nightchild | does roxana know of my love for her....

[HELP STOP I FORGOT THAT VANILLE DIED HERE

Itsuki will offer his arm to her with a small smile, though his emotions are somber. if also threaded with guilt,]

Want me to carry your shoes?

[feet check, how banging are roxana's shoes]

[ She places her hand on his arm with a smile. ]

Please.

[ She will take off her shoes for him to carry. ]

What do you feel guilty for?

[he will accept these banging shoes, right as Roxana gets to the heart of the matter, as always.]

...For accusing you of being careless?

[his tone is light, but the guilt's still there]

Your heart was in the right place. I could be careless in the heat of the moment.

[ There's no telling until it happens, but also this bitch has seen murder too many times to count. ]

Enough to leave your clothes behind?

[he kind of wants to see her be careless, except in a non murdering context...]

I didn't have any other reason besides that to suspect you.

Let's hope we're not put in a situation where we have to find out.

[ It'd be funny, though, wouldn't it? If Roxana were to murder. ]

We all have to follow the leads we were give, true or not.

[i want roxana to murder so bad but also to get murdered bc i think u deserve a treat ara

she's right, and he knows it, and yet... has catching killers ever been this dissatisfying? or is it because Itsuki's come to care for so many here....]

Shall we make a promise then? That we'll follow whatever leads we find for each other?

[his tone is light as if he's joking, but his emotions are serious]

[ yaywon :sob: you're so sweet you are my only friend

Caring is a disease that eats away at you, for better or for worse. It means you have a heart, but at what cost?

She smiles up at him, as if buying into a joke they're both sharing. ]

What if I want you to look away from me, Itsuki?

[ Her emotions are calm, neither joking nor serious. ]

[IM MANIFESTING THIS FOR YOU

Itsuki turns his head so he can look at her,]

...You know, if you asked me that question a few weeks ago, then I would have said sure.

[better to do whatever's expected of him, but now?]

I don't want to see you lose yourself. You deserve better than that.

[ There's a ripple of amusement, followed by fondness that flits away. ]

That's sweet, but what if it isn't because I'm losing myself?

[ A hypothetical question, to see what he'll say, because it's not as if Roxana controls the RNG. ]

[roxana your fondness...]

If it's not... [it's not like he hasn't thought about this before, mostly thanks to damien's conspiracy theories. maybe someone will strike first for a reason unrelated to rng,

maybe to save someone, like Roxana did for Malik.]

I'd want to ask you your reason first. ...Do you think you would tell me?

[in this very hypothetical scenario]

[ She's not unfeeling. She only keeps her feelings under wraps.

Her smile is faint, as if they're writing a quaint story together. ]

If you caught me, do you think I'd admit to it?

[itsuki, somewhere: emotion share week is the best]

It depends. You're not the kind of person who'd shy away from telling the truth, even if it hurts. But I also think you're the kind of person who'd refuse to make things easier for yourself, if it means you'll burden someone else.

[the tide's coming in, Itsuki gently pulls Roxana a little further up the coast to avoid the surf,]

As for catching you... I have no idea. I don't really like this place's idea of justice.

[ There is a flicker of some emotion that his words elicit, but it's hard to pinpoint it because Roxana isn't even sure what exactly it makes her feel. There's a pinprick of relief before there's an undercurrent of another emotion that she puts a lid on. ]

Thank you for thinking so much of me. I'd hesitate to call it justice.

[ In fact, she wouldn't hesitate to say it's not. ]

I'm just doing what you'd do.

[impeccable roxana, who cares for so many. even if it's for reasons that are more selfish, it can't take away the fact that Itsuki thinks she cares.]

But yeah, this place... Estinien mentioned something like -- it's still a place that the residents care about. And that might be true, but...

I can't help hating it.

[even if it's the place where he met buzen, and everyone. isn't it also the place that took them away?]

[ There's faint amusement for a moment. Estinien really tries too much to seem like he doesn't care sometimes, and for what? ]

How much do we know that isn't the Prism's doing? They've been here long enough.

[ The notes from the Dreamer don't point to anything good, and even if she likes all the Residents, that doesn't mean she can't have doubts about what the Prism has done to them. ]

I don't think we have to forgive anything the Prism has put us through. I won't. Even if they genuinely care for this place, it does not invalidate our feelings.

[he nods at that,]

I wonder if they'll understand that, if we tell them.

[maybe some people already have? itsuki hasn't, but he has a habit of not thinking about the hard things, even now.]

Well, residents aside... We've got enough to worry about right now, like tomorrow.

[ It's fine. Roxana has the habit of thinking about the hard things all the time. ]

Our feelings on the Prism? I think so. Even if they don't agree, they know we are suffering and aren't heartless to that.

[ She's pretty sure? She can always be wrong. If he means how the Prism has affected them, that's a terrible thing to talk to them about.

She nods, grim. ]

We didn't catch the other killer, so we'll have to prepare for the worst tomorrow.

[ Just in case, it's a repeat of Malik. (But it's not going to be, wowee.) ]

[look he's not gonna tell them about how the prism ruined his life??? even if his emotions probably reflect that,

his emotions mirror some of that grimness though,]

It's the most we'll ever be able to do, huh.

[it's not self-pitying though, just... resolute, in the way he doesn't want to be. but he can, for now]

[ was his life not already ruined before coming here........ ]

It's hateful.

[ He won't feel that she's feeling it, but she's feeling it. ]

[it was yeah....]

Yeah... For once, I'd like to make a decision that isn't us coping with the situation.

[his own emotions are free real estate,]

At least we're all united in that.

[ Her smile is faint and mirthless. ]

What a thing to have in common.

[ the times be dire. ]

[we live in DEPRESSION,

but also]

Well, I'd rather have something in common with you, then have to face you as an enemy.

[because like he'd die, but also... he just doesn't want Roxana to murder, or for him to murder -- under the constraints of this place.]

[ She laughs a little, and her amusement filters through. ]

I'll take that as a compliment. I hope we never have to be enemies.

[ Don't join Buzen so soon, Itsuki. ]

I'd prefer for us to be friends, anyway.

[itsuki's emotions in turn are easy to read. there's affection here, for roxana. as well as relief too, that he can still speak to her like this, and a little something like hope. like a hand being extended,]

I still owe you a date too.

does roxana know of my love for her....

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