cinnabar.

[nonbelligerent]

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week 2, friday

[globs]

[ okay, so Cinnabar may or may not have been a little scarce this week after the flower crown thing. The idea of him being creeped out by them giving him a gift, or not really wanting to be friends, or one of any other anxiety-fueled hypotheticals made them hesitant to face Shess again. But then the deaths come yet again, and they feel like they should talk to someone about what's going on, and the only person they actually feel comfortable seeking out is Shess, ironically enough.

Strategizing is important for these things, right? (They're mostly just lonely, as usual. But they won't admit it.) They stand in front of his door for a solid two minutes debating on running away or not - but, in the end, they get the guts to knock. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[well, the knock tells him it's not hisoka, who'd probably just try and come through the window.

so, tablet under his arm, he gets up and opens the door! ... and this isn't someone he expected at all, to be honest. the surprise is visible on his face for a moment, before he smiles and writes,]

Hello, Cinnabar. How are you doing? Did you need something?

[globs]

[ why is hisoka coming in through your window shess...

they blink up at him, briefly, scanning his expression for some sign of distaste; when they don't find it, they don't seem particularly relieved, but they at least don't run away again. Their faceted eyes flick off to the side nervously, as usual. ]

... People died again today. That's eight in three weeks.

[nonbelligerent]

[don't ask.]

Yes. It's all the more urgent we find an actual solution to this problem.

[though first:]

Would you like to come inside?

[globs]

H-huh?

[ glancing up, then fidgeting in place, hand fiddling with the edge of their shorts. ]

But my toxin will get everywhere... I don't want to cause trouble.

[nonbelligerent]

I can always clean up afterwards, but it's your choice.

[globs]

[ on one hand, they feel nice and warm inside, being actually invited into someone else's home. On the other hand, they know he shares this room with another person, and they also know that they'll make a big mess that probably won't be as easy to clean as he's imagining, even without the corrosive aspect. ]

... Let's talk somewhere else.

[ and they don't want to ruin things if they don't have to. After a second, they add hurriedly: ]

I mean... if you're okay with that... I don't really care either way...

[nonbelligerent]

Of course. Where would you like to go?

[globs]

[ oh, they have to make the choice... ]

Maybe... those springs. There's usually no one there at night.

[ they spend a lot of time there because of it. ]

[nonbelligerent]

All right. You know the way, then?

[globs]

[ they nod, then turn to start leading the way, a little awkwardly. ]

You're not busy?

[nonbelligerent]

I have time.

[he literally just told lune he was busy today but WHATEVER HE HAS TIME FOR CINNABAR.]

[globs]

[ SHESS!!!!!!!!!! ]

I'm not interrupting your practice?

[nonbelligerent]

No, it's fine. It tires me out anyway, so I shouldn't do it before a trial.

[globs]

[ right. the trial. Cinnabar just nods again, seeming to accept that as an answer.

The hot springs aren't too far away, luckily; they're quiet for most of the journey, not knowing what to say, as usual. Just like Cinnabar said, there's no one around. Rather than getting into the springs, they carefully walk around them, finding a cozy crevice in the rock face to stand in, instead - although they make sure to stay standing in the moonlight. They'll fall asleep if they don't get direct light in the evening. ]

... How do we make this stop happening? We need to think of something.

[nonbelligerent]

[he follows, allowing cinnabar their silence.]

We do. Unfortunately, I'm not sure just yet.

[globs]

We'll all be gone soon if we don't find a way soon.

[ they try to be cold and clinical about it, but they can't help sounding a little worried, too, especially as they look back over at Shess. They want to protect their friends - and that includes him, now, too, not just the other gems. ]

Have those two said anything about where the Corruption is coming from?

[nonbelligerent]

No. Not unless they keep expecting us to travel to different worlds like this.

[globs]

[ they knew about the different worlds, but that was it. ]

... Is the only way to "purge the corruption," like they said, to let it infest someone and then kill that person, then?

[ they frown. ]

They made it sound like the ones that died weren't truly dead. But... I don't know if I believe that, either. Even if it is true... That's cruel.

[nonbelligerent]

Right. If their souls are still lingering, then that could be a cruel fate...

Though a group of us learned something in one of the previous worlds. A message: "Maybe there are other ways to snuff out the darkness if we keep getting rid of it as it spreads."

[globs]

Huh? [ they didn't know about this. Not talking to anyone sometimes has negative effects. ] Who was the message from...? Or did you simply find it?

[nonbelligerent]

They encountered a native from the world who told them that. They were forcibly removed from the area before they could finish interrogating him, though.

[globs]

[ of course. Cinnabar looks slightly frustrated, but what can they do? At least they learned something. ]

Let's hope he was telling the truth. Otherwise... We'll just be waiting here for weeks, until either we destroy all of it or it destroys all of us.

[ ... They pause, then frown again, deeper. They sound like Phos did, now, and they don't like that. ]

[nonbelligerent]

I don't know if destroying all of it is the right solution, but it's definitely true we have to make sure it doesn't destroy all of us.

[globs]

I wonder if doing that is even possible.

[ they've been at war their whole life with an unknown entity that's been slowly whittling down their numbers. It's hard to imagine actually making progress here for them. ]