[WEEK 5, FRIDAY POST-INVESTIGATION: Lief]

[spinatalltale]

[like clockwork, she comes and finds him, though it isn't until after she's warmed herself up and dried out her clothes to stave off an episode of hypothermia]

[wherever Lief may be, she's approaching, expression neutral]

. . . you think Jinah knew?

Comments

[reidentify]

[Lief's sitting by the bonfire at this point, looking... pretty cold, although perhaps numb to it by now.

When Magilou approaches, he looks up at her, tired.]

Perhaps. Or perhaps she merely ["merely"] into despair from the pressure of this game. It is difficult to say, when neither of us knew her well.

[spinatalltale]

[. . .]

[there's silence for a few moments, and then the feeling of something warm and heavy being draped over his shoulders. a rare show of kindness]

It is tough to say. Though. . . it's likely Vriska will be executed after the trial this weekend, right?

[reidentify]

[He looks up in surprise. Then, back at the fire.]

... Yes. Prussia did not break their partnership, after all. And with her, the last of the Sirens will die—though that is assuming the Chiefs do not have special rules for if someone takes their own life.

[spinatalltale]

If Jinah knew that, then. . .

[well. maybe Jinah wanted to go out on her own terms, not the Chiefs']

[she links her hands behind her back, and rocks onto her heels]

Whose partnership did Prussia break this week?

[reidentify]

[...]

Ours. She thought that the Sirens might go after her this week.

[Though having learned that Fie was a Siren—as well as Raven—Lief can understand, at this point, why he might've survived this long even in spite of Vriska's blatant dislike of Prussia.]

[spinatalltale]

. . . instead, they went after Yona. Hmph.

[tilts her head back a bit so she's staring at the sky]

I can't help but wonder why. And why an illusion of her persisted even after death.

[reidentify]

... I do not know, for either question. Though for the second, it may very well be this island doing... strange things with our minds again.

[...]

I did think it odd that she refused to help me with—with Fie's body. Certainly, she did not like the sight of death, but she was determined not to let her sheltered upbringing hold her back in this place.

[spinatalltale]

[that is 100% why I DIDN'T TRUST BRITT TBH]

More oddities of this dream world, then? Not unlikely.

[but why did this only happen with Yona. . .? and not any of the other dead people?]

[reidentify]

[Lief doesn't know. Why only Yona, why this island had to give him false hope that the girl he promised to protect was all right.

He doesn't have a response for Magilou.]

[spinatalltale]

[she doesn't, either]

[. . .]

[she settles a hand on his shoulder, warm and firm, and squeezes. she's not good with words that convey actual feelings or kind words of comfort, but.]

[if there's one thing this island taught her, it's this]

[reidentify]

[...

He glances at her, before managing a soft smile.]

Thank you, Magilou. [a pause] For everything.

[spinatalltale]

Oh, please.

[she grins at him in return]

No need to thank me. I was just doing what I selfishly felt like doing, you know?

[reidentify]

[He's quiet for a moment, and then, perhaps randomly—]

You were the only one who trusted me—do you know that?

1/2

[spinatalltale]

[she blinks at him, eyes wide in genuine surprise]

[spinatalltale]

[. . . geeeeeeeeeez]

I find that hard to believe. An upstanding do-gooder like you is someone people should know they can put their faith in from the very beginning.

[reidentify]

[So it seemed on the outside, didn't it? Everyone kept telling him how kind he was, or how he seemed like a good leader. But really, how much did that even mean in the end?]

And yet no one truly ever wanted to tell me anything. You and Jacopo were the only ones.

[And Jacopo—well, he hadn't been so thrilled that Lief ratted him out to Vriska, so to speak. In a way, it was a surprise to know that Jacopo still cared for him so highly afterwards.

He smiles mirthlessly.]

Even Prussia did not mean to tell me her role. It came out by accident.

[He's being unreasonable, he knows. And a hypocrite, too, for has he not lied to his closest friends back home and even those here for reasons of his own? Not all of which have to do with trust?

There isn't really anything specific that's brought this on; just the end result of exhaustion piling on for weeks. Yona told him he could stand to depend on others more, but he wonders if he was nearly as dependable as she thought him to be.]

[spinatalltale]

[ah. . .]

[her voice is quiet]

It's not like there were many others besides you who trusted me. You were the first to give me anything.

[any sort of information at all, on roles or the Sirens or anything. and that still boggles her mind to this day]

Maybe that's why we worked so well together.

[reidentify]

[Ha.]

Indeed. Two people without roles, and with partners who hid theirs. We had to try and make something from nothing.

[spinatalltale]

You know what?

I think we did pretty well for ourselves, too.

[reidentify]

... Did we?

[spinatalltale]

Oho? Are you doubting what you've done? My dear Lief, who was it that figured out the identity of a Siren in our third week here?

[reidentify]

Because I unintentionally made her feel so guilty that she confessed?

[spinatalltale]

[WELL. . .]

Hey, whatever it takes, you know? The means don't matter if the ends are desirable!

[MAGILOU??]