[Belph is probably minding his own business today. Belph probably has no idea what's in store for him!! but sometime when he's either entering or exiting Cabin de la Deer, a MYSTERIOUS BEING pounces him from behind and grabs the back of his shirt and YANKS HIM BEHIND THE CABIN]
Even if we put aside our bias of coming in from killing games, the fact that the rules stress keeping our affiliation a secret? Pretty suspicious. Competitions that run are secrecy tend to be counterproductive to "coexistence".
[. . . mmmm. a shadow crosses his expression at that, and he nods, gaze growing distant]
Yeah.
[. . .]
I'm a little worried about these "tasks," too. [he gestures to the rulebook that he has tucked into his pocket] Your group had to complete tasks as well, right?
[well, the first that comes to mind is one of his own, but haha! not bringing that one up!]
Drown someone. [a beat.] Which I would not repeat to anyone else from the castle, by the way, because that was a bad week for a lot of people and the guy who was drowned happens to be here.
We got ink. Which sounds totally lame out of context, but we needed the stuff to revive the dead, go home, etc. If we didn't gather enough, we'd be stuck there forever.
Pretty much! Cool motive, still murder, etc. This is probably where Akechi would make a snarky remark, but he's not here to defend himself, so whatever.
Nope. Pretty sure the castle was his one and only rodeo.
[though. oh dear.]
But I can tell how it'd be... complicated with him. [...] Since he's your friend, I'll give you some friendly advice: be careful about mentioning his name to others. He and I got on okay, even though he probably thought about killing me a few times, but I can safely say that by the end, he was not a popular guy.
If it helps at all, Eichi was very similar to him. I cannot say in good faith it was a healthy relationship aside the fact that they probably made each other happy in their own, I-would-kill-a-man-for-you way.
. . . yeah. I guess he'd be pretty attracted to anyone who was similar to him.
[it's kind of sad, he thinks. but he doesn't say that aloud]
For the record, the Akechi back at the mansion didn't kill anyone, though I don't doubt he would've had things been different. He was a big part of why we were able to kill the house, too.
He was one of those "Professors" I mentioned before.
It's fine. It might be because by the end we were all completely dead inside, but like I said, I was one of the few people who didn't hate him. He was pretty tolerable when not killing people.
Yeah, I got the hints of tragic backstory and him dying.
But for what it's worth, I think he considered his fate a happy one, by the end. Since, you know, he ran off with his boyfriend. Also, I think he was bringing back his mother figure or whatever.
He said he was going to ask one of his Historian colleagues to come with him. Dunno much about their relationship, but he admitted to seeing her as family, sort of.
His real mother died when he was very young. So. . .
[y. you know. he grew up without family, without friends. . . somehow, it's not super surprising that an Akechi without any positive influences turned out this way]
Yeah, we did. Anyone who slept in their room or was awake at night didn't suffer any weird effects. But anyone who slept somewhere else had something strange happen to them.
. . . [huh. he hadn't thought investigations would be different]
Yeah. So far, it's just like the mansion. Dead body announcement, everything seems perfectly fine even though there's probably blood and gore everywhere, weird effects gone by trial--
[. . . ugh]
[his expression twists into something distasteful]
Yeah, we had to search for all the evidence and corpses on Friday before we got the announcement. Sounds like the announcement plus clues that can only be seen a few is exclusive to yours.
[he shakes his head.]
Not me. A friend—stayed in the kitchen, now he can't get full no matter how much he eats.
[that is different, and Akira hadn't even thought about the possibility of there being any differences between investigations and trials at all. though. . . he really should've]
We'll have to find evidence and corpses tomorrow, during trial. I guess it motivates us to use our time wisely, or some other shit like that.
[ugh]
He might be better waiting it out until the day ends, so he doesn't make himself sick later on.
Damn. . . though the brunt of the investigations took place on Saturdays, sometimes some of us would find things on Friday. Small splashes of blood, or a glint of something lying in the lake-- stuff like that.
They'd give us a springboard for starting our investigations on Saturday, but that evidence is only visible to a select few people.
That's the only one I've heard of so far, unfortunately. Or fortunately, if it turns out that's our only scene, but that might be too much to hope for.
The petty, spiteful part of me wants to say yes, but if we want to think about this logically...
[he holds his hands out, palms upwards, and shrugs.]
It's possible they were sincere and something hijacked the camp. Maybe they're hiding because they don't want to face us; maybe they can't come out for some reason. It's possible that it has something to do with Mask Guy yesterday—but that would make those three complicit, since I spoke to Winter Wizard and they made it pretty clear they knew who or what Mask Guy was. It's possible they were lying all along.
We really have don't have many indications either way, though at the very least, I'm pretty sure us being here was always less innocent than they suggested. Winter Wizard was dodgy about my questions yesterday, and they didn't deny it when I pointed out that that was a sign of them hiding something important or having ulterior motives.
Later, I asked if that meant every single being in the campsite this week has a profile on the bulletin board, and they just said "the bunnies don't". Which means, possibly, that Mask Guy is in the profiles in some fashion, or they don't count as being here.
Or none of the above, because when I asked that, Winter Wizard just shrugged and told me to ask Mask Guy the next time we saw them. In general, trying to ask any questions about them got me a lot of non-answers and "figure it out yourself".
Not everyone is willing to talk to the directors. I can't blame them, especially now.
But I'm going to pester them as much as I can. So. . . [holds out a hand???] I can share with you what I learn from them, if you'll promise to do the same.
Well, I asked if we should be concerned about doing it, and they were like, "I don't know about concerned, though you would earn another voucher and more points if you completed them anyway. That may benefit you."
On the bright side, I did ask Heart what the team leaders got if their team won that week.
And they said the only thing they get is the "satisfaction of winning." So it's not like we're funneling power to them-- presuming, of course, that they're not lying.
Though in the grand scheme of things, I guess there's not much point in refusing, sine they could always make the next tasks something like, "Eat something" if they really wanted.
[and with that, the movie screen springs to life! enjoy blues week 1 trial. aka the trial Akira slept all the way through until like an hour before the voting deadline]
[. . . haha. and yet, he still voted wrong. Akira shoves that thought aside though and instead focuses on the more lighthearted interpretation of that statement]
Akechi probably would have stabbed me with something to wake me up in time to vote, so it's fine.
[IT'S FINE]
And sure. You should've. You just didn't encourage your Akechi enough.
[yeaaaaah he kind of expected that reaction. he remembers akechi calling ann part of a group of thieves, which means—she's one of akira's friends, undoubtedly.]
... Our coerced killers were always a duo, each week after the first. They were expected to work together to carry out the murder.
He threw her under a bus, probably to make himself look more innocent. When the evidence became stacked against her, she confessed and then returned the favour by outing him.
[this is fine because belph also did not want to talk about it, but he figured it'd be better for akira to know now instead of accidentally tuning in midweek and seeing akechi's eventual boyfriend drown ann........]
Have you?
[ftr this is not him trying to dodge the question, it's jan stalling until i get further in the thread]
No matter what I ask, they keep insisting that it's a "residual." "Everything goes back to remnants," they say. They won't give me a name, or even admit that it has any kind of physical form. It's just. . . a construct? Something created by our memories and experiences.
Something so stupidly vague it's frustrating to be told that it's our enemy.
[HE WANTS SOMETHING PHYSICAL TO FIGHT DAMN IT. LIKE A HOUSE]
I even asked if I could talk to the owner of the voice, but I got told that it was either impossible or just a really really really bad idea.
... I guess that goes in line with what they've been saying, about how there's only ever been the three of them here. Pink would either have to be something that came with us or something that doesn't count as a "being".
... There's also still the matter of Mask Guy. I doubt they're what we're looking for exactly, but I'm pretty sure they're not unrelated to Pink in some manner either.
Lili told me that the masked guy is here to help us, though she doesn't yet know how. And when I asked the directors about them, they wouldn't give me any answers but insisted I talk to them myself.
Shadows seemed extra pushy about me talking to them, so. . . I wonder if the masked guy is also a residual.
Maybe. But what I meant was that if we can solve what Mask Guy is, it might give us some answers as to what Pink is, in turn. Even if they're not on the same side.
[sometime on Wednesday, Akira begins the journey of searching for Belph! who is fortunately not that difficult to find, considering he is right outside the deer cabin. thank goodness]
[Akira approaches with one hand in his pocket and one hand lifted]
[but he passes it to Belph anyway! on it is written: You're heading in the right direction. along with doodles of bunny blobs drawn in a line underneath the words]
It's a joke, don't worry. But you're very vocally in support of them, and the bunnies might be a reference to them, so that could be what the sender's getting at. Or it could be completely irrelevant.
Well, as Sanji pointed out, they did not helpfully compile an FAQ, so the directors are already more proactive in that regard.
[he shrugs.]
Their lives had sucked, so we were sympathetic to both of them by the end. They weren't malicious, but they weren't necessarily above screwing us over either. Especially since, uh, they hated each other and we were the pawns in their convoluted chess game that had seriously needed to be over by that point.
[a wry smile]
So to quote a certain someone, they were tired and doing their best? Whether that was in our best interests... well, sometimes, sometimes not. Also depended on exactly which host.
Well, I don't have a reason to actively distrust them yet, though I wouldn't be shocked if they betray us or were lying the entire time—but I expect that of most people, so it's nothing personal to them.
For now, with what we know... I imagine that they want us out of their home so they can go back to their lives, and we also want to get out of here and back to our lives, so our interests align. I don't expect them to go above and beyond for our sakes, but getting along presumably costs nothing, so from their perspective, why not?
[that's a pretty fair analysis in Akira's book. far more generous than he's heard from most other people, that's for sure. he looks down at the note, humming thoughtfully as his gaze lingers on those words-- You're heading in the right direction.]
And Pinkie?
[he looks up again, expression just as curious as before]
What do you think of them? Do you believe they're really just a remnant?
I think there's more than what the Directors are telling us, especially given the mystery of the Mask Guy. What are they?
[idly, he fiddles with the ends of his hair.]
Or Pink could be unrelated. Whatever. Though if we're assuming that the directors aren't lying, why should we necessarily believe their info is accurate and complete? According to them, they were unaware until the portal glitch happened, and then they just Knew, right? Not really inspiring confidence in their knowledge base there.
[Akira flips the note between his fingers a few times in idle thought, before he dips the paper back into his pocket and responds with all the honesty he can muster]
I'll be honest. I think the directors are lying to us.
[ah]
But I think it's either because they don't know everything, they can't share everything, or because they believe we're better off not knowing. That last one is a bullshit reason, as we all know, but that doesn't change that it still comes with good intentions.
Still. . . I trust that they're on our side. Even if we need to muddle our way through without relying on them too much.
It's possible. Although, to be blunt, I think you're a little biased in that it would make things easier for us if Pink is a full-fledged entity rather than a residual, so it's preferable to believe.
I'm not making that assumption. You said she and Steph were close, and while you said you were only acquaintance with her you don't sound like you hate her or anything.
[of course he does. if there's anything he knows well from his alliances in the castle, it's that the moment you stop being useful, you'll die. a price can easily be placed on a person's life.
better to assume everyone is like that than to make the mistake of trusting the wrong person.]
[anyway, after some time has passed post-trial, Akira finally manages to find Belph in the kitchen! he is going to greet him with a lazy, exhausted two-fingered wave]
. . . what Taako said near the end of the trial stuck with me. Up until now most of us could only speculate about roles being present in the game. I only got confirmation that they were from Dick on Friday. And that's only because he managed to find one of the directors' rule books.
So. . . I guess I'm trying to find out if what Taako said is true.
[and who better to go to than someone who was close to Sanji. . .?]
[for a moment he is just. . . quiet. completely silent as he searches for the words. there are a few times when he opens his mouth to say something but cuts himself off suddenly before trying again]
The idea in itself isn't implausible. Sanji did have a role like that in the castle, and if given freedom in who to choose as a target, I could see him picking Magnus as the most "guilt-free" option.
There's less of an explanation as to how Nami got involved, why Sanji didn't put off the plans to kill Yin Yu and bring Yasusada with him that night, or—no matter how good Magnus is—how Sanji was defeated with so few injuries.
[...]
But none of that is actual counterproof, just conjecture. And Magnus and Taako are popular enough that people will want to believe they're victims.
[so belph doesn't know if there's any way to confirm the truth. funny how they caught the killer this time, unlike with hikage, but there's no more closure now than there was then.]
[honestly, belph figures akira's just asking to fulfill the social niceties of not coming off as an asshole since he approached him for other reasons, which is all the more reason not to answer honestly. why burden him with angst when he probably doesn't actually want to deal with it?]
[it's said neutrally. belph doesn't believe him, but there's no reason to hurt his feelings by voicing that out loud.
belph knows he's not a likable person. even the people who are merely ambivalent towards him have no reason to extend their sympathy, when he's never given them an open reason to. he's never cried, gotten visibly upset, disrupted trials or executions by snapping at others, or any of the other things that people flock to.]
[THE CABIN. cabin chipmunk. where else would he go?? he is sitting on the bed when Belph arrives, and he sits up a bit to greet him with a confused look]
... Maybe. Anyway, he didn't have a lot of time, but what he managed to convey was: don't do Pink's tasks. Despite what the directors thought, they're giving Pink power. The dead don't know what Pink is, but they're growing.
... Ha. Yeah, that seems like an apt description from what we know. Anyway, I figured we should get that out there, before we... keep doing the pink tasks.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week zero, sunday
[it's Akira]
[it's fine]
What's up, Belph?
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[AKIRA?? thanks for the heart attack]
... Uh, are you getting a head start with murder attempts?
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Nope. Murder isn't exactly my style.
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[he kids. and he also waggles his fingers at Belph]
. . . anyway.
You said the people at your castle were divided into three factions. Right?
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[THIS SUCKS]
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[holds up the wrist on which he is wearing his (white) scrunchie and waggles it at Belph]
Yeah.
I had a feeling that might be the case.
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I wanted to talk to you as someone who went through something similar before.
What do you think us being sorted onto teams means?
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[he shrugs.]
Even if we put aside our bias of coming in from killing games, the fact that the rules stress keeping our affiliation a secret? Pretty suspicious. Competitions that run are secrecy tend to be counterproductive to "coexistence".
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Yeah.
[. . .]
I'm a little worried about these "tasks," too. [he gestures to the rulebook that he has tucked into his pocket] Your group had to complete tasks as well, right?
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Yeah. Some of them were innocent, some of them... not so much. So, that bit's pretty ominous to me.
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Can you give me an example of a task that was. . . less innocent?
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Drown someone. [a beat.] Which I would not repeat to anyone else from the castle, by the way, because that was a bad week for a lot of people and the guy who was drowned happens to be here.
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Who the hell would-- [if only he knew] . . . who here was drowned?
[just for reference]
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Evan Hansen.
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. . . if these tasks are anything like the drowning one, and if anyone here thinks they're worth completing, I will stop them.
[or. he'll at least try. he isn't so naive to believe he can, but. . . he has to try. right?]
Evan Hansen. . . all right. I'll remember.
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[blinks a little, head tilted]
What did the Historians do?
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What did the completion of objectives achieve, anyway? Because I can't think of anything that would be worth drowning someone else.
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So. . . the completion of these objectives allowed you to revive those who had died and go home?
[. . .]
Still sounds pretty shitty to me.
[like. he gets it, but. what if. there was no murder or need to go home in the first place]
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1/2
]
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[why is that what he's getting caught up on!!]
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Goro Akechi?
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Brown hair? Mullet? A detective? Kind of passive aggressive on the outside but really just an insecure asshole on the inside?
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He was in the castle with you?!
[there is just. so much disbelief in the way he says that]
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[to have?? that kind of reaction???]
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[PRESSES A HAND AGAINST HIS FACE]
Did he-- did he mention anything about a soul-eating mansion? Because he was definitely in the mansion with us, too.
[. . .]
He's also my-- [. . .????] . . . friend. Probably. It's hard to tell with him.
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[though. oh dear.]
But I can tell how it'd be... complicated with him. [...] Since he's your friend, I'll give you some friendly advice: be careful about mentioning his name to others. He and I got on okay, even though he probably thought about killing me a few times, but I can safely say that by the end, he was not a popular guy.
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[does not surprise Akira at all, and it shows]
. . . did he kill anyone while he was there?
[which. makes it clear that Akira is aware of his true nature]
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[PRESSES HIS HAND AGAINST HIS FACE. AGAIN. and mutters at himself Akechi you goddamned idiot--]
-- wait. Power of love?
[somehow that does not seem anything like the Akechi he knows]
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Does he not normally do that?
1/2
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Or any sort of relationship that involves. . . you know. Feelings.
[GRIMM AKECHI WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO]
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. . . yeah. I guess he'd be pretty attracted to anyone who was similar to him.
[it's kind of sad, he thinks. but he doesn't say that aloud]
For the record, the Akechi back at the mansion didn't kill anyone, though I don't doubt he would've had things been different. He was a big part of why we were able to kill the house, too.
He was one of those "Professors" I mentioned before.
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But I'm glad that an alternate version of him managed to not stab people.
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[YEAH THAT SOUNDS LIKE AKECHI, TOO. trying to help people by drowning them. jesus fucking christ]
I-- I know I shouldn't claim responsibility for him when I wasn't there, but. . .
I'm sorry for everything about him.
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It's fine. It might be because by the end we were all completely dead inside, but like I said, I was one of the few people who didn't hate him. He was pretty tolerable when not killing people.
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He's from my world, you know? [if Belph couldn't tell] And his life has been. . . [. . .]
. . . he's a jerk, but-- I want the best for him.
I really do.
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But for what it's worth, I think he considered his fate a happy one, by the end. Since, you know, he ran off with his boyfriend. Also, I think he was bringing back his mother figure or whatever.
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. . . his mother figure?
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He said he was going to ask one of his Historian colleagues to come with him. Dunno much about their relationship, but he admitted to seeing her as family, sort of.
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His real mother died when he was very young. So. . .
[y. you know. he grew up without family, without friends. . . somehow, it's not super surprising that an Akechi without any positive influences turned out this way]
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His biological father was a complete asshole, so that's not. . . surprising.
[god. way to dredge up his one billion and ten Akechi feelings, Belph]
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Family's like that sometimes.
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They are.
[the distant expression and pause continue, before Akira shakes his head]
Anyway. Thanks for sharing that with me. Akechi wasn't exactly popular back at the mansion, either. . . but nobody could deny that he was trying.
[. . .]
For a definition of trying.
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He definitely does his best at something, that's for sure.
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You know, apparently Magnus recognizes me from his game, too. But I don't remember anything about it.
I've heard of the whole "multiple selves" theory but being face-to-face with it is kind of eerie.
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Or else I'll never live it down.
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[the. the pooping thing]
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There are worse things to be known for, I'm sure.
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[he sounds fond, actually]
I was on my way to moving back home before I got dragged into the mansion, but I plan on visiting whenever I can.
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week zero, friday
Got a few moments? I'd like a rundown of how Fridays usually went for your group.
[he has his suspicions about something.]
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[but when Belph approaches he stops, lowering his fist and trying to ease the tension in his shoulders]
. . . sure.
[a pause]
Why? Was how it worked in the castle different?
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Did you guys get weird effects if you slept outside of your room?
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Ah.
[he thinks he sees where this is going]
Yeah, we did. Anyone who slept in their room or was awake at night didn't suffer any weird effects. But anyone who slept somewhere else had something strange happen to them.
They disappeared by Saturday, though.
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Yeah. So far, it's just like the mansion. Dead body announcement, everything seems perfectly fine even though there's probably blood and gore everywhere, weird effects gone by trial--
[. . . ugh]
[his expression twists into something distasteful]
Fuck. [a pause] What'd you get hit with, anyway?
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[he shakes his head.]
Not me. A friend—stayed in the kitchen, now he can't get full no matter how much he eats.
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[that is different, and Akira hadn't even thought about the possibility of there being any differences between investigations and trials at all. though. . . he really should've]
We'll have to find evidence and corpses tomorrow, during trial. I guess it motivates us to use our time wisely, or some other shit like that.
[ugh]
He might be better waiting it out until the day ends, so he doesn't make himself sick later on.
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... Duly noted.
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Yeah. Wasn't ours, either.
[another pause and he slumps up against the building]
. . . damn it. We all knew this was coming, but. . .
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Say it again, but louder.
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EVERYTHING SUCKS!
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[laughs, breathless and actually amused, and thunks his head against the director's office door]
[UUUUUGH]
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Try not to give yourself a concussion before tomorrow.
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[so. fukken wry]
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[he's so tired he's starting to make stupid, dry jokes]
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[. . . THE DRIEST FINGER GUNS]
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[. . . all that said. . .]
How are you doing?
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I'm not the one who shouted my ex's name to the skies a short while ago.
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[WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THAT??]
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[Belph isn't even the FIRST]
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[yeah okay he won't. deny that one]
I don't know if that's really him or if something is just messing with me, though.
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[clenches his hands into fists]
. . . but I won't let anyone else touch a hair on his head if it isn't.
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[SO DRY]
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[and super casually]
I guess we did kiss a little bit, but that was-- [waggles. a hand]
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[because he didn't get to do a mini-investigation this week]
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Damn. . . though the brunt of the investigations took place on Saturdays, sometimes some of us would find things on Friday. Small splashes of blood, or a glint of something lying in the lake-- stuff like that.
They'd give us a springboard for starting our investigations on Saturday, but that evidence is only visible to a select few people.
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[his mouth twitches a bit, pleased to hear that]
She's usually on top of things like that. I'll try talking to her later.
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I'll let you know if I hear anything from anyone else.
But it'll all come out at trial tomorrow, anyway.
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[in the most deadpan tone he can manage]
We are going to completely mess it up.
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Do you think the directors are responsible for this?
Do you think those three voices belong to the directors?
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[he holds his hands out, palms upwards, and shrugs.]
It's possible they were sincere and something hijacked the camp. Maybe they're hiding because they don't want to face us; maybe they can't come out for some reason. It's possible that it has something to do with Mask Guy yesterday—but that would make those three complicit, since I spoke to Winter Wizard and they made it pretty clear they knew who or what Mask Guy was. It's possible they were lying all along.
We really have don't have many indications either way, though at the very least, I'm pretty sure us being here was always less innocent than they suggested. Winter Wizard was dodgy about my questions yesterday, and they didn't deny it when I pointed out that that was a sign of them hiding something important or having ulterior motives.
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I didn't get a chance to ask any of them about the mask guy. What did they say about them, specifically?
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Later, I asked if that meant every single being in the campsite this week has a profile on the bulletin board, and they just said "the bunnies don't". Which means, possibly, that Mask Guy is in the profiles in some fashion, or they don't count as being here.
Or none of the above, because when I asked that, Winter Wizard just shrugged and told me to ask Mask Guy the next time we saw them. In general, trying to ask any questions about them got me a lot of non-answers and "figure it out yourself".
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[he just sounds SO EXHAUSTED]
I'm really tired of trying to navigate my way through vague answers.
[note to self hit up the npcs like something fierce next week]
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Winter's bunny is named Bluekie, by the way. And they like slushies.
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I told Shadows I'd teach them how to make curry.
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[pass]
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That aside, have you been speaking to the directors often?
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A few times is enough.
Care to make a deal with me?
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But I'm going to pester them as much as I can. So. . . [holds out a hand???] I can share with you what I learn from them, if you'll promise to do the same.
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I can't promise how useful I'll be since I have a distinct penchant for pissing people off, but sure, works for me.
[he pauses, but since he's wearing gloves, he'll take akira's hand. did akira already forget about the effect.]
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. . . I can't promise how useful I'll be since I have a tendency to get distracted.
[HE LIKES TO SOCIAL LINK]
But it's better than nothing.
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Have you ever tried being less. . . [gestures???]
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Honesty, it's hard to argue with that.
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week one, tuesday
Yo, Belph!
[lifting a hand to greet his fellow camper]
Gone to the movies yet?
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You mean the ones starring a mansion and a quirky cast? I might've watched a bit.
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[a bit. . . wry]
Pretty horrible, right?
[not :') even sugarcoating it]
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[breathes out, gaze flickering towards the theater]
These aren't exactly some of our proudest memories.
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[his voice goes a bit quiet at hat, gaze lingering on the theater]
Are you trying to complete all of the tasks this week?
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Diiiid they imply that doing it would bring doomsday upon us?
[he gives. the screen a sort of distasteful look, before picking up one of the chairs and sitting on it]
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On the bright side, I did ask Heart what the team leaders got if their team won that week.
And they said the only thing they get is the "satisfaction of winning." So it's not like we're funneling power to them-- presuming, of course, that they're not lying.
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Though in the grand scheme of things, I guess there's not much point in refusing, sine they could always make the next tasks something like, "Eat something" if they really wanted.
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Yeah. Exactly.
Besides, the more vouchers I get, the more bunny onesies I can buy.
[uh]
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[and with that, the movie screen springs to life! enjoy blues week 1 trial. aka the trial Akira slept all the way through until like an hour before the voting deadline]
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What the heck did you drug yourself with, man?
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[SQUINTS]
Wow, watching this secondhand is. . . kind of embarrassing.
But nothing! I just got tired all of a sudden. I think it was one of those. . . [waggles his hand] Weekly effects.
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Also, wow. Should we have given our Akechi a notebook? Would that have inspired him to do the summaries? Damn.
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Akechi probably would have stabbed me with something to wake me up in time to vote, so it's fine.
[IT'S FINE]
And sure. You should've. You just didn't encourage your Akechi enough.
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Hooooow did you guys find out he was a criminal. . .?
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I don't think you're going to like the answer at all, though... I guess you'll find out sooner or later if we get movies of our time.
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. . . did he kill more people than just Evan?
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Oh. Yeah, he did that. Our resident serial killer, Goro Akechi. But that's, uh, not the worst part.
[for akira, anyway.]
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. . .
Go on.
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What did he do to Ann?
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... Our coerced killers were always a duo, each week after the first. They were expected to work together to carry out the murder.
He threw her under a bus, probably to make himself look more innocent. When the evidence became stacked against her, she confessed and then returned the favour by outing him.
1/2
[is going to kill Akechi from Grimm]
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[sounding a little desperate there, aren't you Akira?]
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But I... would advise against watching movies of the castle, if I were you.
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[ugh]
[. . . Akira doesn't say anything. he just presses a hand against his face to hide his expression, shoulders slumped]
[. . .]
[give him. . . a minute]
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wait for as long as akira needs.]
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[. . .]
[TIME TO JUST. FUCKING MOVE ON BECAUSE HE REALLY DOESN'T WANT TO UNPACK THAT ANY FURTHER]
. . . have you tried talking to the director's about Pinkie? Beyond just asking Heart if doing their task would be detrimental to us.
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Have you?
[ftr this is not him trying to dodge the question, it's jan stalling until i get further in the thread]
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[ALSO THAT'S LEGIT]
I have.
But I can't say I've gotten much.
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Something so stupidly vague it's frustrating to be told that it's our enemy.
[HE WANTS SOMETHING PHYSICAL TO FIGHT DAMN IT. LIKE A HOUSE]
I even asked if I could talk to the owner of the voice, but I got told that it was either impossible or just a really really really bad idea.
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[but how do they defeat something that isn't a being]
I asked Shadows if there's a way to dispel the "residuals" from this world. They didn't think there was, but. . .
[trailing off now]
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... There's also still the matter of Mask Guy. I doubt they're what we're looking for exactly, but I'm pretty sure they're not unrelated to Pink in some manner either.
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[???]
Lili told me that the masked guy is here to help us, though she doesn't yet know how. And when I asked the directors about them, they wouldn't give me any answers but insisted I talk to them myself.
Shadows seemed extra pushy about me talking to them, so. . . I wonder if the masked guy is also a residual.
But a good one?
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Yeah. I believe that.
I wonder when they'll show up next. . .?
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[confident much?]
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[. . . anyway]
Do you have anything to add to what I said?
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I also got the remnants thing. "Things no one was aware they were carrying that have since broken off to create its own thing."
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Why can't we just talk to the thing face-to-face and tell them to cut it out?
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[a small sigh, and now that the trial is over, Akira is standing up]
Anyway, that's all I have for now. But if I get anything else out of the counselors, I'll be sure to let you know.
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Thanks. Likewise.
week two, wednesday
[Akira approaches with one hand in his pocket and one hand lifted]
Yo. Got a moment?
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Sure. What's up?
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Do you know anyone passing around anonymous notes?
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[JUST. JUST BLUNT]
At least this time they're not using emojis. . .
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[but he passes it to Belph anyway! on it is written: You're heading in the right direction. along with doodles of bunny blobs drawn in a line underneath the words]
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[ha ha]
I really wish I knew what they were talking about. Which direction is the right one? I feel like I'm going in at least twenty.
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Why does-- why does everyone think that I'm trying to woo anyone?
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It's a joke, don't worry. But you're very vocally in support of them, and the bunnies might be a reference to them, so that could be what the sender's getting at. Or it could be completely irrelevant.
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I've bounced that theory off of a few other people, so it's not completely unlikely. And I wouldn't say I'm supportive as much as I. . .
[he trails off]
[. . .]
. . . what were your hosts like, Belph?
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[he shrugs.]
Their lives had sucked, so we were sympathetic to both of them by the end. They weren't malicious, but they weren't necessarily above screwing us over either. Especially since, uh, they hated each other and we were the pawns in their convoluted chess game that had seriously needed to be over by that point.
[a wry smile]
So to quote a certain someone, they were tired and doing their best? Whether that was in our best interests... well, sometimes, sometimes not. Also depended on exactly which host.
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Do you think the three hosts here have our best interests in mind?
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For now, with what we know... I imagine that they want us out of their home so they can go back to their lives, and we also want to get out of here and back to our lives, so our interests align. I don't expect them to go above and beyond for our sakes, but getting along presumably costs nothing, so from their perspective, why not?
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And Pinkie?
[he looks up again, expression just as curious as before]
What do you think of them? Do you believe they're really just a remnant?
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[idly, he fiddles with the ends of his hair.]
Or Pink could be unrelated. Whatever. Though if we're assuming that the directors aren't lying, why should we necessarily believe their info is accurate and complete? According to them, they were unaware until the portal glitch happened, and then they just Knew, right? Not really inspiring confidence in their knowledge base there.
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I'll be honest. I think the directors are lying to us.
[ah]
But I think it's either because they don't know everything, they can't share everything, or because they believe we're better off not knowing. That last one is a bullshit reason, as we all know, but that doesn't change that it still comes with good intentions.
Still. . . I trust that they're on our side. Even if we need to muddle our way through without relying on them too much.
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You're not wrong.
[at least he acknowledges it]
But I'm coming from the place where we got to kill the house responsible for torturing us, so. . .
[maybe it's wishful thinking, but a guy can dream]
week four, thursday
[and only so Akira can press a cold slushie cup against the back of Belph's neck to get his attention]
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belph freezes, shoulders up, in that way one does when SOMETHING COLD SUDDENLY GETS PRESSED AGAINST THEM before he turns around.]
You really know how to get a guy's attention, huh?
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[slurps his slushie. hi, Belph]
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[lightly amused]
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[plopping down on a seat!]
Anyway, it's been a while since I've checked in with you.
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Nothing new to report, I'm afraid.
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[a pause as he slurps at his drink again]
Have you talked to Winter lately?
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[just staring at him now, still slurping at his drink]
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You're impossible to read, do you know that?
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[lightly amused!]
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. . . I don't know how I'm supposed to figure out which one of you it is like this. . .
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[knows]
[what???]
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Sssssomething.
Related to Winter.
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[DID YOU KNOW DANCING AROUND THINGS IS HARD]
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No idea if Yasusada knows, though, since we don't talk.
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[ha ha]
When did you find out?
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[he sounds pleased about that]
Were you two close?
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We were acquainted.
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[his expression sobers a bit at that]
I guess she was close to Evan, then.
I didn't want to bring up bad memories, so-- [he never asked]
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Anyway, Steph's the one who was close with her.
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Like I said, I already planned on talking to her about it, too. Not necessarily to gather information, I just--
[a small breath]
I know she doesn't like having to wear the mask.
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Anyway, I'm glad some of the people she knew before are aware now. Her job's a pretty tough one; she can use the support.
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how laughable.]
What, are you not enough?
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I'm always in favor of people having more friends.
[raises his brows, mouth twitching slightly]
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You should be careful about assuming that everyone's buddy-buddy with each other just because they were from the same place.
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I'm not making that assumption. You said she and Steph were close, and while you said you were only acquaintance with her you don't sound like you hate her or anything.
[soooo. support???]
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[RAISES A BROW!!]
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Touche.
So-- you don't have to answer this question, because if you ask me it in return I'm not answering it-- but are you on her team?
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[he's just saying!!]
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You really do play your cards close to your chest. . .
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better to assume everyone is like that than to make the mistake of trusting the wrong person.]
Do you have room to talk?
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Maybe not.
[a huff]
Thought for what it's worth, if I could answer that question, I would.
I just don't want to lose a limb.
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though he's going to sit down and pop a painkiller into his mouth because standing for too long isn't great.]
"If I could" doesn't mean much, unfortunately.
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[. . . a hum, and his expression sobers, features darkening]
I have something else to share with you, though.
Shinobu killed Yu.
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How do you know?
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[but he holds up a hand, like he isn't willing to say anything more than that]
So unless the item was lying to me. . .
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[a tiny shrug]
I wrote her a letter asking her why she did it. Not-- not because I'm mad. . .
[I MEAN HE IS BUT]
But because we haven't been able to catch a killer yet, so we don't know what it is that's motivating them.
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Though either way, knowing how things work, her answer'll probably be smudged if it says too much.
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Probably. But it never hurts to try.
week four, saturday
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belph glances at him, waves back, and goes back to cooking.]
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[does it smell good]
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[it smells pretty decent, yes! he's made it before, so it looks like he knows what he's doing.]
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[. . .]
[but I mean, there's only so much small talk he can stomach before he just gets right to the point]
You and Sanji were close, right?
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. . . what Taako said near the end of the trial stuck with me. Up until now most of us could only speculate about roles being present in the game. I only got confirmation that they were from Dick on Friday. And that's only because he managed to find one of the directors' rule books.
So. . . I guess I'm trying to find out if what Taako said is true.
[and who better to go to than someone who was close to Sanji. . .?]
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I don't know. You're better off asking Yasusada that.
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[. . .]
[for a moment he is just. . . quiet. completely silent as he searches for the words. there are a few times when he opens his mouth to say something but cuts himself off suddenly before trying again]
But there's a reason I'm asking you, too.
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Sorry, but I've got nothing.
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[A DEEP. . . DEEP BREATH]
I think Taako was lying.
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[folding his arms, leaning his hip against the counter as he talks]
I'm going to ask Taako about it, at least. How he knew about Shinobu-- if she really had a role-- and Sanji, too.
[. . .]
. . . but I guess I wanted to see what someone who was close to Sanji thought about everything Taako said.
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There's less of an explanation as to how Nami got involved, why Sanji didn't put off the plans to kill Yin Yu and bring Yasusada with him that night, or—no matter how good Magnus is—how Sanji was defeated with so few injuries.
[...]
But none of that is actual counterproof, just conjecture. And Magnus and Taako are popular enough that people will want to believe they're victims.
[so belph doesn't know if there's any way to confirm the truth. funny how they caught the killer this time, unlike with hikage, but there's no more closure now than there was then.]
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[perhaps not in the same sense as those who were killed each week were victims, but. . .]
[. . . well]
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Not the kind they can use to safely avoid retribution, so good luck getting them to admit to it, if they are lying.
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I doubt they would be able to admit to it even if they wanted to.
[. . .]
But even if they are lying, Magnus's shame surrounding it all was very, very real.
[so. . . you know. there is that]
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I don't know. That's all.
I just wish that I did.
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[quietly, as he stirs the pot.
though he was never expecting much to begin with.]
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How are you holding up?
[time for FEELINGS]
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is there a reason to ask only now, versus all of the other times? either way, belph's response is a mild,]
I'm fine.
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Mmm.
[he doesn't believe that, but he also doesn't think that he and Belph are close enough for him to press. so he doesn't]
. . . well. . . I'll take you at your word for now.
[. . .]
[he looks like he wants to say something else, but. . . in the end, he doesn't]
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Mm-hmm.
[as he continues cooking.]
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[. . .]
[as he watches Belph cook--]
I don't really know how close you and Sanji were-- I know you were friends, but that's about it.
I don't think I knew him nearly as well as you did, but. . . I consider him a friend.
An ally.
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The kind of person it's easy to get along with? Well, maybe on the surface.
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Let's just get to the point. What do you want, Akira?
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[giving Belph a ??? look now]
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[he opens his mouth to say something-- then shuts it again, frustration appearing on his features]
But it's not because I want anything from you.
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[it's said neutrally. belph doesn't believe him, but there's no reason to hurt his feelings by voicing that out loud.
belph knows he's not a likable person. even the people who are merely ambivalent towards him have no reason to extend their sympathy, when he's never given them an open reason to. he's never cried, gotten visibly upset, disrupted trials or executions by snapping at others, or any of the other things that people flock to.]
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. . . but it's true. There isn't anything I want from you.
[and then. . . a little more quietly]
Except maybe to talk about Sanji a bit.
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[FUCKING]
[EXASPERATED, and he throws his hands in the air]
No.
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[still exasperated]
Maybe I'm just looking for someone else who was close to Sanji to share feelings with.
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[DEADEYED STARE]
You're a very difficult person.
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I'm aware.
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. . . well. To be fair, it isn't completely your fault.
[. . .]
It's not like I'm not being difficult, too.
[a helpless shrug at that]
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Well, there you go.
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I guess that's all I can really say for now. [. . .] I'll come check on you later, though.
[pushing away from the counter]
And if I find out anything else about what really happened with Sanji, Taako, and Magnus, I'll tell you.
[if. he can]
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... All right. Thanks.
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[a small wave, and he makes his way towards the exit]
Take care, Belph.
week five, tuesday
belph looks a little... anxious? it's probably fine.]
Hey, Akira. Have you ever received... unusual visits?
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. . . unusual visits?
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1/2
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Haaaaave you?
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Yeah. Couldn't say anything verbally, and he wasn't intangible, but Hikage showed up.
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That's-- [huh] Tsurumaru told Lili through a letter last week that they were trying to find a better way to communicate with us.
That just might be it.
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[WELL]
[Akira stiffens up almost immediately, letting out a curse as he does so]
Shit. Have they actually seen Pink in person?
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I'm not sure. I just asked if the dead knew what Pink is, and Hikage shook his head. Didn't get around to asking if he actually saw Pink.
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"Mud with the power to fuck up our lives" is how Veronica put it.
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[LIKE. JUST IN CASE???]
Do you know if this means doing the purple, gray and blue tasks funnel power to Winter, Heart and Shadows?
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[exercise your protag power akira
anyway.]
No idea. What I said is all Hikage managed to get across before he disappeared.
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[AS. THE PERSON WHO ACTUALLY SPOKE TO HIKAGE]
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[gestures to how many times he's been wrong at trial]
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Fine, I'll take pity on you, but only because you're injured this week. Don't expect me to do this again, though.
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[LIKE]
[he's fine with bullying Belph into doing it but]
[not for that reason!!]
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I got off pretty light.
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You should take care of yourself, Belph.
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[he is missing a leg]