OCHAKO

[chanteuser]

Comments

week 2, saturday post trial

[chanteuser]

[ what's up, ochako. alex is down by the port, just sat and watching the ocean. ]

[infreefall]

[ they did say they'd talk later, so sometime after trial, ochako goes looking for alex. the northern area is probably one of the last places she looks, but once she spots alex she heads over with a gentle smile. ]

Benedetto-san? How are you feeling?

[ trials are stressful, and all. ]

[chanteuser]

Hey, Ochako.

[ hmm. ] I... well, I'm glad we caught someone who was actually guilty but it's still not a great feeling, is it?

[infreefall]

No, not really.

[ she'll just come over and sit beside alex, letting her legs dangle off the side of the pier. ]

I wish he'd told us more... I really don't see how murder can "help" anyone.

[chanteuser]

[ here they are... sad girls at the port. ]

He said something about nova splintering, didn't he? Do know know what that is...?

[infreefall]

This was the first time I've heard of anything like that. Even Yona-san and Alphinaud didn't seem to know that much about it yet.

[chanteuser]

... It must be something important, if it was enough to make him kill.

week 4, tuesday

[infreefall]

Every week, it’s like something straight out of a movie, huh?

[ ochako is sort of meandering around, turning in a circle as she goes to take in the new setting. her little raptor is still following at her heels. once she’s turned to face alex, though, she pauses, smiling. ]

What do you think? Better or worse than the last one?

[chanteuser]

... Better. [ she laughs. ]

If I never see another jungle again, I'll be so happy.

[infreefall]

Agreed! And now we get actual beds, too!

[ what. a relief. ]

...I kind of like having my own personal dinosaur, though.

[chanteuser]

I have definitely missed the beds.

[ ... ah, right. ]

Which one did you get? Is yours a handful too?

[infreefall]

A velociraptor! That little guy.

[ she points, and sure enough, there is a miniature raptor wandering nearby, wearing a cat kigu. ]

It's still following me around - I think he still thinks I'm blind?

[chanteuser]

-- Oh, mine's just been following me around for no real reason. [ the little t-rex she got on friday rolls out from behind her back, where she's been snoozing. ] Maybe it just likes being around you?

week 5, wednesday morning pre mini-event

[chanteuser]

[ alex has a book in one hand, and a coil of ribbon clutched alongside the book. when she gets to the gardens, she waves a hand at ochako when she spots her ]

Morning!

[ her cat is already trotting over to rub at ochako's legs. hello there ochako. ]

[infreefall]

Hey! Did you need a reference for the flowers or something?

[ as far as ochako knows, bouquets are just colors? and she'll kneel to give the cat a pet, if it's allowed! ]

[chanteuser]

I thought it might be nice to try and put some meaning into it. [ she turns the book over in her hands ] Rather than just grabbing anything.

Oh, but... obviously they should look nice too.

[ she can pet the cat. in fact the cat is going to be most upset if he is not given fusses. ]

[infreefall]

Oh! That would be pretty cool. We could make them pretty personal that way!

[ kitty will get pet as much as he wants! in turn, ochako's red panda kind of waddles over to peer up at alex. ]

...That's a lot of bouquets though, isn't it?

[chanteuser]

That was the thought, yeah. I only got to have a flick through but it's pretty intricate, and there's a lot more detail than I thought there'd be.

[ alex is immediately distracted by the red panda, and crouches down for pets and fusses. ]

...

... Well. Yes. I figured I'd do some new, if kind of generic ones for people I'm not so close to? To make it a little easier, and then no one's left out.

[infreefall]

[ do you ever think about how they're touching each other's souls and they're perfectly okay with that because i do. it's good content. ]

That's a great idea. It wouldn't be fair to leave anyone out, anyway.

[ she gets up, but only to go settle down beside alex. ]

So who do we want to start with? The leaders?

week 5, friday

[infreefall]

[ ochako's stopped by the garden on her way back to the inn. alex can find her picking out some familiar flowers - zinnias, gillyflowers, marigolds, and cedar flowers. ]

[chanteuser]

[ alex is just sort of ... wandering. post everything. a little lost and not entirely eager to go back to her now empty room.

she stops when she sees ochako, but it only takes her a moment to decide what she's going to do. which is turn on her heel and walk straight for her. she stops nearby, before quietly just joining her in gathering flowers. ]

[infreefall]

[ at first, ochako considers taking the flowers and leaving. only when she realizes that it's alex does she decide to stay. and she remains quiet for a while longer, just. silently picking the flowers. ]

He liked the ones we gave him.

[ if alex looks over, she'll see that ochako is smiling a the small arrangement in her hands. there is no joy in it, though. ]

[chanteuser]

[ ...

they'd been having such a good week, hadn't they? she almost feels guilty, in a way. for a lot of reasons. that they'd had all those nice moments, and then all this had happened... for the fact she's still got a little grain of relief buried right in the pit of her stomach, almost drowned out by sadness but still there nonetheless. ]

Are you going to give him more?

[ she'll make sure the ones she's collecting are the most beautiful she can find. ]

[infreefall]

[ there's a slow nod. ]

He thought that whoever sent them was really nice, and he wanted to thank them himself.

[ her voice wavers a little, but it's best to power through it, right? they can't give up. they have to keep going. isn't that what bucky said? ]

And I think he deserves some sort of tribute, you know? He's one of us, and... one of my best friends here, and I don't think he'd want us to be sad.

[chanteuser]

[ ...

she leans over and, very carefully so as not to crush the flowers, wraps her arms around ochako ]