It's time to go.
Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train.
"It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks."
This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job.
After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.
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robowest2017-03-04 12:02 pm
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Sei's been keeping an eye out for him. So, once she finally does see him, the first indication he'll get that she's approaching will be her rapid footsteps - her shout comes afterwards, about 0.2 seconds before she grabs him in a tight hug.]
Mister Barnham!
[She told herself she wasn't going to cry, but her eyes are definitely wet. Whoops.]
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Though admittedly... he looks happy to see her despite himself; there's a flicker of shock, and then his expression softens, and his shoulders slump a little. He won't push her away; he'll accept that hug, even lifting a hand to rest on the top of her head.]
Sir Seizaburo... it is truly good to see you again.
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It's good to see you again too... [Her voice comes out muffled, and it's no surprise, because she's not raising her head away from his voice - she's sure her eyes are red and puffy and gross, and she doesn't really want him to see that.] I'm sorry - I'm really sorry... that I died before I could help you.
[If she'd lived, she might have helped shoulder some of his burden.]
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[Though he's still not pleased that she was so reckless?? There's not a lot that can be done about it now, and scolding her now just seems entirely unnecessary. Instead, he leaves his hand there, gently, and sighs.]
You assisted me however you could...even from here. I am grateful to you for that.
[He treasured that letter for all that it said and didn't say, and he knows that he's grateful to her for that.]
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[But that's always been her problem, really. She's always looking for more she can do to help, and the fact that she usually can makes it all the more maddening the times that she can't.
She finally pulls back a bit and rubs at her eyes with one hand.]
What you had to do - it was no easy task. I'm just glad... [She hesitates.] ...I'm glad you and Mister Percy and Mister Damian were able to work together at the end, though. I'm really glad for that.
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I, too, am grateful for that. That it had to be Young Percy in the end was, I believe, an inevitability... I simply wish that he did not have to bear that burden. Both him and Young Mister Wayne.
[They're children.
It's really not fair.]
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[If she could have taken that burden from them, she would have. But the time for what-ifs and could-have-beens is long past, and the only way they can go now is forward.]
Still, I'm... grateful to all three of you. It wasn't ideal at all, and it must have been so hard, but... you saved us. You saved all of us.
Thank you, Mister Barnham.
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[The words escape him hesitantly. He knows why he was doing everything he did--and the graveyard knew too, it seems--but he still killed people. Even if it was for a good reason, he's still done something horrible, and in the end, it wasn't him that saved them all. He helped pave the road, perhaps, but--]
Young Percy deserves your thanks most of all.
[He drags in a slow breath, and lets it out again.]
Though I have done a great deal I am not proud of, I do wish to say... I do not regret assisting you that week, Sir Seizaburo. I do not regret doing what I believe needed to be done to save your life.
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That sort of thing is so much harder than just standing by and waiting... but you did it, for everyone's sake. And by doing it, you made it easier for Mister Percy to do what he needed to do. I think the fact that we're all going home now, that we all have the choice of where we want to be able to call home, is because the three of you worked so hard together.
...I'm going to see Okita-sensei again. [She smiles, just thinking about it.] I'm going to be able to see him again, and be able to fight by his side... and when I do, I'll know that I have you to thank for it.
[She looks up at him more directly, still smiling.]
I'm grateful for your assistance that week, too. And I'm grateful that I met you. These past seven weeks have been awful, but you've been one of my bright spots here.
no subject
But Sei looks... so happy. She has her leg back, and she'll be going back to her home and the people who matter to her.
It's...
It's all been worth it, hasn't it?]
...Sir Seizaburo...
[... He sighs, shoulders slumping, and gives in in the face of her positivity.]
It is good to see you smile again. [After everything...] I am grateful to you as well. Your support... even despite the situation you were in--Twas invaluable to me.