Movie Night
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
You glance at the frozen screen, then nod your head. "Okay, I guess … what is it?" Madoka freezes for a moment, and a strange look enters her eyes.
"It's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers! Haven't you seen the movies?" You shake your head, and she opens her mouth and turns to Mami.
"No, Kaname-san – if we try to watch all three movies we'll be up all night." The older girl has a small smile on her face as Madoka deflates.
"Alright … but I'm going back to when the elves arrive. She has to see the whole battle, after all," she declares, and Mami nods. She turns to you as the pink-haired girl picks up a small device with many buttons and points it at a spot on the wall.
"The movies really are best seen in order, but … well, have you read the books?" You shake your head again.
"Nope. I've never even heard of them. Are they any good?" For a moment, Mami stares at you, and you gaze curiously back until she shakes herself.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Scarlet-san, it's just … they're very popular and famous books, so I thought you would have heard of them. I have a set at home – Akemi-san may have them as well – if you want to read them." She gets back in her chair, and you lean against the front of Madoka's chair as she restarts the movie.
Madoka and Mami both chuckle at the ill-fitting suit of mail, and you have to shake your head at the absurdity as well. The … elves – certainly different in appearance than you would have thought – are a splendid sight, arrayed in their cloaks and seemingly identical. As they form up on the walls, you have to wonder what hope of success they have. And as the rain begins, you almost giggle. Archery is not something to practice in the rain, from what you know, and fighting on stone walls should lead many to fall if it continues. The army arrayed against them is very impressive, and you want to root for them, but you get the feeling they're supposed to be the bad guys. You wonder why the elves need instructions on how to fight a war, and where armor is almost always weaker, then shrug it off and try to enjoy the battle as the two sides engage in earnest.
Then the scene changes, and your waning attention focuses. Treefolk! You hope they are portrayed well, as high-class youkai, and so far you aren't disappointed – mortals often have an overinflated opinion of their own squabbles, and treefolk in particular take time to come to a conclusion.
The scene shifts again, and you sigh. You realize what it is that's bothering you about the battle – there are no secondary effects of combat, and armor is useless so why does anyone wear it? You are momentarily excited by the explosion, but it seems too feeble from your experiences. In general, though, the fighting is unimpressive – the arrows are too lethal, armor too ineffective, you can't smell the blood and stink and fear, and you can't hear the shrieks of the wounded, the dying and those who wished they were dying. It is all too clean, and you don't see any of the ruin that human conflict makes. It should be a world of blood of fear and pain … and it is all too clean, too unreal. And then the elf rides the shield down the stairs again, and you glower until the scene changes again.
You find the treefolk to be reasonable, for they are of the world, but not necessarily part of it. Wars between humans and other mortals are not their affair, and if they do not wish to join the war, you don't understand why they should have to be forced to. Just like you and Remilia – when the French rolled through, their magicians tried to make you join with them against the youkai opposing them, but Remilia dismissed them, for your strength was tied to the world and not the trappings of man and empire. You are not a dog for humans, to be used against their own foes; you only take part in combat you wish to join. Mortals, so focused on boundaries of land and not on oath and service, forget their place.
And then the earth bestirs itself against the magician who truly should know better, and your fading excitement is rekindled. Yes, you think. Magicians, unaging youkai able to surround themselves in successive wards and shields to repel almost any force, have never ruled because they too often sought to rule the world. And so they were torn down and brought to ruin by the wrath of the world as stone and tree and tide rise against them and peel apart their defenses. Vampires only rarely warred against the world itself, and even then only for limited objectives, and only because vampires are also of the world itself were they not brought to ruin. Magicians too frequently failed to understand the difference, and so they were brought to heel. … So Remilia and Patchouli taught you, anyway.
You don't pay much attention to the Halflings in the ruined city, or the warriors huddling in their fort – until they ride out, which stokes your rage. A fortified citadel that you can make a cavalry charge out of? Through that doorway and down that ramp? And the horses don't stall in the mass of pikemen, just keep bowling them over, and the riders aren't dragged from the saddles? You nearly break into a rant, but the squeals and cheers of the girls behind you make you reconsider. You start to hope that maybe mass of pikes will at least slaughter the relief army … but again, mere horseflesh defeats iron, and you scowl.
At least until the treefolk are shown again, and you clap and cheer as the youkai demonstrate their prowess. While still unimpressive by your own standards, it is not too far below their abilities, and you take pride in the assault of the world against the mortals.
Your elation remains, and you smile even as the Halflings in the city are shown again, and you chuckle and shake your head at the speech of stories. Stories are a lie. The end isn't happy, and the world never returns to the way it used to be. True, darkness passes, and the new day dawns – and then the new day passes, and the darkness falls all the deeper. Mortals need hope, and that is what the lies of stories are for. Humans are not youkai, and lack the innate rightness of those breeds; where commoner youkai need fear of mortals to sustain themselves in part, so too do humans need hope to maintain what your sister calls their "innate glory." Youkai know that everything ends and dies – even you will become nothing in the end – and they understand that it is so because it is in their nature as members of the world. Humans lack the truth of nature, and so they need the hope of stories.
And then the feral Halfling begins talking to himself, and you shudder. You quickly realize that the creature is insane, deranged and twisted, and you hug yourself. "Headless? You'll tell me if I start talking to myself, right, and not to you? Especially if I start talking about myself in the plural, right?" Your friend is a long moment replying. "Yes, of course," she says, and you sigh in relief as Madoka makes the movie stop and they get up.
"Well, Flandre, how did you like it?" Madoka helps you stand, and you think a bit before replying.
"It was … um, interesting," you say, trying to be diplomatic, and Mami chuckles as Madoka's face falls. "I like the treefolk, they were really neat! But I had trouble getting some of the other parts." Madoka frowns as the three of you head toward the main room.
"A lot of it is probably that you only saw a quarter of the movie," Mami says. "If you'd seen the full movie, the proper introduction of the Rohirrim and Faramir's group, you would probably be more understanding. Of course, watching the first would give you even more insight, so perhaps we should watch that tomorrow, and then the whole of this one another time?"
You smell something delicious, and rush toward the kitchen, girls in tow. Saya is in there, standing at the stove, and you rush past her to the oven. Bread. There's some kind of dark bread baking in the oven, and it smells wonderful and tasty, and you hear a giggle as you lick your lips.
"Now, now, Flan – we have to wait for Agito to make sure it's ready. That's her special bread, it seems." You mock-scowl at Saya, only for her to chuckle again.
"Miki-san, how are you doing?" Mami bows as she enters, as does Madoka, and Saya returns them as well as she can.
"I'm fine, thank you. You have excellent timing – dinner is almost ready. Agito is getting Lutecia-chan, so we just need our hostess. Madoka nods her head.
"Oh, I'll get Homura-chan," she says before hurrying back. Mami shakes her head and surveys the kitchen.
"Hm, curry rice, vegetables, Agito's bread, and …?" She glances at the woman, who gestures at a container on the counter.
"Chicken to go with the curry," she says, and Mami nods before conscripting you to help get the table ready. You see Agito shepherding Lutecia down the hall as you move things into the dining room. The magician looks worn-out, but seems excited about something – and she does the exact same thing you did, goes right to the oven with the bread. Saya actually has to step away from the stove for a moment due to her laughter, and that and your glare prompt Agito to ask what was so amusing. She snorts at the answer, and the two of them finish preparing the food as Madoka returns with Homura. The black-haired girl's arm still seems weak and unsteady, but she seems otherwise fine. During the meal, Agito has to scold Lutecia multiple times about eating so much of the bread, though you don't blame the magician, because it tastes wonderful. You finish your piece – small, to start with – and start gauging how big your next piece should be when Saya and Agito start talking about it.
"Hmm … it has a very sharp taste to it, but it isn't overwhelming …." The woman frowns as she stares at the piece in her hand, then takes another bite. "… Is there garlic in this?" Agito beams.
"Yup! It's one of the parts you really need to make it taste just right," she affirms, and you freeze. Homura glances at you for a moment, but you simply make a small face and then continue eating everything else. You probably didn't eat enough to make you really sick, but you shouldn't take chances. That would explain why it tasted so good, then. Vampires' immediate reaction to garlic are varied, but nearly all are at least partially allergic to it – after several hours, they get sick and their blood and skin seem to burn. How bad it gets depends on how much they eat.
The rest of the meal passes pleasantly enough, with some discussion of the movie – though everyone kept talking around each other, often with a knowing glance at you, because they wanted to avoid 'spoiling' the experience for you. You simply began sticking your tongue out whenever they changed how they phrased things. Quickly enough, the meal ends, and after cleaning away the table, everyone returns to the other room to watch the third movie. You claim the chair Madoka had been sitting in, and curl up alongside Lutecia, arms around her. Agito scowls but doesn't say anything, instead simply reverting to her smaller size and perching on Lutecia's legs. Madoka starts the movie once everyone is settled.
The initial scene, however, soon leaves you in a fit of dread, and you unintentionally tighten your grip on Lutecia until she puts her hand over yours. You can't help but see the same potential in yourself, however, even later. 'Murderer,' they could have called you – would have called you, and cast you out, and then it would have been the old days, only without your sister. You killed her, after all, and they would have been in their rights. It would have been the old days again … and in your condition, with a few bad storms, and without a home to hide from, you would have been the one weeping in solitude. Would you have gone mad, the way the feral Halfling evidently did? Forget your name? That initial experience sours the movie for you, and you shiver, ever so slightly, whenever the feral Halfling appears.
Without the false combat to distract you, the … Rohirrim, Mami called them – interest you more. They remind you strongly of the 'old men' that some youkai kept as their servants, either through cultivation or through necromancy. They have much the same manners and mannerisms. During the feral creature's conversation with itself, Agito keeps glancing at you, and when it betrays itself and is attacked by the Halfling, she looks directly at you, evidently trying to force a similarity between the situations. Normally you wouldn't be bothered, but shaken by the glimpse of madness … Lutecia pokes Agito, distracting her from you, but doesn't comfort you. You aren't sure how to feel about that ….
The halfling's distress is no real comfort to you, despite the proper comeuppance of a mortal interfering in the domain of magicians. Then you see the White City, and you shake your head. It is, on the surface, a defensible city – for humans, and against humans, but not against youkai. And then you become positively incensed at the treacherous and conniving steward, who would usurp another's authority for his own gain. He is breaking his word, a promised oath, something many youkai would hesitate to do, and which is inherently antithetical to a vampire.
Of course, you can see the others as well – Madoka cuddles against Homura, her expressions plain and obvious, possibly reflecting the intended reaction of the audience. Saya sits on a bench against the wall, relaxed, and generally has a smile as she watches. Mami, too, watches with a smile. Your attention focuses temporarily on two things when the halflings reach the enemy stronghold – the first, that there is a 'secret' entrance right by the main gate, which makes no sense to you, as any such hidden gateway should be a sally port and not a means of entry in; the second is the poor quality of the enemy force's weaponry, particularly compared to the pikes of the previous army.
And then the river-city fight begins, and you admire both sides for their cleverness, though you can easily see that numbers will win the day for the attackers. And again with the overly-lethal weapons and useless armor – the light-armored men are no worse than the plate-armored ones! – and you decide that the combat of the movie will never excite you, and that you should pay less attention to it.
As the feral Halfling begins to turn the others against themselves, Lutecia preempts her by scooping her up and holding her on her lap, breaking sight between the two of you. Whether she is simply acting as peacemaker, or taking a side, you cannot tell – but once again, she doesn't remove your arms. Perhaps she simply doesn't want to distress you until she has achieved her own goal …?
Your disdain for the false ruler of the city grows when you realize that he is deliberately sending not only a group of soldiers on a mission with no chance of success, but that he is deliberately sending his son on that mission out of sheer spite. You approve of the halfling's actions, opposing the feral creature – he seems to be a servant of the other, and his attitude is proper, though the other is too blind to see. Once again, the 'Rohirrim' show their quality, willingly continuing even though they know their chance of victory is none. These, too, are the men your sister would enjoy watching, learning from and cataloguing.
The Dead, however …. You are of mixed opinions regarding them. On the one hand, a living army cursed to stand until another calls them after breaking their word, that is the quality of oath you expect. So should all oathbreakers be punished, to stand until called forth to fulfill their oath. However, their dead appearance and their green color, those are not proper. They look pitiful and wasted, not powerful and wicked as the dead should; they are pale remnants of an army, not fit to garrison a worthless village, not the saviors they are being built up as.
… You do have to admit that the catapult warfare is probably the most realistic you've seen so far, though the city is frailer than you'd have thought and the defenders' use of rubble is odd. The attack of the shrieking riders shows the truth of your earlier assessment – the city relies on being able to hold an enemy at the wall, while many, many youkai are able to either fly or are capable of simply scaling the wall without heavy siege equipment.
Madoka shudders at the webs. "Ehh … Homura-chan~" She cuddles closer, and you can see a slight tinge on the other girl's cheeks.
"You don't like spiders, Kaname-san?"
"It's … it's just so big, and when you're stuck in the webs like that …." She shudders. You wonder at it, a fallen youkai like that, surviving not by its own strength but by the weakness of others. A scavenger and ambush hunter, long divorced from its strength. Certainly, its defeat seems as much due to the light of faith that gave the courage to stand against it in the beginning and drove it away as to the sword thrusts that wounded it. Should it be pitied? Or simply acknowledged as an eventual fate, the wasting-away of greatness before a final demise – not pitied, and simply accepted?
The city burns and falls, and the riders arrive. In spite of yourself, you focus on the scene, and you are more firmly reminded of the 'old men' of the world. Death, and the world's ending … yes, these Men are worthy … and the charge is worthy, too. It is impossible to transmit the fury of hundreds of tons of flesh and iron and steel charging toward you, but the fear of the defenders, the breaking of their line, that is right and true. A charge like that cannot be stopped by mortal means … not until the charge itself breaks the bodies of its members, and the sheer number of defenders should have seen them slowed and killed, but the immortal stamina and ability brush aside their foes safeguards them, and you shake your head. Then the great elephants appear, and you bury your head in Lutecia's shoulder.
"Oh, Flandre, you have to watch this part! Come on, eyes up!" Saya calls to you as the familiar shrieking of the black riders fills the room, and you raise your head as the winged mount hurls the warrior-king through the air. The woman manages to decapitate it in a truly absurd fashion, and then …. "Pretty neat, huh?"
"… She shouldn't have an arm after a hit like that! It's ridiculous! She should be a bleeding, messy wreck! She -!" You cut yourself off as everyone looks at you, and you duck your head again.
"… She has a point, though. The combat is kind of … uh, well, things that should happen aren't, and things that aren't happening really should be. … And don't tell me he's going to kill that with some of those little arrows. As big as that thing is …." Everyone quiets for a while after Agito supports you. "… So, are those two, uh … Merry and Pippin … are they supposed to be together, or something?" You look up to see the others blushing brightly.
You shake your head as the orcs fall to fighting against each other. Ranks need to be properly established and segregated to prevent this sort of thing, even you know that! If your subordinates can't be trusted not to fight each other for the measliest of things, how can you trust them not to kill each other in battle? And when it does happen, it needs to be properly disciplined, preferably throughout the army, so everyone knows that such fighting anywhere will be punished everywhere. And if that's too hard a concept for someone to understand, he should stick to only a single group.
"Sam really is the truest friend there is, isn't he, Homura-chan?" You frown at that as Homura stares blankly at the screen. That's … friendship? Didn't their speech earlier indicate that Sam was Frodo's servant? That would make him a loyal servant, and doing his duty properly – like Sakuya would … or did, rather, during the unending night. He's doing what he's supposed to do, right?
The movie's end is …. You missed part of it, you must admit, because of the giant eagles out of nowhere. Everyone else cheers, and even Agito lets out a hurrah, but you simply stare at the screen because they simply showed up. And apparently thrashed the riders' mounts, which were such a big deal earlier. Why did they show up, and why then and not earlier? Are they something you need to have seen the other movies to understand? And then their saving of the Halflings infuriates you – the story, as you understand it, is of sacrifice, of willingly giving up the one life for the survival of all else, and then that meaning is thrown away, trading merely a finger for that survival. What's the point? That as long as you try, giant eagles will make everything better?
You remain indignant throughout the rest of the movie – the crowning and the return, the writing of the book and the sending-off of the two Halflings – but when you glance around the room, you see smiles and tears of joy. Even the normally-stalwart Homura has a glistening eye. … It must be a human thing. Or else there's a meaning you aren't getting.
"Well, Scarlet-san, did you like it?" Mami looks at you, and you give her a half-shrug with one shoulder.
"I … I'm not sure …. It, uh … I think I need some more time to think about it," you say, and she gives you a curious look. You unclasp your arms from around Lutecia and pull away from her until she sits up. "I think I need to take a walk." You quickly make your excuse and hop out of the chair, heading outside. You don't just need to take a walk, because you aren't just unsure what to think about the movie. You've had an itch growing throughout the movie, you just weren't sure what it was. It's a violence itch. You just watched something that showed a lot of fake violence, and now you need to make it real. And … you need to work out your own nervousness. You did not like that feral Halfling, not at all. It bothered you, more than you'd admit to anyone except your sister.
The only thing you have to decide right now is whether you want to take your time, or if you want to rush. Hurrying will, of course, be much more obvious, but … maybe you'll have enough time left to do something else ….
What do you do?
[ ] Take your time with the killing.
[ ] Do it quickly. And then ...
- [ ] Get some more clothes.
- [ ] Go hunt for Kirika.
- [ ] Go hunt for a Witch.
- [ ] Other?
EDIT: Stupid copy-paste function ....
"It's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers! Haven't you seen the movies?" You shake your head, and she opens her mouth and turns to Mami.
"No, Kaname-san – if we try to watch all three movies we'll be up all night." The older girl has a small smile on her face as Madoka deflates.
"Alright … but I'm going back to when the elves arrive. She has to see the whole battle, after all," she declares, and Mami nods. She turns to you as the pink-haired girl picks up a small device with many buttons and points it at a spot on the wall.
"The movies really are best seen in order, but … well, have you read the books?" You shake your head again.
"Nope. I've never even heard of them. Are they any good?" For a moment, Mami stares at you, and you gaze curiously back until she shakes herself.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Scarlet-san, it's just … they're very popular and famous books, so I thought you would have heard of them. I have a set at home – Akemi-san may have them as well – if you want to read them." She gets back in her chair, and you lean against the front of Madoka's chair as she restarts the movie.
Madoka and Mami both chuckle at the ill-fitting suit of mail, and you have to shake your head at the absurdity as well. The … elves – certainly different in appearance than you would have thought – are a splendid sight, arrayed in their cloaks and seemingly identical. As they form up on the walls, you have to wonder what hope of success they have. And as the rain begins, you almost giggle. Archery is not something to practice in the rain, from what you know, and fighting on stone walls should lead many to fall if it continues. The army arrayed against them is very impressive, and you want to root for them, but you get the feeling they're supposed to be the bad guys. You wonder why the elves need instructions on how to fight a war, and where armor is almost always weaker, then shrug it off and try to enjoy the battle as the two sides engage in earnest.
Then the scene changes, and your waning attention focuses. Treefolk! You hope they are portrayed well, as high-class youkai, and so far you aren't disappointed – mortals often have an overinflated opinion of their own squabbles, and treefolk in particular take time to come to a conclusion.
The scene shifts again, and you sigh. You realize what it is that's bothering you about the battle – there are no secondary effects of combat, and armor is useless so why does anyone wear it? You are momentarily excited by the explosion, but it seems too feeble from your experiences. In general, though, the fighting is unimpressive – the arrows are too lethal, armor too ineffective, you can't smell the blood and stink and fear, and you can't hear the shrieks of the wounded, the dying and those who wished they were dying. It is all too clean, and you don't see any of the ruin that human conflict makes. It should be a world of blood of fear and pain … and it is all too clean, too unreal. And then the elf rides the shield down the stairs again, and you glower until the scene changes again.
You find the treefolk to be reasonable, for they are of the world, but not necessarily part of it. Wars between humans and other mortals are not their affair, and if they do not wish to join the war, you don't understand why they should have to be forced to. Just like you and Remilia – when the French rolled through, their magicians tried to make you join with them against the youkai opposing them, but Remilia dismissed them, for your strength was tied to the world and not the trappings of man and empire. You are not a dog for humans, to be used against their own foes; you only take part in combat you wish to join. Mortals, so focused on boundaries of land and not on oath and service, forget their place.
And then the earth bestirs itself against the magician who truly should know better, and your fading excitement is rekindled. Yes, you think. Magicians, unaging youkai able to surround themselves in successive wards and shields to repel almost any force, have never ruled because they too often sought to rule the world. And so they were torn down and brought to ruin by the wrath of the world as stone and tree and tide rise against them and peel apart their defenses. Vampires only rarely warred against the world itself, and even then only for limited objectives, and only because vampires are also of the world itself were they not brought to ruin. Magicians too frequently failed to understand the difference, and so they were brought to heel. … So Remilia and Patchouli taught you, anyway.
You don't pay much attention to the Halflings in the ruined city, or the warriors huddling in their fort – until they ride out, which stokes your rage. A fortified citadel that you can make a cavalry charge out of? Through that doorway and down that ramp? And the horses don't stall in the mass of pikemen, just keep bowling them over, and the riders aren't dragged from the saddles? You nearly break into a rant, but the squeals and cheers of the girls behind you make you reconsider. You start to hope that maybe mass of pikes will at least slaughter the relief army … but again, mere horseflesh defeats iron, and you scowl.
At least until the treefolk are shown again, and you clap and cheer as the youkai demonstrate their prowess. While still unimpressive by your own standards, it is not too far below their abilities, and you take pride in the assault of the world against the mortals.
Your elation remains, and you smile even as the Halflings in the city are shown again, and you chuckle and shake your head at the speech of stories. Stories are a lie. The end isn't happy, and the world never returns to the way it used to be. True, darkness passes, and the new day dawns – and then the new day passes, and the darkness falls all the deeper. Mortals need hope, and that is what the lies of stories are for. Humans are not youkai, and lack the innate rightness of those breeds; where commoner youkai need fear of mortals to sustain themselves in part, so too do humans need hope to maintain what your sister calls their "innate glory." Youkai know that everything ends and dies – even you will become nothing in the end – and they understand that it is so because it is in their nature as members of the world. Humans lack the truth of nature, and so they need the hope of stories.
And then the feral Halfling begins talking to himself, and you shudder. You quickly realize that the creature is insane, deranged and twisted, and you hug yourself. "Headless? You'll tell me if I start talking to myself, right, and not to you? Especially if I start talking about myself in the plural, right?" Your friend is a long moment replying. "Yes, of course," she says, and you sigh in relief as Madoka makes the movie stop and they get up.
"Well, Flandre, how did you like it?" Madoka helps you stand, and you think a bit before replying.
"It was … um, interesting," you say, trying to be diplomatic, and Mami chuckles as Madoka's face falls. "I like the treefolk, they were really neat! But I had trouble getting some of the other parts." Madoka frowns as the three of you head toward the main room.
"A lot of it is probably that you only saw a quarter of the movie," Mami says. "If you'd seen the full movie, the proper introduction of the Rohirrim and Faramir's group, you would probably be more understanding. Of course, watching the first would give you even more insight, so perhaps we should watch that tomorrow, and then the whole of this one another time?"
You smell something delicious, and rush toward the kitchen, girls in tow. Saya is in there, standing at the stove, and you rush past her to the oven. Bread. There's some kind of dark bread baking in the oven, and it smells wonderful and tasty, and you hear a giggle as you lick your lips.
"Now, now, Flan – we have to wait for Agito to make sure it's ready. That's her special bread, it seems." You mock-scowl at Saya, only for her to chuckle again.
"Miki-san, how are you doing?" Mami bows as she enters, as does Madoka, and Saya returns them as well as she can.
"I'm fine, thank you. You have excellent timing – dinner is almost ready. Agito is getting Lutecia-chan, so we just need our hostess. Madoka nods her head.
"Oh, I'll get Homura-chan," she says before hurrying back. Mami shakes her head and surveys the kitchen.
"Hm, curry rice, vegetables, Agito's bread, and …?" She glances at the woman, who gestures at a container on the counter.
"Chicken to go with the curry," she says, and Mami nods before conscripting you to help get the table ready. You see Agito shepherding Lutecia down the hall as you move things into the dining room. The magician looks worn-out, but seems excited about something – and she does the exact same thing you did, goes right to the oven with the bread. Saya actually has to step away from the stove for a moment due to her laughter, and that and your glare prompt Agito to ask what was so amusing. She snorts at the answer, and the two of them finish preparing the food as Madoka returns with Homura. The black-haired girl's arm still seems weak and unsteady, but she seems otherwise fine. During the meal, Agito has to scold Lutecia multiple times about eating so much of the bread, though you don't blame the magician, because it tastes wonderful. You finish your piece – small, to start with – and start gauging how big your next piece should be when Saya and Agito start talking about it.
"Hmm … it has a very sharp taste to it, but it isn't overwhelming …." The woman frowns as she stares at the piece in her hand, then takes another bite. "… Is there garlic in this?" Agito beams.
"Yup! It's one of the parts you really need to make it taste just right," she affirms, and you freeze. Homura glances at you for a moment, but you simply make a small face and then continue eating everything else. You probably didn't eat enough to make you really sick, but you shouldn't take chances. That would explain why it tasted so good, then. Vampires' immediate reaction to garlic are varied, but nearly all are at least partially allergic to it – after several hours, they get sick and their blood and skin seem to burn. How bad it gets depends on how much they eat.
The rest of the meal passes pleasantly enough, with some discussion of the movie – though everyone kept talking around each other, often with a knowing glance at you, because they wanted to avoid 'spoiling' the experience for you. You simply began sticking your tongue out whenever they changed how they phrased things. Quickly enough, the meal ends, and after cleaning away the table, everyone returns to the other room to watch the third movie. You claim the chair Madoka had been sitting in, and curl up alongside Lutecia, arms around her. Agito scowls but doesn't say anything, instead simply reverting to her smaller size and perching on Lutecia's legs. Madoka starts the movie once everyone is settled.
The initial scene, however, soon leaves you in a fit of dread, and you unintentionally tighten your grip on Lutecia until she puts her hand over yours. You can't help but see the same potential in yourself, however, even later. 'Murderer,' they could have called you – would have called you, and cast you out, and then it would have been the old days, only without your sister. You killed her, after all, and they would have been in their rights. It would have been the old days again … and in your condition, with a few bad storms, and without a home to hide from, you would have been the one weeping in solitude. Would you have gone mad, the way the feral Halfling evidently did? Forget your name? That initial experience sours the movie for you, and you shiver, ever so slightly, whenever the feral Halfling appears.
Without the false combat to distract you, the … Rohirrim, Mami called them – interest you more. They remind you strongly of the 'old men' that some youkai kept as their servants, either through cultivation or through necromancy. They have much the same manners and mannerisms. During the feral creature's conversation with itself, Agito keeps glancing at you, and when it betrays itself and is attacked by the Halfling, she looks directly at you, evidently trying to force a similarity between the situations. Normally you wouldn't be bothered, but shaken by the glimpse of madness … Lutecia pokes Agito, distracting her from you, but doesn't comfort you. You aren't sure how to feel about that ….
The halfling's distress is no real comfort to you, despite the proper comeuppance of a mortal interfering in the domain of magicians. Then you see the White City, and you shake your head. It is, on the surface, a defensible city – for humans, and against humans, but not against youkai. And then you become positively incensed at the treacherous and conniving steward, who would usurp another's authority for his own gain. He is breaking his word, a promised oath, something many youkai would hesitate to do, and which is inherently antithetical to a vampire.
Of course, you can see the others as well – Madoka cuddles against Homura, her expressions plain and obvious, possibly reflecting the intended reaction of the audience. Saya sits on a bench against the wall, relaxed, and generally has a smile as she watches. Mami, too, watches with a smile. Your attention focuses temporarily on two things when the halflings reach the enemy stronghold – the first, that there is a 'secret' entrance right by the main gate, which makes no sense to you, as any such hidden gateway should be a sally port and not a means of entry in; the second is the poor quality of the enemy force's weaponry, particularly compared to the pikes of the previous army.
And then the river-city fight begins, and you admire both sides for their cleverness, though you can easily see that numbers will win the day for the attackers. And again with the overly-lethal weapons and useless armor – the light-armored men are no worse than the plate-armored ones! – and you decide that the combat of the movie will never excite you, and that you should pay less attention to it.
As the feral Halfling begins to turn the others against themselves, Lutecia preempts her by scooping her up and holding her on her lap, breaking sight between the two of you. Whether she is simply acting as peacemaker, or taking a side, you cannot tell – but once again, she doesn't remove your arms. Perhaps she simply doesn't want to distress you until she has achieved her own goal …?
Your disdain for the false ruler of the city grows when you realize that he is deliberately sending not only a group of soldiers on a mission with no chance of success, but that he is deliberately sending his son on that mission out of sheer spite. You approve of the halfling's actions, opposing the feral creature – he seems to be a servant of the other, and his attitude is proper, though the other is too blind to see. Once again, the 'Rohirrim' show their quality, willingly continuing even though they know their chance of victory is none. These, too, are the men your sister would enjoy watching, learning from and cataloguing.
The Dead, however …. You are of mixed opinions regarding them. On the one hand, a living army cursed to stand until another calls them after breaking their word, that is the quality of oath you expect. So should all oathbreakers be punished, to stand until called forth to fulfill their oath. However, their dead appearance and their green color, those are not proper. They look pitiful and wasted, not powerful and wicked as the dead should; they are pale remnants of an army, not fit to garrison a worthless village, not the saviors they are being built up as.
… You do have to admit that the catapult warfare is probably the most realistic you've seen so far, though the city is frailer than you'd have thought and the defenders' use of rubble is odd. The attack of the shrieking riders shows the truth of your earlier assessment – the city relies on being able to hold an enemy at the wall, while many, many youkai are able to either fly or are capable of simply scaling the wall without heavy siege equipment.
Madoka shudders at the webs. "Ehh … Homura-chan~" She cuddles closer, and you can see a slight tinge on the other girl's cheeks.
"You don't like spiders, Kaname-san?"
"It's … it's just so big, and when you're stuck in the webs like that …." She shudders. You wonder at it, a fallen youkai like that, surviving not by its own strength but by the weakness of others. A scavenger and ambush hunter, long divorced from its strength. Certainly, its defeat seems as much due to the light of faith that gave the courage to stand against it in the beginning and drove it away as to the sword thrusts that wounded it. Should it be pitied? Or simply acknowledged as an eventual fate, the wasting-away of greatness before a final demise – not pitied, and simply accepted?
The city burns and falls, and the riders arrive. In spite of yourself, you focus on the scene, and you are more firmly reminded of the 'old men' of the world. Death, and the world's ending … yes, these Men are worthy … and the charge is worthy, too. It is impossible to transmit the fury of hundreds of tons of flesh and iron and steel charging toward you, but the fear of the defenders, the breaking of their line, that is right and true. A charge like that cannot be stopped by mortal means … not until the charge itself breaks the bodies of its members, and the sheer number of defenders should have seen them slowed and killed, but the immortal stamina and ability brush aside their foes safeguards them, and you shake your head. Then the great elephants appear, and you bury your head in Lutecia's shoulder.
"Oh, Flandre, you have to watch this part! Come on, eyes up!" Saya calls to you as the familiar shrieking of the black riders fills the room, and you raise your head as the winged mount hurls the warrior-king through the air. The woman manages to decapitate it in a truly absurd fashion, and then …. "Pretty neat, huh?"
"… She shouldn't have an arm after a hit like that! It's ridiculous! She should be a bleeding, messy wreck! She -!" You cut yourself off as everyone looks at you, and you duck your head again.
"… She has a point, though. The combat is kind of … uh, well, things that should happen aren't, and things that aren't happening really should be. … And don't tell me he's going to kill that with some of those little arrows. As big as that thing is …." Everyone quiets for a while after Agito supports you. "… So, are those two, uh … Merry and Pippin … are they supposed to be together, or something?" You look up to see the others blushing brightly.
You shake your head as the orcs fall to fighting against each other. Ranks need to be properly established and segregated to prevent this sort of thing, even you know that! If your subordinates can't be trusted not to fight each other for the measliest of things, how can you trust them not to kill each other in battle? And when it does happen, it needs to be properly disciplined, preferably throughout the army, so everyone knows that such fighting anywhere will be punished everywhere. And if that's too hard a concept for someone to understand, he should stick to only a single group.
"Sam really is the truest friend there is, isn't he, Homura-chan?" You frown at that as Homura stares blankly at the screen. That's … friendship? Didn't their speech earlier indicate that Sam was Frodo's servant? That would make him a loyal servant, and doing his duty properly – like Sakuya would … or did, rather, during the unending night. He's doing what he's supposed to do, right?
The movie's end is …. You missed part of it, you must admit, because of the giant eagles out of nowhere. Everyone else cheers, and even Agito lets out a hurrah, but you simply stare at the screen because they simply showed up. And apparently thrashed the riders' mounts, which were such a big deal earlier. Why did they show up, and why then and not earlier? Are they something you need to have seen the other movies to understand? And then their saving of the Halflings infuriates you – the story, as you understand it, is of sacrifice, of willingly giving up the one life for the survival of all else, and then that meaning is thrown away, trading merely a finger for that survival. What's the point? That as long as you try, giant eagles will make everything better?
You remain indignant throughout the rest of the movie – the crowning and the return, the writing of the book and the sending-off of the two Halflings – but when you glance around the room, you see smiles and tears of joy. Even the normally-stalwart Homura has a glistening eye. … It must be a human thing. Or else there's a meaning you aren't getting.
"Well, Scarlet-san, did you like it?" Mami looks at you, and you give her a half-shrug with one shoulder.
"I … I'm not sure …. It, uh … I think I need some more time to think about it," you say, and she gives you a curious look. You unclasp your arms from around Lutecia and pull away from her until she sits up. "I think I need to take a walk." You quickly make your excuse and hop out of the chair, heading outside. You don't just need to take a walk, because you aren't just unsure what to think about the movie. You've had an itch growing throughout the movie, you just weren't sure what it was. It's a violence itch. You just watched something that showed a lot of fake violence, and now you need to make it real. And … you need to work out your own nervousness. You did not like that feral Halfling, not at all. It bothered you, more than you'd admit to anyone except your sister.
The only thing you have to decide right now is whether you want to take your time, or if you want to rush. Hurrying will, of course, be much more obvious, but … maybe you'll have enough time left to do something else ….
What do you do?
[ ] Take your time with the killing.
[ ] Do it quickly. And then ...
- [ ] Get some more clothes.
- [ ] Go hunt for Kirika.
- [ ] Go hunt for a Witch.
- [ ] Other?
EDIT: Stupid copy-paste function ....
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