[WEEK 5, THURSDAY MORNING: Akira]

[spinatalltale]

[she waits until Thursday morning to seek him out. not because she needed time to process the information, but because she had been so damn busy yesterday. talking to people. exchanging letters. exchanging theories. trying to make sure Lucina will be safe come trial this Saturday]

[it's exhausting. it's far more than what she's used to doing, honestly. she's supposed to be an observer, not a meddler, and yet here she is. actively trying to keep their last hope in this game alive]

[this island has made her more than just soft. it's made her a do-gooder, too]

[but none of that is important now, and wherever Akira may be, Magilou will find him as she tosses her letter bottle from one hand to the next]

Letters. You got some, right?

Comments

[jokered]

[akira, on the other hand... did very little.

he was so worn down on wednesday from his own situation, that he got aggravated with his letters and didn't really seek anyone out about their findings.

that was going to be thursday's work, but apparently, magilou has done that for him. funny, huh? as the situation wears on akira more, it's like he's a bit less capable and heroic—a teenage boy in distress. and magilou...

she's doing better than him; maybe the fact that she can take most things in stride has left her better off.]

...Yeah. A couple.

[and he can see that she probably already has some information—anything akira's gleaned what was he already knew, courtesy of magilou.]

[spinatalltale]

[she can see the remains of Wednesday's exhaustion on his features, and it's for that reason that she steps forward and touches the back of his hand, a gentle brush of fingers against knuckles]

[then, she gets down to business]

I exchanged letters with some people yesterday. All of the ones I read said things we already know-- don't trust what the Sirens say, they've been deceived, follow and trust in the Wickie to lead us home, etcetra etcetra.

[hesitation]

Except for one.

[jokered]

[brief as it is, it's soothing. magilou...

sure does have a soft side to her beneath it all, huh? he's glad he can see it, even in these moments. but he does get more serious as she gets to business.

he's not surprised by the revelation about the letters. he surmised just about the same after approaching it with a clear head.]

...Except for one?

[obviously, it's nothing good, judging by her expression. explain, magilou!]

[spinatalltale]

[call her out on her soft side and she'll kill you Kurusu :[ ]

Lief's. There was an anagram at the very end. Three words. Dramatise.

[everything about her immediately closes off. her expression, her demeanor. it's nonchalant and distant, just as she was at the very beginning of everything, like she's telling him about tomorrow's weather forecast]

"It's a dream."

[jokered]

[...

he recognizes that closed off nature, and after she says that, he understands why.]

...So.

[shit.]

We really weren't that far off.

[about it being a simulation. it really all is just a form of bullshit, then?]

[spinatalltale]

Heh. We weren't. But hey! All the signs were there from our second week here, right?

[she tosses the bottle from her left hand to her right, and then proceeds to balance it on the tip of her index finger]

"Simulation" or "illusion" or "dream." It's a slightly comforting thought, right?

[maybe for everyone else, to know that the things that occurred here weren't real. but for her?]

[it's like reliving an old nightmare]

[jokered]

[...]

It's not.

[wait for it:]

You've been messed with by illusions enough already.

[not to mention... what does it really mean for all of them, if this is just bullshit? how can this really even be a dream?]

[spinatalltale]

[her eyes flicker down, away from his face, to fixate at a spot on the ground. the corners of her mouth quirk into a slight, wry grin]

Mmm. Well. That just means I'm experienced enough to handle this sort of thing. But what it means for us and our experiences here-- well!

I suppose that's a question that can only be answered on the other side.

[whatever the "other side" of this dream may be]

[jokered]

[...

he just reaches for her hand, taking it in his and squeezing it lightly.]

We'll win this game and figure it out. What it'll mean. What we can do.

[for all of the death and dying, for all of... well, everything. how she's felt, how he's felt, what they've been through and how much they've all lost...

if they can get the right ending and save everyone, what comes next is figuring out what happens to them when this is all over.

...and after yesterday, that's kind of a strange feeling. will her world be fine? and if she goes back there, does it mean they won't see each other again? that sort of finality seems—well, abrupt. will they even remember, if it's all just a dream?

this place eternally raising more questions than it answers, doesn't it?]

[spinatalltale]

[her had hangs loose in his for a few seconds too long, before she weakly curls her fingers around his grip. her thoughts are a bit more defeatist-- if this was a dream, then is any of this real? are they going to wake up back in their own worlds, having never actually met?]

[. . . will Laphicet's incentive actually be implemented? will she return to a world she never wanted to be a part of in the first place, even after having been offered somewhere else to go?]

[. . .]

[she hates illusions. she hates dreams. she hates things that draw her in, make her feel wanted and cared for, and then cast her aside like it didn't matter in the first place. it reminds her of why she shut down her heart all those years ago]

[she knows people can't fight against happiness, and yet. here she is, falling for the exact same trick yet again. she's pathetic]

Suppose so. And I suppose the next thing to do is to wake up, hm?

[which she's assuming they'll do when they take out the Sirens, but hey. . . she isn't completely sure of that]

[jokered]

[it's not like those thoughts don't cross his mind as well. and it's exactly why he squeezes her hand a bit tighter, tugging lightly so they can be a little closer.

funny, huh. five weeks can really change a lot, and the idea of what this means for, for him, and for them certainly lives in his mind.

apparently, they're both falling for this trick in a very real way.]

Probably.

[...]

I'm a little less worried about that when we don't really know what happens when the illusion breaks.

[spinatalltale]

[she steps closer to him, though only slightly, and only bidden by his tugging. she's still a bit closed off, but she isn't resisting him, at least. it might just take a little more to melt her barrier this time around]

I'm afraid there's no way to figure that one out beforehand.

[she replies, casually and nonchalantly]

All we can do is wake up and see what awaits us. It's sure better than the alternative.

[being stuck on murder island forever, she means. she could try to cling to the small wisps of happiness she's found in this dream, sure. but the last time she tried that--]

[. . . nah. it's better the other way. even if they do break the illusion and return to their own respective realities, it's always better that way]

[jokered]

[he can sense it, of course. the fact that she's more closed off than she was yesterday.

...and of course, akira knows and understands why. he can't really blame her, with everything she's been through. if this is a dream, an illusion—if there ends up being no way to see each other, if her life is taken away when she returns to her world, if all that's left is some sort of vague memory of this life...

all of these possibilities are terrible, and she deserves better than that.

he can't blame her.

and yet still, he'll make the moves to bridge the gap between them, wrapping her arms around her and pulling magilou into a gentle hug.

after yesterday, he knows he needs to be the one to reach out today. balance, give-and-take—everything about their relationship has been like that, so right now... he needs to.]

No matter how this ends.... I still won't regret this part. [that, he thinks magilou should know. of all the things he could regret about his actions? pursuing his feelings for her isn't one of them.]

1/2

[spinatalltale]

[. . .]

[spinatalltale]

[sssssstop!!]

[she leans into him easily, thunking her forehead against his shoulder and mumbling something incoherent under her breath. even then, her arms snake around his wast, hands linking loosely at his back to keep her in place]

You're so irritating.

[. . . HE'S TRYING TO BE NICE MAGILOU!1 BE NICE IN RETURN]

[jokered]

You like to irritate other people, I'm just evening the score by irritating you.

[he teases gently, keeping his hold on her light, but swaying just a little, like a faint rhythm.]

I'll understand, though.

[?]

If you close yourself off to me more again, with what we know now. [...] I won't hold it against you.

[he just wants a little more time.]

[spinatalltale]

[the witty quip she had prepared in response to that first statement immediately dies on her tongue when the second tumbles from his mouth]

[. . .]

[gggguh]

[people can't fight against happiness. maybe she really has learned nothing]

Hey. Here's a story.

[she isn't responding to his statement directly, nor is she pulling away from his embrace]

I sort of left it out when I was telling you the tragic tale of Magillanica Lou Mayvin. The illusion Melchior used to test her--

[things are about to get super personal]

What do you think it was?

[jokered]

[well. he wasn't expecting a personal story out of this? but he'll take it. he's not going to stop listening to her stories if she's going to keep telling them.

besides, by now? akira knows that when she tells a story to him unprompted, it comes with a reason.]

What, exactly? I have no idea. But...

[hm.]

Probably something that Magillanica really longed for. [something powerful enough that her heart could shatter from the illusion.]

[spinatalltale]

Her family.

[. . . well. something powerful enough that it wasn't just the illusion itself that shattered her, but also Melchior's actions afterwards]

Humans can easily struggle and persevere against nightmares. But when presented with things they long for, things get a little dicier.

[jokered]

I see.

[it makes sense to him; instinctively, he does pull her a little closer, drawing in a quiet breath.]

And I'm guessing this relates closely enough to our current situation.

[spinatalltale]

[. . . she isn't pulling away. in fact, she gladly presses closer to him, her grip on his waist tightening]

Huh.

[a wry, half-laugh escapes, unbidden]

I suppose it doesn't matter now, but I think my Master would be disappointed that I didn't quite learn my lesson the first time around. I'm such a bad pupil, aren't I?

[people can't fight against happiness, least of all someone like her. or. . .]

[. . . maybe she's just willing to hedge her bets that when they wake up, he'll still be there]

[jokered]

It's better to be a bad pupil that follows her heart than a good one who lives the way someone tells her to.

[that's what akira thinks, at least.

but then, despite akira's sometimes gray-morality, he's always had a pretty black-and-white view of what's right and wrong with following one's heart. there are definite wrongs, when one's heart is used as a tool for harm....

but when someone has the choice between living freely in a way that makes them happy, and following the drone of society or someone else's decree, he'll always side with freedom.]

It doesn't mean you'll be free from pain, because I don't think anyone can ever be unless we become apathetic drones. But at least... your choices can be your own.

[spinatalltale]

[. . . huh]

[taking Melchior's lesson and turning it on its head. why hadn't she ever thought of that? probably because the wounds still stung, the scars ran too deep, and her instincts always told her to shut herself away if something would likely lead to pain]

[Akira is an idiot, to live so freely and embrace something that makes him happy, even knowing that very something could hurt later on. but again]

[it's her favorite part of him]

You know, I think by now, you've actually properly earned the name, "Trickster." ☆ Aren't you proud? Is it not kind of me to bestow the title to unto you without modifiers?

[shut up Magilou you've been calling him just Trickster for like two weeks now]

[jokered]

[it's just how he is. he's an idiot and a fool, like she said yesterday. he knows it. he's not free from pain. and so much of that pain has come from choices that truly weren't his own.

...but this?

this is his choice. wrapping magilou in his arms and looking for what good remains in their situation, having no regrets about pursuing her. she's truly incredible in her own way, and he admires the way she tries her best even when he knows she would find it easier to run away.

but she keeps not running away from him, and that makes him want to stay close, even if it means they'll hurt when they have to part.

it's part of being alive.

and they're still alive, so they have to embrace it.]

You're so kind and benevolent, Magilao. [as ever, he doesn't call her out on the fact that she's already been calling him that for a while.

instead, he just bends over a bit, leaning in to press a light kiss to her lips.]

I won't complain if you think I'm worthy of the title. [despite, you know. everything.]

[spinatalltale]

Yes, that's right. Shower me with praise! I accept all forms of it-- written and verbal.

[now she's just being a li'l shit, even as she tilts her head back to willingly accept that smooch. god. it's only been a week, but she's getting way more comfortable with this]