[ Sometime late in the night, Alphinaud finally returns to the room. Since Monday he's been careful enough to knock before entering—look, he'd rather not have a repeat of before!—but this time, too exhausted to think twice of it, he simply makes his way in.
And all he ends up doing is tiredly sitting at the edge of his own bed, hands wrapped around a cup of tea. Don't ask me what kind it is idk anything about tea. It's stress tea. ]
[ You know what? Dorothy's pretty good when it comes to much needed hugs. ]
... Of course. I would not dare, but—well, I suppose you're right in that I've been thinking overmuch. I had thought myself ready to take on anything thrown my way, but this is a vastly different beast from anything... anyone ever has to face.
Exactly. That's why I don't want you thinking that you should have been prepared for something like this. That you weren't just means that you're very kind... and also that it's incredibly cruel that you now have to face it now.
[ For all the cruelties he has witnessed, and all the villains and monsters he's had to face, having to watch them fail as they did is still a heavy punch to the gut. Alphinaud wouldn't give up, but he is not without his worries how much worse it has to get before it gets better.
Still— ]
You have my thanks, Dorothy. I would be honored to see this through to the end alongside you.
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w1; saturday post-trial
And all he ends up doing is tiredly sitting at the edge of his own bed, hands wrapped around a cup of tea. Don't ask me what kind it is idk anything about tea. It's stress tea. ]
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She gives him maybe six seconds before she's walking over to sit beside him. ]
I was almost wondering if you were going to stay elsewhere.
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My apologies, Dorothy, I had not meant to wake you.
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And even if you had, I would have preferred it that way. You seem like the sort to get hauled down by his own thoughts.
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[ He trails off, takes a sip, then exhales quietly. ]
I admit I am unhappy with how the day unfolded, but I am, at the very least, hale and whole.
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[ Which... means there's still murderers among them, which isn't a particularly pleasant thought. ]
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Quite. [ He scoffs. ] They have made fools of us on this day, and I... Would that I could have done more to prevent this.
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[ And she feels like it probably will. ]
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[ His head dips, and shoulders slump. ]
That another casualty may occur, and we fail to bring justice to those who have been lost to us.
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Come here.
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Whatever happens, you can't give up. We need to do everything we can to see this through.
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... Of course. I would not dare, but—well, I suppose you're right in that I've been thinking overmuch. I had thought myself ready to take on anything thrown my way, but this is a vastly different beast from anything... anyone ever has to face.
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Exactly. That's why I don't want you thinking that you should have been prepared for something like this. That you weren't just means that you're very kind... and also that it's incredibly cruel that you now have to face it now.
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Still— ]
You have my thanks, Dorothy. I would be honored to see this through to the end alongside you.
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Then I'll do my utmost to make it through as well.