GRAVEYARD

[foundationmods]

[On the instant of your death, you're suddenly outside of your body - probably staring down at the remains it's become.

Yet, you're not alone. For all of you (except Szayel), a young man appears from behind you, his face set into a firm, yet sad, scowl. His shaggy strawberry blonde hair is pretty eye-catching, along with the black and white Shihakusho he wears and the large sword on his back, even as he gently tries to lead you back into the lobby and away from what was once your body. You can still clearly hear and see the living, if you want to try - but they can't see or hear you.

'Welcome to the world of the dead in this Resort,' he says, quietly. 'Looks like you're stuck here with the rest of us.'

He hands you a tablet, just like the one you had before. "You'll need this if you want to keep talking to them,' he explains, looking sad.

It looks like you've passed on, and yet...You still feel like you have a role to play in all of this.]

Comments

the combination of both icons is what he feels

[escardos]

Inaba...? [ flat looks at inaba crying with an expression that's between that of confusion and slight panic. he doesn't know how to deal with this at all and he has no idea how to comfort her. ] Uhm-- uh... welcome to the sort of afterlife! [ MAYBE IF HE ACTS HAPPY SHE'LL BE HAPPY ]

[dereban]

[ BITCH, YOU THOUGHT. . . and hearing the familiar voice causes her to barely lift her head, her eyes red and puffy from crying so damn hard and she's just trembling and holding herself close because. Nope. There's no happiness to be found here. ] . . . thanks. [ Even her voice seems hollow. ]

[escardos]

[ bitch don't think that flat won't keep trying. he thinks that the very slight head lift is a win for him, so he's gonna keep going ]

I mean, you can still talk to people! We have tablets here and we can chat with them-- just use something that distinguishes you! And you can still touch people if you eat and sleep like a normal person! So it's like you're not gone at all!

[dereban]

I know.

But even so, I don't know if I'd be able to face them. I can't.

[escardos]

Why? Because you died without doing anything? I'm guessing that's what you think.

[ it's a little blunt but-- ]

That's not true, though. You still have worth-- we aren't completely dead yet.

[dereban]

I could have been able to do something. I should have. But I didn't. I'm not worth anything at all, you know. Regardless of whether we 'exist' here as ghosts or not.

[escardos]

No, you're still worth something. I see it. Even if you failed there, it doesn't mean you're a complete failure. Besides, if you thought that a role like that was the only thing defining your worth, then a monster like me would have a negative amount of worth. I'd be, like Lapin calls himself, trash. [ he laughs, giving her a hollow smile. ]

[dereban]

And why do you say that? I always considered myself worthless. Even before all of this. The role I had didn't matter. Even then, it didn't give me any sense of worth, it didn't make me feel whole. All it did was give me a burden that ended up stabbing me in the back.

[escardos]

I say it because every person has a purpose! Even if you think you have no worth, the Earth does consider you useful. The Earth does not create something inefficient.

[ sorry inaba he’s just like this. but then— ]

And besides, lots of people like you. Even if you’re worthless in your own eyes, we see something different. You’re a good leader and a really nice person, too.

[dereban]

I don't know... I don't really believe that people like me. Not for who I really am. They just like me because of qualities like that. I'm not nice at all. And I can't be a good leader anymore.

[escardos]

Well, I did just say that you can talk through the tablets? It’d just be like a long-distance meeting!

[ he smiles ]

And besides, being nice doesn’t mean that you have to say kind things to everyone. You can be a grouchy pessimist and still be a nice person— just like my Professor! He’s a nice person, even if he insults me and gives me triple the homework and tells me to ‘fuck off and die’ all the time! You wanna know why?

[dereban]

. . .I don't know if I can do that.

[ There's a bit of hollow laughter right there and then. ]

But okay. Tell me why.

[escardos]

You can try! Then you’ll know whether you can do it or not.

[ and well, about the professor— ]

Mhm... he’s a nice person because he cares. About all his students, about the people he likes, and even the ones he dislikes— and he dislikes a lot of people. He always talks about how we’re all idiots or fools, but he’s still willing to put his life on the line for me and others. He’s a good person.

[dereban]

...

[ That's not what she meant, but okay. ]

That's pretty tsundere, if you ask me. But I wouldn't put my life on the line for people like that. Never.

[escardos]

But you kinda did. A little unwillingly, but if you really didn’t want to do that, then you would’ve just told the Mafia to kill you from the beginning or maybe have thrown someone else under the bus for the sake of your own life.

[ he laughs sheepishly ]

It’s not like there’s anything wrong with selfishness. A person can be a little selfish, and that’s normal. But, where I’m from, mages are willing to kill their own families for the sake of their magecraft. To throw away lives like that... that’s not very nice, is it?

[dereban]

It's not like I wanted to die. I'm not going to throw someone else under the bus like that, either. Maybe I'm not entirely cruel, but I can't say I'm entirely nice, either.

[escardos]

I think you’re just trying too hard to be someone you’re not. You’re not an awful monster, but you’re not a saint either. Most humans are like that— I think it’s my favorite part of them. That they can all be so unique; you, included!

[dereban]

. . . that's not true. And you make it sound like a generalization rather than caring about me, specifically.

[escardos]

Both are equally important! Without the individual, you can't have humanity as a whole, you know?