[catch all for phoenix]

[survivaltricks]

Comments

[slobjection]

Until monsters start rampaging.

[ way to ruin the mood, phoenix!! ]

Hm. Can't say I'm too knowledgeable on the subject.

[survivaltricks]

[way to ruin the mood Phoenix!!]

Mmm. It might just be me; I worked in a flower shop for a few months.

[looking up now, hand falling back to his side]

Do you need something, Wright-san?

[slobjection]

Huh. You've got so many skills.

[ normally, he would vague some more, but it seems like he's serious. ]

Who did you vote for, Akira?

[ and very direct. ]

[survivaltricks]

[WELL]

[that gives Akira pause, and it's the direct and serious way that Phoenix asks that has him not answering right off the bat]

. . . why are you asking?

[slobjection]

Survey.

[ extremely real answer. ]

[survivaltricks]

[. . .]

The Lake Monster.

[EXTREMELY REAL (???) ANSWER]

[slobjection]

[ god. ]

Get any nice items from Master Blue?

[survivaltricks]

[ha]

[Akira's mouth twitches]

. . . so that's why.

[he shakes his head]

I voted for Asch. [UNDER DURESS!!!!] . . . and obviously, I didn't get any items for it.

Did you?

[slobjection]

[ god. ]

What made you think Asch was guilty?

[ he's not mad he's just disappointed. ]

I did, actually. I can even show it to you.

[survivaltricks]

I-- [WHAT]

[SORRY HE'S NOT ANSWERING THAT RIGHT NOW (the answer is "I didn't vote for him because I thought he was guilty") BECAUSE???]

From this week? For getting all three right?!

Who did you vote for??

[slobjection]

Who do you think, Akira?

[ even when he's infosharing he's being a shitty cryptic mentor about it!! ]

Let's hear your theory.

[survivaltricks]

[PHOENIX PLEASE???????]

[Akira opens his mouth, then shuts it again with a click. he forces himself to calm down with a deep breath as he puts his thinking cap on]

I didn't vote for Asch because I thought he was guilty. I voted for him because I didn't have a valid theory, and. . . it seemed-- better.

[to vote for someone willing to take the blow (EVEN IF HE WAS STUPID ABOUT IT) than to vote blindly and convict someone innocent and unwilling to be a sacrifice]

. . . my theory is still the same as it was at the trial. The map you and Horikawa-san drew was pretty clear.

It had to have been someone in the basement-- 45-san, Nic-san, Meltryllis-san-- or in the main hall-- Ayabe-san, Luna, or Asch-san himself.

[. . .]

Was my theory wrong?

[slobjection]

[ phoenix placidly listens to all of this..... ]

It's a good theory. We can take Asch out of that. So.... Luna, Ayabe, Nic, 45, Meltryllis.

[ phoenix pulls out two boxes.... both with tags from master blue. ]

Care to take a wild guess?

[survivaltricks]

[. . . Akira recognizes those boxes, and knows for sure that Phoenix isn't pulling his leg. after all. . . those boxes resemble the one he found in his room last week, after Nikki-san's trial]

[Akira closes his eyes and thinks through everything he can remember from the last hour (or two) he was awake at the trial. he thinks back to Nic and 45 and Luna and Ayabe and Melt's reactions, and. . .]

[. . .]

. . . 45-san.

After all. . . it doesn't make sense for her to have not been affected by a rampaging monster when she was supposedly sleeping in the gun room, right?

[slobjection]

.... It doesn't, no. But you're on the wrong track for this particular mystery.

[ look at the court record and try again! next time it'll be a penalty!! ]

[survivaltricks]

[not 45, not Asch. . . honestly, Akira doesn't think it was Ayabe or Luna or Nic. which leaves the one person he almost voted for, but in the end. . . did not]

. . . was it really Meltryllis-san?

[slobjection]

Nia died by decapitation. She's a woman with knives for legs.... suspicious, no?

[ but yeah. bingo! phoenix smiles. ]

[survivaltricks]

[. . .]

[just]

[fucking]

[closes his eyes]

[and takes this in for a long, long moment]

[. . .]








[he whirls on his heel and slams his fist against a nearby stone bench]

[slobjection]

[ god, mood. ]

Punching me would probably be more satisfying.

[survivaltricks]

[quietly, his voice pulled taut. he doesn't look up, but his shoulders are shaking]

. . . I have no reason to punch you. She was the ten count, wasn't she. . .?

[thanks to her suspicious behavior near the end, there. it isn't all that surprising to him, but what really gets his goat is the fact that he. . .]

I almost-- I almost. . . I almost put down her name.

[. . . he could have been the one person to tip the vote in the right direction]

[and he didn't]

[slobjection]

I hope so.

[ sincerely. because then 10 people would know the truth. anyway, he's not.. great at the comfort, and what's done is done. phoenix could have saved asch if he was more insistent, too. so: ]

Trust your instincts.

[survivaltricks]

[. . . swallows thickly, lifting his gaze to search Pheonix's expression carefully]

[. . .]

I usually do.

[it's just. . .]

This time, I was being too cautious.

[slobjection]

[ it's sympathetic. ]

We couldn't save Asch. But maybe we can save others.

[survivaltricks]

[. . .]

How?

[will Meltryllis kill again. . .? Asch was turned into a monster during his execution; did Meltryllis's monster form transfer to him, rendering her completely harmless. now that they know for certain she was the culprit. . . what do they do about it?]

[slobjection]

Still working on that part.

[ he wishes he had the answer. he only barely managed to put kristoph away, and his evil hold isn't vanquished..... ]

.... But the gift I got from Master Blue is a lie detecting bracelet. That would be handy in trial.