[WEEK 3, FRIDAY POST-INVESTIGATION: Keith]

[spinatalltale]

[she gives him time. she gives him space. not out of any sense of reverence or anything like that, but because she wants to talk to him while he's in his right mind. after he's had a chance to absorb the information and accept it for what it is]

[thus, she doesn't approach until evening sometime, a book tucked under her arms and a stony expression on her features]

Have you had time to think?

[she keeps herself cool and detached, as always. no feelings. she's bad at those]

Comments

[alienated]

[...]

I have.

[In a weird way, Magilou's attitude is all too welcome right now. It makes things easier for him, even when his stomach churns in anticipation and Lance's words loop around in his mind like a broken record.

"You're only thinking of yourself because you're too scared to do what's right."

So, it seems like he'll die as he lived. Selfishly, thinking of himself as usual.]

[spinatalltale]

[. . . hey. in Magilou's mind, that isn't always a bad thing. but then again, she's probably one of the most selfish people on the island]

I never really had the chance to ask this of the other victims.

[she cracks her book open, pressing the tip of her quill to a page]

How do want to be remembered?

[it's probably not an easy question to answer, but she asks it, anyway. for Reasons]

[alienated]

[Maybe it would be less of a bad thing, in his mind, if he were actually selfish. But even when he dedicates himself to saving the universe, to protecting his friends, from preserving what little he has — it still boils down to that single moment where he does't. When he puts his feelings above everything else, it always ends in backlash.]

What kind of question is that?

[Truly, honestly. He sees her with her book, but he doesn't quite get it.]

I don't care if I'm remembered at all. Leave that for someone who wants glory for themselves.

[He just wants to do the right thing. It's the only purpose he's got.]

[spinatalltale]

[oh, Keith. . . she can tell he doesn't quite get it. and that's fine by her; her duty as "storyteller" and "historian" isn't one mandated by the game rules, and it doesn't exactly serve any higher purpose. it's just a role she created for herself, and follows for herself, and no one else]

[it isn't like she cares about these people, right? it isn't that she cares about their struggles, their fights, their emotions, or every moment they laugh and cry and rage against an unfair system. it isn't as though she finds those moments more precious than a pearl found at the bottom of the ocean, more meaningful than a pretty flower kept perfectly in a garden. it isn't as though she loves seeing people feel, in the absence of her ability to do so like a normal human being. she's just doing what she has to do, as a Mayvin, as a Storyteller of Time]

[right?]

It isn't about glory.

[she answers simply, her pen still against the paper]

It's about preserving a story that's being unfairly cut off before its time.

[alienated]

["Unfairly." That's one way to put it. Nothing about this is fair. Haru didn't deserve to die. Neither did Yato, Joshua, Austria, Lelouch, Mello — or Ruby, should she be among the deceased. There's something about the way she says it that makes him pause for a long moment, staring at her almost like he can't decide what to think of this, before... he laughs a short, humorless laugh.]

... Magilou, you're really taking this seriously.

[Man, isn't it fucked up that he feels like he understands her more now that he's counting down to his death?]

I still don't have an answer for you, so... I'll leave it to you. How do you think I should be remembered?

[spinatalltale]

[hey, it isn't as though she makes herself easy to understand. this side of her. . . it's only been shown to a very few, very select group of people]

[it'd be a lot nicer if he could've seen it before death started to hover over his head like a countdown timer]

Well, I have a couple of thoughts. You could be remembered as someone passionate, yet hesitant. Someone with a lot of drive, but wavering focus. You seem like someone who knows what he wants. . . but isn't quite sure how to get there yet.

[cants her head]

Am I right?

[alienated]

[It would have been nice, but it is what it is. Even if he wishes he could have gotten to know everyone better, and even if he wishes he had more time to properly understand Magilou and see the capacity for good he feels from her — he won't get that.

Not for the first time, he desperately wishes Shiro could be here for him.]

... Yeah. [There's something of a wry smile on his face. He's felt like shit since Wednesday, and now it's been triplicated.] That sounds like me. Hotheaded, impulsive. Not half bad.

[spinatalltale]

I'm good at reading people.

[she says with a cheeky little smile. she has to be, after all, to properly tell their stories]

Those aren't bad traits to have. In fact, I'd say having them makes you a pretty capable person.

[she's writing as they talk]

It's like learning how to wield an unfamiliar blade. You lash out, and sometimes you cut yourself or the people you'd rather protect. But once you figure it out-- once the hilt feels comfortable in your hand-- no one can stand in your way.

[alienated]

[That's an appropriate metaphor, considering he's Voltron's swordarm. The one... he's specifically missing right now, actually.]

Did you know I fight with swords? [It seems like a non-sequitur, and it. Kind of is. But not quite.] I had this knife with me for as long as I can remember, so learning how to fight... it felt like the next logical step. I didn't really think about why I had that knife. I just knew my parents left it with me. I didn't think— I'd end up fighting a war.

[He didn't think he would have to kill people, detached from the act as he blew up their ships with Red. He didn't think he'd have to hold someone with a sword to their throat, threatening to end their life if he didn't get what he wanted.

After a beat, as he sort of... bridges from one point to another.]

Have you ever killed someone before, Magilou?

[spinatalltale]

[non-sequitur or not, she's listening. she's letting him guide the conversation to where he wants it to go. that's the best way to get to know a person, after all. the best way to understand them]

[there is, however, a visible hesitation between his question and her answer. everything about her expression is always detached, but for some reason, her gaze in particular goes out of focus]

When I was 14, actually.

[:')]

But that was just the first time. There were others-- many others.

[LOOK THAT'S KIND OF A LOT TO DUMP ON A PERSON. . . EVEN IF THEY ASKED??]

[alienated]

[He notices that. He could have been standing all the way over on Kerberos and he still would have noticed that, he thinks. Looking away from her, he balls his remaining hand into a fist, more of a nervous gesture than anything else.]

Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that.

[spinatalltale]

Oh, please. [the flippancy she usually carries is back] That was then, this is now! What was it that I told you the other day? You can't really change the past, only your future.

[she can tell there was a reason he asked]

Have you ever killed anyone before?

[alienated]

[He doesn't have much of a future at this point, but it's still solid advice.]

We're at war. I've done what I've had to do to win it.

[Translation: Everyone dies a kid friendly death because it's hecking DreamWorks. People still die off screen when their ships blow up. It's fine.]

[spinatalltale]

[that's what she thought his answer would be, just based on him mentioning the war to her earlier]

What do you fight for?

[alienated]

The same as I've been fighting for here. [Not that he's been very effective.] To protect the people of the universe.

[...]

This is where my fight ends, though.

[spinatalltale]

[she steps forward, not quite in his personal space, but. close]

Are you sure about that?

[alienated]

I'm going to die.

[Matter-of-factly. The rules have been upheld until now, and he won't be an exception.]

[spinatalltale]

Yeah.

[no beating around that bush]

But is death really the end? Not in a philosophical sense, but in the sense of this game.

[alienated]

... I don't know. Do you remember what the Chief told Yona?

[spinatalltale]

I do.

[granted, she takes every word out of the Chiefs' mouths with a huge grain of salt]

I don't know if it's true or not, because I don't know if that Chief was the one who lies or not. But even so-- it's something to bear in mind.

That's why I asked.

[alienated]

Yeah.

[There's a hefty pause after this, but...]

If I still exist in some capacity after this, I'll look for a way to get word out to you.

[spinatalltale]

[. . .]

[this island. . . it was filled with far too many people who had too much determination for their own good. but the longer this game continues, the more she thinks. . . well]

[maybe that's a good thing]

You've got it, Red. [HA HA GET IT RED] In the meantime, could you do me another favor?

Think about that question I asked you. About who you are, and how you want to be remembered.

I want you to give me an answer before you die.

[alienated]

... "Red?" [It's kind of jarring because to him, Red is what he calls his lion. Not quite as jarring as what she says next, though.]

I told you to come up with an answer yourself. Isn't that enough?

[No, Keith. You have to give your shounen speech before you die.]

... No, before that. There's— [...] We're going to find out what happens to a dead person's partner.

[How they'll die, he means.]

[spinatalltale]

[don't ask her the logic for it okay!! also come on Keith she knows you have the shounen in you, let it out]

I suppose we are. It'll be the first time a dead person's partner can't be voted for after the trial.

Though it'd make sense if their death was treated just like an execution.