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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[golden_dream]

[maybe she can turn it into a thorn...?]

[IT'LL BE A FEW MORE AGONIZING MINUTES, but then finally]

...All right, done. It's all right, you're only bleeding a little bit...

[keybroad]

[UHHHHHHHHHH??? Well, she's not bleeding from literally being murdered.]

Do you wipe it off right away or let it just...?

[LOTUS HAS BEEN SKIMPING ON THE AFTERCARE]

[golden_dream]

You can't wipe it off! It'll hurt the ink.

Don't worry, you're fine! Or... hm, do you have a towel, or a rag? I can wipe... around it.

[keybroad]

Uhhh.... uhhhhhhhhhhhh...

[she reaches out for a stack of napkins. the middle should be clean!!!]

[golden_dream]

...Are these even clean?

[GINGERLY... RELUCTANTLY... dabs at Lotus' sore neck]

[keybroad]

Is anything?

[She exhales... she can feel it getting cleaner. This is helping.]

[golden_dream]

Sorry, sorry... it's normal, don't worry about it.

[...hopefully.]

[keybroad]

Then... should I go ahead now? Is it not bleeding anymore?

[Her ankles are swinging through the shakiness of the pain, she really is ready to not fuck around]

[golden_dream]

Yes, yes! Maybe just... you know, stuff these napkins around your collar. You'll be fine.

...Don't forget to change the needle.

[keybroad]

Aaaaaaaaaall right.

[She can tough it out!!! Stands up. Claps hands to steady herself. Starts gathering the new needles and the pale gold ink.]

[golden_dream]

[she really felt bad for her, now...]

Do you... um... if you need to take a break first, or even a drink...

[keybroad]

You know... yeah, a break still sounds really nice if it's okay with you. Since there's something I wanted to do...

[Her unsteady hand goes onto the table and plucks out the third sheet of paper, containing neither the rose sketches nor the finalized lotus design. Though the entire exposed part of the paper seems blank.]

I wanted to wait longer, but after what happened to Natsuhi, I figured, carpe diem.

[golden_dream]

Of course. No need to hurry.

... [tilts her head, trying to catch a glance]

What's that?

柏原 葉月 // in western order, Hazuki Kashiwabara

[keybroad]

My real name.

[Her knuckles tighten on the paper, still not uncovering it. Should Rosa actually take it, she'll find that the strokes of the kanji kind of overlap, precisely as if Lotus had to pick the green ballpoint pen up and put it down without actually looking at what she was doing.]

I'm still so afraid about saying it out loud or showing it in front of the camera, so I want you to be careful how you hold it... but I know not everyone has that advantage. Or had it. And I trust your judgment, Rosa.

[golden_dream]

...Oh.

[she'll take it? A little with a confused look, but it's clearly important to Lotus...]

You want me to... add this on?

[keybroad]

Probably not... It would have to be pretty big for the strokes to show up, I'm running out of space.

[She reaches for the tattoo gun and makes a small, obviously playful (not particularly reckless) motion.]

Maybe I'll do it to you. "Friend of--".

[golden_dream]

Ah.

[she'll just... hold a hand over her face]

N-No, you don't need to do that...!

[keybroad]

[Tilting her own head to get a better chance at glimpsing Rosa's flustered expression.] You sure~?

[Obviously not going to go through with it. She steps back to steady her stance.] Well, I think that break helped. Thanks for listening. Do you want to get your drink now and go under?

[golden_dream]

[grimaces]

Oh... yes, no problem.

[she'll nod and... take a healthy sip of the absinthe]

[then nearly choke]

[keybroad]

Uhhhhhhhhhhh.... do you want me to get you some water instead?

[She won't fire the gun until she's sure her friend won't choke!]

[golden_dream]

It's fine...

[clearly the solution is to take another sip]

[keybroad]

Good...

[She waits for the one sip to be finished and then, with ample warning, leans over to expose and ink Rosa's neck.]

[golden_dream]

[it was enough to relax her, at least.. after the burning sensation. Enough that Rosa would give no reaction when Lotus started to work.]

You got it...? All right...

[keybroad]

[She's glad that Rosa has settled down, and she gets into it, humming in time with the tattoo gun. The lotus takes shape, imperfectly curved lines all the more precise for it, like a circle drawn on a computer screen that at closer glance is clearly an octagon.]