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week 4

Week 4

[Well that was a fun trial, wasn't it? An innocent man got brutally killed by everyone, and while you found out more about the person responsible of all this all it really amounts to is "The Genie is insistent that you don't want to meet him".

And yet you took this warning from a powerful being to go "yeah we can take them!". Y'all oughta be ashamed of yourselves.

On the bright side though, when you wake up you will find out that more of the island has opened up! It's not much but at least you can wash your clothes.

... There is a nonzero chance that the Genie quickly built that as an apology for all that blood. Whoops.]

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[As a reminder, please submit your Week 3 activity check before July 15th, 1 PM EST! Dead characters just have to check in.]

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[The door is unlocked for the moment, given that one of its usual occupants is inside, preparing her bed. Just one more patrol and then she'll be done for the night. It's a routine she's almost gotten used to in the past several weeks... Of course, the intrusive voices plaguing them today spiced that up a little.

But it doesn't surprise her when she looks up and found her favorite brunette entering the room.]

Hey, Raps.

[Her lips curled into a small grin. She could ignore her mother's voice calling her a failure as long as she looked at Raps.]

[Seems like they're both hearing Gothel right now. She can hear that woman's voice whispering in her head, calling her a fool, calling her naive, blaming all the bad things that happened to her and her friends on Rapunzel's own stupidity and gullibility. It's... tiring, and when she sees Cass, Rapunzel's shoulders sag just a little. It's easy now, to let her guard down around her best friend.

She feels safe here. As safe as she's felt with Eugene.]

Hey, Cass.

[That grin is met with a soft smile, and she crosses the room to sit down on Cass's bed.]

How're you holding up? This whole mess is... a lot right now, isn't it?

[She's to blame for all her own problems, she's unlovable, not worthy of respect from anyone, let alone the people she tries so hard for. How depressing, these lies that she actually believed, once upon a time. Drilling into her further by Zhan Tiri, until she was almost in too deep.

But Rapunzel pulled her back up. Saved her from giving up on herself.]

Yeah. Not a fan of some of the voices I'm hearing. I wish they'd shut up.

[She'll sit down next to her. There's time to talk.]

How about you?

Yeah... me too.

[I was right about everything, Gothel's voice would tell her. She hears her father wondering if it's right to trust Cassandra, after all she did. Varian admitting how angry he was at everyone for abandoning him, the echoes of Eugene trying to get her to forget about Cass...

It's just. A lot.]

I'm just worried. This is kind of big, isn't it? Bigger than the other things the one behind all of this has done so far. [She leans to the side, until she's pressed against her best friend's side.] I'm scared that someone will... do something to make it all stop.

[She definitely doesn't need to explain herself for Cass to understand what "do something" means.]

[Eugene claiming that nobody listens to her, her dad refusing to even give her a chance with the royal guard, for her own safety of course. The list of voices goes on. She was lucky that she hadn't heard the whole of Corona calling her a monster at this rate.]

...Yeah, I get it. I'm worried too. [Instinctively, her arm falls around Rapunzel's shoulder, keeping her in close.] This one is different, it's a lot harder to ignore when it's all in your head.

[It's definitely. A lot.]

It's why I'm having the meeting tomorrow. We'll go over what we can do about the motive, and our escape plans. And, for now... I won't let anything happen to you.

Cass...

[There's a strange feeling in her stomach. It's not unpleasant, but it's... it's like her stomach is trying to roll over itself, while also being filled with butterflies. I won't let anything happen to you, is what makes her feel that, and everything sort of... falls into place in her head. Questions she's been asking herself since Zhan Tiri's defeat, feelings she's felt probably even before that...

It's like putting one last puzzle piece into place, and seeing the full picture.]

It's been making me think, too. The idea that someone might get hurt again... I've got a lot of things in my head that I tried sorting out, and there's one thing....

One thing?

[That's a strange thing to say, but not entirely surprising. There were so many things going on now; anything could be a problem, so many options. But one thing on her mind right now? Whatever could that be?

Her mind strayed to Rapunzel's fiance, probably confused and looking for her all over Corona. But Rapunzel wasn't one to be coy about that...]

What is it? [Her expression goes soft, one of the gentle looks that reserved for Raps and a very lucky few.] You can tell me. Anything.

[Her fiance... that's one thing that kept Rapunzel from thinking about this one thing earlier. Even before she arrived here, even before she came to Cass more and more to seek comfort as things stared getting scary. She loved Eugene, so much. He means the world to her! But those feelings... they're not fading, not one bit, but Rapunzel is starting to realize that she's feeling those same things again...]

Before you left Corona, after Zhan Tiri's defeat...

[She looks... nervous. In a way that Rapunzel has never really looked nervous before. She's still leaning against Cass, but she's not looking at her; she's looking down to the floor, hands clenched in the cuffs of her shorts.]

You said you loved me. And I don't doubt it at all, Cass! Because I love you a lot, too! But...

[And that's when she looks up, straight into Cass's eyes.]

Cass... how exactly do you love me?

[Cass... how exactly do you love me?

The meaning of that statement doesn't sink in immediately. Rather, Cassandra's mouth opens, making the shape of a 'w' to start asking what she could mean by that... and it stays open. Frozen in a question that would never be asked as the meaning finally registers.

She's had dreams about this moment, and nightmares.]

I-I...

[She's nervous, in her own way. The kind of nervous that Rapunzel has never really seen on Cass's face before. She can't lean away from her, there's no escaping this.

She can't look away from those emerald eyes, imploring her with the question she already knew the answer to. There's simply no other way around it. Feelings bubble to the surface that she'd been trying to control and push down for over two years.]

...When I said I loved you, Rapunzel, I meant it. [Full name now.] I love you... You're adventurous spirit, your heart, your endless optimism. You're like no one else, and you cared about me.

It's what got met to... to fall in love with you, all those years ago.

[There's no judgement in her eyes. No disgust, no nothing. Just... a questioning look. And fear, yes, but not fear of Cass's answer. It's the fear that's hanging over so many of them right now. The fear that she might die, the fear that she might lose someone. The fear that there are things going to be left unsaid between them. She's thought a lot, since the murders began, about feelings and her bond with Cass. This week just... cemented them. Made them more clear to her when she thought they were something more platonic.]

You... you love me.

[It's not a question. Rapunzel may be a little naive at times and may not always pick up on social cues, but she's not blind to these sorts of feelings.]

I... I've been thinking a lot. About that moment between us. About how we were able to reconcile. How I talked about how much I loved your smile and how you laughed and how it looked in your eyes... and I think. Maybe I feel that way too?

[It makes her feel a little guilty. She loves Eugene, and she doesn't want to split things up between them. But... she also wants to explore this feeling with Cass. Alongside her feelings for Eugene, not instead of. She wishes he could be with them, so they could all talk about it together. But if she doesn't say this now, there's a chance she might never get to.]

Hearing you laugh, seeing you smile the way you do when you're really happy... I'm realizing it makes me feel the same as when I'm with Eugene. It makes me... happy, it makes my heart feel really full. [Are there tears in her eyes right now? Perhaps. But she's smiling, so they've got to be happy tears.] I thought I just felt that way because I was so glad to have a best friend - human best friend.

[Sorry Pascal!]

But now... now, I think I was wrong about that. Now... I'm starting to realize that I love you too, Cassandra.

[There was no deep worry that Rapunzel would be repulsed at the knowledge of her feelings. Not even the inner voices of Zhan tiri or Gothel could tell Cassandra that Rapunzel would feel disgusted by her... but the fear persisted, and Eugene and her moved fast, and before Cass knew it there were not one but two proposals for Raps to sit on. She had simply met the princess too late, fallen for her too late.

She had to move on.]

I... I do.

[But it was hard. Constant life around someone you deeply cared for left unsaid feelings always fresh and ready to spill. Taken into account the caravan trip to the Dark Kingdom, with life spent in even closer quarters together... She had already been terrible with expressing herself. That just made it worse.

That. Pressure. Her hand, and the door she was lead through... Even at her worst, she couldn't hate Rapunzel, not completely.

The conversation turns, and she listens with intent. It's almost the same talk they had in Rapunzel's room, trapped under the golden rocks. That same rush of feelings that made tears prickle at the edges of her eyes... without even noticing. Because Rapunzel was the same, but she kept talking.

She laughs wetly. Of course, neither of them could measure up to what Pascal meant to Raps, but it's what comes next that absolutely takes her breath away.]

You... you what? Y-you mean...?

[She implores. Please, Rapunzel. She has to hear it again, to be sure.]

[Rapunzel was always more of a shower, rather than a teller. Oh sure, she was quick with compliments and reassurances of her love and care for others! But the best way Rapunzel would express herself was through her art, through the little things she'd do throughout the day for her friends and family. She showed her care through helping others and doting on others and generally doing what she could to make them feel better through action.

So when Cass stutters out that question, practically pleading for some kind of affirmation, Rapunzel just... leans in close, and places a light kiss on Cass's lips.]

I love you, Cassandra. [Again with the full name. Just to prove how serious she is.] Like, love love. I love you like I love Eugene, and... and maybe it's too soon to say it, maybe I should've waited to talk to him first to see what all of us should do, but... I can't keep that bottled up. If there's a chance that something might happen to either of us... I wanted you to know that.

[The kiss is light and quick, and feels like a thousand years squeezed into one second. It was good then that Rapunzel was so close, as the pounding of Cassandra's heart in her ears made her almost miss anything after the kiss.]

O-okay. Love love. [If she could be allowed to just... let that all sink in. God, she's feeling giddy. Even as a single tear escapes to roll down her cheek.] I love you too, Raps.

[So much that needs to be said, questions and plans for if- when they escape this place. It all takes a step back in her mind, waiting while she leans back in and kisses Rapunzel again.]

[When. Definitely when. They'll escape this place, and they'll return home safely and then they can figure out how this will all work. All of Rapunzel's fears and doubts as the clock ticks down the the deadline of the master's motives seem to fade away with the feeling of Cass's lips against her own.

It feels... good. Like kissing Eugene, but not. It's softer, and Cass almost seems hesitant, so Rapunzel reaches up to wrap her arms around her friend's neck and pull her just a little closer, till they fit snugly together. It's okay, is what she hopes the gesture conveys. Not even the angry, accusing whispers in their heads can push away this feeling of warmth and safety.

Good thing she came to Cass's room after night fell. She doesn't really want to move away from all of this.]

[Definitely when. There would have to be at least one long conversation when they got back to Corona, Cass knew that much. But that felt so far away when she had Rapunzel like this.

It was like a great weight had left Cassandra's chest. She felt like she was floating, though Rapunzel kept her on the bed, and her arms both ended up wrapping around Rapunzel in kind. This wasn't everything Cassandra had dreamed of, but it was different, just as good. How could any of the voices be right about her when she had Rapunzel in her life, feeling luckier than ever?

Eventually, she breaks the kiss to come up for air, her face flush with emotion. But she stays close, letting her forehead rest against Rapunzel's.]

I love you, so much. Ever since you taught me to swim, ever since the Contest of the Crowns... But I never thought...

That far back...

[Honestly... it makes Rapunzel feel guilty, now. She hadn't just been brushing off Cass's friendship when she'd been blind to how her friend - girlfriend??? - had been feeling during their journey. She'd brushed off her deeper feelings too, tried to say she was just like a sister...

Geez. She has a lot to make up for, doesn't she? But that's okay. They can move past it together.]

I don't... I don't know when things changed for me. I think I might've started feeling different when we were turned into birds... or maybe when I lost my memory? I just wish I'd realized that my feelings changed.

[Her smile doesn't fade, but there's a hint of sadness in Rapunzel's eyes as she pulls one arm back, so she can cup Cass's cheek in her hand.]

I'm sorry. I know I've said that before, but I didn't realize just how much I must have been hurting you during our journey to the Dark Kingdom...

[To Rapunzel's credit, it had been something slowly building with time. Just gentle feelings that slowly bubbled to the surface during their time together. Being brushed off, called her sister, had stung but never terribly.

She'd lost the game before it even began. Or so she thought.]

Heh. I always sort of thought, but...

[She never could have believed. Every time something good happened, something bad would follow; she saved Rapunzel from life as a bird forever, and then Rapunzel burned her hand... But she can't think about that now.

She melts into Rapunzel's hand. They spent so much time around one another, and yet... her touch was different now. Better. Loving.]

It's okay, Raps. Really. You were happy with Eugene, you love each other... I couldn't say anything.

[Why make a awkward caravan ride worse?]

[Rapunzel never really shied away from physical affection, even with her friends. Hugs, holding hands, wrapping her arms around theirs or other such things... it was all so casual. But this... it feels different. Good. like she's really holding onto Cass for the first time.

Tragedy and evil so often reared its head just when they think they've found balance, or a return to normal. Rapunzel... she has to believe that it'll be different this time. That they'll be okay, and something won't try and ruin this happiness they've found.]

But... now you can. You can tell me anything and everything, Cass. I'll listen, and... [She leans in, for another quick kiss, a giddy smile spreading on her face when she pulls back.] I think I'll feel the same way with whatever you want to say.

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Week 4

room 7

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