This is fine. It's fine. We're fine.

[sharpasanarrow]

[Well that was.

Something.

Underneath everyone’s door they’ll find a slip of paper, in shaky calligraphy, that reads:

INVITATION

Meet in the Dining Room.

Do not bring alcohol of any sort.

Upon arrival into the Dining Room it’s clear that this is very much...not a party.

The center of the room is cleared of all tables, and instead has all the chairs arranged in a circle, facing inwards. On the tables pushed to the side are jugs of water, cups, plates of saltines, and several hastily-made pamplets that read on the front ”How to cope with Child homicide” that contains an advisory list:

1. Try not to think about it.
2. Do not get hysterical.
3. Crying is permitted, but keep it within a reasonable volume. (For the consideration of fellow mourners)
4. Maintain civility
5. Do not plunder the belongings of the deceased.
6. No drinking or gambling your sorrows away. Set an example.

Standing in front of one of the chairs already is Mr.Arrow. He clears his throat as people start to slowly come in.]

I gathered you all here because I believed it would be conductive to group morale if we all worked through our feelings regarding recent events. Talk about your feelings with one another, but not with me.

[He steps back a little, out of the circle of chairs, in what seems to be an invitation for people to sit down and discuss with one another.]

Comments

[sorrydoods]

Dude.

[Well, now he's gonna list off the reasons why some of these rules are bunk. Not all of them, though.]

It's really hard not to think about it, I don't think people can control getting hysterical, or how loud their crying, and I think people should be allowed to drink and stuff if they don't wanna think about everything.

[You did good with two of them, at least.]

[sharpasanarrow]

[He adopts a defensive tone. It's different to how he usually is when his rules are questioned. A lot more snappy, a little more personal.]

It's simple enough to distract the mind from thinking unpleasant thoughts, Mr. Ramirez. If we avoid that, then we avoid hysteria or emotional outbursts which are not helpful for anyone involved. As long as we maintain order nothing will go wrong.