[YUNA]

[thatsthespirit]

[private conversations for cherrypuncher for robowest]

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[Monday night, week 1]

[thatsthespirit]

[on some night during week 1, Yuna offered to make a stir-fry dinner for Milla! what a nice roommate]

I must say, this stir-fry is absolutely delectable, Yuna. I'm very impressed with your culinary talent!

[but unfortunately, it's during this dinner that the conversation takes a more serious turn]

And as much as I hate to interrupt a good meal with business, I'd like to ask your opinion on. . . well.

Everything.

[cherrypuncher]

You really like it?! [Look at Yuna's eyes shine!!] I'm so glad!

[But of course the good times cannot keep rolling, and Yuna pauses, processing the question—and goes right to frantic distress from there.]

Ev-everything?! [and then she just starts rapidfire blurting,] My opinion on cats is that they're cute, and my opinion on dogs is that they're cute, and my opinion on stir-fry is that it's really good, and my opinion on you is that you're nice and a good roommate, and my opinion on cowboy hats is that they're cool in their own weird way, and my—

[...no, yuna]

[thatsthespirit]

[omg Yuna. . .]







Wait, am I not cute as well?

[MILLA NO???]

[cherrypuncher]

...on botamochi is tha—aaaahh, of course you're cute, I just thought maybe you wouldn't like being called cute because you're a grownup?! But you have really nice hair and I like that shiny necklace you wear, you have good taste!

[oh my god you two]

[thatsthespirit]

[THIS IS NOT HOW MILLA SAW THIS CONVERSATION GOING]

My friends have taught me that being called "cute" is a compliment, whether you're a grown up or a child.

[Leia and Elize are good influences]

So I'd hope that I'd be on the same level of cuteness as dogs and cats.

[a beat]

. . . but thank you for the compliment!

[cherrypuncher]

[BIG HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF] Oh, good! I'm really glad you think so...

[back to business:] —anyway, my opinion on botamochi is that it's really good but it's best if my friend Togo makes it, and my opinion on Togo is that she's beautiful and kind and an amazing friend, and my opinion on jazz music is that it kind of makes me sleepy, and my opinion on trees depends on the kind of tree but they're really good overall, and my opinion on pants is that they were a good idea, and my...

[help her]

[thatsthespirit]

[. . .]

[okay time to steer her back on track]

You realize when I said "everything" I meant "everything having to do with our current situation," correct?

[another beat]

And I disagree with you on pants. I find them very restrictive. It's difficult to fight in a pair of pants.

[says the woman wearing a miniskirt]

[cherrypuncher]

[She's got this look of realization striking her over the pants comment.]

That's a good point...

[But okay, no, serious business!!! And Yuna sobers up surprisingly quickly for someone who just lost her shit over word choices and botamochi.]

Of course it's pretty scary. I don't want anyone to get hurt, and I want to go home. But when we first got here, people kept asking me why I wanted to meet everybody. I told them that we're all in the same boat here. We're all away from home in a scary place and a scary situation, and that's why it's important that we stay together.

[She touches a hand to her chest, smiling.]

I think that now, too! If we work together and take care of each other, it's going to be okay.

...I think that covers everything!

week 4, monday, night

[thatsthespirit]

[SO SOMETIME ON MONDAY NIGHT after the excitement of the day has faded and the two girls have turned into their rooms for the day, Milla pipes up]

Yuna, do you still have that bear trap?

[she's going somewhere with this. she promises]

[cherrypuncher]

[It doesn't even matter if she's going anywhere with it or not, Milla can do whatever she want and Yuna will not question it.]

I do! [And she's already starting to crawl under the bed to fetch it.]

[thatsthespirit]

[watches as Yuna fetches the trap from her spot on her own bed]

Oh, good.

I think we should use it to catch the killer this week.

[STRAIGHT AND TO THE POINT]

[cherrypuncher]

[Yuna frowns when she sets the bear trap on her bed, but there's a thoughtfulness to it; when the three of them found the trap, they considered that, but couldn't find a way to implement it. Yuna won't dismiss Milla out of hand, though.]

How would we do that?

[thatsthespirit]

Well. . . the most obvious method would be to place the trap in front of a building we think may be the scene of the next crime.

[but that is way easier said than done, and Milla knows it]

[cherrypuncher]

We thought about that, but it made us worried. [It sure is tough when even Yuna doesn't immediately jump to the bright side.] Since there's no way for us to know for sure, it would be really easy for someone who doesn't mean to do anything wrong to get hurt...

[thatsthespirit]

. . . yes. That could be an unfortunate hazard. Especially since I don't think we should inform the public at large that we plan to use it.

[MILLA!!]

But the Sheriff said there is a role in this game that hands out items for us to use. I believe the trap is one of those items. And I feel it would be. . . a waste, not to find some kind of use for it.

[cherrypuncher]

[Yuna pauses—she hadn't really wanted to bring this bit up, she hoped that the risk would be enough to make Milla reconsider before she had to mention this, but...]

There's...one other thing I'm worried about. [pppause.] Not just one, I guess, but... [She tilts her head, sighs.] If we set the trap, and someone gets caught in it, it'll probably happen really late at night, and they'll probably be all by themselves. If someone bleeds that much and there's no one there to help them... [Her voice has been soft as she speaks, but it wavers here.] ...they'll probably die.

If someone dies because of a trap we set...no matter who it was, or what it was for, even if we're only thinking in terms of the rules here...that means we killed them, doesn't it?

week 4, wednesday night, clinic

[thatsthespirit]

[NO SURGERY WAS REQUIRED FOR THIS INJURY SO??? I'S FINE??? PLEASE DON'T WORRY ABOUT MILLA YUNA SHE WILL BE OKAY??]

[anyway, Milla is currently resting in one of the clinic's cots, her eyes closed and her torso black and blue with some serious bruising. her breathing, at least, is steady and even. . . seems like the painkillers are doing their job]

[come visit!!]

week 5, tuesday night, hotel room

[thatsthespirit]

[it's pretty late on Tuesday night, after both girls have retired to their rooms for the evening. but Milla doesn't give her roommate any time to snuggle into bed for sleep]

Yuna? Before you go to sleep, is it all right if I ask you some questions?

[cherrypuncher]

[Yuna's back in her room awfully late, especially for her, and as soon as she's through the door and she sees Milla she gets as far as,] Hey, Mill— [but Milla beats her to it. Smiling, Yuna takes a seat on her bed.]

Okay. Yeah, you first.

[thatsthespirit]

[MILLA IS SPEEDIER!! at any rate, she takes a seat on the edge of her bed, hands folded in her lap]

Yuna. . .

[. . .]

Do you intend to stay the night with the person who is chosen for the stocks this week again?

[cherrypuncher]

Yes.

[Her answer is immediate, of course.]

If that's what it takes to keep them from being alone, then I will.

[thatsthespirit]

[it's. . . the exact answer Milla expected from her, honestly. and one she admires. Yuna's tenacity and good-heartedness was one of her favorite things about her roommate]

[nevertheless]

Your injuries.

Are they healing? Last week, you insisted I stay inside because of mine. What if I insisted the same for you this week?

[cherrypuncher]

[She frowns pretty mightily at that, but she does understand where Milla's coming from... Still, she can't help but object.]

Mine weren't as bad as yours were in the first place, though, and even though everyone got so scared, I don't think they were ever that bad at all... [They were PRETTY BAD but like, she fistfought the sun once, her standards are in a weird place.] They're feeling much better now, too! I promise I won't go by myself this time, but I can't stay inside.

[thatsthespirit]

[the objection was also something Milla expected, and she can't help but smile a bit despite the conversation]

I thought you might say that. It's something I would say, too. I admire that strength you possess.

But. . .

[and that "but" hangs heavy in the air]

You know how dangerous it is out there. You experienced that danger last week. In your current state, could you really defend both yourself and the person locked in the stocks as well as you defended Shinnosuke?

[it's not every day Milla tries to talk someone out of doing something dangerous, but she really wants Yuna to remain safe]

[cherrypuncher]

[She doesn't answer this quite so immediately—not out of uncertainty, but because she wants to think this over, wants to be completely and utterly certain before she makes a promise she can't keep.]

I know I'm not in top condition right now. This isn't the worst I've ever been hurt, though, and this isn't the hardest I've ever had to fight.

[She says this slowly, carefully; there are secrets she's meant to keep and she still doesn't know how to best explain herself, but she would trust Milla with her whole universe. There's an intensity to her voice despite how soft her tone is.]

I won't go alone. If I don't, I can be sure whoever needs to be defended has enough strength with them to keep them safe. Even like this, though, I can still help, and I won't hold anyone back.