[not again] catchall for magnus

[fishingforcompliments]

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w0, friday

[fishingforcompliments]

[Well, they're alive. That's a plus. But Tsurumaru is not, and that's going to weigh heavily on Flayn's mind for a while.

If they'd searched a little harder, struggled to stay awake - could they have prevented this?

They don't know. They might not ever know. What Flayn does know is that although she didn't hear a voice announcing Magnus's death, she's still worrying. In all the chaos, she hadn't gotten a good look at who was and wasn't okay - there were so many people wandering around and immediately bolting.

She relaxes a little when she finally does see him.]

...I suppose none of us ought to be surprised, but...

[ruffboi]

[Yeah. In the morning, there was a lot to do, but he does want to check on the people he spend a panic-filled hour with by the bonfire. Shaking her head when she talks to him.]

The more they insisted, the more obvious it got. But goddamn.

You were helping Lili look for him, huh? Was he your friend?

[fishingforcompliments]

I did not know him well, but he was kind to me on the bus, and we spent a little time together after arriving in the camp. I would have liked to be friends with him.

[She wishes she had known him better, but - how much could she possibly have gotten to know him in a week? ...not nearly enough.]

...do you think we had any chance at all of saving him, had we looked in the right place? Or was he doomed as soon as he set foot outside the cabin?

[ruffboi]

Yeah. He was a nice kid. We had fun the other day.

[Magnus even remembered his name, even though it was long, because he shouted it a lot.]

I don't know the answer to that. [He's not going to lie about it - doesn't even know which lie would help.] But I don't feel like any of us let him down. We tried to find him. We just didn't.

[fishingforcompliments]

[Someone else found him, instead.

Flayn nods. Magnus isn't wrong - but it still feels awful. What if they hadn't let him leave? If he'd stayed in the cabin just a few minutes longer...

But, no. Then Magnus and Taako would have been out there without them, potentially with a killer. That isn't a good option, either.]

...we must have been easy targets, falling asleep out there. Why were we left alone?

[ruffboi]

I'm hearing that like, for some people? It was always like that. Curfew hits, you're stuck wherever you are for an hour, and then you fall asleep.

Could also be restrictions on how many people can die.

[fishingforcompliments]

I see. On the island, we simply... fell asleep, wherever we were. But then, there were no doors to lock there.

[She looks a little uncomfortable, and brings a hand up to wipe at her brow. Ugh, why does it feel hot out? It's raining.]

...the restriction should have been zero. No one was meant to die.

[ruffboi]

Yeah. For us, too.

[He's hot and flushed too, but he's too pissed off to particularly notice it.]

How are you holding up? It's not easy, being back someplace like this.

[fishingforcompliments]

...mostly, I feel angry.

[Feverish and angry.]

[ruffboi]

Good for you!

[He wasn't expecting that, exactly, from her. But it's good to see.]

They want us beaten down and scared. Let's stay pissed off instead.

[fishingforcompliments]

Yes. I refuse to be afraid of them.

[She had enough fear last night, thanks. Though - it's easier to be brave in the light of day, after you've avoided death, than it is in the darkness when you don't know how it may come or from where.]

Whomever is responsible for this... I want to know why they did it.

[ruffboi]

Me too. But also, whoever is responsible for this - [Gesturing vaguely at like. The whole camp?] - I wanna know that, too.

[fishingforcompliments]

...yes. Was it truly a coincidence that the portals malfunctioned and brought us here, if we still believe that is what happened?

What is it about this place...?

[She drops her gaze to the scrunchie on her wrist.]

If there is some kind of inherent danger in our being here that these keep at bay... could that have something to do with what happened last night?

[ruffboi]

At this point, you have to think everybody knows that if they murder someone, the odds are extremely bad they'll get away with it.

So my money is on some kinda demons or corruption. That would make sense with the scrunchie thing.

[fishingforcompliments]

You would think that... although, where I came from, there were killers that were never identified.

[...]

If there were others like that where everyone else came from... I hope that none of them are here.

[ruffboi]

Huh. Everything kind of all came out by the end for us.

[That. Sounds horrible.]

You all seem to mostly trust each other here, don't you?

[fishingforcompliments]

[Pretty horrible, yeah. Flayn doesn't like thinking about it.]

...yes. Until today, I did not have much reason to distrust... well, most of the people I have met thus far. [...] Did people trust each other, where you were?

[ruffboi]

Not even a little. Everybody turned on each other, hard! We got told that one of the factions was killing us on purpose and were basically. Evil immortal reapers intent on killing us? And everything just spiraled from there.

And then the evil reapers were just like. A bunch of teens who were being blackmailed into it.

[fishingforcompliments]

[uh]

...is that why you asked if I was a secret mastermind, when we met?

[ruffboi]

Oh! [Yeah, the, uh, immortal thing. Oops.] No, for that, I was just joking. The first week there, I really got to like these two girls, and they both died. Except it turned out their deaths were faked and they were running the show.

I was just saying you were being nice, and pretending that was suspicious.

[fishingforcompliments]

Oh, I see!

Well... I can assure you that I am nothing of the sort.

[ruffboi]

Yeah, I know. Though if you were and I called it day one, it'd be pretty amazing.

[fishingforcompliments]

I would be impressed if that were the case. But, alas - as amazing as you are, Magnus the Hammer, you are incorrect.

[ruffboi]

Fine, fine. I'll take the loss! You don't seem like a demon, at least.

[fishingforcompliments]

I am far too cute to be a demon!

[she says. shamelessly.]