ic inbox.

[lucentia]

HELLO

"Greetings."

GOODBYE

TEXT | VIDEO | VOICE | ACTION

Comments

[lucentia]

[i see........

lucien is walking around even though he probably shouldn't, since despite having dressed up for the cold, his newly returned sickly maiden era doesn't like it. at the same time, this kind of scenery is so rare for him that he wants to look around.......

when he spots tokinaga, though, he pauses, not sure if he should interrupt this quiet moment.]

[vacuous]

[ He's just also bundled up... mostly on his legs, we gotta stay warm here folks. It doesn't seem like traumatic reminiscence at least, just hanging out and taking in a bit of nature. Taking a break... ]

[lucentia]

[tokinaga your leggies. lucien is actually getting concerned about the wheelchair the more he thinks about it, because TOKINAGA IS YOUR CONDITION GETTING WORSE??? well, that's not really a surprise, considering he came back from cyoa which can't have helped.

stands here continuing to debate if he wants to make himself seen or let tokinaga have his moment of peace...]

[vacuous]

[ Spots the twink for him

Raises a hand in greeting? ]

[lucentia]

[oh... spotted. he raises a hand back, before walking over to him, if a bit cautiously.]

Tokinaga. How are you feeling?

[vacuous]

Cold.

[ SIGHS!!! ]

But I already made it all the way up here, so I figured I can take a bit of a break.

[lucentia]

I understand. I don't deal very well with the cold myself, especially right now... It is a lovely sight, though.

[vacuous]

Are you still feverish?

[lucentia]

... Unfortunately. It's not of any real alarm, though—Tsukasa suspects that the river took away my present health to return to my state as a child, and I'm inclined to think he's right.

[vacuous]

Oh. Should you be out here then?

[ YOU NEED TO BE TUCKED IN!! Both here but also in real life. ]

[lucentia]

[i was typing out the memory that was unfortunately getting longer than expected so it was also oh shit trims

also he realizes belatedly he wasn't supposed to admit to having been in the river but at this point there's no way tokinaga wasn't told about the other cyoa, so. moves on.]

I spent all of yesterday in my room. [besides checking on tokinaga and hien.] I got tired of it.

[vacuous]

You didn't need to force yourself, you know...

[lucentia]

Forcing myself was the only way I ever got better before. I'm used to it.

[vacuous]

[ "You and Reirin-san get along well for a couple of reasons, huh...?" ]

Still... if you push it too far, you might get sicker too. Just be careful of that.

[lucentia]

I've no desire to make anyone worry needlessly. I'll be careful.

[vacuous]

Promise?

[lucentia]

Ah?

[vacuous]

Promise you'll be careful?

[lucentia]

[the stricken look of someone who doesn't want to make a promise that he might break but also knows that he might break it...]

[vacuous]

...At least to try?

[lucentia]

I always try.

[it's just that he is trying from the perspective of someone with no self-preservation or self-worth so the bar is on the ground.]

[vacuous]

[ Okay, jaracter ]

I'd hope you are!

[lucentia]

[STOP what if i dropped the memory right now, when you say tokinaga's off the ice does that mean he's near it]

[vacuous]

[ You talk about this memory like you've spent the last 6 tags cocking a grenade launcher with it I'm scared

He can be like on the snowy grass/dirt next to the ice sure ]

[lucentia]

[STOP IT'S NOT THAT BAD LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS it was just very funny between their convos about not getting used to death + why would you just trust people and now after asking lucien to take care of himself........

but waho a scene plays out on the ice:

in which lucien doesn't drop dead early in a route for once (cw: survivor guilt-esque suicidal thoughts)

At the Carnival, out of the Sacrificia, the Membrum suspects—Lucien, Conrad, Anastasia, Crius Castlerock, and Maya Kirkland—the last one is voted for and cast to the flames for the murder committed the previous night. Everyone is teleported back to where they were when the night began, with Lucien back in his quarters. His hands go up to the chains around his neck, marking his status as a Sacrificium and confirming that the Carnivals will continue as the Membrum remains.

The grief and guilt on his face are clear, over sentencing an innocent woman to death. He looks as though he's about to throw up as he stumbles to his bed.

-

It is that same night as he hears voices and footsteps approaching—someone has slipped into his chambers. Lucien throws a knife at the man, who dodges.

It's Crius Castlerock, one of his fellow Sacrificia. Lucien accuses him of being the Membrum come to kill him, which Castlerock denies. Then, Tyril Lister, the inquisitor and Facilitator who oversees the Carnival by the witch's will, appears as well.

"We are here to protect you from Miss Red," Lister says.

"Even now, you suspect her!?"

"... And you still choose to believe in her innocence?" Castlerock replies.

"Of course I do!"

Castlerock clearly isn't happy to hear that, as he continues. He explains how the Membrum's victory condition is to remain the last Sacrificia standing, which means that the easiest way to win would be to just kill all the other Sacrificia during the night. As a result, he fears that Lucien may be Anastasia's target, and though he doesn't know how well he and Lister can fend off the witch-induced sleep, he asks for Lucien's permission to guard him tonight.

Conflict strikes Lucien's face for a moment, before he adamantly refuses. He accuses Castlerock of being the one to behave suspiciously, possibly at the witch's behest, and insists that Anastasia's pain and grief at the trial was genuine and that she would never come to kill him.

"I'll agree with that, at least," says Lister. "From Miss Red's perspective, she gains nothing from killing the idiotic prince that so foolishly believes in her still."

A pause, and then: "If she'd kill anyone, Cas... it'd be you."

Castlerock smiles, seeming unbothered. "Yeah, I figured."

Meanwhile, Lucien stares, apparently horrified at how flippantly the two speak of this matter, of people's lives.

-

Morning comes, and the first thing Lucien does is check on Castlerock's status. Despite their argument the night before, Lucien is genuinely relieved to hear that he's still alive and safe—though it then turns to shock when he receives news of Conrad's death instead.

He thinks of how Lister had asked about his brother's whereabouts last night, and he begins to wonder: did Lister ask so that he could protect Conrad, or to kill him?

(... Ahh, but I do dislike doubting people.

But thanks to my brother's death, we now only need to suffer the trial a maximum of two more times, as opposed to three.

—Thanks to his death...? I'm a monster for thinking so positively about the loss of a human life.

But... if one more person dies...

Ah...! What am I even considering?)

-

At the next trial, Lucien dominates, proving himself every bit the image of a prince and orator. He and Anastasia join forces to indict Castlerock as the Membrum.

Yet, when it becomes clear that they've succeeded, and Castlerock accepts his impending death—Lucien does not look triumphant, but the opposite, with his mask of steady strength cracking. And when Castlerock falls to the flames, he watches in devastation.

-

As the Carnival fades, Lucien is once again returned to his chambers. His hand goes up to the chains that remain around his neck.

...

In the dead of the night, he heads to the church, where he offers up a prayer to the Goddess for Castlerock's soul. Despite everything, he doesn't seem shocked.

(Maybe there never really was a Membrum. Maybe everyone person standing on trial is a human, and we're all dancing to the witch's lies.

That must be it! We've all fallen for the witch's deceit! And if that's true...!

... Or even if it isn't true...

I should have been the one to die.)

...

well, lucien was already looking a bit pale, but now he's even more so.]