Dani & I Decided we wanted to summarise the goings-on this car, as we likely won’t have the time to roleplay it all out and want to keep y’all in the loop!
Directly after this thread, Viper would leave Matsukaze to themselves for the first part of the car. Through Plart giving them their uniforms and Segways, and telling them their plans and jobs for the car.
Viper approached Matsukaze again after giving them some space for about half a day. The pair initially were tense, but Viper was quick to apologise to them for her actions during the trial. She offered to help them wrap up their injuries again, and the pair went to the pharmacy together to get some treatment for them. They made up for the most part, Viper reassuring them that they were cared about. That she understood she had hurt them, and she was going to do her best to fix the hurt she had done. That she would do better.
But then, Abel decided to pick that fight with her. After the fight, things felt as if they had returned all the way back to square one. Matsukaze had been furious with Viper. Scared and angry, thinking that she was going to kill Abel, and get herself killed as a result. That Viper was so desperate to leave them she would do something so drastic.
Viper sets fire to the food court, and gets herself thrown into jail for the second or third time- she’d already lost count.
Viper is sitting alone in jail, sulking. This is after her conversation with Haruka, coming clean about half of the reason she was in jail to begin with. She’s planning just how to handle talking to Matsukaze, she feels like she’s broken what they had with no hope of recovery. She doesn’t know if they saw any of the fire incident- they just caught the tail end. Viper wonders if she’s pushed them away for good.
Matsukaze, for their part, was feeling a lot of emotions and they don’t really know what to do about it. Finally, post fire, they go to the jail to “do sudoku” while ignoring her, but their actions were deliberate. They’re fishing to try and get her to talk to them first. The two of them sit in awkward silence, both too stubborn to talk to each other at first, until Viper finally can’t handle the tense silence between them. She asks them what they’re doing, pressing her face against the bars as she watches them doing sudoku puzzles. They answer very clipped with just “Sudoku” and still don’t look at her for several long minutes, until she makes a second attempt at conversation. Awkward conversation ensues- Viper asks them why they’re there.
They very indirectly, very reluctantly admit they were there to see her after some blatantly false answers. Finally, without looking at her, they say the reason they wanted to see her was because they knew that it really sucked for everyone to leave you. It sucked to have nothing but yourself and the consequences of your actions. Touched by their admission, and a little emotional, Viper apologises again. Explains her reasoning for attacking Abel- that he had started it and she just snapped. That she was glad they stopped her, because she doesn’t want to leave them.
Matsu had heard her say she needed them earlier. She still holds this stance. She admits openly that she needs them around. That they give her reason to not be as crazy- that she would have been so much worse in that trial without them. By this time they’ve stopped even pretending to do sudoku and are just sitting there with their knees pulled up to their chest. They tell her that’s dumb and she’s stupid for needing someone like them, but they visibly appreciate it. It feels nice to have someone claiming they’re needed.
Viper very much pours her heart out. She says that… when she’s out of jail, she wants to spend time with them. To try and fix the damage she did, if they’ll let her. Offers to go see one of the bootleg movies with them, a little… date but she definitely doesn’t suggest it is. Not yet. They hesitate a long time before answering, but finally mumble an agreement on the condition that she not do anything stupid. They’re stealling little glances at her and by this time have moved closer to the jail bars. She accepts that condition- she jokes about how not being stupid by her standards should be easy, they fake-bristle and retort that her standards don’t matter, they’re using their standards of what’s stupid.
Ultimately, while things aren’t like they were before, there’s a weight lifted from having cleared the air for both of them, and they’re both tentatively ready to move forward.
They stay outside of her jail cell in a much more comfortable quiet until what they presume has to be evening hits, their sudoku is abandoned as they hug onto their knees, and eventually Viper notices they’re asleep when their head droops to the side ever so slightly. Reaching through the bars, Viper gingerly takes their hand in hers. Everything has been so hectic… with the trial, with this car, with the emotions running high.
But she too falls asleep, her fingers laced with theirs.
