+ Guilt Runs Deep

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The Mansion
When: Feb 23-25
Rating: Please warn in top level subject lines for potential triggers/NSFW
Summary: Various residents are trapped in their own guilt, watching their guiltiest memory play on a loop.
The Story:

Welcome to the gathering post for the event. Please see the plotting post for more information + the bulletin board link. Have fun!

Comments

[beautifullies]

I asked because the point is nothing you did was purposeful, to hurt.

[ She reaches out to touch his arm softly. ]

Being upset and hurt by it is one thing. The guilt, when you didn't do something intentionally to hurt someone, is a different emotion. One that should come when you did something wrong intentionally.

[hairdont]

Intentions don't always matter! He's still dead 'cause of something I did, whether I meant for it to happen doesn't change that.

[beautifullies]

Intent can and does matter, Josuke.

[ But she understands why, in this case, he firmly believes it doesn't. ]

You can't change this, that's true. But the only one responsible for a death is the one that did the killing. That was a choice made.

[hairdont]

I could've made the choice not to make things worse.

[beautifullies]

So you...knew by making it worse your family would be attacked?

[ She doesn't think so, but she wants to be sure, speaking softly and attempting to reach for Josuke's hand. ]

[hairdont]

No, of course not!

[Claire is definitely starting to logic him out of it, but he's still a dumb teenage boy.]

But it was stupid! Who pisses off a murderer, especially one that has powers?

[beautifullies]

It was stupid but there's a difference between malicious stupidy and something you didn't realize would happen, Josuke.

[ She's not in the business of sugar coating, but she will tell him what it looks like to her. And to her, he looks not guilty. ]

[hairdont]

But I should've.

[And that's the crux of the issue, isn't it?]

[beautifullies]

You should have known the future?

[ Josuke work with her here. ]

[hairdont]

[That shuts him up. Moooooooom.]

N-no... I should've known something bad would happen!

[beautifullies]

Bad things can happen every time we open our front doors, or walk down the street or...yell at someone for cutting us off in traffic, or stand up to someone doing the wrong thing. We all know bad things can and will happen but as to the degree, how could we?

[ Reaching out, she takes his chin lightly in her hand to angle his face toward her. ]

This wasn't your fault.

[hairdont]

[Mooooooom stop using logic, it's not fair on his teenage brain.

He meets Claire's eyes eventually.]

...I made the guy pay, Claire. I... I fused him with a rock and now he's a decoration that sometimes makes weird noises.

[beautifullies]

[ Now, both of her hands cup his face. ]

You did what you needed to do.

[hairdont]

[He tries to shake his head but, well, kinda hard.]

I don't regret what I did to him. He hurt a lot of people.

[beautifullies]

And you had no way of knowing every last thing he could or might do in retaliation, did you?

[hairdont]

Y-yeah... Yeah, I get your point.

[He shudders and finally, finally, he puts the bottle down before he starts shaking it again.]

Thanks, Claire.

[His voice is quiet and he clings to the table to stay upright.]

[beautifullies]

[ With that, Claire wraps Josuke in her arms and hugs him tightly, speaking softly. ]

It wasn't your fault.