themselves, each in their own way. Every time the druid sets foot in civilization it's more ill omens, more tidings of ruin.

"I said it's okay, right? I. Y'know. I thought about it. I asked some people who know more than me about this stuff. And I figure, well, you guys did it because you cared. Right? If you've gotta' have a reason to lie. At least it's because you cared enough about me."

That they lied at all still wasn't great. Still. It's one of the better reasons for doing so. Those other things though. They hit a little harder. The magi and her crown of flowers shrivel at once.

"You...You did?"

The lying she'd been fully aware of. Not those last three as much.

"What do you mean it's meant to be? Like...being better?"
(Leni)

Walter swallows hard when there's further mention of the ghosts of war. There's a long winded pause that gives way to a brief, openly dolent explanation of Walter's current state of mind.

"You haven't ceased to see them, have you, Leni?" Now falling into realization of her abilities, the kitsune inquires and prods further. His gaze loses itself to his east, flying past the vaguely refurbished ruins, then finally laying atop the crumbled remains of the chapel. "Blindly supporting a force that's brought upon this much famine over a whimsical discrepancy has left me to reflect on my ire in length." He opens up. "Temperament should not be used as a mere vehicle - Demius' death and our pain is but a part of the bigger picture. I should've been wiser, more present."

Though the phantom of his hatred for the crown and ambition alike still loom over Walter, his heart has irreparably taken upon the function of giving back. The reasons remain mostly obscured, a public conversation could only bring them so far. "I'm rebuilding. I swear to every god, those poor outcasts left - orphaned by war, tossed into the same vacuum I was... they shan't suffer the same fate. I'm rebuilding, I'm giving them I home if it's the last thing I do!"

His lip feels the full pressure of his upper bite just afterwards, as his offenses towards Leni become more than simply evident. It is only then where his spirit seems to slightly break. Walter's head vaguely drops forward in a bobbing bounce of the mafioso's chin.

"I did." The giant's monotone is dismal. His guts are drained of their vibrant halo altogether. "I was running, fleeing your image. A habit I thought lost on me, I'm not proud of it. I should've protected you with my bare blade, flesh and bone. Not my slick, silver-tongued cover.You deserve me at my best, not an ounce left." And once more, Walter gives himself away. "I've given it thought - no use in running from it."

His heart beats violently, like a bird in a cage. Anxious, alive, open.

"Perhaps, it means I feel for you more than I initially set out to. I just never knew how to handle it."

Love. Wild, overbearing, thought-numbing love.

"I'm sorry."
(Walter Docro)
[00:22] Walter swallows hard when there's further mention of the ghosts of war. There's a long winded pause that gives way to a brief, openly dolent explanation of Walter's current state of mind.

"You haven't ceased to see them, have you, Leni?" Now falling into realization of her abilities, the kitsune inquires and prods further. His gaze loses itself to his east, flying past the vaguely refurbished ruins, then finally laying atop the crumbled remains of the chapel. "Blindly supporting a force that's brought upon this much famine over a whimsical discrepancy has left me to reflect on my ire in length." He opens up. "Temperament should not be used as a mere vehicle - Demius' death and our pain is but a part of the bigger picture. I should've been wiser, more present."

Though the phantom of his hatred for the crown and ambition alike still loom over Walter, his heart has irreparably taken upon the function of giving back. The reasons remain mostly obscured, a public conversation could only bring them so far. "I'm rebuilding. I swear to every god, those poor outcasts left - orphaned by war, tossed into the same vacuum I was... they shan't suffer the same fate. I'm rebuilding, I'm giving them I home if it's the last thing I do!"

His lip feels the full pressure of his upper bite just afterwards, as his offenses towards Leni become more than simply evident. It is only then where his spirit seems to slightly break. Walter's head vaguely drops forward in a bobbing bounce of the mafioso's chin.

"I did." The giant's monotone is dismal. His guts are drained of their vibrant halo altogether. "I was running, fleeing your image. A habit I thought lost on me, I'm not proud of it. I should've protected you with my bare blade, flesh and bone. Not my slick, silver-tongued cover.You deserve me at my best, not an ounce left." And once more, Walter gives himself away. "I've given it thought - no use in running from it."

His heart beats violently, like a bird in a cage. Anxious, alive, open.

"Perhaps, it means I feel for you more than I initially set out to. I just never knew how to handle it."

Love. Wild, overbearing, thought-numbing love.

"I'm sorry."
(Walter Docro)
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[00:22] Walter Docro says, "not an ounce less*"
[00:30] Hades Task whispers something.
[00:34] "...If I don't look as hard, I don't see them. Usually," she explains, anchoring her toes in the grass. She glances around again, as if those words along might bring them back into her periphery. Thankfully it doesn't.

He'd supported them. And yet...

"You didn't. You didn't help the Teraphim do what they did. Did you?"

She has to know. Right from the horse's- dog's- mouth. Arch's word alone isn't going to be good enough, not now that she knows he's lied to her too for all the same reasons the Rats did, well-meaning though it may have been.

"It's. It's good you want to help. And I've got ores and plants that can help too. It's not like I need 'em anyway."

Leni's only further eschewed society's trappings. Money, ores, even the plants she gathers. Apart from the ones atop her head what use is there to keep themonce their newness wears off? Any allure these things once had has since been washed clean. Just when she thinks she can't sink any lower, she does. A few of the petals of her grow wilt and float to the ground.

"So..."

She starts to speak. Her voice grows small and her eyes are on the ground.

"...So. You liked me like that, but. You talked bad about me. And avoided me? Misjudged me?..."
(Leni)
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[00:36] Even though the pair had opted to have this discussion in public, Judeau still felt like he was invading their privacy by remaining here. With that in mind he'd turn on his heel and leave the courtyard behind him.
(Judeau Crestwood)
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[00:38] Kofe says, "Ophelia."
[00:38] Ophelia cos Montclaire says, "Kofe."
[00:38] Kofe says, "I bring gifts."
[00:38] Ophelia cos Montclaire asks, "Oh?"
[00:38] Ophelia cos Montclaire exclaims, "! Thank you!"
[00:39] Kofe says, "Bring magic."
[00:39] Ophelia cos Montclaire says, "Hm alright."
[00:53] Walter rubs his braw aggressively in defeat, even if he knows the answer. His blade hadn't been the one to carry out those inhumane acts in personal fashion, yet guilt looms all over, above and around himself. The core of his heart remained impenetrable, clueless, rid of probable cause, yet it did not ease his emotional strain in the slightest.

"I did not, my blade has not slain a single civilian." He states in full-on transparency. "Not only that, Ro and I spread news of the assault beforehand. We did all we could nights prior, Sudbury had to have been empty..." A languid, toneless pause causes the dog man to gaze down upon his hands endlessly. "Had I known earlier, I would have..." The sentence remains eternally open, there was no correct answer. In the end, all he could've done was protect his interest of seeing the Crown out of the city. Any opposition would've put the operation at risk.

He aches aimlessly, for that's as far as his guilt ran. Walter was innocent, and he could simply not bare the fruit of powerlessness sown by the lack of a chance to have a choice. He simply would not allow for it to be the case again. Were Walter to fail, he wouldn't do it with his arms crossed.

"I didn't say anything nasty about you. I could never." Perhaps in a slip of the tongue, Leni would've heard something he never meant. "You're a wonderful woman, Leni."

A deeply rooted sigh flies out from his nostrils. At long last, he makes peace with his frustration, pivoting on his heel to face the druidess in all her sorrow.

"As for the rest? Yes, it's exactly as you say. I knew not how to protect you, so I attacked your freedom instead." A pause. "Had I known better, or not been so selfish, I would've acted differently."

The gloom has overdriven them both. Their mutual care feels bleak, limp, near-lifeless.

"I'm sorry. I'll leave you with your thoughts if necessary... I won't push myself into your life." Accepting. "Just know that I'd like to be a part of it."
(Walter Docro)
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