[she'll get a quick little flicker of emotion, a ripple of more anxiety as he nervously fans himself, fan held in his right hand despite that being the arm beau's holding.]
No. No, it wasn't her, I...
[he bites his lip, then gingerly reaches into his sleeve with his left hand, cautious in the way he moves his arm. he pulls out the same skull he showed her before-- but it's cracked and damaged.
once that's done, it seems to open the floodgates.]
...Miss Beau, I had to-! He tried to kill me, I couldn't just... what else could I have done? Please, I can't- I don't want to die but I saw what happened to young master Asch!
[when she pulls him in, he flinches, with a sharp little intake of breath; a moment later, he pulls away a bit, once he's gathered himself again.]
...Stefano. I don't think he expected me to-- defend myself, or to survive the first attempt at all, but he didn't die immediately either. He seemed like he was... himself.
[he loosens his robes a little, pulling the sleeves of both layers of his outfit off of his left shoulder. it's bandaged, a little blood seeping through by now.]
They'll suspect me right away if they know I'm hurt, won't they, I don't... I really don't know what to do.
[ Trying to think before she's slept is very hard. ] Second. We need to make up a story. Come up with something - we were sparring. You were showing me how to use a sword and I got a little overzealous. Something like that. Do you think you can be believable for that?
He fucking shot you? [ wow can she go kill him again ] Do you think I could get it out? I can try. Or. Fuck, I don't know what to do, babe, I can't let you get voted because you were defending yourself. I don't fucking trust the others to believe you.
I think-- I don't know what we would do with it, it might be found and they would check closer, we can't... we have to leave it. For now.
[he's tired, he's hurt, he's freaking out a little bit still.]
I don't trust it either, and even if they... even if they believed me-- I think we believed Asch too, didn't we? If we don't catch anyone else, I'd be... they would kill me over someone else, miss Beau.
[as for what, though, he just. silently gestures to his metal fan.]
[that gets a slight nod. the fan looks like it's been cleaned since then, though.]
It caught him by surprise, but he still- it took too long.
[and therefore he's been fucking shot. he glances down to the bandages again-- then back up to her, brow furrowed.]
I think- maybe we shouldn't let them find out at all. I've never undressed in the open, and you've-- you've teased me about it, we could... if you just come with me and tell them I'm fine, will they believe you?
Or - you know what? If they insist, tell them you want to be looked at behind the screen, and I'll do it. One of the two. [ she reaches gently to take his hand, if he'll let her. ] I've been in charge of doing it for a lot of people in the past, so they won't suspect.
Don't say anything. Just keep calm. We'll get you through this, promise. [ and if she has to put herself in the line of fire to do it, she will. ] Jin Ling's - he's a good kid, but you're right. He's not good at this.
I'm gonna pretend I never heard about any of this, okay? But I'll do my best to redirect. Because - Meltryllis was a revenge kill. She was the monster that killed Nia. So if I can, I'm gonna spin it as we need to figure out who did the monster kill, not the random ones.
Yeah, I'm sure. You know how if you guess all three things when you vote? If you get it right, you get a prize. Even if we all vote for the wrong person.
I don't know if there were two monsters. But I know you were Stefano, and I'm pretty sure Meltryllis got killed by Nic. Maybe Ash. I don't know. Mammon was the monster kill, I'm pretty sure.
Yeah. Look. Look, I gotta sleep. Let me sleep and see if I can think of anything better than what we've got. Okay? And I'll come back and see you tonight.
[ aaaaaand about 8 hours laterish, she comes looking for him again! she's more rested, but she hasn't bothered putting her hair up again. it's a goddamn mess. she's got a bandeau on, all of her gross bug bites and human bites on display because she refuses to wear a shirt. and of course, her stupid shiny green tracksuit pants. ]
[he's more comfortable just saying that, now, frowning up at her; he's probably in like, a pillow and blanket nest on the floor of his room. huaisang has also rested, but he's looking kind of pale.]
[cool, he'll use his good arm to start fixing this MESS her hair has become, he will not stand for her looking like this.]
Oh- young masters Akira and Lio had the same conclusion you did, I think. We found a small trail of water in the garden, and they both mentioned believing there was only one monster left now.
[she was 100% right about people just saying things around him, apparently! literally. they just kind of talked around him on this one.]
They didn't explain to me, but I can only assume that's the case...
[ aw shit, hair brushing!! she's a whiny butt about it, grumbling when he hits snags, but. ]
Told you. [ if you act useless, people don't pay you any mind. ] But - yeah. They were both part of the library crew. We all had a conversation about it.
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No. No, it wasn't her, I...
[he bites his lip, then gingerly reaches into his sleeve with his left hand, cautious in the way he moves his arm. he pulls out the same skull he showed her before-- but it's cracked and damaged.
once that's done, it seems to open the floodgates.]
...Miss Beau, I had to-! He tried to kill me, I couldn't just... what else could I have done? Please, I can't- I don't want to die but I saw what happened to young master Asch!
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[ She drags him a little further to a quiet corner, and pulls him in close. ]
Okay. Okay, shh. I get it. You were defending yourself. [ Deep breath. ] Who tried to kill you, Sang? Can you remember? Did he hurt you otherwise?
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...Stefano. I don't think he expected me to-- defend myself, or to survive the first attempt at all, but he didn't die immediately either. He seemed like he was... himself.
[he loosens his robes a little, pulling the sleeves of both layers of his outfit off of his left shoulder. it's bandaged, a little blood seeping through by now.]
They'll suspect me right away if they know I'm hurt, won't they, I don't... I really don't know what to do.
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[ Trying to think before she's slept is very hard. ] Second. We need to make up a story. Come up with something - we were sparring. You were showing me how to use a sword and I got a little overzealous. Something like that. Do you think you can be believable for that?
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[a frown, there, his brow furrowed.]
-gun. I couldn't get the projectile out, I didn't have time to and I can't see it very well, anyway...
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He fucking shot you? [ wow can she go kill him again ] Do you think I could get it out? I can try. Or. Fuck, I don't know what to do, babe, I can't let you get voted because you were defending yourself. I don't fucking trust the others to believe you.
What did you kill him with?
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[he's tired, he's hurt, he's freaking out a little bit still.]
I don't trust it either, and even if they... even if they believed me-- I think we believed Asch too, didn't we? If we don't catch anyone else, I'd be... they would kill me over someone else, miss Beau.
[as for what, though, he just. silently gestures to his metal fan.]
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I don't know if it's a good idea to tell the truth, so - so we won't. We just need to think of a reason as to why your shoulder is fucked up.
[ a beat. ] Hah. The... the fan. [ she looks down at her hand, where the leftover cut is. ] Hm. Did you slit his throat?
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[that gets a slight nod. the fan looks like it's been cleaned since then, though.]
It caught him by surprise, but he still- it took too long.
[and therefore he's been fucking shot. he glances down to the bandages again-- then back up to her, brow furrowed.]
I think- maybe we shouldn't let them find out at all. I've never undressed in the open, and you've-- you've teased me about it, we could... if you just come with me and tell them I'm fine, will they believe you?
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Or - you know what? If they insist, tell them you want to be looked at behind the screen, and I'll do it. One of the two. [ she reaches gently to take his hand, if he'll let her. ] I've been in charge of doing it for a lot of people in the past, so they won't suspect.
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[he exhales slowly, accepting her hand. the skull's been stashed back in his sleeve i just forgot it.]
I really don't know what to say, miss Beau, I-- I don't know what I would do if you weren't.... I couldn't ask this of Jin Ling.
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Don't say anything. Just keep calm. We'll get you through this, promise. [ and if she has to put herself in the line of fire to do it, she will. ] Jin Ling's - he's a good kid, but you're right. He's not good at this.
I'm gonna pretend I never heard about any of this, okay? But I'll do my best to redirect. Because - Meltryllis was a revenge kill. She was the monster that killed Nia. So if I can, I'm gonna spin it as we need to figure out who did the monster kill, not the random ones.
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[he looks startled at that, though there's... not as much of a feeling of surprise from him as might be expected.]
Are you sure? I- wait, does that mean that the other one was-- do you think there were two monsters alive?
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I don't know if there were two monsters. But I know you were Stefano, and I'm pretty sure Meltryllis got killed by Nic. Maybe Ash. I don't know. Mammon was the monster kill, I'm pretty sure.
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[it's a good position to be in, but they can't outright say why to ignore this one...
well. they'll figure it out.]
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Yeah. Look. Look, I gotta sleep. Let me sleep and see if I can think of anything better than what we've got. Okay? And I'll come back and see you tonight.
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[a slight nod, there; it won't be hard to pass out, at least, after the night he had. god.]
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[he's more comfortable just saying that, now, frowning up at her; he's probably in like, a pillow and blanket nest on the floor of his room. huaisang has also rested, but he's looking kind of pale.]
Bring me a comb?
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Gee, thanks. [ she says wryly. ] Sure, I guess.
[ she'll just head over to flop down next to him... with a comb?? ]
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Oh- young masters Akira and Lio had the same conclusion you did, I think. We found a small trail of water in the garden, and they both mentioned believing there was only one monster left now.
[she was 100% right about people just saying things around him, apparently! literally. they just kind of talked around him on this one.]
They didn't explain to me, but I can only assume that's the case...
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Told you. [ if you act useless, people don't pay you any mind. ] But - yeah. They were both part of the library crew. We all had a conversation about it.
[ A beat. ] Hey, lemme ask you something.
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there's a quiet little hum at that last bit, though, his hand pausing a moment.]
What is it?
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[ she looks over her shoulder at him, expression calm. ] You're telling the truth.
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