[Swallowing, hard. He's at once touched and furious about this.]
I can't agree with what he did. It's, uh, ugly. But I also think it's okay that Taako and I see a lot of things differently, because we understand each other where it matters.
How are you feeling about things? I know today was awful.
[He may not be able to agree with him - but that understanding is good, and Flayn is glad that someone has his back in a way that could make a difference. No matter how many times she'd tried to, she couldn't figure out what to say in his defense.
Anything she tried had been too close to a confession, and she hadn't been able to get the words out.]
I... I am so angry. [...it's an ugly thing to admit. Maybe she has more in common with Seiros than she'd believed.] Should he manage to survive tomorrow, and should we be asked to kill again, I... do not think I would be able to resist the temptation to pursue him.
[That surprises him a little, but if anything, it's heartening? She'd seemed so numb all day. At least this is a feeling that isn't crippling her.]
Didn't I tell you? Sometimes, being angry is a good thing. Keeps you going.
[He can't hate Yasusada, not really. But he understands why she would.]
Stupid. Both of 'em - we'd have three bodies, not four, if it weren't for them out testing out theories by killing somebody.
[But he understands why they would've felt like they needed to act. It's kind of absurdly tragic. Yasusada killed someone Flayn loved, and they killed someone he loved in return. But they had no choice.]
I think Yasusada is probably a dead man walking. But we'll see. I also don't think Taako's plan is gonna work for long.
. . . There's something I have to tell you, though. [His face falls a little.] I think I know some stuff about what happened to Minako and Zenitsu. Those were definitely done by, uh, our counterparts, and I think I got a good hunch who.
But I'm gonna warn you up front, I don't think the answers gonna be satisfying or give you a chance to get back at somebody who hurt your friend.
[It isn't really that she hates Yasusada. It's mixed up and complicated, and she kind of hates the way she feels, but it just is.
Maybe that feeling will dull, a little, if she makes herself go and talk to him instead of running away as she had at the end of the trial. Maybe sleep will ease some of the anger she's feeling. She doesn't know.
...but.
Her expression falls a little as Magnus speaks, too. She doesn't like the sound of any of this, but - if it's the truth, then she needs to know it.]
[He looks. Nervous? But. He's gonna go ahead and get this out.]
Minako first. Uh. So, I'm almost certain it's gotta be Beau. [So that's bad?] It's, uh - do you know about the person who used their power to help Lili at trial? The person who can dispel a curse, but it sometimes fucks with your emotions? [He thinks Flayn does know, but just in case, he'll be careful.] That person came to me on Friday. They knew Beau had a mark on her and was worried about being framed for Minako's death, and asked me for advice - if they should use their power to help Lili or to erase the mark on Beau. I told them to help Lili, and instead they helped Beau cover up the mark at trial.
When we had that conversation, I thought the mark on Beau was gonna be from my power. So did this person - they're one of the few people who knows how my power works. That's why I said to go ahead and cover for her.
But since it was Chuuya who got my injuries. Pretty sure the mark on Beau was from Minako.
[Beau. Oh, gods, no. How much Flayn doesn't want that to be true is immediately obvious in her expression, but she bites her lip and listens to Magnus explain. And - unfortunately, it does sound pretty bad.
It sounds really bad, actually.]
I suspected that a power of that kind existed, but... I do not know who possesses it. [...] I know it is a limited pool, but I will not try to guess it - I do not wish to put anyone in danger if their power has been shared too far.
[But, uh, yikes.]
There may be some other sort of explanation for it, but... I fear it is unlikely. Did that person say what the mark on Beau looked like?
No, but I know it was on her back. I think she might've, uh, fucked up her back worse to cover it up more?
[But he's not sure about that. Anyway.]
If it helps, I don't know. The way Minako died - maybe it was made to look crueler than it was after the fact, y'know?
[He doesn't think Beau would rip out a person's heart like that for fun. But, anyway.]
As for Zenitsu, uh. I only have hunches about the person who killed him, but there's somebody I know for sure somebody who was involved - I think they helped cover up after, like you. [He pauses here, like this is hard to get out and it is. Because he wants to protect Flayn and the people she cares about, but he has other people he has to protect, too.]
When I got back on Friday night, after Sanji - Taako was awake, too. That's why we were able to figure out so much about what was going on.
...Beau is a brawler, as I understand it - making her death look the way that it did would certainly deflect suspicion away from her, I think.
And... I cannot see her doing that to Minako while she was still alive.
[...although they did argue with each other, at the third week's trial, didn't they? How much of that anger did Beau carry with her into the next week, she wonders?
...
Oh. That's... oh.]
...I see. [She can't judge anyone for covering up a murder. If it was as a result of a role like theirs, she can't even really judge anyone for committing a murder. ...she just wishes it hadn't been Zenitsu.] That being the case, I am... surprised that Taako was able to say as much in your defense as he did.
Though... I suppose it did not really out him as being involved in the death he actually was involved with.
Yeah. We talked to Purple Heart - it was all a lie, so he won't get in trouble.
[He does look sad, though, at Flayn's reaction. He wishes it hadn't been Zenitsu, either.]
We weren't able to say anything about who we killed. I only know it was Zenitsu because, uh. He used the fear doll on Taako. I caught on after I touched him, but it wore off before trial.
And I don't know who Taako's partner is, and he doesn't know mine. [Chewing his lip.] The thing I do know is, Taako managed to make it clear to me he wasn't the killer, just involved, and he's incredibly soft on kids like Zenitsu. He'd tease, but he wouldn't want to hurt somebody like that for real. So I gotta think that wasn't his pick.
The evidence at trial we found, the size of the bruise - it pointed to Tonbokiri. And if that's the case, I really don't think too much of it. Somebody who knows they can't fight easily picking somebody like Zenitsu to save their own life - I could excuse it. A big guy like that?
[His expression is pretty grim. There's nothing he hates more than someone strong hurting somebody weak. But.]
But the evidence at trial is all I have; Taako hasn't said shit. So I don't know for sure.
[Whew! Giyuu's punishment had looked pretty terrible. Flayn would really hate to see anyone else get punished for running their mouth.
...but yeah - that makes sense. Taako really doesn't seem like the type to be super chill with Child Murder, just as Flayn hadn't really been the type to be chill with Any Murder. And while Tonbokiri doesn't really seem the type to go around killing kids either -
He is a sword, and Zenitsu was a demon slayer, despite his age and his... personality. Perhaps Tonbokiri had believed it would have been a fair fight.]
There may be ways to investigate it. I do not yet know how, but... an item was involved in revealing what Shinobu did, from what I heard. We may be able to find a similar item to confirm whether or not Tonbokiri has a role that mirrors ours.
Us targeting the other special roles might reduce body count. I'm trying to get a sense if that strategy works. But I also don't want to put Taako in danger. If we kill his partner, he might have to kill somebody alone.
The other option is if we find a way to communicate, and all choose the same person. Maybe only one person will have to die.
[She's quiet for a few long moments, as if she's thinking something over very carefully.]
I— I certainly would not wish to see Taako in a situation where he had to carry that sort of burden alone. I would not wish to see you in that sort of situation, either. [...] I wonder if that would work, or if, since we have to make a decision at our own meetings, we would have to decide independently.
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fishingforcompliments) wrote2020-06-07 10:15 am
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[Taako is pretty good at reading between the lines.]
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[That's... a lot to take in. She nods slowly.]
He is a very good friend to you.
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[Swallowing, hard. He's at once touched and furious about this.]
I can't agree with what he did. It's, uh, ugly. But I also think it's okay that Taako and I see a lot of things differently, because we understand each other where it matters.
How are you feeling about things? I know today was awful.
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Anything she tried had been too close to a confession, and she hadn't been able to get the words out.]
I... I am so angry. [...it's an ugly thing to admit. Maybe she has more in common with Seiros than she'd believed.] Should he manage to survive tomorrow, and should we be asked to kill again, I... do not think I would be able to resist the temptation to pursue him.
[They would have to kill someone anyway, so -
Why not him?]
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[That surprises him a little, but if anything, it's heartening? She'd seemed so numb all day. At least this is a feeling that isn't crippling her.]
Didn't I tell you? Sometimes, being angry is a good thing. Keeps you going.
[He can't hate Yasusada, not really. But he understands why she would.]
Stupid. Both of 'em - we'd have three bodies, not four, if it weren't for them out testing out theories by killing somebody.
[But he understands why they would've felt like they needed to act. It's kind of absurdly tragic. Yasusada killed someone Flayn loved, and they killed someone he loved in return. But they had no choice.]
I think Yasusada is probably a dead man walking. But we'll see. I also don't think Taako's plan is gonna work for long.
. . . There's something I have to tell you, though. [His face falls a little.] I think I know some stuff about what happened to Minako and Zenitsu. Those were definitely done by, uh, our counterparts, and I think I got a good hunch who.
But I'm gonna warn you up front, I don't think the answers gonna be satisfying or give you a chance to get back at somebody who hurt your friend.
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Maybe that feeling will dull, a little, if she makes herself go and talk to him instead of running away as she had at the end of the trial. Maybe sleep will ease some of the anger she's feeling. She doesn't know.
...but.
Her expression falls a little as Magnus speaks, too. She doesn't like the sound of any of this, but - if it's the truth, then she needs to know it.]
...please, tell me.
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[He looks. Nervous? But. He's gonna go ahead and get this out.]
Minako first. Uh. So, I'm almost certain it's gotta be Beau. [So that's bad?] It's, uh - do you know about the person who used their power to help Lili at trial? The person who can dispel a curse, but it sometimes fucks with your emotions? [He thinks Flayn does know, but just in case, he'll be careful.] That person came to me on Friday. They knew Beau had a mark on her and was worried about being framed for Minako's death, and asked me for advice - if they should use their power to help Lili or to erase the mark on Beau. I told them to help Lili, and instead they helped Beau cover up the mark at trial.
When we had that conversation, I thought the mark on Beau was gonna be from my power. So did this person - they're one of the few people who knows how my power works. That's why I said to go ahead and cover for her.
But since it was Chuuya who got my injuries. Pretty sure the mark on Beau was from Minako.
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[Beau. Oh, gods, no. How much Flayn doesn't want that to be true is immediately obvious in her expression, but she bites her lip and listens to Magnus explain. And - unfortunately, it does sound pretty bad.
It sounds really bad, actually.]
I suspected that a power of that kind existed, but... I do not know who possesses it. [...] I know it is a limited pool, but I will not try to guess it - I do not wish to put anyone in danger if their power has been shared too far.
[But, uh, yikes.]
There may be some other sort of explanation for it, but... I fear it is unlikely. Did that person say what the mark on Beau looked like?
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[But he's not sure about that. Anyway.]
If it helps, I don't know. The way Minako died - maybe it was made to look crueler than it was after the fact, y'know?
[He doesn't think Beau would rip out a person's heart like that for fun. But, anyway.]
As for Zenitsu, uh. I only have hunches about the person who killed him, but there's somebody I know for sure somebody who was involved - I think they helped cover up after, like you. [He pauses here, like this is hard to get out and it is. Because he wants to protect Flayn and the people she cares about, but he has other people he has to protect, too.]
When I got back on Friday night, after Sanji - Taako was awake, too. That's why we were able to figure out so much about what was going on.
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And... I cannot see her doing that to Minako while she was still alive.
[...although they did argue with each other, at the third week's trial, didn't they? How much of that anger did Beau carry with her into the next week, she wonders?
...
Oh. That's... oh.]
...I see. [She can't judge anyone for covering up a murder. If it was as a result of a role like theirs, she can't even really judge anyone for committing a murder. ...she just wishes it hadn't been Zenitsu.] That being the case, I am... surprised that Taako was able to say as much in your defense as he did.
Though... I suppose it did not really out him as being involved in the death he actually was involved with.
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[He does look sad, though, at Flayn's reaction. He wishes it hadn't been Zenitsu, either.]
We weren't able to say anything about who we killed. I only know it was Zenitsu because, uh. He used the fear doll on Taako. I caught on after I touched him, but it wore off before trial.
And I don't know who Taako's partner is, and he doesn't know mine. [Chewing his lip.] The thing I do know is, Taako managed to make it clear to me he wasn't the killer, just involved, and he's incredibly soft on kids like Zenitsu. He'd tease, but he wouldn't want to hurt somebody like that for real. So I gotta think that wasn't his pick.
The evidence at trial we found, the size of the bruise - it pointed to Tonbokiri. And if that's the case, I really don't think too much of it. Somebody who knows they can't fight easily picking somebody like Zenitsu to save their own life - I could excuse it. A big guy like that?
[His expression is pretty grim. There's nothing he hates more than someone strong hurting somebody weak. But.]
But the evidence at trial is all I have; Taako hasn't said shit. So I don't know for sure.
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[Whew! Giyuu's punishment had looked pretty terrible. Flayn would really hate to see anyone else get punished for running their mouth.
...but yeah - that makes sense. Taako really doesn't seem like the type to be super chill with Child Murder, just as Flayn hadn't really been the type to be chill with Any Murder. And while Tonbokiri doesn't really seem the type to go around killing kids either -
He is a sword, and Zenitsu was a demon slayer, despite his age and his... personality. Perhaps Tonbokiri had believed it would have been a fair fight.]
There may be ways to investigate it. I do not yet know how, but... an item was involved in revealing what Shinobu did, from what I heard. We may be able to find a similar item to confirm whether or not Tonbokiri has a role that mirrors ours.
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[He sighs.]
Us targeting the other special roles might reduce body count. I'm trying to get a sense if that strategy works. But I also don't want to put Taako in danger. If we kill his partner, he might have to kill somebody alone.
The other option is if we find a way to communicate, and all choose the same person. Maybe only one person will have to die.
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[She's quiet for a few long moments, as if she's thinking something over very carefully.]
I— I certainly would not wish to see Taako in a situation where he had to carry that sort of burden alone. I would not wish to see you in that sort of situation, either. [...] I wonder if that would work, or if, since we have to make a decision at our own meetings, we would have to decide independently.
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[He's nervous, still, a little.]
But we have to try something, right? We can't just sit around and let four people die a week.
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[Even one is too many, she thinks.]