seasonality ✦ alphinaud

[commandertoolbelt]

Comments

[arcsplainist]

[ Leo will find Alphinaud sitting alone on a bench somewhere around campus; in his lap sits a grimoire, one he seems to be deeply focused on...

Until Leo ventures into the silence. ]

Have you come to chastise me further?

[commandertoolbelt]

I - I don't want to, okay?

[ he remains standing, fiddling with something in his hands. ]

But it does matter if he did it out of his own free will or not. You have to know that, right?

[arcsplainist]

[ Hm.

He can't deny it would change matters, but... ]

... You are not the first to claim such, but can you be certain about that?

[commandertoolbelt]

You were with Kon, so you should know it's already possible.

Besides that... During that first expulsion, Kaoruko and Otome were both being controlled to some extent. You saw that, didn't you?

[arcsplainist]

Of course I had.

[ Sounds like Kon has told Leo some things, though, and suddenly he finds himself worrying over how much. ]

But that—it does not mean...

[ In the end, he cuts himself short. He should know, better than anyone, how far these compulsions can go. ]

... No—ignore me. Full well do I know I have made a fool of myself.

[commandertoolbelt]

Hey, I'm not - I don't want to make you feel bad, okay? Or worse. Besides, I'm the last person who can guilt any of you for what happened then.

[ whatever that means ]

Anyway, I'm not talking about just that. There's other evidence besides the applications and map pieces you guys found that points to us... maybe just being forced into playing roles here. There are too many coincidences to ignore it, so... It could be that that's what's happening. We don't know enough yet to say for sure, but... I believe that theory.

[arcsplainist]

[ sometimes you're upsetti spaghetti and you say things you regret...... it's fine

But Alphinaud does glance up—as if something has caught his attention. ]

There was mention made of these "roles" during trial. What do you mean?

[commandertoolbelt]

...Someone found a script. A rejected one, but like I said, there's too many coincidences to ignore. One of the notes it had was that it needed a bigger cast, for one - that'd be all of us.

Kaoruko told someone that we should just play along. It's a weird word choice on its own, but if we believe the role theory, it makes more sense, doesn't it?

[arcsplainist]

[ He thinks about this for a moment. ]

So I see. ... And you believe that is the reason why—that these are people made to commit these acts against their wills.

[commandertoolbelt]

I think so, yeah. I don't know why someone would force that on any of us, outside of it just being a big show to them. And that would be in line with the expulsions, too, and the way that they're made into a big spectacle.

[arcsplainist]

[ Alphinaud's eyes lower with a grimace on his face. ]

So it would. I see I have much to think about.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ he just. nods. it's a lot. ]

Yeah. I just - thought you should know why everyone got so upset, you know? It's probably not as simple as just... choosing to kill someone.

[arcsplainist]

[ he exhales, slowly ]

... 'Twas not solely my ignorance I acted out on, but mine own anger.

[ and something more, he thinks. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

Because of Bradley, or...?

[arcsplainist]

Yes. For them both.

[commandertoolbelt]

Right... and we still don't know for sure what happened with Sieghart.

[ which... sucks! ]

And we don't know exactly how many people the role thing will affect in a week, either, if that's even true.

[arcsplainist]

[ he hums, thoughtfully. ]

What do you believe the roles to be, precisely?

[commandertoolbelt]

It's not like I'm a hundred percent certain or anything. I can't even read the script myself, but - the dorm heads are the most obvious ones. They're meant to lead us, obviously, probably to help push the whole "story" in the right direction.

The other one would be the people who kill someone else, like Rupert. Could be that the whole murder mystery thing is the premise of whatever show they're putting on, you know? So of course they'd need someone to play that role, even if they have to force it somehow.

[arcsplainist]

That is all?

[ It's an obvious answer... but probably the only one he has. ]

Well, I suppose it would be. There is little else to take from the idea of a script, I wager.

[commandertoolbelt]

There are the ones who do the expulsions, too, and I guess maybe the professors? [ shrugs! ] We don't have a lot more to go off of, just yet.

[arcsplainist]

If that is so, then it would be safe to presume we all have a "role" to play in this... show.

[commandertoolbelt]

Right. Because they’d need a full ensemble cast - including the murder victims, and the rest of us who have to try and solve it.

[ kind of sucks to know you’re basically fodder for someone’s entertainment. ]