All Rise

Passenger aboard the Endless Expanse Status: ALIVE

[mrosterhase-blog]

Mr.Osterhase [Epilogue]

The investigation was excruciating. 

How much easier it would be, he often thought to himself, if he could just take charge of it. But jurisdictions and so on and so forth kept him in his place and he was forced to watch from the sidelines. Still, even as the others finished up their statements and moved on, Judas had stayed behind. At the very least, they had found the information of all the passengers from the Endless Expanse’s voyage and it only felt right that he should do something to notify the friends and families of those who had been lost...this alone took several months. 

It wasn’t until he had done all that he could for the investigation that he finally returned home. He had stood in his doorway for several minutes, feeling as though time had simply stopped in anticipation of his return - only the dust gathering on the surfaces of his scantily furnished house indicated his absence. He had gone to bed that night as he had any other before leaving for the Endless Expanse, but the usual silence seemed to suffocate him in a way it never had before. It was in that moment that he realized he had to leave. 

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Judas notified his boss of his departure and, while he had been expecting some sort of push back, she simply accepted his request for a transfer without further question. “Leave the rest to me, Jude. I can handle it,” she had said - and he would simply have to believe her. With that settled, he had only one more person to visit.

“Häschen...”

It was the only thing he had said to her before he left. For a long while, he simply stood there and searched for more to say, but as the first few rays of the morning sun began to break over the horizon, he realized he was out of time. He placed down the bouquet he had brought onto his sister’s gravestone and mouthed a silent apology to her before returning to his car, spending the rest of his drive to the airport in complete silence.

His father called him on occasion after that, but Judas never picked up. It was easier to ignore the ringing now that he had moved into the city - the noise blended into the sounds of the crowd that paced the streets below his apartment window. Without having to pick up the slack of his old team, he had more time to spend at home, and he found it quite pleasant simply listening to the chatter outside as he worked. He had never really lived in such a setting before, but after the past few months, something about the noise seemed familiar...

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The meet up location was quite close to where he had moved to, and so he had shown up 20 minutes early rather than his typical 15. You can always leave before anyone shows up. The thought crossed his mind several times as he awaited the arrival of his fellow survivors. He hadn’t wanted to meet up at all, to be frank, but he was sure skipping out would only get him harassed even further. Better to get it out of the way now than deal with it in the future, he figured. 

But time passed, and there was still no sign of the others. Judas threw another impatient glance at his watch, noting that the second hand was just now starting to creep past their appointed meeting time. He scowled and turned his attention back to the pamphlet that some random passerby had shoved into his hands on the way there - the only thing that had been keeping him occupied up until this point. He had gotten to the third paragraph brochure for what he was sure was the fifth time when he noticed from over the top of his reading that someone was standing in front of him. He lowered the paper to glare up at the familiar figure, his brow furrowing with irritation as he spoke.

“You’re late.”

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Daybreak || Open

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pentury:

Toto weathered the man’s long pauses without interrupting them. If his fidgeting hands were any indication—feverishly unwrapping a stick of gum—matching the silence took a sizeable amount of restraint on Toto’s part, but his desire to hear an answer overrode his desire to speak. He stared forward and listened, his eyes wide and alight. The question Judge posed at the end felt strange and sudden—was that some kind of doubt in his voice? No, Toto told himself, it couldn’t be.

“Trick question? What’s that mean? I wanted to know what makes you happy!”  He slid the unwrapped stick of gum across the table without a word.

“So it’s your work, huh! Helping people …” Toto let the words go in a warm sigh, smiling his approval. “That’s terrific, Judge! Of all the ways to find happiness … yeah, that has to be one of the best! Ha ha! Tell me more!” He propped his elbows onto the table, leaning in with childlike excitement. “What’s your job like? How do you help people?”

At this point, he was quite used to Toto’s intense curiosity, but he never recalled it being quite so personal before. At the very least, speaking about his job was much easier than opening up about anything else. Judge stared down at the stick of the gum on the table and slowly, hesitantly pulled it towards him as he figured a way to word his thoughts.

“It’s my job to make sure that people who commit crimes are punished accordingly. But...not everyone who makes it to court is guilty of something. Law enforcement is full of biased and crooked people who only serve themselves, so it’s not unusual to see an innocent taking the fall for something they never did.” He watched Toto’s expression, hoping that he was managing to follow along. “Unless...the prosecution puts up a case so terrible that no jury would ever be convinced of the defendant’s guilt. This is what I choose to do - sabotage the cases that don’t belong in court. A violation of the system? Perhaps. But I’d argue that it would be more unethical to sentence an innocent.”

Even Judge wasn’t quite sure why he was telling him all of this - if word that he was throwing cases were to make their way off the ship, he was surely in for a good amount of trouble. But something about Toto’s inquisitive stare made it impossible to keep quiet. While looking down to avoid his eyes for a moment, Judge remembered that the piece of gum was still trapped under his fingers and popped it into his mouth. He chewed in silence for a while before he spoke again.

“But these are small cases. There are others - high stakes cases. Defendants with crimes that are atrocious by anyone’s standards. These sorts of people...they deserve only the worst. There’s no punishment harsh enough to make them realize the pain they’ve caused.” He grinds the gum between his teeth for a moment, clearly agitated. “And yet, some prosecutors are afraid to try for a harsher sentence. The more severe the punishment, the harder it is to convince a jury that the defendant is deserving of it. So they settle for something smaller - a few decades in jail, perhaps life imprisonment for the more daring. But I...I won’t let them get away so easily.”

Judge pursed his lips together. He’s said too much. He’s said too much several sentences ago.

“...that’s it. I release those who are innocent and sentence those that are guilty - that’s it. Do you understand?”

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Daybreak || Open

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luminescentlumi:

“Hehe… Hehehehe~!”

Lumi squished her cheeks in excitement. This information was like a new toy on Christmas Day. This was a breakthrough. Cake! He preferred cake! She had to make one right now. What do you mean it’s way too late to bake? Judge wants a cake and he is going to have one!

“Why didn’t you say so earlier, darling? I’d be more than happy to accommodate~ Well? What kind do you like? I’ll get to work right away!”

Lumi stood up and dusted herself off. She wondered if they had an apron in the kitchen… perhaps this was the perfect time for an outfit change. How often would she be able to live this baking fantasy? Never! She would absolutely never do this again. It’s far too much work. However, for Judge, it will be worth it.

“It’s a dire situation we still find ourselves in… I’d like to give you a moment of comfort if I can. Is that alright?”

Judge watched, mortified, as her expression turned to one of absolute delight. It was bad enough getting this sort of treatment at work on a daily basis, but here? After everything he had been through? He wasn’t a child. The tips of his ears burned in humiliation and any timidness from before seemed to melt away in an instant, replaced by his usual irritated scowl. 

“N-Never mind, strike everything I’ve just said off the record. Cooking? At this hour of night? You’ll cause a commotion. It doesn’t mean anything so just sit back down and - “

But her next statement intercepted his and seemed to catch him off guard. Judge grew silent, but his internal groan was almost audible from the way he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. If he was going to cooperate with the others, he would have to demonstrate some level of humility. He looked back to Lumi, his expression one of absolute defeat.

“...fine. I’ll allow it.” Judge promptly rose from his seat and headed for the kitchen, not wanting to leave her unattended in case it turned out to be a disaster. He stopped only once to look over his shoulder as they reached the entrance. “Though, I’m warning you now - if it’s bad, I will spit it out.”

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Daybreak || Open

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yumigahara:

There’s a thoughtful quiet from Kaguya before she replies to Judge.

“I only mean that she has the emotions and humanity I don’t,” she explains regarding Daisy’s humanity. “Physically, we both inhabit the same human body.” She nods, as if she’s successfully explained it to herself.

At Judge’s question about her mother, Kaguya nods again. “I assume it is,” she states, a-matter-of-fact-ly. “I gather that Mumei had stolen me away from my worshipers, and this had raised the ire of my mother, who led them.

“They seek this body as a chance for salvation and immortality, and as such I am of great value to them.” Kaguya taps a metal finger onto the table.

“However, that is odd…” Kaguya falls into another thoughtful silence. “Why would Mumei take me away? How much time has passed since she did…? Daisy claims there are even assassins after them. What’s Mumei thinking, leaving her here? Is she going to finish…” She shakes her head. 

“I apologize, I’m asking questions no one here would have the answer to…”

“…Oh! Perhaps Dot would.”

Despite how upfront Kaguya was about everything, Judge still found it hard to bring himself to believe her. He had no doubt that she was telling the truth, but it felt as if she were speaking on something completely out of his realm. Worshipers, immortality, and assassins...it was something that could have come straight from a storybook. 

“Yes, I’m afraid none of us can really help you towards those answer.”

But at her suggestion to ask Dot, he jolted forward in his seat.

“No! We don’t need to see anymore of her.” The words came tumbling out all at once, forcing Judge to clear his throat and try again. “What I mean is...Dot knows more than she should, perhaps, but she’s not a reliable source of help. She only causes more problems than she solves.”

Knowing her penchant for toying around with them, he could only imagine that sort of information would come at a cost, and he wasn’t willing to find out what the stakes would be. 

“It seems like only Mumei would know about any of this. If she managed to keep you two safe for this long, I'd assume she’s quite capable. I’d rather you try to find her than risk gambling for information from Dot.” He turned to Kaguya and raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps...this doesn’t mean much, but if we both happen to get out of here, I’d be willing to lend some assistance in helping you find her.” 

[rebel-bandit]

Passion Lost | Chapter 5

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rebel-bandit:

“Twenty-one! That’s a perfectly normal age to be having kids! So–” Bandit promptly closes his jaw shut. A quiet groan comes from his throat.

Judge isn’t the first person to react in such a way, but Bandit was always a little bothered by it. Truth be told, he was always a little embarrassed or ashamed by it, but this time it was different. The young man now embraces and cherishes his early parenthood.

“She wasn’t exactly planned or expected, but she’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Bandit nods and a grin begins to spread on his face. Even with Judge, Bandit finds himself giddy when he gets to bring up Chloe. “I think you’d like her! Yeah! Her mom says her favourite characters in cartoons are those that uphold the law! Isn’t that cool? She’d like you and you aren’t even all that likeable!” ……… “Oh, uh– that’s not what I meant? You’re likeable, but you don’t seem kid friendly? Yeah! It’s the glasses!” ………

The conversation now quickly goes back to Judge, as Bandit didn’t really know how to apologise for that. Bandit pounds his hip with his fist a couple times in an nonchalant manner for letting his mouth get the better of him once again.

“That does make sense, but I don’t think that’s the priority.” Bandit crosses his arms. “You talk about catching whoever did this and focusing on that, but what’s the point in preventing another group of people from going through this process if you can’t even protect the group of people you have now?”

Judge hummed lowly under his breath as Bandit spoke, noting this was probably the most genuinely happy he had seen him since they had gotten there. He hadn’t been expecting a daughter of all things to be the thing he actually cared about - girls or flirting or getting into trouble seemed more up his alley.

“Is that so? Her mother must be doing a fine job of raising her, then.” Though, he visibly bristled at the last bit. “For the record, children find me…acceptable.” 

Despite the modesty in the statement, it was clear he wasn’t entirely confident in saying it. He made no effort in trying to fill the slight silence after, only listening to Bandit talk. He turned his head towards the ceiling once he was finished as though deep in thought.

“Not everything is about us. It may not be what you want to hear, but sometimes you have to be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. I’d like to get out of here as much as you do, but if I have to die here to ensure that this never happens again, I would.” A terse pause before he sighed and let his shoulders slump in resignation. “Though, to be honest, I think I’ve had my fair share of all of this. Consider your point taken.” 

Something about agreeing with Bandit seemed to unsettle him deeply, however, and Judge scrambled to change the course of the conversation once again.

“Your daughter…the way you talk about her makes it seem like you’re not too closely associated with her or her mother. Am I correct?” 

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Daybreak || Open

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pentury:

“’Why…?’” And there it was again, that unpleasant ache in the pit of his stomach. His relentless stare was finally broken as he searched himself for things to say. ‘Drop dead’—no, that wasn’t right, he wanted to tell him, there was no death, not if your soul was strong—but then he would just be repeating what Judge already understood. One look at the man’s eyes told Toto that idle corrections would not be welcomed now; what mattered was the answer to his question. Toto had answers, he always did. Hands clutching at each other under the table, Toto swallowed and let go of a long breath. 

“People do. They do all the time, that’s what the parties are for. Everyone dances, and then …” He trailed off, refocussed. “But that’s because they decided to do it. They had nothing left to do in this world, they were ready. Everyone migrates at their own pace, you know! And no matter what, no matter how much they were hurt, all the people who make it there find happiness. All the things they couldn’t do, the next world will give it to them. You understand, don’t you?” Toto inched closer to the table, laid his palms on its surface. “In France, we say, ‘le temps guérit toutes les blessures.’ It means that time … time heals every injury. And that’s what’s waiting for them! Everyone living in the fully-bloomed world will have a …” The corners of his mouth twitched. 

“A beautiful forever. And you’ll have that too, Judge—I promise!” “But everyone’s path is different. Everyone has their own pace!” Toto swished his hands through the air at the start of every sentence, his energy spilling over. “I still have a lot to do, so I’m still here. A purpose! Haha! You know? So when you’re here,” he said, giving the table a hard tap, “in this world … I want to know that you can still do it. That you can find happiness!” Toto settled back in his seat and smiled, staring steadily ahead at Judge. “Do you know what makes you happy?”

The conversation felt like it was working its way in circles. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, really, when he was already fully aware of how devoted Toto was to his ideology. But he was the same, he supposed. He fell quiet as the young man rambled on about beauty and healing and purpose as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Despite his contempt for all of it, he couldn’t help but find himself wishing that all that faith wasn’t for nothing. 

Judge bowed his head in frustration, running both his hands through his hair as he let out weary breath. A long moment passed before he finally spoke again.

“Fine. Fine. I’ll play along.” 

Toto wasn’t the type to just let people go that easily - he might as well try to have a productive conversation instead of butting heads the entire time. He leaned back in his seat and turned his head towards the ceiling as he sorted his thoughts, trying to remember what it was like to make idle conversation like they used when they had first boarded the ship.

“What makes me happy...that is...my job? No, not exactly. Some of the people I’ve worked with have been through terrible things - it’s hard to say I’m happy to see it.” He frowned, displeased with the fact that it was obviously a struggle for him to think through this. He stared hard down at the table for a moment before speaking again, much quieter this time. “At times, people might thank me for my work. Perhaps it’s out of politeness, but if there’s a chance I could have helped them in some way, then I suppose...”

He trailed off and glanced back over to Toto. 

“...is this some sort of trick question? What are you trying to get at here?” 

He had to imagine it was a possibility. Having to bumble his way through an answer certainly made it feel like he was being tricked, at least. 

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Daybreak || Open

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luminescentlumi:

“I had a feeling you’d agree, darling~”

Frankly, she had been expecting him to be a bit more stubborn. However, this moment was more refreshing then she ever could have hoped. She couldn’t say that she was a big fan of the stiff handshake, but they had to restart somewhere. Don’t tousle his hair, Lumi… Resist.

“…Oh?”

The gesture was surely just to get Lumi off of his back, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little touched. Lumi took a cookie of her own, took a bite, and gave Judge a warm, crumby grin.

“Mmmhmmm~! Very happy! Want some milk? Cookies are always best with milk! What other snacks do you like? Tell me what I can get you~!”

Judge leaned further away in his seat, trying his best to try and avoid those threateningly sparkly eyes. It had been several years since he had tried to be friendly with anyone as himself rather than who he was at work and it was already making him visibly uncomfortable. Lumi was asking simple questions, but it seemed to take him a while to come up with anything to say back. 

His eyes wandered erratically around the room and he found himself slowly speaking the first words that came to mind. 

“Ah...milk. Just milk is fine.”

But even such a simple answer seemed to be accompanied by a loading time of sorts. Judge tensed as he realized this wasn’t actually true, and he took another moment to try and remember what it was that he actually wanted. 

“...cake.” He spoke out of nowhere, grumbling lowly to the point that it was almost inaudible. He turned to Lumi to verify that she had actually managed to hear him, repeating himself louder just to make sure. “I prefer...cake to snacks.” 

[rebel-bandit]

Passion Lost | Chapter 5

[mrosterhase-blog]

rebel-bandit:

A smile creeps it’s way back into Bandit’s expression and he now gives Judge his full attention and the respect of looking towards him while being spoken to. Someone was rather happy to hear that his incarceration wouldn’t Judge’s main priority after they escape.

He crosses his arms and chuckles lightly.

“That’s right. I’m not in charge of anything here. I received an invitation and agreed to the conditions and here I am. I’m in the same spot as you. My first agenda wouldn’t be holding whoever did this responsible,” his eyebrows now crease, “but to make sure everyone’s okay first of all. Isn’t that more important?”

There was a hopeful undertone to the last bits he said. Bandit looked to Judge for a moment, seeing if what he said would get to him and to possibly change Judge’s opinions and train of thought to align more with his own.

Despite the way their conversation had been going, he was a little surprised by Judge’s question. Bandit opened his mouth but only closed on second thought. He took a while to consider what to say before he actually spoke.

“Not much. The only thing important to me right now is my daughter. That’s it. I boarded the Endless Expanse thinking I’d come out a new person– one who could be a good father. I guess I was so warped by everything that’s happened to me that Dot’s rules seemed like a price I had to pay to turn my life around.”

Bandit sighs. While talking, he had backed up against a wall. He sinks down so that he’s sitting on the floor.

“I lost track of everything and became nothing more than puppy that did what he was told by whoever seemed to have this most authority hoping they’d really change my life for me. I was wrong. I get it.”

He closes his eyes.

“What about you?”

Judge’s eyes widened. 

“You…your daughter?“ His mouth twisted in concentration as he studied Bandit’s face, trying to determine how far apart they were in age. “How old did you say you were, again?”

It struck him at that moment just how little he knew about the other passengers. He supposed it wasn’t really his fault given that they weren’t really in a position to be trusting each other, but it seemed odd, now, to have spent the past month living with people he would still consider strangers. 

He looked to Bandit again, his expression still confused but in a different way. He had to admit there was a newfound sense of curiosity, but was it worth the effort to try to understand him?

“What about me?” There was a terse pause before he sighed, relenting. “I get back to doing my job. It’s not good news when a prosecutor goes missing - we make enemies pretty easily.”

He leaned towards Bandit, pointing a thumb towards his own chest.

“But I would rather stick my neck out to make sure criminals get sentenced than to let them wander around where they have the chance to hurt more people. When I say I would prioritize catching the person responsible for this, I am making sure that people are okay. I’m sure even you can imagine how disastrous it would be if we managed to get out, but all of this happened to yet another group of people after our release.” He straightened himself back up. “Do you understand now?”

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Daybreak || Open

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pentury:

‘That’s it?’ Toto’s smile fell at the words, slowly at first and then dropping altogether when the word nonsense left Judge’s lips. And then he asked him why—he actually asked him why! The fiery sting of anger lanced through Toto’s chest. This was not what he wanted. Both hands clenched into fists on the table’s surface but somehow, by some miracle, the rage did not spill over. 

“I’m telling you,” he started, his tone kindling a kind of forced-calm despite being several notches louder than before, “because you were sad. You were worried that she’d be all alone. Remember?”

Only then did Toto realize he had been half-standing out of his seat. He sat back down, breathed tightly, wrestled down the urge to break things.  “I had to tell you the rest so you’d know. Because it’s the truth. And if you never knew, you’d go on being sad.” Toto flung a casual hand through the air, speaking as though the matter were obvious. His eyes wandered down to the stain on the tablecloth, and for a brief moment, he was quiet. When he looked back up at Judge, his expression had softened. 

“You’re … my friend.” He punctuated the word with a firm nod, carrying the air of a new decree rather than a warm reminder but earnest all the same. “I want to stop you from drowning. You’re like this!” He put his palms at either side of his eyes, like blinders on a horse. “But I want you to be … like this!” Slowly, grandly, he pulled his hands away until they were outstretched at his sides. “Set free. Finding happiness. That’s why.” 

Toto returned his hands to the table as he pinned the other passenger under a long, measured stare.

“Judge … do you think you’ll be able to be happy?”

Judge flinched at the mention of being his ‘friend’. It seemed unfair, at times, to speak harshly towards him. He had no doubt that Toto wholeheartedly believed in his preaching, and that his followers likely felt the same way, but it was impossible to justify. It would take nothing less than for him to personally find himself on that shining final stage for him to reconsider.

He tilted his head towards the ceiling, searching for a way to word his thoughts, but before he could -

“Judge … do you think you’ll be able to be happy?”

The question visibly caught him off guard. He glanced back down at Toto, waiting in hopes that he would have something, anything else to say. But the stretch of silence that followed afterwards demanded an answer out of him.

“...I - “

No one had ever asked before. Why would anyone ask? The thought had rarely crossed his own mind, after all. He thought back to the sleepless nights spent reading and studying, getting his degree, passing the bar exam. Then it was his coworkers and the other man, bending over backwards to please them, doing everything he could to keep them off his back.

Was that happy? Likely not. But with this question came many more.

“Why? Do you think I’ll be happy if I believe everything you say? If I die here today, do you think I could just throw everything away and be happy?” He voice was low at first, but it steadily began to pick up in speed and volume. “What about all the people who died before they can do everything they wanted to do while they were alive? Or the people who had to suffer while they lived? Do you think it’s easy for them to forget all that? Easy for them to just pretend like none of it ever mattered?”

Judge matched Toto’s gaze from across the table, unwavering.

“If your final stage can make everyone happy just like that, then why shouldn’t all of us drop dead right now?”

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Daybreak || Open

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yumigahara:

Kaguya blankly eyes Judge as she takes another sip from her mug. “I see, I see. I understand. You are sharp and quick to see wrongs so that you can help others avoid them,” she takes another sip.

She listens intently to his question, though her expression remains unchanged, as usual.

“Human…” Kaguya echoes, then puts the mug down, pushing it away with the thought of Daisy in mind. No more caffeine for her. “I do not know what defines a human, but I believe this body bleeds the same as you do.” She falls silent, as if to think.

“I am beyond a human, my mother claims,” she says after a moment. “I am… a princess. An immortal. A goddess. A perfect being. A chance for salvation,” Kaguya speaks these words as if she’s reading off a list. 

“An offering.”

Kaguya laces her fingers with each other. “Daisy is none of these things. She is… human.”

Judge had asked the question, perhaps, but he hadn’t been prepared for her to be so candid. Yet, despite her apparent bluntness, he felt as though he had gotten no information out of her whatsoever. He stared at Kaguya blankly as he tried to piece together what it was she was telling him. 

“Is that so...?” It was all he could think to say in the moment. “I have to admit, I don’t really follow what you’re saying. If Daisy is still human, how is it that you can exist in the same body as her?”

His brow furrowed as he stared down at the table, recalling the conversation he had had with Daisy not too long ago. She mentioned that this ship was supposed to be safer for her somehow. It still hadn’t made much sense to him, but it seemed like things were beginning to connect in a way. 

"...who is this ‘mother’ anyways? Is she the one Daisy’s sister is trying to protect her from?” 

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Daybreak || Open

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luminescentlumi:

“More for me then~”

Lumi smiled, swiping the box of cookies and adding it back to her collection of snacks. If she was being honest, their last conversation was a blur. The old Lumi typically said what she was feeling at the time, and if anything negative came of it… Well, she would just never see that person again. It had never been anything that she had to deal with later on down the road until she came to the Endless Expanse. Now, with Judge right in front of her, she felt… fine. It wasn’t that she didn’t remember, but more that she didn’t care. There were more important things to worry about, and besides–

[ x ]

“I certainly wasn’t expecting it, but it isn’t an unwelcome surprise.”

Without asking for permission, she took a seat next to Judge and set the snacks down on the table between them – you know, just in case. 

“Typically this is the part where I exclaim how perfect I am, and while that may be true of my looks, it isn’t true of my behavior. Our fight is simply water under the bridge now. I apologize for how I acted.”

She giggled at herself. This place had a way of making you realize things you may not have even noticed about yourself in the real world. It comes at you fast, and you have to deal with it or crumble. She had been learning this the hard way. Judge was doing what they all were doing.

“You’re just doing the best you can given the situation we’re in, just like me. It hasn’t been easy, and I won’t claim to understand you completely, or vice versa…” She offered her hand to him and smiled. “But I’m hoping that maybe we could try to look past our differences and understand one another. It’d be a bit easier than being at each other’s throats, wouldn’t you say, darling?”

Judge leaned away as Lumi approached, his eyes darting uneasily from side to side.

“What are you doing.”

It was more of a statement than a question - he already knew she wasn’t going to answer him once she got started. He listened quietly, his expression unreadable as she spoke and even after she had finished. 

“’Understand one another’...? I’m not really sure that’s possible.” A moment of silence before he finally sighed and let his shoulders slump to signify defeat. “But I suppose you have a point. I can’t say it feels productive to be arguing all the time for no reason.” 

Judge frowned and gently tapped a finger against the rim of his cup. Somehow, it felt a lot easier when she was acting as though he were dead. Still, he hadn’t been lying when he said all the bickering felt useless, and thought it might be time to make amends. He leaned over and took her hand in his, giving it one firm shake before releasing it. Then, as if to distract from the moment, he reached for the snacks on the table and flicked the lid of the cookie box, grabbing the first one that he could get his hands on. He took an unceremonious bite out of it and waved it back and forth in front of Lumi’s face, speaking in short bursts as he chewed.

“There. Are you happy?” 

[rebel-bandit]

Passion Lost | Chapter 5

[mrosterhase-blog]

rebel-bandit:

Bandit followed behind Judge from a distance. He watched as he tried fiddle around with one of the computer. Like all earlier attempts, not even Judge could get it to respond to him.

“Yeah, I guess that does kind of make me feel better knowing that you can’t figure it out.” He snickers. “Still, it would’ve been better if you could actually get it to work!”

While the other man moves towards one of the walls, Bandit tries to press a few keys on one of the keyboards and flicking the monitor. Yep, still no dice. That’s what he expected, but he figured he’d try again under Judge’s watchful eye.

He now moves one hand to hold his other arm around the elbow. He glances to Judge momentarily before setting his gaze somewhere else.

“I know you weren’t joking. I’d rather go to prison if it means getting you out of here alive. Yeah there’s some things I wanna do that I can’t accomplish in prison, but at least I’m trying my best.” A sigh. “Is putting me behind bars really going to be the first thing on your mind if– when we get out of here?”

The corners of Judge’s mouth twitched in irritation. Bandit seemed a bit too amused at his failed attempt. He let out a short, haughty huff and turned his sight up towards the ceiling and away from the machines.

“Of course you wouldn’t be the first thing on my mind. I’d rather prioritize the person who’s in charge of holding us all hostage here. Unless, of course, you’re one and the same.”

He paused to give Bandit a once over, then remembered that this was the same man who had spent a portion of the last theatre staring into a corner by himself.

“Hm…but I’d wager that that’s not the case.” 

He couldn’t imagine Bandit was the type to be masterminding this entire ordeal, but he still couldn’t figure out just what it was that he was trying to gain out of this whole experience. After all, he had spent the first portion of the trip absolutely determined to play the game as Dot had intended. Judge studied his face closely as he spoke again.

“What do you even have to do that’s so important, anyways?”

[mrosterhase-blog]

Daybreak || Open

[mrosterhase-blog]

pentury:

When he wandered into the restaurant, Judge had been so still and so silent that he may as well have been part of the decor—it was only when Toto smelled coffee that he paused, straightening up at the prospect of company. Toto never expected that his company would be so startled to see him. 

“Mm–?!” 

Toto lurched back when the table clattered, eyes darting from the growing coffee stain to Judge’s face—empty of any real joy, just as Toto had last seen it. The questions that came firing from the man’s mouth sounded dangerously like accusations, but Toto knew he must have been imagining it, and he smiled as he peeled the remnants of a once expertly-crafted bubble from his face.

“My dreams woke me up. Dreams have a way of speaking to you, did you know that? Tonight, my dream was telling me …” His eyes went wide, and his smile dropped. “Get rid of the gun.” 

The expression was short-lived, and yet it seemed to linger too long, too grim for Toto’s face, but when he smiled again it was as if it had never been there at all.

“So I will! Haha!”

There had been no invitation, but Toto joined Judge nonetheless, cementing his stay by dropping into the empty seat across from him and leaning bodily over the table. At his side, the wad of gum squished into the napkin holder from his fingers—an afterthought. 

“Judge,” he said, head tipped sideways as he held the man’s eyes. “I wanted you to know something. That person you’re apart from now … she isn’t alone. The place she went to is a place for strong souls.” He leaned closer. “In the world beyond the world, there’s no war, or crime, or pain … there’s just people. Good people. The most worthy of all humankind.” His delivery was stilted, the kind one might expect from an ill-prepared student presenting to the class, but it was not without sincerity.  “You understand, right? They surround her now! Shining souls everywhere she looks! In the fully-bloomed world … there won’t be anything she can’t do. And she has the time to do it all—forever, if she wants.” A wild gesture, a hand at his heart. “It’s too wonderful, right?! Forever!”

After a pause, Toto finally relented with his posture, settling back into his own space with his fingers laced together on the table. The smile that settled on his face was unmistakably proud. With this, his expression seemed to say, surely he’ll be satisfied. But Toto was not—not yet. From the moment he had seen the back of Judge’s head across the room he had decided that right here—in this restaurant, at this table—he would get the answer to his question. 

Judge felt his hands clench as he watched Toto circle around to join him at the table. It was hard to feel at ease around him lately - given all that he knew, that giddy smile of his seemed almost malicious. But its absence only unnerved Judge more and he took to staring into the surface of his coffee, his fingers finding their way into a death grip around the cup’s rim and handle.

“Toto...go back to bed.”

The murmured words were far too quiet to stop him. It was the same thing he had told him before - souls and fully-bloomed worlds and this and that - but coming off the heels of his nightmare, it seemed to be mocking him even more than the first time. 

“That’s it?” He inhaled through clenched teeth. “You’re wandering around at this hour just so you can tell me this nonsense again?” 

As if to stop his voice from rising any more than it already had, Judge brought his cup up to his lips and forced a mouthful of coffee down. Sickly sweet. The feeling of it churning in his stomach was unpleasant enough to distract him from the conversation for a second, and after a moment his eyes drifted back over to meet Toto’s.

“...are you done? Why are you telling me this?” 

[rebel-bandit]

Passion Lost | Chapter 5

[mrosterhase-blog]

rebel-bandit:

That voice, he immediately knew who in here. He looked over to Judge, noticing the way he seemed to be protecting his abdomen. Bandit took a couple steps to close the distance between them. He held out his arms in a fashion not unlike someone trying to approach a timid animal.

“Yeah, I would’ve expected me to be elsewhere too,” he smirks. “What? Not all that thrilled to see me?”

Bandit lets his arms down to hang loose at his side. He stood there, studying the other man. Whatever he was thinking about before has now been replaced with something else.

“I don’t plan on hurting you. And I’m still sorry about what happened, okay?” Bandit lets his eyes drift around the room. “I can’t make sense of anything. I thought I could find a way to save everyone from Dot’s game in this room, but it’s either not here or I’m just not smart enough to figure it out.”

Judge shifted back as Bandit approached, clearly still on guard. 

“What, was it that obvious?”

He shot the young man a sideways glance before passing by him to inspect one of the computers. A few quick taps at the keyboard didn’t seem to do much, but it wasn’t as if he were expecting it to. He let out a sigh, his gaze following Bandit’s around the room. It certainly did feel as though there were something to be discovered here, or at least somewhere in the surrounding rooms, but it was hard to tell what they were looking for.

“This whole game has been a complete mystery. I doubt Dot would just leave the answer sitting around for us without making us work for it.” He frowned and pulled his hand away from the keyboard. “Well, if it makes you feel better about yourself, I doubt I could get any information out of here, either.” 

He leaned back into one of walls, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned towards Bandit.

“I don’t see why you think it matters to you so much, anyways. I wasn’t joking when I said I would send you to prison. Isn’t it better for you if I don’t get out of here alive?”

[mrosterhase-blog]

Daybreak || Open

[mrosterhase-blog]

luminescentlumi:

Lumi blinked at Judge, a half eaten muffin in her mouth, and looked around the room to make sure he wasn’t speaking to anyone else. She was sure he had seen her come in to get some late night snacks from the kitchen, but according to this sudden reaction that was not the case. 

“Mmm… Ya know– I could be ashkin’ you tha shame thin!”

Lumi swallowed the bit of muffin she was working on and set down the assorted boxes of snacks she had raided from the kitchen. Hanging around Nobody was really starting to rub off on her… Eh, it wasn’t so bad. More importantly, what was Judge even doing here?

“You know, a cup of coffee isn’t exactly going to help with any lingering issues that keep you up at night~ You know what will help?”

Lumi placed her hand on the box of jumbo chocolate chip cookies on the table and slid them towards him.

“A nice glass of milk and an unhealthy amount of cookies, darling. You’ll be asleep and feeling better in no time~ That’s a Lumi Guarantee.” 

Judge stared warily down at the box of cookies. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how many of them he would have to eat before he finally felt sluggish enough to head back to bed. He slowly looked back up towards Lumi, the apprehension written clear across his face. 

“That...sounds like a stomachache waiting to happen. Besides, I don’t think I have much of an appetite right now.”

Judge gently nudged the box back in her direction. The last he remembered, the two weren’t on particularly good terms so he wasn’t sure why she was trying to be so friendly towards him...it wasn’t as though he had done anything that would have changed her mind about it. Whatever the case was, he wasn’t in any condition to be trying to keep up with her energy. 

“I don’t plan on going back to sleep for tonight, anyways.” He glanced over at the exit, then back to Lumi. “It’s late - you should head back to your room. You probably weren’t even expecting me to interrupt you in the first place, were you?” 

[mrosterhase-blog]

Daybreak || Open

[mrosterhase-blog]

yumigahara:

Coffee… strange. “I see,” she mutters, bringing the mug up to her lips and drinking from the dark liquid. Her face remains blank even through the heat and the bitter taste.

She then lays it down on the table Judge is seated at, and takes her own seat without asking for his permission. “You are… Judge. Are you a judge? Why did you take that alias?” She sips at the bitter coffee, and carries on speaking. 

“Do you truly believe in a concept like justice? Or do you enjoy seeing the ugliness in the world?” More coffee. “I apologize. I feel like these questions would be considered rude. I just feel oddly energetic. This might be an inappropriate time to be; I would end up costing Daisy hours of rest.”

“You are suspicious of me. I understand,” she pauses, “I think. 

“I ask only because of my curiousity, but if you must ask back to address your suspicions,” Kaguya takes more sips from her coffee, “I shall answer any question I can, if you have any.”

Judge wasn’t sure if Kaguya actually enjoyed the coffee, but she was certainly drinking a lot of it. 

“Er, there’s caffeine in there. You might want to slow down if you don’t plan on staying up all night.”

But by then, she had already downed a good amount and started on a string of question. Judge sucked in a breath and did his best to keep up.

“No, technically speaking, I’m not a judge. I have a job in law and that’s it.” His brow twitched in irritation at her next question. “Do I really seem like the type of person who would enjoy seeing how terrible people can be? I’ve had more than enough of my fill of that. My job is to keep criminals away from people that they might hurt.” 

He watched her expression carefully as it peaked over the rim of her cup. It only seemed fair that he would be allowed to ask her a few questions of his own, but there were so many it was hard to tell where to begin. But if he was already there with the chance to know anything, then he wouldn’t let it slip by him. 

“You and Daisy are obviously separate from one another. It almost seems like...a program, with the way you two switch off.” He thought to himself for a moment. “I guess what I would like to know is just how human you would consider yourself.” 

[mrosterhase-blog]

Daybreak || Open

[mrosterhase-blog]

yumigahara:

Perhaps she should sleep soon. It wouldn’t do to have Daisy drowsy just so she can have more time for herself. It sure is unusual, having only the nighttime to be awake. Not that she minds.

But something distracts her. A smell, oddly pleasant.

What is it, though? 

Following her nose, it leads her to the restaurant. She sees Judge, contemplative and deep in thought at one of the tables. The smell seems to come from the mug he’s holding in his hand, but is stronger from within the kitchen. Silently, Kaguya passes him by.

When she reappears in the kitchen, she has a mug of her own, filled with the dark, warm, liquid. That’s when Judge notices her.

“I was going to sleep, but I smelled this,” she raises her mug. “What is this?”

Kaguya looks from the mug to Judge, and then to his hand. “Is your hand alright?”

Judge eyed the person in front of him, taking a moment to process that she was not Daisy - not now, at least. He still wasn’t completely sure who Kaguya was or why she showed up in the way that she did, but it looked like she would be around for a while. He nodded in her direction and searched around the table for something to clean up with.

“...Kaguya, isn’t it? I’m fine. The coffee cooled off a while ago.” He paused and pointed at the mug in her own hands.“That’s what that is, by the way. Coffee.”

Odd, he thought, that she wouldn’t know something so simple. But then again, her behavior during the theatre implied that it had been quite some time since she had last been aware of her surroundings, and it wasn’t as if she had anything to gain from feigning ignorance this late in the game. Judge glanced warily over at Kaguya before turning his attention back to the mess on the table. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to believe in her for now. 

“...are you planning on drinking it like that? It smells better than it tastes, you know.” He reached for the napkin dispenser from across the table and did his best to soak up what he had spilled. “Most people add cream or sugar to make it less bitter.”