POST-TRIAL LOOSE ENDS & SHARING

[trashmouthtozier]

[that night, after a KO'd Eddie has been brought back to Cabin 3 to recuperate and everyone has scattered, Richie returns to the campfire with a book tucked under his arm, and a flashlight. he's not thinking about bringing supplies for s'mores, or hot dogs, or burgers, or any of that, not this week. so if anyone wants to show up with food, they're welcome. if anyone has appetites.

this week, he's focused on the remnants of a word he scribbled in the dirt earlier, flipping through the book he found on Thursday. he exhales, slowly, looking like he might just be sick all over again, no matter how tired he is. the makeshift scarf Cielo made him is draped over his shoulders to keep away any evening chill]

Oh, God. I ... I know what they said, you guys.

Comments

[velocirainbow]

... Yeah.

[ He sighs. ]

Sometimes... we gotta make hard decisions dat suck, too. An' he was... used to a warzone. "One life, versus a whole bunch"... dat's basic military, right? I can... see de reasoning.

[ ... He doesn't like it, but he can SEE it. ]

Plus, he was attacked. Dat... it ain't his fault. It ain't. In my mind, he was jus' defendin' himself, and she was jus' an awful coward. She woulda attacked one of de weaker kids, I bet. Prolly killed 'em.

[le_mat]

If any of the rest of us had been alone it would have been us.

I... I'm not okay with what he did, but I can't hate him. I guess... that's just what it is to be comrades.

[He thinks, suddenly, of Akechi, and winces]

[velocirainbow]

[ A small frown. ]

Dat's... what it means. You two was comrades. Even if de whole camp hate him, I can't. 'Cause I can see where he was comin' from. Don't mean I'm okay wid it, eitha, but...

[ Well... he gets it. ]

... He saved a lot of us, in de end. What he did wasn't selfish at all. Dat girl was rotten to de core.

[le_mat]

I feel kinda bad for her though. She must have been so scared. Most people can't handle something like this.

[velocirainbow]

Oh, sure. I feel bad for her, too. But dat don't excuse her actions. You can't jus' treat dis like a game. She shoulda realized after de first death it weren't no game.

[ He sighs. ]

I make jokes all de time, but I... I dunno dat even I could find any a dis funny, you know? It jus'... it ain't. She was clearly deluded, thinkin' somebody was gwon come save her.