adropofjupiter | 4th ☆

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4th ☆

[Phone]

[Marisa's not exactly sounding like herself today. In fact, she sounds a little freaked out though her voice is quiet.]

Um... What, uh... What happens when... ah. What happens when drones, um.... die?

[1125 Taylor (action)]

[Anyone passing by 1125 Taylor might notice the front door is half open and there sun reflects off of something thick and red dripping slowly down it.

[OOC WARNING: Marisa is now suffering the Postman's Curse for breaking into the post office. Any characters coming to 1125 Taylor may be subjected to bodily injury should they have physical contact with Marisa. PM me for more details if needed.]

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That's okay, please don't push yourself. But as you are right now, it's not good to just stay huddled up there either. [She takes a few steps closer, but stops when she's about half a dozen feet away from Marisa.] More importantly, are you injured?

[She shakes her head. Despite being splattered with blood, she's physically fine.]

Not hurt.

She's dead...

[That's a good start. Bad situation, but small steps...]

...Mm. [She hums softly in confirmation.] But the drone will be fine again tomorrow, and act like nothing strange has happened. I don't mean to belittle death, but there isn't anything that can be done for her right now. [Her clear blue eyes are still on Marisa; there isn't anything anymore for the drone, but there definitely is still for this girl.]

You shouldn't stay here, miss. Can you stand? [She comes closer and leans over a bit.]

Yeah...

[And yet, Marisa doesn't move to get up. Her eyes move past Ciel back to the body, transfixed on it. Getting out from under the table meant having to get closer to... her.]

[The hesitation was easy to pick up. She glances sideways, following the smaller blonde girl's eyes.

...

Ah.]

A drone is an empty soulless shell of someone who used to be here. It may have been a person before, but it's just a moving doll now. Even knowing that... Does it still upset you?

They aren't soulless... just trapped.

[Marisa can't... can't accept that the drones were just dolls. Not deep down. Not with what the Postman had said to Rita and not knowing she used to be one of them.]

There's no proof for that, miss. The town can be suggesting the most horrifying possibilities to scare us, but it's a known fact that people have been droned before coming back again, claiming to have went back to their worlds in the meanwhile. In some instances, the same person would also come back without any memories of this place, like starting all over again with a blank state. They could have changed residence, and by that point, the body of their drone might have already been replaced too. Do you still think that all this would point to imprisonment? [Ah, it could be that a select few managed to escape, or the ones who claim to have left just have their memories reprogrammed. No matter how you think about this, a counter possibility exists.

But for the sake of the peace of mind of everyone, it's best to try to convince them otherwise, even if it's really a lie. Because after all in the end, wouldn't sugarcoating things still offer a sliver of hope, something that everyone can very much make use of in a town like this?]

I was here before... but I don't remember it. I used to be like that.

[She can't treat the drones like dolls; it didn't seem right to her. Like if she did, it would make her less than human - a horrible thing to think considering she loved a youkai.]

This place has powerful magic...

[...

She gives a small sigh though closed mouth, and heaves her shoulders a little.]

I understand. Would you feel better, if this body receives a proper sendoff rite? It would be a very crude one, I admit, but we can pray for the soul, and her body can be cremated in the backyard. ...I should be able to collect the ashes too, if you want.

Yeah.

[It really would make her feel better and she stops hugging herself, shifting to start to extricate herself out from under the table.]

Don't need ashes, though... That'd be really creepy to have tomorrow.

Alright. [Nodding, she straightens herself too.] Would you need help getting up, miss? [She can extend a hand over this.]

[Marisa reaches out for the help, but then stops short. She stares at her hand as it shakes for a bit before curling her fingers in and shaking her head.]

What if... No... I got it.

[She watches, and while that was a bit suspicious, she can let go of this for the moment. There's still definitely something off, but she's in no rush.]

Okay. The bed sheets, blankets, and towels are usually stored inside the cupboard dresser next to the bathroom, on the second floor. If that's the case for you also, may I take some for this... and for cleaning up?

Y-Yeah. I think so. [Marisa gets herself out from under the table, blatantly not looking at the body.] Go ahead.

Mm. [She nods, standing up and taking a step back.] ...You should sit down and get something to drink in the meanwhile. Washing your face may also help. Please try to relax a little; I'll be right back.

[That said, she'll disappear up the stairs, though the soft "thud" of her shoes against the wooden floor would tip off that she's going at a quick pace. She'll be back down with the stuff she needs, and will proceed to cover the body. ...Not before taking a quick peek to check on Marisa's condition, though?]

[When Ciel returns, Marisa is sitting at the kitchen table, staring into a glass of water. At least she appears to have taken a wet towel to her face.]

[Small reliefs...

Again, her footsteps made it no surprise that she's back down, provided that Marisa's got enough together to keep track of her surroundings. If she's not going to comment, Ciel will proceed to use the biggest bed sheet cover the body and wrap it up. That done, she'll pick the corpse up carefully and take a step towards the back door, before stopping to address at Marisa once more.

...]

Would you be okay with staying inside and rest while I take care of this in the back, miss? [She won't stop her if she wants to follow her, but preferably...]

...go ahead.

[At least for now she doesn't want to be near the body. That may change in a few...]

Mm, okay. [With a nod, she'll make her way out.

Now to do this... The fastest way is honestly through Black Keys, one engraved with a Dokhma Sacrament to dehydrate the body, and one engraved with a Cremation Sacrament to cremate it. It's difficult to burn a human body that's mostly composed of water otherwise, and while it's not the most dignified means, it's the quickest. That, and she will give a formal prayer; she may not have been properly schooled by the Church, but she knows the basics. The only issue is that the Keys have to pierce their target in order to take effect. No matter how subtle she could try to be, she'd rather avoid the possibility to be seen, and the subsequent questioning that may follow. So that's why...

Let's get this over with. Gingerly putting the bundled body down onto the ground, she'll quietly summon two nail-shaped swords. The first stab is quiet and clean, and she'll be dispelling the blade the moment the effects take place. The drone is wrapped, so any physical alterations can't be seen. A good thing; it'd otherwise look like a dried up mummy.

The second verse follows the first. And just like that, the whole bundle is set ablaze. Straightening herself and taking a step back, Ciel will then wave her hand once, subtly manipulating the mana in the air to get a small breeze going. Both to fan the fire, and to blow the smoke away. That set, she'll recite the prayers in Latin.

The wrapped figure is now burning on its own without any additional combustible material like wood to help. If Marisa pokes her head out, she might understand why; it's a fire of magical nature, maintained more by the power of the caster rather than rely on any external physical resources. The trail of smoke seems somehow regulated as well; it won't take more than 5 minutes to reduce the whole body to ash, and it doesn't look as if it'll leave much evidence behind either.

She'll come back in once she's done, unless Marisa comes out first while she's finishing up.]

[Marisa does get up and move to the door to watch, though not until the fire is started. She stays in the doorway and focuses on the fire itself until Ciel heads back inside.]

You're a magician.

[She'll calmly look back, and tilt her head a bit before briefly closing her eyes.

Magician? Not in the sense of True Magic, certainly not, so no need to make things confusing and just assume the normal definition she knows.

She shakes her head lightly and makes a small sound of disagreement.] I'm not a magus, but I won't deny that I have the aptitudes to become one.

Then how'd you get the fire started?

[She blinks, as if surprised. A beat later, she quickly recovers.]

Ah, I'm sorry. I took your meaning wrongly. I've never studied at the Magi's Association nor do I do things their way, hence I'm not a magus in the scholarly sense. But I was born with the ability to perform thaumaturgy, so it's true that technically, I am one because I can practice it. Does that make sense?

...yeah. So you're like a hedge wizard.

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