[Itsuki probably ran out like a whirlwind at the news, but now he's back to wherever anmitsu LIVES, his clothes dirty with grave soil. He can't quite meet either of their eyes, his gaze keeps on flicking between them as he comes closer.]
...There was an earthquake at the cemetery. That's all we found.
[SORRY ITSUKI BEING RESPONSIBLE CAN WAIT!! Kashuu's immediately nyooming over to bundle Itsuki up into a tight, close hug. Listen. Meteion's loss is a painful one, but he can only imagine how hard it's hitting Itsuki, who already takes loss like a young widower.]
[YAMS IS ALSO HERE still in his fuckin bloody torn CYOA clothes!!! HIS BANDAGES ARE PROBABLY FALLING OFF BUT WHO CARES ABOUT THAT they must be here to comfort their sad in-law...
Kashuu's already hugging him, but Yasusada reaches out to squeeze his shoulder, looking solemn.]
...Buzen will take care of her. [Softly. It's not the best approach, probably, but Yasusada can't think of anything else that might be even remotely comforting.] We'll figure it out, Itsuki.
Itsuki doesn't say anything for a long moment, even with Kashuu's arms around him and Yasusada's hand on his shoulder. Warm, they're so warm. The warmth seeps into him, bit by bit, and he presses his eyes closed at both the mention of Buzen and the kindness they're offering. He wants so badly to break down. He thinks he's on the verge of it, but he knows if he starts now, then he won't be able to share this information.]
[KASHUU ISN'T DIRTY EXCUSE YOU except he probably is now, thanks. It's fine. Anyway they sure are trying to just provide comfort to sweet Itsuki but now Kashuu's just feeling a little sense of concern building up in the back of his chest. He glances toward Yasusada, then looks back at Itsuki.]
[PRETEND ITSUKI SAID WEDNESDAY NIGHT i continue not being able to read]
...Foresight. It was supposed to give me a premonition about a case. Nothing happened after I chewed it, but Thursday night... I had a dream.
[he makes a little sound in his throat that's almost like a laugh. imagine i had itsuki reveal he was the moiderah in this pc to both of his sword in-laws, so funny]
I was somewhere really cold, trying to speak to someone, but then they started changing into some kind of monster? [he sounds really uncertain because it was Something to behold,] Then I woke up. Now that I think about it... I was hoping it might have to do with Mete-chan, but...
[yaywon are u good im in tears... also imagine meteion was the refracted killer and crow just self-defense'd her about it.
ANYWAY. He had been like a tiny bit concerned about the POSSIBILITIES OF WHAT ITSUKI MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABOUT TO SAY, so. This is honestly not as bad as it could have been, even if his shoulders slump a little.]
...It's better than starting nowhere, at least. --"But"?
[METEION AS THE KILLER AND CROW JUST HIT HER WITH THE UNO REVERSE oh my god that would be hysterical]
A monster...? [That could mean so many things, especially this week, when people are gaining and losing all kinds of limbs and extremities--but "transform" seems like a different thing, and Itsuki probably needs anything at all to cling to right now, so Yasusada doesn't voice his thoughts. He just lets Itsuki continue.]
[it was a battle royale where meteion took garou out first and then crow took her out, i can believe that
...he nods at both of these things. it's week 5, he knows how this all goes by now. they find crumbs, so they can maybe find actual things tomorrow.]
...Yeah.
[he's all grave-dirty but he's still going to take a moment to just -- duck down a little so he can fold both of these ye olde swords into his arms. hug!!! if he hugs them, then he won't cry!!! no, he's probably going to cry, but he's so tired of crying.
Anyway Kashuu's just going to return the hug, because of course he will!! Even if Itsuki's going to cry sooner or later anyway, at least he can cry on his sword in-laws about it. He'll hold Itsuki back, gently rubbing a hand across his back. Yasusada can have a half-hug, too, they're just gonna be one big ol' ball of hugs.]
You, too. I'm really glad you're still here.
[Itsuki and Yasusada both. ...It always feels like such a selfish thing, when people die and their losses also hit. But he can't help feeling grateful every time he wakes up and the ones closes to him are still safe and sound.]
[HELP HIS INJURIES... I guess yams is just getting blood on them now that's fine. He doesn't mind the pain--he hugs both of them back, taking in a slow breath.]
Mm. Me too.
[Every week that he wakes up and finds both of them still alive is another week that he thinks, no matter how hard it gets here, he can keep holding on a little longer. Every death that wasn't prevented weighs on him, but in such an unpredictable place, he will take the small comforts he can get.]
Itsuki could really stand here and hug those he's come to treasure forever, but at some point he will notice the blood.]
Ah, Yasu-kun... [his tone is already apologetic, and he's moving gently away so that he can stop INFECTING yams' WOUNDS with GRAVE DIRT,] Your bandages are falling off.
[stop that makes me soft even tho we're all bleeding out here....
he will worry, but then again... yasu and kashuu are very reliable about using the pods (?) compared to some people like itsuki who had to handwave being there,
he'll nod as if to say 'alright', his expression is still pale, but there's more light in his eyes than before. one step at a time, he can follow kashuu and yasusada's example]
...I'll be okay too. [emotionally, he means. he probably will be maybe] And I'll be ready for tomorrow.
[he will not bc it's gonna be something really fcked up but it's okay]
[WHO'S BLEEDING OUT HERE LITERALLY ONLY YAMS IS BLEEDING.
But good, they don't need Itsuki snapping and sending them all into forever dream comas. He'll reach up to tug at some of the hair framing his face, very gently.]
One step at a time, right?
[Like he's reading the brackets... But no that's just a good phrase to fall back on when things get rough, especially when you have a whole cute song about it.]
[BRO WHAT THE FCK I WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING EMOTINOAL AND SAD BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT FIRST
well wherever the two of them go, Itsuki will follow. He hasn't let them go since Yasusada had confessed, and Kashuu had crushed him into his arms. Hadn't let them go even at the verdict, at hearing Roxana's steady voice as she chose her own fate.
his thoughts are only on these two -- the two swords he's come to love and care for, and who've accepted him. he's just holding onto them, trying to even out his breathing. he's aware that he's not touching the hairpin in his pocket right now, but he doesn't need the calming or the warmth. what he needs right now is to be here.]
[Itsuki is basically an honorary sword by now, he's allowed the very blessed privilege of seeing swords when they're coming down from losing their fucking minds in public. Kashuu isn't going to cry about it with a third party here, but he's got such a tight grip on Yasusada's haori that his knuckles are white, and he's pretty much glued to Yasusada's side, though he's got one arm around Itsuki now that the immediate threat has passed.
He's dragging them all to Metallic though, this is his home and his home only (Jiuqing is still here) HIS HOME ONLY--
They all get bedroom privileges too, but only because Kashuu doesn't feel like his legs are up for supporting him anymore. Time to just be a sad pile on his bed.]
[Yasusada will go where he's directly, honestly. He's still shaken from everything that happened--from coming so close to death, and more importantly, from coming so close to breaking his promises.
He curls into Kashuu, but he keeps one hand on Itsuki's arm, squeezing tightly.]
I'm sorry, Itsuki. [He also said that already, and everyone yelled at him, but he'll say it again.] I wish I could've told you.
[He's just quiet, mostly concentrating on keeping that contact with Yasusada, like he's afraid that at any moment, they'll hear there was a mistake - that Roxana hadn't actually been voted for - and the residents will come to take Yasusada away instead. Just thinking about it makes him shudder and pull closer.
He doesn't have anything to say, though. He's still reeling and recovering in this sad, sad pile. He also keeps a hand on Itsuki's arm, like a mirror to Yasusada's posture, and simply tries to even out his breathing.]
[It's such a complicated tangle of emotion; relief, gratitude, guilt, sorrow. The weight of a heart has always been so foreign and difficult to handle--he doesn't even know how to begin understanding everything he's feeling tonight.]
I don't think I could've done it any earlier.
[And Yasusada is a painfully honest person--he trusts, by now, that Itsuki knows he wouldn't have kept quiet from him if he didn't have to.
He's quiet for a minute, tucking himself even more tightly against Kashuu's side.]
Even if Kiyomitsu hadn't used his gumball, Su-sensei was looking at my knife. She noticed the damage to it.
[Which he might've been able to lie about, but--it's not really in Yasusada's nature to do so, and they had no other true leads at the time. It's likely suspicion would've landed on him anyway.]
[The mention of that FCKIN CURSED GUMBALL FROM HELL has him curling even closer to Yasusada, his breath hitching a little. FUCK THAT GUMBALL. HE HATES IT HERE. HE TRIES TO BE HELPFUL ONE TIME IN A TRIAL AND HE DOXXES HIS PARTNER.
Anyway.]
...You're way too honest for your own good, stupid.
[There's no bite in those words like there usually would be, though. He just sounds miserable.]
[yeah, Itsuki absolutely believes that Yasusada would have told him if he could. That's why Kashuu is curled up in a ball, dunking on him.]
...I think that saved you, Yasu-kun. If you'd been refracted -- then you wouldn't have said anything. Jiu-chan was looking at your knife, but we were still running out of time. And we would have had to ask for your item to help confirm it. I don't think you would have helped if you'd been under a refraction.
[he looks a little pensive, even as he gives Kashuu a soothing little back rub]
Your honesty proved that it was you. And all of us knew that. Maybe some people voted for you, but most of us didn't.
[THIS DUNKING!!!! Automatically, he turns to bury his face against Kashuu--to hold back another apology, maybe, or just to reassure him that they're truly all safely here.]
...Mm.
[He's not thinking of himself, really--rather, he's thinking of Atsushi, who Yasusada had known as kind and brave, someone he believes never would've lied if he'd been in his right mind. He's thinking of Kazuma, who'd truly believed he was rescuing his closest friend.
He doesn't want to think about what Meteion might've been thinking or feeling, when she'd turned her blade on Crow. She must've been made to think she was saving him too, or something of the sort. They all know, by now, that refraction is a twisted, ugly thing.]
[YEAH, HE DUNKS!! IT'S HIS RIGHT!!!! But he'll just make a grateful sound at Itsuki's lil back rub, and transfer the gesture to Yasusada, whose back he rubs in a gentle motion, as if to apologize for his harshness and the fact that he never knows how to handle these things in a more elegant way.
Anyway, he'll say what he's sure several people are thinking right now.]
It was really mostly that belief, I think. And luck. [And the fact that no one wanted to separate a peanut and a potato.] ...The fact that Roxana had enough votes to tip the scales her way is - ...I mean. It's a surprise, y'know? Even with no real evidence.
[YALL REALLY JUST THREW ROXANA TO THE WOLVES. "ROXANA CAN DO WHATEVER" EVERYONE SAYS, UNTIL THE OTHER PERSON UP FOR DEATH IS A POMERANIAN.]
...Yeah. We didn't have anything concrete enough to really confront her with. Though Te-kun and Crow seemed to have a better idea than the rest of us.
[Itsuki won't say he did. He cast his vote on the pure hope that Yasusada wouldn't be voted for. He threw Roxana to the wolves, knowing what it would might mean. that and he has a feeling she of all people could destroy the wolves]
We don't know if she's refracted either. ...Personally, I think she is, considering that we found evidence at all. If she'd been her normal self, then we would have never even considered her as an option.
[He wants to shake his head, to reassure Kashuu that it's fine--but he doesn't even really have the energy for that, in all honesty.]
...I remember seeing a memory, of her butterflies. I wasn't really thinking about it at the time. [For obvious reasons.] But she'd... been coughing after she used them then, too.
[And, y'know. The guilty verdict was there for all to see.]
I don't think she would've killed Garou if she wasn't. I guess it might've been self-defense too, but...
[It seems kind of unlikely, especially with her refusal to answer questions, and her behavior throughout the trial.
He sighs softly.]
Maybe someone will come through for her, like with Percy.
[That seems even more unlikely, but at least they know it's not totally impossible.]
[The funny thing is, he'd seen that memory too and he had been so entirely bowled over by seeing Yasusada's knife that he'd just COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT.
But he just nods at that, quiet, absentmindedly raising a hand to stroke his fingers through Yasusada's hair.]
Yeah... I think she's refracted. She wouldn't do anything that'd put her at risk otherwise, y'know?
[Garou attacking first doesn't seem likely to him either, for the same reasons.
He lapses into a discomforted silence at the mention of Percy, though, thinking about what he'd heard from Shale.]
[can't believe kashuu's not sharing with the class?
It doesn't make him feel better about Roxana, but he's a little relieved to know that Yasusada and Kashuu think the same way. Roxana's always been hard to read, so maybe there are others who think the opposite. Either way, he feels like she might not tell the truth, especially if it earned her sympathy.
he sighs, because it really has been an exhausting day, even if the trial is over and both yasusada and kashuu are safe now.]
...At least we won't have to worry about anyone transforming tomorrow.
[he cups both of their faces with his hands for a moment,]
[That's one relief--and one that extends, selfishly, towards himself as well. Something had affected him, enough to prevent him from being as honest as he normally would have been from the very start--but he feels wholly normal now, and he doesn't have the energy to worry about it further.
Yasusada's hair shimmers into a midnight blue, but he doesn't seem to mind the touch; he just draws in a deep, steadying breath.]
Me too. [If he had been refracting, this whole night would've gone very differently.] And you too.
[Swords are used to death. Corruption isn't wholly new to them either. But Yasusada doesn't want to lose either of them--not their lives, or their minds, which would be the same thing in the end.]
[Corruption is what he fears more than death, honestly. Death is not new to him, even compared to other swords; he was born into it, and he left before many others, too. But to lose one's sense of self? Especially for them, whose sense is already a relatively new thing, in human-facing terms? It's a terrible thought.
In subconscious reaction, he pulls Yasusada closer, the hand on Itsuki tightening its grip a little, like that alone could help keep them both tethered to this side with him.]
...Yeah. First time finding both of the people refracting, huh...
[Somehow, it never feels like a victory, no matter how much they accomplish, even with the few people they manage to save.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nightchild) wrote2022-03-25 07:38 pm
w5 friday
...There was an earthquake at the cemetery. That's all we found.
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Kashuu's already hugging him, but Yasusada reaches out to squeeze his shoulder, looking solemn.]
...Buzen will take care of her. [Softly. It's not the best approach, probably, but Yasusada can't think of anything else that might be even remotely comforting.] We'll figure it out, Itsuki.
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Itsuki doesn't say anything for a long moment, even with Kashuu's arms around him and Yasusada's hand on his shoulder. Warm, they're so warm. The warmth seeps into him, bit by bit, and he presses his eyes closed at both the mention of Buzen and the kindness they're offering. He wants so badly to break down. He thinks he's on the verge of it, but he knows if he starts now, then he won't be able to share this information.]
...I used a gumball last night.
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...What was it supposed to do?
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He returns Kashuu's look, but doesn't say anything; he just keeps his hand where it is, comforting.]
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...Foresight. It was supposed to give me a premonition about a case. Nothing happened after I chewed it, but Thursday night... I had a dream.
[he makes a little sound in his throat that's almost like a laugh. imagine i had itsuki reveal he was the moiderah in this pc to both of his sword in-laws, so funny]
I was somewhere really cold, trying to speak to someone, but then they started changing into some kind of monster? [he sounds really uncertain because it was Something to behold,] Then I woke up. Now that I think about it... I was hoping it might have to do with Mete-chan, but...
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ANYWAY. He had been like a tiny bit concerned about the POSSIBILITIES OF WHAT ITSUKI MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABOUT TO SAY, so. This is honestly not as bad as it could have been, even if his shoulders slump a little.]
...It's better than starting nowhere, at least. --"But"?
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A monster...? [That could mean so many things, especially this week, when people are gaining and losing all kinds of limbs and extremities--but "transform" seems like a different thing, and Itsuki probably needs anything at all to cling to right now, so Yasusada doesn't voice his thoughts. He just lets Itsuki continue.]
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I'd show you a picture, but my power keeps glitching.
[HE'D DRAW IT BUT LIKE HE'S TOO DEPRESSED,]
...It probably has something to do with Crow, right? Since they found him on the mountain.
[where else would it be cold? THE FRIDGE OF THE GROCERY STORE?]
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You can show us later, don't push yourself.
[Sweet Itsuki's already doing a lot... He'll reach up to gently pet his hair in an attempt at a soothing gesture, sighing.]
--But yeah, probably. We don't know how the other two were involved in that, though, or what happened to Crow in the first place.
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[What do they. EVEN DO WITH A LIVE PERSON. Why are there three people involved this time??? Things are getting so confusing, help.]
We don't know how the cemetery is involved, either. There's probably other places we're missing too... we'll find out more tomorrow.
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...he nods at both of these things. it's week 5, he knows how this all goes by now. they find crumbs, so they can maybe find actual things tomorrow.]
...Yeah.
[he's all grave-dirty but he's still going to take a moment to just -- duck down a little so he can fold both of these ye olde swords into his arms. hug!!! if he hugs them, then he won't cry!!! no, he's probably going to cry, but he's so tired of crying.
tears or not, his grief is still present.]
...Thanks for being here.
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Anyway Kashuu's just going to return the hug, because of course he will!! Even if Itsuki's going to cry sooner or later anyway, at least he can cry on his sword in-laws about it. He'll hold Itsuki back, gently rubbing a hand across his back. Yasusada can have a half-hug, too, they're just gonna be one big ol' ball of hugs.]
You, too. I'm really glad you're still here.
[Itsuki and Yasusada both. ...It always feels like such a selfish thing, when people die and their losses also hit. But he can't help feeling grateful every time he wakes up and the ones closes to him are still safe and sound.]
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Mm. Me too.
[Every week that he wakes up and finds both of them still alive is another week that he thinks, no matter how hard it gets here, he can keep holding on a little longer. Every death that wasn't prevented weighs on him, but in such an unpredictable place, he will take the small comforts he can get.]
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Itsuki could really stand here and hug those he's come to treasure forever, but at some point he will notice the blood.]
Ah, Yasu-kun... [his tone is already apologetic, and he's moving gently away so that he can stop INFECTING yams' WOUNDS with GRAVE DIRT,] Your bandages are falling off.
[WHY ARE THEY FALLING OFF IN THE FIRST PLACEEE]
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Kashuu also hates it here THIS STUPID POTATO. He sighs, reaching out with his free hand to ruffle Yasusada's hair.]
I'll fix 'em up later.
[This is non-negotiable.]
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But he ducks his head, stepping back. He reaches for Itsuki's hand and squeezes it one more time before he lets it go.]
Don't worry about me. I'll use the pods after the trial, or the day after.
[Once everyone has had time to regrow their limbs and fix up their holes, except for Garou, who is dead.]
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he will worry, but then again... yasu and kashuu are very reliable about using the pods (?) compared to some people like itsuki who had to handwave being there,
he'll nod as if to say 'alright', his expression is still pale, but there's more light in his eyes than before. one step at a time, he can follow kashuu and yasusada's example]
...I'll be okay too. [emotionally, he means. he probably will be maybe] And I'll be ready for tomorrow.
[he will not bc it's gonna be something really fcked up but it's okay]
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But good, they don't need Itsuki snapping and sending them all into forever dream comas. He'll reach up to tug at some of the hair framing his face, very gently.]
One step at a time, right?
[Like he's reading the brackets... But no that's just a good phrase to fall back on when things get rough, especially when you have a whole cute song about it.]
We'll be with you all the way.
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Mm. [He gives Itsuki an encouraging smile.] Count on us, okay?
w5 saturday
well wherever the two of them go, Itsuki will follow. He hasn't let them go since Yasusada had confessed, and Kashuu had crushed him into his arms. Hadn't let them go even at the verdict, at hearing Roxana's steady voice as she chose her own fate.
his thoughts are only on these two -- the two swords he's come to love and care for, and who've accepted him. he's just holding onto them, trying to even out his breathing. he's aware that he's not touching the hairpin in his pocket right now, but he doesn't need the calming or the warmth. what he needs right now is to be here.]
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He's quiet, too; he just holds them both as tightly as he can, breathing shakily.]
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He's dragging them all to Metallic though, this is his home and his home only (Jiuqing is still here) HIS HOME ONLY--
They all get bedroom privileges too, but only because Kashuu doesn't feel like his legs are up for supporting him anymore. Time to just be a sad pile on his bed.]
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he said it before, but he has to say it again.]
I believe you, Yasu-kun. ...And -- [he takes in a deep breath, lets it out] I'm glad it wasn't you.
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He curls into Kashuu, but he keeps one hand on Itsuki's arm, squeezing tightly.]
I'm sorry, Itsuki. [He also said that already, and everyone yelled at him, but he'll say it again.] I wish I could've told you.
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He doesn't have anything to say, though. He's still reeling and recovering in this sad, sad pile. He also keeps a hand on Itsuki's arm, like a mirror to Yasusada's posture, and simply tries to even out his breathing.]
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...It wouldn't have changed anything. Whether I knew earlier or later, I still wouldn't have voted for you.
[he squeezes Yasusada's shoulder,]
You really scared us, you know? Confessing when we had such little time left.
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I don't think I could've done it any earlier.
[And Yasusada is a painfully honest person--he trusts, by now, that Itsuki knows he wouldn't have kept quiet from him if he didn't have to.
He's quiet for a minute, tucking himself even more tightly against Kashuu's side.]
Even if Kiyomitsu hadn't used his gumball, Su-sensei was looking at my knife. She noticed the damage to it.
[Which he might've been able to lie about, but--it's not really in Yasusada's nature to do so, and they had no other true leads at the time. It's likely suspicion would've landed on him anyway.]
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Anyway.]
...You're way too honest for your own good, stupid.
[There's no bite in those words like there usually would be, though. He just sounds miserable.]
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...I think that saved you, Yasu-kun. If you'd been refracted -- then you wouldn't have said anything. Jiu-chan was looking at your knife, but we were still running out of time. And we would have had to ask for your item to help confirm it. I don't think you would have helped if you'd been under a refraction.
[he looks a little pensive, even as he gives Kashuu a soothing little back rub]
Your honesty proved that it was you. And all of us knew that. Maybe some people voted for you, but most of us didn't.
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...Mm.
[He's not thinking of himself, really--rather, he's thinking of Atsushi, who Yasusada had known as kind and brave, someone he believes never would've lied if he'd been in his right mind. He's thinking of Kazuma, who'd truly believed he was rescuing his closest friend.
He doesn't want to think about what Meteion might've been thinking or feeling, when she'd turned her blade on Crow. She must've been made to think she was saving him too, or something of the sort. They all know, by now, that refraction is a twisted, ugly thing.]
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Anyway, he'll say what he's sure several people are thinking right now.]
It was really mostly that belief, I think. And luck. [And the fact that no one wanted to separate a peanut and a potato.] ...The fact that Roxana had enough votes to tip the scales her way is - ...I mean. It's a surprise, y'know? Even with no real evidence.
[YALL REALLY JUST THREW ROXANA TO THE WOLVES. "ROXANA CAN DO WHATEVER" EVERYONE SAYS, UNTIL THE OTHER PERSON UP FOR DEATH IS A POMERANIAN.]
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[Itsuki won't say he did. He cast his vote on the pure hope that Yasusada wouldn't be voted for. He threw Roxana to the wolves, knowing what it would might mean. that and he has a feeling she of all people could destroy the wolves]
We don't know if she's refracted either. ...Personally, I think she is, considering that we found evidence at all. If she'd been her normal self, then we would have never even considered her as an option.
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...I remember seeing a memory, of her butterflies. I wasn't really thinking about it at the time. [For obvious reasons.] But she'd... been coughing after she used them then, too.
[And, y'know. The guilty verdict was there for all to see.]
I don't think she would've killed Garou if she wasn't. I guess it might've been self-defense too, but...
[It seems kind of unlikely, especially with her refusal to answer questions, and her behavior throughout the trial.
He sighs softly.]
Maybe someone will come through for her, like with Percy.
[That seems even more unlikely, but at least they know it's not totally impossible.]
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But he just nods at that, quiet, absentmindedly raising a hand to stroke his fingers through Yasusada's hair.]
Yeah... I think she's refracted. She wouldn't do anything that'd put her at risk otherwise, y'know?
[Garou attacking first doesn't seem likely to him either, for the same reasons.
He lapses into a discomforted silence at the mention of Percy, though, thinking about what he'd heard from Shale.]
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It doesn't make him feel better about Roxana, but he's a little relieved to know that Yasusada and Kashuu think the same way. Roxana's always been hard to read, so maybe there are others who think the opposite. Either way, he feels like she might not tell the truth, especially if it earned her sympathy.
he sighs, because it really has been an exhausting day, even if the trial is over and both yasusada and kashuu are safe now.]
...At least we won't have to worry about anyone transforming tomorrow.
[he cups both of their faces with his hands for a moment,]
...I'm glad you two are yourselves.
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[That's one relief--and one that extends, selfishly, towards himself as well. Something had affected him, enough to prevent him from being as honest as he normally would have been from the very start--but he feels wholly normal now, and he doesn't have the energy to worry about it further.
Yasusada's hair shimmers into a midnight blue, but he doesn't seem to mind the touch; he just draws in a deep, steadying breath.]
Me too. [If he had been refracting, this whole night would've gone very differently.] And you too.
[Swords are used to death. Corruption isn't wholly new to them either. But Yasusada doesn't want to lose either of them--not their lives, or their minds, which would be the same thing in the end.]
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In subconscious reaction, he pulls Yasusada closer, the hand on Itsuki tightening its grip a little, like that alone could help keep them both tethered to this side with him.]
...Yeah. First time finding both of the people refracting, huh...
[Somehow, it never feels like a victory, no matter how much they accomplish, even with the few people they manage to save.]