spinatalltale | [WEEK 4, FRIDAY POST-INVESTIGATION: Akira]

[as if akira would really turn down magilou's company?

especially now. he's not exactly feeling great in light of raven's disappearance still—and three dead bodies, one of which he had to single-handedly carry back from the oasis.]

That depends on the payment.

[though his tone seems to indicate that he doesn't actually mean that at all. of course he'll give her some of his time.]

I haven't worked out a payment plan yet, but I'm thinking of letting you come up with one yourself.

[she links her hands behind her head, and. there's definitely a reason she was looking for him in particular, so. . . she lays it out on the table immediately, with no bushes to beat around]

Did you know about Raven's role?

[. . . ah. . .]

[well, the thought of a payment plan goes out the window with that.]

...Come again?

[clearly? he did not know that. and he... feels very tense about this. isn't this something he should have known before magilou?]

[ah. there's no mistaking what that reaction means]

. . . you didn't.

[. . .]

[and now she's wondering how much she should really say. but it isn't fair for her to come to him with this, and then keep her mouth shut. especially considering Raven's disappearance and the threat of Sunday]

[and she supposes, in the end. . . not only does he deserve to know, but he won't betray her trust in him, either]

I heard this information secondhand, but from a pretty reliable source. [???] She's a Siren.

[honestly, knowing how magilou is, he could probably guess where the information came from. but he won't ask her to betray anyone's trust. and he won't betray her by sharing this information, either.

he sucks in a breath. a siren. someone tasked with working with others to kill the people of the island.

and he has no idea. somehow, it didn't occur to him that she'd be on that list, and yet he imagines that it was probably something that actively kept him safe from harm. and yet all the same, raven really didn't trust him much, not enough to consider it in other situations.

and now she's not here.

his breath catches in his throat, head dipping. how is he supposed to process that? his life is still on the line, and then there's what they "know" about the sirens.]

...

[yeah, he doesn't really know what he's supposed to say to that at all.]

[she knows him well enough to read some of those thoughts in his expression, his demeanor, in the way he dips his head. she turns to face him again, balancing back on one heel, her famous neutral expression back in full force]

. . . don't think of it from the trust angle. It isn't about trust.

[it's at times like this that her detached pragmatism comes in the most handy]

Think about what you know from who those two known Sirens are. Battler, a loud do-gooder who refused to kill, despite the role he was given. And Raven, the strong and admirable woman you spoke so highly of the other night.

[her arms fall back to her sides]

There's a pattern, there. A reason why driven and good-hearted people were chosen for that role. If what Battler says is true, then it was never about trust.

It was about trying to keep herself alive so she could save everyone.

[magilou is right.

akira's always been a little more impulsive—though hardly enough to get explosive, he's reckless beneath it all, and it means that sometimes, he's capable of jumping to conclusions. he got used to not doing that because ryuji or someone else would get there first but...

he's not perfect.

and raven still isn't here.]

It still sucks. [he sighs, quietly. he's.

something.

probably not fine, but her words do reach him, though his hands clench into fists at his sides.] It's so frustrating, not knowing until it's too late.

[but with that still comes a bit of an uncharacteristic outburst.

after a moment.

once he's processed a few pieces of information and unscrambled them all in his brain.] And if that was her job, then she shouldn't have been so damn reckless in the jungle!

[but it all comes full circle, with his jaw clenching and his helplessness and frustration just...

kind of overtaking him for a second.]

Dammit, Raven...

[it does suck. because if she's right, and even if it wasn't about trust, that doesn't mean it doesn't sting. she watches his reaction, still maintaining her neutral demeanor, and speaks up again when he deflates]

. . . my source has reasons to believe she's dead.

[HA HA. . .]

I don't know what those reasons are. But-- [. . .] You, at least, deserve to know all of this.

[he doesn't really seem surprised by the notion that raven is probably dead—they'd all been assuming the worst, anyway. nobody's seen a trace of her, and even if nobody has confirmed her death...

it's a problem.

but akira doesn't like the way her source says it so definitively anyway. it doesn't sit well with him in the least.]

...

[he can't really proceed with that line of thought, though. he can't ask for her source even if he can probably suss them out himself—though this isn't the first person who has told him that they were aware of someone else with a role, and for akira, that's also frustrating in sense.

he's used to people opening up to him, he's used to people slipping information his way, and even though a fair amount of people liked him well enough, the fact that he's so in the dark about so much of this is... frustrating? though he supposes he always was a bit of an outsider himself, huh?

"it's always like this."]

Thanks. For telling me.

[if anything, Magilou is very much aware of what it's like to be kept in the dark. it's taken her four weeks to get the smallest bits of information she has now, and she holds onto it like a precious jewel stolen by a thief. it, at least, make her feel a little less helpless]

Based on what I told you. . .

What do you think the rest of us should do about the remaining Sirens?

[she has her own answer to this, actually. but she wants to hear his]

...I don't know.

[that's a pretty solid non-answer.]

If what the Sirens say is true, they're doing the best they can for us. [...] But they're still murdering people in brutal ways, and too slowly. If they need to outnumber us, shouldn't they be carrying out more to thin the numbers before they die?

[...] They're already down by two. That leaves three of them, assuming we didn't lose any last night.

[. . .]

[a breath. a small bit of honesty, that she wouldn't give to anyone else but him, because she knows how it sounds and she knows it would make anyone else extremely suspicious of her motives. hell, it'll probably make Akira suspicious of her too, but after yesterday she just--]

[she can't keep it to herself]

I want to believe in them.

[despite the murders, despite the brutality.]

I want to believe they are the only ones who can tear this game down from the inside out. Regardless of the cruelty they're forced to commit as per this game's rules.

[her honesty is... honestly really important. and it doesn't make him suspicious, because he knows this isn't something she would admit to him if she didn't trust in him.]

I know it's the game's rules. And I know they don't have a choice. Even if I hate it, I... believe in the fact that not playing by the rules would be more dangerous for them, and all of us in turn.

[that's not what gets him, beyond his fundamental opposition to murdering people for sport.]

But... I can't understand why they'd only kill one at a time and make it more risky for themselves and the rest of us. [...] It makes me feel like there's something missing that we don't know yet.

Perhaps they're trying to figure out a way to end this farce with as few casualties as possible. Look for a win condition beyond the one they were given.

Make their own rules, instead of blindly following the Chiefs'.

[it's yet another shot in the dark, but they're good at those these days]

Maybe.

[he's still not sure, and it's still really frustrating.]

With the way they are, it seems like it'd be hard to even find a loophole. Anytime we try to exploit one, they've already got a consequence for it.

The volcano spirit Battler mentioned

[there's a point to this]

The Chiefs are strict and prepared to retaliate every time we buck against the system.

But we know nothing about this supposed spirit, do we? The one who supposedly will erupt the volcano if no one kills in one week.

[he shakes his head.]

Battler was the first I heard of that, and really... the last. [does anyone even know about it or how they can exploit it?]

[. . .]

[a very conflicted look suddenly crosses her expression.]

-- well, anyway! It's something to keep in mind, hmmm?

[and it's gone in an instant]

[...]

What was that about?

[yeah, he caught that look, so what the fuck magilou?]

[guh]

. . . haven't you ever found yourself in a situation where you'd like to say more, but you can't?

[. . .]

Sigh! And usually I'm way more loose-lipped with information than this.

[she says in a purposefully nonchalant way]

...

[yeah, that's not helping.]

Is that all, then?

[his tone is definitely a little chillier at that. sorry, magilou, but he's so exhausted with secret keeping and her holding things back from him right now isn't a great feeling?]

[oh--]

[. . . ah. . .]

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2/3 i lied he's having A Moment

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