[not again] catchall for chuuya

[fishingforcompliments]

i'll make this pretty when i'm not hunting down stuff for memshares

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[fishingforcompliments]

[She flinches a little at the pat to the shoulder, and looks over at him.]

...why? Why did it have to turn out that way?

[shortforever]

Lots of reasons. But the main thing is, the killer couldn't confess. So we had to figure out who to vote for instead.

...that's not the killer's fault either. I'm sure they would have given themselves up rather than let someone else get voted out. But those are the rules we had to work with.

[fishingforcompliments]

...

[bitterly:]

I hate these rules.

[shortforever]

They're very stupid rules, yeah.

[He pauses again, this time for longer, before he speaks once more.]

It's not your fault.

[fishingforcompliments]

It...

[Her voice trails off, and she's silent for a few long moments.]

I am sure that... many of us feel as though what happened is our fault.

[shortforever]

Yeah. A lot of people feel responsible today.

But he's your friend, yeah? Regardless of how involved or not-involved you were, he wouldn't want you to feel guilty about it. That's why he laid down and accepted it: because someone had to die, for everyone else to life.

It's not your fault.

[fishingforcompliments]

...

[she looks like she wants to say something to that, but -

no words come out. she just can't.]

[shortforever]

[It's okay, he gets it. If she knows something, she can't talk about it. He won't force her to.

Instead, he pulls his hand away from her shoulder and rests his arms on his elbows.]

I won't ask you to be cheerful or anything. If you're sad, be sad. But I don't blame you for anything that's happened, and you shouldn't blame yourself either.

[fishingforcompliments]

[Flayn searches his face.

...he seems to be being honest. If Chuuya doesn't blame her - even knowing what her role entails, and knowing what it might mean if she can't find the words to speak - what does that mean? ...it's painful, to not be blamed by others when she so wholeheartedly blames herself.]

It is very kind of you to say that, Chuuya.

[shortforever]

[That is, honestly, why he doesn't blame her. Because it's her role's fault, and nothing more. Flayn is a very sweet person and wouldn't do anything if it wasn't required by the rules of her role.

And, also, Flayn is his friend. She gets special friend privileges, like 'getting the benefit of the doubt'.]

It's the least I can do. I can't really lift your burden in any other way, so I might as well do this, yeah?

...I don't want to see you hurting, by the end of this. You're my friend.

[fishingforcompliments]

...

I am?

[she should, perhaps, not sound so surprised by that.]