assorted non-canon and AU threads

[aesculapian]

who wants delicious post-forest terribleness

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[miraculost]

[clutches gratefully at the towel, pulling it around himself as he sits up, looking around]

Where am I?

[aesculapian]

[ she sits back further on their heels. despite the dimness of the pre-dawn, there's still enough light to highlight the snake skull the girl next to him is wearing, if not the face underneath.

somewhat incongruously, she's also wearing a cute nightgown. it isn't quite morning yet, after all. ]

You are in the country of the unjustly dead.

[miraculost]

[he's definitely. reacting to the snake skull. but this nice lady is helping him so he's going to be polite and not make a scene about it!!

he is, however, going to visibly tear up when he hears her answer, before lowering his head to let out a sad, broken laugh]

Aah, is that so... Then, it happened after all.

[aesculapian]

It should not have.

[ you can probably guess Lilith's inner response to that ]

[miraculost]

Ah-- My children-- My son--

[aesculapian]

[ ... ]

They will wait ... while you prove yourself worthy to return.

[miraculost]

-- I could return?

[aesculapian]

Yes.

You are here because you broke the edicts of fate ... by dying when you were meant to have lived. So ... you will be given this chance to become worthy of redeeming that error.

[miraculost]

[drags one hand down his face, sucking in a breath that comes out as a half laugh]

I see. I see. Then of course, I'll do what I must to prove myself. I must get back to my family.

[aesculapian]

[ lilith please stop being full of murder it is very distracting

...she doesn't actually share that thought, because it would be unhelpful. also unhelpful is the obvious fact that this man is not Lilith's mother— but then, she hadn't quite expected it to. Lilith usually took time and a good deal of care to be brought down. ...even if they had seen enough people with the same faces for her to know better. ]

... There is nothing to be done for the moment ... except to settle in, as best you can. The rest will come later.

[miraculost]

I understand. One step at a time, of course...

Say, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?

[aesculapian]

[ she tilts her head, the gesture birdlike ]

I am an Arbiter ... one of the ones who will be judging your progress.

[ and... hesitating...? ]

... We do not take names.

[miraculost]

Well, I thank you for your assistance in any case.

[aesculapian]

[ bowing to him slightly ]

You are welcome.

[ rising gracefully back to her feet and oh boy is she tall. not quite as tall as Kaito— but still pretty impressive, particularly for a woman ]

[miraculost]

[that's still pretty striking - even if she's not as tall as Kaito, he's still never met anyone else that tall other than Kaito.

he stands up as well, a little less gracefully]

So, where do we...?

[aesculapian]

[ turns to gesture with a lift of... well, what ends up being the skull's snout rather than her chin

there's what's almost a little village spread out beside the river, a haphazard scattering of small houses and what almost look like tiny apartment buildings arranged in a loose semicircle around a large clearing. there are flowers growing absolutely everywhere, the riot of colors clearly visible even in the faint morning light. ]

You may have your pick, so long as it is unoccupied.

[ a beat ]

Or the current tenant does not mind.

[miraculost]

I see... Certainly not the worst afterlife I could have imagined. It looks rather cozy.

[aesculapian]

[ sounds... maybe faintly pleased ]

This is not punishment ... so we do our best.

[miraculost]

Well, I suppose I'd best get to finding myself a place. Thank you again for your assistance, ma'am.

[aesculapian]

[ bowing again ]

You are welcome, again ... please let me know if you need anything.

[miraculost]

Ah, I don't want to be a bother. I'll get by.

[aesculapian]

It is not a bother.

[miraculost]

Then... thank you.

[aesculapian]

[ Len will find that the housing is all scantly furnished. there are beds and bathrooms and smaller shelves, but nothing like a kitchen, for example. if he pays attention at all, it's quickly obvious that that's because he doesn't need those things. technically he doesn't need the bed, either, but if he tries to sleep despite the lack of physical exhaustion he can.

morning brings some activity. there are about twenty other people "living" in the housing complex, some of whom seem more or less friendly and some of whom decidedly do not. from them, he may find out more about his current situation: the games, specifically, and the fact that they're all in competition. ...also the fact that sometimes they are incredibly unpleasant in an assortment of creative ways, although that mostly occurs when other Arbiters pass through or choose to stay. if he thinks to ask around, he might even find out the truth about the Arbiters themselves: that they're parasites attached to the hosts of shades who failed to go home.

and later, if he looks around, he'll find the girl from the night before sitting on the porch of a slightly nicer home closer to the river. she's wearing an incredibly ruffled hoodie over jeans this time, the entire outfit in shades of blue with black accents, and is doing something with her hands and a large amount of ombre yarn that looks like a mix between cat's cradle and crocheting. ]

[miraculost]

[creatively unpleasant games aside, it really is rather a cozy afterlife. comforting, in its way.

but, of course, Len is Len. and once he learns what the Arbiters are - the fate of their hosts - he can't stop thinking about it. in this land of the "unjustly dead", what constitutes failure? and, is there any chance of recovery?

these are the questions he has in mind, when he goes looking for the girl in the snake skull. but her project with the yarn distracts him, at least for the moment.]

Ah - that's lovely.