melodiesofeternity | Event || Mysterious Fathoms Below

Event || Mysterious Fathoms Below

Who: All characters who signed up
When: June 23rd-25th
Where: Ka'Pandol, the underwater city
What: While the outworlders and their guides are touring the new arena at Ka'Pandol, the city begins to flood. It is up to them to activate the ancient drainage system beneath the city before the Blitzball Association is forced to cancel the upcoming tournament.

The Zora guide, Pharce, is leading the group from the Curti Center through the center of town, waxing poetical about the legend of the First Zora, when the sirens begin to wail. At first, the residents of Ka'Pandol wave it off as a drill, but the sirens do not stop, and as they walk, the visitor shoes are beginning to get soaked through with sea water that is slowly rising.

"Come along, quickly, all of you!" the guide calls, leading the group to the Bureau of Tourism near the city center. As they walk, the group will see the aquatic residents quickly deploying bubble helmets around their 'exotic' pets -dogs, cats, parrots, squirrels- heads, just in case City Management takes their time righting whatever issue the dome is having.

"Inside, please. Safety first is our motto, so let's get you outfitted," Pharce says, waiving them inside. Each person is given one of the patented Ka'Pandol Bubble Helm, which will allow them to breath comfortably for several hours. Those that cannot swim are issued an emergency life vest as well.

The water had reached knee-level now. An emergency evacuation message broadcasts from loudspeakers.

"Well, yes, you could...but where's the fun in that?"

Pharce waves at the Hypello gift shop owner, and the two bow their heads in discussion for a moment. When they part, Pharce pats the Hypello (whose nametag declares him 'Shtan') on the back.

"My good friend will lend us some of his wares, if you will join me in saving the city. We wouldn't want this little mishap to delay the big game, after all."

Those that agree to hold off on fleeing the city will be split into groups and given instructions on where to go in order to help the sinking city of Ka'Pandol.

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[ It's a reaction she wills herself to try not to think or even believe is possible. That she could do such a thing. That she could want to do such a thing. No, not want. Forced. It's hard to accept or even think he could give such a command, but now all the pieces were beginning to fit in and make sense. It was actually ... disgusting how much it was beginning to make sense.

She couldn't will herself to talk even if she tried. All she could do is stare at him in utter disbelief. Disgust. Appalled. Fear. Did she kill people? Killed people? She killed the Japanese? ]

...how could you?

[ Lelouch says nothing. He isn't going to say something nasty. But he has no answer either. Because he hadn't wanted this. There's no "how could you" when it comes to an accident, is it? Yet he is responsible. ]

I killed people? [ It hurts to say. It hurts to use herself to say it. ]

Who? How many? Where?

You didn't. The soldiers did. I did.

[ The blood on her hands isn't actually hers. It's also Lelouch's. ]

But who gave the order? [ Choked. ] Sister said... you felt I was too far gone to save. What did that mean? What did I do to them?!

You were too far gone to save because I've only met one or two people that have managed to break Geass. The power itself is too strong and you wouldn't have stopped. Couldn't have stopped.

[ Lelouch just kind of sounds lifeless. ]

Besides. I was the one who did it, right? I gave the order?

[ He won’t say it. He can’t. He insists he did it, but her hands were quite literally the ones dirtied. Wasn’t it? That’s why he shot her. To get her to stop. To stop killing them. Because she was too far gone. An accident. It was an accident he started and ended. He saved them... by stopping her. ]

....

[ How can she not cry? The tears came but no sound. Just a dead stare in his direction. Not mad. Not upset. But... ]

[ Lelouch hates it when his sisters cry. He knows that it is going to happen, but it makes him feel even worse. Partially because he is the cause of those tears. Because he should do something to fix them. He wants to fix it. However what can he do? He is the problem. The cause. All he does bring her pain and suffering.

So he stands there. Doing nothing. Saying nothing. ]

[ Well she isn't sure what to say now except cry. She knew it had to be something incredibly bad, but on this level? To that capacity? It's painful. She doesn't even want to ask how many. It had to be many. If it was during the event where there was a bunch of Japanese in one place, she can only imagine. No, she doesn't want to imagine. So her eyes closed as she keeps her mouth covered and continues to cry in silence over her actions... forced by Lelouch. ]

It isn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. It was something I should have been prepared for. I shouldn't have been so careless.

It's not your fault...

No, Euphy.

[ Don't. Just don't. To stand there and say it isn't his fault is wrong. Not with that expression. ]

I decided to accept this power. It was my ambitions that I decided to go forward with. Even if you say it wasn't my fault, it is my responsibility.

[ Hearing this only conflicts her own feelings. His unwillingness to hear the word along with the rest of his expressed thoughts only reaffirms the belief that his intentions were genuine after all. A mistake is what cost them a chance at peaceful resolutions, and despite this, Lelouch bares the fault. ]

[ Unsure of how to proceed, Euphy looks off for a moment, brows furrowed and lips pinched to a frown. Yet as time ebbs on, she comes to a quiet conclusion of her own and slowly steps forward to close the distance she put between them. ]

[ The silence dragging on has Lelouch thinking that maybe this is it. Maybe Euphy can accept that it is not she that did wrong, but Lelouch. Or maybe she is just resolving herself to quit speaking altogether. He isn't going to blame her if that is the case. It might be better that way?

But that's not, apparently, what she has been doing. He should know better by now, but Lelouch just keeps being surprised by his half-sister. Her presence now invading his personal space has his head jerking up. Alarmed, maybe. Unsure, definitely. What's going on in that brain of hers? ]

[ Really, she didn't know what she was doing other than ... whatever first came to mind. In this case, it was fixing the distance she put between them for so long and stood before him, eyes to his and expression stern.

After wiping away a few of her tears, that same hand reached to press against the cheek she remembers branding hard over a month ago. ]

It was wrong of me to hit you like that.

[ That... Isn't what he thought she'd do. At all. The touch is gentle and he knows he is unworthy of it. Sighing, his hand slides on top of hers. He doesn't quite know what to make of it - not entirely anyway - but he knows at least one apology is occurring here. Of sorts. ]

No. [ And help him he can't help but leans into the touch a little. ] I think you had every right to do it.

Edited 2018-07-30 02:07 (UTC)

It wasn't! [ Was the quick reply in response to his answer. She refuses to let him think at all it was needed. After a moment, her hand retracts as she folds her hands to her front. ]

We're not home anymore. We're far from it. And right now, I don't even know if we'll make it out of here alive.
[ Her gaze turns to the rising waters within the shelter of the bubbled area they took refuge in. ]

So before anything happens to us, I want you to know that, ah ... that I. [ All at once, practically blurting.] I forgive you!

I forgive you for what you did, Lelouch. I don't hate you! I don't ever think I will. I may not know you as I used to or understand this Geass, but Sister told me that you had no control over what happened. That you ... did it because you didn't have a choice. It just didn't make sense until just now. Just now when you told me ... what happened. I think some part of me knew it had to be something terrible. You wanted to tell me. You wanted to or so long but I didn't want to know. I was happier not knowing so as long as you were here with me and the rest were safe.

I understand at least why you had to do it.

[ Eyes turn pained for a moment. ]

I don't know how you gained such a power or anything else but ... I forgive you! You did what was necessary. Whatever means necessary to protect the people of Japan, and I can never hate you for that. So please, forgive yourself and lets put this behind us. If this is how things end, then I want us to depart peacefully. I don't want to leave this world without at least properly telling you this.

Thank you ... for saving Japan. For saving me. [ Saving was better than saying Kill. He "saved" her from a fate worse than if she lived. ]

[ Her words sort of leave him at a loss. She forgives him. She understands why everything happened the way it did. Maybe Euphy doesn't really comprehend Geass all that well, but the core at what happened?

Lelouch is going to argue with her over it. He intends to, actually. Because how could he be forgiven just like that? It doesn't matter what he had intended in this scenario. What matters is the fact that so many lost their lives because of his misstep. Someone dear to him had died because of it. How could she just forgive her murderer, just like that?

She also asks him to forgive himself. Something like that makes his throat tighten and whatever words he had been about to use just get caught there. Forgive himself... No, he doesn't think that he ever actual will. He's done too much to allow for that, hasn't he?

So, instead, he focuses on something else. "How things end" and "leaving this world." Does Euphy think they are really going to die here? Lelouch shakes his head. He isn't going to allow for that to happen. Not now and not like this. ]

We are going to survive.

[ Thinking about that, looking around and getting ideas, is something easier for his brain to work on instead of dealing with his own emotional turmoil. ]

[ Survive. In this? Her attention turns to the rising waters as a frown thins her lips. It's at least distracting from what she just said, even if she meant every word of it. She knew that if this was it, she wanted it to go out with no guilt. ]

Survive...

[ Maybe. But if not, she at least went out with someone. So ... could she take his hand? ]

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Event || Mysterious Fathoms Below

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UHM EXCUSE ME.

you're not really excused

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