A Rough Step to Atonement

A Rough Step to Atonement
Date of Scene:	22 December 2012
Location:	Fluorgis - Shard Seekers HQ
Synopsis:	When Reize arrived back to the Shard Seekers headquarters to resupply himself for his trip to Cornelia, his reunion with Will Sherman ended in dischord as Leida comes into the picture. A girl who accepted a demon in her past, faces one of the peope who had been the most affected by her actions...
Cast of Characters:	Reize Seatlan, Raiya Fujihara, Will Sherman, Sarafina Carenze, Deelel, Yurita, Leida

---

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The Shard Seekers HQ

This is where the place that was once a workshop revitalized as a headquarters lie. The windowpane has few bits of light shining through, offering those the fading sun. With that light glimmering, everything is peaceful.

As the door opens, Reize brightens a smile before calling out, "Ooooiii! I'm home!" He looks around, half-expecting Dandy to start greeting him. The little beagle is cute, even if he does get Reize into trouble.

It was recent that Reize got back from what was supposed to be a mark turned into something that provided valueable information. He looks over towards the central table, then towards the desk.

Didn't Reize have a guest followng behind him?

Yurita has posed:
Yurita mms, looking around, blushing as she held Reize's hand, she had grabbed it once they left the main group of people, and has not let go yet, looking around with a mixture of caution, and awe, she realizes she hasn't even shared her name the person she's following, yet Deelel was friends with him, so she trusted him.

Will Sherman has posed:
Right infront of Reize was Will.

Who was eating their food and drinking their water. "HEY!" he says, waving towards Reize. "Sup, nobody was around when I got here so I helped myself."

Minutes ago, Will walked in, sitting down and started eating things, without asking or even wondering if anyone was here.

Flash back to now...

"So is Faruja here? I need help with a problem."

Leida has posed:
There was someone here alright, someone who Will would most definately have recognised had she not been purposefully avoiding his presence.

When the young boy had burst into the office, the recovering young girl left here alone to recover from her terrible ordeal had grown scared and barricaded herself in the room given to her. Sitting now with her back against the door, Leida hugged her knees at the sound of fresh voices, knowing that Reize would undoubtably reveal her presence and force a very awkward meeting.

She closed her eyes tightly. Maybe he'd forget she was here?

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is back at the HQ now after the incident in the desert that Dark Knight, he was with the group that burned Manhattan she wasn't even sure what happed to him. H honestly and had been following a bit behind though Reize may be getting looks. Deelel has no idea the user space virus known as Leida is here, this could ... not end well.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Raiya Fujihara is not a Shard Seeker, but she did agree to become Ivo's sensei. Because of this, she has been around lurking around the HQ every now and then. It is mostly an effort to try to track down the wayward Ivo, but she does like to check in on a few others occasionally. She hears some voices and decides to investigate this. What she finds are a few faces that she has never seen before.

A hand is still raised in greeting. "I heard a commotion. Greetings," says the samurai simply as Raiya flashes an easy smile towards familiar faces and newcomers alike.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Truth be told, Reize did not realize that Yurita was holding his hand. Perhaps it is because he naturally leads people and perhaps end up holding the hand of the person that he's guiding hat he's used to it. Instead, he continues to walk along, still holding Yurita's hand.

...It is when he enters that he sees Will.

"Oooi---wait."

...

Awkward pause.

Twitch.

"Oooi! What's the big idea with inviting yourself into someone's home?!" The antenna hair flails, shaking a 'fist' at Will. But after a moment, the boy sighs. Grumble, "Whatever...". The boy rubs his forehead, finally relasing Yurita's hand.

Now, when that comes to mind, Reize sighs, "...Anyway, I have a guest to see to make sure she's recovering from the night before." He starts his way towards the sectiont hat would lead to the girl's dorm.

He pauses at Will's question, turning to face him, "I haven't seen him! We were both at Cornelia some time ago. He may be off handling some affairs, but he should be in soon!"
Raiya's arrival earns a smile as she comes into view. He brightens with a grin, "Oooi! Raiya! Good to see you again!" Then, he turns his head out to the girl's dorm room.

"Oooi, Leida! Are you feeling any better?"

Wait. ... Didn't...

Yurita has posed:
Yurita follows Reize closely, staying quiet, she didn't try grabbing his hand again, but she did make sure she wasn't out of reach to do so, she looks around at everyone, waving slightly to each one, but mostly just trying to figure out the appropriate reactions to other people by watching.

Will Sherman has posed:
"Oh? Darn...I really really need to talk to him. It's very important. I mean, life and death." Will says with a frown. He looks serious for once, "Oh this? Well, hey, I was doing a lot of walking! You're not going to let me starve and die of dehydration? I mean, geeze, I get lost in Manhattan, and you can't even say 'hey Will, nice to see you're not dead' or 'Hey Will, sorry about YOUR HOME.'

Jerk.

"Oh hey." He waves towards Deelel, and then Raiya. "Long time no see lady." he says towards the Ronin...and turns towards Yurita. "Huh...a program." he says, looking at her oddly. Those eyes don't miss anything, including the binary bits in her fate strings.

Then Reize says something.

Will's blood grows cold as he jumps to his feet and backs away. "D-did you say Leida?!"

Deelel has posed:
Deelel bobs her head a little bit and smiles a Will, he was a nice guy really. She had no idea about the issues with him at all and really she's just a basic somethings she's not quite understood just yet. She's about to say something to Yurita and Reize she raelly is but then the name Leida gets dropped and ther's a stark look of horror on the program face. "Wait the virus is here?!"

Leida has posed:
It seems Reize's horrible luck is able to extend its influence beyond the physical reach of the boy. Leida recoils at the sound of her name, wincing at the unsurprising chorus of reactions. Well, so much for hope.

Slowly, the girl climbs to her feet and removes the lock from her door. It swings open with a heavy groan and she lowers her head towards the floor, marching out like a man taking his walk down death row.

She rounds the corner and steps into the room, her hands clasped before her nervously, refusing to meet the gaze of anyone present. "Um... h-hello..."

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
"And it is good to see you again as well, Reize. How is Lily?" Raiya is not sure who or what a 'Leida' is. But everyone seems to be relocated over in front of the girl's dorm and so the samurai follows with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She was not really doing much of anything to begin with.

Will gets a curt nod from the Wutai Warrior. "Indeed. One does not often get a second chance to meet fellow travellers. But here we are once more." The appearance of Leida causes Raiya to look her way. She definitely does not know her like some of the others do. A small wave is offered in greeting as the samurai continues to keep a pleasant smile on her face.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Beaming towards Raiya, "Lily is recovering from the other night. We had a very... difficult time. Dandy is probably sleeping next to her."

...Blink.

His antenna hair flops, realizing that Will is going through the hard times. "Eh heh... Sorry, Will." The young boy feels a bit guilty. Will is correct on that. "Truth be told, I did not know what happened to you, Mercade, and the others. But, I am glad to see that you're alive. ...Hopefully the rest of the agency members are the same." He scratches his head. "Though, I felt like I heard you speaking the other night.." He runs his hand over to he back of his head, "...I'm sorry you and the others lost you homes. But, we will get it back." His eyes narrow, "I promise that." On another note, it is a bit awkward as Reize realizes that Yurita continues to watch and follow him closely. Maybe she's just an observatory program.

When Leida is brought up and Will backs away, it finally hits the boy like a ton of bricks. "Wai--wait! Let me explain!"

And then, Leida finally emerges.

Crap!

Reize sweeps over in front of her, now taking her hand and putting out against his for a tight squeeze. He will be Leida's guardian.

"...I sealed the demon that possessed her."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel says "So you were able to isolate the virus for now?" Her expression changes becoming just cautous and less stark out there is a great old one in here with us and we're stuck in here with it. She's not going for her disk, all right it seems ciris averted on Deelels' end. If there's a way to anti viral the young user than she's all for it if the victem can be saved. She's looking at will for a moment tilting her head, she's going to be cautious yes but there's no need to be Purge in the name of the god user Flynn now is there at the moment.

Yurita has posed:
Yurita blinks, looking at Reize a moment, staying silent a moment longer, before asking "demon?" her brow furrows "where have I heard demon before..." she continues standing alongside Reize, before realizing it, she blushes deeply as she finally realizes just how close, before moving to stand next to Deelel quietly.

Will Sherman has posed:
"You're mad." Will says, "She's just pretending to be weak and helpless! She takes advantage of that..." he says, backing away from Leida. There was real fear there...but oddly, it was not OF her...

"You don't know what she did to me...released...Manhattan is gone BECAUSE of what she did!" he shouts, angry...but not approaching. "You remember that?! HUH?! Monster! What you woke up...it made RIKU do all that! It..."

"Millions of people...GONE.. GONE! I can't even sleep at night anymore! For fear that HE'LL wake up again! Fear that I'll end up hurting people that I care about!" he's not acting rational anymore. He just glares at her, fists balled up.

Leida has posed:
The girl allows her hand to be taken and she returns to tight grip, using it as a source of strength for the reckoning that is likely to come in a moment. It takes all of her willpower not to turn and run back into the room and bar the door with whatever she can put against it.

Her soft amber gaze drifts up from the floor momentarily as her self-proclaimed protector speaks up for her but almost immediately they slam shut, a pained expression of remorse masking her childish features. Each angry accusation leveled at her stings as strongly as a blow to the head. Her shoulders become more hunched, her stance more timid and pitiful at Will's words.

"I'm sorry..." The faint whispered apology is all she can manage afterwards.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Raiya's smile fades as the threat of violence hangs heavy in the air. She attempts to step inbetween Will and Reize in which the latter had stepped in front of Leida. "Enough!" The samurai shouts before turning to look at Will. "I was there trying to defend your city and nearly lost my life in defending others while they fled. My country has fallen to the Heartless as well. I can understand where your pain comes from, but violence is not the answer here." The samurai then looks around at those assembled. "The time for bloodshed was then, not now. We must keep our heads clear if we want to ascertain the correct path to take." Raiya says tries to keep an eye on everyone at once. "The Shadow Lords and that evil Machine of theirs are the ones whom we should be preparing to face instead of fighting among ourselves."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Sweatdrop.

Reize gives Yurita a glance over before the free hand rubs the back of his head. "...I'll explain at a better time." Unfortunately, this is not one of those moments of expaining. Now for Deelel, Reize nods, "Yeah, I ... used the sword that she had to help seal the demon inside of her."

A smile is given, "...I was able to talk her to accepting a helping hand." It is then that Reize is squeezing her hand.

However, he hears Will's words. "Nggh..." The young boy sighs a bit, "...Will." A sigh exhales when he looks at his ally. "I..." He remembers his encounter with Leida at Manhattan. He also rembers.

"...She knows that." He lowers his head, "She.. knows." THe young man lowers his head, uncertain over what to say.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will growls, he was getting upset...

Will never gets upset...he rarely gets angry. He backs away from Raiya, "No! You're not listening to what I am saying.." he grunts. "We could have saved Manhattan...we were /so close/. But..." he says guilt taking over as he sides down into his rump. For him it's been months because of the World of Darkness shennanigans...but for them it was days. He remembers it all cearly...

He was forced to watch it all.

"That THING weakened the seal. I did not know it at the time...but I am basicly...just a seal for a mad god named Loki." he says. "SHE cracked it...and then when the fight came...whatever was inside Riku cracked it more. I...I had to watch...I HAD TO WATCH WHILE IT TRIED TO KILL EVEYONE...While it DOOMED Manhattan..." he says, tears flowing down his face.

"And all you can say is 'sorry'!?"

Yurita has posed:
Yurita sighs, and walks forwards, thinking a moment, she looks first at Will, then at Leida, finally she points at Raiya "she's the one to listen to right now, I don't know what happened, from what I'm gathering" she looks at will "you lost your home, and she." she looks at Leida "helped somehow, I don't know what happened by a longshot, but what I cab tell right now, is she regrets it, and she wants to make amends, and right now, you don't have to forgive her, but at least accept her to take down the bigger threat, whether or not you want to forgive her after that, I don't care." no observatory program, that's for sure, after a few moments she blinks, and then blushes a little "err... and... sorry to interrupt and for your loss, but I can't stand violence when its unnecessary... and especially when it would be counter productive."

Leida has posed:
Leida doesn't cry, despite how much she wants to. She's rather numbed to grief at this point. Having been the victim of a waking dream, or more appropriately - a nightmare, for almost a year now she found little power to sleep despite the ordeals of her exorcism. Instead she had relived every horrible truth of the time spent as the demon's thrall; every act of death and unimaginable horror visited upon others at her own hands.

The experience had been terrifying, wringing from her every last drop of regret and anguish she had left. Will was correct as was Reize. she had much to answer for and she knew it.

But right now, she doesn't know how. Maybe she should just tell Reize to move away and let the ancient thing sealed in Will make an end of her. It would be a fitting irony.

However, at the moment all she can say is again, "I'm sorry..."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
What do you say to the person who lost so much recently? What do you say for the person that is responsible that she had recovered? There is the fact that she had some blame in it, due to the person's responsibility. Or rather, it is the burden that she faced under the fact that she was under the demon's influence. A glance is given towards Yurita as she speaks to Will.

To be honest, this is something that is not easy for Reize to give words to a suffering man. Will has suffered a lot of loss that he cannot even fantom. However, he says this.

"...Will." His head lowers, "There is not much that I can say. ...And you have the right to be angry." He keeps his hand squeezes Leida's hand, reminding her that he is here for her. He promised that he would help her through this.

"Leida will be making an effort on her recovery." He shuts is eyes, "...Because I sealed the demon, she is my responsibility." He sucks in a breath. "...So from here on out, I will be sharing the responsibility with her to help her with the recovery."

"...And one of the important things that we have to do is set things right."

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Raiya is quite thankful for the support from Yurida even if she is a stranger to her. A small nod is aimed her way before she focuses her attention on Will who is the most dangerous person in the room right now because if his immense grief. "Murdering someone will not bring anyone or anything back, no matter how many times you run this through your mind." The ronin warns Will succinctly. "You must calm yourself and listen to your friend here for their is value in what he is trying to say." A hand is used to motion back towards Reize, but Raiya'a gaze never leaves Will. "I know what we are asking you to do is not easy, but please listen to us."

Sarafina Carenze has posed:
Sarafina isn't a priest. She's a mercenary. And, formerly, a captain of an army whose natural response to magic is to punch it (unless it's their own magic). Nevertheless, she's not really a Shard Seeker but is stuck here until she 'gets paid'. She is oblivious to Leida's presence, knowing that the depth of what they were able to do to Leida was, more or less, punch her until she stopped killing people.

And get her pants.

But it's hard to miss the disruption of joyous Shard Seeker bliss, argumentation, and tears.

She walks towards the grouping, her eyes widening first at Will, and then at Leida.

"Oi," She says. "What's going on here?" She asks. She looks towards Leida's pants and nods briefly before adding, "Will, what's the matter?" She realizes he's crying. "Good god, man, you're a king aren't you? What's the matter?"

Will Sherman has posed:
"THAT!" Will points at Leida.

"The thing that started it all!" He points accusingly again. "That thing broke the seal on Loki...that thing caused Riku to go mad and do everything he did...the fall of Manhattan followed.." he says, shaking his head, explaining again.

"And I am just supposed to accept it?!" he throws his hands up, "YOU didn't get to sit and watch the Heartless eat the Keyhole...YOU didn't get to see Loki released...nearly killing everyone. YOU didn't get to see Avira turn into...that..."

"YOU DIDN'T GET TO WATCH ALL OF THIS HAPPEN AND UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT!" he shouts. "You didn't get to see the HORROR that was the dark relm I was trapped in...the ruins of Manhattan...heartless everywhere...you weren't forced to relive your own life...including the horrible events orcistraited by a mad god..."

"And all you can tell me is 'forgive and forget'?!" Will is litterally shaking, he barely had time to recover from his ordeals...and now this.

"I...I..."

Yurita has posed:
Yurita continues looking at Will, waiting for a response from him, before slowly backing up to stand beside Reize and Leida, still watching Will, tapping a foot slowly now she crosses her arms as she waits. once he responds she walks forwards, putting a hand on his shoulder "I never said you /should/ forgive, or forget, because you have no reason to ... but if she's being remorseful, allow her to try and right the wrong..." she then backs up a step "I know how you feel... I may not have been there, but I was created in Manhattan, so I fully understand..." she then shakes her head "but if you want to regain the home that was lost, you need the help if all... including those who were enemies, trying to be friends..." she then looks at Leida "besides... it sounds like she didn't even have control over herself at the time."

Sarafina Carenze has posed:
Sarafina Carenze is stunned by Will's outpouring of emotion. Leida was behind that? Leida weakened that seal on Loki? It seems like there is always much to learn. Children, she thinks, she's surrounded by children. But that's okay, SArafina thinks, she is an adult and being an adult sometimes means burying your emotions unhealthily deep in your chest where it can foster into a mental illness. So Sarafina does that for a moment.

And then says, "What you've gone through..." After a moment. "She's the only person who could understand out of anybody here. As far as I know. I will not pretend to understand what you've gone through, though I do fear that I will one day lose control of myself and harm those I love--that fear I do understand--but I am blessed enough that I haven't gone through such an ordeal as of yet."

She sideglances towards Leida. "But I am aware that there is a demon in her, that she did not ask for, and that has influenced or downright controlled her behavior. At any moment it could come out again."

She raises a hand into the air as Yurita provides her own input. "She was not in control of her actions. She's a victim of that demon, just as you are of Loki. Do you know what I'm getting at, Will? It's not a pleasant truth, but--it is the truth, as I understand it. There may be a way to help both of you and perhaps this is a sign, that as penance you can help one another overcome their sealed darkness."

"But I won't tell you how to feel." She says. "All I ask is that you understand the reality of the situation. Hate the demon, hate Loki if you'd like, but this isn't about you hating Leida. It's about the hate you have for yourself, even though you are blameless."

Deelel has posed:
Will's point get questions asked the start of the fall of the user's system started with Leida. There's a lot to take in, there's a whole lot to take in. She gets something Will does say that gets an eyebrow raised wiat Leida somehow started the ball rolling on the destruction of Manhattan? this has a lot of going through her mind at this point she's not shouting she not saying any thing she's listening now.

Deelel's hears Will's tale and there's a look of horror as Will gives far more detail thant she knows and to casually forgiven and forget is something you can't just demand.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Raiya has now turned fully towards Will instead of merely standing inbetween him and Reize. She purses her lips together in contemplation as she considers his rapidly degrading psyche. The warrior is about address him again when Sarafina rapidly enters the scene. They may have had their differences, but Raiya is thankful for Sarafine's assistance in keeping the peace. "I am not asking you to forgive or to forget. I am asking you to listen to your friends and calm yourself. There are ways to vent great anger, but not like this." Her piece said, Raiya grows quiet now and hopes that Sarafina and the others can get through to Will.

Leida has posed:
"You're wrong."

The soft rebuke to Sarafina's mature approach to the situation spills out as she winds down her speech. Leida squeezes her hands tightly, one wrapped about Reize's wrist and the other balling up tightly, not out of anger, but out of fear. A tremor travels down her back even as she speaks, wondering where the courage had come from.

"You're wrong," she repeats more firmly. "I invited the darkness... Let it consume me..." She opens her eyes and turns her head away, not wanting to look at any of them. "I wanted to forget everything. To make it all go away."

The demon had preyed upon her weakness, certainly, but had she not been so selfish it would never have had the chance to unleash all of this pain and suffering. Her own anguish was nothing in comparison to the countless lives that had been broken and snuffed out all because she had been too weak to resist the tempation.

"So you see... everything he said is true..." She let go of Reize and took a step forward, head bowed submissively. She reached up and grabbed the massive waves of her hair, brushing it foward over one shoulder to expose her neck as she kneeled down on the floor before Will, leaning foward to give him a clear shot.

"Please... I deserve it..."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Reize takes in everything that Will says. His seal with Loki, the fact that Riku went mad and did what he thought was right, which resulted in Manhattan's fall. The boy listens to everything about all of the things that Reize had to endure.

"No. We're not asking you to forgive and forget."

Reize's voice becomes tense.

"...It's true. I did not see 'Loki' released, nor did I see Avira turn into... something.. ...Nor did I see the horror of a dark realm." He lowers his head. "However, I saw Manhattan fall. Many of us fought in what was supposed to be a valiant battle to keep the city intact and to keep the Heartless from consuming it. We failed on that."

"...I finally saw how my home was likely brought into the darkness."

"...All what I ask is for her to have a chance to atone for her past. Everyone deserves a chance to atone."
But, then Leida pulls away from him, "Le--Leida!" His eyes widen, then he lowers his head. In that moment, Reize could feel his heart stop. No, no deaths. Not a death here. Not when a person has a chance to atone.

Yurita has posed:
Yurita clenches her teeth then at Leida's actions and words, turning, she resists the urge to kick Leida "Leida... that's your name? well, Leida" she bends down "you think its your fault for being weak?" she doesn't wait for a reply before grabbing her cheek, not harshly, gently, and lifts her head to look her in the eyes "its not, weakness is natural, even I, as a program, have weakness, mine is I can't stand to see someone hurt without good reason..." she slowly begins te adopting her kind gaze "so I can't allow anyone to hurt you here or now, you did nothing wrong... you fell for a lie of the enemy, many have made that mistake, many more will make it... what decides if its your fault or not..." she slowly stands up, finishing with "is if you try and fix your mistake afterwards." as she does so.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will stares at Sarafina...

Her words hit home, he winces as she finally says the real cause of his issues. He really can't forgive himself, the wound won't heal beause he can't properly identify it...it is gaping, right there, but until it is pointed out...

He deflates, looking down at the ground as Raiya joins in after Sarafina. He sighs, he wants to desperately ignore them...force himself to hate...

Then Leida puts herself into his path, staring him down, and taking the blame for herself. 'I was weak..'

'I invited the darkness in..'

He's heard this before...how could he hate her, when he couldn't bring himself to hate Riku. Slowly, he stands, looking at her even as Reize tries to defend her. He stares at her for a long time, his hand resting on the butt of the Shotgun of Leadership...

He finally lets the hand drop...he takes a breath, and brings his hands down on her shoulders. "Stop. No, I was wrong. Blaming you...putting my crimes on you isn't right, no more than yours were falling to your darkness." he says, with a breath, "...Don't go looking for death. It won't solve anything, it won't fix anything." he says, and lets go, turning away from Leida...turning back towards the door. "I'm sorry, I can't be here anymore..." he starts walking away.

Sarafina Carenze has posed:
Sarafina Carenze is shocked by Leida's admission. She had assumed, of course, that she had little choice in the matter. Now it seems that she did and simply regretted it. She straightens and says little, thinking over Leida's words. Eventually, she says, "If she is asking for Will's judgement--then it's between them."

If Will decides to execute her or whatever, well, it's not a happy ending but it certainly satisfies the requirement of being 'just', in a way. Selfish people who commit crimes are still responsible even if they regret it, even if it spiraled out of control.

Of course it's also a bit of a trap. Sarafina has faith that Will won't listen to what's just. He'll listen to his heart. And Will ain't a bad guy, just an unhappy one.

She waits until Will acts as one can really expect Will to behave. She watches after him for a bit, and then says, "Leida, I shouldn't let him be alone. But I wanted to tell you before, but couldn't, that it isn't over. You are, what, 17? You have plenty of life ahead of you, should you choose to live it. I don't know the circumstances of your past, or what despair you've faced, but you don't have to face it by yourself anymore. You are welcome in our home, heh--once I have one again--should you ever need a place to stay and heal." She is quiet for a moment before adding, warmly, "Thank you for being honest. It would have been easy to just blame the demon."

She moves to follow after Will, this might delay the trip to Corneria a bit.

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
Things almost go very badly. Raiya tenses up in preparation to prevent a possible execution. When Will does not take up Ledia's offer. She relaxes a bit and takes a slow breath. The samurai frowns at this turn of events and looks over the group at large. No one is really without sin, without guilt, without anger. Butal of these things make dealing with oneanother a real pain at times.

Raiya is just thankful that bloodshed was avoided for now. She doesn't go after Will. The Wutai Warrior will let those closer to him talk to him first. Those are who he really needs. Not more advice from a third-party such as her. But for now, Raiya has nothing else to add at the moment.

Leida has posed:
Closing her eyes, Leida waits for the cold release of death. Having experienced it only recently she knows that it will be painful; but pain well deserved. The hands come to rest on her shoulders and she can't help but flinch despite her desire to be strong in the face of her demise. Royalty had to be brave and just. But like her family always said, she just didn't measure up.

Instead of death, however, she is answered with words. Slowly, as her face is turned upwards by the program's gentle hands, she opens her eyes again and looks over everyone assembled. Their understanding and forgiveness is strange. Could people who had not suffered directly at her hands not understand the magnitude of what she has done? But then even Will, the person with perhaps the greatest reasons to hate her, turns and walks away, leaving a very confused young girl kneeling on the floor.

Unsure how to respond, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what they expected of her, she stares down at the floor again. Endure. Live on. Atone. How was she supposed to do those things? She wasn't that strong.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Reize stared with worry. He looked towards Will and Leida's interaction, then he sees Will relent. The boy is grateful, not just because it is Leida, but in the end, it is something similar to Riku.

Many people has a darkness in them. They need to be able to recover and atone. As the boy sees Will walk away, the boy takes a step forward, but then his head lowers.

"Nggh..." A hand rests over to his forehead.

The young man looks over towards Leida, approaching her form. He looks over towards Sarafina, understanding of the talk that the two need to have. It is not his place for that. For now, Reize is reaching a hand towards Leida.

"...Sometimes, people need a helping hand to be able to endure and continue." He offers her a smile.

Reize said that he would take responsibiliy for her as she enters her road. So, he is keeping true to his word.

Yurita has posed:
Yurita offers her hand to Leida as well, smiling but silent again, looking at Reize a moment, she says "you are a kind person... I would like to introduce myself, I'm Yurita..."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel shyes back but doesn't make any hostile moves she needs to think about a lot of things really she's got a lot of thinking to do. The game has changed as it were and she watches Will leave. She's learned a few things to night and the User's lives are prehaps even more complicated than those of basics...

Raiya Fujihara has posed:
"Take care Reize." Raiya turns to the unfamiliar girl who just introduced herself. "Yurita." She then looks back to Reize. "I need some time to think as well." The sober samurai then smiles belatedly. "And a drink." She offers a wave to those assembled before heading off by herself. The ronin has nothing to say to Leida. She has to figure stuff out herself and there were no words that would make that task easier. If she is still around later, maybe Raiya will approach her personally about what went on. But there was no need for a confrontation right now right after she was nearly killed.

Leida has posed:
The small girl continues to stare at the floor intently for a while as several people leave but eventually she reaches up and takes Reize and Yurita's hands so they don't sit there feeling awkward with their arms stretched out to her.

Allowing herself to be assisted back to her feet, Leida suddenly lurches foward and wraps her arms around the young adventurer's waist, burying her head in his torso. "Promise me..." She says, her voice still soft and wispy despite the lack of the demon's corrupting influence. Perhaps she always sounded this timid.

"Promise I won't be alone again."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
That smile continues with the hand outstretched. With Yurita introducing herself, the boy nods his head, "Thank you." He looks over to Will, then he looks back to Yurita, "...Reize Seatlan." But then, Leida is finally starting to move onto her feet.

It is then that Raiya strts to leave, "Take care, Raiya." The young offers her a faint smile.

But then, Reize feels Leida's arms wrap around his waist.

Both eyes widen, then he feels her head pressed against his torso. That soft and whispy voice speaks out to him.

Reize's eyes fall shut. His arms wrap around her shoulder, pulling her into an embracing hug. Keeping her so close onto him, the cheerful adventurer brightens.

"Don't worry, Leida. I promise you that you will not be alone again. Ever."

Yurita has posed:
Yurita watches Leida wrap her arms around Reize, and blushes slightly, looking down a little. she nods "that's a... pretty name... Reize..." she then walks over to the wall and sits down against it gently.