Day 5

[kentucky_mcgiygas]

[ The dawn of a new day brings a new game! Ronald is silent today — perhaps sulking? — but a new challenge has been provided on your tablets. ]

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[scribbly]

[WHOEVER COULD THAT BE

at the moment she's lying on her belly on the floor, happily drawing on her sketch paper with the markers she's been given. It looks like she's drawing herself and Ib holding hands right now!]

[golden_dream]

...

[puts on her 'pleasant' face, though inside she has mixed feelings at best]

Mary-chan...

Are you busy?

[scribbly]

I'm drawing. [but she does start to sit up, keeping her marker in her hand but setting it against the floor.] Why?

[golden_dream]

Oh, just a little question.

[she's still smiling]

That last round... you voted for that lady Natsuhi-chan, didn't you?

[scribbly]

Uh-huh.

[now Mary's frowning, though, but she looks sincerely sad instead of annoyed.]

She always seemed really worried and upset... I thought that way she'd feel better, since she wouldn't have to play the game.

[golden_dream]

Oh, is that why?

[pause]

She was my friend, Mary-chan. I was going to keep her safe.

[right, 'friend', she'll go with that]

How do you think I feel now that my friend is no longer here...?

I'm pretty sad, too, Mary-chan.

[scribbly]

Oh...

[Mary looks away, seeming even sadder now.]

...Someone...needed to be in the hotel, so...I tried to be... [a pause, as she tries to recall her earlier conversation with Rosa] ...responsible. So I picked someone who I thought would feel better if she wasn't here. But I didn't mean to leave you all alone...

I'm sorry.

[golden_dream]

... [she paused again, hesitant. She expected the child to laugh and taunt her and say 'I don't caaare' in that mocking way children do, but...

Now that she was behaving, she felt an actual twinge of guilt at confronting her like this.]

...Well. Apology accepted, Mary-chan. At least she's... safe.

[she'd sigh, feeling uneasy that she couldn't express the anger she worked up.]

But, from now on, you must listen to what Miss Zelda tells you when she talks about how to vote, all right?

Will you promise?

[scribbly]

[Mary looks a tiny bit confused—there's clear relief once her apology's been accepted; she looks back up at Rosa and lets the marker out of her hand, but then she tilts her head, uncertain.]

Miss Zelda...is the one who always helps organize, right? I tell the lady who asks who we're voting for who I'm voting for but I didn't see her this time.

Did I do something wrong...?

[golden_dream]

You didn't see her, at all?

[scribbly]

I told her I was gonna vote for Mister...um, Mister Ronove. [Names are tough?? She's met more people in the last few days than she's known ever in her life, like, total.] The man who made the cookies. And then Mister Clown gave me another vote but I didn't see her after that.

[golden_dream]

So you didn't see Miss Zelda, and no one else came to you saying 'please vote for me' or 'please give your vote to someone else'?

[scribbly]

Uh-uh, nobody said anything like that...

[golden_dream]

...I see.

[she sighed, at least that gave her another possible target]

Just, think next time, Mary-chan. Maybe Natsuhi-chan is happy to be safe, but there are also her friends left behind who now can't see her.

Okay? I'll let you get back to drawing, just promise me you'll speak to Miss Zelda next time.

[scribbly]

Okay. I promise.

[...]

Um... I'm really sorry. I wanted to help, but I didn't want to take her away from her friends...

[golden_dream]

Thank you...

... That's right, friends are important, right, Mary-chan? You don't need to say "I'm sorry," again, just keep your promise.

[she had to distract the kid with something happy or the guilt was going to eat her up]

[golden_dream]

[she peeked down at the drawing, forcing another smile]

Oh. Is that you and Ib-chan? --Has she seen your drawing? I think she'd like to see that.

You should show her when you're done. I bet she'll be very happy you drew it.

[scribbly]

It is! [She's easily distracted, at least, and she's proudly turning her drawing around to show it to Rosa.] Do you think so? It isn't finished yet, but I want her to see when I'm done! You really think she'll be happy?

[golden_dream]

[somehow it turned into a genuine smile when it was clear Mary was successfully distracted.]

Of course she will! It's lovely, and if you show it to her, that makes it special.

Ah, it's already special because you drew it. In that case it makes it 'extra' special.

[scribbly]

Really...?

[look at how wide Mary's eyes have gone... she's stunned]

I heard once...if you really work hard on your drawings, they...get their own feelings, too, like you get to share yours with them. Is it like that?

[golden_dream]

... Sure.

[sounds dumb, but whatever.]

Then you show it to Ib-chan and she gets the feeling too.

[scribbly]

[okay well this dumbness is the reason she's here and just, like, existing as a person, but yeah, she'll take that]

Then I'll show it to Ib when I'm all done! I hope she'll like it!

[golden_dream]

[she nods]

I'll let you work on it. Rosa has a few drawings of her own to make, too. Have a good time.

[still smiling as she walks off... surely no one would help the child actually tattoo herself... Rosa was reasonably confident she wouldn't have to worry about another random vote-attack from Mary.]