livestudioaudience | Viewing Party 2

But you're also the one person who keeps me hoping one day we might.

...I am glad I could inspire such hope, but...

With how tense things get when we're all wound up and scared and out of our element, do you have any idea how important it is that you pop in supporting and believing in us? And before you get down on yourself for not being able to help with the investigating part, remember, we've got more than one goal, here.

One of them is living through this. It'd be impossible without those skills you've honed all your life, Princess.

Sir Junpei... I...

[She recognizes that what he's saying is reasonable, but that doesn't make her feel any differently. In a situation more suited to her skills, she could have believed in everyone while also doing something productive.]

[ Yuuri's been listening in silently to all this for a while. She doesn't have any intention of cutting in, not at first anyway, but when she hears Arianna talking like that, talking about herself like that, there's no way she can just sit back and let their princess carry on down that path. ]

... Arianna. Do you really think that isn't worth the world and more to us? After all this time, you still feel like that?

[oh no]

I... I cannot... simply...

[ Yuuri's quiet again for a moment. This wasn't something she'd ever really considered a secret. Just that it wasn't her story to tell. But from the little she's dared pick up of what Kurumi told the other group, it seems like the cat's out of the bag and if Arianna's going to find out about Yuki, Yuuri would much rather that story come from her than Kurumi's crude but loving description of her.

She takes in a slow breath and then lets it out again before she starts talking. Her tone is slow and a little halting like she's worried about choosing the wrong words and not getting across what she wants Arianna to understand. ]

Did I... ever tell you about Yuki-chan? My friend from the School Living Club.

[Arianna shakes her head. She doesn't trust herself to speak right now. She can't start crying now, of all times, when everyone's telling her how valuable her support is.]

... When things... happened, Yuki-chan was one of the people trapped in the school with us. When it all started it was just me, Kurumi, Yuki-chan and Megu-nee. And for the longest time we were absolutely miserable. All we were doing day-to-day was surviving and all the chores that came with that. We kept doing the things we had to do and absolutely nothing else because we thought it was the only way for us to keep living.

I've said it before but I'll say it again now. Having a life like that... it isn't 'living'. It's just putting off dying. And I think eventually we started to realize that. And that was when Megu-nee and I decided we were going to start the School Living Club. As a way of keeping everyone's spirits up.

[She's listening intently. She can kind of see how this is relevant to the situation, but unlocking Rii-san's Tragic Backstory is enough of a subject change for her to calm down a little.]

We ended up pitching it to Kurumi and Yuki-chan and they both liked it. And... Yuki-chan was the one I was most worried about. She'd been so miserable beforehand. All she did was cry. And as soon as we started the School Living Club... everything changed. She cheered right up.

[ Maybe a little too much. ]

Even with the School Living Club, we were still all stuck in the dark. Because... no matter how hard we pretended we still knew what was waiting outside. I used to be afraid of going to sleep because I thought I wouldn't wake up the next morning.

But Yuki-chan believed in it with all her heart. She'd go to 'class' and talk about doing homework and she was always, always coming up with things for us to do. Silly things like... tests of courage. Sports festivals. Field trips. Sometimes they were productive things and sometimes it was just something fun. Something to take our minds off things.

Without all that... I have no idea how we would've survived as long as we did. Yuki-chan saved our lives every single day she was with us. Not by doing anything big or heroic... just by being herself.

[ Do you understand what she's getting at, Arianna. ]

[She understands. She understands the intended point, yes. It doesn't immediately have the effect Yuuri was probably hoping for, because while Arianna might not show off her talent for looking down on herself very often, she's actually really, really good at it. It does help, but only in the way that Yuuri's love always helps. Only time, or perhaps a sudden change in their situation, will cure her of being a front line class left back at the guild, so to speak.

But she also understands once more something she hasn't thought about in a while, and that is that Yuuri spend so much time in an utterly hopeless situation, one where any moment could be the end and there wasn't anything they could do about it. Rii-san being afraid to go to sleep... ]

Rii-san...

[Now she really does break down, but it's okay. She hugs her sister tightly, sobbing.]

[ And Yuuri does what she always does when Arianna clings to her like that. She holds her just as fiercely and carefully strokes her hair. She wants so badly to try and fix this but she has no idea how or where she can even begin to try. ]

It's... not okay right now. I know that. But it will be, one day. I don't want you to feel like this. Not when we're so lucky to have you here with us.

I know.

[It's muffled, spoken through Yuuri's shoulder. Arianna is always secure in that much, at least, that everybody here cares about her and wants her to be all right. It doesn't always help, not when it seems like being all right is her only way of being useful, but it never truly hurts. ~~Well, not in that sense, anyway.~~ Even if she can't convince herself to value her contributions, she can believe in everyone else, and believe that, thanks to them, things won't be like this forever.

Thankfully she's quieting back down now. Maybe... maybe for the time being everyone can just... pretend she wasn't crying at all just now.

Maybe she can keep holding on to Yuuri anyway.]

Maybe... maybe can find something around here for both of us to do around here. It's a little frustrating just sitting on our hands, isn't it? Maybe... I don't know...

[ she'll find something. She'll do whatever it takes to stop Arianna feeling like this. ]

You're strong, aren't you? And you know how to fight. How about training the rest of us to get stronger too?

--oh!

[She could do that, couldn't she? Arianna pulls back a little, revealing... that she still definitely looks like she's been crying, because she can't just instantly switch that on and off.]

I have never given anyone instruction on fighting, but I will certainly grant whatever assistance I can.

I've never had to take instructions from anyone. So anything would be an improvement -- but especially from someone like you.

I want to get stronger. I think I'll have a good chance at getting that way if I've got your help.

Then I shall teach you to the best of my ability.

[...]

Did you have a particular weapon in mind? I generally carry a staff, but I have some skill with swords and whips as well.

[ without even an instant of hesitation: ]

A greatsword. [ yUURI ] I mean-- not right away, of course. I think that might be expecting a bit too much from myself. But that's the sort of goal I've got in mind.

That will require significant strength.

[Not doubt, just a warning.]

Perhaps it would be best to begin with smaller swords and work upward. I will see about getting something for practice...

I trust you to work something out.

[ Theeeere we go. That's the Arianna she likes to see. ]

Do you think we should get the others in on this too? We could all stand to be a little better at defending ourselves, I think.

Yes, that sounds wise. After the incident before, we cannot afford to ignore the possibility of being attacked. Perhaps some of the others could assist as well--Lord Ardyn and Lord Xander, for instance.

[ROYAL SWORD LESSONS?]

We'll have to make sure we've got someone who doesn't mind being our first aider as well... I don't think anyone would end up getting actually hurt but it's better to be safe than sorry, isn't it?

Do we have anybody with medical training other than Dame Nari? My Order skills can help with that, but only as a temporary measure.

I'm not trained exactly, but I can patch up cuts and scraps and I know how to treat sprains. Nari's been teaching me some things here and there too... I don't think it'll get any worse than that, though. We'd only be practicing, after all.

Viewing Party 2 - R3: THE RE-CRY-ENING

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