[Akira opens his mouth, then closes it again, his expression hardening. and he knows. . . he knows without her saying it]
. . . it's Nick, isn't it?
[not that he doesn't share that pain. . . he absolutely does. it's sharp and makes it difficult to breathe, difficult to even think. Phoenix was an important person, and Akira is going to mourn his loss]
[but later]
Stay here; I'll go find him. Just. . . give me a bit, okay?
[and with that!! he backpedals away from Luna, limping on his prosthetic leg, and begins the search]
...Oh, thank goodness. Did you find him? I... I got pulled away...
[W...why is she cleaning tools? WHO KNOWS????? WHAT HAPPENED???? But she puts aside what she's doing, hesitating a moment before nodding towards the entryway.]
[flashes her a lopsided smile as he pulls the door closed behind him, before he limps forward. still using his crutch btw, though he does seem to be getting better at putting weight against his prosthetic]
I found him. He was in the lounge. He's. . . okay.
[yeah. . . it was kind of a stupid question, wasn't it? and the way she doesn't answer; that's very telling. Akira swallows thickly and limps his way towards the bed, taking a seat so they can talk]
Do you remember what you told me the last time we spoke? About how the house has been sabotaging Blue's attempts to stop it? Do you remember what happened to Peach?
...
I... I really think Phoenix knew more than he let on. And I think Akechi was aware. Whether he figured it out on his own or Phoenix told him, I don't know. I don't have any proof, of course. It could be horrible coincidence. But...
If Phoenix found out something important - really, really important - then I'm worried he might have been targeted by the house's monsters to... to hold his tongue.
[She'll give a gentle nod, her hands wringing together.]
It makes sense, I suppose. If Blue's intent is to help us find a way out of this place, then having someone to act in their stead is... um... sneaky, but understandable. I imagine Blue can only do so much.
That might put them under the same rules as the rest of the staff, as well. The house might allow it to an extent, but... perhaps if the notetaker crossed a line with their attempts, they were punished.
I don't know. I... I feel horrible speculating when he's... [Gone. He's gone. A knot forms in Luna's throat, one she has to forcefully swallow down, a hand raised to try and guard the change in her expression as she wrestles with her composure.]
[Akira's expression flickers ever-so-slightly when Luna's breath hitches, and his own gaze turns downward, lips pressed into a thin line. focus, Kurusu. focus]
[a deep breath, and he composes himself again]
They probably do. We can't ask them privately until Sunday, though.
. . . unless you think we should ask at trial?
[and out Phoenix if he was, in fact, the mysterious note sender? though. . . he supposes there is no harm in in doing that now]
I think asking at trial might help alleviate any doubts people might have had, if the staff themselves are allowed to speak about it at all. But... I'm sure there was a very good reason he kept it a secret.
So if they don't answer, I... I don't think we should be upset at them for it.
If he really was one of Blue's helpers and the author of those notes, then it really was imperative of him to keep it a secret. Telling even one person could've been his downfall.
[ah? he hates to put it like that, but. . .]
Because if he really was targeted by the house directly, then the house could have turned someone who knew Nick was Blue's helper into a monster. And. . .
[he trails off. he thinks the rest is self-explanatory]
[She pauses again. There's a seriousness to her expression that she's never held before, an urgent whirring of the mind underneath the sorrow and fatigue.]
...
Akira... have you been able to look through the stone that Ash has?
What have you looked at with it? I know you mentioned a couple of things during one of the trials, but... I'd like to hear it again. [Is... she going somewhere with this?]
[aha. if she is. . . he might have an idea of what she's getting at, here. it shows in the way he straightens]
The portraits were the first thing Ash and I looked at. After that, it was the new rooms that people broke into on the third floor-- the morgue and the infirmary.
Ash has looked at everything else-- the room we broke into on the fourth floor, the fake "Blue" we saw in that room, the entire room itself-- among other things.
Some things, like the portraits, don't light up at all. Some things light up blue, like the morgue and the infirmary.
We might want to, just to make sure, but... I think that's enough to explain.
Phoenix told me something this week. I don't know how he knew - maybe Ash spoke to him at some point - but he said that the only real colors that ever show up, regardless of location, are blue and red. Locked doors, I believe, are red, but turn blue once they are opened.
He... he mentioned a conversation with Blue himself, like the one you told me about. I don't know the details, and I... I wish I would have asked. But from what Phoenix had figured out... the house and Blue might be so interwoven now that they're hard to distinguish from one another. We... we might have to find a way to separate them before we can do anything else.
[She definitely looks like she wants to say more, but she holds her tongue, waiting for him to digest what she's already said.]
[he doesn't seem surprised by anything she's saying, but he listens very carefully, expression pensive. when she's finished, he corrects]
They aren't red when they're locked. The morgue, the infirmary, and the two new doors on the fifth floor were all blue before they were unlocked.
[so it's something strange about the Room of Requ-- itself, he thinks]
. . . Nick mentions the possibility of separating them to me, too. And he wondered if maybe that had something to do with the "source" Blue mentioned, when Blue was telling me how to stop the house.
[Ah, she concedes the error with a flustered look to the floor, but the moment passes easily enough.]
Blue has a center location, so... the house having one would make sense, especially if they are that interwoven. We've found Blue's, correct? And... I think we've found that of the house.
Akira... The Red Room allows for all sorts of things, as far as I've heard. All sorts of things. I doubt it would be as easy as asking for an exit, or wishing for the source or the heart or whatever it is to be there, but...
Blue could only be summoned in a specific way. So... I would like to try that in the Red Room.
I'd like to wish for a Red Bell, so that I can speak to the house itself.
[Akira is quiet for a moment as he mulls this over. truthfully, it's not too terribly far from what he was thinking, especially knowing that the room he and Ash and Ken and Missile broke into is one of the only ones flashing red, while the others are flashing blue. perhaps it's not exactly the same-- he wanted to send a calling card and seek out the source itself first-- but. close enough]
[quietly, he mutters something under his breath, audible but only barely so]
"Access to the source is available for those who seek it out."
[another pause]
. . . what do you think we'd gain from talking to the house directly, instead of wishing for the source itself?
...I'd like to not be forceful until we know we have to do so.
I feel once we go that route... there won't be any turning back. The house will know what we're after, and I... I doubt it will let us walk in without interference.
[...
Her expression falls a little, hurt and more than a little lost. It's... it's a lot to think about, and she's never had to be the one trying to come to a decision like this.]
Akechi would probably call me an idiot for saying as much, but I... I'd rather take the chance to learn why... rather than put everyone, everything at a possibly unnecessary risk.
Screw what Akechi thinks. To him, the most direct and violent method is always the right answer, even when it's unnecessary.
[and he says that firmly, because as much as he and Akechi have been able to (sort of) mend bridges since arriving here. . . Akira still knows how Akechi works. still knows that Akechi's solutions are not always the best solutions]
[but even so. . .?]
I don't necessarily know if I agree, though. Asking for the red bell to talk to the house might just put it on notice of what we're planning even more than asking for the source directly will.
[if they ask for the source, at least they'd get it, right. . .? even if the house would attempt to sabotage their efforts]
But--
[a breath out]
. . . I can't blame you for wanting to know "why." I do, too.
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. . . it's Nick, isn't it?
[not that he doesn't share that pain. . . he absolutely does. it's sharp and makes it difficult to breathe, difficult to even think. Phoenix was an important person, and Akira is going to mourn his loss]
[but later]
Stay here; I'll go find him. Just. . . give me a bit, okay?
[and with that!! he backpedals away from Luna, limping on his prosthetic leg, and begins the search]
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live your best life, Akira
She will be in the infirmary whenever he comes back.]
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[he seems. . . tired, but he's doing his best to keep his chin upright as he tracks her down in the infirmary]
Luna?
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[W...why is she cleaning tools? WHO KNOWS????? WHAT HAPPENED???? But she puts aside what she's doing, hesitating a moment before nodding towards the entryway.]
Ah... close the door, please.
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I found him. He was in the lounge. He's. . . okay.
[for a definition of "okay"]
Are you?
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...
Her eyes drift shut as she takes in a steady breath, the sorrow on her face leveling out to something serious in its grieving.]
I... I think the house might have killed Phoenix on purpose, Akira.
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[. . .]
[and at her statement. . .]
. . . what makes you think that?
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...
I... I really think Phoenix knew more than he let on. And I think Akechi was aware. Whether he figured it out on his own or Phoenix told him, I don't know. I don't have any proof, of course. It could be horrible coincidence. But...
If Phoenix found out something important - really, really important - then I'm worried he might have been targeted by the house's monsters to... to hold his tongue.
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[Akira lets out a small exhale, his gaze growing distant and pensive]
I always kind of got the feeling Nick knew more than he was letting on. [. . .] He just. . . acted like he did, you know?
[. . .]
Do remember the notes we keep getting, about whether people have "rabies" or not?
The authors of those notes have been working for Blue since day one. I asked about it, and they confirmed it.
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It makes sense, I suppose. If Blue's intent is to help us find a way out of this place, then having someone to act in their stead is... um... sneaky, but understandable. I imagine Blue can only do so much.
That might put them under the same rules as the rest of the staff, as well. The house might allow it to an extent, but... perhaps if the notetaker crossed a line with their attempts, they were punished.
I don't know. I... I feel horrible speculating when he's... [Gone. He's gone. A knot forms in Luna's throat, one she has to forcefully swallow down, a hand raised to try and guard the change in her expression as she wrestles with her composure.]
...
Maybe the staff would have a better idea.
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[a deep breath, and he composes himself again]
They probably do. We can't ask them privately until Sunday, though.
. . . unless you think we should ask at trial?
[and out Phoenix if he was, in fact, the mysterious note sender? though. . . he supposes there is no harm in in doing that now]
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So if they don't answer, I... I don't think we should be upset at them for it.
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If he really was one of Blue's helpers and the author of those notes, then it really was imperative of him to keep it a secret. Telling even one person could've been his downfall.
[ah? he hates to put it like that, but. . .]
Because if he really was targeted by the house directly, then the house could have turned someone who knew Nick was Blue's helper into a monster. And. . .
[he trails off. he thinks the rest is self-explanatory]
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[She pauses again. There's a seriousness to her expression that she's never held before, an urgent whirring of the mind underneath the sorrow and fatigue.]
...
Akira... have you been able to look through the stone that Ash has?
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[. . .]
Yeah; I have. We found it together.
[though Ash is the one who was entrusted with its care, so Akira hasn't been able to use it nearly as often]
Why?
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The portraits were the first thing Ash and I looked at. After that, it was the new rooms that people broke into on the third floor-- the morgue and the infirmary.
Ash has looked at everything else-- the room we broke into on the fourth floor, the fake "Blue" we saw in that room, the entire room itself-- among other things.
Some things, like the portraits, don't light up at all. Some things light up blue, like the morgue and the infirmary.
The room we broke into? That lit up red.
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[but. . .]
You'll need to ask Ash if he's seen anything else red in the house.
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Phoenix told me something this week. I don't know how he knew - maybe Ash spoke to him at some point - but he said that the only real colors that ever show up, regardless of location, are blue and red. Locked doors, I believe, are red, but turn blue once they are opened.
He... he mentioned a conversation with Blue himself, like the one you told me about. I don't know the details, and I... I wish I would have asked. But from what Phoenix had figured out... the house and Blue might be so interwoven now that they're hard to distinguish from one another. We... we might have to find a way to separate them before we can do anything else.
[She definitely looks like she wants to say more, but she holds her tongue, waiting for him to digest what she's already said.]
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They aren't red when they're locked. The morgue, the infirmary, and the two new doors on the fifth floor were all blue before they were unlocked.
[so it's something strange about the Room of Requ-- itself, he thinks]
. . . Nick mentions the possibility of separating them to me, too. And he wondered if maybe that had something to do with the "source" Blue mentioned, when Blue was telling me how to stop the house.
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Blue has a center location, so... the house having one would make sense, especially if they are that interwoven. We've found Blue's, correct? And... I think we've found that of the house.
Akira... The Red Room allows for all sorts of things, as far as I've heard. All sorts of things. I doubt it would be as easy as asking for an exit, or wishing for the source or the heart or whatever it is to be there, but...
Blue could only be summoned in a specific way. So... I would like to try that in the Red Room.
I'd like to wish for a Red Bell, so that I can speak to the house itself.
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[Akira is quiet for a moment as he mulls this over. truthfully, it's not too terribly far from what he was thinking, especially knowing that the room he and Ash and Ken and Missile broke into is one of the only ones flashing red, while the others are flashing blue. perhaps it's not exactly the same-- he wanted to send a calling card and seek out the source itself first-- but. close enough]
[quietly, he mutters something under his breath, audible but only barely so]
"Access to the source is available for those who seek it out."
[another pause]
. . . what do you think we'd gain from talking to the house directly, instead of wishing for the source itself?
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I feel once we go that route... there won't be any turning back. The house will know what we're after, and I... I doubt it will let us walk in without interference.
[...
Her expression falls a little, hurt and more than a little lost. It's... it's a lot to think about, and she's never had to be the one trying to come to a decision like this.]
Akechi would probably call me an idiot for saying as much, but I... I'd rather take the chance to learn why... rather than put everyone, everything at a possibly unnecessary risk.
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Screw what Akechi thinks. To him, the most direct and violent method is always the right answer, even when it's unnecessary.
[and he says that firmly, because as much as he and Akechi have been able to (sort of) mend bridges since arriving here. . . Akira still knows how Akechi works. still knows that Akechi's solutions are not always the best solutions]
[but even so. . .?]
I don't necessarily know if I agree, though. Asking for the red bell to talk to the house might just put it on notice of what we're planning even more than asking for the source directly will.
[if they ask for the source, at least they'd get it, right. . .? even if the house would attempt to sabotage their efforts]
But--
[a breath out]
. . . I can't blame you for wanting to know "why." I do, too.
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